Electric wire with terminals, and method for manufacturing electric wire with terminals

Abstract

To provide an electric wire with a terminal that can improve watertightness. [Solution] The terminal-equipped wire 10 comprises a wire 20 having a core wire 21 and an insulating coating 22 covering the core wire 21, a terminal 30 connected to the core wire 21 exposed from the insulating coating 22, and a heat-shrinkable tube 40 having adhesive 41 on its inner circumferential surface and covering a part of the wire 20 and a part of the terminal 30. The terminal 30 is formed in a plate shape having a first main surface 31 and a second main surface 32, and has a core wire connection portion 33 to which the core wire 21 is placed and connected on the first main surface 31, a mating connection portion 34 connected to a mating member, and a terminal intermediate portion 35 connecting the core wire connection portion 33 and the mating connection portion 34. The heat-shrinkable tube 40 is arranged to span the core wire connection portion 33 and the core wire 21 and the terminal intermediate portion 35, and is provided so as to cover the first main surface 31 of the terminal intermediate portion 35 for a longer length than the second main surface 32 of the terminal intermediate portion 35.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wire with a terminal and a method for manufacturing the wire with a terminal.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a wire with a terminal, there is one including a wire, a terminal, and a shrink tube (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The wire has a core wire and an insulating coating that covers the core wire. The terminal is connected to the core wire exposed from the insulating coating. Specifically, the terminal is formed in a plate shape having a first main surface and a second main surface. The terminal has a core wire connection portion to which the core wire is connected while being disposed on the first main surface, a mating-side connection portion connected to a mating-side member, and a terminal intermediate portion that connects the core wire connection portion and the mating-side connection portion. The shrink tube has an adhesive disposed on its inner peripheral surface and covers a part of the wire and a part of the terminal. The shrink tube is disposed so as to straddle the core wire connection portion and the core wire and the terminal intermediate portion. Thereby, water ingress into the connection portion between the terminal and the core wire is prevented.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the wire with a terminal as described above, the adhesive disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the shrink tube tends to locally accumulate more at the step portion formed by the core wire being disposed on the first main surface. Therefore, there is a problem that the water-blocking property along the first main surface is likely to be lower than the water-blocking property along the second main surface.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a wire with a terminal capable of improving the water-blocking property and a method for manufacturing the wire with a terminal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The wire with a terminal of the present disclosure comprises a wire having a core wire and an insulating coating covering the core wire; a terminal connected to the core wire exposed from the insulating coating; and a heat-shrinkable tube having an adhesive on its inner surface and covering a part of the wire and a part of the terminal, wherein the terminal is formed in a plate shape having a first main surface and a second main surface, and has a core wire connection portion to which the core wire is placed and connected on the first main surface, a mating connection portion connected to a mating member, and a terminal intermediate portion connecting the core wire connection portion and the mating connection portion, and the heat-shrinkable tube is arranged to span the core wire connection portion and the core wire and the terminal intermediate portion, and is provided so as to cover the first main surface of the terminal intermediate portion longer than the second main surface of the terminal intermediate portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the wire with terminals and the method for manufacturing the wire with terminals of this disclosure, watertightness can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a wire with terminals in the process of manufacturing in one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a plan view of a wire with terminals in the process of being manufactured in one embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a wire with terminals in one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. The terminal-equipped wires of this disclosure are [1] A wire with a terminal, comprising: a wire having a core wire and an insulating coating covering the core wire; a terminal connected to the core wire exposed from the insulating coating; and a heat shrink tube having adhesive on its inner surface and covering a part of the wire and a part of the terminal, wherein the terminal is formed in a plate shape having a first main surface and a second main surface, and has a core wire connection portion to which the core wire is placed and connected on the first main surface, a mating connection portion connected to a mating member, and a terminal intermediate portion connecting the core wire connection portion and the mating connection portion, and the heat shrink tube is arranged to span the core wire connection portion and the core wire and the terminal intermediate portion, and is provided so as to cover the first main surface of the terminal intermediate portion longer than the second main surface of the terminal intermediate portion.

[0010] According to this configuration, the heat-shrink tubing is positioned across the core wire connection and the intermediate section between the core wire and the terminal, and is provided to cover the first main surface of the intermediate section of the terminal longer than the second main surface of the intermediate section of the terminal, thereby increasing the watertightness along the first main surface. Specifically, the first main surface where the core wire is positioned tends to have lower watertightness compared to the second main surface because the adhesive tends to accumulate locally in areas where a step is formed on the first main surface. Thus, the first main surface, which tends to have lower watertightness, is covered by the heat-shrink tubing for a longer period than the second main surface, and more adhesive is placed on the extended covered area, thus increasing the watertightness. Therefore, it is possible to achieve sufficiently high watertightness along both the first and second main surfaces.

[0011] [2] In the above [1], the intermediate portion of the terminal has a bent portion that bends so that the first main surface becomes the outer surface, and the heat shrink tube may cover the first main surface at the bent portion.

[0012] According to this configuration, the terminal intermediate portion has a bent portion that bends so that the first main surface becomes the outer surface, and since the heat-shrinkable tube covers the first main surface at the bent portion, the water-sealing ability of the first main surface, which tends to be particularly low, can be improved.

[0013] [3] In the above [1] or [2], the intermediate portion of the terminal may have a restraining portion in the portion exposed from the heat shrink tube that suppresses the flow of the adhesive toward the mating connection portion along the first main surface.

[0014] According to this configuration, the terminal's intermediate section has a suppressing portion that restricts the flow of adhesive along the first main surface toward the mating connection portion in the portion exposed from the heat shrink tube, thus preventing the adhesive from reaching the mating connection portion. The first main surface has more adhesive because it is covered by the heat shrink tube for a longer period than the second main surface. Therefore, although a large amount of molten adhesive may flow toward the mating connection portion, this adhesive is prevented from reaching the mating connection portion.

[0015] [4] In the above [3], the suppression portion may be an ejected portion that protrudes from the first main surface. According to this configuration, the suppression portion is an ejected portion that protrudes from the first main surface, and therefore can be easily provided on a plate-shaped terminal.

[0016] The method for manufacturing a wire with terminals as disclosed herein is: [5] A method for manufacturing a terminal-equipped electric wire according to any one of the above [1] to [4], comprising: an arrangement step of arranging the heat-shrinkable tube outside the terminal such that the long portion of the first end faces the first main surface in the heat-shrinkable tube before shrinking, in which the adhesive is arranged on the inner surface and the first end is cut at an angle; and a shrinking step of shrinking the heat-shrinkable tube after the arrangement step.

[0017] With this configuration, the heat-shrinkable tube can be easily installed so that it covers the first main surface of the terminal's intermediate portion for a longer length than the second main surface of the terminal's intermediate portion. Therefore, it is possible to easily achieve sufficiently high watertightness along both the first and second main surfaces.

[0018] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure] A specific example of the wire with terminals of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, for convenience of explanation, a part of the configuration may be exaggerated or simplified. Also, the dimensional ratios of each part may be different in each drawing.

[0019] As used in the description of this specification, the "tubular shape" includes not only those in which a circumferential wall is continuously formed over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction, but also those in which a plurality of parts are combined to form a tubular shape, and those having a notch or the like in a part of the circumferential direction such as a C shape. The outer peripheral shape of the "tubular shape" includes, but is not limited to, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, and a polygon having sharp or rounded corners. The "tubular shape" is a shape having a through hole in a plan view, and includes those in which the outer peripheral shape and the inner peripheral shape of the through hole are the same shape, and those in which the outer peripheral shape and the inner peripheral shape of the through hole are different shapes. The "tubular shape" includes those having a predetermined length extending along the axial direction in which a central axis passing through the center of the through hole extends, regardless of the magnitude of the length. As used in this specification, "opposite" means that surfaces or members are in a face-to-face position with each other, including not only the case where they are completely in a face-to-face position with each other, but also the case where they are partially in a face-to-face position with each other.

[0020] Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, and is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0021] (Configuration of the wire 10 with terminals) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the wire 10 with terminals includes a wire 20, a terminal 30, and a shrink tube 40. Note that FIGS. 1 and 2 show the wire 10 with terminals during manufacturing, and FIG. 3 shows the wire 10 with terminals after manufacturing is completed.

[0022] (Configuration of the wire 20) The wire 20 has a conductive core wire 21 and an insulating coating 22 that coats the core wire 21.

[0023] As the core wire 21, for example, a stranded wire made by twisting together multiple metal strands, or a columnar conductor consisting of a single columnar metal rod with a solid internal structure can be used. As the constituent material of the core wire 21, for example, metal materials such as copper-based or aluminum-based materials can be used.

[0024] The insulating coating 22 covers the outer surface of the core wire 21 around its entire circumference. The insulating coating 22 is made of an insulating material, such as a synthetic resin. As the constituent material of the insulating coating 22, for example, a synthetic resin mainly composed of polyolefin resins such as cross-linked polyethylene or cross-linked polypropylene can be used. The ends of the core wire 21 in the longitudinal direction are exposed from the insulating coating 22.

[0025] (Configuration of terminal 30) The terminal 30 is connected to the core wire 21 exposed from the insulating coating 22. The terminal 30 is formed in a plate shape having a first main surface 31 and a second main surface 32 opposite to the first main surface 31. In other words, the terminal 30 is formed by processing a metal plate material. As the constituent material of the terminal 30, for example, metal materials such as copper-based or aluminum-based materials can be used.

[0026] The terminal 30 has a core wire connection portion 33 to which the core wire 21 is positioned and connected on the first main surface 31, a mating connection portion 34 to which it is connected to a mating member (not shown), and a terminal intermediate portion 35 that connects the core wire connection portion 33 and the mating connection portion 34.

[0027] The core wire connection portion 33 of this embodiment has a coating crimping portion 33a and a core wire crimping portion 33b. The coating crimping portion 33a is crimped so as to surround the insulating coating 22 and hold the insulating coating 22 inward. The core wire crimping portion 33b is crimped so as to surround the core wire 21 and hold the core wire 21 inward. As a result, the core wire connection portion 33 is electrically and mechanically connected to the core wire 21.

[0028] The mating connector 34 has a connection hole 34a. The mating connector 34 is electrically connected to the mating member (not shown) while being fastened to it by a bolt (not shown) that passes through the connection hole 34a, for example.

[0029] The terminal intermediate portion 35 has a bent portion 35a that bends so that the first main surface 31 becomes the outer surface. In this embodiment, the terminal intermediate portion 35 is bent by 90° by the bent portion 35a. When viewed from the side of the terminal 30 (see Figures 1 and 3), the bent portion 35a is curved. In other words, the bent portion 35a is curved.

[0030] Furthermore, the terminal intermediate portion 35 has an ejected portion 35b as a restraining portion located closer to the mating connection portion 34 than the bent portion 35a. The ejected portion 35b is formed by ejecting it so as to protrude from the first main surface 31. Specifically, the ejected portion 35b is formed so that a part of the first main surface 31 protrudes when a part of the second main surface 32 is pressurized.

[0031] (Composition of heat shrink tubing 40) The heat-shrinkable tube 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape with adhesive 41 placed on its inner surface, and is provided to cover a portion of the electric wire 20 and a portion of the terminal 30. More specifically, the heat-shrinkable tube 40 is a heat-shrinkable tube that has the property of shrinking when heated. Examples of materials that make up the heat-shrinkable tube 40 include polyolefin resin, fluoropolymer, and thermoplastic elastomer. Examples of materials that make up the adhesive 41 include hot melt adhesives that melt when heated and solidify when cooled.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, the heat-shrinkable tube 40 before heating and shrinkage is formed in a cylindrical shape, and adhesive 41 is evenly distributed on its inner circumferential surface. Furthermore, the first end 42 of the heat-shrinkable tube 40 before heating and shrinkage is cut obliquely with respect to the axis of the heat-shrinkable tube 40.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the heat-shrinkable tube 40, after being heated and shrunk, is positioned to span the core wire connection portion 33 and the core wire 21 and the terminal intermediate portion 35. In this embodiment, the heat-shrinkable tube 40 is positioned to cover from the end of the insulating coating 22, including the covering crimp portion 33a, to a portion of the terminal intermediate portion 35.

[0034] Furthermore, the heat-shrinkable tube 40 is provided such that it covers the first main surface 31 of the terminal intermediate portion 35 for a longer length than the second main surface 32 of the terminal intermediate portion 35, because the heat-shrinkable tube 40 before shrinking is cut at an angle.

[0035] Furthermore, the heat-shrink tubing 40 in this embodiment covers the first main surface 31 at the bent portion 35a. In this state, the adhesive 41 is arranged to fill the gap inside the heat-shrink tubing 40. The extrusion portion 35b is provided in a portion that is not covered by the heat-shrink tubing 40 but is exposed from the heat-shrink tubing 40, and functions to suppress the flow of molten adhesive 41 along the first main surface 31 toward the mating connection portion 34.

[0036] (Manufacturing method for wire with terminals 10) Next, the manufacturing method of the terminal-equipped electric wire 10 and its operation will be described. The method for manufacturing the terminal-equipped electric wire 10 configured as described above comprises a cutting step, an arrangement step, and a shrinking step.

[0037] First, in the cutting process, a long, cylindrical heat-shrinkable tube 40, on which adhesive 41 is placed on the inner surface before shrinkage, is cut to obtain a heat-shrinkable tube 40 (see Figure 1) with the first end 42 cut at an angle.

[0038] Next, in the placement step, as shown in Figure 1, the heat-shrinkable tube 40 is placed outside the terminal 30 such that the long portion of the first end 42 of the heat-shrinkable tube 40 before shrinking faces the first main surface 31.

[0039] Next, in the shrinkage process, the shrinkage tube 40 is heated to shrink it from the state shown in Figure 1 to the state shown in Figure 3. At this time, the adhesive 41 is temporarily melted and positioned to fill the gaps inside the shrinkage tube 40. In this way, the manufacturing of the terminal-equipped electric wire 10 is completed.

[0040] In the terminal-equipped electric wire 10 configured in this way, the heat-shrink tubing 40 and adhesive 41 prevent water from reaching the core wire connection part 33 and the core wire 21. Therefore, corrosion at the connection point between the core wire connection part 33 and the core wire 21 is suppressed, for example.

[0041] (Effects of this embodiment) Next, the effects of the above embodiment are described below. (1) The heat shrink tubing 40 is positioned across the core wire connection portion 33 and the core wire 21 and the terminal intermediate portion 35, and is provided to cover the first main surface 31 of the terminal intermediate portion 35 for a longer period than the second main surface 32 of the terminal intermediate portion 35, thereby increasing the watertightness along the first main surface 31. Specifically, the first main surface 31 on which the core wire 21 is positioned tends to have lower watertightness compared to the second main surface 32 because a step is created on the first main surface 31, which makes it easy for the adhesive 41 to accumulate locally. Thus, the first main surface 31, which tends to have low watertightness, is covered by the heat shrink tubing 40 for a longer period than the second main surface 32, and more adhesive 41 is placed on the extended covered portion, thereby increasing the watertightness. Therefore, it is possible to achieve sufficiently high watertightness along both the first main surface 31 and the second main surface 32.

[0042] (2) The terminal intermediate portion 35 has a bent portion 35a that bends so that the first main surface 31 becomes the outer surface, and the heat shrink tube 40 covers the first main surface 31 at the bent portion 35a, so the watertightness of the first main surface 31, which tends to have low watertightness, can be increased.

[0043] (3) The terminal intermediate portion 35 has an extrusion portion 35b in the portion exposed from the heat shrink tube 40 that acts as a suppression portion to suppress the flow of adhesive 41 along the first main surface 31 toward the mating connection portion 34, thereby preventing the adhesive 41 from reaching the mating connection portion 34. The first main surface 31 is covered by the heat shrink tube 40 for a longer period than the second main surface 32, so more adhesive 41 is placed on it. Therefore, although a large amount of molten adhesive 41 may flow toward the mating connection portion 34, this adhesive 41 is prevented from reaching the mating connection portion 34.

[0044] (4) The suppression portion is an ejected portion 35b that is ejected to protrude from the first main surface 31, and can therefore be easily provided on the plate-shaped terminal 30. (5) The method for manufacturing the terminal-equipped electric wire 10 comprises a placement step of arranging a heat-shrinkable tube 40, which has a first end 42 cut diagonally, so that the longer portion of the first end 42 faces the first main surface 31, and a shrinking step of shrinking the heat-shrinkable tube 40. In this way, the heat-shrinkable tube 40 can be provided in a simple manner so that it covers the first main surface 31 of the terminal intermediate portion 35 for a longer length than the second main surface 32 of the terminal intermediate portion 35.

[0045] (Example of change) The above embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the terminal intermediate portion 35 is assumed to have a bent portion 35a that bends so that the first main surface 31 becomes the outer surface, but it is not limited to this, and it may be configured without a bent portion 35a. Also, in the above embodiment, the terminal intermediate portion 35 is assumed to be bent at 90° by the bent portion 35a, but it is not limited to this, and it may be bent at less than 90° or at more than 90°.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the heat-shrinkable tube 40 is shown to cover the first main surface 31 of the bent portion 35a, but the invention is not limited to this, and the heat-shrinkable tube 40 may be configured not to cover the bent portion 35a.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the terminal intermediate portion 35 has an ejection portion 35b that acts as a suppression portion to restrain the flow of adhesive 41 toward the mating connection portion 34 along the first main surface 31, but the invention is not limited to this, and a configuration without an ejection portion 35b is also possible.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the suppression portion is an ejected portion 35b that protrudes from the first main surface 31, but the suppression portion may be changed to another configuration as long as it can suppress the flow of adhesive 41 toward the mating connection portion 34 along the first main surface 31.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the core wire connection portion 33 is configured to have a covering crimp portion 33a and a core wire crimp portion 33b, but it may be changed to another configuration as long as the core wire 21 is connected while being positioned on the first main surface 31.

[0051] The manufacturing method for the terminal-equipped wire 10 in the above embodiment may be changed to another manufacturing method if it is possible to manufacture a similar terminal-equipped wire 10. The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects, and the present invention is not limited to these examples. That is, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 10 wires with terminals 20 Electric wire 21 core wires 22 Insulating coating 30 terminals 31. First Main Surface 32 Second Main Surface 33 Core wire connection section 33a Covered crimp part 33b Core wire crimping section 34. Reciprocal connection part 34a Connection hole 35 Terminal intermediate section 35a Bend part 35b Launching section 40 Heat shrink tubing 41 Adhesive 42 First end

Claims

1. A wire having a core wire and an insulating coating covering the core wire, A terminal connected to the core wire exposed from the insulating coating, The device comprises a heat-shrinkable tube with adhesive on its inner surface, covering a portion of the electric wire and a portion of the terminal, A wire with terminals, The terminal is formed in a plate shape having a first main surface and a second main surface, and has a core wire connection portion to which the core wire is placed and connected on the first main surface, a mating connection portion connected to a mating member, and a terminal intermediate portion connecting the core wire connection portion and the mating connection portion. The heat-shrinkable tube is positioned to span the core wire connection portion and the core wire and the terminal intermediate portion, and is provided to cover the first main surface of the terminal intermediate portion to a length greater than the second main surface of the terminal intermediate portion. Electrical wire with terminals.

2. The intermediate portion of the terminal has a bent portion that bends so that the first main surface becomes the outer surface. The heat-shrinkable tube covers the first main surface at the bent portion. The wire with terminals as described in claim 1.

3. The intermediate portion of the terminal has a suppressing portion in the part exposed from the heat shrink tube that suppresses the flow of the adhesive toward the mating connection portion along the first main surface. The wire with terminals as described in claim 1.

4. The suppression portion is an ejection portion that is ejected so as to protrude from the first main surface. The wire with terminals as described in claim 3.

5. A method for manufacturing a wire with terminals according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The process involves arranging the heat-shrinkable tube, which has the adhesive placed on its inner circumferential surface and whose first end is cut at an angle, to the outside of the terminal such that the longer portion of the first end faces the first main surface, The process includes, after the arrangement step, a shrinking step in which the shrinkable tube is shrunk. A method for manufacturing wires with terminals.

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