Conductor wire connecting method

• US 8,776,366 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Mita, Toru, Saito, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): CAZAN, LIVIUS RADU
• Application Number:
  US13/345,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 297/53, 298/60, 298/63, 298/72
• US Class Current: 29/860
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/20 using a crimping sleeve H01R4/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/05 with wire-insulation stripping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49179 by metal fusion bonding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49185 of terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49201 with overlapping orienting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53235 Means to fasten by deformation

Abstract

After melted enamel coating is discharged, a fusion process of electrical wire-to-wire connection is carried out inside a crimping connector. In the conductor connection method based on the fusion process, a plurality of enamel-coated conductor wires are inserted in the crimping connector prior to the start of the fusion process. Further, a temporary crimping process that provides the crimping connector a temporary crimping by mechanical pressurizing means is also performed. Addition of force at both end parts or either end part of the cross-section orthogonal to the axis of the above crimping connector may cause expansion, which needs to be suppressed with external force. At the same time, the cross-sectional areas corresponding to both end parts or either end part should preferably be as small as possible. The temporary crimping is applied to the crimping connector for this purpose.

Claims

1. An electric conductor wire connecting method comprising the steps of:

inserting a plurality of enamel-coated conductor wires into a tube-shaped crimping connector;

heating and crimping the enamel-coated conductor wires by pinching and pressing, with a pair of electrodes having flat pressing faces, and electrifying the crimping connector;

pressing and deforming the crimping connector and the enamel-coated wires simultaneously; and

discharging melted enamel coating from the crimping connector,

wherein the method includes;

a fusing process wherein the conductor wires are electrically connected together in the crimping connector; and

a temporary crimping process wherein, prior to the fusing process, a plurality of the enamel-coated conductor wires are inserted in the crimping connector and, by mechanical pressurizing means, temporary crimping is applied to the crimping connector,

wherein, with respect to the cross-section of the crimping connector orthogonal to the axis of the crimping connector, temporary crimping applied to the crimping connector is utilized to suppress possible expansion in area due to external force given to both the end parts or either one of them in the cross-section, while trying also to keep an area of both the end parts or either of them of the cross section as small as possible,

wherein the crimping connector is formed to have flat portions by the mechanical pressuring means during the temporary crimping process,

wherein the flat portions of the crimping connector are pressed by the pair of electrodes having flat pressing faces during the fusing process, and

wherein the pair of electrodes having flat pressing faces is different from the mechanical pressuring means.

2. The conductor wire connecting method according to claim 1, wherein the temporary crimping process of the crimping connector is performed such that either one or both end parts of the cross-section of the crimping connector are made to become slimmer toward outside or dented toward inside, while a remaining portion is made flat.

3. The conductor wire connecting method according to claim 1, wherein the crimping connector,. which has a tubular shape originally, is pressed and deformed into a hexagonal shape through the temporary crimping process carried out by a pair of molds, each mold with its pressing face having a cross-section of a trapezoidal concave, and, subsequently in the fusing process, pressure is further applied to the hexagonal shape by the pair of electrodes having flat pressing faces.

4. The conductor wire connecting method according to claim 1, wherein lead wires for a neutral point of windings of respective phases in a polyphase rotary electric machine are connected with the enamel-coated conductor wires during the temporary crimping process and the fusing process, and are arranged in both the end parts of the cross-section of the crimping connector.