JP2010010072A - Contact carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a thick-plate contact carrier in a structure in which it can be wound around a reel. <P>SOLUTION: The long carrier 1 links a plurality of contacts 2, and has U-shaped detour sections 11 with its longitudinal direction broken and detoured in a plate-thickness direction approximately in the middle of adjacent contacts 2. The contacts 2 have connections 21 and wire-connecting sections 22. The connections 21 are electrically connected with mating contacts, and the wire-connecting sections 22 are connected with wire. A pair of detour pieces 1a, 1a are broken in a longitudinal direction of the carrier 1, and extend in a direction where the contacts 2 are formed. A pair of bent pieces 1b, 1b are bent at pointed head sections of the pair of detour pieces 1a, 1a, and extend in a direction where the contacts 2 are bulged. U-shaped pieces 1c are combined with the pointed heat sections extending approximately in parallel with the carrier 1 by bending the pointed head sections of the pair of bent pieces 1b, 1b at a bulging height of the contact 2 or more. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact carrier. In particular, the present invention relates to a contact carrier that joins ends of chained contacts wound around a reel so that electric wires can be connected by an automatic crimping machine or the like.

  In general, a contact such as a crimp terminal (crimp contact) for connecting an electric wire by crimping, or a press contact terminal (pressure contact) for connecting an electric wire by crimping is produced by press-molding a developed metal plate after punching. Yes.

  The contacts described above are manufactured by press forming a plurality of contacts at once in order to improve productivity. These contacts are joined by a strip-shaped contact carrier having a long end, and are continuously press-molded.

  Further, the contacts separated from the contact carrier one by one are called loose contacts, and the electric wires are connected by a manual tool. On the other hand, the contact that remains bonded to the contact carrier is called a chain contact. The chain contact wound around the reel is pulled out, and the electric wire can be continuously connected by an automatic crimping machine or the like.

  As such a chain contact, a contact carrier has been invented in which the number of contacts wound on a reel is increased (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The contact carrier according to Patent Document 1 rises to the surface side where the contact is formed when viewed from the direction of viewing the plate thickness surface of the contact carrier in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier at each inter-contact portion. Each bent part is formed with a rounded bent part that bends and extends downward. In the contact carrier according to Patent Document 1, since the pitch of each contact is reduced, the number of contacts per reel can be increased.

  In addition, a contact carrier used as a short bar capable of adjusting the pitch of the chain contacts has been invented (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a contact carrier in which the pitch of the chain contacts is adjusted in Patent Document 2. FIG. Note that FIG. 11 of the present application corresponds to FIG. 3 of Patent Document 2.

  In FIG. 11, a contact 81 is formed into a flat development plate by punching a metal plate together with a contact carrier 82. Next, the contact carrier 82 is bent and formed into a predetermined shape. The contact 81 has an electrical connection part 81a and a wire connection part 81b.

  In FIG. 11, in order to make adjacent contacts 81 have a predetermined pitch, the contact carrier 82 has a recess 82 a bent along its longitudinal direction.

The chain contact disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 can be wound around the reel R shown in the front view of FIG. 12, and the chain contact C wound around the reel R is: The drawn wires can be connected continuously with an automatic crimping machine (not shown).
JP 2006-127775 A JP 54-71385 A

  However, the chain contact has a problem that winding around the reel R becomes difficult when the thickness t (see FIG. 12) of the contact carrier is increased. In the chained contact C shown in FIG. 12, the contact carrier has a thin plate thickness t, and when pulled out from the reel R, the contact carrier can be elastically restored.

  On the other hand, a contact carrier having a large plate thickness t has a problem that when it has a predetermined curvature or more to be wound around the reel R, it is plastically deformed beyond the limit of elastic deformation. The contact carrier 82 (see FIG. 11) disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a recess 82a bent along the longitudinal direction thereof. Therefore, the contact carrier 82 is considered to be capable of being wound around the reel R even with a contact carrier having a thick plate thickness t because the bending moment is dispersed.

  However, the contact carrier is provided with a positioning hole H for accurately positioning the contact in order to be pulled out from the reel R and to connect the electric wire with an automatic crimping machine or the like. Although the positioning holes H are not shown in FIG. 11, there is a problem that the pitch of the adjacent holes H cannot be accurately ensured because the concave portions 82a are bent. That is, there is a problem that it is difficult to connect the electric wires with an automatic crimping machine or the like.

  This is because, as is well known, the bending process for plastically deforming a metal plate has many variations in dimensions after the bending process. That is, a contact carrier that accurately secures the pitch of the chain contacts is desired. The above can be said to be the subject of the present invention.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and provides a contact carrier having a large plate thickness, which can be wound around a reel, and can accurately ensure the pitch of chained contacts. For the purpose.

  In order to satisfy the above-mentioned object, the present inventor has found that these problems can be solved by providing a U-shaped stress relaxation portion that bypasses the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier in the middle of the adjacent contact. Based on this, the following new contact carrier was invented.

  (1) A long contact carrier in which a plurality of contacts are chained, and a U-shaped detour portion that detours in the plate thickness direction by breaking the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier is provided in a substantially middle portion of the adjacent contacts. Contact carrier.

  The contact carrier according to the invention of (1) is a long contact carrier and links a plurality of contacts. The contact carrier according to the invention of (1) is provided with a U-shaped detour portion that is broken in the longitudinal direction and detours in the plate thickness direction at substantially the middle of the adjacent contacts.

  Here, the contact may be a crimp contact that connects wires by crimping, or may be a press contact that connects wires by press contact, and is not limited to a crimp contact or a press contact. All the chain contacts in which a part of the contacts are bonded to the contact carrier are included in the invention of (1).

  The contact carrier may include a side-feed double carrier that joins both ends in the longitudinal direction of the chain-like contact with the contact carrier, and includes a side-feed single carrier that joins one end in the longitudinal direction of the chain-like contact with the contact carrier. Good. In the contact carrier, a part of the contact is bonded so that the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier and the longitudinal direction of the chain-like contact are substantially orthogonal.

  In the chain contact, a metal plate is punched together with the contact carrier and formed into a flat developed plate. The development plate may be a conductive metal plate, for example, a copper alloy plate is preferably used, but is not limited to a copper alloy plate.

  In the contact carrier, a substantially middle portion of adjacent contacts may be disconnected in the longitudinal direction, and a continuous long contact carrier is formed in which the bypass portion bypasses in the plate thickness direction. The V-shaped detour portion that joins the contact carriers disconnected in the longitudinal direction is included in the U-shaped detour portion. And as for this detour part, the expansion | deployment board is stamped so that it may mention later.

  When a bending moment acts below the required curvature so that a conventional contact carrier with a certain thickness or more formed in a strip shape is wound around a reel, the joint between the contact and the contact carrier has high rigidity and is adjacent to each other. It is considered that the stress is concentrated at the substantially middle part of the contact to be plastically deformed. That is, the conventional contact carrier is deformed like a polygonal periphery and is difficult to elastically return to a flat strip.

  On the other hand, in the contact carrier according to the invention of (1), the U-shaped detour portion that detours in the thickness direction is formed in the substantially middle portion of adjacent contacts where stress is concentrated, so that the concentrated stress is relieved. . In other words, the detour portion has increased rigidity, and a bending moment acts in a balanced manner in the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier so that an equally distributed load is applied. The contact carrier according to the invention of (1) can be wound around a reel so as to be elastically recoverable.

  The bypass plate may be punched with a developing plate, and compared with a conventional contact carrier obtained by bending a recess 82a (see FIG. 11), a positioning hole H (for connecting an electric wire with an automatic crimping machine or the like) The pitch of FIG. 12) can be ensured accurately.

  Thus, the contact carrier according to the invention of (1) is provided with a U-shaped detour portion that is detoured in the plate thickness direction by breaking the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier at the substantially middle portion of the adjacent contacts. Even a thick contact carrier can be wound on a reel, and the pitch of chained contacts can be ensured accurately.

  (2) The bypass carrier is the contact carrier according to (1), wherein a development plate is stamped.

  (3) A long contact carrier in which a plurality of contacts are chained, and a U-shaped detour portion that detours in the plate thickness direction by breaking the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier is provided in a substantially middle portion of the adjacent contacts. The contact has a connection portion that is electrically connected to the counterpart contact, and a connection portion that connects an electric wire, and the detour portion is configured such that a longitudinal direction of a contact carrier is cut off so that the connection portion and the connection portion are A pair of detour pieces extending in the formed direction, a pair of refracting pieces extending in a direction in which the tip portions of these detour pieces are refracted and the connecting portion and the connection portion are raised, and the tip portions of these refracting pieces are A contact carrier comprising: a U-shaped piece coupled with a tip portion that is refracted to be higher than a raised height of the connection portion and the connection portion and extends substantially parallel to the contact carrier.

  The contact carrier according to the invention of (3) is a long contact carrier and links a plurality of contacts. The contact carrier according to the invention of (3) is provided with a U-shaped detour portion that is broken in the longitudinal direction and detours in the plate thickness direction in the approximate middle of the adjacent contacts.

  The contact has a connection part and a connection part. The connecting portion is electrically connected to the counterpart contact. The connection part connects the wires.

  The detour part has a pair of detour pieces, a pair of refractive pieces, and a U-shaped piece. The pair of detour pieces extend in a direction in which the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier is cut off and the connection part and the connection part are formed. The pair of refracting pieces extends in the direction in which the tip portions of the pair of detour pieces are refracted and the connecting portion and the connecting portion are raised. In the U-shaped piece, the tip portions of the pair of refracting pieces are refracted more than the raised height of the connection portion and the connection portion, and the tip portions extending substantially parallel to the contact carrier are coupled.

  Here, the connection portion may be a male terminal or a female terminal, and all the connection portions that are electrically connected to the counterpart contact are included in the invention of (3). The connection portion may include a barrel for crimping the electric wire, and the barrel may include a conductor barrel for crimping the conductor of the electric wire, and may include an insulation barrel for crimping the insulating coating of the electric wire. The chain-like contact according to the invention of (3) is an open crimp barrel that rises so as to open in a U-shape.

  Further, the connection portion may include an insulation piercing element that pierces the insulating coating of the electric wire and contacts the conductor of the electric wire. The chain-like contact according to the invention of (3) can include an insulation piercing element that protrudes to open in a U-shape.

  The pair of detour pieces, the pair of refracting pieces before the bending process, and the U-shaped piece before the bending process may be stamped with a developing plate, and then the pair of refracting pieces may be bent, It is bent. The pair of refracting pieces and the U-shaped piece may be bent together, or a plurality of bypass portions may be bent together.

  In the contact carrier according to the invention of (3), since the pair of refracting pieces and the U-shaped piece are bent substantially in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier, the pitch of the chain-like contacts is set as in the invention of (1). Accurately secured.

  In the contact carrier according to the invention of (3), since the U-shaped piece is refracted more than the raised height of the connection part and the connection part, the open crimp barrel or the insulation piercing Element deformation can be prevented. Further, it is possible to prevent the open crimp barrel or the insulation piercing element from breaking through the interlayer paper when wound on the reel.

  (4) The bypass carrier is the contact carrier according to (3), wherein the pair of refractive pieces and the U-shaped piece are bent after the development plate is punched.

  (5) A reel on which the contact carrier described in any one of (1) to (4) is wound.

  For example, the chain contacts are wound around a reel and packed.

  (6) An automatic wire connection machine for connecting electric wires using the contact carrier described in any one of (1) to (4).

  An automatic wire-bonding machine can include either one of an automatic crimping machine that crimps an electric wire or an automatic crimping machine that crimps an electric wire.

  The contact carrier according to the present invention is a contact carrier having a large plate thickness because the contact carrier is provided with a U-shaped detour portion that is detoured in the plate thickness direction when the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier is interrupted at a substantially middle portion of adjacent contacts. However, it can be wound on a reel, and the pitch of the chain contacts can be ensured accurately.

  In addition, since the U-shaped piece is refracted more than the raised height of the connection portion and the connection portion, the contact carrier according to the present invention is deformed when the open crimp barrel or the insulation piercing element is wound around the reel. Can be prevented. In addition, the connection part and the connection part can be protected from unwanted falling objects.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a contact carrier according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a left side view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment, in which the contact carrier is curved. FIG. 7 is a front view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment, in which the contact carrier is curved.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the contact carrier according to the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the contact carrier according to the second embodiment, in which the contact carrier is curved. FIG. 10 is a front view of the contact carrier according to the second embodiment, in which the contact carrier is curved.

  First, the configuration of a contact carrier (hereinafter abbreviated as a carrier) according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, a long carrier 1 links a plurality of contacts 2. The carrier 1 is provided with a U-shaped detour portion 11 that is broken in the longitudinal direction and detours in the plate thickness direction at a substantially middle position between the adjacent contacts 2.

  1 to 5, the contact 2 has a connection portion 21 and a connection portion 22. The connection part 21 is electrically connected to a counterpart contact (not shown). The connection part 22 can connect an electric wire.

  1 to 5, the detour portion 11 includes a pair of detour pieces 1 a and 1 a, a pair of refraction pieces 1 b and 1 b, and a U-shaped piece 1 c. The pair of detour pieces 1a and 1a extend in the direction in which the longitudinal direction of the carrier 1 is cut off and the connection portion 21 and the connection portion 22 are formed.

  The pair of refracting pieces 1b and 1b are refracted at the tip ends of the pair of detouring pieces 1a and 1a, and extend in the direction in which the connecting portion 21 and the connecting portion 22 are raised. In the U-shaped piece 1 c, the tip portions of the pair of refracting pieces 1 b and 1 b are refracted to be higher than the protruding height of the connection portion 21 and the connection portion 22, and the tip portions extending substantially parallel to the carrier 1 are coupled.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the contact 2 is a crimp contact that connects wires by crimping. The connecting portion 21 is provided with a box-shaped female terminal that is bent multiple times. The connecting portion 21 includes a bellows contact inside, and can be electrically connected to a mating tab contact, for example. The connection part 22 is provided with an insulation barrel for crimping the insulating coating of the electric wire. The insulation barrel shown in FIG. 1 is an open crimp barrel that opens in a U-shape.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the carrier 1 is a side-feed single carrier in which one end in the longitudinal direction of the chain contact is coupled by a contact carrier. A part of the contact 2 of the carrier 1 is coupled so that the longitudinal direction of the carrier 1 and the longitudinal direction of the chain-like contacts 2 are substantially orthogonal.

  In the first embodiment of FIG. 1, a V-shaped notch 1n is formed at the boundary between the carrier 1 and the contact 2, and the contact 2 may be separated from the notch 1n to form a loose contact. it can.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the chain-like contact 2 is formed into a flat development plate (not shown) by punching a metal plate together with the carrier 1. The development plate may be a conductive metal plate, for example, a copper alloy plate is preferably used.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a pair of detour pieces 1a and 1a, a pair of refracting pieces 1b and 1b before bending, and a U-shaped piece 1c before bending are punched. Yes. Thereafter, the pair of refractive pieces 1b and 1b may be bent, and the U-shaped piece 1c is bent. The pair of refracting pieces 1b and 1b and the U-shaped piece 1c may be bent together, or the plurality of bypass portions 11 may be bent together.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the carrier 1 is provided with a reference hole 1 k that is aligned with a mold in order to process the contact 2. Further, the carrier 1 is provided with a positioning hole 1h that is pulled out from the reel R (see FIG. 12) and accurately positions the contact 2 in order to connect an electric wire by an automatic crimping machine or the like.

  Next, the operation of the carrier 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6 and 7 used to explain the operation of the carrier 1 according to the first embodiment, the contact 2 is not shown.

  A conventional contact carrier having a certain thickness or more formed in a strip shape is wound around the reel R (see FIG. 12), and when a bending moment acts below a required curvature, the joint between the contact and the contact carrier Is highly rigid, and it is considered that stress is concentrated in the approximate middle part of adjacent contacts and plastic deformation occurs. That is, the conventional contact carrier is deformed like a polygonal periphery and is difficult to elastically return to a flat strip.

  On the other hand, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the carrier 1 according to the first embodiment forms a U-shaped detour portion 11 that detours in the plate thickness direction at a substantially middle portion CL of the adjacent contact 2 where stress is concentrated. Therefore, the concentrated stress is relieved. That is, the bypass portion 11 has a high rigidity, and a bending moment acts in a balanced manner in the longitudinal direction of the carrier 1 so that an equally distributed load is applied. The carrier 1 can be wound around the reel R so as to be elastically restored (see FIG. 12).

  Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the bypass portion 11 may be formed by punching a development plate. Compared with the conventional contact carrier 82 in which the concave portion 82 a (see FIG. 11) is bent, It is possible to accurately ensure the pitch of the positioning holes 1h for connecting the two.

  As described above, the carrier 1 according to the first embodiment includes the U-shaped detour portion 11 that is detoured in the plate thickness direction when the longitudinal direction of the carrier 1 is interrupted, in the substantially middle portion of the adjacent contact 2. Even the thick carrier 1 can be wound around the reel R, and the pitch of the chain-like contacts 2 can be ensured accurately.

  1 to 5, the carrier 1 according to the first embodiment is wound around the reel R because the U-shaped piece 1c is refracted more than the raised height of the connecting portion 21 and the connecting portion 22. The deformation of the open crimp barrel provided in the connection part 22 can be prevented. Further, it is possible to prevent the open crimp barrel from breaking through the interlayer paper when wound on the reel R.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the carrier 3 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIGS. 8 to 10 used to explain the carrier 3 according to the second embodiment, the contact 2 shown in the first embodiment is not shown.

  In FIGS. 8 to 10, the long carrier 3 links a plurality of contacts 2. The carrier 3 is provided with a U-shaped detour 31 that is detoured in the longitudinal direction and detours in the plate thickness direction, substantially in the middle of the adjacent contact 2.

  8 and 9, the detour portion 31 includes a pair of detour pieces 3 a and 3 a disposed substantially in parallel. And the front-end | tip part of a pair of detour piece 3a * 3a is couple | bonded in U shape. The direction in which the pair of detour pieces 3 a and 3 a extends is inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the carrier 3. The inclined U-shaped detour portion 31 that couples the carrier 3 that is cut off in the longitudinal direction is included in the range of the “U-shaped detour portion” according to the present invention.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the chain-like contact 2 is formed into a flat development plate (not shown) by punching a metal plate together with the carrier 3. The development plate may be a conductive metal plate, for example, a copper alloy plate is preferably used.

  8 to 10, the carrier 3 is a side-feed single carrier in which one end in the longitudinal direction of the chain contact is coupled by a contact carrier. A part of the contact 3 of the carrier 3 is coupled so that the longitudinal direction of the carrier 3 and the longitudinal direction of the chain-like contacts 2 are substantially orthogonal.

  Referring to FIG. 10, the carrier 3 according to the second embodiment forms a U-shaped detour portion 31 that detours in the thickness direction in a substantially middle portion CL of the adjacent contact 2 where stress is concentrated. Concentrated stress is relieved. That is, the bypass portion 31 has a high rigidity, and a bending moment acts in a balanced manner in the longitudinal direction of the carrier 3 so that an evenly distributed load is applied. The carrier 3 can be wound around the reel R so as to be able to return to elasticity (see FIG. 12).

  As described above, the contact carrier according to the present invention has a U-shaped detour portion that is detoured in the plate thickness direction when the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier is cut off, so that the plate thickness is large. Even a contact carrier can be wound on a reel, and the pitch of chained contacts can be ensured accurately.

  The chain contact according to the present invention may be wound around a reel and packaged, and the contact carrier according to the present invention is suitably used for an automatic wire connection machine for connecting electric wires. The automatic termination machine can include an automatic crimping machine that crimps an electric wire.

  The contact carrier according to the present invention was invented for a contact carrier having a large plate thickness, but may be applied to a contact carrier having a thin plate thickness, and is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a contact carrier according to the present invention. It is a front view of the contact carrier by the said 1st Embodiment. It is a top view of the contact carrier by the said 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the contact carrier according to the first embodiment, and is a state diagram in which the contact carrier is curved. It is a front view of the contact carrier by the said 1st Embodiment, and is a state figure in which the contact carrier curved. It is a top view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the contact carrier by this invention. It is a perspective view of the contact carrier by the said 2nd Embodiment, and a contact carrier is the state figure which curved. It is a front view of the contact carrier by the said 2nd Embodiment, and is a state figure in which the contact carrier curved. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a contact carrier in which the pitch of chain contacts according to the prior art is adjusted. It is a front view of the reel which winds the contact carrier by a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

1.3 Career (contact carrier)
1a, 1a, 3a, 3a A pair of detour pieces 1b, 1b A pair of refracting pieces 1c U-shaped piece 2 Contact 11, 31 Detour portion 21 Connection portion 22 Connection portion

Claims (6)

A long contact carrier that links a plurality of contacts,
A contact carrier provided with a U-shaped detour portion that is detoured in the plate thickness direction when the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier is interrupted at a substantially middle portion of the adjacent contacts.   The contact carrier according to claim 1, wherein the bypass plate is stamped with a development plate. A long contact carrier that links a plurality of contacts,
Provided in a substantially middle portion of the adjacent contact with a U-shaped detour portion that is detoured in the plate thickness direction by cutting the longitudinal direction of the contact carrier,
The contact has a connection part for electrical connection with the counterpart contact, and a connection part for connecting the electric wire,
The detour portion includes a pair of detour pieces extending in a direction in which a longitudinal direction of a contact carrier is cut off to form the connection portion and the connection portion, and tip portions of these detour pieces are refracted and the connection portion and the A pair of refracting pieces that extend in the direction in which the connection portion bulges are combined with a tip portion that refracts more than the protruding height of the connection portion and the connection portion and extends substantially parallel to the contact carrier. A U-shaped contact carrier.   The contact carrier according to claim 3, wherein the bypass portion is formed by bending the pair of refracting pieces and the U-shaped piece after the development plate is punched.   A reel on which the contact carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is wound.   An automatic wire connection machine for connecting electric wires using the contact carrier according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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