A crimp terminal includes a pressure-bonding section that electrically connects a conductor of an insulated wire thereto. More specifically, the insulated wire is inserted into the pressure-bonding section, and then the pressure-bonding section is caulked to be pressure-bonded to the conductor. Thus, the insulated wire is connected to the pressure-bonding section.
Such a crimp terminal is used for, for example, a wire harness that connects electric parts of an automobile to each other.
As automobiles are improved in safety, comfort and convenience, wire harnesses are improved in functionality and performance and thus are increased in diameter and weight. In such a situation, insulated wires, which are considered to occupy about 60% of the total weight of wire harnesses, now include conductors formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy instead of copper.
By contrast, crimp terminals are formed of copper. Where the conductor is formed of aluminum instead of copper, the pressure-bonding section of the crimp terminal is subjected to dissimilar metal contact. More specifically, when contacting water or moisture, the pressure-bonding section is easily corroded. This is referred to as “galvanic corrosion”.
In order to prevent galvanic contact from occurring even in the case where the conductor is formed of aluminum, the technology disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 has been developed. According to this technology, the contact interface between the aluminum conductor and the crimp terminal is isolated from outside with a resin material so that water is blocked. According to such a corrosion-resisting structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the insulated wire is connected to the crimp terminal, and then a mold portion formed of a resin is formed in a connection part where the crimp terminal and the insulated wire are connected to each other.
However, such a corrosion-resisting structure has the following problem. The connection part where the crimp terminal, formed of a metal material, and the insulated wire, which is formed of a resin, are connected to each other is molded with a resin material. Therefore, the resin material used for the mold portion is deteriorated after being used for a long time and the water-blocking performance thereof is declined.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds