Electrical wire with terminals

Abstract

To provide a terminal-equipped wire that suppresses variations in a core wire when joining the core wire and a terminal.SOLUTION: A terminal-equipped wire 1, 11 includes a terminal 2, 12, and a wire 10 having a core wire portion 10A made up of an aggregate of a plurality of strands 1A, the terminal 2, 12 includes a bottom wall 41, and a pair of opposing walls 42, 42, 142, 142 that extend from the bottom wall 41 and is bent to face the bottom wall 41, and in a state in which the core wire portion 10A is inserted between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42, 142, 142, and the core wire portion 10A is sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42, 142, 142, each end surface 4e of the pair of opposing walls 42, 42, 142, 142 is joined to the core wire portion 10A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric wire with a terminal. [[Background Art]]

[0002] As a method for joining a terminal and an electric wire, there is known a method in which an insulating coating of the electric wire is stripped to expose a core wire formed of a plurality of element wires, and the exposed core wire is joined to the terminal by ultrasonic welding (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The joining structure of a terminal and an electric wire disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a terminal and an electric wire. The terminal is formed of a rectangular plate-shaped base plate made of metal, the core wire is placed on the upper surface of the base plate, and two locations on the proximal end side and the distal end side of the core wire are ultrasonically joined (welded). Of the two joined portions formed thereby, the height of the joined portion on the distal end side is formed to be lower than the height of the joined portion on the proximal end side. According to this configuration, stress acting on the joined portion on the proximal end side during ultrasonic joining is reduced, thereby suppressing damage such as cutting of the core wire that occurs during ultrasonic joining. [[Prior Art Literature]] [[Patent Literature]]

[0004] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2022-79208 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0005] However, in the conventional joining structure of a terminal and an electric wire, since welding is performed in a state where the plurality of element wires constituting the core wire are scattered, when the terminal and the core wire are joined, there are cases where not all of the element wires are completely melted or the joined portion spreads thinly. That is, welding defects are likely to occur.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a wire with a terminal that suppresses variations in the core wire portion when joining the core wire portion to the terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the aforementioned problems and achieve the objective, the terminal-equipped wire described in the present invention is a terminal-equipped wire comprising a terminal and a wire having a core wire portion composed of a collection of multiple strands, wherein the terminal comprises a bottom wall and a portion extending from the bottom wall and bending toward the bottom wall It extends along the bottom wall in a flat, plate-like manner. The device comprises a pair of opposing walls, wherein the core wire portion is inserted between the pair of opposing walls, and the core wire portion is joined to each end surface of the pair of opposing walls while the core wire portion is sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, when joining the core wire portion of an electric wire to a terminal, it is possible to suppress variations in the core wire portion. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the terminals that constitute the terminal-equipped electric wire according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A plan view showing the aforementioned terminals. [Figure 3] This is a side view showing the aforementioned terminals. [Figure 4] This is a front view showing the aforementioned terminals. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view illustrating the procedure for manufacturing the aforementioned terminal. [Figure 6] The diagram illustrates how the terminal and the electric wire are connected, wherein (A) shows the state in which the core portion of the electric wire is installed on the terminal, (B) shows the state in which the core portion of the electric wire and the terminal are laser-welded, and (C) shows the electric wire with a terminal obtained by connecting the core portion of the electric wire and the terminal. [Figure 7]This is a front view showing the terminals that constitute a wire with terminals according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a front view showing the state in which the core portion of the electric wire is installed at the terminal. [Figure 9] This figure shows a modified example of the electric wire with terminals, and is a front view showing the state in which the core wire portion of the electric wire is installed on the terminals. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, a terminal-equipped wire 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the female terminal 2 (terminal) constituting the terminal-equipped wire 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a plan view showing the female terminal 2. Figure 3 is a side view showing the female terminal 2. Figure 4 is a front view showing the female terminal 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 6, the terminal-equipped wire 1 comprises a female terminal 2 and a wire 10 (shown in Figure 6) having a core wire portion 10A connected to the female terminal 2.

[0011] The female terminal 2 is made of a conductive metal. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the female terminal 2 is composed of a mating contact portion 3 into which the tab terminal of a male terminal fitting (not shown) is inserted, a core wire connection portion 4 that is connected to the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10, and a connecting portion 5 that is located between the mating contact portion 3 and the core wire connection portion 4 and connects them. The mating contact portion 3 is provided in front of the core wire connection portion 4 X1.

[0012] In this embodiment, the direction in which the mating contact portion 3 is located as viewed from the core wire connection portion 4 is described as "forward (X1 direction)," the opposite direction is described as "backward (X2 direction)," and the two directions approximately perpendicular to the X direction are described as the Y direction and the Z direction, respectively. The Y direction may be described as the "up and down direction," with one direction described as "upward (Y1 direction)" and the other as "downward (Y2 direction)." The Z direction may also be described as the "left and right direction."

[0013] The mating contact portion 3 is formed in a square cylindrical shape with the front-rear direction X as an axis, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the mating contact portion 3 comprises a front bottom wall 31, a pair of front side walls 32L and 32R rising from both ends of the front bottom wall 31 in the left-right direction Z, an upper wall 33 continuously connected to and bent from one front side wall 32L of the pair of front side walls 32L and 32R and facing the front bottom wall 31, and an overlapping wall 34 continuously connected to and bent from the other front side wall 32R and overlapping the upper wall 33.

[0014] Further, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the mating contact portion 3 is provided with a pair of extension walls 35, 35 extending continuously downward in the Y2 direction from each of the pair of front side walls 32L, 32R. Each extension wall 35 is formed by cutting out a part of the front bottom wall 31 into a U-shape, and is configured to extend downward in the Y2 direction beyond the front bottom wall 31.

[0015] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the core wire connecting portion 4 comprises a rear bottom wall 41 (bottom wall), and a pair of opposing walls 42, 42 continuously connected to and bent from the rear bottom wall 41 and facing the rear bottom wall 41.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the rear bottom wall 41 is provided rearward X2 of the front bottom wall 31 of the mating contact portion 3 via a connecting bottom wall 51 of a connecting portion 5 to be described later.

[0017] Further, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rear bottom wall 41 is provided with a placement portion 410 on which the core portion 10A of the electric wire 10 is placed. The placement portion 410 has a predetermined width dimension at the central portion of the rear bottom wall 41 in the left-right direction Z, and is continuously provided in the front-rear direction X.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 are provided in contact with the rear bottom wall 41 in a state of being bent so as to face the rear bottom wall 41. That is, the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 are configured such that their height position from the rear bottom wall 41 corresponds to the plate thickness of each opposing wall 42, and the plate thickness of each opposing wall 42 is configured to be thick enough to sandwich the core portion 10A of the electric wire 10.

[0019] Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 are formed such that a distance L1 (the distance between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42) is provided therebetween in a state bent to face the rear bottom wall 41. The distance L1 is formed to be a dimension obtained by adding the tolerance of the core portion 10A to the diameter dimension of the core portion 10A of the electric wire 10 described later. With such a pair of opposing walls 42, 42, the core portion 10A of the electric wire 10 is maintained in a state of being sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting portion 5 includes a connecting bottom wall 51 and a pair of connecting side walls 52, 52 rising from both ends of the connecting bottom wall 51 in the left-right direction Z. The connecting bottom wall 51 is located between the rear bottom wall 41 and the front bottom wall 31 of the mating contact portion 3, and is located on the same plane as the rear bottom wall 41 and the front bottom wall 31. Further, the pair of connecting side walls 52, 52 are respectively provided continuously to the respective front side walls 32L, 32R of the mating contact portion 3.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 6, the electric wire 10 includes a core portion 10A having a circular cross section that is formed of an assembly of seven (plural) strands 1A (only four strands are shown in FIG. 6), and a covering portion 10B that covers the core portion 10A.

[0022] Next, in the case of manufacturing such an electric wire with terminal 1, first, a single metal plate is pressed to form a punched body (not shown) configured to include the mutually continuous mating contact portion 3, core wire connecting portion 4, and connecting portion 5.

[0023] In the punched-out section, the boundary between the front bottom wall 31 of the mating contact section 3 and each front side wall 32L, 32R, and the boundary between the connecting bottom wall 51 of the connecting section 5 and each connecting side wall 52 are bent to form the connecting section 5. Then, the boundary between one front side wall 32L of the mating contact section 3 and the upper wall 33 is bent, and after that, the boundary between the other front side wall 32R of the mating contact section 3 and the overlapping wall 34 is bent so that the overlapping wall 34 is placed above the upper wall 33 at Y1. In this way, the mating contact section 3 is formed.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the boundary between the rear bottom wall 41 of the core wire connection part 4 and each opposing wall 42 is bent so that each opposing wall 42 rises from the rear bottom wall 41, and then the boundary between the rear bottom wall 41 and each opposing wall 42 is bent again so that each opposing wall 42 faces the rear bottom wall 41. In this way, the female terminal 2 is formed.

[0025] Next, when electrically connecting the female terminal 2 and the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 to form the terminal-equipped electric wire 1, as shown in Figure 6(A), at the end of the electric wire 10, the insulation portion 10B is stripped to expose the core wire portion 10A, and the core wire portion 10A is inserted between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 of the core wire connection portion 4 and installed on the mounting portion 410. As a result, the core wire portion 10A is sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42, and the multiple strands 1A that make up the core wire portion 10A are held down. In this state, as shown in Figure 6(B), the core wire portion 10A and the core wire connection portion 4 of the terminal 2 are joined by laser welding. As a result, as shown in Figure 6(C), the core wire portion 10A melts, and a joint portion 100 is formed in which the molten core wire portion 10A and the respective end faces 4e of the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 are integrally joined. In this way, the female terminal 2 and the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 are electrically connected, thereby forming the electric wire with a terminal 1.

[0026] According to the embodiment described above, the female terminal 2 (terminal) comprises a rear bottom wall 41 (bottom wall) and a pair of opposing walls 42, 42 that extend from the rear bottom wall 41 and are bent to face the rear bottom wall 41. The core wire portion 10A is inserted between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42, and the core wire portion 10A is joined to the respective end surfaces 4e of the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 while the core wire portion 10A is sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42. As a result, the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 is sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42, and the core wire portion 10A is joined while being held down between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42, thereby suppressing variations in the core wire portion 10A when joining the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 to the female terminal 2. This reduces the occurrence of welding defects.

[0027] Furthermore, the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 are provided in contact with the rear bottom wall 41 (bottom wall). This arrangement allows for increased joint area when laser welding is performed, as the core wire portion 10A melts and the molten core wire portion 10A and the respective end surfaces 4e of the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 are integrally joined. Additionally, if the pair of opposing walls 42, 42 are formed by bending the boundary between the rear bottom wall 41 and each opposing wall 42, production can be improved by making it easier to manufacture compared to, for example, cutting and forming a groove in the mounting portion 410 to accommodate the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10.

[0028] (Second Embodiment) The terminal-equipped wire 11 according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a front view showing the female terminal 12 (terminal) constituting the terminal-equipped wire 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a front view showing the state in which the core wire portion 10A of the wire 10 is installed on the female terminal 12. In the second embodiment, parts having the same shape or configuration as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and the description of those parts is omitted. The terminal-equipped wire 11 according to the second embodiment and the terminal-equipped wire 1 according to the first embodiment differ in the configuration of the core wire connection portions 4 and 14.

[0029] The wire with terminals 11 shown in Figures 7 and 8 comprises a female terminal 12 (terminal) and a wire 10 having a core wire portion 10A connected to the female terminal 12. As shown in Figure 7, the female terminal 12 is made of conductive metal and comprises a mating contact portion 3 into which the tab terminal of the male terminal fitting is inserted, a core wire connection portion 14 connected to the wire 10, and a connecting portion 5 located between the mating contact portion 3 and the core wire connection portion 14 to connect them.

[0030] The core wire connection section 14 comprises a rear bottom wall 41 (bottom wall), a pair of rear side walls (not shown) rising from both ends of the rear bottom wall 41 in the left-right direction Z, and a pair of opposing walls 142, 142 that are continuous with the pair of rear side walls and bent to face the rear bottom wall 41.

[0031] The pair of opposing walls 142, 142 are bent to face the rear bottom wall 41, and are located above the rear bottom wall 41 in Y1, Y (first direction) and are provided opposite to the rear bottom wall 41. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 are formed in a bent state to face the rear bottom wall 41, with a distance L1 (distance between the pair of opposing walls 42, 42) between them. As shown in Figure 8, the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 is kept sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 142, 142. With the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 142, 142, as shown in Figure 8, the centers P of the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 and the core wire portion 10A are configured to be at the same position in the vertical direction Y.

[0032] Next, when manufacturing such a terminal-equipped electric wire 11, a single metal sheet is first pressed to form a punched body (not shown) which includes a mating contact portion 3, a core wire connection portion 14, and a connecting portion 5 that are continuous with each other.

[0033] In the punched-out section, the boundary between the front bottom wall 31 of the mating contact section 3 and each front side wall 32L, 32R, and the boundary between the connecting bottom wall 51 of the connecting section 5 and each connecting side wall 52 are bent to form the connecting section 5. Then, the boundary between one front side wall 32L of the mating contact section 3 and the upper wall 33 is bent, and after that, the boundary between the other front side wall 32R of the mating contact section 3 and the overlapping wall 34 is bent so that the overlapping wall 34 is placed above the upper wall 33 at Y1. In this way, the mating contact section 3 is formed.

[0034] Furthermore, the boundary between the rear bottom wall 41 of the core wire connection portion 14 and each rear side wall is bent so that each rear side wall rises from the rear bottom wall 41. In addition, the boundary between each rear side wall and each opposing wall 142 is bent so that each opposing wall 142 faces the rear bottom wall 41. The female terminal 12 is formed in this way.

[0035] Next, when electrically connecting the female terminal 12 and the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10, the insulation portion 10B of the end portion of the electric wire 10 is stripped to expose the core wire portion 10A, and the core wire portion 10A is inserted between the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 of the core wire connection portion 14 and installed on the mounting portion 410. As a result, the core wire portion 10A is sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 142, 142, and the multiple strands 1A that make up the core wire portion 10A are held down. At this time, the center P of the core wire portion 10A and the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 are installed at the same position in the vertical direction Y. As a result, the core wire portion 10A is held stably by being sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 at the position of the center P of the core wire portion 10A. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the seven strands 1A constituting the core wire portion 10A are arranged such that three strands 1A are aligned in the left-right direction Z, and two strands 1A are arranged above Y1 and below Y2. In this state, the core wire portion 10A and the core wire connection portion 14 of the female terminal 12 are joined by laser welding. As a result, the core wire portion 10A melts, and a joint portion 100 is formed in which the molten core wire portion 10A and the respective end faces 4e of the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 are integrally joined. In this way, the female terminal 12 and the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 are electrically connected, and the electric wire with terminal 11 is formed.

[0036] According to the embodiment described above, the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 is inserted between a pair of opposing walls 142, 142 of the core wire connection portion 14, and with the core wire portion 10A sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 142, 142, the end faces 4e of the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 and the core wire portion 10A are joined. This makes it possible to suppress variations in the core wire portion 10A when joining the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 to the female terminal 12. As a result, the occurrence of welding defects can be reduced.

[0037] Furthermore, the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 are spaced apart from the rear bottom wall 41 (bottom wall). As a result, the core wire portion 10A is held between the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 at a position close to the center P, and thus the core wire portion 10A is held stably.

[0038] Furthermore, the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 are spaced apart from the rear bottom wall 41 (bottom wall) in the vertical direction Y (first direction), and the center P of the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 and the core wire portion 10A are configured to be at the same position in the vertical direction Y. As a result, the core wire portion 10A is held more stably by being sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 at the position of the center P of the core wire portion 10A.

[0039] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes other configurations that can achieve the objectives of the present invention, as well as modifications such as those shown below.

[0040] In the above embodiment, with the core wire portion 10A sandwiched between a pair of opposing walls 142, 142, the seven strands 1A constituting the core wire portion 10A are arranged such that three strands 1A are aligned in the left-right direction Z, and two strands 1A are arranged above Y1 and below Y2, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this. With the core wire portion 10A sandwiched between a pair of opposing walls 142, 142, the centers P of the pair of opposing walls 142, 142 and the core wire portion 10A are at the same position in the up-down direction Y (first direction). For example, as shown in Figure 9, a configuration in which three strands 1A constituting the core wire portion 10A are aligned in the up-down direction Y, and two strands 1A are arranged in one and the other left-right direction Z, respectively, is also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 and the core wire connection portion 4 of the female terminals 2 and 12 are joined by laser welding, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The core wire portion 10A of the electric wire 10 and the core wire connection portion 4 of the female terminals 2 and 12 may be joined by laser soldering, ultrasonic bonding, or resistance welding.

[0042] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, female terminals 2 and 12 are described as an example, comprising a mating contact portion 3 into which a tab terminal of a male terminal fitting is inserted, core wire connection portions 4 and 14 connected to the electric wire 10, and a connecting portion 5 positioned between the mating contact portion 3 and the core wire connection portions 4 and 14 to connect them. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The terminal may also be a male terminal having a tab terminal instead of the mating contact portion 3.

[0043] Furthermore, while the best configurations and methods for carrying out the present invention are disclosed in the above description, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, although the present invention is particularly illustrated and described with respect to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the embodiments described above in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and objectives of the present invention. Therefore, the limiting descriptions of shape, material, etc. disclosed above are provided as examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Accordingly, descriptions of components with some or all of these limitations removed are included in the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1. 11 wires with terminals 1A Multiple strands 10A core wire section 10 Electric wire 2, 12 Female terminal (terminal) 41 Rear bottom wall (bottom wall) 42, 42, 142, 142 A pair of opposing walls 4e Each end surface of a pair of opposing walls P Core wire center Y vertical direction (first direction)

Claims

1. A wire with a terminal, comprising a terminal and a wire having a core wire portion composed of a collection of multiple strands, The terminal comprises a bottom wall and a pair of opposing walls that extend from the bottom wall, bend, and extend along the bottom wall in a flat plate shape, facing the bottom wall. A wire with a terminal, characterized in that the core wire portion is inserted between the pair of opposing walls, and the core wire portion is joined to each end surface of the pair of opposing walls while the core wire portion is sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls.

2. The terminal-equipped electric wire according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of opposing walls are provided in contact with the bottom wall.

3. The terminal-equipped electric wire according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of opposing walls are spaced apart from the bottom wall.

4. The pair of opposing walls are provided spaced apart from the bottom wall in a first direction, The terminal wire according to claim 3, characterized in that the core wire portion is sandwiched between the pair of opposing walls, and the centers of the pair of opposing walls and the core wire portion are located at the same position in the first direction.

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