JP2006114343A - Method for manufacturing electric cable with terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing an electric cable with terminals having high reliability in connection by performing good ultrasonic welding by preventing the cable joint of a terminal component from vibrating following ultrasonic vibration transmitted from a welding tip. <P>SOLUTION: Both sides of the cable joint 14 of a terminal component 11 in the widthwise direction are pinched and fixed by a pinching device. The cable joint 14 is pressed from above by a pressing device. In this fixed state, the bottom wall 14a of the cable joint 14 is ultrasonic-welded to the core wire Wa of the cable W to manufacture a cable with terminals 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal, and more particularly, when joining an electric wire and a terminal metal fitting by ultrasonic welding, a loss of vibration energy in a welded portion is reduced so that good welding can be performed. It is.

Conventionally, there is one described in Patent Document 1 that uses ultrasonic welding as a method of joining the terminal fitting and the core of the electric wire. In general, in order to join a core wire and a terminal by ultrasonic welding, as shown in FIG. 6, first, the wire connection portion 3 of the terminal fitting 2 is placed on the anvil 1, and the wire W on the upper surface of the wire connection portion 3. The core wire Wa exposed by peeling the terminal is placed. Next, the core wire Wa on the wire connection portion 3 is pressed by the welding tip 4 and ultrasonic vibration is applied so that the core wire Wa and the terminal fitting 2 are sandwiched between the anvil 1 and the core wire Wa is attached to the terminal fitting. It joins to the electric wire connection part 3 of 2. As shown in FIG.
JP 2000-20642 A

In the process of joining the core wire Wa and the terminal fitting 2 using ultrasonic welding as described above, when the ultrasonic vibration is applied from the welding tip 4 to the terminal fitting 2, the terminal fitting 2 is attached to the welding tip 4. It is preferable to cause the ultrasonic vibration energy to efficiently act on the electric wire connection portion 3 so as not to finely move following the vibration. For this reason, conventionally, for example, a concave portion for receiving and holding the terminal fitting 2 is provided on the surface of the anvil 1 on which the terminal fitting 2 is placed to hold the terminal fitting 2.
However, there are cases where the terminal cannot be sufficiently fixed and held by such measures. That is, since the terminal fitting is formed by bending a metal plate, a slight dimensional error may occur. On the other hand, the recess provided in the anvil for holding the terminal securely receives the terminal fitting. Therefore, it is difficult to reliably prevent the fine movement of the terminal fitting following the vibration of the welding tip.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and when ultrasonic welding a core wire to a terminal fitting, the loss of ultrasonic vibration energy is prevented by preventing the terminal fitting from following the vibration of the welding tip and finely moving. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a terminal-attached electric wire having a high bonding strength by reducing the number of wires.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the present invention, a core wire peeled off and exposed at the end portion of the electric wire, and an electric wire connecting portion for receiving the core wire are provided at one end and a contact portion with the mating terminal is provided at the other end. A method of manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal by ultrasonic welding in a state where the terminal fitting is sandwiched between an anvil and a welding tip,
There is provided a method for manufacturing a terminal-attached electric wire, wherein the core wire is ultrasonically welded to the bottom wall of the electric wire connecting portion in a state where both widthwise sides of the electric wire connecting portion are held and fixed by a holding means.

  According to this method, when the core wire is ultrasonically welded to the wire connection portion, the terminal fitting can be securely fixed by being sandwiched from both sides by the sandwiching means, so that the ultrasonic vibration applied from the welding tip Therefore, it is possible to prevent the terminal fitting from following and finely moving. Therefore, it is possible to perform effective bonding with less loss of ultrasonic vibration energy added to the core wire and the wire connecting portion.

Specifically, ultrasonic welding is performed in a state where the electric wire connection portion is pressed and fixed from above by a pressing means toward the anvil side.
In this way, the terminal fitting can be pressed from both sides and the vertical direction, so that more effective ultrasonic welding can be performed.

More specifically, the electric wire connecting portion includes a pair of side walls raised from both sides of the bottom wall, while the holding means includes a block body that holds the outer surface of the side wall inward from both sides, The block body is used for clamping.
If comprised in this way, since the whole side surface of a terminal metal fitting can be clamped with a block body, the clamping of a terminal metal fitting can be made still more reliable.

Further, the pressing means comprises an engaging projection protruding from the block body so as to engage with the upper end surface of the side wall, and the upper end surface of the side wall is pressed toward the anvil by the engaging projection. ing.
If it does in this way, clamping fixation from the both sides with respect to a terminal metal fitting and press fixation from the upper part can be performed simultaneously with a block body.

More specifically, the block body can be moved forward and backward with respect to both side walls of the electric wire connecting portion by a driving means, and either one or both of the engaging protrusion and the outer corner portion of the upper end surface of the side wall have the above-mentioned When the block body sandwiches the both side walls, they form a tapered surface that engages with each other and presses both sides toward the anvil from above.
According to this configuration, the terminal body arranged on the anvil can be clamped on both side walls of the wire connecting portion only by operating the block body actuated by the driving means toward both side walls of the wire connecting portion. At the same time, the electric wire connecting portion can be pressed and fixed from above by the engagement of the tapered surface between the engagement protrusion provided on the block body and the side wall. Further, after the welding is completed, the block body is retracted and returned, so that it is possible to efficiently take out the welded terminal-attached electric wires and arrange the terminal fittings used for the next welding.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the method for manufacturing a terminal-attached electric wire of the present invention, the wire connecting portion can be reliably fixed when the core wire of the electric wire is joined to the electric wire connecting portion of the terminal fitting by ultrasonic welding. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the terminal fitting from finely moving following the welding tip. Therefore, since the loss of ultrasonic vibration energy acting between the core wire and the electric wire connecting portion can be effectively reduced, a terminal-attached electric wire that is firmly joined by good ultrasonic welding can be obtained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which a terminal wire 11 is ultrasonically welded to the terminal fitting 11 by peeling the end of the wire W and exposed by using an ultrasonic welding machine. 10 (FIG. 5) is shown. The ultrasonic welder includes an anvil 12 on which the terminal metal fitting 11 is placed, and a welding tip 13 that faces the upper portion of the anvil 12 and sandwiches the terminal metal fitting 11 and the electric wire W between the anvil 12. Between the chip 13 and the anvil 12, both are joined by applying ultrasonic vibration to the terminal fitting 11 and the core wire Wa.

  In the present embodiment, the one end of the terminal fitting 11 is provided with a wire connecting portion 14 to which the core wire Wa is to be fixed. The electric wire connecting portion 14 includes a flat bottom wall 14a and side walls 14b extending vertically upward from both sides of the bottom plate portion 14a and has a substantially U-shaped cross section. On the other hand, the other end of the terminal fitting 11 is provided with an annular contact portion 15 having an attachment hole 15a for attachment to the counterpart member. In the present embodiment, a ground terminal is shown as the terminal fitting 11.

  The electric wire W to be welded to the terminal fitting 11 is formed by covering a core wire Wa obtained by twisting a plurality of strands into a circular cross section with an insulating coating Wb made of synthetic resin, and the insulating coating Wb of the terminal portion is connected to the terminal fitting 11. The core wire Wa is exposed by peeling over a predetermined length necessary for joining to the core.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the anvil 12 of the ultrasonic welder is fixed to the base of the main body, and a receiving portion 12 a for receiving and positioning the terminal fitting 11 is recessed in the upper surface portion. In addition, a pair of block bodies 16 serving as clamping means for the side wall 14 b of the wire connection portion 14 are disposed at positions facing the both sides in the width direction of the wire connection portion 14 on the upper surface of the anvil 12. The block body 16 includes a clamping surface 16 a facing the side wall 14 b of the wire connection portion 14 on the inner surface. The block body 16 is attached to the tip end portion of the support shaft 18 supported so as to be able to advance and retreat in the width direction of the wire connection portion 14 with respect to the bearing member 17 fixed to the upper surface of the anvil 12. The advancing / retreating operation is possible toward the side wall 14b. Further, the other end portion of the support shaft 18 is connected to a drive means 19 such as a fluid pressure cylinder, and the drive means 19 enables the block body 16 to move forward and backward toward the side wall 14b of the wire connection portion 14.

Engaging protrusions 20 as pressing means that engage from above are provided on the upper end surface of the side wall 14b of the wire connecting portion 14 on the upper portion of the block body 16 so as to protrude inward, and the lower surface thereof serves as a pressing surface 20a. Yes. The pressing surface 20a is a tapered surface 20b inclined downward from the tip to the base, and when the block body 16 moves forward toward the side wall 14b of the wire connecting portion 14, the side surface 14b is formed by the pressing surface 20a composed of the tapered surface 20b. Can be pressed from above toward the upper surface of the anvil 12. The reason why the pressing surface 20a is the tapered surface 20b in this way is to absorb the error of the height dimension of the side wall 14b when molding the terminal fitting 11, and to press the side wall 14b even if there is some dimensional error. This is to be able to do it.
Further, a tapered surface 14c is formed at the outer corner of the upper end surface of the side wall 14b of the terminal fitting 11, and the tapered surface 14c makes the engagement of the engaging protrusion 20 with the tapered surface 20b even smoother. ing. The support shaft 18 that supports the block body 16 is made of an elastic member, and when the tapered surface 20b of the engagement protrusion 20 is engaged with the upper surface of the side wall 14b, the support shaft 18 can be displaced slightly upward by the pressing force. Yes.

Next, the manufacturing process of the electric wire with terminal will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal fitting 11 and the electric wire W to be welded are arranged in the housing portion 12 a of the anvil 12. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, by actuating the driving means 19, the block body 16 located at a position facing and opposite to both sides of the wire connection portion 14 is moved to the wire connection portion 14 side. Thereby, as shown to FIG. 4 (A), the clamping surface 16a of the block body 16 contact | abuts to the side wall 14b, and the electric wire connection part 14 is clamped and fixed from both sides. At the same time, the tapered surface 20b formed on the pressing surface 20a of the engaging projection 20 is engaged with the upper surface of the side wall 14b, so that the side wall 14b is pressed and fixed toward the anvil 12 side. Even if the height dimension varies due to the dimensional error of the side wall 14b, the dimensional error can be absorbed by the action of the tapered surface 20b of the engaging protrusion 20 and the tapered surface 14c of the side wall 14b. That is, since the support shaft 18 is made of an elastically deformable member, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), the taper of the engaging protrusion 20 before the clamping surface 16a of the block body 16 contacts the side wall 14b. When the surface 20b comes into contact with the upper surface of the side wall 14b, the support shaft 18 slightly escapes upward so that an error in the height dimension of the side wall 14b can be absorbed. Therefore, the clamping action from both sides by the clamping surface 16a with respect to the side wall 14b of the electric wire connection part 14 and the pressing action from the upper side by the pressing surface 20a are simultaneously applied to securely fix the electric wire connection part 14 of the terminal fitting 11. be able to.

  Next, when the welding tip 13 is lowered toward the anvil 12, the core wire Wa is crushed by the anvil 12 and compressed between the bottom wall 14 a, and at the same time, ultrasonic vibration is applied from the welding tip 13. As a result, the core wire Wa gradually increases in temperature due to frictional heat and softens, and is joined to the bottom wall 14 b of the terminal fitting 11. Even while the ultrasonic vibration is applied by the welding tip 13, the wire connecting portion 14 is securely fixed by the clamping surface 16 a of the block body 16 and the pressing surface 20 a of the engaging protrusion 20. For this reason, it is possible to effectively prevent the terminal fitting 11 from finely moving following the vibration of the welding tip 13, so that the loss of ultrasonic vibration energy is reduced to the maximum, and a highly reliable joint can be obtained. The electric wire with a terminal which it has can be manufactured.

  In the above embodiment, the electric wire to be ultrasonically welded to the terminal fitting is not limited to a general copper electric wire, but can also be applied to an aluminum electric wire in the same manner. Similarly, as a material of the terminal fitting, a general copper alloy is used. The present invention is not limited to aluminum terminals and other metal terminals. Moreover, in the said embodiment, in the means which presses the side wall 14b of the electric wire connection part 14, it is a taper surface 14c on both the pressing surface 20a and the side wall 14b of the engaging protrusion 20 as a means to absorb the dimensional error of the side wall 14b. Although an example in which 20b is formed is shown, only one of the tapered surfaces may be set. Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which a fluid pressure cylinder is used as the driving means 19 for moving the block body 16 forward and backward is shown. However, the driving means is an electric means such as a motor or a solenoid, or a manual means using an insulator. Etc. are also possible.

It is an exploded perspective view of the principal part which shows embodiment of the manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal of the present invention, and shows an ultrasonic welding process. It is sectional drawing which has arrange | positioned a terminal metal fitting and an electric wire to an anvil, and made the block body into a standby state. It is sectional drawing of the state which fixes the electric wire connection part of a terminal metal fitting with a block body, and has lowered | hung the welding tip and is providing the ultrasonic wave. (A) (B) is an expanded sectional view of the principal part. It is a perspective view of the electric wire with a terminal by which ultrasonic welding was carried out. It is a figure which shows a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric wire with terminal 11 Terminal metal fitting 12 Anvil 13 Welding tip 14 Electric wire connection part 14a Bottom wall 14b Side wall 14c Tapered surface 15 Contact part 16 Block body 16a Holding surface 19 Driving means 20 Engagement protrusion 20b Tapered surface W Electric wire Wa Core wire

Claims (5)

An anvil and a welding tip include a core wire exposed by peeling off a terminal portion of an electric wire, and a terminal fitting provided at one end with a wire connection portion that receives the core wire and a contact portion with a mating terminal at the other end. A method of manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal by ultrasonic welding in a state of being sandwiched between,
A method for producing a terminal-attached electric wire, wherein the core wire is ultrasonically welded to the bottom wall of the electric wire connecting portion in a state where both widthwise sides of the electric wire connecting portion are held and fixed by a holding means.   The manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal of Claim 1 made to ultrasonically weld in the state which pressed and fixed the said electric wire connection part toward the said anvil side by the press means from the upper direction.   The electric wire connecting portion includes a pair of side walls raised from both sides of the bottom wall, while the holding means is composed of a block body that holds the outer surface of the side wall inward from both sides and is held by the block body. The manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal of Claim 1 or Claim 2 which is doing.   The pressing means comprises an engaging protrusion protruding from the block body so as to engage with the upper end surface of the side wall, and the upper end surface of the side wall is pressed toward the anvil by the engaging protrusion. The manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal of Claim 3.   The block body can be moved back and forth by drive means with respect to both side walls of the wire connecting portion, and the block body is located on either or both of the engaging protrusion and the outer corner of the upper end surface of the side wall. The manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal of Claim 4 which forms a taper surface which engages mutually when pinching | interposing and makes a both-sides wall face an anvil, and acts from upper direction.

Images