Custom Wire Cable Assemblies For Safety Equipment

In many cases, electronic safety equipment is hand-held or wearable. In terms of sizing, that means limited space. The miniaturization of electronics presents numerous challenges for product designers. Tiny parts are difficult to handle and place, which can lead to longer production times. To keep up with demand, manufacturers must use specialized cable products, equipment, and processes. Servicing miniaturized equipment is similar, requiring specialized tools and precision. 

In law enforcement and public safety, activities are rarely tied to a workstation or desk. Safety equipment must be mobile and dependable in the field. Cable design for a controlled environment is one thing. Designing for environments that can be unpredictable is entirely different. 

As wireless technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) continue to proliferate, the demand for shielding safety-critical systems from RFI is greater than ever. Interference can result in numerous consequences, including jammed communication, dropped signals and equipment malfunctions. These factors display the need for custom cable requirements to meet wireless technology and IoT demands.

In applications where size and mobility are concerns, so too is flexibility. Currently, there is great demand for new materials and fabrication techniques that allow high-performing electronic devices to be manufactured directly onto flexible substrates to allow for folding, bending, rolling and stretching. Custom coated cable offers the flexibility needed to meet these demands.

Safety equipment must perform in extreme scenarios, including high or frigid temperatures, contact with flames, exposure to chemicals or the weather, and dust or water ingress. Depending on the extremes a product may face, designs must be reinforced with seals and materials that will protect vital internal components from damage.

With public scrutiny of law enforcement activity at an all-time high, officers depend on video, radar and signaling devices, not just for public safety, but also their own. iCONN Systems offers a growing portfolio of connection components to support sensor applications, including those used in radar guns.
 
More specifically, our cable assemblies connect the transducer to the unit, allowing police radar guns to convert radio waves into measures of speed for traffic control. In some cases, radar units may be mounted on police motorcycles and linked to a video recording device to capture traffic stops and other police activities.
 
Because radar relies on radio waves, radio frequency interference (RFI) is a common pain point for product designers in this segment. For this reason, we offer a wide range of customization, allowing designers to enhance performance features like RFI shielding while maintaining cost-effectiveness. 

Our cables and connectors can also be customized to meet the demands of a true emergency scenario. For example, our iSENSOR connectors are used in digital display units that can be installed inside a firefighter’s face mask, allowing them to see vital information and signals from fellow firefighters. With advanced electronic helmet systems, firefighters can see their surroundings in infrared to detect heat sources, monitor a digital reading of their oxygen levels, communicate more effectively with squads, and navigate the perils of an active fire.
 
From a design standpoint, this type of safety equipment must be capable of withstanding high heat, exposure to flames and chemicals, and the ingress of smoke, ash, dust and water. Our iSENSOR i8 connector features a metal shell and tiny profile — perfect for product designs with spatial constraints. This connector is IP-67-rated and capable of withstanding maximum continuous temperatures as high as 220 degrees Fahrenheit. For added protection, we use PVC or TPU overmolding, which is resistant to flames, chemicals, abrasion, grease and solvents.
 
Additionally, connectors used in this type of personal safety application must undergo NIOSH testing and approval to ensure that they can self-extinguish and that the materials and chemicals used in these solutions won’t have negative interactions with other potentially flammable chemicals that might be involved in a fire, such as oil or accelerants.

An industrial furnace is a high-temperature piece of equipment with a combustible atmosphere, which makes detecting the unwanted presence of flame or gas extremely important to safety. Without a dependable sensor system in place, these furnaces run a high risk for trauma-based injury due to violent ruptures of the reaction vessel, toxic effects due to fume or hazardous substance leaks, and fire or explosion due to the release and ignition of flammable gasses or substances.
 
A flame or gas detector is made up of numerous parts, including detective and signal circuits. Our sensors are used in these detector devices to convert the radiant intensity signal of an open flame to a voltage signal that can be processed by a computer chip.
 
One of our clients took public safety a step further and worked closely with our engineers to customize a sensor connector for gas detection with a light bulb that would alert technicians of the presence of gas. Not only do visual cues communicate safety concerns at a glance, but they also act as a redundancy feature, should the equipment fail to communicate an issue to its monitoring system.

There are some environments that, frankly, technicians prefer to avoid when possible. Such is the case for storm and sewer maintenance teams. Today, many municipalities have adopted the use of remote-controlled vehicles that can be lowered into drains to do the dirty and dangerous work for technicians. These vehicles use a signal to navigate complex tunnel systems and stream real-time video, allowing technicians to monitor environments for cracks, leaks, or other infrastructure damages and make small repairs. Understandably, these vehicles require interconnect solutions that are robust, durable and watertight with a rating of at least IP-67 (the ability to be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes) or IP-68 rating (the ability to be submerged in one meter of water for up to 24 hours) without sustaining damage.
 
Our iSENSOR i12 connector works perfectly in such applications thanks to its non-corrosive plastic shell, watertight pressurized seal and IP rating of up to 69K. Additionally, to ensure the best possible video quality, we work closely with clients to customize the connector inserts for coaxial cables that allow technicians to record high-definition videos of excursions.

Household leaks account for an estimated one trillion gallons of water waste annually. Additionally, burst or blocked pipes represent the most common water system issue, accounting for about 46% of related claims each year. To help protect people and property, more and more water systems are outfitted with sensor technology that constantly monitors every facet of a home’s plumbing supply to catch even the tiniest of leaks. Particularly in cases when the homeowner is out of town, these systems automatically shut off the water supply to the home to prevent catastrophic water damage and can even alert the homeowner via a smartphone application if an issue is detected. These water sensors are also used in public safety settings, such as flood warnings or high water detection systems to alert city officials and residents of potential water damage due to weather or infrastructure-related events.