JP2011054330A - Connection structure of terminal fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connection structure of a terminal fitting of which an insertion force is reduced. <P>SOLUTION: The connection structure 10 of a terminal fitting includes a male terminal fitting, a female terminal fitting 20 having a body part 21 into which a tab 50 can be inserted, and an elastic contact piece 30 having a contact part 34 which contacts the tab 50 of the male terminal fitting and is electrically connected. The elastic contact piece 30 is installed as a separate member from the body part 21 and has a holding part 41 which holds a portion including the contact part 34 of the elastic contact piece 30 in a state elastically deformed until immediately before the tab 50 advances into a regular connection position, and a releasing part 42 which releases the elastically deformed state of the elastic contact piece 30 to elastically restore it and electrically connects the contact part 34 and the tab 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a connection structure for a terminal fitting.

  As a connection structure of a terminal fitting comprising a male terminal fitting having a tab, a cylindrical main body portion into which the tab of the male terminal fitting can be inserted, and a female terminal fitting having an elastic contact piece provided in the main body portion. For example, the thing of patent document 1 etc. are known.

  In the thing of the said patent document 1, a female terminal metal fitting and a male terminal metal fitting are electrically connected as follows. When the tab of the male terminal fitting is inserted into the main body portion of the female terminal fitting, the tab enters between the elastic contact piece and the wall surface of the main body portion. Further, when the tab is inserted into the main body, the tab enters the main body while expanding the distance between the elastic contact piece and the wall surface of the main body while elastically deforming the elastic contact piece. When the tab is inserted to a position where it reaches a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece, the elastic contact piece and the tab are brought into elastic contact, whereby the male terminal fitting and the female terminal fitting are electrically connected.

JP 2006-294696 A

By the way, when the terminal fitting having the above structure is used in a circuit through which a large current flows, for example, the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece with respect to the tab of the male terminal fitting is increased, so that the male terminal fitting and the female terminal fitting It is conceivable to ensure electrical connection.
However, when the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece to the tab of the male terminal fitting is increased, the frictional force generated between the male terminal fitting and the elastic contact piece is large when the tab of the male terminal fitting elastically deforms the elastic contact piece. Become. As a result, the insertion force when inserting the tab of the male terminal fitting into the main body of the female terminal fitting is increased, the efficiency of the connection work between the male terminal fitting and the female terminal fitting is reduced, or the insertion of the tab causes the main body portion to be inserted. There is a concern that the inner wall and the elastic contact piece may be peeled off.

  This invention was completed based on the above situations, and it aims at providing the connection structure of the terminal metal fitting which reduced the insertion force at the time of inserting the tab of a male terminal metal fitting into a female terminal metal fitting. To do.

  The present invention is a connection structure of a terminal metal fitting, provided in the main body part, a male terminal metal fitting having a tab, a female terminal metal fitting having a cylindrical main body part into which the tab of the male terminal metal fitting can be inserted, An elastic contact piece having a contact portion that is in contact with and electrically connected to a tab of the male terminal fitting, and the elastic contact piece is provided as a separate member from the main body portion. A holding portion that holds a portion including the contact portion of the elastic contact piece in a state of being elastically deformed until immediately before the tab enters a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece, and the tab includes the elastic contact piece. And a release portion that electrically connects the contact portion and the tab by releasing the elastic deformation state of the elastic contact piece and elastically restoring the elastic contact piece when entering the normal connection position. However, it has characteristics.

  In the present invention, when the tab of the male terminal fitting is inserted into the main body portion of the female terminal fitting, the elastic contact piece is held in a state where the portion including the contact portion is elastically deformed by the holding portion. The tab can be inserted without receiving elastic force from the elastic contact piece until just before entering the regular connection position. When the tab of the male terminal fitting enters the normal connection position with the elastic contact piece, the part including the contact part of the elastic contact piece is released from the elastically deformed state and elastically restored by the release part, and the contact part And tab contact. Thereby, a male terminal metal fitting and a female terminal metal fitting are electrically connected. As a result, according to this invention, the insertion force at the time of inserting the tab of a male terminal metal fitting into a female terminal metal fitting can be reduced.

The present invention may have the following configuration.
The contact portion of the elastic contact piece that comes into contact with and electrically connects to the tab when the tab enters a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece may be provided with a contact protrusion. Good. With such a configuration, the electrical connection between the contact portion and the tab can be made more reliable.

  The contact portion is provided at one end portion of the elastic contact piece or in the vicinity of the one end portion, and the elastic contact piece is held in an elastically deformed state by the holding portion by bending the contact portion outward in a U shape. Formed between the first bent portion and the other end portion opposite to the one end portion of the elastic contact piece. The holding portion is formed by bending the end portion so as to cover the one end portion, and the portion between the second bent portion and the other end portion forming the holding portion is connected to the elastic contact piece. The release portion may be formed by bending so that the other end portion or the region in the vicinity of the other end portion is disposed at a position in contact with the tab when entering the normal connection position.

  With such a configuration, it is only necessary to attach the elastic contact piece formed with the held portion, the holding portion, and the releasing portion to the female terminal fitting by bending, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the terminal fitting. Can do.

  A holding member that holds the contact state between the elastic contact piece and the tab is detachably attached to the opposite wall of the main body portion that faces the wall on which the tab is disposed. Also good.

  After inserting and connecting the tab of the male terminal fitting to the female terminal fitting, the tab may be pulled out of the female terminal fitting when performing maintenance or the like. In such a case, if the contact pressure between the male terminal fitting and the female terminal fitting is high, the plating applied to the inner wall of the main body, the elastic contact piece, and the surface of the tab peels off due to friction with the tab. There is a concern that

  Therefore, with the above configuration, when the male terminal fitting and the female terminal fitting are connected, the contact state between the elastic contact piece and the tab is held by the holding member, but the tab is removed from the female terminal fitting. Since the holding member is removed and the contact state between the elastic contact piece and the tab is released, the tab can be easily pulled out.

In the above configuration, the holding member includes a bolt and a nut, and a bolt insertion hole through which the bolt is inserted is formed in an opposing wall facing the wall on which the tab of the main body portion is disposed. The hole edge on the outer wall surface side of the opposing wall of the insertion hole may protrude outward by burring.
With such a configuration, even if the wall thickness of the main body is thin, threading can be performed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the insertion force at the time of inserting the tab of a male terminal metal fitting into a female terminal metal fitting can be reduced.

The fragmentary sectional view of the female terminal metal fitting used in the connection structure of the terminal metal fitting of Embodiment 1 Partial side view of female terminal fitting Top view of elastic contact piece Partial sectional view of the female terminal fitting just before the tab enters the normal connection position Partial cross-sectional view of the female terminal fitting when the tab enters the proper connection position Partial sectional view of the female terminal fitting showing the bolt removed Partial sectional view of the female terminal fitting of Modification 1 Partial sectional view of the female terminal fitting shown in other embodiment (2)

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the left side in FIGS.
The present embodiment is a terminal fitting connection structure 10 that connects a female terminal fitting 20 and a male terminal fitting having a tab 50.
As shown in FIG. 1, the female terminal fitting 20 is accommodated in a cavity 11 of a connector housing (not shown). The cavity 11 is provided with a tab insertion hole 12 through which the tab 50 of the male terminal fitting can be inserted.

The female terminal fitting 20 has a cylindrical main body portion 21 and an elastic contact piece 30 having a contact portion 34 provided inside the main body portion 21 and electrically connected to the tab 50 of the male terminal fitting. Is provided. The main body 21 of the female terminal fitting 20 is arranged with the tab insertion opening 22 into which the tab 50 of the male terminal fitting can be inserted facing the tab insertion hole 12 side of the cavity 11. The tab insertion opening 22 of the main body 21 is provided at a position where the tab 50 inserted into the tab insertion opening 22 is arranged along the ceiling wall 23 (upper wall 23 in FIG. 1) of the main body 21. ing.
Bolt insertion holes 25 are provided in the bottom wall 24 (the lower wall in FIG. 1) of the main body 21 at a position facing the ceiling wall 23 of the main body 21. A bolt 26 with a washer 27 interposed therebetween is attached from the outer side. The bolt 26 attached to the bottom wall 24 functions as a holding member that holds the contact state between the elastic contact piece 30 and the tab 50 of the male terminal fitting. The bolt 26 is detachable. After the female terminal fitting 20 and the male terminal fitting are connected, the bolt 26 is removed when performing maintenance or the like, and the operation of removing the tab 50 from the female terminal fitting 20 is easy. It also has the function of making things.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially rectangular locking window 29 that restricts movement of the elastic contact piece 30 in the front-rear direction is formed on the side wall 28 of the main body 21.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the elastic contact piece 30 provided inside the main body 21 is formed by bending a metal plate punched into a predetermined shape, and is provided as a separate member from the main body 21. It has been. Of the elastic contact piece 30, the front end of the side wall portion 31 arranged along the side wall 28 of the main body portion 21 is bent outward and is hooked to the front end of the side wall 28 of the main body portion 21. Further, the side wall portion 28 of the elastic contact piece 30 is provided with a rectangular locking piece 32 that is inserted into the locking window 29 of the main body portion 21 by cutting out a part thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connection portion 33 of the elastic contact piece 30 that is continuous from the side wall portion 31 and is arranged on the bottom wall 24 of the main body portion 21 and connected to the tab 50 is bent at a plurality of locations to form a hairpin shape. There is no. The one end portion 33A in the length direction of the connecting portion 33 of the elastic contact piece 30 and the portion in the vicinity of the one end portion 33A are contact portions 34 that are in contact with and electrically connected to the tab 50. A protrusion 35 is formed to protrude.

  The connection part 33 of the elastic contact piece 30 is formed in a hairpin shape as follows, for example. The connecting portion 33 of the elastic contact piece 30 is bent in a U shape by the first bent portion 36 on the front end side of the main body portion 21 with the contact protrusion 34 facing outward. Next, a portion between the first bent portion 36 and the other end portion 33B (end portion 33B opposite to the one end portion 33A) of the elastic contact piece 30 is a second end portion on the rear end side of the main body portion 21. Bend at the bent portion 37. Further, the portion of the elastic contact piece 30 between the second bent portion 37 and the other end portion 33B is bent at a position covering a part of the contact protrusion 35 (this bent portion is turned into the third bent portion 38). Equivalent). Furthermore, the other end portion 33B or a tab between the third bent portion 38 and the other end portion 33B (region in the vicinity of the other end portion 33B) has entered a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece 30. The connecting portion 33 of the elastic contact piece 30 is formed in a hairpin shape by being bent at the fourth bent portion 39 so as to be arranged at a position where the tip 50A of the 50 contacts.

  Of the elastic contact piece 30 connecting portion 33, a U-shaped portion (a portion from one end portion 33A to the second bent portion 37) formed by bending the contact protrusion 35 outwardly is a tab. Reference numeral 50 denotes a held portion 40 that is held in an elastically deformed state until just before entering the normal connection position with the elastic contact piece 30. A portion between the second bent portion 37 and the third bent portion 38 of the elastic contact piece 30 overlaps the held portion 40, and the tab 50 is a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece 30. It is the holding | maintenance part 41 which hold | maintains the to-be-held part 40 in an elastically deformed state until just before approaching. The portion between the third bent portion 38 and the other end portion 33 </ b> B of the elastic contact piece 30 is brought into contact with the tip 50 </ b> A of the tab 50 that has entered the normal connection position with the elastic contact piece 30, thereby making an elastic contact. It is the release part 42 which cancels | releases the elastic deformation state of the piece 30, and elastically restores.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, the tab 50 of the male terminal fitting is pressed against the tab insertion hole 12 of the cavity 11 and inserted into the terminal insertion port 22 of the main body 21 of the female terminal fitting 20 (see FIG. 1).
Next, the tab 50 inserted into the main body 21 is advanced forward (leftward in the figure) until the tip 50A of the tab 50 reaches a position (see FIG. 4) where it abuts a part of the elastic contact piece 30. .

  The held portion 40 of the elastic contact piece 30 is elastically deformed until the tip 50A of the tab 50 comes into contact with a part of the elastic contact piece 30, and the held portion 40 in the elastically deformed state is the first portion. The elastically deformed state is held by being pressed from above by a portion (holding portion 41) between the bent portion 36 and the second bent portion 37. Therefore, until the end 50A of the tab 50 reaches a position where it comes into contact with a part of the elastic contact piece 30, that is, until just before the tab 50 enters the normal connection position with the elastic contact piece 30, the elastic contact piece 30 The tab 50 can be inserted without receiving a resilient force (see FIGS. 1 and 4).

  Next, the tab 50 is made to enter slightly forward from the position shown in FIG. 4 to enter a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece 30 (see FIG. 5). When the tab 50 enters the normal connection position with the elastic contact piece 30, the tip 50 </ b> A of the tab 50 presses the release portion 42 between the third bent portion 38 and the other end portion 33 </ b> B, and the holding portion 41 is elastic. The held portion 40 held in the deformed state is elastically restored, and the contact protrusion 35 provided on the held portion 40 and the tab 50 come into contact with each other. Thereby, the male terminal fitting and the female terminal fitting 20 are electrically connected.

Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described.
According to the present embodiment, the tab 50 can be inserted without receiving the elastic force from the elastic contact piece 30 until just before the tab 50 enters the regular connection position with the elastic contact piece 30. The insertion force when inserting the tab 50 into the female terminal fitting 20 can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, it is only necessary to attach the elastic contact piece 30 formed with the held portion 40, the holding portion 41, and the release portion 42 to the female terminal fitting 20 by bending, so that the terminal fitting The manufacturing process can be simplified.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the contact portion 34 that is electrically connected to the tab 50 is provided with the contact protrusion 35, so that the electrical connection between the contact portion 34 and the tab 50 is more reliable. Can be.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, since the contact state between the elastic contact piece 30 and the tab 50 is held by the bolt 26, the connection structure 10 between the male terminal fitting and the female terminal fitting 20 is in a state of high contact pressure. Since it can hold | maintain, it is preferable.

  By the way, the tab 50 may be removed from the female terminal fitting 20 during maintenance after the female terminal fitting 20 and the tab 50 of the male terminal fitting are connected. In such a case, if the contact pressure between the male terminal fitting and the female terminal fitting 20 is high, the plating applied to the inner wall of the main body 21, the elastic contact piece 30 and the surface of the tab 50 due to friction with the tab 50. There is concern that will be peeled off.

  However, according to the present embodiment, since the bolt 26 that is a holding member that holds the contact state between the elastic contact piece 30 and the tab 50 is detachable, when the tab 50 is removed from the female terminal fitting 20. By removing the bolt 26, the contact state between the elastic contact piece 30 and the tab 50 is released, and the tab 50 can be easily pulled out (see FIG. 6). The bolts 26 attached to the main body 21 of the female terminal fitting 20 can be attached / detached from the bolt attaching / detaching holes 13 provided in the cavity 11.

<Modification 1>
Next, Modification 1 in which a part of Embodiment 1 is modified will be described. In this modification, as shown in FIG. 7, the hole edge portion 25A on the outer surface side of the bolt insertion hole 25 formed in the bottom wall 24 of the main body portion 21 of the female terminal fitting 20 protrudes outward by burring. ing. With such a configuration, even if the wall thickness of the main body portion 21 is thin, threading can be performed.

<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) In the above-described embodiment, the bottom wall 24 of the main body 21 is provided with the bolts 26. However, the bottom member 24 may be provided with a holding member other than the bolts 26 or may not be provided with a holding member.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the elastic contact piece 30 provided with the contact protrusion 35 is shown, but the contact protrusion 35 may not be provided as shown in FIG.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the elastic contact piece 30 having the side wall portion 31 arranged along the side wall 28 of the main body portion 21 is shown, but the side wall portion 31 arranged along the side wall 28 of the main body portion 21 is used. Even if the locking piece 32 locked by the locking window 29 of the main body 21 protrudes from the connecting portion 33 arranged on the bottom wall 24 of the main body 21. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Connection structure of terminal metal fitting 20 ... Female terminal metal fitting 21 ... Main-body part 30 ... Elastic contact piece 34 ... Contact part 41 ... Holding part 42 ... Release | release part 50 ... Tab (male terminal metal fitting)

Claims (5)

A male terminal fitting having a tab;
A female terminal fitting having a cylindrical main body part into which a tab of the male terminal fitting can be inserted;
An elastic contact piece provided in the main body portion and having a contact portion that is in contact with and electrically connected to a tab of the male terminal fitting;
The elastic contact piece is provided as a separate member from the main body,
The elastic contact piece includes a holding portion that holds the portion including the contact portion of the elastic contact piece in an elastically deformed state until the tab just enters a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece, and the tab A release part that electrically connects the contact part and the tab by releasing the elastically deformed state of the elastic contact piece when it enters a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece, A structure for connecting terminal fittings, characterized in that is formed. A contact protrusion is provided in a contact portion of the elastic contact piece that comes into contact with and electrically connects to the tab when the tab enters a normal connection position with the elastic contact piece. The terminal fitting connection structure according to claim 1. The contact portion is provided at one end of the elastic contact piece or in the vicinity of the one end,
A held portion that is held in an elastically deformed state by the holding portion is formed by bending the elastic contact piece in a U shape with the contact portion facing outward.
Bending a portion between the first bent portion of the elastic contact piece bent in a U-shape and the other end portion on the opposite side of the one end portion so as to cover the one end portion of the elastic contact piece. The holding part is formed by
When the tab enters the normal connection position with the elastic contact piece, the other end portion or the other portion is formed between the second bent portion and the other end portion forming the holding portion. The terminal fitting connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the release portion is formed by bending so that a region in the vicinity of the end portion is disposed at a position where the region is in contact with the tab. . A holding member that holds the contact state between the elastic contact piece and the tab is detachably attached to the opposite wall of the main body portion that faces the wall on which the tab is disposed. The terminal fitting connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The holding member includes a bolt, and a bolt insertion hole through which the bolt is inserted is formed in an opposing wall facing the wall on which the tab of the main body portion is disposed, and an outer wall surface of the opposing wall of the bolt insertion hole The terminal fitting connection structure according to claim 4, wherein the side hole edge protrudes outward by burring.

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