Terminal-equipped electrical wire and method for manufacturing terminal-equipped electrical wire

Abstract

To provide an electric wire with a terminal capable of properly joining a conductor part and a connection part, and to provide a method of manufacturing the electric wire with the terminal.SOLUTION: The terminal-equipped wire (1) includes a wire (W) having an outer periphery covered with a covering portion W2 and a conductive portion W1 exposed at a tip, and a having a plate-shaped connecting portion (51) electrically connected to the conductive portion W1, the connecting portion (51) includes a joint surface W1 joined to the conductive portion 51a and a recess (53) provided on the joint surface 51a, the joint surface 51a and an inner surface 53a of the recess (53) are subjected to tin plating (M), and the conductive portion W1 is made of copper or a copper alloy and is provided from the joint surface to an inside of the recess (53). 51a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] As a technique relating to a conventional electric wire with a terminal and a manufacturing method thereof, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electric wire with a terminal, which is formed by connecting the end of an electric wire to a terminal having an electric wire connection part with a bottom. The terminal is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the electric wire connection part has a bottom wall formed into a smooth surface, and a convex part consisting of a convex strip is provided on the smooth surface at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the electric wire, and the convex part is directly connected to the conductor of the end of the electric wire by resistance welding. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4158889 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such a terminal-attached electric wire, for example, a conductor portion exposed at the tip of a coated electric wire and a connection portion of a terminal having a connection portion that electrically connects to the conductor portion are joined by resistance welding. However, there is room for further improvement in joining the conductor portion and the connection portion.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an electric wire with a terminal that can properly join a conductor portion and a connection portion, and a method for manufacturing the electric wire with a terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the terminal-attached electric wire of the present invention comprises an electric wire whose outer periphery is covered with a coating portion and whose conductor portion is exposed at its tip, and a terminal having a plate-shaped connection portion that is electrically connected to the conductor portion, wherein the connection portion includes a joint surface that joins with the conductor portion and a recess provided on the joint surface, the joint surface and the inner surface of the recess are tin-plated, and the conductor portion is made of copper or a copper alloy and is provided from the joint surface to the inside of the recess.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the manufacturing method of the terminal-attached electric wire of the present invention includes a preparation step of preparing an electric wire whose outer periphery is covered with a coating portion and whose exposed conductor portion at the tip is made of copper or a copper alloy, and a terminal having a plate-shaped connecting portion that includes a joining surface and a recess provided on the joining surface, and whose joining surface and the inner surface of the recess are tin-plated, and a joining step of bringing the joining surfaces of the conductor portion and the connecting portion into contact with each other and performing resistance welding to join the conductor portion and the connecting portion so that the molten conductor portion flows into the recess. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The electric wire with terminal and the method for manufacturing the electric wire with terminal according to the present invention have the effect of being able to properly join the conductor portion and the connection portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a terminal-attached electric wire according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a terminal-attached electric wire according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the cross section IV-IV of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing a method for manufacturing a terminal-attached electric wire according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0011] [Embodiment] 1 and 2, the electric wire with terminal 1 is applied to a wire harness arranged in a vehicle or the like. Here, the wire harness is, for example, an assembly component in which a plurality of electric wires W used for power supply and signal communication are bundled together to connect various devices mounted on a vehicle, and the plurality of electric wires W are connected to the devices using connectors or the like. The electric wire with terminal 1 of the embodiment includes an electric wire W and a terminal 50.

[0012] In the following description, the direction in which the electric wire W extends is referred to as the axial direction X, and directions perpendicular to the axial direction X and perpendicular to each other are referred to as the width direction Y and the up-down direction Z. The up-down direction Z refers to the direction in which the plate surface of the plate-shaped connection portion 51 of the terminal 50 faces. One side of the axial direction X is referred to as one side X1, and the other side is referred to as the other side X2. Similarly, the width direction Y is referred to as one side Y1 and the other side Y2, and the up-down direction Z is referred to as one side Z1 and the other side Z2.

[0013] 1 and 2, in the terminal-attached electric wire 1, the conductor portion W1 of the electric wire W is electrically connected to the connection portion 51 of the terminal 50. The conductor portion W1 and the connection portion 51 are joined together. In this embodiment, the conductor portion W1 and the connection portion 51 are joined together by resistance welding.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the electric wire W includes a linear conductor W1 having electrical conductivity and an insulating sheath W2 covering the outside of the conductor W1. The electric wire W is an insulated wire in which the conductor W1 is covered with the sheath W2. The conductor W1 is made of copper or a copper alloy. The conductor W1 is configured as a core wire formed by bundling a plurality of copper or copper alloy wires together, or as a twisted core wire formed by twisting a plurality of wires together. The sheath W2 is a wire sheath that covers the outer periphery of the conductor W1. The sheath W2 is formed by extrusion molding an insulating resin material such as PP (Polypropylene), PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), or cross-linked PE (Polyethylene). The insulating resin material constituting the sheath W2 is appropriately selected taking into consideration abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance, etc. The electric wire W is formed by stripping the covering portion W2 at its tip and exposing the tip of the conductor portion W1 from the tip of the covering portion W2. In the terminal-attached electric wire 1, a connection portion 51 of a terminal 50 is connected to the tip of the electric wire W where the conductor portion W1 is exposed. In the electric wire W of the embodiment, in the portion where the conductor portion W1 is covered with the covering portion W2, the conductor portion W1 is substantially circular and the covering portion W2 is substantially annular in cross section in the width direction Y, so that the electric wire W as a whole is formed in a substantially circular shape and is formed to have substantially the same diameter in the axial direction X.

[0015] The terminal 50 has a plate-like connecting portion 51 electrically connected to the conductor portion W1. The connecting portion 51 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, with a length from one side Y1 to the other side Y2 in the width direction Y shorter than the length from one side X1 to the other side X2 in the axial direction X. The connecting portion 51 extends from an end of the other side X2 in the axial direction X of a terminal body 52, which has holes and the like for connecting to other devices, toward the other side X2. The entire terminal 50, including the connecting portion 51 and the terminal body 52, is integrally formed from a conductive metal such as copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy. The terminal 50 is formed three-dimensionally and integrally by pressing and bending a single sheet metal that is punched out of a conductive metal into shapes corresponding to each component (see also FIG. 3 and the like).

[0016] The surface of the connection portion 51 on one side Z1 in the vertical direction Z is a joint surface 51a that joins with the conductor portion W1. In this embodiment, the joint surface 51a is formed as a substantially flat surface. The joint surface 51a of the connection portion 51 is provided with a recess 53 that is recessed from the joint surface 51a toward the other side Z2 in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the recess 53 is a circular through-hole that penetrates along the vertical direction Z. A plurality of recesses 53 (two recesses 53) are provided on the joint surface 51a and are arranged in the width direction Y. As shown in FIG. 4 , at least the joint surface 51a and the inner surface 53a of the recess 53 of the terminal 50 are plated with tin (Sn) M. Note that the entire terminal 50 (connection portion 51), including the joint surface 51a and the inner surface 53a of the recess 53, may be plated with tin M. In FIG. 4 , the surface opposite the joint surface 51a in the vertical direction Z (non-joining surface 51b) is also plated with tin M.

[0017] The conductor portion W1 of the electric wire W is joined to the connection portion 51 by resistance welding. As shown in FIG. 2, the conductor portion W1 melted and solidified by resistance welding includes a conductor portion W1a arranged on the joint surface 51a and a conductor portion W1b arranged inside the recess 53. The conductor portions W1a and W1b are integrally formed. That is, the conductor portion W1 (conductor portions W1a and W1b) melted and solidified by resistance welding is provided from the joint surface 51a of the connection portion 51 to the inside of the recess 53. In other words, the conductor portion W1 melted and solidified by resistance welding is joined to the joint surface 51a and the inner surface 53a of the recess 53. The conductor portion W1a is joined to the joint surface 51a, and the conductor portion W1b is joined to the inner surface 53a of the recess 53.

[0018] Next, a method for manufacturing the terminal-attached electric wire 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Preparation step (step S10): In the preparation step (step S10), an electric wire W having a conductor portion W1 made of copper or a copper alloy and a terminal 50 having at least the joining surface 51a of the connection portion 51 and the inner surface 53a of the recess 53 plated with tin M are prepared. The electric wire W has its outer periphery covered with a coating portion W2, and as shown in FIG. 3, the coating portion W2 is stripped off at the tip to expose the conductor portion W1. Since the inner surface 53a of the recess 53 is also tin-plated with tin M, the terminal 50 is plated with tin M at least after the recess 53 is formed.

[0019] Joining step (step S20): The conductor W1 and the joint surface 51a of the connection portion 51 are brought into contact with each other and resistance welding is performed to join the conductor W1 and the connection portion 51 so that the molten conductor W1 flows into the recess 53. The joint surface 51a where the conductor W1 (conductor portion W1a) melts and joins, and the inner surface 53a of the recess 53 where the conductor W1 (conductor portion W1b) melts and joins are tin-plated M, so that high adhesive strength is achieved between the joint between the conductor W1a and the joint surface 51a and between the conductor W1b and the inner surface 53a.

[0020] The electric wire with terminal 1 described above includes an electric wire W whose outer periphery is covered with a covering portion W2 and whose conductor portion W1 is exposed at its tip, and a terminal 50 having a plate-shaped connecting portion 51 electrically connected to the conductor portion W1, the connecting portion 51 including a joining surface 51a that joins with the conductor portion W1 and a recess 53 provided in the joining surface 51a, the joining surface 51a and the inner surface 53a of the recess 53 being tin-plated M, and the conductor portion W1 being made of copper or a copper alloy and provided from the joining surface 51a to the inside of the recess 53. The manufacturing method of the electric wire with terminal 1 includes a preparation step (step S10) of preparing the electric wire W and the terminal 50, and a joining step (step S20) of bringing the conductor portion W1 and the joining surface 51a of the connecting portion 51 into contact with each other and performing resistance welding to join the conductor portion W1 and the connecting portion 51 so that the molten conductor portion W1 flows into the recess 53.

[0021] This increases the adhesive strength at the joint between the conductor portion W1 and the connection portion 51, and makes it possible to provide a terminal-attached electric wire 1 and a method for manufacturing the terminal-attached electric wire 1 that can properly achieve the joint between the conductor portion W1 and the connection portion 51.

[0022] That is, when heat is applied to the conductor W1 by resistance welding or the like, the tin plating M, which contains tin having a lower melting point than copper, melts before the conductor W1 and covers the conductor W1. At this time, the tin plating M covering the conductor W1 destroys the copper oxide film on the conductor W1, exposing a new surface on the conductor W1. Then, this new copper surface comes into contact with the joining surface 51a and the inner surface 53a of the recess 53, thereby increasing the adhesive strength of the joint between the conductor W1 and the connecting portion 51.

[0023] In this embodiment, the tin plating M is also applied to the recess 53, and the molten conductor portion W1b is also provided in the recess 53. As a result, in this embodiment, the area where the conductor portion W1 and the connection portion 51 are joined is increased by the inner surface 53a of the recess 53 compared to a connection portion 51 not provided with the recess 53. Therefore, the adhesive strength between the conductor portion W1 and the connection portion 51 is increased compared to a connection portion 51 not provided with the recess 53. Furthermore, since the molten conductor portion W1b flows into the recess 53, the height H1 (see FIG. 2) of the conductor portion W1a joined to the joining surface 51a can be reduced compared to a case where the conductor portion W1 is joined to a connection portion 51 not provided with the recess 53. Here, the height H1 is the height from the joining surface 51a to one side Z1 of the conductor portion W1 in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the height of the portion where the electric wire W and the terminal 50 are joined can be reduced, thereby realizing space-saving of the object in which the terminal-attached electric wire 1 is routed.

[0024] The recesses 53 are circular through holes and are provided in multiple numbers, which allows the recesses 53 to be easily formed using a drill, and by providing multiple recesses 53, the area where the conductor portion W1 is joined to the connection portion 51 can be further increased and the height H1 of the joined portion can be further reduced.

[0025] The terminal-attached electric wire and the method for manufacturing the terminal-attached electric wire according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0026] In the above description, the conductor portion W1 of the electric wire W and the connection portion 51 of the terminal 50 are joined by resistance welding. However, this is not limiting, and other joining methods, such as laser welding and arc welding, can also be used. The recess 53 is not limited to a through hole, and may have at least one recessed portion formed from the joining surface 51a. The shape of the recess 53 may be rectangular, for example. When the recess 53 is a through hole, the conductor portion W1b disposed in the recess 53 can be filled up to the end of the other side Z2 of the connection portion 51 in the vertical direction Z. When the recess 53 is not a through hole but a recessed recess 53 recessed from the joining surface 51a, the joining area between the conductor portion W1 and the connection portion 51 can be further increased by applying tin plating M to the inner surface, including the bottom surface, of the recess 53.

[0027] The terminal-attached electric wire and the method for manufacturing the terminal-attached electric wire according to this embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the embodiment and modified examples described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1: Wire with terminal 50: Terminal 51: Connection 51a: Joint surface 53: Recess 53a:Inside M: Plating W: Electric wire W1: Conductor W2: Covering part

Claims

1. an electric wire whose outer periphery is covered with a coating and whose tip has an exposed conductor; a terminal having a plate-shaped connection portion electrically connected to the conductor portion; Equipped with the connection portion includes a joining surface that joins with the conductor portion and a recess provided on the joining surface, the joining surface and the inner surface of the recess are tin-plated; the conductor portion is made of copper or a copper alloy and is provided from the joining surface to the inside of the recess. Wire with terminals.

2. The terminal-attached electric wire according to claim 1 , wherein the recessed portion is a circular through-hole and a plurality of recessed portions are provided.

3. a preparation step of preparing an electric wire whose outer periphery is covered with a coating and whose conductor exposed at the tip is made of copper or a copper alloy, and a terminal having a plate-shaped connecting portion including a joining surface and a recess provided on the joining surface, the joining surface and the inner surface of the recess being tin-plated; a joining process in which the joining surfaces of the conductor portion and the connection portion are brought into contact with each other and resistance welding is performed to join the conductor portion and the connection portion so that the molten conductor portion flows into the recess; A method for manufacturing an electric wire with a terminal comprising:

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