Patent Publication Number: US-11050168-B2

Title: Crimping terminal with wire hook to loop wire

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an electrical terminal. More specifically, this invention relates to an electrical terminal having an increased connection strength with a crimped wire. 
     An electrical terminal is used to create a connection between two electrical components. A crimped electrical terminal includes a crimp portion that is mechanically bent to engage a wire. An example of a crimped electrical terminal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,495, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. A typical crimped electrical terminal includes a rear connecting region that engages the wire. The rear connecting region includes crimp tongues that are bent to engage a conductor of the wire and crimp tabs that are bent to engage an insulator of the wire. This provides an electrical connection between the crimped electrical terminal and the conductor, as well as a mechanical connection between the crimped electrical terminal and the insulator. This mechanical connection prevents the wire from being pulled apart from the crimped electrical terminal during installation and use. 
     Conventional vehicles include an increasing number of electrical components that require an increasing number of electrical connections. As a result, wire harnesses in conventional vehicles include an increasing number of wires, which increases the weight of the wire harness. The weight of the wire harness can apply a force that tends to pull the wire out of the crimped electrical terminal. It would be advantageous to have a crimped electrical terminal having an increased strength crimped connection. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an electrical terminal. The electrical terminal includes a contact portion that is adapted to mate with a corresponding terminal. A terminal base extends from the contact portion. The electrical terminal includes a first side wall that extends from the contact base. The electrical terminal also includes a second side wall that extends from the contact base. A wire hook extends between the first side wall and the second side wall. A first wire space is defined between the wire hook and the first side wall and a second wire space is defined between the wire hook and the second side wall. 
     In other embodiments of the invention, the electrical terminal is part of an assembly that includes a wire conductor. A first leg of a wire conductor extends through the conductor barrel to a bend and is located on a first side of a wire hook. Additionally, a second leg of the wire conductor extends from the bend into the conductor barrel and is located on a second side of the wire hook, opposite the first side. 
     This invention also relates to a method of attaching an electrical terminal to a wire conductor. The method includes providing an electrical terminal with a wire barrel and a wire hook. The method also includes providing a wire conductor with a first leg that extends through the wire barrel and past the wire hook and a second leg that extends past the wire hook and into the wire barrel. The first leg and the second leg are separated by a bend. The method also includes crimping the electrical terminal so that the electrical terminal engages the wire conductor at the wire barrel, and the wire hook is located between the bend and the wire barrel. 
     Various aspects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an electrical terminal and a wire in accordance with this invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the electrical terminal taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 1 , showing the wire in a pre-crimp position relative to the electrical terminal. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 2 , showing the wire in the pre-crimp position and the electrical terminal on a crimp die that is in an opened position. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 4 , showing the crimp die in a closed position and the electrical terminal in a crimped position. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5  of the electrical terminal in the crimped position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in  FIG. 1  a perspective view of an electrical terminal, indicated generally at  10 . The electrical terminal  10  includes many features similar to the plug-in contact described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,495, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The illustrated electrical terminal  10  is a female terminal, but may be any desired type of terminal. 
     The electrical terminal  10  defines a terminal axis  12  and includes a connection portion, indicated generally at  14 , and a contact portion, indicated generally at  16 . The connection portion  14  is adapted to connect to an electrical conductor  18  of a wire  20 . The illustrated connection portion  14  is adapted to be crimped onto the wire  20 , but may be any desired type of connector. The contact portion  16  is adapted to mate with a corresponding terminal (not shown). The illustrated contact portion  16  is adapted to mate with a male terminal inserted along the terminal axis  12 . 
     The illustrated electrical terminal  10  is a two-piece construction and includes a contact member  22  and a spring member  24 . However, the electrical terminal  10  may include any desired number of components. The illustrated contact member  22  is made of copper, but may be made of any desired material. The illustrated contact member  22  is stamped and folded into the illustrated shape, but may be made by any desired process. The illustrated spring member  24  is made of stainless steel, but may be made of any desired material. The illustrated spring member  24  is stamped and folded into the illustrated shape, but may be made by any desired process. 
     The electrical terminal  10  includes a terminal base  26  that extends parallel to the terminal axis  12  through the connection portion  14 . The illustrated terminal base  26  is part of the contact member  22 , but may be any desired part of the electrical terminal  10 . The terminal base  26  includes two crimp tabs  28  within the connection portion  14  that extend from the terminal base  26  generally in an outbound direction  30  and are located on opposed sides of the terminal axis  12 . The crimp tabs  28  are adapted to be bent during a crimping process to engage an insulator  34  of the wire  20 . The terminal base  26  also includes two crimp tongues  32  within the connection portion  14  that also extend from the terminal base  26  generally in the outbound direction  30  and are located on opposed sides of the terminal axis  12 . The crimp tongues  32  are adapted to be bent during the crimping process to engage the conductor  18  of the wire  20 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , there is illustrated a cross-sectional view of the electrical terminal  10  taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . The electrical terminal  10  includes two side walls  36  that extend from the terminal base  26  generally in the outbound direction  30  and are located on opposed sides of the terminal axis  12 . Each side wall  36  extends from one of the crimp tongues  32  into the contact portion  16  of the electrical terminal  10 . 
     The electrical terminal  10  also includes a wire hook  38 . The illustrated wire hook  38  is part of the contact member  22 , but may be part of any desired portion of the electrical terminal  10 . The illustrated wire hook  38  is located between the connection portion  14  and the contact portion  16 , but may be in any desired location on the electrical terminal  10 . 
     The wire hook  38  includes a hook base  40  and a hook end  42 . The hook base  40  is attached to one of the side walls  36  and extends from the side wall  36  in the outbound direction  30 . The wire hook  38  is generally C-shaped and extends back toward the terminal base  26 . The hook end  42  is located between the two side walls  36  spaced from the terminal base  26 . In the illustrated embodiment, the hook end  42  is located proximate the terminal axis  12 . However, the wire hook  38  may have any desired shape, and the hook end  42  may be in any desired location. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is illustrated a view similar to  FIG. 1 , with the wire  20  shown positioned relative to the electrical terminal  10  in a pre-crimp position. As shown, part of the conductor  18  of the wire  20  is exposed where the insulator  34  has been removed. In the pre-crimp position, the wire  20  is located adjacent to the connection portion  14  so that a portion of the insulator  34  is located between the crimp tabs  28  and a portion of the conductor  18  is located between the crimp tongues  32 . In the illustrated embodiment, the conductor  18  includes multiple strands of material, but may be any desired type of conductor. 
     The conductor  18  includes a first leg  44  and second leg  46  that are connected together by a bend  48 . The first leg  44  extends through a conductor barrel, indicated generally at  50 , that is located between the crimp tongues  32  to the bend  48 . The second leg  46  extends from the bend  48  to the conductor barrel  50 . In the illustrated embodiment, the bend  48  is a 180° bend in the conductor  18 , and the first leg  44  and the second leg  46  are adjacent to each other and parallel to the terminal axis  12 . However, the bend  48  may be any desired size, and the first leg  44  and the second leg  46  may have any desired orientations. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is illustrated a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 2 , showing the wire  20  in the pre-crimp position and the electrical terminal  10  located in a crimp tool, indicated generally at  52 . The crimp tool  52  includes an anvil  54 , an insulator die  56 , a conductor die  58 , and a hook die  60 . The electrical terminal  10  is initially positioned on the anvil  54 , with the terminal base  26  adjacent to the anvil  54 . The dies  56 ,  58 , and  60  are spaced apart from the anvil  54  in the outbound direction  30 , with the electrical terminal  10  located therebetween. In order to crimp the electrical terminal  10  onto the wire  20 , the dies  56 ,  58 , and  60  are moved in a crimp direction  62  (which is opposite the outbound direction  30 ) toward the anvil  54 . The insulator die  56  engages the crimp tabs  28  and bends the crimp tabs  28  to engage the insulator  34 . Also, the conductor die  58  engages the crimp tongues  32  and bends the crimp tongues  32  to engage the conductor  18 . Additionally, the hook die  60  engages the wire hook  38 . The hook die  60  includes a hook guide  64  that defines a C-shaped curved inner surface. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is illustrated a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 4 , showing the electrical terminal  10  in a crimped position. The hook die  60  is shown engaged with the wire hook  38 . The hook guide  64  includes a base side  66 , which is located adjacent to the hook base  40 , and an end side  68 , which is located adjacent to the hook end  42 . The base side  66  extends farther in the crimp direction  62  than the end side  68 . During the crimping process, the base side  66  is located adjacent to the side wall  36  that the hook base  40  is attached to and, thus, prevents it from deflecting away from the terminal axis  12 . When the hook die  60  engages the wire hook  38 , the hook end  42  is moved toward the terminal base  26 . In the illustrated embodiment, the hook end  42  is also moved toward the side wall  36  that the hook base  40  is attached to and remains spaced from the terminal base  26 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , there is illustrated a cross-sectional view taken along the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 , showing the first leg  44  and the second leg  46  of the conductor  18 . As previously described, the first leg  44  extends through the conductor barrel  50 . During the crimping process, the crimp tongues  32  engage and deform the portion of the first leg  44  that is located in the conductor barrel  50 . The first leg  44  extends from the conductor barrel  50  to the bend  48 . The second leg  46  extends from the bend  48  to the conductor barrel  50 . During the crimping process, the crimp tongues  32  also engage and deform the portion of the second leg  46  that is located in the conductor barrel  50 . 
     The wire hook  38  is located between the bend  48  and the conductor barrel  50 . The first leg  44  of the conductor  18  and the second leg  46  of the conductor  18  are located on opposed sides of the wire hook  38 . As best shown in  FIG. 5 , during the crimping process, the wire hook  38  is bent and engages the conductor  18 , but does not deform the strands of the conductor  18 . This is different from the crimp tongues  32 , which engage and deform portions of the conductor  18 . However, the wire hook  38  may deform portions of the conductor  18 , if desired. 
     After the electrical terminal  10  has been deformed to the crimped position, a force applied to the wire  20  to pull the wire  20  out of the electrical terminal  10  is resisted not only by the engagement of the crimp tabs  28  with the insulator  34  and the engagement of the crimp tongues  32  with the conductor  18 , but additionally by the engagement of the wire hook  38  with the bend  48 . Thus, the wire hook  38  increases the pull-out force that the electrical terminal  10  can resist. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the wire hook  38  extends between the side walls  36  of the electrical terminal  10  and divides a space between the side walls  36  into a first wire space  70  (between the wire hook  38  and one side wall  36 ) and a second wire space  72  (between the wire hook  38  and the other side wall  36 ). When the wire  20  is placed in the pre-crimp position in the electrical terminal  10  and the electrical terminal  10  is deflected to the crimped position, the first leg  44  of the conductor  18  is located in the first wire space  70 , and the second leg  46  of the conductor  18  is located in the second wire space  72 . 
     As best seen by comparing the pre-crimp position illustrated in  FIG. 4  with the crimped position illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the hook end  42  is moved closer to the terminal base  26  during the crimping process. This is advantageous in that it provides a relatively large space for insertion of the conductor  18  in order to place the wire  20  in the pre-crimp position, while providing a relatively small space when the wire hook  38  is moved into the crimped position. 
     The principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.