JP6429432B2 - Manufacturing method of terminal and electric wire with terminal - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a terminal to which a covered electric wire can be attached and which can be connected to another terminal.

  The wire harness is routed in the body of an automobile, and is used for supplying power to various electric devices included in the automobile, communicating control signals between the electric devices, and the like. The wire harness includes a plurality of bundled covered electric wires and terminals connected to the covered electric wires.

  When using a crimp terminal, in order to prevent the conductor portion from corroding, it is necessary to prevent water from entering the gap between the crimp terminals and water from the boundary portion between the covered electric wire and the crimp terminal. In particular, when different metals are used for the crimp terminal and the conductor portion, it is necessary to reliably prevent water immersion in order not to cause electrolytic corrosion. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose this type of technology.

  In Patent Literature 1, when the conductor portion of the covered electric wire is crimped to the crimp terminal, the conductor portion is exposed at a plurality of locations. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for waterproofing by covering the exposed portions of the plurality of electric wires together with a mold resin. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for waterproofing by applying a resin so as to cover only an exposed portion of a conductor portion.

JP 2001-162647 A JP 2010-108828 A

  However, the techniques shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 require the cost of the resin itself, the cost of the equipment for applying the resin, the cost of the operation of applying the resin, etc. in order to exert the waterproof function. is there.

  In particular, since the cost of the resin itself and the cost of the operation of applying the resin are running costs, it is preferable to reduce the cost when the same parts such as terminals are manufactured in large quantities.

  Therefore, a terminal capable of exhibiting a waterproof function at low cost has been desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main purpose is a terminal that can be attached to a covered electric wire and can be connected to other terminals, and suppresses an increase in cost. However, it is providing the structure which can exhibit a waterproof function.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

According to the 1st viewpoint of this invention, the terminal of the following structures is provided. That is, this terminal includes an electric wire connection portion and a terminal connection portion. The electric wire connection portion is formed with a hollow portion, and is connected by crimping so that the conductor portion and the covering portion of the covered electric wire are collectively covered inside the hollow portion. The terminal connection part is connected to the wire connection part and is connected to another terminal. The wire connection part is an end face parallel to the thickness direction of the plate material, and the hollow shape is formed by welding end surfaces arranged so as to be parallel to each other when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-like plate material. portion is formed, said hollow portion outer surface with the inner surface rather than of, which is thinned by the Turkey be changed stepwise in the thickness direction, the thickness of the welded portion in the end face of the plate The thinnest.

Thereby, since the area of a junction part can be made small, the energy (for example, laser irradiation time) required for joining can be reduced. Moreover, waterproofness can be exhibited by joining plate materials. Moreover, since it is not necessary to overlap and join plate materials, the energy required for joining can be reduced further. Moreover, since the plate | board thickness of an end surface is the thinnest in the said board | plate material, the energy required for joining can be reduced effectively.

According to the 2nd viewpoint of this invention, the terminal of the following structures is provided. That is, this terminal includes an electric wire connection portion and a terminal connection portion. The electric wire connection portion is formed with a hollow portion, and is connected by crimping so that the conductor portion and the covering portion of the covered electric wire are collectively covered inside the hollow portion. The terminal connection part is connected to the wire connection part and is connected to another terminal. The wire connection part is an end face parallel to the thickness direction of the plate material, and the hollow shape is formed by welding end surfaces arranged so as to be parallel to each other when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-like plate material. parts and is formed, said hollow portion outer surface with the inner surface rather than of, which is thinned by the Turkey be continuously changed in the thickness direction as approaching from the central portion to the end face, welded at the end face The plate thickness of the portion is the thinnest among the plate materials.

  Thereby, since an unevenness | corrugation does not arise in the inner surface of an electric wire connection part, a covered electric wire can be crimped | bonded by a uniform force.

  In the terminal, it is preferable that one end of the electric wire connecting portion is an insertion port for the covered electric wire and the other end is sealed.

  Thereby, since the said other end side of the electric wire connection part is sealed, high waterproofness is realizable.

According to the 3rd viewpoint of this invention, the manufacturing method of the following electric wires with a terminal is provided. That is, this method is a method of manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal by inserting and connecting a covered electric wire having a conductor portion and a covering portion to a terminal, and includes a forming step, a welding step, an inserting step, and a connecting step. ,including. In the forming step, the wire connecting portion is formed by deforming the plate material. In the welding step, the end surfaces of the wire connecting portions formed in the forming step are welded together. In the inserting step, the covered electric wire is inserted into the hollow portion of the electric wire connecting portion so that the conductor portion and the covering portion of the covered electric wire are covered together. In the connection step, the wire connection portion is compressed and the covered wire and the wire connection portion are crimped to bring the covered portion of the covered wire inserted in the insertion step into close contact with the wire connection portion. The conductor portion of the covered electric wire is connected to the electric wire connection portion.

Thereby, since the area of a junction part can be made small, the energy (for example, laser irradiation time) required for joining can be reduced. Moreover, waterproofness can be exhibited by joining plate materials. Moreover, since it is not necessary to overlap and join plate materials, the energy required for joining can be reduced further. Moreover, since the plate | board thickness of an end surface is the thinnest in the said board | plate material, the energy required for joining can be reduced effectively.

  In the manufacturing method of the said electric wire with a terminal, it is preferable to make the plate | board thickness of an edge part comparatively thin by pressing the said board | plate material at the said formation process.

  Thereby, the plate | board thickness of a junction part can be made thin by easy process.

  In the manufacturing method of the electric wire with terminal, in the connecting step, the conductor portion is connected to the electric wire connecting portion using any one of crimping, ultrasonic welding, resistance welding, soldering, and laser welding. Is preferred.

  Thereby, electrical connection with a conductor part and an electric wire connection part can be performed appropriately according to various conditions.

The disassembled perspective view and external appearance perspective view which show the structure of the electric wire with a terminal which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The expanded view of a crimp terminal, and sectional drawing of an electric wire connection part. The figure which shows the process of shape | molding an electric wire connection part. Side surface sectional drawing explaining the process of inserting a covered electric wire in a crimp terminal. Side surface sectional drawing explaining the process of performing a crimping and connecting a crimp terminal and a covered electric wire. The cross-sectional perspective view and side surface sectional drawing of the crimp terminal which concern on a modification.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view and an external perspective view showing a configuration of an electric wire with a terminal. FIG. 2 is a developed view of the crimp terminal and a cross-sectional view of the electric wire connecting portion. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process of forming the wire connection portion.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electric wire with terminal 1 includes a crimp terminal (terminal) 10 and a covered electric wire 50.

  The covered electric wire 50 includes a conductor part 51 and a covering part 52. The conductor 51 is a bundle of a plurality of aluminum strands. Note that the conductor portion 51 may be made of a material other than aluminum (for example, copper) as long as it is a conductor. The covering portion 52 is made of an insulating material such as resin, and is arranged so as to cover the periphery of the conductor portion 51.

  The crimp terminal 10 is a female terminal made of brass or the like whose surface is plated with tin (Sn). In addition, if the crimp terminal 10 is a conductor, you may be comprised from raw materials (for example, aluminum) other than copper. The crimp terminal 10 can be electrically connected to the conductor portion 51 of the covered electric wire 50 and can also be electrically connected to a male terminal (not shown). Other electric wires and electric devices are connected to the male terminal, and thereby electric power or electric signals can be supplied to the electric devices.

  In the following description, as shown in FIG. 1B, the side connected to the male terminal (other terminal, counterpart terminal) is referred to as the tip side, and the side opposite to the insertion direction of the covered electric wire 50 is defined as the base side. It is called the end side.

  Hereinafter, the crimp terminal 10 will be described in detail. The crimp terminal 10 is formed by performing bending, welding, or the like on a punched metal plate (plate material, see FIG. 2A). As shown in FIG. 1, the crimp terminal 10 includes a box part (terminal connection part) 20, an electric wire connection part 30, and a transition part 40.

  The box portion 20 is a portion formed by bending a metal plate indicated by reference numeral 20 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A described later, the box portion 20 is formed with an elastic contact piece 21 by bending the bottom surface portion 22 which is one surface of the box portion 20 inward.

  The elastic contact piece 21 is formed on the distal end side of the box portion 20. The elastic contact piece 21 is configured to be elastically deformable in a direction away from and approaching the bottom surface portion 22. By inserting a male terminal (not shown) into the box portion 20, the elastic contact piece 21 pushed by the male terminal is deformed so as to approach the bottom surface portion 22. And if a male terminal is inserted to the back, a deformation | transformation of the elastic contact piece 21 will return. Thereby, the box part 20 and the male terminal are electrically and mechanically connected.

  The wire connection part 30 is connected to the base end side of the box part 20 via the transition part 40. The electric wire connection part 30 is cylindrical (hollow shape), and the edge part of the base end side of the electric wire connection part 30 is open | released so that the covered electric wire 50 can be inserted (opening part 31). Moreover, the edge part of the front end side of the electric wire connection part 30 is sealed for waterproofing (sealing part 32).

  Here, the process of forming the wire connecting portion 30 will be described. First, the part corresponding to the electric wire connection part 30 among metal plates is demonstrated. As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), this portion is configured such that the plate thickness is not constant and gradually decreases from the central portion of the metal plate toward the end portion. Yes. Therefore, the metal plate which comprises the electric wire connection part 30 has the thinnest plate | board thickness. In addition, since this metal plate is the structure from which plate | board thickness changes gradually, the level | step difference is not formed.

  In this way, the metal plate whose thickness gradually changes can be obtained, for example, by performing a pressing process so that the central portion is not pressed so much against a flat metal plate (so that the end is mainly pressed). Can do. In addition, the processing method of a metal plate is arbitrary and can employ | adopt an appropriate method. Moreover, the metal plate of such a shape can also be purchased and utilized.

  Next, an example of the process which shape | molds the electric wire connection part 30 is demonstrated. When forming the electric wire connection portion 30, first, the metal plates are bent into a circular shape and the end faces are matched. And a cylindrical member is formed by welding to the location shown by the welding location A in Fig.3 (a). Although the method of welding is arbitrary, for example, welding can be performed with a fiber laser.

  In this embodiment, since the thickness of the end faces is the thinnest, the laser output can be suppressed or the laser irradiation time can be shortened by welding the end faces together. That is, it is possible to reduce the processing cost while suppressing the consumption of energy required for welding.

  In the present embodiment, the end surfaces are matched with each other, but it is also possible to create a cylindrical member by overlapping a part of the metal plate. However, if the metal plates are stacked, the thickness increases accordingly, so that the energy required for welding increases.

  Next, after compressing and crushing the distal end side of the cylindrical member, the end portion on the distal end side of the wire connecting portion 30 is sealed by performing welding at a location indicated by a weld location B in FIG. Thus, the sealing portion 32 is formed.

  Here, it can be expressed that the welding location A is formed in parallel with the insertion direction of the covered electric wire 50 (the axial direction of the cylindrical portion). Moreover, the welding location B can be expressed as being formed perpendicular to the insertion direction of the covered electric wire.

  In addition, the method of forming the wire connection portion 30 is not limited to the above, for example, while initially forming a cylindrical portion by bending a metal plate (do not perform welding at this stage), further crush the end portion on the tip side, Then, welding may be performed collectively. In this case, since the number of man-hours can be reduced, the cost can be reduced. Further, the welding location may not be on the upper surface side (upper side in FIG. 1), but may be on the bottom surface side (lower side in FIG. 1).

  The electric wire connection part 30 is completed by performing the above process. By performing welding on the welding location A as described above, water from the surface of the wire connection portion 30 can be prevented. Moreover, the welding part B is welded as described above to form the sealing portion 32, thereby preventing water from entering between the wire connection portion 30 and the box portion 20. In addition, the method of preventing the flooding from the open part 31 (the flooding from the path | route which passes along the covered electric wire 50) is mentioned later.

  Next, with reference to FIG.4 and FIG.5, the method to manufacture the electric wire 1 with a terminal is demonstrated. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a process of inserting the covered electric wire 50 into the crimp terminal 10. FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining a process of connecting the crimp terminal 10 and the covered electric wire 50 by crimping.

  First, the crimp terminal 10 is formed by performing the above-described processing or the like on the metal plate. Next, the operator inserts the covered electric wire 50 into the electric wire connecting portion 30 (see FIG. 4A). FIG. 4B shows a state after the covered electric wire 50 is inserted.

  Next, the operator operates the crimping tool composed of the first crimping die 71 and the second crimping die 72 to crimp the wire connecting part 30 so as to sandwich the crimping tool (FIG. 5A). reference). Since the first crimping die 71 has a step, not only the conductor part 51 but also the covering part 52 can be strongly crimped. Furthermore, since the inner wall surface of the wire connecting portion 30 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the plate thickness gradually changes, the conductor portion 51 and the covering portion 52 can be uniformly crimped. FIG. 5B shows a state after the covered electric wire 50 is crimped.

  Thereby, the crimping | compression-bonding of the conductor part 51 and the electric wire connection part 30 can electrically connect the covered electric wire 50 and the electric wire connection part 30 (crimp terminal 10). Moreover, the crimping | bonding of the coating | coated part 52 and the electric wire connection part 30 can prevent the flooding from the path | route which carries the covered electric wire 50.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the conductor part 51 is comprised with aluminum and the crimp terminal 10 is comprised with copper. As described above, when different metals are used for the electric wire connection portion 30 and the conductor portion 51, high waterproof performance is required in order not to cause electrolytic corrosion. In this regard, in the present embodiment, as described above, the welded portions A and B prevent water from entering from the surface of the crimp terminal 10, and also prevent the water from entering the route passing through the covered electric wire 50 by compressing the covering 52. doing. Thus, the structure of this embodiment which waterproofs can reduce cost significantly compared with the structure which block | closes the clearance gap between the electric wire connection part 30 and the box part 20 with a mold resin etc. FIG. In particular, in this embodiment, since the plate | board thickness of a junction part is thin, cost can be reduced further.

  Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional perspective view and a side sectional view of a crimp terminal 10 according to a modification.

  In the above, no grooves or protrusions are formed on the inner wall surface of the wire connection portion 30. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 6, the inner wall surface 33 of the electric wire connecting portion 30 of the modified example is formed with a conduction pressing portion 33 a composed of a plurality of rectangular grooves at a position where the conductor portion 51 is crimped. Yes. Further, a waterproof compression portion 33b made of an arcuate protrusion is formed on the inner wall surface 33 of the wire connection portion 30 at a position where the covering portion 52 is crimped.

  The conduction pressing portion 33a is formed in order to more reliably electrically connect the wire connection portion 30 and the conductor portion 51. That is, when the conductor part 51 is comprised with aluminum, since aluminum has the influence of an oxide film larger than copper, it is possible that electrical conductivity worsens. In this respect, by strongly pressing the conductor portion 51 with the edge of the rectangular groove of the pressing portion 33a for conduction, the oxide film can be broken to ensure conduction. The conduction pressing portion 33a is not limited to a rectangular groove, and may be a groove or a protrusion having another shape.

  The waterproof compression part 33b is formed in order to prevent the water from the opening part 31 more reliably. In order to improve the waterproof performance, it is preferable to compress the covering portion 52 locally to increase the adhesion with the wire connection portion 30. In this respect, in this modification, high waterproof performance can be exhibited by strongly compressing the covering portion 52 with the arc-shaped protrusions of the waterproof compression portion 33b. The waterproof compression portion 33b is not limited to the arc-shaped protrusion, and may be a protrusion or groove having another shape.

  As described above, the crimp terminal 10 includes the wire connection portion 30 and the box portion 20. The wire connection part 30 is formed with a hollow part by joining the ends of the metal plates, and the thickness of the joint part is thinner than the average of the thicknesses of the other parts, The covered electric wire 50 is connected to the inside. The box part 20 is connected with the electric wire connection part 30, and is connected to another terminal.

  Thereby, since the area of a junction part can be made small, the energy (for example, laser irradiation time) required for joining can be reduced. Moreover, waterproofness can be exhibited by joining plate materials.

  Moreover, in said crimp terminal 10, the electric wire connection part 30 puts together the end surfaces parallel to the thickness direction of a metal plate, and is joined.

  Thereby, since it is not necessary to overlap and join metal plates, energy required for joining can be reduced further.

  Moreover, in said crimp terminal 10, as for the electric wire connection part 30, the plate | board thickness of a junction part is the thinnest in a metal plate.

  Thereby, the energy required for joining can be reduced effectively.

  Moreover, in said crimp terminal 10, as for a metal plate, plate | board thickness becomes thin continuously as it approaches the junction part which is an edge part from a center part.

  Thereby, since an unevenness | corrugation does not arise in the inner surface of the electric wire connection part 30, the covered electric wire 50 can be crimped | bonded with a uniform force.

  Moreover, in the crimp terminal 10 of this embodiment, as for the electric wire connection part 30, one end becomes an insertion port of the covered electric wire 50, and the other end is sealed.

  Thereby, since the said other end side of the electric wire connection part 30 is sealed, high waterproofness is realizable.

  The preferred embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, but the above configuration can be modified as follows, for example.

  The welding method and welding location of the crimp terminal 10 may be other than the examples given above. Moreover, the crimp terminal 10 is not restricted to the structure formed from one metal plate. For example, the box part 20 and the electric wire connection part 30 are shape | molded separately, and can also be connected by a suitable connection method (for example, welding).

  The method of connecting the electric wire connection part 30 and the conductor part 51 is not restricted to crimping. For example, ultrasonic welding, resistance welding, soldering, laser welding, or the like can be used.

  The electric wire connecting part 30 is sealed on one side by the sealing part 32, but may have a shape in which both are open.

  The metal plate forming the electric wire connection portion 30 may have a configuration in which the plate thickness changes stepwise. In this case, since the covered electric wire 50 cannot be uniformly crimped as described above, a gap may be generated between the electric wire connecting portion 30 and the covering portion 52, for example, and waterproof performance may not be exhibited. However, when the plate thickness is changed stepwise, it is only necessary to cut the surface of the metal plate, and thus the molding cost of the crimp terminal 10 may be reduced.

  Moreover, the metal plate for forming the electric wire connection part 30 should just be smaller than the average of the plate | board thickness of another part (or whole board | plate material), and does not need to be the thinnest part.

  The crimp terminal 10 can be used as a terminal for connecting single wires (or a single wire and an electric device). Also, a plurality of crimp terminals 10 can be arranged side by side to be a part of the joint connector.

  In the above, the crimp terminal 10 of the female terminal has been described as an example, but the crimp terminal 10 of the present application can also be applied to a male terminal.

  Although the electric wire 1 with a terminal is assumed to be applied to, for example, a wire harness installed in an automobile, it can be used as a part of connectors at various places where waterproofness is required.

1 Electric wire with terminal 10 Crimp terminal (terminal)
20 Box part (terminal connection part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Elastic contact piece 30 Electric wire connection part 31 Opening part 32 Sealing part 33 Inner wall surface 33a Connection pressing part 33b Waterproofing compression part 50 Covered electric wire 51 Conductor part 52 Covering part

Claims (7)

A wire connection part that is connectable by crimping so that a hollow part is formed and the conductor part and the cover part of the covered electric wire are collectively covered inside the hollow part;
A terminal connection portion connected to the wire connection portion and connected to another terminal;
With
The wire connection part is an end face parallel to the thickness direction of the plate material, and the hollow shape is formed by welding end surfaces arranged so as to be parallel to each other when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-like plate material. portion is formed, said hollow portion outer surface with the inner surface rather than of, which is thinned by the Turkey be changed stepwise in the thickness direction, the thickness of the welded portion in the end face of the plate Terminal characterized by being the thinnest among them. A wire connection part that is connectable by crimping so that a hollow part is formed and the conductor part and the cover part of the covered electric wire are collectively covered inside the hollow part;
A terminal connection portion connected to the wire connection portion and connected to another terminal;
With
The wire connection part is an end face parallel to the thickness direction of the plate material, and the hollow shape is formed by welding end surfaces arranged so as to be parallel to each other when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-like plate material. parts and is formed, said hollow portion outer surface with the inner surface rather than of, which is thinned by the Turkey be continuously changed in the thickness direction as approaching from the central portion to the end face, welded at the end face A terminal characterized in that the plate thickness of the portion is the thinnest among the plate materials. The terminal according to claim 1,
One end of the electric wire connecting portion is an insertion port for the covered electric wire, and the other end is sealed. The terminal according to claim 3 , wherein
The other end of the electric wire connecting portion is sealed by being welded with the two overlapping plate members by being compressed and crushed, and the welding is performed on the side where the end surfaces are welded to each other. A terminal formed to include a surface. In the method of manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal by inserting and connecting a covered electric wire having a conductor portion and a covering portion to a terminal,
The terminal is
A hollow portion is formed by welding end faces parallel to the thickness direction of the plate material and arranged to be parallel to each other when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-like plate material. A wire connection;
A terminal connection portion connected to the wire connection portion and connected to another terminal;
With
The wire connecting portion has one end becomes an insertion port of the covered electric wire and the other end is sealed, the hollow portion outer surface with the inner surface rather than of, be changed stepwise in the thickness direction Turkey And is configured such that the thickness of the welded portion at the end face is the thinnest among the plate materials,
A molding step of deforming the plate material to mold the electric wire connecting portion;
A welding step of welding the end surfaces of the wire connection portions formed in the forming step;
An insertion step of inserting the covered electric wire into the hollow portion of the electric wire connecting portion so that the conductor portion and the covering portion of the covered electric wire are covered together;
By compressing the electric wire connection part and crimping the covered electric wire and the electric wire connection part, the covered part of the covered electric wire inserted in the insertion step and the electric wire connection part are brought into close contact with each other. A connecting step of connecting the conductor portion with the wire connecting portion;
The manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal characterized by the above-mentioned. It is a manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal according to claim 5,
In the molding step, the thickness of the end portion is made relatively thin by pressing the plate material. It is a manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal according to claim 5 or 6,
In the welding step, the end faces of the electric wire connecting portion parallel to the thickness direction of the plate member are laser-welded to each other, and the method for manufacturing a terminal-attached electric wire is characterized.

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