JP7680400B2 - Manufacturing method of chain terminals - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a manufacturing device for chained terminals in which multiple terminals are connected to a strip-shaped chain portion (carrier), and a manufacturing method for chained terminals.

Chained terminals are widely known as terminals for electrical connections (see Patent Document 1). A chained terminal is a terminal in which multiple terminals are connected to a strip-shaped chain portion (carrier). In factories that manufacture this type of chained terminal, the chain portion of the manufactured chained terminal is wound up on a winding drum and then transported to another process (such as plating).

JP 2015-5500 A

However, when the metal plate that forms the linking part and the terminal becomes thick, such as in the case of high voltage terminals, the rigidity of the linking part becomes high. This increases the burden of winding, and there is also the inconvenience that it takes time to straighten out the curl (curvature) of the linking part when it is transported to the next process (such as a continuous plating process) after winding.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing chained terminals that can eliminate the inconveniences that occur when winding and unwinding chained terminals.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the manufacturing method of the chained terminals according to the present invention has the following features.
stamping a first metal sheet having a first thickness to form a plurality of terminals;
each of the terminals is connected to a band-shaped linking member made of a second metal plate having a second thickness smaller than the first thickness;
The first metal plate and the second metal plate are made of the same material.
A method for manufacturing chain terminals.

According to the present invention, the rigidity of the portion constituting the linking portion (linking plate material) can be made smaller than that of the portion constituting the terminal, so the burden when winding up the linking portion can be reduced. In addition, the occurrence of curling can be reduced, so the burden when correcting the curling in a later process can be reduced or eliminated.

The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following description of the embodiment of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main portion of a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part for explaining the process of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view of a main portion of a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a main part for explaining the process of the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the process of the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side view of a linking portion according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a plan view of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a view taken along the arrow A in FIG. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a side view for explaining the process of the seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 17 is a side view and a cross-sectional view for explaining the process of the eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a plan view showing a state before the plate width reduction process according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 20 is a plan view showing a state after the plate width reduction process according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. FIG. 22 is a side view showing how a product is wound in the ninth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a side view for explaining the process of the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following embodiment, a case will be taken as an example in which the terminal is a high-voltage terminal having a large plate thickness.

First Embodiment
A manufacturing apparatus for chained terminals according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment has a chained terminal primary processing means and a chained terminal secondary processing means.
1 to 3, the primary chain terminal processing means presses a thick first metal plate into a chain terminal having a band-shaped linking portion 10 and a plurality of terminals 1 connected to the linking portion 10 via connecting portions 2. During this press processing, two pilot holes (small holes) 12 are formed in the linking portion 10 for each terminal 1.

Next, the secondary terminal processing means separates the chained portion 10 of the chained terminal processed by the primary terminal processing means in its longitudinal direction for each terminal 1 (see the configuration in Figs. 1 to 3). Then, each separated chained portion 10 is joined to another band-shaped chaining plate material 20 made of a second metal plate that is thinner than the first metal plate by fitting and crimping the protrusions and small holes formed in the thickness direction, and the chains are re-linked.

That is, when processing the linking plate material 20, the linking plate material 20 is provided with protrusions 22 that correspond to the pilot holes 12 of the linking parts 10. Then, these two protrusions 22 are fitted into the two pilot holes 12, respectively, and the protrusions 22 are tightened. In this way, the new linking plate material 20 and the terminal 1 are connected via each of the cut-off linking parts 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal 1 with the cut-off linking portion 10 is pushed and moved by the pushing member N1 to a position on the new linking plate 20. Then, the two pilot holes 12 provided in the linking portion 10 are fitted into the two protruding portions 22 of the new linking plate 20, and the protruding portions 22 are tightened by the tightening members N2 and N3 in this state, so that the terminal 1 can be connected to the linking plate 20 via the cut-off linking portion 10. In this way, a chain terminal made of a composite material is completed, in which the terminal 1 is made of a first metal plate having a large plate thickness, and the linking portion (linking plate 20) is made of a second metal plate having a small plate thickness. Here, the protruding portions 22 may be formed by burring processing or dowel processing.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a manufacturing system 200 including the manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the manufacturing system 200 is mainly configured with a progressive die type press device 100 as a manufacturing device for a chained terminal of the embodiment, and includes a material supply device 101, a material feed device 102, a product discharge device 104, and a product winding device 105. The material supply device 101 supplies material for the terminal 1. In this embodiment, in addition to the material for the terminal 1, the material for the chain plate material 20 is supplied. The material feed device 102 sends the material supplied by the material supply device 101 to the press device 100. The press device 100 forms a chained terminal, which is a product manufactured by this manufacturing system 200. The product manufactured by the press device 100 is discharged by the product discharge device 104 and wound by the product winding device 105. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the press device 100 is provided with a terminal forming section 131 as a chained terminal primary processing means, and a burring section 132 and a joining section 133 as chained terminal secondary processing means. The terminal forming section 131 forms a plurality of terminals 1 connected to the linking section 10 via the connecting sections 2. The burring section 132 forms protrusions 22 on the linking plate material 20. The joining section 133 separates the chained terminals processed by the terminal forming section 131 into individual terminals 1 in the longitudinal direction, and crimps them with the two pilot holes 12 of the linking section 10 fitted into the two protrusions 22 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In this manner, the chained terminals are manufactured in the press device 100.

According to the above configuration, the terminals 1 are chained using the chain plate material 20 having a thickness smaller than that of the terminals 1 processed by the terminal forming section 131 as the primary chain terminal processing means, so that the rigidity of the portion constituting the chain portion (chain plate material 20) can be made smaller than that of the portion constituting the terminals 1. Therefore, the burden when winding the chain portion (chain plate material 20) can be reduced. In addition, by winding the chain portion (chain plate material 20) having a small thickness, the occurrence of curling can be reduced, so that the burden when correcting the curling in a later process can be reduced or eliminated. In other words, the terminals 1 can be supplied in a chained state to a later process such as continuous plating. In addition, since winding without curling is possible, it is possible to eliminate the process of correcting the curling. In addition, by fitting and crimping the two pilot holes 12 and the two protrusions 22 as in the embodiment, the rotation of the terminals 1 can be restricted even if the pilot holes 12 and the protrusions 22 are circular.

Although it is possible for the materials of the terminal 1 (the product) and the chaining plate material 20 to be different, it is better to make them the same.

Second Embodiment
A chained terminal manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.
5 and 6, in the second embodiment, the primary chain terminal processing means presses a chain terminal having a band-shaped linking portion 10 and a plurality of terminals 1 connected to the linking portion 10 via linking portions 2 from a first metal plate having a large plate thickness. During this press processing, one small rectangular hole 15 is formed in the linking portion 10 for each terminal 1. The position of the small rectangular hole 15 is preferably located on an extension of the terminal 1.

Next, in the secondary chain terminal processing means, the chain portion 10 of the chain terminal processed by the primary chain terminal processing means is cut off to an appropriate width for each terminal 1. Then, each cut off chain portion 10 is joined to another band-shaped chain plate material 20 made of a second metal plate that is thinner than the first metal plate by fitting and crimping the protrusions and small holes formed in the plate thickness direction, and the chain is re-formed into a chain.

That is, when processing the linking plate material 20, a square protrusion 25 that corresponds to the square small hole 15 of the linking portion 10 is provided on the linking plate material 20. Then, the square small hole 15 is fitted into the square protrusion 25, and the protrusion 25 is crimped with a crimping member. In this way, a new linking plate material 20 can be connected to the terminal 1 via each of the separated linking portions 10.

In this case, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, by fitting the rectangular small hole 15 into the rectangular protrusion 25 and tightening it, the combination of one protrusion 25 and small hole 15 can regulate the rotation of the terminal 1. Therefore, since it is sufficient to separate the linking portion 10 with a dimension including one small hole 15, the separation dimension of the linking portion 10 can be minimized. As a result, the overlap dimension of the separation linking portion 10 when joined to the linking plate material 20 can be reduced, and the resistance caused by the thick separation linking portion 10 when winding up the linking plate material 20 is reduced.

Third Embodiment
A chained terminal manufacturing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The cross sections taken along the lines A-A, B-B, and C-C in Figure 7 correspond to the views A-A, B-B, and C-C in Figure 8. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

In this third embodiment, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the primary chain terminal processing means presses a chain terminal having a strip-shaped chain portion 10 and multiple terminals 1 connected to the chain portion 10 via link portions 2 from a first metal plate having a large plate thickness. During this press processing, small holes 13 are formed in the link portions 2.

Next, in the secondary chain terminal processing means, the linking portion 2 of the chain terminal processed by the primary chain terminal processing means is cut at a position close to the chain portion 10, and the terminal 1 with the linking portion 2 remaining is separated from the chain portion 10. The separated linking portion 2 is then joined to another chain plate material 20 in the form of a strip made of a second metal plate that is thinner than the first metal plate, by fitting and crimping the protrusions and small holes formed in the thickness direction, and the terminals are again linked.

That is, when processing the chaining plate material 20, a square-shaped protrusion 23 corresponding to the small hole 13 of the connecting part 2 is provided on the chaining plate material 20. The small hole 13 is then fitted into the protrusion 23, and the protrusion 23 is crimped with a crimping member. In this way, the new chaining plate material 20 and the terminal 1 can be connected via the connecting part 2.

In this case, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, since the terminal 1 is not cut off at the linking portion 10 but at the connecting portion 2, the resistance when winding up the chain plate material 20 can be reduced.

In the above first to fourth embodiments, the protrusions 22, 23, 25 are formed on the linking plate material 20, which has a small plate thickness, and the small holes 12, 13, 15 are formed on the linking section 10 and the connecting section 2, which has a large plate thickness, but the reverse is also possible. In other words, the protrusions 22, 23, 25 may be formed on the linking section 10 and the connecting section 2, which has a large plate thickness, and the small holes 12, 13, 15 may be formed on the linking plate material 20, which has a small plate thickness.

Fourth Embodiment
9 and 10, a chained terminal manufacturing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The following description will focus on differences from the first embodiment.
The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment has a terminal forming means and a groove forming means, which can be integrated into one press device.

First, the terminal forming means forms a chain terminal from a single metal plate, as shown in FIG. 9, which has a strip-shaped chain portion 10 and a number of terminals 1 connected to the chain portion 10 via connecting portions 2.

Next, the groove forming means reduces the bending stiffness of the linking portion 10 along its length by forming a number of V-grooves (concave grooves) 17 along the width direction continuously in the length direction on the surface of the band-shaped linking portion 10 as shown in FIG. 10. In other words, by forming a number of V-grooves 17 in the linking portion 10, locally thin portions are provided intermittently in the length direction in the connecting portion. This makes it easier for the linking portion 10 to bend even if the plate thickness before pressing is large, and enables winding without curling.

Fifth Embodiment
A chained terminal manufacturing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 11. The following description will focus on differences from the first embodiment.
The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment has a terminal forming means and an opening forming means, which can be integrated into a single press device.

First, the terminal forming means forms a chain terminal having a strip-shaped chain portion 10 and a plurality of terminals 1 connected to the chain portion 10 via connecting portions 2 from a single metal plate, as shown in FIG. 11.

Next, the groove forming means forms a number of hollow openings 16 in the strip-shaped linking portion 10 to reduce the bending rigidity along the longitudinal direction of the linking portion 10. This makes it easier for the linking portion 10 to bend, even if the plate thickness before pressing is large, and allows winding without curling. The hollow openings 16 are provided only to hollow out a specified shape from the linking portion 10, so the load is small. The positions at which the hollow openings 16 are provided are not limited, but by providing the hollow openings 16 in a balanced manner, stress can be reduced. These hollow openings 16 are provided separately from the pilot holes.

Sixth Embodiment
12 and 13, a chained terminal manufacturing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The following description will focus on differences from the first embodiment.
The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment has plate material joining means and terminal forming means.
First, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, the plate material joining means laser-joins (jointing points Ls) the side edges of a first metal plate 10S having a greater thickness and a second metal plate 20S having a smaller thickness than the first metal plate 10S to form a single plate material having two regions of different thickness. Then, the press device as the terminal forming means forms a band-shaped linking portion 20P from the second metal plate 20S, and forms a plurality of terminals 1 connected to the linking portion 20P via connecting portions 2 from the first metal plate 10S. This makes the linking portion 20P easier to bend, enabling winding without curling.

Seventh Embodiment
A chained terminal manufacturing apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 16. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.
The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment has a terminal forming means and a plate thickness reducing means.
First, as shown in Fig. 14, the terminal forming means forms a chained terminal having a band-shaped linking portion 10 and a plurality of terminals 1 connected to the linking portion 10 via connecting portions 2 from a metal plate of a certain thickness. Next, as shown in Fig. 15, a cutting device or polishing device 110 as a plate thickness reducing means performs processing to reduce the plate thickness of the band-shaped linking portion 10 before winding the chained terminal onto a drum 80. As a result, the thinned linking portion 10A is wound onto the drum 80 as shown in Fig. 16, so that the linking portion 10A is easily curved, and winding without curling is possible.

Eighth Embodiment
An eighth embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus for a chained terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment differs from the seventh embodiment only in that a set 70 of rolling rollers 71, 72, and 73 is used as a plate thickness reducing means to reduce the plate thickness of the linking portion 10, but the effect is the same.

Ninth embodiment
A chained terminal manufacturing apparatus according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 18 to Fig. 22. Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 18, and Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 20.
The manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment has a terminal forming means and a plate width reducing means. The following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment.
First, the terminal forming means forms a chained terminal having a band-shaped linking portion 10 and a plurality of terminals 1 connected to the linking portion 10 via connecting portions 2 from a metal plate of a certain thickness, as shown in Figures 18 and 19. Next, the plate width reducing means processes the band-shaped linking portion 10 to reduce its width, as shown in Figures 20 and 21. That is, the plate width HB1 of the initial linking portion 10 is shaped into a linking portion 10B having a width HB2 by the plate width reducing means.
As a result, the bending rigidity of the band-shaped linking portion 10 is reduced, so that the linking portion 10B becomes easier to bend as shown in FIG. 22, and winding can be performed without causing curling.

Tenth Embodiment
A manufacturing apparatus for a chained terminal according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The device of this embodiment is a winding device that winds up a chain terminal having a strip-shaped linking portion 10 and a plurality of terminals connected to the linking portion via a connecting portion, manufactured by a press device 50, on a winding drum 80. This winding device is provided with a curved shape adding means 60 that adds a curved shape to the linking portion 10 for winding by a plurality of rollers 61, 62, 63, in the front stage of the winding drum 80. In this way, the radius R of the curved shape can be adjusted by the arrangement of the plurality of rollers 61, 62, 63, so that even if the plate thickness of the linking portion 10 is large during winding, winding can be easily performed. In addition, during unwinding, the same rollers 61, 62, 63 can be used as a curved shape removing means to correct the curved shape. The device of this tenth embodiment may be used alone, but if it is used in combination with the manufacturing devices of the first to ninth embodiments described above, for example by replacing the press device 50 with the press device 100, a higher effect can be obtained.

Here, the features of the chained terminal manufacturing apparatus and the chained terminal manufacturing method according to the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [5].

[1] A terminal forming section (131) that forms a plurality of terminals (1) by punching a first metal plate having a first thickness;
and a connecting portion (joining portion 133) for connecting each of the plurality of terminals to a band-shaped chaining member (chaining plate material 20) made of a second metal plate having a second thickness thinner than the first thickness.
Manufacturing apparatus for chained terminals (press device 100).

When multiple terminals having a thickness equal to or greater than a certain thickness are connected by a chaining portion (carrier) and wound onto a reel, they will develop a curl. However, with the manufacturing device having the configuration of [1] above, the terminals are connected using a chaining member that is thinner than the terminals, making it possible to supply the terminals in a chained state to subsequent processes such as continuous plating. In addition, because winding without curling is possible, a process to correct the curl is not required.

[2] The terminal forming portion (131) forms a primary chain terminal in which each of the plurality of terminals (1) is connected to a band-shaped chain portion (10) via each of a plurality of connecting portions (2) from the first metal plate,
The linking portion (10) has holes (pilot holes 12, small holes 15) corresponding to each of the plurality of terminals (1),
The chaining member (chaining plate material 20) has a protrusion (22, 25) formed in the plate thickness direction of the second metal plate and corresponding to the hole portion,
The connecting portion (joining portion 133) separates the primary chain terminal into each terminal (1) by cutting the chain portion, and joins the separated terminal to the chain member by fitting and crimping the protrusion and the hole.
The manufacturing apparatus for chained terminals according to the above-mentioned [1] (press device 100).

According to the manufacturing device of the configuration [2] above, after the primary chain terminals are formed, the primary chain terminals are separated into individual terminals, and the holes provided in the chaining section are fitted and crimped with the protrusions formed on the chaining member, so that the separated terminals can be joined to a chaining member that is thinner than the terminals to form a chained terminal. This eliminates the inconvenience of winding and unwinding the chained terminals.

[3] The protrusion (25) and the hole (small hole 15) have a rectangular shape that can fit into each other.
The manufacturing apparatus for chained terminals (press device 100) according to the above [2].

According to the manufacturing device having the configuration described above in [3], by providing a set of rectangular projections and holes, it is possible to restrict the rotation of the terminal relative to the linking member.

[4] The second metal plate has a processing portion (burring portion 132) for forming the convex portion,
The manufacturing apparatus for chained terminals (press device 100) according to the above [2] or [3].

According to the manufacturing device having the configuration described above in [4], processing of the chain members can also be carried out within the manufacturing device.

[5] stamping a first metal plate having a first thickness to form a plurality of terminals;
each of the terminals is connected to a band-shaped linking member made of a second metal plate having a second thickness smaller than the first thickness;
A method for manufacturing chain terminals.

According to the manufacturing method of the configuration [5] above, by connecting the terminals using a chaining member that is thinner than the terminals, it becomes possible to supply the terminals in a chained state to subsequent processes such as continuous plating. In addition, since winding without curling is possible, a process for correcting curling is not required.

1 Terminal 2 Connection portion 10 Linking portion 12 Pilot hole (small hole)
13 Small hole 15 Square small hole 16 Lightening opening 17 V-groove 20 Linking plate material 22 Convex portion 23 Convex portion 25 Square convex portion 10A, 10B Linking portion 10S First metal plate 20S Second metal plate 20P Linking portion 61 to 63 Roller 70 Set of rolling rollers 100 Press device 110 Cutting device or grinding device 131 Terminal forming portion 132 Burring portion (processing portion)
133 Joint (Connection)

Claims (1)

stamping a first metal sheet having a first thickness to form a plurality of terminals;
each of the terminals is connected to a band-shaped linking member made of a second metal plate having a second thickness smaller than the first thickness;
The first metal plate and the second metal plate are made of the same material.
A method for manufacturing chain terminals.

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