JP2008166106A - Terminal connection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a stable terminal fixing force while suppressing insertion resistance. <P>SOLUTION: Projection parts 25, 26 are formed at front and rear two positions interposing a contact part 18 of an elastic contact piece 17 at the lower fringe of both rail plates 15 in a fastening type female terminal 10. Recessed grooves 33, 34 in which each projection parts 25, 26 are engaged are formed in the whole width in a tab 31 of a mating female terminal 30. Since the surface of the tab 31 is sliding contacted by both projections 25, 26 of a short rail plate 15, insertion resistance is suppressed to small. The tab 31 is stably supported by three points of a rear side contact part 18, and the front and rear two part projections 25, 26 interposing the contact part 18 on the front side. Since each projections 25, 26 of the rail plate 15 are inserted and pressed in the recessed grooves 33, 34 on the front surface of the tab 31, locking function in pulling direction is also superior. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure for connecting a Faston type female terminal and a male terminal having a tab.

Conventionally, what is called a Faston type is known as an example of the terminal connection structure applied to the wire harness of a motor vehicle. This is composed of a pair of rail plates bent inward so as to face each other from the upper edges of the side plates raised from both side edges of the substrate, and elastic contact pieces that are folded back and extended from the front edge of the substrate A female terminal having a tab and a male terminal having a tab. The male terminal tab is inserted between the rail plates and the elastic contact piece of the female terminal and elastically sandwiched between the tabs. It is a structure that takes a general connection. The basic structure is described in Patent Document 1.
JP-A-6-260223

In this type of terminal connection structure, the tab of the male terminal is in sliding contact with the edge of the rail plate of the female terminal over a long distance during connection, which increases the insertion force. . However, if the length of the rail plate is reduced, the sliding resistance is reduced. However, since there is a concern about the lack of stability when the tab is clamped, it cannot be easily handled.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to obtain a stable terminal fixing force while suppressing insertion resistance.

  As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is formed inwardly so as to face each other from the substrate, the side plate rising from both side edges of the substrate, and the upper edge of both side plates. A pair of rail plates, an elastic contact piece extending along the length direction of the substrate and arranged to be elastically displaceable between the substrate and the lower edges of the rail plates, and the length of the elastic contact piece A faston type female terminal comprising a contact portion provided at a midway position in the vertical direction and a male terminal having a tab, between the rail plates of the female terminal and the contact portion of the elastic contact piece A terminal connection structure in which the tab of the male terminal is inserted and elastically clamped to establish electrical connection, and the lower edge of the rail plates of the female terminal has the contact portion Protrusions are formed at two positions before and after The said tab of the male terminal, characterized in was configured to recess the respective projections are fitted are formed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the protruding portion of the rail plate has a steep inclined edge at the rear edge in the fitting direction with respect to the mating male terminal, and a slanted edge at the front edge. It is characterized in that it is formed.
The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, the recess of the tab is formed to be recessed over the entire width of the tab.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the recess of the tab is formed in a groove shape into which each protrusion of the rail plate can be individually fitted. Have
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the contact on the surface of the tab of the male terminal facing the elastic contact piece of the female terminal is provided on the tab. It has the feature in which the recessed part which a part fits is formed.

<Invention of Claim 1>
When the tab of the male terminal is inserted between the rail plates and the elastic contact piece in the female terminal, the contact portion of the elastic contact piece is applied to the back surface of the tab, while the front and rear portions sandwiching the contact portion on the surface The protrusions of the rail plate are brought into contact with the recesses of the rails, and are elastically held.
Since the surfaces of the tabs are only in sliding contact with both protrusions of the short rail plate, the insertion resistance can be kept small. Since the tab is supported at three points, that is, the contact portion on the back surface side and the two protrusions on the front and back sides sandwiching the contact portion on the front surface side, the tab swings around the contact portion. It is regulated and supported stably. Furthermore, since each protrusion of the rail plate hits while being fitted into a recess on the surface of the tab, the locking function in the removal direction is also excellent.

<Invention of Claim 2>
When the tab enters the female terminal side, the tip of the tab hits the gently sloping edge on the front side of the protrusion of the rail plate. The edge of the recess hits the steep inclined edge on the side. As a result, the tab can be easily inserted, but the structure is difficult to remove.
<Invention of Claim 3>
The front-side protrusions or the rear-side protrusions of both rail plates fit into both ends in the width direction with respect to the respective common recesses formed over the entire width at two locations before and after the tab.

<Invention of Claim 4>
A total of four protrusions of both rail plates are individually fitted into groove-like recesses formed on the surface of the tab. Deviation in the width direction of the tab is also more reliably regulated.
<Invention of Claim 5>
The contact portion of the elastic contact piece is applied to the back surface while fitting into another recess formed on the back surface of the tab. Can function to prevent tabs from coming off.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a female terminal 10 and a male terminal 30 connected to each other are provided. In addition, below, in each terminal metal fitting 10 and 30, a fitting end side is demonstrated as the front.
The female terminal 10 is a Faston type terminal, which is formed by press-molding a metal plate having excellent conductivity, and in front of a wire connecting portion (not shown) connected to the end of the wire. The terminal connection part 11 connected with the male terminal 30 of this is provided.

  The terminal connection portion 11 includes a substrate 12 that is elongated in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 2, left and right side plates 13 are formed upright from both left and right edges of the substrate 12. Further, a pair of rail plates 15 are formed from the upper edges of the side plates 13 so as to be turned in a semicircular shape so as to face each other. Both rail plates 15 are bilaterally symmetric, the free edge (lower edge) faces almost directly below, and a space of about 1/4 between both side plates 13 is provided between the lower edges.

On the other hand, the tongue piece extended from the front edge of the board 12 is folded back so as to form a low angle between the lower edge of the rail plates 15 and the board 12, thereby forming the elastic contact piece 17. Yes. The elastic contact piece 17 has a contact portion 18 at the top. Further, the tip of the elastic contact piece 17 is gradually narrowed and bent upward, and the tip touches the lower edges of the left and right rail plates 15, thereby restricting excessive warping deformation. .
The substrate 12 is provided with lance holes 20 that engage with lances provided in a cavity of a female housing (not shown), and from the left and right side edges of both lance holes 20, excessive elastic contact pieces 17 are formed. An excessive deflection regulating piece 21 that regulates the bending deformation is formed to rise.

  The male terminal 30 is formed of a metal material having excellent conductivity, and is connected to the end of the electric wire and accommodated in the male housing, or is mounted on a male housing formed integrally with the device. The tab 31 is provided on one end side. The tab 31 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 11 of the female terminal 10 from the front, and as shown in FIG. 5, is about twice as thick as the metal plate serving as the base material of the female terminal 10. It is thick and has a width that is slightly smaller than the distance between the side plates 13 of the female terminal 10. The tip of the tab 31 is tapered in both width and thickness.

Now, a pair of front and rear protrusions 25 and 26 are formed on the lower edges of the left and right rail plates 15. The front and rear protrusions 25 and 26 are respectively formed at front and rear positions sandwiching the contact point 18 of the elastic contact piece 17, and more specifically, the front protrusion 25 is the front end position of the lower edge of the rail plate 15. The rear protrusion 26 is formed at a position substantially corresponding to the tip of the elastic contact piece 17 at the back.
Both protrusions 25 and 26 protrude downward by a dimension substantially equal to the thickness of the metal plate of the base material of the female terminal 10, but the front protrusion 25 is the rear protrusion in terms of length. It is formed nearly three times as long as 26. The front protrusion 25 has an arcuate edge 25A at the front edge and a steep inclined edge 25B at the rear edge. The rear protrusion 26 has a slanted edge 26A with a gentle front edge and a slanted edge 26B with a steep rear edge.

  On the other hand, on the surface of the tab 31 of the male terminal 30, concave grooves 33 and 34 into which the front and rear protrusions 25 and 26 provided on the rail plate 15 of the female terminal 10 are respectively fitted are formed. The front concave groove 34 is at a position slightly entered from the tip of the tab 31, and the rear concave groove 33 is a position at which the rear concave groove 33 enters the proximal end side by a dimension equal to the distance between the protrusions 25 and 26. In FIG. 2, each is formed over the entire width. Both the concave grooves 33 and 34 are relatively shallow and gradually widen toward the surface side, but the overall groove width is such that the front and rear protrusions 25 and 26 fit closely together. Is formed.

  Then, the effect | action of this embodiment is demonstrated. After the female terminal 10 is connected to the end of the electric wire, it is accommodated in a female housing (not shown), and the female housing is fitted toward the male housing in which the male terminal 30 is accommodated. As both housings are fitted, the tab 31 of the male terminal 30 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 11 of the mating female terminal 10 from the front, as shown by the arrow in FIG.

  The tab 31 is pushed so as to be split between the folded portion 17A of the elastic contact piece 17 and the front protrusions 25 of the left and right rail plates 15, and the lower surface of the tip of the tab 31 is the upper surface of the elastic contact piece 17. Then, the upper surface of the elastic contact piece 17 is slidably contacted while the elastic contact piece 17 is bent and displaced downward. At the same time, the tab 31 is pushed while being urged upward by receiving the elastic force of the elastic contact piece 17, and the upper corner at the tip of the tab 31 follows the arc-shaped edge 25 A of the front protrusion 25. After sinking in the lower side, the surface of the tab 31 on the rear side passes through the concave groove 34 on the front end side while being in sliding contact with the lower end of the front projection 25. When the end of pushing is near the end, the tip of the tab 31 tilts slightly upward, but the upper corner of the tip 31 hits the loose inclined edge 26A of the rear projection 26 and is guided there, and sinks below it.

  When the tab 31 is pushed in a normal amount, the rear and front concave grooves 33 and 34 of the surface of the tab 31 are aligned with the protrusions 25 and 26 of the corresponding rail plate 15 as shown in FIGS. The position is reached, the protrusions 25 and 26 on the front and rear of the rail plate 15 are pressed against the groove bottoms of the corresponding concave grooves 33 and 34 by receiving the restoring elasticity of the elastic contact piece 17, and the contact portion 18 of the elastic contact piece 17 is It is elastically pressed against the back surface of the tab 31. Thereby, the electrical connection between the corresponding male and female terminal fittings 10 and 30 is taken, and in addition to the frictional force between the both terminal fittings 10 and 30, the front edges of both concave grooves 33 and 34 of the tab 31 are , By being locked to the steep inclined edges 25B, 26B of the corresponding protrusions 25, 26, it is prevented from coming off.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the tab 31 of the male terminal 30 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 11 of the female terminal 10, the surface of the tab 31 is both the protruding portions 25 of the short rail plate 15. , 26, the insertion resistance can be kept small. The tab 31 is supported at three points, that is, the contact portion 18 on the back surface side and the two protrusions 25 and 26 at the front and rear sides sandwiching the contact portion 18 on the front surface side. Oscillation to the center is regulated and supported stably. Further, since the protrusions 25 and 26 of the rail plate 15 are in contact with the concave grooves 33 and 34 on the surface of the tab 31, they are excellent in the locking function in the removal direction.

  In particular, when the tabs 31 of both protrusions 25 and 26 enter the female terminal 10 side, the edge on the side where the tip of the tab 31 abuts is an arc edge 25A or a gently inclined edge 26A. When the end 31 is about to be pulled out, the end edges on the side where the front edges of the concave grooves 33 and 34 are locked are steep inclined edges 25B and 26B. The advantage is obtained.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the second embodiment, the shape of the concave grooves 41 and 42 formed on the surface of the tab 31A is changed to fit the protrusions 25 and 26 protruding from the rail plate 15 of the female terminal 10. That is, the concave grooves 41 and 42 are formed in a form in which the protrusions 25 and 26 of the rail plate 15 are individually fitted. Specifically, each of the concave grooves 41 and 42 is 2 at each position facing the protrusions 25 and 26 of the rail plate 15 when the tab 31 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 11 of the female terminal 10 by a normal amount. Each of the concave grooves 41 and 42 on the rear side and the front side has the same vertical cross-sectional shape as the concave grooves 33 and 34 on the rear side and the front side of the first embodiment, while the protruding portions 25 and 26 are formed. It is formed in the shape of a longitudinal groove having a width slightly larger than the thickness.
A total of four protrusions 25 and 26 of both rail plates 15 are individually fitted into the respective concave grooves 41 and 42 formed on the surface of the tab 31A. Compared with the first embodiment, there is an advantage that the deviation in the width direction of the tab 31A is more reliably regulated.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 7 shows Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
The third embodiment is an improvement plan of the first embodiment, and the contact portion 45 provided on the elastic contact piece 17 of the female terminal 10 is knocked out from the back surface side at the central portion in the width direction of the top. It is formed in a form protruding to the side. On the other hand, on the back surface of the tab 31B, when the tab 31B is inserted into the terminal connection portion 11 of the female terminal 10 by a normal amount, a fitting recess 46 is formed to which the contact portion 45 is fitted and pressed. Yes.
In addition to the protrusions 25 and 26 of the rail plate 15 of the female terminal 10 being fitted in the concave grooves 33 and 34 on the front surface side of the tab 31B, the contact part 45 protruding from the elastic contact piece 17 is fitted on the back surface of the tab 31B. By fitting into the mating recess, the tab 31B is more difficult to come off.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) As shown in the second embodiment, as shown in the third embodiment, the front and rear protrusions of the rail plate are individually fitted into the longitudinal groove-like concave grooves formed on the surface of the tab. Alternatively, a structure may be employed in which the contact portion of the elastic contact piece is formed so as to project into a fitting recess provided on the back surface of the tab.
(2) In the above embodiment, the male terminal tab is formed by punching a relatively thick metal plate. However, the tab is formed by stacking a plurality of relatively thin metal plates. Also good.
(3) The shape of the elastic contact piece of the female terminal is not limited to that illustrated in the above-described embodiment. In short, the elastic contact piece extends along the length direction of the board and is elastic between the board and the lower edges of both rail plates. Any shape may be used as long as it is displaceable and a contact portion is provided at a substantially central portion of the depth of the terminal connection portion.

The partially cutaway side view before the fitting of the male and female terminal fittings according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Front view of female terminal Top view of male terminal tab Longitudinal sectional view with male and female terminal fittings connected Cross section The top view of the tab of the male terminal concerning Embodiment 2 The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the state where the male and female terminal metal fittings concerning Embodiment 3 were connected

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Female terminal 12 ... Board | substrate 13 ... Side board 15 ... Rail board 17 ... Elastic contact piece 18 ... Contact part 25, 26 ... Projection part 25A ... Arc shape edge (gradient inclination edge) of (projection part 25)
25B: Steep slope edge 26A (of the protrusion 25) 26A: Gradual slope edge 26B (of the projection 26) Steep slope edge 30 ... Male terminal 31, 31A, 31B ... Tabs 33, 34 ... concave groove (concave)
41, 42 ... concave groove (concave)
45 ... contact part 46 ... fitting recess (recess)

Claims (5)

A board, a side plate rising from both side edges of the board, a pair of rail plates formed inwardly curved so as to face each other from the upper edges of the side boards, and extending along the length direction of the board A faston type female comprising an elastic contact piece arranged to be elastically displaceable between the board and the lower edges of the rail plates, and a contact portion provided in the middle of the elastic contact piece in the length direction. A terminal,
A male terminal having a tab,
A terminal connection structure in which electrical connection is established by inserting the tab of the male terminal between the rail plates of the female terminal and the contact portion of the elastic contact piece and elastically holding the tab. There,
At the lower edges of the rail plates of the female terminal, protrusions are formed at two positions before and after the contact portion, and the tabs of the male terminals are formed with recesses into which the protrusions fit. Terminal connection structure characterized by being made. 2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion of the rail plate is formed with a steep inclined edge at a rear edge in a fitting direction with respect to a mating male terminal, and a gentle inclined edge at a front edge. Connection structure. The terminal connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the recess of the tab is formed to be depressed over the entire width of the tab. 3. The terminal connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the recess of the tab is formed in a groove shape into which each protrusion of the rail plate can be individually fitted. 5. The concave portion into which the contact portion is fitted is formed on a surface of the tab of the male terminal facing the elastic contact piece of the female terminal. The terminal connection structure according to the item.

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