JP2010073440A - Terminal metal fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal metal fitting which enables a mating terminal to be inserted into the center of an insertion port, suppresses an insertion force, and prevents cost increase by maintaining interchangeability. <P>SOLUTION: The terminal metal fitting has a pair of side plates bent from a bottom plate 9, a top plate 15 which is bent from one of side plates 11 and is opposed to the bottom plate 9, a cantilever main elastic member 17 which is bent from the other side plate and of which the rear face is opposed to the top plate 15 capable of contacting, an inclined portion 19 which is provided on the free end side of the cantilever main elastic member 17 and is in contact with the mating terminal 5, and an insertion part 21 into which the mating terminal 5 is inserted. A guiding contact projection part 27 having an inclined guiding portion 25 which contacts the mating terminal 5 and guides into the center 23 side of the insertion part 21 is punching worked to the top plate 15 side in the bottom plate 9, and a cut-out part 29 in which the inclined portion 19 of the cantilever main elastic member 17 can enter is formed in the top plate 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal fitting for inserting a male terminal to make a conductor connection.

  5 shows a “low insertion force female conductor terminal” described in Patent Document 1, FIG. 6 shows a “female terminal metal fitting” described in Patent Document 2, and FIG. 7 described in Patent Document 3. "Connection terminal" is shown.

Each of the terminals 301, 303, and 305 in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 has elastic pieces 307, 309, and 311 and launching portions 313, 315, and 317, The male terminal 319) shown in contact with the elastic piece portions 307, 309, 311 and the projecting portions 313, 315, 317 performs conductor connection.
JP 2003-264023 A JP 2005-142066 A JP 2003-331962 A

  Each terminal 301, 303, 305 is provided with an elastic piece 307, 309, 311 on one side, so that the insertion position of the mating terminal is shifted to the other side with respect to the center line of the insertion ports 321, 323, 325. Since the insertion angle of the mating terminal is inclined with respect to the center line and an excessive force is applied, a large insertion force is required, and workability is reduced when the connector is connected.

  However, if the launching portions 313, 315, and 317 are raised so that the insertion position of the mating terminal is aligned with the center line of the insertion ports 321, 323, and 325, the displaceable space of the elastic piece portions 307, 309, and 311 is that much. As a result, the dimensions of the terminals 301, 303, and 305 are increased accordingly, and accordingly, a connector that accommodates the terminals 301, 303, and 305, a counterpart terminal and its connector, Compatibility is lost, and the cost increases with these dimensional changes.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal fitting that makes it possible to insert a mating terminal into the center of an insertion slot, suppress insertion force, and maintain compatibility to prevent an increase in cost.

  The terminal fitting according to claim 1 is formed in a rectangular tube shape by bending a conductive plate material, and a connection portion to which the mating terminal is inserted and connected, and an end portion of the electric wire are formed integrally with the connection portion. A terminal fitting that is housed in a terminal housing chamber of the connector, and the connection portion includes a bottom plate and a pair of side plates that are bent so as to face each other from both sides of the bottom plate, A top plate that is bent from one side plate and faces the bottom plate, a cantilever main elastic piece portion that is bent from the other side plate and has a back face that is in contact with the top plate, and a free end of the cantilever main elastic piece portion An inclined portion that is provided on the side and is in contact with the inserted counterpart terminal, and an insertion portion that is formed between the cantilevered main elastic piece and the bottom plate and into which the counterpart terminal is inserted. In contact with the mating terminal, the center side of the insertion part A guide contact protrusion having an inclined guide portion is stamped into the top plate side, and the top plate is formed with a notch portion into which the inclined portion of the cantilever main elastic piece portion can enter. And

  Invention of Claim 2 is the terminal metal fitting described in Claim 1, Comprising: The displacement regulation which contacts the said inclination part at the edge of the said notch part, and regulates the excessive displacement of a cantilever main elastic piece part A portion is formed.

  The invention of claim 3 is the terminal fitting according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the top plate is loaded with a load in contact with the cantilevered main elastic piece pressed and displaced by the counterpart terminal. By sharing, an auxiliary elastic portion that reinforces the cantilever main elastic piece portion is formed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the terminal fitting according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the terminal fitting is locked to one side edge portion of the notch portion in the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector. A stop portion is formed.

  In the terminal fitting according to claim 1, the inclined guide portion provided on the guide contact protrusion guides the mating terminal to the center side of the insertion portion, and the notch portion is provided on the top plate so that the cantilever main elastic piece portion By allowing the inclined portion (tip) to enter, it is possible to insert the mating terminal along the center line, thus avoiding applying an excessive force to the mating terminal during insertion, Insertion can be performed with such a small insertion force, and workability during insertion (connector connection) is greatly improved.

  In addition, by providing a notch portion into which the inclined portion of the cantilevered main elastic piece enters, it is not necessary to raise the side plate in order to keep the displaceable space of the cantilevered main elastic piece portion wide. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a significant increase in cost due to a change in the dimensions of the connector and the counterpart terminal.

  In addition, the cantilever main elastic piece can be set to have a large displacement by the thickness of the top plate when the inclined part (tip) enters the notch. By setting it large, it becomes possible to absorb variations in manufacturing in a wider range, and the cost is reduced.

  Further, by allowing the inclined portion of the cantilever main elastic piece portion to enter the cutout portion, the entire (side plate) can be lowered by the amount of the intrusion.

  Moreover, the compatibility described above is further improved by providing the inclined guide portion that guides the counterpart terminal toward the center of the insertion portion.

  The terminal fitting of claim 2 can obtain the same effect as the structure of claim 1.

  In addition, even if the displacement of the cantilevered main elastic piece increases when the mating terminal is inserted, excessive displacement is restricted by contacting the edge of the notch, preventing deformation and improving reliability. Normal function is maintained.

  The terminal fitting of claim 3 can obtain the same effect as the structure of claim 1 or claim 2.

  Even if the displacement of the cantilevered main elastic piece increases, the auxiliary elastic part that contacts the back side shares the load and relieves the stress applied to the cantilevered main elastic piece, thus preventing deformation of the cantilevered main elastic piece. In the same manner as described above, reliability is improved and normal functions are maintained.

  The terminal fitting of claim 4 can achieve the same effects as the configurations of claims 1 to 3.

  Further, by providing a locking portion for locking to the connector side at one side edge of the notch portion, the cantilevered main elastic piece portion displaced with the insertion of the mating terminal is placed inside this locking portion. For example, even if an external force is applied to the connector, the strength of the locking portion and the locking strength are kept high.

<One Embodiment>
The terminal fitting 1 (one embodiment of the present invention) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a developed view of the terminal fitting 1, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the terminal fitting 1 (connecting portion 3), FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a state in which the male terminal 5 is inserted into the connecting portion 3, and FIG. FIG.

  The terminal fitting 1 is formed in a rectangular tube shape by bending a conductive plate material (copper-based alloy plate material), and formed integrally with the connection portion 3 into which the male terminal 5 (FIG. 3) is inserted. And a wire holding portion 7 that holds the terminal portion of the wire, and is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector.

  The connecting portion 3 includes a bottom plate 9, a pair of side plates 11 and 13 that are bent so as to face each other from both sides of the bottom plate 9, a top plate 15 that is bent from one side plate 11 and faces the bottom plate 9, and the other The cantilever main elastic piece 17 is bent from the side plate 13 and has a rear surface facing the top plate 15 so as to come into contact with the canopy main elastic piece portion 17. Part 19 and insertion part 21 formed between cantilevered main elastic piece part 17 and bottom plate 9 and into which male terminal 5 is inserted.

  The bottom plate 9 is provided with a guide contact protrusion 27 having an inclined guide portion 25 that is stamped into the top plate 15 side and contacts the male terminal 5 and guides to the center 23 side of the insertion portion 21. Is formed with a notch 29 into which the inclined portion 19 of the cantilever main elastic piece 17 can enter.

  In addition, a displacement restricting portion 31 is formed at the edge of the notch 29 to abut against the inclined portion 19 and restrict excessive displacement of the cantilevered main elastic piece 17.

  In addition, when the cantilever main elastic piece portion 17 is pressed and displaced by the male terminal 5 on the top plate 15, the auxiliary elastic portion 33 that reinforces the cantilever main elastic piece portion 17 by being in contact therewith and sharing the load. Is formed.

  Further, a locking portion 35 that is locked to the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector is formed on one side edge of the notch 29.

  The guide contact protrusion 27 is stamped to a height four times the thickness of the conductive plate material.

  As described above, the terminal fitting 1 is formed by bending the conductive plate to form the connecting portion 3 into a rectangular tube shape, separating from the portion of the carrier 37 (FIG. 1), and projecting portions 39, 39 of the wire holding portion 7. Is bent to hold the insulating coating portion of the electric wire, and after connecting the conductor portion of the electric wire, the electric wire is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector, and the engaging portion 35 is engaged with the connector.

  Each male terminal 5 is also accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber of the connector. When the male terminal 5 is inserted from the insertion portion 21, it strikes the inclined guide portion 25 of the guide contact projection 27 and is guided to the center 23 side. When the cantilevered main elastic piece 17 is bent against the inclined portion 19 and inserted into the connection completion position as shown in FIG. 3, the conductor connection between each male terminal 5 and each terminal fitting 1 is completed. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, the tip of the inclined portion 19 penetrates the notch 29 of the top plate 15 by a depth D, contacts the displacement restricting portion 31 and restricts excessive displacement, and assists. The elastic part 33 comes into contact with the back surface of the cantilevered main elastic piece part 17 to share the load and reinforce the cantilevered main elastic piece part 17.

  The terminal fitting 1 has the following effects.

  The inclined guide portion 25 of the guide contact protrusion 27 guides the male terminal 5 to the center 23 side of the insertion portion 21, and the notched portion 29 is provided so that the inclined portion 19 of the cantilevered main elastic piece portion 17 can enter. By doing so, it becomes possible to insert the male terminal 5 along the center line 23. Therefore, it is possible to avoid applying an excessive force to the male terminal 5 at the time of insertion, and the insertion can be performed with such a small insertion force. Therefore, the workability at the time of insertion (connector connection) is greatly improved.

  Further, since the notched portion 29 into which the inclined portion 19 of the cantilever main elastic piece portion 17 enters is provided, it is not necessary to raise the side plates 11 and 13 in order to keep the displaceable space of the cantilever main elastic piece portion 17 wide. Since compatibility with the connector and the male terminal 5 is maintained, it is possible to avoid a large increase in cost due to these dimensional changes.

  Further, since the cantilevered main elastic piece portion 17 is provided with the notch portion 29 into which the inclined portion 19 enters, the displacement amount can be set large by the plate thickness of the top plate 15, and the tolerance of the spring characteristic can be set. By setting it so large, variations during manufacturing can be absorbed in a wider range, and the cost is reduced.

  Further, by allowing the inclined portion 19 of the cantilever main elastic piece portion 17 to enter the notch portion 19, it becomes possible to reduce the whole (side plates 11, 13) by the amount of intrusion (for example, depth D). .

  Moreover, the compatibility described above is further improved by providing the inclined guide portion 25 that guides the male terminal 5 toward the center 23 side of the insertion portion 21.

  Further, even if the displacement amount of the cantilever main elastic piece 17 becomes large, the inclined portion 19 abuts against the displacement restricting portion 31 and excessive displacement is restricted, so that deformation is prevented and reliability is improved and normal. Function is maintained.

  Further, since the auxiliary elastic portion 33 contacts the cantilever main elastic piece portion 17 to share the load and relieve stress, the deformation of the cantilever main elastic piece portion 17 is prevented, and the reliability is improved as described above. Normal function is maintained.

  Further, by providing a locking portion 35 for locking to the connector side at one side edge portion of the notch portion 29, the cantilevered main elastic piece portion 17 (the inclined portion 19) displaced with the insertion of the male terminal 5 is provided. ) Presses and reinforces the locking portion 35 from the inside, so that the strength and locking strength of the locking portion 35 can be kept high even when an external force is applied to the connector.

  Further, in the terminal fitting 1, the cantilevered main elastic piece 17 is formed on the side plate 13. However, the main terminal is formed on the left end side (male terminal insertion side) of the bottom plate and bent to the bottom plate side. In the case of the terminal fitting 1, the dimension from the carrier 37 to the bottom plate 9 is 19.50 mm, whereas in the conventional product in which the main elastic piece extends to the left end side of the bottom plate, for example, the carrier To the end of the main elastic piece part is 26.50 mm. Thus, in the terminal fitting 1, the input material size is 7 mm less than that of the conventional terminal fitting. For example, if the width of one pitch is 8 mm, one terminal fitting 1 has an area of 7 × 8 = 56 mm 2. The material is reduced and the cost is reduced accordingly.

[Other Embodiments Included within the Scope of the Present Invention]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the technical scope of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a development view of the terminal fitting 1. It is a longitudinal section of terminal fitting 1 (connection part 3). 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a state in which a male terminal 5 is inserted into a connection part 3. FIG. It is the A section enlarged view of FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of a conventional example described in Patent Document 1. 5 is a longitudinal section of a conventional example described in Patent Document 2. 5 is a longitudinal section of a conventional example described in Patent Document 3.

Explanation of symbols

1 Terminal fitting 3 Connection 5 Male terminal (mating terminal)
7 Electric wire holding portion 9 Bottom plate 11, 13 Side plate 15 Top plate 17 Cantilever main elastic piece portion 19 Inclined portion 21 of cantilever main elastic piece portion 17 Insertion portion 23 Center of insertion portion 25 Inclination guide portion 27 of guide contact protrusion 27 Guide contact Projection 29 Notch 31 Displacement restricting portion 33 Auxiliary elastic portion 35 Locking portion

Claims (4)

The conductive plate material is bent into a rectangular tube shape, and is composed of a connection portion to which the mating terminal is inserted and connected, and an electric wire holding portion that is integrally formed with this connection portion and holds the terminal portion of the electric wire, A terminal fitting housed in the terminal housing chamber of the connector,
The connecting portion is a bottom plate, a pair of side plates bent so as to face each other from both side portions of the bottom plate, a top plate bent from one side plate and facing the bottom plate, and bent from the other side plate, A cantilevered main elastic piece that has a rear surface facing the top plate so as to be in contact with the top plate, an inclined part that is provided on a free end side of the cantilevered main elastic piece, and that comes into contact with the inserted counterpart terminal, and the cantilevered main elastic piece Formed between the portion and the bottom plate, and having an insertion portion into which the mating terminal is inserted,
On the bottom plate, a guide contact protrusion having an inclined guide portion that contacts a mating terminal and guides to the center side of the insertion portion is stamped into the top plate side,
A terminal fitting, wherein the top plate is formed with a notch portion into which the inclined portion of the cantilevered main elastic piece portion can enter. The terminal fitting according to claim 1,
A terminal fitting characterized in that a displacement restricting portion is formed at an edge of the notch portion to abut against the inclined portion and restrict excessive displacement of the cantilevered main elastic piece portion. The terminal fitting according to claim 1 or 2,
The top plate is formed with an auxiliary elastic portion that reinforces the cantilevered main elastic piece portion by contacting the cantilevered main elastic piece portion that is pressed and displaced by the mating terminal to share the load. Terminal fittings. The terminal fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A terminal fitting, wherein a locking portion that is locked to a terminal accommodating chamber of the connector is formed on one side edge of the notch.

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