JP2010192213A - Connection structure of wire harness - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connection structure of a wire harness capable of assuring mechanically and electrically stable connection to surely maintain the conductivity of a conducting wire when connecting aluminum electric wires together using a sleeve. <P>SOLUTION: The sleeve 1 includes a bottom surface part 31 on which a network-like serration is engraved, a receiving side part 3 containing a pair of barrel parts 32 which hold a wire harness 2 expandably in a length direction and a pair of wall parts 33 arranged to face each other in a direction almost orthogonal to the length direction, a lid surface part 41 where the serration is engraved on the surface contacting and facing the wire harness, and a pair of lid sidewall parts 42 arranged to face each other in the length direction. It includes a lid part 4 which engages with the receiving side part to cover it, for compressing the wire harness. A conductive wire end part 21 is arranged on the bottom surface part of the receiving side part. The radial direction of the wire harness is positioned by the pair of wall parts, and the wall part is bent toward the lid surface part side of the lid part for connection under compression by the lid part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire harness connection structure, and is particularly suitable for application to a connection structure in which aluminum electric wires are connected to each other via a sleeve.

  Conventionally, copper and copper alloys have been generally used for low voltage applications in wire harnesses that are mainly routed in vehicles such as automobiles. However, in recent years, from the viewpoint of weight reduction and recyclability of the vehicle body, there is an increasing demand for using an aluminum electric wire in which the conductive wire (element wire) is changed from copper or copper alloy to aluminum or aluminum alloy.

  On the other hand, when connecting wire harnesses or on-vehicle equipment and a wire harness, an electrical connector is generally used. Such an electrical connector includes a connector housing that fits together, and a plurality of crimp terminals that are inserted and fitted into the connector housing and crimped and connected to wires of a wire harness.

  There are generally two types of crimping portions of terminal fittings that constitute the crimping terminal: an open barrel and a closed barrel. The crimping shape is selected at each design stage depending on the type of electric wire used, the electric wire size, the wire configuration, the difference in material, and the like. For example, an open barrel type crimp terminal is generally used when the wire diameter of the wire is thin, and a closed barrel type crimp terminal is used when the wire diameter of the wire is large.

  In addition, the compression ratio (also referred to as the area reduction ratio) defined by the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the wire conductor portion of the crimped portion / the cross-sectional area of the wire conductor portion before crimping is within the stable region of contact resistance, and disconnection due to vibration occurs It is determined from the standpoint that there is no such thing and that there is sufficient wire adhering force.

  In the conventional terminal crimping structure, the terminal is crimped to the wire conductor portion of the copper wire at the compression rate described above. Even if the terminal is crimped to the copper wire at such a compression rate, the terminal can be connected to the copper wire without any problem in terms of its function due to the mechanical and electrical characteristics of the copper wire. It can be used without any inconvenience.

  As described above, the conventional conductor made of copper or the like was sufficiently conductive (conductive) only by crimping the terminal. However, since the conductive film made of aluminum or aluminum alloy has an oxide film formed on the surface, it is difficult to conduct due to increased contact resistance between the conductive wire and the terminal (electrical connection is difficult to ensure), etc. There was concern about the inferior properties (physical properties). In particular, when an aluminum wire is used in an environment where the temperature rises, such as a battery cable, the formation of an oxide film is promoted and the oxide film becomes thick, which causes a problem that conduction becomes more difficult. .

  And as a technique for solving the above-mentioned problem, it is necessary to remove the oxide film. For example, in a conventional crimping structure to an aluminum electric wire, in order to ensure electrical conductivity (electrical connection), A serration that extends obliquely or substantially perpendicular to the length direction of the aluminum conductor is formed on the inner surface to be brought into contact with, and the serration faces the surface of the aluminum conductor in a spiral shape during crimping. By being crimped, the oxide film on the surface of the aluminum conductor was broken to make a conductive contact (see Patent Document 1 or 2).

JP 2003-249284 A JP 2005-116241 A

  However, in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 or 2, when the aluminum conductor is crimped with a terminal, there are many escape areas for the crimping force, and it is difficult to sufficiently stretch the aluminum conductor and destroy the oxide film. .

  In the case of an aluminum electric wire, the fusing temperature is lower than that of a copper electric wire, and each stranded wire constituting the electric wire easily forms an oxide film. Therefore, a current flows only through a specific stranded wire, and concentrated resistance is likely to be generated, and there is a concern about occurrence of fusing and poor conduction due to such concentrated resistance.

  In fact, when an aluminum wire is crimped to a terminal under the same conditions as a copper wire, the resistance of the crimped portion of the terminal rises due to changes in the environment such as high temperature or low temperature, causing a failure in conduction and the terminal and wire. A good electrical connection state cannot be maintained between.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and when connecting the wire harnesses to each other by the sleeve, a mechanically and electrically stable connection can be secured, and the electrical conductivity of the conducting wire can be ensured. The main object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness connection structure capable of reliably maintaining the above.

In one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, one end portion of a wire harness formed by covering a conductor portion having a large number of conductors made of aluminum or aluminum alloy with an insulator is exposed. A wire harness connection structure for connecting a conductive wire end portion of an exposed conductor portion and a conductive wire end portion of another similar wire harness through a sleeve,
The sleeve is
A bottom portion for placing each of the wire harnesses engraved with mesh-like serrations;
A pair of barrel portions for holding each of the wire harnesses in a longitudinal direction so as to be freely stretchable;
A receiving side portion having a pair of wall portions disposed to face each other in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction along each of the wire harnesses,
A lid surface portion facing each of the wire harnesses and having the mesh serrations engraved on the surface in contact with the wire harness,
A pair of lid side wall portions disposed opposite to the pair of wall portions in the longitudinal direction substantially orthogonal to each other;
A lid portion for engaging and compressing the wire harness so as to cover the receiving side portion;
After arranging the wire end portions of the respective wire harnesses on the bottom surface portion of the receiving side portion, the pair of wall portions are positioned while the radial direction of the wire harness is positioned by the pair of wall portions and compressed by the lid portion. Is bent and connected to the lid surface portion side of the lid portion.

  Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, after arranging the wire end portions of the respective wire harnesses on the bottom surface portion on the receiving side portion, the radial direction of the wire harness is positioned by the pair of wall portions, and the lid Since the pair of wall portions are bent and connected to the lid surface portion side of the lid portion while being compressed by the portions, when each wire harness is compressed, the force escape field is only in the longitudinal direction. The wire harness can be extended in the longitudinal direction.

  As a result, the oxide film at the end portion of the conductor can be removed by serrations formed on the surfaces of the bottom surface portion of the receiving side portion and the lid surface portion of the lid portion that are in contact with the wire harness. Thus, when connecting the wire harnesses by the sleeve, it is possible to provide a wire harness connection structure that can ensure a mechanically and electrically stable connection and can reliably maintain the continuity of the conducting wire. it can.

  In the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the lid side wall portion in the lid portion is positioned by contacting the barrel portion in the receiving side portion. Thereby, a receiving side part and a cover part can be easily engaged. At the same time, the end of the wire lead of the wire harness can be positioned by the lid.

  According to the present invention, when the wire harnesses are connected to each other, the refuge for the force by which the respective wire harnesses are compressed is only in the longitudinal direction, so that the wire harness can be stretched in the longitudinal direction. The oxide film on the end portion of the conductive wire can be removed by serrations formed on the surface of the side portion in contact with the wire harness at the bottom surface portion and the lid surface portion of the lid portion. Thus, when connecting the wire harnesses by the sleeve, it is possible to provide a wire harness connection structure that can ensure a mechanically and electrically stable connection and can reliably maintain the continuity of the conducting wire. it can.

It is a perspective view which shows roughly the connection structure of the wire harness in one Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is an expanded view showing a receiving side portion of a sleeve used in the wire harness connection structure of FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner. It is an expanded view which expands and shows the cover part of the sleeve used for the connection structure of the wire harness of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows schematically the process of connecting a wire harness with a sleeve.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, a detailed description of a well-known technique, a well-known procedure, a well-known architecture, a well-known circuit configuration, etc. (hereinafter, “well-known matter”) will be omitted, but this will simplify the description. Therefore, it does not intentionally exclude all or part of these known matters. Such known matters are known to those skilled in the art at the time of filing of the present invention, and are naturally included in the following description.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram partially showing a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a wire harness connection structure according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a receiving side portion of a sleeve used in the wire harness connection structure of FIG. FIG. 3 is an expanded view showing an enlarged view, and FIG. 3 is an expanded view showing a cover portion of a sleeve used in the wire harness connection structure of FIG.

  FIG. 1 shows the connection structure of a wire harness according to the present embodiment as a whole, and one end of a wire harness 2 formed by covering a conductor having a large number of conductors made of aluminum or aluminum alloy with an insulator is peeled off. Then, the exposed conductor end portion 21 of the exposed conductor portion and the conductor end portion 21 of another similar wire harness 2 are connected via the sleeve 1 made of a conductive material.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sleeve 1 has a mesh-like serration 34 engraved, and a bottom portion 31 for arranging the wire harness 2 and a wire harness 2 for holding the wire harness 2 so as to be freely stretchable in the longitudinal direction. A pair of insulation barrels 32 and 32, which are a pair of barrel portions, and a pair of wall portions 33 and 33 disposed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction along the wire harness 2, and deployed Has a substantially bowl-shaped receiving side portion 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the sleeve 1 faces the wire harness 2 and has a cover surface portion 41 in which a mesh-like serration 43 is engraved on a surface in contact with the wire harness 2, and a pair in the receiving side portion 3. A pair of lid side wall portions 42, 42 disposed opposite to the longitudinal direction substantially orthogonal to the wall portions 33, 33, and engaged with the receiving side portion 3 so as to be covered therewith. And the unfolded state for compressing the wire harness 2 includes a substantially I-shaped lid portion 4.

  Next, the process of connecting the wire harnesses 2 and 2 with the sleeve 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a process of connecting the wire harness 2 with the sleeve 1. Here, the sleeve 1 is shown in a cross section in the radial direction of the wire harnesses 2 and 2 at a substantially intermediate portion between the pair of insulation barrels 32 and 32.

  Although not shown for convenience, the insulation barrels 32 and 32 and the wall portion 33 are provided by providing notches in the receiving side portion 3 and the lid portion 4 of the sleeve 1 in advance at respective positions where the sleeve 1 is bent. , 33 and the lid side wall portions 42, 42, etc., can have a merit that the work efficiency can be remarkably improved.

  In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, first, after arranging the wire end portions 21 and 21 of the wire harnesses 2 and 2 to be connected to the bottom surface portion 31 in the receiving side portion 3, The pair of wall portions 33, 33 of the receiving side portion 3 position the radial direction of the wire harnesses 2, 2, and the lid portion 4 compresses the wire harnesses 2, 2 from above in the drawing.

  At this time, since the wire harnesses 2 and 2 are positioned by the wall portions 33 and 33, the force at the time of compression is applied only in the longitudinal direction without escaping in the radial direction of the wire harnesses 2 and 2. The said conducting wire end parts 21 and 21 can be extended | stretched now in a longitudinal direction. Further, since the wall portions 33 and 33 can be bent at an arbitrary position according to the diameter of the wire harnesses 2 and 2, the wire harnesses 2 and 2 can always be crimped and connected at an optimum compression rate.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, while compressing the wire harnesses 2, 2 with the lid portion 4, for example, a pair of walls in the receiving side portion 3 with a jig not shown. The wire end portions 21 and 21 of the wire harnesses 2 and 2 are connected by bending (caulking) the portions 33 and 33 toward the lid surface portion 41 side of the lid portion 4.

  Therefore, according to the connection structure of the wire harness in the present embodiment, after arranging the wire end portions 21 and 21 of the respective wire harnesses 2 and 2 on the bottom surface portion 31 in the receiving side portion 3, the pair of wall portions 33, 33, the radial direction of the wire harnesses 2, 2 is positioned, and the pair of wall portions 33, 33 are covered while the conductor end portions 21, 21 of the wire harnesses 2, 2 are compressed by the lid surface portion 41 of the lid portion 4. Since the wire harnesses 2 and 2 are compressed by connecting them by bending to the lid surface portion 41 side of the portion 4, the force escape place is only in the longitudinal direction of the wire harnesses 2 and 2. The wire harnesses 2 and 2 can be extended in the longitudinal direction.

  Thus, the oxidation of the conductor end portions 21 and 21 is performed by the serrations 34 and 43 respectively formed on the surfaces of the bottom surface portion 31 of the receiving side portion 3 and the lid surface portion 41 of the lid portion 4 that are in contact with the wire harnesses 2 and 2. The coating can be removed.

  In the connection structure of the wire harness in the present embodiment, the lid side wall portions 42 and 42 in the lid portion 4 are preferably positioned by abutting against the insulation barrels 32 and 32 in the receiving side portion 3.

  As a result, the receiving side portion 3 and the lid portion 4 can be easily engaged, and the positions of the conductor end portions 21 and 21 of the wire harnesses 2 and 2 can be defined by the lid portion 4. The conducting wire end portions 21 and 21 of the wire harnesses 2 and 2 can be compressed (crimped) at a more optimal position.

  As described above, according to the connection structure of the wire harness in the present embodiment, when connecting the wire harnesses 2, 2, the escape place of the force for compressing each wire harness 2, 2 is only in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the wire harnesses 2, 2 can be extended in the longitudinal direction, so that the surfaces of the bottom surface 31 of the receiving side 3 and the lid surface 41 of the lid 4 that are in contact with the wire harnesses 2, 2 can be provided. The oxide film on the conductor wire end portions 21 and 21 can be removed by the serrations 34 and 43 formed respectively.

  Thus, when the wire harnesses 2 and 2 are connected to each other by the sleeve 1, a mechanically and electrically stable connection can be secured, and the continuity of the conductive wires can be reliably maintained. A connection structure can be realized.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. And substitutions can be added.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the serrations 34 and 43 respectively formed on the surfaces of the bottom surface portion 31 of the receiving side portion 3 and the lid surface portion 41 of the lid portion 4 that are in contact with the wire harnesses 2 and 2 are respectively meshed. Although the present invention is not limited to this, the main point is that when connecting the wire harnesses 2, 2, the escaping field of the force by which the wire harnesses 2, 2 are compressed is the longitudinal direction. As long as the wire harnesses 2 and 2 are elongated in the longitudinal direction, the serrated shape can be various as long as the oxide film on the conductive wire end portions 21 and 21 can be removed. The shape of can be widely applied.

  Further, the positions where the serrations are formed may be provided on the entire surface (not only on the top and bottom but also on the top, bottom, left and right) of the wire harnesses 2 and 2 in contact with the conductor ends 21 and 21. In this case, since the oxide film at the conductive wire end portions 21 and 21 can be more reliably removed, the wire harnesses 2 and 2 can be connected with much more stability.

  Incidentally, the present invention can be used in the automobile manufacturing industry, the automobile parts manufacturing industry, and the like. The appearance, weight, size, running performance, etc. of the vehicle to be mounted are not limited.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sleeve 2 ... Wire harness 21 ... Conductor end part 3 ... Reception side part 31 ... Bottom part 32 ... Insulation barrel (barrel part)
33 ... Wall 34, 43 ... Serration 4 ... Lid 41 ... Lid surface 42 ... Lid side wall

Claims (2)

Conductor end portion of exposed conductor portion exposed by peeling off one end portion of wire harness formed by covering conductor portion having many conductor wires made of aluminum or aluminum alloy with insulator, and other similar wires A wire harness connection structure for connecting a wire lead end of a harness via a sleeve,
The sleeve is
A bottom surface portion for arranging the respective wire harnesses engraved with mesh-like serrations;
A pair of barrel portions for holding the respective wire harnesses in a longitudinal direction so as to be freely stretchable;
A receiving side portion having a pair of wall portions disposed to face each other in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction along each of the wire harnesses,
A lid surface portion facing each of the wire harnesses and having the mesh-like serrations engraved on the surface in contact with the wire harness;
A pair of lid side walls disposed opposite to the longitudinal direction substantially orthogonal to the pair of walls,
A lid portion for engaging and compressing the wire harness so as to cover the receiving side portion;
After arrange | positioning the conducting wire edge part of each wire harness to the bottom face part in the said receiving side part, the radial direction in the said wire harness is positioned with the said pair of wall part, and the said pair of wall part is compressed with the said cover part The wire harness connection structure is characterized in that a wire harness is bent and connected to the lid surface portion side of the lid portion. The wire harness connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the lid side wall portion of the lid portion is positioned by contacting the barrel portion of the receiving side portion.

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