Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Means to assemble electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-11
2001-07-17
Young, Lee (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Means to assemble electrical device
C029S751000, C029S03300H, C029S755000, C029S854000, C029S861000, C029S862000, C029S863000, C072S442000, C072S453070
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260262
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of connecting a wire to a press-connecting terminal and a wire press-connecting apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method of connecting a wire to a press-connecting terminal and an improved wire press-connecting apparatus, in which the cutting (or shaving) and severance of a conductor in the wire are prevented when the sheathed wire is press-fitted into a slot (or gap) between press-connecting blades of the press-connecting terminal.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-221692, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
When connecting a sheathed wire to a press-connecting terminal, a conductor in the wire can be connected to the terminal without the need for peeling a sheath from an end portion of the sheathed wire, and therefore the press-connecting terminal is suited for an automated operation, and also can reduce the fabrication cost. The press-connecting terminal
30
, disclosed for example in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-92480, will now be described with reference to FIG.
4
. This press-connecting terminal
30
is formed by bending a single metal sheet, and includes a contact
31
, formed at one longitudinal end portion thereof for electrical connection to a mating metal terminal (not shown), pairs of opposed press-connecting blades
33
, which are formed by inwardly bending parts of opposite side walls of a cross-sectionally U-shaped terminal body, and can cut a sheath
41
of the sheathed wire
40
to come into electrical contact with a conductor
43
of the wire upon press-fitting of the sheathed wire
40
into the slot between the press-connecting blades
33
, and a wire holding portion
35
which is formed at the other longitudinal end portion of the terminal in adjacent relation to the press-connecting blades
33
, and has its opposite side walls which can be bent inwardly to clamp the sheath
41
, thereby fixedly connecting the sheathed wire
40
to the terminal.
In the above publication, as shown in
FIG. 5
, the press-connecting terminal
30
, to which the wire is not yet connected, is beforehand mounted in each of juxtaposed terminal receiving chambers
45
in a connector housing
43
, and then the sheathed wire
40
is disposed above the press-connecting terminal
30
. In this condition, a lower die (anvil)
47
is inserted into a lower position corresponding to the wire holding portion
35
, and a mounting jig (punch)
49
is moved downward from an upper position. As a result, the sheathed wire
40
is press-fitted into the slot between each pair of press-connecting blades
33
, and at the same time the wire holding portion
35
is pressed to clamp or hold the sheath
41
, thereby electrically connecting the sheathed wire
40
to the press-connecting terminal
30
.
Thus, the mounting jig
49
is usually provided with a press-connecting punch for press-fitting the wire, and a clamping punch for fixing the wire, and simultaneously with the press-fitting of the sheathed wire
40
into the slot between each pair of press-connecting blades
33
, the pressing of the wire holding portion
35
is effected.
With the use of such a mounting jig
49
, the wire connecting-process in the automated operation was simplified, and also the time, required for the connecting operation, was reduced, so that the sheathed wire
40
could be efficiently connected to the press-connecting terminal
30
.
However, in the wire connecting method and the wire press-connecting apparatus, using the above mounting jig, the wire holding portion
35
, performing the function of strain relief, is pressed (as shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
) simultaneously with the press-fitting of the sheathed wire
40
into the slot between each pair of press-connecting blades
33
as shown in
FIGS. 6A and 6B
, and therefore the following difficulty has been encountered. When the wire
40
is press-fitted into the slot between the opposed press-connecting blades
33
, the opposite (right and left) side walls are slightly deformed to be spread out (moved away from each other) as shown in FIG.
6
B. On the other hand, bending forces, pressing the wire holding portion
35
, are exerted inwardly, that is, in directions opposite respectively to the direction of the above outwardly-deforming forces, and prevent the opposite (right and left) side walls from being spread out. Particularly, those press-connecting blades
33
, disposed close to this portion, is much affected by these bending forces, and therefore the conductor of the sheathed wire, press-fitted into the slot between these press-connecting blades, is liable to be severed. Namely, the opposed press-connecting blades are not smoothly spread out in accordance with the press-fitting of the sheathed wire, and in this condition the sheathed wire is almost forcibly press-fitted into the slot between the press-connecting blades.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the above problem in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of connecting a wire to a press-connecting terminal and a wire press-connecting apparatus which overcome disadvantages, such as the cutting (or shaving) and severance of a conductor in the sheathed wire, which can be encountered when the sheathed wire is press-fitted into a slot between press-connecting blades of the press-connecting terminal, and in which the pressure of contact of the press-connecting blades with the conductor of the press-fitted wire is increased, thereby enhancing the reliability of electrical connection therebetween.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of connecting a wire to a press-connecting terminal. In the method, a sheathed wire is press-fitted into a slot between opposed press-connecting blades of a press-connecting terminal while cutting a sheath of the sheathed wire, thereby electrically connecting a conductor of the sheathed wire to the press-connecting blades, and a wire holding portion formed on the press-connecting terminal in adjacent relation to the press-connecting blades is pressed to clamp the sheath of the sheathed wire, thereby fixedly connecting the sheathed wire to the press-connecting terminal. Especially, in the method, the timing for performing the press-fitting step is different from the timing for performing the pressing step.
In this method, in order that the timing for performing the sheathed wire press-fitting step can be different from the timing for performing the wire holding portion-pressing step, the press-fitting of the sheathed wire is effected, for example, prior to the pressing of the wire holding portion. By doing so, a factor in the prevention of deformation of the press-connecting blades is not encountered when the sheathed wire is press-fitted into the slot between the press-connecting blades, and therefore the opposed press-connecting blades are easily spread out in accordance with the press-fitting of the sheathed wire.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of connecting a wire to a press-connecting terminal which comprises the following steps. First, a press-connecting terminal including opposed press-connecting blades, between which a slot is formed, and a wire holding portion formed in adjacent relation to the press-connecting blades; and a sheathed wire including a conductor and a sheath that covers the conductor are provided. Afterwards, the sheathed wire is press-fitted into the slot between opposed press-connecting blades while cutting the sheath of the sheathed wire, so that the conductor of the sheathed wire is electrically connected to the press-connecting blades, and the wire holding portion is pressed to clamp the sheath of the sheathed wire, so that the sheathed wire is fixedly connected to the press-connecting terminal. Especially, the press-fitting step is performed separately with the pressing step.
According to the third aspect o
Chang Rick Kiltae
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
Young Lee
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