Shielded multibranch harness

• US 5,378,853 A
• Filed: 01/27/1993
• Issued: 01/03/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Societe Anonyme DBA
• Original Assignee: Filotex
• Inventors: Clouet, Pascal, Vaille, Francois, Viaud, Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): NIMMO, MORRIS
• Application Number:
  US08/010,012
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 174/36, 174/71 R, 174/72 R, 174/72 A, 174/72 TR, 174/71 C, 439/571, 439/579, 439/497
• US Class Current: 174/36
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/0045 Cable-harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/65912 for shielded multiconductor cable coaxial cables with one conductor surrounded by shield H01R9/05; flat shielded cables H01R12/594
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6593 the shield being composed of different pieces

Abstract

The shielded harness has multiple branches and at least one fork, and has shielding braids over the various branches. The harness includes shielding continuity means over each fork, which means are constituted exclusively by enlarged tabs in the individual shielding braids of the various branches, each enlarged tab extending over the fork and beyond over another branch, and being covered by the shielding braid of said other branch.

Claims

1. In a shielded multibranch harness including a network of conductors defining the multiple branches and at least one generally Y-shaped fork formed by first, second and third ones of said branches in a given pre-established layout, a plurality of shielding braids for shielding said branches, at least two of said branches having different cross-sectional dimensions, and first shielding continuity means over said fork, the improvement wherein said first shielding continuity means are defined exclusively by an enlarged tab in each of the shielding braids that are made in succession over the first, second and third branches of the fork, each enlarged tab extending over the fork and over at least a portion of another one of said three branches other than the branch carrying the shielding braid to which an enlarged tab belongs, and each enlarged tab being covered by the shielding braid of one of said other branches, with the exception of the enlarged tab of the last-made braid, which is not covered.

2. A shielded harness according to claim 1, wherein each enlarged tab of each shielding braid, except the last shielding braid made, extends over one of the other branches having at least the same cross-sectional dimensions as the branch carrying the shielding braid to which the enlarged tab belongs.

3. A shielded harness according to claim 1, wherein each enlarged tab and the braid to which the enlarged tab belongs either both have their number of braiding wires and their braiding pitch adapted to the cross-sectional dimensions of the branch which the shielding braid covers, or both have their number of braiding wires adapted in this way, with the enlarged tab having a braiding pitch adapted to the cross-sectional dimensions of the branch which it covers, and the shielding braid having a braiding pitch adapted to the cross-sectional dimensions of the branch which it covers.

4. A shielded harness according to claim 1, wherein the enlarged tab of at least said last braid made is made continuous over the entire length of the other branch over which it extends.

5. A shielded harness according to claim 1, wherein the enlarged tab of the last braid made is a double self-locking hem extending over one of the other branches in question of the fork.

6. A shielded harness according to claim 1, wherein said shielding braids are constituted by at least one layer.

7. A shielded harness according to claim 1, including at least one protective metal strip between one of the shielding braids and the underlying end of one other shielding braid.

8. A shielded harness according to claim 1, further including end connectors connected at the ends of at least some of the multiple branches, and second shielding continuity means over a rear end of each connector, wherein said second shielding continuity means are constituted exclusively by an additional enlarged tab of the shielding braid of the branch to which the connector is connected, said additional enlarged tab being made directly over the rear end of the connector and locked on said rear end, thereby integrating the connector into said shielded harness.

9. A shielded harness according to claim 1, further including an expander on each branch that is not initially connected to an end connector, the cross-sectional dimensions of the expander being substantially identical to those of a "rear" end of said connector to be connected, the expander being mounted substantially at the location of the connector to be connected to the branch and covered directly by the shielding braid on the branch, the shielding braid being directly preformed at the expander and to the dimensions thereof.

10. A shielded harness according to claim 9, further including an end abutment positioner associated with and mounted at the end of said expander on the branch carrying said expander.

11. A shielded harness according to claim 9, wherein the shielding braid over each branch equipped with an expander has a self-locking loop substantially adjoining said expander and extending towards the fork over a portion of the branch.

12. A shielded harness according to claim 1, in which at least some of said branches at the same fork have different cross-sectional dimensions from one another, and wherein said harness further includes at least one lagging braid over the fork and on either side over the adjoining portions of all or part of the branches.

13. A shielded harness according to claim 12, including a plurality of lagging braids each extending on either side the fork over two different branches.

14. A shielded harness according to claim 13, including a lagging braid made continuously starting from one of the branches over at least two other branches of the fork, with go-and-return motion over one of them.