Securing electrical conductors

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DESCRIPTION

Fixing electrical conductors.

Technical field

The present invention relates to electrical cables and circuits, and more particularly, to electrical cables and flexible circuits incorporating hook and / or loop fasteners.

Background

The use of electrical wires, cables and circuits has been increasing frequently throughout the world. With this growth has come the need to control and control the routing of such conductors and processors to prevent electrical injury to persons and to protect electrical connections formed by such conductors from being inadvertently disconnected or worn during assembly and use. .

For example, it is common in the automotive and other industries to lay electrical cables, such as dome lamp cables, on the “not shown” surface (the surface not visible to vehicle passengers) of the upholstery panels. , for example the headliner, to provide power to the fixtures, for example a dome lamp located within the headliner. It is often desirable to secure such electrical cables in place to locate cable terminals for connection after installation of the trim panel and to prevent noise and cable fatigue associated with cable movement during the life of the assembly.

For example, ribbon cables are often used inside computers and other electronic devices where it is advantageous to secure the cables to, for example, side panels, for ease of assembly of other internal components, to avoid damaging the cables during installation. assembly, and to reduce the movement of the cables during the use of the products to prevent wear and fatigue.

Electrical circuit boards and devices often include a large number of interconnected electrical components for the communication of electrical signals. Such interconnections typically require reliable conductive connectors for electrical conductivity that are installed and assembled by various means including, for example, soldering or plug-and-socket type sockets. These installation and assembly methods often require precise alignment of mating parts that are difficult to move and adjust when reconnection is required after initial assembly. It would be useful if the fasteners provided a secure yet releasable joint and allowed for quick and efficient assembly without requiring precise alignment of the components to be interconnected.

In addition, it is common to secure electrical cables inside the housings of computer hardware and peripheral equipment, inside the housings of devices, and behind the upholstery panels of automobiles using various tie rods, adhesives, and other types of hardware. fixing materials and techniques. Electrical cables are often fixed on site to locate cable terminals for connection after upholstery panel installation and to prevent noise and cable fatigue associated with cable movement during the life of the assembly. Contact fasteners provide a convenient means of attaching cables to side panels, for example, to facilitate the assembly of other internal components, to avoid damaging the cables during assembly, and to reduce wear induced by movement of the cables during use of the products.

US-A-4,602,191 describes a jacket with programmable lights in which openings are provided in the garment through which tricolor light-emitting diodes (LEDs) protrude. The LEDs are connected to a printed circuit board that is attached to the inner surface of the garment surface by means of hook and loop stacking material. Specifically, one piece of hook and loop stacking material is glued to the underside of the garment material and the even piece of hook and loop stacking material is glued to the top face of the card. flexible printed circuit board. The lights are fully programmable both their color and their activation. LEDs can be provided in a fixed format or in a matrix form that allows for alphanumeric displays or graphic displays.

Summary

The invention is defined by the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

The invention features a cable or printed circuit board with a permanent built-in fastening means extending along its length to secure the cable to a supporting surface.

In one aspect of the invention, the invention provides a flexible circuit board that includes a substrate having opposite first and second broad surfaces, and a through-hole surface extending from the first and second broad surfaces defining a step between the first and second large surfaces. The substrate further has a series of fasteners extending from the first broad surface, the first broad surface and the series of fasteners being integrally formed from a thermoplastic resin.

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A web of electrically conductive material is applied to the thermoplastic substrate, the web encompassing at least a portion of the through-hole surface.

This aspect of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The web of electrically conductive material is arranged only on the second wide surface and at least a part of the through-hole surface. The web of electrically conductive material is arranged only on the first wide surface and at least a part of the through-hole surface. The web of electrically conductive material encompasses at least a portion of the series of hook fasteners. The web of electrically conductive material encompasses the first and second broad surfaces in their entirety.

In another aspect of the invention, an electrical cable includes a strip-shaped substrate having opposing first and second broad surfaces and a series of fasteners extending from the first broad surface. The first broad surface and the series of fasteners are formed entirely of a thermoplastic resin, and a continuous conductive material is applied to one of the first and second broad surfaces, the conductive material being continuous, of the same extent as the substrate in strip shape.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of forming an electrically conductive hook tape includes providing a substrate having opposing first and second broad surfaces and a series of fastener elements extending from the first broad surface, being formed the first wide surface and the series of fixing elements made entirely of a thermoplastic resin; applying a sensitizer to an outer surface of the substrate; and applying a solution comprising a conductive material to the outer surface where the sensitizer was applied, to produce a reducing chemical reaction between the conductive material and the sensitizer in which the conductive material adheres to the outer surface of the substrate.

Variations on this aspect of the invention may include one or more of the following features. A wetting agent is applied to the areas of the substrate to be covered with the conductive material prior to application of the sensitizer. The sensitizer includes an anode material that is disposed on the outer surface of the substrate and the conductive material includes a cathode material relative to the anode material. The sensitizer comprises tin and the conductive material includes silver. The solution further comprises an activator. The activator solution further comprises a reducing agent. The conductive material is applied to the first broad surface of the thermoplastic substrate. The conductive material covers at least a part of the series of fastening elements. The method further includes a step of masking selected regions of the substrate surface prior to the step of applying the sensitizer, thereby preventing fixation of the conductive material in the selected regions. The substrate further includes a through-hole surface that is extended between the first and second broad surfaces to define a passageway. The conductive material is fixed to at least a part of the surface of the through holes.

Description of the drawings

Figure 1 illustrates an electrical cable assembly attached to a typical automobile headliner positioned within the cabin of an automobile.

Figure 2 illustrates the headliner of Figure 1 with the electrical cord removed.

Figure 3 is a highly enlarged view of the view of area 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 illustrates a headliner similar to that of Figure 2 with an alternative surface attachment.

Figure 5 is a highly enlarged view of area 5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 illustrates the electrical cable assembly of Figure 1 separated from the headliner.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 7, illustrating an alternative electrical cable for attaching the headliner of Figure 4.

Figures 8A-8E illustrate various alternatives for loop fastening material.

Figure 9 illustrates a first method and apparatus for forming electrical cables with integrated fixtures such as those illustrated in Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 9A is an enlarged view of the forming taper of the apparatus of Figure 9.

Figure 10 illustrates a preformed electrically conductive product.

Figure 10A illustrates a preformed loop material for forming certain electrical cable embodiments of the invention.

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Figure 11 is a highly enlarged view of the loop material attachment region of the constriction. Figure 11A is a view similar to Figure 11, with a modified mold roll.

Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the outer edge of a stake ring.

Figure 13 illustrates a second method and apparatus for forming electrical cables with integral fixings such as those illustrated in Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 14 illustrates a third method and apparatus for forming electrical cables with integral fixings such as those illustrated in Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 15 illustrates an electrical device equipped with an electrical ribbon cable that has built-in fixings. Figure 16 illustrates the ribbon electrical cable assembly of Figure 15.

Figure 17 illustrates a pre-formed electrically conductive product used in forming the electrical ribbon cable of Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical ribbon cable, taken along line 18-18 of Figure 16.

Figure 18A is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 18, illustrating a variation of the electrical ribbon cable structure.

Figure 19 is a schematic illustration of various methods for producing elongated electrical cables of the invention.

Figure 20 is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 20-20 of Figure 19.

Figure 20A is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 20A20A of Figure 20.

Figure 21 is a view similar to Figure 20 illustrating an alternative elongated electrical cable.

Figure 22 is a view similar to Figure 20 illustrating an intermediate product for subsequently forming an alternative electrical cable of the present invention.

Figure 22A is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 22A22A of Figure 19.

Figure 23 is a schematic illustration of an alternative method of manufacturing an electrical cable of the present invention.

Figure 24 is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 24-24 of Figure 23.

Figure 25 is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 25-25 of Figure 23.

Figure 26 is a schematic, perspective view of an alternative method of manufacturing an electrical cable of the present invention.

Figure 27 is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 27-27 of Figure 26.

Figure 28 is a schematic illustration of a portion of a method for making an alternative electrical cable of the present invention.

Figure 29 is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 29-29 of Figure 28.

Figure 30 is a schematic illustration of a portion of an alternative method for manufacturing an electrical cable of the present invention.

Figure 31 is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 31-31 of Figure 30.

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Figure 32 is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view taken along line 32-32 of Figure 30.

Figure 33 is an enlarged diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken along line 33-33 of Figure 30.

Figure 34 is a diagrammatic, unscaled cross-sectional view similar to Figure 29 of an alternative electrical cable of the present invention.

Figure 35 is an enlarged view of a portion of a hook fastening tape suitable for use in the present invention.

Figure 35A illustrates a further enlarged side view of a single hook fastener of the hook fastener tape of Figure 35 having a conductive overlay layer.

Figure 36 schematically illustrates a method and apparatus for producing the type of hooks of Figure 35 and a method and apparatus for applying the conductive coating to selected areas of the fastening tape.

Figures 37A, 37B, 37D and 37E illustrate a hook fastening tape similar to that of Figure 35 at various stages of the process illustrated in Figure 36.

Figure 37C illustrates a mask film for use in the process illustrated in Figure 36 and used on the hook fastening tape of Figure 37D.

Figure 38A illustrates an electrically conductive hook-attachment flex cable and a corresponding removable electrical component.

Figure 38B is an enlarged view of circle 38B of Figure 38A.

Figures 39A, 39B, and 39C illustrate top, side, and bottom views, respectively, of an alternative electrically conductive hook-attachment cable.

Figures 40A and 40B illustrate side and bottom views, respectively, of an alternative electrically conductive hook-attachment cable with electrical components attached.

Figure 41 illustrates a bottom view of an alternative electrically conductive flexible hook clamp circuit with electrical components attached.

Figures 41A and 41B respectively illustrate a bottom and side view of a backing film, particularly for use with the cables / circuits of Figures 39A, 39B, 40A, 40B and 41.

Figure 41C illustrates a side view of a laminated flex circuit product combining the backing film of Figures 41A and 41B with a wire / circuit of Figures 39A, 39B or 40A, 40B, or 41.

Figure 41D illustrates the flexible circuit product of Figure 41C releasable attached to a support surface.

Figure 42 illustrates a side view of an alternative electrically conductive hook fastening tape having a loop backing material, which engages the hooks.

Similar reference symbols throughout the various drawings indicate similar elements.

Detailed description

Referring to Figure 1, the car headliner 10 is positioned within the car 14 (shown with the headliner removed in Figure 1) so that the opening of the dome lamp 12 can receive a dome lamp. (not shown). To provide electricity to the dome lamp so that it remains out of sight of the car passengers for aesthetic and safety reasons, the flat electrical cable 30 is attached along the "not shown" surface 16 of the upholstery. ceiling 10. Referring now also to Figure 2, the non-shown surface 16 of the headliner 10 is a loop material capable of engaging the hook or mushroom shaped projections to form a hook and loop engagement as described below. . The loop material may be a nonwoven, woven, or other fibrous material capable of engaging the projections as described below, and may be of the same material as the opposite "shown" surface of the headliner 10. As Alternatively, smaller patches (not shown) of loop material may be placed on the non-shown surface 16 in the areas selected for attachment of the cable 30. As illustrated in Figure 3, the loop material on the non-shown surface 16 of the headliner 10 is a nonwoven mat of tangled fibers, which allow penetration and engagement by the projections to achieve fixation. Suitable loop materials will be further discussed later.

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Figure 4 illustrates an alternative arrangement in which headliner 10 'has a non-shown surface 16' with no fibers or hooks to engage. The non-shown surface 16 'is instead provided with hook arrangements 24 along the desired path for attachment of the electrical cable. As illustrated in Figure 5, the hook arrangements 24 are comprised of multiple individual hook-shaped projections that may be integrally formed with the non-shown surface 16 during fabrication of the headliner 10 'or may be applied with adhesive or otherwise after the formation of the headliner 10 '. A suitable boss shape is the CFM29 hook shape (about 0.381 mm (0.015 inches) high, h (Figure 7), available on the various products sold by Velcro USA of Manchester. New Hampshire. Alternative boss shapes, such as mushrooms, palm trees, flat head hooks, or other shapes that fit into loops are also suitable.The hook height, h (Figure 7) is typically in the range of [0.003 to 0.03 inches] 0.0762 to 0.762 mm.

The electrical cables of the invention and their attachment to a panel, for example the headliner 10, 10 ', will now be described. As illustrated in Figure 6, electrical cable 30 has a plastic base strip 40 attached to two flat conductive strips 36 to supply electrical signals between terminal electrical connectors 32. Electrical connectors 32 are provided for connection to mating electrical connectors, for example the dome lamp connector and an A column connector (not shown) to complete a desired electrical circuit. Attachment surface 42 of electrical cable 30 has an arrangement of hook-shaped projections 34, similar to those illustrated in Figure 5 and described above, for engaging loop material or the matching panel, for example loop material of the non-shown surface 16 of the headliner 10 as previously described (Figure 2, 3). Hooks 34 are formed entirely of the same material as plastic base strip 40 as described below. As illustrated in Figure 7, the electrical cable 20 also includes a support of electrical conductor insulating material 38 to protect and insulate the conductors 36. The total thickness, t, of the cable 20, measured from the distal ends of the hooks to the wide exposed surface of the insulating support 38 opposite the fasteners, is typically much less than 2.54 mm [0.10 inches]. Indeed, in most embodiments the thickness t is less than 1.27 mm [0.05 inches] and in some embodiments, less than 0.76 mm [0.03 inches].

Figure 8 illustrates the cross section of an alternative electrical cable 30 ', suitable for use with hook-bearing panels, for example headliner 10' (Figures 4 and 5). The plastic base strip 40 carries electrical conductors 36, insulating material 38, and exposed loop material 44 suitable for engaging hooks similar to those illustrated in Figure 5 and described above. In one embodiment the loop material 44 is a tangled fiber nonwoven mat similar to those illustrated in Figure 3 and described above. Suitable loop materials and methods and apparatus for their manufacture are described in US Patent Application No. 09 / 262,159, filed March 3, 1999, to which the reader is referred for additional information. Other nonwoven, woven, or fibrous materials capable of engaging the protrusions described above are also suitable.

Preferably, the nonwoven loop material 44 is very thin, such as less than about 0.040 inch [1,016 mm] thick (more preferably, less than about 0.020 inch [0.508 mm] thick), with the fibers of the fabric held together. a condition of transverse stretching and freestanding loop structures extending from its exposed surface. As discussed in the aforementioned patent application, the loop structures extend from the associated knots in the stretched fabric, which can be stabilized by the liquid binder that is wicked to the knots and cures them. Between the knots, the fine fiber mat is not very dense and is transparent enough to allow images to be easily seen through. In total, the loop material has a basis weight (in its preformed state, including any pre-applied binder) of less than about 136 grams per square meter (4 ounces per square yard), preferably less than about 68 grams per square meter. (2 ounces per square yard). Other details of this loop material can be found in the application referenced above. For applications where the loop material is partially penetrated by resin from the substrate as the substrate is formed (as discussed below), the sewn loop material is preferably stretched only in a transverse direction by about 22 percent to leave a fair amount of arc and prevent full penetration.

Some lightweight fabrics are also suitable loop materials for certain applications. Examples of such fabrics are Product 19902 from Guilford Knits in Greenville, South Carolina, which is made of polyester fibers and has a basis weight of about only 54.4 grams per square meter (1.6 ounces per square yard). . For a heavier fabric, Guilford Product 20229 is suitable, a nylon fabric of approximately 112.2 grams per square meter (3.3 ounces per square yard). Lightweight fabric products are also available from TYBOR in Spain, and MEZARD in Italy.

In some cases, the loop material 44 is partially encapsulated directly in the resin of the plastic base strip 40 when the substrate is formed in a continuous casting process (described below). In other cases, it is glued to the formed substrate, by ultrasound gluing, welding or with adhesives.

Figures 8A through 8E illustrate various variable bond patterns between loop material 44 and substrate 40. For simplicity, electrical conductors 36 are not shown (Figure 8). Variable bond patterns correspond, in some cases, to variable penetration of the resin into the fabric of the loop material, which can be achieved by employing different arrangements of stake rings and / or barrier materials between the loop material and the substrate. , both of which are discussed further below. In Figure 8A, the loop material 44 is

ES 2 292 004 T3 fully penetrated by the substrate resin only in the narrow regions of edge 52, and less penetrated at its center. For example, if the loop material is about 3/4 inch (19.1 mm) wide (W_L), then the fully penetrated regions of edge 52 may have a width (w_and) approximately only 3.18 mm (1/8 inch). The center region of the loop material is less penetrated and gently bows out from the substrate presenting the loops for engagement. The inclined faces of the central arch can also help to improve the peel force of the fasteners at the edges of the loop material, so that a small component of the peel force is resolved in a tangential or shear direction.

The variable bond pattern shown in Figure 8B creates transverse pillows 54 of relatively lightly, or loosely bonded loop material, separated by transverse bands 56 of relatively more fully bonded (eg, more deeply encapsulated) loop material. The elevation of the pillows 54 is exaggerated for illustration. This weft improves the initial peel force of the fastener, as the "free" pillow ends along the inner and outer edges of the loop material follow matching loop fasteners, for example hooks, during peeling until they separate perpendicularly.

Figure 8C illustrates a bond web with longitudinal pillows 58 of relatively lightly, or loosely bonded loop material, separated by longitudinal bands 60 of relatively more fully bonded (eg, more deeply encapsulated) loop material. Again, the height of the pillows is exaggerated for illustration. Figure 8D is a variation of the weft of Figure 8C, with each longitudinal band of glued material more fully separated into longitudinal regions of alternately light and strong glue. The light and strong bond regions are staggered through the loop material, producing a checkerboard pattern of arched loops pillows. Figure 8E shows a bond pattern with alternately light and strong bond edge regions 62 and a central region bonded only in isolated regions 64. The bond patterns described above can be mixed and varied for different applications as needed.

Figure 9 illustrates multiple methods and an apparatus for producing the electrical cables described above. The methods built from the continuous extrusion / forming roll method for casting fasteners on an integral sheet base described by Fisher in US Patent No. 4,794,028, and the taper rolling process described by Kennedy et al. in US Patent No. 5,260,015. The reader is referred to both publications for additional information. Relative position and size of rollers and other components are not to scale. The extrusion head 100 supplies a continuous sheet of molten resin 140 to the nip 102 between the rotary mold roll 104 and the counter-rotating nip roll 106 (the nip arrangement illustrated in Figure 9A). The molding roll 104 contains an array of molding cavities 134 in the form of miniature fasteners that extend inwardly from its periphery to mold the fastening protrusions, for example 34 (Figure 7). The pressure in the constriction 102 forces the resin into the cavities of the fasteners and forms the substrate (base 40, Figures 7 and 8). The formed product is cooled on the mold roll until the solidified fixture elements (eg, hooks) are removed from their fixed cavities by stripping roll 108. Along with the molten resin a continuous strip of an electrically conductive product 110 (illustrated in cross-section in Figure 10), including the insulation tape 38 with attached electrical conductive strips 36, is fed into the constriction 102, where it is glued with resin 140 and is permanently attached to the front face of substrate 40. Thus, the product 162 being removed from the mold roll 104 includes both the fasteners 34 and the strips of electrical conductors 36 as illustrated, for example, in Figure 7 described above.

For higher production rates, two or more electrical cables can be produced simultaneously on a single mold roll, and later divided and wound. Referring back to Figure 10, a continuous strip of electrical conductor product 110 is provided having two (or more, if desired) electrical cable profiles side by side (a second cable profile indicated by the dashed lines in Figure 10), each cable profile carrying the desired number and arrangement of conductive bands 36. The electrically conductive product is fed into the constriction 102 and the molten resin is introduced through the entire constriction, impregnating and forming the hooks along the width of the multi-wire web of electrical conductive product 110. The channel splitting boss ring 118 (Figure 9A) (or multiple rings if more than two profiles are provided) in the center of the mold roll (or spaced according to the width of the individual cable profiles) produces a split of channels in the product, along which the resulting tape is divided with a blade 120 (Figure 9; stationary or rotating) into two (or more) separate runs of electrical wire that are wound separately.

Figure 9 indicates various variations of the method described above. For example, instead of introducing the electrically conductive product 110 through the constriction 102 and thereby bonding it to the substrate as the substrate is molded, the electrically conductive product can bond to the substrate after the substrate has been formed, in the manner that is indicated by the stroke 110 'of the electrically conductive product shown on the dashed contour line. In this case, the front face roller 122 is heated and has a contour surface to stick the electrically conductive product and substrate in the desired areas so as not to damage the molded hooks.

Figure 9 also illustrates a method and apparatus for producing a flat electrical cable having loops that fit over a surface for attachment of the cable, such as the electrical cable illustrated in Figure 8 and described above. In this method, electrically conductive product 110 is fed into constriction 102 along with extruded resin 140. The constriction 102 is formed between the mold roll 104 and the pressure roll 106, but in this embodiment, the mold roll 102 lacks element-forming mold cavities. The

ES 2 292 004 T3 continuous web of loop material 144, illustrated in Figure 10A and, for example, as described above with reference to Figure 8, is simultaneously fed into the constriction 102. The electrical conductor product 110 and the Loop material 144 is glued to the substrate resin by pressure at the constriction 102.

Applying uniform pressure across the constriction 102 can lead to excessive resin penetration, or "flooding" of the loop material 144, which can reduce the arc of the loop and have an adverse effect on the fixture characteristics. In one embodiment, to prevent excessive penetration of resin, the casting roll 104 has stake rings 130 (Figure 11) of increased diameter relative to the central portion 132 of the casting roll 104 to locally engage and retain the edges of the insulating material. of the conductive product and the loop material versus the extruded resin as the resin forms the substrate under the pressure of the constriction, thereby ensuring strong penetration of insulation and loop materials in predetermined areas along the edges of the cable. This configuration shown in Figure 11 produces the bonding pattern illustrated in Figure 8A, the stake rings 130 forming tightly bonded edge regions 52 corresponding to the width of the stake rings 130 of the mold roll. If multiple cable bands are being produced simultaneously on the same mold roll, multiple sets of such stake rings can be used to strongly penetrate the conductive product and loop material adjacent to each of the split rings 118 (Figure 9A, described above). Alternatively or additionally, the mold roll may be provided with a pattern or series of protruding surfaces to form a pattern of tightly bonded areas through each cable product. These tightly bonded areas can be formed by such rings or by projections on the casting ring, the pressure ring, or a combination of both.

To form a row of tightly bonded dots separated by regions of low resin penetration, some stake rings 130 have a contoured outer edge as shown in Figure 12. A series of protrusions 134 that extend beyond the nominal diameter D_s of the stake ring causes the resin to penetrate locally into the loop material. In this example configuration, D_s is 253.2 mm (9.968 inches), the height of each boss (h_s) 134 is 0.356 mm (0.014 inches), and the inside and outside radius of each boss is 0.381 mm (0.015 inches). The passage of the projections (P_s) is 5.13 mm (0.202 inches) and the plane length between lugs (w_F) is 3.302 mm (0.130 inches). The dimensions of the projections are selected to attend to optimize the maximum approach angle to_F of the flank of the projection with respect to the tangent of the local ring. A step in the approach angle (ie an abrupt change in the diameter of the ring) can cause a marked local increase in the pressure of the constriction and an undesirable local flooding of the front side of the loop material with resin. Such flooded areas can create local "depth stops" to the fasteners to be matched, reducing the penetration of the fastener material into the loop material. A zero approach angle (ie no protrusions) would result in homogeneous penetration of the resin under the fence rings, which may not be desirable as a "cushioned" local loop material (discussed above) in some applications. The maximum approach angle to_F in the illustrated staking ring embodiment it is approximately 40 degrees. A shallower angle (eg, about 30 degrees) may be preferable in some cases, as a larger spacing wf between the projections may provide larger arched pillow regions.

Figure 11A shows a stake ring configuration for producing the glue web shown in Figure 8D (the electrically conductive product 110 not shown). Staking rings 136 having the profile shown in Figure 10 are stacked together with staggered projections, so that the pattern of tightly glued regions resembles a checkerboard with elongated "pillows" extending outward between the stakes. strongly glued regions. The width w of each ring is approximately 0.457 mm (0.018 inches).

In another embodiment, also illustrated in Figure 9, excessive resin penetration of the loop material 144 is prevented by providing a barrier layer 128 between the resin and the loop material. The barrier material 128, in some cases, a perforated paper or film that allows resin to pass into the loop material in selected regions but prevents its flow into other regions, such as to produce the glued web of the central region of the loop material shown in Figure 8E. The barrier material can also be a homogeneous sheet of material having high porosity, also limiting the penetration of the resin into the loop material across the width of the barrier material. Rather than being introduced as a separate sheet, in some cases the barrier material is pre-applied to the surface of the loop material 110 and may be in the form of a binder located in discrete areas of the loop material and locally encapsulating fibers from the loop material. loop material, for example. In many cases the barrier material is narrower than the loop material, and centered along the width of the loop material, to allow full penetration of the resin into the edges of the loop material. In all cases where the barrier material remains permanently attached to the substrate and thus becomes an integrated part of the final product, it will be selected for its low cost and material weight.

Figure 13 illustrates an alternative method and apparatus for forming the electrical cables described above. The contoured surface of an extrusion head 200 (sometimes called an injection head) is positioned adjacent to the molding roll 104 (the molding roll 104 once again lacking cavities in the form of fixing projections to produce the lead wire loop carrier of Figure 8) and a continuous flow of molten resin is injected under pressure into the opening 202 defined between the head 200 and the casting roll 104, filling the opening 202 and forming the front and back faces of the substrate. The configuration and construction of the molding roll 104 is the same as shown in Figure 8, the member 106 of which can be taken to be the adjoining extrusion head. To create the loop-carrying electrical cable as illustrated in Figure 8-8E and has been

ES 2 292 004 T3 described above Using this method and apparatus, web 144 of loop material is fed through a predetermined region of aperture 202, and is held against the surface of casting roll 104 by the pressure of the resin. at the opening. In applications where it is not possible to fill aperture 202 without fully saturating loop material 144 with resin, a web of barrier material 128 may be fed through aperture 202 between head 200 and loop material 110 to preventing penetration of the resin of the loop material along predetermined regions. Barrier material 128 has been discussed in more detail above with reference to Figure 9. The electrically conductive product 110 is laminated to the back face of the substrate while the molded product is held on the mold roll 104, by the pressure supplied by the pressure roll 206.

Figure 13 also illustrates an alternative method and apparatus for producing the lead wire carrying fixation studs illustrated in Figure 7. In this embodiment the loop material 144 and barrier material 128 are not present and the mold roll 104 has fixed fastener molding cavities as previously described with respect to Figure 9. The resin alone is fed through the extrusion head 200 into the opening 202 between the extrusion head 200 and the mold roll 104 where the pressure of the opening forces the resin to fill the cavities of the mold as previously described. . The electrically conductive product 110 is laminated to the back face of the substrate while the molded product is held on the molding roll 104, by the pressure supplied by the pressure roll 206 to produce a strip of electrical cable carrying fasteners. outgoing.

In an alternative method and apparatus illustrated in Figure 13, the electrically conductive product 110 "(as indicated by the dashed lines) is fed directly into opening 202. The electrically conductive product 110 "consists of either bare or insulated electrically conductive wires (as described below with reference to Figure 14) or has a backing of at least sufficient porosity for the resin introduced into opening 202 to flow at least partially through and around the electrical conductive product to insulate the conductors and bond the materials to form an integrated cable product.

Figure 14 illustrates a further method and apparatus for producing the electrical conductive cables described above. In this embodiment the extrusion head 300 supplies flows of resin or films 140, 141 into the constriction 102 formed by the molding roll 104 (the molding roll having fixed fastener molding cavities 155 as described above with reference to Figure 9 to produce a cable product such as that illustrated in Figure 7) and pressure roll 106, respectively. The arrangement of the constriction 102 is as previously described with reference to Figures 9 and 9A. Simultaneously with the resin feed, multiple strands of bare conductive material 310 are fed through an extrusion hole of the extrusion head 300 into the constriction 102 between the separate resin streams or films 140, 141. The pressure and temperature conditions in the constriction 102 force the flow of the resin or film 140 into the molding cavities as described above, encapsulates the conductive material 310 within the resins 140, 141, and bonds the separate resin streams or films 140, 141 to create an integrated cable product that has insulated conductors within a substrate and attachment protrusions that extend from a surface of the substrate.

The method and apparatus illustrated in Figure 14 are also capable of producing cable product such as that illustrated in Figure 8 and described above. In such an arrangement the mold roll 102 is devoid of clamping lug shaped cavities and the loop material 144 (shown as broken lines in Figure 14) as described above with reference to Figure 8 is fed directly onto the surface. of mold roll 102 prior to entry of resin flow 140 into constriction 102. As described above with reference to Figures 9 and 13, fencing rings, barrier layers, or both can be used to control the areas and amounts of resin 140 that penetrates into the loop material 144 to bond the materials.

The methods and apparatus of Figures 9 and 13, and 14 are also capable of forming electrical cables that have both attachment projections (eg, hooks or mushrooms) and loop attachment material capable of engaging the projections to form a clamp. . Using the techniques described above in which the molding roll 104 has fixing protrusion forming cavities and the loop material 144 is fed into the constriction or opening while the resin and the electrically conductive product are introduced to obtain a cable product. self-locking electric that has both types of fasteners.

As illustrated in Figure 15, the ribbon cable assembly 330 is secured within the computer housing 309 with the terminal ends 332 connected to internal components 333 and 334 to supply power or electrical communication signals between them. Referring now also to Figure 16, cable assembly 330 has a multiplicity of lead wires 336 within an insulating substrate 338 having fastener elements 334 similar to those described above with reference to Figure 7 on its surface. The panel 311 of the computer case 309 has the matching fasteners, for example loops 316, such as those described above with reference to Figures 2 and 3. During assembly of the computer, terminals 332 are first connected to internal components 333 and 334 respectively. The fasteners 334 of the cable assembly 330 are then releasably and adjustably engaged with the mating fasteners, eg loops 316, on the panel 309. This allows for easier insertion and removal of additional computer components, for example cards 313 and 314 within the computer case 309, and keeps the cable routing organized within the cabinet.

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Any of the methods and apparatus described above with reference to, for example, Figures 9, 13 and 14 can be used to create a continuous strand of flat cable for use in flat cable assemblies (eg assembly 330) with the fasteners. attachments, for example hooks 334 or loops (not shown). In an example illustrated in Figure 17, the preformed electrically conductive product 410 is provided having multiple conductive wires 336 attached to the insulation tape 338. The conductors 336 may be circular, or flattened rectangular, or other flattened cross-section of construction. of wires or they can be strips of conductive material deposited or on the contrary arranged on the insulation tape 338. In one embodiment, conductors 336 are strips deposited on backing tape 338 to form a circuit or other conductive path. For example, any of the band-shaped products described herein (particularly, but not exclusively, the products illustrated in Figures 40 and 41) can be fed through the hook-forming constriction (as described above) to forming a hook-bearing thermoplastic resin layer or as an electrical insulation layer immediately adjacent to the conductors, or as a layer integrally attached to the pre-existing electrical insulation layer. For example, a flexible cable containing circuitry, such as built-in surface-mounted components or other electronic devices, can be fed directly through the nip to form hooks on one face of the circuit cable. In another embodiment, the support tape 336 is itself a preformed hook tape (similar to layer 140), with the conductors 336 being disposed on the surface of the hook tape opposite the hooks.

The conductive product 410 along with the plastic resin 140 are fed through the constriction or opening to form a cable in which the resin forms molded fasteners 334 and is attached to the insulation tape 338 thereby insulating the multiple conductive wires 336 and producing the integrated fixation cable of Figure 18. Alternatively, the loop material 144 (not shown) and the resin are simultaneously fed into the nip of one of the apparatus described above (in which the mold roll does not have pin-forming cavities) so that the resin sticks to the tape. insulation 338 to isolate the multiple conductive wires 336 and at least partially penetrates the loop material 144 to form the continuous wire of conductive cable (as described above with reference to Figure 9 and 13).

In another example illustrated in Figure 18A, the preformed flat cable 510 has multiple conductors 336, fully insulated by the insulation material 338. The preformed flat cable 510 is fed into the constriction 102 (Figure 9, 13, 14) as element 110 or 310 respectively, and the fasteners (fastener projections 334 or loop material, not shown) are glued to at least a portion of a ribbon cable surface 510. In this way, a fully preformed ribbon cable can be modified to have attached fasteners molded thereon for use in assembling electronic products.

Referring now to Figure 19, continuous electrical cable 600 is manufactured by feeding multiple electrically conductive wires 602 into constriction 604 formed by rotating mold roll 606 and counter-rotating pressure roll 608. The wires 602 are bare, ie. say without insulating coating and are laterally spaced from each other when they enter constriction 604. To control the lateral position of the threads as they enter the nip, the guide rollers 616 are provided with individual grooves, one for each thread inserted, to prevent the threads from deflecting laterally as they approach the nip. In addition, the pressure roll 608 has corresponding grooves that aid in the alignment of the threads 602 during the encapsulation process now described.

Simultaneously with the threads 602, a strip 610 of molten thermoplastic resin is introduced into the constriction 604 from the head of the extruder 612. The pressure and temperature conditions in the constriction cause the molten resin to envelop the threads and also cause a portion of the The resin fills the hook-shaped cavities 614 provided in the mold roll 606. As the chilled cast roll continues to rotate, the resin and encapsulated yarns remain adjacent to the periphery of the cast roll until exit rolls 618 and 620 act to remove product 600 from the cast roll, thereby extracting the now solidified hooks 622 from their respective cavities 614.

Referring now to Figures 20 and 20A, the product 600 has an electrically insulating body 632 of thermoplastic resin with an upper surface 624 and a lower surface 626. The hooks that engage the loops 622 extend from the upper surface 624 , each hook being an integral extension of the thermoplastic resin of the insulation body. Hooks 622 have a stem portion 623 and a head portion 625 that engages the loops that extend outwardly from the stem to project the upper surface 624. The lower surface 626 has peaks 628 corresponding to the guide grooves of the hooks. threads in pressure roll 608 with a valley 630 of reduced thickness separating adjacent peaks 628. Each lead wire 602 is encapsulated within a spike 628 and separated from the adjacent lead wire by insulating thermoplastic resin body 632. In one example, resin body 632 is made of a flexible PVC material. The position of the threads 602 relative to the upper surface 624 and the lower surface 626 is dictated by the relative positions of the threads and the molten thermoplastic resin as they enter the constriction and the flow dynamics of the molten thermoplastic resin within. narrowing. As illustrated in Figure 19, by feeding the wires 602 above the extruder head 612 the tendency is for the wires to be relatively closer to the upper surface 624 of the final product 600 (as indicated by the wires 602 'shown as dashed lines inside Figure 20). Conversely, if the wires are fed from below the extruder head (as indicated by the wire feed 602A illustrated by dashed lines in Figure 19) the tendency is for the wires to be relatively closer to the bottom surface 626 in the final product 600 (as indicated by the threads 602 "shown as dashed lines in Figure 20).

ES 2 292 004 T3

An alternative to controlling the vertical position of the wires 602 within the insulation body 632 is to provide a support substrate 633 under the wires when the molding process takes place. As illustrated in Figure 19, the substrate 633 (shown as dashed lines) is fed onto the grooved pressure roll 608 so that it sits on the peaks of the grooves of the roll substrate 633 can be of any material that is conductive to support the yarns while also allowing the molten thermoplastic resin to flow through and encapsulate the substrate during the molding process. In one example, substrate 633 is a nonwoven fiber mat. The yarns 602A are then fed onto the substrate at positions corresponding to the guide grooves of the pressure roll 608. The somewhat elastic substrate 633 allows the yarns 602A to only partially insert into their respective guide grooves of the pressure roll 608 , thus allowing the lateral position of the threads to be controlled while preventing the threads from reaching the top of the grooves. Once they enter the nip, the molten resin 610 flows upward to fill the cavities 614 and down through the substrate 633 to fill the grooves of the pressure roll 608, meanwhile the substrate prevents the threads 602A from sinking. in contact with the pressure roll 608.

The resulting product 600 '(Figure 21) has the support substrate 633 embedded below the wires 602 without the insulation body 632.

In an alternative embodiment, also illustrated in Figure 20 and further referring to Figures 22 and 22A, the cavities of the mold 612 are of a straight projecting shape inwardly from the periphery of the mold roll 606 towards its center, i.e. the cavities 612 are shaped to form only rods and do not have an undercut portion to form the socket head of the fastener. The remainder of the cable formation method continues as described above except that the product 600 "(Figure 22) removed from the mold roll has only integrally molded stems 622 'protruding from its upper surface 624'. After the stripping operation, the wire 600 "is passed between a heating roll 634 and an anvil roll 636 (shown in broken lines) to produce a final product 600" '(Figure 22A). The rollers 634, 636 are arranged so that the heating roller 634 contacts and deforms the tip portion 623 'of each stem 622' to form the head portion 625 'to be engaged in a loop protruding from the upper surface 624' .

Referring now to Figures 23-25, another technique to avoid any potential problems of centering and / or total encapsulation of the wires within the insulation body is to form the insulation body in a two-stage process. Initially, an intermediate product 640 (Figure 23) is formed by feeding the yarns 602 and the thermoplastic resin band 610 into the nip formed by the two pressure rollers 644 and 646. Similar to pinch roll 608 described above with reference to Figure 20, lower pinch roll 646 has peaks and valleys forming grooves on its surface to help guide yarns laterally, however in this two-stage process the pinch roll Top pressure 644 has a flat peripheral surface that forms the surface of the flat top surface 648 (Figure 24) of intermediate 640. Product 640 is then fed into a second nip 651 formed by a grooved lower pressure roll 650 and an MR mold 652 having hook cavities as described above. Simultaneously with intermediate 640, a strip of thermoplastic resin 654 is introduced from the head of extruder 653 into the nip directly adjacent the periphery of molding roll 652 and hooks 656 (Figure 25) are formed in a manner similar to that described. above with reference to Figure 20. The final resulting product 658 has a multi-layer structure including a hook-bearing upper 660 permanently bonded during the hook molding operation to the lower layer 662 that was initially formed as an intermediate 640. The yarns 602 are fully encapsulated by the lower layer 662 or are fully encapsulated by the sandwich between the upper layer and the lower layer 660 and 662 respectively.

Referring now to Figures 26 and 27, in yet another method of forming a continuous cable, with integrally molded fasteners, the stems extending from a surface of the conductor insulation body, a hole 670 positioned precisely upstream of the Taper 672. Hole 670 includes a wire guide plate 674 defining individual guide sleeves 676 each of which receives and guides a lead wire 678. The guide sleeves 676 may be cylindrical in shape to receive the wires of round cross section or they may be rectangular in cross section to receive flattened conductors to produce relatively flat cables. Arranged perpendicular to the yarn feed direction is extruder 680 which introduces molten thermoplastic resin through nozzle 681 to an internal resin flow path 683 defined by orifice 670. Flow path 680 directs molten resin to flow up, down, and between the plurality of strands 678 before the melt-resin combination 682 is forced through slot 684 and into immediately adjacent constriction 672 . Once the material is in the constriction 672, the molding process proceeds as previously described with reference to Figure 20 without additional need for lateral or vertical guidance and / or alignment of the strands.

In a particular embodiment, illustrated in Figures 28 and 29, the threads and the thermoplastic resin are fed through the constriction 700 formed by two molding rollers 702, 704 that rotate in opposite directions. Each mold roll 702, 704 defines an arrangement of hooks (or rods) forming cavities 706 similar to those described above. In the embodiment shown, two flows 708, 710 of molten thermoplastic resin are fed into constriction 700 while a plurality of laterally spaced wires 709, in the form of flat conductive bands, as illustrated, are introduced into constriction 700 between flows 708 and 710. Alternatively, streams 708, 710 are initially two solidified thermoplastic resin films. Temperature and pressure conditions in the constriction force the thermoplastic resin (initially molten or solid) to fill

ES 2 292 004 T3 at least partially the cavities so that the solidified product 712 disassembled from the outlet side of the constriction has fasteners that engage in loops 714 (or stems that can be subsequently reformed as described above) exiting from the opposing broad surfaces 716,718 of the thermoplastic resin electrical insulation body 720.

Yet another method of producing electrical cables of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 30-33. The method is a lamination process in which a preformed hook tape 730, spaced electrical conductors 732, and backing tape 734 are fed simultaneously between two gluing rolls 736, 738. The preformed hook tape 730 is of an electrically insulating thermoplastic resin, an example being a polyester material, the hook tape 730 has a base 740 that defines the first and second surfaces 742, 744 respectively. The hooks 746 are thermoplastic resin projections from the first surface 742 and are suitable for engaging a loop material. Hook web 730 is fed between pressure rollers 736 and 738 with its first hook carrying surface 742 immediately adjacent to the peripheral surface of first pressure roller 736. Backing tape 734, also of an electrically insulating material (but not necessarily the same material as hook tape 730), defines a first surface 748 and a second surface 750 and is fed between rolls 736 and 738 with its first surface 748 immediately adjacent to the peripheral surface of pressure roll 738.

Simultaneously with the hook band 730 and the backing band 734, a plurality of flat conductive bands (or threads of a circular cross section) are introduced between the pressure rollers 736, 738 in a laterally spaced manner. The conductors 732 are located between the second surface 744 of the hook strap 730 and the second surface 750 of the backing strap 734. Pressure roll 736 has a series of projecting rings 752 for contacting the first surface 742 of hook tape 732 only along the regions 753 of the laminate formation 754 that lies between the spaced conductors 732. The rolls 736 and 738 are heated and positioned to create pressure in regions 753 corresponding to each ring 752 so that thermal bonding occurs along the contacted regions of lamination 754. The thermal bond lines act to permanently weld the hook tape 730 to the backing tape 734 so as to electrically isolate the conductors 732 from each other and isolate the conductors between the hook tape and the backing tape. The preformed hook tape 734 may be provided with regions 753 distinguished by flat areas (as illustrated in Figure 31) on the first surface 742, that is, the areas devoid of rows of hooks 746. Alternatively, the first surface 742 of the preformed hook tape may have a uniform arrangement of hooks 746 across its surface, the hooks in the regions 753 subsequently contacting the rings 753 consequently the hooks melt and / or they are crushed by applied pressure and heat. Either way, the hooks remaining on the surface 742, that is, those positioned between the rings 752 during the rolling process, are sufficient to provide the necessary fixability with matching loop materials.

In another alternate embodiment, pressure roll 736 acts as an anvil (rotating or stationary) while pressure roll 734 is ultrasonically vibrated at a frequency that causes hook strap 730 to weld to support strap 734 at along regions 753 where rings 752 contact hook tape 730.

Referring again to Figure 30 and also Figure 34, the electrical cable 800 is manufactured by yet another lamination method. Hook tape 730 (as described above with reference to Figures 30 and 31) is provided with a layer of electrically insulating adhesive 770 (shown as dashed lines in Figure 30) applied to its second surface 744 as it is fed between smooth pressure rollers 760 and 762. Similarly, backing tape 734 is provided with a layer of adhesive 771 (dashed lines) applied to its second surface 750 as it is fed between rollers 736, 738. However, unlike the methods discussed above, this Particular example rollers 736 and 738 both have a smooth outer surface, ie neither roller has snap rings 752 discussed above with reference to Figure 33. The conductors 732 are inserted between the rollers as a sandwich between the hook tape and the backing tape. The smooth pressure rolls are arranged to cause the adhesive 770 on the second surface 744 of the hook tape 730 and the adhesive 771 on the second surface 750 of the backing tape 734 to contact each other, thereby gluing the two tapes together. . The adhesive also contacts the conductors 732, at least partially surrounding them and acting in combination with the hook strap and / or backing tape to electrically wrap and insulate the conductors from each other. It is also possible to remove one of the adhesive layers 771, 772, the remaining adhesive layer being sufficient to bond the hook tape 730 to the backing layer 734 while electrically wrapping and insulating the conductors 734 between the layers.

In yet another alternative, the backing tape 734 is in the form of a second hook tape band, similar or identical to the hook tape 730 described above, so that the resulting electrically conductive cable has hooks that fit into loops extending from opposite exposed surfaces.

It will be appreciated that in the precisely treated adhesive lamination examples, the hooks 746 are not permanently deformed to a significant extent as they pass through the smooth nip rolls. Rather, the hooks are elastic enough to withstand the pressures applied by the rollers without heating.

As illustrated in Figure 35, the hook fastener tape 810 has hook fasteners 814 extending from the first 812 of the two, wide, opposing surfaces 812, 813 of the base 816. Hooks illustrated 814 of Figure 35 are actually in the form of hooks, the phrase "hook fasteners", as used herein, generically refers to projections that have

ES 2 292 004 T3 tips shaped to engage with the complementary loop material or, alternatively, with other similar or dissimilar complementary projections. Each hook fastener 814 has an engagement head 818 capable of releasably engaging a matching fastener material, eg, loop material. Examples of other forms of suitable hook fasteners include but are not limited to stems having mushroom heads, flat-headed discs, and palm trees.

Again, as discussed above with reference to Figure 5, an example of a commercially available hook fastening tape for use in the invention is the hook product designated CFM-29 available from Velcro USA, Corp. of Manchester New Hampshire. The CFM-29 hook product has hooks of 0.38 mm (0.015 inches) in height, a base thickness of 0.0762 mm (0.003 inches), and a density of hook fasteners on the order of 155 or more hook fasteners per square centimeter (1000 per square inch).

Attachment tape 810 can advantageously be produced continuously and integrally from thermoplastic resin as described above, again with reference to US Patent No. 4,794,028 issued December 27, 1988 to Fischer. Briefly, as illustrated, the right hand portion of 1004 in Figure 2, the Fischer process employs a nip formed between the mold roll 1006 and a pressure roll 1008. Molten thermoplastic resin 1000 is fed into constriction 1004 while the mold and pressure rollers rotate in opposite directions, as indicated by arrows in Figure 36. Pressure in the constriction forces the extruded resin to fill a plurality. of cavities in the form of hook fasteners (1010) provided in the mold roll 1006. The resin in excess of the volume of the cavity takes the form of the constriction to form the base substrate, for example (base 816 of Figure 35). Subsequently, the resin solidifies and is stripped from the casting roll to produce a continuous fastener tape 810.

Other techniques for continuously and integrally forming a thermoplastic hook fastening tape are equally suitable for use with the present invention. One such technique involves extruding thermoplastic resin into the opening formed between the extrusion head and the mold roll without the use of a separate pressure roll. This technique is more fully described, for example, in US Patent 5,441,687 issued August 15, 1999, to Murasaki et al., To which the reader is referred for additional information.

In another suitable technique, stems are initially formed instead of projections in the form of hook fasteners with a thermoplastic base. Subsequently, the tops of the stems are shaped to form socket heads, for example by contacting the tips of the stems with a heated roll or by heating the tips of the stems by contacting an unheated or cooled roll, to produce stems having heads capable of engaging complementary or similar or dissimilar loops hook fasteners. Examples of these techniques are more fully illustrated in US Patent No. 5,077,870 issued January 7, 1992 by Melbye et al. And US Serial No. 09 / 231,124 filed January 15, 1999 respectively. The reader is referred to both references for additional information.

In yet another suitable technique, a thermoplastic base having continuous rail profiles is extruded from a hook fastener shaped profile. The rails, but not the base, are subsequently cut at intervals along the length of the extrusion to form separate parts of fixing-shaped rails, each part separated from the adjacent part by a cut. The base is then permanently stretched longitudinally to create gaps between adjacent parts of fastener-shaped rails. The resulting fastening tape has spaced rows of individual hook fasteners. Such a technique is more fully described, for example, in US Patent No. 4,894,060, published January 16, 1990 by Nestegard, to which the reader may be referred for additional information.

As illustrated in Figure 35A, fastener tape 910 has a relatively thin layer 902 of electrically conductive material disposed on its hook fastener-bearing surface 912. The electrically conductive material forms a layer of roughly uniform thickness that closely follows the contour of the fastening tape 910. Preferably the coating material is highly conductive, eg silver, a thin layer of material that offers low resistance to the transmission of electrical signals along the fastening tape. Also, it is preferable that the conductive coating 902 is attached to the fastening tape 910 so as to allow the fastening tape to remain flexible. Where the conductive coating encompasses hook fasteners, it is important that the conductive coating allows the hook fasteners to flex enough to engage and disengage the complementary loops or other hook fasteners while remaining integrated with the strap. fixation.

Referring again to Figure 36, a technique is illustrated for applying an electrically conductive layer 902 to fastener tape 910 to produce a conductive hook tape having the preferred properties described above. The method includes a reduction process in which the conductive material reacts with a previously applied sensitizer to fix the conductive material to the fixation tape 910. In one example, referred to herein as "silver" and which will now be described, the sensitizer comprises tin and the electrically conductive material comprises silver. The plating process is the chemical reaction that results when a solution of a silver salt comes into contact with a reducing agent. Silver is deposited where the surface has been treated with a sensitizer that covers it with a thin layer, for example a thickness on the order of the molecular size of the tin sensitizer compound on which the silver is attached.

ES 2 292 004 T3

As illustrated in Figure 36, molten resin 1000 is extruded from extruder head 1002 into nip 1004 formed between mold roll 1006 and pressure roll 1008. Cast roll 1006 has a plurality of shaped cavities. hook 1010 formed to extend inwardly from its constriction-forming surface. The pressure created in the nip forces the molten resin 1000 into the cavities 1010 while the excess resin remains in the nip between the mold and nip rolls. As the rolls rotate (in the direction indicated by the respective arrows) the resin remains associated with the casting roll so that it cools and begins to solidify. The resin in the cavities forms hook fasteners (for example, hook fasteners 814 of Figure 35) and the resin that remains associated with the peripheral surface of mold roll 1006 forms a base (for example, the base 816 of Figure 35) from which the hook fasteners extend. The resulting fastening tape 1020 is stripped from the casting roll 1006 by stripping rolls 1022 and 1024 and is then passed to the "silvering" stage where the conductive material is applied.

In some cases, to prepare the surface for conductive coating, a wetting agent is first applied at station 1030. In one example the thermoplastic resin in the fastening tape is polypropylene, and the wetting agent is a product known as C22 and available from Peacock Laboratories Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The C22 is mixed with water (preferably deionized) in a ratio of 14 ml per 0.4 kg (16 oz) respectively, and then sprayed, as illustrated by Sprayer 1032, bathed, or cleaned within the desired area. of the hook fastening product.

With the wetting agent applied, the hook fastener is then passed over station 1040 where a sensitizing solution is applied. Using again the example of polypropylene thermoplastic resin, a suitable sensitizing solution is Sensitizing Solution No. 93 available from Peacock Laboratories Inc, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sensitization Solution # 93 is mixed with water (preferably deionized) in a ratio of 14 ml per 0.4 kg (16 oz) respectively, and then sprayed, as illustrated by Sprayer 1042, bathed, or bathed. Clean within the desired area of ​​the hook fastener product.

After allowing the sensitizing solution to cure the hook fastener, for example, approximately 60 seconds in the case of Sensitizing Solution No. 93 on polypropylene, the hook fastener is directed to station 1050 where the Treated areas are rinsed with water (preferably deionized). Rinse is effectively accomplished by spraying, as illustrated by spray 1052, bathing, or cleaning the desired area with the rinse water.

The hook fastener product is then directed to station 1060 where it is saturated with a silver solution to apply the electrically conductive coating. For a polypropylene hook fastener product, a suitable plating solution is HE-300 available from Peacock Laboratories Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The HE-300 Plating Solution is manufactured from three component solutions including the HE-300 Silver Solution “A”, the HE-300 Activator Solution “B” and the HE-300 “C” Reducing Solution. All three components of the plating solution are applied simultaneously by a 1062 dual-tip spray gun. The first 1064 nozzle of the 1062 spray gun is supplied from a tank containing the following mixture: Equal amounts of HE-300 Silver Solution "A" and HE-300 Activator Solution "B" each mixed with water (preferably deionized) in a ratio of 14 ml to 0.2 Kg (8 ounces) respectively. To avoid a potentially explosive reaction in the mixing tank, it is preferable to mix each of the HE-300 concentrated solutions “A” and “B” with water, rather than mixing the concentrated solutions directly together.

Simultaneously, with the spraying of the first nozzle 1024, the second nozzle 1066 sprays a solution supplied from a supply tank in which the Silver Reducer HE-300 has been mixed with water (preferably deionized) in a ratio of 14 ml to 0.4Kg (16 oz).

The 1062 dual nozzle spray gun operates by simultaneously spraying equal amounts of the mixtures from both 1064 and 1066 spray nozzles. As illustrated, the 1064 and 1066 nozzles are biased against each other so that their respective outlets mix at approximately their points. contact with the hook fastening product. The result is that the separate streams combine roughly as the streams contact the surface of the hook fastener product. The area to be coated is saturated with the spray from the 1062 dual nozzle spray gun until the surface changes to a gray / gold color. At this point, the conductive coating has been sufficiently completed.

In another embodiment, the formed hook fastener product is covered by a masking material for the plating process. As illustrated in Figure 2, optional masking station 1070 (indicated by the dashed lines) can provide a film that blocks subsequent coatings applied at stations 1030, 1040, 1050, and 1060. When the film is designed to allow backcoats to pass through only selected areas, the result is a hook fastener product that has a layer of conductive material applied only to the area corresponding to the weft. The masking film can be subsequently removed by leaving a conductive web disposed on an otherwise non-conductive surface.

In yet another embodiment, piercing station 1080 is provided in which the hook fastening tape formed, for example by posts 1082, is pierced to form through holes extending from the first to the second wide surfaces of the base of the fixing tape. The back silvering of the hook fastening tape

ES 2 292 004 T3 covers the surfaces that define the through holes with the conductive material. These through-hole conductive surfaces provide passage paths for electrical signals to pass from the first to the second surface of the hook fastening tape.

In one example, illustrated in Figures 37A-37E, the formed hook tape 1100 (Figure 37A) is initially provided as a continuous sheet of thermoplastic resin 1102 having broad opposing first and second surfaces 1101, 1103 with a series of elements hook attachment 1104 integrally formed extending from the broad first surface 1101. As illustrated in Figure 37B, the hook strap 1100 is perforated to provide through holes 1112 at various predetermined locations along the strap. Subsequently, a masking film 1120 (Figure 37C) having an aperture pattern 1122 formed on an otherwise solid surface 1124 (Figure 37D) is applied to the perforated hook tape. The location and frequency of the perforations formed by the through holes of the perforated hook tape 1100 and the pattern of apertures 1122 on the masking film 1120 are selected so that the application of the masking film 1120 to the perforated hook tape 1110 results in a masked hook tape 1130 (Figure 37D) having at least one through hole 1112 disposed within the at least one opening 1122, and in some embodiments, within each opening 1122. The masked hook tape 1130 is then coated with the conductive material, for example as described above, and the mask is removed to produce a selectively conductive hook fastener product 1140 having selected regions that are electrically conductive. Conductive areas 1142 correspond to openings 1122 in mask film 1120 and each conductive area 1142 has at least one through hole 1112, the defining surfaces of which 1144 are also conductively coated. The coated surfaces of the through holes provide the transmission of electrical signals from the hook fastener-bearing face of the hook tape to the opposite face.

The process described above with reference to Figures 36 and 37A-37B, can be advantageously employed to produce a wide variety of electrically conductive fastener products. In one example, a hook-attachment cable 1200 is produced, extending between longitudinally opposite ends 1221 and 1223, as illustrated in Figures 38A and 38B. The cable is formed of a substrate 1201 having two wide opposing surfaces 1204 and 1206 with hook fasteners 1202 extending from the broad surface 1204. The hook fasteners 1202 and the broad surface 1204 may be integrally formed of a thermoplastic resin, eg, polypropylene, using the process described above with reference to Figure 36. Continuous conductive strips 1208 are applied to surface 1204 and extend along the length of the cable. The bands are separated from each other, for example, by applying appropriate masking film tapes to the surface of cable 1202 similar to the process described above with respect to Figure 36. Such cable can be produced in continuous length and subsequently cut to the desired length to its intended use.

Cable 1200 has electrical connectors 1222 at its longitudinal terminal ends. The conductive strips 1208 allow the passage of electrical signals between the two terminal connectors 1222 while the hook fasteners 1206 allow the cable to be releasably attached to a surface (not shown) equipped with the complementary fastening material, for example loop material. Also, as illustrated in Figure 38A, an electrical signal processing component 1230, for example a microchip or circuit board having filters, diodes, etc., is equipped with one or more patches of supplemental attachment material. 1232 which releasably engages with hook fasteners 1202. Electrical component 1230 may be releasably fixed at a selected position along the length of cable 1220 as indicated by attached electrical component 1230 'shown by the broken line at the position fixed on cable 1220. In some cases, the conductive bands 1208 are positioned to encompass some of the hook fasteners 1202 of the cable 1220, and where the electrical signal processing component 1230 is equipped with a supplemental electrically conductive fastener material, for example, metallic loop material, An electrical signal can be transmitted between the band 1208 of the cable 1220 and the electrical signal processing component 1230 by means of releasably interlocking mating fasteners 1202 and 1232.

In the example illustrated in Figures 39A-39C, the cable 1300 has integrally formed hook fasteners 1302 that extend from the broad surface 1304. The discrete strips 1308 of electrically conductive material are attached and continuously extend thereto. along the wide opposite surface 1306 of cable 1300. Cable 1300 can be produced by the process described above with reference to Figure 36 by manipulating the extruded molded thermoplastic fabric so that its surface opposite the hook fasteners is exposed to the conductive material application process. Wearing a properly shaped mask allows the conductive material to attach to the thermoplastic substrate as discrete strips 1308.

In the example illustrated in Figures 40A-40B, cable 1400 has discontinuous strips 1408 of electrically conductive material attached to a wide surface 1406 opposite the hook fastener bearing surface 1404. The discontinuities 1410 may be of a predetermined dimension, for example, by designing a suitable mask when the cable 1400 is produced by the process illustrated in Figure 36, so that the electrical components 1420 can be subsequently attached, for example by soldering welds 1422, to bridge the discontinuity. The resulting hook-on cable 1400 becomes a flexible carrier of one or more electrical components 1420 (i.e., cable 1400 is a flexible circuit board) and cable 1400 can be releasably attached to any surface that has loops. mating or other hook fasteners that mate with hook fasteners 1402.

ES 2 292 004 T3

As illustrated in Figure 41, various patterns of electrically conductive pathways can be formed on the surface 1506 of a hook attachment wire 1500 so that electrical components 1520 can be attached to process and / or modify the electrical signals that pass through. cable. Again, the desired pattern of electrically conductive material can be fixed by use of a suitable mask design to form flexible circuit board 700.

In addition, the flexible printed circuits 1400 and 1500 of Figures 40A, 40B, and 41 may be initially formed by any circuit-forming method and not excluding integrated fixtures extending therefrom. The circuits (eg, conductive paths 1409, 1509) may be on an exposed surface of a substrate (as shown) or may be incorporated, eg, electrically inflated within a substrate 1401, 1501. Such flex circuits can then be processed using one or more of the techniques described above to laminate a preformed hook or loop fastener carrier tape thereto or to simultaneously form and laminate a hook fastener carrier tape. Also, if desired, the hook tape can be laminated and / or formed to simultaneously electrically isolate a conductive path discussed above. Before or after feeding the flex circuit through the lamination / forming aperture, the insulating material can be removed (for example, by the hole punching technique described above or by any other method) to expose portions of the conductive path 1409, 1509 for electrical connection to other electrical conduits and / or devices.

Referring now also to Figures 41A, 41B and 41C, a second substrate 1530 is provided, for example a "polyester film". Film 1530 defines first 1534 and second 1536 opposing broad surfaces and may be a flat substrate, or alternatively, may have integrally formed loop fasteners 1532 (illustrated by dashed lines and formed as described above) leading from the first surface 1532. The film 1530 can be laminated to any substrates bearing conductive pathways 1300, 1400, or 1500 such that the conductive path is disposed between the conductive path-bearing surface, for example 1306, 1406, 1506 of substrate 1300, 1400, 1500 and the second surface 1536 of the film 1530 thereby producing a flex circuit product 1550 (Figure 41C). The lamination of the 1530 film on the conductive path 1308, 1409, 1509, can be done by any method, for example traditional methods such as an adhesive 1538 (shown in the dotted lines), thermal or ultrasonic gluing, and / or any technique. lamination including any of those described above.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, portions 1540 of film 1530 are removed, for example by punching or drilling, at desired locations so that after lamination, portions 1542 of conductive paths 1308, 1409, 1500 are accessible by example for electrical connections. When adhesive is used in the lamination process, it is desirable that the 1538 adhesive is applied to the 1536 surface of the 1530 film prior to the removal process, for example by punching and / or drilling so that after lamination the adhesive does not interfere. with electrical connections to exposed portions 1540 of conductive paths 1308, 1409, 1509.

As particularly illustrated in Figure 41D, when the film 1530 has hook fasteners 1532 extending from the first surface 1534 and a substrate carrying conductive paths 1300, 1400, 1500 it also has hook fasteners 1302, 1402, extending from its exposed surface 1304, 1404, 1504, the resulting lamination is a flexible double-sided hook-bearing circuit 1550. This is particularly advantageous because it allows flat clamping of a flex circuit in an area that requires the clamping path of the circuit to change dramatically, for example a 90 ° turn. This is accomplished by initially attaching the hook fasteners 1302,1402 of the substrate 1300,1400, 1500 to the mating elements (for example exposed loops) of a support surface 1554 and then folding the circuit on itself (as illustrated at 1552) and attaching the hook fasteners 1532 of the film 1530 to the support surface 1554 (or other support surface).

In one embodiment, illustrated in Figure 42, fastener 1600 has a first surface 1602 with conductively coated hook fasteners 1604 and a second opposed surface 1606 with conductive loop material 1608. Such a conductive fastener " back to back ”can be produced by a modification to the process described above with reference to Figure 36. As indicated by the dashed lines, a conductive loop material 1610 is fed from the roll 1612 into the nip 1004 simultaneously with extruded resin 1000. The outer surface of the loop material contacts the pressure roll 1008 and the inner surface contacts the pressure roll. molten resin 1000 as the resin is forced into the hook-forming cavities 1010 of the mold roll 1006. The pressure in the constriction causes the inside surface of the loop material and the resin to become permanently bonded as the hooks are molded. Such a process and variations thereof are more fully described, for example, in US Patent No. 5,260,015 to Kennedy et al., Published November 9, 1993, to which the reader is referred for additional information.

An example of a suitable conductive loop material 1610 for use in the production of back-to-back conductive fasteners 1600 is a product marketed under the HIMEGBRANd Loops tape trademark and available from Velcro USA Corp., Manchester, New Hampshire. The conductive nature of at least the outer surface of the loop material 1610 remains substantially unaffected by the temperature of the molding process because the pressure roll is typically unheated or cooled. As an alternative, the

ES 2 292 004 T3 loop material 1610 may initially be a non-conductive, uncoated loop material that is fed into the constriction 1004, and subsequently both hook and loop surfaces of the resulting product may be conductively coated in a subsequent forming operation .

Various embodiments of the invention have been described. However, it will be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. For example, as an alternative to the masking process described above for producing a desired pattern of electrically conductive material on a hook attachment substrate, a stripping process may be employed. Such a removal process may be implemented by first providing a hook fastening tape having one or both broad surfaces coated with a conductive layer as described above with reference to Figures 2 and 3 and subsequently removing selected parts of the coating. conductive to leave a conductive web on the substrate. Removal can be achieved, for example, by machining, grinding or cutting the conductive material to remove it from the desired areas. Of course, the electrical components (eg 1420 and 1520 as described above) can then be soldered or otherwise electrically connected in desired areas on the substrate.

Furthermore, and quite remarkably, many of the techniques described above can be combined to produce fasteners having combinations of the various characteristics described as desired for the particular application of the resulting electrically conductive fastener. For example, circuit printing techniques and the resulting products described with reference to Figures 36-41 can be combined with the techniques described with reference to Figures 9, 13, 19, 23, or 28. The result is to form a printed circuit pattern or conversely deposited on a substrate (possibly a substrate that already carries fasteners on an exposed surface opposite the circuit pattern), and then to form the hook fasteners, for for example, hooks, while simultaneously coating and insulating the otherwise exposed circuit frame. The resulting product may have, for example, hooks on one or both of the exposed major surfaces, or hooks on an exposed major surface with loops on the opposite exposed major surface. The drilling techniques described with reference to Figures 37A-37D can also be employed to provide exposed areas of otherwise isolated circuit breakers for, for example, connecting power supplies or other terminals and connections. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Various embodiments of the invention have been described. However, it will be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Accordingly other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.