JP2021083215A - Electric wire with terminal and manufacturing method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To secure conductivity between element wires in a flat coated electric wire having a large diameter structured with a plurality of aluminum element wires, and improve reliability of connection.SOLUTION: An electric wire with a terminal comprises: a coated electric wire having a conductor in which a plurality of aluminum element wires made up aluminum or an aluminum alloy are arranged in a flat geometry, and a coated part coating the conductor; and a terminal with which the coated electric wire is connected. At least part of a portion connected with the terminal of the conductor has an integrated part integrated by melting of the plurality of aluminum element wires. A cross-sectional area of the conductor of the coated electric wire is equal to or greater than 8 mm2 and less than 60 mm2. The integrated part is a portion integrated by melting with arc-welding.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an electric wire with a terminal and a method for manufacturing the same, and is particularly suitable for being applied to an electric wire with a terminal used in an automobile or the like.

In recent years, various electric devices have been installed in automobiles with the increasing functionality and performance of automobiles. Wire harnesses and other wiring bodies are laid out in vehicles equipped with various electrical devices. Therefore, there has been proposed an electric wire with a terminal formed by crimping and connecting a covered electric wire to a crimp terminal provided inside a connector for connecting the wiring bodies to each other. The electric wires with terminals are bundled into a wire harness and distributed for power supply of automobiles and the like. Patent Document 1 describes a method for connecting a round electric wire having a cross-sectional area of 3 sq or more, that is, a round electric wire having a conductor cross-sectional area of 3 mm ² or more, after integrating the tip of the core wire by arc welding.

In addition, in order to supply battery power to various electric devices in high-voltage parts such as between batteries and other low-voltage parts in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). A relatively thick wire is used for the power cable of. In recent years, as the shift to electric vehicles has progressed, it has been required to reduce the weight of wire harnesses for large currents, specifically, to reduce the size of conductors by making them aluminum and improving heat dissipation by flattening the conductors. ing.

Therefore, in order to reduce the weight of the wire harness, it has been proposed to use a coated electric wire in which a wire containing aluminum is used as a constituent material and the conductor is flattened. On the other hand, as the performance of electrical equipment used in automobiles has improved, there is an increasing demand for thick-diameter, flat-coated electric wires so that a larger current can flow. Hereinafter, a wire containing aluminum as a constituent material and forming a conductor of a covered electric wire may be described as an aluminum wire (Al wire).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-001551

However, when a coated electric wire composed of a plurality of Al strands is crimped to a crimp terminal, there is a problem that serrations do not act on the center of the conductor composed of the Al strands and the conductivity between the Al strands is low. there were. In this case, a wire with a terminal configured by crimping and connecting a coated wire using an Al wire as a conductor to the terminal may have insufficient connection reliability in consideration of in-vehicle use in a severe cooling environment and vibration environment. There was a problem of having sex. That is, when a large-diameter, flat-coated electric wire is formed of Al strands, a technique for improving connection reliability by ensuring conductivity between Al strands has been desired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to ensure continuity between the wires in a large-diameter, flat-coated electric wire constructed by using a plurality of aluminum wires, and to ensure connection reliability. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric wire with a terminal having improved properties and a method for manufacturing the same.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the above-mentioned object, the electric wire with a terminal according to the present invention covers a conductor in which a plurality of aluminum strands made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy are arranged in a flat shape and the conductor. A coated electric wire having a coated portion, a terminal to which the coated electric wire is connected, and at least a part of a portion of the conductor connected to the terminal are integrated by melting a plurality of the aluminum strands. It is characterized by having a united portion.

In the above invention, the electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that ^{the cross-sectional area of the conductor of the coated electric wire is 8 mm 2} or more and ^{less than 60 mm 2.}

In the above invention, the electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the integrated portion is a portion integrated by melting by arc welding.

In the above invention, the electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the integrated portion is partially provided on a part of the conductor.

The electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the number of places where the integrated portion is provided is less than the number of the aluminum strands.

In the above invention, the exposed conductor portion exposed at the end of the coated electric wire has a substantially elliptical cross section and a plurality of the aluminum strands are aggregated in the electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention. It is composed of at least one collective conductor, and the integrated portion is provided in a part including a tip portion of the collective conductor.

The electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, a plurality of the aluminum strands are provided in parallel.

The electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in this configuration, the integrated portion is provided at a position between a plurality of the aluminum strands.

In the above invention, the electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of aluminum wires provided in parallel, which are composed of two groups of a part of the aluminum wires and the remaining aluminum wires. The integrated portion is provided in each of at least a part of the part of the aluminum wire and at least a part of the remaining aluminum wire.

The electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in this configuration, the partial aluminum wire and the remaining aluminum wire are each composed of a collective conductor in which a plurality of aluminum wires are assembled. To do.

A method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention includes a conductor in which a plurality of aluminum strands made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy are arranged in a flat shape, a coated electric wire having a coating portion covering the conductor, and the above-mentioned electric wire having a coating. A method for manufacturing a terminal-equipped electric wire having a terminal to which a coated electric wire is connected, wherein the conductor is exposed at an end portion of the coated electric wire to form an exposed conductor portion, and then at least one of the exposed conductor portions. It is characterized by including an integrated portion forming step of integrating the portions by melting a plurality of the aluminum strands, and a terminal connecting step of connecting the portions to the terminals at the conductor exposed portion at the end of the coated electric wire. To do.

In the method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, a plurality of the aluminum strands are provided in parallel, and the end portion of the conductor exposed portion is a portion of the exposed portion of the aluminum strand. It is characterized by further including a molding step of molding into a concavo-convex shape depending on the length.

The method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the aluminum wire is melted by arc welding.

According to the electric wire with a terminal and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, it is possible to secure the continuity between the electric wires in a large-diameter flat coated electric wire composed of a plurality of aluminum electric wires, and improve the connection reliability. It becomes possible.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a schematic configuration of a crimp terminal and a covered electric wire in an electric wire with a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a schematic front view of the covered electric wire before welding according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2B is a schematic front view of the coated electric wire after welding according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a method of manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A is a schematic front view of the covered electric wire before assembly according to the second embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 4B is a schematic front view of the covered electric wire before welding after assembly according to the second embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 4C is a schematic front view of the coated electric wire after welding according to the second embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a covered electric wire in a state where aluminum strands are assembled according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6A is a schematic front view of the covered electric wire before welding according to the third embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 6B is a schematic front view of the coated electric wire after welding according to the third embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 6C is a schematic front view of the covered electric wire in a state of being crimped to the crimp terminal according to the third embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of the coated electric wire after welding according to the fourth embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 8A is a top view of the parallel electric wires before welding according to the fifth embodiment as viewed from the upper surface side. FIG. 8B is a top view of the welded parallel electric wires of the fifth embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 8C is a top view of another example of the parallel electric wire after welding according to the fifth embodiment as viewed from above.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings of the following embodiments, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

First, before explaining the embodiment of the present invention, the diligent study conducted by the present inventor will be described. First, according to the findings of the present inventor, in a coated electric wire provided with a plurality of Al wires, an oxide film is likely to be formed on the surface of the Al wires, and the formed oxide film becomes an electric resistance between the Al wires. It becomes difficult to ensure the continuity of the. Therefore, the present inventor has conducted a study, and in order to ensure the continuity between the Al strands, Al is formed by melting and joining the same type of metal by, for example, arc welding, as a treatment before crimping the coated electric wire. We devised a method to ensure the continuity between the strands. Furthermore, the present inventors have proposed a method of melting a part of the exposed conductor portion of a coated electric wire composed of a large-diameter flat electric wire having a plurality of Al strands to integrate the plurality of aluminum strands. I put it out. The embodiments described below have been devised by the above diligent studies.

(First Embodiment)
(Crimping terminal and covered wire)
First, before explaining the electric wire 1 with a terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention, a schematic configuration of a crimp terminal and a covered electric wire will be described with reference to FIG. The coated electric wire 10 has a conductor 11, a coating 12, and an integrated portion 13. The conductor 11 is a conductor portion in which a plurality of aluminum strands (Al strands) 111 extended in the longitudinal direction X are arranged side by side in parallel. The coating 12 is an insulating coating formed on the outer periphery of the conductor 11. The coated electric wire 10 has a conductor exposed portion 112 in which the coating 12 on the outer periphery of the conductor 11 is removed at the tip portion and the conductor 11 having a predetermined length is exposed. The integrated portion 13 is composed of a portion in which a plurality of Al strands 111 are integrated by melting in the exposed conductor portion 112. In the following description, in the longitudinal direction X, the front side of the covered electric wire 10 is the conductor end side which is the tip side, and the rear side is the covering side which is the base end side.

The conductor 11 is composed of a plurality of Al strands 111, and is made of, for example, high-purity aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In the present embodiment, the covered electric wire 10 is, for example, an electric wire having a cross-sectional area of, for example, 8 mm ² (8 sq) or more and ^{less than 60 mm 2} (60 sq), for example, 25 sq. Here, the cross-sectional area of the covered electric wire 10 is the total cross-sectional area of each Al wire 111, that is, the total cross-sectional area. The coating 12 is made of an insulating resin such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene or a non-halogen material. Additives such as a plasticizer may be added to the resin constituting the coating 12.

The crimp terminal 20 before the crimp connection is an open barrel type terminal. The crimp terminal 20 is formed by processing a plate material made of a copper alloy such as brass whose surface is tin-plated (Sn-plated). The crimp terminal 20 has a terminal connecting portion 21, a transition portion 22, a conductor crimping portion 23, and a covering crimping portion 24, which are sequentially connected from the front in the longitudinal direction X, which is the tip side, to the rear, which is the base end side. ..

In the present embodiment, the terminal connection portion 21 has a connection structure of a female crimp terminal, extends from the front of the longitudinal direction X on the distal end side toward the rear on the proximal end side, and is inserted by the male crimp terminal. A hollow quadrangular prism into which tabs are inserted. In the present embodiment, the two opposing surfaces of the quadrangular prism are parallel to the width direction Y, and the other two opposing surfaces are parallel to the height direction Z. In the present embodiment, the terminal connection portion 21 has a connection structure of a female crimp terminal, but the connection structure is not limited to this, and is a connection structure of another shape such as a male crimp terminal or a round crimp terminal. You may.

The transition portion 22 is a portion that connects the terminal connecting portion 21 and the conductor crimping portion 23. The conductor crimping portion 23 has a U-shape having a cross section in the YZ plane that is open on the upper side in the height direction Z and a bottom portion is located on the lower side, and has a shape that extends in the longitudinal direction X. Similarly, the covering crimping portion 24 has a U-shape having a cross section in the YZ plane that is open on the upper side in the height direction Z and a bottom portion is located on the lower side, and has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction X. .. The conductor crimping portion 23 and the covering crimping portion 24 are connected on the lower side. In this specification, the upper side and the lower side in the height direction Z are oriented for convenience in order to explain the relative positional relationship between the components.

A plurality of serrations 23b are formed on the surface 23a of the conductor crimping portion 23. The number of serrations 23b in the present embodiment is three, but the number is not limited to three.

2A and 2B are schematic front views of the covered electric wire according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side, FIG. 2A is before the integrated portion 13 is formed, and FIG. 2B is the forming of the integrated portion 13. Shown later. As shown in FIG. 2A, the covered electric wire 10 according to the first embodiment is from a parallel electric wire which is a kind of flat electric wire in which n conductors 11 (n: natural number of 2 or more) Al strands 111 are arranged side by side. Become. Here, each Al wire 111 is composed of an uncoated single core wire or a stranded wire, and is composed of a single core wire in the first embodiment. When each Al wire 111 is a stranded wire, the Al wire 111 can be obtained by further twisting a plurality of Al wires having a small diameter. The number n of Al strands 111 constituting the conductor 11 is typically 5 or more and 12 or less (n = 5, 6, ..., 11, 12), preferably 7 or more and 10 or less (n). n = 7,8,9,10), and in the first embodiment, for example, eight. As the number n of the Al strands 111 increases, the heat dissipation property is improved and the permissible current value is improved, while the basis weight of the resin constituting the insulating coating 12 is increased. In order to reduce the size of the coated electric wire 10 by one size and improve the heat dissipation, the number n of the Al strands 111 is preferably 5 or more, preferably 7 or more. On the other hand, when the number n of the Al strands 71a exceeds 12, the basis weight of the resin increases and the coated electric wire 70 becomes heavy. Therefore, the weight reduction effect by reducing the size is reduced, so that the Al strands are reduced. The number n of 71a is preferably 12 or less, preferably 10 or less.

Here, according to the knowledge of the present inventor, when the total cross-sectional area of the conductor 11 of the coated electric wire 10 is ^{a large diameter of 8 mm 2} (8 sq) or more, all the Al strands 111 constituting the conductor 11 are put together. In the case of welding such as arc welding, there is a problem that the tact time becomes long due to insufficient capacity and the equipment cost increases. That is, in the case of a large-diameter coated electric wire 10 in which the conductor 11 is made of Al, welding as a pretreatment for connecting the coated electric wire 10 to a terminal by, for example, crimping causes conductivity between all Al strands 111 due to insufficient capacity. It was difficult to secure.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B, the Al or Al alloy, which is the material of the Al wire 111 constituting the exposed conductor portion 112, is partially melted by, for example, arc welding, and the integrated portion 13 is formed. It is formed. The integrated portion 13 partially formed on the conductor 11 of the covered electric wire 10 is provided at a position (m: natural number) (m <n) of less than the number n of the Al strands 111. In the first embodiment, the Al wires 111 are joined by arc welding and integrated into seven portions (n = 8, m = 7) between the eight Al wires 111. The chemical part 13 is formed. In the example shown in FIG. 2B, in a state where the Al strands 111 are arranged in parallel, the integrated portion 13 is formed so as to fill the upper portion between the Al strands 111.

(Manufacturing method of electric wire with terminal)
Next, a method of manufacturing a terminal-equipped electric wire for connecting the coated electric wire 10 and the crimp terminal 20 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a method of manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the method of manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal, an integrated portion forming step is performed in step ST1. That is, after the conductor 11 is exposed at the tip of the covered electric wire 10 to form the conductor exposed portion 112, the plurality of Al strands 111 constituting the conductor 11 are partially integrated. Here, as a method of partially integrating the Al wire 111 in the exposed conductor portion 112, a method of melting and welding Al or an Al alloy is preferable, and arc welding or the like is typically preferable, but it is not always limited. Not done.

Here, according to the knowledge of the present inventor, as a process before crimping the coated electric wire, there is a method of ensuring the continuity between the Al strands in the terminal-attached electric wire by performing an ultrasonic soldering process. However, the solder material used for the ultrasonic soldering process forms an alloy layer made of an alloy of aluminum and dissimilar metals, and galvanic corrosion (corrosion between dissimilar metals) may occur in the conductor of the coated electric wire. In this case, the connection reliability with respect to the moisture resistance and salt damage resistance of the electric wire with terminals may be insufficient. Therefore, when forming the integrated portion 13, it is desirable not to perform ultrasonic soldering or the like.

Next, the process proceeds to step ST2 shown in FIG. 3, and a terminal crimping step is performed as a terminal connecting step. That is, the conductor exposed portion 112 of the coated electric wire 10 on which the integrated portion 13 is formed in step ST1 is housed in the bottom portion of the conductor crimping portion 23. At this time, the coated electric wire 10 and the crimp terminal 20 are overlapped so that a part of the tip side of the coating 12 is accommodated in the bottom portion of the coating crimping portion 24. Subsequently, pressure is applied to the outer periphery of the crimp terminal 20 to crimp connect the crimp terminal 20 to the exposed conductor 11 and a part of the coating 12. As a result, the crimp terminal 20 is crimp-connected so that the surface 23a of the conductor crimping portion 23 comes into contact with the conductor 11 to wrap the conductor 11, and the covering crimping portion 24 wraps a part of the coating 12. Therefore, the conductor crimping portion 23 is brought into contact with and crimped along the outer circumference of the conductor 11. Further, the coating crimping portion 24 is contacted and crimped along the outer periphery of the coating 12. From the above, the electric wire 1 with a terminal is completed.

According to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, in the conductor exposed portion 112 of the coated electric wire 10, the portions between the respective Al strands 111 are integrated by melting to form the integrated portion 13. As a result, the conductivity between the Al strands 111 can be ensured, so that it is possible to manufacture an electric wire with a terminal having improved connection reliability. Further, since the integrated portion 13 is formed by partially melting the conductor 11 of the coated electric wire 10, it is possible to suppress a capacity shortage in welding, and it is possible to perform integration by melting with high accuracy, resulting in poor connection. Can be suppressed.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the coated electric wire used for the electric wire with a terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 4A, 4B, and 4C are schematic front views of the covered electric wire according to the second embodiment as viewed from the front side, FIG. 4A is before the Al wire is assembled, and FIG. 4B is the Al wire. After assembly, FIG. 4C shows the integrated portion after production. Further, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state after assembling the Al strands of the covered electric wire according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the covered electric wire 10B according to the second embodiment has a conductor 11B composed of, for example, a parallel electric wire in which six Al strands 111 are arranged side by side. In addition, in FIGS. 4A to 4C, and FIG. 5, an example in which each Al wire 111 is composed of a stranded wire is shown. Here, for example, in arc welding, if the ends of the coated electric wires 10B are flush with each other, it is uncertain where the arc discharge will occur, so that the integrated portion tends to have a non-uniform shape. There was a possibility. In particular, when the coated electric wire 10B is a flat electric wire, more specifically, a parallel electric wire in which a plurality of Al strands 111 are arranged side by side in a flat shape, the structure at the end of the coated electric wire becomes a wide structure, so welding is performed. There is a possibility that the part tends to have a non-uniform shape. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a process is performed in which a plurality of Al strands 111 constituting the conductor 11B of the coated electric wire 10B are assembled into at least one by, for example, twisting. In the example shown in FIG. 4A, a process is performed in which a plurality of Al strands 111 are assembled into, for example, one. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, a plurality of Al strands 111 are twisted and gathered at substantially the center of the cross section of the coated electric wire 10B.

That is, from a state in which n Al strands 111 are arranged side by side in a flat shape as a whole, the tip portions of the conductors 11B are assembled to form a collective conductor 113 having a substantially elliptical cross section. In this case, in the cross section of the conductor 11B, the Al strands 111 on both sides of the conductor 11B are wound around the Al strands 111 in the substantially central portion, so that the tip of the collective conductor 113 is from the center to the periphery. Often has a tapered conductor shape. In other words, in the collective conductor 113, the portion of the conductor 11B protruding in the longitudinal direction becomes shorter as the central portion of the conductor 11B becomes longer and becomes peripheral. When arc welding is performed by forming the collective conductor 113 into an iron shape, the tips of the collective conductor 113 in the assembled state are mainly joined. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4C, the integrated portion 13B is formed at least in a part including the center of the maximum outer diameter of the collective conductor 113 having a substantially elliptical cross section. By aggregating a plurality of Al strands 111 into one by twisting or the like, the distance between the Al strands 111 can be reduced, so welding such as arc welding can be performed in a small portion, and the conduction between the Al strands 111 can be reduced. Sex can be secured.

The electric wire 1 with a terminal is manufactured by performing a terminal crimping step using a terminal such as a crimp terminal 20 on the coated electric wire 10B configured as described above. Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

According to the second embodiment, a plurality of Al strands 111 are assembled at the tip of the conductor 11B and then joined by arc welding or the like to form an integrated portion 13B, whereby the first embodiment is performed. The same effect as the morphology can be obtained.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, the coated electric wire used for the electric wire with a terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6A and 6B are schematic front views of the covered electric wire according to the third embodiment as viewed from the front side, FIG. 6A is before the formation of the integrated portion, and FIG. 6B is after the formation of the integrated portion. Shown. FIG. 6C is a schematic front view of a covered electric wire crimped to a crimp terminal as viewed from the front side.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the covered electric wire 10C according to the third embodiment is composed of a parallel electric wire in which a plurality of Al strands 111 are arranged side by side in a conductor 11C. In the third embodiment, n wires (n: natural numbers) constituting the conductor 11C of the coated electric wire 10C, for example, 6 Al strands 111 are arranged with a group of some Al strands 111 and the remaining Al strands. Divide into two groups, 111 and 111. When the plurality of Al strands 111 are divided into two groups, it is preferable to divide them into two groups on the left and right when viewed from the front side of the covered electric wire 10C. Further, it is preferable that the number of Al strands 111 constituting each of the two groups is substantially the same as each other. That is, assuming that the number of Al strands 111 of the conductor 11C is n, when the number n is an even number, the number of Al strands 111 in the two groups is preferably n / 2, respectively. On the contrary, when the number n is an odd number, the number of Al strands 111 in one group is (n-1) / 2, and the number of Al strands 111 in the other group is (n + 1) / 2. Is preferable. When a plurality of Al strands 111 are divided into two groups, the number of Al strands 111 in each group is not limited to this case.

After that, as shown in FIG. 6B, the integrated portion 13Ca is formed in at least a part of the conductor exposed portion 112C by partially joining the Al strands 111 of one group by, for example, arc welding. An integrated portion 13Cb is formed in at least a part of the conductor exposed portion 112C by partially joining the Al wire 111 of the other group by, for example, arc welding. That is, the integrated portions 13Ca and 13Cb are provided at m locations (n: 2 or more natural numbers, m: natural numbers) where the number of Al strands 111 is less than n. In the third embodiment, the integrated portions 13Ca and 13Cb are formed at two portions (n = 6, m = 2) with respect to the six Al strands 111.

A terminal crimping step using a terminal such as a crimping terminal 20 is performed on the coated electric wire 10C configured as described above. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6C, the electric wire 1C with a terminal is manufactured. Here, the conductor exposed portion 112C of the covered electric wire 10C is in a state in which a plurality of Al strands 111 are divided into two groups to form integrated portions 13Ca and 13Cb. Therefore, when the conductor exposed portion 112C is crimped to the conductor crimping portion 23, the left and right portions of the conductor crimping portion 23 viewed from the front are crimp-connected so as to wrap the two groups of the Al strands 111, respectively. .. That is, in consideration of the cross-sectional shape of the open barrel type crimp terminal after crimping, the continuity between the strands can be ensured by performing arc welding at two points on the left and right. Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

According to the third embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained by forming the integrated portions 13Ca and 13Cb in at least a part of the plurality of Al strands 111. Further, the plurality of Al strands 111 of the coated electric wire 10C are divided into two groups, and the integrated portions 13Ca and 13Cb are formed in each group, whereby the conductor exposed portion 112 is crimped to the conductor crimping portion 23. The connection can be made more appropriately. Thereby, the connection reliability between the crimp terminal 20 and the conductor 11C can be improved.

(Fourth Embodiment)
Next, the coated electric wire used for the electric wire with a terminal according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of the covered electric wire according to the fourth embodiment as viewed from the front side. The covered electric wire 10D according to the fourth embodiment includes the same parallel electric wires as the coated electric wire 10B according to the second embodiment and the coated electric wire 10C according to the third embodiment. With respect to the coated electric wire 10D, n wires (n: natural numbers) constituting the conductor 11D of the coated electric wire 10D, for example, 6 Al strands are divided into two groups on the left and right in the same manner as in the third embodiment. ..

After that, for each of the two groups of Al strands, in the same manner as in the second embodiment, a plurality of Al strands are assembled into at least one, here one, for each group by, for example, twisting. I do. As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of Al strands are twisted for each group, and for example, two Al strands are gathered on the left and right when viewed from the front of the cross section of the coated electric wire 10D. The collective conductor 113D is formed. After that, the integrated conductors 13Da and 13Db are formed on the two collective conductors 113D, respectively, by partially joining the Al strands to each of the two collective conductors 113D by, for example, arc welding. As a result, the covered electric wire 10D according to the fourth embodiment is formed.

A terminal crimping step using a terminal such as a crimping terminal 20 is performed on the coated electric wire 10D configured as described above. As a result, the electric wire 1 with a terminal is manufactured. Other configurations are the same as in the first, second, and third embodiments.

According to the fourth embodiment, a plurality of Al strands of the coated electric wire 10D are divided into two groups, and in each group, the integrated portions 13Da and 13Db are formed after the Al strands are assembled. Therefore, the same effect as that of the first to third embodiments can be obtained.

(Fifth Embodiment)
Next, a method of manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. 8A, 8B, and 8C are schematic top views of the covered electric wire according to the fifth embodiment as viewed from above, FIG. 8A is before the formation of the integrated portion, and FIGS. 8B and 8C are integrated. It shows after the formation of the chemical part. In the method for manufacturing a terminal-attached electric wire according to the fifth embodiment, a case where a terminal-attached electric wire is manufactured using the same coated electric wire 10E as the coated electric wire 10 of the first embodiment will be described as an example.

First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the covered electric wire 10E is a parallel wiring in which n Al strands 111, for example, seven are provided in parallel. A fifth embodiment includes a molding step of forming the tip of the exposed conductor 112E of the coated electric wire 10 into an uneven shape according to the length of the exposed portion of each Al wire 111. It is desirable that the molding step is performed in the integrated portion forming step of step ST1 shown in FIG.

That is, in step ST1 shown in FIG. 3, a molding step of performing the integrated portion forming step is performed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8A, after the conductor 11E is exposed at the tip of the coated electric wire 10E to form the conductor exposed portion 112E, the length of each Al wire 111 of the conductor exposed portion 112E is changed. Therefore, the tip portion is molded so as to have an uneven shape. Next, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, processing is performed to partially integrate the plurality of Al strands 111. As a result, an integrated portion is typically formed at a position m where the number of Al strands 111 is less than n. Here, in the example shown in FIG. 8B, the Al strands 111 are integrated by arc welding to form one integrated portion 13Ea. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 8C, the integrated portions 13Eb are formed at three positions while being integrated between the Al strands 111 by arc welding. After that, the process proceeds to step ST2 shown in FIG. 3, and the terminal crimping step is performed, and the terminal crimping step using terminals such as the crimping terminal 20 is performed on the coated electric wire 10E configured as described above. As a result, an electric wire with a terminal is manufactured. Other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

According to the fifth embodiment, in the coated electric wire 10E, the length of each Al wire 111 in the exposed conductor 112E is changed to form the tip portion into an uneven shape, and then the integral forming step is performed. Running. As a result, the position of the arc discharge is more likely to be a convex portion as compared with the case where the tip of the exposed conductor portion 112 is flush with each other, so that the formation positions of the integrated portions 13Ea and 13Eb can be easily controlled. Further, by partially forming the integrated portions 13Ea and 13Eb between the respective Al strands 111, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible. For example, the numerical values given in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and different numerical values may be used if necessary.

In the above-described embodiment, an open barrel type crimp terminal is used as the crimp terminal, but a closed barrel type crimp terminal (α terminal) may be used.

Wires with 1,1C terminals 10, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E Coated wires 11, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E Conductors 12 Coated 13, 13B, 13Ca, 13Cb, 13Da, 13Db, 13Ea, 13Eb Integrated part 20 Crimping terminal 21 Terminal connection part 22 Transition part 23 Conductor crimping part 23a Surface 23b Serration 24 Coated crimping part 111 Al wire 112, 112C, 112E Conductor exposed part 113 Collective conductor

Claims (13)

A coated electric wire having a conductor in which a plurality of aluminum strands made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy are arranged in a flat shape, and a covering portion for covering the conductor.
A terminal to which the covered electric wire is connected is provided.
An electric wire with a terminal, wherein at least a part of a portion of the conductor connected to the terminal has an integrated portion integrated by melting the plurality of aluminum strands. The electric wire with a terminal according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the conductor of the coated electric wire is 8 mm ² or more and ^{less than 60 mm 2.} The electric wire with a terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the integrated portion is a portion integrated by melting by arc welding. The electric wire with a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the integrated portion is partially provided on a part of the conductor. The electric wire with a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the portion where the integrated portion is provided is less than the number of the aluminum wire. The exposed conductor portion at the end of the covered electric wire is composed of at least one collective conductor having a substantially elliptical cross section and a plurality of the aluminum strands aggregated.
The electric wire with a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the integrated portion is provided in a part including a tip portion of the collective conductor. The electric wire with a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a plurality of the aluminum strands are provided in parallel. The electric wire with a terminal according to claim 7, wherein the integrated portion is provided at a position between the plurality of aluminum strands. A plurality of aluminum wires provided in parallel are composed of two groups of a part of the aluminum wires and the remaining aluminum wires, and at least a part of the aluminum wires and the remaining aluminum wires are formed. The electric wire with a terminal according to claim 7, wherein at least a part of the wire is provided with the integrated portion. The electric wire with a terminal according to claim 9, wherein a part of the aluminum wire and the remaining aluminum wire are each composed of a collective conductor in which a plurality of aluminum wires are assembled. A wire with a terminal including a conductor in which a plurality of aluminum strands made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy are arranged in a flat shape, a covered electric wire having a covering portion covering the conductor, and a terminal to which the coated electric wire is connected. It is a manufacturing method of
After forming the conductor exposed portion by exposing the conductor at the end portion of the coated electric wire, an integrated portion forming step of integrating at least a part of the conductor exposed portion by melting a plurality of the aluminum strands.
A method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal, which comprises a terminal connecting step of connecting to the terminal at the exposed conductor portion at the end of the coated electric wire. The claim is characterized in that a plurality of the aluminum strands are provided in parallel, and a molding step of forming the end portion of the exposed conductor portion into a concavo-convex shape according to the length of the exposed portion of the aluminum strand is further included. 11. The method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal according to 11. The method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the aluminum wire is melted by arc welding.

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