AUTOMATED ASSEMBLY SENSOR CABLE

• US 20140034353A1
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Inventors: Al-Ali, Ammar, Forrest, Kevin, Abdul-Hafiz, Yassir, MacNeish, William Jack III
• Granted Patent: US 9,697,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/107
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/0823 Parallel wires, incorporated in a flat insulating profile
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/0861 comprising one or more screens
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/36 with distinguishing or length marks
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 9/028 with screen grounding means, e.g. drain wires
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49147 Assembling terminal to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49149 by metal fusion bonding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49174 Assembling terminal to elongated conductor

Abstract

An automated assembly sensor cable has a generally wide and flat elongated body and a registration feature generally traversing the length of the body so as to identify the relative locations of conductors within the body. This cable configuration facilitates the automated attachment of the cable to an optical sensor circuit and corresponding connector. In various embodiments, the automated assembly sensor cable has a conductor set of insulated wires, a conductive inner jacket generally surrounding the conductor set, an outer jacket generally surrounding the inner jacket and a registration feature disposed along the surface of the outer jacket and a conductive drain line is embedded within the inner jacket. A strength member may be embedded within the inner jacket.

Claims

1. An automated assembly sensor cable has a generally wide and flat elongated body and a registration feature generally traversing the length of the body so as to identify the relative locations of conductors within the body for ease of automated attachment of connectors and circuit assemblies to lengths of the sensor cable, the automated assembly sensor cable comprising:

a conductor set of insulated wires;

a conductive inner jacket generally surrounding the conductor set;

a conductive drain line embedded within the inner jacket;

an outer jacket generally surrounding the inner jacket; and

a registration feature disposed along the surface of the outer jacket.

2. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 1 wherein the conductor set and conductive drain line are linearly arranged and regular spaced so as readily land on a corresponding series of flexible cable conductors.

3. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 2 wherein the registration feature is a machine-readable groove running the length of the sensor cable.

4. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 3 wherein the outer jacket and inner jacket are semi-pressure co-extruded PVC.

5. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 4 wherein the conductor set comprises a pair of emitter wires for transmitting drive currents to sensor LEDs and a pair of detector wires for receiving currents from sensor photodiodes.

6. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 5 wherein the regular spacing of the conductor set and conductive drain line is 0.050 inches.

7. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 6 further comprising a strength member embedded within the inner jacket.

8. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 7 wherein the strength member is a high-strength cord of Kevlar strands

9. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 6 wherein the outer jacket incorporates Kevlar fibers for strength

10. A sensor cable automated assembly method comprising:

providing a generally wide and flat elongated cable having a plurality of linearly-aligned, regularly-spaced conductors;

cutting the cable to a length compatible with an optical sensor circuit;

preparing at least one end of the cable so as to expose the conductors;

detecting a registration feature disposed along the length of the cable relative to the location of at least a particular one of the conductors within the cable;

positioning the exposed conductors relative to a plurality of contacts of the optical sensor circuit according to the registration feature; and

attaching the conductors to the contacts so as to provide electrical communications between the conductors and a plurality of optical components mounted on the optical sensor circuit.

11. The automated assembly method according to claim 10 wherein preparing comprises:

identifying an outer jacket and an inner jacket of the cable;

cutting away a portion of the outer jacket and the inner jacket around the conductors;

removing insulation from the conductor ends; and

tinning the conductor ends.

12. The automated assembly method according to claim 11 wherein detecting comprises mechanically sensing a groove disposed along the length of the cable.

13. The automated assembly method according to claim 11 wherein detecting comprises optically sensing a printed line disposed along the length of the cable.

14. The automated assembly method according to claim 12 wherein positioning comprises locating the exposed conductors relative to a plurality of flexible circuit pads according to the registration feature.

15. The automated assembly method according to claim 14 wherein locating comprises:

aligning a detector pair of conductors and an emitter pair of conductors with corresponding pairs of the flexible circuit pads; and

soldering the detector pair of conductors and the emitter pair of conductors to the flexible circuit pads.

16. An automated assembly sensor cable comprising:

a generally wide and flat elongated body;

a conductor set means disposed within the body for transmitting drive currents to sensor LEDs and for receiving currents from sensor photodiodes;

a registration means for identifying the relative locations of the conductor set means so as to automate attachment of connectors and circuitry;

an inner jacket means for mechanically surrounding and electrically shielding the conductor set;

a conductive means embedded within the inner jacket for draining electrical charge from the body; and

an outer jacket means for enclosing and protecting the body generally surrounding the inner jacket means.

17. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 16 wherein the conductor set means are linearly-arranged at regularly-spaced intervals.

18. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 17 wherein the conductor set means comprises a plurality of color-coded emitter conductors for transmitting the drive currents and a plurality of color-coded detector conductors for receiving the photodiode currents.

19. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 18 further comprising a strength means embedded within the inner jacket for adding strength to the body.

20. The automated assembly sensor cable according to claim 18 further comprising a strength means embedded within the outer jacket for adding strength to the body.