Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/10—Sockets for co-operation with pins or blades
  • H01R13/11—Resilient sockets
  • H01R13/115—U-shaped sockets having inwardly bent legs, e.g. spade type
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/10—Sockets for co-operation with pins or blades
  • H01R13/11—Resilient sockets
  • H01R13/113—Resilient sockets co-operating with pins or blades having a rectangular transverse section
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/02—Contact members
  • H01R13/10—Sockets for co-operation with pins or blades
  • H01R13/11—Resilient sockets
  • H01R13/112—Resilient sockets forked sockets having two legs

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a female terminal intended to accommodate a male terminal, for an electrical connection.
• a common female terminal comprises a terminal bottom wall and a contact blade extending above the terminal bottom wall.
• the contact blade comprises a plane lever arm perpendicular to the terminal bottom wall, fixed at one end to the terminal bottom wall, for example through a side wall.
• the previous common female electrical and/or the male terminal is intended to be accommodated into an insulative body with a clearance.
• the clearance compensates, if necessary, for a misalignment between the male electrical connector and the female electrical connector. In this way, the load induced by the misalignment is not transmitted to the insulative body, and thus the connector.
• a first goal of the invention is to reduce the risk that the load be applied to the bodies of the connectors.
• An other goal of the invention is to obtain a good pressure on the male terminal from both the terminal blade and the terminal bottom wall.
• An other goal of the invention is to provide a female terminal with a low encumbrance.
• An other goal of the invention is to provide a female terminal that can be made with a thin sheet of metal without jeopardizing the electrical contact quality.
• An other goal of the invention is to provide a low cost female terminal, with a single material and a single piece of metal, and that is easy to manufacture in folding the piece metal.
• an object of the invention is a female terminal according to claim 1.
• figure 2 a cross section view of the female terminal of figure 1 ,
• - figure 3 a three dimensional view of a partially folded female terminal according to a second embodiment of the invention
• - figure 4 a cross section view of the female terminal of figure 3
• FIG. 5 a three dimensional view of a partially folded female terminal according to a third embodiment of the invention
• figure 6 a cross section view of the female terminal of figure 5
• FIG. 7 a three dimensional view of a partially folded female terminal according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.
• figure 8 a cross section view of the female terminal of figure 7, and
• figure 9 a three dimensional view of the female terminal of figure 1 with a wire connection system.
• all plane elements i.e. blade, wall, plate, etc.
• the female terminal 100 comprises a bottom plate 102 extending along a longitudinal axis XX', a first side plate 104A perpendicular to the bottom plate 102 and fixed to the bottom plate 102 by a first longitudinal edge 106A, and a second side plate 104B perpendicular to the bottom plate 102 and fixed to the bottom plate 102a by a second longitudinal edge 106B.
• the bottom plate 102 and the first and second side plates 104A, 104B have together the shape of a gutter.
• the first side plate 104A is represented in the same plane as the bottom plate 102, before being folded around the first longitudinal edge 106A, for coming into the position previously described.
• the female terminal 100 further comprises first and second contact blades 108A, 108B extending along the longitudinal axis XX' above the bottom plate 102, between the two side plates 104A, 104B, facing the longitudinal median portion of the bottom plate 102.
• Each contact blade 108A, 108B comprises a rear connecting portion 110A, 11 OB, a plane lever arm 112A, 112B having a rear end 114A, 114B fixed to the rear connecting portion 110A, 110B, and a contact head 116A, 116B fixed to a front end 118A, 118B of the arm lever 112A, 112B.
• the plane lever arm 112A, 112B and the contact head 116A, 116B are free with respect to the bottom wall 120, i.e. they can move transversally with respect to the bottom wall 120.
• the lever arm 112A, 112B is flexible, so that the contact blade 108A, 108 applies a desired contact pressure on the male terminal, which must be such that a good electrical contact is insured between the male and female terminals and in nay case this contact resistance must be less that the value of the usual specifications of the connector industry and more particularly of the automotive connector industry. Indeed, the connectors for the automotive connector industry are exposed to particularly severe vibrations.
• the bottom plate 102 comprises a front portion forming a terminal bottom wall 120 extending along the longitudinal axis XX' and having a rear end 122.
• the female terminal 100 further comprises a connecting base 123 connecting the rear end 122 of the terminal bottom wall 120 to the rear connecting portions 110A, 110B of the first and second contact blades 108A, 108B, so that a male terminal (not illustrated) can be clamped between the first and second contact blades 108A, 108B and the terminal bottom wall 120.
• the connecting base 123 is designed for defining vertically the position of the connecting portions 110A,
• the connecting base 123 comprises a connecting bottom wall 124 formed by a rear portion of the bottom plate 102 fixed to the rear end 122 of the terminal bottom wall 120, and first and second connecting side walls 126A, 126B formed by a rear portion of the side plates 104A, 104B.
• the connecting base 123 further comprises first and second U-turns 128A, 128B respectively connecting the rear connecting portions 110A, 110B of the first and second contact blades 108A, 108B to upper edges 130A, 130B of the first and second connecting side walls 126A, 126B.
• the female terminal 100 further comprises rigidifying means for rigidifying at least a portion of the terminal bottom wall 120 extending frontward from the rear end 122.
• the rigidified portion comprises the whole terminal bottom wall 120. In this way, the rigidified portion of the bottom wall 120 extends until facing the contact heads 116A, 116B.
• the rigidifying means are designed for rigidifying the terminal bottom wall 120 at least along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis XX' and going away from the contact blades 108A, 108B.
• the rigidifying means comprise first and second rigidifying walls 132A,
• a plane P transverse with respect to the longitudinal axis XX' is represented on figure 1. The plane P separates,
• the lever arms 112A, 112B from the connecting rear portions 110A, 110B.
• the contact blades 112A, 112B are free with respect to the bottom wall 120.
• Each head 116A, 116B of the contact blades 108A, 108B comprises a respective lug 134A, 134B projecting towards the bottom wall 120.
• the lugs 134A, 134B are each designed for coming into contact with the male terminal.
• 134A, 134B comprises a rounded lower edge 136A, 136B facing the bottom wall
• the bottom wall 120 comprises a plateau 138 facing the first and second lugs 134A, 134B.
• the male terminal is intended to be clamped between the plateau 138 and the lugs 134A, 134B.
• the female terminal further comprises first and second strengthening means for laterally (in a direction perpendicular to the rigidifying walls 132A, 132B) strengthening the rigidifying walls 132A, 132B.
• each strengthening means comprises a respective longitudinal rib 140A, 140B projecting from the corresponding rigidifying wall 132A, 132B toward the respective contact blade 108A, 108B.
• the female terminal 100 further comprises a sloping wall 142, located in front of the contact blades 108A, 108B.
• the sloping wall 142 is angled rearward and toward the bottom wall 120, so as to guide the male terminal between the bottom wall 120 and the contact blades 108A, 108B.
• the sloping wall 142 is fixed to the first rigidifying wall 108A.
• the female terminal 100 further comprises a wire connection system 144 (See Figure 4 and partly illustrated on figures 1 , 3 and 5) intended to be connected to an electrical wire (not illustrated).
• the wire connection system 144 is fixed to the rear of the bottom plate 102, i.e. to the rear of the bottom connecting wall 124.
• the wire connection 144 system is adapted to be crimped to the electrical wire.
• the female terminal 100 is manufactured from a single sheet of metal.
• the male terminal is received from the front of the female terminal 100.
• the male terminal is intended to be guided by the sloping wall 142 in order to be introduced between the plateau 138 and the lugs 134A, 134B.
• the male terminal pushes vertically the contact heads 116A, 116B of the contact blades 108A, 108B and the terminal bottom wall 120, away from each other.
• the contact blades 108A, 108B are elastically deformed in their planes and the contact heads 116A, 116B apply a first load to the male terminal.
• the bottom wall 120 is also deformed and applies a second load to the male terminal. Thanks to the rigidifying walls 132A, 132B that strengthen the terminal bottom wall 120 (because they are deformed in their plane), the second load is equivalent to the first load.
• a female terminal 200 according to a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
• the contact head 216B of the second contact blade 108B comprises a lug
• the contact head 216A of the first contact blade 108A comprises a lug 218A comprising a bent part 222 forming a wall facing the bottom wall 120.
• the bent part 222 extends below the second lug 218B, between the bottom wall 120 and the straight edge 220.
• the female terminal 200 is manufactured from a single sheet of metal.
• the operation of the female terminal 200 is similar to the operation of the female terminal 100, except that the male terminal is intended to come into contact with the bottom wall 120 and the bent part 220, which in turn leans on the straight edge 220 of the second lug 218B.
• a female terminal 300 according to a third embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
• the female terminal 300 differs essentially from the female terminal 100 of figure 1 , by the fact that there is no second contact blade but only the first contact blade. Also, the contact head of the first contact blade is modified and now have the numeral 316A, and there is no plateau.
• the contact head 316A comprises a lug 318A projecting towards the bottom wall 120.
• the lug 318A is intended to come into contact with the male terminal.
• the lug 318A comprises a bent part 320 defining a plane face facing the terminal bottom wall 120.
• the female terminal 300 comprises a sloping wall 322 located in front of the first lever wall.
• the sloping wall 322 is angled rearward and toward the bottom wall 302.
• the sloping wall 322 is fixed to the bent part 320.
• the female terminal 300 comprises strengthening means for laterally (i.e. perpendicular to the second side plate) strengthening the second side plate, and in particular the second rigidifying wall 132B.
• the strengthening means comprises a folded upper edge 340 on top of the second side plate 104B, the folded upper edge 340 being folded along the longitudinal axis towards the terminal bottom wall 120.
• the bent part 320 of the contact head 316A extends below the folded upper edge 340, between the terminal bottom wall 120 and the folded upper edge 340 of the second side plate 104B.
• the female terminal 300 is also manufactured from a single sheet of metal.
• the operation of the female terminal 300 is similar to the operation of the female terminal 100.
• a female terminal 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
• the female terminal 300 and the female terminal 400 differ essentially from the contact head. Accordingly, same numerals are used on figures 7 and 8 than on figures 5 and 6, except for the contact head which now has the numeral 416A.
• the contact head 416A comprises a lug 418A comprising a rounded lower edge 420A facing the terminal bottom wall 120, intended to guide the male terminal between the terminal bottom wall 120 and the lug 418A.
• the female terminal 400 comprises strengthening means for strengthening the lever arm 112A during a flexion in its plane.
• the strengthening means comprise for instance a folded bottom edge 450 on the bottom of the lever arm 112A of the first contact blade 108A, folded along the longitudinal axis XX'.
• the female terminal 400 is also manufactured from a single sheet of metal.
• the operation of the female terminal 400 is similar to the operation of the female terminal 100.

Landscapes

• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=40552021

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2008
  • 2008-08-08 EP EP08875843A patent/EP2311149A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2008-08-08 CN CN2008801306731A patent/CN102119470A/zh active Pending
  • 2008-08-08 WO PCT/IB2008/054471 patent/WO2010015894A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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