System and method for sealing electrical terminals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10103458-B2
Application number	US-201715493342-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2017
Priority date	Feb 7, 2017
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A system and device for sealing a plurality of electrical wires to a wire attachment portion of an electrical terminal, wherein a shrinkable tubing is placed over the plurality of electrical wires such that one end thereof extends over the wire attachment portion of the electrical terminal. A band of the high viscosity sealant/adhesive is placed within the heat shrink tubing adjacent to the edge of heat shrink tubing. A band of the low viscosity sealant/adhesive is placed within the heat shrink tubing. Upon the application of heat to the device, the shrinkable tubing starts to recover, the high viscosity sealant/adhesive seals the edge of the shrinkable tubing and the low-viscosity sealant/adhesive flows across and through the plurality of electrical wires to create a seal. The high viscosity sealant/adhesive prevents flow of the low-viscosity sealant/adhesive from contaminating the electrical terminal.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A system for sealing an electrical terminal, comprising:
(a) a device for sealing a plurality of electrical wires to a wire attachment portion of the electrical terminal, wherein the device further includes:
(i) a shrinkable tubing having a predetermined length, wherein the shrinkable tubing has been placed over the plurality of electrical wires such that one end thereof extends over the wire attachment portion of the electrical terminal;
(ii) a band of a high viscosity sealant/adhesive, placed within the shrinkable tubing adjacent to an edge of the shrinkable tubing,
(iii) a band of a low viscosity sealant/adhesive placed within the shrinkable tubing and adjacent to the high viscosity sealant/adhesive such that low viscosity sealant/adhesive is further away from the edge of the shrinkable tubing,

(b) wherein upon an application of heat to the device after installation of the device over the electrical terminal, the shrinkable tubing starts to recover, the high viscosity sealant/adhesive seals the edge of the shrinkable tubing and the low-viscosity sealant/adhesive flows across and through the plurality of electrical wires creating a seal, wherein the high viscosity sealant/adhesive prevents flow of the low-viscosity sealant/adhesive from contaminating the electrical terminal.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the band of the high viscosity sealant/adhesive is a circular ring.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the band of the low viscosity sealant/adhesive is a circular ring.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the band of the high viscosity sealant/adhesive and the band of the low viscosity sealant/adhesive are circular rings.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shrinkable tubing is either single-walled tubing or double-walled tubing.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity sealant/adhesive has a viscosity that is greater than 20 Pa·s at 120° C.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the low-viscosity sealant/adhesive is a cross-linkable low-viscosity sealant/adhesive.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the high viscosity sealant/adhesive includes a hot melt thermoplastic sealant; a polyolefin copolymer-based sealant; a polyamide-based sealant; a thermoplastic elastomer-based sealant; a polyolefin and polyamide mixture-based sealant; a polyolefin and polyolefin copolymer mixture-based sealant; a polyolefin copolymer and polyamide mixture-based sealant; a fluoropolymer sealant, or combinations thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the low viscosity sealant/adhesive includes a hot melt thermoplastic sealant; a polyolefin copolymer-based sealant; a polyamide-based sealant; a thermoplastic elastomer-based sealant; a polyolefin and polyamide mixture-based sealant; a polyolefin and polyolefin copolymer mixture-based sealant; a polyolefin copolymer and polyamide mixture-based sealant; a fluoropolymer sealant, or combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shrinkable tubing, the high-viscosity sealant/adhesive and the low-viscosity sealant/adhesive are assembled prior to placement of the device over the electrical terminal.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the shrinkable tubing, the high-viscosity sealant/adhesive and the low-viscosity sealant/adhesive are assembled after placement of the device over the electrical terminal.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein an additional band of a sealant/adhesive is positioned on the shrinkable tubing and is spaced from the band of the low viscosity sealant/adhesive, wherein the band of the low viscosity sealant/adhesive is positioned between the band of the high viscosity sealant/adhesive and the additional band of the sealant/adhesive.

13. A system for sealing an electrical terminal, comprising:
(a) a device for sealing a plurality of electrical wires to a wire attachment portion of the electrical terminal, wherein the device further includes:
(i) a shrinkable tubing having a predetermined length, wherein the shrinkable tubing has been placed over the plurality of electrical wires such that one end thereof extends over the wire attachment portion of the electrical terminal;
(ii) a high viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve having high viscosity sealant/adhesive, the high viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve positioned proximate to an edge of the shrinkable tubing,
(iii) a low viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve having a low viscosity sealant/adhesive, the low viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve positioned further away from the edge of the shrinkable tubing than the high viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve,

(b) wherein upon an application of heat to the device, the high viscosity sealant/adhesive melts and flows forming a barrier, the low viscosity sealant/adhesive melts and flows across the plurality of wires filling any present air voids, and the shrinkable tubing encapsulates the plurality of electrical wires, substantially sealing the melted low viscosity sealant/adhesive and the high viscosity sealant/adhesive in the shrinkable tubing.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the high viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve is a slit sealant/adhesive sleeve.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the low viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve is a slit sealant/adhesive sleeve.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the high viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve and the low viscosity sealant/adhesive sleeve are installed in situ.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the shrinkable tubing is either single-walled tubing or double-walled tubing.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the high-viscosity sealant/adhesive has a viscosity that is greater than 20 Pa·s at 120° C.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the low-viscosity sealant/adhesive is a cross-linkable low-viscosity sealant/adhesive.

20. The system of claim 13 , wherein the high viscosity sealant/adhesive includes a hot melt thermoplastic sealant; a polyolefin copolymer-based sealant; a polyamide-based sealant; a thermoplastic elastomer-based sealant; a polyolefin and polyamide mixture-based sealant; a polyolefin and polyolefin copolymer mixture-based sealant; a polyolefin copolymer and polyamide mixture-based sealant; a fluoropolymer sealant, or combinations thereof.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the low viscosity sealant/adhesive includes a hot melt thermoplastic sealant; a polyolefin copolymer-based sealant; a polyamide-based sealant; a thermoplastic elastomer-based sealant; a polyolefin and polyamide mixture-based sealant; a polyolefin and polyolefin copolymer mixture-based sealant; a polyolefin copolymer and polyamide mixture-based sealant; a fluoropolymer sealant, or combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Sethi Sunny
• Daga Vijay
• Bharadwaj Kavitha
• Gao Ting

Classifications

• H01R4/72 Primary

  using a heat shrinking insulating sleeve · CPC title

• H01R11/12

  End pieces terminating in an eye, hook, or fork · CPC title

• H01R4/723

  Making a soldered electrical connection simultaneously with the heat shrinking · CPC title

• H01R11/11

  End pieces or tapping pieces for wires, supported by the wire and for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal or conductive member (H01R11/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R4/58

  characterised by the form or material of the contacting members (H01R4/01 takes precedence) · CPC title