WO2015019823A1 - Terminal pair and method for producing terminal pair - Google Patents

Terminal pair and method for producing terminal pair Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2015019823A1
WO2015019823A1 PCT/JP2014/069140 JP2014069140W WO2015019823A1 WO 2015019823 A1 WO2015019823 A1 WO 2015019823A1 JP 2014069140 W JP2014069140 W JP 2014069140W WO 2015019823 A1 WO2015019823 A1 WO 2015019823A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
contact
terminal
contact portion
wear
coating layer
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PCT/JP2014/069140
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French (fr)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
喜文 坂
須永　隆弘
茂 荻原
毅晟 陳
Original Assignee
株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所
住友電装株式会社
住友電気工業株式会社
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Application filed by 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所, 住友電装株式会社, 住友電気工業株式会社 filed Critical 株式会社オートネットワーク技術研究所
Publication of WO2015019823A1 publication Critical patent/WO2015019823A1/en

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/02—Contact members
    • H01R13/03—Contact members characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
    • H01R13/02—Contact members
    • H01R13/10—Sockets for co-operation with pins or blades
    • H01R13/11—Resilient sockets
    • H01R13/113—Resilient sockets co-operating with pins or blades having a rectangular transverse section
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R43/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors
    • H01R43/16—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, or repairing of line connectors or current collectors or for joining electric conductors for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a terminal pair and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a terminal pair including a male terminal and a female terminal each having a silver coating layer formed on the outermost surface, and a manufacturing method thereof.
  • a connector terminal for connecting an electric part of an automobile or the like a connector terminal in which tin plating or the like is applied to the surface of a base material such as copper or a copper alloy has been used.
  • conventional tin-plated terminals have insufficient heat resistance when used at such a large current. Therefore, as a connector terminal used for applying a large current, a terminal having a silver coating layer formed on the outermost surface may be used instead of a tin-plated terminal.
  • Silver has high heat resistance, high conductivity, and the surface is not easily oxidized, so terminals with a silver coating layer are used with low contact resistance even under conditions where high current is applied and the temperature is high. can do.
  • the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a terminal pair in which wear at the time of sliding in a contact portion having a silver coating layer on the outermost surface is suppressed, and to provide a method for manufacturing such a terminal pair. It is in.
  • a terminal pair according to the present invention comprises a male connector terminal and a female connector terminal, and the male connector terminal and the female connector terminal have a silver coating layer formed on the outermost surface.
  • the gist is that the contact portions are in electrical contact with each other and the pressure applied to the contact portions is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  • the terminal pair preferably includes a plurality of the contact portions, and the pressure applied to each contact portion is preferably 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  • a method of manufacturing a terminal pair wherein the male connector terminal and the female connector terminal are in electrical contact with each other in the method of manufacturing a terminal pair including a male connector terminal and a female connector terminal.
  • the gist is that a silver coating layer is formed on the outermost surface of the contact portion, and the pressure applied to the contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  • the pressure applied to the contact portion where the silver coating layers are in contact with each other is limited to 480 N / mm 2 or less, so that a pressure exceeding the pressure is applied.
  • the wear of the silver coating layer when the contact portion is slid is remarkably suppressed. Thereby, high connection reliability can be maintained in the terminal pair for large current having the silver coating layer.
  • the terminal pair has a plurality of contact portions and the pressure applied to the contact portions is 480 N / mm 2 or less, the pressure applied to each contact portion is suppressed to 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  • the male connector terminal and the female connector terminal are brought into contact with each other over a large area, so that a large load can be applied to the contact portion as a whole terminal pair.
  • the contact resistance can be kept small and a large current can be applied while suppressing the wear of the silver coating layer during sliding.
  • the pressure applied to the contact portion where the silver coating layers are in contact with each other is limited to 480 N / mm 2 or less, so that the wear of the silver coating layer due to the sliding of the contact portion is reduced. It can be significantly suppressed.
  • FIG. 3 It is sectional drawing which shows the terminal pair concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a multi-contact type female connector terminal. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the pressure applied to a model contact part, and a wear volume. It is a metallographic microscope image which shows the difference in the abrasion state by the difference in load. Each image corresponds to a measurement point when an embossed member having a curvature radius of 3 mm in FIG. 3 is used, and corresponds to the cases of loads (a) 10N, (b) 15N, and (c) 20N, respectively. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the contact load applied to a terminal contact part, and wear thickness.
  • a terminal pair 1 includes a female connector terminal (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a female terminal) 2 having a rectangular tube-shaped clamping portion 23, a flat plate And a male connector terminal 3 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a male terminal) 3 having a tab 31 in the form of a ring.
  • the tab 31 of the male terminal 3 is clamped and held in the clamping part 23 of the female terminal 2, and an electrical connection is formed between them.
  • the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3 have an electric wire connecting part (not shown) behind the pinching part 23 and the tab 31, respectively, and are electrically connected to the electric wire at the electric wire connecting part. Then, the tab 31 of the male connector terminal 3 is inserted into the pinching portion 23 of the female connector terminal 2 so that conduction is formed between the electric wires.
  • the female terminal 2 has an elastic contact piece 21 having a shape folded back inward and rearward on the inner side of the bottom surface of the pinching portion 23 formed in a square tube shape having an opening at the front.
  • the elastic contact piece 21 has an embossed portion 21a that is bulged and formed at a midway site.
  • the elastic contact piece 21 comes into contact with the tab 31 of the male terminal 3 inserted into the pinching portion 23 at the embossed portion 21 a and applies an upward force to the male terminal 3.
  • the surface of the ceiling portion of the pinching portion 23 facing the elastic contact piece 21 is an internal facing contact surface 22, and the male terminal 3 is pressed against the internal facing contact surface 22 by the elastic contact piece 21, thereby causing the male terminal 3. Is held in the clamping unit 23.
  • the contact portion where the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3 are in electrical contact with each other is the contact portion between the embossed portion 21a of the female terminal 2 and the tab 31 of the male terminal 3, and the female terminal. 2 is formed at a contact portion between the inner facing contact surface 22 and the tab 31 of the male terminal 3.
  • the contact portion covers the surface of the base metal B and is exposed on the outermost surface to form a silver coating layer A. That is, the silver coating layers A are in contact with each other at the contact portion.
  • the silver coating layer A may be made of pure silver, or may be made of a silver alloy mainly composed of silver and added with other elements.
  • the base metal B may be made of any metal used as a connector terminal base material, such as copper or copper alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy.
  • An intermediate layer may be appropriately formed between the silver coating layer A and the base metal B for the purpose of improving the adhesion of the silver coating layer A and suppressing the diffusion of metal atoms between the layers.
  • An example of such an intermediate layer is a nickel layer.
  • the silver coating layer A may not be formed only on the contact portion, but may be formed over the entire area of the base metal B constituting the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3.
  • the contact portion of the terminal pair 1 pressure is applied in a direction perpendicular to the contact surface due to the elasticity of the elastic contact piece 21.
  • This pressure is limited to 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  • the pressure applied to the contact portion is obtained by dividing the load applied to the contact portion by the contact area at the contact portion.
  • the load applied to the contact portion is defined by the material and shape of the male terminal 3 and the female terminal 2 and is mainly defined by the spring constant of the elastic contact piece 21 in the female connector terminal 2.
  • the contact area in the contact portion is an area of the contact portion where the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3 are actually in contact. For example, the area of the contact mark formed in the contact portion is measured. Obtained by.
  • the contact trace may be observed by a test using the actual terminal pair 1, or may be observed using a model contact portion including a flat plate member and an embossed member, for example.
  • the area of the contact mark may be measured using a microscope such as surface observation using a metal microscope.
  • the contact area in a contact part may be estimated by computer simulation like CAE.
  • the pressure applied to the contact portion can be defined based on the design.
  • the contact portions are formed on both of them, and the load applied to them is in a balanced state, but the inner facing contact surface 22 has a larger area and contacts the tab 31 of the male terminal 3 than the embossed portion 21a. Therefore, the pressure applied to the contact portion on the inner facing contact surface 22 side is smaller than the pressure applied to the contact portion on the embossed portion 21a side.
  • the applied pressure is 480 N / mm 2 or less at the contact portion formed on the embossed portion side. If so, this condition is usually satisfied also in the contact portion formed on the flat plate side.
  • a silver coating layer A is formed on the outermost surface.
  • Silver has a high melting point, is thermally very stable, and is difficult to form an oxide film on the surface even at high temperatures. Therefore, the terminal pair 1 maintains a low contact resistance even when a large current is applied and the temperature becomes high.
  • the pressure applied to a contact part is restrict
  • Silver is a metal that is very susceptible to adhesion. As described above, an oxide film is not easily formed even at a high temperature, so that the ease of the adhesion is maintained even at a high temperature. Therefore, wear at the terminal contact portion is likely to be caused. However, as will be shown later as an example, in a region where the pressure applied to the contact portion where the silver coating layer A is formed on the outermost surface is 480 N / mm 2 or less, the pressure applied to the contact portion is 480 N / mm.
  • the volume of silver worn when the male terminal 3 and the female terminal 2 are slid relative to each other at the terminal contact portion is remarkably reduced.
  • an increase in insertion force at the time of terminal fitting is suppressed, fine irregularities are formed due to wear of the terminal contact portion, and further, the intermediate layer and the base metal B are exposed. This prevents the contact resistance from being increased.
  • the high connection reliability by the low contact resistance which silver itself has is maintained without being impaired by abrasion.
  • the load applied to the contact part is often used as a parameter.
  • the pressure applied to the contact portion is a parameter for controlling wear of the silver coating layer A.
  • the load applied to the contact portion is the same, the influence on the wear of the metal layer differs if the shape of the contact portion is different.
  • the contact area at the contact portion is different, so the influence of the load on the wear of the contact portion is different.
  • the contact area at the contact portion increases as a larger load is applied.
  • the pressure that is a value obtained by dividing the contact load by the contact area is not necessarily proportional to the load.
  • the behavior that the wear volume of the silver coating layer A changes remarkably with a certain value as a boundary is observed peculiarly when the pressure is used as a reference.
  • a clear threshold is not always observed. Therefore, if the pressure applied to the contact portion is used as a parameter, the relationship with the degree of wear can be evaluated regardless of the contact portion shape or the contact area change due to load application. As a result, the wear can be effectively suppressed.
  • the behavior that the wear of silver is remarkably suppressed on the low pressure side with the threshold value of 480 N / mm 2 is due to the physical properties of the silver coating layer A itself. And does not depend on the type of intermediate layer. Further, it is almost independent of the thickness of the silver coating layer A. However, the thickness of the silver coating layer A is desirably 1 ⁇ m or more so that the physical properties of silver itself are dominantly exhibited. Further, it is desirable that the Vickers hardness measured on the surface of the silver coating layer A is in the range of 80 to 120.
  • the pressure of 480 N / mm 2 which is a threshold value for reducing the friction of the silver coating layer A, is not so large as the pressure of the contact portion in the large current terminal. If the load applied to the contact portion is small, the contact resistance increases and the amount of heat generated at the contact portion increases. In order to avoid this, a plurality of contact portions may be formed on one terminal pair while the pressure applied to each contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  • FIG. 1 An example of a female connector terminal having a plurality of contact portions is shown in FIG.
  • the female connector terminal 50 four elastic contact pieces 54 that are cantilevered on the base end side and extend to the opening side 51a side on the opposing upper wall surface 52 and lower wall surface 53 of the rectangular tube-shaped pinching portion 51. However, four each are provided facing each other. These elastic contact pieces 54 can be bent and deformed in the vertical direction independently of each other. Each elastic contact piece 54 is inclined toward the inner side of the pinching part 51 with its base end as a starting point, and its tip is folded back toward the outer side of the pinching part. The curved surface on which the turn is formed becomes a contact 54a that contacts the male terminal tab.
  • the contacts 54a of the upper and lower elastic contact pieces 54 are formed at positions facing each other.
  • a silver coating layer A is formed at least exposed on the outermost surface of each contact 54a.
  • the female terminal 50 When a wide male terminal tab (not shown) that contacts the all elastic contact piece 54 is inserted into the pinching portion 51, the female terminal 50 is connected to the male terminal at four contact points 54a on one side. Contact.
  • the pressure applied to the contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  • the contact area is about four times that of the case where only four contact portions are formed. A load is applied to the contact portion. Then, compared with the case where there is only one contact portion, the contact resistance of the entire terminal is reduced, and a larger current can be allowed to flow within the allowable heat generation range.
  • Terminal sample A terminal sample was prepared by forming a silver plating layer on the surfaces of a general-purpose 9.5-type female terminal and male-type terminal. Here, a plurality of female terminals with different loads applied to the contact portions were formed by changing the shape of the elastic contact piece.
  • the embossed member is brought into contact with the surface of the silver plating layer of the flat plate member of the model sample, and the embossed member is directed to the flat plate member. While applying a predetermined load in the range of 5 to 20 N, 10 mm / min. The embossed member was slid on the surface of the flat plate member at a speed of 1 mm. After sliding 10 mm, the surface of the embossed member was observed with a microscope for surface observation and cross-sectional observation, and the volume of the worn silver plating layer and the contact area at the contact point were estimated.
  • FIG. 3 shows a plot of the wear volume of the silver plating layer as a function of the pressure at the contact point obtained by dividing the applied load by the contact area.
  • the numerical value having N as a unit shown in the graph is a load applied at each measurement point.
  • the error bar shows the variation in multiple measurements.
  • the wear volume is small on the low pressure side, and the dependence of the wear volume on the pressure is small, with the pressure around 480 N / mm 2 shown by the broken line in the figure as a boundary.
  • the wear volume increases rapidly on the high pressure side.
  • the wear volume is a value that depends on the sliding distance, and its absolute value need not be considered.
  • FIG. 4 shows a photomicrograph of contact marks on the flat plate member after measurement corresponding to the three data points in FIG. 3 is performed when an embossed member having a curvature radius of 3 mm is used.
  • the abrasion of the silver plating layer at the time of sliding can be effectively suppressed by making the pressure applied to the contact part which silver plating layers contact into 480 N / mm ⁇ 2 > or less.
  • the wear volume is kept small, whereas the radius of curvature of the emboss is 1 mm. In this case, the wear volume is about three times larger.
  • the pressure value differs between these data points and is located on both sides of the threshold value of 480 N / mm 2 . That is, in evaluating the wear volume, the load is not a good parameter, whereas the pressure is a good parameter that gives a clear threshold for the behavior of the wear volume.
  • V k ⁇ W ⁇ L / H (where V is the amount of wear, L is the slip distance, k is the wear coefficient, H is the hardness of the material, and W is the load). It is known to hold. However, the test result of FIG. 3 shows a behavior deviating from this relationship in a low pressure region of 480 N / mm 2 or less. This is considered to be because in a particularly soft metal such as silver, the contact area changes due to load application to the contact portion, and the amount of wear does not become a simple linear function with respect to the load.
  • FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the wear thickness measured using the terminal sample and the contact load applied to the contact portion. According to this, the wear thickness changes only gently on the low load side, with the contact load 8N as a boundary, and the wear thickness tends to increase rapidly on the high load side. In this way, the behavior of transition from the region where the amount of wear of the silver coating layer changes gradually to the region where it changes suddenly with a certain threshold as a boundary is evaluated using the model contact point as the reference pressure. This is in common with the above results.
  • the terminal sample used this time has a simple shape in which the contact portion is formed only in one place, and the shape of the entire terminal does not change greatly even if the contact load is changed.
  • the contact load is a reliable index for evaluating the wear amount of the silver coating layer.
  • the wear amount is displayed as a function of the contact point pressure in FIG. 3 in comparison with the case where the wear amount is displayed as a function of the contact load in FIG.
  • the pressure at the contact portion is superior to the contact load as an index for evaluating the wear amount.
  • the contact load can be used as an index of the wear amount. It is difficult, and the pressure applied to the contact portion can be used as a suitable index.

Abstract

To provide a terminal pair which is suppressed in abrasion by sliding on a contact part that has a silver coating layer on the outermost surface; and to provide a method for producing such a terminal pair. The terminal pair is composed of a male connector terminal and a female connector terminal, and the male connector terminal and the female connector terminal are in electrical contact with each other at contact parts, each of which is provided with a silver coating layer on the outermost surface. The pressure applied to these contact parts is set to 480 N/mm2 or less. It is preferable that the terminal pair has a plurality of contact parts and the pressure applied to each contact part is 480 N/mm2 or less.

Description

端子対および端子対の製造方法Terminal pair and method of manufacturing terminal pair
　本発明は、端子対およびその製造方法に関し、さらに詳しくは、それぞれ最表面に銀被覆層が形成された雄型端子と雌型端子よりなる端子対、およびその製造方法に関する。 The present invention relates to a terminal pair and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a terminal pair including a male terminal and a female terminal each having a silver coating layer formed on the outermost surface, and a manufacturing method thereof.
　近年、ハイブリッドカーや、電気自動車等で高出力モータが使用されるようになっている。モータ近傍は高温になりやすいうえ、通電量が大きい高出力モータ用の端子等では、コネクタ端子に大電流が流れるので、端子部での発熱量が大きくなる。 In recent years, high output motors have been used in hybrid cars and electric cars. In the vicinity of the motor, the temperature tends to be high, and in a terminal for a high output motor with a large energization amount, a large current flows through the connector terminal, so that the amount of heat generated at the terminal portion increases.
　従来一般に、自動車の電気部品等を接続するコネクタ端子としては、銅又は銅合金などの母材表面にスズめっきなどのめっきが施されたものが用いられていた。しかし、従来のスズめっき端子は、このような大電流で使用される場合には、耐熱性が不十分である。そこで、大電流の印加に使用されるコネクタ端子として、スズめっき端子の代わりに銀被覆層を最表面に形成した端子が用いられることがある。銀は高い耐熱性を有するうえ、高伝導率を有し、表面も酸化されにくいので、銀被覆層を有する端子は、大電流が印加されて高温になる条件でも、接触抵抗が低い状態で使用することができる。 Conventionally, as a connector terminal for connecting an electric part of an automobile or the like, a connector terminal in which tin plating or the like is applied to the surface of a base material such as copper or a copper alloy has been used. However, conventional tin-plated terminals have insufficient heat resistance when used at such a large current. Therefore, as a connector terminal used for applying a large current, a terminal having a silver coating layer formed on the outermost surface may be used instead of a tin-plated terminal. Silver has high heat resistance, high conductivity, and the surface is not easily oxidized, so terminals with a silver coating layer are used with low contact resistance even under conditions where high current is applied and the temperature is high. can do.
　しかしながら、銀は、高い延性を有するうえ、酸化されにくいために端子接点部において金属面同士が接触し、凝着が起こりやすい。よって、銀被覆層を最表面に有する端子の接点部においては、嵌合等に伴う摺動時に、銀被覆層が摩耗しやすくなる。すると、銀被覆層の表面に微細な凹凸が形成されたり、さらには銀被覆層の下に形成された別の金属層や母材金属が露出したりすることにより、抵抗上昇を引き起こすなど、コネクタ端子の接続信頼性を低下させることになる。 However, since silver has high ductility and is not easily oxidized, the metal surfaces come into contact with each other at the terminal contact portion, and adhesion is likely to occur. Therefore, in the contact portion of the terminal having the silver coating layer on the outermost surface, the silver coating layer is easily worn during sliding associated with fitting or the like. Then, a fine unevenness is formed on the surface of the silver coating layer, and another metal layer formed under the silver coating layer or a base metal is exposed to cause an increase in resistance. This will reduce the connection reliability of the terminals.
　本発明が解決しようとする課題は、最表面に銀被覆層を有する接点部における摺動時の摩耗が抑制された端子対を提供すること、およびそのような端子対の製造方法を提供することにある。 The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a terminal pair in which wear at the time of sliding in a contact portion having a silver coating layer on the outermost surface is suppressed, and to provide a method for manufacturing such a terminal pair. It is in.
　上記課題を解決するために、本発明にかかる端子対は、雄型コネクタ端子と雌型コネクタ端子よりなり、前記雄型コネクタ端子および雌型コネクタ端子は、最表面に銀被覆層が形成された接点部において相互に電気的に接触し、前記接点部に印加される圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下であることを要旨とする。 In order to solve the above problems, a terminal pair according to the present invention comprises a male connector terminal and a female connector terminal, and the male connector terminal and the female connector terminal have a silver coating layer formed on the outermost surface. The gist is that the contact portions are in electrical contact with each other and the pressure applied to the contact portions is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
　ここで、前記端子対は前記接点部を複数有し、各接点部に印加される圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下であることが好ましい。 Here, the terminal pair preferably includes a plurality of the contact portions, and the pressure applied to each contact portion is preferably 480 N / mm 2 or less.
　また、本発明にかかる端子対の製造方法は、雄型コネクタ端子と雌型コネクタ端子よりなる端子対の製造方法において、前記雄型コネクタ端子と前記雌型コネクタ端子が相互に電気的に接触する接点部の最表面に銀被覆層を形成し、前記接点部に印加する圧力を、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下とすることを要旨とする。 According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a terminal pair, wherein the male connector terminal and the female connector terminal are in electrical contact with each other in the method of manufacturing a terminal pair including a male connector terminal and a female connector terminal. The gist is that a silver coating layer is formed on the outermost surface of the contact portion, and the pressure applied to the contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
　上記発明にかかる端子対によると、銀被覆層同士が接触する接点部に印加される圧力が、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下に制限されていることにより、それを超える圧力が印加される場合と比較して、接点部が摺動された際の銀被覆層の摩耗が著しく抑制される。これにより、銀被覆層を有する大電流用端子対において、高い接続信頼性を維持することができる。 According to the terminal pair according to the invention, the pressure applied to the contact portion where the silver coating layers are in contact with each other is limited to 480 N / mm 2 or less, so that a pressure exceeding the pressure is applied. Thus, the wear of the silver coating layer when the contact portion is slid is remarkably suppressed. Thereby, high connection reliability can be maintained in the terminal pair for large current having the silver coating layer.
　ここで、端子対が接点部を複数有し、接点部に印加される圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下である場合には、各接点部に印加される圧力を４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下に抑えながら、雄型コネクタ端子と雌型コネクタ端子を大面積で接触させ、端子対全体として接点部に大きな荷重を印加できるようになる。これにより、端子対全体として、摺動時の銀被覆層の摩耗を抑制しながら、接触抵抗を小さく抑え、大電流を印加できるようになる。 Here, when the terminal pair has a plurality of contact portions and the pressure applied to the contact portions is 480 N / mm 2 or less, the pressure applied to each contact portion is suppressed to 480 N / mm 2 or less. The male connector terminal and the female connector terminal are brought into contact with each other over a large area, so that a large load can be applied to the contact portion as a whole terminal pair. As a result, as a whole terminal pair, the contact resistance can be kept small and a large current can be applied while suppressing the wear of the silver coating layer during sliding.
　上記発明にかかる端子対の製造方法によると、銀被覆層同士が接触する接点部に印加される圧力を４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下に制限することにより、接点部の摺動による銀被覆層の摩耗を著しく抑制することができる。 According to the method for manufacturing a terminal pair according to the invention, the pressure applied to the contact portion where the silver coating layers are in contact with each other is limited to 480 N / mm 2 or less, so that the wear of the silver coating layer due to the sliding of the contact portion is reduced. It can be significantly suppressed.
本発明の一実施形態にかかる端子対を示す断面図である。It is sectional drawing which shows the terminal pair concerning one Embodiment of this invention. 多接点型の雌型コネクタ端子の一例を示す斜視図である。It is a perspective view which shows an example of a multi-contact type female connector terminal. モデル接点部に印加される圧力と摩耗体積の関係を示すグラフである。It is a graph which shows the relationship between the pressure applied to a model contact part, and a wear volume. 荷重の違いによる摩耗状態の違いを示す金属顕微鏡像である。各像は図３の曲率半径３ｍｍのエンボス状部材を用いた場合の測定点に対応し、それぞれ荷重（ａ）１０Ｎ、（ｂ）１５Ｎ、（ｃ）２０Ｎの場合に対応している。It is a metallographic microscope image which shows the difference in the abrasion state by the difference in load. Each image corresponds to a measurement point when an embossed member having a curvature radius of 3 mm in FIG. 3 is used, and corresponds to the cases of loads (a) 10N, (b) 15N, and (c) 20N, respectively. 端子接点部に印加される接触荷重と摩耗厚さの関係を示すグラフである。It is a graph which shows the relationship between the contact load applied to a terminal contact part, and wear thickness.
　以下に、本発明の実施形態について、図面を参照しつつ詳細に説明する。 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
　本発明の一実施形態にかかる端子対１は、図１に示すように、角筒状の挟圧部２３を有する雌型コネクタ端子（以下単に雌型端子と称する場合がある）２と、平板状のタブ３１を有する雄型コネクタ端子（以下単に雄型端子と称する場合がある）３とよりなる。雌型端子２の挟圧部２３に雄型端子３のタブ３１が挟圧保持され、両者の間に電気的接続が形成される。雌型端子２および雄型端子３は、それぞれ挟圧部２３およびタブ３１の後方に、電線接続部（不図示）を有し、電線接続部において、電線と電気的に接続される。そして、雌型コネクタ端子２の挟圧部２３に雄型コネクタ端子３のタブ３１が挿入されることで、電線間に導通が形成される。 As shown in FIG. 1, a terminal pair 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a female connector terminal (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a female terminal) 2 having a rectangular tube-shaped clamping portion 23, a flat plate And a male connector terminal 3 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a male terminal) 3 having a tab 31 in the form of a ring. The tab 31 of the male terminal 3 is clamped and held in the clamping part 23 of the female terminal 2, and an electrical connection is formed between them. The female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3 have an electric wire connecting part (not shown) behind the pinching part 23 and the tab 31, respectively, and are electrically connected to the electric wire at the electric wire connecting part. Then, the tab 31 of the male connector terminal 3 is inserted into the pinching portion 23 of the female connector terminal 2 so that conduction is formed between the electric wires.
　雌型端子２は、前方が開口した四角筒状に形成された挟圧部２３の底面の内側に、内側後方へ折り返された形状の弾性接触片２１を有する。弾性接触片２１は、中途部位に膨出形成されたエンボス部２１ａを有する。弾性接触片２１は、挟圧部２３に挿入された雄型端子３のタブ３１とエンボス部２１ａにおいて接触し、雄型端子３に上向きの力を加える。弾性接触片２１と相対する挟圧部２３の天井部の表面が内部対向接触面２２とされ、雄型端子３が弾性接触片２１によって内部対向接触面２２に押し付けられることにより、雄型端子３が挟圧部２３内において挟圧保持される。つまり、雌型端子２と雄型端子３が相互に電気的に接触する接点部が、雌型端子２のエンボス部２１ａと雄型端子３のタブ３１との間の接触部分、および雌型端子２の内部対向接触面２２と雄型端子３のタブ３１との間の接触部分に形成される。 The female terminal 2 has an elastic contact piece 21 having a shape folded back inward and rearward on the inner side of the bottom surface of the pinching portion 23 formed in a square tube shape having an opening at the front. The elastic contact piece 21 has an embossed portion 21a that is bulged and formed at a midway site. The elastic contact piece 21 comes into contact with the tab 31 of the male terminal 3 inserted into the pinching portion 23 at the embossed portion 21 a and applies an upward force to the male terminal 3. The surface of the ceiling portion of the pinching portion 23 facing the elastic contact piece 21 is an internal facing contact surface 22, and the male terminal 3 is pressed against the internal facing contact surface 22 by the elastic contact piece 21, thereby causing the male terminal 3. Is held in the clamping unit 23. That is, the contact portion where the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3 are in electrical contact with each other is the contact portion between the embossed portion 21a of the female terminal 2 and the tab 31 of the male terminal 3, and the female terminal. 2 is formed at a contact portion between the inner facing contact surface 22 and the tab 31 of the male terminal 3.
　雌型端子２および雄型端子３においては、少なくとも上記接点部に、母材金属Ｂの表面を被覆し、最表面に露出されて、銀被覆層Ａが形成されている。つまり、接点部においては、銀被覆層Ａ同士が接触している。 In the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3, at least the contact portion covers the surface of the base metal B and is exposed on the outermost surface to form a silver coating layer A. That is, the silver coating layers A are in contact with each other at the contact portion.
　銀被覆層Ａは、純銀よりなってもよく、銀を主成分とし、他の元素が添加された銀合金よりなってもよい。また、母材金属Ｂは、銅または銅合金、アルミニウムまたはアルミニウム合金等、コネクタ端子の基材として使用されるいかなる金属よりなってもよい。銀被覆層Ａと母材金属Ｂの間には、銀被覆層Ａの密着性を高めることや層間の金属原子の拡散を抑制すること等を目的として、適宜中間層が形成されてもよい。このような中間層としては、ニッケル層を例示することができる。なお、銀被覆層Ａは、接点部のみに形成されていなくても、雌型端子２および雄型端子３を構成する母材金属Ｂの全域にわたって形成されていてもよい。 The silver coating layer A may be made of pure silver, or may be made of a silver alloy mainly composed of silver and added with other elements. The base metal B may be made of any metal used as a connector terminal base material, such as copper or copper alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy. An intermediate layer may be appropriately formed between the silver coating layer A and the base metal B for the purpose of improving the adhesion of the silver coating layer A and suppressing the diffusion of metal atoms between the layers. An example of such an intermediate layer is a nickel layer. The silver coating layer A may not be formed only on the contact portion, but may be formed over the entire area of the base metal B constituting the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3.
　端子対１の接点部においては、弾性接触片２１の弾性により、接触面に垂直な方向に圧力が印加される。この圧力は、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下に制限されている。ここで、接点部に印加される圧力は、接点部に印加される荷重を、接点部における接触面積で除したものである。接点部に印加される荷重は、雄型端子３および雌型端子２の材質および形状によって規定されるものであり、主として雌型コネクタ端子２における弾性接触片２１のばね定数によって規定される。一方、接点部における接触面積は、接点部において実際に雌型端子２と雄型端子３が接触している部分の面積であり、例えば、接点部に形成される接触痕の面積を計測することによって得られる。ここで、接触痕は、実際の端子対１を用いた試験によって観察されてもよいし、例えば平板状部材とエンボス状部材よりなるモデル接点部を用いて観察されてもよい。接触痕の面積の計測は、金属顕微鏡による表面観察等、顕微鏡を用いて行えばよい。あるいは、接点部における接触面積は、ＣＡＥのようなコンピュータシミュレーションによって見積もられてもよい。いずれの方法を用いる場合にも、端子対１の製造工程において、接点部に印加される圧力を設計に基づいて規定することができる。 At the contact portion of the terminal pair 1, pressure is applied in a direction perpendicular to the contact surface due to the elasticity of the elastic contact piece 21. This pressure is limited to 480 N / mm 2 or less. Here, the pressure applied to the contact portion is obtained by dividing the load applied to the contact portion by the contact area at the contact portion. The load applied to the contact portion is defined by the material and shape of the male terminal 3 and the female terminal 2 and is mainly defined by the spring constant of the elastic contact piece 21 in the female connector terminal 2. On the other hand, the contact area in the contact portion is an area of the contact portion where the female terminal 2 and the male terminal 3 are actually in contact. For example, the area of the contact mark formed in the contact portion is measured. Obtained by. Here, the contact trace may be observed by a test using the actual terminal pair 1, or may be observed using a model contact portion including a flat plate member and an embossed member, for example. The area of the contact mark may be measured using a microscope such as surface observation using a metal microscope. Or the contact area in a contact part may be estimated by computer simulation like CAE. In any case, in the manufacturing process of the terminal pair 1, the pressure applied to the contact portion can be defined based on the design.
　なお、上記端子対１においては、雌型端子２のエンボス部２１ａと雄型端子３のタブ３１との間、雌型端子２の内部対向接触面２２と雄型端子３のタブ３１との間の両方に接点部が形成され、それらに印加される荷重が釣り合った状態にあるが、エンボス部２１ａに比べて内部対向接触面２２の方が大面積で雄型端子３のタブ３１と接触するので、内部対向接触面２２側の接点部に印加される圧力は、エンボス部２１ａ側の接点部に印加される圧力よりも小さい。よって、上記端子対１のようにエンボス状部と平板状部の間で相手側端子を挟持する場合には、エンボス状部の側に形成される接点部において、印加圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下となっていれば、平板状部の側に形成される接点部においても、通常はこの条件が満たされる。 In the terminal pair 1, between the embossed portion 21 a of the female terminal 2 and the tab 31 of the male terminal 3, between the inner facing contact surface 22 of the female terminal 2 and the tab 31 of the male terminal 3. The contact portions are formed on both of them, and the load applied to them is in a balanced state, but the inner facing contact surface 22 has a larger area and contacts the tab 31 of the male terminal 3 than the embossed portion 21a. Therefore, the pressure applied to the contact portion on the inner facing contact surface 22 side is smaller than the pressure applied to the contact portion on the embossed portion 21a side. Therefore, when the counterpart terminal is sandwiched between the embossed portion and the flat plate-like portion as in the terminal pair 1, the applied pressure is 480 N / mm 2 or less at the contact portion formed on the embossed portion side. If so, this condition is usually satisfied also in the contact portion formed on the flat plate side.
　上記端子対１においては、最表面に銀被覆層Ａが形成されている。銀は高い融点を有し、熱的に非常に安定であるうえ、高温でも表面に酸化被膜が形成されにくい。よって、上記端子対１は、大電流を印加して高温になっても、低い接触抵抗を維持する。 In the terminal pair 1, a silver coating layer A is formed on the outermost surface. Silver has a high melting point, is thermally very stable, and is difficult to form an oxide film on the surface even at high temperatures. Therefore, the terminal pair 1 maintains a low contact resistance even when a large current is applied and the temperature becomes high.
　そして、上記端子対１においては、接点部に印加される圧力が、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下に制限されている。銀は非常に凝着を起こしやすい金属であり、上記のように高温になっても酸化被膜が形成されにくいため、その凝着の起こりやすさが高温でも維持される。よって、端子接点部における摩耗が引き起こされやすい。しかし、後に実施例として示すように、銀被覆層Ａが最表面に形成された接点部に印加される圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下である領域では、接点部に印加される圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２を超えている場合と比較して、端子接点部において雄型端子３と雌型端子２を相互に摺動させた際に摩耗する銀の体積が著しく小さくなる。その結果、端子嵌合時の挿入力の上昇が抑えられるとともに、端子接点部の摩耗に由来して微細な凹凸が形成されることや、さらには中間層や母材金属Ｂが露出されることによって接触抵抗が上昇されることが抑制される。そして、銀自体が有する低い接触抵抗による高い接続信頼性が摩耗によって損なわれずに維持される。 And in the said terminal pair 1, the pressure applied to a contact part is restrict | limited to 480 N / mm < 2 > or less. Silver is a metal that is very susceptible to adhesion. As described above, an oxide film is not easily formed even at a high temperature, so that the ease of the adhesion is maintained even at a high temperature. Therefore, wear at the terminal contact portion is likely to be caused. However, as will be shown later as an example, in a region where the pressure applied to the contact portion where the silver coating layer A is formed on the outermost surface is 480 N / mm 2 or less, the pressure applied to the contact portion is 480 N / mm. Compared with the case where the number exceeds 2 , the volume of silver worn when the male terminal 3 and the female terminal 2 are slid relative to each other at the terminal contact portion is remarkably reduced. As a result, an increase in insertion force at the time of terminal fitting is suppressed, fine irregularities are formed due to wear of the terminal contact portion, and further, the intermediate layer and the base metal B are exposed. This prevents the contact resistance from being increased. And the high connection reliability by the low contact resistance which silver itself has is maintained without being impaired by abrasion.
　端子表面の金属層の摩耗を考慮するに際し、しばしば、接点部に印加される荷重がパラメータとして使用される。しかし、ここでは、接点部に印加される圧力を、銀被覆層Ａの摩耗を制御するためのパラメータとしている。接点部に印加される荷重が同じでも、接点部の形状が異なれば、金属層の摩耗に与える影響が異なる。たとえば、エンボス状接点部に同じ荷重を印加したとしても、エンボスの径が異なれば、接点部における接触面積が異なるので、その荷重が接点部の摩耗に与える影響が異なる。また、特に銀のような軟らかい金属の表面においては、大きな荷重を印加するほど接点部における接触面積が大きくなるので、接触荷重を接触面積で除した値である圧力は、必ずしも荷重と比例しない。そして、ある値を境として銀被覆層Ａの摩耗体積が著しく変化するという挙動は、圧力を基準とした場合に特有に観測されるものであり、荷重を基準とするかぎり、摩耗体積の変化に関する明確な閾値は必ずしも観測されない。そこで、接点部に印加される圧力をパラメータとすれば、接点部の形状や荷重印加による接触面積の変化によらず、摩耗の程度との関係を評価することができ、所定の閾値以下の圧力が印加されるようにすることで、摩耗を効果的に抑制することができる。 When considering the wear of the metal layer on the terminal surface, the load applied to the contact part is often used as a parameter. However, here, the pressure applied to the contact portion is a parameter for controlling wear of the silver coating layer A. Even if the load applied to the contact portion is the same, the influence on the wear of the metal layer differs if the shape of the contact portion is different. For example, even if the same load is applied to the embossed contact portion, if the emboss diameter is different, the contact area at the contact portion is different, so the influence of the load on the wear of the contact portion is different. In particular, on the surface of a soft metal such as silver, the contact area at the contact portion increases as a larger load is applied. Therefore, the pressure that is a value obtained by dividing the contact load by the contact area is not necessarily proportional to the load. And the behavior that the wear volume of the silver coating layer A changes remarkably with a certain value as a boundary is observed peculiarly when the pressure is used as a reference. A clear threshold is not always observed. Therefore, if the pressure applied to the contact portion is used as a parameter, the relationship with the degree of wear can be evaluated regardless of the contact portion shape or the contact area change due to load application. As a result, the wear can be effectively suppressed.
　銀被覆層Ａにおいて、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２との閾値を境に、低圧力側で銀の摩耗が著しく抑制されるとの挙動は、銀被覆層Ａ自体の物性によるものであり、母材金属Ｂや中間層の種類には依存しない。また、銀被覆層Ａの厚さにもほぼ依存しない。ただし、銀自体の物性が支配的に発揮されるように、銀被覆層Ａの厚さは、１μｍ以上であることが望ましい。また、銀被覆層Ａの表面で計測されるビッカース硬さが８０～１２０の範囲にあることが望ましい。 In the silver coating layer A, the behavior that the wear of silver is remarkably suppressed on the low pressure side with the threshold value of 480 N / mm 2 is due to the physical properties of the silver coating layer A itself. And does not depend on the type of intermediate layer. Further, it is almost independent of the thickness of the silver coating layer A. However, the thickness of the silver coating layer A is desirably 1 μm or more so that the physical properties of silver itself are dominantly exhibited. Further, it is desirable that the Vickers hardness measured on the surface of the silver coating layer A is in the range of 80 to 120.
　銀被覆層Ａの摩擦を低減するための閾値である４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２との圧力は、大電流用端子における接点部の圧力としてそれほど大きなものではない。接点部に印加する荷重が小さいと、接触抵抗が上昇し、接点部における発熱量が大きくなってしまう。これを回避するため、各接点部に印加される圧力を４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下としながら、１つの端子対に複数の接点部を形成すればよい。 The pressure of 480 N / mm 2 , which is a threshold value for reducing the friction of the silver coating layer A, is not so large as the pressure of the contact portion in the large current terminal. If the load applied to the contact portion is small, the contact resistance increases and the amount of heat generated at the contact portion increases. In order to avoid this, a plurality of contact portions may be formed on one terminal pair while the pressure applied to each contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
　複数の接点部を有する雌型コネクタ端子の一例を図２に示す。雌型コネクタ端子５０においては、角筒形の挟圧部５１の対向する上壁面５２と下壁面５３に、基端側に片持ち支持されて開口部側５１ａ側に延びる４つの弾性接触片５４が、それぞれ４つずつ、対向して設けられている。これらの弾性接触片５４は、互いに独立して上下方向に撓み変形可能である。各弾性接触片５４は、その基端を起点として挟圧部５１内側に向かって傾斜し、その先端が挟圧部外側に向かって折り返されている。その折り返しが形成された湾曲面が、雄型端子タブと接触する接点５４ａとなる。上下の弾性接触片５４の接点５４ａは、相互に対向する位置に形成されている。そして、少なくとも各接点５４ａの最表面に露出して銀被覆層Ａが形成されている。 An example of a female connector terminal having a plurality of contact portions is shown in FIG. In the female connector terminal 50, four elastic contact pieces 54 that are cantilevered on the base end side and extend to the opening side 51a side on the opposing upper wall surface 52 and lower wall surface 53 of the rectangular tube-shaped pinching portion 51. However, four each are provided facing each other. These elastic contact pieces 54 can be bent and deformed in the vertical direction independently of each other. Each elastic contact piece 54 is inclined toward the inner side of the pinching part 51 with its base end as a starting point, and its tip is folded back toward the outer side of the pinching part. The curved surface on which the turn is formed becomes a contact 54a that contacts the male terminal tab. The contacts 54a of the upper and lower elastic contact pieces 54 are formed at positions facing each other. A silver coating layer A is formed at least exposed on the outermost surface of each contact 54a.
　この挟圧部５１に、全弾性接触片５４と接触する幅広の雄型端子タブ（不図示）が挿入されると、雌型端子５０は、雄型端子と片面あたり４か所の接点５４ａで接触する。ここで、各接点５４ａついて、接点部に印加される圧力が、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下となっている。接点部が４か所形成されていることにより、接点部が１か所だけである場合と比較して、約４倍の接触面積が得られ、それに伴って、端子全体として約４倍の接触荷重が接点部に印加されることになる。すると、接点部が１か所だけの場合と比べて、端子全体としての接触抵抗が小さくなり、許容される発熱量の範囲内でより大きな電流を流せるようになる。 When a wide male terminal tab (not shown) that contacts the all elastic contact piece 54 is inserted into the pinching portion 51, the female terminal 50 is connected to the male terminal at four contact points 54a on one side. Contact. Here, for each contact 54a, the pressure applied to the contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less. Compared with the case where there are only one contact portion, the contact area is about four times that of the case where only four contact portions are formed. A load is applied to the contact portion. Then, compared with the case where there is only one contact portion, the contact resistance of the entire terminal is reduced, and a larger current can be allowed to flow within the allowable heat generation range.
　以下、実施例を用いて本発明を詳細に説明する。 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail using examples.
［モデル試料］
　平板状銅合金母材に、厚さ５μｍの銀めっき層を形成した（ビッカース硬さ：８０）。このめっき部材を用いて、平板状部材と、エンボス状部材を形成した。エンボスの曲率半径（Ｒ）は、３ｍｍと１ｍｍの２とおりとした。 [Model sample]
A silver plating layer having a thickness of 5 μm was formed on the flat copper alloy base material (Vickers hardness: 80). Using this plated member, a flat plate member and an embossed member were formed. The radius of curvature (R) of the emboss was 2 ways, 3mm and 1mm.
［端子試料］
　汎用的な９．５型雌型端子と雄型端子の表面に、銀めっき層を形成したものを、端子試料とした。ここで、弾性接触片の形状を変化させることにより、接点部に印加される荷重が異なる複数の雌型端子を形成した。 [Terminal sample]
A terminal sample was prepared by forming a silver plating layer on the surfaces of a general-purpose 9.5-type female terminal and male-type terminal. Here, a plurality of female terminals with different loads applied to the contact portions were formed by changing the shape of the elastic contact piece.
［試験方法］
（モデル試料を用いた接点部の圧力と摩耗体積の関係の評価）
　接点部に印加される圧力を指標とした端子設計の妥当性を評価するため、上記モデル試料の平板状部材の銀めっき層表面にエンボス状部材を接触させ、エンボス状部材から平板状部材に向かって、５～２０Ｎの範囲の所定の荷重を印加しながら、１０ｍｍ／ｍｉｎ．の速度で、エンボス状部材を平板状部材の面上で摺動させた。１０ｍｍ摺動させた後に、エンボス状部材の表面について、顕微鏡を用いて表面観察および断面観察を行い、摩耗された銀めっき層の体積と、接点における接触面積を見積もった。 [Test method]
(Evaluation of the relationship between contact pressure and wear volume using model samples)
In order to evaluate the validity of the terminal design using the pressure applied to the contact portion as an index, the embossed member is brought into contact with the surface of the silver plating layer of the flat plate member of the model sample, and the embossed member is directed to the flat plate member. While applying a predetermined load in the range of 5 to 20 N, 10 mm / min. The embossed member was slid on the surface of the flat plate member at a speed of 1 mm. After sliding 10 mm, the surface of the embossed member was observed with a microscope for surface observation and cross-sectional observation, and the volume of the worn silver plating layer and the contact area at the contact point were estimated.
（端子試料を用いた接点部の接触荷重と摩耗厚さの関係の評価）
　上記端子試料の雄型端子を雌型端子に挿入して嵌合した後、雄型端子を抜いた。そして、蛍光Ｘ線膜厚計を用いて、摩耗前と摩耗後の膜厚を見積もり、その差から摩耗された銀めっき層の厚さを算出した。 (Evaluation of the relationship between contact load and wear thickness of contact parts using terminal samples)
After inserting and fitting the male terminal of the terminal sample into the female terminal, the male terminal was removed. Then, using a fluorescent X-ray film thickness meter, the film thickness before wear and after wear was estimated, and the thickness of the worn silver plating layer was calculated from the difference.
［結果と考察］
（モデル試料を用いた接点部の圧力と摩耗体積の関係の評価）
　図３に、印加した荷重を接触面積で除して得られた接点部における圧力の関数として、銀めっき層の摩耗体積をプロットしたものを示す。グラフ中に示したＮを単位とする数値は、それぞれの測定点において印加した荷重である。また、エラーバーは、複数回の測定におけるばらつきを示している。図３によると、エンボスの曲率半径によらず、図中破線で示した圧力４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２付近を境に、低圧力側では摩耗体積が小さく、また圧力に対する摩耗体積の依存性も小さいのに対し、高圧力側では、急激に摩耗体積が大きくなっている。なお、摩耗体積は、摺動距離に依存する値であり、その絶対値は考慮しなくてよい。 [Results and discussion]
(Evaluation of the relationship between contact pressure and wear volume using model samples)
FIG. 3 shows a plot of the wear volume of the silver plating layer as a function of the pressure at the contact point obtained by dividing the applied load by the contact area. The numerical value having N as a unit shown in the graph is a load applied at each measurement point. Moreover, the error bar shows the variation in multiple measurements. According to FIG. 3, regardless of the radius of curvature of the emboss, the wear volume is small on the low pressure side, and the dependence of the wear volume on the pressure is small, with the pressure around 480 N / mm 2 shown by the broken line in the figure as a boundary. On the other hand, the wear volume increases rapidly on the high pressure side. The wear volume is a value that depends on the sliding distance, and its absolute value need not be considered.
　また、図４に、曲率半径３ｍｍのエンボス状部材を用いた場合について、図３中の３つのデータ点に対応する測定を行った後の平板状部材における接触痕の顕微鏡写真を示す。圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下である荷重（ａ）１０Ｎおよび（ｂ）１５Ｎの場合を比較すると、銀被覆層が摩耗によって除去を受けている程度がほとんど変わらず、いずれの場合にも、銅合金母材が露出するようなことは起こっていない。しかし、圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２を超えている（ｃ）荷重２０Ｎの場合には、銀被覆層が深く抉り取られ、下地の銅合金母材が露出している（接触痕中の右下部分）。 FIG. 4 shows a photomicrograph of contact marks on the flat plate member after measurement corresponding to the three data points in FIG. 3 is performed when an embossed member having a curvature radius of 3 mm is used. When the loads (a) 10N and (b) 15N with a pressure of 480 N / mm 2 or less are compared, the degree to which the silver coating layer has been removed by wear is hardly changed. There has been no exposure of the base material. However, when the pressure exceeds 480 N / mm 2 (c) when the load is 20 N, the silver coating layer is deeply scraped and the underlying copper alloy base material is exposed (the lower right portion in the contact mark) ).
　このように、銀めっき層同士が接触する接点部に印加される圧力を４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下とすることで、摺動時の銀めっき層の摩耗を効果的に抑制することができることが分かった。ここで、接点部に印加される荷重に着目すると、荷重が１０Ｎの場合に、エンボスの曲率半径が３ｍｍの場合には、摩耗体積が小さく抑えられているのに対し、エンボスの曲率半径が１ｍｍの場合には、摩耗体積が３倍程度に大きくなっている。一方、荷重を圧力に換算すると、圧力の値はこれらのデータ点の間で異なっており、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２との閾値の両側に位置する。つまり、摩耗体積を評価するに際し、荷重はよいパラメータとならないのに対し、圧力は摩耗体積の挙動に関して明確な閾値を与えるよいパラメータとなっている。 Thus, it turned out that the abrasion of the silver plating layer at the time of sliding can be effectively suppressed by making the pressure applied to the contact part which silver plating layers contact into 480 N / mm < 2 > or less. . Here, focusing on the load applied to the contact portion, when the load is 10 N and the radius of curvature of the emboss is 3 mm, the wear volume is kept small, whereas the radius of curvature of the emboss is 1 mm. In this case, the wear volume is about three times larger. On the other hand, when the load is converted into pressure, the pressure value differs between these data points and is located on both sides of the threshold value of 480 N / mm 2 . That is, in evaluating the wear volume, the load is not a good parameter, whereas the pressure is a good parameter that gives a clear threshold for the behavior of the wear volume.
　摩耗量と荷重の関係として、Ｖ＝ｋ・Ｗ・Ｌ／Ｈ（ただし、Ｖ：摩耗量、Ｌ：すべり距離、ｋ：摩耗係数、Ｈ：材料の硬さ、Ｗ：荷重）という関係が一般に成り立つことが知られている。しかし、図３の試験結果は、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下の低圧力の領域において、この関係から逸脱する挙動を示している。これは、銀のように特に軟らかい金属においては、接点部への荷重印加によって接触面積が変化し、摩耗量が荷重に対する単純な一次関数とならないためであると考えられる。 The relationship between the amount of wear and the load is generally V = k · W · L / H (where V is the amount of wear, L is the slip distance, k is the wear coefficient, H is the hardness of the material, and W is the load). It is known to hold. However, the test result of FIG. 3 shows a behavior deviating from this relationship in a low pressure region of 480 N / mm 2 or less. This is considered to be because in a particularly soft metal such as silver, the contact area changes due to load application to the contact portion, and the amount of wear does not become a simple linear function with respect to the load.
（端子試料を用いた接点部の接触荷重と摩耗厚さの関係の評価）
　図５に、上記端子試料を用いて計測された摩耗厚さと接点部に印加される接触荷重の関係を示す。これによると、接触荷重８Ｎを境に、低荷重側ではゆるやかにしか摩耗厚さが変化せず、高荷重側では急激に摩耗厚さが上昇するという傾向が見られる。このように、ある閾値を境に、銀被覆層の摩耗量がゆるやかに変化する領域から急激に変化する領域へと遷移する挙動は、モデル接点を用いて接点部の圧力を基準として評価を行った上記の結果と共通するものである。 (Evaluation of the relationship between contact load and wear thickness of contact parts using terminal samples)
FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the wear thickness measured using the terminal sample and the contact load applied to the contact portion. According to this, the wear thickness changes only gently on the low load side, with the contact load 8N as a boundary, and the wear thickness tends to increase rapidly on the high load side. In this way, the behavior of transition from the region where the amount of wear of the silver coating layer changes gradually to the region where it changes suddenly with a certain threshold as a boundary is evaluated using the model contact point as the reference pressure. This is in common with the above results.
　今回用いた端子試料は、接点部が１か所にのみ形成された単純な形状を有するものであり、かつ接触荷重を変化させても端子全体の形状は大きく変わらないものである。このような場合には、接触荷重が銀被覆層の摩耗量を評価するための信頼できる指標となる。接点部に印加される圧力の関数として摩耗量をとらえた場合にも、図３のように、これと同様の傾向が得られたことから、接点部に印加される圧力は、銀被覆層の摩耗を抑制した端子を設計するのによい指標となることが分かる。また、図５の接触荷重の関数として摩耗量を表示した場合と比較して、図３の接点部の圧力の関数として摩耗量を表示した場合には、閾値を挟んだ摩耗量の傾きの変化が、一層急峻に現れている。このことは、摩耗量を評価する指標として、接触荷重よりも接点部の圧力の方がさらに優れていることを示している。特に、端子の形状が複雑である場合、接点部の数が多い場合、形状の異なる端子同士で銀被覆層の摩耗量を比較する場合等には、接触荷重を摩耗量の指標として用いることが難しく、接点部に印加される圧力を好適な指標として用いることができる。 The terminal sample used this time has a simple shape in which the contact portion is formed only in one place, and the shape of the entire terminal does not change greatly even if the contact load is changed. In such a case, the contact load is a reliable index for evaluating the wear amount of the silver coating layer. Even when the amount of wear was captured as a function of the pressure applied to the contact portion, a similar tendency was obtained as shown in FIG. 3, and therefore the pressure applied to the contact portion was the same as that of the silver coating layer. It turns out that it becomes a good parameter | index for designing the terminal which suppressed abrasion. Further, when the wear amount is displayed as a function of the contact point pressure in FIG. 3 in comparison with the case where the wear amount is displayed as a function of the contact load in FIG. However, it appears more steep. This indicates that the pressure at the contact portion is superior to the contact load as an index for evaluating the wear amount. In particular, when the shape of the terminal is complicated, when the number of contact portions is large, when the wear amount of the silver coating layer is compared between terminals having different shapes, the contact load can be used as an index of the wear amount. It is difficult, and the pressure applied to the contact portion can be used as a suitable index.
　以上、本発明の実施形態について詳細に説明したが、本発明は上記実施形態および実施例に何ら限定されるものではなく、本発明の要旨を逸脱しない範囲で種々の改変が可能である。また、接点部に印加される圧力が所定の閾値以下となると、摩耗体積が著しく小さくなるという挙動は、銀に限らず、種々の金属、特に軟らかい金属で観測されるものである。閾値の具体的な値は金属種に依存するが、上記実施例に示したのと同様に、摩耗体積を圧力に対してプロットし、閾値を見積もれば、接点部に印加される圧力をその閾値以下とすることで、摩耗が抑制された端子対を得ることができる。 As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described in detail, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment and Example at all, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention. Further, when the pressure applied to the contact portion becomes a predetermined threshold value or less, the behavior that the wear volume is remarkably reduced is observed not only with silver but also with various metals, particularly soft metals. Although the specific value of the threshold value depends on the metal type, the wear volume is plotted against the pressure, and the threshold value is estimated. By making the following, a terminal pair in which wear is suppressed can be obtained.

Claims (3)

  1. 　雄型コネクタ端子と雌型コネクタ端子よりなり、
    　前記雄型コネクタ端子および雌型コネクタ端子は、最表面に銀被覆層が形成された接点部において相互に電気的に接触し、
    　前記接点部に印加される圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下であることを特徴とする端子対。     It consists of male connector terminals and female connector terminals.
    The male connector terminal and the female connector terminal are in electrical contact with each other at a contact portion having a silver coating layer formed on the outermost surface,
    The terminal pair, wherein a pressure applied to the contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  2. 　前記端子対は前記接点部を複数有し、各接点部に印加される圧力が４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下であることを特徴とする請求項１に記載の端子対。 The terminal pair according to claim 1, wherein the terminal pair includes a plurality of the contact portions, and a pressure applied to each contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
  3. 　雄型コネクタ端子と雌型コネクタ端子よりなる端子対の製造方法において、
    　前記雄型コネクタ端子と前記雌型コネクタ端子が相互に電気的に接触する接点部の最表面に銀被覆層を形成し、
    　前記接点部に印加する圧力を、４８０Ｎ／ｍｍ２以下とすることを特徴とする端子対の製造方法。     In a method of manufacturing a terminal pair consisting of a male connector terminal and a female connector terminal,
    Forming a silver coating layer on the outermost surface of the contact portion where the male connector terminal and the female connector terminal are in electrical contact with each other;
    A method of manufacturing a terminal pair, wherein a pressure applied to the contact portion is 480 N / mm 2 or less.
PCT/JP2014/069140 2013-08-08 2014-07-18 Terminal pair and method for producing terminal pair WO2015019823A1 (en)

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Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2011187282A (en) * 2010-03-08 2011-09-22 Sumitomo Wiring Syst Ltd Female terminal fitting
JP2012234651A (en) * 2011-04-28 2012-11-29 Auto Network Gijutsu Kenkyusho:Kk Connector terminal, method of manufacturing the same, and connector
JP2013026117A (en) * 2011-07-25 2013-02-04 Hirakawa Industry Co Ltd Female connection terminal of electric vehicle charging connector and manufacturing method of the same
JP2013147696A (en) * 2012-01-18 2013-08-01 Dowa Metaltech Kk Terminal structure

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2011187282A (en) * 2010-03-08 2011-09-22 Sumitomo Wiring Syst Ltd Female terminal fitting
JP2012234651A (en) * 2011-04-28 2012-11-29 Auto Network Gijutsu Kenkyusho:Kk Connector terminal, method of manufacturing the same, and connector
JP2013026117A (en) * 2011-07-25 2013-02-04 Hirakawa Industry Co Ltd Female connection terminal of electric vehicle charging connector and manufacturing method of the same
JP2013147696A (en) * 2012-01-18 2013-08-01 Dowa Metaltech Kk Terminal structure

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