JP5916646B2 - Crimping terminal manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus of a crimp terminal that is responsible for connection of an automobile wire harness.

  Wire harnesses are often used for in-car wiring of automobiles. The wire harness is a collective part of a plurality of covered electric wires according to the specifications of in-vehicle wiring. For example, a crimp terminal is crimped to the end of each covered electric wire as a crimp terminal. When connecting the crimp terminal to the wire end of the wire harness, peel off the insulation coating layer of the wire end to expose the core wire, and crimp the core wire barrel of the crimp terminal to the core wire exposed part to crimp the wire end. Electrical connection with the terminal is made. And the connection part of a crimp terminal and an electric wire terminal is resin-sealed in order to prevent the corrosion of the core wire by the penetration | invasion of the water | moisture content from the connection part with a crimp terminal to the inside of an electric wire (patent document 1, patent document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-167821 JP 2012-0669449 A

  However, resin-sealing the connection portion between the crimp terminal and the wire terminal is a factor that increases the manufacturing cost of the wire harness. This is because the resin itself used is expensive, and it takes time for the resin to be poured or cured in the resin molding process or the coating process.

  Therefore, the wire connection part (crimp part) of the crimp terminal is bent into a cylindrical shape by press molding, and the entire butt interface at both ends of the plate material formed into the cylindrically bent portion is joined by laser welding. Attempts have been made to make the electric wire connection part a sealed structure by joining one end of the bent part into a shape by laser welding and sealing to form a barrel member as a sealing part. In this barrel member, an inclined portion is formed between the trunk portion and the sealing portion. Laser welding can be performed by moving the irradiation position of the laser beam.

  However, the both-end butt interface of the barrel member is formed in the barrel portion and the inclined portion of the barrel member. For this reason, the shape of the both-ends butt interface of the barrel member may have a step or a curved portion, and if the laser irradiation position is moved while keeping the distance from the surface of the barrel member constant, the movement locus becomes complicated. End up. Although the movement locus of the laser irradiation position can be adjusted by NC control or the like by using a galvano scanner, for example, it is difficult to move the laser irradiation position according to the surface shape of the barrel member, and in this case, the welding quality may be deteriorated. was there.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a crimp terminal manufacturing method capable of preventing deterioration in welding quality while suppressing complication of the movement locus of the laser irradiation position even when there is a step in the barrel member, and the like. It is to provide a manufacturing apparatus.

A method of manufacturing a crimp terminal according to the present invention that solves the above-described problem is a method of manufacturing a crimp terminal including a crimp part that allows crimp connection to a conductor portion of a covered electric wire, and the sides of a metal plate material are connected to each other. A sealing part is formed by joining and sealing an opening on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body formed side by side, and an inclined part is provided between the cylindrical body part of the cylindrical body and the sealing part. is formed by forming a barrel member having a said cylindrical body portion and the inclined portion and the sealing portion is provided linearly along the irradiation position of the laser beam by the laser irradiation unit surface shape of said barrel member While moving, laser irradiation is performed from the laser irradiation means to the position where the sides of the cylindrical body are juxtaposed, and the side of the barrel member is welded, and the side of the barrel member is Slope and the above On the connection portion between the cylindrical portion is curved, the surface shape of the upper connecting portion on the side-edge of said barrel member, and the surface of the lower connecting portion between said sealing portion and the inclined portion The shape is processed into a shape included in the depth of focus of the laser irradiation means with respect to the movement locus of the laser irradiation position by the laser irradiation means during welding.

Moreover, it can be set as the manufacturing method of the crimp terminal in which both a lower connection part and an upper connection part are R shape, and the surface shape of a barrel part satisfy | fills (8) Formula.
r [1-r {1-tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 ] ≦ 4λf ² M ² / πD ² (8)
However,
r: Radius of the curvature circle in the upper connection portion θ: Angle formed by the sealing portion and the inclined portion λ: Laser wavelength f: Lens focal length M ² : Em square value D: Incident beam diameter Further, the lower connection portion has an angular shape The manufacturing method of the crimp terminal in which the upper connection portion has an R shape and the surface shape of the barrel portion satisfies the formula (9) can be obtained.
r [1-r {1-tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 ] ≦ 8λf ² M ² / πD ² (9)
However,
r: Radius of the curvature circle in the upper connection portion θ: Angle formed by the sealing portion and the inclined portion λ: Laser wavelength f: Lens focal length M ² : Em square value D: Incident beam diameter

  In the method and apparatus for manufacturing a crimp terminal according to the present invention, the surface shape of the side of the barrel member is within the depth of focus of the laser irradiation unit with respect to the movement locus of the laser irradiation position by the laser irradiation unit during welding. It is processed into the included shape. For this reason, the movement trajectory of the laser irradiation position is simplified within the range in which the surface shape of the side of the barrel member is included within the focal depth of the laser irradiation means with respect to the movement trajectory of the laser irradiation means by the laser irradiation means during welding. Can be Therefore, even if the barrel member has a step or the like, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the welding quality while suppressing complication of the movement locus of the laser irradiation position.

  In the present invention, “to move the laser light irradiation position along the surface shape of the barrel member” is intended to make the movement locus of the laser light irradiation position completely match the surface shape of the barrel member. There is nothing, and the laser irradiation position is intended to be moved in accordance with the surface shape of the barrel member to some extent. Therefore, for example, when the surface shape of the barrel member changes from the horizontal direction to the inclination direction, the movement includes a movement that changes the locus of the irradiation position of the laser light from the horizontal direction to the inclination direction.

  According to the method and apparatus for manufacturing a crimp terminal according to the present invention, even if the barrel member has a step or the like, it is possible to prevent deterioration in welding quality while suppressing complication of the movement locus of the laser irradiation position. Can do.

It is a perspective view which shows the state which connects a wire cable to a crimp terminal. It is a top view of a crimp terminal. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of a crimp terminal. (A) is a top view which shows a copper strip, (b) is a top view which shows the chain terminal after a primary press, (c) is a top view which shows the chain terminal after a secondary press. It is a front view which shows the outline of a laser welding machine. It is a front view of a clamp device. It is a side view of the state which welds the terminal before welding. (A) is explanatory drawing of the surface shape of a barrel part, (b) is explanatory drawing of the surface shape of the barrel part which made R shape square. It is explanatory drawing of a welding depth. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a laser locus and the surface shape of a barrel part. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a laser locus | trajectory and the surface shape of another barrel part.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a wire cable is connected to a crimp terminal, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the crimp terminal.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the crimp terminal 10 manufactured by the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment is a female crimp terminal, and includes a box portion 20 and a crimp portion 30. The crimping portion 30 of the crimp terminal 10 allows crimping connection to the aluminum core wire 51 which is a conductor portion of the covered electric wire 50, and the covered electric wire 50 is crimped to the crimping portion 30.

A covered electric wire 50 is connected to the crimping portion 30 of the crimping terminal 10. The covered electric wire 50 includes an aluminum core wire 51, and the aluminum core wire 51 is covered with an insulating coating 52. The aluminum core wire 51 is configured by bundling aluminum strands. Further, a portion of the covered electric wire 50 ahead of the coated tip 50 a is an electric wire exposed portion 51 a where the aluminum core wire 51 is exposed from the insulating coating 52. The aluminum core wire 51 is formed by twisting an aluminum alloy wire so that the cross section becomes 0.75 mm ² .

  The box part 20 in the crimp terminal 10 is configured in a box shape of an inverted hollow square column. An elastic contact piece 21 is provided inside the box portion 20. The elastic contact piece 21 is bent rearward in the longitudinal direction X and comes into contact with an insertion tab of a male terminal (not shown) inserted into the box portion 20. Further, the box portion 20 is bent so that the side surface portions 23 provided continuously on both sides in the width direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal direction X of the bottom surface portion 22 are overlapped, and is substantially rectangular when viewed from the front end side in the longitudinal direction X. It is configured.

  In the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction X is a direction that coincides with the longitudinal direction of the covered electric wire 50 to which the crimping portion 30 is crimped and connected as shown in FIG. 1, and the width direction Y is the longitudinal direction X. On the other hand, it is a direction intersecting on a substantially horizontal plane. Further, the side of the box part 20 with respect to the crimping part 30 is defined as the front side, and conversely, the side of the crimping part 30 with respect to the box part 20 is defined as the rear side. Furthermore, the connection part 40 which connects the box part 20 and the crimping | compression-bonding part 30 is formed with a back side inclined part 41 having an inclination that rises toward the rear.

Moreover, the crimping | compression-bonding part 30 before crimping in the crimp terminal 10 butts end part 32a which rounded the barrel component piece 32 extended to the both sides of the width direction Y of the crimping surface 31 and the crimping | compression-bonding surface 31, and FIG. As shown, the end portions 32a are welded to form a cylindrical body. Moreover, the rear view shape of the crimping | compression-bonding part 30 is made into substantially O type. The length of the longitudinal direction X of the barrel constituent pieces 32 from the longitudinal X front side of the distal end and is coated tip 5 0 a of the insulating coating 50, the longitudinal direction of the wire exposed portions 51a exposed at the front of the longitudinal direction X It is formed longer than the exposed length of X.

  Further, the crimping portion 30 includes a coated crimping cylindrical portion 30a for crimping the insulating coating 50 shown in FIG. 1 and an electrical wire crimping tubular portion 30b for crimping the exposed wire portion 51a of the aluminum core wire 51 disposed in front of the crimped crimping portion 30a. I have. Further, a sealing portion 30c is formed further forward of the wire crimping tubular portion 30b. The sealing portion 30c is deformed so as to crush the front end portion into a substantially flat plate shape, and is formed by welding in the width direction Y as shown in FIG. Furthermore, between the electric wire crimping cylindrical sealing part 30b and the sealing part 30c, an inclined part 30d is formed which becomes lower toward the front. The crimp terminal 10 is a closed barrel type terminal including a box portion 20 of a hollow quadrangular prism body and a crimp portion 30 that is substantially O-shaped in rear view.

  A covering locking groove 33 a that is a groove in the width direction Y is formed on the inner surface of the coated crimped cylindrical portion 30 a in the crimped portion 30. The covering locking groove 33 a forms an annular groove continuous over the entire circumference of the crimping surface 31. The covering locking groove 33a is formed in such a shape so that the insulating coating 50 bites in the crimped state.

  Also, three wire locking grooves 33b, which are grooves in the width direction Y, are formed on the inner surface of the wire crimping cylindrical portion 30b at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction X. The wire locking groove 33b is configured to have a rectangular cross section, and forms an annular groove that continues to a midway position in the circumferential direction of the crimping surface 31. When the electric wire locking groove 33b has such a shape, the aluminum core wire 51 bites into the electric wire locking groove 33b in a crimped state. Thus, the electrical connection between the crimping part 30 and the aluminum core wire 51 is improved.

  Next, a crimp terminal manufacturing apparatus and method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the crimp terminal manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the crimp terminal manufacturing apparatus M according to this embodiment includes an unwinding roller 1, a press machine 2 as a processing means, which are sequentially arranged from the upstream side in the feed direction on the left side in the drawing, A laser welding machine 3, a laser workability inspection machine 4, and a winding roller 5 are provided. Furthermore, a control system 6 for controlling these operations is provided.

  From the above, in this embodiment, the laser workability inspection machine 4 is not an essential configuration. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the press machine 2 and the laser welder 3 are provided as separate bodies. However, in the present invention, these are integrated, that is, the laser welder 3 is incorporated in the press machine 2. Embodiments are also included.

  The outline of the manufacturing method of the crimp terminal according to the present embodiment will be described. The copper strip C shown in FIG. 4A is pressed by the press machine 2, and the laser welding is performed by the laser welding machine 3. Through the steps, the crimp terminal 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is manufactured. The copper strip C is a metal pre-processing plate material made of a copper alloy strip such as brass whose surface is tin-plated (Sn plated). In addition, as a metal pre-process board | plate material, it can replace with the copper strip C, and can also use the board | plate material and strip material which used metals other than copper, such as a steel plate and an aluminum plate.

  In the pressing step, as shown in FIG. 4B, the copper strip C is punched to form a chain terminal T1 before final pressing. The chain terminal T1 before final press processing includes a plurality of pre-bending crimp terminals Ta to be the crimp terminals 10 after processing, and an upper carrier portion C1 and a lower carrier portion that are connected to the plurality of pre-bending crimp terminals Ta and supported during conveyance. It is constituted by C2. The upper carrier part C1 is a band-shaped holding member disposed on the upper part of the crimp terminal Ta before bending. In addition, the lower carrier part C2 is disposed below the pre-bending crimp terminal Ta serving as a plate material.

Further, in the pressing step, the crimping terminal Ta before bending in the chain terminal T1 before final pressing is subjected to bending, and as shown in FIG. 4C, the barrel portion Tv and the connector portion Tc serving as barrel members are formed. A pre-welding crimp terminal Tb is formed. The barrel portion Tv is a cylinder formed by juxtaposing the side sides of the barrel portion Tv, specifically, a cylinder body in which the side sides are abutted. Then, the end portion on the connector portion Tc side, which is one end side in the longitudinal direction of the barrel portion Tv, is pressed and crushed, and the opening portion on the connector portion Tc side in the barrel portion Tv is closed to form a closed portion. Further, the inclined portion Ts is formed on the connector portion Tc side by crushing the end portion of the barrel portion Tv, and the cylindrical portion remaining without being crushed is defined as a cylindrical portion Tp. Further, the tip portion of the inclined portion Ts becomes the sealing portion Tf. The surface shape of the barrel portion Tv at this time will be described in detail later. Subsequently, in the welding process, the butt interface Td and the sealing portion Tf of the cylindrical portion Tp are welded by the laser welding machine 3. Thus, the crimp terminal 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is manufactured. The position where the abutting portion Td in the barrel portion Tv is disposed is the position where the sides of the cylindrical body are juxtaposed.

  The unwinding roller 1 in the manufacturing apparatus M is a mechanism that unwinds and supplies the copper strip C, which is a workpiece to be processed, wound in a roll shape at a predetermined speed. The unwinding roller 1 takes into account a constant pitch corresponding to the distance L between the crimp terminals Ta before bending shown in FIG. Copper strip C is sent out continuously. However, as will be described later, in the press machine 2, the copper strip C is intermittently conveyed in accordance with the timing of the press work. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, between the unwinding roller 1 and the press machine 2, the copper strip C is given a certain slack.

  The press machine 2 is an apparatus that forms a chain terminal T2 by performing press molding such as punching and bending while intermittently transporting the copper strip C fed from the unwinding roller 1 by a feed mechanism (not shown).

  Specifically, the copper strip C shown in FIG. 4A unrolled from the roll shape is subjected to punching as a primary press, and the chain terminal before final press shown in FIG. 4B. T1 is formed. The upper and lower carrier portions C1 and C2 in the chain terminal T1 before the final press working have a plurality of feed holes H for inserting pins (not shown) at a predetermined pitch in order to perform positioning at the time of conveyance (here, one according to the position of the chain terminal T2). Each).

  Subsequently, a chain terminal T2 shown in FIG. 4C is formed by bending as a secondary press. In this chain terminal T2, the lower carrier part C2 is cut and removed from the pre-weld crimping terminal Tb and has only the upper carrier part C1. Further, the barrel portion Tv and the connector portion Tc are formed into a cylindrical shape and a box shape by bending as shown in FIG. In this state, a butt interface Td formed in a cylindrical bent portion is formed in the barrel portion Tv.

  The laser welding machine 3 is an apparatus that joins the butt interface Td formed by bending at the chain terminal T2 and the sealing portion Tf by laser welding to form the crimping portion 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in a sealed structure. is there. The configuration of the laser welder 3 and the method of laser welding by the laser welder 3 will be described in detail later.

  The laser workability inspection machine 4 is an apparatus for inspecting the workability of the laser-welded crimp terminal 10. Specifically, with respect to the welding condition at the butt interface Td laser-welded by the laser welding machine 3, it is determined by an imaging means such as a CCD camera whether the displacement amount in the axial direction of the welding position and the bead width are within an allowable range. To do.

  The winding roller 5 is a mechanism for winding the chain terminal T2 at the same speed as the unwinding roller 1. In the winding roller 5 as well as the unwinding roller 1, in the laser welding machine 3 or the laser workability inspection machine 4 in the previous process, the chain terminal T2 is intermittently synchronized with the timing of laser processing or inspection processing. As shown in FIG. 3, between the take-up roller 5 and the laser workability inspection machine 4, the chain terminal T is given a certain slack so that the conveyance timing between the intermittent conveyance and the continuous conveyance is as shown in FIG. I try to absorb the differences.

  Note that, as described above, for convenience of explanation, an example in which the laser welding device 3 and the laser workability inspection machine 4 are separately configured as separate devices is shown. It is also possible to incorporate the function of the machine 4.

  The control system 6 is mainly configured to control the operation of the laser welding machine 3 in order to perform press molding in the press machine 2 and laser processing in the laser welding machine 3 as a series of steps.

  Next, the configuration of the laser welder 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a front view showing an outline of the laser welding machine, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the clamp device. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the laser welding machine 3 includes a laser light source 61 that is a laser irradiation unit, a laser irradiation optical device 62, a feeding device 63, and a clamping device 64.

  The laser light source 61 emits fiber laser light having a wavelength of about 1.08 μm. Since the fiber laser has excellent beam quality and high condensing property, it is possible to realize laser welding having a higher energy density in the processing region than a conventional laser. For this reason, it is possible to process the material at high speed, and there is little thermal influence, and deep penetration welding with a high aspect ratio is possible. Therefore, while suppressing the strength reduction and deformation of the pre-welded crimp terminal Tb, the butt interface Td Can be appropriately sealed. The fiber laser may be irradiated by continuous oscillation, pulse oscillation, QCW oscillation, or pulse-controlled continuous oscillation. The fiber laser may be a single mode or multimode fiber laser.

  In the present invention, a laser beam such as a YAG laser, a semiconductor laser, and a disk laser, and an electron beam may be used instead of the fiber laser welding.

  The laser irradiation optical device 62 is an optical system for guiding the laser beam output from the laser light source 61 to the welding position P. The laser irradiation optical device 62 includes a galvano scanner 62B and a condenser lens 62C.

  The galvano scanner 62B is a so-called 3D galvano scanner, in which the laser light from the laser light source 61 is sequentially reflected by two mirrors 62X and 62Y whose angles are controlled in synchronization with each other around axes orthogonal to each other. By passing the Z-axis focus system 62Z controlled in synchronism, the laser beam LB is swept onto the butt interface Td of the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb stopped at the welding position P. The galvano scanner 62B is driven and controlled by a galvano control system 62D. The irradiation position of the laser beam LB in the horizontal plane can be adjusted by controlling the angles of the mirrors 62X and 62Y, and the sweep speed of the laser beam LB can be adjusted by controlling the rotation speed of the mirrors 62X and 62Y. . Further, the irradiation position in the vertical direction Z can be adjusted by controlling the Z-axis focus system 62Z. The galvano scanner 62 constitutes a laser irradiation position moving means.

  The condensing lens 62C is an optical coupling device that condenses the laser light from the galvano scanner 62B at the position of the butt interface Td of the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb. As the condenser lens 62C, a telecentric lens or an fθ lens is used.

  The feeding device 63 is a device that sequentially supplies the pre-welding crimp terminals Tb to the welding position P by intermittently feeding the chain terminals T2 at a constant pitch corresponding to the interval L where the pre-welding crimp terminals Tb are arranged. is there. The feeding device 63 includes an upstream roller 63A that is disposed upstream of the welding position P and feeds the chain terminal T2, and a downstream roller 63B that is disposed downstream of the welding position P and pulls the chain terminal T2. Yes.

  The upstream roller 63A includes a feed roller 63C that contacts the lower surface of the upper carrier portion C1 in the chain terminal T2, and a pressing roller 63D that contacts the upper surface. Further, the downstream roller 63B includes a tension roller 63E that contacts the lower surface of the upper carrier portion C1 in the chain terminal T2, and a pressing roller 63F that contacts the upper surface. Among these, the feed roller 63C and the tension roller 63E are rotationally driven at a predetermined speed by a rotational drive mechanism (not shown). Feeding claws 63G project from the outer peripheral surfaces of the feeding roller 63C and the pulling roller 63E at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  The feed claw 63G engages with the feed hole H of the upper carrier part C1. Each time the feed roller 63C and the pulling roller 63E rotate by a certain angle in the same direction, the feed claw 63F engaged with the feed hole H of the upper carrier portion C1 aligns the chain terminal T2 with the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb. Move by an interval L. Here, the rotation direction of the feed roller 63C and the tension roller 63E when the chain terminal T2 moves downstream is referred to as a normal rotation direction, and the feed roller 63C and the tension roller 63E when the chain terminal T2 moves upstream. The direction of rotation is called the reverse direction. The feed positioning mechanism including the feed roller 63E and the tension roller 63E serves as a feed device, which intersects with the longitudinal direction of the barrel portion Tv in the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb, and in this case, the chain terminal T2, the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb, and the weld. The rear crimp terminal Tb-0 is conveyed.

The clamp device 64 is a device that eliminates the gap at the butt interface Td of the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb supplied to the welding position P. The clamp device 64 includes an upper clamp jig 64A and a lower clamp jig 64B, and sandwiches the barrel portion Tv of the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb from above and below with both clamp jigs 64A and 64B. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), (b) , clamp jig 64A, the 64B, semi-cylindrical recess 64a made in a cylindrical shape when the butt both mutually, 64b are formed. By sandwiching the barrel portion Tv of the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb from above and below by both the clamp jigs 64A and 64B, the barrel portion Tv is pressed over the entire circumference by both the concave portions 64a and 64b. Even when a gap is generated at the butt interface Td of the barrel portion Tv, the butt interface Td is forcibly pressed and the gap is eliminated. A slit 64c is formed in the upper clamp jig 64A so as not to obstruct the irradiation of the laser beam LB to the butt interface Td.

  Next, the manufacturing procedure of the crimp terminal according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a process diagram for explaining the main part of the manufacturing process of the crimp terminal.

  When manufacturing the crimp terminal, first, the chain terminal T2 shown in FIG. 4 (c) is manufactured by pressing with the press machine 2 shown in FIG. Subsequently, laser welding is performed by the laser welding machine 3. When performing laser welding, the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb to be processed in the chain terminal T2 is transported to the laser processing position. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the post-welding crimp terminal Tb-0 located on the downstream side of the welding position is in a state where laser welding has been completed.

  In the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb to be processed, welding in the longitudinal direction X of the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb and welding in the width direction Y are performed as shown in FIG. Now, in the feeder 63, the crimp terminal Tb before welding is conveyed in the width direction Y of the crimp terminal Tb before welding. Welding in the width direction Y can be performed by moving the laser irradiation position by the galvano scanner 62B in the laser welding machine 3, or the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb is moved using the feeding device 63 while the laser irradiation position is fixed. It can also be done.

  After welding in the width direction Y, welding in the longitudinal direction X is performed. When performing welding in the longitudinal direction X, the galvano scanner 62B is such that the irradiation position of the laser beam is the end position of the butt interface Td in the barrel portion Tv located in the center in the width direction of the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb. Adjust. When the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb is moved using the feeder 63 while the laser irradiation position is fixed, the position of the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb is also adjusted. The center position in the width direction of the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb is a position corresponding to the butt interface Td of the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb.

  Next, the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb is clamped by the clamp device 64. Subsequently, the laser irradiation position is moved by the galvano scanner 62B, and the butt interface Td in the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb is welded.

  Here, the butt interface Td in the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb-1 is formed in the sealing part Tf, the inclined part Ts, and the cylindrical part Tp in the barrel part Tv of the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb1. Among these, in the sealing portion Tf and the cylindrical portion Tp, the irradiation position can be adjusted and the laser beam can be swept by the mirrors 62X and 62Y in the galvano scanner 62B. Further, at the connecting portion between the inclined portion Ts and the sealing portion Tf, the inclined portion Ts and the cylindrical portion Tp, or the inclined portion Ts, the laser beam is adjusted by adjusting the irradiation position using the Z-axis focus system 62Z together with the mirrors 62X and 62Y. Perform a sweep. The welding of the butt interface Td will be further described later.

  After the butt interface Td is welded, the clamp of the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb-1 by the clamp device 64 is released, and the chain terminal T2 is conveyed to weld the pre-weld crimp terminal Tb-2. Thereafter, by the same procedure, the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb in the chain terminal T2 is sequentially laser welded to form the crimp terminal 10. Thus, the manufacture of the crimp terminal 10 is completed.

  Next, the welding of the butt interface Td of the barrel portion Tv will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the barrel portion Tv of the pre-welding crimp terminal Tb where the butt interface Td is welded includes a sealing portion Tf, an inclined portion Ts, and a cylindrical portion Tp. The welding of the butt interface Td is performed while adjusting the irradiation position of the laser beam by the laser light source moving mechanism 62.

The surface shape when the barrel portion Tv is viewed from the side (hereinafter also simply referred to as “surface shape”) is a substantially horizontal linear shape in the sealing portion Tf and the cylindrical portion Tp, as shown in FIG. The inclined portion Ts has a linear shape having an inclination. The lower connecting portion Tj and the inclined portion and the inclined portion Ts and the cylindrical body portion Tp and the upper connecting portion partial Tu the curve shape is a connecting portion of a connecting portion between the sealing portion Tf and the inclined portion Ts (R shape) It is.

  When welding the butt interface Td of the barrel portion Tv, it is ideal to control the irradiation position so that the irradiation position of the laser beam moves along a locus that matches the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv. For this reason, when the barrel portion Tv has a step such as the inclined portion Ts, it is ideal to perform the sweep while moving the irradiation position along a locus along the step shape. However, when performing the sweep while adjusting the irradiation position in the three-dimensional direction, it is difficult to make the irradiation position follow the step shape. In particular, when a galvano scanner 62B, which is a so-called 3D galvano scanner, is used, it is very difficult to control the irradiation position to draw a movement locus with an R shape.

  Therefore, in order to enable the movement locus of the irradiation position to move along the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv in the barrel portion Tv having a step, as shown in FIG. It is conceivable that the connection positions with Ts and the connection portions between the inclined portions Ts and the cylindrical body portions Tp are all corner portions and the entire surface shape of the barrel portion Tv is linear. However, in the press machine 2, it is difficult to make the entire surface shape of the barrel portion Tv linear.

  On the other hand, when performing laser welding, if the gap between the movement locus of the laser beam irradiation position (hereinafter referred to as “laser locus”) and the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv is out of the focal depth of the laser, depending on the welding location, A phenomenon that differs from quality occurs. In other words, when the gap between the laser trajectory and the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv is within the focal depth of the laser, the appearance and quality are approximately the same. In the present embodiment, focusing on this point, the laser trajectory is simplified within a range in which the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv can be accommodated within the focal depth. Hereinafter, an example in which both the lower connection portion Tj and the upper connection portion Tu have an R shape and an example in which the lower connection portion Tj has an angular shape and both the upper connection portions Tu have an R shape will be described.

[Example in which both the lower connection portion Tj and the upper connection portion Tu are R-shaped]
Now, the focal depth b of the laser beam shown in FIG. 9 is obtained by the following equation (1). Further, the spot diameter d of the laser beam is obtained by the following equation (2).
b = πd ² / (2M ² λ) (1)
d = 4λfM ² / (πD) (2)
In the above formulas (1) and (2),
D: incident beam diameter f: lens focal length λ: laser wavelength M ² : Msquare value

Substituting the above equation (2) into the above equation (1) yields the following equation (3).
b = 8λf ² M ² / πD ² (3)

  A gap between the laser locus centering on the focal depth and the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, a gap between the laser locus LL and the surface shape VL of the barrel portion Tv is defined as a gap G. In this case, the angle formed by the sealing portion Tf and the inclined portion Ts in the lower connection portion Tj in the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv is the lower angle θ (> 0), and the curvatures of the upper connection portion Tu and the lower connection portion Tj are the same. Assume that Under this assumption, assuming that the coordinates of the center of curvature of the upper connecting portion Tu are the origin coordinates (0, 0), the coordinates of each point of the laser locus LL and the surface shape VL of the barrel portion Tv are as shown in FIG. .

Now, the maximum value of the gap G is the difference of the y coordinate at the point where the x coordinate is −r tan (θ / 2), and is represented by (r−y). Here, r is the radius of the curvature circle at the upper connection portion Tu. Since the equation of the circle is expressed by the equation (4), the following equation (5) can be obtained from the maximum value (ry) of the gap G and the equation (4).
x ² + y ² = r ² (4)
(−rtan (θ / 2)) ² + y ² = r ² (5)

In the equation (5), when y is solved, the following equation (6) can be obtained. From this equation (6), the gap G can be expressed by the following (7).
y = r {1-tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 (6)
G = r−r {1−tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2
= R [1-r {1-tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 ] (7)

From the above equations (3) and (7) thus determined, the range in which the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv falls within the focal depth b of the laser beam with the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv as the y coordinate is expressed by the following equation (8): Can be expressed as In the example in which both the lower connection portion Tj and the upper connection portion Tu are R-shaped, the convex direction is different between the lower connection portion Tj and the upper connection portion Tu. / 2.
r [1-r {1-tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 ] ≦ 4λf ² M ² / πD ² (8)

  By pressing the terminal element Tb so that the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv satisfies the above expression (8), it is possible to prevent deterioration in welding quality when performing laser welding.

[Example in which the lower connecting portion Tj is square and both the upper connecting portions Tu are R-shaped]
For the barrel portion Tv, as shown in FIG. 11, it is relatively easy to press the lower connection portion Tj and the upper connection portion Tu so that the lower connection portion Tj has a square shape and the upper connection portion Tu has an R shape. It can be carried out. For this reason, on the premise of such a shape, the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv is processed so as to be within the focal depth b of the laser beam.

In the example in which both the lower connection portion Tj and the upper connection portion Tu are R-shaped, the convex directions are different between the lower connection portion Tj and the upper connection portion Tu. For this reason, in order to keep the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv within the depth of focus b, the right side of the equation (8) is set to half the focal depth b (b / 2). In this regard, when the lower connection portion Tj has a rectangular shape and both the upper connection portions Tu have an R shape, it is not necessary to consider the curvature of the lower connection portion Tj. Therefore, the range in which the surface shape of the barrel portion Tv falls within the focal depth b of the laser beam can be expressed by the following equation (9) with the right side of the above equation (8) as the focal depth b.
r [1-r {1-tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 ] ≦ 8λf ² M ² / πD ² (9)

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the inclined portion Ts and the cylindrical portion Tp are welded after the sealing portion Tf of the crimp terminal Tb before welding is welded. In contrast, the sealing portion Tf can be welded after the inclined portion Ts and the cylindrical portion Tp are welded. In short, when welding in the longitudinal direction X and the width direction Y, the welding in the longitudinal direction X may be performed first, followed by the welding in the width direction Y. Conversely, the welding in the width direction Y is performed first. Later, welding in the longitudinal direction X may be performed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although comprised with the crimp terminal 10 comprised by the box part 20 and the crimping | compression-bonding part 30 as mentioned above, if it is a crimp terminal having the crimping part 30, the box part 20 in the above-mentioned crimping terminal 10 will be mentioned. It may be a male crimp terminal composed of an insertion tab inserted into and connected to the crimp part 30, or a crimp terminal composed of only the crimp part 30 for bundling and connecting a plurality of aluminum core wires 51. Good.

  Furthermore, although the crimp terminal 10 is comprised by the copper alloy, it can also be comprised by other metals, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the aspect which juxtaposes side parts mutually is set as butt | matching, it is not restricted to butt | matching, For example, it can also be set as an overlap. In this case, lap welding is performed instead of butt welding.

  On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, the laser irradiation unit that irradiates the laser light supplied from the laser light source 61 from the galvano scanner 62B is used, but other laser irradiation units may be used. A laser processing head attached to a laser processing head moving mechanism or the like can also be used. In this case, the laser irradiation is moved by moving the laser processing head.

  In the above embodiment, a so-called 3D galvano scanner is used as the galvano scanner 62B. However, as the galvano scanner, a so-called 2D galvano scanner that is not provided with a laser irradiation position adjustment mechanism in the vertical direction Z may be used. it can. In this case, an elevating mechanism for moving the pre-welding processing terminal Tb-0 in the vertical direction Z can be used.

Furthermore, this invention is applicable also to electric wires made from metals other than aluminum, such as a copper electric wire which needs waterproofing and a water stop process. Further, the electric wire diameter is not limited to 0.75 mm ² , and it is possible to cope with electric wire diameters smaller than that. Further, the surface plating of the material may be metal plating other than Sn, or may be subjected to base plating. Further, there may be no locking groove or a plurality of locking grooves. The locking groove has a concave (groove) shape, but a convex protrusion can be formed instead of the concave locking groove. The cross-sectional shape of these locking grooves and protrusions can be a rhombus, a parallelogram, a triangle, a round shape, or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Unwinding roller 2 ... Press machine 3 ... Laser welding machine 4 ... Laser workability inspection machine 5 ... Winding roller 6 ... Control system 10 ... Crimp terminal 20 ... Box part 21 ... Elastic contact piece 22 ... Bottom face part 23 ... Side face Part 30 ... Crimping part 30a ... Cover crimping cylindrical part 30b ... Electric wire crimping cylindrical part 30c ... Sealing part 30d ... Inclined part 31 ... Crimping surface 32 ... Barrel component piece 32a ... End 33a ... Covering locking groove 33b ... Electric wire locking groove 40 ... connecting portion 41 ... back side inclined portion 50 ... covered electric wire 50a ... covered tip 51 ... aluminum core wire 51a ... electric wire exposed portion 52 ... insulating coating 61 ... laser light source 62 ... laser irradiation optical device 62B ... galvano scanner 62C ... Condensing lenses 62X, 62Y ... Mirror 62Z ... Z-axis focusing system 63 ... Feeder 63A ... Upstream roller 63B ... Downstream roller 63C ... Feed roller 63D ... Pressing low 63E ... Tension roller 63F ... Pressing roller 63G ... Feeding claw 64 ... Clamping device 64A ... Upper clamp jig 64B ... Lower clamp jig 64a, 64b ... Recess C ... Copper strip C1 ... Upper carrier part C2 ... Lower carrier part T1 ... Final Pre-press chain terminal T2 ... chain terminal Ta ... pre-bending crimp terminal Tb ... pre-weld crimp terminal Tb-0, Tb-1 ... pre-weld crimp terminal Tv ... barrel part Tc ... connector part Ts ... inclined part Tp ... crimp cylinder Body part Tf ... Sealing part Td ... Butt interface LB ... Laser beam M ... Manufacturing apparatus H ... Feed hole P ... Welding position X ... Width direction Y ... Longitudinal direction Z ... Vertical direction

Claims (3)

A method of manufacturing a crimp terminal including a crimp portion that allows crimp connection to a conductor portion of a covered electric wire,
By joining the opening of the one longitudinal end to form a seal that seals the metal cylindrical body which is formed by juxtaposing each other sides to each other in the plate material, wherein the cylindrical portion of the cylindrical body is formed by forming an inclined portion between the sealing portion, provided with a barrel member including said cylindrical body portion and the inclined portion and the sealing portion,
While moving the irradiation position of the laser beam by the laser irradiation means linearly along the surface shape of the barrel member, the laser irradiation means irradiates the position where the sides of the cylindrical body are juxtaposed with each other. , Welding the side of the barrel member,
The upper connection part between the inclined part and the cylindrical part on the side of the barrel member has a curved shape,
The surface shape of the upper connecting portion on the side-edge of said barrel member, and the movement of the laser irradiation position the surface shape of the lower connecting portion, by the laser irradiation means during welding between said sealing portion and the inclined portion A method of manufacturing a crimp terminal, wherein a locus is processed into a shape included within a depth of focus of the laser irradiation means with respect to a locus. The method for manufacturing a crimp terminal according to claim 1, wherein both the lower connection portion and the upper connection portion have an R shape, and a surface shape of the barrel portion satisfies the formula (8).
r [1-r {1-tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 ] ≦ 4λf ² M ² / πD ² (8)
However,
r: Radius of the curvature circle in the upper connection portion θ: Angle formed by the sealing portion and the inclined portion λ: Laser wavelength f: Lens focal length M ² : Em square value D: Incident beam diameter The method for manufacturing a crimp terminal according to claim 1, wherein the lower connection portion has a square shape, the upper connection portion has an R shape, and the surface shape of the barrel portion satisfies the formula (9).
r [1-r {1-tan ² (θ / 2)} ^1/2 ] ≦ 8λf ² M ² / πD ² (9)
However,
r: Radius of the curvature circle in the upper connection portion θ: Angle formed by the sealing portion and the inclined portion λ: Laser wavelength f: Lens focal length M ² : Em square value D: Incident beam diameter