JP2017191742A - Terminal, connector, and connection state detection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for detecting conduction failure in advance.SOLUTION: A terminal relating to a technology disclosed in the present specification includes: a wire barrel (101) caulked to a core wire (11a) exposed from an insulating coating (11b) at an end portion of a wire (11); and a support piece (105) provided to be accessible to the insulating coating of the wire along a direction where the wire extends out, at a part in a circumferential direction of the wire, in a direction where the wire extends out more as compared with the wire barrel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a terminal, a connector, and a connection state detection system.

  In a wire harness mounted on a vehicle, a technique for detecting a location where a disconnection or the like has occurred due to deterioration over time has been proposed in order to maintain high energization reliability.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a circuit structure that stops energization when a disconnection of a connector terminal is detected.

JP 2007-302087 A

  However, in order to ensure higher energization reliability, a technique is required not only to deal with disconnection and the like, but also to detect a location with a high probability of conduction failure before an abnormality such as disconnection occurs. It is done.

  The technology disclosed in the present specification has been made to solve the problems described above, and relates to a technology for detecting a conduction failure in advance.

  A first aspect of the technique disclosed in the specification of the present application is a terminal provided at an end portion of an electric wire, and is exposed from an insulating coating at the end portion of the electric wire, and a contact portion that comes into contact with a mating conductive member. A wire barrel that is caulked to the core wire to be connected, and in a part of the circumferential direction of the electric wire in a direction in which the electric wire extends from the wire barrel, the insulating coating of the electric wire can be contacted along the direction in which the electric wire extends. And a supporting piece to be provided.

  Further, a second aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application includes a connector housing having a cavity, and a first terminal housed in the cavity and provided at an end of the first electric wire. The first terminal includes a first contact portion that contacts a conductive member on the other side, a first wire barrel that is caulked to a core wire exposed from an insulating coating at the end of the first electric wire, In a part of the circumferential direction of the first electric wire in the direction in which the first electric wire extends from the first wire barrel, the first electric wire extends along the direction in which the first electric wire extends. And a support piece provided so as to be in contact with the insulating coating.

  According to a third aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application, the connector housing includes a plurality of the cavities, and the connector further includes the first terminal. A second terminal that is accommodated in a cavity different from the cavity to be provided and provided at an end portion of the second electric wire, and the second terminal is in contact with a conductive member on the other side. In the direction in which the second electric wire extends beyond the second wire barrel, the second wire barrel that is caulked to the core wire exposed from the insulating coating at the end of the second electric wire, An insulation barrel caulked on the insulating coating of the second electric wire.

  A fourth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application is related to the second aspect or the third aspect, is connected to the connector and the first terminal, and the first aspect And a detector for detecting a voltage drop at the terminal.

  A fifth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application relates to the fourth aspect, wherein the connection state detection system includes a plurality of the first terminals, and the plurality of the first terminals are Are connected in series via the first electric wires, and each of the first terminals is housed in a different cavity of the same connector housing.

  According to the first aspect and the second aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application, it is possible to detect in advance a conduction failure between the terminal and the electric wire. Specifically, since the stress from the electric wire is directly transmitted to the wire barrel, poor contact due to deterioration over time is likely to occur between the wire barrel and the core wire. That is, poor contact due to deterioration over time is likely to occur between the terminal and the electric wire. By using such a terminal, it is possible to detect in advance a location where there is a high probability of conduction failure in an equivalent environment. In addition, since the support piece supports the electric wire so that the electric wire can be contacted, the stress applied to the end of the wire barrel when the electric wire is pulled or the stress applied to the end of the wire barrel is relieved by the weight of the electric wire itself. The Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the influence of stress caused by vehicle vibration or the like.

  In particular, according to the third aspect, both the first terminal and the second terminal are accommodated in different cavities in the same connector housing. Therefore, the environment where both terminals are placed approximates. For this reason, the validity of replacing the contact failure due to aging degradation or the like in the first terminal with the contact failure in the second terminal is increased, and the accuracy of detecting the location of the conduction failure in advance is increased.

  In particular, according to the fourth aspect, the detection unit detects an increase in contact resistance at the first terminal when the voltage value input to the detection unit via the first terminal falls below a reference value. can do.

  In particular, according to the fifth aspect, even when the contact resistance in the main circuit is relatively large, the contact resistance on the state detection system side can be adjusted by increasing the number of connection portions between the terminals. .

  The objectives, features, aspects, and advantages of the technology disclosed in this specification will become more apparent from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings provided below.

It is a figure which illustrates the structure of the connection part of a terminal of the electric wire with a terminal for main circuits about an embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of the connection part of a terminal of the electric wire with a terminal for detection regarding an embodiment. It is a perspective view which illustrates the structure of the terminal for main circuits before being crimped | bonded to the electric wire regarding embodiment. It is a perspective view which illustrates the structure of the terminal for a detection before being crimped | bonded to the electric wire regarding embodiment. It is a perspective view which illustrates the structure of the connector regarding an embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the circuit structure containing the electric wire with a terminal for main circuits, and the electric wire with a terminal for a detection regarding embodiment.

  Embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Note that the drawings are schematically shown, and the mutual relationship between the size and position of images shown in different drawings is not necessarily described accurately, and can be appropriately changed.

  Moreover, in the description shown below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and shown in the same component, and it is the same also about those names and functions. Therefore, detailed description thereof may be omitted.

  In the description described below, terms that mean a specific position and direction such as “top”, “bottom”, “side”, “bottom”, “front” or “back” may be used. Even if it exists, these terms are used for convenience in order to make it easy to understand the contents of the embodiment, and are not related to the direction in actual implementation.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a terminal, a connector, and a connection state detection system according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the configuration of the electric wire with terminal will be described.

<About the configuration of the electric wire with terminal>
Drawing 1 is a figure which illustrates the structure of the terminal connection part of the electric wire with a terminal for main circuits. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the main circuit-attached electric wire 10 with a terminal includes an electric wire 11 and a terminal 12 connected to an end of the electric wire 11.

  The electric wire 11 includes a core wire 11a, which is a wire mainly composed of a metal such as copper or aluminum, and an insulating coating 11b that covers the periphery of the core wire 11a. The insulating coating 11b is a synthetic resin member whose main component is, for example, polyethylene, vinyl chloride, or polyamide-based nylon.

  The terminal 12 is connected to the end of the electric wire 11. The terminal 12 is a metal member whose main component is a metal such as copper or tin. Examples of a method for connecting the terminal 12 and the electric wire 11 include crimping or welding.

  The terminal 12 includes a wire barrel 101 and an insulation barrel 102. The wire barrel 101 is caulked toward the core wire 11 a exposed at the end of the electric wire 11. The insulation barrel 102 is caulked toward the insulating coating 11 b at the end of the electric wire 11. The wire barrel 101 is provided apart from the insulation barrel 102 and is provided closer to the distal end side of the electric wire 11 than the insulation barrel 102. In other words, the insulation barrel 102 is provided in a direction in which the electric wire 11 extends beyond the wire barrel 101.

  The terminal 12 in FIG. 1 is crimped and fixed to the end of the electric wire 11 by the wire barrel 101 and the insulation barrel 102.

  Drawing 2 is a figure which illustrates the structure of the terminal connection part of the electric wire with a terminal for detection. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the electric wire with terminal for detection 10 </ b> A includes an electric wire 11 and a terminal 12 </ b> A connected to an end of the electric wire 11.

  The terminal 12A is connected to the end of the electric wire 11. The terminal 12A includes a wire barrel 101 but does not include an insulation barrel. The wire barrel 101 is caulked toward the core wire 11 a exposed at the end of the electric wire 11.

  The terminal 12 </ b> A includes a support piece 105. The support piece 105 is provided in a direction in which the electric wire 11 extends from the wire barrel 101. The support piece 105 is provided in a part of the circumferential direction of the electric wire 11.

  The support piece 105 illustrated in FIG. 2 is provided in contact with the insulating coating 11 b of the electric wire 11 along the extending direction of the electric wire 11. However, the support piece 105 can be separated from the insulating coating 11 b of the electric wire 11.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the support piece 105 may be provided on the vertical lower side of the electric wire 11, or may be provided in a part of the circumferential direction of the electric wire 11 other than that.

  The terminal 12A in FIG. 2 is crimped to the electric wire 11 by the wire barrel 101.

<Terminal configuration>
Next, the configuration of the terminal will be described in detail.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the terminal 12 for the main circuit before being crimped to the electric wire 11. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the terminal 12 includes a wire barrel 101, an insulation barrel 102, and a contact portion 104.

  The wire barrel 101 is a pair of members formed by rising from the middle of the bottom surface portion 103 extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal 12. The insulation barrel 102 is a pair of members formed by rising from the tip of the bottom surface portion 103 extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal 12, and is provided apart from the wire barrel 101.

  In addition, a contact portion 104 that comes into contact with the mating terminal is provided at the tip of the bottom surface 103 extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal 12 on the side opposite to the tip where the insulation barrel 102 rises.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the detection terminal 12 </ b> A before being crimped to the electric wire 11. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the terminal 12 </ b> A includes a wire barrel 101, a support piece 105, and a contact portion 104.

  The wire barrel 101 is a pair of members formed by rising from the middle of the bottom surface portion 103 extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal 12A. Further, at the tip of the bottom surface portion 103 extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal 12A, a contact portion 104 that comes into contact with the mating terminal is provided.

  Further, the support piece 105 is provided at the tip of the bottom surface portion 103 extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal 12A on the side opposite to the tip at which the contact portion 104 is provided. The support piece 105 illustrated in FIG. 4 has a shape in which the bottom surface portion 103 is extended as it is, but the bottom surface portion 103 and the support piece 105 may have different thicknesses or widths.

<About the connector configuration>
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the connector. In FIG. 5, the connector includes a connector housing 30 and a terminal-attached electric wire 10 </ b> A housed in the connector housing 30, i.e., a terminal-attached electric wire 10 </ b> A in which a terminal 12 </ b> A is connected to the end of the electric wire 11. In addition, it is sufficient that at least one electric wire with terminal 10A is provided.

  The connector housing 30 includes at least one cavity 31. In FIG. 5, the connector housing 30 includes a plurality of cavities 31. The terminal 12 </ b> A of the terminal-attached electric wire 10 </ b> A is accommodated in one of the cavities 31. The terminal 12A is electrically connected to a pair of terminals in the cavity 31.

  In the cavity 31 that is different from the cavity 31 in which the terminal 12A of the terminal-attached electric wire 10A of the connector housing 30 is accommodated, the terminal-attached electric wire 10, that is, the terminal-attached electric wire 10 in which the terminal 12 is connected to the end of the electric wire 11. May be accommodated. The terminal 12 of the electric wire with terminal 10 is electrically connected to a pair of terminals in a cavity 31 different from the cavity 31 in which the terminal 12A of the electric wire with terminal 10A is accommodated.

<About circuit configuration>
Next, a circuit configuration including the terminal-equipped electric wire 10 for the main circuit and the electric wire 10A with a terminal for detection will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration including the electric wire with terminal 10 for main circuit and the electric wire 10A with terminal for detection.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminal-attached electric wire 10 for the main circuit is wired in a path from the power source 202 to the load 201 and via the connection connector 300 and the connection connector 301.

  Here, the connection connector 300 and the connection connector 301 are connectors in which connectors as illustrated in FIG. 5 are connected in pairs. Therefore, in connection connector 300 and connection connector 301, a pair of terminals accommodated in cavity 31 of each connector are connected.

  On the other hand, the detection-attached terminal-attached electric wire 10 </ b> A is wired in a path through the connection connector 300 from the constant voltage power supply 204 to the detection circuit 205 in the load control unit 200.

  In FIG. 6, a route from the connection portion between the terminals in the connection connector 300 to the outside of the load control unit 200 and reaching the connection portion between the terminals in the connection connector 300 is shown. However, the path, that is, the path in which the plurality of electric wires with terminals 10A are connected in series and each terminal 12A is accommodated in different cavities 31 of the same connection connector 300, the appropriate power source is connected to the load control unit. If it can be secured outside of 200, it is not necessary. However, if the constant voltage power supply 204 is used as the power supply, the input voltage value is stabilized, so that the detection accuracy described later is improved.

  On the other hand, the contact resistance in the entire path from the power source 202 to which the main circuit terminal-equipped electric wire 10 is wired to the load 201 and the constant voltage power source 204 to which the detection terminal electric wire 10A is wired reach the detection circuit 205. When the contact resistance in the entire path is adjusted to be equal and the increase in the resistance value in the path in which the main circuit-equipped terminal-equipped electric wire 10 is wired is accurately detected, the load control unit 200 is connected to the connection connector 300. By increasing or decreasing the number of times of being guided to the outside, the number of terminals used for connection can be adjusted to cope with it. For adjusting the contact resistance, for example, it is assumed that the terminal type, the terminal structure, the terminal size, and the like are matched for the main circuit and the detection. The detection operation will be described later.

<Detection operation>
An operation of detecting an increase in resistance value in the circuit configuration illustrated in FIG. 6 will be described.

  In the detection circuit 205, when the reference voltage input from the constant voltage power supply 204 is lowered by passing through a connection portion between terminals in the connection connector 300 including at least one terminal 12A of the detection-purpose electric wire with terminal 10A. For example, a circuit in which a signal is output from an operational amplifier.

  The terminal 12A in the electric wire 10A with a terminal for detection does not include the insulation barrel 102. Accordingly, the stress generated when the electric wire 11 vibrates is directly transmitted to the wire barrel 101.

  Due to the stress transmitted from the electric wire 11, poor contact between the core wire 11 a exposed at the end of the electric wire 11 and the wire barrel 101 is likely to occur. That is, since the electrical connection between the electric wire 11 and the terminal 12A is likely to deteriorate, the electric wire with terminal 10A is likely to increase in resistance value earlier than the electric wire 10 with terminal.

  By using the terminal-attached electric wire 10A having such a detection terminal 12A, an increase in the resistance value of the terminal-attached electric wire 10 having the terminal 12 in the main circuit under an equivalent environment can be detected in advance.

  Here, when the difference between the reference voltage input from the constant voltage power supply 204 and the voltage actually input to the detection circuit 205 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the signal is output from the operational amplifier. You can also. In this case, the threshold value may be calculated from a minimum resistance value that ensures connection reliability. For example, in the case of a wire harness in a vehicle, the threshold value is set based on a standard value set by an automobile manufacturer. be able to.

  A signal output from the detection circuit 205 is input to a central processing unit (CPU) 206. The CPU 206 can perform control such as displaying a warning or stopping the drive circuit 203 based on a signal from the detection circuit 205.

<About the effects produced by the embodiment described above>
Below, the effect produced by embodiment described above is illustrated. In the following, the effect will be described based on the specific configuration exemplified in the embodiment described above, but other specific examples exemplified in the present specification within the scope of the similar effect. It may be replaced with a typical configuration.

  According to the embodiment described above, the connector includes the connector housing 30 having the cavity 31 and the first terminal housed in the cavity 31 and provided at the end of the first electric wire. . Here, the electric wire 11 corresponds to the first electric wire. The terminal 12A corresponds to the first terminal. The terminal 12 </ b> A includes a first contact portion that comes into contact with the mating conductive member, a first wire barrel, and a support piece 105. Here, the contact portion 104 corresponds to the first contact portion. The wire barrel 101 corresponds to the first wire barrel.

  The wire barrel 101 is caulked to the core wire 11 a exposed from the insulating coating 11 b at the end of the electric wire 11. The support piece 105 is provided in a part of the circumferential direction of the electric wire 11 in the direction in which the electric wire 11 extends from the wire barrel 101 so as to be able to contact the insulating coating 11b of the electric wire 11 along the direction in which the electric wire 11 extends.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to detect in advance a conduction failure between the terminal and the electric wire. Specifically, since the stress from the electric wire 11 is directly transmitted to the wire barrel 101, poor contact due to deterioration over time is likely to occur between the wire barrel 101 and the core wire 11a. That is, poor contact due to deterioration over time is likely to occur between the terminal 12 </ b> A and the electric wire 11. By using such a terminal 12A, it is possible to detect in advance a location with a high probability of conduction failure in an equivalent environment. In addition, since the support piece 105 supports the electric wire 11 so that the electric wire 11 can be contacted, the end of the wire barrel 101 depends on the stress applied to the end of the wire barrel 101 when the electric wire 11 is pulled when wired, or the weight of the electric wire 11 itself. The stress applied to is relaxed. Therefore, it is possible to accurately detect the influence of stress caused by vehicle vibration or the like.

  Other configurations exemplified in the present specification other than these configurations can be omitted as appropriate. In other words, the effects described above can be produced only with these configurations.

  However, when at least one of the other configurations exemplified in the present specification is appropriately added to the configuration described above, that is, the configuration described above is not exemplified as the configuration described above. Even when other configurations described above are added to the configurations described above, the effects described above can be similarly produced.

  Further, according to the embodiment described above, the connector housing 30 includes the plurality of cavities 31. The connector further includes a second terminal housed in a cavity 31 different from the cavity 31 in which the terminal 12A is housed, and provided at the end of the second electric wire. Here, the electric wire 11 corresponds to the second electric wire. The terminal 12 corresponds to the second terminal. The terminal 12 includes a second contact portion that comes into contact with the mating conductive member, a second wire barrel, and an insulation barrel 102. Here, the contact portion 104 corresponds to the second contact portion. The wire barrel 101 corresponds to the second wire barrel.

  The wire barrel 101 is caulked to the core wire 11 a exposed from the insulating coating 11 b at the end of the electric wire 11. The insulation barrel 102 is caulked to the insulating coating 11 b of the electric wire 11 in the direction in which the electric wire 11 extends beyond the wire barrel 101. According to such a configuration, both the terminal 12 </ b> A and the terminal 12 are accommodated in different cavities 31 in the same connector housing 30. Therefore, the environment where both terminals are placed approximates. For this reason, the validity of replacing the contact failure due to the aging degradation or the like in the terminal 12A with the contact failure in the terminal 12 is increased, and the accuracy in detecting the location of the conduction failure in advance is increased.

  Further, according to the embodiment described above, the connection state detection system includes a connector and a detection unit that is connected to the terminal 12A and detects a voltage drop at the terminal 12A. Here, the detection circuit 205 corresponds to a detection unit. According to such a configuration, the detection unit can detect an increase in contact resistance at the terminal 12A when the voltage value input to the detection circuit 205 via the terminal 12A falls below the reference value.

  Moreover, according to embodiment described above, a connection state detection system is provided with several terminal 12A. The plurality of terminals 12 </ b> A are connected in series via the electric wire 11. Each terminal 12 </ b> A is accommodated in a different cavity 31 of the same connector housing 30. According to such a configuration, the number of connection portions between terminals in the detection circuit can be increased. Therefore, even when the contact resistance of the main circuit is relatively large, it is possible to detect a contact failure after adjusting the contact resistance of the detection circuit to a value close thereto. Moreover, since the constant voltage power supply 204 in the load control unit 200 can be used as a power supply, the input voltage value is stabilized. Therefore, the detection accuracy is improved.

<Modifications in Embodiments Described above>
In the embodiment described above, the material, material, dimension, shape, relative arrangement relationship, or implementation condition of each component may be described, but these are examples in all aspects. Thus, it is not limited to those described in this specification.

  Accordingly, countless variations that are not illustrated are envisaged within the scope of the technology disclosed herein. For example, the case where at least one component is modified, the case where it is added, or the case where it is omitted are included.

  In addition, as long as no contradiction arises, “one or more” components described as being provided with “one” in the embodiment described above may be provided.

  Further, each component in the embodiment described above is a conceptual unit, and one component is composed of a plurality of structures within the scope of the technique disclosed in this specification. In addition, a case where one component corresponds to a part of a structure and a case where a plurality of components are provided in one structure are included.

  In addition, each component in the embodiment described above includes structures having other structures or shapes as long as the same function is exhibited.

  Also, the descriptions in the present specification are referred to for all purposes related to the present technology, and none of them is admitted to be prior art.

10, 10A Electric wire with terminal 11 Electric wire 11a Core wire 11b Insulation coating 12, 12A terminal 30 Connector housing 31 Cavity 101 Wire barrel 102 Insulation barrel 103 Bottom surface portion 104 Contact portion 105 Supporting piece 200 Load control portion 201 Load 202 Power source 203 Driving circuit 204 Constant voltage power supply 205 Detection circuit 206 CPU
300,301 connector

Claims (5)

It is a terminal provided at the end of the wire,
A contact portion that contacts the conductive member on the other side;
A wire barrel that is caulked to a core wire exposed from the insulation coating at the end of the wire;
A support piece provided to be able to contact the insulation coating of the electric wire along a direction in which the electric wire extends in a part of the circumferential direction of the electric wire in a direction in which the electric wire extends from the wire barrel;
Terminal. A connector housing having a cavity;
A first terminal housed in the cavity and provided at an end of the first electric wire;
The first terminal is
A first contact portion in contact with the mating conductive member;
A first wire barrel that is caulked to a core wire exposed from the insulation coating at the end of the first electric wire;
In a part of the circumferential direction of the first electric wire in the direction in which the first electric wire extends from the first wire barrel, the first electric wire extends along the direction in which the first electric wire extends. A support piece provided to be in contact with the insulating coating;
connector. The connector housing includes a plurality of the cavities;
The connector further includes:
A second terminal that is accommodated in a cavity different from the cavity in which the first terminal is accommodated, and provided at an end of the second electric wire;
The second terminal is
A second contact portion that contacts the mating conductive member;
A second wire barrel that is caulked to a core wire exposed from the insulation coating at the end of the second electric wire;
An insulation barrel that is caulked to the insulating coating of the second electric wire in a direction in which the second electric wire extends from the second wire barrel.
The connector according to claim 2. A connector according to claim 2 or claim 3,
A detection unit connected to the first terminal and detecting a voltage drop at the first terminal;
Connection status detection system. The connection state detection system includes a plurality of the first terminals,
The plurality of first terminals are connected in series via the first electric wire,
Each of the first terminals is housed in a different cavity of the same connector housing;
The connection state detection system according to claim 4.

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