Raychem Limited

Tyco Electronics Corporation

Dennis C Siden

Corey J McMills

Daniel A Chandler

Shou-Mean Fang

Chi-Ming Chan

Mark S Thompson

Robert Parker

Michael T Zhang

Gregory A Graves

Robert S Dubrow

Thomas Dean Ratzlaff

Manoochehr Mohebban

Paul B Germeraad

Wayne Montoya

Randolph W Chan

Albert R Martin

Michael Mengruo Zhang

Christine J Holland

An electrical device which comprises first and second laminar electrodes and a laminar PTC resistive element sandwiched between them, the device comprising

Electrical devices

A circuit protection device which comprises first and second laminar electrodes; a laminar PTC conductive polymer resistive element sandwiched between the electrodes; a third laminar conductive member which is secured to the same face of the PTC element as the second electrode but is separated therefrom; and an electrical connector which connects the third conductive member and the first electrode. This permits connection to both electrodes from the same side of the device, so that the device can be connected flat on a printed circuit board, with the first electrode on top, without any need for leads. The connector is preferably a cross-conductor which passes through an aperture in the PTC element, because this makes it possible to carry out the steps for preparing the devices on an assembly which corresponds to a number of individual devices, with division of the assembly as the final step.

An electrical apparatus having a liquid crystal fault indicator, comprising: an electrical component subject to electrical fault; a smectic liquid crystal display having an indicating element having a first and a second visual state, said indicating element being capable of transitioning from the first to the second visual state upon the application of an electric field sufficient to realign the smectic liquid crystal material contained therein and remaining in the second visual state after the removal of the electric field and further being capable of transitioning from the second to the first visual state upon heating to at least a delatching temperature Td sufficient to destroy the electric field induced alignment of the smectic liquid crystals; and fault signal means for providing, upon the occurrence of a fault, a prescribed input sufficient to cause said indicating element to transition from a visual state indicative of an unfaulted condition to a visual state indicative of a faulted condition.

Liquid crystal electrical fault indicators

This invention provides E.M.I. gaskets for electrically shielding and environmentally sealing the space between two surfaces which comprises a metallic electrically conductive deformable structure adapted for forming electrical contact with said surfaces and/or providing electrical shielding in the space between said surfaces; and a gel material for sealing the space between said surfaces having a cone penetration value of about 100 to about 350 (10.sup.-1 mm) and an ultimate elongation of at least 200% and being present in sufficient amount and positioned to provide environmental seal between said surfaces and to provide environmental protection for said metallic structure. The gel may encapsulate the entire metallic structure so that portions of the metallic structure pierces through the gel when the gasket is installed to make electrical contact. Alternatively portions of the metallic structure may extend beyond the surface of the gel and the gel deforms to cover exposed portions of the metallic structure when the gasket is installed. The gasket of this invention provides moisture seal and is resistant to corrosion.

Shielding and sealing gaskets

A heat recoverable coupling assembly for substrates having a relatively rigid outer wall, which includes a connector body and a driver member made from a band of heat recoverable material. The connector body includes a mating area for engaging a mating area on the rigid wall of the substrate. The connector body is positioned inside or outside the substrate and the driver member is positioned around the outside member. The driver member has an unrecovered transverse dimension larger than the outside member and a recovered transverse dimension smaller than the outside member. The driver member is positioned around the outside member over at least part of the mating areas. Upon heating the driver member to its recovery temperature, the driver member deforms the outside member and itself plastically deforms to a shape suitable for retaining the substrate and the connector body together. The driver member is made from heat recoverable engineering plastics.

Heat-recoverable coupling assembly

Recovery of a heat recoverable article can be carried out without a flame by wrapping around the article a flexible bag and introducing into the bag a liquid of sufficient temperature and heat capacity. Uniform recovery is ensured by maintaining a pressure within the bag so it conforms to the changing size or shape of the recovering article.

Device for heat recovery

There is disclosed a circuit change pin and a circuit board assembly. The circuit change pin is a termination post which is held in a compliant electrically insulating base. The base is made from a heat-recoverable material which is preferably a poly(aryl ether ketone). When the circuit change pin is used in conjunction with a printed circuit board, there is then a circuit board assembly.

Circuit change pin and circuit board assembly

A method for splicing electrical wires uses a crimp barrel removably disposed in an insulating sleeve. A first wire is inserted into the barrel, and then the barrel is removed from the sleeve without damaging the sleeve. A second wire is inserted into the barrel and the barrel is crimped to retain the wires. Then the crimp barrel is placed into the sleeve.

Splicing electrical wires

An insulated electrical crimp splicer comprising a crimp barrel disposed in an insulating sleeve. The sleeve is adapted to retain the crimp barrel therein but the barrel may be removed from the sleeve to permit crimping of the barrel onto electrical conductors.

Insulated crimp splicer

A wire cutting device having a blade angle of about 0.degree. - 8.degree. preferably in the range of 4.degree. - 6.degree. and whose blades exhibit a bulk resistivity of at least about 1.0 ohm-cm can be used to safely sever plural conductors while inservice without causing a short circuit. Blade materials are typically polymeric materials with a Rockwell hardness of about M30 or greater.

Non-shorting wire cutter

Disclosed is a deformable wire stripper comprising either a single or set of blades fabricated from a deformable material such as a plastic or soft metal. The blade material and its geometry are selected so that the blade will undergo plastic or elastic deformation upon contact with a metal conductor, but yet will penetrate and cause deformation of the wire insulation to be stripped.

Deformable wire stripper

A procedure and apparatus for accomplishing the conditioning and placement of a plurality of wires for the simultaneous termination of the wires of a multi-pin connector. Terminal sleeves are employed to both position and lock the several wires to the multi-pin connector. The sleeves are held fixed relative to one another in an identification block and wires are threaded therethrough. When positioned, the wires are held by a wire clamp cooperating with the identification block. Simultaneous cutting and stripping of the wires may then be performed in preparation for termination with a multi-pin connector. Once prepared, the wires are positioned adjacent a row of pins on the multi-pin connector and the identification block with the sleeves enclosed is forced toward the prepared ends of the wires and onto the connector pins. This sliding of the sleeves over the ends of the wires and onto the connector pins easily and quickly completes the positioning of the wires relative to the connector pins to insure the proper termination of each individual wire. By fixing the wire clamp relative to the multi-pin connector, the wires will be held relative to the multi-pin connector during the sliding of the sleeves onto the connector pins.

Apparatus for the simultaneous termination in terminal sleeves of a

A device for preparing an insulated conductor and connecting the insulated conductor to a circuit board of the type having termination holes therein. An elongate pin sized to closely fit in the appropriate termination hole is employed to simultaneously cut the insulated conductor to length, strip a portion of the insulation therefrom and position the resulting stripped conductor tightly between the pin and the termination hole. The pin includes an abrupt transverse edge which cooperates with the upper edge of the termination hole to shear an insulated conductor interposed therebetween. Located on the other side of the pin is an elongated channel running longitudinally along the pin. The elongated channel also cooperates with the termination hole to strip the insulation from the trimmed conductor and hold the stripped wire tightly in the channel through the forced insertion of the pin in the appropriate termination hole. A method for preparing and terminating an insulated conductor is also disclosed whereby a pin is used in conjunction with a termination hole on a circuit board to simultaneously prepare and terminate an insulated conductor.

Wire preparation and termination means and method

A wire cutting device having a blade angle of about 0.degree. and whose blades exhibit a bulk resistivity of at least about 1.0 ohm-cm can be used to safely sever plural conductors while in-service without causing a short circuit. Blade materials are typically polymeric materials with a Rockwell hardness of about M30 or greater.

Growing community of inventors

Portola Valley, CA, United States of America

Dennis C Siden