GB2370164A

GB2370164A - Arc-discharge terminals

Info

Publication number: GB2370164A
Application number: GB0207034A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Takeya Miwa
Original assignee: Yazaki Corp
Current assignee: Yazaki Corp
Priority date: 2000-03-03
Filing date: 2001-03-02
Publication date: 2002-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 2021-03-02
Also published as: GB0207034D0; GB2370164B

Abstract

A pair of terminals (15,17) includes contact parts (25,19) to be contacted with each other for conduction. Respective one of the pair of terminals has respective one of discharge parts (20f,23c), formed integrally thereto. The discharging parts are contacted with each other before contacting the contact parts. The discharging parts are disengaged from each other after disengaging the contact parts.

Description

TERMINAL ASSEMBLY AND CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY THEREOF

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a terminal assembly, and, more particularly, to a terminal assembly employed for male and female connectors to be mated and connected each other.

A connector assembly has a female and male connector mated with each other for connection. The female connector has a male connecting terminal accommodated and fixed in a female connector housing. The male connecting terminal is disposed at its distal end to protrude into a hood of the female housing.

On the other hand, the male connector has a female connecting terminal accommodated and fixed in a male connector housing. The female terminal is formed at its distal end in a tubular shape, in which the male terminal is to be inserted from its distal end. The female terminal has a contact spring piece formed at its distal end, the spring piece being folding back diagonally in the tubular space.

In the connector of the structure, when mating the male and female connectors, the male terminal is inserted in the end - of JEjemale-connector-from-its-end to be-contacted with the spring piece, so that conduction is achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above-described connector assembly, however, when the female and male connectors in conduction are mated with each other, the distal ends of the male and female terminals come into contact with each other at first, and an arc discharge generates at contacts to deteriorate or damage the contacts.

When disengaging the connectors, the distal ends of male and female terminals last detach from each other, and an arc discharge generates at the distal ends to deteriorate or damage the contacts.

The deterioration or damage generates to the contacts prevents the contacts of the male and female terminals from good conduction, and connector is degraded in reliability.

An object of the present invention provides a terminal assembly with contact protection function which makes ends of connecting terminals to be connected with each other prevented from deterioration or damage for protecting the ends of both the connecting terminals.

One aspect of the invention provides a terminal assembly comprising: a first terminal having a first contact, the first terminal having a first discharge part with a second contact extending from the first terminal, the second contact being displaced from the first contact at a first displacement Sil ; and a second terminal to be mated with the first terminal for conduction, the second terminal having a third contact to be contacted with the first contact, the second terminal having a second discharge part with a fourth contact extending from the second terminal, the fourth contact to be contacted with the second contact, the fourth contact being displaced from the third contact at a second displacement S2, wherein a relationship of the first displacement Si and the second displacement S2isthatSl+S2 > 0.

In a preferred embodiment, the first terminal has a protrusion including the first contact at a distal end thereof.

In a further arrangement, a first connector including a first housing accommodating the first terminal; and a second connector including a second housing to be mated with the first housing, the second housing accommodating the second terminal.

In one embodiment, a connector assembly, comprising: first and second housings to be mated with each other ; first and second terminals held in the first and second housings, respectively, the terminals being configured to be brought into contact with each other to establish conduction as the housings are mated; and first and second contacts held in and respectively associated with first and second terminals; and first and second discharge members respectively associated with first and second terminals and having respective third and fourth contacts; wherein the third contact is spaced apart from the first contact in the connection direction of the first terminal; the fourth contact is spaced apart from the second contact in the connection direction of the second terminal; and, when the first and second terminals approach one another along their respective connection directions and the third and fourth contacts touch one another, the first and second contacts are spaced apart from one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS Fig 1. is a sectional view of a connector assembly of an embodiment, for which connecting terminals of the invention are adapted.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a male connecting terminal of an embodiment ; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a female connecting terminal of an embodiment ; Fig. 4 is a sectional view of another embodiment; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view of another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will hereby be explained with reference to the drawings.

As shown on Fig. 1, a connector assembly 10 includes a female connector 11 and a male connector 12. The female connector 11 has a male connecting terminal 15 accommodated and disposed in a female housing 14 formed with a fit-in hood part 13 at a front end of the housing 14. The male connector 12 has a female connecting terminal 17 accommodated and disposed in a male housing 16 to be fitted in a hood 13 of the female housing 14 at a front end of the housing 16.

The male terminal 15, as shown on Figs. 1 and 2, a male terminal body 18 supported by the female housing 14, a contact protrusion 19 provided at a front end of the terminal body 18, a dummy tab 20, as a dummy contact, extending forward from a side part at the front end of the terminal body 18 in substantially parallel with and at a predetermined distance apart from the protrusion 19. In the embodiment, the tab 20 and the protrusion 19 are set each other at substantially equal length. The tab 20, as shown on Fig. 2, includes a base part 20a, a first part 20b extending diagonally from the base part 20a to be apart from the protrusion 19, and a second part 20c extending from the first part 20b in substantially parallel with the protrusion 19. Between the base part 20a and the first part 20b, a third part 20d is bent. Between the first part 20b and the second part 20c, a fourth part 20e is bent. The second part 20c and the protrusion 19 include ends 20f, 19a in substantially accordance with each other in a mating direction Fl.

The male terminal body 18 includes wire holding pieces 21 for holding a wire (not shown on Figs. ) at a rear part thereof.

The female housing 14 to accommodate the male terminal 15 of the structure has a terminal accommodation space 14 A inside, the space 14A accommodating a male terminal body 18 of the male terminal 15. The protrusion 19 of the male terminal 15 passes through an intermediate wall 14B to protrude into the hood part 13, the walls 14B separating the space 14A and a space

in the hood part 13.

The dummy tab 20 of the male terminal 15 protrudes into the hood part 13 through an insertion hole 14c formed to the intermediate wall 14B. The hood part 13 includes a tab holding wall 13A holding the tab 20 along an outer side of the tab 20 therein. The wall 13A and an outer wall of the hood part 13 has an insertion space 13B formed therebetween for inserting a front end of the male housing 16 of the male connector 12.

The male housing 16 has a front wall 16A at its front end to hold the female terminal 17 to be inserted from its rear end. The front wall 16A has a protrusion guide hole 16B provided therethrough at its central part in its traverse direction. The front wall 16A includes a tab insertion hole 16c made at a periphery thereof for inserting the wall 13A formed to the female housing 14 and a tab 20 held by the wall 13A.

The female terminal 17 to be accommodated in the male housing 16, as shown on Figs. 1 and 3, includes a female terminal body 22 in a substantially rectangularly tubular shape, which is accommodated and held in the male housing 16, a dummy spring 23, as a dummy contact, protruding forwardly diagonally outward from a side part at a front end of the female terminal body 22, and pairs of terminal holding pieces 24 formed at a rear part of the female terminal body 22.

The female terminal body 22 includes a contact spring 25 as a contact part, being folded back inwardly at a proximal end 25a, at a periphery of a front end opening part thereof. When mating the female and male connectors 11, 12, the spring 25 is to be contacted with the spring 19. The spring 23, configured to protrude froward from the female terminal body 22, is disposed in the insertion hole 16c formed to the male housing 16 so as to be contacted with the tab 20 to be passed through the hole 16c. When mating both the connectors 11, 12, the spring 23 and the tab 20 come to contact before the protrusion 19 and the spring 25 do. The spring 23 includes a base part 23a on the terminal body 22, a first part 23b extending diagonally outward from the base part 23a, and a second part 23b extending from the first part 23a in substantially parallel with the terminal body 22. The base part 23a and the first part 23b have a third part 23d bent therebetween. The first part 23b and the second part 23c have a fourth part 23e bent therebetween. The second part 23c has a distal end 23f positioned in front of a proximal end 25a.

The distal end 19a protrusion 19 is first contacted with the proximal end 25a of contact spring 25 or the front end 22a of female terminal body 22 in dependence on a bent state of the spring 25. The distal end 20f of tab 20 is first contacted with the distal end 23f of spring 23.

In the mating direction Fl on Fig. 1, the distal end 20f of tab 20 is displaced from the distal end 19a at a displacement Sl of substantially zero i. e. there is no displacement between the distal end 20f and the distal end 19a. If the distal end 20f is positioned at an opposite side to the male terminal body 18 relative to the distal end 19a, the displacement Sl is positive. If the end 20f is positioned at an identical side with the male terminal body 18 relative to the end 19a, the displacement Sl is negative.

On the other hand, in the mating direction Fl, the distal end 23f of spring 23 is displaced from the proximal end 25a at a positive displacement S2. If the end 23f is positioned further away from the female terminal body 22 relative to the proximal end 25a, the displacement S2 is positive. If the distal end 23f is positioned closer to the female terminal body 22 relative to the proximal end 25a, the displacement S2 is negative.

The embodiment requires that a relationship of 81 and S2 is 81 + S2 > 0. If the relationship of them is Sl + S2 < 0, the distal end 19a is contacted with the proximal end 25a earlier or at an identical time.

In the connector 10 of the constitution, when mating the female connector 11 and male connector 12, the protrusion 19, protruding into the hood part 13 of the female housing 14, passes through the guide hole 16B of the front wall 16A in the male housing 16. At this time, the spring 23, as extending forward beyond the front end 22f of the female terminal body 22, contacts with tab 20 before the protrusion 19 and the spring 25 contact. Between the spring 23 and the tab 20, an arc discharge occurs, and when the protrusion 19 and the spring 25 as original contact parts contact, arc discharge does not generate, so that the protrusion 19 and the spring 25 are prevented from deterioration and damage. Even when the spring 23 and the tab 20 are subjected to deterioration and damage due to an arc discharge, they are not original contact parts, and occurrence of the deterioration causes no problem.

In the embodiment, respective one of the male terminal 15 and the female terminal 17 is formed integrally with respective one of the spring 23 and the tab 20 as dummy contacts, and the connector has a contact protecting structure only by mounting the connecting terminals to the housings. Thus, the connector assembly is improved in durability and reliability.

Although the invention has been described above by reference to certain embodiments of the invention, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the embodiments described above will occur to those skilled in the art, in light of the above teachings. For example, though the above-described embodiment has the spring 23 extending forward beyond the female terminal body 22, another embodiment is composed such that the spring 23 may be provided to a side part of the terminal body 22 not to extend forward beyond the front end 22a of the body 22 and the tab 20 of the other male terminal 15 may extend forward beyond the protrusion 19 as shown on Fig. 4, and the same function and benefit is obtained. In this case, the displacement Sl is positive, and the displacement S2 is substantially zero, i. e. there is no displacement between the end 23f and the proximal end 25a, so that the sum of the displacements Sl and S2 is positive. As shown on Fig. 5, the end 23f of the spring 23 may be displaced from the proximal end 25a further away from the female terminal body 22 and the distal end 20f of the tab 20 may be displaced from the distal end 19a of protrusion 19 closer to the male terminal body 18. The displacement 81 is negative and the displacement S2 is positive, so that this requires that

the absolute value of S2 is greater than one of Sl.

Another embodiment is composed such that one of the female and male terminals 15,17 may be formed with a dummy spring which extends forward to contact with a side part of the other terminal.

The scope of the invention is defined with reference to the following claims.

In-the present specification"comprises"means"includes or consists of' and"comprising"means"including or consisting of'.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A terminal assembly comprising: a first terminal having a first contact, the first terminal having a first discharge part with a second contact extending from the first terminal, the second contact being displaced from the first contact at a first displacement S 1 ; and a second terminal to be mated with the first terminal for conduction, the second terminal having a third contact to be contacted with the first contact, the second terminal having a second discharge part with a fourth contact extending from the second terminal, the fourth contact to be contacted with the second contact, the fourth contact being displaced from the third contact at a second displacement S2, wherein a relationship of the first displacement Sl and the second displacement S2 is that 81 + S2 > 0.
2. A terminal assembly according to Claim 1, wherein the first terminal has a protrusion including the first contact at a distal end thereof.
3. A connector assembly adapted for a terminal assembly according to Claim 1, comprising: a first connector including a first housing accommodating the first terminal ; and a second connector including a second housing to be mated with the first housing, the second housing accommodating the second terminal.
4. A connector assembly, comprising: first and second housings to be mated with each other; first and second terminals held in the first and second housings, respectively, the terminals being configured to be brought into contact with each other to establish conduction as the housings are mated; and first and second contacts held in and respectively associated with first and second terminals ; and first and second discharge members respectively associated with first and second terminals and having respective third and fourth contacts; wherein the third contact is spaced apart from the first contact in the connection direction of the first terminal ; the fourth contact is spaced apart from the second contact in the connection direction of the second terminal; and when the first and second terminals approach one another along their respective connection directions and the third and fourth contacts touch one another, the first and second contacts are spaced apart from one another.