Terminal and electric wire with terminal

Abstract

To provide a terminal capable of suppressing a spring part from being deformed by an external force such as vibration added from the outside, and an electric wire equipped with the terminal.SOLUTION: A female terminal 20 comprises a cylindrical box unit 31 into which a male terminal 40 is inserted, and a contact spring 32 that extends in the lengthwise direction from the front end toward the rear end of the box unit 31 and is deformed in a warping direction to separate from the male terminal 40 when the male terminal 40 inserted into the box unit 31 comes into contact. The contact spring 32 includes a pair of projections 34, 34 that project in the lengthwise direction from a free end 32a on the rear end side of the contact spring 32 to the outside in the widthwise direction orthogonal to the lengthwise direction. The box unit 31 includes a hole 36 which is formed in each of a pair of side walls 31c, 31c constituting the box unit 31, in which the projection 34 is inserted and latched. The hole 36 is formed in shape of a circular arc along a trajectory in which the projections 34 move when the contact spring 32 with which the male terminal 40 comes into contact is deformed in a warping direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal and an electric wire with a terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, terminals (for example, so-called crimp terminals) are used that are attached to the ends of electric wires. These terminals include, for example, a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted, a cantilever-shaped spring portion provided inside the box portion and having a contact portion with the mating terminal, and a fixing portion that fixes the terminal to the electric wire (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-160544 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to electrically connect the electric wire to which the terminal is attached as described above to another electric wire, the core wires of both electric wires may be joined together by ultrasonic bonding in a state where the core wires are in close contact with each other. In this case, ultrasonic vibrations applied to the joint portion may be transmitted to the terminal through the electric wire, causing the terminal to vibrate. In particular, since the spring portion is formed in a cantilever shape, it is prone to vibrations that repeatedly swing upward and downward with the fixed end as a fulcrum. Depending on the degree of this vibration, excessive bending or the like may repeatedly occur in the spring portion, which may cause deterioration or plastic deformation of the spring portion. From the viewpoint of improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal and the mating terminal, it is preferable to suppress such deterioration of the spring portion as much as possible.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the conventional techniques, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal and an electric wire with a terminal that are capable of suppressing deformation of a spring portion due to an external force such as vibration applied from the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A terminal according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted, and a spring portion extending longitudinally from the front end to the rear end of the box portion and deforming in a bending direction away from the mating terminal when the mating terminal inserted in the box portion comes into contact with it, the spring portion having a pair of protrusions protruding outward in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from a free end portion on the rear end side of the spring portion, and the box portion has holes formed in a pair of side walls that constitute the box portion and into which the protrusions are inserted and engaged, and the holes are formed in an arc shape along the trajectory along which the protrusions move when the spring portion in contact with the mating terminal deforms in the bending direction.

[0007] An electric wire with a terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an electric wire and a terminal attached to the electric wire, the terminal comprising a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted, and a spring portion extending longitudinally from the front end to the rear end of the box portion and deforming in a bending direction away from the mating terminal when the mating terminal inserted in the box portion comes into contact with the spring portion, the spring portion having a pair of protrusions protruding outward in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from a free end portion on the rear end side of the spring portion, the box portion having holes formed in a pair of side walls constituting the box portion, respectively, into which the protrusions are inserted and engaged, the holes being formed in an arc shape along a trajectory along which the protrusions move when the spring portion in contact with the mating terminal deforms in the bending direction. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a terminal and an electric wire with a terminal that can suppress deformation of a spring portion due to an external force such as vibration applied from the outside. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main portion showing an example of a terminal according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] 4 is a side view of a main portion showing an example of a terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of a terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is an enlarged schematic view showing a hole formed in a side wall of a terminal; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the terminals showing a state before mating. [Figure 8] 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the terminals showing a state after mating. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method for producing a wire harness having a joint in which core wires of a plurality of electric wires with terminals are joined together by ultrasonic welding. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method for producing a wire harness having a joint in which core wires of a plurality of electric wires with terminals are joined together by ultrasonic welding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the terminal and the electric wire with terminal according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0011] For ease of explanation, in the longitudinal direction (mating direction) of the terminal (female terminal 20), the side where the mating terminal (male terminal 40) is mated (left side in Figs. 1 and 2) is referred to as the tip side (front side), and the opposite side (right side in Figs. 1 and 2) is referred to as the base side (rear side). Furthermore, the upper and lower sides in Figs. 1 and 2 are referred to as the upper side and lower side, respectively. Moreover, the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the up-down direction of the female terminal 20 is referred to as the width direction.

[0012] 9 and 10, a female terminal 20 is crimped and fixed to an end of an electric wire 10, and the female terminal 20 and a conductor core wire (core wire 11) of the electric wire 10 are electrically connected. The electric wire 10 and the female terminal 20 constitute an electric wire with terminal 1, and this electric wire with terminal 1 constitutes a wire harness 2 (see FIG. 10) that is arranged in a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0013] The electric wire 10 is an insulated electric wire having a core wire 11 and a coating 12 made of resin covering the core wire 11. For example, the core wire 11 is formed by twisting together a plurality of wires made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. By forming the core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 from aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the weight of the electric wire with terminal 1 is reduced, and the weight of the wire harness 2 including the electric wire with terminal 1 is also reduced. The lightweight electric wire with terminal 1 is particularly suitable for use in vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in which wire harnesses are frequently used. The core wire 11 is not limited to aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and may be formed of another material (for example, copper or a copper alloy).

[0014] 1 to 5, female terminal 20 has a box portion 31 at its tip end into which conductive contact portion 41 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) of a mating terminal (male terminal 40) is inserted. Furthermore, female terminal 20 has a first barrel portion (core wire clamping piece 45) crimped to core wire 11 exposed from the end of electric wire 10, and a second barrel portion (coating clamping piece 46) crimped to coating 12 at the end of electric wire 10, at its base end side of box portion 31 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0015] The female terminal 20 is formed by performing press processing (punching and bending) on ​​a metal plate (plate-shaped body). For example, the female terminal 20 is formed from a metal material different from the core wire 11 made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Specifically, the female terminal 20 is formed using a metal plate (plate-shaped body) made of copper or a copper alloy as a base material. The core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 and the female terminal 20 do not necessarily need to be made of different metal materials, and may be made of the same metal material.

[0016] After the above-mentioned press processing, the female terminal 20 is preferably plated before crimping to the electric wire 10 in order to suppress corrosion of the core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 and improve corrosion resistance. For example, the female terminal 20 before crimping to the electric wire 10 is plated with tin (Sn). Specifically, the female terminal 20 is provided with a plating layer containing tin so as to cover the front and back surfaces and the side surface formed from the cut surface formed by the press processing. The surface of the female terminal 20 is not limited to being plated with tin (Sn), and may be plated with other materials (for example, gold (Au), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), and alloys thereof).

[0017] The box part 31 has a rectangular cylindrical shape that extends in the front-rear direction and penetrates in the front-rear direction. The box part 31 is configured to have an upper wall 31a, a bottom wall 31b, and a pair of side walls 31c, 31c, and a spring part (contact spring 32) is integrally formed inside the box part 31. The contact spring 32 is a cantilever-shaped leaf spring that extends from the tip end of the bottom wall 31b of the box part 31 and extends inside the box part 31 from the tip side to the base end side. In addition, the contact spring 32 can be elastically deformed in the up-down direction. Furthermore, the contact spring 32 extends from the base end of the box part 31 to a predetermined position on the tip side. Therefore, the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 is located inside the box part 31.

[0018] The contact spring 32 has a contact portion 32c that contacts the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40 formed in a portion near the fixed end portion 32b (the tip portion of the box portion 31) of the contact spring 32. The contact portion 32c is a portion that protrudes upward and extends in the width direction. A terminal portion 33 is formed inside the box portion 31 at a portion facing the contact portion 32c of the contact spring 32. This terminal portion 33 is a portion that protrudes downward and extends in the width direction. When the conductive contact portion 41 (see FIG. 7) of the male terminal 40 is inserted from the tip side opening of the box portion 31, the conductive contact portion 41 presses the contact portion 32c of the contact spring 32 downward, so that the conductive contact portion 41 is accommodated inside the box portion 31 in a state in which the contact spring 32 is elastically deformed downward by the conductive contact portion 41 pressing down the contact portion 32c of the contact spring 32. This maintains contact between the contact portion 32c of the female terminal 20 and the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40, electrically connecting the terminal (female terminal 20) and the mating terminal (male terminal 40) (see Figure 8).

[0019] The contact spring 32 is integrally formed with a pair of protrusions 34, 34 that protrude outward in the width direction from the free end 32a of the contact spring 32. Meanwhile, a pair of side walls 31c, 31c of the box portion 31 is each formed with a hole 36 into which the protrusion 34 is inserted and locked. In this embodiment, the hole 36 is formed in an arc shape along a trajectory along which the protrusion 34 moves when the contact spring 32, in contact with the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40, deforms in the bending direction (see FIG. 6).

[0020] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the hole 36 has a pressing surface 35 formed on the periphery of the hole 36, which holds the contact spring 32 in a state elastically deformed in the bending direction from the natural state. In this embodiment, the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 is abutted against the pressing surface 35 formed in the hole 36. Therefore, the contact spring 32 is held in a state elastically deformed in the bending direction from the natural state by the pressing surface 35, and the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 is biased upward. When the upper surface 34a of the protrusion 34 abuts against the upper wall surface (pressing surface 35) of the hole 36, the gap G between the lower surface 34b of the protrusion 34 and the lower wall surface 37 of the hole is, for example, about 0.1 mm.

[0021] Furthermore, the female terminal 20 has a fixing portion that fixes the female terminal 20 to the electric wire 10. This fixing portion is configured to have a first barrel portion (core wire clamping piece 45) and a second barrel portion (covering clamping piece 46) (see Figs. 9 and 10). A pair of core wire clamping pieces 45 that extend upward are formed on a pair of side walls 31c, 31c belonging to the first barrel portion before crimping to the electric wire 10. On the other hand, a pair of side walls 31c, 31c belonging to the second barrel portion are formed with a pair of covering clamping pieces 46 that extend upward before crimping to the electric wire 10.

[0022] 9 and 10, the electric wire 10 is placed in the female terminal 20 before being crimped to the electric wire 10 so that the core wire 11 exposed from the end of the electric wire 10 is sandwiched between a pair of core wire crimping pieces 45 and the coating 12 at the end of the electric wire 10 is sandwiched between a pair of coating crimping pieces 46. In this state, the pair of core wire crimping pieces 45 and the coating crimping pieces 46 are crimped using a predetermined crimping machine, thereby obtaining the electric wire with terminal 1 shown in FIGS.

[0023] The electric wire with terminal 1 shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 constitutes, for example, a wire harness 2. As shown in Fig. 10, the wire harness 2 has a branch connection portion (joint portion 13) in which exposed core wires 11 of a plurality of electric wires 10 of the electric wire with terminal 1 (two in the figure) are ultrasonically joined together. Without being limited thereto, the wire harness 2 may have a joint portion 13 in which exposed core wires 11 of three or more electric wires 10 are ultrasonically joined together. In addition, some of the plurality of electric wires 10 constituting the wire harness 2 may have terminals other than the female terminals 20 attached thereto, or may not have terminals attached thereto.

[0024] The joining machine 50 used to form the joint 13 will now be described.

[0025] 9, the joining machine 50 includes a pair of joining indenters (so-called anvil 51 and horn 52) facing each other in the vertical direction, and a control device (not shown) that controls joining energy (ultrasonic excitation) applied between the pair of joining indenters (anvil 51, horn 52). A joining space is defined by the pair of joining indenters (anvil 51, horn 52), and exposed core wires 11 of multiple electric wires 10 are arranged inside this joining space.

[0026] With the core wires 11 sandwiched between the anvil 51 and the horn 52, a predetermined amount of energy (ultrasonic excitation) is applied between the anvil 51 and the horn 52. By subjecting the core wires 11 to ultrasonic bonding in this manner, a bonded portion 13 (see FIG. 10) is formed in which the core wires 11 are bonded together.

[0027] A joining mark due to ultrasonic joining is formed on the outer surface of the joint 13 between the multiple core wires 11. In this embodiment, this joining mark has a shape that is a transfer of the unevenness on the surfaces of the anvil 51 and horn 52 used in the ultrasonic joining, and is distinguishable from the outer surface of the joint 13.

[0028] 10 is attached to the joint 13 between the core wires 11 so as to cover the entire outer surface of the joint 13. This can prevent the joint 13 from being damaged due to contact with surrounding members, and can also prevent the joint 13 from coming into contact with surrounding conductive members, resulting in an unintended short circuit or the like.

[0029] Thus, the terminal (female terminal 20) according to the embodiment includes a cylindrical box portion 31 into which a mating terminal (male terminal 40) is inserted. The terminal (female terminal 20) includes a 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 a bending direction away from the mating terminal (male terminal 40) inserted into the box portion 31 when the mating terminal (male terminal 40) contacts the terminal. The spring portion (contact spring 32) has a pair of protrusions 34, 34 that protrude outward in the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from a free end portion 32a on the rear end side of the spring portion (contact spring 32). The box portion 31 has holes 36 that are formed in a pair of side walls 31c, 31c that constitute the box portion 31 and into which the protrusions 34 are inserted and locked. The hole 36 is formed in an arc shape along the path along which the protrusion 34 moves when the spring portion (contact spring 32) in contact with the mating terminal (male terminal 40) is deformed in the bending direction.

[0030] In this embodiment, the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 is engaged with the hole 36 formed in the side wall 31c of the box part 31, and the contact spring 32 is deformed in the up-down direction within a range until the protrusion 34 abuts against the upper wall surface (pressing surface 35) or the lower wall surface 37 of the hole 36. The hole 36 formed in the side wall 31c of the box part 31 is formed in accordance with the trajectory of the protrusion 34 when the contact spring 32 is elastically deformed in the bending direction by the conductive contact part 41 of the male terminal 40 inserted into the box part 31. Therefore, the movement of the protrusion 34 directly upward or downward is restricted by the peripheral part (upper wall surface and lower wall surface 37) of the hole 36. As a result, the contact spring 32, in which the protrusion 34 is inserted and engaged in the hole 36, is not deformed even toward the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the box part 31 unless an external force is applied to the protrusion 34. Therefore, it is possible to suppress deformation of the contact spring 32 in the bending 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 .

[0031] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is 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 applied from the outside.

[0032] In the terminal (female terminal 20), the hole portion 36 may have a pressing surface portion 35 formed on the periphery of the hole portion 36, which holds the spring portion (contact spring 32) in a state elastically deformed in the bending direction from its natural state.

[0033] In this embodiment, when the protrusion 34 is inserted into the hole 36 and locked, the contact spring 32 is elastically deformed in the bending direction (downward) so that the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 comes into contact with the pressing surface 35 formed on the periphery of the hole 36. By bringing the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 into contact with the pressing surface 35 formed on the periphery of the hole 36, it is possible to prevent the contact spring 32 from being deformed upward due to an external force such as ultrasonic vibration during ultrasonic bonding. In addition, an elastic force (biasing force) is generated in the contact spring 32, and the contact spring 32 does not deform downward unless an external force equal to or greater than the elastic force (biasing force) generated in the contact spring 32 is applied. Therefore, the contact spring 32 is also less likely to deform downward.

[0034] Moreover, the electric wire with terminal 1 according to the embodiment includes an electric wire 10 and a terminal (female terminal 20) attached to the electric wire 10. The terminal (female terminal 20) includes a cylindrical box portion 31 into which a mating terminal (male terminal 40) is inserted. The terminal (female terminal 20) includes a 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 a bending direction away from the mating terminal (male terminal 40) inserted into the box portion 31 when the mating terminal comes into contact with the terminal. The spring portion (contact spring 32) includes a pair of protrusions 34, 34 that protrude outward in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from a free end portion 32a on the rear end side of the spring portion (contact spring 32). The box portion 31 includes a hole portion 36 that is formed in a pair of side walls 31c, 31c that constitute the box portion 31 and into which the protrusions 34 are inserted and locked. The hole 36 is formed in an arc shape along the path along which the protrusion 34 moves when the spring portion (contact spring 32) in contact with the mating terminal (male terminal 40) is deformed in the bending direction.

[0035] In this embodiment, the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 is engaged with the hole 36 formed in the side wall 31c of the box part 31, and the contact spring 32 is deformed in the up-down direction within a range until the protrusion 34 abuts against the upper wall surface (pressing surface 35) or the lower wall surface 37 of the hole 36. The hole 36 formed in the side wall 31c of the box part 31 is formed in accordance with the trajectory of the protrusion 34 when the contact spring 32 is elastically deformed in the bending direction by the conductive contact part 41 of the male terminal 40 inserted into the box part 31. Therefore, the movement of the protrusion 34 directly upward or downward is restricted by the peripheral part (upper wall surface and lower wall surface 37) of the hole 36. As a result, the contact spring 32, in which the protrusion 34 is inserted and engaged in the hole 36, is not deformed even toward the rear side in the longitudinal direction of the box part 31 unless an external force is applied to the protrusion 34. This makes it possible to prevent the contact spring 32 from being deformed in the bending 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. Furthermore, since the contact spring 32 is less likely to be deformed due to an external force generated when the wire harness 2 is manufactured by ultrasonic bonding or the like, the above-mentioned ultrasonic bonding method can be applied to the electric wire with terminal 1 without deteriorating the reliability of the electrical contact.

[0036] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an electric wire with terminal 1 capable of suppressing deformation of the spring portion (contact spring 32) due to an external force such as vibration applied from the outside.

[0037] In the electric wire with terminal 1, the hole portion 36 may have a pressing surface portion 35 formed on the periphery of the hole portion 36, which holds the spring portion (contact spring 32) in a state elastically deformed in the bending direction from its natural state.

[0038] In this embodiment, when the protrusion 34 is inserted into the hole 36 and locked, the contact spring 32 is elastically deformed in the bending direction (downward) so that the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 comes into contact with the pressing surface 35 formed on the periphery of the hole 36. By bringing the protrusion 34 formed on the contact spring 32 into contact with the pressing surface 35 formed on the periphery of the hole 36, it is possible to prevent the contact spring 32 from being deformed upward due to an external force such as ultrasonic vibration during ultrasonic bonding. In addition, an elastic force (biasing force) is generated in the contact spring 32, and the contact spring 32 does not deform downward unless an external force equal to or greater than the elastic force (biasing force) generated in the contact spring 32 is applied. Therefore, the contact spring 32 is also less likely to deform downward.

[0039] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Wire with terminal 10 Electric wire 20 female terminal 31 Hakobe 31c side wall 32 Contact spring 32a Free end 34 Protrusion 35 Pressing surface 36 Hole 40 male terminal

Claims

1. a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted; 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 bending direction away from the mating terminal when the mating terminal inserted into the box portion comes into contact with the spring portion, the spring portion has a pair of protrusions protruding outward in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from a free end portion on a rear end side of the spring portion, the box portion has a hole portion formed in each of a pair of side walls constituting the box portion, into which the protrusion portion is inserted and engaged; The hole is formed in an arc shape along a path along which the protrusion moves when the spring portion in contact with the mating terminal is deformed in the bending direction. Terminal.

2. 2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the hole has a pressing surface portion formed on a periphery of the hole, the pressing surface portion holding the spring portion in a state elastically deformed in the bending direction from a natural state.

3. An electric wire and a terminal attached to the electric wire, The terminal is a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted; 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 bending direction away from the mating terminal when the mating terminal inserted into the box portion comes into contact with the spring portion, the spring portion has a pair of protrusions protruding outward in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction from a free end portion on a rear end side of the spring portion, the box portion has a hole portion formed in each of a pair of side walls constituting the box portion, into which the protrusion portion is inserted and engaged; The hole is formed in an arc shape along a path along which the protrusion moves when the spring portion in contact with the mating terminal is deformed in the bending direction. Wire with terminal.

4. The electric wire with terminal according to claim 3 , wherein the hole has a pressing surface portion formed on a periphery of the hole, the pressing surface portion holding the spring portion in a state elastically deformed in the bending direction from a natural state.

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