JP2009117112A - Terminal metal fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a stabilizer with high rigidity capable of obtaining sufficient locking force even though a lance is locked on a rear end of the stabilizer. <P>SOLUTION: In a terminal metal fitting 1 having a square tube shaped body 10 extending in the front and back direction and the stabilizer 30 capable of guiding an insertion operation of the body 10 by inserting into an insertion groove arranged in an internal surface of a cavity when the body 10 is inserted backward into the cavity arranged in a connector housing, the stabilizer 30 is set up to be in a folded-back state between a pair of neighboring wall sections (right wall section 13 and upper wall section 14) among peripheral wall sections for forming the body 10, and its both end edges are formed to be respectively integrated with the pair of wall sections. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal fitting.

Conventionally, for example, a terminal fitting described in Patent Document 1 below is known as a terminal fitting including a stabilizer that guides an operation of inserting the terminal fitting into a cavity. This terminal metal fitting has a main body portion that forms a rectangular tube shape and extends in the front-rear direction. The stabilizer has a folded shape and is formed integrally with the side wall portion of the peripheral wall portion constituting the main body portion. According to such a configuration, when a force is applied to the stabilizer, the deformation of the stabilizer can be restricted by dispersing the force on the side wall portion side.
JP 2003-68385 A

However, in the terminal fitting described above, although one end edge of the stabilizer is connected to the side wall portion, the other end edge is not supported at all. There is a fear. For example, when the lance is locked to the rear end of the stabilizer to prevent the terminal fitting from being pulled out, there is a problem that a sufficient locking force cannot be obtained.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances. For example, a highly rigid stabilizer is provided so that a sufficient locking force can be obtained even when the lance is locked to the rear end of the stabilizer. The purpose is to form.

  The present invention has a main body portion that is formed in a rectangular tube shape and extends in the front-rear direction, and when this main body portion is inserted into the cavity provided in the connector housing from the rear, the main body portion is inserted into the insertion groove provided in the inner surface of the cavity. And a stabilizer that can guide the insertion operation of the main body portion, and the stabilizer has a folded shape between a pair of adjacent wall portions among the peripheral wall portions constituting the main body portion, and It is characterized in that both end edges are formed integrally with a pair of wall portions.

  According to such a configuration, both end edges of the folded stabilizer are integrally formed with the pair of wall portions, so that the force applied to the stabilizer can be distributed to the pair of wall portions. Therefore, the rigidity of the stabilizer can be increased as compared with the case where it is formed integrally with any one of the wall portions. Therefore, for example, when the terminal fitting is locked by locking the lance at the rear end of the stabilizer, a sufficient locking force can be obtained.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
One of the pair of wall portions is provided with a locking portion at an edge opposite to the stabilizer on one wall portion, and the wall portion facing the other wall portion is locked with the locking portion in the front-rear direction. It is good also as a structure by which the latching | locking part is provided.
According to such a structure, since the latching | locking part and the to-be-latched part latch in the front-back direction, the intensity | strength of the stabilizer with respect to the force of the front-back direction can be raised.

One wall portion of the pair of wall portions includes an outer wall portion laminated on the outer surface side of the main body portion, and an inner wall portion laminated on the inner surface side of the main body portion and connected to the stabilizer. Also good.
According to such a configuration, even if a force is applied to the stabilizer and the inner wall portion tries to open and deform toward the outer wall portion, the outer wall portion restricts the opening deformation of the inner wall portion.

An elastic contact piece that elastically contacts the mating terminal fitting is provided inside the main body portion, and this elastic contact piece is one wall portion connected to the stabilizer in a deployed state before the main body portion is bent. It is good also as a structure arrange | positioned in the back.
The terminal fittings are arranged side by side in the deployed state. According to the above configuration, the pitch between the terminal fittings can be made smaller than the case where the elastic contact piece is arranged on the side of one wall portion in the expanded state, so that the number of terminal fittings is increased and the yield is improved. be able to.

  According to the present invention, a highly rigid stabilizer can be formed.

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. The terminal fitting 1 of the present embodiment is formed in a main body portion 10 having a rectangular tube shape extending in the front-rear direction, a barrel portion 20 connected to the rear of the main body portion 10, and a corner portion on the outer surface side of the main body portion 10. The stabilizer 30 is provided. When the main body 10 is inserted from behind into a cavity (not shown) provided in a connector housing (not shown), the terminal 30 is inserted into an insertion groove ( It is possible to guide the insertion operation of the main body 10 by inserting it through (not shown). In the following description, the vertical direction and the horizontal direction are based on the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in FIG.

  1 shows a front view of the terminal fitting 1 as seen from the front, FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the terminal fitting 1 as seen from above, and FIG. 3 shows a side view of the terminal fitting 1 as seen from the side. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the stabilizer 30 as viewed from the front, and FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the unfolded state before the terminal fitting 1 is bent as viewed from above. These show the top view which looked at the expansion | deployment state of the conventional terminal metal fitting 100 from upper direction.

  The barrel portion 20 includes a wire barrel portion 21 for caulking a core wire of an electric wire end (not shown), and an insulation barrel portion 22 for caulking a covering portion of the electric wire end. The insulation barrel portion 22 is disposed behind the wire barrel portion 21, and a pair of caulking pieces are provided so as to be displaced in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 10 includes a lower wall 11, a left wall 12 that rises vertically from the left end of the lower wall 11, a right wall 13 that rises vertically from the right end of the lower wall 11, The upper wall portion 14 is disposed between the upper end of the left wall portion 12 and the upper end of the right wall portion 13 and is disposed so as to face the lower wall portion 11. The upper wall portion 14 has a double wall shape, and includes an inner wall portion 14 </ b> A laminated on the inner surface side of the main body portion 10 and an outer wall portion 14 </ b> B laminated on the outer surface side of the main body portion 10. .

  An elastic contact piece 15 extending forward from the rear end of the inner wall portion 14A is provided inside the main body portion 10. The elastic contact piece 15 is provided so as to be elastically deformable in the vertical direction, and a contact point 15 </ b> A is formed to bulge upward near the front end by knocking out. The contact 15 </ b> A can be elastically contacted with a male tab (not shown) of the mating terminal fitting that has entered from the front end opening of the main body 10. In other words, the male tab slides into contact with the contact 15A and pushes the elastic contact piece 15 toward the lower wall portion 11 while entering the inside of the main body portion 10 and is sandwiched between the contact 15A and the inner wall portion 14A. Thereby, the other party terminal metal fitting and the terminal metal fitting 1 are connected so that conduction | electrical_connection is possible.

  A locking edge portion (an example of the “locking portion” in the present invention) 16 is formed on the left side edge of the inner wall portion 14A (an end edge of the inner wall portion 14A opposite to the stabilizer 30) 16 so as to protrude leftward. On the other hand, a locking hole 17 is opened at the connecting portion between the outer wall portion 14B and the left wall portion 12. When the inner wall portion 14A is bent toward the upper edge of the left wall portion 12 when the main body portion 10 is bent from the unfolded state, the locking edge portion 16 is fitted into the locking hole 17. Then, the front edge and the rear edge of the locking edge portion 16 are respectively locked to the front end and the rear end of the inner peripheral surface (an example of the “locked portion” of the present invention) constituting the locking hole 17. The inner wall portion 14A is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction. Subsequently, when the outer wall portion 14B is bent toward the upper edge of the right wall portion 13, the lower surface of the outer wall portion 14B and the upper surface of the inner wall portion 14A come into contact with each other, and the inner wall portion 14A opens toward the outer wall portion 14B. Deformation is restricted.

  The terminal fitting 1 is inserted into a waterproof mat seal (not shown). At this time, the outer peripheral edge portion on the front surface of the main body 10 is all chamfered to prevent the waterproof mat seal from being damaged. Has been. As with the main body 10, the stabilizer 30 connected to the main body 10 is also chamfered at the outer peripheral edge, and is formed in a state where an R is attached by bending. This will be described below.

  By the way, when the terminal fitting 1 according to the present embodiment is inserted to the proper insertion position in the cavity, a lance (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the cavity is locked to the rear end of the stabilizer 30 so as to be rearward. It is designed to be removed. The stabilizer 30 is extended upward from the upper end edge of the right wall portion 13, folded back at the extended end portion, extended downward, and the extended end portion is connected to the right edge of the inner wall portion 14A. I am doing. That is, both end edges (both lower end edges) of the stabilizer 30 are connected to the upper end edge of the right wall 13 and the right edge of the inner wall 14A, respectively, and the stabilizer 30, the right wall 13 and the inner wall 14A are integrally formed. Has been. The stabilizer 30 has the same size in the front-rear direction as the right wall portion 13 and is flush with the right wall portion 13.

  According to such a configuration, the stabilizer 30 is deformed when the rear end of the stabilizer 30 receives a strong force from the lance because the electric wire connected to the terminal fitting 1 in the normal insertion position is pulled backward. Can be regulated. In particular, since the stabilizer 30 of this embodiment is tightly bent, it has a structure with higher rigidity. Therefore, it is possible to increase the locking force for the lance.

  Next, the unfolded state before the terminal fitting 1 is bent will be described with reference to FIG. The left wall portion 12 and the outer wall portion 14B of the upper wall portion 14 are connected to the upper portion of the lower wall portion 11 in the figure, and the right wall portion 13, the stabilizer 30 and the upper wall portion 14 are located below the lower wall portion 11 in the figure. The inner wall portion 14A is continuous. And the elastic contact piece 15 is arrange | positioned in the illustration right side (back in this invention) of 14 A of inner wall parts.

  On the other hand, the unfolded state of the conventional terminal fitting 100 is as shown in FIG. That is, the left wall 112 is connected to the upper side of the lower wall 111 in the drawing, and the right wall 113 and the upper wall 114 are connected to the lower side of the lower wall 111 in the drawing. The stabilizer 130 is disposed above the left wall 112 and the elastic contact piece 115 is disposed below the upper wall 114 (side in the present invention).

  That is, the difference from the terminal fitting 1 of the present embodiment is that the elastic contact piece 115 is disposed below the upper wall portion 114 in the drawing, and the stabilizer 130 is disposed above the left wall portion 112 in the drawing. In the conventional terminal fitting 100, since the elastic contact piece 115 is arranged below the upper wall portion 114, that is, in the arrangement direction of the terminal fitting 100, the elastic contact piece 15 is shown on the inner wall portion 14A as in the present embodiment. The pitch between the terminal fittings 100 becomes larger than when arranged on the right side. However, if the elastic contact piece 115 is arranged on the right side of the upper wall portion 114 in the drawing, it will interfere with the insulation barrel portion 122 as shown by a two-dot broken line in FIG. Therefore, the elastic contact piece 115 can only be disposed below the upper wall portion 114 in the figure, and the pitch between the terminal fittings 100 cannot be reduced. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the stabilizer 30 is disposed between the right wall portion 13 and the inner wall portion 14A, interference between the elastic contact piece 15 and the insulation barrel portion 22 is avoided, and the elastic contact piece 15 is attached to the inner wall portion. 14A can be arranged on the right side of the figure. For this reason, in this embodiment, the pitch between the terminal fittings 1 can be made smaller than that of the conventional terminal fitting 100.

The present embodiment has the above-described structure, and the operation thereof will be described subsequently.
First, a bending method for forming the terminal fitting 1 from the developed state will be described. In the unfolded state, the left wall portion 12 and the right wall portion 13 are formed by bending the left and right side edges of the lower wall portion 11 upward. The stabilizer 30 is formed by extending upward from the upper end edge of the right wall portion 13 and folding the extended end portion toward the inner surface side and bending it closely. An inner wall portion 14A of the upper wall portion 14 is formed by bending the lower end edge of the stabilizer 30 to the left wall portion 12 side, and the locking edge portion 16 is fitted into the locking hole 17. Then, the outer wall part 14B of the upper wall part 14 is formed by bending the upper end edge of the left wall part 12 to the right wall part 13 side.

  Next, the terminal fitting 1 is inserted into the cavity. At this time, the insertion operation of the main body 10 is guided by inserting the stabilizer 30 into the insertion groove in the cavity. When the terminal fitting 1 reaches the proper insertion position, the lance is locked to the rear end of the stabilizer 30 and the terminal fitting 1 is held in a state where it is prevented from coming out backward in the cavity.

  Here, even if the rear end of the stabilizer 30 is pressed against the lance due to the electric wire connected to the terminal fitting 1 being pulled backward, a strong force is applied to the stabilizer 30 and the right wall portion 13 and the inner wall portion 14A. Therefore, there is no fear that the stabilizer 30 is deformed. Further, the movement of the inner wall portion 14 </ b> A connected to the stabilizer 30 in the front-rear direction is restricted by the locking edge portion 16 locking with the inner peripheral surface of the locking hole 17. Thereby, the movement to the front-back direction of the stabilizer 30 is also controlled. Further, although the inner wall portion 14A tends to open and deform as the stabilizer 30 is applied with force, the outer wall portion 14B restricts the opening deformation of the inner wall portion 14A. Furthermore, since the stabilizer 30 is formed to have the same width and the same width as the right wall portion 13, the force applied to the stabilizer 30 is supported by the entire wall (the wall portion including the right half of the stabilizer 30 and the right wall portion 13). Therefore, the force applied to the stabilizer 30 can be reduced. Moreover, since the stabilizer 30 is formed by close contact bending, the rigidity of the stabilizer 30 itself can be increased. By these, it is possible to secure a sufficient locking force with respect to the lance at the rear end of the stabilizer 30, thereby restricting the terminal fitting 1 from coming out from the cavity to the rear. As described above, the stabilizer 30 of the present embodiment has both the guiding function and the retaining function of the terminal fitting 1, so that it is not necessary to provide them separately, and the whole structure can be simplified.

  As described above, in this embodiment, both end edges of the folded stabilizer 30 are formed integrally with the right wall portion 13 and the inner wall portion 14A of the upper wall portion 14, respectively. The parts 13 and 14A can be dispersed respectively. Therefore, the rigidity of the stabilizer 30 can be increased as compared with the case where the wall portions 13 and 14A are formed integrally with one wall portion. Therefore, for example, when the lance is locked to the rear end of the stabilizer 30 to prevent the terminal fitting 1 from being pulled out, a sufficient locking force can be obtained.

  Moreover, since the latching edge part 16 latches with the internal peripheral surface of the latching hole 17 in the front-back direction, the intensity | strength of the stabilizer 30 with respect to the force of the front-back direction can be raised. At the same time, even if a force is applied to the stabilizer 30 to cause the inner wall portion 14A to open and deform toward the outer wall portion 14B, the opening deformation of the inner wall portion 14A is restricted by the outer wall portion 14B. Further, since the elastic contact piece 15 is arranged behind the inner wall portion 14A in the deployed state, the pitch between the terminal fittings 1 can be made smaller than the case where the elastic contact piece 15 is arranged on the side of the inner wall portion 14A. The number increases and the yield can be improved.

<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.
(1) Although the stabilizer 30 is formed between the right wall portion 13 and the inner wall portion 14A of the upper wall portion 14 in this embodiment, according to the present invention, the stabilizer 30 is between a pair of adjacent wall portions. For example, the stabilizer 30 may be formed between the lower wall portion 11 and the right wall portion 13.

  (2) Although the stabilizer 30 is formed by contact bending in the present embodiment, according to the present invention, the stabilizer 30 may be formed in a folded shape without using the contact bending. In the present embodiment, the stabilizer 30 is formed flush with the right wall 13, but according to the present invention, the stabilizer 30 may not be flush with the inner wall 14 </ b> A and the right wall 13.

  (3) In the present embodiment, the lance is locked to the rear end of the stabilizer 30 to prevent the terminal fitting 1 from being removed. However, according to the present invention, the stabilizer 30 does not have the function of preventing the terminal fitting 1 from being removed. May be.

  (4) In the present embodiment, the locking portion (locking edge portion 16) is locked with the locked portion (the inner peripheral surface of the locking hole 17), so that the inner wall portion 14A connected to the stabilizer 30 in the front-rear direction. Although the movement is restricted, according to the present invention, the locking part and the locked part may be set so that the movement of the right wall part 13 connected to the stabilizer 30 in the front-rear direction can be restricted.

  (5) In the present embodiment, the upper wall portion 14 is formed in a double wall shape by the inner wall portion 14A and the outer wall portion 14B. However, according to the present invention, even if the upper wall portion 14 is formed in a single plate shape. Alternatively, it may be formed in a triple wall shape.

  (6) Although the elastic contact piece 15 is formed to extend forward from the rear end of the inner wall portion 14A in this embodiment, according to the present invention, the elastic contact piece 15 extends forward from the rear end of the outer wall portion 14B. It may be formed in a form. However, in this case, by forming the stabilizer 30 between the outer wall portion 14B and the left wall portion 13, interference between the stabilizer 30 and the insulation barrel portion 22 in the deployed state can be avoided.

The front view which looked at the terminal metal fitting in this embodiment from the front Top view of the terminal fitting as seen from above Side view of the terminal fitting from the side IV-IV sectional view of FIG. The top view which looked at the unfolded state before bending and forming the terminal metal fitting in this embodiment from the upper part A plan view of a conventional terminal fitting as seen from above

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Terminal metal fitting 10 ... Main-body part 13 ... Right wall part (other wall part)
14 ... Upper wall (one wall)
14A ... Inner wall portion 14B ... Outer wall portion 15 ... Elastic contact piece 16 ... Locking edge (locking portion)
17 ... Locking hole (locked part)
30 ... Stabilizer

Claims (4)

A main body extending in the front-rear direction in a rectangular tube shape;
When the main body is inserted from behind into a cavity provided in the connector housing, a stabilizer is provided that can guide the insertion operation of the main body by being inserted into an insertion groove provided in the inner surface of the cavity. Terminal fittings,
The stabilizer is a terminal fitting having a folded shape between a pair of adjacent wall portions of the peripheral wall portion constituting the main body portion, and both end edges thereof are integrally formed with the pair of wall portions. One of the pair of wall portions is provided with a locking portion at an edge opposite to the stabilizer on one wall portion, and the wall portion facing the other wall portion is engaged with the locking portion in the front-rear direction. The terminal metal fitting according to claim 1, wherein a locked portion to be stopped is provided. One wall portion of the pair of wall portions includes an outer wall portion laminated on the outer surface side of the main body portion, and an inner wall portion laminated on the inner surface side of the main body portion and connected to the stabilizer. The terminal metal fitting according to claim 1 or 2. An elastic contact piece that elastically contacts the mating terminal fitting is provided inside the main body, and the elastic contact piece is connected to the stabilizer in a deployed state before the main body is bent. The terminal fitting as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 arrange | positioned in the back of the wall part.

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