JP2008004325A - Female terminal for connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-sized and space-saving female terminal for a connector which can generate a large contact pressure even in formation with a thin plate. <P>SOLUTION: A female terminal for a connector which is composed of pressed parts has a square-tubular fitting box where a contact spring 20 is formed on an upper wall plate 52. The contact spring is formed by cutting up a part of the upper wall plate in the shape of a band plate, and an auxiliary spring 30 for reinforcing a spring force of the contact spring is provided on left and right wall plates 51 and 53. The contact spring is formed in the U-shape, and the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring is located at the bent area of the free end 23 of the contact spring. The auxiliary spring reinforces a spring force of the contact spring by its own bending rigidity exerted in the direction of the plate surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a female terminal for a connector used in, for example, an automobile electrical system.

  There is a strong demand for miniaturization and weight reduction of connectors used in automobiles, and accordingly, there is a strong demand for miniaturization and weight reduction of terminals provided in the connector housing. In the case of a male terminal, there is no particular problem in miniaturization and weight reduction, but in the case of a female terminal manufactured by press-molding a plate material, a fitting box portion having a contact spring inside is in the front half of the terminal. It is difficult to reduce the thickness of the plate for size reduction and weight reduction. This is because it is difficult to ensure the contact pressure of the spring against the male terminal when the size is reduced and the thickness is reduced.

  Conventionally, structures as shown in FIGS. 15 to 18 are provided as measures for increasing the contact pressure of the spring.

  The female terminal shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 is described in, for example, Patent Document 1, and a contact spring 120 is provided on a bottom plate 111 forming a fitting box portion, and is inserted from the front by the contact spring 120. The male terminal thus formed is sandwiched between the top plates 112.

  The contact spring 120 has a fixed end 121 formed by folding back the bottom plate 111 at the front end of the bottom plate 111, and extends backward from the fixed end 121 and simultaneously curves curved toward the top plate 112 side. 122, a free end 123 that is the tip of the curved portion 122 and is in contact with the bottom plate 111, and a wound spring portion 124 that is formed by bending the tip side of the free end 123 further in an arc shape toward the fixed end 121 side. .

  When the mating male terminal is inserted into the fitting box portion of the female terminal, the bending portion 122 is bent toward the bottom plate 111 and the winding spring portion 124 is bent. The mating male terminal is elastically held between the contact spring 120 and the top plate 112 by the reaction force caused by the bending portion 122 and the reaction force caused by the winding spring portion 124. Accordingly, since the contact load is obtained by the reaction force of the winding spring portion 124 in addition to the reaction force of the curved portion 122, a large contact pressure can be obtained even with a small shape.

  The female terminal shown in FIG. 17 is described in, for example, Patent Document 2, and is bent in the opposite direction to the main U-shaped contact spring 140 on the top plate 131 forming the fitting box portion. An auxiliary spring 150 is provided. The folded portion 141 of the contact spring 140 is on the front end side of the fitting box portion, the folded portion 151 of the auxiliary spring 150 is on the rear end side of the fitting box portion, and is on the bending region side of the free end 143 of the contact spring 140. A free end 153 of the auxiliary spring 150 is disposed. Thereby, the male terminal inserted from the front is elastically clamped between the bottom plate 132 by the spring force of the contact spring 140 and the spring force of the auxiliary spring 150 that assists the spring force.

  The female terminal shown in FIG. 18 is described in Patent Document 3, for example, and a main contact spring 180 and an auxiliary spring 190 are provided on the side plates 162 on both sides of the bottom plate 161. The contact spring 180 has a fixed end 181 integrated with the side plate 162, a folded portion 182 that extends forward from the fixed end 181 and makes a U-turn, and a free end 183 that extends rearward from the folded portion 182. . The auxiliary spring 190 has a fixed end 191 integrated with the side plate 162, and a free end 193 extending linearly forward therefrom is inserted into a bending region of the free end 183 of the contact spring 180.

Also in the case of this female terminal, since the spring force of the main contact spring 180 is reinforced by the auxiliary spring 190, a large contact pressure can be obtained.
JP-A-9-45404 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-18365 JP 2005-537617 A

  By the way, if the winding spring part 124 is further provided in the free end 123 of the contact spring 120 like the female terminal (female terminal of patent document 1) shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 16, the height dimension h of a fitting box part will be provided. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the terminal.

  Further, like the female terminals in FIGS. 17 and 18 (female terminals in Patent Documents 2 and 3), the contact springs 140 and 180 and the auxiliary spring are attached to the same wall plate (the top plate 131 in FIG. 17 and the side plate 162 in FIG. 18). If both 150 and 190 are provided, there is a problem that it is difficult to achieve both a reduction in size and an increase in contact pressure because the dimensions of both springs are easily limited.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a small and compact female terminal for a connector that can generate a large contact pressure even if it is formed of a thin plate.

  The invention of claim 1 has a receiving space for the male terminal surrounded by the upper and lower wall plates and the left and right wall plates, and at least one of the upper and lower wall plates facing each other across the insertion path of the male terminal. Provided on the inner surface is a rectangular tube-shaped fitting box portion formed with a contact spring for holding the male terminal inserted from the front with a spring force, and at least the fitting box portion presses one plate material. In the female terminal for the connector formed by the above, the contact spring is formed by cutting and raising a part of the upper and lower wall plates into a strip shape, and at least one of the left and right wall plates, the contact An auxiliary spring that reinforces the spring force of the spring is provided.

  The invention of claim 2 is the female terminal for a connector according to claim 1, wherein the contact spring has a fixed end on the rear end side of the fitting box and extends forward from the fixed end. Thereafter, a U-shape is formed in which a free end is extended rearward through a folded portion, and the free end of the auxiliary spring is disposed in a bending region of the free end of the contact spring.

  Invention of Claim 3 is the female terminal for connectors of Claim 2, Comprising: The said auxiliary | assistant spring is formed with the strip cut out from the said right and left wall board, and the plate | board surface direction of the strip The bending force of the contact spring is configured to reinforce the spring force of the contact spring.

  The invention of claim 4 is the female terminal for a connector according to claim 3, wherein the fixed end of the contact spring is fixed to the free end of the auxiliary spring, and the free end of the contact spring is bent by a predetermined amount. It is characterized by being configured to engage with the free end of the auxiliary spring at the stage of slipping.

  The invention of claim 5 is the female terminal for a connector according to claim 3, wherein the fixed end of the contact spring is fixed to the upper and lower wall plates, and the free end of the contact spring is bent by a predetermined amount. It is configured to engage with the free end of the auxiliary spring at this stage.

  A sixth aspect of the invention is the female terminal for a connector according to the third aspect, wherein a fixed end of the contact spring is fixed to the upper and lower wall plates, and a free end of the contact spring is a free end of the auxiliary spring. It is characterized by being engaged with the end.

  The invention of claim 7 is the female terminal for a connector according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the fixed end of the auxiliary spring is disposed on the front end side of the fitting box, The free end extends rearward from the fixed end.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the female terminal for a connector according to claim 7, wherein a bent piece that is bent and extends below a bending region of the contact spring is provided at a free end of the auxiliary spring. The tip portion of the band-shaped contact spring is positioned at the center in the width direction of the belt-like contact spring.

  The invention of claim 9 is the female terminal for a connector according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary spring is formed by a strip cut out from the left and right wall plates, and the thickness direction of the strip is According to the present invention, the spring force of the contact spring is reinforced by the bending rigidity.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the spring force of the main contact spring is reinforced by the auxiliary spring, a large contact pressure can be generated. In particular, the contact spring is formed by cutting and raising a part of the upper and lower wall plates in a strip shape, and the auxiliary spring is formed on the left and right wall plates, and each spring is formed on a separate wall plate. So, each spring can be dimensioned freely with a margin, and even if it is molded with a thin plate to reduce weight, each spring load can be set to a large value, A large contact load can be generated. In addition, since there is an allowance in dimensioning each spring, the cross-sectional dimension of the fitting box portion can be reduced, and the entire terminal can be reduced in size and size. Therefore, a high contact load can be obtained in a small space, and the contact reliability with the mating male terminal can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the main contact spring is curved in a U shape, a strong spring force can be exerted, and the insufficient spring force can be reinforced with the auxiliary spring. Therefore, a larger contact load can be generated.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the auxiliary spring reinforces the spring force of the contact spring by the bending rigidity in the plate surface direction, even if the amount of bending deformation is small, a strong spring force by the auxiliary spring is applied to the contact by the contact spring. It can be reflected in the load. Further, since the spring force of the auxiliary spring can be freely changed by adjusting the width of the belt-shaped auxiliary spring, the adjustment range of the contact load can be increased.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the fixed end of the contact spring is fixed to the free end of the auxiliary spring, and the free end of the contact spring is engaged with the free end of the auxiliary spring when it is bent by a predetermined amount. Therefore, the spring force can be adjusted in two stages, that is, the stage in which the contact spring is bent and the stage in which the auxiliary spring is bent, and the smooth insertion of the male terminal can be made possible.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the fixed end of the contact spring is fixed to the upper and lower wall plates, and the free end of the contact spring is engaged with the free end of the auxiliary spring when it is bent by a predetermined amount. Therefore, the spring force can be adjusted in two stages, that is, the stage where only the contact spring bends and the stage where both the contact spring and the auxiliary spring are bent, enabling smooth insertion of the male terminal. it can.

  According to the invention of claim 6, since the fixed ends of the contact springs are fixed to the upper and lower wall plates and the free ends of the contact springs are engaged with the free ends of the auxiliary springs, the spring forces of both springs are combined. You can always show your power.

  According to the invention of claim 7, since the auxiliary spring is formed in a shape extending from the front end side to the rear end side of the fitting box portion, the length and width of the auxiliary spring can be set with a margin. Further, since the punched portion can be made small when cutting out from the left and right wall plates, a decrease in the rigidity of the fitting box portion can be minimized.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the bending end of the auxiliary spring is bent and extended below the bending region of the contact spring, and the tip of the bending piece is positioned at the center in the width direction of the belt-shaped contact spring. As a result, the contact spring can be reinforced with good balance even with an auxiliary spring on only one side.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the spring force of the contact spring is reinforced by the bending rigidity in the plate thickness direction of the strip-shaped auxiliary spring, so that the amount of bending of the auxiliary spring can be increased and the amount of bending depends on the amount of bending. The change in the reaction force can be moderated, whereby the auxiliary spring can follow the bending of the U-shaped contact spring satisfactorily. In addition, since the change in the reaction force according to the amount of bending can be moderated, the contact spring can be reinforced by the delicate reaction force caused by the auxiliary spring, and the male terminal can be inserted smoothly. become. In addition, since the contact spring is assisted by bending rigidity, the auxiliary spring can be cut out and formed in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the male terminal, and the setting of the width, length or bending angle of the auxiliary spring is ensured. can do. Therefore, the adjustment of the auxiliary force by the auxiliary spring is easy.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIGS. 1 to 5 are explanatory diagrams of the first embodiment, FIGS. 6 to 9 are explanatory diagrams of the second embodiment, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the third embodiment, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are diagrams of the fourth embodiment. Explanatory drawing, FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are explanatory drawings of 5th Embodiment.

  The female terminal of each embodiment is housed in the connector housing and is in electrical contact with the male terminal of the mating connector, has a rectangular tube-shaped fitting box part at the front part, and an electric wire connection part at the rear part. Have. In the explanatory view of each embodiment, the connecting portion of the electric wire is omitted, and only the fitting box portion is illustrated. It should be noted that the distinction between up and down and left and right in the drawings and texts is for convenience, and it may of course be set upside down or left and right upside down.

<First Embodiment>
1-5 is explanatory drawing of the fitting box part 50A of the female terminal of 1st Embodiment. 1A is a perspective view of a punched molded product 10A in a state in which a metal plate is punched out by a press, FIG. 1B is a front view showing which part is where when the metal plate is bent, and FIG. Is a partial perspective view seen from above showing the relationship between the main contact spring 20 and the auxiliary spring 30, FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view seen from below showing the relationship between the main contact spring 20 and the auxiliary spring 30, 4 is a perspective view showing the fitting box portion 50A cut in half vertically, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the same direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fitting box portion 50A of the female terminal is a rectangular tube formed by bending a punched molded product 10A punched into a shape as shown in (a) as shown in (b). And a receiving space J of the male terminal 200 (see FIG. 4) surrounded by the upper and lower wall plates 52, 54, 56 and the left and right wall plates 51, 53, 55, and sandwiching the insertion path of the male terminal 200. A contact spring 20 that holds the male terminal 200 inserted from the front on the inner surface of one upper wall plate 52 of the upper and lower wall plates 52, 54 facing the lower wall plate 54 with a spring force. have.

  At the stage of the punched molded product 10A in FIG. 1A, a substantially rectangular plate body is partitioned into six continuous strip portions 11 to 16 via folding lines 18a to 18e. When viewed from the insertion direction of the male terminal in FIG. 1B, the first band plate portion 11 is a portion corresponding to the right inner wall plate 51, and the second band plate portion 12 is the upper inner plate. The portion corresponding to the wall plate 52, the third strip plate portion 13 is the portion corresponding to the left wall plate 53, the fourth strip plate portion 14 is the portion corresponding to the lower wall plate 54, the fifth strip plate The portion 15 is a portion corresponding to the right outer wall plate 55, and the sixth strip plate portion 16 is a portion corresponding to the upper outer wall plate 56. The reason why the wall plates 55 and 56 formed of the fifth and sixth belt plate portions 15 and 16 are double-folded on the outside of the inner wall plates 51 and 52 is to reinforce the weak portions. Thus, the rigidity of the fitting box portion 50A is increased by making it double.

  The punched molded product 10 </ b> A is provided with slits and notches 19 a, 19 b, 19 c, and 19 e, thereby forming a portion that becomes the main contact spring 20 and a portion that becomes the left and right auxiliary springs 30. In the figure, F indicates the front end side with respect to the insertion direction P of the male terminal, and R indicates the rear end side.

  The contact spring 20 is formed by cutting and raising a part of the upper inner wall plate 52 into a band plate shape, and the auxiliary spring 30 that reinforces the spring force of the contact spring 20 punches the left and right wall plates 51 and 53. It is formed by that.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the contact spring 20 has a fixed end 21 on the rear end side of the fitting box portion 50 </ b> A, extends forward from the fixed end 21, and then passes through the folded portion 22 to the rear. The free end 23 is U-shaped, and a contact portion 25 for the male terminal 200 is provided on the outer surface of the free end 23 (the surface facing the lower wall plate 54). In addition, engaging protrusions 24 are provided on both side edges of the free end 23 in the width direction.

  The auxiliary spring 30 has a strip-shaped support beam in which the fixed end 31 is disposed on the front end side F of the fitting box portion 50A, and the free end 32 linearly extends rearward from the fixed end 31. In addition, the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30 is disposed in the bending region (the region between the free end 23 and the fixed end 21) of the free end 23 of the contact spring 20. That is, the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30 is positioned above the engagement convex portion 24 (the bending region of the engagement convex portion 24), and the engagement concave portion is formed on the lower surface of the free end 32 corresponding to the engagement convex portion 24. 33.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the band plate portion 12 (the portion constituting the upper inner wall plate 52) on which the main contact spring 20 is formed is provided with slits 19a to 19c, thereby providing a front piece 12f. The contact spring 20 is divided into a rear piece 12r, and the contact spring 20 is arranged in a space between the front piece 12f and the rear piece 12r. Similarly, the strip portion 13 (the portion constituting the right and left wall plates 51 and 53) on which the auxiliary spring 30 is formed is divided into a front piece 13f and a rear piece 13r by providing slits 19a to 19c. The auxiliary spring 30 is disposed in a space between the front side piece 13f and the rear side piece 13r.

  As described above, the auxiliary spring 30 is constituted by the straight strips cut out from the left and right wall plates 51 and 53, and the end face in the width direction of the free end 32 is free of the contact spring 20 as it is. Since it is located above the end 23, the auxiliary spring 30 reinforces the spring force of the contact spring 20 by the bending rigidity in the plate surface direction of the linear strip.

  Further, in the fitting box portion 50A, the fixed end 21 of the contact spring 20 is separated from the upper wall plate 52 and supported and fixed to the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30, as shown in FIG. When the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 is bent by a predetermined amount T, the contact spring 20 is engaged with the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30.

  Further, as described above, by bending the contact spring 20 into a U shape, a large opening 29 is formed in the upper inner wall plate 52, and the outer wall plate 56 reinforces it. Similarly, the inner wall plate 51 on the right side only has the auxiliary spring 30 punched out and does not have a surrounding wall, so that portion is reinforced by the outer wall plate 55.

  According to the female terminal having the above configuration, since the spring force of the main contact spring 20 is reinforced by the auxiliary spring 30, a large contact pressure can be generated. In particular, the contact spring 20 is formed by cutting and raising a part of the upper wall plate 52 in a band plate shape, and the auxiliary spring 30 is a left and right wall plate 51, 53 that is orthogonal to the upper wall plate 52. Since each spring 20, 30 is formed on another wall plate 52, 51, 53, the dimensions of each spring 20, 30 can be freely adjusted with a margin, and the weight is reduced. Even if it is formed of a thin plate to achieve the above, each spring load can be set large, and a large contact load can be generated by the combined spring force.

  In addition, since there is an allowance for dimensioning the springs 20 and 30, it is possible to reduce the cross-sectional dimension of the fitting box portion 50A, and it is possible to reduce the size and size of the entire terminal. Therefore, a high contact load can be obtained in a small space, and the contact reliability with the mating male terminal can be improved.

  Further, since the main contact spring 20 is curved in a U shape, the contact spring 20 itself can exert a strong spring force, and the spring force that is still insufficient can be reinforced by the auxiliary spring 30. Therefore, it is possible to generate a large contact load.

  In the present embodiment, the spring force of the contact spring 20 is reinforced by the bending rigidity of the auxiliary spring 30 in the plate surface direction. Therefore, even if the amount of bending deformation is small, a strong spring force by the auxiliary spring 30 is obtained. This can be reflected in the contact load by the contact spring 20.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spring force of the auxiliary spring 30 can be freely changed by adjusting the width H of the strip-shaped auxiliary spring 30. Therefore, the adjustment range of the contact load is increased. Can take.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the fixed end 21 of the contact spring 20 is supported and fixed to the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30, and the free end of the auxiliary spring 30 is obtained when the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 is bent by a predetermined amount T. 32, the spring force can be adjusted in two stages, that is, the stage where the contact spring 20 bends and the stage where the auxiliary spring 30 bends, so that the male terminal can be smoothly inserted. Can be possible.

  Moreover, since the auxiliary spring 30 is formed in a shape extending linearly from the front end side F to the rear end side R of the fitting box portion 50A, the length and width of the auxiliary spring 30 can be set with a margin. Further, since the punched portion can be made smaller when the auxiliary spring 30 is punched from the left and right wall plates 51, 53, it is possible to minimize the decrease in rigidity of the fitting box portion 50A.

<Second Embodiment>
6-9 is explanatory drawing of the fitting box part 50B of the female terminal of 2nd Embodiment, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the fitting box part in the state in the middle of a bending process, FIG. 7 is a metal plate before bending FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a punched molded product 10B in a state of being punched with a press, FIG. 8 is a side view of an essential part used for explaining the direction of bending when the male terminal 200 is inserted, and FIG. 9A is a state before bending. FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of the main part thereof. However, in FIGS. 6, 8, and 9, the upper and lower sides are drawn upside down.

  In the female terminal fitting box portion 50B, the fixed end 21 of the contact spring 20 is not supported and fixed to the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30 as in the first embodiment, but the upper wall plate 52 (in the figure). It is supported and fixed to the rear piece 12r (which is on the lower side). Further, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, when the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 is bent by a predetermined amount T, it is set to engage with the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30. is there. Further, the first strip portion 11 is provided with a front piece 11f and a rear piece 11r so as to sandwich the auxiliary spring 30 therebetween.

  According to the female terminal having the above configuration, the fixed end 21 of the contact spring 20 is supported and fixed to the upper wall plate 52, not the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30, and the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 is fixed by a predetermined amount H. Since only the contact spring 20 is bent and the contact spring 20 is bent, both the contact spring 20 and the auxiliary spring 30 are bent. Thus, the male terminal can be smoothly inserted.

  That is, when the pressing force in the direction indicated by the arrow E in FIG. 9B acts on the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 due to the insertion of the male terminal 200, only the contact spring 20 is the arrow in FIG. Bending in the S direction, the bending reaction force acts on the male terminal 200. When the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 is bent by a predetermined amount T, the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 engages with the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30, and then both the contact spring 20 and the auxiliary spring 30 are engaged. Will bend. Therefore, the bending reaction force of both springs 20 and 30 acts on the male terminal 200.

  In this way, the spring force is adjusted in two stages, and a weak spring reaction force acts in the first stage and a strong spring reaction force acts in the next stage. Can be expressed.

  Other functions and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In the second embodiment, a gap of a predetermined amount T is secured between the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 and the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30 in the free state. However, the gap should be zero. You can also. That is, in the initial state, the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 is engaged with the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30.

  In such a case, the total spring force is obtained by combining the spring forces of both springs 20 and 30 from the first stage.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the female terminal fitting box 50C of the third embodiment.

  In the first and second embodiments, the auxiliary springs 30 are provided on both the left and right sides. However, the auxiliary springs 30 can be provided only on one side as in the fitting box portion 50C of the third embodiment. In this case, since the balance of the position for supporting the contact spring 20 is lost, a bending piece 35 that bends and extends below the bending region of the contact spring 20 is provided at the free end 32 of the auxiliary spring 30. 36 is located in the center of the band-shaped contact spring 20 in the width direction.

  Thus, by positioning the tip 36 of the auxiliary spring 30 at the center in the width direction of the contact spring 20, the contact spring 20 can be reinforced in a balanced manner even with the auxiliary spring 30 on only one side.

<Fourth embodiment>
11 and 12 are explanatory views of the female terminal fitting box portion 50D of the fourth embodiment, FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in the middle of bending, and FIG. 12 is a front view.

  In the first to third embodiments, the case where the spring force of the contact spring 20 is reinforced by the rigidity of the auxiliary spring 30 in the plate surface direction is shown, but the female terminal fitting box portion 50D of the fourth embodiment. Then, the auxiliary spring 80 is formed by bending the strips cut from the left and right wall plates 51 and 53, and the spring force of the contact spring 20 is reinforced by the bending rigidity in the plate thickness direction of the strips. I have to.

  That is, auxiliary springs 80 cut out from the wall plates 51 and 53 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the contact spring 20 in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the male terminals, and from the fixed ends 81 integrated with the wall plates 51 and 52. The tip end side is bent inward, and the free end 82 is inserted into the bending region of the free end 23 of the contact spring 20, so that the spring force of the contact spring 20 is obtained by the bending rigidity of the auxiliary spring 80 in the plate thickness direction. Is reinforced.

  The left and right auxiliary springs 80 are curved so that the free ends 82 face each other, and the bent free end 82 supports the free end 23 of the contact spring 20.

  As described above, when the spring force of the contact spring 20 is reinforced by the bending rigidity of the strip-shaped auxiliary spring 80 in the plate thickness direction, the amount of bending of the auxiliary spring 80 (in the direction of arrow S in FIG. 12). Deformation) and a change in the reaction force according to the amount of bending can be moderated, whereby the auxiliary spring 80 can follow the bending of the U-shaped contact spring 20 satisfactorily. it can.

  Moreover, since the change of the reaction force according to the amount of bending can be moderated, the contact spring 20 can be reinforced by the delicate reaction force by the auxiliary spring 80, and the male terminal can be inserted smoothly. It becomes like this. Further, since the contact spring 20 is assisted by the bending rigidity in the plate thickness direction, the auxiliary spring 80 can be cut out and formed in a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the male terminal 200 as in the present embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to ensure freedom in setting the width and length of the auxiliary spring 80 or the bending angle. Therefore, the auxiliary force by the auxiliary spring 80 can be easily adjusted.

  Other functions and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The difference in spring characteristics between when the gap is secured between the free end 23 of the contact spring 20 and the free end 82 of the auxiliary spring 80 is the same as that described in the second embodiment.

<Fifth Embodiment>
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a main part of a female terminal fitting box 50E of the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a plan view of a punched molded product 10E in a state in which a metal plate before being bent is punched out by a press.

  In the fourth embodiment, the auxiliary springs 80 are provided on both the left and right sides. However, the auxiliary springs 80 may be provided only on one side as in the fitting box portion 50E of the fifth embodiment. In that case, since the balance of the position for supporting the contact spring 20 may be lost, the free end 82 of the auxiliary spring 80 is extended wider, and the entire back surface of the contact spring 20 is wide in the width direction. Support range.

  By doing in this way, even if it is the auxiliary spring 80 of only one side, the contact spring 20 can be reinforced with sufficient balance. If the auxiliary spring 80 in this case is formed so as to protrude from the outer edge of the first band plate portion 11, the length can be freely set longer than the width of the wall plate 51. The full width can be covered.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the contact spring 20 is provided only on one side of the upper and lower wall plates 52, 54 has been described. However, the contact spring is provided on both the upper and lower wall plates 52, 54, and FIG. It is also possible to configure so that the male terminal is sandwiched between the contact spring and the free end of the contact spring as in this example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is explanatory drawing of the fitting box part of the female terminal of 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a perspective view of the stamping molded product of the state which stamped the metal plate with the press, (b) is the time of bending it It is a front view which shows which part becomes where. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the top which shows the relationship between the main contact spring and auxiliary spring in the fitting box part. It is the fragmentary perspective view seen from the bottom which shows the relationship between the main contact spring and auxiliary spring in the fitting box part. It is a perspective view which cuts the same fitting box part into half vertically. It is the perspective view seen from the direction different from FIG. It is a perspective view of the fitting box part in the state in the middle of the bending process of the female terminal of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the stamping molded product of the state which stamped the metal plate before the same bending with a press. It is a side view of the principal part used for description of the direction of bending at the time of inserting the male terminal of the fitting box part. (A) is a figure which shows the state before the same part as FIG. 8 bends, (b) is an enlarged view of the principal part. It is a schematic perspective view of the fitting box part of the female terminal of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the state in the middle of bending of the fitting box part of the female terminal of 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the fitting box part. It is a perspective view of the principal part of the fitting box part of the female terminal of 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the state before bending the same fitting box part. It is a perspective view which shows the state which cut the fitting box part of the conventional female terminal for connectors vertically. It is a sectional side view of the fitting box part. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a partially broken female box fitting portion of a conventional connector for a female terminal. It is a perspective view of the fitting box part of the female terminal for other conventional connectors.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Contact spring 21 Fixed end 22 Folding part 23 Free end 24 Engagement convex part 30, 80 Auxiliary spring 31, 81 Fixed end 32, 82 Free end 35 Bending piece 36 Tip part 50A, 50B, 50C, 50D, 50E Fitting box Part 51 Right wall plate 52 Upper wall plate 53 Left wall plate 54 Lower wall plate 200 Male terminal J Male terminal receiving space

Claims (9)

It has a male terminal receiving space surrounded by the upper and lower wall plates and the left and right wall plates, and is inserted into the inner surface of at least one of the upper and lower wall plates facing each other across the insertion path of the male terminals from the front. For a connector formed by pressing at least one plate material with a rectangular tube-shaped fitting box portion formed with a contact spring for holding the male terminal with a spring force. In the female terminal,
The contact spring is formed by cutting and raising a part of the upper and lower wall plates into a band plate shape, and an auxiliary spring for reinforcing the spring force of the contact spring is provided on at least one of the left and right wall plates. A female terminal for a connector. A female terminal for a connector according to claim 1,
The contact spring has a fixed end on the rear end side of the fitting box, extends forward from the fixed end, and then has a U-shape with a free end extending rearward through a folded portion, A female terminal for a connector, wherein a free end of the auxiliary spring is disposed in a bending region of the free end of the contact spring. A female terminal for a connector according to claim 2,
The auxiliary spring is formed by a band plate cut out from the left and right wall plates, and is configured to reinforce the spring force of the contact spring by the bending rigidity in the plate surface direction of the band plate. A female terminal for connectors. A female terminal for a connector according to claim 3,
The fixed end of the contact spring is fixed to the free end of the auxiliary spring, and is configured to engage with the free end of the auxiliary spring when the free end of the contact spring is bent by a predetermined amount. A female terminal for connectors. A female terminal for a connector according to claim 3,
A fixed end of the contact spring is fixed to the upper and lower wall plates, and the free end of the contact spring is configured to engage with the free end of the auxiliary spring when it is bent by a predetermined amount. Female terminal for connectors. A female terminal for a connector according to claim 3,
A female terminal for a connector, wherein a fixed end of the contact spring is fixed to the upper and lower wall plates, and a free end of the contact spring is engaged with a free end of the auxiliary spring. A female terminal for a connector according to any one of claims 3 to 6,
A female terminal for a connector, wherein a fixed end of the auxiliary spring is disposed on a front end side of the fitting box, and a free end of the auxiliary spring extends rearward from the fixed end. A female terminal for a connector according to claim 7,
A bending piece that extends and bends below the bending region of the contact spring is provided at the free end of the auxiliary spring, and the tip of the bending piece is positioned at the center in the width direction of the belt-shaped contact spring. Female terminal for connector to be used. A female terminal for a connector according to claim 2,
The auxiliary spring is formed by a strip cut out from the left and right wall plates, and is configured to reinforce the spring force of the contact spring by the bending rigidity of the strip in the thickness direction. A female terminal for connectors.

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