JP7226944B2 - Connector and connector manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector in which terminals are accommodated in a connector housing, and a manufacturing method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various connectors have been proposed that include a connector housing having terminal receiving chambers and terminals received in the terminal receiving chambers and to which electric wires are connected (see Patent Document 1). In some connectors having such a configuration, electrical connection between the terminal and the electric wire is performed using the barrel portion of the terminal (see Patent Document 2).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, terminal 100 has a pair of barrel portions 102 extending from both side ends of base portion 101 . At the end of the electric wire W, the core wire 110 is exposed by removing the covering (not shown) of the end. The core wire 110 of the electric wire W is placed on the base portion 101 of the terminal 100, and the pair of barrel portions 102 are crimped to crimp the core wire 110. As shown in FIG. The pair of barrel portions 102 are in a state in which each tip portion 102a bites into the inside of the core wire composed of a large number of strands.

Since the tip portions 102a of the pair of barrel portions 102 bite into the core wire 110 made up of a large number of wires, a wide contact area between the core wire 110 of the electric wire W and the terminal 100 can be ensured. Both the holding force (fixing force between the wire W and the terminal 100) can be ensured.

JP 2010-92642 A JP 2009-245701 A

However, there are cases where the tip portions 102a of the pair of barrel portions 102 are crimped without biting into the inside of the core wire 110 composed of a large number of strands. For example, in a very thin electric wire W such as 0.05 sq, the diameter of the core wire 110 is too small with respect to the plate thickness of the barrel portion 102, and there is a high possibility that the tip portion 102a of the barrel portion 102 will not bite into the inside of the core wire 110. Become.

If the tip portions 102a of the pair of barrel portions 102 do not bite into the core wire 110, a large contact area between the core wire 110 of the wire W and the terminal 100 cannot be ensured. There arises a problem that the fixing force between the wire W and the terminal 100 cannot be ensured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a connector and a method of manufacturing the same that can ensure both high conductivity between wires and terminals and high wire holding force.

The connector of the present invention comprises a terminal housing chamber, a housing body having an opening above the terminal housing chamber, a base portion housed in the terminal housing chamber, and a wire holding portion extending from the base portion. a terminal disposed on the base portion of the terminal, an electric wire in which the core wire exposed by removing the covering portion is held by the electric wire holding portion; and a housing cover having a core wire pressing portion that enters the accommodation chamber and presses the core wire against the base portion of the terminal.

In the method of manufacturing a connector according to the present invention, an electric wire having a core wire exposed by removing a covering portion is placed on the base portion of the terminal from a terminal having a base portion and a wire holding portion extending from the base portion. a wire holding step in which the wire holding portion is plastically deformed by a jig to allow the terminal to hold the core wire; an in-housing terminal arrangement step for arranging the terminals in the terminal accommodating chambers; and assembling the housing cover to the housing body, and the core wire pressing portion of the housing cover enters the terminal accommodating chambers from the upper openings of the terminal accommodating chambers to press the core wires. and a cover assembling step of pressing against the base portion of the terminal.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, both the high electrical continuity between an electric wire and a terminal and the high electric wire holding force can be ensured.

It is a perspective view of a connector and a jig, showing one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a jig is inserted into a housing body, showing an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a perspective view before the electric wire is arranged on the base of the terminal, (b) is a perspective view where the electric wire is arranged on the base of the terminal, and (c) is the electric wire with the core wire. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the device held by the clip portion for the device; 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, before assembling a housing cover to a housing main body; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a housing cover is attached to a housing body; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a side view of a connector, (b) is a front view of a connector. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view along the line AA in FIG. 6 (b), (b) is a cross-sectional view along the BB line in (a), (c) is C in (a). -C line cross-sectional view. It is sectional drawing which shows the conventional example and crimped|bonded the core wire of the electric wire with a pair of barrel part.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A connector and a manufacturing method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. The connector 1 includes a connector housing 2 , terminals 30 housed in the connector housing 2 , and electric wires W connected to the terminals 30 .

For convenience of explanation, the configuration will be explained in the order of the terminal 30, the electric wire W, and the connector 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the terminal 30 includes a box portion 31 into which a mating terminal (not shown) is inserted, a base portion 32 extending rearward from the box portion 31, and left and right sides of the base portion 32. It has two pairs of core wire clip portions 33 and 34 which are extended electric wire holding portions. The two pairs of core wire clip portions 33 and 34 are provided at positions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the terminal 30 . Each pair of core wire clip portions 33 and 34 has an arcuate shape, and wraps around the core wire 20, which has a substantially circular outer shape, by plastic deformation in the direction of bringing the core wire 20 closer to each other, and holds the core wire 20 in contact with the arcuate surface. hold each.

The electric wire W is pulled out from the rear of the connector housing 2 . The electric wire W has a core wire 20 made of a conductive material and a covering portion 21 made of an insulating material covering the outer periphery of the core wire 20. Both the core wire 20 and the covering portion 21 have substantially circular cross-sectional outlines. The core wire 20 is formed by twisting a large number of strands (not numbered). The electric wire W is a very thin electric wire with a core wire 20 having a thickness of 0.05 sq or the like.

The connector housing 2 includes a housing body 3 and a housing cover 13 connected to the housing body 3 via a hinge portion 12 . A mating connector (not shown) is fitted from the front side of the connector housing 2 .

The housing body 3 has a ceiling wall 4, a bottom wall 5, a pair of side walls 6, and a front wall 7, and has a plurality (four in this embodiment) of terminal receiving chambers 8 therein. Each terminal receiving chamber 8 is opened in the front wall 7 . A mating terminal (not shown) is inserted through this opening. The rear of each terminal accommodating chamber 8 is open to the outside. The terminal 30 is inserted into the terminal receiving chamber 8 through this opening. Above all the terminal accommodating chambers 8 , the upstream side in the insertion direction of the terminals 30 is closed by the ceiling wall 4 , and the downstream side in the insertion direction of the terminals 30 is opened to the outside by an opening 9 .

A plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 8 are arranged in the horizontal direction. Each terminal accommodating chamber 8 is partitioned in the left-right direction by a partition wall 10 . The terminal accommodating chambers 8 at both left and right ends are surrounded by side walls 6 , partition walls 10 and bottom walls 5 . Each terminal accommodating chamber 8 in the center from the left and right ends is surrounded by two partition walls 10 and a bottom wall 5 . Each terminal receiving chamber 8 is provided with a terminal locking lance (not shown). Further, locking projections 11 are provided on the left and right side walls 6 .

The housing cover 13 is rotatably supported on the housing body 3 with the hinge portion 12 as a fulcrum. The housing cover 13 moves between the assembly standby position in FIG. 4 and the assembly position in FIG. 5 where the opening 9 of the housing body 3 is closed. At the assembly standby position of the housing cover 13, the opening 9 of the housing body 3 is opened. At the assembly position of the housing cover 13 , the opening 9 of the housing body 3 is closed and the pair of locking arms 14 are locked to the locking projections 11 of the housing body 3 . At the assembly position of the housing cover 13, as shown in FIG. As a result, the terminal 30 is prevented from moving in the detachment direction from the terminal receiving chamber 8 .

On the inner surface side of the housing cover 13, pairs of a core wire pressing portion 15 and a cover pressing portion 16 are protruded at positions corresponding to the respective terminal accommodating chambers 8. As shown in FIG. Each core wire pressing portion 15 is provided at an assembly position of the housing cover 13 and at a position corresponding to the arrangement positions of the two pairs of core wire clip portions 33 and 34 of each terminal 30 . Each covering pressing portion 16 is provided at the assembly position of the housing cover 13 and at a position corresponding to the arrangement position of the covering portion 21 of the wire W drawn out from each terminal 30 .

Next, the jig 40 used for manufacturing the connector 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the jig 40 is provided so as to be fitted into the opening 9 of the housing body 3 . The jig 40 has clip crimping portions 41 and 42 on its lower surface at positions corresponding to the core wire clip portions 33 and 34 of the terminal accommodating chambers 8, respectively. Each of the clip crimping portions 41 and 42 plastically deforms the pair of core wire clip portions 33 and 34 in the direction of approaching each other in the process of moving the jig 40 to the insertion position, thereby forming two pairs of the pair of core wire clip portions 33 . , 34 are brought into close contact with the core wire 20 (see FIG. 3(c)).

Next, the manufacturing procedure of the connector 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, each terminal 30 is inserted into each terminal accommodating chamber 8 of the housing body 3 through its rear opening (in-housing terminal arrangement process). A position where the terminal 30 is locked by a terminal locking lance (not shown) of the terminal accommodating chamber 8 is an insertion completion position. Although only one terminal 30 is shown in the drawing for simplification, a desired number of terminals 30 are inserted.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1 , the end portion of the electric wire W from which the covering portion 21 is removed and the core wire 20 is exposed is placed on the base portion 32 of the terminal 30 . Specifically, the core wire 20 is positioned on the base portion 32 between the two pairs of core wire clip portions 33 and 34 , and the covering portion 21 is positioned behind the rear end of the terminal 30 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the jig 40 is inserted into each terminal accommodating chamber 8 through the opening 9 above the terminal accommodating chamber 8 . In the process of inserting the jig 40, the clip crimping portions 41 and 42 of the jig 40 press the two pairs of core wire clip portions 33 and 34 toward each other to gradually plastically deform the core wire 20. Hold (see FIG. 3(c)).

Next, the jig 40 inserted from the upper opening 9 of the terminal receiving chamber 8 is removed, and the housing cover 13 in the assembly standby position in FIG. 4 is rotated to the assembly position in FIGS. As a result, the housing cover 13 is attached to the opening 9 of the housing body 3 (cover attachment step). By assembling the housing cover 13, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the core wire pressing portion 15 of the housing cover 13 enters the terminal accommodating chamber 8 through the opening 9, and pushes the core wire 20 to the base portion 32 of the terminal 30. press to. Also, by assembling the housing cover 13, as shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(c), the cover pressing portion 16 of the housing cover 13 enters the terminal accommodating chamber 8 from the opening 9, and the cover portion 21 is pushed into the housing main body. 3 is pressed against the bottom wall 5 of the terminal receiving chamber 8 .

As described above, the connector 1 includes the terminal accommodating chambers 8, the housing main body 3 having the openings 9 above the terminal accommodating chambers 8, and the base portion 32 and the base portion 32, which are accommodated in the terminal accommodating chambers 8. A terminal 30 having a pair of extended core wire clip portions (electric wire holding portions) 33 and 34, and a pair of core wire clip portions (electric wire holding portions) 33 arranged on a base portion 32 of the terminal 30. , 34, and a housing cover 13 having a core wire pressing portion 15 which is assembled to the housing body 3, enters the terminal receiving chamber 8 through the opening 9, and presses the core wire 20 against the base portion 32 of the terminal 30. It has

Therefore, the pair of core wire clip portions (wire holding portions) 33 and 34 of the terminal 30 hold the core wire 20 of the electric wire W, resulting in continuity and wire holding force, and the core wire 20 being pressed against the base portion 32 of the terminal 30. Due to the conductivity and wire holding force resulting from this, it is possible to secure both high conductivity and high wire holding force (fixing force between the wire W and the terminal 30) as a whole. In other words, as described in the section of the conventional example, even in the case of a wire that does not bite into the core wire made up of a large number of strands at the ends of the pair of barrels, high conductivity and high wire retention force ( (fixing force between the wire W and the terminal 30) can be ensured.

The housing cover 13 has a covering pressing portion 16 which enters the terminal accommodating chamber 8 through the opening 9 and presses the covering portion 21 of the wire W against the bottom wall 5 of the terminal accommodating chamber 8 of the housing body 3 .

Therefore, the electric wire holding force (fixing force between the electric wire W and the terminal 30) due to the covering portion 21 of the electric wire W being pressed against the bottom wall 5 of the terminal receiving chamber 8 causes the electric wire holding force (the fixing force between the electric wire W and the terminal 30). adhesion) is improved.

As shown in FIG. 6(a), the housing cover 13 has a covering pressing portion 16 which enters the terminal accommodating chamber 8 through the opening 9 and presses the covering portion 21 against the bottom wall 5 of the terminal accommodating chamber 8 of the housing body 3. have. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the terminals 30 from coming off from the terminal accommodating chambers 8 . In this embodiment, the terminal 30 is doubly locked by the terminal locking lance (not shown) of the housing body 3 and the terminal restricting surface 17 of the housing cover 13, preventing the terminal 30 from coming out of the terminal accommodating chamber 8. Improves prevention.

The manufacturing method of the connector 1 is as follows. , and a wire holding step in which the wire holding portions 33 and 34 are plastically deformed by the jig 40 so that the terminal 30 holds the core wire 20; a step of arranging the terminals in the housing to be arranged in the terminal accommodating chambers 8 in the main body 3; and a cover assembling step of entering the chamber 8 and pressing the core wire 20 against the base portion 32 of the terminal 30 .

Therefore, the connector 1 manufactured in this manner can ensure both high conductivity and high wire holding force (fixing force between the wire W and the terminal 30) as a whole for the same reason as described above. In other words, as described in the section of the conventional example, even in the case of a wire that does not bite into the core wire made up of a large number of strands at the ends of the pair of barrels, high conductivity and high wire retention force ( (fixing force between the wire W and the terminal 30) can be ensured.

The manufacturing method of the above-described embodiment comprises an in-housing terminal arranging step of arranging the terminal 30 having the base portion 32 and the wire holding portion 33 extending from the base portion 32 in the terminal accommodating chamber 8 of the housing body 3; A portion where the core wire 20 of the electric wire W is exposed and a portion where the core wire 20 is covered with the covering portion 21 are arranged on the base portion 32 of the wire W 30, and the jig 40 is inserted through the opening portion 9 above the terminal accommodating chamber 8 to accommodate the terminals. a wire holding step of inserting the wire into the chamber 8 and plastically deforming the wire holding portion 33 by the jig 40 so that the terminal 30 holds the core wire 20; The jig 40 is removed and the housing cover 13 is assembled to the housing body 3 , and the core wire pressing portion 15 of the housing cover 13 enters the terminal receiving chamber 8 from the upper opening 9 of the terminal receiving chamber 8 to push the core wire 20 to the base portion of the terminal 30 . and a cover assembling step of pressing against 32 .

In the manufacturing method of the embodiment described above, the in-housing terminal placement step of placing the terminals 30 in the terminal accommodating chambers 8 in the housing body 3 is performed as a pre-process of the wire holding step. Then, an in-housing terminal arranging step for arranging the terminals 30 in the terminal accommodating chambers 8 in the housing main body 3 may be performed.

That is, the manufacturing process of the wire harness includes a pre-fitting operation of arranging the terminal 30 in the housing main body 3 when making the sub-harness by the subset conveyor (SSC), wiring the sub-harness on the jig plate, There is also a post-fitting operation for arranging the terminals 30 in the housing body 3 when connecting them together. As described above, in the method of manufacturing the connector 1, the process of arranging the terminals in the housing can be performed either before or after the wire holding process, so both the pre-fitting process and the post-fitting process can be performed.

When the in-housing terminal arrangement step is performed before the wire holding step, a terminal 30 having a base portion 32 and wire holding portions 33 and 34 extending from the base portion 32 is provided in the terminal accommodating chamber 8 of the housing body 3 . , the exposed core wire 20 of the electric wire W is placed on the base portion 32 of the terminal 30, the jig 40 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 8 from the opening 9 above the terminal accommodating chamber 8, and the jig 40 By plastically deforming the wire holding portions 33 and 34, the terminal 30 holds the core wire 20. As shown in FIG.

Therefore, since the wire holding process can be performed with the terminals 30 arranged in the housing body 3, there is no need to position and fix the terminals 30. FIG. In other words, in the wire holding process, the housing body 3 also serves as positioning means for the terminals 30 and the housing body 3 is used as a fitting guide for the jig 40 .

In the above embodiment, the housing cover 13 is connected to the housing main body 3 via the hinge portion 12, but the housing cover 13 may be separated from the housing main body 3 and be separate.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 connector 3 housing body 8 terminal accommodating chamber 9 opening 13 housing cover 15 core wire pressing portion 16 covering pressing portion W electric wire 20 core wire 21 covering portion 30 terminal 32 base portion 33, 34 core wire clip portion (wire holding portion)
40 jig

Claims (3)

For a terminal having a base portion and a wire holding portion extending from the base portion, a core wire exposed by removing a wire covering portion is arranged on the base portion of the terminal, and the wire is held by a jig. a wire holding step of plastically deforming the portion so that the terminal holds the core wire;
an in-housing terminal arranging step of arranging the terminals in terminal accommodating chambers in the housing main body, which is performed in either a pre-process or a post-process of the wire holding step;
a cover assembling step of assembling a housing cover to the housing body, and inserting a core wire pressing portion of the housing cover into the terminal receiving chamber from an upper opening of the terminal receiving chamber to press the core wire against the base portion of the terminal; A connector manufacturing method comprising:
A method for manufacturing a connector, wherein the core wire pressing portion has an arcuate inner surface, and the core wire is pressed against the base portion of the terminal in a state in which the core wire is in contact with the arcuate surface of the core wire pressing portion. A method for manufacturing the connector according to claim 1 ,
When the in-housing terminal arranging step is performed before the wire holding step, a terminal having a base portion and a wire holding portion extending from the base portion is arranged in the terminal accommodating chamber of the housing body, An electric wire from which the covering portion has been removed and the core wire is exposed is placed on the base portion of the terminal, a jig is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber from an upper opening of the terminal accommodating chamber, and the electric wire is held by the jig. A method of manufacturing a connector, wherein the terminal holds the core wire by plastically deforming a holding portion. A method for manufacturing a connector according to claim 1 or claim 2 ,
In the cover assembling step, the cover pressing portion of the housing cover enters the terminal receiving chamber from the opening above the terminal receiving chamber and presses the covering portion against the bottom wall of the terminal receiving chamber of the housing body. ,
The covering pressing portion has an arcuate inner surface, and the covering portion is pressed against the bottom wall of the terminal receiving chamber of the housing main body while the covering portion is in contact with the arcuate surface of the covering pressing portion. A method of manufacturing a connector comprising:

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