Electric cable connecting terminal and method for connecting together electric cable connecting terminal and electric cable

1. An electric cable connecting terminal for electrically connecting an electric cable to an external conductor, the electric cable connecting terminal comprising:

a connector portion to be attached to the conductor, and an electric cable connecting portion having a connecting surface to which an electric cable, which is a bundle of core wires, is connected by soldering, wherein

the electric cable connecting portion includes: a crimp portion to be swaged to hold the electric cable; and

a step portion protruding from the connecting surface between the connector portion and the crimp portion, and wherein

a solder adhered to the end portion of the electric cable adheres to the step portion.

2. The electric cable connecting terminal of claim 1 , wherein the electric cable connecting portion further includes an extending portion extending opposite to the step portion with respect to the crimp portion.

3. The electric cable connecting terminal of claim 1 , wherein the electric cable is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the electric cable connecting terminal is made of copper or a copper alloy which is a material different from that of the electric cable, and a tinning treatment for avoiding electric corrosion is applied on at least the connecting surface.

4. The electric cable connecting terminal of claim 1 , wherein the crimp portion includes a first crimp piece to be swaged to hold the electric cable under a stress condition where a first external force is applied, and a second crimp piece to be swaged to cover the electric cable under a non-stress condition where no external force is applied, both the crimp pieces are spaced apart with a predetermined gap in a longitudinal direction of the electric cable connecting portion,

under the stress condition where the first external force is applied by the first crimp piece, the electric cable connecting terminal and the electric cable are electrically joined, and

under the non-stress condition of the second crimp piece, the electric cable connecting terminal and the electric cable are mechanically joined by soldering.

5. The electric cable connecting terminal of claim 4 , wherein the first and second crimp pieces swaged each include an electric cable housing portion into which the electric cable is inserted, a cross-sectional area of the electric cable housing portion of the first crimp piece is smaller than that of the electric cable outside the electric cable housing portion, and a cross-sectional area of the electric cable housing portion of the second crimp piece is larger than that of the electric cable outside the electric cable housing portion.

6. The electric cable connecting terminal of claim 4 , wherein the second crimp piece includes one or more through portions passing through the second crimp piece in a direction orthogonal to the electric cable.

7. The electric cable connecting terminal of claim 4 , wherein the electric cable connecting portion includes a protruding portion protruding from the connecting surface.

8. A method for joining an electric cable to the electric cable connecting terminal of claim 4 , the method comprising:

an electrical joining step of swaging the first crimp piece and electrically joining the electric cable connecting terminal and the electric cable under the stress condition where the first external force is applied to the electric cable by the first crimp piece, and

a mechanical joining step of swaging and bringing the second crimp piece toward the electric cable with no external force applied to the electric cable; energizing a first heating electrode for heating the second crimp piece; heating the electric cable under the non-stress condition, supplying flux and solder to the electric cable through a gap between the second crimp piece and the electric cable; and mechanically joining the electric cable and the electric cable connecting terminal by soldering the electric cable to the electric cable connecting terminal.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the mechanical joining step includes:

heating the electric cable between the first crimp piece and the second crimp piece with a second external force applied thereto by a second heating electrode; and using the flux and solder supplied to the gap and flowed to the electric cable to solder the core wires of the electric cable between both the crimp pieces.