JP4082431B2 - Terminal fitting - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal fitting.

Conventionally, as an example of a male-side terminal fitting, a main body portion that has a substantially box shape that opens rearward, a barrel portion that protrudes rearward from the main body portion and is crimp-connected to an end of an electric wire, and protrudes forward from the main body portion. In addition, there is known one provided with a mating female terminal fitting and a tab capable of conducting contact. Such a male terminal fitting is an opening portion in which the rear end portion of the main body portion is opened rearward for convenience of being formed by bending a metal plate that is a base material and performing a bending process or the like. .
An example of such a male terminal fitting is described in Patent Document 1 below.
JP-A-3-291787

By the way, the said male side terminal metal fitting is accommodated in a housing while being connected to an electric wire, after being conveyed from a manufacturing site to an assembly site. In this process, for example, when transporting, a plurality of male terminal fittings are packed together, and at this time, the tabs of other male terminal fittings may enter the main body through the opening. is there. In such a state, if a force that inclines each other's axis acts on both male side terminal fittings, the tab on the intruding side may be deformed, or the inner surface of the main body portion on the intruding side may be damaged.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the terminal fitting from being deformed.

As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that a substantially box-shaped main body portion opened rearward includes a bottom wall, a pair of side walls rising from both side edges of the bottom wall, and one side wall. A ceiling wall that protrudes and faces the bottom wall; and an outer wall that protrudes from the other side wall and overlaps the outside of the ceiling wall, and the terminal fitting is disposed inside the housing. And the retaining means provided in the housing is retained on the periphery of the opening portion of the main body to prevent the housing from coming off, and the upper rear end of the main body is The locking means is a stepped portion to be locked, and a locking projection that can be locked to the locking means is struck outward on the rear end edge of the outer wall constituting the stepped portion. Make sure that there is space inside. On the other hand, a restricting portion is provided at the rear edge of the ceiling wall constituting the step portion so as to close the opening portion of the main body portion, and the restricting portion extends rearward from the ceiling wall. The protruding portion is formed by bending toward the bottom wall side, and the rear surface of the restricting portion is substantially flush with the stepped portion so that the locking means can be locked. Have

<Invention of Claim 1>
Even if a foreign object or the like tries to enter the inside through the opening of the main body from the outside, the intrusion is restricted by the restriction provided to close the opening, so that the terminal fitting is deformed or damaged. Such a situation can be prevented.
Since the restricting part is formed by bending the projecting piece extending from the ceiling wall, the strength of the main body part is kept high compared to the case where the restricting part is formed by cutting the side wall or the bottom wall, for example. Can do.
Since the locking means is locked to the restricting portion and the locking protrusion provided on the outer wall, the locking cost of the locking means can be increased by that amount, and the terminal fitting can be prevented from coming off from the housing more firmly. Can be held.
<Invention of Claim 2>
The main body can be supported in a predetermined shape by bringing the tip of the restricting portion into contact with the bottom wall.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, a male terminal fitting 20 accommodated in the housing 10 is shown. In the following description, the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2 is assumed to be the front, and the left side is assumed to be the rear.

  First, the housing 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 10 is made of a synthetic resin, and includes a terminal housing part 11 having a substantially block shape and a hood part 12 having a substantially rectangular tube shape protruding forward. A cavity 13 into which the male terminal fitting 20 can be inserted from the rear is formed in two stages in the terminal accommodating portion 11. On the lower surface side of each cavity 13 is provided a lance 14 for primarily locking the inserted male terminal fitting 20 in a retaining manner. The lance 14 is formed in a doubly supported shape in which both front and rear ends are supported, and can be bent up and down with the support portion as a fulcrum. The terminal accommodating portion 11 is provided with a retainer mounting hole 15 that crosses each cavity 13 and opens downward. In the retainer mounting hole 15, a retainer 16 for secondary locking the male terminal fitting 20 in a retaining shape from below is mounted. In the retainer 16, a retaining portion 17 that is locked to the male terminal fitting 20 is formed in two upper and lower stages. The retainer 16 includes a temporary locking position (not shown) in which each retaining portion 17 is retracted from each cavity 13 and allows the male terminal fitting 20 to be inserted into and removed from the cavity 13, and each retaining portion. It is possible to move up and down between the main locking positions 17 that advance into the cavities 13 and are locked to the male terminal fittings 20. The retainer 16 is held at the two positions with respect to the housing 10 by holding means (not shown).

  The male terminal fitting 20 is formed by punching out a metal plate as a base material, and connecting a plurality of developed shapes shown in FIG. 4 in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction with a carrier (not shown). The material is formed into a shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by bending or the like. The male terminal fitting 20 includes a barrel portion 21 having a pair of front and rear caulking pieces 21a and 21b to be caulked to the end of the electric wire W, a main body portion 22 having a substantially box shape opened rearward, and a counterpart (not shown). It is comprised from the tab 23 which can carry out conductive contact with the female terminal metal fitting, and the connection part 24 which connects the barrel part 21 and the main-body part 22. FIG.

  The main body 22 protrudes from the bottom wall 22a extending forward and backward, a pair of side walls 22b and 22c rising from both side edges of the bottom wall 22a, and the side wall 22b on the near side in FIGS. A ceiling wall 22d that faces the wall 22a and an outer wall 22e that protrudes from the back side wall 22c to the near side and that overlaps the outside of the ceiling wall 22d. A cutout 25 having a square shape is formed in the outer wall 22e so as to open toward the front side and the back side in FIG. 1, and a piece portion 26 provided at the protruding end of the ceiling wall 22d is inserted into the outer wall 22e. It is in contact with the upper end surface of the side wall 22c. At the front edge of the notch 25, a first locking projection 27 that can lock the lance 14 of the housing 10 is provided by knocking outward. Further, a stabilizer 28 that protrudes outward is provided from the front end of the rear end of the outer wall 22e.

  The connecting portion 24 includes a bottom wall 24a and a pair of side walls 24b and 24c rising from both side edges thereof. The front ends of the walls 24a, 24b and 24c are connected to the main body portion 22 and the rear ends thereof are connected to the barrel portion 21. ing. Of these, the side walls 24b and 24c are formed so as to be one step lower than the side walls 22b and 22c forming the main body 22 and gradually lower toward the barrel portion 21 as shown in FIG.

  The upper rear end of FIG. 2 in the main body part 22, specifically, the upper part of the side walls 22 b and 22 c that are not connected to the connecting part 24, the rear end of the ceiling wall 22 d and the outer wall 22 e (periphery of the opening portion 32) The retaining portion 17 of the retainer 16 can be locked here. On the rear edge of the outer wall 22e constituting the stepped portion 29, a second locking projection 30 that can be locked by the retaining portion 17 is formed by knocking outward, and the second locking projection 30 is formed. The locking allowance for the retaining portion 17 is increased by the protruding height.

  Now, from the rear end of the ceiling wall 22d constituting the stepped portion 29, the restricting portion 31 is formed by bending a protruding piece (see FIG. 4) extending rearward toward the bottom wall 22a at a substantially right angle. Is provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the rearward opening portion 32 of the main body portion 22 is closed by a predetermined range (range of the restriction portion 31) by the restriction portion 31, in other words, the opening region is narrowed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the restriction portion 31 supports the main body portion 22 in a substantially box shape by abutting the tip end surface thereof against the inner surface of the bottom wall 22 a. The restriction portion 31 has a width dimension that is about 2/3 of the ceiling wall 22d, and is disposed at a position near the left side wall 22c in FIG. 3 (close to the protruding end of the ceiling wall 22d). Therefore, the gap between the restricting portion 31 and the left side wall 22c is smaller than the gap between the restricting portion 31 and the right side wall 22b. The gap between the restricting portion 31 and the right side wall 22 b is set smaller than the outer width dimension of the tab 23. The rear surface of the restricting portion 31 is substantially flush with the stepped portion 29 described above, and the retaining portion 17 of the retainer 16 can be locked here. The locking margin is increased by the amount that the retaining portion 17 is engaged with the portion of the restricting portion 31 that protrudes closer to the bottom wall 22a than the ceiling wall 22d. Further, a slit S for facilitating the bending of the restricting portion 31 is provided at the rear edge of the ceiling wall 22d (see FIG. 4).
The tab 23 is connected to the bottom wall 22a, the side wall 22b, and the ceiling wall 22d constituting the main body 22, and has a substantially U-shaped cross section.

  The male terminal fitting 20 having the structure as described above is transported from the manufacturing site to the assembly site, and then crimp-connected to the end of the electric wire W, and then accommodated in the housing 10. In this process, for example, when transporting from the manufacturing site to the assembly site, a plurality of male terminal fittings 20 are packed together, but at that time, the opening portion 32 of the main body 22 has other parts. There is a concern that the tab 23 of the male terminal fitting 20 may enter.

  However, the main body portion 22 is provided with a restricting portion 31 so as to close the opening portion 32, and the opening area thereof is narrowed. Therefore, even if the tab 23 of the other male terminal fitting 20 is about to enter the opening portion 32, the intrusion is restricted when the tab 23 hits the restricting portion 31. Thereby, the situation where the inner surface of the main-body part 22 is damaged or the tab 23 of the other male side terminal metal fitting 20 deform | transforms can be prevented beforehand. In addition to the tabs 23 of the other male terminal fittings 20, it is possible to restrict the entry of external foreign matter into the main body 22 through the opening portion 32 by the restricting portion 31.

  In a state where the retainer 16 is assembled to the housing 10 at the temporary locking position, the male terminal fitting 20 is inserted into each cavity 13 so as to be turned upside down from the state shown in FIG. When the male terminal fitting 20 is inserted into the cavity 13 to the normal depth, the lance 14 is elastically locked to the first locking protrusion 27, whereby the primary locking of the male terminal fitting 20 is achieved. Figured. Thereafter, when the retainer 16 is moved to the final locking position, as shown in FIG. 5, the retaining portions 17 advance into the cavities 13 and the step portions 29 of the male terminal fittings 20, the second locking protrusions. It is latched with respect to the rear surface of the part 30 and the restriction part 31. As a result, secondary locking of the male terminal fitting 20 is achieved, and the male terminal fitting 20 is securely held from the housing 10.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if foreign matter or the like tries to enter the inside through the opening portion 32 of the main body portion 22 from the outside, the restriction portion 31 provided so as to close the opening portion 32 Since intrusion is restricted, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the male terminal fitting 20 is deformed or damaged.

  Moreover, since the restricting portion 31 is formed by bending a protruding piece extending from the ceiling wall 22d, the main body portion 22 is compared with the case where the restricting portion is formed by cutting up the side wall or the bottom wall, for example. The strength of can be kept high. And since the front-end | tip of the control part 31 was made to contact | abut to the bottom wall 22a, the main-body part 22 can be firmly supported by substantially box shape.

  Furthermore, the rear surface of the restricting portion 31 is formed so as to be substantially flush with the stepped portion 29, and the retaining portion 17 of the retainer 16 is locked to the restricting portion 31. The locking margin of the retainer 16 with respect to the side terminal metal fitting 20 can be increased, and the male terminal metal fitting 20 can be securely held in the housing 10. In addition, since the retaining portion 17 is locked to the second locking protrusion 30 that protrudes outward from the outer wall 22e, the locking allowance of the retainer 16 with respect to the male terminal fitting 20 can be further increased. Further, the male terminal fitting 20 can be more securely retained and retained.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This 2nd Embodiment shows what changed the shape of the control part.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the restricting portion 33 once bends a projecting piece (see FIG. 8) extending from the rear end of the ceiling wall 22d substantially at a right angle toward the bottom wall 22a, and reaches the bottom wall 22a. It is formed in a double shape by being bent tightly and folded toward the wall 22d side. In other words, the restricting portion 33 has a configuration in which a front wall 33a connected to the ceiling wall 22d via a bent portion and a rear wall 33b connected to the front wall 33a via a folded portion are overlapped with each other. Yes. Among these, as shown in FIG. 7, the rear wall 33b has a larger width dimension than the front wall 33a. Therefore, the range in which the restricting portion 33 closes the opening portion 32 is larger than the range in which the restricting portion 31 closes the opening portion 32 (see FIG. 3) in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the front wall 33a and the rear wall 33b have a flat shape throughout the entire area except that the bent portion and the folded portion are curved. The rear wall 33b has a front end surface (upper end surface in FIG. 6) in contact with the inner surface of the outer wall 22e and is substantially flush with the outer surface of the ceiling wall 22d, and its rear surface is substantially flush with the stepped portion 29. It is in one shape.

When the retainer 16 is moved to the final locking position after inserting the male terminal fitting 20 into the cavity 13 of the housing 10, as shown in FIG. 9, the retaining portion 17 that has advanced into the cavity 13 is stepped 29. The second locking projection 30 and the rear surface 33b of the restricting portion 33 are locked against the rear surface. At this time, the front end portion of the rear wall 33b where the retaining portion 17 is locked has a flat shape, so that the retaining portion 17 contacts the entire area. Here, in the first embodiment described above, the retaining portion 17 is locked to the bent portion from the ceiling wall 22d, that is, the curved portion of the restricting portion 33 (see FIG. 5). In the second embodiment, the area where the retaining portion 17 abuts against the restricting portion 33 is increased, so that the male terminal fitting 20 can be held more firmly.
Other structures, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and therefore redundant description is omitted.

<Reference Example 1>
Next, Reference Example 1 will be described with reference to FIG. This reference example 1 shows what formed the regulation part by cutting and raising.

The restricting portion 34 is formed by cutting and raising the bottom wall 24a of the connecting portion 24 toward the ceiling wall 22d side of the main body portion 22, and the front end surface thereof is in contact with the inner surface of the ceiling wall 22d. Since the rear surface of the restricting portion 34 is substantially flush with the stepped portion 29, the retaining portion 17 of the retainer 16 can be locked here (see FIG. 9). Since the tip end portion of the restricting portion 34 to which the retaining portion 17 is locked has a flat shape, the area where the retaining portion 17 contacts the rear surface of the restricting portion 34 and the rear end surface of the ceiling wall 22d is as follows. In the second embodiment, the retaining portion 17 is equivalent to the area where it comes into contact with the restricting portion 34.
Other structures, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and therefore redundant description is omitted.

<Reference Example 2>
Reference Example 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the reference example 2, a pair of restricting portions are formed by cutting and raising from both side walls of the main body portion.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a pair of restricting portions 35 are formed by raising both side walls 22b and 22c of the main body portion 22 inward. The two restricting portions 35 are arranged at a position slightly ahead of the stepped portion 29 in the front-rear direction and at substantially the center position of the side walls 22b, 22c in the height direction (FIG. 13), and the inner end surfaces of each other Are facing each other. The opening portion 32 of the main body 22 is closed by both restricting portions 35, and the gap between the restricting portions 35 is set to be smaller than the outer width dimension of the tab 23, and the restricting portion 35 and the ceiling wall 22d And the clearance between the restricting portion 35 and the bottom wall 22a are set to be smaller than the height of the tab 23, so that the entry of the tab 23 from the outside can be reliably controlled. ing.
Other structures, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and therefore redundant description is omitted.

<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, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above-described first embodiment, the case where the restricting portion is brought into contact with the wall forming the main body is shown. However, the case where the restricting portion is arranged apart from the wall forming the main body is also included in the present invention. included.
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the retainer separate from the housing is exemplified as the locking means that is locked to the stepped portion, the regulating portion, and the second locking protrusion of the main body portion. The present invention also includes a lance integrated with the lance.

(3) The present invention includes a configuration in which a plurality of restricting portions are provided by combining the above-described embodiments and reference examples.
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the male terminal fitting is exemplified. However, the present invention can also be applied to a female terminal fitting having an elastic contact piece elastically contactable with a tab of the male terminal fitting in the main body. . In that case, the elastic contact piece can be protected by a restricting portion provided so as to close the opening of the main body.

The top view of the male side terminal metal fitting which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. Partial cutaway side view of male terminal fitting XX sectional view of FIG. Exploded view of male terminal fitting Partially cutaway side view showing the male terminal fitting in a state of being retained by the retainer within the housing Partially cutaway side view of a male terminal fitting according to a second embodiment of the present invention YY sectional view of FIG. Exploded view of male terminal fitting Partially cutaway side view showing the male terminal fitting in a state of being retained by the retainer within the housing Partially cutaway side view of male terminal fitting according to Reference Example 1 Partially cutaway side view of male terminal fitting according to Reference Example 2 ZZ sectional view of FIG. Exploded view of male terminal fitting

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Housing 16 ... Retainer (locking means)
20… Male terminal fitting (terminal fitting)
22 ... main body 22a ... bottom wall 22b ... side wall (one side wall)
22c ... side wall (the other side wall)
22d ... Ceiling wall 22e ... Outer wall 29 ... Stepped portion (periphery of the opening)
30 ... Second locking protrusion (locking protrusion)
31, 33, 34, 35 ... restricting portion 32 ... opening portion

Claims (2)

A substantially box-shaped main body that opens rearward is a bottom wall, a pair of side walls rising from both side edges of the bottom wall, a ceiling wall that protrudes from one side wall and faces the bottom wall, and the other side wall And an outer wall that is superposed on the outside of the ceiling wall, and the terminal fitting is accommodated in the housing, and the locking means provided in the housing includes In what is retained from the housing by being locked to the periphery of the opening portion of the main body,
An upper rear end of the main body portion is a stepped portion that is locked by the locking means, and a locking protrusion that can be locked to the locking means is formed on a rear end edge of the outer wall that constitutes the stepped portion. While the part is knocked out to the outside, space is held inside,
A restricting portion is provided at the rear end edge of the ceiling wall constituting the step portion so as to close the opening portion of the main body portion, and the restricting portion is provided to extend rearward from the ceiling wall. The protrusion is formed by bending the protruding piece toward the bottom wall, and the rear surface of the restricting portion is substantially flush with the stepped portion so that the locking means can be locked. Terminal fitting.   The terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the restricting portion is capable of contacting the bottom wall.

Images