ADHESIVE TAPE

Abstract

The invention relates to an adhesive tape, in particular winding tape for bandaging elongated objects, such as cable bundles in automobiles for example. The adhesive tape has a fabric support (1, 2), additionally an adhesive coating (3) which is applied onto one side or both sides of the fabric support (1, 2), and at least one marking thread (4, 5) which is introduced into the fabric support. According to the invention, the marking thread (4, 5) is a warp and/or weft thread (4, 5) which is incorporated into the fabric support (1, 2) during the production process.

Claims

1. An adhesive tape for wrapping an elongated object, the tape comprising a textile substrate, an adhesive coating applied to one or both faces of the textile substrate, and a marker filament introduced into the textile substrate, the marker filament being incorporated during manufacture into the textile substrate as a warp and/or weft filament.

2. The adhesive tape according to claim 1, wherein the marking filament is of substantially the same fineness as the other warp and/or weft filaments.

3. The adhesive tape according to claim 1, wherein the marking filament is visible in or on an outer surface of the adhesive tape when installed.

4. The adhesive tape according to claim 1, wherein the marking filament has a color and/or surface property that contrasts or is different from that of the other warp and/or weft filaments.

5. The adhesive tape according to claim 1, wherein the marker filament is colored during its manufacture.

6. The adhesive tape according to claim 1, wherein the marking filament is colored after its manufacture.

7. The adhesive tape according to characterized wherein the marker filaments are of several different colors and/or different surface textures.

8. The adhesive tape according to claim 1, wherein the marker filament has a coding corresponding to one or more properties of the adhesive tape.

9. The adhesive tape according to claim 8, wherein the adhesive tape has properties that are identified by the coding of the marker filament.

10. The adhesive tape according to claim 1, wherein the marker filament is of generally the same material as the other warp and/or weft filaments.

11. The adhesive tape according to one of claims 1 to 10, claim 1, wherein there are several marking filaments in the tape.

12. The adhesive tape according to claim 11, wherein the marking filaments together define a coding of the properties of the adhesive tape.

13. The adhesive tape according to claim 11, wherein the marking filaments collectively form a geometric pattern as coding.

14. A method comprising: knitting or weaving a plurality of substrate bands from warp and weft filaments having respective and different predetermined properties, with one of the filaments of each band being a marker filament having a color, surface texture, or weave pattern contrasting with the color, surface texture, or weave pattern of the other filaments and particular to the property of the respective band, the marking filaments being visible on one face of the band; applying an adhesive to an opposite face of each of the bands to form an adhesive tape with a marker tape indicating the respective property visible on the one face; supplying the tape to a user; and the user optically evaluating and selecting the band by the property indicated by the respective marker filament and thereafter wrapping the selected band around an elongated object with the face bearing the adhesive against the object and the face on which the marking filament is visible directed outward away from the object, whereby the marker filament of the tape wrapped around the object indicates the property of the tape wrapping the object.

Description

[0030] In the following, the invention is illustrated in the drawing with reference to an embodiment and explained in more detail.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows the adhesive tape according to the invention in a first variant with a colored marking filament;

[0032] FIG. 2 shows an alternative article according to the invention with a marking filament of different surface texture;

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a further variant of the invention with a marker filament of different weave; and

[0034] FIG. 4 schematically shows the use of several marking filaments for forming geometric patterns.

[0035] In the figures, an adhesive tape is shown that serves for wrapping cable bundles in automobiles. The wrapping tape is used for making cable bundles or sets for automobiles as described and shown in detail in the state of the art representing the starting point according to WO 2016/113132. To this end, the adhesive tape is helically wound around the individual cables.

[0036] The adhesive tape or wrapping tape according to the invention is to this end has a textile substrate 1, 2. The textile substrate 1, 2 is made up of warp filaments 1 and weft 2 together. FIG. 1 shows that the weft filaments 2 are significantly thicker than the warp filaments 1, what is of course only to be regarded as an example and is in no way restrictive. According to this embodiment, the textile substrate 1, 2 has an area density in the range of 50 g/m.sup.2 to 500 g/m.sup.2. In addition, the textile substrate 1, 2 shown is a monofabric, albeit in principle also a multilayer fabric or laminate formed by the textile substrate 1, 2 and a fleece, a foam or a plastic film is possible.

[0037] The textile substrate 1, 2 has an adhesive coating 3 on at least one face. To this end, the adhesive coating 3 may be applied to the textile substrate 1, 2 at a mass per unit area in the range of 50 g/m.sup.2 to 250 g/m.sup.2. As glue however, a hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesive can be applied to the textile substrate 1, 2, without limitation. According to the embodiment, the adhesive coating 3 is only applied to one face to the textile substrate 1, 2. When assembled, the adhesive coating 3 faces inward toward the cables being bundled, whereas the textile substrate 1, 2 faces outward and is thus visible.

[0038] Of decisive importance and importance according to the invention is that a marker filament is incorporated as another weft filament 4 in the textile substrate 1, 2, in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 during manufacture of the substrate 1, 2. The one and only marker filament 4 in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 is colored when spun as indicated in FIG. 1. In addition, the marker filament has 4 the same fineness as the other weft filaments 2 of the textile substrate 1, 2. The color of the marker filament 4 contrasts with the color of the other filaments 1, 2.

[0039] Depending on the color of the marker filament 4, specific properties of adhesive tape can be identified. For example, the color of the marker filament 4 can indicate the temperature class in which the adhesive tape according to the invention is usable. To this end the marker filament 4 is visible on the outer surface of the adhesive tape when installed. That is to say, as soon as the adhesive tape according to the invention is wrapped helically around the cable bundle or the cable set, the marking filament 4 with its color contrasting with the other filaments 1, 2 can be identified on the assembled cable set. To this end the marker filament may for example be red, white, or brown, to contrast with the other typically black or otherwise colored filaments 1, 2 of the textile substrate 1, 2. Depending on the color the temperature class can be determined, for example brown for temperature class T5, white for temperature class T4 and finally red for temperature class T3.

[0040] In FIG. 2, a variant of the marker filament 4 is shown where the marking filament 4 contrasts with the other warp and weft filaments 1, 2 by means of a different surface finish. This different surface finish of the single marker filament 4 as shown in FIG. 2 results from the fact that the marker filament 4 is twisted around its longitudinal axis, as shown in the enlarged illustration is shown in FIG. 2. The twist of the marker filament 4 imparts a different surface quality compared to that of the surface otherwise smoothly laid out remaining filaments 1, 2. It is conceivable that different degrees of twist, that is to say rotations of the marker filament 4 about its longitudinal axis, are associates with respective different temperature classes, which everyone can check and record in this way in the installed condition of the adhesive tape.

[0041] In FIG. 3, another variant of the marker filament 4 is shown. Here the marker filament 4 follows a different weave compared to the other filaments 1, 2. In fact, the remaining warp and weft filaments 1, 2 of the textile substrate 1, 2 are in a plain or basket weave. In contrast, the weft filament 4 follows a twill weave. Normally in this case several weft filaments 4 in are set in a twill weave in order to make the different weaves easy to see optically. That means the relevant weft filament or the several relevant weft filaments 4 go under one warp filament 1 and then over at least two corresponding warp filaments or over three warp filaments 1. In contrast, the plain weave of the remaining filaments 1, 2 in that each weft filament 2 goes under a warp filament 1 and then over the next warp filament 1.

[0042] In this way, the marking filament 4 again has a different optical appearance easily recognized both from the tape and from the tape is installed in a wiring harness. The number of the warp filaments 1 bridged by the weft filament 2 thus serves a standard for determining the property indicated by the marker filament 4. For example, two can be bridged warp filaments 1 within the framework of the twill weave of the marker filament 4 for temperature class T3 and three bridged warp filaments 2 indicate to temperature class T4. Four bridged warp filaments 2 correspond to temperature class T5.

[0043] In FIG. 4, finally, a variant is shown in which with several marker filaments 4, 5 are employed. In fact at this point there are a total of four weft filaments 4 introduced into the fabric 1, 2 as well as two marking warp filaments 5. In this way, the marker filaments 4, 5 taken together form a coding of the properties of the adhesive tape. For example, the marking filaments 4, 5 form as shown in FIG. 4, a geometric pattern in the form of two enclosed squares or rectangles 6. The number of these rectangles or squares 6 can be varied as weft filaments, depending on the marking filaments 4 used, so that on these form a coding of the properties of the adhesive tape according to the invention.

[0044] For example, one rectangle or square 6 may belong to temperature class T1. Two rectangles 6 reflect the temperature class T2, etc. in addition, this system combined with different colors on marking filaments 4, 5 can increase the number of possible codings even further.

[0045] Overall, it becomes clear that especially using several marking filaments 4, 5 or several geometric patterns, in this case rectangles or squares 6, various codings can be formed. As a result, there is overall and finally the possibility of identifying and checking easily the properties of the adhesive tape according to the invention with the aid of one marking filament 4 or several marking filaments 4, 5. All of this also works in conjunction with a ready-made wiring harness and appropriately installed adhesive tape. These are significant advantages.