Back to results
US 12,390,966 B2Granted
Spacer for harness bundle
AssigneeAptiv Technologies AG
InventorsSzymon Bak, Pawel Forys
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spacer for maintaining one or more wires during a molding process, the spacer having an external frame, and a plurality of spring curved leaves. Each spring curved leaf has a fixed end attached to an inner face of the external frame and a free end. The free ends of the plurality of spring curved leaves are arranged to flexibly wrap the one or more wires.
Claims14
A spacer for maintaining one or more pieces during a molding process, the spacer comprising:
- an external frame;
- and
- a plurality of spring leaves, wherein each spring leaf has a fixed end attached to an inner face of the external frame and a free end, wherein the free ends of the plurality of spring leaves are arranged to flexibly wrap the one or more pieces to be maintained, wherein each spring leaf is a spring curved leaf that has, in a rest position, a curvature such that the free end of each curved leaf is configured to contact the one or more pieces to be maintained on a concave side of the curvature or on a convex side of the curvature, wherein each spring curved leaf extends, in the rest position, at an oblique angle from the inner face of the external frame, wherein the number of spring curved leaves is greater or equal to six, and wherein the spring curved leaves are evenly distributed around the inner face of the external frame.
A method for overmolding one or more pieces to be maintained, the method comprising:
- providing at least one spacer having an external frame and a plurality of spring leaves, wherein each spring leaf has a fixed end attached to an inner face of the external frame and a free end, wherein the free ends of the plurality of spring leaves are arranged to flexibly wrap the one or more pieces to be maintained, wherein each spring leaf is a spring curved leaf that has, in a rest position, a curvature such that the free end of each curved leaf is configured to contact the one or more pieces to be maintained on a concave side of the curvature or on a convex side of the curvature, wherein each spring curved leaf extends, in the rest position, at an oblique angle from the inner face of the external frame, wherein the number of spring curved leaves is greater or equal to six, wherein the spring curved leaves are evenly distributed around the inner face of the external frame, and wherein the free ends of the plurality of spring curved leaves are arranged to flexibly wrap the one or more pieces to be maintained;
- providing one or more pieces to be maintained;
- installing in a mold the at least one spacer, and the one or more pieces to be maintained in contact with free ends of the least one spacer;
- and
- injecting a sealing material in the mold so as to overmold the one or more pieces to be maintained.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.