Automobile connector based on soft copper sheet stacking and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses an automobile connector based on soft copper sheet stacking and a manufacturing method thereof, and relates to the technical field of automobile connectors, the connector is formed by stacking a plurality of layers of copper sheet main bodies, and the two ends of the copper sheet main bodies stacked in a plurality of layers are welded to obtain hardened terminal connecting ends, hardened terminal fixing ends and hardened terminal moving ends in the middle. By adopting a method of stacking multiple layers of copper sheet main bodies, the multiple layers of soft copper sheets disperse current, the current-carrying capacity is improved by more than 50% compared with that of a single-layer copper bar, meanwhile, the flexible design of the middle layer can absorb vibration energy, the fracture risk is reduced, and the service life of the copper sheet main bodies is prolonged, so that the service life of the copper sheet main bodies is prolonged, and the service life of the copper sheet main bodies is prolonged. Current-carrying limitation and installation limitation in the prior art can be broken through, and high commercialization potential is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automotive connectors, and particularly relates to an automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A connector bridges the communication gap between blocked or isolated circuits within an electrical circuit, enabling the flow of current and allowing the circuit to achieve its intended function. The forms and structures of connectors are highly diverse, and there are various different types of connectors depending on the application object, frequency, power, application environment, etc.

[0003] In the fields of new energy vehicles and fuel vehicles, conventional hardware terminals are all hard connecting plate terminals, which leads to the necessity of using them at a fixed angle and direction during use, resulting in limitations in use. Therefore, the present invention provides an automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking and a manufacturing method thereof. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above existing problems, the present invention is proposed.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking and a manufacturing method thereof, which solves the problems of automotive connectors.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: An automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking, the connector is composed of multiple layers of copper sheet bodies stacked together. Both ends of the stacked copper sheet bodies are processed by welding to obtain hardened terminal connection ends, fixed ends, and a moving end in the middle. The terminal connection end is connected to a terminal, and the fixed end is used for injection molding in plastic.

[0007] Furthermore, the moving end can be bent.

[0008] A manufacturing method of an automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking includes the following steps: S1. First, feed the raw material copper strip into a stamping machine to stamp it into a copper sheet body. After that, soak the copper sheet body in an alkaline degreasing agent at 40 - 50 °C for 3 - 10 minutes, then take it out and dry it. S2. After drying, soak it in a polishing solution to remove the oxide layer and chemically polish the surface of the copper sheet body at the same time. After polishing, perform a coating operation on the surface of the copper sheet body. S3. When performing coating, nickel plating is carried out on the entire surface of the copper sheet body or by area. Area nickel plating means that the copper sheet bodies at the bottom and top layers are used as the outer copper sheets, and the copper sheet bodies stacked between the bottom and top layers are used as the middle stacked copper sheets. For the outer copper sheets, the nickel plating area is fully nickel plated on one side, such as the full nickel plating area. At the same time, the middle nickel plating is carried out on both sides and the back of the outer copper sheets, such as the middle nickel plating area. As for the middle stacked copper sheets, only the two sides, the back, and the top surface of the middle area are nickel plated during area nickel plating. After nickel plating the outer copper sheets and the middle stacked copper sheets, stacking is carried out. During stacking, ensure that the middle nickel plated surface of the outer copper sheet in the first layer is stacked with the middle stacked copper sheet. When stacking to the top layer, the outer copper sheet of the last layer needs to be stacked, ensuring that the middle nickel plated surface of the outermost layer outer copper sheet is opposite to the middle nickel plated surface of the middle stacked copper sheet. After stacking, a welding operation is required; S4. When performing welding, when nickel plating is carried out on the surfaces of all copper sheet bodies, multiple copper sheet bodies are stacked. At the same time, the two ends of the copper sheet body, that is, the terminal connection end and the fixed end obtained after punching, are aligned respectively, and then pressure welding is carried out at the positions of the terminal connection end and the fixed end to obtain an unpunched connector. When the area nickel plating method is adopted, it is necessary to stack the copper sheet bodies nickel plated on the bottom and top layers in the middle of the copper sheet bodies nickel plated on both sides and then carry out pressure welding to obtain an unpunched connector; S5. After welding, the welded unpunched connector needs to be punched to obtain a primary connector. Then, the moving end of the primary connector is bent according to the actual use, and the punched part is polished. After polishing, an intermediate connector is obtained. In order to enhance the strength of the finished connector, a film coating treatment is required for the moving end of the intermediate connector; S6. Epoxy resin is applied to the moving end of the intermediate connector. After application, it is heated to 80 °C and maintained for 3 - 5 minutes to complete the film coating operation and obtain the finished connector.

[0009] Further, the polishing solution in S2 contains 5% v / v nitric acid, 3% v / v phosphoric acid, and 0.5% w / w inhibitor. At the same time, when performing polishing, the temperature is 45 - 50 °C, the treatment time is 1 - 2 minutes, and after the polishing of the copper sheet body is completed, it is neutralized with sodium carbonate solution to prevent oxidation.

[0010] Further, vacuum film coating is adopted during the film coating operation in S6.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the technical effects and advantages provided by the present invention: 1. The present invention adopts the method of multi-layer stacked copper sheet bodies. The multi-layer flexible copper sheets disperse the current, and the current-carrying capacity is increased by more than 50% compared with that of a single-layer copper busbar. At the same time, the flexible design of the middle layer can absorb vibration energy and reduce the risk of fracture, which may break through the current-carrying limit and installation limitations in the existing technology and has high commercial potential.

[0012] 2. The present invention adopts a flexible body to absorb vibration energy, and the hardened structures at both ends resist the insertion and extraction stress and environmental impact, thereby extending the service life.

[0013] 3. The present invention adopts a multi-layer stack to disperse the current path, achieving a function similar to that of heat dissipation fins, which can reduce the risk of local overheating; the welded hardened ends ensure low-resistance connection and improve the overall conductive efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure after welding of the present invention; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a single copper sheet body of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram after welding and bending of the stacked copper sheet bodies of the present invention; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the nickel plating area demonstration of the present invention.

[0016] Description of the reference numerals: 1. Copper sheet body; 101. Terminal connection end; 102. Fixed end; 103. Moving end; 2. Fully nickel-plated area; 3. Middle nickel-plated area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0017] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following will further introduce the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0018] The embodiment of the present invention discloses an automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking and its manufacturing method.

[0019] The present invention provides as Figures 1 - 5An automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking and its manufacturing method are shown. The connector is composed of multiple stacked copper sheet bodies 1. Both ends of the multiple stacked copper sheet bodies 1 are processed by welding to obtain a hardened terminal connection end 101, a fixed end 102, and a moving end 103 in the middle. The terminal connection end 101 is connected to the terminal, and the fixed end 102 is used for injection molding in plastic. Through the laminated design, high current-carrying capacity is achieved. At the same time, the middle layer is not welded to retain flexibility, meeting the large current transmission requirements between new energy vehicle battery modules. The welding hardening of the terminal connection end 101 ensures stable contact with the external terminal, and the injection molding of the fixed end 102 in plastic forms a mechanical anchor, improving the anti-vibration performance.

[0020] Furthermore, the moving end 103 can move and bend. The actual movement and bending mean that during installation, the shape of the moving end 103 can be changed according to actual needs to meet multiple usage scenarios, rather than the traditional fixed usage scenarios.

[0021] A manufacturing method of an automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking includes the following content: S1. First, send the raw material copper strip into a stamping machine to stamp it into the copper sheet body 1. After that, soak the copper sheet body 1 in an alkaline degreaser at 40 - 50 °C for 3 - 10 minutes, then take it out and dry it. After drying is completed; S2. Immerse it in a polishing solution to remove the oxide layer, and at the same time, chemically polish the surface of the copper sheet body 1. After polishing is completed, perform a coating operation on the surface of the copper sheet body 1. Nitric acid removes the oxide layer, phosphoric acid refines the surface roughness, and the corrosion inhibitor reduces copper loss.

[0022] Sodium carbonate neutralization: Prevent residual acid solution from corroding the nickel plating layer and improve the coating adhesion; S3. When performing coating, nickel-plate the entire surface of the copper sheet body or use zone nickel-plating. Zone nickel-plating means that the copper sheet bodies located at the bottom and top are used as the outer copper sheets, and the copper sheet bodies stacked between the bottom and top are used as the middle stacked copper sheets. The nickel-plated area of the outer copper sheet is fully nickel-plated on one side, referring to Figure 5 such as the full nickel-plated area 2. At the same time, the outer copper sheet is nickel-plated in the middle on both sides and the back, referring to Figure 5For example, in the middle nickel-plated area 3, as the middle stacked copper sheets, only the two sides, the back, and the top of the middle area are nickel-plated during the partition nickel-plating. After nickel-plating both the outer copper sheets and the middle stacked copper sheets, stacking is carried out. During stacking, ensure that the middle nickel-plated surface in the outer copper sheet of the first layer is stacked with the middle stacked copper sheets. When stacking to the top layer, it is necessary to stack the outer copper sheet of the last layer, ensuring that the middle nickel-plated surface of the topmost outer copper sheet is opposite to the middle nickel-plated surface of the middle stacked copper sheets. After stacking, a welding operation is required to ensure that there are some welded areas in the middle area during the subsequent hot-press welding process, thus reducing the problem of preventing voids between the welded areas and the nickel-plated areas. In the actual operation process, in order to simplify the operation steps and reduce the consumption of nickel, nickel plating can also be carried out after hot-press welding first, which can achieve the savings of nickel consumption while reducing the operation steps; S4. When welding, if all the surfaces of the copper sheet body 1 are nickel-plated, at this time, multiple copper sheet bodies 1 are stacked. At the same time, the two ends of the copper sheet body 1, namely the terminal connection end 101 and the fixed end 102 obtained after punching, are aligned respectively. At this time, hot-press welding is carried out on the positions of the terminal connection end 101 and the fixed end 102 to obtain an unpunched connector. When the partition nickel-plating method is adopted, it is necessary to stack the copper sheet body 1 with nickel-plated middle parts at the bottom layer and the top layer and stack the copper sheet body 1 with nickel-plated on both sides in the middle, and then carry out hot-press welding to obtain an unpunched connector; S5. After welding, it is necessary to punch the welded unpunched connector to obtain a primary connector. At this time, the moving end 103 of the primary connector is bent according to the actual use, and the punched part is polished. After polishing, an intermediate connector is obtained. At this time, in order to enhance the strength of the finished connector, it is necessary to carry out a film covering treatment on the moving end 103 of the intermediate connector; S6. Epoxy resin is applied to the moving end 103 of the intermediate connector. After application, it is heated to 80 °C and maintained for 3 - 5 minutes to complete the film covering operation. At this time, a connector finished product is obtained. The film covering blocks the oxidation of the copper sheet surface, avoids the increase of contact resistance caused by the thickening of the oxide layer. The double treatment of nickel plating + film covering reduces the resistance volatility, and the film covering reduces fretting wear.

[0023] Further, the polishing solution in S2 is 5% nitric acid, 3% phosphoric acid, and 0.5% corrosion inhibitor. At the same time, during polishing, the temperature is 45 - 50 °C, the treatment time is 1 - 2 minutes, and after the polishing of the copper sheet body 1 is completed, it is neutralized with a sodium carbonate solution to prevent oxidation.

[0024] Further, a vacuum film covering is adopted during the film covering operation in S6.

[0025] Example:

[0026] For the moving end 103 of the intermediate connector in the film covering treatment, apply epoxy resin. After application, heat it to 80 °C and keep it for 3 - 5 minutes to complete the film covering operation. At this time, the finished connector is obtained; In the film covering treatment, relevant tests were carried out according to different materials: Control group: No film covering was carried out; Experimental group 1: Use epoxy resin for film covering; Experimental group 2: Use polyimide film; It is known through experiments that: Control group Experimental group 1 Experimental group 2 Insulation Low Excellent Excellent Heat resistance None Below 200°C -200℃-300℃ Adhesion None Excellent Medium Durability Low Good Extremely excellent In the experiment, when using the moving end 103 without film covering, the actual service life is relatively low. Due to the vibration of the car, the moving end 103 is continuously in a vibrating state. And because it is a soft thin copper sheet, it is extremely easy to generate resonance. By adopting the film covering process, using the softness of the organic material, the generated damping effect can greatly reduce the occurrence of resonance, and at the same time prevent the copper sheet of the metal component connector from short - circuiting, improving the circuit safety; At the same time, after film covering, it can block the intrusion of moisture and dust, reduce the oxidation risk, block the erosion of corrosive substances such as acidic rainwater and salt spray on the metal. At the same time, the nickel - plating layer + film covering provides double protection, improving the reliability of the connector in a humid environment. The insulating film covering can reduce electromagnetic interference and ensure the quality of high - frequency signal transmission. The corresponding film covering material can be selected according to actual requirements.

[0027] Only some exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described by way of illustration above. Undoubtedly, for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the described embodiments can be modified in various different ways. Therefore, the above - mentioned drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking, characterized in that: The connector is composed of a plurality of layers of copper sheet main body (1) stacked together, and the two ends of the plurality of layers of the copper sheet main body (1) are welded to obtain a hardened terminal connection end (101) and a fixed end (102) and a moving end (103) in the middle, wherein the terminal connection end (101) is connected to a terminal, and the fixed end (102) is used for injection molding in plastic.

2. The automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moving end (103) is capable of being bent.

3. A method for manufacturing an automotive connector based on stacking of soft copper sheets, implemented in the automotive connector based on stacking of soft copper sheets as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: Includes the following: S1. First, the raw material copper strip is fed into a punching machine to be punched into a copper sheet body (1), and then the copper sheet body (1) is soaked in an alkaline degreasing agent at 40-50° C. for 3-10 minutes, and then taken out and dried; S2, after drying, immersing it in a polishing solution to remove the oxide layer, and chemically polishing the surface of the copper sheet body (1). After polishing, coating the surface of the copper sheet body (1); S3, when performing film plating, the surface of the copper sheet body (1) is plated with nickel in the entire area or by using zoned nickel plating, wherein the zoned nickel plating refers to using the copper sheet body (1) located at the bottom layer and the top layer as the outer copper sheet, and the copper sheet body (1) stacked between the bottom layer and the top layer as the middle stacked copper sheet, wherein the nickel-plated area of ​​the outer copper sheet is fully nickel-plated on one side, and the middle of both sides and the back of the outer copper sheet is nickel-plated, while as the middle stacked copper sheet, only the two sides, the back and the top of the middle area are nickel-plated in the zoned nickel plating, after the outer copper sheet and the middle stacked copper sheet are nickel-plated, stacking is performed, and when stacking, it is ensured that the middle nickel-plated surface of the outer copper sheet of the first layer is stacked with the middle stacked copper sheet, and when stacking to the top layer, it is necessary to stack the outer copper sheet of the last layer, and it is ensured that the middle nickel-plated surface of the outer copper sheet of the top layer is opposite to the middle nickel-plated surface of the middle stacked copper sheet, and after stacking is completed, welding operation is required; S4. When welding, when the surfaces of all copper sheet bodies (1) are nickel plated, multiple copper sheet bodies (1) are stacked, and at the same time, the two ends of the copper sheet body (1), i.e., the terminal connection end (101) and the fixed end (102) to be punched are aligned, and then the terminal connection end (101) and the fixed end (102) are melt-pressed welded to obtain an unpunched connector; when a zoned nickel plating method is used, the copper sheet body (1) with nickel plated in the middle is placed between the bottom and top nickel-plated copper sheet bodies (1) to be stacked, and melt-pressed welded after stacking to obtain an unpunched connector; S5. After welding is completed, the welded unpunched connector needs to be punched to obtain a primary connector, and the moving end (103) of the primary connector is bent according to actual use, and the punched part is polished. After polishing, an intermediate connector is obtained. In order to enhance the strength of the finished connector, the moving end (103) of the intermediate connector needs to be coated; S6. Apply epoxy resin to the moving end (103) of the intermediate connector. After applying, heat it to 80° C. for 3-5 minutes to complete the coating operation and obtain a finished connector.

4. The method for manufacturing an automotive connector based on stacking soft copper sheets according to claim 3, characterized in that: The polishing solution S2 contains 5% v / v nitric acid, 3% v / v phosphoric acid and 0.5% w / w corrosion inhibitor. During the polishing process, the temperature is 45-50° C. and the processing time is 1-2 minutes. After the copper sheet body (1) is polished, it is neutralized with sodium carbonate solution to prevent oxidation.

5. The method for manufacturing an automotive connector based on soft copper sheet stacking according to claim 3, characterized in that: The S6 lamination operation adopts vacuum lamination.

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