JP2023111108A - Terminal connection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a terminal connection structure capable of improving reliability in an electric connection by suppressing fine slide abrasion between a male terminal and a female terminal.SOLUTION: A terminal connection structure 11 is a connection structure of a male terminal 2 and a female terminal 5 which are fitted with each other, and is adopted to a male connector and a female connector. The male terminal 2 comprises a rod-like tub 21. The female terminal 5 comprises: a square cylinder-like cylinder part 51 that receives the tub 21; and a spring 52 that energizes the tub 21 in the cylinder part 51 to a rib 55 side provided at an inner surface of the cylinder part 51. A partial spherical-like convex part 56 is provided in the spring 52, and a partial spherical-like concave part 26 into which the convex part 56 is fitted is provided at the tub 21. When a vibration at a vehicle traveling time or the like is applied to the male connector and the female connector in a fitting state, the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 try to relatively finely slide, but the fine slide is suppressed because the convex part 56 is fitted into the concave part 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a terminal connection structure using a male terminal and a female terminal.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a terminal connection structure in which a male terminal and a female terminal are fitted to each other. An example thereof is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 (see Patent Document 1). A terminal connection structure 501 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 includes a male terminal 502 having a rod-shaped tab 521 and a female terminal 505 having a cylindrical portion 551 for receiving the tab 521 .

The cylindrical portion 551 is formed in a square cylindrical shape, and has ribs 555 that come into contact with the tabs 521 on the inner surface thereof. The female terminal 505 also includes a spring 552 that biases the tab 521 toward the rib 555 and a pair of second springs 557 that sandwich the tab 521 therebetween. The spring 552 is provided with a contact 556 protruding toward the rib 555 side. The rib 555 and the spring 552 sandwich the tab 521 in its thickness direction, and the pair of second springs 557 sandwich the tab 521 in its width direction.

The male terminal 502 described above is accommodated in a male housing to form a male connector, and the female terminal 505 is accommodated in a female housing to form a female connector. These male and female connectors are mounted on a vehicle in a state of being fitted together. Further, by fitting the male connector and the female connector, the male terminal 502 and the female terminal 505 are fitted as shown in FIGS.

When the male terminal 502 and the female terminal 505 are engaged with each other, the restoring force of the spring 552 elastically deformed by the tab 521 causes the tab 521 to come into contact with the rib 555 and the contact point 556 of the spring 552, thereby A terminal 505 is electrically connected.

JP 2009-54504 A

An oxide film exists on the outer surfaces of the male terminal 502 and the female terminal 505 described above. When the male connector and the female connector in the fitted state are subjected to vibration such as when the vehicle is running, the male terminal 502 and the female terminal 505 slightly slide relative to each other. As a result, micro-sliding wear occurs between the tab 521 and the contact 556 of the spring 552, the oxide film is scraped off, and abrasion powder is generated. In the conventional terminal connection structure 501, there is a problem that this abrasion powder can be interposed between the tab 521 and the contact 556 of the spring 552, and this causes the reliability of the electrical connection between the male terminal 502 and the female terminal 505 to deteriorate. There was a problem of possible

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a terminal connection structure capable of suppressing micro-sliding wear between a male terminal and a female terminal and improving electrical connection reliability.

The terminal connection structure of the present invention comprises a male terminal and a female terminal that are fitted together, the male terminal comprising a bar-shaped tab, and the female terminal comprising a tubular portion for receiving the tab and the tubular portion inside the tubular portion. a spring that biases the tab toward the inner surface of the tubular portion, wherein one of the tab and the spring is provided with a partially spherical protrusion, and the other is provided with a partially spherical recess into which the protrusion is fitted. It is characterized by

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the terminal-connection structure which can suppress the fine sliding wear between a male terminal and a female terminal, and can improve electrical connection reliability can be provided.

1 is a perspective view showing a mating state of a male connector and a female connector to which the terminal connection structure according to the first embodiment of the invention is applied; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the male and female connectors of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the male and female connectors of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 3; FIG. It is a sectional view showing the terminal connection structure concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a sectional view showing the terminal connection structure concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. 7A and 7B are views for explaining the action of the terminal connection structure of FIG. 6; It is a sectional view showing the terminal connection structure concerning a 4th embodiment of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional terminal connection structure. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another cross section of the terminal connection structure of FIG. 9;

A "terminal connection structure" according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the terminal connection structure 11 is a connection structure for the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 that are fitted together, and is applied to the male connector 4 and the female connector 7 shown in FIGS. . The male connector 4 and the female connector 7 are mounted on the vehicle in a mutually fitted state. By fitting the male connector 4 and the female connector 7 together, the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 are fitted as shown in FIGS.

The male connector 4 includes a male terminal 2 connected to the end of the covered electric wire 81 and a synthetic resin male housing 3 accommodating the male terminal 2 . Although only one male terminal 2 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the actual male connector 4 has a plurality of male terminals 2. FIG.

The male terminal 2 is obtained by subjecting a metal plate to press working or the like. The male terminal 2 includes a rod-shaped tab 21 , a pair of crimping pieces 23 for crimping the exposed core portion of the covered electric wire 81 , and a pair of crimping pieces 24 for crimping the covered portion of the covered electric wire 81 . The tab 21 is provided with a partially spherical recess 26 .

The male housing 3 includes a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 31 for accommodating the male terminals 2, a plurality of lances 35 for preventing the male terminals 2 from coming off, and a female connector 7. a portion 32; The accommodating portion 32 is formed in a box shape that opens toward the female connector 7 side. A through hole 33 is formed in the upper wall of the housing portion 32 so that a lock projection 64 of a lock arm 63 provided on the female connector 7 is positioned. In this specification, a portion of the upper wall of the accommodating portion 32 closer to the female connector 7 than the through hole 33 is called a "locked portion" and denoted by reference numeral 34. As shown in FIG.

The female connector 7 includes a female terminal 5 connected to an end of the covered wire 82 and a synthetic resin female housing 6 accommodating the female terminal 5 . Although only one female terminal 5 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the actual female connector 7 has a plurality of female terminals 5. FIG.

The female terminal 5 is obtained by subjecting a metal plate to press working or the like. The female terminal 5 includes a cylindrical portion 51 that receives the tab 21, a spring 52 that biases the tab 21 in the cylindrical portion 51 toward the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 51, and a pair of crimps that crimp the exposed core portion of the covered wire 82. A piece 53 and a pair of crimping pieces 54 for crimping the covered portion of the covered wire 82 are provided.

The cylindrical portion 51 is formed in a square cylindrical shape. A rib 55 extending in the insertion direction of the tab 21 is provided on one inner surface of the tubular portion 51 .

The spring 52 is arranged inside the cylindrical portion 51 and is formed in a cantilever plate shape with one end continuing to the cylindrical portion 51 . The spring 52 urges the tab 21 toward the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 51 provided with the rib 55 , and sandwiches the tab 21 with the rib 55 . Further, the spring 52 is provided with a partially spherical protrusion 56 that protrudes toward the rib 55 . This protrusion 56 fits into the recess 26 provided in the tab 21 .

The female housing 6 has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 61 for accommodating the female terminals 5, a plurality of lances 65 for preventing the female terminals 5 from coming off, and lock projections 64. an arm 63; The locking projection 64 of the lock arm 63 is positioned in the through hole 33 of the male housing 3 and in front of the portion to be locked 34 to engage with the portion to be locked 34 . maintain.

In a state where the male connector 4 and the female connector 7 are mated, that is, a state where the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 are mated, the restoring force of the spring 52 elastically deformed by being pressed by the tab 21 (see arrow F in FIG. 4) ), the tab 21 contacts the rib 55 and the projection 56 of the spring 52, and the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 are electrically connected. Specifically, a protrusion 56 as a contact point of the spring 52 is inserted into the recess 26 of the tab 21 and is in elastic contact with the edge 26 a of the recess 26 .

An oxide film exists on the outer surfaces of the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 described above. When the male connector 4 and the female connector 7 are subjected to vibration such as during running of a vehicle, the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 tend to slightly slide relative to each other. Since the convex portion 56 of the spring 52 of the female terminal 5 is fitted in, slight sliding is suppressed. Therefore, micro-sliding wear is less likely to occur between the tab 21 and the convex portion 56 (contact point) of the spring 52, and the oxide film is scraped off by the micro-sliding wear to generate wear powder. Interposition between the convex portions 56 of the spring 52 is suppressed. As a result, deterioration in the electrical connection reliability between the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 is suppressed.

In addition, since the convex portion 56 is in elastic contact with the edge 26a of the concave portion 26 due to the restoring force of the spring 52, the restoring force due to the elastic contact concentrates on the edge 26a to break the oxide film (crack the oxide film). be able to. The electrical connection reliability between the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 can be improved by electrically connecting the edge 26a to the projection 56 in this manner.

A "terminal connection structure" according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. A terminal connection structure 12 of this example is a connection structure of a male terminal 2 and a female terminal 5 that are fitted to each other as in the first embodiment, and is applied to a male connector and a female connector.

In this example, in the mated state of the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5, in addition to the protrusion 56 of the spring 52 being fitted in the recess 26 of the tab 21, the second recess of the partially spherical shape provided in the tab 21 27, a partially spherical second protrusion 57 provided on the rib 55 of the female terminal 5 is fitted.

The second recess 27 is provided on the surface of the tab 21 opposite to the surface on which the recess 26 is provided. Two second recesses 27 are provided. One is provided closer to the distal end of tab 21 than recess 26 , and the other is provided closer to the proximal end of tab 21 than recess 26 . Also, two second protrusions 57 are provided corresponding to the number of the second recesses 27 .

In the terminal connection structure 12 of this example, since the second protrusions 57 of the ribs 55 are fitted into the second recesses 27 of the tabs 21, the male terminal 2 and the female terminal are different from the terminal connection structure 11 of the first embodiment. 5 is suppressed more effectively. Therefore, micro-sliding wear is less likely to occur between the tab 21 and the convex portion 56 (contact point) of the spring 52, and the oxide film is scraped off by the micro-sliding wear to generate wear powder. is more effectively suppressed from being interposed between the tab 21 and the convex portion 56 of the spring 52 . As a result, deterioration in the electrical connection reliability between the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 is suppressed.

In addition, in the terminal connection structure 12 described above, two sets of the second concave portion 27 and the second convex portion 57 are provided, but it is sufficient that one or more sets of the second concave portion 27 and the second convex portion 57 are provided. .

A "terminal connection structure" according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the same components as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. A terminal connection structure 13 of this example is a connection structure of a male terminal 2 and a female terminal 5 that are fitted to each other as in the first embodiment, and is applied to a male connector and a female connector.

In this example, when the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 are fitted together, the partially spherical convex portion 28 provided on the tab 21 is fitted into the partially spherical concave portion 58 provided on the spring 52 . As described above, the relationship between the convex portion 28 and the concave portion 58 of this example is relatively different from that of the terminal connection structure 11 of the first embodiment, but the effects are the same.

In this example, when the female terminal 5 is transported or handled, or when the male connector 4 and the female connector 7 are mated, even if a force that causes the spring 52 to elastically deform excessively is applied to the spring 52, A concave portion 58 of the spring 52 abuts against the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 51 (the inner surface facing the inner surface provided with the rib 55) as indicated by the dashed line in FIG. Therefore, excessive elastic deformation (excessive displacement) of the spring 52 is prevented, and the loss of spring function due to plastic deformation of the spring 52 can be prevented.

A "terminal connection structure" according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the same components as those of the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. A terminal connection structure 14 of this example is a connection structure of a male terminal 2 and a female terminal 5 that are fitted to each other as in the first embodiment, and is applied to a male connector and a female connector.

In this example, when the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 are engaged with each other, the convex portion 28 of the tab 21 is fitted into the concave portion 58 of the spring 52 , and the second concave portion 27 of the tab 21 is engaged with the second concave portion 27 of the rib 55 . 2 The convex portion 57 is fitted.

In the terminal connection structure 14 of this example, since the second protrusions 57 of the ribs 55 are fitted in the second recesses 27 of the tabs 21, compared with the terminal connection structure 13 of the third embodiment, the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 is suppressed more effectively. Therefore, micro-sliding wear is less likely to occur between the tab 21 and the recessed portion 58 (contact point) of the spring 52, and the oxide film is scraped off by the micro-sliding wear to generate wear powder. Interposition between the tab 21 and the recess 58 of the spring 52 is more effectively suppressed. As a result, deterioration in the electrical connection reliability between the male terminal 2 and the female terminal 5 is suppressed.

In addition, the above-described embodiment merely shows a typical form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still have the configuration of the present invention, they are, of course, included in the scope of the present invention.

2 male terminal 5 female terminal 11, 12, 13, 14 terminal connection structure 21 tab 26, 58 recess 28, 56 projection 51 cylinder 52 spring 55 rib

Claims (4)

Equipped with a male terminal and a female terminal that fit together,
The male terminal has a rod-shaped tab,
The female terminal includes a tubular portion that receives the tab, and a spring that biases the tab inside the tubular portion toward the inner surface of the tubular portion,
A terminal connection structure, wherein one of the tab and the spring is provided with a partially spherical protrusion, and the other is provided with a partially spherical recess into which the protrusion is fitted. 2. The terminal connection structure according to claim 1, wherein said protrusion is in contact with an edge of said recess. A rib extending in the insertion direction of the tab and sandwiching the tab between itself and the spring is provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion,
3. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the rib is provided with a partially spherical second protrusion, and the tab is provided with a partially spherical second recess into which the second protrusion is fitted. connection structure. The spring is formed in a cantilever plate shape, one end of which is connected to the tubular portion,
The terminal connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the recess is provided in the spring.

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