JP2010073486A - Terminal metal fitting and electric wire with terminal metal fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal metal fitting for securing an excellent electrical connection state and suppressing elongation of a terminal metal fitting when crimped and provide an electric wire with the terminal metal fitting. <P>SOLUTION: A tip end of a single core wire 21 is pushed into an electric wire insertion space 33 of a terminal body 31 and a coated electric wire 20 is held by a caulking piece 41A (a holding means) while a cut end face 21A of the single core wire 21 is strongly pushed on an elastic member 51. With this, a strong pressure works between the cut end face 21A and the elastic member 51 to obtain an excellent electrical connection state and this state is maintained. As a result, since there is no need for crimping the coated electric wire 20 with a strong force for connecting the coated wire 20, elongation of a part of the terminal metal fitting arising from strong crushing pressure does not occur and elongation of a whole of the terminal metal fitting is restrained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal fitting and an electric wire with terminal fitting.

When the terminal fitting is attached to the covered electric wire, the exposed core wire of the covered electric wire is crimped and connected to the terminal fitting (see Patent Document 1).
Here, when crimping the core wire to the terminal fitting, for example, an open barrel type terminal fitting having a pair of barrels raised from the side edge of the bottom plate portion is placed on the anvil, and the core wire is attached to the bottom plate portion. Address. When the crimper arranged above the terminal fitting is lowered, the barrel portion is gradually deformed so as to wrap the core wire, and the tip of the barrel portion is pressed into the core wire so that the core wire is crushed. .
JP 2007-12341 A

By the way, since the core wire of an electric wire is a conductive metal, an oxide film is easily formed around the core wire. In particular, when aluminum or an aluminum alloy is used for the core wire, an oxide film is easily formed. Therefore, when the wire barrel and the core wire are crimped (crimped), the core wire is rubbed against the wire barrel to break the oxide film.
From this point of view, it is desirable to crimp the wire barrel and the core wire with a strong force from the viewpoint of breaking the oxide film.

However, when the wire barrel and the core wire are crimped with a strong force, the core wire is crushed and a strong force is applied to the bottom plate portion below the core wire. At this time, the bottom plate portion is crushed and stretched in the axial direction of the core wire, whereby the entire terminal fitting is stretched.
When such extension of the terminal fitting occurs, the overall length becomes longer than the design dimension by an unexpected amount, causing interference with other parts, and causing problems such as difficulty in dimensional management during manufacturing. Let
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and has a terminal fitting and a terminal fitting capable of suppressing the elongation of the terminal fitting during crimping while ensuring a good electrical connection state. The purpose is to provide electric wires.

  A terminal fitting according to the present invention includes a terminal main body having an electric wire insertion space into which an electric wire having a single core wire can be inserted, and is placed in the electric wire insertion space of the terminal main body so as to be electrically connected to the terminal main body. A conductive elastic contact member that can be electrically connected to the single core wire by abutting the cut end surface of the single core wire of the electric wire; and a mechanism for locking the elastic contact member in the electric wire insertion space. And a holding means for holding the electric wire so as to keep a state in which the cut end surface of the single core wire is abutted against the elastic contact member. (Means 1).

In the means 1, the holding means may be constituted by a wire barrel portion formed integrally with a connecting portion extending from the terminal main body and crimped so as to be wound around the single core wire ( Means 2).
If it does in this way, it will become possible to hold | maintain an electric wire reliably so that it may not position-shift compared with the case where it crimps from the insulation coating of an electric wire with an insulation barrel.

In the means 1 or 2, the terminal body may be a cylindrical member having an opening at one end and closed at the other end, and the inside of the cylindrical member may be the wire insertion space. (Means 3).
In this way, since the other end is closed, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering from the other end.

  An electric wire with a terminal fitting according to the present invention includes an electric wire having a single core wire, a terminal main body in which the electric wire is inserted into an electric wire insertion space, and an electric wire that is arranged in the electric wire insertion space of the terminal main body. A conductive elastic contact member that is electrically connected to the single core wire by abutting a cut end surface of the single core wire of the electric wire, and the elastic contact member in the electric wire insertion space. A locking means for locking; and a holding means for holding the electric wire so as to keep a state in which the cut end surface of the single core wire is abutted against the elastic contact member, provided integrally with the terminal main body. (Means 4).

In the means 4, the holding means may be constituted by a wire barrel portion formed integrally with a connecting portion extending from the terminal main body and crimped so as to be wound around the single core wire ( Means 5).
If it does in this way, it will become possible to hold | maintain an electric wire reliably so that it may not position-shift compared with the case where it crimps from the insulation coating of an electric wire with an insulation barrel.

In the means 4 or 5, the terminal body may be a cylindrical member having an opening at one end and closed at the other end, and the inside of the cylindrical member may be the wire insertion space. (Means 6).
In this way, since the other end is closed, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering from the other end.

According to this configuration, the end of the single core wire is pushed into the electric wire insertion space of the terminal main body, and the electric wire is held by the holding means in a state where the cut end surface of the single core wire is strongly abutted against the elastic contact member. Thereby, a strong pressure acts between the cut end face and the elastic contact member, and a good electrical connection state is obtained and maintained. Therefore, since it is not necessary to crimp the electric wire to the terminal fitting with a strong force for the connection of the electric wire, an extension due to a part of the terminal fitting being strongly crushed does not occur, and the extension of the entire terminal fitting is suppressed. Can do.
In particular, if the single core wire is pushed into the electric wire insertion space of the terminal body after the single core wire is cut and before the thick oxide film or hydroxide film is formed on the cut end surface, the single core wire is further reduced between the single core wire and the elastic contact member. Good electrical connection can be maintained.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, the electric wire 10 with a terminal metal fitting of Embodiment 1 which actualized this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electric wire 10 with terminal metal fittings of the present embodiment is formed by connecting a terminal metal fitting 30 to the tip portion of the covered electric wire 20, for example, a battery and an inverter that constitute a power source for traveling in an electric vehicle. The device is routed between devices (not shown) such as a motor. Note that the right side of FIG. 1 is assumed to be the front and the left side is assumed to be the rear.

  The coated electric wire 20 is obtained by coating a single core wire 21 made of aluminum with a resin insulating coating 22 (insulating layer), and the insulating coating 22 is peeled off at the terminal portion to expose the single core wire 21. Yes. The covered electric wire 20 is reduced in weight and cost by using an aluminum single core wire 21 instead of a conventional core wire made of copper alloy. In addition, a single core wire refers to a core wire composed of only one piece, not a plurality of bundles or twisted pieces.

The terminal fitting 30 is made of a copper alloy that can obtain higher strength than that of aluminum, and is electrically connected to the terminal connecting portion 35 connected to the mating terminal and the single core wire 21 as shown in FIG. The terminal main body 31 and the insulation barrel part 41 which hold | maintains the covered electric wire 20 are provided, and these are comprised integrally.
The terminal connecting portion 35 is formed integrally with the terminal body 31 so as to be continuous with the terminal body 31 along the axial direction (the axial direction refers to the axial direction of the covered electric wire 20, that is, the left-right direction in FIG. 1). Electrical connection is achieved by inserting into a rod-like terminal of an electric device such as a terminal from an annular hole 35A (see FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal body 31 is an approximately cylindrical member having an opening 32 having one end (left side) opened and the other end closed. More specifically, it includes a substantially flat bottom plate 48 and a hood-like accommodation portion 49 in which the single core wire 21 is accommodated between the bottom plate 48.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inside of the terminal body 31 is an electric wire insertion space 33 into which the covered electric wire 20 having the single core wire 21 can be inserted. The closed back end of the terminal body 31 serves as a back wall 34 and is blocked from the external space without any gap. The back wall 34 is configured integrally with the terminal body 31, and the surface on the opening 32 side is orthogonal to the axial direction.
Of the terminal main body 31, the inner wall 36 that partitions the electric wire insertion space 33, that is, the inner surfaces of the accommodating portion 49 and the bottom plate 48, protrudes inward at a position slightly closer to the terminal connecting portion 35 than the intermediate portion in the axial direction. A pair of upper and lower portions are formed so that the locking projections 37 face each other.

  The method of forming the locking projection 37 (corresponding to the “locking means” of the present invention) is to apply an impact so as to form a recess 47 on the outer surface of the terminal body 31 from the outside of the cylindrical terminal body 31. A locking projection 37 is projected from the inner wire insertion space 33 side.

In the electric wire insertion space 33, a conductive elastic contact member 50 is accommodated closer to the terminal connection portion 35 than the locking projection 37.
The elastic contact member 50 includes an elastic member 51 that can expand and contract in the axial direction (wire insertion direction) and a contact portion 55 against which the single core wire 21 is abutted.
The elastic member 51 is a conductive member, and various metal (conductive) members such as a leaf spring can be used. In this embodiment, circular (disc-shaped) disc springs 52A to 52D are used. It is used.

  Specifically, a plurality (four) of metal disc springs 52A to 52D are used as the elastic member 51, and these disc springs 52A to 52D alternately change the directions of the adjacent disc springs 52A to 52D. Those that are in contact with each other in the state are used. Thereby, the elastic force can be made into a desired value using a plurality of disk springs 52A to 52D having the same shape.

  The contact portion 55 is a metal plate material having substantially the same cross-sectional shape as the wire insertion space 33, and is disposed between the disc spring 52 </ b> A on the opening 32 side and the locking projection 37. Therefore, the contact portion 55 is locked to the locking projection 37 while being biased toward the opening 32 by the elastic force of the elastic member 51. Further, since the elastic member 51 (the disc spring 52D on the terminal connecting portion 35 side of the elastic member 51) is also urged toward the back wall 34 by the elastic force and is in contact with the back wall 34, the contact portion Electrical connection is also made between 55 and the back wall 34.

The insulation barrel portion 41 (an example of the “holding means” of the present invention) is formed integrally with the terminal main body 31, and is on the opening 32 side (the insertion side of the single core wire 21) of the terminal main body 31. It is arranged at a position continuous with the terminal body 31 along the axial direction.
Specifically, the insulation barrel portion 41 includes a pair of caulking pieces 41A and 41A raised from the left and right side edges of the bottom plate 48 continuous from the terminal body 31, and covers the pair of caulking pieces 41A and 41A. By being bent toward the electric wire 20 side, the covered electric wire 20 is held so as not to be detached or displaced.
When the single core wire 21 is abutted against the contact portion 55, a conductive material such as aluminum solder is applied to the contact portion 55 or the cut end surface 21A of the single core wire 21 and soldered, thereby ensuring electrical connection. A state may be obtained.

Next, the manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal metal fitting is demonstrated.
The covered electric wire 20 covered with the single core wire 21 is cut by a cutting machine (not shown) so that the cut end face 21A is vertical.
Then, the insulation coating is peeled off at the end portion (tip portion) of the covered electric wire 20 to expose the single core wire 21.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the covered electric wire 20 is inserted into the opening 32 (electric wire insertion space 33) of the terminal body 31 from the cut end face 21 </ b> A side of the single core wire 21.
Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the cut end surface 21A of the single core wire 21 is inserted until it abuts against the contact portion 55 made of a metal plate material, the cut end surface 21A is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the covered electric wire 20, and the contact portion 55 Is also perpendicular to the insertion direction of the covered electric wire 20 (the contact portion 55 and the cut end surface 21A are parallel), and therefore the cut end surface 21A of the single core wire 21 and the contact portion 55 are in close contact with each other with almost no gap.

Further, the covered electric wire 20 is inserted to a predetermined position shown in FIG. At this time, the exposed single core wire 21 is accommodated in the electric wire insertion space 33 and is hidden from the outside by the accommodating portion 49 and the bottom plate portion 48 so as not to be touched.
Then, the caulking pieces 41A and 41A are caulked from above the covered electric wire 20. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, the covered electric wire 20 is fixed, and manufacture of the electric wire 10 with a terminal metal fitting is complete | finished.
The process from the cutting of the single core wire 21 to the contact of the cut end surface 21A with the contact portion 55 is preferably performed after the single core wire 21 is cut and before the thick oxide film or hydroxide film is formed on the cut end 21A surface. . By doing so, a better electrical connection state can be maintained between the single core wire 21 and the elastic contact member 50.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The end of the single core wire 21 is pushed into the electric wire insertion space 33 of the terminal main body 31, and the covered electric wire 20 is held by the crimping pieces 41A and 41A (holding means) in a state where the cut end surface 21A of the single core wire 21 is strongly abutted against the elastic member 51. Hold. Thereby, a strong pressure acts between the cut end face 21A and the elastic member 51 to obtain a good electrical connection state, which is maintained. Therefore, since it is not necessary to crimp the coated electric wire 20 to the terminal fitting with a strong force for the connection of the coated electric wire 20, there is no extension due to the portion of the terminal fitting being strongly crushed, and the entire terminal fitting is extended. Can be suppressed.

  Moreover, since the other end side (terminal connection part 35 side) is obstruct | occluded, the terminal main body 31 can prevent a foreign material from entering from the other end side.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, the electric wire 110 with a terminal metal fitting of Embodiment 2 of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the structure same as Embodiment 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.
In the electric wire 10 with terminal fittings of the first embodiment, the covered electric wire 20 is held by the pair of caulking pieces 41A and 41A so as not to be displaced, but in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. The caulking pieces 41A and 41A are not provided, and the single core wire 21 is caulked by the wire barrel portion 70 formed integrally with the terminal body 131, and the covered electric wire 20 is held so as not to be displaced. .

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the terminal fitting 130 is a so-called closed barrel type having a cylindrical wire barrel portion 70, a core wire connection portion 80 to which the single core wire 21 of the covered electric wire 20 is connected, a battery An annular terminal connecting portion 35 attached to an electric device such as the above is integrally formed, and is made of a copper alloy that can obtain higher strength than aluminum.

  The core wire connecting portion 80 has a cylindrical shape having an opening 132 whose one end (left end side in FIG. 1) is open, and the other end side is a closed cylindrical body.

The core wire connection portion 80 includes a terminal body 131 that is electrically connected to the cut end surface 21A of the single core wire 21, a wire barrel portion 70 (an example of the “holding means” of the present invention) that crimps the single core wire 21, and a terminal. The connecting portion 81 extends from the main body 131 and connects the terminal main body 131 and the wire barrel portion 70. The terminal main body 131, the wire barrel portion 70, and the connecting portion 81 are integrally formed, and the terminal main body 131, the wire barrel portion 70, and the connecting portion 81 are all constituted by a cylindrical body whose one end is closed. ing.
In addition, in Embodiment 2, since the wire barrel part 70 which is a part of cylindrical shape is crimped, the cylindrical part is a little longer in the axial direction than Embodiment 1 which is not crimped in a cylindrical part. Therefore, the wire insertion space 133 of the second embodiment is also longer than the wire insertion space 33 of the first embodiment.

Next, the manufacturing method of the electric wire with a terminal metal fitting is demonstrated.
The covered electric wire 20 having the single core wire 21 is cut by a cutting machine (not shown) so that the cut end face 21A is vertical.
Then, the insulation coating is stripped off at the terminal portion of the covered electric wire 20 to expose the single core wire 21.
Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the single core wire 21 exposed at the terminal portion is inserted into the opening 132 (the electric wire insertion space 133).

Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the cut end face 21 </ b> A of the single core wire 21 is abutted against the contact portion 55 made of a metal plate material. At this time, the cut end surface 21A is perpendicular to the insertion direction of the covered electric wire 20, and the metal plate material constituting the contact portion 55 is also perpendicular to the insertion direction of the covered electric wire 20 (the contact portion 55 and the cut end surface 21A are parallel). The cut end face 21A of the single core wire 21 and the contact portion 55 are in close contact with each other with almost no gap.
Further, the covered electric wire 20 is inserted to a predetermined position shown in FIG.

Next, the wire barrel part 70 is crimped by a crimping machine.
Various methods can be used as the crimping method. In this embodiment, as an example, a crimping method in which the cross-sectional shape of the wire barrel part 70 is a hexagon is used.

  Specifically, in a state where the covered electric wire 20 is inserted to a predetermined position (the position shown in FIG. 12), as shown in FIG. 13, the cylindrical portions where the wire barrel portion 70 is located are placed on the molds 91 and 92 of the crimping machine. Insert with.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the sandwiched and compressed portion (crimped portion) has a cylindrical portion that is compressed and deformed into a hexagon, and the single core wire 21 inside thereof is also deformed of the terminal body 131. Accordingly, the wire barrel portion 70 and the single-core wire 21 are crimped and connected to each other by compression.
Thereby, the covered electric wire 20 is fixed and the manufacture of the electric wire 10 with terminal fitting is completed.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the wire barrel portion 70 (holding means) is integrally formed with the connecting portion 81 extending from the terminal body 131 and is crimped so as to be wound around the single core wire 21. The
Here, when caulking from above the insulating coating 22 of the covered electric wire 20 not by the wire barrel portion 70 but by the insulation barrel portion 41, it is not firmly fixed to caulk from above the soft insulating coating 22. There is a concern that the electric wire 20 may be displaced. However, according to this embodiment, since the wire barrel part 70 is crimped | bonded, it becomes possible to hold | maintain the covered electric wire 20 reliably so that it may not position-shift.

In general, when the core wire 21 is caulked by the wire barrel portion, it is necessary to caulk with a strong pressure in order to break a hard oxide film as an insulating film formed around the core wire 21. However, when caulking with a strong pressure, the bottom plate and the barrel portion are also strongly compressed and crushed to cause elongation in the axial direction of the core wire. When such extension of the terminal fitting occurs, the overall length becomes longer than the design dimension by an unexpected amount, causing interference with other parts, and causing problems such as difficulty in dimensional management during manufacturing. Let
On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the cut end surface 21A of the single core wire 21 is abutted against the elastic contact member 50 to achieve electrical connection. Therefore, when the core wire 21 is caulked by the wire barrel portion, the oxide film is broken. There is no need. Therefore, it is sufficient to caulk with a weak pressure as compared with such a case, and the bottom plate or the like is not crushed.
<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the covered electric wire 20 is held by the wire barrel portion 70 or the insulation barrel portion 41. However, as shown in FIG. It is good also as a structure which hold | maintains the covered electric wire 20 by both of the adjustment barrel part 41. FIG.

  (2) Although the single core wire 21 is made of aluminum, a single core wire made of an aluminum alloy or other types may be used.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the portion of the terminal body 31 where the accommodating portion 49 is connected to the terminal connecting portion 35 is an inclined portion 49A, and this inclined portion 49A (see FIG. 1) The elastic member 51 is positioned on the right side through the wall 34. However, as shown in FIG. 16, the back wall 34 inside the terminal body 31 is eliminated, and the inclined portion 49A is not inclined so that the bottom plate portion 48 is provided. Alternatively, a wall portion 49B orthogonal to (and the terminal connection portion 35) may be formed, and the wall portion 49B may directly position the elastic member 51.

Side sectional view of the electric wire with terminal fitting according to Embodiment 1 Side view of terminal fitting Top view of terminal fitting Figure of inserting a single core wire of a covered wire into a terminal fitting A figure where the cut end face of a single core wire is in contact with the contact part Figure with single core wire inserted to the specified position Side sectional view of the electric wire with terminal fitting according to the second embodiment Side view of terminal fitting Top view of terminal fitting Figure of inserting a single core wire of a covered wire into a terminal fitting A figure where the cut end face of a single core wire is in contact with the contact part Figure with single core wire inserted to the specified position The figure before hexagonal crimping of the wire barrel Figure of wire barrel with hexagonal crimp Side sectional view of an electric wire with terminal fittings of another embodiment Side sectional view of an electric wire with terminal fittings of another embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,110,210 ... Electric wire with terminal metal fitting 20 ... Covered electric wire 21 ... Single core wire 22 ... Insulation coating 30,130 ... Terminal metal fitting 31 ... Terminal body 33 ... Electric wire insertion space 37 ... Locking convex part (locking means)
41. Insulation barrel part (holding means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 ... Elastic contact member 51 ... Elastic member 52A-52D ... Belleville spring 55 ... Contact part 70 ... Wire barrel part (holding means)

Claims (6)

A terminal body having a wire insertion space into which an electric wire having a single core wire can be inserted;
It is arranged in the electric wire insertion space of the terminal main body and is in an electrically connected state with the terminal main body, and can be electrically connected to the single core wire by abutting the cut end surface of the single core wire of the electric wire. A conductive elastic contact member;
Locking means for locking the elastic contact member in the wire insertion space;
A terminal fitting comprising: holding means that is provided integrally with the terminal main body and holds the electric wire so as to maintain a state in which a cut end surface of the single core wire is abutted against the elastic contact member. The said holding | maintenance means is comprised by the wire barrel part integrally formed in the connection part extended from the said terminal main body, and crimped | bonded so that it may wind around the said single core wire. Terminal fitting. The terminal body is a cylindrical member having an opening at one end and closed at the other end side, and the inside of the cylindrical member is the wire insertion space. The terminal fitting described. An electric wire having a single core wire;
A terminal body in which the electric wire is inserted into the electric wire insertion space;
It is arranged in the electric wire insertion space of the terminal body and is in an electrically connected state with the terminal body, and can be electrically connected to the single core wire by abutting the cut end surface of the single core wire of the electric wire. A conductive elastic contact member;
Locking means for locking the elastic contact member in the wire insertion space;
An electric wire with a terminal fitting, comprising: a holding unit that is provided integrally with the terminal main body and holds the electric wire so that a cut end surface of the single core wire is abutted against the elastic contact member. . The said holding | maintenance means is comprised by the wire barrel part integrally formed in the connection part extended from the said terminal main body, and crimped | bonded so that it may wind around the said single core wire. Electric wire with terminal fittings. 6. The terminal main body is a cylindrical member having an opening at one end and closed at the other end side, and the inside of the cylindrical member is the wire insertion space. Electric wire with terminal fitting as described.

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