阅读说明：本技术 压接接触件 (Crimp contact ) 是由 J.布朗特 U.布鲁梅尔 S.萨克斯 于 2020-04-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于压接导体的压接接触件,具有：用于在压接之后包围导体的可卷压的压接侧面和用于导体的容纳部,该容纳部在压接接触件的纵向方向上延伸直至接收端。压接侧面在接收端上沿纵向方向延伸直到前端,压接接触件的前部区域布置在接收端和前端之间。压接接触件在前部区域中具有至少一个结构化区域。(The invention relates to a crimp contact for crimping a conductor, comprising: the crimp contact comprises a crimpable crimp side for surrounding the conductor after crimping and a receptacle for the conductor, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the crimp contact as far as a receiving end. The crimp side extends in the longitudinal direction on the receiving end as far as the front end, the front region of the crimp contact being arranged between the receiving end and the front end. The crimp contact has at least one structured region in the front region.)

1. Crimp contact (100) for crimping a conductor (150), having a crimpable crimp side (110) for surrounding the conductor (150) after crimping, and having a receptacle (120) for the conductor (150), the receptacle (120) extending in a longitudinal direction (101) of the crimp contact (100) up to a receiving end (121), wherein the crimp side (110) extends on the receiving end (121) in the longitudinal direction (101) up to a front end (111), wherein a front region (112) of the crimp contact (100) is arranged between the receiving end (121) and the front end (111), characterized in that the crimp contact (100) has at least one structured region (130) in the front region (112).

2. The crimp contact (100) according to claim 1, wherein the crimp contact (100) is formed from a metal sheet (300), wherein the sheet thickness is at most three millimeters, preferably in the range of 150 micrometers to two millimeters, particularly preferably in the range of 200 micrometers to 400 micrometers.

3. The crimp contact (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the structured region (130) is arranged on an inner side (113) of the crimp side (110).

4. The crimp contact (100) according to claim 3, wherein the structured region (130) is formed by at least one projection (132) on an inner side (113) of the crimp side (110).

5. The crimp contact (100) of claim 4, wherein the height of the protrusion (132) is at most 200 microns.

6. The crimp contact (100) according to claim 3, wherein the structured area (130) is formed by at least one recess (133) on an inner side (113) of the crimp side (110).

7. The crimp contact (100) of claim 6, wherein the recess (133) has a depth of at most 200 microns.

8. The crimp contact (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the crimp side (110) has an upper edge (114), wherein the upper edge (114) is structured in the front region (112) and thus forms the structured region (130) or a further structured region (130).

9. The crimp contact (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein in the front region (110) the crimp side (112) has a wing (115) protruding from the crimp side (110).

10. The crimp contact (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the structured region (130) is formed such that when the crimp contact (100) is crimped, the friction between two sub-regions of the crimp side (110) increases.

11. The crimp contact (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further having a sealant reservoir (140), wherein the sealant reservoir (140) is arranged in the front region (112) and makes sealant available.

12. A method of manufacturing a crimp contact (100) having the steps of:

providing (211) a crimp contact (100) having a crimpable crimp side (110) for surrounding a conductor (150) after crimping and having a receptacle (120) for the conductor (150), the receptacle (120) extending in a longitudinal direction (101) of the crimp contact (100) up to a receiving end (121), wherein the crimp side (110) extends on the receiving end (121) in the longitudinal direction (101) up to a front end (111), wherein a front region (112) of the crimp contact (100) is arranged between the receiving end (121) and the front end (111),

structuring (212, 213) a structured region (130) in a front region (112) of the crimp contact (100).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein providing the crimp contact (100) comprises the steps of:

providing (221) a metal sheet (300) having a sheet thickness of at most three millimeters, preferably in the range of 150 micrometers to two millimeters, particularly preferably in the range of 200 micrometers to 400 micrometers;

cutting (222) the metal sheet (300) to size;

bending (224) a cut-to-size metal sheet (300) to form the crimp contact (100).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the dimensional cutting (222) of the metal sheet (300) is performed by a cutting and structuring step (225), and wherein the cutting and structuring tool (310) for stamping comprises a stamp (314), wherein the structuring of the surface is performed by the stamp (314).

15. Crimp connection (105) between a crimp contact (100) according to one of claims 1 to 11 and a conductor (150) extending in a longitudinal direction (101) of the crimp contact (100), wherein the crimp side (110) is crimped around the conductor (150), wherein a front region (112) of the crimp contact (100) covers the conductor (150).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a crimp contact for crimping a conductor, a production method for such a crimp contact, and a crimp connection.

Background

Crimp contacts are known from the prior art. These usually have two crimping sides arranged on either side of the crimping back. When the crimp contact is contacted by the conductor end, the conductor end is positioned between the crimp sides and over the crimp back. The crimp side is then bent around the end of the conductor, for example using a crimping pliers or a crimping tool. During this crimping process, the conductor is mechanically and electrically connected to the crimp contact. Such a crimp contact is disclosed, for example, in printed document DE 102015224219 a 1.

During crimping, the upper edge of the crimp side may strike the inside of the crimp side. The crimping sides can then be rolled up and in this way assume a spiral shape after crimping. However, it can happen that the upper edge slips on the inside of the crimp flank, as a result of which an unsatisfactory crimp connection is produced.

Disclosure of Invention

The problem of the invention is to modify the crimp contact such that the possibility of the upper edge sliding from the inside of the crimp side is reduced or such sliding is completely avoided. Another problem of the invention is to propose a manufacturing method for such a crimp contact. Another problem of the invention is to propose a crimp connection made of such a crimp contact and a conductor.

These problems are solved with the crimp contact, the manufacturing method and the crimp connection according to the independent claims. Advantageous configurations are specified in the dependent claims.

A crimp contact for crimping a conductor comprising: the crimp contact comprises a crimpable crimp side for surrounding the conductor after crimping and a receptacle for the conductor, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the crimp contact as far as a receiving end. The crimping sides extend in the longitudinal direction over the receiving end to the front end. The front region of the crimp contact is arranged between the receiving end and the front end. The crimp contact has at least one structured region in the front region.

In this case, it is conceivable that, when the crimping flanks are crimped, a friction connection and/or a form-fitting connection is produced as a result of the structured regions, as a result of which the enclosability of the conductor can be improved by means of the crimping flanks.

The conductor may be a multicore conductor, in particular. It is conceivable for the crimp contact to be composed of metal. Further, it is conceivable that the conductor is also composed of a metal, and the metal of the conductor and the metal of the crimp contact are different from each other. It is envisaged that the receiving end is arranged to be aligned with one end of the conductor.

In an embodiment, the crimp contact is formed from a sheet of metal. In this case, the sheet thickness is at most three millimeters. Preferably, the sheet thickness may be in the range of 150 microns to two millimeters. One particularly preferred embodiment has a sheet thickness in the range of 200 to 400 microns.

In this case, the term metal sheet comprises metal having a sheet thickness smaller than the other dimensions of the metal sheet. Thus, in this embodiment, the crimp contact comprises metal, the metal of the metal sheet. The specified sheet thickness makes it possible in particular to produce a crimpable crimp side, since beyond a certain sheet thickness, for example greater than three millimeters, a corresponding bending of the metal sheet is no longer possible during the crimping process and during the production of the crimp contact.

In one embodiment, the structured area is arranged on the inside of the crimping side. In this case, the inner side of the crimp side may be the side of the crimp side facing the conductor after the conductor has been inserted into the crimp contact. The upper edge of the crimp flank can then hit the structured area during crimping and can thus make a friction and/or form-fit connection with the inside of the crimp flank, so that the possibility of the upper edge slipping from the inside of the crimp flank during the crimping process is reduced or avoided altogether.

In an embodiment, the structured area may be formed in the form of one or more protrusions on the inner side of the crimping side. In alternative embodiments, the structured area may be formed by one or more depressions on the inside of the crimp side. In this case, the height of the protrusions may be at most 200 micrometers, and the depth of the depressions may be at most 200 micrometers. If the upper edge of the crimping side hits a projection or a recess, the upper edge can be better held at the space provided during crimping due to the projection, and thus the rolling up of the crimping side can be improved accordingly. In an alternative embodiment with a recess, the upper edge may hit the recess and may be held in its predetermined position by the recess, so that the roll-up may be improved as well.

In one embodiment, the crimping flanks have an upper edge which is structured in the front region. By structuring the upper edge, a structured region can likewise be formed. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the structured upper edge forms a further structured area in the front area. The upper edge can be roughened, for example in the front region, and can therefore lead to increased friction during an impact on the inside of the crimping flanks, thereby improving the rolling-up of the crimping flanks.

In one embodiment, the crimping sides have wings protruding from the crimping sides in the front region. In this case, the wings may be used to provide additional material to the crimp sides to provide sealing of the conductor in front of the conductor during crimping. This is useful in particular when the metal of the crimp contact and the metal of the conductor are identical to one another, and therefore sealing of the contact points of the crimp contact and the conductor is advantageous, since otherwise the penetration of water and/or oxygen due to the different metals would lead to corresponding corrosion. This is particularly the case when the two metals differ greatly with respect to their electrochemical potentials, for example when the crimp contact is made of copper and the conductor of aluminum.

In this case, the upper edge may extend until it is above the wing, and the structuring of the upper edge may be achieved by roughening of the wing tip. Furthermore, in embodiments where the upper edge engages the inner protrusion/recess, it is envisaged that the size of the wing tip and the size of the protrusion or recess match each other. As a result, an improved rolling up of the wings and thus an improved sealing of the contact surfaces between the conductor and the crimp contact can be achieved.

In one embodiment, the structured region is formed such that when the crimp contact is crimped, the friction between the two sub-regions of the crimp side increases. This can be done, for example, by roughening the inside of the crimp sides or roughening the upper edge. Friction is then increased relative to the non-roughened crimp side.

In one embodiment, the crimp contact has a sealant reservoir in the front region, which makes a sealant available. If a gap occurs during crimping when the crimping sides are rolled up, it can be closed by a sealing device. As a result, sealing can be improved, which is advantageous in particular when the crimp contact and the conductor are composed of different metals. As a result, corrosion can be reduced because air or water is less likely to enter the intersection between different metals due to sealing by the sealant, thereby reducing the possibility of corrosion.

Common to all embodiments is that the crimp contact may be configured with two crimp sides that are symmetrical. All features of one crimp side can then be envisaged on the other crimp side, so that, for example, corresponding structuring is envisaged on both inner sides of the crimp side, or both upper edges of the crimp side are roughened.

The crimp contact may also have a contact body with which the plug contact can be produced, so that after crimping a general connection is formed between the contact body and the conductor.

In a method for producing a crimp contact, a crimp contact is first provided, which has a crimpable crimp side for closing a conductor after crimping and a receptacle for the conductor. In this case, the receptacle extends in the longitudinal direction of the crimp contact as far as the receiving end. The crimp side extends in the longitudinal direction on the receiving end as far as the front end, the front region of the crimp contact being arranged between the receiving end and the front end. In a second method step, a structured region is formed in the front region of the crimp contact. In this case, the structuring can be carried out on the upper edge of the crimp side and/or on the inner side of the crimp side. It is envisaged that the structuring comprises roughening and/or creating protrusions and/or indentations.

In one embodiment of the method, providing the crimp contact first comprises providing a metal sheet having a sheet thickness of at most three millimeters, subsequently cutting the metal sheet to size, and thereafter subsequently bending the cut-to-size metal sheet to form the crimp contact. In this case, the sheet thickness may preferably be in the range of 150 micrometers to 2 millimeters, and particularly preferably in the range of 200 micrometers to 400 micrometers.

In one embodiment, the sizing of the metal sheet is performed by a stamping process, which may be configured as a cutting and structuring step. The stamping tool used for stamping may then comprise a stamp and may thus be used as a combined cutting and structuring tool, wherein the structuring of the surface is performed by the stamp. Thus, for example, by means of a cutting and structuring tool, the metal sheet can be cut to size at the same time, and corresponding depressions or projections can be punched into the metal sheet at desired locations for the inner side of the crimping side or sides.

This achieves an advantageous production method, wherein the production of the crimp contact and the structuring of the one or more structured regions can take place in one working step.

The invention also comprises a crimp connection between a crimp contact according to the invention and a conductor extending in the longitudinal direction of the crimp contact. In this case, the crimping side is crimped around the conductor. The front region of the crimp contact covers the conductor. In one embodiment, the crimp contact and the conductor have different metals in this case. The crimp contact is made of copper, for example, and the conductor is made of aluminum.

Drawings

The problems of the invention, the technical implementation of the solutions and the advantages of the invention will become apparent with reference to exemplary embodiments, which are described below with the aid of the accompanying drawings. In the schematic drawings:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a crimp contact;

figure 2 shows a cross section through a crimp contact;

fig. 3 shows a cross section through another crimp contact;

figure 4 shows a cross section through a crimp contact in a crimp tooling during a crimping process;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of another crimp contact;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of another crimp contact;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of another crimp contact;

FIG. 8 illustrates a crimp contact within a crimp tool during a crimping process;

FIG. 9 illustrates the crimp contact within the crimp tooling after the crimp process is complete;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a method of manufacture;

FIG. 11 shows a flow chart of another method of manufacture;

FIG. 12 shows a cross section through a press tool during a manufacturing method;

FIG. 13 shows another cross section through a press tool after pressing; and

figure 14 shows a crimp connection.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a crimp contact 100 suitable for crimping a conductor not shown in fig. 1. The crimp contact 100 has at least one crimpable crimp side 110, two such crimp sides 110 being shown in fig. 1. In this case, the crimping sides 110 serve to surround the conductor after crimping. The crimp contact 100 furthermore has a receptacle 120 for the conductor, which receptacle 120 extends in the longitudinal direction 101 of the crimp contact 100 as far as a receiving end 121. The crimping sides 110 extend in the longitudinal direction 101 over the receiving end 121 to the front end 111. The front region 112 of the crimp contact 100 is arranged between the receiving end 121 and the front end 111. In the front region 112 of the crimp contact 100, it has a structured region 130.

Fig. 1 shows that the two crimping sides 110 form a crimping sleeve 102 into which a conductor can be inserted before crimping into the crimping sleeve 102. Furthermore, the crimp contact 100 has a contact body 108 for forming a plug connection. The crimp contact 100 also has a carrier strip 109, by means of which carrier strip 109 a plurality of crimp contacts can be connected to one another during the manufacturing method and which carrier strip 109 can be removed before use, i.e. before crimping of the crimp contact 100. It is contemplated that the receiving end 121 is disposed in alignment with one end of the conductor.

It is contemplated that the crimp contact 100 is formed from sheet metal. In this case, the metal sheet is a metal-containing material which has a greater extent in both directions of extension than the thickness of the material (and thus the sheet thickness). In this case, the sheet thickness may be up to three millimeters. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, the sheet thickness is in the range of 150 microns to two millimeters. In a particularly preferred exemplary embodiment, the sheet thickness is in the range of 00 to 400 microns. The crimp contact 100 shown in fig. 1 is formed from a suitable sheet metal.

The depiction in fig. 1 shows that structured areas 130 are arranged on inner side 113 of crimping side 110. Due to the perspective view in fig. 1, structured area 130 is visible on only one of the two crimping sides 110. However, it is also possible to arrange corresponding structured areas on the opposite crimping sides 110, which are hidden from view.

Structured area 130 is formed by a plurality of structural elements 131 arranged parallel to longitudinal axis 101. In this case, the structural elements 131 do not necessarily have to be arranged exactly parallel to the longitudinal direction 101. However, an arrangement of the structural elements 131 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 101 is not feasible. When the crimp contact 100 is crimped, the upper edge 114 of the crimp side 110 may be guided by a suitable crimping tool such that the upper edge 114 on the inner side 113 of the crimp side 110 strikes the structured region 130. By means of the structural element 131, the upper edge 114 can interlock with the inner side 113 of the crimping side 110 during the crimping process, so that slipping of the upper edge 114 at the inner side 113 of the crimping side 110 can be avoided and/or the possibility of slipping can be reduced. As a result, an improved crimp connection may be produced.

In fig. 1, four structural elements 131 are arranged in structured area 130. A different number of structural elements 131 is also conceivable, in particular only one structural element 131 per structured area 130 and thus in each case one structural element 131 on each crimping side 110.

Fig. 2 shows a cross section through the crimp contact 100 of fig. 1 in the front region 112. The two crimping sides 110 stand symmetrically with respect to each other. The crimping sides 110 are connected to one another via a crimping back 116. Both crimping sides 110 are adjacent to the crimping backs 116 and have a structured region 130, which structured region 130 is designed in the form of a structural element 131. In this case, the structural element 131 is configured as a projection 132.

Here, in each case, a structural element 131, i.e. a projection 132, is arranged on the inner side 113 of the crimping side 110.

In one exemplary embodiment, the projections 132 have a height of up to 200 microns, which in this case indicates how far the projections 132 protrude on the inner side 113 of the crimp side 110.

Fig. 3 shows a section through the front region of a further crimp contact 100, which further crimp contact 100 corresponds to crimp contact 100 of fig. 1, except for the differences described below. In contrast to the elevations 132 of fig. 2, the structural elements 131 in fig. 3 are configured as depressions 133.

In one exemplary embodiment, the depth of the recess 133 is up to 200 microns, where the depth is defined as the depth of the recess 133 relative to the inner side 113 of the crimp side 110.

In both exemplary embodiments of fig. 2 and 3, when the crimp contact 100 is inserted into a suitable crimp tool, the upper edge 114 of the respective crimp side 110 is guided onto the inner side 113 of the respective crimp side 110 and strikes the inner side 113 in the structural region 130. By means of the structural element 131, slipping of the upper edge 114 from the inner side 113 of the crimping side 110 is in this case reduced or completely avoided. This is independent of whether the structural element 131 is configured as a projection 132 or a recess 133.

Fig. 4 shows a cross section through the crimp contact 100 of fig. 2 during the crimping process. For this purpose, the crimp contact 100 is inserted into a crimp tool 200, wherein the crimp tool 200 is composed of a lower part 201 and an upper part 202. In fig. 4, the cross-section is depicted at a particular time at which the upper edge 114 of the crimp side 110 strikes the structured area 130. The upper edge 114 hooks into the protrusion 132, thereby preventing or reducing the likelihood of downward slippage of the upper edge 114. If the crimp tooling 200 is further closed, i.e. the upper part 202 is moved further towards the lower part 201, the crimp side 110 is rolled up further upwards and forms an air-tight closed area in the front area 112 of the crimp contact 100, so that a conductor inserted into the crimp contact 100 can no longer be accessed via the front area 112. In this case, the crimping tool 200 may be configured as described in specification US 9,331,446B 2. However, alternative configurations of crimping tool 200 are also possible.

Instead of structural elements 131, it is likewise conceivable for the inner side 113 to be roughened in the structured region 130, so that slipping of the upper edge 114 on striking the roughened structured region 130 is likewise avoided or the likelihood of such slipping is reduced. In this case, the roughening may increase friction between the structured region 130 and the upper edge 114 on the inner side 113 of the crimp side 110 compared to the smooth inner side 113 of the crimp side 110.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of another crimp contact 100, the crimp contact 100 corresponding to the crimp contact 100 of fig. 1, except for the differences described below. No structured areas are arranged on the inner side 113 of the crimping side 110. Instead, structured area 130 is formed at upper edge 114 by roughened area 134 of upper edge 114. Due to the roughening of the upper edge 114, the possibility of slippage is reduced or prevented altogether also when the upper edge 114 hits the inner side 113 of the crimping side 110 during crimping.

It is conceivable to form both the structured area 130 with the structural elements 131 of fig. 1 and the structured area 130 with the roughened area 134 at the upper edge 114, in order to utilize the positive effect of the crimp contact 100 in fig. 1 in addition to the positive effect of the crimp contact 100 in fig. 5.

Fig. 6 shows another exemplary embodiment of a crimp contact 100, which corresponds to the crimp contact 100 in fig. 1, except for the differences described below. In the front region 112, the crimp side 110 has wings 115 projecting from the crimp side 110. Since both the structured area 130 and the wings 115 are arranged in the front area 112 of the crimping side 110, the upper edge 114 of the crimping side 110, which extends over the wings 115, engages in the structural elements 131 of the structured area 130 when crimped, i.e. during the crimping process. By means of the wings 115, additional material of the crimp contact 100 is available in the front region 112, with which material the sealing of the crimp contact 100 can be improved after crimping in the front region 112. Additionally or alternatively, it is conceivable that the upper edge 114 of the crimp side 110 is structured, for example roughened, in the region of the wings 115 and, as a result, a further improvement in the crimp performance of the crimp contact 100 is achieved.

Fig. 7 shows a further perspective view of the crimp contact 100 of fig. 6, wherein the crimp contact 100 has an additional sealant reservoir 140 in the region of the wings 115. The sealant reservoir 140 provides a sealant that is available by which the sealing of the crimp contact 100 in the front region 112 can be further improved during the crimping process.

In this case, the crimp contact 100 of fig. 6 and 7 is again constructed symmetrically, so that both crimp flanks 110 have a wing 115. The structural element 131 can be configured like in fig. 2 and 3 as a projection or recess. In addition, as an alternative to the structural elements 131 in the structured area 130, roughening can be envisaged, as already described above for the crimp contact 100 without the wings 115. In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 6 and 7, it is conceivable that the dimensions of the wings 115 and the dimensions of the structural elements 131 match one another. For example, it is conceivable that the expansion of the structural element 131 in the longitudinal direction 101 corresponds to the width of the wing 115 in the longitudinal direction 101, or that the expansion of the structural element 131 in the longitudinal direction 101 and the width of the wing 115 in the longitudinal direction 101 deviate from one another by a maximum of 20%. It is likewise conceivable for the spacing of the structural elements 131 to correspond to the sheet thickness in the region of the wings 115, in particular if the structural elements 131 are configured as projections 132. If the structural element 131 is configured as a depression 133, the dimension of the depression 133 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction 101 can correspond to the sheet thickness in the region of the wings 115.

FIG. 8 shows the crimp contact 100 of FIG. 7 positioned within a crimp tooling 200, wherein the crimp tooling 200 is similar in construction to the crimp tooling 200 of FIG. 4. The upper edges 114 of the crimping sides 110 are guided over the wings 115. During the crimping process, upper edge 114 strikes structured region 130 of inner side 113 of crimp side 110, and similar to fig. 4, such that the possibility of upper edge 114 or wings 115 slipping from inner side 113 of crimp side 110 may be avoided or reduced.

Figure 9 illustrates a cross-section through the crimp contact 100 illustrated in figure 8 after the crimp tooling 200 is fully closed. The wings 115 make so much material available that the crimp contact 100 can achieve complete sealing of the crimp connection from the front. In this case, the sealant reservoir 140 shown in fig. 8 serves to provide additional sealant with which any intermediate space inside the rolled crimping side 110 can additionally be sealed.

Fig. 10 shows a flow chart 210 of a method of producing a crimp contact 100, with which one of the described crimp contacts 100 can be produced. In a first provision step 211, in this case a crimp contact 100 is provided, which has a crimpable crimp side 110 for enclosing the conductor after crimping and a receptacle 120 for the conductor, which receptacle 120 extends in the longitudinal direction 101 of the crimp contact 100 up to a receiving end 121. In this case, the crimping sides 110 extend in the longitudinal direction 101 on the receiving end 121 to the front end 111. In this case, the front region 112 of the crimp contact 100 is arranged between the receiving end 121 and the front end 111. In a first structuring step 212, the structured region 130 in the front region 112 of the crimp contact 100 is now structured. This may include roughening the structured area 130, forming depressions 133 on the inner side 113 of the crimp side 110, or forming protrusions 132 on the inner side 113 of the crimp side 110.

Fig. 11 shows a flow chart 210 of a preferred production method of the crimp contact 100, wherein in a second provision step 221 a metal sheet is first provided, the sheet thickness of which is at most three millimeters. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, the sheet thickness is in the range of 150 microns to two millimeters. In a particularly preferred exemplary embodiment, the sheet thickness is in the range of 200 to 400 microns. In a cut to size step 222 following the second providing step 221, the metal sheet is suitably cut to size. A second structuring step 223 now takes place, which may correspond to the first structuring step 212 in fig. 10. In a final bending step 224, the cut-to-size metal sheet is bent, thereby forming the crimp contact 100. This means that the structuring of the structured region 130 can in particular already start during the production of the crimp contact 100, in particular while the crimp contact 100 has not yet been formed into its final form. This enables the crimp contact 100 to be manufactured efficiently and inexpensively. In fig. 11, the depiction also shows that the cut to size step 222 and the second structuring step 223 can be performed in a parallel cut and structuring step 225.

Fig. 12 shows a metal sheet 300 in a cutting and structuring tool 310. The cutting and structuring tool 310 has an upper part 311 and a lower part 312. In this case, the upper portion 311 has two cutting edges 313 and two dies 314. The lower part 312 is configured such that when the upper part 311 is moved towards the lower part 312, the cutting edge 313 can be guided past the lower part 312 of the cutting and structuring tool 310 and in the process a dimensional cutting of the metal sheet 300 can take place. The dies 314 are configured such that using these dies, depressions can be punched in the metal sheet 300, which depressions can then correspond to the depressions 133 in fig. 3.

Fig. 13 shows the metal sheet 300 after the cutting and structuring tool 310 has been closed. By means of the cutting edge 313, the metal sheet 300 is shaped and the stamp 314 is pressed into the metal sheet 300. As a result, the recess 133 is generated in the metal sheet 300. If the metal sheet 300 is now bent such that the crimp back 116 is located between the recesses 133, a crimp contact 100 similar to the configuration of fig. 3 can be produced. In this case, it does not matter whether the crimp contact 100 has the wing 115. In this case, the cutting edge 313 can be configured such that the described shape of the crimp side 110 of the crimp contact 100 is produced by the cutting edge 313.

Instead of a stamp 314 for forming the depression 133, the upper part 311 may also have a depression, while the lower part 312 may also have a corresponding projection, thereby producing the projection 132 in fig. 2.

Fig. 14 shows a crimp connection 105 in which a conductor 150 is surrounded by two crimp sides 110 of the crimp contact 100. In this case, the cross section of fig. 14 is guided through the receiving portions 120 of fig. 1, 5, 6 and 7, respectively. The conductor 150 is in particular configured as a multicore conductor with a plurality of cores 151. Alternatively, the conductor 150 may be a single core conductor (not shown in fig. 14).

As shown in fig. 14, since the crimp contact 100 surrounds the conductor 150, wherein the crimp sides 110 contact one another and thus lead to a covering of the conductor 150 and at the same time to a covering of the conductor in the front region 112, this results in the conductor 150 being completely covered by the crimp contact 100, in particular when the crimp contact 100 has wings as shown in fig. 6 and 7. This means, in particular, that no gas and/or liquid can enter from the outside into the contact region, in which the conductor 150 and the crimp contact 100 are in contact with one another. This is particularly advantageous when the crimp contact 100 and the conductor 150 are composed of different materials, since oxygen may reach the connection site between the crimp contact 100 and the conductor 150 if not completely covered, possibly contributing to oxidation. Particularly in the automotive industry, where aluminum conductors 150 are used for weight reasons, they can then be combined with copper crimp contacts 100. Copper is preferred for crimp contact 100 over aluminum because copper has significantly better flexibility and therefore can improve performance during the crimping process. Any aperture in the front region 112 may be additionally sealed by an additional sealant reservoir 140. This is therefore of particular interest, since copper and aluminum have distinctly different potentials in the electrochemical series, and the material bridges from copper to aluminum are therefore particularly susceptible to corrosion.

Although the present invention has been described and depicted in greater detail by means of preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. Further modifications can be derived therefrom and from the description of the invention without departing from the scope of protection thereof.