Method of making a seal about a copper-based terminal

• US 7,954,235 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2009
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Scheel, Mark A., Martauz, Francis D.
• Primary Examiner(s): ARBES, CARL J
• Application Number:
  US12/582,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20110067239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 298/55, 298/57, 298/58, 174/84.C, 439/86, 439/203
• US Class Current: 29/855
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/184 comprising a U-shaped wire-receiving portion
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/187 combined with soldering or welding
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/62 Connections between conductors of different materials; Connections between or with aluminium or steel-core aluminium conductors H01R4/68 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49171 with encapsulating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49174 Assembling terminal to elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49176 with molding of electrically insulating material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49224 with coating

Abstract

A method of forming a seal about an electrically conductive core of a cable having an insulative outer cover and a terminal includes the steps of providing a lead of the core extending beyond an axial edge of the insulative outer cover; applying a conformal coating onto the lead; crimping the terminal onto the cable while the conformal coating is still wet to displace the conformal coating from between the lead and the abutting contact surfaces of the terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of the lead not in direct contact with the terminal with the conformal coating and curing the conformal coating over the remaining portions of the lead.

Claims

1. A method of forming a seal about a copper-based terminal and a cable having an insulative outer cover and an aluminum-based core, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a lead of said core extending beyond an axial edge of the insulative outer cover;

applying a conformal coating wet onto said lead, said lead being disposed into a counterbore of a nozzle and said wet conformal coating is dispensed into said nozzle and applied to said lead disposed within the counterbore;

crimping said copper-based terminal onto said lead while said applied conformal coating is still wet to displace the applied conformal coating from between said lead and said abutting contact surfaces of said copper-based terminal to provide electrical contact between said lead and said terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of said lead not in direct contact with said terminal; and

curing said applied conformal coating over said remaining portions of said lead.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the applying step further includes said nozzle being generally horizontally disposed and said lead being horizontally disposed into said horizontal nozzle so that said conformal coating is applied.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said core of said cable is made from a plurality of strands and said plurality of strands have spaces disposed therebetween, each strand being disposed between other strands in the plurality of strands by said spaces, and said wet conformal coating is dispensed by said nozzle and surroundingly applied to said lead disposed within said counterbore so that said conformal coating is driven with sufficient pressure in to at least said spaces of said lead so that said conformal coating fills said spaces.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein said spaces are voids and said plurality of strands;

and said when crimped, ensure at least the voids disposed in the lead are filled with said wet conformal coating before curing.

5. A method of forming a seal about a copper-based terminal and a cable having an insulative outer cover and an aluminum-based core, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a lead of said core extending beyond an axial edge of the insulative outer cover;

applying a conformal coating wet onto said lead;

crimping said copper-based terminal onto said lead while said conformal coating is still wet to displace the conformal coating from between said lead and said abutting contact surfaces of said copper-based terminal to provide electrical contact between said lead and said terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of said lead not in direct contact with said terminal;

curing said conformal coating over said remaining portions of said lead;

applying the conformal coating is by dipping said lead into a nozzle; and

dispensing said conformal coating into said nozzle while said lead is in said nozzle

wherein said nozzle is generally horizontally disposed and said lead horizontally moves into said nozzle for dipping,

wherein said aluminum-based core of said cable is made from a plurality of strands, and said strands, when crimped, have voids therebetween which are filled with said conformal coating is still wet before curing,

wherein said terminal has a combination insulation and core wing that is crimped over said insulative outer cover and spans over an edge of said insulative outer cover and crimped onto said lead of said core.

6. A method of forming a seal about a copper-based terminal and a cable having an insulative outer cover and an aluminum-based core, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a lead of said core extending beyond an axial edge of the insulative outer cover;

applying a conformal coating wet onto said lead;

crimping said copper-based terminal onto said lead while said conformal coating is still wet to displace the conformal coating from between said lead and said abutting contact surfaces of said copper-based terminal to provide electrical contact between said lead and said terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of said lead not in direct contact with said terminal; and

curing said conformal coating over said remaining portions of said lead;

applying the conformal coating by dipping said lead into a nozzle; and

dispensing said conformal coating into said nozzle while said lead is in said nozzle

wherein said aluminum-based core of said cable is made from a plurality of strands, said strands having spaces therebetween and said conformal coating is dispensed with sufficient pressure to fill said spaces,

wherein said terminal has a combination insulation and core wing that is crimped over said insulative outer cover and spans over an edge of said insulative outer cover and crimped onto said lead of said core.

7. A method of forming a seal between a terminal and a cable having an insulative outer cover and a core that is electrically conductive, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a lead of said core extending beyond an axial edge of said insulative outer cover;

applying a conformal coating wet onto said lead, said lead being disposed into a counterbore of a nozzle and said wet conformal coating is dispensed into said nozzle and applied to said lead disposed within said counterbore;

crimping said terminal onto said cable while said conformal coating is still wet to displace the conformal coating from between said lead and said abutting contact surfaces of said terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of said lead not in direct contact with said terminal with said conformal coating; and

curing said applied conformal coating over said remaining portions of said lead.

8. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein the applying step further includes said nozzle being generally horizontally disposed and said lead being horizontally disposed into said horizontal nozzle so that said conformal coating is applied.

9. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein said core of said cable is made from a plurality of strands, and said plurality of strands have spaces disposed therebetween, each strand being disposed between other strands in the plurality of strands by said spaces and said wet conformal coating is dispensed by said nozzle surroundingly applied to the lead within said counterbore so that said conformal coating is driven with sufficient pressure in to at least said spaces of said lead so that said conformal coating fills said spaces.

10. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein said spaces are voids and said plurality of strands, when crimped, ensure at least the voids disposed in the lead are filled with said wet conformal coating before curing.

11. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein the core is made from a material more electrically negative than said terminal when exposed to an electrolyte.

12. A method of forming a seal between a terminal and a cable having an insulative outer cover and a core that is electrically conductive, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a lead of said core extending beyond an axial edge of said insulative outer cover;

applying a conformal coating wet onto said lead;

crimping said terminal onto said cable while said conformal coating is still wet to displace the conformal coating from between said lead and said abutting contact surfaces of said terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of said lead not in direct contact with said terminal with said conformal coating; and

curing said conformal coating over said remaining portions of said lead,

wherein said cable is made from a plurality of strands, said strands having spaces therebetween and said conformal coating is dispensed with sufficient pressure to fill said spaces,

wherein said core of said cable is made from a plurality of strands, and said strands, when crimped, have voids therebetween which are filled with said conformal coating that is still wet before curing, and

wherein said terminal has a combination insulation and core wing that is crimped over said insulative outer cover and spans over said edge of said insulative outer cover and crimped onto said lead of said core.

13. A method of forming a seal between a terminal and a cable having an insulative outer cover and a core that is electrically conductive, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a lead of said core extending beyond an axial edge of said insulative outer cover;

applying a conformal coating wet onto said lead;

crimping said terminal onto said cable while said conformal coating is still wet to displace the conformal coating from between said lead and said abutting contact surfaces of said terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of said lead not in direct contact with said terminal with said conformal coating; and

curing said conformal coating over said remaining portions of said lead,

wherein said cable is made from a plurality of strands, said strands having spaces therebetween and said conformal coating is dispensed with sufficient pressure to fill said spaces,

wherein said terminal has a combination insulation and core wing that is crimped over said insulative outer cover and spans over said edge of said insulative outer cover and crimped onto said lead of said core.

14. A method as defined in claim 13 wherein the core is made from a material more electrically negative than said terminal when exposed to an electrolyte.

15. A method of forming a seal about a copper-based terminal and a cable having an insulative outer cover and an aluminum-based core, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a lead of said core extending beyond an axial edge of the insulative outer cover;

applying a conformal coating wet onto said lead;

crimping said copper-based terminal onto said lead while said applied conformal coating is still wet to displace the applied conformal coating from between said lead and said abutting contact surfaces of said copper-based terminal to provide electrical contact between said lead and said terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of said lead not in direct contact with said terminal; and

curing said applied conformal coating over said remaining portions of said lead,

wherein said terminal has a combination insulation and core wing that is crimped over said insulative outer cover and spans over said edge of said insulative outer cover and crimped onto said lead of said core.

16. A method of forming a seal between a terminal and a cable having an insulative outer cover surrounding an electrically conductive core, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a lead of said core extending beyond an axial edge of said insulative outer cover;

applying a conformal coating wet onto said lead;

crimping said terminal onto said cable while said conformal coating is still wet to displace the conformal coating from between said lead and said abutting contact surfaces of said terminal and to cover and seal remaining portions of said lead not in direct contact with said terminal with said conformal coating; and

curing said applied conformal coating over said remaining portions of said lead,

wherein said terminal has a combination insulation and core wing that is crimped over said insulative outer cover and spans over said edge of said insulative outer cover and crimped onto said lead of said core.