Patent Publication Number: US-2021166842-A1

Title: Arrangement For Attaching An Insulator Sleeve To An Electrical Conductor

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) of German Patent Application No. 202019106641, filed on Nov. 28, 2019. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an electrical conductor and, more particularly, to an electrical conductor with an attached insulator sleeve. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In automotive engineering and in power engineering, electrical modules, such as battery modules, are connected via particularly flexible electrical conductors to transmit electrical currents. For reasons of electrical safety, these electrical conductors are often provided with an insulation or insulator sleeve surrounding the electrical conductor. The insulation is usually also flexible and in certain applications also serves to protect the electrical conductor from external mechanical, thermal, and/or chemical effects. 
     A continuous adhesion between the inside of the insulator sleeve and the outside of the electrical conductor is a disadvantage if the electrical conductors have to be adapted to the spatial conditions of the electrical modules to be connected in the course of an assembly. For example, differences in height between individual connection points of the electrical modules are bridged by bending the electrical conductor together with the insulator sleeve. Particularly with narrow bending radii, material stresses can occur when the insulator sleeve and conductor adhere to each other, which can damage the conductor and/or insulator sleeve. 
     SUMMARY 
     An arrangement includes an insulator sleeve, a mounting sheath, an end piece of the insulator sleeve is received in a receptacle opening of the mounting sheath, and a holding pin penetrating the insulator sleeve and fixing the mounting sheath on the insulator sleeve in a non-displaceable manner in a length direction of the insulator sleeve. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an arrangement according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional side view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another sectional side view of the arrangement of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an insulator sleeve according to an embodiment and an electrical conductor with a contact element; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the insulator sleeve and electrical conductor of  FIG. 5  in a first shell according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the insulator sleeve, electrical conductor, and first shell of  FIG. 6  with a second shell according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional side view of an arrangement according to another embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of an arrangement according to another embodiment; and 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the arrangement of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S) 
     Features and exemplary embodiments as well as advantages of the present disclosure will be explained in detail with respect to the drawings. It is understood that the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited by the description of the following embodiments. It should furthermore be understood that some or all of the features described in the following may also be combined in alternative ways. 
     First, the schematic structure of an arrangement  1  according to the invention is shown according to a first possible embodiment with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 8 . Subsequently, the schematic structure of an arrangement  1  in accordance with the invention is described according to a further possible embodiment with reference to  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
     The arrangement  1  in accordance with the invention may comprise a mounting sheath  2  and an insulator sleeve  4  in a first possible embodiment. The insulator sleeve  4  can accommodate or surround an electrical conductor  6 . The arrangement  1  can also comprise the electrical conductor  6 . Optionally, the insulator sleeve  4  can surround the electrical conductor  6  along the entire length of the electrical conductor  6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the arrangement  1  can be used to attach the insulator sleeve  4  to the electrical conductor  6  by the mounting sheath  2 . In particular, an end piece  8  of the insulator sleeve  4  and/or an end piece  10  of the electrical conductor  6  can be accommodated in a receptacle opening  12  of the mounting sheath  2  and fixed in a non-displaceable manner in a length direction  18  of the insulator sleeve  4 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the mounting sheath  2  is configured in two parts. For this, the mounting sheath  2  can consist of a first shell  14  and a second shell  16  which can be plugged together with the first shell  14  in a plug-in direction  20  perpendicular to the length direction  18 . The shells  14 ,  16  can be adapted to be latched with each other and, when assembled, can create the receptacle opening  12  together. In particular, there may be at least one latching device  22  for latching the two shells  14 ,  16  outside the receptacle opening  12  of the mounting sheath  2  and outside the insulator sleeve  4 . Alternatively, the first shell  14  and the second shell  16  can be connected to each other via a connection comprising a screw connection, adhesive connection, welded connection and/or soldered connection. 
     The two-part embodiment allows, in a first assembly step, to provide the insulator sleeve  4  and/or the electrical conductor  6  along the plug-in direction  18  in the first shell  14  and subsequently, in a second assembly step, to push the second shell  16  onto the first shell  14  in the plug-in direction  20 . Thus, the assembly steps can be carried out automatically, for example in a pick-and-place process. 
     In the exemplary representations shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the electrical conductor  6  is configured as a flexible flat conductor  24  of a cell connector  26  for battery modules. However, the electrical conductor  6  can have any desired geometry, which is predetermined in an embodiment and to which the shape of the insulator sleeve  4  and the shape of the receptacle opening  12  are adapted. Thus, the receptacle opening  12  of the mounting sheath  2  can extend straight in the length direction  18  and have a rectangular cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the length direction  18 . Alternatively, the receptacle opening  12  of the mounting sheath  2  can have a square, polygonal, round or oval cross-section in the plane perpendicular to the length direction  18  and be configured for correspondingly shaped insulator sleeves  4  and electrical conductors  6 . 
     The insulator sleeve  4  is configured for electrical conductors  6  of a predetermined size or cross-sectional geometry. Electrical conductors  6  of a different size or cross-sectional geometry should not be used with such an insulator sleeve  4  in this configuration. 
     As shown in the sectional drawings in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the mounting sheath  2  for creating the rectangular cross-section can consist of a cuboidal casing  28  whose two flat sides  30   a ,  30   b  and two long sides  32   a ,  32   b  connecting the flat sides  30   a ,  30   b  surround the receptacle opening  12 . The resulting inner circumference of the receptacle opening  12  can be configured in such a way that the insulator sleeve  4  surrounding the electrical conductor  6  can be enclosed with a perfect fit. This embodiment is advantageous for applications in which flat conductors  6  are used and is particularly suitable for use in cell connectors for battery modules. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the electrical conductor  6  may have a contact element  34  at the end piece  10  received in the receptacle opening  12 . The contact element  34  can be welded, soldered or screwed on, for example, and can be accommodated in a housing section  36  of the mounting sheath  2 , shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In particular, the housing section  36  can surround a distal end  38  of the contact element  34  facing away from the electrical conductor  6  and create a longitudinal fixation  40  shown in  FIG. 6 . For this, the housing section  36  can extend in the length direction  18  beyond the distal end  38  and rest on at least one surface  42  of the contact element  34  facing in the length direction  18  and on at least one surface  44  facing against the length direction  18 . This results in a positive-locking, potentially releasable connection between the electrical conductor  6  and the mounting sheath  2 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , at least one holding pin  7  is provided in the receptacle opening  12 , which penetrates the insulator sleeve  4  and thus fixes the mounting sheath  2  in length direction  18  on the insulator sleeve  4  in a non-displaceable manner. Depending on the application, one holding pin  7  may be sufficient as long as the at least one holding pin  7  creates a positive-locking, optionally releasable connection between the insulator sleeve  4  and the mounting sheath  2 , and thus a non-adhering insulator sleeve  4  can be easily attached to the electrical conductor  6 . 
     As an alternative to or in addition to the longitudinal fixation  40  already explained, the at least one holding pin  7  can also penetrate the electrical conductor  6  to create a positive-locking, optionally releasable connection between the electrical conductor  6  and the mounting sheath  2 . For this, the electrical conductor  6  can have at least one recess  46 , which is complementary to the at least one holding pin  7  and into which the at least one holding pin  7  protrudes at least partially. This is shown as an example in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
     In this way, the insulator sleeve  4  can be fixed to the electrical conductor  6  by the mounting sheath  2  and at the same time, locally limited relative movement between insulator sleeve  4  and electrical conductor  6 , e.g. within the scope of mechanical stress equalization movements, can be carried out unhindered. 
     In an embodiment, the insulator sleeve  4  is made as a soft component, such as a silicone insulating tube, and the mounting sheath  2  is made of a material that has a yield limit under mechanical stress that is higher than the tensile strength of the soft component. Thus, the load capacity of the positive-locking connection between the insulator sleeve  4  and the mounting sheath  2  is clearly defined, since the material of the insulator sleeve  4  tears before the at least one holding pin  7  of the mounting sheath  2  would deform significantly. 
     The at least one holding pin  7  is located at a place where the electrical conductor  6  of predetermined size or cross-sectional geometry is located in the insulator sleeve  4 . Alternatively, the electrical conductor  6  can also be attached displaceably in the insulator sleeve  4  without being penetrated by the holding pins  7 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , in particular two parallel holding pins  7   a ,  7   b  are arranged at a distance from one another perpendicular to the length direction  18 , the distance  48  between the two holding pins  7   a ,  7   b  being greater than a width  50  of the electrical conductor  6 , so that the electrical conductor  6  can pass between the two holding pins  7   a ,  7   b  without being penetrated by the two holding pins  7   a ,  7   b . This is shown in the sectional drawing in  FIG. 3 . If required, the positive-locking, releasable, connection between the electrical conductor  6  and the mounting sheath  2  can be created in this embodiment by other means, as explained below. 
     As further illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the at least one holding pin  7  can project as a part of the mounting sheath  2  from a surface  52  of the mounting sheath  2  facing inwardly towards the receptacle opening  12  and protrude into the receptacle opening  12 . In the exemplary embodiments shown, the holding pins  7   a ,  7   b  are configured as straight, cylindrical projections  54   a ,  54   b  which project from the first shell  14  into the receptacle opening  12 , whereby a pin end  56   a ,  56   b  of the respective holding pin  7   a ,  7   b  facing away from the first shell  14  penetrates a corresponding inspection opening  58   a ,  58   b  in the second shell  16 . 
     In an embodiment, the respective pin end  56   a ,  56   b  is visible on an outer surface  60  of the mounting sheath  2  in an assembled state of the shells  14 ,  16 . This provides the possibility to carry out a visual inspection during and/or after assembly to check whether the insulator sleeve  4  has been positioned properly during assembly. In case of a wrong positioning, the at least one holding pin  7  cannot penetrate the through openings  68  in the insulator sleeve  4 , so that the pin end  56  of the at least one holding pin  7  is covered by the insulator sleeve  4  and is not visible. 
     Holding pins  7  and inspection openings  58  can also be provided alternately on the first shell  14  and on the second shell  16 . Furthermore, the holding pins  7  may differ from each other in their shape and, together with the associated inspection openings  58 , create a geometric coding which additionally prevents the shells  14 ,  16  from being positioned incorrectly. For example, a set of a first shell  14  and an associated second shell  16  may have a plurality of holding pins  7  and inspection opening  58  that differ in number, position and shape from another set of associated shells. In this way, a key-lock principle can be realized, which prevents that shells  14 ,  16  that do not belong together are plugged together and installed. 
     The at least one holding pin  7  that are part of the first shell  14  function as a positioning aid in so far as the at least one holding pin  7  determines the position in which the at least one through opening  68  of the insulator sleeve  4  is to be placed. 
     If multiple holding pins  7   a ,  7   b  are provided on the first shell  14 , they may differ from each other in their shape in order to create a geometric coding which additionally prevents the insulator sleeve  4  from being positioned incorrectly. 
     In another embodiment, the at least one holding pin  7  can be a separate component penetrating the mounting sheath  2  and/or the insulator sleeve  4 . The at least one holding pin  7  can, for example, be configured as a screw, such as a hand screw, which is screwed into a threaded bore of the mounting sheath  2 , the first shell  14  and/or the second shell  16  and thereby penetrates the at least one through opening  68  of the insulator sleeve  4 . 
     In addition or as an alternative to the at least one latching device  22 , at least one latching element  64  may be located on an outer edge  62  of the pin end  56  of the at least one holding pin  7 , which may latch with an inner edge  66  of the inspection opening  58 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     In an alternative embodiment, the at least one holding pin  7  can also be configured as a dome-shaped, mandrel-shaped, cuboid or prism-shaped projection. If multiple holding pins  7  are provided, the holding pins  7  can differ among themselves in their shape and thus generate a geometrical coding. In addition, a set of a first shell  14  and an associated second shell  16  can, for example, have a plurality of holding pins  7  and inspection openings  58 , which differ in number, position and shape from another set of associated shells according to a key-lock principle. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the insulator sleeve  4  may have at least one through opening  68  extending perpendicular to the length direction  18  for inserting or passing through the at least one holding pin  7 . In an embodiment, the inner diameter and/or the inner contour of the at least one through opening  68  corresponds to the outer diameter and/or the outer contour of the at least one holding pin  7 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment shown, the insulator sleeve  4  is configured as a tubular insulating jacket  70  and has two pairs  72   a ,  72   b  of aligned through openings  68  at the end piece  8  received in the receptacle opening  12 , the through openings  68  of the respective pair  72   a ,  72   b  being arranged opposite one another on an outer surface  74  of the insulating jacket  70  with respect to the length direction  18 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The insulator sleeve  4  can of course have a plurality of through openings  68 , which are arranged in pairs in an overlapping arrangement in an insertion direction  21  perpendicular to the length direction  18  of the insulator sleeve  4 . Accordingly, a holding pin  7  can be provided for each pair of through openings  68 . The at least one through opening  68  allows a clearly definable and repeatable positioning of the insulator sleeve  4  in relation to the mounting sheath  2 . This simplifies the assembly of the insulator sleeve  4  with the mounting sheath  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the insulator sleeve  4  together with the mounting sheath  2  can form for the electrical conductor  6  and the contact element  34  a contact protection  76 , especially a protection against the insertion of a wire with a diameter greater than X mm. In other embodiments, the protection can be against contact according to IPXXD or other corresponding standards. For this, the outer surfaces  60 ,  74  of the insulator sleeve  4  and the mounting sheath  2  can be configured in such a way that all gaps  80  present, for example the distance between the inner edge  66  of the inspection opening  58  and the outer edge  62  of the pin end  56  of the at least one holding pin  7 , are smaller than X mm, where X corresponds to a normatively required value. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  show a further embodiment of the arrangement  1  according to the invention, which has at least one further insulator sleeve  4 ′ and a further mounting sheath  2 ′ for attaching the at least one further insulator sleeve  4 ′ to at least one further electrical conductor  6 ′. In particular, the at least one further mounting sheath  2 ′ can have a receptacle opening  12 ′ with at least one holding pin  7 ′ for the positive-locking reception of an end piece  8 ′ of the at least one further insulator sleeve  4 ′ and/or an end piece  10 ′ of the at least one further electrical conductor  6 ′. 
     In an embodiment, the mounting sheaths  2 ,  2 ′ can be monolithically connected to each other in this embodiment to reduce the number of individual components required. The respective mounting sheaths  2 ,  2 ′ can be configured according to the embodiments already explained. 
     As further shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the mounting sheath  2 ,  2 ′ can consist of a first multiple shell  82 ′ forming the mounting sheath  2 ,  2 ′ and a second multiple shell  84 ′ forming the mounting sheath  2 ,  2 ′. In an embodiment, the first multiple shell  82 ′ can be latched together with the second multiple shell  84 ′ in plug-in direction  20 . Optionally, the multiple shells  82 ′,  84 ′ can be configured in such a way that the receptacle openings  12 ,  12 ′ are arranged coplanar. 
     This embodiment allows, in a first assembly step, to place all insulator sleeves  4 ,  4 ′ and/or all electrical conductors  6 ,  6 ′ along the plug-in direction  20  in the first multiple shell  82 ′ and subsequently, in a second assembly step, to plug the second multiple shell  84 ′ onto the first multiple shell  82 ′ in the plug-in direction  20 . Thus, these assembly steps can also be carried out automatically, for example in a pick-and-place process.