Terminal-equipped electric wire and method for manufacturing terminal-equipped electric wire

Abstract

Provided is a terminal-equipped electric wire that allows easy quality confirmation and a method for manufacturing the terminal-equipped electric wire. A terminal-equipped electric wire (100) includes: an electric wire (W) that covers a conductor portion (W1) having electrical conductivity with an insulating covering portion (W2) having insulating properties; a crimping terminal (1) that includes a conductor crimping portion (44), an electrical connection portion (2), and a linking portion (3), wherein the conductor crimping portion (44) is crimped to the conductor portion (W1) that protrudes from the end of the insulating covering portion (W2), the electrical connection portion (2) is electrically connected to a connection object (200), and the linking portion (3) links the conductor crimping portion (44) and the electrical connection portion (2). The conductor portion (W1) has a conductor exposed portion (W1b) that protrudes from the conductor crimping portion (44) to the linking portion (3) side in a crimped state and is exposed to the outside. The front end surface (W1t') of the conductor exposed portion (W1b) is colored to be different from the color of the linking portion (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to terminald wires and a method for manufacturing terminald wires. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, for terminal wire connection structures, such as aluminum wires and terminals where the aluminum conductor portion (core wire) is covered by an insulating sheath, the core wire and terminal are welded together by ultrasonic welding (see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes that after ultrasonic welding of the core wire and terminal, visual inspection is performed to confirm whether the front end of the welded portion of the core wire is located between the second positioning portion and the first positioning portion.

[0003] Existing technical documents Patent documents

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-185283 Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0006] As with the prior art described above, for example, in order to improve the inspection accuracy based on visual confirmation, positioning ribs or cuts are formed on the terminals as inspection locations, but since the shape of the terminals may become complex, there is room for improvement.

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a terminald wire that allows for easy quality verification, as well as a method for manufacturing the terminald wire.

[0008] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the terminald wire of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a wire having a conductive conductor portion covered by an insulating sheath; a crimp terminal comprising a conductor crimp portion, an electrical connection portion, and a connecting portion, wherein the conductor crimp portion is crimped onto the conductor portion protruding from the end of the insulating sheath, the electrical connection portion is electrically connected to a connecting object, and the connecting portion connects the conductor crimp portion to the electrical connection portion; the conductor portion has a conductor protrusion portion, wherein in the crimped state of the conductor crimp portion being crimped onto the conductor portion, the conductor protrusion portion protrudes from the conductor crimp portion toward the connecting portion and protrudes to the outside, and the front end face of the conductor protrusion portion is colored differently from the color of the connecting portion.

[0010] Invention Effects

[0011] The terminald wire and the manufacturing method of the terminald wire according to the present invention enable easy quality verification of the terminald wire. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of the terminald wires in the embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 It means Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of the main part of a terminal wire.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the manufacturing method of a terminald wire according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 It is used for Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the coloring process in step S3.

[0016] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 1. Crimping terminal; 2. Electrical connection part; 3. Connecting part; 4. Wire crimping part; 44. Conductor crimping part; 46. Covered crimping part; 100. Wire with terminal; W. Wire; W1. Conductor part; W1a. Exposed conductor end; W1b. Exposed conductor part; W1t, W1t′. Front end face; W2. Insulation covering part. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. That is, the constituent elements in the following embodiments include elements that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art or substantially the same elements, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0018] [Implementation Method] Figure 1 The terminald wire 100 shown is suitable for wiring harnesses used in vehicles such as automobiles (not shown). Here, a wiring harness, for example, is a bundled assembly of multiple wires W used for power supply and signal communication for connecting various devices mounted in a vehicle, and the multiple wires W are connected to each device using connectors or the like. The terminald wire 100 of this embodiment includes wires W and crimp terminals 1 crimped to the ends of the wires W.

[0019] It should be noted that in the following description, the X direction in the illustration is designated as the "extension direction X", the Y direction as the "width direction Y", and the Z direction as the "height direction Z". The extension direction X, width direction Y, and height direction Z are orthogonal to each other. One side of the extension direction X is designated as "first direction X1", and the other side as "second direction X2". The width direction Y and height direction Z are included in the directions orthogonal to the extension direction X. In addition, unless otherwise specified, all directions used in the following description refer to the direction in which the crimp terminal 1 is crimped to the wire W in the crimped state.

[0020] First, refer to Figure 1 (Include Figure 4 The wire W will be described below. The wire W is configured to include a conductive conductor portion W1 and an insulating covering portion W2 that covers the outside of the conductor portion W1 and has insulating properties. The wire W is formed by covering the conductor portion W1 with the insulating covering portion W2. In this embodiment, the wire W has at least one (in Figure 4 The insulating covering part W2 is peeled off at the end of the first direction X1 side, so that the conductor part W1 is exposed from the end of the insulating covering part W2, forming the exposed conductor end W1a.

[0021] The conductor section W1 is a core wire formed by bundling multiple conductive metal wires S together. The cross-sectional shape of the conductor section W1, viewed from the extending direction X, is approximately circular. The conductor section W1 may also be a stranded core wire formed by twisting the multiple metal wires S together.

[0022] The insulating sheath W2 is a wire sheath that covers the outer periphery of the conductor portion W1. The cross-sectional shape of the insulating sheath W2, viewed from the extending direction X, is approximately annular. The insulating sheath W2 is formed by extrusion molding, for example, from an insulating resin material (PP (polypropylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), cross-linked PE (polyethylene), etc., appropriately selected considering abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance, etc.).

[0023] A crimp terminal 1 is crimped near the end of the insulating cover portion W2 and at the exposed conductor end W1a exposed from the end of the insulating cover portion W2.

[0024] like Figure 4 As shown, the exposed conductor end W1a has a front end face W1t formed by cutting off the conductor portion W1. The front end face W1t is a cut surface formed by cutting off the conductor portion W1 before the crimp terminal 1 is crimped onto the wire W. The front end face W1t is an assembly of cut surfaces of multiple metal wires S, and in the state before the crimp terminal 1 is crimped onto the wire W, its shape, similar to the conductor portion W1, is approximately circular when viewed from the extending direction X. In this embodiment, the front end face W1t is, for example, colored differently from the surface of the crimp terminal 1 using the coloring material 300 described later.

[0025] Next, refer to Figure 1 The crimp terminal 1 will be described below. The crimp terminal 1 is a terminal piece that is electrically connected to the wire W and connected to a conductive connection object 200. The connection object 200 is, for example, a terminal formed of a conductive metal material and capable of connecting to the crimp terminal 1.

[0026] The crimp terminal 1 of this embodiment includes an electrical connection portion 2, a connecting portion 3, and a wire crimp portion 4. The electrical connection portion 2, the connecting portion 3, and the wire crimp portion 4 are all integrally formed from a conductive metal component. The crimp terminal 1 is formed, for example, by stamping, bending, or performing various processes on a metal plate that corresponds to the shapes of each part, such as the electrical connection portion 2, the connecting portion 3, and the wire crimp portion 4, thereby forming each part integrally in three dimensions. The crimp terminal 1 is arranged and interconnected along the extending direction X from the first direction X1 side to the second direction X2 side in the order of electrical connection portion 2, connecting portion 3, and wire crimp portion 4.

[0027] The electrical connection portion 2 is the part that is electrically connected to the connection object 200. The electrical connection portion 2 can be either a male or female terminal shape. In this embodiment, the electrical connection portion 2 is shown as a female terminal shape, electrically connected to the connection object 200, which has a male terminal shape. It should be noted that the electrical connection portion 2 is not limited to being electrically connected to the other terminal; it can also be a structure that is electrically connected to various conductive components such as grounding components. In this case, the electrical connection portion 2 can, for example, be a so-called circular terminal (LA terminal) shape that is fastened to a grounding component or the like.

[0028] The connecting portion 3 is located between the electrical connection portion 2 and the wire crimping portion 4, and is the part that connects the electrical connection portion 2 and the wire crimping portion 4. The cross-sectional shape of the connecting portion 3, when viewed from the extending direction X, is formed into a generally groove shape. When the crimping terminal 1 is crimped to the wire W, the connecting portion 3 opens in the height direction Z, so that a portion of the exposed conductor end W1a is exposed to the outside.

[0029] The connecting portion 3 is configured to include a base plate 30, a pair of side plates 31, and an opening 32. The base plate 30 and the side plates 31 are connected to the electrical connection portion 2 in the first direction X1 and to the wire crimping portion 4 in the second direction X2, respectively. The base plate 30 has a substantially constant width in the width direction Y and extends along the extension direction X. The side plates 31 are erected from both ends of the base plate 30 in the width direction Y and towards the height direction Z, respectively. In the crimped state where the crimp terminal 1 is crimped to the wire W, the opening 32 is located between the electrical connection portion 2 and the wire crimping portion 4 and is formed by the pair of side plates 31 facing each other in the width direction Y. The opening 32 opens towards the height direction Z in the crimped state where the crimp terminal 1 is crimped to the wire W.

[0030] The wire crimping part 4 is a portion that is fastened to the end of the wire W, which has an exposed conductor end W1a, and electrically connects the end of the wire W to the crimping terminal 1. The wire crimping part 4 is crimped to the end of the wire W. The wire crimping part 4 is composed of a conductor crimping part 44, an intermediate part 45, and a covering crimping part 46. The wire crimping parts 4 are arranged and connected to each other in the order of conductor crimping part 44, intermediate part 45, and covering crimping part 46 along the extending direction X from the connecting part 3 side toward the second direction X2 side.

[0031] The conductor crimping portion 44 is configured to include a pair of cylindrical plates 44a. The cylindrical plates 44a are formed in the shape of strips and are protrusions formed from both ends of the base plate, which is continuously formed with the base plate 30 in the extension direction X, in the width direction Y and in the height direction Z. The wire crimping portion 4 is crimped to the wire W by the pair of cylindrical plates 44a pressing the exposed conductor end W1a.

[0032] The intermediate portion 45 is located between the conductor crimp portion 44 and the covering crimp portion 46, and is the part that connects the conductor crimp portion 44 and the covering crimp portion 46. The cross-sectional shape of the intermediate portion 45, when viewed from the extending direction X, is formed into a generally groove shape. The intermediate portion 45 opens in the height direction Z when the crimp terminal 1 is crimped to the wire W, so that another part of the exposed conductor end W1a is exposed to the outside.

[0033] The covering crimping portion 46 is configured to include a pair of cylindrical plates 46a. The cylindrical plates 46a are formed in the shape of strips and are protrusions formed from the two ends of the base (not shown) in the width direction Y and in the height direction Z, respectively. A portion of the insulating covering portion W2 is pressed by the pair of cylindrical plates 46a, thereby crimping the wire crimping portion 4 onto the wire W.

[0034] The terminald wire 100 of this embodiment has a conductor exposed portion W1b that protrudes from the conductor crimping portion 44 toward the connecting portion 3 and is exposed to the outside when the crimping terminal 1 is crimped to the wire W. Viewed from the height direction Z of the terminald wire 100, the conductor exposed portion W1b is located between a pair of side plates 31 and on the base plate 30. The conductor exposed portion W1b is formed by the conductor crimping portion 44 crimping to the conductor portion W1. Here, the crimping state refers to the state where the conductor crimping portion 44 is crimped to the conductor portion W1 and the covering crimping portion 46 is crimped to the insulating covering portion W2. This crimping of the conductor crimping portion 44 to the conductor portion W1 means that the conductor crimping portion 44 is crimped to the exposed conductor end W1a.

[0035] The exposed conductor portion W1b has a front end surface W1t′ that is colored differently from the color of the connecting portion 3 when the crimp terminal 1 is crimped to the wire W. The front end surface W1t′ is the same as the front end surface W1t, but its shape is relatively deformed compared to W1t by the crimping of the crimp terminal 1 relative to the wire W.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown, the front end position T in the extension direction X of the front end face W1t′ is set to be within a permissible range P extending from the reference position RP provided at the end of the conductor crimping portion 44 in the first direction X1 side towards the first direction X1 side. This permissible range P is determined by the upper limit of the conventional core wire protrusion size specification.

[0037] In the terminald wire 100 constructed as described above, the conductor portion W1 of the wire W to which the crimp terminal 1 is crimped is made of, for example, aluminum (Al) or an aluminum alloy. In this case, the conductor portion W1 is a core wire formed by bundling together multiple metal wires S made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. On the other hand, the crimp terminal 1 is constructed by plating the surface of a base material made of a dissimilar metal different from the conductor portion W1, such as copper (Cu) or a copper alloy, with tin (Sn). Furthermore, aluminum alloy is an alloy with aluminum as its main component. And copper alloy is an alloy with copper as its main component, such as brass.

[0038] Next, the manufacturing method of the terminald wire 100 will be described. In the following description, while... Figure 3 The following flowchart will be used for illustration, with appropriate reference to other accompanying drawings. The manufacturing method of the terminald wire 100 described below can be performed manually by an operator using various devices, equipment, fixtures, etc., or it can be performed automatically by various manufacturing devices.

[0039] The manufacturing method of the terminald wire 100 includes a cutting / stripping process (step S1), a coloring process (step S2), a crimping process (step S3), and an inspection process (step S4) for the wire W. These processes can be performed in-line.

[0040] First, as part of the cutting / stripping process of the wire W (step S1), the operator cuts the wire W and simultaneously strips a portion of the insulation covering W2 from the end of the wire W, exposing the end of the conductor W1 from the insulation covering W2.

[0041] After the cutting / stripping process of the wire W, as a coloring process (step S2), the operator colors the front end face W1t of the conductor portion W1 exposed from the end of the insulation-covered portion W2 of the wire W. For example, the operator uses coloring material 300 to color the conductor portion W1. Figure 4 The exposed conductor end W1a of the wire W shown before crimping is colored. The coloring material 300 is, for example, ELV (End-of-Life Vehicles) recycled material. In the coloring process, the coloring material 300 is imprinted by moving it relative to the front end face W1t in a direction orthogonal to the extension direction X using an in-line process.

[0042] After the coloring process, as a crimping process (step S3), the operator crimps the crimp terminal 1 onto the wire W. For example, the operator places the exposed conductor end W1a of the wire W on the conductor crimping portion 44 of the crimp terminal 1, and presses the cylindrical plates 44a and 46a together, thereby crimping the crimp terminal 1 onto the wire W.

[0043] Following the crimping process, as an inspection step (step S4), the operator checks whether the front end position T of the front end face W1t′ of the exposed conductor W1b is within the allowable range P set from the reference position RP toward the electrical connection part 2, based on the relative position of the colored front end face W1t′ and the connecting part 3. For example, if the front end position T of the front end face W1t′ is not within the allowable range P, the operator determines that it is not a qualified product, and if it is within the allowable range P, the operator determines that it is a qualified product.

[0044] In conventional terminald wires, the conductor W1 is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the surface of the crimp terminal 1 is plated with tin or the like. Therefore, the color of the exposed conductor W1b is the same as the color of the connecting part 3 (the base plate 30) (the color of the plated surface), making it difficult to visually determine whether the front end position T of the front end face W1t′ is within the allowable range P. Furthermore, even with automatic determination using camera image processing, this determination is not easy.

[0045] Therefore, in the terminald wire 100 of this embodiment, the front end face W1t′ is colored with a different color than the connecting portion 3, making it easy to determine whether the front end position T of the front end face W1t′ is within the allowable range P. That is, the terminald wire 100 can easily determine whether the front end position T of the front end face W1t′ is within the allowable range P, whether by automatic determination based on camera capture or visual determination.

[0046] As explained above, in the terminald wire 100 of this embodiment, the conductor portion W1 of the wire W has a conductor exposed portion W1b that protrudes from the conductor crimping portion 44 toward the connecting portion 3 and is exposed to the outside in the crimped state. The front end face W1t′ of the conductor exposed portion W1b is colored differently from the color of the connecting portion 3. In addition, the manufacturing method of the terminald wire 100 configured as described above includes: a coloring process (step S2), in which the front end face W1t of the conductor portion W1 exposed from the end of the insulation covering portion W2 is colored for the wire W; a crimping process (step S3), in which the crimping terminal 1 is crimped onto the wire W; and an inspection process (step S4), in which the front end position T of the front end face W1t′ is checked to see if it is within the allowable range P provided from the reference position RP toward the electrical connection portion 2 based on the relative position of the colored front end face W1t′ and the connecting portion 3.

[0047] According to the above solution, even if the conductor portion W1 of the wire W is made of aluminum, aluminum alloy, or the same color as the surface of the crimp terminal 1, it is easy to determine whether the front end face W1t′ of the exposed conductor portion W1b is within the allowable range P. Therefore, the terminal wire 100 and its manufacturing method can easily perform quality verification of the terminal wire 100. In addition, compared with conventional terminal wires, the terminal wire 100 and its manufacturing method do not require, for example, the positioning ribs, cuts, etc., provided on the crimp terminal to determine whether the front end face W1t′ of the exposed conductor portion W1b is within the allowable range P, thus preventing the shape of the crimp terminal from becoming complicated.

[0048] Furthermore, the terminal wire 100 and its manufacturing method determine whether the front end face W1t′ of the exposed conductor W1b is within the allowable range P by comparing different colors rather than the same color. Therefore, it is applicable to the automatic determination that is conventionally performed using a camera for image processing.

[0049] Furthermore, in the terminald wire 100 and its manufacturing method, the front end face W1t is a cut surface formed by cutting the conductor portion W1 before the conductor crimping portion 44 is crimped onto the conductor portion W1. That is, since the front end face W1t is a cut surface formed by cutting the conductor portion W1, no new process (e.g., processing the exposed conductor end W1a) is added before coloring the front end face W1t, thus reducing the workload.

[0050] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the method of coloring the front end face W1t in the online process is described as a method of imprinting coloring material 300, but it is not limited to this, and the front end face W1t can also be colored by coating it with a dispenser.

[0051] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the coloring process is performed after the cutting / stripping process of the wire W, but it is not limited to this. For example, the stripping process can be performed after the cut surface of the wire W is colored.

Claims

1. A type of wire with terminals, characterized in that, have: An electric wire is a conductor that is covered by an insulating sheath. A crimp terminal includes a conductor crimp portion, an electrical connection portion, and a connecting portion, wherein the conductor crimp portion is crimped onto the conductor portion exposed at the end of the insulating cover portion, the electrical connection portion is electrically connected to a connected object, and the connecting portion connects the conductor crimp portion to the electrical connection portion; The conductor portion has a conductor exposed portion. In the crimped state where the conductor crimp portion is crimped to the conductor portion, the conductor exposed portion protrudes from the conductor crimp portion toward the connecting portion and is exposed to the outside. The front end face of the exposed conductor is colored differently from the color of the connecting portion.

2. The terminal-equipped wire according to claim 1, The front end face is a cut surface formed by cutting the conductor portion before the conductor crimping portion is crimped onto the conductor portion.

3. A method for manufacturing a wire with terminals, characterized in that, Include: In the coloring process, for a wire in which a conductive conductor portion is covered by an insulating covering portion, the front end face of the conductor portion exposed from the end of the insulating covering portion is colored. In the crimping process, after the coloring process, a crimping terminal is crimped onto the wire. The crimping terminal includes a conductor crimping portion, an electrical connection portion, and a connecting portion. The conductor crimping portion is crimped onto the conductor portion exposed from the end of the insulating covering portion. The electrical connection portion is electrically connected to the connecting object. The connecting portion connects the conductor crimping portion and the electrical connection portion. In the inspection process, after the crimping process, based on the relative position of the colored front end face and the connecting portion, it is checked whether the front end position of the front end face in the conductor exposed portion protruding from the conductor crimping portion toward the connecting portion side is within an allowable range set from a reference position toward the electrical connection portion side, the reference position being set at the end of the conductor crimping portion on the connecting portion side.

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