US-12620727-B2 - Crimp terminal with mechanical locking to secure a wire

US12620727B2US 12620727 B2US12620727 B2US 12620727B2US-12620727-B2

Abstract

A crimp terminal includes a crimping segment having a base, a first side wall extending from the base, and a second side wall extending from the base opposite the first side wall. The crimping segment has a first surface adapted for arranging a wire thereon along a longitudinal axis and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first side wall has a first serration on the second surface. The second side wall has a pair of second serrations on the second surface. The first serration is displaced from the second serrations along the longitudinal axis and, in a crimped state, a portion of the first serration is positioned between a pair of portions of the second serrations along the longitudinal axis.

Inventors

Xavier Rouillard
Joseph Daher
Sundareshan M D

Assignees

TYCO ELECTRONICS FRANCE SAS
TE CONNECTIVITY INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20221020
Priority Date: 20200420

Claims (15)

1 . A crimp terminal, comprising: a crimping segment having a base, a first side wall extending from the base, and a second side wall extending from the base opposite the first side wall, the crimping segment has a first surface adapted for arranging a wire thereon along a longitudinal axis and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first side wall has a first serration protruding from the second surface, the second side wall has a pair of second serrations protruding from the second surface, the first serration is displaced from the second serrations along the longitudinal axis and, in a crimped state, a portion of the first serration is positioned between a pair of portions of the second serrations along the longitudinal axis, the first serration and the second serrations mechanically interlock to realize a form-fit connection.
2 . The crimp terminal of claim 1 , wherein a width of the first serration corresponds to a distance between the second serrations.
3 . The crimp terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first serration and the second serrations are arranged perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis.
4 . The crimp terminal of claim 1 , wherein each of the first serration and the second serrations has a rectangular cross-sectional shape.
5 . The crimp terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first serration and at least one of the second serrations are connected by a third serration.
6 . The crimp terminal of claim 5 , wherein the third serration extends at an angle greater than 90° with respect to the longitudinal axis.
7 . The crimp terminal of claim 1 , wherein, on each of the first side wall and the second side walls, the first serration and the second serrations are spaced apart from a plurality of free-edges of the first side wall and the second side walls.
8 . The crimp terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first side wall has a first recess extending into the first surface opposite the first serration.
9 . The crimp terminal of claim 8 , wherein the second side wall has a pair of second recesses extending into the first surface, each of the second recess is opposite one of the second serrations.
10 . The crimp terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first serration is displaced from the second serrations along the longitudinal axis by an offset that is greater than or equal to a width of the first serration.
11 . The crimp terminal of claim 1 , wherein the second serrations are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis by an offset that is greater than or equal to a width of each of the second serrations.
12 . An electrical connector, comprising: a crimp terminal including a crimping segment having a base, a first side wall extending from the base, and a second side wall extending from the base opposite the first side wall, the crimping segment has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first side wall has a first serration protruding from the second surface, the second side wall has a pair of second serrations protruding from the second surface, the first serration is displaced from the second serrations along a longitudinal axis and, in a crimped state, a portion of the first serration is positioned between a pair of portions of the second serrations along the longitudinal axis, the first serration and the second serrations mechanically interlock to realize a form-fit connection.
13 . The electrical connector of claim 12 , further comprising a wire enclosed in the crimp terminal in the crimped state.
14 . A method for preparing an electrical connector, comprising: providing a crimp terminal including a crimping segment having a base, a first side wall extending from the base, and a second side wall extending from the base opposite the first side wall, the crimping segment has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first side wall has a first serration protruding from the second surface, the second side wall has a pair of second serrations protruding from the second surface; arranging a wire on the first surface along a longitudinal axis of the crimping segment; folding the first side wall and the second side wall toward the longitudinal axis of the crimping segment; and positioning a portion of the first serration between a pair of portions of the second serrations along the longitudinal axis, the first serration and the second serrations mechanically interlock and realize a form-fit connection between the first serration and the second serrations along the longitudinal axis.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first serration is displaced from the second serrations along the longitudinal axis.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/IB2021/000278, filed on Apr. 16, 2021, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Indian Patent Application No. 202041016885, filed on Apr. 20, 2020. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a crimp terminal for terminating a wire and an electrical connector comprising a crimp terminal. The invention further relates to a method for preparing an electrical connector. BACKGROUND Crimp terminals can be used, for instance, for connectors in the automobile industry. Crimp terminals known in the art can be provided with serrations on their inner surface, i.e. on the surface receiving an electrical wire. These serrations are used for cutting into the surface of the wire to remove the presence of oxide layers and thus improve the electrical contact between the wire and such crimp terminal. Crimp terminals also provide to the crimped wires a certain level of resistance to pull-out force. The pull-out force is the force which is required to pull the crimped wire out of the crimp terminal. However, under certain particular conditions of unexpected high loads, known crimp terminals may not provide sufficient tension strength for preventing the wire to slide within the crimp terminal, thereby damaging the electrical contact. This can have a negative effect on the lifetime of an electrical connector comprising such crimp terminal. SUMMARY A crimp terminal includes a crimping segment having a base, a first side wall extending from the base, and a second side wall extending from the base opposite the first side wall. The crimping segment has a first surface adapted for arranging a wire thereon along a longitudinal axis and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first side wall has a first serration on the second surface. The second side wall has a pair of second serrations on the second surface. The first serration is displaced from the second serrations along the longitudinal axis and, in a crimped state, a portion of the first serration is positioned between a pair of portions of the second serrations along the longitudinal axis. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: FIG. 1 is a plan view of a crimp terminal according to a first embodiment in an uncrimped state; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the crimp terminal of FIG. 1 in a partially folded state; FIG. 3 is a plan view of an electrical connector according to the invention in a crimped state; FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view of the electrical connector of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a plan view of a crimp terminal according to a second embodiment in an uncrimped state; and FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for preparing the electrical connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S) Features and advantages of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying figures that are meant to illustrate embodiments of the invention. It is understood that such embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention. The accompanying drawings are incorporated into the specification and form a part of the specification to illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. These drawings, together with the description, explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are merely for the purpose of illustrating examples of how the invention can be made and used, and are not to be construed as limiting the invention to only the illustrated and described embodiments. Furthermore, several aspects of the embodiments may form—individually or in different combinations—solutions according to the present invention. The following described embodiments thus can be considered either alone or in an arbitrary combination thereof. Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following more particular description of the various embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like references refer to like elements. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a crimp terminal 1 according to a first embodiment of the inventive crimp terminal for terminating a wire. The crimp terminal 1 is represented in a flat configuration in FIG. 1. The crimp terminal 1 may be made of a metal sheet. The crimp terminal 1 comprises an electrical contact segment 3 and a crimping segment 5 adjacent to the electrical contact segment 3. At another end of the crimping segment 5, the crimp terminal 1 comprises an electrical pin or socket contact element in an end segment 7. The electrical contact segment 3 is configured to receive a mating contact. The electrical contact segment 3 can be of any shape so as to accommodate any particular mating contact. Thus, the crimp terminal 1 is adapted for any one of a male or female contact of various shapes. The crimping segment 5 is co