Terminals, wire harnesses, and wires with terminals

Abstract

To provide a terminal with excellent durability against external vibrations.SOLUTION: A terminal 20 is attached to a wire 10. The terminal 20 includes a box portion 31 into which a mating terminal is inserted, a spring portion 32 that extends from the front end portion of the box portion 31 and extends in a beam shape, in which the free end 32a is exposed from the rear end portion of the box portion 31 to the outside of the box portion 31, and that includes a contact point 32b with the mating terminal, and a holding piece 34 in contact with the spring portion 32. The spring portion 32 elastically deforms in a bending direction away from the mating terminal when the mating terminal and the contact point 32b come into contact with each other. The holding piece 34 holds a point between the free end 32a and the contact point 32b of the spring portion 32 in the bending direction at a predetermined position outside the box portion 31 and on the bending direction side of the contact point 32b. It is preferable that the holding piece 34 holds the free end 32a of the spring portion 32 in the bending direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal, a wire harness, and an electric wire with a terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Terminals (for example, so-called crimp terminals) that are attached to the ends of electric wires have been proposed. For example, one of the conventional crimp terminals has a cylindrical box portion into which a mating terminal is inserted, a beam-shaped spring portion that is provided inside the box portion and has a contact point with the mating terminal, and a fixing portion that crimps and fixes the terminal to the electric wire (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-118360 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to electrically connect the electric wire to which the above-mentioned conventional terminal is attached to another electric wire, ultrasonic bonding may be performed while the conductor cores of both electric wires are in close contact with each other to bond the two conductor cores. In this case, ultrasonic vibrations applied to the bonding portion may be transmitted to the terminal through the electric wire, causing the terminal to vibrate. In particular, since the spring portion has a beam-like shape, it is prone to vibrations in which the spring portion repeats elastic deformation and elastic recovery while bending around the fixed end. Depending on the degree of this vibration, excessive bending or the like may be repeatedly caused in the spring portion, which may cause deterioration or plastic deformation of the spring portion. Similarly, for example, when a conventional terminal and a conductor core of an electric wire are bonded by ultrasonic bonding, deterioration of the spring portion due to vibration of the spring portion may occur. From the viewpoint of improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal and the mating terminal, it is desirable to suppress such deterioration of the spring portion as much as possible.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal having excellent durability against external vibrations and the like, a wire harness using an electric wire to which such a terminal is attached, and a terminal-attached electric wire to which such a terminal is attached. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a terminal, a wire harness, and an electric wire with a terminal according to the present invention comprise the following features [1] to [ 4 ] is one of its features. [1] A terminal to be attached to an electric wire, the box portion having a cylindrical shape into which a mating terminal is inserted, a spring portion extending like a beam from a front end of the box portion with a free end exposed to the outside of the box portion from a rear end of the box portion and having a contact point with the mating terminal, a pressing piece restricting a deflection range of the spring portion, a fixing portion fixing the terminal to the electric wire, and a connecting portion connecting the box portion and the fixing portion, wherein a bottom wall of the box portion extending continuously from the rear end side of the box portion constitutes a bottom wall of the connecting portion, The spring portion is When the mating terminal comes into contact with the contact portion, the contact portion elastically deforms in a bending direction away from the mating terminal, The pressing piece is At a pressing position located outside the box portion and on the bending direction side of the contact point, The pressing piece comes into contact with The spring portion From the contact point to the spring part The free end The spring end is the part up to is configured to restrict the bending range of the spring portion so that the pressing position is located on the bending direction side of the pressing position, The spring portion 、 In the bending direction, Contact point is flexible and deformable between a position where the free end abuts against the pressing piece and a position where the free end abuts against the bottom wall of the connecting portion. It is a terminal. [ 2 ] the above[ 1In the terminal described in The pressing piece is The box portion is provided at a position closer to the fixed portion than the box portion. It is a terminal. [ 3 ] A plurality of electric wires; electric The above [1] is attached to at least one of the lines. or the above[ 2 ] To The terminal according to claim 1, The plurality of electric The wire has a joint where the conductor cores are joined together, The joint has a joining mark due to ultrasonic joining treatment. It is a wire harness. [ 4 ] An electric wire and the above-mentioned [1] attached to the electric wire. or the above[ 2 ] To Terminals listed And, a joint portion at which a conductor core of the electric wire and the terminal are joined, The joint has a joining mark due to ultrasonic joining treatment. Wire with terminal.

[0007] According to the terminal having the configuration of [1] above, at the pressing position located outside the box portion and on the bending direction side of the contact point, the bending range of the spring portion is restricted so that the portion closer to the free end than the contact point of the spring portion provided on the box portion is on the bending direction side of the pressing position. As a result, even if an external force such as vibration is applied to the terminal, the vibration range of the spring portion is restricted by the pressing piece (i.e., the spring portion does not deform to a range beyond the pressing position), so that deterioration of the spring portion due to such vibration can be suppressed. In particular, according to experiments and considerations by the inventor, it has been found that deterioration of the spring portion can be suppressed particularly effectively if the displacement of the free end of the spring portion remains within a range that does not exceed the contact point of the spring portion (i.e., does not exceed the pressing position). Furthermore, by the pressing piece restricting the bending range of the spring portion outside the box portion, the design freedom of the pressing piece can be increased compared to the case where the bending range of the spring portion is restricted inside the box portion. In this way, the terminal of this configuration has excellent durability against vibrations and the like applied from the outside.

[0008] The specific shape of the "pressing piece" is not particularly limited. For example, the pressing piece may have a shape extending like a beam from a part of the terminal (e.g., a side wall) and bent toward the spring part, or may have a shape cut and raised from a part of the terminal (e.g., a side wall) toward the spring part, or may have a shape extending from the box part toward the spring part. Note that the "pressing piece" only needs to be able to regulate the bending range of the spring part as described above, and does not necessarily need to be in contact with the spring part at all times at the pressing position, and for example, it is sufficient that a part of the pressing piece (e.g., a tip part of the pressing piece) is present at the pressing position.

[0009] Furthermore, the method of attaching the "terminal" to the electric wire is not particularly limited. For example, the terminal may be crimped to the conductor core of the electric wire, may be welded to the conductor core with a laser or the like, or may be joined to the conductor core by ultrasonic joining.

[0010] Since the terminal having the above configuration has excellent durability against vibration, etc., even if a plurality of electric wires to which this terminal is attached are joined by ultrasonic joining as described above, deterioration of the terminal (particularly the spring portion) can be suppressed. Similarly, even if ultrasonic joining is used to attach the terminal to the electric wires, the above-mentioned effect of suppressing vibration of the spring portion is exerted, and deterioration of the terminal (particularly the spring portion) can be suppressed.

[0011] According to the terminal having the configuration [2] above, the pressing piece restricts the range of deflection of the free end of the terminal, which can be particularly subject to large amplitude due to vibration or the like, thereby further improving the durability of the terminal against vibration or the like.

[0012] According to the terminal having the configuration of [3] above, the pressing piece is provided at a position closer to the fixed part than the box part of the terminal. This allows the shape of the pressing piece to be determined without taking into consideration interference with the box part, for example, and therefore further improves the design freedom of the pressing piece. Therefore, even if the terminal has a spring part of various shapes, the durability of the terminal against vibration, etc. can be improved.

[0013] According to the wire harness having the configuration of [4] above, even if an external force such as vibration acts on the terminal when the conductor core wires of a plurality of electric wires are joined together by ultrasonic joining, the vibration of the spring part is suppressed by the pressing piece. This makes it possible to suppress deterioration of the terminal (especially the spring part). Therefore, the wire harness having this configuration can improve the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal attached to the electric wire and the mating terminal.

[0014] According to the electric wire with terminal having the configuration [5] above, when the conductor core of the electric wire and the terminal are joined by ultrasonic joining, even if an external force such as vibration acts on the terminal, the vibration of the spring part is suppressed by the pressing piece. This makes it possible to suppress deterioration of the terminal (especially the spring part). Therefore, the electric wire with terminal having this configuration can improve the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal attached to the electric wire and the mating terminal.

[0015] The "joining marks" in [4] and [5] above typically have a shape that is a transfer of the unevenness of the surface of a joining indenter (such as a horn or anvil) used in ultrasonic joining. Therefore, the presence or absence of a joining mark can usually be identified by observing the outer surface of the joint. However, the internal structure that is not visible on the outer surface of the joint, such as the joining state at the interface between the conductor core wires, can also be the above-mentioned "joining mark". Effect of the Invention

[0016] Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a terminal having excellent durability against external vibrations and the like, a wire harness using an electric wire to which such a terminal is attached, and an electric wire with a terminal to which such a terminal is attached.

[0017] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description of the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an electric wire with a terminal attached thereto according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1(a) being a perspective view thereof, and FIG. 1(b) being a plan view thereof. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state before a terminal is crimped onto an electric wire. [Diagram 3] 3(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1(b), and FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1(b). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present invention having a joint where conductor core wires of a plurality of terminal-equipped electric wires are ultrasonically joined together, in which FIG. 4(a) shows a state where the joint is exposed to the outside, and FIG. 4(b) shows a state where the joint is covered with a protective member. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic bonding machine for forming the bonded portion of the wire harness shown in FIG. [Figure 6]6(a) to 6(c) are diagrams for explaining the procedure for performing the bonding process by the ultrasonic bonding machine shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 7(a) and 7(b) are views corresponding to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), respectively, showing a modified example. [Figure 8] 8(a) and 8(b) are views corresponding to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), respectively, showing another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a terminal-attached electric wire 1 in which a terminal 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to an electric wire 10 will be described. For ease of description, in the axial direction (fitting direction) of the terminal 20, the side where a mating terminal (not shown) is fitted (the left side in Figs. 1 and 2) is referred to as the tip side (front side), and the opposite side (the right side in Figs. 1 and 2) is referred to as the base side (rear side). Also, the upper and lower sides in Figs. 1(a) and 2 are referred to as the upper side and the lower side, respectively. Also, the direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the up-down direction of the terminal 20 is referred to as the width direction.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3(a), a terminal 20 is crimped to an end of an electric wire 10, and the terminal 20 and a conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 are electrically connected. The electric wire 10 and the terminal 20 constitute an electric wire with terminal 1. The electric wire with terminal 1 constitutes, for example, a wire harness 2 (see Fig. 4) that is arranged in a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0021] The electric wire 10 is an insulated electric wire having a conductor core wire 11 and a coating 12 made of resin covering the conductor core wire 11. In this example, the conductor core wire 11 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and is formed by twisting together a plurality of strands. By making the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 out of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the electric wire with terminal 1 is made lighter, and the wire harness 2 including the electric wire with terminal 1 is also made lighter. The lightweight electric wire with terminal 1 is particularly suitable for use in vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in which wire harnesses are frequently used. The conductor core wire 11 may be made of another material (for example, copper or a copper alloy).

[0022] Terminal 20 has a box portion 31 at its tip end into which a mating terminal (not shown) is to be inserted, a first barrel portion 41 at its base end which is crimped to conductor core wire 11 exposed from the end of electric wire 10, and a second barrel portion 42 at its base end which is crimped to coating 12 at the end of the electric wire. Box portion 31 and first barrel portion 41 are connected to each other by a first connecting portion 35, and first barrel portion 41 and second barrel portion 42 are connected to each other by a second connecting portion 36. A bottom wall and a pair of side walls extending continuously from the base end of box portion 31 to the base end side constitute the bottom wall and a pair of side walls belonging to first connecting portion 35, first barrel portion 41, second connecting portion 36, and second barrel portion 42, respectively.

[0023] The terminal 20 is formed by performing press processing (punching and bending) on ​​a metal plate (plate-shaped body). In this example, the terminal 20 is formed from a metal material different from the conductor core wire 11 made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Specifically, the terminal 20 is formed using a metal plate (plate-shaped body) made of copper or a copper alloy as a base material. Note that the conductor core wire 11 and the terminal 20 do not necessarily need to be made of different metal materials and may be made of the same metal material.

[0024] After the above-mentioned press processing, the terminal 20 is preferably plated before crimping to the electric wire 10 in order to suppress corrosion of the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 and improve corrosion resistance. In this example, the terminal 20 is plated with tin (Sn) before crimping to the electric wire 10. Specifically, the terminal 20 is provided with a plating layer containing tin so as to cover the front and back surfaces and the side surface consisting of the cut surface formed by the press processing. The surface of the terminal 20 may be plated with other materials (for example, gold (Au), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), and alloys thereof).

[0025] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the box portion 31 has a rectangular tubular shape that extends in the front-rear direction and penetrates in the front-rear direction. A spring portion 32 is integrally provided in the box portion 31. The spring portion 32 is a cantilever-shaped leaf spring that extends from the tip end of the bottom wall of the box portion 31 and extends inside the box portion 31 toward the base end side. The spring portion 32 is elastically deformable in the up-down direction. The spring portion 32 extends from the base end of the box portion 31 to a first connecting portion 35 located on the base end side. Therefore, a free end (extending end) 32a (see Figs. 2 and 3(a)) of the spring portion 32 is exposed to the outside of the box portion 31.

[0026] The spring portion 32 is provided with a contact point 32b that comes into contact with a mating terminal in a portion near the fixed end of the spring portion 32 (the tip portion of the box portion 31). The contact point 32b is a portion that protrudes upward and extends in the width direction. When a mating terminal (not shown) is inserted from the tip side opening of the box portion 31, the mating terminal presses the contact point 32b of the spring portion 32 downward, causing the spring portion 32 to elastically deform downward, and the mating terminal is accommodated in the box portion 31. This maintains a state in which the contact point 32b and the mating terminal are in pressure contact, and the contact point 32b (and therefore the terminal 20) and the mating terminal are electrically connected.

[0027] A protruding portion 33 protruding upward is provided on one side wall in the width direction of the base end of the box portion 31. The protruding portion 33 is formed by folding back a middle portion of a band-shaped extending piece extending upward from the side wall in the extending direction downward inside the box portion 31. The protruding portion 33 functions as a so-called stabilizer that regulates the position of the terminal 20 when the terminal 20 is accommodated in a housing or the like.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 2, a pair of pressing pieces 34 extending upward are formed on a pair of side walls belonging to the first connecting portion 35 before crimping to the electric wire 10. In this example, the pair of pressing pieces 34 are provided at axial positions of the terminal 20 closer to (the tip of) the first barrel portion 41 than to (the base end of) the box portion 31. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the pair of pressing pieces 34 are crimped such that the extended end of one pressing piece 34 and the extended end of the other pressing piece 34 are butted against each other.

[0029] The pair of pressing pieces 34 (extending ends thereof) thus crimped presses downward the free end 32a (or a portion near the free end 32a) of the spring portion 32. As a result, the pair of pressing pieces 34 presses downward the free end 32a (or a portion near the free end 32a) of the spring portion 32 at a predetermined position that is outside the box portion 31 and below the contact point 32b (see Figs. 3(a) and 3(b)). The action and effect of this will be described later.

[0030] 2, a pair of clamping pieces 45 extending upward are formed on a pair of side walls belonging to first barrel portion 41 before being crimped to electric wire 10. The pair of clamping pieces 45 are provided at the same position in the axial direction of terminal 20.

[0031] 2, a pair of side walls belonging to the second barrel portion 42 are formed with clamping pieces 46, 47 that extend upward before being crimped to the electric wire 10. The clamping pieces 46, 47 are provided at positions that do not overlap with each other in the axial direction of the terminal 20.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2 , in a state in which the electric wire 10 is placed in the first barrel portion 41 and the second barrel portion 42 of the terminal 20 before crimping to the electric wire 10, the pair of crimping pieces 45 and the crimping pieces 46, 47 are crimped using a specified crimping machine so that the conductor core wire 11 exposed from the end of the electric wire 10 is in a position sandwiched between the pair of crimping pieces 45 and the coating 12 at the end of the electric wire 10 is in a position sandwiched between the crimping pieces 46, 47.

[0033] 1 and 3(a), the pair of crimping pieces 45 of the first barrel portion 41 are crimped such that the extended end portion of one crimping piece 45 and the extended end portion of the other crimping piece 45 are butted against each other, and are crimped to the conductor core wire 11 exposed from the end of the electric wire 10. The crimping pieces 46, 47 of the second barrel portion 42 are crimped such that the extended end portions of both of them overlap in the extending direction at different positions in the axial direction of the terminal 20, and are crimped to the coating 12 at the end of the electric wire 10. In this manner, the electric wire with terminal 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3(a) is obtained.

[0034] The electric wire with terminal 1 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3(a) constitutes, for example, a wire harness 2 shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4(a), the wire harness 2 has a joint 13 in which exposed conductor core wires 11 of a plurality of electric wires 10 (two in this example) of the electric wire with terminal 1 are ultrasonically joined together. The wire harness 2 may have a joint 13 in which exposed conductor core wires 11 of three or more electric wires 10 are ultrasonically joined together. In addition, some of the plurality of electric wires 10 constituting the wire harness 2 may not have terminals 20 attached thereto. Hereinafter, a joining machine 50 used in forming the joint 13 will be described.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5, the bonding machine 50 includes a pair of bonding indenters 51, 52 (so-called anvil and horn) facing each other in the vertical direction, a pair of flat positioning blocks 53, 54 facing each other in the horizontal direction, and a control device 55 that controls the bonding energy (ultrasonic excitation) applied between the pair of bonding indenters 51, 52.

[0036] A rectangular column-shaped joint space 56 is defined by the pair of joint indenters 51, 52 and the pair of positioning blocks 53, 54. Inside this joint space 56, the exposed conductor core wires 11 of the multiple electric wires 10 are arranged.

[0037] The bonding indenter 51 is fixed to the bonding machine 50. The bonding indenter 52, the positioning block 53, and the positioning block 54 are each capable of moving parallel to the bonding indenter 51 in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 5. Therefore, the bonding machine 50 can perform ultrasonic welding on the multiple conductor core wires 11 by applying energy (ultrasonic excitation) between the pair of bonding indenters 51, 52 while compressing the multiple conductor core wires 11 arranged in the bonding space 56. As a result, a joint 13 (see Fig. 4(a)) is formed in which the multiple conductor core wires 11 are joined.

[0038] Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 6(a), in the joining machine 50, the joining indenter 52 is moved to the left (away from the positioning block 54) to open the upper part of the joining space 56, and the exposed conductor core wires 11 of the multiple electric wires 10 are positioned from above into the joining space 56.

[0039] Next, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the joining indenter 52 is moved to the right (toward the positioning block 54) to block the upper part of the joining space 56, and further, the joining indenter 52, the positioning block 53, and the positioning block 54 are each moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6(b) to narrow the joining space 56, thereby adjusting the positional relationship of the conductor core wires 11 of the multiple electric wires 10 to the desired state.

[0040] 6(c), the bonding indenter 52, the positioning block 53, and the positioning block 54 are each moved in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 6(c) to further narrow the bonding space 56, thereby compressing the conductor core wires 11 of the multiple electric wires 10, and in a state in which the multiple conductor core wires 11 are compressed, a predetermined amount of energy (ultrasonic excitation) is applied between the pair of bonding indenters 51, 52. In this way, ultrasonic bonding is performed on the multiple conductor core wires 11, and a joint 13 (see Fig. 4(a)) in which the multiple conductor core wires 11 are bonded is formed.

[0041] During the ultrasonic bonding process described above, due to vibrations or the like applied to the electric wire 10, the spring portion 32 of the terminal 20 attached to the electric wire 10 may vibrate (typically up and down), which may cause deterioration or the like of the spring portion 32. From the viewpoint of improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal 20 and the mating terminal, it is desirable to suppress such deterioration or the like of the spring portion 32 as much as possible.

[0042] In this regard, in the terminal 20, as described above, the free end 32a (or a portion near the free end 32a) of the spring portion 32 provided in the box portion 31 is pressed downward by a pair of pressing pieces 34 at a predetermined position outside the box portion 31 and below the contact point 32b. As a result, even if an external force such as vibration is applied to the terminal 20, the vibration range of the spring portion 32 is limited by the pressing pieces 34 (i.e., the spring portion 32 does not deform beyond the pressing position), so that deterioration of the spring portion 32 due to such vibration can be suppressed. In particular, according to experiments and considerations by the inventor, it has been found that deterioration of the spring portion 32 can be particularly effectively suppressed as long as the displacement of the free end 32a of the spring portion 32 remains within a range that does not exceed the contact point 32b of the spring portion 32 (i.e., does not exceed the pressing position). Furthermore, since the pressing piece 34 presses the spring part 32 on the outside of the box part 31 , the design freedom of the pressing piece 34 is superior to the case where the pressing piece 34 presses the spring part 32 on the inside of the box part 31 in a similar manner.

[0043] In this example, the two conductor core wires 11 shown in Fig. 4(a) are made of the same type of metal material (in this example, aluminum or aluminum alloy). However, each of the multiple conductor core wires 11 may be made of different types of metal materials (for example, copper or copper alloy, and aluminum or aluminum alloy). By ultrasonic bonding, proper electrical connection can be achieved even for conductor core wires 11 made of different types of metal materials.

[0044] A bonding mark due to ultrasonic bonding is formed on the outer surface of the bonding portion 13. In this example, the bonding mark has a shape transferred from the unevenness on the surfaces of a pair of bonding indenters 51, 52 used for ultrasonic bonding, and can be identified by observing the outer surface of the bonding portion 13.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 4(b), it is preferable to attach a protective member 3 to the joint 13 shown in Fig. 4(a) so as to cover the entire outer surface of the joint 13. This can prevent the joint 13 from being damaged due to collision with surrounding members, and can also prevent the joint 13 from coming into contact with surrounding conductive members, resulting in an unintended short circuit.

[0046] <Actions and Effects> As described above, according to the terminal 20 of this embodiment, in the above-mentioned predetermined position (pressing position), the bending range of the spring portion 32 is restricted so that the portion between the contact point 32b and the free end 32a of the spring portion 32 provided in the box portion 31 is located on the bending direction side (lower side) of the predetermined position. As a result, when an external force such as vibration is applied to the terminal 20, the vibration of the spring portion 32 is suppressed compared to the case where the pressing piece 34 is not present. Furthermore, since the pressing piece 34 presses the spring portion 32 on the outside of the box portion 31, the design freedom of the pressing piece 34 is superior compared to the case where the bending range is similarly restricted inside the box portion 31. Therefore, the terminal 20 of this embodiment is superior in durability against vibration and the like applied from the outside.

[0047] Furthermore, in the terminal 20 according to this embodiment, the pressing piece 34 presses the free end 32a of the spring portion 32. By restricting the range of deflection of the free end 32a of the terminal 20, which may have particularly large amplitude due to vibration or the like, the durability of the terminal 20 against external vibration or the like can be further improved.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the terminal 20 of this embodiment, a pair of pressing pieces 34 are provided at axial positions of the terminal 20 closer to (the tip of) the first barrel portion 41 than to (the base end of) the box portion 31 of the terminal 20. This further improves the design freedom of the pressing pieces 34, and appropriately suppresses vibrations of the spring portions 32 of various shapes.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the wire harness 2 of this embodiment, when the conductor core wires 11 of the multiple electric wires 10 are ultrasonically joined together, even if an external force such as vibration is applied to the terminal 20, the vibration of the spring portion 32 is suppressed by the pressing piece. Therefore, the wire harness 2 of this embodiment can improve the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal 20 attached to the electric wire 10 and the mating terminal.

[0050] <Other forms> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications, improvements, etc. are possible. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the pressing piece 34 has a shape extending like a beam from a pair of side walls belonging to the first connecting portion 35 of the terminal 20 and bent toward the spring portion 32 (see Figs. 3(a) and 3(b)). In contrast, as shown in Figs. 7(a) and 7(b), the pressing piece 34 may have a shape extending obliquely downward from a base end of the upper wall of the box portion 31 of the terminal 20 toward the base end side and toward the spring portion 32 (the free end 32a). This also enables the pressing piece 34 to press downward the free end 32a of the spring portion 32 (or a portion near the free end 32a) at a predetermined position outside the box portion 31 and below the contact point 32b.

[0052] 8(a) and 8(b), the pressing pieces 34 may have a shape that is cut and raised inward in the width direction from a pair of side walls of the first connecting portion 35 of the terminal 20 toward the spring portion 32. This also enables the pair of pressing pieces 34 to press the free end 32a of the spring portion 32 (or a portion in the vicinity of the free end 32a) downward at a predetermined position that is outside the box portion 31 and below the contact point 32b.

[0053] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pressing piece 34 presses downward the free end 32a (or a portion near the free end 32a) of the spring portion 32 at a predetermined position that is outside the box portion 31 and below the contact point 32b. In contrast, the pressing piece 34 may press downward a portion between the free end 32a and the contact point 32b of the spring portion 32, sufficiently away from the free end 32a, at a predetermined position that is outside the box portion 31 and below the contact point 32b.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pair of pressing pieces 34 are provided at axial positions of the terminal 20 closer to (the tip of) the first barrel portion 41 than to (the base end of) the box portion 31 of the terminal 20. In contrast, the pair of pressing pieces 34 may be provided at axial positions of the terminal 20 closer to (the base end of) the box portion 31 than to (the tip of) the first barrel portion 41 of the terminal 20.

[0055] 1 to 8, for convenience of explanation, the pressing piece 34 is described as always being in contact with the spring portion 32. However, as long as the pressing piece 34 can regulate the bending range of the spring portion as described above, it is not necessary for the pressing piece 34 to always be in contact with the spring portion 32 at a predetermined position (pressing position); for example, it is sufficient for a part of the pressing piece 34 (for example, the tip portion of the pressing piece 34) to be present at the pressing position.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pair of crimping pieces 45 of the terminal 20 are crimped to the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10, so that the terminal 20 and the conductor core wire 11 are electrically connected to each other. However, for example, instead of or in addition to this crimping, the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 may be joined to the terminal 20 by ultrasonic bonding, so that the terminal 20 and the conductor core wire 11 are electrically connected to each other. Even when the terminal 20 and the conductor core wire 11 are ultrasonically bonded in this manner, the bending range of the spring portion 32 is restricted by the pressing piece 34, as in the above, so that the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal 20 and the mating terminal can be improved. Note that, even in this case, the conductor core wire 11 and the terminal 20 may be made of different metal materials or may be made of the same metal material.

[0057] Here, the features of the embodiments of the terminal 20, the wire harness 2, and the electric wire with terminal according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [5]. [1] A terminal (20) to be attached to an electric wire (10), the connector comprises a cylindrical box portion (31) into which a mating terminal is inserted, a spring portion (32) extending like a beam from a front end of the box portion (31) with a free end (32a) exposed to the outside of the box portion (31) from a rear end of the box portion (31) and having a contact point (32b) with the mating terminal, and a pressing piece (34) for restricting a bending range of the spring portion (32), The spring portion (32) is When the mating terminal comes into contact with the contact point (32b), the contact point (32b) elastically deforms in a bending direction away from the mating terminal, The pressing piece (34) is a bending range of the spring portion (32) is restricted so that, at a pressing position located outside the box portion (31) and on the bending direction side of the contact point (32b), a portion of the spring portion (32) closer to the free end (32a) than the contact point (32b) is located on the bending direction side of the pressing position. Terminal(20). [2] In the terminal (20) described in the above [1], The pressing piece (34) is The bending range of the spring portion (32) is restricted so that the free end (32a) of the spring portion (32) is positioned on the bending direction side of the pressing position. Terminal(20). [3] A terminal (20) according to the above [1] or [2], a fixing portion (41) for fixing the terminal (20) to the electric wire (10), The pressing piece (34) is The box portion (31) is provided at a position closer to the fixed portion (41), Terminal(20). [4] A terminal (20) according to any one of [1] to [3] above, the terminal (20) being attached to at least one of the plurality of electric wires (10), The electric wire (10) has a joint (13) at which the conductor core wires (11) of the electric wires (10) are joined to each other, The joint (13) has a joining mark due to ultrasonic joining treatment. Wire harness (2). [5] A terminal (20) according to any one of [1] to [3] above, which is attached to the electric wire (10), A joint portion is provided at which the conductor core wire (11) of the electric wire and the terminal (20) are joined together, The joint has a joining mark due to ultrasonic joining treatment. Wire with terminal. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 Wire with terminal 2 Wire harness 10 Electric wire 11 Conductor core wire 13 Joint 20 Terminals 31 Hakobe 32 Spring part 32a free end 32b Contact point 34 Presser piece 41 First barrel part (fixed part)

Claims

1. A terminal to be attached to an electric wire, the box portion having a cylindrical shape into which a mating terminal is inserted, a spring portion extending like a beam from a front end of the box portion with a free end exposed to the outside of the box portion from a rear end of the box portion and having a contact point with the mating terminal, a pressing piece restricting a deflection range of the spring portion, a fixing portion fixing the terminal to the electric wire, and a connecting portion connecting the box portion and the fixing portion, wherein a bottom wall of the box portion extending continuously from the rear end side of the box portion constitutes a bottom wall of the connecting portion, The spring portion is When the mating terminal comes into contact with the contact portion, the contact portion elastically deforms in a bending direction away from the mating terminal, The pressing piece is a spring end portion, which is a portion from a contacted portion of the spring portion with which the pressing piece contacts to the free end of the spring portion, is positioned on the bending direction side of the pressing position, the spring end portion being configured to restrict a bending range of the spring portion, the spring end portion being positioned on the bending direction side of the pressing position, The spring portion is In a bending direction, the contact portion is bendably deformable between a position where the contacted portion abuts against the pressing piece and a position where the free end abuts against the bottom wall of the connecting portion. Terminal.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, The pressing piece is The box portion is provided at a position closer to the fixed portion than the box portion. Terminal.

3. A terminal comprising: a plurality of electric wires; and the terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2 attached to at least one of the plurality of electric wires, a joint portion at which the conductor core wires of the plurality of electric wires are joined to each other, The joint has a joining mark due to ultrasonic joining treatment. Wire harness.

4. An electric wire and the terminal according to claim 1 or 2 attached to the electric wire, a joint portion at which a conductor core of the electric wire and the terminal are joined, The joint has a joining mark due to ultrasonic joining treatment. Wire with terminal.

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