Electrical connectors – Including elastomeric or nonmetallic conductive portion
Patent
1988-12-15
1990-05-15
McGlynn, Joseph H.
Electrical connectors
Including elastomeric or nonmetallic conductive portion
439886, H01R 1300
Patent
active
049253948
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a ceramic-coated terminal which is used for electrical connection.
BACKGROUND ART
Hitherto, a terminal for electrical connection comprises a base material made of a copper-based alloy and a plated layer which is coated on the base material and made of tin (Sn), a solder, nickel (Ni), gold (Au), silver (Ag) or the like selected according to service conditions.
For example, tin which is cheap is plated on the terminal for electrical connection to improve corrosion resistance of the terminal. Gold which is hardly oxidized is plated on the terminal for electrical connection, when a slight electrical current passes through the terminal for electrical connection. It is essential to plate gold, particularly in the case of the terminal which is used in a severe environment, for example, in an outdoor or under a hood of automobile in which a slight electrical current is treated.
However, the tin-plating has such a problem that it has poor reliability since the terminal for electrical connection may be corroded when used for a long time. The gold-plating has such problems that it is expensive and that it has inferior mechanical properties such as abrasion resistance.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a terminal for electrical connection whereby the above problems are solved.
CONSTITUTION OF THE INVENTION
The first aspect of the present invention resides in a ceramic-coated terminal for electrical connection characterized in that an electrically conductive ceramic coating layer is provided on a surface of a base material of the terminal.
The ceramic-coated terminal for electrical connection according to the present invention may have an electrically conductive intermediate layer between the base material and the electrically conductive ceramic coating layer.
Therefore, the second aspect of the present invention resides in a ceramic-coated terminal for electrical connection wherein an electrically conductive ceramic coating layer is provided on a surface of the terminal, characterized in that an electrically conductive intermediate layer is provided between a base material of the terminal and the electrically conductive ceramic coating layer.
Preferably the base material is made of an electrically conductive material, for example, a copper alloy such as brass or an iron-containing copper alloy, or steel. The base material is not necessarily made of the electrically conductive material. Rather, it may be made of, for example, a resin or a ceramic.
The electrically conductive ceramic coating layer is made of an electrically conductive ceramic, for example, at least one selected from the group consisting of titanium carbide, titanium nitride, tungusten carbide, tungusten nitride, zirconium carbide, zirconium nitride, chromium carbide and chromium nitride.
The electrically conductive intermediate layer, which is optionally present, may be made of any metal, preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of nickel, copper, chromium, silver, gold, nickel/chromium, copper
ickel and copper
ickel/chromium.
The electrically conductive intermediate layer and the electrically conductive ceramic coating layer have a thickness which varies with, for example, the kind of the used base material and service conditions. Usually, the electrically conductive ceramic coating layer has a thickness of a several micrometers.
The electrically conductive intermediate layer can be formed on the base material by any plating method such as an electroplating method or a vacuum deposition method. The electrically conductive ceramic coating layer can be formed on the electrically conductive intermediate layer or the base material by a spattering method, a CVD method, a plasma CVD method or an ion palating method.
For example, when brass is used as the base material, nickel, copper or chromium is plated on surface of the base material to form the electrically conductive intermediate layer. Then, the electrically conductive ceramic su
REFERENCES:
patent: 2193294 (1940-03-01), Osenberg
patent: 2379567 (1945-07-01), Buchanan
patent: 3920172 (1975-11-01), Rhee
Hayashi Kyozo
Ikeda Hirosaka
Kawamura Seiji
McGlynn Joseph H.
Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.
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