Cable with varying cell arrangements

• US 5,773,762 A
• Filed: 04/04/1996
• Issued: 06/30/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Woven Electronics LLC (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Woven Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Ledbetter Adams, Sharon, Orr, Lawrence William Jr., Hammett, Kathryne R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHAU N
• Application Number:
  US08/628,035
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 174/117 R, 174/117 F, 174/117 M, 174/72 R, 174/72 A
• US Class Current: 174/117.00M
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/083 Parallel wires, incorporated in a fabric

Abstract

A woven wire harness assembly for use in restricted areas of varying sizes. The harness assembly includes a fabricate cable carrying a plurality of insulated conductor groups. The cable is formed of warp yarns woven with a weft yarn to form a trunk portion and a tube portion. Both the trunk portion and the tube portion terminate with a breakout area. The trunk portion includes a plurality of cells while the tube portion has only a single cell. The plurality of insulated conductors extend continuously along the length of harness assembly through the individual cells to finally consolidate and extend through the single cell. The cable is woven at a density which provides approximately 90% cover providing mechanical and thermal insulation for the insulated conductors.

Claims

1. An insulating fabricated wire harness assembly for use in restricted areas of varying sizes, which includes a fabricated cable carrying a plurality of insulated conductors having exposed first and second ends:

said cable being comprised of interengaged yarns forming a trunk portion comprising at least first and second sections and a tube portion, opposed ends of each of said portions terminating with a break out area, said at least first and second sections of said trunk portion having a plurality of cells with said second section of said trunk portion having a greater number of said cells than said first section and said tube portion having a single cell,

said plurality of insulated conductors being arranged to extend through said cells and continuously along the length of said cable, with said first exposed ends extending outwardly from said break out area of said tube portion and said second exposed ends extending outwardly from said break out area of said trunk portion,

said yarns forming said cable being disposed relative to each other to provide at least 90% cover whereby said cable provides mechanical and thermal insulation for said insulated conductors.

2. The harness assembly according to claim 1 wherein said first section comprises at least two of said plurality of cells and said second section having at least four of said plurality of cells.

3. The harness assembly of claim 2 wherein an end of said opposed ends of said tube portion merges with a first end of said first section forming a first break point where said at least two cells of said first section merge with said single cell of said tube portion.

4. The harness assembly of claim 3 wherein said insulated conductors extend continuously within each of said cells along the length of said cable.

5. The harness assembly of claim 3 wherein a second end of said first section merges with an end of said second section forming a second break point where said at least two cells of said first section merge with said at least four cells of said second section.

6. The harness assembly of claim 1 wherein said yarns comprise multifilaments of liquid crystal polymers.

7. The harness assembly of claim 1 wherein said interengaged yarns are arranged relative to each other to provide 100% cover for said insulated conductors.

8. The harness assembly of claim 1 wherein said yarns are comprised of liquid crystal polymers.

9. The harness assembly of claim 1 wherein said trunk portion comprises at least a pair of trunk portions and said tube portion comprises at least a pair of tube portions.

10. A woven wire harness assembly for use in restricted areas of varying sizes, which includes a fabricated cable carrying a plurality of insulated conductors having exposed ends:

said cable being comprised of a first plurality of warp yarns, a plurality of binder warp yarns woven with weft yarns to form a trunk portion and a tube portion, each terminating with a break out area, said trunk portion having first and second sections each having a plurality of cells and said tube portion having a single cell,

each of said of binder warp yarns, weaving with said weft yarns in said second section to form said plurality of cells and only selected ones of said plurality of binder warp yarns weaving with said weft yarns in said first section to form said plurality of cells,

said plurality of insulated conductors being arranged to extend continuously along the length of said cable, said insulated conductors extending through said cells with said exposed ends extending outwardly from said break out areas,

said cable being woven at a density sufficient to provide thermal and abrasion protection for said insulated conductors.

11. The harness assembly according to claim 10 wherein said first section comprises at least two cells of said plurality of cells and said second section comprises at least twice the number of cells as said first section, a first end of said first section forming a first break point where said at least two cells merge with said single cell of said tube portion.

12. The harness assembly of claim 10 including stuffer warps extending through said single cell of said tube portion along with said insulated conductors, said stuffer warps packing said insulated conductors in a stationary position within said single cell.

13. The harness assembly of claim 10 including a second plurality of warp yarns, said second plurality of warp yarns weaving with said weft yarns to form a selvage along at least a portion of at least one side of said cable.

14. The harness assembly of claim 13 wherein said selvage extends along and is integral with said trunk portion.

15. The harness assembly of claim 13 wherein said selvage extends along a portion of said tube portion without being connected therewith, said selvage forming an elongated tab.

16. The harness assembly of claim 10 including first and second tabs, said first and second tabs being connected with and extending from opposite ends of said cable at said break out areas, at least one of said first and second tabs being formed by weaving said first plurality of warp yarns with said weft yarns.

17. The harness assembly of claim 10 wherein said warp and weft yarns comprise thermoplastic multi-filament yarns of liquid crystal polymer.

18. The harness assembly of claim 10 wherein said binder warp yarns extend through said single cell of said tube portion along with said insulated conductors.

19. A woven wire harness assembly constructed for use in confined areas of variable size, said assembly comprising:

first and second woven cables each having a trunk portion having a plurality of cells arranged in decreasing order along its length and a tube portion having a single cell connected at one end with one end of said trunk portion so that said cells of said trunk portion merge with said single cell of said tube portion;

a plurality of insulated conductors extending along the length of said cables, said insulated conductors passing through said cells;

a selvage woven with each of said trunk portions to extend along an edge thereof;

said first and second cables being stacked one upon the other with said selvage of said first cable being arranged over said selvage of said second cable; and

,

a connector passing through said selvages interconnecting said first cable with said second cable along at least portions of their length forming said woven harness assembly.

20. The harness assembly of claim 19 including a break out formed at opposite ends of said harness assembly, said break outs including tabs for connecting said harness assembly to support structure and openings allowing the opposed ends of said conductors to extend beyond said cables for connecting with connectors.

21. The harness assembly of claim 19 including a tab formed adjacent said connection between said tube portion and said trunk portion of each of said cables of said harness assembly.

22. The harness assembly of claim 19 wherein each of said cells carries a plurality of insulated conductors of said plurality of insulated conductors.

23. The harness assembly of claim 19 wherein certain of said plurality of insulated conductors of said plurality of insulated conductors and and certain other of said cells carry a single insulated conductor of said plurality of insulated conductors.

24. The harness assembly of claim 19 wherein including warp stuffers, said warp stuffers extending through said single cell of said tube portion along with said plurality of insulated conductors, said warp stuffers acting to maintain said insulated conductors into a stationary position.