JP2003243075A - Female side terminal metal piece - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a female side terminal metal piece capable of preventing its elastic contacting piece from deformation even if the connecting direction of a male tab is dislocated. <P>SOLUTION: A connection part 2 in the shape of approximately a square cylinder, etc., is provided in the front of the female side terminal metal piece 1. Inside the connection part 2, the elastic contacting piece 4 is installed contacting resiliently with the male tab 3 of a mating connector. The free end 6 of the elastic contacting piece 4 is provided in the front part and is bent toward the external wall 9 of the connection part 2. From the connection part 2 a receptacle part 10 is folded toward the free end 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a female terminal fitting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 shows a connector 100 disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-110184. This connector 10
At 0, a female-side terminal fitting 101 is provided. The female terminal fitting 101 is provided with an elastic contact piece 103 that elastically contacts the mating male terminal fitting.
When connecting the male and female terminal fittings, the moving direction of the male tab 102 is displaced, and as shown in FIG.
02 may enter the lower side (back side) of the tip of the elastic contact piece 103.

[0003]

In this case, the male tab 102 may push up the elastic contact piece 103 and deform it upward. Also, the tip of the male tab 102 is
When it hits the central portion 103A of the elastic contact piece 103,
The elastic contact piece 103 is deformed to the back side. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a female-side terminal fitting that can prevent deformation of the elastic contact piece even when the connection direction of the male tab is displaced. .

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problem, Action of the Invention, and Effect of the Invention In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first invention is to provide a connecting portion to which a mating male tab is connected and the connecting portion. A female terminal fitting, which is elastically contacted with the male tab and has an elastic contact piece provided with a free end in the front direction which is the connecting direction of the male tab, wherein the free end is
It is characterized in that it is bent toward the outer wall of the connecting portion, and a receiving portion bent from the connecting portion toward the free end is provided.

The front-rear positional relationship between the free end and the receiving portion is not limited, and any structure may be located on the front side. However, it is preferable that the free end is located in front of the receiving portion. By doing so, the receiving portion can receive the back surface side of the free end, so that the strength of the elastic contact piece can be improved. Further, at the free end and the receiving portion, “bent” means that the gap between both components is reduced by positively extending both components toward each other. Specific examples of such a configuration include folding back, bending, or smooth bending.

As for the degree of bending of the free end and the receiving portion, it is sufficient that the gap between the two components is smaller than that in the case where the free end and the receiving portion are not bent. It does not have to overlap when viewed from the front of the side terminal fitting. However, it is preferable that both configurations are bent so as to overlap each other when viewed from the front of the female-side terminal fitting, and in that case, it is further preferable that the both ends overlap so that the free end is located on the front side of the receiving portion. Further, the female-side terminal fitting does not necessarily need to be connected to the electric wire, and may be, for example, a relay terminal provided with a pair of front and rear two connecting portions.

The connecting portion may be composed of a single wall or a double wall or more. In that case, the receiving portion is formed by bending a part of the wall portion forming the connecting portion. According to the first aspect of the invention, since the free end and the receiving portion are bent toward each other, the gap between both components is reduced. Therefore, when connecting the male and female terminal fittings, even if the connecting direction of the male tab is displaced, it is easy to avoid the situation where the male tab gets into the back surface side of the free end.

A second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the free end is located on the front side of the receiving portion. According to the second aspect of the invention, even if the male tab abuts against the intermediate portion of the elastic contact piece and pushes it backward when the two terminal fittings are connected, the receiving portion receives the back side of the free end, so that the elastic contact piece is deformed. Can be regulated.

In a third aspect based on the second aspect, the free end and the receiving portion are bent so as to engage with each other when the free end moves rearward. To do. According to the third aspect, when the male tab pushes the elastic contact piece backward, the free end and the receiving portion engage with each other, so that the deformation of the elastic contact piece can be further restricted.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the gist of the invention will be described. It can be implemented in various forms without modification. Moreover, the technical scope of the present invention extends to an equivalent range.

FIG. 1 shows a connecting portion 2 provided on the front side of the female terminal fitting 1 in this embodiment. The female-side terminal fitting 1 is formed by bending a conductive plate material, and is connected to one end of an electric wire (not shown) and housed in a connector (not shown). The connection part 2 is formed into a substantially rectangular tube shape that is open to the front and back, and the male tab 3 of the male side terminal fitting is connected from the front side (the surface side shown in FIG. 1).

An elastic contact piece 4 that elastically contacts the male tab 3 is provided inside the connecting portion 2. The elastic contact piece 4 is provided with a base end 5 on the rear side and a free end 6 on the front side. The elastic contact piece 4 is smoothly curved in a generally arcuate shape as a whole, and the top portion (the portion closest to the facing inner wall 7) serves as the contact portion 8 that contacts the male tab 3. Further, the free end 6 of the elastic contact piece 4 is bent toward the outer wall 9 of the connecting portion 2. On the other hand, the receiving portion 10 is bent from the outer wall 9 of the connecting portion 2 toward the free end 6.

The free end 6 is located on the front side of the receiving portion 10. The free end 6 is bent so that its cross section has a hook shape. On the other hand, the receiving portion 10 is bent obliquely upward toward the free end 6, and its cross section has an obtuse angle. In this way, the free end 6 and the receiving portion 10 are bent so as to extend toward each other. At this time, the tip portions of both structures 6 and 10 are set to slightly contact each other. Also, when the free end 6 is moved backward by being pressed by the male tab 3, the free end 6 and the receiving portion 1
0 and 0 are engaged with each other.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. To connect the male and female terminal fittings, the male tab 3 is inserted from the front of the connecting portion 2 of the female terminal fitting 1. When the connection direction of the male tab 3 is within the permissible range with respect to the regular insertion position, the male tab 3 enters between the elastic contact piece 4 and the opposing inner wall 7 as shown in FIG. Connected with contact pressure.

However, when the connection direction of the male tab 3 is displaced and tilted toward the elastic contact piece 4, the male tab 3 tries to enter the back side of the free end 6, as shown in FIG. However, according to the present embodiment, since the free end 6 and the receiving portion 10 are bent toward each other, the gap between both configurations 6 and 10 is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the situation where the male tab 3 enters the back side of the free end 6.

When the tip of the male tab 3 hits the intermediate portion 4A (the inclined surface portion inclined forward) of the elastic contact piece 4 and pushes it backward, as shown in FIG. Tries to move backwards. In the present embodiment, since the free end 6 is located in the front part of the receiving part 10, when the elastic contact piece 4 moves rearward, the receiving part 10 receives the back side of the free end 6. Therefore, the deformation of the elastic contact piece 4 can be regulated.
In addition, when the elastic contact piece 4 moves rearward, the free end 6 and the receiving portion 10 engage with each other, so that the deformation of the elastic contact piece 4 can be regulated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connecting portion of a female-side terminal fitting in the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a connecting portion.

FIG. 3 is a development view of a connecting portion.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view when both male and female terminal fittings are connected.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view when the male tabs are misaligned when trying to enter the back side of the free end when connecting both terminal fittings.

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view when the direction of the male tab is displaced and the elastic contact piece is pushed backward when the two terminal fittings are connected.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a connector accommodating a female terminal fitting in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Female terminal fitting 2 ... Connection part 3 ... Male tab 4 ... Elastic contact piece 6 ... Free end 9 ... Outer wall 10 ... Receiver

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A connecting portion to which a mating male tab is connected,
A female terminal fitting, which is provided at this connecting portion and elastically contacts the male tab, and which has an elastic contact piece provided with a free end forward in the connecting direction of the male tab, The free end is bent toward the outer wall direction of the connection part, and a receiving part bent toward the free end is provided from the connection part. Metal fittings. 2. The female-side terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein the free end is located on the front side of the receiving portion. 3. The female terminal according to claim 2, wherein the free end and the receiving portion are bent so as to engage with each other when the free end moves rearward. Metal fittings.