Crimp terminal

Abstract

To provide a crimp terminal having a structure to be attached without using a screw.SOLUTION: A crimp terminal 1 is made of a material having both conductivity and machinability, and a tongue part 3 is provided with a hole 4 penetrating therethrough, a plurality of slits 5 cut out radially from the hole 4 toward an outer peripheral side of the tongue portion 3, and a plurality of blades 6 partitioned by the slits 5. Each blade 6 has a protruding portion 7 protruding downward from a tip portion thereof. In a wire connection destination, an attachment hole having a larger diameter is provided in advance on a deeper side than an opening part, and when the crimp terminal 1 is mounted, the tongue part 3 is positioned with respect to the attachment hole. An attachment tool is pushed downward in a state in which a tip part thereof is aligned with the hole 4. As a result, the blade 6 is plastically deformed, an edge plate of the attachment hole is sandwiched between the blade 6 and a protrusion part 7. The protrusion part 7 engages with the edge plate, whereby the tongue 3 is connected. As described above, the crimp terminal 1 can be easily attached to the wire connection destination simply by being pressed by the attachment tool without using a screw.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a crimp terminal for connecting an electric wire to a device or the like, and more particularly to a crimp terminal that is attached to a hole provided in the device or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, round crimp terminals (also called round terminals, ring terminals, or R terminals) have been widely used as crimp terminals to be attached to holes in devices, etc. A round crimp terminal has a cylindrical portion (hereinafter referred to as the "barrel portion") where an inserted electric wire is crimped and firmly fixed, and a portion (hereinafter referred to as the "tongue portion") that is connected to the device, with a through hole provided in the tongue portion. The crimp terminal is fixed to the hole in the device by tightening a screw that is passed through this through hole.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a crimp terminal in which, in order to improve workability during use, a plate material is bent into a cylindrical shape while forming gaps at the joints, and a compressed helical spring is provided to cover this to form a crimping portion (corresponding to a barrel portion), and the cylindrical shape of the crimping portion is crushed by the contraction force of the helical spring, thereby crimping and engaging the electric wire and the crimp terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-287447 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the above-mentioned prior art, it is possible to crimp an electric wire to the barrel portion without using a special crimping tool, and it is thought that the workability when fixing an electric wire to a terminal is improved. However, the shape of the tongue portion remains the same as before, and a screw is still required when connecting the wire to a device, so the workability when connecting the wire remains the same.

[0006] The method of fastening with screws not only requires the cost of the screw parts, but also the labor required for installation and torque management, making it an obstacle to realizing low-cost product development. Therefore, there is a need for a method that allows crimp terminals to be easily attached to equipment without using screws.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a crimp terminal that can be attached without using screws. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the crimp terminal of the present invention comprises a barrel portion to which an electric wire is crimped, and a tongue portion extending from one end of the barrel portion into a generally flat shape and fitted into an attachment hole provided in a wire connection end, the tongue portion having a hole penetrating vertically through the tongue portion, three or more slits cut radially from the hole, the same number of wings as the slits divided by the slits, and a protrusion bent downward from the end of each wing facing the hole. In addition, in correspondence with the crimp terminal of the present invention, an attachment hole having a diameter larger on its inner side than the diameter of its opening is provided in advance in the wire connection end. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] To install the crimp terminal of the present invention, the protrusion is positioned in the mounting hole of the end of the wire, and then the mounting tool is pressed firmly downward with the tip of the mounting tool aligned with the hole. This causes the wings to bend downward along the opening of the mounting hole, and the protrusion faces sideways, causing the tongue to plastically deform into a shape that sandwiches the edge plate of the mounting hole between the wings and the protrusion, resulting in the protrusion engaging the edge plate. Therefore, according to the present invention, the crimp terminal can be easily installed on the end of the wire without using screws. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram (1 / 2) showing the crimp terminal 1 alone. [Figure 2]10 is a diagram showing an example of a mounting hole HL provided in a connection destination CD. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram (2 / 2) showing the crimp terminal 1 alone. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a mounting tool MT. [Figure 5] 1A to 1C are sequential views showing states before and after attachment of the crimp terminal 1 to a connection destination CD. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing the crimp terminal 1 attached to a connection destination CD. FIG. [Figure 7] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing various modified examples of the crimp terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a single crimp terminal 1 of one embodiment, in which (A) is a perspective view of the crimp terminal 1 as seen from above, and (B) is a perspective view as seen from below.

[0012] The crimp terminal 1 is broadly composed of a barrel portion 2 into which an electric wire is inserted and crimped, and a tongue portion 3 attached to the end of the wire. The tongue portion 3 extends in a generally flat plate shape from one end of the barrel portion 2, and as shown in Fig. 1(A), the tongue portion 3 has a small hole 4 penetrating it, four slits 5 cut radially from the hole 4 toward the outer periphery of the tongue portion 3, and four wings 6 defined by these slits 5. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 1(B), each of the wings 6 has a protrusion 7 at its tip that bends downward and protrudes.

[0013] The crimp terminal 1 is an alternative to conventional round crimp terminals with ring-shaped tongues. However, unlike conventional round crimp terminals, it is attached to the end of a wire by plastically deforming a portion of the tongue 3 without using a screw. Therefore, the crimp terminal 1 is made of a material that is both conductive and easy to process. In this embodiment, the crimp terminal 1 is formed from oxygen-free copper and is surface-treated by electrolytic tin plating. In addition, a mounting hole shaped to fit the crimp terminal 1 is pre-formed at the end of the wire.

[0014] Fig. 2 shows an example of a mounting hole HL provided in a connection destination CD. Fig. 2(A) is a perspective view of the connection destination CD, and Fig. 2(B) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the mounting hole HL (a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in Fig. 2).

[0015] The diameter of the mounting hole HL is D H1 The diameter D on the far side H2 is a larger stepped hole (D H1 <D H2 ) Looking at it from another perspective, the connection destination CD has a diameter D H2 The upper edge of the hole is closed by a hole of diameter D. H1 The edge plate HR has a certain thickness T H and width W H When the crimp terminal 1 is attached, the blades 6 are mainly plastically deformed, and the protrusions 7 engage with the edge plate HR.

[0016] The state before and after mounting the crimp terminal 1 will be described in detail later with reference to other drawings. In the illustrated example, the mounting hole HL is shown with its bottom open so that the state inside the mounting hole HL (below the cover plate HR) can be easily seen, but the mounting hole HL may be a hole with a closed bottom or a through hole with an open bottom.

[0017] Fig. 3 shows the crimp terminal 1 alone. Fig. 3(A) is its plan view, Fig. 3(B) is its bottom view, and Fig. 3(C) is its vertical cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 3). In Fig. 3, to ensure visibility, only one of the four slits 5, four blades 6, and four protrusions 7 is labeled.

[0018] As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, in the tongue portion 3, the four slits 5 extend outward by approximately the same length from approximately equally spaced positions on the outer periphery of the hole 4. In other words, the four slits 5 are arranged at positions that are approximately four-fold symmetric about the central axis of the hole 4 (formed in a shape that is approximately four-fold symmetric), and the outer ends 5a of each slit 5 are located on an imaginary circle VC that is centered on the hole 4 in a plan view. When viewed with the imaginary circle VC as the boundary line of the part, the tongue portion 3 can also be seen as having an outer periphery 8 that extends outside the imaginary circle VC and four blades 6 that extend inward from the outer periphery 8 and form an approximately fan shape. The four blades 6 are also arranged at positions that are approximately four-fold symmetric about the central axis of the hole 4 (formed in a shape that is approximately four-fold symmetric).

[0019] 3(C), the protrusion 7 is bent downward from the wing 6 at a substantially right angle. The angle at which the protrusion 7 is bent downward from the wing 6 is not limited to a substantially right angle, but can be changed as appropriate depending on the situation. For example, the angle may be slightly smaller than a substantially right angle (e.g., 85 degrees) depending on the degree of fixation required when connecting the crimp terminal 1 (in other words, whether or not some movement is allowed).

[0020] The thickness of the tongue 3 (the blades 6 and the outer peripheral portion 8) other than the protrusion 7 is T3, the thickness of the protrusion 7 is T7, and the diameter of the hole 4 is D4. When positioning the tongue 3 relative to the mounting hole HL, the opening diameter D of the mounting hole HL is set to D H1 is formed slightly larger than the diameter D7 of the circle formed by virtually connecting the outer circumferential surfaces 7a of the protrusions 7, that is, the dimension obtained by adding twice the plate thickness T7 of the protrusions 7 to the diameter D4 of the holes 4 (D H1>D7 (=D4+2T7)). In order to ensure that the protrusion 7 engages with the edge plate HR after plastic deformation, the protrusion height H7 of the protrusion 7 is set to be less than the width W of the edge plate HR. H It is smaller (H7 <W H ).

[0021] Fig. 4 shows the mounting tool MT, in which (A) is a perspective view seen from above, and (B) is a front view thereof.

[0022] The mounting tool MT is a tool used when mounting the crimp terminal 1 into the mounting hole HL of the connection destination CD, and is composed of a shaft portion MH that is held by the operator, a push-in portion MP that is connected to the underside of the shaft portion MH and has a smaller diameter than the shaft portion MH, and a tip portion MA that is connected to the underside of the push-in portion MP and has a pointed shape. When mounting the crimp terminal 1, the tip portion MA is aligned with the hole 4, and the mounting tool MT is pushed downward. The diameter D of the shaft portion MH is set to 1 / 4 so that the mounting tool MT does not fall into the mounting hole HL. MH is the opening diameter D of the mounting hole HL H1 It is formed larger (D MH >D H1 ) In addition, the diameter D of the pushing part MP is set so that the blade 6 can be deformed while being pushed into the opening of the mounting hole HL by the pushing part MP. MP is the opening diameter D of the mounting hole HL H1 It is formed smaller (D MP <D H1 ).

[0023] [Installation procedure] Figure 5 shows the state before and after the crimp terminal 1 is attached to the attachment hole HL provided at the connection destination CD, with the left side showing an oblique view of the appearance at each stage, and the right side showing an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view, i.e., a cross-sectional view along the cutting line (line VV shown in Figure 5 (A)) that passes through the center of the hole 4 and the centers of the two opposing blades 6 across the hole 4.

[0024] 5(A), first, the crimp terminal 1 with the wire EW fixed to the tongue portion 3 and thus the barrel portion 2 is positioned so that the protrusion 7 fits into the mounting hole HL. This brings the bottom surface of the tongue portion 3 into contact with the top surface of the connection destination CD. Then, the mounting tool MT is pushed downward with its tip portion MA aligned with the hole 4.

[0025] As shown in Figure 5(B), the installation tool MT is firmly pushed in until the shoulder MS of the shank MH abuts against the tongue 3, eliminating any gap between them. This causes the ends of the wings 6 to bend downward to fit along the edge plate HR of the installation hole HL, and as a result, the tips of the protrusions 7 point sideways and wrap around the underside of the edge plate HR, deforming the tongue 3 into a shape that sandwiches the edge plate HR between the wings 6 and the protrusions 7, resulting in the protrusions 7 engaging the edge plate HR. This completes the installation of the crimp terminal 1.

[0026] Fig. 6 shows the crimp terminal 1 attached to the connection destination CD. Fig. 6(A) is a perspective view from above, Fig. 6(B) is a plan view thereof, Fig. 6(C) is a perspective view from below, and Fig. 6(D) is a bottom view thereof.

[0027] During installation, the ends of the individual blades 6 bend downward along the edge plate HR, and a portion of the blade 6 enters the mounting hole HL, causing the hole 4 to have a larger diameter than before installation, as shown in Figures 6(A) and (B). Furthermore, as the blades 6 bend downward, the protrusions 7 engage with the edge plate HR, as shown in Figures 6(C) and (D). In this way, the crimp terminal 1 can be installed in the mounting hole HL simply by firmly inserting the installation tool MT, without using any screws.

[0028] Since the crimp terminal 1 does not require screws for installation, compared to conventional round crimp terminals that use screws, it completely eliminates the cost of screw parts and the labor required for screw torque control, and because it is easy to install, it can significantly reduce installation labor. Furthermore, since the crimp terminal 1 is attached to the connection destination CD by plastically deforming a portion of the tongue portion 3, the crimp terminal 1 must be damaged to be removed, and once removed, it cannot be reattached, which prevents the crimp terminal 1 from being carelessly removed by a third party.

[0029] [Modification] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be implemented in various modifications. Hereinafter, each modification will be described with reference to Fig. 7, with different reference numerals assigned to parts that differ from the crimp terminal 1 of the embodiment.

[0030] In the crimp terminal 1 of the embodiment, four generally fan-shaped blades 6 are provided on the inner circumference of the outer periphery 8 of the tongue portion 3, but the shape of the blades may be any shape as long as the blades and protrusions can sandwich and engage with the edge plate HR of the mounting hole HL when pressed in with the mounting tool MT. Also, the number of blades is not limited to four, and may be three, five or more.

[0031] For example, as in the first modified crimp terminal 11 shown in Figure 7 (A), instead of slits of uniform width, approximately fan-shaped slits 15 that become wider as they extend outward from the hole 4 may be provided, and approximately rectangular blades 16 may be provided that are partitioned by these slits 15.

[0032] Furthermore, as in the second modified crimp terminal 21 shown in Figure 7 (B), six blades 26, each roughly fan-shaped and with a smaller central angle than the blade 6 in the embodiment, may be arranged at approximately equal intervals on the inner circumference of the outer periphery 8, or an increased number of blades with an even smaller central angle than the blade 26 may be arranged at approximately equal intervals on the inner circumference of the outer periphery 8.

[0033] Alternatively, as in the third modified crimp terminal 31 shown in Figure 7 (C), the characteristics of the slits 15 in the first modified example and the characteristics of the blades 26 in the second modified example may be combined to provide slits 35 that become wider as they extend outward from the hole 4, and the blades 36, which are approximately fan-shaped and defined by these slits 35, may be arranged at approximately equal intervals on the inner circumference of the outer periphery 8.

[0034] The spacing between the multiple blades does not have to be approximately equal, but by arranging the multiple blades at approximately equal intervals, or more precisely, at positions that are approximately rotationally symmetrical about the central axis of the hole 4, as in the crimp terminals of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications (by forming the blades and slits in a shape that is approximately rotationally symmetrical about the central axis of the hole 4), the multiple protrusions can be engaged with the edge plate HR in a balanced manner, and the tongue portion 3 can be connected in a more stable state. Also, in the crimp terminals of the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, the length of the slits can be adjusted appropriately depending on the thickness of the edge plate HR of the mounting hole HL. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 crimp terminal 2 Barrel section 3 Tongue 4 holes 5 Slits 6. Feathers 7 Protrusion 8 Outer periphery CD Connection destination HL mounting hole HR edge plate MT installation tool VC Virtual Circle

Claims

1. a barrel portion to which the electric wire is crimped; a tongue portion that extends from one end of the barrel portion into a substantially flat plate shape and is attached to an attachment hole provided at the end of the wire connection; Equipped with A crimp terminal characterized in that the tongue portion has a hole that penetrates it from top to bottom, three or more slits cut radially from the hole, a number of wings that are separated by the slits and have the same number as the slits, and a protrusion bent downward from the end of each of the wings facing the hole.

2. The crimp terminal according to claim 1, The crimp terminal is characterized in that the protrusion is bent at a substantially right angle from the end portion.

3. The crimp terminal according to claim 1 or 2, The crimp terminal is characterized in that the blades and the slits are shaped to be substantially rotationally symmetrical about the central axis of the hole.

4. The crimp terminal according to claim 3, the tongue portion has an outer circumferential portion that forms an area outside an imaginary circle having the hole as its center in a plan view, The slit is cut from the hole to the inner periphery of the outer periphery, The crimp terminal is characterized in that the blades extend inward from the outer periphery.

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