JP5011173B2 - Terminal crimping apparatus and wire harness manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal crimping apparatus and a method for manufacturing a wire harness.

  DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART Conventionally, the wire harness containing the electric wire containing a core wire and the terminal metal fitting connected to the core wire exposed from the terminal of an electric wire is known. Said terminal metal fitting is provided with the crimping | crimped part crimped from the outer side to the core wire exposed from the terminal of an electric wire, and the connection part connected with the other party terminal connected to this crimping part.

In order to crimp the terminal fitting to the electric wire, for example, the following is performed. First, the terminal fitting is formed into a predetermined shape by pressing a metal plate material. Then, a terminal metal fitting is mounted on the mounting part of the lower mold located on the lower side of the pair of molds that can move relatively in the vertical direction. Subsequently, the core wire exposed from the end of the electric wire is placed on the crimping portion of the terminal fitting. Thereafter, the upper mold located on the upper side of the pair of molds described above is moved downward toward the lower mold, and the crimp section is sandwiched between the crimp section of the upper mold and the placement section of the lower mold. As a result, the crimping portion is caulked to the core wire of the electric wire. Thus, the terminal fitting is connected to the end of the electric wire (see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-2005-50736

  However, when an oxide film is formed on the surface of the core wire described above, there is a concern that the contact resistance between the core wire and the pressure-bonded portion increases due to the oxide film interposed between the core wire and the pressure-bonded portion. . In the prior art, as shown below, the oxide film formed on the surface of the core wire was peeled off in the step of crimping the crimp portion on the electric wire.

  When the crimping portion is crimped to the core wire of the electric wire, the core wire is pressed by the crimping portion and extends in the axial direction of the electric wire. Then, the oxide film formed on the surface of the core wire is peeled off by being in sliding contact with the crimping portion. Then, the new surface of the core wire formed by peeling off the oxide film comes into contact with the crimping portion. Thereby, the contact resistance between an electric wire and a terminal metal fitting can be made small.

  In recent years, from the viewpoint of weight reduction, the use of aluminum or an aluminum alloy as a core wire material has been studied. An oxide film is relatively easily formed on the surface of the aluminum or aluminum alloy. For this reason, for example, when aluminum or an aluminum alloy is used for the core wire of the electric wire, the oxide film formed on the surface of the core wire may not be sufficiently peeled off simply by crimping the crimp portion on the core wire. As a result, there is a possibility that the contact resistance between the core wire and the crimping part cannot be made sufficiently small.

  This invention was completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at providing the manufacturing method of the terminal crimping apparatus and wire harness which can reduce the contact resistance between an electric wire and a terminal metal fitting. And

  The present invention relates to a terminal crimping apparatus for crimping a crimping portion provided on a terminal fitting to a conductor exposed from an end of an electric wire, the lower mold and a position above the lower mold with respect to the lower mold An upper mold disposed so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction, and a mounting surface on the upper surface of the lower mold and on which the crimping part is placed in a state where the conductor is stacked on the crimping part, It is provided on the lower surface of the upper mold and moves the upper mold and the lower mold in the approaching direction so that the crimping part is sandwiched between the mounting surface and the crimping part to the conductor. A crimping surface that is crimped and crimped, wherein the placement surface is formed to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire, and the crimping surface corresponds to the placement surface and is in the axial direction of the electric wire. It is characterized by being inclined in the vertical direction.

  The present invention also includes an electric wire including a conductor, a crimping portion caulked from the outside to the conductor exposed from the end of the wire, and a terminal having a connection portion connected to the mating terminal fitting connected to the crimping portion. A wire harness manufacturing method comprising: a metal fitting, wherein the electric wire is stacked on the crimping portion on a mounting surface formed on the upper surface of a lower mold so as to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire. A mounting step of mounting the pressure-bonding part in the state of the above, the lower mold, and an upper mold disposed so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction between the lower mold and a position above the lower mold, The crimping surface is moved between the crimping surface and the crimping surface that is formed on the lower surface of the upper mold and is inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the wire corresponding to the placement surface. By crimping the part, crimp the crimping part against the conductor. And executes the Chakukotei, the.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged main part. When the upper die and the lower die are moved toward each other and the crimping portion is sandwiched between the placement surface and the crimping surface, an upward force A is applied to the crimping portion from the placement surface, and the crimping surface A downward force D is applied. And since a mounting surface and a crimping | compression-bonding surface are inclined and provided in the up-down direction about the axial direction of an electric wire, component force B of the direction along the mounting surface of force A and force D are provided in a crimping | compression-bonding part. The component force E in the direction along the crimping surface is applied. These component force B and component force E are directed in directions opposite to each other along the axial direction of the electric wire.

  And by the component force B, the crimping | compression-bonding part which contacts a mounting surface moves and shift | deviates to the axial direction of an electric wire with respect to the conductor (conductor located in the lower side in FIG. 4) located in this crimping part side. Then, as a result of the sliding of the crimping portion in contact with the mounting surface and the conductor located on the crimping portion side, the oxide film formed on the surface of the conductor is peeled off, and the new surface of the conductor is exposed. The contact resistance between the electric wire and the terminal fitting can be reduced by bringing the new surface of the conductor into contact with the crimping portion.

  In the same manner as described above, the crimping portion that comes into contact with the crimping surface moves by being shifted in the axial direction of the electric wire with respect to the conductor located on the crimping portion side (the conductor located on the upper side in FIG. 4). . Then, as a result of the sliding of the crimping portion in contact with the mounting surface and the conductor located on the crimping portion side, the oxide film formed on the surface of the conductor is peeled off, and the new surface of the conductor is exposed. The contact resistance between the electric wire and the terminal fitting can be reduced by bringing the new surface of the conductor into contact with the crimping portion.

As embodiments of the present invention, the following embodiments are preferable.
The crimping surface is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the end of the electric wire.

  The electric wire located in the vicinity of the both ends in the axial direction of the electric wire in the crimping portion is relatively freely extended in the axial direction of the electric wire by being pressed by the crimping portion. This is because the relative positions of the electric wire located near the center in the axial direction of the electric wire and the crimping portion of the crimping portion are generally fixed by caulking them.

  And the electric wire located near the edge part by the side of the edge part of an electric wire among crimping | compression-bonding parts can extend largely compared with the electric wire located in the opposite side to the edge part of an electric wire. This is because the end of the electric wire is a free end, so that the electric wire cannot be prevented from extending.

  According to said structure, the crimping | compression-bonding surface is descendingly inclined about the direction of the edge part side of an electric wire. Thereby, the component force of the direction along a crimp surface faces the direction of the edge part side of an electric wire. As a result, a force that faces the end of the electric wire is applied to the crimping portion that comes into contact with the crimping surface. Thereby, the crimping | compression-bonding part side which contacts a crimping surface applies the force which faces the edge part side of an electric wire with respect to an electric wire. As a result, the crimping portion is in sliding contact with a wire extending relatively large over a wide range. Thereby, since the contact area of the new surface of an electric wire and a crimping | compression-bonding part can be enlarged, the contact resistance of an electric wire and a terminal metal fitting can be made still smaller.

  The conductor is characterized in that the conductor is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

  In the case where the conductor is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, in order to break the oxide film formed on the surface of the conductor and reduce the contact resistance, it is necessary to caulk the crimping portion to the conductor with a high compression rate. In such a case, this configuration is effective.

  According to the present invention, the contact resistance between the electric wire and the terminal fitting can be reduced.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
(Wire harness 10)
First, the wire harness 10 manufactured by this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG. The wire harness 10 includes an electric wire 11 and a female terminal fitting 12 (corresponding to a terminal fitting) connected to the end of the electric wire 11.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electric wire 11 is formed by surrounding an outer periphery of a core wire 13 (corresponding to a conductor) with an insulating coating 14. The core wire 13 may be made of any metal such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, or the like as necessary. Moreover, the core wire 13 consists of a twisted wire in which many fine wires are brought together. The core wire 13 is exposed from the end of the electric wire 11 by peeling off the insulating coating 14 by a predetermined length.

  The female terminal fitting 12 is formed by pressing a metal plate material (not shown) into a predetermined shape. The female terminal fitting 12 has an insulation barrel 15 that crimps the insulation coating 14 of the electric wire 11 from outside. On the left side of the insulation barrel 15 in FIG. 4, a wire barrel 16 (corresponding to a crimping portion) is formed which is connected to the insulation barrel 15 and crimps the core wire 13 of the electric wire 11 from the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 2, barrel pieces 30 and 31 are formed on the insulation barrel 15 and the wire barrel 16, respectively, extending in a direction (upward in FIG. 2) intersecting the axial direction of the electric wire 11. Although not shown in detail, in this embodiment, the barrel pieces 30 and 31 are formed in pairs on the insulation barrel 15 and the wire barrel 16 respectively.

  On the left side of the wire barrel 16 in FIG. 1, a cylindrical connecting portion 18 that is connected to the wire barrel 16 and is electrically connected by fitting with a male terminal fitting (not shown) (corresponding to a counterpart terminal fitting). Is formed.

(Terminal crimping device 19)
Next, the terminal crimping device 19 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The terminal crimping device 19 includes an anvil 20 positioned on the lower side, and a crimper 21 positioned above the anvil 20 and arranged to be movable relative to the anvil 20 in the vertical direction.

(Anvil 20)
The anvil 20 is attached to a base (not shown). The anvil 20 is located on the end side of the electric wire 11 (left side in FIG. 1), the first anvil 22 (corresponding to the lower mold) on which the wire barrel 16 of the female terminal fitting 12 is placed, and the end of the electric wire 11. 2nd anvil 23 in which the insulation barrel 15 of the female terminal metal fitting 12 is mounted in the other side (right side in FIG. 1).

  On the upper surface of the first anvil 22, a first placement surface 24 (corresponding to the placement surface) on which the wire barrel 16 in a state where the core wires 13 of the electric wires 11 are stacked is formed. The first placement surface 24 is formed to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire 11 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 1). Specifically, it is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the end side of the electric wire 11 (left side in FIG. 1).

  On the upper surface of the second anvil 23, a second placement surface 25 is formed on which the insulation barrel 15 in a state where the insulation coating 14 of the electric wire 11 is stacked is placed. The second placement surface 25 is formed to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire 11 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 1). Specifically, it is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the end side of the electric wire 11 (left side in FIG. 1). The first placement surface 24 and the second placement surface 25 are formed continuously without a step.

(Crimper 21)
The crimper 21 is attached to a pressure cylinder (not shown) that moves the crimper 21 up and down. The crimper 21 is movable in a direction approaching the anvil 20 by the pressure cylinder. The crimper 21 is disposed at a position above the anvil 20 so as to face the anvil 20.

  The crimper 21 is located on the end side (the left side in FIG. 1) of the electric wire 11, the first crimper 26 (corresponding to the upper mold) disposed at a position facing the first anvil 22, and the end portion of the electric wire 11. And a second crimper 27 disposed on the opposite side (the right side in FIG. 1) and disposed at a position facing the second anvil 23.

  The first crimper 26 is moved to the lower surface of the first crimper 26 and opposed to the first mounting surface 24 of the first anvil 22 in a direction in which the first crimper 26 approaches the first anvil 22, and the wire barrel 16 is moved. A first crimping surface 28 (corresponding to a crimping surface) for crimping the wire barrel 16 onto the core wire 13 by being sandwiched between the first mounting surface 24 is formed.

  The first crimping surface 28 is formed so as to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire 11 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 1) corresponding to the first placement surface 24. Specifically, it is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the end side of the electric wire 11 (left side in FIG. 1). The first crimping surface 28 and the first placement surface 24 are formed in parallel.

  The second crimper 27 is moved to a position facing the second placement surface 25 of the second anvil 23 in the direction in which the second crimper 27 approaches the second anvil 23, so that the insulation barrel 15 Is sandwiched between the second mounting surface 25 and the second crimping surface 29 for crimping the insulation barrel 15 against the insulating coating 14 is formed.

  The second crimping surface 29 is formed so as to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire 11 (the horizontal direction in FIG. 1) corresponding to the second mounting surface 25. Specifically, it is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the end side of the electric wire 11 (left side in FIG. 1). The second crimping surface 29 and the second mounting surface 25 are formed in parallel.

  Note that the lower surface of the first anvil 22 is disposed below the lower surface of the second anvil 23. Thereby, the first placement surface 24 is arranged at a position below the second placement surface 25.

Then, the manufacturing process of the wire harness 10 is demonstrated.
(Installation process)
First, the crimper 21 is moved upward by the pressure cylinder, and the crimper 21 and the anvil 20 are separated. Next, the female terminal fitting 12 press-molded into a predetermined shape is placed on the upper surfaces of the first anvil 22 and the second anvil 23. At this time, the wire barrel 16 is placed on the first placement surface 24 of the first anvil 22, and the insulation barrel 15 is placed on the second placement surface 25 of the second anvil 23. To do. In this state, the female terminal fitting 12 is held by terminal holding means (not shown). The terminal holding means may be provided in the terminal crimping device 19 or may be provided separately from the terminal crimping device 19.

  Subsequently, the electric wire 11 with the insulating coating 14 peeled off and the core wire 13 exposed is placed on the female terminal fitting 12. At this time, the core wire 13 is placed on the wire barrel 16, and the insulating coating 14 is placed on the insulation barrel 15. In this state, the electric wire 11 is held by electric wire holding means (not shown). The electric wire holding means may be provided in the terminal crimping device 19 or may be provided separately from the terminal crimping device 19.

(Crimping process)
Subsequently, the crimper 21 is moved downward by the pressure cylinder so that the crimper 21 approaches the anvil 20. When the crimper 21 moves downward, the first crimping surface 28 of the crimper 21 contacts the barrel piece 31 of the wire barrel 16 from above, and the second crimping surface 29 contacts the barrel piece 30 of the insulation barrel 15 from above. . When the crimper 21 is further moved downward, the barrel pieces 30 and 31 are pressed by the first crimping surface 28 and the second crimping surface 29 of the crimper 21 and deformed inward in the radial direction of the electric wire 11.

  Thereby, the barrel piece 30 of the insulation barrel 15 is caulked so as to hold the insulating coating 14 of the electric wire 11 from the outside. Further, the barrel piece 31 of the wire barrel 16 is caulked so as to hold the core wire 13 of the electric wire 11 from the outside.

  When the crimper 21 is moved to the lowest position shown in FIG. 3, the crimper 21 is moved upward by the pressure cylinder, and the crimper 21 and the anvil 20 are separated (see FIG. 1). Subsequently, the female terminal fitting 12 and the electric wire 11 placed on the anvil 20 are taken out. Thereby, the wire harness 10 is completed.

  FIG. 4 shows an enlarged main part. When the crimper 21 and the anvil 20 are moved toward each other and the wire barrel 16 is sandwiched between the first placement surface 24 and the first pressure-bonding surface 28, the wire barrel 16 has the first placement surface 24. An upward force A is applied, and a downward force D is applied from the first crimping surface 28. And since the 1st mounting surface 24 and the 1st crimping | compression-bonding surface 28 are inclined and provided in the up-down direction about the axial direction of the electric wire 11, the 1st mounting surface 24 of force A is provided in the wire barrel 16. And a component force B in the direction along the first pressure-bonding surface 28 of the force D are applied. These component force B and component force E are directed in opposite directions along the axial direction of the electric wire 11. The component force in the direction orthogonal to the first mounting surface 24 in the force A is the force C, and the component force in the direction orthogonal to the first pressure-bonding surface 28 in the force D is the force F.

  And the wire barrel 16 which contacts the 1st mounting surface 24 with the component force B of the electric wire 11 with respect to the core wire 13 located in this wire barrel 16 side (core wire 13 located in the lower side in FIG. 4). Moves in the axial direction. Then, as a result of the sliding of the wire barrel 16 in contact with the first mounting surface 24 and the core wire 13 located on the wire barrel 16 side, the oxide film formed on the surface of the core wire 13 is peeled off, and the core wire 13 The new surface is exposed. The contact resistance between the electric wire 11 and the female terminal fitting 12 can be reduced by contacting the new surface of the core wire 13 and the wire barrel 16.

  Similarly to the above, the wire barrel 16 in contact with the first pressure-bonding surface 28 by the component force E is compared with the core wire 13 positioned on the wire barrel 16 side (core wire 13 positioned on the upper side in FIG. 4). Move in the direction of the axis. Then, as a result of the sliding of the wire barrel 16 in contact with the first mounting surface 24 and the core wire 13 located on the wire barrel 16 side, the oxide film formed on the surface of the core wire 13 is peeled off, and the core wire 13 The new surface is exposed. The contact resistance between the electric wire 11 and the female terminal fitting 12 can be reduced by contacting the new surface of the core wire 13 and the wire barrel 16.

  Moreover, the electric wire 11 located in the vicinity of the axial direction both ends of the electric wire 11 among the wire barrels 16 extends relatively freely in the axial direction of the electric wire 11 by being pressed by the wire barrel 16. This is because the relative positions of the wire 11 and the wire barrel 16 that are located near the center of the wire barrel 16 in the axial direction of the wire 11 are generally fixed by caulking them.

  And the electric wire 11 located in the vicinity of the edge part by the side of the edge part of the electric wire 11 among the wire barrels 16 can extend largely compared with the electric wire 11 located in the opposite side to the edge part of the electric wire 11. FIG. This is because the end of the electric wire 11 is a free end, so that the electric wire 11 cannot be prevented from extending.

  According to the present embodiment, the first crimping surface 28 is inclined downward in the direction of the end of the electric wire 11. Thereby, the component force in the direction along the first crimping surface 28 faces the direction of the end portion side of the electric wire 11. As a result, a force directed toward the end portion of the electric wire 11 is applied to the wire barrel 16 in contact with the first crimping surface 28. Thereby, the wire barrel 16 side which contacts the 1st crimping | compression-bonding surface 28 applies the force which faces the edge part side of the electric wire 11 with respect to the electric wire 11. FIG. As a result, the wire barrel 16 is in sliding contact with the wire 11 that extends relatively large over a wide range. Thereby, since the contact area of the new surface of the electric wire 11 and the wire barrel 16 can be enlarged, the contact resistance of the electric wire 11 and the female terminal metal fitting 12 can be made still smaller.

  In addition, when the core wire 13 consists of aluminum or aluminum alloy, in order to break the oxide film formed on the surface of the core wire 13 and to reduce the contact resistance, the wire barrel 16 has a high compression ratio (for example, about 40 to 70%). Must be caulked to the core wire 13. In such a case, the present embodiment is extremely effective. The compression rate is defined by {(conductor area after compression) / (conductor area before compression)} × 100.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) The 1st mounting surface 24 is good also as a structure formed so that it may incline and descend toward the opposite side to the edge part of the electric wire 11. As shown in FIG. In this case, the first crimping surface 28 is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the opposite side of the end of the electric wire 11 corresponding to the first placement surface 24.
(2) In the present embodiment, the terminal fitting is the female terminal fitting 12, but the terminal fitting is not limited thereto, and may be a male terminal fitting, or a shape in which a through-hole penetrating the disc is formed (so-called LA terminal). ). That is, the connection part 18 of a terminal metal fitting can take arbitrary shapes as needed.
(3) In the present embodiment, the electric wire 11 is a covered electric wire. However, the electric wire 11 is not limited to this, and may be a bare electric wire or a shielded electric wire when insulated from the surroundings. Can be used. The conductor of the electric wire may be a core wire of a covered electric wire, or may be a central conductor of a shielded electric wire or a braided wire, and can take any configuration as necessary.
(4) Three or more barrel pieces 31 of the wire barrel 16 may be formed alternately from the left and right sides, or only one may be formed.
(5) In the present embodiment, the upper mold is moved downward. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lower mold may be moved upward. The upper mold may be moved downward and the lower mold may be moved downward. It is good also as a structure which moves a type | mold upward.

The side view which shows the terminal crimping apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and the wire harness manufactured by this terminal crimping apparatus Side view showing the loading process Side view showing the crimping process Expanded side view of main parts of wire harness

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Wire harness 11 ... Electric wire 12 ... Female terminal metal fitting (terminal metal fitting)
13 ... Core wire (conductor)
16 ... Wire barrel (crimp part)
19 ... Terminal crimping device 22 ... First anvil (lower mold)
24 ... 1st mounting surface (mounting surface)
27 ... 2nd crimper (upper mold)
28 ... 1st crimping surface (crimping surface)

Claims (5)

A terminal crimping device that crimps a crimping portion provided on a terminal fitting to a conductor exposed from an end of an electric wire,
A lower mold; an upper mold disposed at a position above the lower mold so as to be movable relative to the lower mold in a vertical direction; and the conductor provided on the crimping portion provided on an upper surface of the lower mold. The pressure-bonding part is placed on the mounting surface on which the pressure-bonding part is placed in an overlapped state and the lower surface of the upper mold, and the upper mold and the lower mold are moved in the approaching direction. A crimping surface for crimping the crimping portion on the conductor by sandwiching between the surfaces,
The mounting surface is formed to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire, and the crimping surface is formed to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire in correspondence with the mounting surface. A terminal crimping device. The terminal crimping device according to claim 1, wherein the crimping surface is formed to be inclined downward toward the end of the electric wire. An electric wire including a conductor, and a terminal fitting having a crimping portion caulked from outside on the conductor exposed from the end of the electric wire and having a connection portion connected to the mating terminal fitting connected to the crimping portion. A method of manufacturing a wire harness,
On the upper surface of the lower mold, on the mounting surface formed to be inclined in the vertical direction with respect to the axial direction of the electric wire, the mounting step of mounting the crimping portion in a state where the electric wire is superimposed on the crimping portion;
The lower mold and an upper mold arranged so as to be relatively movable in the vertical direction between the lower mold and a position above the lower mold are moved in the approaching direction to form on the lower surface of the upper mold The crimping portion is crimped to the conductor by sandwiching the crimping portion between the crimping surface inclined in the vertical direction in the axial direction of the electric wire corresponding to the placement surface and the placement surface. A crimping process for crimping;
The manufacturing method of the wire harness characterized by performing this. The method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 3, wherein the crimping surface is formed to be inclined downward toward the end side of the electric wire. The said conductor consists of aluminum or aluminum alloy, The manufacturing method of the wire harness of Claim 3 or Claim 4 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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