JPH08306400A - Terminal metal fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve sealing performance to wire penetrating a waterproof seal in the water-proof seal (water-proof rubber cap) which is fixed by caulking. CONSTITUTION: An insulation barrel 13 is continuously provided on the back of a wire barrel 12, and the insulation barrel 13 comprises two seal caulking members 18 provided to be continuous with each other in an up-opened leg form. In each seal caulking member 18, both edge parts of its tip part are cut in a wavy form to form a narrow part 20b to be an easily deformed part 20. The tip part of the seal caulking member 18 is thus easily bent at the time of caulking, so a crimp part 19 of a waterproof seal 15 is caulked by uniform force for the whole circumference. As a result, sealing performance to a wire 14 penetrating a through hole 15a is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal fitting for crimping and fixing a waterproof seal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A terminal fitting of this type includes a wire barrel and
The rear end side is integrally equipped with an insulation barrel. The insulation barrel is composed of two caulking pieces that open upward, and the caulking pieces caulk and fix the waterproof seal in the state where the electric wire is penetrated. Like the insulation barrel, the wire barrel is also composed of two caulking pieces that open upward, and the caulking pieces caulk and fix the core wire exposed from the coated end of the electric wire that penetrates the waterproof seal. A waterproof connector is constructed by inserting the terminal fitting into the cavity of the connector housing with the electric wire and the waterproof seal attached.

By the way, when crimping and fixing a waterproof seal, an automatic crimping machine may be used. A pressing portion 4 having a shape as shown in FIG. 7 is provided in the operating portion, and the pressing surface 1 for bending the insulation barrel along the outer peripheral surface of the rubber stopper is provided at the opening edge thereof.
Are formed. Then, after placing the waterproof seal 3 between the crimping pieces 2 of the insulation barrel and lowering the pressing portion from above, the crimping piece 2 is gradually bent inward along the pressing surface 1 in accordance with the descending operation, Finally, the caulking is completed.

[0004]

When the caulking operation is observed in detail, the caulking piece 2 is bent downward along the pressing surface 1 as the pressing portion 4 descends, and the caulking piece 2 is bent from the lower end. It gradually bends while being pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof seal 3. However, as the part pressed against the waterproof seal 3 approaches the tip,
If it is thick (0.4 mm
In the above), the caulking piece 2 is not curved from the middle but is eventually deformed as if it were bent inward (see FIG. 6). Therefore, the waterproof seal 3 is distorted without being crimped with a uniform force over the entire circumference, and as a result, the through hole 3a for penetrating the electric wire 5 is also distorted, and the sealing property for the electric wire 5 is deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the sealing property for an electric wire penetrating the waterproof seal (waterproof rubber stopper) in a case where the waterproof seal is caulked and fixed. The purpose is to provide terminal fittings that can

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a terminal fitting is provided with a pair of caulking pieces for caulking and fixing a waterproof rubber plug inserted in an electric wire in an open leg state. It is a terminal fitting that enables fixing of the waterproof rubber plug by deforming along the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof rubber plug, and at least at the tip of the crimping piece, the rigidity of this portion is reduced to reduce the rigidity. The invention is characterized in that an easily deformable portion is formed to facilitate the deforming operation of the piece in the inward direction (the invention of claim 1).

The easily deformable portion may be formed by thinning a part of the caulking piece (the invention of claim 2). Further, the easy deformation may be formed by narrowing a part of the caulking piece (the invention of claim 3).

[0008]

According to the terminal fitting of claim 1, since the easily deformable portion is formed at the tip portion of the caulking piece, which is a portion that is difficult to deform, the caulking piece is used when caulking the waterproof rubber plug. It can be easily deformed along the waterproof rubber plug. Therefore, the waterproof rubber plug can be crimped with uniform force over the entire circumference without distortion.

According to the terminal fitting of claim 2 or 3, since the tip portion of the caulking piece is formed to be thin or narrow, the deformation at this portion is easy.
The caulking piece is deformed so as to wrap around the entire circumference along the waterproof rubber plug. Therefore, the waterproof rubber plug can be crimped with uniform force over the entire circumference without distortion.

[0010]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the entire circumference of the waterproof rubber plug is crimped with a uniform force, the waterproof rubber plug is not distorted and crimped, and therefore the waterproof rubber plug is prevented. An effect that the sealing property with respect to the electric wire penetrating the stopper can be enhanced is exhibited. In particular, the effect is remarkable when the plate thickness of the terminal fitting is large.

[0011]

【Example】

<First Embodiment> A first embodiment of the terminal fitting of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The terminal metal fitting of the present embodiment is made of a conductive thin metal plate material, and as shown in FIG. 1, a front end portion forms a connection portion 11 into which a male terminal metal fitting (not shown) is inserted, and a wire is provided behind it. The barrel 12 and the insulation barrel 13 are integrally connected. The insulation barrel 13 is an electric wire 1.
4 is for caulking and fixing the waterproof seal 15 in a penetrated state, and the wire barrel 12 is for caulking and fixing the core wire 14a exposed from the covering end of the electric wire 14 which penetrates the waterproof seal 15. belongs to.

The connecting portion 11 is formed in a rectangular tube shape extending in the front-rear direction, and the male terminal fitting is inserted through the opening on the front end side. The connecting portion 11 is formed by bending both left and right edge portions of the bottom plate so as to face each other upward to form side wall portions, and further bending the upper edge portions of the respective side wall portions inward and stacking them vertically. Is. In addition, an elastic contact piece 16 formed by folding back the front end portion of the bottom plate to the rear is provided inside the connection portion 11 so that the male terminal fitting inserted through the opening on the front end side is pressed against. It has become.

The wire barrel 12 is provided with two core wire crimping pieces 17, and the core wire crimping pieces 17 are integrally connected to both left and right sides in a manner of opening the legs upward. The end of the core wire 14a exposed from the covering end of the electric wire 14 is placed between the core wire crimping pieces 17, and by caulking the core wire crimping piece 17, the core wire 14a is fixed to the terminal fitting and brought into a conductive state. .

Also, the insulation barrel 13 is
Two seal caulking pieces 18 are provided, and like the wire barrel 12, the two seal caulking pieces 18 are integrally connected to both left and right side portions in a manner of opening the leg upward. The seal crimping piece 18 extends above the core wire crimping piece 17,
The width dimension in the front-back direction is shorter than that of the core wire crimping piece 17, and
The length dimension of the entire insulation barrel 13 along each seal crimping piece 18 corresponds to the outer diameter dimension of the crimp portion 19 of the waterproof seal 15 described later.
The size is set so that the entire circumference of the crimping portion 19 can be wrapped around when crimping 8. Further, from the substantially central portion of the seal caulking piece 18 to the tip side, both front and rear edges thereof are notched in a wave shape to form an easily deformable portion 20 in which the wide portion 20a and the narrow portion 20b are alternately connected. . That is, the tip portion of each seal caulking piece 18 has a shape that is more easily deformed than the root portion.

On the other hand, the waterproof seal 15 is made of a rubber material and is constructed by integrally connecting a seal portion 21 to the rear side of the columnar pressure-bonding portion 19. The seal portion 21 is the lip portion 2.
The outer diameter of the lip portion 21a is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cavity of the connector housing into which the terminal fitting of this embodiment is inserted. Further, the waterproof seal 15 is formed with a through hole 15a penetrating in the front-rear direction, and the electric wire 14 is closely inserted therein. Then, when the terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity with the electric wire 14 and the waterproof seal 15 attached, the lip portion 21a is press-fitted into the cavity and the cavity is watertightly sealed.
This constitutes a waterproof connector.

By the way, to crimp the waterproof seal 15 with the crimping piece 18, an automatic crimping machine is used as in the conventional case. The pressing portion 4 of this automatic machine is formed with a pressing surface 1 which is cut out in the shape of a heart at the back side of its front end and which opens at the front end side in a flared shape. The opening width of the portion of the pressing surface 1 that opens in a hem-spreading manner is set to be wider than the width dimension between the tip portions of the seal caulking pieces 18 that open.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. To crimp the waterproof seal 15 and fix it to the terminal fitting, set the terminal fitting on the work table with the terminal fitting facing upward (a state in which the crimping pieces 17 and 18 open upward), and then the seal crimping piece 1
The crimp portion 19 of the waterproof seal 15 is placed between the eight. Then, the seal caulking piece 18 that opens the pressing portion 4 is pressed from above so that it is inserted into the pressing surface 1, and the pressing portion 4 is pressed against the waterproof seal 15. Then, the tip of the seal crimping piece 18 that opens is narrowed along the shape of the pressing surface 1, and the seal crimping piece 18 is gradually pressed from the lower end to the crimp portion 19 and curves along the outer peripheral surface thereof. When the tip of the seal caulking piece 18 reaches the heart-shaped notched portion, the tip portion (easily deformable portion 20) of the seal caulking piece 18 is curved inward, whereby the seal caulking piece 18 is compressed. It will be deformed so as to wrap around the entire circumference along the outer circumference of 19 (see FIG. 2). Therefore,
Since the crimping portion 19 can be crimped with uniform force over the entire circumference, it is not distorted and crimped as in the conventional case (see FIG. 3).

Thus, in this embodiment, the waterproof seal 15
Since it is not distorted and caulked, the through-hole 15a of the waterproof seal 15 is prevented from being deformed by distortion, and the sealing performance for the electric wire 14 can be enhanced. In particular, the effect is remarkably exhibited when the plate thickness of the terminal fitting is large.

<Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the easily deformable portion 20 is formed by alternately connecting the wide portion 20a and the narrow portion 20b to the tip portion of the seal caulking piece 18, but in the present embodiment. In the example, the easily deformable portion is formed by forming the notch groove. Since the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, a notch groove 3 extending in the front-rear direction is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tip portion of the seal caulking piece 31.
1a is formed. A plurality of the cutout grooves 31a are continuously formed at a predetermined interval from the leading edge of the seal caulking piece 31 to the substantially central portion. As a result, the tip portion of the seal caulking piece 31 is easily deformed inward,
The easily deformable portion 32 according to the present invention is formed. The cutout groove 31a is formed by pressing from the inner peripheral surface side by pressing.

To crimp the seal crimping piece 31,
An automatic machine for crimping is used as in the past. Then, when the crimping portion 19 of the waterproof seal 15 is crimped as in the first embodiment, the tip portion (easily deformable portion 32) of the seal crimping piece 31 is easily deformed inward, and the crimping portion 19 is not distorted all around. Can be crimped with uniform force. Therefore, also in the case of the present embodiment, since the waterproof seal 15 is not distorted and caulked, it is possible to improve the sealing performance for the electric wire 14 penetrating the waterproof seal 15.

<Third Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the easily deformable portion 20 is formed by alternately connecting the wide portion 20a and the narrow portion 20b to the tip portion of the seal caulking piece 18, but in the present embodiment. In the example, the easily deformable portion is formed by forming the thin portion. Since the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, a thin portion 42 is formed at the tip of the seal caulking piece 41. The thin portion 42 is formed to be thin by crushing the seal caulking piece 41 from the substantially central portion to the tip side from both sides by pressing. As a result, the tip portion of the seal caulking piece 41 is likely to be deformed inward, and becomes the easily deformable portion 43 according to the invention.

To crimp the seal crimping piece 41,
An automatic machine for crimping is used as in the past. When the crimping portion 19 of the waterproof seal 15 is crimped as in the first embodiment, the tip portion (easily deformable portion 43) of the seal crimping piece 41 is easily deformed, and the crimping portion 19 is not distorted and the entire circumference is uniform. It can be crimped with powerful force. Therefore, also in the case of the present embodiment, since the waterproof seal 15 is not distorted and caulked, it is possible to improve the sealing performance for the electric wire 14 penetrating the waterproof seal 15.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be modified and implemented as follows, for example, and these embodiments also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. (1) In each of the above embodiments, the seal caulking pieces 18, 3
Easily deformable part 2 by hanging from the center of 1,41 to the tip side
Although 0, 32, and 43 are formed, the easily deformable portion may be formed in the entire area of the seal caulking piece.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the easily deformable portions 20, 32, 43 are formed by forming the tip portions of the seal caulking pieces 18, 31, 41 to be narrow or thin. It may be formed by using a deformed material having low rigidity at the tip portion of the caulking piece, or by forming a plurality of small holes. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an entire first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a crimped state of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a crimped state of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a seal caulking piece of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a seal caulking piece of a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional crimped state.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a pressing portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 14 ... Electric wire 15 ... Waterproof seal (waterproof rubber plug) 18, 31, 41 ... Seal Caulking piece (Caulking piece) 20, 32, 43 ... Easy-deformable part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A pair of caulking pieces for caulking and fixing a waterproof rubber plug inserted in an electric wire is provided in an open state, and the caulking piece is deformed along an outer peripheral surface of the waterproof rubber plug. A terminal fitting that enables fixing of the waterproof rubber plug, wherein at least a tip portion of the crimping piece reduces the rigidity of this portion to facilitate an inward deforming operation of the crimping piece. A terminal fitting characterized in that an easily deformable portion is formed. 2. The terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein the easily deformable portion is formed by thinning a part of the caulking piece. 3. The terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein the easily deformable portion is formed by narrowing a part of the caulking piece.