JP2021002509A - Socket terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a socket terminal that can realize good electrical connection with a plug terminal by an inexpensive and easy-to-manufacture configuration.SOLUTION: A socket terminal 1 includes a terminal body 10 having a plurality of contact pieces 11 that can be electrically connected to a plug terminal 2, and a spring member 20 that urges the plurality of contact pieces 11 of the terminal body 10 inward in the radial direction. The spring member 20 includes an annular portion 21 located so as to face front end portions 11A of the plurality of contact pieces 11, and a plurality of spring pieces 22 extending from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion 21 along the terminal body 10. The spring piece 22 of the spring member 20 includes a convex portion 24 protruding inward in the radial direction, and the contact piece 11 includes a concave portion 15 with which the convex portion 24 of the spring piece 22 engages. The spring member 20 further includes a cylindrical portion 23 extending axially from the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a socket terminal and particularly relates to a socket terminal having a plurality of contact pieces that can be electrically connected to a plug terminal.

Conventionally, in such a socket terminal, an outer spring ring is mounted on the radial outer side of the contact piece in order to increase the contact area and contact pressure of the contact piece in contact with the inserted plug terminal to achieve good electrical connection. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). Generally, such an outer spring ring is made by manufacturing a plate-shaped member by a pressing process, rolling the plate-shaped member into an annular shape, and then joining both ends of the rolled plate-shaped member by welding. Manufactured. As described above, since the outer spring ring used for the conventional socket terminal requires a welding process in addition to the pressing process, there is a problem that the manufacturing process of the socket terminal becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases. It was.

Further, since the outer spring ring used for the conventional socket terminal is attached to the outer circumference of the contact piece, the tip of the contact piece of the socket terminal to which the outer spring ring is attached is exposed to the outside. Therefore, if the plug terminal is inserted at an inappropriate angle or at an inappropriate speed, the tip of the plug terminal may collide with the tip of the contact piece, and the contact piece may be scratched or deformed. .. Such scratches or deformations on the contact may cause a decrease in the contact area and contact pressure between the plug terminal and the contact piece, and may cause an electrical poor contact between the plug terminal and the socket terminal.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-10152

The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a socket terminal capable of realizing a good electrical connection with a plug terminal by an inexpensive and easy-to-manufacture configuration.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a socket terminal capable of realizing a good electrical connection with a plug terminal by an inexpensive and easy-to-manufacture configuration. The socket terminal includes a terminal body having a plurality of contact pieces that can be electrically connected to the plug terminal, and a spring member that urges the plurality of contact pieces of the terminal body inward in the radial direction. The spring member has an annular portion located so as to face the ends of the plurality of contact pieces, and at least one spring piece extending from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion along the terminal body. In addition, in this specification, "extending along the terminal body" means extending in the same direction as the terminal body extending as a whole, and is not necessarily parallel to the central axis of the terminal body and the surface of the terminal body. It does not mean to extend. Therefore, the at least one spring piece may extend at an angle with respect to the central axis of the terminal body or the surface of the terminal body.

Since a spring member having such a configuration can be inexpensively manufactured from a single flat plate material only by simple press working, a spring member having an easy-to-manufacture and inexpensive configuration is used between the plug terminal and the contact piece. It is possible to increase the contact efficiency of the spring. Further, since the annular portion of the spring member is located so as to face the end portion of the contact piece, the end portion of the contact piece is protected by the annular portion of the spring member. Therefore, even if the plug terminal is inserted at an inappropriate angle or at an inappropriate speed, it is difficult for the plug terminal to collide with the end of the contact piece, scratches and deformation of the contact piece are suppressed, and the plug terminal and the plug terminal A good electrical connection with the contact piece can be achieved.

The at least one spring piece of the spring member may have a convex portion protruding inward in the radial direction, and the plurality of contact pieces may have a concave portion with which the convex portion of the at least one spring piece engages. May have. According to such a configuration, the convex portion of the spring piece is fitted into the concave portion of the contact piece, and the convex portion engages with the concave portion of the contact piece due to the urging force of the spring piece, so that the spring member falls off from the contact piece. It is suppressed to do. Further, while the spring piece is easily deformed due to its elasticity, after the convex portion engages with the concave portion of the contact piece, the spring member is firmly held by the urging force of the spring piece at the tip end portion of the contact piece. Therefore, the spring member can be easily attached to the contact piece.

In this case, in order to increase the urging force of the spring piece, it is preferable that the convex portion of the at least one spring piece is located near the tip of the spring piece.

It is preferable that the spring member further has a cylindrical portion extending in the axial direction from the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion. In this case, since the inner peripheral side of the tip of the contact piece is protected by the cylindrical portion of the spring member, it is possible to more effectively prevent the plug terminal from colliding with the tip of the contact piece. Therefore, scratches and deformation of the contact piece due to the collision of the plug terminals can be suppressed, and a good electrical connection between the plug terminal and the contact piece can be realized. Further, when the plug terminal is inserted into the socket terminal, the tip of the plug terminal can be guided by the cylindrical portion of the spring member. Further, since the radial inside of the annular portion of the spring member is supported by the cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion also helps to maintain the shape of the annular portion. In addition, in this specification, "extending in the axial direction" means extending in the same direction as the central axis of the annular portion as a whole, and necessarily extending in parallel with the central axis of the annular portion. It's not a thing. Therefore, the cylindrical portion may extend at an angle with respect to the central axis of the annular portion.

It is preferable that the at least one spring piece is provided corresponding to the plurality of contact pieces in order to apply a uniform urging force to each of the plurality of contact pieces.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the contact efficiency between the plug terminal and the contact piece by using a spring member having a structure that is easy to manufacture and inexpensive. Further, since the end portion of the contact piece is protected by the annular portion of the spring member, it is difficult for the plug terminal to collide with the end portion of the contact piece. Therefore, scratches and deformation of the contact piece are suppressed, and a good electrical connection between the plug terminal and the contact piece can be realized.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a socket terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the socket terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the socket terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 4A is a front view of the spring member in the socket terminal shown in FIG. FIG. 4B is a right side view of the spring member shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4C is a rear view of the spring member shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a flat plate material punched into a predetermined shape for producing the spring member shown in FIG. 4A.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the socket terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In FIGS. 1 to 5, the same or corresponding components are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted. Further, in FIGS. 1 to 5, the scale and dimensions of each component may be exaggerated or some components may be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a socket terminal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the socket terminal 1, and FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the socket terminal 1. The socket terminal 1 is housed in the housing of a charging connector attached to the vehicle body of an automobile such as an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid car. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the socket terminal 1 in the present embodiment has a terminal body 10 extending in the Z direction as a whole and a spring member 20 attached to the tip of the terminal body 10 on the −Z direction side. ing. In this specification, for convenience, the −Z direction in FIG. 1 is referred to as “front” and the + Z direction is referred to as “rear”.

The terminal body 10 is formed of a conductive material, and includes a plurality of long plate-shaped contact pieces 11 extending along the axial direction, and a cylindrical holding portion 12 that holds the bases of these contact pieces 11. It has a substantially cylindrical terminal connecting portion 13 and a flange portion 14 projecting radially outward between the holding portion 12 and the terminal connecting portion 13.

The tip of the contact piece 11 held by the holding portion 12 on the −Z direction side is a free end, and each contact piece 11 is configured to bend when a certain force is applied. These plurality of contact pieces 11 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, and the plug terminal 2 of the power feeding plug is inserted into the space surrounded by these contact pieces 11.

Bolt holes (not shown) are formed on the rear end surface of the terminal connecting portion 13 of the terminal body 10. For example, an electric wire terminal is attached to a power electric wire (not shown) extending from a secondary battery that supplies electric power to an electric motor, and the electric wire terminal is attached to a terminal connecting portion 13 via a bolt. As a result, the power wire and the socket terminal 1 are electrically connected to each other.

The spring member 20 is attached to the contact piece 11 so as to cover the front end portion of the contact piece 11 of the terminal body 10. The spring member 20 has a role of urging the contact piece 11 of the terminal body 10 inward in the radial direction to increase the contact area and contact pressure between the plug terminal 2 of the power feeding plug and the contact piece 11. ..

4A is a front view of the spring member 20, FIG. 4B is a right side view, and FIG. 4C is a rear view. As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the spring member 20 has an annular portion 21 in which an opening S into which the plug terminal 2 of the power feeding plug is inserted is formed in the center, and a circular portion that is bent at the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion 21. Includes a plurality of spring pieces 22 extending in the + Z direction from the outer peripheral edge of the ring portion 21, and a cylindrical portion 23 bent at the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion 21 and extending in the + Z direction (axial direction) from the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion 21. I'm out. The spring member 20 is configured so that the spring piece 22 extending in the Z direction is elastically deformed so that the contact piece 11 can be urged inward in the radial direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the annular portion 21 of the spring member 20 is arranged at a position facing the front end portion 11A of the contact piece 11 of the terminal body 10. The front end of the contact piece 11 of the terminal body 10 by the annular portion 21, the spring piece 22 extending in the + Z direction from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion 21, and the cylindrical portion 23 extending in the + Z direction from the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion 21. Part 11A is covered.

Each spring piece 22 of the spring member 20 has a convex portion 24 projecting inward in the radial direction at an end portion thereof on the + Z direction side. Since these convex portions 24 are formed by press working, concave portions 25 are formed on the back side of the convex portions 24. As shown in FIG. 2, the contact piece 11 of the terminal body 10 is formed with a recess 15 corresponding to the convex portion 24 of the spring piece 22, and the convex portion 24 of the spring piece 22 is the concave portion 15 of the contact piece 11. The convex portion 24 is engaged with the concave portion 15 of the contact piece 11 by the spring force of the spring piece 22. As a result, it is possible to prevent the spring member 20 from rotating and the spring member 20 from falling off from the contact piece 11. Further, while the spring piece 22 is easily deformed due to its elasticity, after the convex portion 24 engages with the concave portion 15 of the contact piece 11, the spring member 20 firmly presses the contact piece 11 by the spring force of the spring piece 22. It is held by the front end portion 11A. Therefore, the spring member 20 can be easily attached to the contact piece 11. In addition, in order to increase the spring force of the spring piece 22, it is preferable to form the convex portion 24 of the spring piece 22 in the vicinity of the end portion on the + Z direction side, as shown in FIG.

When the plug terminal 2 of the power feeding plug is attached to the socket terminal 1 having such a configuration, the plug terminal 2 of the power feeding plug is surrounded by a plurality of contact pieces 11 through the central opening S of the spring member 20. Inserted into the space, the contact piece 11 of the terminal body 10 elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface of the plug terminal 2. As a result, the plug terminal 2 of the power supply plug and the terminal body 10 of the socket terminal 1 are electrically connected to each other, and the plug terminal of the power supply plug and the power are connected via the electric wire terminal attached to the terminal connection portion 13 of the terminal body 10. The wires are electrically connected to each other. In this way, for example, a secondary battery mounted on an automobile can be charged.

Here, since the annular portion 21 of the spring member 20 is located so as to face the front end portion 11A of the contact piece 11, the front end portion 11A of the contact piece 11 is protected by the annular portion 21 of the spring member 20. To. Further, since the cylindrical portion 23 of the spring member 20 extends in the + Z direction from the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion 21, the front end portion 11A of the contact piece 11 is also protected by the cylindrical portion 23. Therefore, even if the plug terminal 2 is inserted at an inappropriate angle or an inappropriate speed, the plug terminal 2 is unlikely to collide with the front end portion 11A of the contact piece 11, and scratches and deformation of the contact piece 11 are suppressed. Therefore, a good electrical connection can be realized between the plug terminal 2 and the contact piece 11.

Further, since the cylindrical portion 23 of the spring member 20 extends continuously from the annular portion 21 in the + Z direction, the plug terminal 2 is formed by the cylindrical portion 23 of the spring member 20 when the plug terminal 2 is inserted into the socket terminal 1. Can guide the tip of the. Further, since the radial inside of the annular portion 21 of the spring member 20 is supported by the cylindrical portion 23, the cylindrical portion 23 is also useful for maintaining the shape of the annular portion 21.

Since the outer spring ring used for the conventional socket terminal is attached to the outer circumference of the contact piece, when an excessive force toward the outside in the radial direction acts on the contact piece, the part where the outer spring ring is fitted is the contact piece. Since the deformation of the contact piece is restricted, the contact piece is deformed into a distorted shape starting from the relevant portion. On the other hand, in the spring member 20 of the present embodiment, since the spring piece 22 that urges the contact piece 11 is deformable in the radial direction, when an excessive force toward the outside in the radial direction acts on the contact piece 11. In addition, since the spring piece 22 is also deformed following the deformation of the contact piece 11, it is possible to prevent the contact piece 11 from being deformed into a distorted shape.

The terminal body 10 is formed of, for example, a material such as copper having good conductivity. The spring member 20 may be formed of the same material as the terminal body 10, or may be formed of a material different from that of the terminal body 10. For example, when the spring member 20 is made of copper, copper has a high stress relaxation rate at high temperatures, so that when the temperature of the socket terminal 1 rises due to a large current flowing, the spring piece 22 urges the contact piece 11. It is conceivable that the force of the spring is reduced and the electrical connectivity between the plug terminal 2 and the contact piece 11 is reduced. Therefore, as the material of the spring member 20, a material having a low stress relaxation rate at high temperature (for example, stainless steel (SUS304)) is used to establish a stable electrical connection between the plug terminal 2 and the contact piece 11. It is preferable to realize it.

Such a spring member 20 can be inexpensively manufactured from a single flat plate material by simple press working. For example, in the first step of progressive press working, a flat plate material made of metal or the like is punched into the shape shown in FIG. 5 by press working. The flat plate member 120 shown in FIG. 5 is composed of an annular portion 121 and an extending portion 122 extending radially from the annular portion 121. The annular portion 121 corresponds to the annular portion 21 and the cylindrical portion 23 of the spring member 20 described above, and the extending portion 122 corresponds to the spring piece 22 of the spring member 20.

Next, in the second step of the progressive press working, the annular portion 121 is bent at the machining portion 126, and the machining portion 124 near the end of the extension portion 122 is dimple-processed. The cylindrical portion 23 of the spring member 20 is formed by bending the annular portion 121 at the processed portion 126, and the convex portion 24 and the concave portion 25 of the spring piece 22 are formed by dimple processing of the extending portion 122. Finally, in the third step of the progressive press working, the spring piece 22 is formed by bending the extending portion 122 at the machining portion 128, and the spring member 20 is completed.

As described above, the spring piece 22 of the spring member 20 in the present embodiment can be inexpensively manufactured from one flat plate material only by simple press working. Therefore, the contact efficiency between the plug terminal 2 and the contact piece 11 can be improved by using the spring member 20 having such an easy-to-manufacture and inexpensive configuration, and the contact efficiency between the plug terminal 2 and the contact piece 11 is good. An electrical connection can be achieved.

In the illustrated embodiment, the terminal body 10 includes eight contact pieces 11 and the spring member 20 includes eight spring pieces 22, but the number of contact pieces 11 of the terminal body 10 and the spring member 20 The number of spring pieces 22 is not limited to the illustrated example. Further, the number of contact pieces 11 of the terminal body 10 and the number of spring pieces 22 of the spring member 20 may be different, but in order to apply a uniform urging force to each contact piece 11, the spring pieces It is preferable that 22 is provided corresponding to the contact piece 11 so that the number of contact pieces 11 and the number of spring pieces 22 are equal.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described so far, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and may be implemented in various different forms within the scope of the technical idea.

1 Socket terminal 2 Plug terminal 10 Terminal body 11 Contact piece 11A Front end 12 Holding part 13 Terminal connecting part 14 Flange part 15 Recessed part 20 Spring member 21 Ring part 22 Spring piece 23 Cylindrical part 24 Convex part 25 Recessed part

Claims (5)

A terminal body with multiple contact pieces that can be electrically connected to the plug terminal,
A spring member for urging the plurality of contact pieces of the terminal body inward in the radial direction is provided.
The spring member
An annular portion located so as to face the ends of the plurality of contact pieces,
It has at least one spring piece extending from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion along the terminal body.
Socket terminal. The at least one spring piece of the spring member has a convex portion that projects inward in the radial direction.
The plurality of contact pieces have recesses with which the protrusions of the at least one spring piece engage.
The socket terminal according to claim 1. The socket terminal according to claim 2, wherein the convex portion of the at least one spring piece is located near the tip of the spring piece. The socket terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spring member further has a cylindrical portion extending in the axial direction from the inner peripheral edge of the annular portion. The socket terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the at least one spring piece is provided corresponding to the plurality of contact pieces.

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