JPH09223525A - Cap for terminal and cap installing structure to terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cap for a terminal and its installing structure by which a desired looseness preventive function can be obtained even if these are used in a large terminal and the number of part items and cost can be reduced. SOLUTION: A cap 2 is provided with a flexible arm holding part 45 to regulate looseness by pressing a calking part 29 of a terminal 25 to calk a terminal of an electric wire 23 and a cap main body 30 in which this arm holding part 45 is protrusively arranged and which houses the electric wire 23, the terminal 25 and the calking part 29. In this case, the arm holding part 45 is formed in a U shape by support parts 47 and 47 and a contact arm 49 to connect these to each other, and a semispherical projecting part 51 is formed in the center of the contact arm 49.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a terminal cap for accommodating an end of an electric wire with a terminal crimped, and a cap mounting structure for mounting the cap on the terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a terminal cap is attached to a wire connecting portion of an electric system of a vehicle for the purpose of electrical insulation, waterproofing, dustproofing and the like. This terminal cap is required to have a fixing function to suppress the movement (rattle) of the terminal cap due to vibration and the like, and to prevent the terminal cap from rubbing against the wire terminal or the terminal and the terminal cap from falling off. .

As a conventional example of such a terminal cap and a cap mounting structure for mounting the cap to the terminal, the one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-52222 is known.

6 to 11 are cross-sectional views of the main part of the terminal cap disclosed in this publication. In these drawings, 1 is an arm holding portion of the terminal cap, 3 is an electric wire, and 5 is a crimping portion of the terminal crimped to the electric wire 3. The terminal cap is a plastic molded product, and the arm holding portion 1 is formed in a U-shape by connecting the tips of the pair of support arms 7 and 7 with a contact arm 9.

The terminal cap is composed of an openable / closable fixing portion and a lid portion, and the arm holding portion 1 is formed integrally with the lid portion. The terminal cap is, for example, after the terminal crimped to the electric wire 3 is connected to the connecting portion of the starter or the alternator, the crimping portion 5 of the electric wire 3 is sandwiched between the arm holding portions 1, and the lid portion is closed. The crimp portion 5 is electrically insulated, waterproofed, and dustproof.

When the lid portion of the terminal cap is closed, the arm holding portion 1 is pressed by the crimp portion 5 as shown in FIG. 7 and bends as shown in FIG. The terminal cap is fixed to the crimping portion 5 by the spring force due to this bending, so that the rattling of the terminal cap is suppressed, the rubbing of the terminal cap and the electric wire 3, the terminal, and the crimping portion 5 is prevented, and the terminal cap is used. The cap is prevented from falling off.

[0007]

However, there are various sizes of terminals, the terminals are large, and the width W1 of the crimping portion 11 becomes wider than the width W2 of the arm holding portion 1 as shown in FIG. Even if the crimping portion 11 pushes the arm holding portion 1 as in 10, the contact arm 9 is not bent and the support arm 7 is buckled or damaged as shown in FIG. 11. As described above, the large terminal cannot obtain the function of preventing the terminal cap from rattling due to the spring force of the arm holding portion 1 and requires a large force when closing the terminal cap. The sex is bad.

Therefore, a large terminal cap must be used for a large terminal, which requires a large number of types of terminal caps, which increases the number of parts and management man-hours, resulting in high cost.

In consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a terminal cap capable of obtaining a desired rattling prevention function even when used for a large terminal, and reducing the number of parts and cost, and attaching this cap to the terminal. A cap mounting structure is provided.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cap main body for accommodating an end portion of an electric wire together with a terminal crimped and connected to the electric wire end, and an electric wire end projectingly provided in the cap main body. A terminal cap having a flexible arm holding portion for pressing a crimped portion of the terminal, wherein the arm holding portion is provided with a convex portion that abuts against the crimped portion. And

As described above, in the terminal cap according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the arm holding portion is provided with the convex portion that comes into contact with the caulking portion of the terminal, only the convex portion is attached to the caulking portion when the terminal cap is attached. Abut. Therefore, not only when the width of the crimped portion of the terminal is narrower than the width of the arm holding portion, even when the width of the crimped portion of the terminal is wider than the width of the arm holding portion, the arm holding portion is crushed as in the conventional example. It does not bend and the springiness is maintained.

In this way, the terminal cap according to claim 1 can obtain a desired rattling prevention function (fixing function of the terminal cap) even when it is used for a large terminal, and the rubbing against the wire terminal or the terminal due to rattling and the terminal. It is possible to prevent the cap from falling off.

Thus, the present invention can be widely used from a small terminal to a large terminal, and a small type of terminal cap can be applied to many types of electric wire terminals and terminals. It is not necessary to prepare many types of terminal caps, and the number of parts, management man-hours, and cost are reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the terminal cap according to the first aspect, wherein a pair of support arms projecting from the inside of the cap body and an abutting arm that connects the tip ends of these support arms are provided. The arm holding portion is formed in a U shape by and and the convex portion is provided on the contact arm, and the same effect as that of the first aspect is obtained.

In addition to this, the arm holding portion is formed in a U-shape by a pair of support arms and a contact arm connecting them, and the projection is provided on the contact arm, so that the projection is a terminal. When pressed by the caulking portion, not only the contact arm but also both support arms are bent, so that a large spring force and a fixing function of the terminal cap can be obtained.

Further, since both the contact arm and the support arm are bent, the amount of bending of the entire arm holding portion is increased, so that the adaptability to a large terminal is further improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the terminal cap according to the second aspect is characterized in that the convex portion is provided at a central portion of the contact arm, and is similar to the configuration of the second aspect. Get the effect.

In addition to this, since the convex portion is provided in the central portion of the contact arm, when the convex portion is pressed by the caulking portion of the terminal, the contact arm and the support arm are provided on both sides of the convex portion. Because it bends evenly, the spring force acts equally on both sides of the protrusion,
The fixing function of the terminal cap is maintained normally. Moreover, since the arm holding portion does not exert an excessive force, durability is also improved.

Further, since the caulking portion of the terminal is formed with a concave portion at the center in the width direction, the convex portion provided at the central portion of the contact arm and the concave portion of the caulking portion engage with each other, By this engagement, the terminal cap is guided to the normal position, and the fixing function of the terminal cap is further improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the terminal cap according to the second aspect is characterized in that a plurality of the convex portions are provided in the support arm direction on the contact arm. An effect similar to that of the configuration is obtained.

In addition to this, by providing a plurality of convex portions in the support arm direction on the abutment arm (width direction of the crimp portion), the frictional force between the convex portion and the crimp portion is increased, and the terminal is The fixing function of the cap is improved.

Further, by providing a plurality of convex portions,
Since the distance from the base of the support arm to the convex part becomes shorter,
A large spring force can be obtained with a slight bending, and the terminal cap fixing function is enhanced.

The invention of claim 5 is the invention of claims 1 to 4.
The terminal cap according to any one of the above,
The tip of the convex portion is formed into a spherical shape,
Therefore, the same effect as the configuration of claim 4 is obtained.

In addition to this, by making the shape of the tip of the convex portion spherical, it becomes easy to secure an appropriate height so that the contact arm does not come into direct contact with the crimped portion of the terminal. Sufficient strength can be given to the protrusions.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cap main body for accommodating a terminal portion of the electric wire together with a terminal crimped and connected to the electric wire end, and the terminal for caulking the electric wire end protruding in the cap main body. A cap mounting structure for mounting a terminal cap, comprising: a flexible arm holding portion for pressing a caulking portion, to a terminal, wherein the arm holding portion is provided with a convex portion that abuts the caulking portion. It is characterized by that.

In this cap mounting structure, since the arm holding portion is provided with the convex portion that abuts against the crimp portion,
Similarly to the configuration of claim 1, when the terminal cap is attached, only the convex portion abuts the swaged portion. Therefore, when the width of the swaged portion of the terminal is narrower than that of the arm holding portion, of course,
Even if the width of the crimped part of the terminal is wider than the width of the arm holding part,
The arm holding portion does not buckle and the spring property is maintained.

Therefore, even if this cap mounting structure is used for a large terminal, it is possible to prevent rubbing or dropping of the wire terminal or terminal due to rattling, and a small type of terminal cap can be used for many types of wire terminals or terminals. Since it is applicable, the workability is high and the cost is reduced accordingly.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cap mounting structure for a terminal according to the sixth aspect, wherein the terminal cap is the terminal cap according to any one of the second to fifth aspects. And the same effect as that of the sixth aspect is obtained.

In addition to this, the cap for the terminal is claimed.
Through the use of the structure according to any one of claims 5 to 5, the above effect of each structure is obtained.

[0030]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a terminal cap and a terminal cap mounting structure of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 5,
6 and 7 are provided. In the following description, members without reference numerals are not shown.

FIG. 1 shows a terminal cap 21 of this embodiment.
And its mounting structure, a large-diameter electric wire 23, a large-sized terminal 25, and the like. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the terminal cap 21 by cutting the terminal cap 21 along the line AA in FIG. Figure 3
5 to 5 are sectional views of the terminal cap 21, the electric wire 23, and the terminal 25, respectively.

In FIG. 1, 27 is a vehicle-mounted device such as a starter or an alternator. Caulking portion 2 of terminal 25
9 is crimped to the end of the electric wire 23.

The cap body 30 of the terminal cap 21 is made of plastic and comprises a base 31 and covers 33, 35 which can be opened and closed. After the terminal 25 and the electric wire 23 are inserted into the electric wire insertion hole 37 provided in the base 31, the hole 39 of the terminal 25 is passed through the opening provided in the lower portion of the base 31 to the connection bolt 41 of the device 27 to connect the terminal 25. Secure with nuts 43.

After that, the covers 33 and 35 are closed and locked to the base 31. In this way, when the terminal cap 21 is attached, the accommodated terminal 25 and the electric wire 23 are electrically insulated / waterproof / dustproof.

As shown in FIG. 2, an arm holding portion 45 is formed integrally with the cover 35. This arm holding portion 45
The cap body 30 constitutes the terminal cap 21.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the arm holding portion 4
5 is formed in a U-shape by a pair of support arms 47 protruding from the inner wall of the cover 35 and a contact arm 49 connecting the tip ends of both support arms 47.

The contact arm 49 has a hemispherical convex portion 51.
Is provided, and the convex portion 51 is arranged at the center of the contact arm 49.

As shown in FIG. 3, the width W3 of the caulking portion 29 is wider than the width W4 of the support arm 47 of the arm holding portion 45.

Next, the operation will be described.

As described above, when the cover 35 is closed, the convex portion 51 of the contact arm 49 is pressed by the caulking portion 29 of the terminal 25 as shown in FIG. Slightly bends, and as shown in FIG. 5, the contact arm 49 largely bends. A concave portion 53 is formed in the center of the crimping portion 29 in the width direction, and when the crimping portion 29 is pressed, the convex portion 51 engages with the concave portion 53.

The terminal cap 21 includes arms 49, 4
The terminal cap 21 is fixed to the caulking portion 29 by the spring force due to the bending of the terminals 7 and 47, and the rattling of the terminal cap 21 is suppressed. Crimping part 29, terminal 25, electric wire 23
Scuffing and dropping of the terminal cap 21 are prevented.

As described above, since the contact arm 49 is provided with the convex portion 51 that comes into contact with the caulking portion 29, the case where the caulking portion 29 is narrower than the arm holding portion 45 is, of course, as described above. Even if the tightening portion 29 is wider than the arm holding portion 45, the support arms 47 and 47 do not buckle as in the conventional example, and the spring property of the arm holding portion 45 is maintained.

Since the terminal cap 21 can be widely used from a small terminal to a large terminal in this manner, a large number of types are prepared in order to cope with various types of terminals having different sizes, unlike the conventional example. There is no need, and the number of parts, management man-hours, and cost are reduced.

Further, since the arm holding portion 45 is formed in a U-shape by the pair of support arms 47 and the contact arm 49, when the convex portion 51 is pressed by the caulking portion 29, only the contact arm 49 is formed. Not only that, both support arms 47 also bend, and the spring force and the fixing function of the terminal cap 21 increase accordingly.

Further, the contact arm 49 and the support arm 47,
Since both 47 are bent, the amount of bending of the entire arm holding portion 45 is increased, and thus the adaptability to a large terminal is further improved.

In addition to this, the convex portion 51 is attached to the contact arm 49.
Since it is provided at the central portion of the convex portion 51, when the convex portion 51 is pressed, the contact arm 49 and the support arm 47 are evenly bent on both sides of the convex portion 51. Therefore, equal spring force acts from both sides on the convex portion 51, the fixing function of the terminal cap 21 is normally maintained, and the arm holding portion 45 does not exert an excessive force, so that the durability is also improved. To do.

Further, as described above, since the convex portion 51 engages with the concave portion 53 formed in the center of the caulking portion 29, this engagement guides the terminal cap 21 to a normal position and The fixing function is further improved.

Further, by making the shape of the tip of the convex portion 51 spherical, it is easy to secure an appropriate height so that the abutment arm 49 does not come into direct contact with the caulking portion 29, and the plastic convex portion 51 has Sufficient strength can be given.

Further, as described above, the cap mounting structure of this embodiment can be applied to a large number of types of electric wire terminals and terminals with a small type of terminal cap 21, so that the workability is high and the cost is reduced accordingly. it can.

In the present invention, the spring force of the arm holding portion can be adjusted to a desired strength by changing the thickness and width.

A plurality of arm holding portions may be provided in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire. By doing this, it is possible to cope with a crimped portion having a step.

[0052]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the convex portion provided on the arm holding portion abuts the swaging portion to bend the arm holding portion, so that the swaging portion is bent. Even if the width of is wider than the width of the arm holding part, unlike the conventional example,
The arm holding portion does not buckle and the spring property is maintained. Thus,
A normal rattling prevention function of the terminal cap can be obtained, and rubbing of the electric wire terminal or the terminal and the terminal cap can be prevented from falling off.

In addition, since it is widely applicable from small terminals to large terminals, and it is not necessary to prepare many kinds in order to deal with various kinds of terminals having different sizes, the number of parts and management man-hours can be reduced. Cost and is reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the convex portion is pressed, both the contact arm and the support arm bend, so that a large spring force and a function of fixing the terminal cap can be obtained.

Further, the bending amount of the entire arm holding portion is increased, and the adaptability to a large terminal is further improved.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the caulking portion is pressed, an equal amount of spring force acts from both sides on the convex portion,
The fixing function of the terminal cap is kept normal, and the arm holding part does not exert an excessive force, and the durability is improved.

Further, the position guide function of the terminal cap is obtained and the fixing function is improved by the engagement of the concave portion formed in the center of the swaging portion in the width direction and the convex portion of the central portion of the contact arm.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the plurality of convex portions increase the frictional force between the convex portions and the caulking portion, and the fixing function of the terminal cap is improved.

Further, by providing a plurality of convex portions,
The distance from the base portion of the support arm to the convex portion is shortened, a large spring force is generated with a slight bending, and the terminal cap fixing function is enhanced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the tip of the convex portion is spherical, the space between the contact arm and the caulking portion can be maintained at an appropriate level and the convex portion of the plastic can have sufficient strength. Can be given.

According to the cap mounting structure of the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the terminal cap is mounted, even if the caulking portion is large, only the convex portion abuts on the caulking portion, and the arm holding portion is not buckled. It is prevented and springiness is maintained.

Therefore, this mounting structure can be widely used from a small terminal to a large terminal, prevents rubbing between the terminal cap and the wire terminal or the terminal due to rattling, and the terminal cap is prevented from falling off. Since the terminal cap can be used for a wide variety of wire terminals and terminals, installation workability is high and cost is reduced.

According to the cap mounting structure of the invention of claim 7, the effect of each of these structures can be obtained by using the terminal cap of each structure of claims 2 to 5.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal cap and its mounting structure, an electric wire, a terminal, and the like according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of the terminal cap of FIG. 1 taken along the line AA.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a terminal cap (arm holding portion) and a caulking portion of the embodiment of FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a terminal cap (arm holding portion) and a crimp portion of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing a state in which the crimp portion has begun to press a convex portion of the arm holding portion.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the terminal cap (arm holding portion) and the crimping portion of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing a state after the convex portion of the arm holding portion is pressed by the crimping portion.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a terminal cap (arm holding portion) and a crimping portion of an appropriately sized terminal according to a conventional example.

7 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal cap (arm holding portion) and the crimping portion of the terminal in the conventional example of FIG. 6, showing a state in which the caulking portion has begun to press the arm holding portion.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal cap (arm holding portion) and the crimping portion of the terminal in the conventional example of FIG. 6, showing a state after the arm holding portion is pressed by the caulking portion.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional terminal cap (arm holding portion) and a crimp portion of an oversized terminal.

10 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal cap (arm holding portion) and the crimping portion of the terminal of the conventional example of FIG. 9, showing a state in which the caulking portion starts to press the arm holding portion.

11 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal cap (arm holding portion) and the crimping portion of the terminal in the conventional example of FIG. 9, showing a state after the arm holding portion is pressed by the caulking portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 terminal cap 23 electric wire 25 terminal 29 terminal crimping portion 30 cap body 45 arm holding portion 47 support arm 49 contact arm 51 convex portion (spherical protrusion at the tip) 53 concave portion of crimping portion

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A cap main body for accommodating an end portion of an electric wire together with a terminal crimped and connected to an end of the electric wire, and a caulking portion of the terminal protruding from the cap main body for crimping the electric wire end. A cap for a terminal, comprising: a flexible arm holding portion, wherein the arm holding portion is provided with a convex portion that comes into contact with the caulking portion. 2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein a pair of support arms projecting from the inside of the cap body and an abutting arm connecting the tip end portions of these support arms form a U-shape. While the arm holding portion is formed,
A cap for a terminal, wherein the contact arm is provided with the convex portion. 3. The terminal cap according to claim 2, wherein the convex portion is provided at a central portion of the contact arm. 4. The terminal cap according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the projections are provided on the contact arm in the direction of the support arm. 5. The terminal cap according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the projection has a spherical projection at its tip. 6. A cap main body for accommodating a terminal portion of an electric wire together with a terminal crimped and connected to an electric wire end, and a caulking portion of the terminal protruding in the cap main body for crimping the electric wire end is pressed. A cap attachment structure for attaching a terminal cap having a flexible arm holding portion to a terminal, wherein the arm holding portion is provided with a convex portion that abuts against the caulking portion. Cap mounting structure for the terminal to be used. 7. The cap mounting structure for a terminal according to claim 6, wherein the terminal cap is the terminal cap according to any one of claims 2 to 5. .