JP2004006070A - Female terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent electrolytic corrosion of an aluminum electric wire, even when connected with the electric wire. <P>SOLUTION: In this female terminal provided with a terminal main body 1 having an electric wire connecting part 3 for connecting an electric wire, and a pressure contact part 4 for bringing a mating male terminal into pressure contact to be connected, and a contact member 2 attached to the pressure contact part 4 to be brought into pressure contact with the male terminal, the terminal main body 1 is plated with a Ni undercoat on an aluminum material and plated with Sn thereon, and the contact member 2 comprises a stainless steel material. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a female terminal attached to an electric wire terminal, and more particularly to a female terminal connected to an aluminum electric wire.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The female terminal attached to the electric wire end is composed of, for example, a terminal body 1 shown in FIG. 1A and a contact member 2 shown in FIG. 1B. The terminal body 1 is composed of an electric wire connecting portion 3 for crimping and connecting an electric wire, and a press contact portion 4 for pressing and connecting a mating tab-shaped male terminal, and the contact member 2 is a rectangular cylinder of the press contact portion 4. It is attached to the shape part 5. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the contact member 2 is attached to the rectangular tubular portion 5 and the electric wire 6 is crimp-connected to the electric wire connection portion 3.
Conventionally, a female terminal is formed of a copper-based material, and is connected to a copper electric wire and a copper-based male terminal.
[0003]
Recently, in order to reduce the weight of automobiles, it has been studied to change the material of electric wires used for automobiles from copper to aluminum.
In this case, when an aluminum electric wire or an aluminum tab-shaped male terminal is connected to a female terminal made of a copper-based material, a potential difference occurs at the connection portion due to a unipolar potential difference due to the difference in the material. When a water drop or the like containing an electrolyte adheres to the connection portion due to this potential difference, a corrosion current flows and an electrolytic corrosion phenomenon occurs, and the aluminum electric wire and the aluminum tab-shaped male terminal are corroded.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
It is preferable that the female terminal to be connected to the aluminum electric wire is made of an aluminum-based material, since the electrolytic corrosion phenomenon does not occur. However, aluminum-based materials, which have mechanical strength and spring properties similar to copper alloys used for terminals, tend to have low elongation and poor press workability, and conversely, those having large elongation tend to have low spring properties. is there. Therefore, if the terminal body 1 that requires bending is made of a material having a spring property suitable for the contact member 2, there is a possibility that cracks may occur in the press bending of the terminal body 1. If the contact member 2 is made of a material having a suitable elongation, there is a problem that the contact member 2 cannot obtain sufficient spring properties.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and the invention according to claim 1 has a terminal body having an electric wire connecting portion for connecting an electric wire, and a press contact portion for pressing and connecting a mating male terminal. And a contact member attached to the press-contact portion and press-contacting the male terminal.
[0006]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the female terminal is configured by attaching the contact member to the terminal main body, the terminal main body is formed of a material having elongation and good press workability. Can be made of a material having a spring property.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the female terminal according to the first aspect, the electric wire connecting portion has a structure for crimping and connecting the electric wire, and the press contact portion is bent so as to have a spring property. A cylindrical portion accommodating the contact member provided therein, and a mating male terminal is pressed between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion and the contact member.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the female terminal according to the first aspect, the electric wire connecting portion has a press contact slot for press-fitting and press-fitting the electric wire, and the press contact portion has a leaf spring shape. It has a cylindrical portion with a processed contact member attached inside, and the opposite male terminal is pressed against the inner surface of the cylindrical portion and the contact member.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the female terminal according to the third aspect, the tubular portion is partially cut and raised on a side opposite to a surface of the contact member that presses the mating male terminal, An auxiliary spring for increasing a pressure for pressing the mating male terminal of the contact member against the other terminal is provided.
[0010]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the female terminal according to the first or second aspect, the terminal main body is formed by plating an aluminum-based material with a Ni base plating and a Sn plating thereon. The member is made of a stainless steel material.
[0011]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the terminal body is made of an aluminum-based material (including aluminum and an aluminum alloy). There is no galvanic corrosion on the wires.
In addition, since the contact member is made of a stainless steel material having spring properties and corrosion resistance, it can be electrically connected to the mating male terminal with a sufficient surface pressure. Since the contact member made of stainless steel has substantially the same monopolar potential as the Ni-plated terminal body and the Ni-plated layer of the male terminal on the other side to be pressed against, there is no danger of electrolytic corrosion. Further, since the terminal body is plated with Sn, the contact resistance between the contact member and the terminal body can be reduced.
[0012]
In the invention according to claim 5, as in claim 6, the thickness of the Ni base plating is 3 μm or more, the thickness of the Sn plating is 2 μm or more, and the total thickness of the Ni base plating and the Sn plating is 6 μm. This is preferable because pinholes in the plating layer can be prevented.
[0013]
Further, in the invention according to claim 5 or 6, when the contact member is also provided with a Ni base plating and Sn plating thereon, the electric corrosion resistance of the contact member is further increased, and the contact resistance is further increased. Can be reduced.
Further, in the invention according to claim 7, as in claim 8, the contact member also has a Ni underplate plating thickness of 3 μm or more, a Sn plating thickness of 2 μm or more, and the Ni underplating and the Sn plating. It is preferable that the combined thickness be 6 μm or more, since pinholes in the plating layer can be prevented.
[0014]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the female terminal according to the first, third, or fourth aspect, the terminal body is made of a relatively ductile aluminum-based material, and the contact member is made of a relatively ductile material. It is characterized by being made of an aluminum-based material having spring properties.
[0015]
When the terminal body is made of a relatively ductile aluminum material and the contact member is made of a relatively springy aluminum material, the terminal body is bent without cracks. In addition to being able to be processed, the contact member can have a spring property, and even if an aluminum electric wire, which is a material of the same system, is connected, there is no possibility that the aluminum electric wire will be corroded.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
(Embodiment 1)
FIGS. 1A and 1B are a perspective view of a terminal main body and a perspective view of a contact member constituting a first embodiment of a female terminal according to the present invention, respectively.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1A, the terminal body 1 has a wire connecting portion 3 for connecting a wire to one side and a press contact portion 4 for pressing and connecting a mating male terminal to the other side.
The wire connecting portion 3 crimps the wire by crimping the crimp arm 3a. The press-contact portion 4 includes a rectangular tubular portion 5 that accommodates a contact member having a spring property. On both side surfaces of the rectangular cylindrical portion 5, there are provided stop holes 5a for locking the contact members. In addition, two beads 5b are provided in parallel on the bottom surface of the rectangular tubular portion 5 to increase the contact pressure with the inserted male terminal.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1B, the contact member 2 housed and attached to the rectangular tubular portion 5 of the terminal main body 1 is formed by bending a plate material into a U-shape and bending the plate material inside to have a spring property. Tongue piece 2a, and the tongue piece 2a establishes electrical connection with a male terminal. In addition, the contact member 2 has a locking claw 2b on the opposite side surface for locking in the stop hole 5a of the terminal body 1.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the contact member 2 is attached to the press contact portion 4 of the terminal main body 1 and the aluminum electric wire 6 is crimp-connected to the electric wire connection portion 3. The contact member 2 is attached such that the locking claw 2b is locked in the stopper hole 5a, and the tongue piece 2a contacts the bead 5b of the rectangular tubular portion 5. The aluminum electric wire 6 is crimped to the electric wire connection part 3 by caulking the crimp arm 3 a of the electric wire connection part 3.
Here, the aluminum electric wire 6 is made of pure aluminum from the viewpoint of electric characteristics as usual.
[0021]
FIGS. 3A and 3B are a front view and a sectional view, respectively, showing a state in which the tab-shaped male terminal 7 is pressed against the press-contact portion 4 of the terminal body 1 to which the contact member 2 is attached. The male terminal 7 is inserted between the tongue piece 2a of the contact member 2 and the bead 5b of the rectangular tubular portion 5 and is pressed against it. Here, the male terminals 7 are obtained by subjecting an aluminum material to Ni base plating and Sn plating.
[0022]
The shapes of the terminal body 1 and the contact member 2 described above are the same as those in the related art. The feature of the present embodiment that differs from the prior art is the material forming the terminal body 1 and the contact member 2.
[0023]
That is, the material of the terminal body 1 is such that an aluminum-based material, which is a material of the same system as the aluminum electric wire 6 to be connected, is subjected to Ni base plating and Sn plating thereon.
Here, as the aluminum-based material of the terminal main body 1, an aluminum alloy such as JIS alloy number 5000 is preferable from the viewpoint of heat resistance and mechanical strength, but is not limited to the above-mentioned aluminum alloy.
[0024]
The material of the contact member 2 is a stainless steel material having spring properties and corrosion resistance, and a Ni base plating and a Sn plating thereon.
Here, stainless steel of JIS symbol SUS304 was used, but it is not limited to this.
[0025]
According to the present embodiment, by forming terminal body 1 from an aluminum-based material, electrolytic corrosion of connected aluminum electric wire 6 can be prevented. In addition, since the Ni base plating and the Sn plating are performed thereon, the contact resistance can be reduced. Further, when the thickness of the Ni base plating is 3 μm or more, and the thickness of the Sn plating thereon is 2 μm or more, and the total plating thickness is 6 μm or more, pinholes can be prevented. preferable.
[0026]
In addition, since the contact member 2 is made of stainless steel, the contact member 2 has resiliency and can be electrically connected to the male terminal 7 with sufficient surface pressure. The monopolar potential is substantially the same as that of the Ni plating layer on No. 7, and there is no fear of electrolytic corrosion.
Further, similarly to the terminal body 1, the surface of the contact member 2 made of stainless steel is plated with Ni underlayer and then plated with Sn, so that the reliability against electrolytic corrosion is further improved and the contact resistance is reduced. In addition, the thickness of the Ni base plating is set to 3 μm or more, and the thickness of Sn plating thereon is set to 2 μm or more, and the total plating thickness is set to 6 μm or more. Holes can be prevented.
[0027]
(Embodiment 2)
4A, 4B, and 4C are a rear view, a cross-sectional view, and a front view, respectively, of the female terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0028]
The press contact portion 4 of the present embodiment is obtained by attaching the contact member 2 formed into a leaf spring shape to the inside of a rectangular cylindrical portion 5 formed by folding at a substantially right angle. The contact member 2 is attached to the bottom of the rectangular tubular portion 5 with a rivet 8 so that the contact portion 2c is positioned inside the rectangular tubular portion 5. In this case, the contact member 2 may be joined to the rectangular tubular portion 5 by welding instead of the rivet 8. In the press contact portion 4, the mating male terminal is press connected between the contact portion 2 c of the contact member 2 and the bead 9 on the upper surface of the rectangular tubular portion 5.
The wire connecting portion 3 has a U-shaped bent shape, and is provided with two press-contact slots 10 for press-fitting and pressing an aluminum wire from above into the inside thereof.
Note that the connection between the electric wire connection portion 3 and the electric wire is not limited to the pressure welding or the crimping used in the present embodiment, but may be a method such as welding (resistance welding, ultrasonic welding, or the like).
[0029]
The feature of the present embodiment that differs from the prior art is the material forming the terminal body 1 and the contact member 2.
That is, the material of the terminal body 1 is made of an aluminum alloy (JIS alloy number 5182-H14) having a thickness of 0.25 mm, having ductility, and having excellent workability and corrosion resistance. The material of the contact member 2 is 0.64 mm in thickness, and is made of a high-strength aluminum alloy (JIS alloy 2014-T6) which is less ductile than the material of the terminal body 1 but has spring properties.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the terminal body 1 and the contact member 2 are both made of an aluminum-based material, but the properties of the aluminum-based materials to be used are selectively used.
[0030]
According to the present embodiment, terminal body 1 can be formed by press bending without causing cracks, and contact member 2 having spring properties can be formed. Thus, it was possible to prevent corrosion of the aluminum electric wire.
[0031]
The combination of the material of the terminal body 1 and the material of the contact member 2 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as the aluminum-based material of the terminal body 1, JIS alloy numbers 5000 and 6000 can be used, and as the aluminum-based material of the contact member 2, JIS alloy numbers 2000, 5000, and 7000 can be used. Can be used.
[0032]
(Embodiment 3)
FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are a rear view, a cross-sectional view, and a front view, respectively, of the female terminal according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0033]
The present embodiment is different from the second embodiment in the structure of the press contact portion 4. That is, the bottom portion of the rectangular cylindrical portion 5 below the contact member 2 is cut and raised, and is bent along the contact portion 2c to provide the auxiliary spring 5c. The present embodiment is otherwise the same as the second embodiment.
In the present embodiment, by providing the auxiliary spring 5c as described above, when the male terminal is inserted and the contact portion 2c of the contact member 2 is lowered, the auxiliary spring 5c supports the contact portion 2c, and The pressure at which the second male terminal is pressed can be increased.
[0034]
The shape of the female terminal of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b) and 6 (c), the contact member 2 is arranged such that the contact portion 2c is positioned inside the rectangular tubular portion 5 so that the electric wire connection portion of the terminal body 1 is formed. The rivet 8 may be attached to the third side for attachment. Furthermore, the wire connection portion 3 may be provided with two press-contact slots 10 for raising the terminal body 1 and the end portions 1a and 2d of the contact member 2 at right angles, and press-fitting the aluminum wire therefrom by press-fitting from above. Good.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even when an aluminum electric wire is connected, there is an excellent effect that electrolytic corrosion of the aluminum electric wire can be prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIGS. 1A and 1B are a perspective view of a terminal main body and a perspective view of a contact member constituting a first embodiment of a female terminal according to the present invention, respectively.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where an aluminum electric wire is connected to the female terminal.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are a front view and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA, respectively, showing a state in which a male terminal is pressed against the female terminal.
FIGS. 4 (a), (b), and (c) are a rear view, a cross-sectional view, and a front view, respectively, of a female terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 5 (a), (b), and (c) are a rear view, a cross-sectional view, and a front view, respectively, of a female terminal according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are a rear view, a cross-sectional view, and a front view, respectively, of still another embodiment of the female terminal according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal main body 1a, 2d End part 2 Contact member 2a Tongue piece 2b Locking claw 2c Contact part 3 Wire connection part 3a Crimp arm 4 Press-contact part 5 Rectangular cylindrical part 5a Stop hole 5b, 9 Bead 5c Auxiliary spring 6 Electric wire 7 Male Terminal 8 Rivet 10 Press-fit slot

Claims (9)

A terminal body having an electric wire connection portion for connecting an electric wire, a press contact portion for press-contacting and connecting the mating male terminal, and a contact member attached to the press contact portion and press-contacting the male terminal. Female terminal. The electric wire connection portion has a structure for crimping and connecting an electric wire, and the press contact portion has a cylindrical portion containing a contact member bent to have spring properties, and the mating male terminal is formed in the cylindrical shape. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the female terminal is pressed between an inner surface of the portion and the contact member. The wire connection portion has a press-contact slot for press-fitting and press-fitting an electric wire, the press-contact portion has a tubular portion having a contact member processed into a leaf spring shape mounted therein, and a mating male terminal. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the female terminal is pressed against an inner surface of the cylindrical portion and the contact member. On the opposite side of the surface of the contact member that presses the mating male terminal, an auxiliary spring that partially cuts and raises the cylindrical portion to increase the pressure that presses the mating male terminal of the contact member is provided. The female terminal according to claim 3, wherein The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the terminal body is formed by plating an aluminum-based material with a Ni base plating and Sn plating thereon, and the contact member is made of a stainless steel material. The Ni base plating thickness is 3 μm or more, the Sn plating thickness is 2 μm or more, and a total thickness of the Ni under plating and the Sn plating is 6 μm or more. Female terminal. 7. The female terminal according to claim 5, wherein the contact member is formed by plating a stainless steel material with a Ni base plating and Sn plating thereon. The Ni undercoat thickness of the stainless steel material is 3 μm or more, the Sn plating thickness is 2 μm or more, and the combined thickness of the Ni underplating and the Sn plating is 6 μm or more. Female terminal as described. 5. The female mold according to claim 1, wherein the terminal body is made of a relatively ductile aluminum material, and the contact member is made of a relatively springy aluminum material. 6. Terminal.

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