Lubricant, electric contact, connector terminal, and wire harness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12234425-B2
Application number	US-202017440074-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2020
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

Provided are a lubricant capable of dispersing particles containing a fluororesin on the surface of a subject and of making the particles adhere to the subject surface without requiring use of a fluorine oil as a base oil; an electric contact having the lubricant on the surface thereof; and a connector terminal and a wire harness having the electric contact. The lubricant contains a base oil and resin particles containing a trifluoroethylene resin, and the content of the resin particles in the lubricant is 10% by mass or more in relation to the mass of the base oil. An electric contact includes a substrate composed of a metal material electrically contacting another conductive member; and a layer of the lubricant arranged on the surface of the substrate. In addition, the connector terminal includes the electric contact at a location of electric contact with a counterpart connector terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lubricant comprising:
a base oil; and
resin particles containing a trifluoroethylene resin,
wherein the content of the resin particles is 10% by mass or more in relation to a mass of the base oil, and
wherein the base oil includes no fluorine oil.

2. The lubricant according to claim 1 , wherein the content of the resin particle is 30% by mass or more in relation to the mass of the base oil.

3. The lubricant according to claim 1 , further comprising a volatile solvent.

4. The lubricant according to claim 3 , wherein the volatile solvent includes water.

5. The lubricant according to claim 1 , wherein the base oil includes a hydrocarbon oil.

6. The lubricant according to claim 1 , wherein the base oil is a hydrocarbon oil.

7. The lubricant according to claim 1 , wherein the trifluoroethylene resin is polychlorotrifluoroethylene.

8. The lubricant according to claim 1 , wherein a mean grain size of the resin particles is 1 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

9. The lubricant according to claim 1 , wherein the content of the resin particles is 100% by mass or less in relation to the mass of the base oil.

10. An electric contact comprising a metal material as a substrate configured to electrically contact another conductive member, the electric contact comprising a layer of the lubricant according to claim 1 on a surface of the substrate.

11. The electric contact according to claim 10 , wherein the abundance of elements determined by a method in which an electron beam is incident normally to the surface of the electric contact at an acceleration voltage of 15 kV and characteristic x-rays generated thereby is analyzed be expressed by the following Formula in the unit of in an atomic % (at %):
[ F]/[M]≥ 0.2
where [F] denotes abundance of F atoms; and [M] denotes abundance of the metal atom composing the substrate.

12. The electric contact according to claim 10 , wherein the substrate includes at least one selected from the group consisting of: Ag, Au, and a Cu—Sn alloy, in a form in which the same are exposed on a surface.

13. The electric contact according to claim 10 , wherein the abundance of elements determined by a method in which an electron beam is incident normally to the surface of the electric contact at an acceleration voltage of 15 kV and characteristic x-rays generated thereby is analyzed be expressed by the following Formula in the unit of at %:
[ F]/[M]≤ 2.0
where [F] denotes the abundance of F atoms; and [M] denotes the abundance of the metal atom composing the substrate.

14. A connector terminal comprising the electric contact according to claim 10 arranged at a location of electric contact with a counterpart connector terminal.

15. The connector terminal according to claim 14 , wherein the connector terminal is a male connector terminal or a female connector terminal engaged and connected to the counterpart connector terminal.

16. The connector terminal according to claim 14 , wherein the particle form of the resin particles is broken when the electric contact is brought into contact with a surface of the counterpart connector terminal for sliding.

17. A wire harness comprising the connector terminal according to claim 14 .

Assignees

• Autonetworks Technologies Ltd
• Sumitomo Wiring Systems
• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• Shimizu Atushi

Classifications

• H01R13/03

  characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials · CPC title

• C10N2050/02

  dissolved or suspended in a carrier which subsequently evaporates to leave a lubricant coating · CPC title

• C10M2213/00

  Organic macromolecular compounds containing halogen as ingredients in lubricant compositions · CPC title

• C10M2203/1025

  used as base material · CPC title

• C10M147/00

  Lubricating compositions characterised by the additive being a macromolecular compound containing halogen · CPC title