Terminal and electric wire with terminal

Abstract

To provide a terminal capable of suppressing deformation of a spring part due to the external force such as vibration applied from an outside, and an electric wire with the terminal.SOLUTION: A terminal comprises: a cylindrical box part into which a mating terminal is inserted; a spring part that extends in a longitudinal direction from a front end part toward a rear end part of the box part and is deformed in a bending direction away from the mating terminal when the mating terminal inserted into the box part comes into contact; and a bending part that is positioned opposite to the longitudinal direction of the box part in a width direction orthogonal to the bending direction of the spring part and is bent by cutting a part of one of a pair of side walls in the box part. The bent part abuts against the spring part in a state in which swinging of a free end part of the spring part is restricted, and abuts against the side wall facing the side wall from which the bending part is cut out.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, terminals (such as so-called crimp terminals) have been used to be 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] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-160544 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to electrically connect an electric wire having a terminal attached thereto as described above to another electric wire, the core wires of both electric wires may be joined together by ultrasonic bonding while the core wires are in close contact with each other. In this case, ultrasonic vibrations applied to the joint may be transmitted to the terminal via 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 around the fixed end. Depending on the degree of this vibration, repeated excessive deflection or the like may occur in the spring portion, which may result in 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 minimize such deterioration or the like of the spring portion.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal and an electric wire with a terminal that can prevent deformation of the spring portion due to external forces such as vibrations 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, 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 into the box portion comes into contact with the spring portion, and a bent portion formed by cutting out and bending a portion of one of a pair of side walls within the box portion and positioned opposite the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the box portion and the bending direction of the spring portion, wherein the bent portion abuts against the spring portion in a state in which the swinging of the free end of the spring portion is restricted, and abuts against the side wall opposite the side wall from which the bent portion was cut out.

[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; 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 into the box portion comes into contact with the spring portion; and a bent portion formed by cutting out and bending a part of one of a pair of side walls within the box portion and positioned opposite to the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the box portion and the bending direction of the spring portion, the bent portion abutting against the spring portion in a state in which the swinging of the free end of the spring portion is restricted, and abutting against the side wall opposite to the side wall from which the bent portion was cut out. [Effects 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 explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part showing an example of a terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a side view of a main part showing an example of a terminal according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 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 IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the terminals showing a state before mating. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the terminals showing the mated state. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a method for manufacturing a wire harness having a joint where core wires of a plurality of electric wires with terminals are joined together by ultrasonic welding. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a method for manufacturing a wire harness having a joint where core wires of a plurality of electric wires with terminals are joined together by ultrasonic welding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[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) will be referred to as the tip side (front side), and the opposite side (right side in Figs. 1 and 2) will be referred to as the base side (rear side). Also, the upper and lower sides in Figs. 1 and 2 will be referred to as the upper side and lower side, respectively. Also, the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and up-down direction of the female terminal 20 will be referred to as the width direction.

[0012] 8 and 9, a female terminal 20 is crimped and fixed to the end of an electric wire 10, and the female terminal 20 and the 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. 9) 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 that covers the core wire 11. For example, the core wire 11 is made by twisting together a plurality of wires made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. By making 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 that includes the electric wire with terminal 1 is also reduced. The lightweight electric wire with terminal 1 is particularly suitable for use in vehicles that frequently use wire harnesses, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. The core wire 11 is not limited to aluminum or an aluminum alloy and may be made of other materials (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. 6 and 7) of a mating terminal (male terminal 40) is inserted. Furthermore, female terminal 20 has, at its base end side of box portion 31, a first barrel portion (core crimping piece 45) that is crimped to core wire 11 exposed from the end of electric wire 10, and a second barrel portion (coating crimping piece 46) that is crimped to coating 12 at the end of electric wire 10 (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

[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 that of the core wire 11, which is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Specifically, the female terminal 20 is formed using a metal plate (plate-shaped body) made of copper, a copper alloy, or the like as a base material. The core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 and the female terminal 20 do not necessarily have to be made of different metal materials, and may be made of the same metal material.

[0016] After the above-mentioned press working, the female terminal 20 is preferably plated before being crimped to the electric wire 10, for the purpose of suppressing corrosion of the core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 and improving corrosion resistance. For example, the female terminal 20 is plated with tin (Sn) before being crimped to the electric wire 10. Specifically, a plating layer containing tin is provided on the female terminal 20 so as to cover the front and back surfaces and the side surfaces formed from the cut surfaces formed by the press working. 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 portion 31 has a rectangular cylindrical shape that extends in the front-rear direction and penetrates in the front-rear direction. The box portion 31 is configured with a top wall 31a, a bottom wall 31b, and a pair of side walls 31c, 31c, and a spring portion (contact spring 32) is provided inside the box portion 31. The contact spring 32 is a cantilevered leaf spring that extends from the tip end of the top wall 31a of the box portion 31 inside the box portion 31 from the tip side toward the base end. The contact spring 32 is elastically deformable in the up-down direction. The contact spring 32 extends from the base end of the box portion 31 to a predetermined position on the tip side. The free end 32a of the contact spring 32 is located inside the box portion 31.

[0018] The contact spring 32 has a contact portion 32c formed between the free end 32a and the fixed end 32b (the tip end of the box portion 31) of the contact spring 32, which contacts the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40. The contact portion 32c is a portion that protrudes downward and extends in the width direction. A terminal portion 33 is formed inside the box portion 31 at a location facing the contact portion 32c of the contact spring 32. This terminal portion 33 is a portion that protrudes upward and extends in the width direction. When the conductive contact portion 41 of the male terminal 40 (see FIG. 6) is inserted through the tip end opening of the box portion 31, the conductive contact portion 41 pushes the contact portion 32c of the contact spring 32 upward, causing the contact spring 32 to elastically deform upward, and the conductive contact portion 41 is accommodated inside the box portion 31. 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 7).

[0019] Meanwhile, a bent portion 34 is cut out near the base end of the side wall 31c and is bent as shown in FIG. 5. More specifically, the bent portion 34 is formed by cutting out and bending one of the pair of side walls 31c in the box portion 31, which are positioned opposite each other in the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the box portion 31 and the deflection direction of the contact spring 32 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the bent portion 34 is cut out from a partial region of the side wall 31c from near the position of the contact spring 32 to the terminal portion 33 located at the bottom, and then bent, forming an L-shape as shown in FIG. 5. The cut-out portion 34 forms a cut-out opening 34a (see FIG. 4). The bent portion 34 abuts against the contact spring 32 while restricting the swing of the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 (see FIG. 5). In addition, at the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 where the bent portion 34 abuts, both ends of the contact spring 32 also abut against each other. The bent portion 34 also abuts against the side wall 31c opposite to the side wall 31c from which the bent portion 34 is cut out.

[0020] 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 crimping pieces 45) and a second barrel portion (coat crimping pieces 46) (see FIGS. 8 and 9). A pair of core crimping 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 cover crimping pieces 46 that extend upward are formed on a pair of side walls 31c, 31c belonging to the second barrel portion before crimping to the electric wire 10.

[0021] 8 and 9, 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.

[0022] The electric wires with terminals 1 shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 constitute, for example, a wire harness 2. As shown in Fig. 9, the wire harness 2 has a branched connection portion (joint portion 13) in which exposed core wires 11 of the electric wires 10 of a plurality of (two in the drawing) electric wires with terminals 1 are ultrasonically joined together. However, the wire harness 2 is not limited to this, and may have a joint portion 13 in which exposed core wires 11 of three or more electric wires 10 are ultrasonically joined together. Furthermore, terminals other than female terminals 20 may be attached to some of the plurality of electric wires 10 constituting the wire harness 2, or no terminals may be attached to them.

[0023] The joining machine 50 used to form the joint 13 will be described below.

[0024] 8, 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.

[0025] 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. 9) is formed in which the core wires 11 are bonded together.

[0026] 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, the joining mark has a shape that is a transfer of the irregularities 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.

[0027] 9 is preferably attached to the joint 13 between the core wires 11 so as to cover the entire outer surface of the joint 13. This prevents the joint 13 from being damaged due to contact with surrounding members, and also prevents the joint 13 from coming into contact with surrounding conductive members, resulting in an unintended short circuit or the like.

[0028] As described above, the terminal (female terminal 20) according to this embodiment includes a cylindrical box portion 31 into which a mating terminal (male terminal 40) is inserted. The terminal (female terminal 20) also includes a spring portion (contact spring 32) that extends in the longitudinal direction from the front end to the rear end of the box portion 31 and that deforms in a bending direction away from the mating terminal (male terminal 40) inserted into the box portion 31 when the terminal comes into contact with the mating terminal. The terminal (female terminal 20) also includes a bent portion 34 that is cut out and bent from one of a pair of side walls 31c in the box portion 31 and that faces each other in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the box portion 31 and the bending direction of the spring portion (contact spring 32). The bent portion 34 abuts against the spring portion (contact spring 32) while restricting the swinging of the free end of the spring portion (contact spring 32), and also abuts against the side wall 31c opposite to the side wall 31c from which the bent portion 34 was cut out.

[0029] In this embodiment, a bent portion 34 is formed near the base end of the side wall 31c by cutting out and bending one of the pair of side walls 31c in the box portion 31, the bent portion 34 being positioned opposite the pair of side walls 31c in the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the box portion 31 and the deflection direction of the contact spring 32 (see FIG. 4). The bent portion 34 abuts against the contact spring 32 while restricting the swinging of the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 (see FIG. 5). In addition, at the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 that abuts against the bent portion 34, both ends of the contact spring 32 abut against each other. Therefore, the swinging of the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 in the X1-X2 direction (see FIG. 4) is restricted. The bent portion 34 abuts against the side wall 31c opposite the side wall 31c from which the bent portion 34 was cut out. Therefore, the side wall 31c is restricted from swinging in the Y1-Y2 direction (see FIG. 5).

[0030] As described above, the bent portion 34 abuts against the free end 32a of the contact spring 32, thereby restricting the swinging of the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 in the X1-X2 direction (see FIG. 4). Therefore, when an external force generated during harness manufacturing, such as ultrasonic bonding, is applied to the terminal, the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 can be prevented from deforming in the X1-X2 direction in FIG. 4. Similarly, the bent portion 34 abuts against the side wall 31c opposite the side wall 31c from which the bent portion 34 was cut, thereby restricting the swinging of the side wall 31c in the Y1-Y2 direction (see FIG. 5). Therefore, when an external force generated during harness manufacturing, such as ultrasonic bonding, is applied to the terminal, the side wall 31c can be prevented from deforming in the Y1-Y2 direction in FIG. 5. Therefore, neither the contact spring 32 nor the side wall 31c is repeatedly deformed excessively, and fatigue failure can be suppressed, improving the reliability of the electrical contact.

[0031] In order to effectively restrict the swinging of the side wall 31c, it is preferable that the end of the bent portion 34 has a bent portion that is bent parallel to the inner surface of the side wall 31c and that the bent portion abuts against the inside of the side wall 31c, as shown in Fig. 5. When the bent portion at the end of the bent portion 34 abuts against the side wall 31c in this way, the abutment area between the bent portion 34 and the side wall 31c becomes larger, making it easier to suppress the swinging of the side wall 31c.

[0032] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a terminal (female terminal 20) that can prevent the spring portion (contact spring 32) from being deformed by an external force such as vibration applied from the outside.

[0033] Moreover, the electric wire with terminal 1 according to this 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) also includes a spring portion (contact spring 32) that extends in the longitudinal direction from the front end to the rear end of the box portion 31 and that deforms in a bending direction away from the mating terminal (male terminal 40) inserted into the box portion 31 when the terminal comes into contact with the mating terminal. The terminal (female terminal 20) also includes a bent portion 34 that is cut out and bent from one of a pair of side walls 31c in the box portion 31 and that is positioned opposite to the longitudinal direction of the box portion 31 and the bending direction of the spring portion (contact spring 32). The bent portion 34 abuts against the spring portion (contact spring 32) while restricting the swinging of the free end of the spring portion (contact spring 32), and also abuts against the side wall 31c opposite to the side wall 31c from which the bent portion 34 was cut out.

[0034] In this embodiment, a bent portion 34 is formed near the base end of the side wall 31c by cutting out and bending one of the pair of side walls 31c inside the box portion 31, the bent portion 34 being positioned opposite to the longitudinal direction of the box portion 31 and the bending direction of the contact spring 32 (see FIG. 4). The bent portion 34 abuts against the contact spring 32 while restricting the swinging of the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 (see FIG. 5). In addition, at the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 that abuts against the bent portion 34, both ends of the contact spring 32 abut against each other. Therefore, the swinging of the free end 32a of the contact spring 32 in the X1-X2 direction (see FIG. 4) is restricted. The bent portion 34 abuts against the inside of the side wall 31c opposite the side wall 31c from which the bent portion 34 was cut out. Therefore, the swinging of the side wall 31c in the Y1-Y2 direction (see FIG. 5) is restricted. This makes it possible to prevent the contact springs 32 from being deformed in the bending direction due to external forces other than the force acting on the contact springs 32 when the conductive contact portions 41 of the male terminals 40 are inserted into the box portion 31. Furthermore, since the contact springs 32 are less likely to be deformed by external forces generated when manufacturing the wire harness 2, such as ultrasonic bonding, the ultrasonic bonding method described above can be applied to the terminal-attached electric wire 1 without deteriorating the reliability of the electrical contact.

[0035] In the electric wire with terminal 1, in order to effectively restrict the swinging of the side wall 31c, it is preferable that the end of the bent portion 34 has a bent portion that is bent parallel to the inner surface of the side wall 31c and that the bent portion abuts against the inside of the side wall 31c, as shown in Fig. 5. When the bent portion at the end of the bent portion 34 abuts against the side wall 31c in this way, the abutment area between the bent portion 34 and the side wall 31c becomes larger, making it easier to suppress the swinging of the side wall 31c.

[0036] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an electric wire with terminal 1 that can prevent the spring portion (contact spring 32) from being deformed by an external force such as vibration applied from the outside.

[0037] 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]

[0038] 1 Wire with terminal 10 Electric wire 20 female terminal 31 Hakobe 31c side wall 32 Contact spring 32a Free end 34 Bending section 40 male terminal

Claims

1. a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted; a spring portion that extends in a longitudinal direction from a front end portion to a rear end portion of the box portion and that deforms 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; a folded portion formed by cutting out and folding a portion of one of a pair of side walls in the box portion, the folded portion being positioned opposite to the longitudinal direction of the box portion and the width direction perpendicular to the bending direction of the spring portion; the bent portion abuts against the spring portion in a state where the swing of the free end portion of the spring portion is restricted, and also abuts against a side wall opposite to the side wall from which the bent portion is cut out. Terminal.

2. The terminal according to claim 1 , wherein an end of the bent portion has a bent portion that is bent parallel to an inner surface of the side wall, and the bent portion abuts against the side wall.

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 that extends in a longitudinal direction from a front end portion to a rear end portion of the box portion and that deforms 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; a folded portion formed by cutting out and folding a portion of one of a pair of side walls in the box portion, the folded portion being positioned opposite to the longitudinal direction of the box portion and the width direction perpendicular to the bending direction of the spring portion; the bent portion abuts against the spring portion in a state where the swing of the free end portion of the spring portion is restricted, and also abuts against a side wall opposite to the side wall from which the bent portion is cut out. Wire with terminals.

4. The electric wire with terminal according to claim 3 , wherein an end of the bent portion has a bent portion that is bent parallel to an inner surface of the side wall, and the bent portion abuts against the side wall.

Images