Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-17
2004-08-03
Nguyen, Chau N. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
Reexamination Certificate
active
06770817
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a structure and a method of waterproofing a terminal-wire connecting portion, in which an end portion of a wire is inserted into a generally cylindrical terminal, and the terminal is compressively pressed over an entire periphery thereof to be connected to the wire end portion, and at the same time the end portion of the wire is waterproofed.
FIGS. 11A and 11B
show one form of related terminal-wire connecting portion waterproofing structure and method (See JP-A-2-12680U).
As shown in
FIG. 11A
, a wire connection portion
45
, provided at a rear half portion of a terminal
44
, is press-fastened to an end portion of an insulating sheathed wire
41
, and a conductor portion
42
of the wire
41
is held and connected between an insulating sheath
43
of the wire
41
and the terminal
44
, and a waterproof seal material
46
is filled between the terminal
44
and the insulating sheath
43
, and the conductor portion
42
of the wire
41
is embedded in the waterproof seal material
46
, and is waterproofed as shown in FIG.
11
B.
The insulating sheath
43
of the wire
41
is made of a soft vinyl resin or the like, and the wire
41
can be flexed to a certain degree. In this example, the conductor portion
42
comprises one copper wire or aluminum wire for high voltage purposes, and this conductor portion is folded back into a generally U-shape at the distal end portion of the insulating sheath
43
, and is disposed between the outer peripheral surface of the insulating sheath
43
and a bottom plate portion
47
of the terminal
44
, and is pressed against the bottom plate portion
44
by a resilient force of the insulating sheath
43
, and is connected thereto.
The wire connection portion
45
includes two (front and rear) pairs of press-clamping piece portions
48
, and each pair of press-clamping piece portions extend upwardly respectively from opposite side edges of the bottom plate portion
47
, and each press-clamping piece portion
48
is pressed into a curved shape around the outer periphery of the insulating sheath
43
as shown in FIG.
11
B. The waterproof seal material
46
is filled at the inner surface of each press-clamping piece portion
48
and the inner surface of the bottom plate portion
47
. For example, a hot-melt resin material or a soft resin material, such as rubber, is used as the waterproof seal material
46
. The hot-melt resin material has such a nature that it is melt upon heating, and then is solidified by natural cooling. The waterproof seal material
46
prevents water from intruding into the portion of contact between the conductor portion
42
and the terminal
44
.
The pressing of each pair of press-clamping piece portions
48
can be effected using, for example, a pair of upper and lower dies (not shown) having arcuate inner surfaces, respectively. The insulating sheath
43
is removed from the end portion of the wire
41
, thereby exposing the conductor portion
42
, and this conductor portion
42
is bent and folded back into a generally U-shape to extend along the insulating sheath
43
, and the end portion of the wire
41
is inserted and set in the wire connection portion
45
of the terminal
44
, and the waterproof seal material
46
is filled in the inside of the wire connection portion
45
, and the press-clamping piece portions
48
are simultaneously pressed into a curved shape by the pair of upper and lower dies of a clamping machine (not shown). As a result, the portion of connection between the conductor portion
42
and the terminal
44
is covered with the waterproof seal material
46
, and is protected, and also the conductor portion
42
is resiliently held between the insulating sheath
43
and the bottom plate portion
47
of the terminal
44
, and is connected thereto.
A front half portion of the terminal
44
is formed into a female-type electrical contact portion
49
for a mating terminal (not shown). In this example, the electrical contact portion
49
includes a tubular portion
50
for receiving a male terminal (electrode) of high-voltage part, such as a spark plug and a secondary coil, and a resilient contact portion (not shown) provided within the tubular portion
50
so as to hold the mating male terminal (not shown). For example, a secondary current of high voltage is fed from the conductor portion
42
of the wire
41
to the electrical contact portion
49
of the terminal
44
, and is further fed from the electrical contact portion
49
, for example, to a spark plug.
In the above related terminal-wire connecting portion waterproofing structure and method, however, the conductor portion
42
is exposed at a front end
43
a
of the insulating sheath
43
, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that this exposed portion is liable to be oxidized. Even if the exposed portion of the conductor portion
42
is covered with the waterproof seal material
46
at the front end of the insulating sheath
43
, the waterproof seal material
46
does not exist between each pair of right and left press-clamping piece portions
48
, and when a strong force, such as a bending force, a pulling force and a twisting force, acted on the wire
41
, there was a fear that a gap was liable to develop between the outer peripheral surface of the insulating sheath
43
and the waterproof seal material
46
, so that the waterproof performance could be lowered.
And besides, when the waterproof seal material
46
intruded between the conductor portion
42
and the bottom plate portion
47
of the terminal
44
before the pressing operation, there was a fear that the conducting performance after the pressing operation was deteriorated. In addition, when the conductor portion
42
bit into the soft insulating sheath
43
, there was a fear that the pressure of contact between the terminal
44
and the conductor portion
42
decreased with the lapse of time, so that the contact performance was deteriorated. Furthermore, the conductor portion
42
is press-fastened between the terminal and the insulating sheath
43
by the front pair of press-clamping piece portions
48
, and the press-clamping piece portions
48
do not exist at a position (upper side in
FIG. 11B
) disposed in symmetrical relation to the conductor portion
42
, and therefore there was a fear that the press-fastening force was less liable to become uniform, so that the pressure of contact between the conductor portion
42
and the terminal
44
was liable to be varied.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a structure and a method of waterproofing a terminal-wire connecting portion, in which the performance of contact between a wire conductor portion and a terminal can be enhanced, and besides a waterproof performance of a portion of connection between the conductor portion and the terminal can be enhanced.
In order to solve the aforesaid object, the invention is characterized by having the following arrangement.
(1) A waterproofing structure for a terminal-wire connecting portion comprising:
a wire including a conductor portion and an insulating sheath; and
a terminal including a substantially cylindrical wire connection portion,
wherein the conductor portion and the insulating sheath are inserted in the wire connection portion, and the wire connection portion is pressed radially uniformly over an entire periphery thereof so that the conductor portion and the insulating sheath are held in intimate contact with an inner peripheral surface of the wire connection portion.
(2) The waterproofing structure according to (1), wherein
the wire connection portion includes a smaller-diameter insertion hole for the conductor portion and a larger-diameter insertion hole for the insulating sheath, the smaller-diameter and larger-diameter insertion holes being disposed in coaxial relation to each other.
(3) The waterproofing structure according to (1), wherein
one of a waterproof seal material and a waterproof seal member is arranged in an annular shape within the w
Kuwayama Yasumichi
Maki Toshihiro
Nguyen Chau N.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
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