Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-03
2002-09-17
Young, Lee (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S858000, C029S753000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06449841
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of press-connecting an electric wire with a press-connecting terminal and a press-connecting apparatus used in this press-connecting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A method of press-connecting an electric wire with a press-connecting terminal as shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6
is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 4-48569. Another method of press-connecting an electric wire with a press-contacting terminal as shown in
FIGS. 9 through 11
is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 7-282943.
As shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6
, a press-connecting terminal
1
has a terminal portion
3
and a press-connecting portion
5
. As shown in
FIG. 5
, a notched slot
9
is provided in a side plate
7
of the press-connecting portion
5
so that edge portions in opposite sides of the notched slot
9
serve as a pair of press-connecting blades
15
and
15
for cutting a coating portion
13
of a coated electric wire
11
.
To press-connect the coated electric wire
11
with the press-connecting terminal
1
, as shown in
FIG. 6
, an end portion of the coated electric wire
11
is pressed against the side plate
7
of the press-connecting portion
5
by a press-connecting jig
17
. As a result, the coating portion
13
of the coated electric wire
11
is cut with the pair of press-connecting blades
15
and
15
of the notched slot
9
so that a conductor
19
of the coated electric wire
11
is electrically connected to the notched slot
9
. Thus, the coated electric wire
11
is electrically connected to the press-connecting terminal
1
.
In the press-connecting method shown in
FIGS. 9 through 11
, a pair of pressing arms
23
and
23
are provided so that the distance between the pair of pressing arms
23
and
23
is narrowed when a sleeve
21
is moved down as shown in
FIGS. 9 and 10
. Before a coated electric wire
11
is press-connected with a press-connecting terminal
1
, the coated electric wire
11
is squashed with the pair of pressing arms
23
and
23
in the direction of the width of a notched slot
9
as shown in FIG.
10
. Then, as shown in
FIG. 11
, the squashed coated electric wire
11
is pressed against a side plate
7
of the press-connecting terminal
1
by a press-connecting jig
25
so that a coating portion
13
of the coated electric wire
11
is cut with a pair of press-connecting blades
15
and
15
of the notched slot
9
in the same manner as in the aforementioned conventional method. Thus, the coated electric wire
11
is electrically connected to the press-connecting terminal
1
.
In the conventional method shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6
, if the center of the coated electric wire
11
is made displaced even slightly from the center of the notched slot
9
when the coated electric wire
11
having a diameter d is to be press-connected with the press-connecting portion
5
having an inner width h (d=h) as shown in
FIG. 7
, the coating portion
13
may be however squashed between the press-connecting jig
17
and the press-connecting portion
5
so that the squashed coating portion
13
strongly resists when it is cut with the pair of press-connecting blades
15
and
15
and widens the notched slot
9
in directions of the arrows in FIG.
8
.
If the notched slot
9
is widened, the coating portion
13
is cut so insufficiently that the electrical connection between the coated electric wire
11
and the press-connecting terminal
1
fails because of no contact between the conductor
19
and the notched slot
9
or because of shortage of contact load therebetween.
In order to solve this problem, in the conventional method shown in
FIGS. 9 through 11
, the coated electric wire
11
is squashed in the direction of the width of the notched slot
9
as described above.
After the coated electric wire
11
is press-connected with the press-connecting terminal
1
, the notched slot
9
is however widened by elastically restoring force of the coating portion
13
so that the electrical connection between the coated electric wire
11
and the press-connecting terminal
1
fails because of lowering of contact load between the conductor
19
and the notched slot
9
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Taking such circumstances into consideration, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of press-connecting a coated electric wire with a press-connecting terminal, wherein a notched slot of the press-connecting terminal is prevented from being widened so that a coating portion of the coated electric wire is cut thoroughly to thereby keep the electrical connection between the notched slot and a conductor of the coated electric wire surely.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a press-connecting apparatus used in the aforementioned method.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of press-connecting a coated electric wire with a press-connecting terminal, comprising the step of: pressing an end portion of the coated electric wire into a notched slot provided in a side plate of the press-connecting terminal so as to cut a coating portion of the coated electric wire to thereby make a conductor of the coated electric wire electrically connected to the side plate of the press-connecting terminal, wherein before the coated electric wire is press-connected with the press-connecting terminal, the coating portion of the coated electric wire is heated and softened so that a force necessary for pressing the coated electric wire into the notched slot is reduced to be not larger than a predetermined value.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for press-connecting a coated electric wire with a press-connecting terminal, comprising: pressing means for pressing an end portion of the coated electric wire into a notched slot provided in a side plate of the press-connecting terminal to thereby cut a coating portion of the coated electric wire to electrically connect a conductor of the coated electric wire to the side plate of the press-connecting terminal; and heating means for heating and softening the coating portion of the coated electric wire so that a force necessary for pressing the coated electric wire into the notched slot is reduced to be not larger than a predetermined value before the coated electric wire is press-connected with the press-connecting terminal.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4107838 (1978-08-01), Keen et al.
patent: 4533193 (1985-08-01), Blackwood
patent: 4870747 (1989-10-01), Maack et al.
patent: 5018269 (1991-05-01), Ishida et al.
patent: 5099570 (1992-03-01), Gerhard, Jr.
patent: 5465478 (1995-11-01), Anderson et al.
patent: 5768766 (1998-06-01), Hatagishi et al.
patent: 4-48569 (1992-02-01), None
patent: 7-282943 (1995-10-01), None
Endo Takayoshi
Okabe Toshiaki
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Young Lee
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