Electrical terminal for terminating a wire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9397410-B2
Application number	US-201313830069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Oct 18, 2010
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

An electrical terminal ( 10 ) having an electrical contact ( 18 ) and a crimp barrel ( 20 ) configured to be crimped around an end of a wire. The crimp barrel ( 20 ) includes a base ( 22 ) and opposing side walls ( 24 ) that define an opening ( 25 ) of the crimp barrel ( 20 ). The side walls ( 24 ) extend outwardly from the base ( 22 ) to ends ( 50 ) and include base segments ( 52 ) and end segments ( 54 ). A sealing wing ( 56 ) extends from the end of at least one of the side walls ( 24 ). The side walls ( 24 ) are configured to be folded over the wire when crimped such that a gap is defined between the end segment ( 54 ) and the base segment ( 52 ) of at least one of the side walls ( 24 ). The sealing wing ( 56 ) is configured to extend within the gap between the end segment ( 54 ) and the base segment ( 52 ) when the side walls ( 24 ) are crimped over the end of the wire.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical terminal for terminating a wire having at least one conductor and an electrical insulation layer, wherein the wire includes an exposed portion at an end of the wire where the at least one conductor is exposed, the electrical terminal comprising:
an electrical contact; and
a crimp barrel extending from the electrical contact, the crimp barrel comprising a first portion configured to be crimped around an insulated portion of the wire, and a second portion that defines a pair of sidewalls configured to be crimped around the exposed portion of the wire, wherein at least one of the sidewalls includes an extension configured to be arranged past an end of the exposed portion of the wire at an end of the crimp barrel furthest from the first portion, a lower wall that connects lower regions of the pair of sidewalls, and an opening between top edges of the pair of sidewalls, wherein the pair of sidewalls and extension are configured to be crimped around the exposed portion of the wire, wherein prior to crimping, the sidewalls are configured such that when the exposed portion of the wire is inserted between the sidewalls, an end surface of the exposed portion of the wire is visible in a longitudinal direction of the wire, and wherein when crimped, the pair of sidewalls are configured to substantially encase the exposed portion of the wire, and the extension is configured to fold onto itself to thereby cover the end surface of the exposed portion of the wire so that the end surface is no longer visible in the longitudinal direction of the wire.

2. The electrical terminal of claim 1 , further comprising a sealant within the second portion that substantially prevents moisture contact with the at least one exposed conductor when the second portion is crimped around the at least one exposed conductor.

3. The electrical terminal of claim 1 , wherein the crimp barrel extends a length from a contact end to a wire end, and wherein when the crimp barrel has been crimped around the end of the wire, at least a portion of the crimp barrel tapers outwardly as the crimp barrel extends from the contact end to the wire end.

4. The electrical terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first portion defines a continuous enclosure that extends entirely around the insulation layer.

5. The electrical terminal of claim 1 , wherein the second portion defines one or more serrations configured to penetrate an oxide layer on the at least one exposed conductor.

6. The electrical terminal of claim 1 , wherein the second portion substantially prevents exposure of the at least one exposed conductor to atmosphere external to the second portion.

7. An electrical terminal for terminating a wire having at least one exposed conductor and an electrical insulation layer, wherein the wire includes an exposed portion at an end of the wire where the at least one conductor is exposed, the electrical terminal comprising:
an electrical contact; and
a crimp barrel extending from the electrical contact, the crimp barrel comprising a portion that defines a pair of sidewalls configured to be crimped around the exposed portion of the wire, wherein at least one of the sidewalls includes extension configured to be arranged past an end of the exposed portion of the wire at an end of the crimp barrel, a lower wall that connects lower regions of the pair of sidewalls, and an opening between top edges of the pair of sidewalls, wherein the pair of sidewalls and extension are configured to be crimped around the exposed portion of the wire, wherein prior to crimping, the sidewalls are configured such that when the exposed portion of the wire inserted between the sidewalls, an end surface of the exposed portion of the wire is visible in a longitudinal direction of the wire, wherein when crimped, the pair of sidewalls are configured to substantially encase the exposed portion of the wire, and the extension is configured to fold onto itself to thereby cover the end surface of the exposed portion of the wire so that the end surface is no longer visible in the longitudinal direction of the wire.

8. The electrical terminal of claim 7 , further comprising a sealant within the portion that substantially prevents moisture contact with the at least one exposed conductor when the portion is crimped around the at least one exposed conductor.

9. The electrical terminal of claim 8 , wherein the portion defines one or more serrations configured to penetrate an oxide layer on the at least one exposed conductor.

10. An electrical terminal for terminating a wire having at least one conductor and an electrical insulation layer, wherein the wire includes an exposed portion at an end of the wire where the at least one conductor is exposed, the electrical terminal comprising:
an electrical contact; and
a crimp barrel extending from the electrical contact, the crimp barrel comprising a first portion configured to be crimped around an insulated portion of the wire, and a second portion that defines a continuous enclosure configured to be crimped around the exposed portion of the wire that includes a first opening nearest the first portion and a second opening on an opposite end of the enclosure, extends entirely around the wire from the electrical insulation layer of the wire to an end region that is disposed past an end surface of the exposed portion of the wire, wherein prior to crimping, the end surface of the at least one conductor is visibly exposed through the second opening in a longitudinal direction of the wire, wherein when the second portion is crimped the second opening of the second portion is configured to close to thereby substantially encase the exposed portion of the wire so that the end surface of the exposed portion of the wire no longer visible through the second opening in the longitudinal direction of the wire.

11. The electrical terminal of claim 10 , wherein the crimp barrel extends a length from a contact end to a wire end, the wire end being sealed with the electrical insulation layer of the wire when the crimp barrel has been crimped around the end of the wire, the contact end being sealed when the crimp barrel has been crimped around the end of the wire such that no portion of the at least one conductor of the wire is exposed through the contact end when the crimp barrel has been crimped around the end of the wire.

12. The electrical terminal of claim 10 , wherein the second portion substantially prevents exposure of the at least one exposed conductor to atmosphere external to the second portion.

13. The electrical terminal of claim 10 , wherein the electrical terminal further comprises a sealant held within an opening of the crimp barrel.

14. The electrical terminal of claim 10 , wherein the second portion defines one or more serrations configured to penetrate an oxide layer on the at least one exposed conductor.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh
• Te Connectivity Germany Gmbh

Inventors

• Corman Ned
• Blümmel Uwe
• Schmidt Helge
• Copper Charles D
• Boyer Raymond Dennis
• Weaver David B
• Hall John Wesley
• Myer John M

Classifications

• H01R4/184

  comprising a U-shaped wire-receiving portion · CPC title

• H01R4/206

  with transversal grooves or threads · CPC title

• H01R4/185 Primary

  combined with a U-shaped insulation-receiving portion · CPC title

• H01R4/62

  Connections between conductors of different materials; Connections between or with aluminium or steel-core aluminium conductors (H01R4/68 takes precedence) · CPC title