Method for establishing a connection between an electrical connecting element for a motor vehicle on-board network and a cable of the motor vehicle on-board network

Abstract

Method for establishing a connection between an electrical connecting element for a motor vehicle on-board network and a cable of the motor vehicle on-board network in which the cable (2) is provided with a metallic stranded conductor (4), firstly the metallic stranded conductor is mechanically compacted in such a way that a flat area is formed, whereby during the compacting, a material bond is formed between strands of the stranded conductor (4), and subsequently, the connecting element is connected to the flat region in a material bond.

Claims

1-22. (canceled)

23. Method for establishing a connection between an electrical connecting element for a motor vehicle on-board network and a cable of the motor vehicle on-board network, comprising: providing the cable having a metallic stranded conductor; first, mechanically compacting the metallic stranded conductor in such a way that a flat area is formed with a degree of compaction of between 70% and 100%, wherein during the compaction a material bond is formed between strands of the stranded conductor, and wherein the flat area is compacted by a welding of the strands of the stranded conductor; and then welding the electrical connecting element to the flat area with a material bond.

24. Method of claim 23, wherein the flat area is compacted by means of ultrasonic welding or by means of resistance welding.

25. Method of claim 23, wherein the surface of the welding tool used for welding is profiled in relief

26. Method of claim 25, wherein a relief-shaped profile embossed into the flat area during welding runs at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the strands of the stranded conductor.

27. Method of claim 26, wherein the profile is strip-shaped or grid-shaped.

28. Method of claim 26, wherein the profile is introduced into the flat area by an anvil and/or a sonotrode of the welding tool.

29. Method of claim 26, wherein the profile is introduced on both sides of the flat area.

30. Method of claim 23, further comprising introducing a relief-shaped profile embossed into the flat area by complementary contours on the surfaces used for welding of the welding tool used for compacting.

31. Method of claim 23, further comprising introducing a relief-shaped profile embossed into the flat area by congruent contours on the surfaces used for welding of the welding tool used for compacting.

32. Method of claim 23, wherein an end-to-end recess is formed in the flat area and the electrical connecting element is arranged in the recess.

33. Method of claim 23, wherein the electrical connecting element is ring-shaped.

34. Method of claim 23, wherein the electrical connecting element is connected to the strands in a material bond on both sides of the flat area.

35. A device comprising: a cable with a metallic stranded conductor obtained by mechanically compacting the metallic stranded conductor in such a way that a flat area is formed with a degree of compaction of between 70% and 100%, wherein during the compaction a material bond is formed between strands of the stranded conductor, and wherein the flat area is compacted by a welding of the strands of the stranded conductor.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the cable further includes an insulation of the stranded conductor, and wherein the flat area is arranged in a stripped region of the cable arranged between two insulation sections of the insulation.

37. The device of claim 35, further comprising an electrical connecting element connected to the conductor in the flat area by a material bond.

38. The device of claim 36, wherein the insulation in the insulation sections completely encloses the stranded conductor.

39. The device of claim 35, wherein the stranded conductor is a round conductor and/or that the stranded conductor is formed from aluminium or an alloy thereof and/or that the stranded conductor is formed from solid material.

40. The device of claim 37, wherein the electrical connecting element is formed from aluminium or alloys thereof and/or the electrical connecting element is formed from copper or alloys thereof, steel or stainless steel and/or the electrical connecting element is tin-plated and/or under-nickel-plated

41. The device of claim 37, wherein the electrical connecting element is connected to the flat area by means of ultrasonic welding.

42. The device of claim 37, wherein the electrical connecting element is connected to the flat area by means of friction welding, in particular rotational friction welding.

43. The device of claim 37, wherein the electrical connecting element is ring-shaped sleeve-shaped and is connected to the flat area on both sides of the flat area with collars pointing radially outwards in a material bond.

44. The device of claim 37, wherein the electrical connecting element and the stranded conductor are encased, preferably overmoulded, with an insulation, in particular beyond the insulation of the stranded conductor.

45. The device of claim 37, wherein the cable is electrically coupled to a motor vehicle battery for carrying power from the battery.

Description

[0039] In the following, the subject matter is explained in more detail by means of a drawing showing design examples. In the drawing show:

[0040] FIG. 1a a cross-section of a cable;

[0041] FIG. 1b a view of a stripped cable;

[0042] FIG. 1c a view of a stripped, compacted cable;

[0043] FIG. 2 a view of a cable according to FIG. 1;

[0044] FIG. 3a a view of a connecting bolt according to a example embodiment;

[0045] FIG. 3b a view of a connecting bolt according to another embodiment;

[0046] FIG. 3c a view of a connecting bolt according to another embodiment;

[0047] FIG. 3d a view of a connecting bolt according to a further embodiment; FIG. 3b a view of a connecting bolt according to a further embodiment; FIG. 3c a view of a connecting bolt according to a further embodiment;

[0048] FIG. 4 a view of a connecting bolt according to FIG. 3b;

[0049] FIG. 5a -c a top view of a connecting bolt according to another embodiment; Fig;

[0050] FIG. 6a, b views according to an embodiment;

[0051] FIG. 7a, b views according to an embodiment;

[0052] FIG. 1a shows an electric cable 2 with a metallic stranded conductor 4 and insulation 6.

[0053] The metallic conductor 4 is preferably a stranded conductor and is particularly resistant to bending. The conductor 4 is preferably a round conductor. The material of the strands of conductor 4 is preferably aluminium, in particular aluminium 99.5. The bending stiffness of cable 2 results when cable 2 cannot be plastically deformed due to its own weight. A force greater than the weight force is required to cause plastic deformation of cable 2.

[0054] The insulation 6 is preferably made of PVC or silicone.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 1b, cable 2 may be stripped in a central area, i.e. away from its respective distal ends, so that a stripped area 8 is formed. In the stripped area 8, conductor 4 is free of insulation 6.

[0056] After the stripped area 8 is produced, the cable 2 or its conductor 4 can be compacted. Through compacting, the flat area 10 can be produced by a respective tool. The flat area 10 preferably has a width which is larger than the diameter of conductor 4 by a factor of at least 2, preferably between 2 and 5, and a height which is smaller than the diameter of conductor 4 by at least a factor of 2, preferably between 5 and 10. The height is shown in FIG. 1c. In FIG. 1c the flat area 10 is shown.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a view of a cable 2 as shown in FIG. 1c. It can be seen that the conductor 4 is a round conductor and is flat in the flat area 10. The flat area 10 is located in the stripped area 8, which is positioned away from the distal ends of the cable 2.

[0058] When compacting, a material bond can be formed directly between the strands of conductor 4. The strands are pressed together and simultaneously welded together. Here, the pressing tool can also be a welding tool, especially an ultrasonic tool.

[0059] FIG. 3a shows one connecting element as connecting bolt 12, but all other connecting elements are referred to in the following and the description also applies to other connecting elements where appropriate. The connecting bolt 12 shown in FIG. 3a is cylindrical and made of a solid material. In particular, connecting bolt 12 can be made of stainless steel. However, it is also possible to form connecting bolt 12 from copper, aluminium or alloys of these. Connecting bolt 12 can be formed by turning or by cutting a rod.

[0060] FIG. 3b shows a connecting bolt 12 with a connecting lug 14 at one end, to which a clamping element of an electrical connection can be clamped, for example. In particular, a clamp in the form of a battery pole clamp can be clamped to the terminal lug 14.

[0061] FIG. 3c shows a connecting bolt 12 in with one end fitted with a thread 16. An electrical connection, for example, can be screwed to such a connecting bolt 12.

[0062] FIG. 3d shows another connecting bolt 12, which has an opening 18 at its end, especially in the form of a screwed hole. Through this opening 18, for example, a screw connection can be made to an electrical connection by pushing a screw through an opening 18 and/or screwing it there.

[0063] FIG. 4 shows a connecting bolt as shown in FIG. 3b in one view. It can be seen that the cylindrical bolt 12 has a smaller radius in the area of the connecting lug 14 and is formed to accommodate a clamping element, for example.

[0064] FIG. 5a shows a top view of a cable 2. It can be seen that a relief-shaped profile 20 is embossed in the flat area 10. The areas of the profile 20 with an increased compression run essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 2a of the cable 2. The profile 20 can be provided on both sides of the flat area 10 and can be uniform.

[0065] FIG. 5b shows a cable 2 in which the profile 20 has been embossed by complementary tools on both sides of area 10. Here the dashed lines are on the side of area 10 facing away from the drawing plane.

[0066] FIG. 5c shows a cable 2 where the profile 20 has been embossed as a grid structure in the area 10.

[0067] The strands of cable 4 are highly compacted by profile 20 and there is a material bond at least in the area of the profile. This makes it possible to weld a connecting bolt 12 or another connecting element directly onto the cable 4 or its strands after compacting.

[0068] FIG. 6a, b show a connecting bolt 12 which is welded directly onto the flat area 10 within the flat area 10. Due to the profile, the flat area 10 is suitable and sufficiently compacted for the connecting bolt to be mounted, e.g. by rotary friction welding or ultrasonic welding.

[0069] FIGS. 7a, b show a flat area 10 in which an opening 22 was made during or after compaction, in particular by punching. A sleeve 12b can be inserted into this opening 22 as a further possible connecting element. The outer flanges of sleeve 12b can then be welded to the strands of conductor 4 in the flat area 10. The sleeve 12b can also have a flange on one side only, so that it can be welded on one surface of the flat area 10 only with the flange.