US 10,566,757 B2Granted

Method of heat shrinking a protective sleeve onto an electrical connection

AssigneeLear Corporation

InventorsAdolf Staffa, Kamil Churý

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Abstract

A method of heat shrinking a protective sleeve onto an electrical connection includes an initial step of providing an electrical connection, such as between an electrical wire and an electrical termination device, and a protective sleeve having an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface of the protective sleeve has an adhesive material applied thereto and is disposed about the electrical connection. Thermal energy is applied to the outer surface of the protective sleeve so as to increase the temperature thereof. Either before, at the same time, or after this step, the temperature of some or all of the electrical connection disposed within the protective sleeve is increased, such as by induction heating. As a result, the protective sleeve shrinks onto the electrical connection, and the adhesive material forms a tight bond between the protective sleeve and the electrical connection.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an electrical connection and a protective sleeve formed from a heat shrinkable material having an inner surface and an outer surface;
(b) disposing the inner surface of the protective sleeve about the electrical connection to define an axially overlapped region;
(c) actuating a first heat source to apply thermal energy to the outer surface of the protective sleeve in the axially overlapped region so as to increase the temperature of the protective sleeve;
and
(d) actuating a second heat source to increase the temperature of some or all of the electrical connection disposed within the protective sleeve in the axially overlapped region,
wherein the steps of actuating the first heat source to apply thermal energy to the outer surface of the protective sleeve so as to increase the temperature of the protective sleeve in the axially overlapped region and of actuating the second heat source to increase the temperature of some or all of the electrical connection disposed within the protective sleeve in the axially overlapped region shrinks the protective sleeve such that the inner surface of the protective sleeve engages the electrical connection.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/374,301Filed 9 Dec 2016
Published: US 2018/0166845 A114 Jun 2018
Granted: 18 Feb 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

H01R 43/20
Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or…
H01R 4/72
Insulation of connections: using a heat shrinking insulating sleeve
H01R 4/723
Using a heat shrinking insulating sleeve: making a soldered electrical connection simultaneously with the heat shrinking
H01R 4/726
Using a heat shrinking insulating sleeve: making a non-soldered electrical connection simultaneously with the heat shrinking