# US 2021/0242637 A1 · Terminal equipped electric wire and method of fixing sensor

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- Number: US 2021/0242637 A1
- Document ID: US20210242637A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/167,102
- Filed: 2021-02-04
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-04
- Assignees: Yazaki Corporation
- Applicants: Yazaki Corporation
- Inventors: Akihiro Saito; Tsutomu Sawada
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210242637A1

## CPC

- H01R 13/6683: {with built-in sensor}
- B60L 53/16: Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
- B60L 53/18: Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
- H01R 4/72: using a heat shrinking insulating sleeve
- H01R 11/11: End pieces or tapping pieces for wires, supported by the wire and for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal or conductive member (H01R11/01 takes precedence)
- H01R 13/5216: {characterised by the sealing material, e.g. gels or resins}
- H01R 43/005: {for making dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof connection, coupling, or casing}
- H02J 7/70: characterised by the mechanical construction
- H01R 13/04: Pins or blades for co-operation with sockets
- H01R 2201/26: for vehicles
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles
- H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A terminal equipped electric wire includes an electric wire including: a conductor and an insulating sheath covering the conductor, a part of the conductor extending out of an end portion of the insulating sheath being an exposed portion, a terminal fitting having an electric wire connection portion at a rear side of the terminal fitting, the electric wire connection portion being connected to the exposed portion, a water stop shrinkable tube covering the electric wire connection portion connected to the exposed portion in a watertight manner, a sensor disposed on an outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube, the sensor contacting the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube and a sensor fixing shrinkable tube covering and fixing the sensor on the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A terminal equipped electric wire including:
an electric wire including: a conductor; and an insulating sheath covering the conductor, a part of the conductor extending out of an end portion of the insulating sheath being an exposed portion;
a terminal fitting having an electric wire connection portion at a rear side of the terminal fitting, the electric wire connection portion being connected to the exposed portion;
a water stop shrinkable tube covering the electric wire connection portion connected to the exposed portion in a watertight manner;
a sensor disposed on an outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube, the sensor contacting the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube; and
a sensor fixing shrinkable tube covering and fixing the sensor on the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The terminal equipped electric wire according to claim 1,
wherein a part of the water stop shrinkable tube covers the electric wire connection portion, and
wherein the sensor is disposed on the part of the water stop shrinkable tube.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The terminal equipped electric wire according to claim 1,
wherein the sensor fixing shrinkable tube covers a part of the sensor,
wherein another part of the sensor being different from the part of the sensor is exposed to an outside, and
wherein a front end of the sensor fixing shrinkable tube is positioned closer to the rear side of the terminal fitting than a front end of the water stop shrinkable tube.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The terminal equipped electric wire according to claim 3,
wherein a color of the water stop shrinkable tube is different from a color of the sensor fixing shrinkable tube.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The terminal equipped electric wire according to claim 1, further including:
a temporary fixing member configured to temporarily fix the sensor on the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The terminal equipped electric wire according to claim 1,
wherein the electric wire connection portion includes a conductor insertion hole at a rear end portion of the electric wire connection portion, the conductor insertion hole being configured such that the exposed portion and the end portion of the insulating sheath is inserted into the conductor insertion hole, the conductor insertion hole extending in a longitudinal direction of the electric wire connection portion,
wherein the electric wire is connected to the electric wire connection portion with the exposed portion and the end portion of the insulating sheath being accommodated in the conductor insertion hole, and
wherein the water stop shrinkable tube integrally covers: a part of the electric wire connection portion, the part of the electric wire connection portion including the rear end portion of the electric wire connection portion; and a part of the insulating sheath, the part of the insulating sheath including the end portion.

### Claim 7

A method of fixing a sensor including:
connecting an exposed portion of a conductor of an electric wire to an electric wire connection portion of a terminal fitting, the electric wire connection portion being at a rear side of the terminal fitting, the exposed portion extending out of an end portion of an insulating sheath of the electric wire;
disposing a water stop shrinkable tube on the electric wire to cover the electric wire connection portion connected to the exposed portion;
heating the water stop shrinkable tube such that the water stop shrinkable tube covers the electric wire connection portion in a watertight manner;
disposing a sensor on an outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube such that the sensor contacts the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube;
disposing a sensor fixing shrinkable tube to cover the sensor disposed on the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube; and
fixing the sensor on the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube by heating the sensor fixing shrinkable tube.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of fixing a sensor according to claim 7, further including
positioning a front end of the sensor fixing shrinkable tube closer to the rear side of the terminal fitting than a front end of the water stopping shrinkable tube.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of fixing a sensor according to claim 7, further including temporarily fixing the sensor on the outer surface of the water stop shrinkable tube by a temporary fixing member.