EP1401057A1

EP1401057A1 - Electric terminal

Info

Publication number: EP1401057A1
Application number: EP02028980A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Antonio Falchetti
Original assignee: Meccanotecnica Codognese SpA
Current assignee: Meccanotecnica Codognese SpA
Priority date: 2002-09-18
Filing date: 2002-12-27
Publication date: 2004-03-24
Also published as: ITMI20021981A1

Abstract

An electric terminal comprising a female connector (10) made of a high electric conductivity metallic material having a front portion (11) shaped as a tubular element and equipped with two opposite contact reeds (16, 17) enabling the introduction of a male connector (M) so as to establish an electric continuity with the latter, and a back portion (12) for the connection to a tab of a fuse box. Advantageously, said contact reeds (16, 17) are elastically deformable so as to enable the introduction of the male connector (M), and said electric terminal comprises an outer tubular element (20) associated outside with the front coupling portion (11) of the female connector (10) so as to envelop the latter and contrast expansion thereof in directions that are substantially perpendicular to said direction of introduction of the male connector (M).

Description

The present invention relates to an electric terminal according to the preamble of claim 1.
It is known about electric terminals comprising a female connector made of tinned copper, which is cut and folded so as to form a pair of electric contact reeds able to accept between them and electrically contacting a male connector, such as for instance the terminal of a fuse.
Said contact reeds extend starting from a connecting portion, defined as "back" portion in the present description, which is firmly connected with other conductive elements, such as for instance a distribution bar of a fuse box.
The front ends of said contact reeds, which define between them the free space for the introduction of the male connector, are free and per se without such appreciable elastic properties as to keep said connector in its inserted position.
Terminals of this type, however, have proved to be faulty because in presence of intense and prolonged vibrations, such as those occurring in a motor vehicle, often they cannot firmly keep the male connector and tend to throw it out.
Thus, it sometimes happens that the electric continuity of the connection for which the electric terminal has been provided for is lacking.
It should then be pointed out that the introduction of the male connector results in undesired deformations of the female connector in directions that are orthogonal with respect to the direction of introduction of said male connector, and subsequently in the moving apart of the contact reeds and in a low reliability of the connection between the two terminals, particularly in case of vibrations.
There are also electric terminals in which the female connector made of tinned copper has holding elements engaging, generally in a removable way, with an outer supporting structure, for instance a fuse box. However, this solution is of little use since it necessarily requires the presence of outer supporting structures suitably shaped so as to allow the aforesaid engagement.
The technical problem underlying the present invention is to provide an electric terminal having such structural and functional features as to have a better reliability, so as to firmly keep the male connector it is coupled with, avoiding in the meanwhile the drawbacks mentioned referring to electric terminals of the state of the art.
Such problem is solved by means of an electric terminal according to claim 1.
Further characteristics and the advantages of the electric terminal according to the present invention will be manifest from the following description of a preferred example of embodiment, provided to a merely indicative and non-limiting purpose, with reference to the enclosed figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a terminal according to the present invention,
Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the terminal in Figure 1,
Figure 3 shows a plan view of a detail in Figure 2, and
Figure 4 shows a plan view of the electric terminal in Figure 1.

With reference to the aforesaid figures, the numeral 1 globally refers to an electric terminal according to the invention.
The electric terminal 1 comprises a female connector, globally referred to with 10, obtained by cutting and folding from a sheet of metal, preferably a tinned copper alloy.
The female connector 10 mainly extends in a longitudinal direction X-X and has a back portion 12, which is arranged to be seamed onto the free end of a conductive element (not shown), and an opposite front portion 11 facing, in a removable way, with a male connector, i.e. engaging by means of a removable male/female coupling with a male connector, so as to establish an electric continuity with the latter.
More particularly, the back portion 12 comprises a plurality of wings, referred to with 12a, which are folded so as to engage with a tab of a distribution plate or bar of a fuse box, or alternatively so as to seam the lead of an electric cable. The back portion 12 of the female connector 10 is known per se and is not described in further detail in the following.
The front portion 11 of the female connector 10 couples with a male connector element M (indicated with a hatched line in Figure 4 ) , so as to create a removable male/female coupling.
The front coupling portion 11 is folded so as to assume a shape of an open tubular element extending in the aforesaid longitudinal direction X-X.
More particularly, the front coupling portion 11 comprises a bottom wall 13, substantially plane and extending in the aforesaid direction X-X, from whose opposite longitudinal sides extend corresponding side walls 14 and 15 facing each other. Said side walls 14 and 15 have corresponding longitudinal edges, referred to with 14a and 15a, folded so as to project from said side walls parallel to the bottom wall 13 and to face each other.
The front coupling portion 11 of the female connector 10 is provided with one or more contact reeds enabling the introduction in the aforesaid direction X-X of the male connector M, so as to establish an electric continuity therewith. In the example the front coupling portion 11 of the female connector 10 comprises two elastic contact reeds 16 and 17 extending inside said tubular element parallel to the side walls 14 and 15. Said two elastic contact reeds 16 and 17 therefore face each other. Said reeds 16 and 17 are suitably sized so as to be elastically open one with respect to the other, thus enabling the introduction between them of the male connector M and keeping the latter between them with a given elastic strength.
The contact reeds 16 and 17 therefore cooperate to keep with a given elastic strength the male connector M in coupling position with the front portion 11 of the female connector 10, thus ensuring a firm connection also in case of vibrations.
In the example the contact reeds 16 and 17 are obtained by folding from a portion connected to the front end of the side walls 14 and 15.
In the embodiment shown in the figures the contact reeds 16, 17 have an undulating development with first converging sections 16a and 17a jointed with following second diverging sections 16b and 17b. Said first converging sections 16a and 17a are connected by means of a curved portion to the front ends of the side walls 14 and 15, whereas said second diverging sections 16b and 17b end up with end sections 16c and 17c curved towards the center of the female connector 10.
As shown in figures 1 and 2, the electric terminal 1 comprises an outer tubular element 20, which is associated outside with the front coupling portion 11 of the female connector 10, so as to envelop and stiffen the latter and contrast its expansions in directions that are substantially perpendicular to the direction of introduction of the male connector M. The function of said open tubular element 20 therefore is to contrast the expansion of the front coupling portion 11 of the female connector 10 during the introduction of the male connector M and until said male connector M is engaged with it.
According to a preferred embodiment the tubular element 2 has an open tubular section and is obtained by cutting and folding from a sheet of metal, preferably steel. As a matter of fact, the tubular element 20 comprises an upper wall 21 that is substantially plane and extends in the aforesaid direction X-X, from whose opposite longitudinal sides extend corresponding side walls 22 and 23 facing each other. Said side walls 22 and 23 have corresponding longitudinal edges, referred to with 22a and 23a, folded so as to be parallel to the upper wall 21 and to face each other. As it is evident from the above description the tubular element 20 has a longitudinal opening between the opposite edges 22a and 23a.
Once the electric terminal 1 is assembled (Figures 1 and 4), the outer tubular element 20 is fitted onto the front coupling portion 11 of the female connector 10 so as to envelop it, taking care that the open side of the tubular element 20 corresponds to the bottom wall 13 of the female connector 10, and consequently the open side of the female connector 10 corresponds to the upper wall 21 of the tubular element 20.
As previously disclosed, the purpose of the outer element 20 is to stiffen the female connector 10 and in the meanwhile to ensure the fastening of the electric terminal 1 within a seat of a supporting structure.
Advantageously, the side walls 22, 23 of the tubular element 20 are equipped with respective wings 24 projecting outside and inclined towards the back portion 12 of the female connector 10. Said wings 24 constitute holding means engaging with the surfaces of a seat (not shown) of a supporting structure (not shown), for instance a plastic material fuse box.
The holding wings 24 are oriented so as to converge in the direction in which the terminal (with the outer element 20 mounted onto the female connector 10) is introduced into the aforesaid seat, and consequently diverge in the opposite direction, thus preventing the extraction of the terminal from its seat, when the male connector has to be taken out of the terminal.
The tubular element 20 comprises another tab 26 projecting outside from one of the edges 22a or 23a, in the example the edge 22a. The tab 26 acts as an abutting and positioning element for a machine handling and mounting the tubular element 20 onto the front coupling portion 11 of the female connector 10.
While using the electric terminal 1 it has been appreciated that the presence of the tubular structure 20, as well as the shape and elastic characteristic of the elastic contact reeds 16 and 17, allow said reeds to exert an efficient clamping strength onto the male connector M when the latter is inserted into the terminal. This allows to keep the male connector M engaged with the front coupling portion 11 of the female connector 10 even in case of vibrations, thus making the electric terminal according to the invention particularly suitable to be used in fuse boxes mounted onto motor vehicles and the like. Furthermore, the elastic characteristic of the contact reeds 16 and 17 allows to accept the introduction of male connectors M with different size, particularly as far as thickness is concerned, without endangering the stability of the electric connection.
As can be inferred from the description, the electric terminal according to the present invention allows to meet the aforesaid need and to overcome in the meanwhile the drawbacks mentioned in the introduction to the present description referring to the state of the art.
Another advantage of the electric terminal according to the invention consists in its high simplicity and in the possibility of manufacturing it through automated production lines.
Obviously, in order to meet specific and urgent needs a technician in the field can make several changes and variants to the electric terminal according to the invention as described above, all of them being nevertheless included in the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

Electric terminal comprising a female connector (10) made of a high electric conductivity metallic material having:

a first coupling portion (11) shaped as a tubular element and equipped with one or more contact reeds (16, 17) enabling the introduction along a given direction of introduction (X-X) of a male connector (M) so as to establish an electric continuity therewith, and.

a second portion (12) able to be connected in a substantially firm way to another conductive element,

characterized:

in that said one or more contact reeds (16, 17) are electrically deformable so as to enable the introduction of the male connector (M) and to act thereon with a given elastic strength and

in that it comprises at least an outer tubular element (20) able to be associated outside with the front coupling portion (11) of the female connector (10), for enveloping the latter, and for opposing expansion thereof in directions that are substantially perpendicular to said direction of introduction of the male connector (M).
Terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that said one or more contact reeds (16, 17) comprise a pair of opposite contact reeds (16, 17) projecting into the first coupling portion (11) of the female connector (10), each reed (16, 17) having a free end (16c, 17c) placed inside and an opposite end placed by an end of the coupling portion (11).
Terminal according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the contact reeds (16, 17) have an undulating development defined by first converging sections (16a, 17a) jointed with following second diverging sections (16b, 17b), said first converging sections (16a, 17a) being connected by means of a curved portion to a front end of the coupling portion (11) .
Terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that said second diverging sections (16b, 17b) end up with corresponding end sections (16c, 17c) curved towards the center of the female connector (10).
Terminal according to any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said first coupling portion (11) shaped as a tubular element is obtained by cutting and folding from a sheet.
Terminal according to any of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said first coupling portion (11) is an open tube having a bottom wall (13) from which extend two opposite side walls (14, 15), from an end of which said two contact reeds (16, 17) extend inside the coupling portion (11).
Terminal according to any of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said outer tubular element (20) is an open tube obtained by cutting and folding so as to have a cross section whose shape is substantially congruent with the one of the cross section of the coupling portion (11) of the female connector (10).
Terminal according to claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the outer tubular element (20) is associated with the coupling portion (11) of the female connector (10) in such a way that the openings of the corresponding tubular elements are offset one with respect to the other.
Terminal according to claim 8, characterized in that the outer tubular element (20) is associated with the coupling portion (11) of the female connector (10) in such a way that the openings of the corresponding tubular elements are opposite one with respect to the other.
Terminal according to any of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said outer tubular element (20) comprises holding means (24) able to engage surfaces of a seat of a supporting structure.
Terminal according to any of the claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said outer tubular element (20) is made of a metallic material.