JP7509518B2 - Electric wire with terminal and manufacturing device for electric wire with terminal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electric wire with terminal and a manufacturing device for the electric wire with terminal.

In recent years, for example, wire harnesses installed in vehicles may use terminal-attached electric wires in which terminal fittings made of copper or copper alloy are attached to electric wires having conductor cores made of aluminum or aluminum alloys (hereinafter referred to as "aluminum electric wires") in order to reduce weight. In this type of terminal-attached electric wire, water adhering between the core wire of the electric wire, which is made of dissimilar metals, and the terminal fittings becomes an electrolyte, which may cause galvanic corrosion (galvanic corrosion). As is well known, galvanic corrosion occurs due to differences in standard electrode potentials between dissimilar metals.

In one conventional terminal-attached electric wire using an aluminum electric wire, a waterproof seal member is provided on the barrel portion of the terminal fitting, isolating the entire conductor core wire crimped to the barrel portion from the outside. This suppresses galvanic corrosion of the conductor core wire, and makes it possible to maintain the reliability of the electrical connection between the terminal fitting and the conductor core wire for a long period of time (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-092836 A

However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional electric wire with terminal, when actually mass-producing electric wire with terminal, it is necessary to align the sealing member on the barrel portion of each terminal fitting so that there is no misalignment, and it is considered difficult to improve the productivity of the electric wire with terminal. In addition, the manufacturing cost of the electric wire with terminal is considered to increase by the amount of the sealing member required. Thus, although the conventional electric wire with terminal can maintain the reliability of the electrical connection, there is still room for further improvement in actual production.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an electric wire with terminals that can reduce manufacturing costs and achieve both high productivity and maintaining the reliability of the electrical connection, and a manufacturing device for such an electric wire with terminals.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electric wire with terminal and a manufacturing apparatus for an electric wire with terminal according to the present invention are characterized by the following [1] to [ 2 ].
[1]
A terminal-attached electric wire comprising an electric wire and a terminal metal fitting attached to the electric wire,
The terminal fitting is
a first barrel portion that is crimped to a conductor core wire exposed from the electric wire, a second barrel portion that is crimped to a coating of the electric wire at a base end side of the first barrel portion, and a contact portion that is connected to a mating terminal at a tip end side of the first barrel portion,
The first barrel portion is
the pair of crimping pieces extend continuously from both sides of the placing piece from a base end to a tip end of the first barrel portion, a tapered notch is provided at a base end of each of the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces, and the pair of crimping pieces are crimped to the conductor core wire such that the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces are butted against each other in a state in which the pair of crimping pieces are curved to surround the conductor core wire while bringing inner surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces into contact with the conductor core wire,
at the base end of the first barrel portion, the coating and the conductor core wire are crimped together, and the pair of tapered cutout portions are arranged in parallel to form a V-shaped cutout, the coating is exposed from the V-shaped cutout, and the conductor core wire is covered by the coating between the first barrel portion and the second barrel portion and isolated from the outside,
an opening at the tip end of the first barrel portion is defined by the placement portion at the tip end of the first barrel portion and the pair of tightening pieces at the tip end of the first barrel portion,
the pair of crimping pieces of the tip side end of the first barrel portion are curved so as to be crushed toward the mounting portion of the tip side end of the first barrel portion, so that an opening area of the tip side end of the first barrel portion is smaller than an opening area of the base side end, and a terminal of the conductor core wire is located closer to the base side than a terminal end of the tip side end ,
an extension length of each of the pair of tightening pieces from the placement portion is constant from the base end portion to the tip end portion of the first barrel portion except for the tapered notch portion,
The tip end of the first barrel portion is
an outer surface of each of the extending ends of the pair of clamping pieces abuts against the mounting portion, and outer surfaces of the pair of clamping pieces that are closer to the base than the extending ends abut against each other, and an end surface of each of the extending ends of the pair of clamping pieces faces outward in a width direction of the terminal fitting, and the pair of clamping pieces have a shape that is crushed toward the mounting portion.
The wire must have a terminal.
［ 2 ］
The manufacturing apparatus for an electric wire with terminal according to the above [1],
The manufacturing device is
a crimping die for crimping a pair of crimping pieces extending from the first barrel portion to the conductor core wire placed on the placement portion of the first barrel portion,
The crimping die is
a working surface for crimping the pair of crimping pieces while bending the pair of crimping pieces so as to surround the conductor core wire while bringing inner surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces into contact with the conductor core wire,
The work surface is
a surface shape that is inclined at a location corresponding to a tip end of the first barrel portion such that an opening area of the tip end is smaller than an opening area of a base end of the first barrel portion;
It is a manufacturing device for electric wires with terminals.

According to the electric wire with terminal of the configuration of [1] above, the first barrel portion is crimped so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core of the electric wire, and the second barrel portion crimps the coating of the electric wire. Furthermore, at the base end of the first barrel portion, the coating and the conductor core are crimped together with the coating of the electric wire inserted into the base end. As a result, between the first barrel portion and the second barrel portion, the conductor core is covered by the coating without being exposed to the outside. Furthermore, the coating, which is generally made of resin, deforms so as to seal the gap between the base end of the first barrel portion and the conductor core. In addition, the opening area of the tip end of the first barrel portion is smaller than the opening area of the base end, and the conductor core is located on the base end side of the end of the tip end. As a result, the conductor core can be prevented from being wetted through the tip end compared to when the opening area of the tip end and the opening area of the base end are the same. Therefore, even if the terminal fitting and the conductor core wire are made of different metals, the occurrence of galvanic corrosion can be suppressed at both the base end and the tip end of the first barrel portion, and between the first barrel portion and the second barrel portion. As a result, the function as a terminal-attached electric wire is maintained (life is extended) for a long period of time.

In this way, the electric wire with terminal of this configuration has practical water-stopping properties even without the provision of a water-stopping seal member as in conventional electric wires with terminals. Therefore, the electric wire with terminal of this configuration can reduce manufacturing costs and can achieve both high productivity and maintaining the reliability of the electrical connection.

According to the electric wire with terminal having the configuration of [2] above, at the tip end of the first barrel portion, the outer surface of each of the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces abuts against the mounting portion, and the outer surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces that are closer to the base than the extending ends abut against each other, and the pair of crimping pieces are in a state of being crushed toward the mounting portion. By having the tip end portion have such a shape, the opening area of the tip end portion can be reduced to a sufficient degree from the viewpoint of watertightness. In addition, since a separate sealing member is not required, such a tip end portion can be formed all at once when the first barrel portion is crimped to the conductor core wire. Therefore, the watertightness of the electric wire with terminal can be further improved without impairing the productivity of the electric wire with terminal.

According to the manufacturing device for electric wires with terminals having the configuration of [3] above, the surface shape of the working surface of the crimping die (e.g., crimper) is inclined at a location corresponding to the tip end of the first barrel section so that the opening area of the tip end is smaller than the opening area of the base end of the first barrel section. This allows the tip end to be properly watertight compared to when the opening area of the tip end and the opening area of the base end are the same, and the function of the electric wire with terminals can be maintained (extended) for a long period of time. Therefore, by using the manufacturing device for electric wires with terminals having this configuration, it is possible to manufacture electric wires with terminals having practical watertightness without providing a sealing member for watertightness as in conventional electric wires with terminals. Therefore, the manufacturing device of this configuration can reduce the manufacturing cost of electric wires with terminals, and can achieve both high productivity and maintaining the reliability of electrical connection.

When the manufacturing device of this configuration is actually used, for example, if the coating and the conductor core are crimped together at the base end of the first barrel section with the coating inserted into the base end, the conductor core is covered by the coating between the first barrel section and the second barrel section without being exposed to the outside. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of galvanic corrosion at both the base end and the tip end of the first barrel section, and also between the first barrel section and the second barrel section.

In this way, the present invention can provide an electric wire with terminals that can reduce manufacturing costs and achieve both high productivity and maintaining the reliability of the electrical connection, as well as a manufacturing device for such an electric wire with terminals.

The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an electric wire with a terminal 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. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state before a terminal fitting is crimped to an electric wire. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which an electric wire with a terminal is placed on an anvil located below the crimper. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of FIG. 5, FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of FIG. 6(a), FIG. 6(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F of FIG. 6(a), and FIG. 6(d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G of FIG. 6(a).

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a terminal-attached electric wire 1 in which a terminal fitting 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to an electric wire 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. For ease of description, in the axial direction (fitting direction) of the terminal fitting 20, the side where a mating terminal (not shown) is fitted (the left side in Figs. 1, 2 and 3) is referred to as the tip side (front side), and the opposite side (the right side in Figs. 1, 2 and 3) is referred to as the base side (rear side). Also, the upper side and the lower side in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are referred to as the upper side and the lower side, respectively.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a terminal fitting 20 is crimped to the end of an electric wire 10, and the terminal fitting 20 and the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 are electrically connected. The electric wire 10 and the terminal fitting 20 constitute an electric wire with terminal 1. The electric wire with terminal 1 constitutes a wire harness that is arranged in a vehicle such as an automobile.

The electric wire 10 is an insulated electric wire having a conductor core 11 and a resin coating 12 that covers the conductor core 11. The conductor core 11 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and is formed by twisting together a number of strands. By making the conductor core 11 of the electric wire 10 out of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the weight of the electric wire with terminal 1 is reduced, and the weight of the wire harness that includes the electric wire with terminal 1 is also reduced. The lightweight electric wire with terminal 1 is particularly suitable for use in vehicles in which wire harnesses are used frequently, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.

The terminal fitting 20 has a contact portion 31 at its tip end to be connected to a mating terminal (not shown), a first barrel portion 41 at its base end to be crimped to the conductor core 11 exposed from the end of the electric wire 10, and a second barrel portion 42 at its base end to be crimped to the coating 12 at the end of the electric wire. The contact portion 31 and the first barrel portion 41 are connected to each other by a first connecting portion 35, and the first barrel portion 41 and the second barrel portion 42 are connected to each other by a second connecting portion 36.

The terminal fitting 20 is formed by performing press processing (punching and bending) on a metal plate (plate-shaped body). In this example, the terminal fitting 20 is formed from a metal material different from the conductor core wire 11, which is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Specifically, the terminal fitting 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 fitting 20 do not necessarily need to be made of different metals and may be made of the same metal material.

After the above-mentioned press processing, the terminal fitting 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 fitting 20 is plated with tin (Sn) before crimping to the electric wire 10. Specifically, the terminal fitting 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.

After the surface treatment is performed as described above, the contact portion 31 is formed into a rectangular tube shape with an open tip as shown in FIG. 1. A mating terminal (not shown) is inserted into the opening of the contact portion 31, and the contact portion 31 and the mating terminal are electrically connected.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the first barrel portion 41 is crimped to the conductor core wire 11 exposed from the end of the electric wire 10 and electrically connected to the conductor core wire 11. For such crimping and connection, the first barrel portion 41 has a pair of clamping pieces 45 that are crimped to be connected to the conductor core wire 11.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the second barrel portion 42 is crimped to the coating 12 at the end of the electric wire 10. For this purpose, the second barrel portion 42 has clamping pieces 46, 47 that are crimped to the coating 12. The first barrel portion 41 and the second barrel portion 42 are provided at positions spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the electric wire 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pair of crimping pieces 45 of the first barrel portion 41 are crimped so that the extended end of one crimping piece 45 and the extended end 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.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface (inner surface) of the first barrel portion 41 and the second barrel portion 42 before crimping serves as a common mounting portion 41a on which the end of the electric wire 10 is placed. With the electric wire 10 placed on this mounting portion 41a, the pair of crimping pieces 45 and the crimping pieces 46, 47 are crimped using a specified crimping machine so that the terminal portions of the conductor core wire 11 and the coating 12 are sandwiched between the pair of crimping pieces 45 and the portion of the coating 12 away from the terminal is sandwiched between the crimping pieces 46, 47.

1 and 3, the pair of crimping pieces 45 are crimped to the terminal portions of the conductor core 11 and the covering 12 of the electric wire 10, and the crimping pieces 46, 47 are crimped to the covering 12 of the electric wire 10. In particular, at the base end 45a of the first barrel portion 41 (the pair of crimping pieces 45), the covering 12 and the conductor core 11 are crimped together with the covering 12 of the electric wire 10 inserted into the base end 45a. As a result, between the first barrel portion 41 (the pair of crimping pieces 45) and the second barrel portion 42 (the crimping pieces 46, 47), the conductor core 11 is covered by the covering 12 without being exposed, as shown in FIG. 4(a). Furthermore, by crimping the coating 12 while it is inserted into the base end 45a, the coating 12 is deformed at the base end 45a so as to close and seal the gap between the pair of crimping pieces 45 and the conductor core wire 11.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, at the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 (the pair of crimping pieces 45), the pair of crimping pieces 45 are crushed toward the mounting portion 41a, and the opening area of the tip end 45b is smaller than the opening area of the base end 45a. Also, the terminal 11a of the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 is located on the base end side (i.e., inside the first barrel portion 41, on the right side in Fig. 3) than the end of the tip end 45b, and the terminal 11a of the conductor core wire 11 is not exposed from the tip end 45b. More specifically, in this example, the terminal 11a of the conductor core wire 11 is located on the base end side of the position where the abutment points shown at points P1 and P2, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 4(b), are present.

The structure of the tip end 45b will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 4B, at the tip end 45b, the outer surfaces of the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces 45 abut against the mounting portion 41a (see the pair of points P1), and the outer surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces 45 on the base side are in contact with each other (see point P2), and the pair of crimping pieces 45 are crushed toward the mounting portion 41a. This reduces the opening area of the tip end 45b sufficiently from the viewpoint of water stopping, and improves the water stopping ability at the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 compared to when the pair of crimping pieces 45 are simply crushed.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the tip end 45b of this example has not only abutting points between the pair of crimping pieces 45 and the mounting portion 41a, such as points P1 and P2, but also a gap between the pair of crimping pieces 45 and the mounting portion 41a. However, by crushing the tip end 45b so as to have abutting points such as points P1 and P2, such gaps become small enough to be negligible from the viewpoint of practical water stopping. However, if water stopping is to be further improved, the tip end 45b may be completely crushed so that such gaps do not substantially exist. Also, if high water stopping is not required, the pair of crimping pieces 45 may simply be crushed so as to reduce the opening area of the tip end 45b without intentionally providing abutting points such as points P1 and P2 described above. In this way, the degree of crushing of the tip end 45b and the size of the opening area may be determined in consideration of the degree of water stopping required for the terminal-attached electric wire 1 and productivity such as manufacturing cost and yield.

The manufacturing device 2 used to crimp the pair of crimping pieces 45 of the first barrel portion 41 to the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10 will be described below with reference to Figures 5 and 6. As shown in Figure 5, the manufacturing device 2 includes an anvil 50 and a crimper 60.

As shown in FIG. 5, a flat plate portion 51 that protrudes upward and extends in the axial direction of the terminal fitting 20 is integrally formed on the upper portion of the anvil 50. The upper end surface of the flat plate portion 51 functions as a processing surface on which the terminal fitting 20 is placed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the crimper 60 has a recessed portion at its lower part, the side wall of which recessed upward from the lower surface functions as a guide inclined surface 61 that guides the pair of crimping pieces 45 in the appropriate direction, and the bottom surface (upper end surface) of the recess functions as a working surface 62 that crimps the pair of crimping pieces 45.

6, a pair of arch portions (upwardly convex bent portions) corresponding to the pair of crimping pieces 45 are formed on the working surface 62 of the crimper 60 (see Figs. 6(b) to 6(d)). As can be understood from a comparison of Figs. 6(b) to 6(d), the working surface 62 has an inclined surface shape at a portion 62a corresponding to the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 of the terminal fitting 20 such that the tops of the pair of arch portions move downward as they approach the end of the tip end 45b (toward the left in Fig. 6(a)). In other words, the working surface 62 has an inclined surface shape at a portion 62a corresponding to the tip end 45b of the pair of crimping pieces 45 such that the opening area of the tip end 45b is smaller than the opening area of the base end 45a of the first barrel portion 41.

When crimping the terminal fitting 20, first, the terminal fitting 20 before crimping (see FIG. 2) is placed at a predetermined position on the processing surface of the anvil 50 (see FIG. 5). Next, the electric wire 10 is placed at a predetermined position on the terminal fitting 20 before crimping so that the conductor core wire 11 faces the pair of crimping pieces 45 and the coating 12 faces the crimping pieces 46, 47 (see FIG. 5).

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the crimper 60 is pressed from above against the terminal fitting 20 placed on the processing surface of the anvil 50. As a result, the pair of crimping pieces 45, guided in the correct direction by the guide inclined surface 61 of the crimper 60, are crimped onto the conductor core wire 11 so that the working surface 62 of the crimper 60 surrounds the outer circumference of the conductor core wire 11.

As a result, the pair of crimping pieces 45 are crimped to the conductor core wire 11. At this time, due to the working surface 62 of the crimper 60 having an inclined surface shape as described above, the pair of crimping pieces 45 are crushed toward the mounting portion 41a at the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 as shown in FIG. 4(b) at the same time as the pair of crimping pieces 45 are crimped, and the opening area of the tip end 45b becomes smaller than the opening area of the base end 45a. In this way, since the working surface 62 of the crimper 60 has an inclined surface shape as shown in FIG. 6(a), the tip end 45b can be crushed toward the mounting portion 41a at the same time as the pair of crimping pieces 45 are crimped.

<Action and Effects>
As described above, according to the electric wire with terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the first barrel portion 41 is crimped so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10, and the second barrel portion 42 crimps the coating 12 of the electric wire 10. Furthermore, at the base end portion 45a of the first barrel portion 41, the coating 12 and the conductor core wire 11 are crimped together in a state in which the coating 12 of the electric wire 10 is inserted into the base end portion 45a. As a result, the conductor core wire 11 is covered by the coating 12 without being exposed between the first barrel portion 41 and the second barrel portion 42. Furthermore, by crimping the coating 12 at the base end portion 45a of the first barrel portion 41, the coating 12, which is generally made of a resin, is deformed so as to close the gap between the first barrel portion 41 and the conductor core wire 11.

In addition, the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 is crushed so that the opening area of the tip end 45b is smaller than the opening area of the base end 45a, and the conductor core wire 11 is located closer to the base end than the end of the tip end 45b. This makes it possible to suppress water exposure of the conductor core wire 11 through the tip end 45b compared to when the opening area of the tip end 45b and the opening area of the base end 45a are the same.

As a result, the occurrence of galvanic corrosion can be suppressed at both the base end 45a and the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41, and between the first barrel portion 41 and the second barrel portion 42. This allows the function of the terminal-attached electric wire 1 to be maintained (life extended) for a long period of time.

The electric wire with terminal 1 according to this embodiment therefore has practical water-stopping properties without the need for a water-stopping sealing member as in conventional electric wires with terminals. Therefore, the electric wire with terminal 1 according to this embodiment can reduce manufacturing costs and achieve both high productivity and maintaining the reliability of the electrical connection.

Furthermore, according to the electric wire with terminal 1 of this embodiment, the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 is in a state in which the outer surfaces of the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces 45 abut against the mounting portion 41a, and the outer surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces 45 on the root side abut against each other from the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces 45. This allows the opening area of the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 to be sufficiently small from the viewpoint of water stopping. In addition, since a separate sealing member is not required, such tip end 45b can be formed in a lump when the first barrel portion 41 is crimped to the conductor core wire 11. Therefore, the water stopping property of the electric wire with terminal 1 can be improved without impairing productivity.

Furthermore, according to the manufacturing device 2 for the electric wire with terminal 1 of this embodiment, the working surface 62 of the crimper 60 has a surface shape that is inclined at a location corresponding to the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 so that the pair of crimping pieces 45 approach the mounting portion 41a as they approach the end of the tip end 45b. Therefore, when the first barrel portion 41 of the terminal fitting 20 is crimped so as to be electrically connected to the conductor core wire 11 of the electric wire 10, the pair of crimping pieces 45 are crushed toward the mounting portion 41a at the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41, and the opening area of the tip end 45b becomes smaller than the opening area of the base end 45a. As a result, the tip end 45b of the first barrel portion 41 can be properly watertight, and the function of the electric wire with terminal 1 can be maintained (extended).

Therefore, by using the manufacturing device 2 for the electric wire with terminal 1 according to this embodiment, it is possible to manufacture an electric wire with terminal 1 having practical water-stopping properties without providing a sealing member for water-stopping as in the case of conventional electric wires with terminals. Therefore, the manufacturing device 2 according to this embodiment can reduce the manufacturing cost of the electric wire with terminal 1, and can achieve both high productivity and maintaining the reliability of the electrical connection.

Furthermore, when using the manufacturing apparatus 2 according to this embodiment, if the coating 12 of the electric wire 10 is inserted into the base end 45a of the first barrel portion 41 and the coating 12 and the conductor core wire 11 are crimped together, the conductor core wire 11 is covered by the coating 12 between the first barrel portion 41 and the second barrel portion 42 without being exposed (see FIG. 1). This makes it possible to prevent water from entering both the tip end 45b and the base end 45a of the first barrel portion 41.

<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.

In the above embodiment, the contact portion 31 of the terminal fitting 20 constitutes the contact portion of the female terminal fitting (rectangular tube shape). In contrast, the contact portion 31 of the terminal fitting 20 may constitute the contact portion of the male terminal fitting (tab shape).

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the terminal fitting 20 is configured to be crimped to the conductor core wire 11 with a pair of crimping pieces 45 butted against each other. However, the terminal fitting 20 may be configured to be crimped to the conductor core wire 11 with one crimping piece 45 overlapping the other crimping piece 45 (as a so-called overlap type terminal fitting), for example.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the tip end 45b of the terminal fitting 20 is crushed toward the mounting portion 41a (i.e., in the vertical direction in FIG. 1(a)) to reduce the opening area of the tip end 45b. However, for example, the tip end 45b may be crushed so that the base portions of the pair of tightening pieces 45 are brought closer to each other (i.e., in the width direction in FIG. 1(a)) to reduce the opening area of the tip end 45b.

Here, the features of the embodiment of the electric wire with terminal 1 and the manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].
[1]
A terminal-attached electric wire (1) comprising an electric wire (10) and a terminal fitting (20) attached to the electric wire (10),
The terminal fitting (20) is
the first barrel portion (41) is crimped to a conductor core wire (11) exposed from the electric wire (10), a second barrel portion (42) is crimped to a coating (12) of the electric wire (10) at a base end side of the first barrel portion (41), and a contact portion (31) is connected to a mating terminal at a tip end side of the first barrel portion (41),
The first barrel portion (41) is
The crimping device has a placement portion (41a) on which the conductor core wire (11) is placed, and a pair of crimping pieces (45) extending from the placement portion (41a), and the conductor core wire (11) is crimped in a state in which the pair of crimping pieces (45) are curved so as to surround the conductor core wire (11) while the inner surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces (45) are in contact with the conductor core wire (11),
At a base end portion (45a) of the first barrel portion (41), the coating (12) and the conductor core wire (11) are crimped together, and the conductor core wire (11) is covered with the coating (12) and isolated from the outside between the first barrel portion (41) and the second barrel portion (42),
an opening area of the tip end (45b) of the first barrel portion (41) is smaller than an opening area of the base end (45a), and the conductor core wire (11) is located closer to the base end than the end of the tip end (45b).
Wire with terminal (1).
[2]
In the electric wire with terminal (1) described in the above [1],
The tip end portion (45b) of the first barrel portion (41) is
an outer surface of each of the extending ends of the pair of tightening pieces (45) abuts against the mounting portion (41a) (see P1), and in a state in which the outer surfaces of the pair of tightening pieces (45) on the base side from the extending ends abut against each other (see P2), the pair of tightening pieces (45) have a shape that is crushed toward the mounting portion (41a);
Wire with terminal (1).
[3]
A manufacturing device (2) for an electric wire with a terminal (1) in which a terminal fitting (20) is attached to an electric wire (10), comprising:
The terminal fitting (20) is
The electric wire (10) has a first barrel portion (41) that is crimped to a conductor core wire (11) exposed from the electric wire (10), a second barrel portion (42) that is crimped to a coating (12) of the electric wire (10) at a base end side of the first barrel portion (41), and a contact portion (31) that is connected to a mating terminal at a tip end side of the first barrel portion (41),
The manufacturing apparatus (2) comprises:
a crimping die (60) for crimping a pair of crimping pieces (45) extending from the first barrel portion (41) to the conductor core wire (11) placed on the placement portion (41a) of the first barrel portion (41),
The crimping die (60) is
a working surface (62) for crimping the pair of crimping pieces (45) while bending them so as to surround the conductor core wire (11) while bringing the inner surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces (45) into contact with the conductor core wire (11);
The working surface (62) is
At a location corresponding to the tip end portion (45b) of the first barrel portion (41), the tip end portion (45b) has an inclined surface shape such that an opening area of the tip end portion (45b) is smaller than an opening area of the base end portion (45a) of the first barrel portion (41).
Manufacturing equipment for electric wires with terminals (2).

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electric wire with terminal 2 Manufacturing device 10 Electric wire 11 Conductor core wire 12 Covering body 20 Terminal fitting 31 Contact portion 41 First barrel portion 41a Placement portion 42 Second barrel portion 45 Crimping piece 45a Base end portion 45b Tip end portion 60 Crimper (crimping die)
62 Work surface

Claims (2)

A terminal-attached electric wire comprising an electric wire and a terminal metal fitting attached to the electric wire,
The terminal fitting is
a first barrel portion that is crimped to a conductor core wire exposed from the electric wire, a second barrel portion that is crimped to a coating of the electric wire at a base end side of the first barrel portion, and a contact portion that is connected to a mating terminal at a tip end side of the first barrel portion,
The first barrel portion is
the pair of crimping pieces extend continuously from both sides of the placing piece from a base end to a tip end of the first barrel portion, a tapered notch is provided at a base end of each of the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces, and the pair of crimping pieces are crimped to the conductor core wire such that the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces are butted against each other in a state in which the pair of crimping pieces are curved to surround the conductor core wire while bringing inner surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces into contact with the conductor core wire,
at the base end side end of the first barrel portion, the coating and the conductor core wire are crimped together, and the pair of tapered cutout portions are arranged in parallel to form a V-shaped cutout, the coating is exposed from the V-shaped cutout, and the conductor core wire is covered by the coating between the first barrel portion and the second barrel portion and isolated from the outside,
an opening at the tip end of the first barrel portion is defined by the placement portion at the tip end of the first barrel portion and the pair of tightening pieces at the tip end of the first barrel portion,
the pair of crimping pieces of the tip side end of the first barrel portion are curved so as to be crushed toward the mounting portion of the tip side end of the first barrel portion, so that an opening area of the tip side end of the first barrel portion is smaller than an opening area of the base side end, and a terminal of the conductor core wire is located closer to the base side than a terminal end of the tip side end ,
an extension length of each of the pair of tightening pieces from the placement portion is constant from the base end portion to the tip end portion of the first barrel portion except for the tapered notch portion,
The tip end of the first barrel portion is
an outer surface of each of the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces abuts against the mounting portion, and outer surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces that are closer to the base than the extending ends abut against each other, and an end surface of each of the extending ends of the pair of crimping pieces faces outward in a width direction of the terminal fitting, and the pair of crimping pieces have a shape that is crushed toward the mounting portion.
Wire with terminal. The manufacturing apparatus for an electric wire with terminal according to claim 1,
The manufacturing device is
a crimping die for crimping the pair of crimping pieces extending from the first barrel portion to the conductor core wire placed on the placement portion of the first barrel portion,
The crimping die is
a working surface for crimping the pair of crimping pieces while bending the pair of crimping pieces so as to surround the conductor core wire while bringing inner surfaces of the pair of crimping pieces into contact with the conductor core wire,
The work surface is
a surface shape that is inclined at a location corresponding to the tip end of the first barrel portion such that an opening area of the tip end is smaller than an opening area of the base end of the first barrel portion;
Manufacturing equipment for electric wires with terminals.

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