Connection method for wires / cables

Abstract

To provide a connection method for wires / cables capable of electrically connecting a plurality of wires / cables so as not to cause trouble in an energization performance without applying an excessive load to terminals or conductors of the wires / cables.SOLUTION: A connection method for wires / cables for connecting two wires / cable 50 in a pine needle shape includes the steps of: pulling the two wires / cables pout of a pull box; disposing contact surfaces 11a of strap parts 11 of terminals 10 attached in tip ends of the two wires / cables in an opposed state, disposing a conductive plate 20 between the contact surfaces, connecting the terminals with the conductive plate in a mutually abutted state and connecting the two wires / cables in the pine needle shape via the conductive plates; and returning the connected two wires / cables into the pull box.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connection method for electrically connecting a plurality of electric wires or cables. [Background technology]

[0002] Wiring work for electric wires and cables used for power distribution involves connection work. However, a sufficiently large space is not always available for the connection work of electric wires and cables, and the connection must often be performed in a narrow space such as a pull box 100 shown in FIG. However, although not shown in the figures, for example, a so-called straight connection method in which the conductors 51 of two electric wires / cables 50 are inserted into a connecting tube from both ends and then the connecting tube is crimped to connect them is difficult to adopt because it is difficult to secure a straight section within the pull box 100.

[0003] In addition, although not shown, it is difficult to provide a terminal block within the pull box 100 for connection. Since it is difficult to attach terminals 10 (see FIG. 12(a) described later) to electric wires / cables 50 inside the narrow pull box 100, the electric wires / cables 50 are temporarily pulled out of the pull box 100, the covering of the electric wires / cables 50 is stripped, and the terminals 10 are attached to the conductors 51, respectively. However, once the position of the terminal block is determined and the terminal block is fixed inside the pull box 100, it is difficult to return the electric wires / cables 50 that have been pulled out of the pull box 100 to their original state, which makes it difficult to attach the terminals 10 to the terminal block.

[0004] In addition, even if terminals 10 are attached to the electric wires / cables 50 that are pulled out to the outside of the pull box 100 and a terminal block is also attached, it is difficult to fit the terminal block inside the pull box 100. Thus, it is difficult to provide a terminal block inside the pull box 100 to connect the electric wires / cables 50 to each other.

[0005] Meanwhile, in recent years, aluminum or aluminum alloys are sometimes used for the conductors 51 of electric wires and cables 50 used for power distribution purposes, in order to improve workability due to their light weight and to reduce the burden on workers. When the conductor 51 of the electric wire / cable 50 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, it is more difficult to bend because of its stronger repulsion to bending than conventional copper or copper alloys, and therefore the above-mentioned problems are likely to occur.

[0006] Therefore, when connecting the electric wires / cables 50, a so-called pine-needle-shaped connection method may be adopted (see FIG. 12(a) described later). By adopting this method, the electric wires / cables 50 can be electrically connected to each other relatively easily even in a narrow space such as the inside of the pull box 100. For example, the Internal Wiring Regulations (see Non-Patent Document 1) prescribe a method of connecting aluminum conductors in a pine needle shape, including connection using a ring sleeve, C-shaped connector, etc., as well as a connection method using a terminal 10 as shown in Figure 12(a).

[0007] For example, when connecting the conductors 51 of two electric wires / cables 50 with the terminals 10, the electric wires / cables 50 are once pulled out of the pull box 100, and the terminals 10 are attached to the conductors 51 of the electric wires / cables 50 by crimping, and the shuttlecock portions 11 of the terminals 10 are screwed together as shown in FIG. 12(a) to connect the conductors 51 together in a pine needle shape. Then, by returning it into the pull box 100, it becomes possible to relatively easily electrically connect the electric wires / cables 50 together even in a small space such as the inside of the pull box 100 as shown in FIG. 12(b).

[0008] Generally, the connecting parts such as the terminals 10 are insulated by covering them with insulating caps or wrapping them with insulating tape before being returned to the pull box 100. Therefore, in FIG. 12(b), the state in which the terminal 10 and other parts have been subjected to insulation treatment or the like is conceptually represented by a square. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0009] [Non-Patent Document 1] Japan Electrotechnical Standards Committee, "Internal Wiring Regulations (Electrical Technical Regulations, Equipment Used) JEAC8001-2016", 13th Edition, Japan Electrical Association, 2016, p.60-62 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, when connecting the conductors 51 of the electric wires / cables 50 in a pine-needle shape, for example when the electric wires / cables 50 are connected in a bent state as shown in FIG. 13, the shuttlecock portions 11 of the terminals 10 may not abut against each other. To be precise, there are cases where the contact surfaces 11a of the shuttlecock portions 11 of the terminals 10 (the surfaces 11a of the shuttlecock portions 11 that come into contact with the shuttlecock portions 11 of other terminals) are in contact only at their tips, but not completely in contact.

[0011] If the shuttlecock portion 11 of the terminal 10 is forcibly tightened in this state, the shuttlecock portion 11 may be deformed, for example broken, or excessive force may be applied to the conductor 51. As a result, excessive load will continue to be applied to the terminal 10 (the shuttlecock portion 11) and the conductor 51, etc., and the electrical connection of the wire / cable 50 may no longer be maintained, possibly impairing the electrical performance. Moreover, if tightening is stopped in the state shown in FIG. 13 in order to avoid this, poor connection between the terminals 10 will occur, which may also impair electrical conductivity.

[0012] Furthermore, when the conductor 51 of the electric wire / cable 50 is made of copper or a copper alloy, there are cases in which, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, two electric wires / cables 50 are secured together with a cable tie 60 to bring the electric wires / cables 50 close to each other, and then terminals 10 are screwed together at the ends of the cable tie 60 to prevent the situation in FIG. 13 from occurring. However, when treated in this manner, the bend in the electric wire / cable 50 becomes tighter (see the part below the cable tie 60 of the electric wire / cable 50 in the figure), and when the conductor 51 of the electric wire / cable 50 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, it strongly resists bending and is difficult to bend, so it is often difficult to bend the electric wire / cable 50 tightly in this manner and secure it with a cable tie 60 or the like.

[0013] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a method for connecting electric wires and cables that can electrically connect a plurality of electric wires and cables without impairing the electrical performance, without placing an unnecessary load on the terminals and conductors of the electric wires and cables, even in the above-mentioned cases. The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a method for connecting two electric wires or cables in a pine needle shape, comprising: Pulling out the two electric wires / cables from a pull box; a step of arranging the contact surfaces of the shuttlecocks of the terminals attached to the ends of the two electric wires / cables so as to face each other, disposing a conductive plate between the contact surfaces, and connecting the terminals and the conductive plate in abutting contact with each other to connect the two electric wires / cables in a pine needle shape via the conductive plate; Returning the two connected electric wires / cables back into the pull box; The present invention is characterized by having the following.

[0015] The invention recited in claim 2 is the method for connecting electric wires and cables recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of insulating the connection portion between the terminals.

[0016] The invention as set forth in claim 3 is characterized in that the electric wire / cable connecting method as set forth in claim 1 further comprises the step of covering the entire electric wire / cable connecting structure with an insulating member.

[0017] The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the method of connecting an electric wire or cable described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the shuttlecock portion of the terminal is provided with one connection hole for connecting the shuttlecock portion to the conductive plate. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to electrically connect a plurality of electric wires and cables without impairing the electrical performance, without placing an unnecessary load on the terminals, conductors, etc. of the electric wires and cables. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a plan view showing an electric wire-cable connection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. [Diagram 2] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing examples of the contact surface of the shuttlecock portion of a terminal. [Diagram 3] 13 is a diagram illustrating that the conductive plate is configured to include an area where the contact surface of the shuttlecock portion of each terminal can come into contact with the conductive plate. FIG. [Figure 4] 13(a) and 13(b) are diagrams explaining that, in the absence of a conductive plate, the terminals are connected in a state where only part of the contact of the shuttlecock part comes into contact. [Diagram 5] (a) is a diagram showing a state in which the insulated parts interfere with each other and the shuttlecock portions of the terminals do not come into contact with each other, and (b) is a diagram showing that by interposing a conductive plate, the shuttlecock portions of each terminal are completely connected to the conductive plate. [Figure 6] (a) is a photograph of a terminal for an aluminum conductor cable clamping the shuttlecock portion of a terminal for a copper conductor cable from above and below, and (b) is a photograph of a terminal for an aluminum conductor cable hooked onto the copper conductor of a copper conductor cable. [Figure 7] 1(a) to 1(c) are diagrams showing a connection structure of an electric wire / cable in which a shuttlecock portion of one or more terminals is connected to multiple locations on a conductive plate. [Figure 8]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which each electric wire / cable is configured to have any angle with respect to each other in the surface direction of the conductive plate. [Figure 9] FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a state in which a pin is attached to a conductive plate as a protrusion, and FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a conductive plate provided with protrusions, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which a plurality of electric wires / cables are connected to the conductive plate of FIG. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing the pull box and the electric wires and cables drawn into the pull box. [Figure 12] (a) is a diagram showing two electric wires / cables connected in a pine-needle shape, and (b) is a diagram showing the state in which the electric wires / cables are connected in a pine-needle shape inside a pull box. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the shuttlecock portions of the terminals do not abut against each other when electric wires / cables are connected together in a pine-needle shape. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing the state in which two electric wires / cables are fixed with a cable tie and the terminals are connected to each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of a wire / cable connection structure and a connection method according to the present invention will be described by way of example. However, the embodiments described below are subject to various limitations that are technically preferable for implementing the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments or illustrated examples.

[0021] Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the case of connecting an electric wire or cable whose conductor is copper or a copper alloy (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a copper conductor cable (including the case of an electric wire)) to an electric wire or cable whose conductor is aluminum or an aluminum alloy (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an aluminum conductor cable (including the case of an electric wire)), but also to the case of connecting copper conductor cables together or aluminum conductor cables together. In the following description, unless otherwise specified as a copper conductor cable or an aluminum conductor cable, the electric wire / cable 50 may be a copper conductor cable or an aluminum conductor cable.

[0022] 1(a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating an electric wire-cable connection structure according to this embodiment, where (a) is a plan view and (b) is a perspective view. In the electric wire / cable connection structure 1 according to this embodiment, terminals 10 having shuttlecock portions 11 are attached to the exposed conductors 51 at the ends of two electric wires / cables 50, respectively. The shuttlecock portion 11 of each terminal 10 is connected to a conductive plate 20 having electrical conductivity, so that two electric wires / cables 50 are connected via the conductive plate 20 .

[0023] Specifically, in this embodiment, the contact surfaces 11a of the shuttlecock portions 11 of the terminals 10 attached to the ends of the electric wires / cables 50 are arranged facing each other, and a conductive plate 20 is arranged between the contact surfaces 11a. The terminals 10 and the conductive plate 20 are connected by screwing them together with a bolt 30 while in abutment with each other, thereby connecting the two electric wires / cables 50 via the conductive plate 20. At that time, the two electric wires / cables 50 can be connected to each other at an arbitrary angle θ in the surface direction of the conductive plate 20. The angle θ may be 0° or 180°, or may be any other angle.

[0024] Furthermore, regardless of the angle θ at which the two electric wires / cables 50 are connected as described above, the contact surfaces 11a of the shuttlecock portions 11 of each terminal 10 are connected to the conductive plate 20 in a state in which the entire surfaces of the shuttlecock portions 11a are in contact with the conductive plate 20. That is, as illustrated in Figures 2(a) and (b), the contact surface 11a (the dotted part in the figure) of the shuttlecock portion 11 has various shapes for each terminal 10, and the conductive plate 20 is formed large enough to allow the contact surface 11a of the shuttlecock portion 11 to make contact over the entire surface.

[0025] In other words, as shown in Figure 3, the conductive plate 20 is configured so that the surface 21 to which the shuttlecock portion 11 of each terminal 10 is connected (in this case, each of the two surfaces 21) includes an area A (area A circularly surrounded by a dotted line in Figure 3) in which the contact surface 11a of the shuttlecock portion 11 of each terminal 10 can come into contact with the conductive plate 20 when the two electric wires / cables 50 are connected to each other at any angle θ in the surface direction of the conductive plate 20 as described above. The effect of this configuration will be explained later.

[0026] The material of the conductive plate 20, like the conductor 51 of the electric wire / cable 50, can be copper, a copper alloy, or aluminum or an aluminum alloy. When connecting copper conductor cables (terminals 10 are also made of copper or a copper alloy), it is preferable to use a conductive plate 20 made of copper or a copper alloy, and when connecting aluminum conductor cables (terminals 10 are also made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy), it is preferable to use a conductive plate 20 made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

[0027] In addition, when connecting a copper conductor cable (terminals 10 made of copper or copper alloy) and an aluminum conductor cable (terminals 10 made of aluminum or aluminum alloy), whether the conductive plate 20 is made of copper or copper alloy or aluminum or aluminum alloy, contact between dissimilar metals will occur between the conductive plate 20 and the terminal 10, and galvanic corrosion (galvanic corrosion) may occur. However, if the surface of the conductive plate 20 is plated with tin, nickel, or the like, and the surface of each terminal 10 is similarly plated with tin, nickel, or the like, galvanic corrosion can be prevented. When connecting copper conductor cables together or aluminum conductor cables together, the surfaces of the conductive plate 20 and the terminals 10 may be plated with tin, nickel, or the like.

[0028] Next, the effects of the electric wire / cable connection structure 1 according to this embodiment will be described. For example, even if there is an angle between two electric wires / cables 50 as shown in Figure 13, by changing the orientation of the terminals 10 attached to each electric wire / cable 50, it is possible to bring the contact surfaces 11a of the shuttlecock portions 11 of the terminals 10 attached to the ends of the electric wires / cables 50 into surface contact with each other, as shown in Figure 4(a).

[0029] However, in this case, the terminals 10 contact each other only on a part of the contact surface 11a of the shuttlecock portion 11 (the octagonal part marked with a dot in the figure) as shown in Figure 4(b), and the terminals 10 do not contact each other over the entire surface of the contact surface 11a. Therefore, the contact area between terminals 10 becomes smaller than when terminals 10 are in contact over the entire surface of contact surface 11a, which may impair the electrical conductivity at the connection portion between terminals 10.

[0030] In contrast, by adopting the wire / cable connection structure 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1(a) and (b) and Figures 2(a) and (b), the contact surface 11a of the shuttlecock portion 11 of each terminal 10 attached to the end of each wire / cable 50 is connected to the conductive plate 20 in a state in which the entire surface of each terminal 10 is in contact with the conductive plate 20. That is, as shown in Figure 3, each surface 21 of the conductive plate 20 to which the shuttlecock portion 1 of each terminal 10 is connected is configured to include an area A in which the contact surface 11a of the shuttlecock portion 11 of each terminal 10 can come into contact with the conductive plate 20 regardless of the angle θ at which the two electric wires / cables 50 are connected to each other in the surface direction of the conductive plate 20.

[0031] At that time, connection can be made without applying any force to the terminal 10, the conductor 51 of the electric wire / cable 50, etc., that would cause them to bend or twist. Therefore, in the electric wire / cable connection structure 1 according to this embodiment, the contact surfaces 11a of the shuttlecock portions 11 of the terminals 10 can be connected to the conductive plate 20 without applying extra load to the terminals 10, the conductors 51, and the like.

[0032] As described above, the electric wire / cable connection structure 1 according to this embodiment is configured to connect two electric wires / cables 50 via the conductive plate 20, so that it is possible to electrically connect the two electric wires / cables 50 without impairing the electrical performance, without placing extra load on the terminals 10, the conductors 51, etc. of the two electric wires / cables 50.

[0033] [Application example 1] Incidentally, for example, there are cases where the portion of the tip of the electric wire / cable 50 to which the terminal 10 is connected is insulated by wrapping insulating tape around it, but when insulation is performed in this manner, the insulated portion becomes thick. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 5(a), even if terminals 10 are to be connected together in a pine-needle shape, the insulating portions B may interfere with each other, and the shuttlecock portions 11 of the terminals 10 may not come into contact with each other.

[0034] In such a case, by adopting the wire / cable connection structure 1 of this embodiment and configuring it so that the conductive plate 20 is sandwiched between the shuttlecock portions 11 of the terminals 10 of the two wires / cables 50, the insulated portions B will not interfere with each other, as shown in Figure 5(b), and the shuttlecock portions 11 of each terminal 10 will be fully connected to the conductive plate 20. Therefore, it becomes possible to reliably connect two insulated electric wires / cables 50 via the conductive plate 20, and normal electrical conductivity can be obtained. In this case, too, it is possible to configure the two electric wires / cables 50 so that they have an arbitrary angle θ with respect to each other in the surface direction of the conductive plate 20, as shown in FIG.

[0035] [Application example 2] Furthermore, when connecting a copper conductor cable and an aluminum conductor cable, there are cases where the terminals 10 of both cables cannot be connected properly. For example, the photograph in Figure 6(a) shows the shuttlecock part of a terminal (left side) for a 250 mm2 copper conductor cable connected to the shuttlecock parts of two terminals (right side) for 150 mm2 aluminum conductor cables, sandwiched between them from above and below. However, the tip of the shuttlecock part of the upper aluminum conductor cable terminal gets caught on the terminal for the copper conductor cable, and the shuttlecock parts of the upper aluminum conductor cable terminal and the copper conductor cable terminal are only partially in contact, and do not make sufficient contact.

[0036] Also, for example, in the photograph of Figure 6(b), when an attempt was made to connect a terminal for an aluminum conductor cable (right side) to a terminal for a copper conductor cable (left side), the tip of the shuttlecock part of the terminal for the aluminum conductor cable got caught on the copper conductor of the copper conductor cable, and the shuttlecock part of the terminal for the aluminum conductor cable was unable to come into contact with the shuttlecock part of the terminal for the copper conductor cable. In these connection states, normal electrical conductivity cannot be ensured.

[0037] Therefore, in such a case, the above problem can be avoided by adopting the wire / cable connection structure 1 of this embodiment, connecting the shuttlecock portion 11 of each terminal 10 attached to the tip of multiple electric wires / cables 50 to the conductive plate 20, and connecting the multiple electric wires / cables 50 via the conductive plate 20. That is, for example, as shown in Figures 7(a) to (c), by connecting the shuttlecock portions 11 of one or more terminals 10 to multiple locations on the conductive plate 20, it is possible to configure the conductive plate 20 so that multiple electric wires / cables 50 are connected via the conductive plate 20.

[0038] In this way, by adopting the wire / cable connection structure 1 of this embodiment in the above-mentioned case, one terminal will not get caught on the other terminal or conductor, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), and it is possible to bring the shuttlecock portion 11 of each terminal 10 into full contact with the conductive plate 20. Therefore, it becomes possible to reliably connect a plurality of electric wires / cables 50 via the conductive plate 20, and normal electrical conductivity can be obtained.

[0039] Although the above describes a case where a copper conductor cable and an aluminum conductor cable are connected, this Application Example 2 can also be applied to a case where copper conductor cables are connected to each other or aluminum conductor cables are connected to each other. In addition, although Figures 7(a) to (c) show the case where each terminal 10 is connected to two points on the conductive plate 20, it is also possible to configure each terminal 10 to be connected to three or more points on the conductive plate 20.

[0040] Furthermore, in this case as well, it is possible to configure the electric wires / cables 50 so that they are at any angle to each other in the surface direction of the conductive plate 20, as shown in FIG. Although not shown, for example, the electric wire / cable 50 at the bottom right of FIG. 8 can also be connected in parallel to the electric wire / cable 50 at the top right of the figure, and the extension direction of each electric wire / cable 50 can be bent, making it possible to connect each electric wire / cable 50 to the conductive plate 20 in any orientation.

[0041] [About anti-rotation] For example, when each terminal 10 is connected to a conductive plate 20 by screwing it with a bolt 30 as shown in FIG. 1, if there is a possibility that the shuttlecock portion 11 of the terminal 10 may move relative to the conductive plate 20 for some reason, causing the bolt 30 to rotate and become loose, it is possible to configure the conductive plate 20 to have a protrusion 22 to prevent the shuttlecock portion 11 of the terminal 10 from rotating in the surface direction of the conductive plate 20.

[0042] For example, as shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), it is possible to configure the conductive plate 20 so that a pin 23 can be attached to the conductive plate 20 as the protrusion 22. In this case, for example, it is possible to thread the tip of pin 23, form a screw hole 24 on surface 21 of conductive plate 20 to which terminal 10 is connected, and screw pin 23 into screw hole 24 so that pin 23 can be attached to conductive plate 20.

[0043] It should be noted that, in the case of Application Example 2 illustrated in FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c), it is also possible to configure the conductive plate 20 so that the pin 23 can be attached thereto. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), by providing screw holes 24 at multiple locations on surface 21 of conductive plate 20 and configuring it so that one or multiple pins 23 can be attached to any of those screw holes 24, it becomes possible to connect multiple electric wires / cables 50 at various angles relative to the surface direction of conductive plate 20.

[0044] In addition, for example, as shown in Figures 10(a) and (b), it is also possible to configure the conductive plate 20 so that a protrusion 22 for preventing rotation of the shuttlecock portion 11 of the terminal 10 is provided on the conductive plate 20 by bending a part of the conductive plate 20. Although FIG. 10(a) shows a case where the angle θ between the copper conductor cable 50 on the left side and the aluminum conductor cable 50 on the right side is 180°, it is possible to set the angle to any desired angle.

[0045] With the above-mentioned configuration, even if the shuttlecock portion 11 of each terminal 10 connected to the conductive plate 20 tries to rotate relative to the conductive plate 20, the movement is hindered by the protrusions 22 such as the pins 23 and the like and the shuttlecock portion 11 of the terminal 10 cannot rotate. This prevents the bolts 30 from turning and becoming loose, making it possible to maintain the initial state in which each terminal 10 is connected to the conductive plate 20.

[0046] Incidentally, in the case where the conductive plate 20 is provided with the protrusions 22 such as the pins 23, it is also preferable to configure the surface of the protrusions 22 so as to be plated with tin, nickel or the like. Furthermore, when pin 23 is used to prevent terminal 10 from rotating, pin 23 is required to be strong, so in some cases pin 23 is made of stainless steel or the like. Even in this case, however, if pin 23 is plated with tin, nickel, or the like, it is possible to prevent electrolytic corrosion and the like caused by contact between dissimilar metals.

[0047] [Waterproofing] In this embodiment, since contact between copper or a copper alloy and aluminum or an aluminum alloy may cause electrolytic corrosion due to contact between dissimilar metals, the present invention has been described in which plating with tin, nickel, or the like is applied to the parts where copper or a copper alloy may come into direct contact with aluminum or an aluminum alloy, i.e., the surfaces of terminals 10 and conductive plate 20 and the surfaces of protrusions 22 (including pins 23).

[0048] On the other hand, even if there is no direct contact between aluminum or aluminum alloy and copper or copper alloy that is not plated with tin, nickel, etc., such as copper or copper alloy conductor 51 or aluminum or aluminum alloy conductor 51, if moisture adhering to the copper or copper alloy comes into contact with the aluminum or aluminum alloy, electrolytic corrosion can still occur on the aluminum or aluminum alloy side, causing heat generation and, in the worst case, burning. For this reason, it is desirable that the electric wire / cable connection structure 1 according to this embodiment is subjected to a waterproofing treatment.

[0049] For example, when two electric wires / cables 50 are connected in a pine-needle shape, insulation is usually performed by covering the portion including the connection portion between the terminals 10 with an insulating cap or wrapping insulating tape around the portion, as shown in FIG. 12(b). However, simply providing insulation may result in moisture penetrating into the insulated connection due to some cause, such as condensation inside the pull box 100. If the connection is between a copper conductor cable and an aluminum conductor cable, this moisture may cause electrolytic corrosion as described above.

[0050] Therefore, in the wire-cable connection structure 1 according to this embodiment, particularly when a copper conductor cable and an aluminum conductor cable are connected to the conductive plate 20, it is desirable to subject them to a waterproofing treatment in order to prevent the above-mentioned electrolytic corrosion from occurring, and it is desirable for at least one of the copper conductor cable and the aluminum conductor cable to be waterproofed. When a copper conductor cable and an aluminum conductor cable are connected, the aluminum conductor cable is more likely to corrode. Therefore, when waterproofing is applied to either the copper conductor cable or the aluminum conductor cable as described above, it is desirable that the aluminum conductor cable also be waterproofed.

[0051] By applying a waterproofing treatment to either the copper conductor cable or the aluminum conductor cable thus connected, particularly to the aluminum conductor cable, it is possible to block the intrusion of moisture into the conductors 51, etc. of the electric wire / cable 50, thereby preventing the conductors 51, etc. from coming into contact with moisture. Therefore, even when a copper conductor cable and an aluminum conductor cable are connected in the electric wire-cable connection structure 1 according to this embodiment, it is possible to reliably prevent electrolytic corrosion from occurring.

[0052] For example, in Figs. 7(a) to (c) and 8 which explain Application Example 2, an example of an aluminum conductor cable 50 which has been subjected to a waterproofing treatment is shown on the right side of the figure. That is, as shown in FIG. 7(a), waterproofing can be performed by wrapping a waterproofing material 40 such as a waterproof tape or an adhesive sheet so as to span from the terminal tube portion 12 of the terminal 10 to the outermost layer 50a of the electric wire / cable 50, thereby covering the conductor 51 exposed between the terminal tube portion 12 of the terminal 10 and the outermost layer 50a of the electric wire / cable 50.

[0053] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(a), waterproofing can be achieved by making the terminal tubular portion 12 of the terminal 10 to which the conductor 51 (not shown) is attached a sealed type. As can be seen in comparison with the open-type terminal 10 on the left side of the figure, in the closed-type terminal tube portion 12 on the right side of the figure, the shuttlecock portion 11 side of the terminal 10 is sealed off and airtight, making it possible to prevent moisture from entering the terminal tube portion 12 from that side.

[0054] Furthermore, it is preferable that the terminal 10 is configured so that the terminal tube portion 12 contains a waterproof compound. With this configuration, even if moisture penetrates through the waterproof member 40 wrapped around as described above, it is possible to prevent the moisture from penetrating at least into the terminal tube portion 12 of the terminal 10.

[0055] In addition, the conductor 51 of the electric wire / cable 50 is attached to the cylindrical terminal portion 12 by crimping (crimping or compressing) the cylindrical terminal portion 12 together with the conductor 51 inserted in the cylindrical terminal portion 12 of the terminal 10, and at that time, if the conductor 51 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the oxide film on the surface of the conductor is broken by the metal powder contained in the waterproof compound when the cylindrical terminal portion 12 is crimped. Therefore, it is possible to reliably electrically connect the conductor 51 and the cylindrical terminal portion 12 via the waterproof compound.

[0056] Although the above describes the case where an aluminum conductor cable is waterproofed, a copper conductor cable can also be waterproofed in the same manner. It is also possible to configure both the aluminum conductor cable and the copper conductor cable to be waterproof.

[0057] Furthermore, when all the electric wires and cables 50 can be waterproofed collectively, it is also possible to waterproof all the electric wires and cables 50 collectively. In this case, if the entire wire / cable connection structure 1, including the conductive plate 20, the convex portion 22, the shuttlecock portion 11, the terminal tube portion 12, and the bolts 30, etc., is waterproofed by wrapping it with a waterproofing material 40 such as insulating tape or an adhesive sheet, or by covering it with waterproof putty, it is possible to reliably prevent electrolytic corrosion caused by moisture and rust on the metal parts such as the conductive plate 20.

[0058] It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1. Wire and cable connection structure 10 Terminals 11 Battledore Club 11a Contact surface 12 Terminal cylinder part 20 Conductive plate 21 sides 22 Convex 23 pin 50 Wires and Cables Area A θ angle

Claims

1. A method for connecting two electric wires / cables in a pine needle shape, comprising the steps of: Pulling out the two electric wires / cables from a pull box; a step of arranging the contact surfaces of the shuttlecocks of the terminals attached to the ends of the two electric wires / cables in a state in which they face each other, disposing a conductive plate between the contact surfaces, connecting the terminals and the conductive plate in a state in which they are in contact with each other, and connecting the two electric wires / cables in a pine needle shape via the conductive plate; Returning the two connected wires / cables back into the pull box; 1. A method for connecting electric wires and cables, comprising:

2. 2. The method for connecting electric wires and cables according to claim 1, further comprising the step of insulating the connection between the terminals.

3. 2. The method for connecting electric wires and cables according to claim 1, further comprising the step of covering the entire electric wire / cable connection structure with an insulating material.

4. 4. A method for connecting an electric wire or cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shuttlecock portion of the terminal is provided with one connection hole for connecting the shuttlecock portion to the conductive plate.

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