EP1018782A1

EP1018782A1 - Improved microterminal

Info

Publication number: EP1018782A1
Application number: EP99928015A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ana Saez Garcia; Rüdiger OSTERMANN
Original assignee: Lear Automotive EEDS Spain SL
Current assignee: Lear Automotive EEDS Spain SL
Priority date: 1998-07-15
Filing date: 1999-06-23
Publication date: 2000-07-12
Also published as: WO2000004606A1; JP2002520805A; CA2303921A1; ES1040916U; ES1040916Y

Abstract

The present invention has the object of a shape modification of the rear zone of a micro-terminal in order to allow a union to a wire in a plane lower tan that of the support of the terminal in its cavity, when said terminal is in the interior of a connector, with the goal of making a co-planar union of two adjacent rows of terminals when same are situated in said connector, the rear zone of the terminal will be formed by a flat portion, extension of the front zone from which edges emerge the corresponding skirts, extending said flat zone in an elbowed zone which by its only free end extends as well another flat zone over which are placed the flexible and flat wires.

Description

The present Patent of Invention relates more specifically to a modification of the rear zone of a microterminal in order to be able to connect electrically said zone with flat type wires by ultrasonic or spraying welding, as well as allowing the mono-flat union of two adjacent rows of same type terminals.
There exist in the market and therefore can be considered the state of the art a plurality of terminals also called female terminals and the function of which is that of allowing the electric connection between several groups of wires in the terminals of which are mutually bound the corresponding male and female terminals.
Among that type of terminals and more specifically the female terminals, are known those which are formed by a front portion, where the electric conection itself between the female terminal and the male terminal is produced, and a rear portion serving as a connection between the electric wire and said female terminal.
In a known way, said rear portion is designed as per a concave zone extending in little tongues which, by deformation, fall over the conductive portion of the wire, to which has been retired the insulating or dielectric portion.
The continuous search of procedures, operations and products at a better price has promoted that in some instances the unions between said terminals and the wire are made without the need of separating the insulating zone or portion of the wire from the conductive portion of same.
Also in these cases is known the use for this type of connections flat and flexible wires which made easier the welding operation itself, since the rear zone of the terminal is flat and the flexible wire is also flat.
The object of the present invention has for an objective the shape modification of said rear zone, in such a way that same is designed for allowing a union to a wire in a plane lower than that of support of the terminal in its respective cavity, when said terminal is in the interior of a connector, all that with the object of making a co-planar union of two adjacent rows of terminals when same are placed in said connector.
The rear zone of the micro-terminal is formed by a flat portion, extension of the front zone from the ends of which are born the corresponding skirts, extending said flat zone into an elbowed zone which by its only free end extends then another flat zone over which pass the flat and flexible wires for being later conected the assembly with the help of the ultrasonic welding operation.
The elbows practiced in said rear zone of the terminal allow, when same are situated in the interior of the cavities, estabilishing welding zones in the same plane over the corresponding support, designed to that effect, and which fits in one of the ends of the connector.
Other details and characteristics of the present application for a Patent of Invention will be manifest through the reading of the description given herebelow, in which reference is made to the figures attached to this description where the above details are depicted in a rather schematic way. These details are given as an example, referring to a case of a possible practical embodiment, but is not limited to the details outlined; therefore this description must be considered from an illustrative point of view and with no limitations whatsoever.
There follows a report of the several elements numbered in the drawings acompanying the present aplication for a Patent of invention: (10) micro-terminal, (11) front zone, (12) rear zone, (13) flat portion, (14) skirts, (15) elbowed zone, (16) flat zone, (17) connector, (18) mouth, (19) support.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the proposed micro-terminal (10), in which can be appreciated a front zone (11) and a rear zone (12) which is the zone object of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an upper plant view of the rear zone (12).
Figure 3 is an elevation side view of the rear zone (12).
Figure 4 is a perspective view of an application of the micro-terminal (10) to a connector (17) conventional.
Figure 5 is an upper plant view of the welding zone of the support (19).
In one of the preferred embodiments of what is the object of the present application and as can be seen in Figure 1, the micro-terminal (10) is formed with a front zone (11) totally conventional which extends in a rear zone as per the flat portion (13) from the perimeter of which emerge the skirts (14) and the only end of same in a flat zone (16) or portion, see Figures 2 and 3.
The purpose of the elbowing (15), see Figure 3, is obtaining a certain separation between the plane pasing through the base of the front zone (11) of the micro-terminal (10) and the flat zone (16), allowing that when the micro-terminal (10) which are in the interior of a cavity of any connector (17) as has been shown in Figure 4, may be performed weldings in the same plane, i. E., totally co-planar, in such a way that the flat zone (16) is leaning directly over the support (19), by which the welding operation, whatever used, will be firstly fully automated and secondly will be performed with a minimum of time and without the need that the tools employed for welding must make complex and long movements in order to perform said welding operation between said flat zone (16) and a flat and flexible wire placed over said support (19).
Enough disclosed what the present application for a Patent of Invention is in agreement with the attached figures, it s understood that can be introduced in same any detail modifications regarded as convenient, always provided that any the modifications entered do not depart from the essence of the present Patent of Invention as summarized in the following claims.

Claims

IMPROVED MICRO-TERMINAL of those formed with a fully conventional front zone and where there is estabilished the contact between the female terminal and the male terminal introduced into said zone by its mouth and a rear zone where is estabilished the electric connection between the terminal and a wire formed with a conductive element and an insulating element, characterized in that the rear zone (12) of the micro-terminal (10) is formed with a flat portion (13) from which perimeters emerge perpendicularly skirts (14) of decreasing height which extends as per an elbowing or elbowed zone (15) in which by the only free end extends as well by a flat zone (16).
IMPROVED MICRO-TERMINAL as per claim 1 characterized in that between the ideal plane passing through the flat portion (13) and the rear or flat zone (16) exists a distance.