Terminal, a wire connecting structure and a method of manufacturing the terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9484642-B2
Application number	US-201514831643-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2015
Priority date	Feb 22, 2013
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

A terminal includes a connector portion, a tubular crimp portion that crimps/joins with a wire, and a transition portion joining the two portions. The tubular crimp portion is composed of a metal member including a base material of copper or copper alloy with 0.20-1.40 mm thickness and a coating layer of tin, tin alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, silver or silver alloy with 0.2-3.0 μm thickness formed on the base material. The tubular crimp portion has a weld portion formed by butt-welding and having, in its cross-section perpendicular to a terminal longitudinal direction, a phase existing therein of tin, tin alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, silver or silver alloy greater than 0.01 μm 2 . The tubular crimp portion is a closed tubular body with one end opposite to a wire-insertion-opening being closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal comprising:
a connector portion adapted to mate with another terminal;
a tubular crimp portion adapted to crimp and join with an electric wire; and
a transition portion joining the connector portion and the tubular crimp portion,
the tubular crimp portion being composed of a metal member including a base material and a coating layer formed on the base material,
the base material being composed of one of copper and a copper alloy and having a thickness in a range of 0.20 mm to 1.40 mm,
the coating layer being composed of one of tin, a tin alloy, nickel, a nickel alloy, silver and a silver alloy and having a thickness in a range of 0.2 μm to 3.0 μm,
the tubular crimp portion having a weld portion formed by butt welding the metal member,
the weld portion having, in a cross section of the weld portion perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the terminal, a phase existing therein of one of tin, a tin alloy, nickel, a nickel alloy, silver and a silver alloy, the phase being of a size greater than 0.01 μm 2 ,
the tubular crimp portion being formed into a closed tubular body in which one end opposite to an electric wire insertion opening is closed.

2. The terminal according to claim 1 , further comprising an under layer between the base material and the coating layer, the under layer being on a part or an entirety of a surface of the base material, the under layer being composed of one of nickel, a nickel alloy, cobalt and a cobalt alloy and having a thickness in a range of 0.1 μm to 0.8 μm.

3. The terminal according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of an average value d1 of a thickness of the coating layer to an average value d2 of a thickness of the base material in the tubular crimp portion is in a range of 0.001 to 0.005.

4. The terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the weld portion is formed by a fiber laser.

5. A wire connecting structure comprising the terminal according to claim 1 and a coated electric wire, the coated electric wire being adapted to be crimped and joined to the terminal.

6. The wire connecting structure according to claim 5 , wherein the coated electric wire comprises a conductor portion composed of one of an aluminum and an aluminum alloy.

7. A method of manufacturing a terminal, comprising:
punching a plate material to form a cut-out member, the plate material being composed of a metal member including a base material and a coating layer formed on the base material, the base material being composed of one of copper and a copper alloy and having a thickness in a range of 0.2 mm to 0.7 mm, the coating layer being composed of one of tin, a tin alloy, nickel, a nickel alloy, silver and a silver alloy and having a thickness in a range of 0.2 μm to 3.0 μm;
performing a pressing process on the cut-out member to form a tubular body;
welding a butted portion of the tubular body; and
forming a closed end portion by welding a lapped portion of the tubular body at an end opposite to an insertion opening portion of the tubular body.

8. The method of manufacturing the terminal according to claim 7 , wherein the terminal comprises an under layer between the base material and the coating layer, the under layer being on a part or an entirety of a surface of the base material, the under layer being composed of one of nickel, a nickel alloy, cobalt and a cobalt alloy and having a thickness in a range of 0.1 μm to 0.8 μm.

Assignees

• Furukawa Electric Co Ltd
• Furukawa Automotive Systems Inc

Inventors

• Okuno Yoshikazu
• Tachibana Akira
• Mitose Kengo

Classifications

• B23K26/20

  Bonding (soldering by means of radiant energy B23K1/005) · CPC title

• H01R13/03

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

• C25D3/30

  of tin · CPC title

• H01R4/187 Primary

  combined with soldering or welding · CPC title

• B23K2201/38

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic