Connection and conductor wire with connection

Abstract

A connection (20) comprises: a cylindrical box section (31) into which a mating connection (40) is inserted; and a spring section (32) extending longitudinally from a front end section to a rear end section of the box section (31) and deforming in a deflection direction away from the mating connection (40) when the mating connection (40) inserted into the box section (31) comes into contact with the spring section (32). The spring section (32) has a pair of projections (34, 34) that extend outward in a width direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction from a free end section (32a) of the spring section (32) at a rear end face. The box section (31) has a hole formed in a pair of side walls (31c, 31c) that form the box section (31).The hole (36) is formed in an arc shape along a locus curve, along which the projection (34) moves when the spring section (32), with which the counter-connection (40) comes into contact, deforms in the direction of deflection.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal and a lead wire having a terminal. background

[0002] Typically, a terminal (e.g., a crimp terminal) is used, which is attached to one end of a lead wire. The terminal includes, for example, a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted, a cantilevered, beam-like spring portion provided inside the box portion and having a contact portion with the mating terminal, and a fixing portion for fixing the terminal to the lead wire (see JP2014-160544A). Overview of the invention

[0003] To electrically connect the lead wire to a terminal described above and another lead wire, there is a case where ultrasonic bonding processing is performed in a state where the core wires of both lead wires are brought into close contact with each other, and the core wires of both lead wires are bonded together. In this case, the ultrasonic vibration applied to the bonding portion is transmitted to the terminal via the lead wire, causing the terminal to vibrate. Since the spring portion is in the shape of a cantilever beam, vibration is likely to occur in which upward and downward vibrations are repeated using the fixed end as a fulcrum.Depending on the intensity of the vibration, excessive deflection or the like may occur repeatedly in the spring portion, which may lead to deterioration or plastic deformation of the spring portion. From the perspective of improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal and the mating terminal, it is preferable to mitigate such deterioration or the like of the spring portion as much as possible.

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a terminal and a lead wire having a terminal capable of mitigating the deformation of a spring portion due to an external force such as vibration.

[0005] A terminal according to the present invention comprises: a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted;and a spring portion extending in a longitudinal direction from a front end portion to a rear end portion of the box portion and deforming in a deflection direction away from the mating terminal when the mating terminal inserted into the box portion comes into contact with the spring portion, wherein the spring portion has a pair of projections projecting outward in a width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction from a free end portion of the spring portion at a rear end face, the box portion having a hole formed in each of a pair of side walls constituting the box portion, into which the projection is inserted and locked, and the hole is arc-shaped along a locus on which the projection moves when the spring portion, with which the mating terminal comes into contact, deforms in the bending direction;

[0006] A lead wire with a terminal according to the present invention comprises a lead wire and a terminal attached to the lead wire, the terminal comprising: a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted;and a spring portion extending in a longitudinal direction from a front end portion to a rear end portion of the box portion and deforming in a deflection direction away from the mating terminal when the mating terminal inserted into the box portion comes into contact with the spring portion, wherein the spring portion has a pair of projections projecting outward in a width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction from a free end portion of the spring portion at a rear end face, the box portion having a hole formed in a pair of side walls constituting the box portion, into which the projection is inserted and locked, and the hole is arc-shaped along a locus on which the projection moves when the spring portion, with which the mating terminal comes into contact, deforms in the bending direction;

[0007] The above configuration makes it possible to provide a terminal and a lead wire with a terminal capable of suppressing the deformation of a spring portion due to an external force such as vibration. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a main portion showing an example of a terminal according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a side view of the main portion showing an example of a terminal according to the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a front view showing an example of the terminal according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line AA of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line BB of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing an enlarged hole formed in a side wall of the terminal. Fig. Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the terminal showing the state before attachment. Fig. Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the terminal showing the state after attachment. Fig. 9 is a schematic view showing a method of manufacturing a wire harness having a connecting portion in which core wires of a plurality of lead wires are connected to terminals by ultrasonic bonding. Fig. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a method of manufacturing the wire harness having the connecting portion in which the core wires of the plurality of lead wires are connected to terminals by ultrasonic bonding. Detailed description of the invention

[0008] Hereinafter, a terminal and a lead wire with a terminal according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Please note that the size ratio in the drawings is exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratio.

[0009] To simplify the description, one page (left page in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) to which a mating terminal (male terminal 40) is attached in a longitudinal direction (attachment direction) of a terminal (female terminal 20) is referred to as the tip end side (front side), and the opposite side (right side in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) is referred to as the proximal front side (back side). Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a top side and a bottom side are referred to as the upward side and the downward side, respectively. Furthermore, a direction orthogonal to the female terminal 20 in the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction is referred to as the width direction.

[0010] As in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, the female terminal 20 is crimped and fixed to the end portion of a lead wire 10, whereby the female terminal 20 and the lead core wire (core wire 11) of the lead wire 10 are electrically connected to each other. The lead wire 10 and the female terminal 20 form a lead wire with a terminal 1, and the lead wire with a terminal 1 forms a wire harness 2 (see Fig. 10) that is installed in a vehicle, such as an automobile.

[0011] The conductor wire 10 is an insulated conductor wire having a core wire 11 and a sheath 12 made of resin to cover the core wire 11. The core wire 11 is formed, for example, by twisting a plurality of conductor wires made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. By forming the core wire 11 of the conductor wire 10 using aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the weight of the conductor wire with a terminal 1 is reduced, and the wire harness 2 formed by incorporating the conductor wire with a terminal 1 is also reduced in weight. In particular, the conductor wire with a terminal 1 that is reduced in weight is suitable for vehicles in which the wire harness is frequently used, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.The core wire 11 is not limited to being made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, but may also be made of other materials (such as copper or a copper alloy).

[0012] As in Fig. 1 to 5, the female terminal 20 comprises a box portion 31 at the tip end side into which a conductive contact portion 41 (see Fig. 7 and Fig. 8) of the mating terminal (male terminal 40). Furthermore, the female terminal 20 includes, on the proximal end face of the box portion 31, a first sleeve portion (core wire crimping piece 45) crimped to the core wire 11 exposed from the end portion of the lead wire 10, and a second sleeve portion (covering crimping piece 46) crimped to the cover 12 disposed at the end portion of the lead wire 10 (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 10).

[0013] The female terminal 20 is formed on a metal plate (plate-like body) by press work (punching and bending) or the like. The female terminal 20 is formed from a different metal material than the core wire 11, for example, which is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Specifically, the female terminal 20 is formed using a metal plate (plate-like body) made of copper or a copper alloy or the like as the base material. The core wire 11 of the lead wire 10 and the female terminal 20 are not necessarily made of different metal materials, but may be formed of the same metal material.

[0014] After the press processing described above, the female terminal 20 is preferably plated before being crimped to the lead wire 10 to prevent corrosion of the core wire 11 of the lead wire 10 and improve corrosion resistance. For example, the female terminal 20 is plated with tin (Sn) before being crimped to the lead wire 10. Specifically, the female terminal 20 is provided with a tin-containing plating to cover the side surfaces formed by the cut surface formed by the press processing, as well as the outer and inner surfaces. The surfaces of the female terminal 20 are not limited to tin (Sn) plating, but may also be plated with another material (e.g., gold (Au), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), or an alloy thereof).

[0015] The box portion 31 has a rectangular cylindrical shape that extends in the front-to-back direction and penetrates in the front-to-back direction. The box portion 31 includes an upper wall 31a, a lower wall 31b, and a pair of side walls 31c and 31c, and a spring portion (contact spring 32) is integrally formed inside the box portion 31. The contact spring 32 is a cantilevered, beam-like leaf spring that extends from the tip end portion of the bottom wall 31b of the box portion 31 and from the tip end side toward the proximal end side inside the box portion 31. Furthermore, the contact spring 32 is elastically deformable in the up-down direction. Furthermore, the contact spring 32 extends from the proximal end portion of the box portion 31 to a predetermined position on the tip end side.For this reason, a free end portion 32a of the contact spring 32 is arranged within the box portion 31.

[0016] The contact spring 32 is formed with a contact portion 32c that contacts the conductive contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 40 in a region near the fixed end portion 32b of the contact spring 32 (the tip end portion of the box portion 31). The contact portion 32c protrudes upward and extends in the width direction. A terminal portion 33 is formed inside the box portion 31 at a part opposite to the contact portion 32c of the contact spring 32. The terminal portion 33 protrudes downward and extends in the width direction. When the conductive contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 40 (see Fig. 7) is inserted from the tip end opening of the box portion 31, the conductive contact portion 41 presses the contact portion 32c of the contact spring 32 downward, thereby receiving the conductive contact portion 41 within the box portion 31 in a state where the contact spring 32 is elastically deformed downward. In this way, the contact portion 32c of the female terminal 20 and the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40 are held in contact with each other, thereby electrically connecting the terminal (female terminal 20) and the mating terminal (male terminal 40) (see Fig. 8).

[0017] The contact spring 32 is formed with a pair of projections 34 and 34 that are integrally formed and project outward in the width direction from the free end portion 32a of the contact spring 32. At the same time, a hole 36 is formed in the two side walls 31c and 31c of the box portion 31, into which the projection 34 is inserted and locked. In the present embodiment, the hole 36 is formed in an arc shape along a locus along which the projection 34 moves when the contact spring 32, with which the conductive contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 40 comes into contact, deforms in the deflection direction (see Fig. 6).

[0018] In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. As shown in Fig. 6, the hole 36 has a holding surface portion 35 formed in the peripheral edge of the hole 36, which holds the contact spring 32 in a state elastically deformed in the deflection direction from the natural state. In the present embodiment, the projection 34 formed on the contact spring 32 is brought into contact with the holding surface portion 35 formed in the bore 36. For this reason, the contact spring 32 is held by the holding surface portion 35 in a state elastically deformed in the bending direction from the natural state, thereby pushing the free end portion 32a of the contact spring 32 upward.In a state where the upper surface 34a of the projection 34 comes into contact with the upper wall surface of the hole 36 (holding surface portion 35), the gap G between the lower surface 34b of the projection 34 and the lower wall surface 37 of the hole 36 is set to, for example, about 0.1 mm.

[0019] In addition, the female terminal 20 includes a fixing portion for fixing the female terminal 20 to the lead wire 10. The fixing portion has a first sleeve portion (core wire crimping piece 45) and a second sleeve portion (sheath crimping piece 46) (see Fig. 9 and Fig. 10). A pair of core wire crimping pieces 45, which extend upward before being crimped onto the lead wire 10, are formed on the pair of side walls 31c and 31c belonging to the first barrel portion. Besides, a pair of sheath crimping pieces 46, which extend upward before being crimped onto the lead wire 10, are formed on the pair of side walls 31c and 31c belonging to the second barrel portion.

[0020] As in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10, the lead wire 10 is placed in the female terminal 20 before being crimped to the lead wire 10, so that the core wire 11 exposed from the end portion of the lead wire 10 is sandwiched between the pair of core wire crimping pieces 45 and the sheath 12, that is, the end portion of the lead wire 10 is sandwiched between the pair of sheath crimping pieces 46. In this state, the pair of core wire crimping pieces 45 and the pair of sheath crimping pieces 46 are crimped using a predetermined crimping machine, thereby crimping the lead wire with a Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 shown connection 1 is obtained.

[0021] The Fig. 9 and Fig. For example, the wire shown in Figure 10 with a terminal 1 forms the cable harness 2. As shown in Fig. As shown in FIG. 10, the wire harness 2 includes a branch terminal portion (connection portion 13) in which the exposed core wires 11 of the lead wires 10 of the plurality of lead wires with terminals 1 (two lead wires with terminals 1 in the figure) are ultrasonically connected to each other. The wire harness 2 may include a connection portion 13 in which the exposed core wires 11 of three or more lead wires 10 are ultrasonically connected to each other. Further, a terminal other than the female terminal 20 may be attached to some of the lead wires 10 constituting the wire harness 2, or no terminal may be attached thereto.

[0022] A connecting machine 50 used to produce the connecting portion 13 is described below.

[0023] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 9, the joining machine 50 includes a pair of joining penetrators (also known as an anvil 51 and a sonotrode 52) facing each other in an up-down direction, and a control device (not shown) for controlling the joining energy (ultrasonic excitation) applied between the pair of joining penetrators (anvil 51 and sonotrode 52). A joining space is defined by the pair of joining penetrators (anvil 51 and sonotrode 52), and the exposed core wires 11 of the plurality of lead wires 10 are arranged in the joining space.

[0024] In a state where a plurality of core wires 11 are sandwiched between the anvil 51 and the sonotrode 52, energy (ultrasonic excitation) of a predetermined magnitude is applied between the anvil 51 and the sonotrode 52. By performing ultrasonic joining processing on the plurality of core wires 11 in this way, the joining portion 13 in which the plurality of core wires 11 are joined is formed (see Fig. 10).

[0025] A connection mark is formed on the outer surface of the connecting portion 13 of the plurality of interconnected core wires 11 due to ultrasonic bonding. In the present embodiment, the connection mark has a shape that reflects the unevenness of the surfaces of the anvil 51 and the sonotrode 52 used for ultrasonic bonding, and is visible from the outer surface of the connecting portion 13.

[0026] In addition, it is advantageous that the protective element 3, which is Fig. 10 is shown by a two-dot chain line, is applied to the connecting portion 13 of the plurality of interconnected core wires 11 so as to cover the entire outer surface of the connecting portion 13. Thus, damage to the connecting portion 13 caused by the connecting portion 13 coming into contact with the surrounding elements can be suppressed, and the occurrence of an inadvertent short circuit caused by the connecting portion 13 coming into contact with the surrounding conductive elements can be avoided.

[0027] As described above, the terminal (female terminal 20) according to the present embodiment includes the cylindrical box portion 31 into which the mating terminal (male terminal 40) is inserted. The terminal (female terminal 20) includes the spring portion (contact spring 32) that extends in the longitudinal direction from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the box portion 31 and deforms in the deflection direction away from the mating terminal (male terminal 40) when the mating terminal (male terminal 40) inserted into the box portion 31 comes into contact with the spring portion. The spring portion (contact spring 32) has a pair of projections 34 and 34 that protrude outward from the free end portion 32a of the spring portion (contact spring 32) on the rear end side in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.The box portion 31 has the hole 36 formed in the pair of side walls 31c and 31c constituting the box portion 31, into which the projection 34 is inserted and locked. The hole 36 is formed in an arc shape along a locus along which the projection 34 moves when the spring portion (contact spring 32) with which the mating terminal (male terminal 40) comes into contact deforms in the deflection direction.

[0028] In the present embodiment, the projection 34 formed on the contact spring 32 is locked in the hole 36 formed in the side wall 31c of the box portion 31, and the contact spring 32 deforms in the up-down direction within a range where the projection 34 comes into contact with the upper wall surface (holding surface portion 35) or the lower wall surface 37 of the hole 36. Moreover, the hole 36 formed in the side wall 31c of the box portion 31 is formed based on a locus traced by the projection 34 when the contact spring 32 elastically deforms in the deflection direction by means of the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40 inserted into the box portion 31. For this reason, the movement of the projection 34 directly upward or directly downward is restricted by the peripheral edge (upper wall surface and lower wall surface 37) of the hole 36.Thus, the contact spring 32, into which the projection 34 is inserted and locked in the hole 36, does not deform even toward the rear of the box portion 31 in the longitudinal direction unless an external force is applied to the projection 34. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the contact spring 32 in the deflection direction due to an external force other than the force acting on the contact spring 32 when the conductive contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 40 is inserted into the box portion 31.

[0029] As described above, the present embodiment makes it possible to provide a terminal (female terminal 20) capable of suppressing deformation of the spring portion (contact spring 32) due to an external force such as vibration.

[0030] In the terminal (female terminal 20), the hole 36 may have a holding surface portion 35 formed in the peripheral edge of the hole 36 and holding the spring portion (contact spring 32) in a state elastically deformed in the deflection direction from the natural state.

[0031] In the present embodiment, when the protrusion 34 is inserted and locked into the hole 36, the contact spring 32 elastically deforms in the deflection direction (downward), thereby bringing the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 and the retaining surface portion 35 formed in the peripheral edge of the hole 36 into contact with each other. By bringing the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 and the retaining surface portion 35 formed in the peripheral edge of the hole 36 into contact with each other, it is possible to suppress upward deformation of the contact spring 32 due to an external force such as ultrasonic vibration during ultrasonic bonding.In addition, an elastic force (preload force) is generated in the contact spring 32, and the contact spring 32 does not deform unless an external force equal to or greater than the elastic force (preload force) generated in the contact spring 32 is also applied in the downward direction, whereby the contact spring 32 hardly deforms even in the downward direction.

[0032] Furthermore, the lead wire with a terminal 1 according to one aspect of the present embodiment is provided with the lead wire 10 and the terminal (female terminal 20) attached to the lead wire 10. The terminal (female terminal 20) includes the cylindrical box portion 31 into which the mating terminal (male terminal 40) is inserted. The terminal (female terminal 20) includes the spring portion (contact spring 32) that extends in the longitudinal direction from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the box portion 31 and deforms in the deflection direction away from the mating terminal (male terminal 40) when the mating terminal (male terminal 40) inserted into the box portion 31 comes into contact with the spring portion.The spring portion (contact spring 32) has a pair of protrusions 34 and 34 projecting outward from the free end portion 32a of the spring portion (contact spring 32) on the rear end side in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The box portion 31 has the hole 36 formed in the pair of side walls 31c and 31c constituting the box portion 31, into which the protrusion 34 is inserted and locked. The hole 36 is formed in an arc shape along a locus along which the protrusion 34 moves when the spring portion (contact spring 32) with which the mating terminal (plug terminal 40) comes into contact deforms in the deflection direction.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 is locked into the hole 36 formed in the side wall 31c of the box portion 31, and the contact spring 32 deforms in the up-down direction within a range where the protrusion 34 comes into contact with the upper wall surface (holding surface portion 35) or the lower wall surface 37 of the hole 36. Moreover, the hole 36 formed in the side wall 31c of the box portion 31 is formed based on a locus traced by the protrusion 34 when the contact spring 32 elastically deforms in the deflection direction by means of the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40 inserted into the box portion 31. For this reason, the movement of the protrusion 34 directly upward or directly downward is restricted by the peripheral edge (upper wall surface and lower wall surface 37) of the hole 36.Thus, the contact spring 32, into which the projection 34 is inserted and locked in the hole 36, does not deform even toward the rear of the box portion 31 in the longitudinal direction unless an external force is applied to the projection 34. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the contact spring 32 in the deflection direction due to an external force other than the force acting on the contact spring 32 when the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40 is inserted into the box portion 31. Since the contact spring 32 is hardly deformed by an external force generated during the manufacturing of the wire harness 2, such as ultrasonic bonding, the above-described ultrasonic bonding method can be applied to the lead wire with a terminal 1 without impairing electrical contact reliability.

[0034] As described above, the present embodiment makes it possible to provide the lead wire with a terminal 1 capable of suppressing the deformation of the spring portion (contact spring 32) due to an external force such as vibration.

[0035] In the lead wire with a terminal 1, the hole 36 may have a holding surface portion 35 formed in the peripheral edge of the hole 36 and holding the spring portion (contact spring 32) in a state elastically deformed in the bending direction from the natural state.

[0036] In the present embodiment, when the protrusion 34 is inserted and locked into the hole 36, the contact spring 32 elastically deforms in the deflection direction (downward), thereby bringing the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 and the retaining surface portion 35 formed in the peripheral edge of the hole 36 into contact with each other. By bringing the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 and the retaining surface portion 35 formed in the peripheral edge of the hole 36 into contact with each other, it is possible to suppress upward deformation of the contact spring 32 due to an external force such as ultrasonic vibration during ultrasonic bonding.In addition, an elastic force (preload force) is generated in the contact spring 32, and the contact spring 32 does not deform unless an external force equal to or greater than the elastic force (preload force) generated in the contact spring 32 is also applied in the downward direction, whereby the contact spring 32 hardly deforms even in the downward direction.

[0037] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of the parts may be replaced by any configuration having a similar function as long as they are within the scope of the claims. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2014-160544A

[0002]

Claims

[1] Connection (20), comprising: a cylindrical box section (31) into which a counter connection (40) is inserted; and a spring portion (32) extending in a longitudinal direction from a front end portion to a rear end portion of the box portion (31) and deforming in a deflection direction away from the mating terminal (40) when the mating terminal (40) inserted into the box portion (31) comes into contact with the spring portion (32), wherein the spring portion (32) has a pair of projections (34, 34) projecting outwardly from a free end portion (32a) of the spring portion (32) on a rear end side in a width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, the box portion (31) has a hole (36) formed in each of a pair of side walls (31c, 31c) forming the box portion (31), into which the projection (34) is inserted and locked, and the hole (36) is arcuately formed to form a locus along which the projection (34) moves when the spring portion (32) with which the mating terminal (40) comes into contact deforms in the deflection direction. [2] The terminal (20) according to claim 1, wherein the hole (36) has a holding surface portion (35) formed in a peripheral edge of the hole (36) and holding the spring portion (32) in a state elastically deformed in the deflection direction from a natural state. [3] Conductive wire with a terminal (1), comprising: a terminal (20) according to claim 1, and a lead wire (10) with the terminal (20). [4] A lead wire with a terminal (1) according to claim 3, wherein the hole (36) has a holding surface portion (35) formed in a peripheral edge of the hole (36) and holding the spring portion (32) in a state elastically deformed in the deflection direction from a natural state.

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