Electric wire with terminal and joining method therefor

Abstract

To provide an electric wire with a terminal and a joining method therefor, which improve the degree of freedom during assembly without limiting the direction in which the electric wire is pulled out.SOLUTION: In an electric wire with a terminal 1, a core wire 22 exposed from an insulating coating 21 of an electric wire 20 and a terminal 10 are joined by ultrasonic joining, and the terminal 10 includes a joint 13 that is square or round in a plan view and to which a tip end 23 of the core wire 22 is joined. When the joint 13 is square, the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 20 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] A known method for joining a terminal and an electric wire is to strip the insulating coating of the electric wire to expose a core wire consisting of a plurality of strands, and then join an end of the exposed core wire to the terminal by ultrasonic welding.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an electric wire with a terminal produced by clamping an end of a core wire and a part of a terminal between an anvil and a horn, and ultrasonically vibrating the horn to perform ultrasonic bonding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-135742 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the terminal and the electric wire are fixed by crimping when they are connected, so the direction of the longitudinal direction of the electric wire relative to the longitudinal direction of the terminal (hereinafter, the electric wire exit direction) is limited. Therefore, when changing the electric wire exit direction, it is necessary to newly prepare and arrange a terminal according to the new electric wire exit direction, which makes assembly complicated, which is an issue.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems inherent in the conventional techniques, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric wire with a terminal, which is not limited in the direction in which the electric wire is brought out, and which improves the degree of freedom in assembly, and a method for joining the electric wire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An electric wire with terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention is an electric wire with terminal in which a core wire exposed from an insulating coating of the electric wire and a terminal are joined by ultrasonic welding, and the terminal has a joint portion which is square or round in a plan view and to which the tip end of the core wire is joined, and when the joint portion is square in shape, the longitudinal direction of the electric wire is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal.

[0008] A method for joining an electric wire with a terminal according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for joining a core wire exposed from an insulating coating of the electric wire to a terminal by ultrasonic joining, wherein the terminal has a joint portion that is square or round in a plan view, and the joint portion is joined to the tip of the core wire, and when the joint portion is square in shape, the joint is performed such that the longitudinal direction of the electric wire is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric wire with a terminal, in which the direction in which the electric wire is brought out is not limited and the degree of freedom during assembly is improved, and a method for joining the same can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an electric wire with a terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 3 is an enlarged view of a joint portion between a terminal and an electric wire in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the electric wire with terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which the electric wire outlet direction is changed. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of an electric wire with a terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of an electric wire with a terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an example of a terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an electric wire with a terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the electric wire outlet direction is changed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an electric wire with a terminal and a joining method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention 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.

[0012] [First embodiment] The terminal 10 in the electric wire with terminal 1 is a female type. The terminal 10 has an electrical connection part 11 on the left side in Fig. 1, which is connected to a mating terminal (not shown). The electrical connection part 11 has a box-like appearance and has a built-in spring piece (not shown) that engages with the mating terminal. In addition, a square-shaped joint part 13 to which an electric wire 20 is joined via a link part 12 is provided on the right side of the electrical connection part 11 in Fig. 1.

[0013] As a material for forming the terminal 10, a metal having high electrical conductivity can be used, for example, at least one of copper, copper alloy, stainless steel, tin-plated copper, tin-plated copper alloy, and tin-plated stainless steel can be used. Also, at least one of gold-plated copper, copper alloy, and stainless steel may be used, and at least one of silver-plated copper, copper alloy, and stainless steel may be used.

[0014] 2, the electric wire with terminal 1 is produced by ultrasonically joining the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20. The electric wire 20 has a structure in which a core wire 22 formed of a plurality of wires is covered with an insulating cover 21.

[0015] The material constituting the core wire 22 can be a metal having high electrical conductivity, such as copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, etc. The insulating coating 21 on the tip side of the electric wire 20 is stripped off to partially expose the core wire 22, and the tip of the core wire 22 is used as a tip portion 23 to be joined to the joint portion 13 of the terminal 10.

[0016] The material of the insulating coating 21 that covers the core wire 22 can be a resin that ensures electrical insulation, such as a resin mainly composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or an olefin-based resin. Specific examples of olefin-based resins include polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), ethylene copolymers, and propylene copolymers.

[0017] In this manner, the electric wire with terminal 1 is formed by ultrasonically joining and electrically connecting the core wire 22 exposed from the insulating coating 21 of the electric wire 20 to the terminal 10. The terminal 10 has a joint 13 to which the tip end 23 of the core wire 22 is joined.

[0018] Ultrasonic bonding is a method in which ultrasonic vibrations are applied to metals using an ultrasonic bonding device, causing the bonding surfaces to rub against each other, exposing activated metal surfaces at the bonding surfaces, and bonding in a solid state through plastic deformation caused by pressure. The bonding portion 13 and tip portion 23 are sandwiched between an anvil (not shown) and a horn (not shown), and the horn is ultrasonically vibrated under pressure to perform ultrasonic bonding.

[0019] 3 shows an enlarged view of the joint portion of the terminal 10 and the electric wire 20 in FIG. 2, in which the tip 23 of the core wire 22 is joined onto the joint 13. The joint 13 is square-shaped, and it is preferable that the joint width W1 of the core wire 22 is narrower than the width W2 of the joint 13. By making the joint width W1 of the core wire 22 narrower than the width W2 of the joint 13, a pressing width for pressing the terminal 10 with a jig can be secured on both sides of the tip 23 on the joint 13, which leads to an improvement in the efficiency of the joining process. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the area on the joint 13 formed between the joint width W1 of the core wire 22 and the width W2 of the joint 13 becomes the pressing width for pressing the terminal 10 with a jig.

[0020] Fig. 4 is a plan view showing an example of an electric wire with terminal 1. In Fig. 4, the X-axis is along the longitudinal direction of terminal 10, the direction from electrical connection portion 11 to joint portion 13 is the X-axis positive direction, and the opposite direction is the X-axis negative direction. Also, the axis perpendicular to the X-axis is the Y-axis, the direction of 90 degrees clockwise with respect to terminal 10 is the Y-axis positive direction, and the direction of 90 degrees counterclockwise with respect to terminal 10 is the Y-axis negative direction.

[0021] The electric wire 20A has a wire outlet direction facing the negative direction of the Y-axis, and the wire outlet direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. The electric wire 20B has a wire outlet direction facing the positive direction of the X-axis, and the wire outlet direction is the same as the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. Furthermore, the electric wire 20C has a wire outlet direction facing the positive direction of the Y-axis, and the wire outlet direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10.

[0022] In the electric wire with terminal of this embodiment, the joint portion 13 is square-shaped, and the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 20 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. That is, the electric wire leading-out direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10, and the electric wire 20 is located at the position of the electric wire 20A or the electric wire 20C in Fig. 4. As described above, if the joint width W1 of the core wire 22 is narrower than the width W2 of the joint portion 13, a pressing width for pressing the terminal 10 with a jig can be ensured even if the electric wire leading-out direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10.

[0023] Fig. 5 is a side view of the joint at the position of the electric wire 20B. Meanwhile, Fig. 6 is a side view of the joint when the tip 23 of the core wire 22 is joined from the back surface of the joint portion 13, although the longitudinal direction and the electric wire leading-out direction of the terminal 10 are the same as in Fig. 5. The back surface of the joint portion 13 refers to the surface opposite to the surface on which the electrical connection portion 11 is formed, and refers to the bottom surface in Fig. 5. Note that Fig. 6 shows the case where the longitudinal direction and the electric wire leading-out direction of the terminal 10 are the same, but the electric wire leading-out direction may be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. In this way, it is possible to join from either the front surface or the back surface of the joint portion 13.

[0024] As described above, the electric wire with terminal of this embodiment is an electric wire with terminal 1 in which the core wire 22 exposed from the insulating coating 21 of the electric wire 20 and the terminal 10 are joined by ultrasonic joining. The terminal 10 has a joint portion 13 having a square shape in a plan view to which the tip portion 23 of the core wire 22 is joined, and the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 20 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. Therefore, the electric wire with terminal has an improved degree of freedom in assembly without limiting the direction in which the electric wire is brought out, and it can be designed to match the internal shape of the connector.

[0025] The joining method for an electric wire with terminal 1 of the first embodiment is a joining method for an electric wire with terminal 1 in which a core wire 22 exposed from an insulating coating 21 of an electric wire 20 is joined to a terminal 10 by ultrasonic joining. The terminal 10 has a joint portion 13 that is square in a plan view, and the joint portion 13 is joined to a tip portion 23 of the core wire 22. The joining is performed in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 20 is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. Therefore, it is possible to provide a joining method for an electric wire with terminal in which the direction in which the electric wire is brought out is not limited, improving the degree of freedom during assembly.

[0026] [Second embodiment] Next, an electric wire with a terminal according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. In the description of the second embodiment, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0027] The joint 13 has a round shape as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 8 is a plan view showing an example of the electric wire with terminal 1. As in Fig. 4, the X-axis is along the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10, and the Y-axis is perpendicular to the X-axis. The electric wire 20D has an electric wire outlet direction facing the negative Y-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. The electric wire 20E has an electric wire outlet direction facing the positive X-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. The electric wire 20F has an electric wire outlet direction facing the positive Y-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10.

[0028] Since the joint 13 has a round shape, whether the wire exit direction is perpendicular to or the same as the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10, a pressing width for pressing the terminal 10 with a jig can be secured on both sides of the tip 23 on the joint 13. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, the area formed around the tip 23 on the joint 13 becomes the pressing width for pressing the terminal 10 with a jig.

[0029] In the electric wire with terminal of this embodiment, since the joint portion 13 is round, the electric wire leading direction is not limited to the positions of the electric wire 20D, the electric wire 20E, and the electric wire 20F, and a pressing width for pressing the terminal 10 with a jig can be secured. That is, the electric wire leading direction may cross the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. For example, in FIG. 8, the electric wire leading direction may be a direction approaching the terminal 10 side from the position of the electric wire 20D, that is, a direction sandwiched between the negative X-axis direction and the negative Y-axis direction. Also, the electric wire leading direction may be a direction approaching the position of the electric wire 20E from the position of the electric wire 20D, that is, a direction sandwiched between the positive X-axis direction and the negative Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the electric wire leading direction may be a direction approaching the terminal 10 side from the position of the electric wire 20F, that is, a direction sandwiched between the negative X-axis direction and the positive Y-axis direction. The electric wire exit direction may be a direction approaching the position of the electric wire 20E from the position of the electric wire 20F, that is, a direction sandwiched between the positive direction of the X axis and the positive direction of the Y axis.

[0030] In this manner, the electric wire with terminal of this embodiment has a round joint portion 13, and the direction in which the electric wire is brought out is not limited, and the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 20 may be perpendicular to or intersect with the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. Furthermore, it is also possible to join the tip portion 23 of the core wire 22 from the rear surface of the joint portion 13, as in Fig. 6 .

[0031] As described above, the electric wire with terminal of this embodiment is an electric wire with terminal 1 in which the core wire 22 exposed from the insulating coating 21 of the electric wire 20 and the terminal 10 are joined by ultrasonic joining. The terminal 10 has a joint portion 13 having a round shape in a plan view to which the tip portion 23 of the core wire 22 is joined. The longitudinal direction of the electric wire 20 may intersect with the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the electric wire with terminal has an improved degree of freedom in assembly without being limited in the direction in which the electric wire is brought out, and it is possible to design it to match the internal shape of the connector.

[0032] The method for joining an electric wire with terminal 1 according to the second embodiment is a method for joining an electric wire with terminal 1 in which a core wire 22 exposed from an insulating coating 21 of an electric wire 20 is joined to a terminal 10 by ultrasonic joining. The terminal 10 has a joint portion 13 that is round in a plan view, and the joint portion 13 is joined to a tip portion 23 of the core wire 22. The electric wire 20 may be joined in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10 intersects with the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, a method for joining an electric wire with terminal can be provided in which the direction in which the electric wire is brought out is not limited, improving the degree of freedom during assembly.

[0033] 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]

[0034] 1 Wire with terminal 10 Terminals 13 Joint 20 Electric wire 21 Insulation coating 22 core wire 23 Tip W1 Core joint width W2 Joint width

Claims

1. A terminal-attached electric wire in which a core wire exposed from an insulating coating of the electric wire and a terminal are joined by ultrasonic bonding, the terminal has a joint portion, which is square or round in plan view and to which a tip end of the core wire is joined; When the joint portion is square, a longitudinal direction of the electric wire is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the terminal.

2. The electric wire with terminal according to claim 1 , wherein when the joint portion has a square shape, a joint width of the core wire is narrower than a width of the joint portion.

3. The electric wire with terminal according to claim 1 , wherein when the joint portion has a round shape, a longitudinal direction of the electric wire intersects with a longitudinal direction of the terminal.

4. A method for joining an electric wire with a terminal by ultrasonic joining a core wire exposed from an insulating coating of the electric wire to a terminal, comprising the steps of: The terminal has a joint portion that is square or round in a plan view, The joint portion and the tip portion of the core wire are joined together, When the joint portion is square, the electric wire is joined in a state in which the longitudinal direction of the terminal is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the terminal.

5. The method for joining an electric wire with a terminal according to claim 4, wherein, when the joint portion has a round shape, the electric wire is joined in a state in which a longitudinal direction of the terminal crosses a longitudinal direction of the electric wire.

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