JP2001189174A - Electrical contact - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent plastic deformation and damaging of an electrical contact, in transferring, handling of the electrical contact or inserting into mating electri cal contact. SOLUTION: This electrical contact comprises a board having a spread shape before the electrical contact is bent, a pair of contacting pieces extending in a direction perpendicular to an axis from a pair of edges parallel to the axis extending in front and rear directions of the board, band shapes of front insulation protecting pieces contacting to front edges of the contacting pieces and protruding in a direction perpendicular to the axis from the edges, respectively, band shapes of rear insulation protecting pieces being contacting to rear edges of the contacting pieces and protruding in a direction perpendicular to the axis from the edges, respectively, and guide pieces for connecting the protruding ends of one front insulation protecting piece and one rear insulation protecting piece and being disposed parallel to the axis adjacently to the edge of one contacting pieces.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric contact which is used, for example, in a connector housing, particularly when the electric contact is carried, handled, or mated with the electric contact. The present invention relates to an electric contact having a configuration capable of preventing plastic deformation or damage of the electric contact at the time of insertion connection or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 4 and 5 show an electric contact formed by bending a conductive metal plate. The electric contact 1 is inserted into a predetermined connector housing 2 and used. . The size of the electric contact 1 varies depending on the size of the connector housing, but is generally formed in a small size, for example, a width of several mm.

[0003]

The thickness of the conductive metal plate material used to form such a small electric contact 1 must be necessarily thin. For this reason, the deformation strength of the electric contact 1 formed in a predetermined shape is limited.

For example, when the mating terminal 3 is to be brought into contact with the electric contact 1 inserted in the connector housing 2, the tip 3 a of the mating terminal 3 is attached to the front edge 1 a of the contact piece of the electric contact 1. Collision, leading edge 1a of the contact piece
May be plastically deformed to cause a contact failure. In particular, an inclined surface 1b on the front end edge 1a of the contact piece of the electric contact 1 to ensure smooth insertion of the mating terminal.
Since the front edge of the electrical contact formed with the is thin like a knife edge, the front edge 1a is easily damaged and deformed.

Further, when the electric contact 1 is transported in a bare state before being assembled in the connector housing 2, plastic deformation occurs due to interference with other objects and the like, resulting in a defective product. Problems were likely to occur. Further, in order to remove the electric contact 1 once inserted into the connector housing 2 from the connector housing 2,
When the jig 5 for releasing the locking lance 4 for retaining and locking the electric contact 1 is to be inserted into the connector housing 2, the end of the jig 5 contacts the electric contact 1. Problems such as plastic deformation of the front edge 1a of the piece were likely to occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and is intended to be used when handling or transporting an electric contact formed by bending using a conductive metal plate material, and furthermore, inside a connector housing. The contact piece of the electric contact is provided with a contact piece protecting portion for preventing plastic deformation, especially at the time of inserting a mating terminal into the inserted electric contact, for example, at the time of inserting the mating terminal. The purpose is to provide electrical contacts.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the electric contact is formed by bending the electric contact before and after forming the electric contact in the longitudinal direction of the substrate. A pair of contact pieces projecting in a direction orthogonal to the axis line from a pair of parallel side edges, and a band shape in a direction orthogonal to the axis line from both side edges of the substrate portion approaching a front edge of the both contact pieces. Each leading edge protective piece to be expended, and each trailing edge protective piece to be expended in a band shape in a direction orthogonal to the axis from both side edges of the substrate portion approaching the rear edges of both contact pieces, An electrical contact comprising a guide piece which connects the two expendable ends of one leading edge protection piece and one trailing edge protection piece with each other, and which is close to one contact piece side edge and positioned parallel to the axis. It is characterized by having.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. First, the developed shape of the electric contact according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a punch forming plate of a female electrical contact formed by punching a conductive metal plate as a raw material. The punch forming plate 11 extends along the axis (X) direction of the punch forming plate 11. The electric wire clamping portion 13 for clamping the electric wire 12 from above the covering, the core wire connecting portion 15 for crimping and connecting the core wire 14 of the electric wire 12, and the male electrical contact 28
And a male electrical contact connecting portion 16 for connecting the same.

The structure of the male electrical contact connecting portion 16 is as follows.
A pair of left and right contact pieces 18A, 18B projecting from the side edges parallel to the axis (X) of the substrate section 17 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axis in a wing shape; A pair of left and right front edge protection pieces 20A approaching the front edges of the contact pieces 18A and 18B via the slits 19 and expending in a band shape from both side edges of the substrate portion 17 in a direction orthogonal to the axis (X). , 20B and the right and left contact pieces 18
A pair of left and right rear edge protection pieces 22A, which are approached to the rear edges of A and 18B via the slit 21 and are expended in a band shape from both side edges of the substrate portion 17 in a direction orthogonal to the axis (X).
22B.

The leading end of the one leading edge protecting piece 20A and the leading end of the trailing edge protecting piece 22A are connected to L-shaped bent portions 23, 2 respectively.
4 and is connected to a side edge of the contact piece 18A by a guide piece 25 which is parallel to the axis (X). Further, the leading edge of the leading edge protection piece 20A is parallel to the axis (X) and is located at the tip of the leading edge protection piece 20A.
A male contact guide tongue piece 26 projecting toward the front edge of the rear edge protection piece 22B is formed at the tip of the rear edge protection piece 22B in a direction parallel to the axis (X) and the rear edge protection piece 22B. Piece 2
A lance locking piece 27 protruding in the rear edge direction of 2B is formed.

The above is the developed shape of the punching forming plate 11 for forming the electric contact according to the present embodiment. Next, the bending procedure of the punching forming plate 11 will be described. Both contact pieces 18 formed
A, 18B, the leading edge protection pieces 20A, 20B and the trailing edge protection pieces 22A, 22B are both erected at right angles in parallel with the axis (X), and the contact pieces 18A, 18B and the leading edge protection pieces 20A, 20B, the middle end portions of the trailing edge protection pieces 22A, 22B are bent toward the upper surface of the substrate portion 17, and the front edge portions of the contact pieces 18A, 18B are turned inward to form a contact portion with the male electrical contact 28. Constitute.

A guide piece 25 connecting one of the leading edge protecting piece 20A and the trailing edge protecting piece 22A is folded upward to form a leading edge protecting piece 20A and a trailing edge protecting piece 20 as shown in FIG. A step is formed between the upper surface (a) of the distal end portion of 22A and the upper surface (b) of the guide piece 25. Further, on the top surface (a) of the front end portion of the leading edge protection piece 20A and the top surface (a) of the front end portion of the rear edge protection piece 22A, respectively, the front end portion of the other front edge protection piece 20B and the front end portion of the rear edge protection piece 22B are provided. It is assembled so as to overlap.

Accordingly, the upper surface of the guide piece 25 is flush with the upper surfaces of the front edge protection piece 20B and the rear edge protection piece 22B, and the front edge of the guide piece 25 is attached to the front edge protection piece 20B.
B at the rear end of the guide piece 25, and the front end of the rear edge protection piece 22B at the rear end of the guide piece 25.
Guide piece 25, leading edge protection piece 20B and trailing edge protection piece 22B
Are assembled so that they are hardly deformed in the direction of the axis (X) in cooperation with each other.

The electric contacts assembled as described above are:
As shown in FIG. 2, the electric wire 12 is sandwiched by the electric wire sandwiching portion 13 of the electric contact, and is further electrically connected to the core wire 14 by the core wire connecting portion 15. Then, the electric contact is assembled in a connector housing (not shown), and the lance engaging piece 27 is engaged with an engaging lance provided in the connector housing to prevent the electric contact from coming off.

The electric contact having the above-described structure is a contact piece 1
The front and rear ends of the front and rear ends 8A and 18B are respectively
A, 20B and the trailing edge protection pieces 22A, 22B are protected by the contact pieces 18A, 18B at the time of handling or transporting the electric contact.
External pressure is hardly applied to the contact pieces 18A and 18B, and deformation of the contact pieces 18A and 18B can be prevented.

When the male electric contact 28 is inserted into the electric contact having the above configuration, there is a slight deviation between the insertion axis of the electric contact and the insertion axis of the male electric contact 28. However, since the male contact guide tongue 26 for regulating the insertion direction of the male contact 28 is provided at the front edge of the electric contact, the male contact 28 can be used. It can be smoothly guided into the electric contact. Contact piece 1
8A and 18B are provided with leading edge protection pieces 20A and 20B at the leading edges thereof, so that the tips of the male electrical contacts 28 to be inserted into the electrical contacts are contact pieces 18A and 18B.
Of the contact piece when the male electrical contact 28 is inserted.

Further, the electric contact inserted into the connector housing is required to be removed from the connector housing as required. In this case, a specific jig is inserted into the connector housing to engage with the electric contact. The work of releasing the engagement with the stop lance is required. However, according to the electric contact of the present embodiment, the guide piece 25 for guiding the jig extending in the axis (X) direction is provided on the upper surface of the central portion. Also, since the upper surface of the guide piece 25 and the upper surfaces of the leading edge protection piece 20B and the trailing edge protection piece 22B are formed flush with each other, the insertion work of the jig can be performed smoothly. That is, since the inserted jig is not brought into contact with the contact pieces 18A, 18B, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage or deformation of the contact pieces 18A, 18B by the jig.

Since the lance locking piece 27 locked with the locking lance is joined to the guide piece 25 and the front edge protection piece 20B, the displacement of the lance locking piece 27 is restricted. As a result, even if an external force in the pull-out direction is applied to the electrical contacts locked by the locking lance in the connector housing, the electrical contacts can be prevented from coming off.

[0020]

As described above, according to the electric contact of the present invention, when the assembled electric contact is handled or carried, plastic deformation is caused by an inadvertent external force. There is no. Also, when inserting the mating contact into the electric contact, even if there is a deviation between the insertion axis of the mating contact and the insertion axis of the electric contact, if the mating contact is smoothly inserted. The contact piece of the electric contact can be prevented from being damaged or deformed by the mating contact.

Furthermore, even when a jig for releasing the locking force of the locking lance is inserted into the connector housing, the jig may damage or deform the electric contactor, particularly the contact piece. In addition, it is possible to smoothly insert the jig.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a development explanatory view showing an embodiment of an electric contact according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electric contact according to the present invention when assembly is completed.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a conventional electric contact.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory perspective view at the time of a locking lance releasing operation in a conventional electric contact.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Punching forming plate 12 ... Electric wire 13 ... Electric wire clamping part 14 ... Core wire 15 ... Core wire connection part 16 ... Male electrical contact connection part 17 ... Substrate part 18A, 18B ... Contact piece 19 ... Slit 20A, 20B ... Front edge protection Piece 21: Slit 22A, 22B: Trailing edge protection piece 23: L-shaped bent part 24: L-shaped bent part 25: Guide piece 26: Male contact guide tongue 27, Lance locking piece 28 ... Male electrical contact

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An axis extending from a pair of both side edges, in which an unfolded shape of an electric contact before being formed by bending is parallel to a substrate portion (17) and an axis (X) extending in the front-rear direction of the substrate portion (17). A pair of contact pieces (18A) projecting in a direction orthogonal to
(18B) and the front of each of the expenditures in the form of a strip in the direction orthogonal to the axis (X) from both side edges of the substrate portion (17) approaching the front edges of the contact pieces (18A) and (18B). The edge protection pieces (20A) and (20B) and both contact pieces (18
(A), (18B) approaching the trailing edge of the substrate portion (17)
Trailing edge protection pieces (22A), (22B) expended in a band shape in the direction orthogonal to the axis (X) from both side edges of
And the leading edge protection piece (20A) and the one trailing edge protection piece (22A) are connected to each other, and the axis (X) is approached to the side edge of one contact piece (18A). And a guide piece (25) positioned in parallel with the electrical contact.