JP6247848B2 - Terminal fitting - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal fitting for electrically connecting a power supply target and a power supply side, for example, a terminal fitting for electrically connecting an electrode of a light source bulb fitted in a bulb socket and a power supply side.

  A terminal having an elastic portion in a structure in which a power supply target (for example, a light source bulb fitted in the socket) is pressed against a terminal fitting and the power supply target and the power supply side are electrically connected like a bulb socket. Brackets are applied. As an example of a terminal fitting applied to a valve socket, a base part fixedly supported by the socket and electrically connected to the power supply side, and a valve fitted into the socket (fitted against a biasing force of a spring part described later) The contact portion that is pressed against the electrode (pressed while being urged by the urging force of the spring portion described later), and the curved portion and the plate-like portion alternately extend between the base portion and the contact portion. A terminal fitting having a structure in which a continuous plate-like spring portion is integrally formed is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  In this way, the terminal fitting having the spring portion is subjected to stress on the spring portion due to the pressing contact of the power supply target, and the stress tends to concentrate on the curved portion. For example, a method is adopted in which the cross-sectional area of the curved portion is positively increased to increase the elastic modulus and suppress the settling of the spring portion.

JP 2013-37906 A JP 10-92538 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal fitting that can further suppress the settling of the spring portion of the terminal fitting.

  The switch structure according to the present invention is a creation that can solve the above-described problems. Specifically, one aspect of the present invention includes a base portion fixedly supported by the socket and electrically connected to the power supply side, and fitted into the socket. A contact portion that is in pressure contact with the electrode to be supplied with power, a plate-like spring portion that extends in a meandering manner between the base portion and the contact portion, and a curved portion and a plate-like portion are alternately continuous, and Is a terminal fitting integrally formed, wherein the cross-sectional area of the plate-like portion in the cross-sectional direction is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the curved portion in the cross-sectional direction.

  In the plate-like part, a notch part may be formed on the side edge part side. Further, one or more slit-like groove portions that are long in the extending direction of the plate-like portion may be formed on the central portion side of the plate-like portion.

  According to the terminal fitting according to the present invention, in the plate-like portion of the spring portion, the elastic modulus is reduced and the elastic deformation is facilitated. Thereby, the stress with respect to the spring part due to the pressing contact or the like of the power supply target is easily dispersed throughout the spring part, and the settling of the spring part can be further suppressed.

The exploded perspective view explaining an example of the valve socket to which the terminal metal fitting by this embodiment is applied. The schematic explanatory drawing explaining the insertion operation | movement of the valve | bulb with respect to the valve socket of FIG. 1 ((A), (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows an insertion state, (C) is an enlarged view of the C section of (B)). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Schematic explanatory drawing of the terminal metal fitting of Example 1 ((A) is a perspective view, (B) is a side view). The schematic explanatory drawing of the terminal metal fitting of Example 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a terminal fitting of Example 3.

  The terminal fitting according to the embodiment of the present invention is not a method of positively increasing the cross-sectional area of the curved portion of the spring portion as in Patent Document 1, but actively increases the cross-sectional area in the cross-sectional direction at the plate-like portion of the spring portion. This is a terminal fitting (terminal fitting 3 in the embodiment described later) having a reduced elastic modulus, and has a structure in which the elastic modulus is reduced in the plate-like portion of the spring portion to facilitate elastic deformation.

  Thereby, the stress with respect to the spring part by the press contact etc. of the power supply object becomes easy to disperse | distribute to the whole spring part, without concentrating on a curved part. In addition, by reducing the cross-sectional area of the plate-like portion, the terminal metal fitting can be reduced in size and cost.

  The terminal metal fitting of the present embodiment may have a configuration in which the elastic modulus is reduced by reducing the cross-sectional area in the plate-like portion of the spring portion, and is generally used in various fields related to the terminal metal fitting in the automobile field, the socket field, and the like. It is possible to apply a known technique and appropriately change it, and specific examples shown below can be given as an example.

<Valve socket to which an example of the terminal fitting of this embodiment is applied>
1 to 3 show an example of the terminal fitting of this embodiment applied to a valve socket. 1 and 2 indicates a valve socket (hereinafter referred to as a socket), and a fitting portion 11 having a shape capable of detachably fitting the base 21 side of the valve 2 to be supplied with power, The terminal piece 12 that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 2a of the cap 21 of the valve 2 is pressed and contacted by the electrode 22 of the tip portion (tip portion on the insertion direction side) 2b of the cap 21 of the valve 2 with the valve 2 fitted. Terminal fittings 3 (in FIG. 1, two terminal fittings 3).

  The bulb 2 has a glass bulb 23, and a cylindrical cap 21 is provided on the base side of the glass bulb 23 so as to cover the base side. On the outer peripheral surface 2 a of the base 21, two protrusions 24 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) are provided at positions where the phase of the base 21 is shifted by 180 °, for example. Two electrodes 22 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) are provided adjacent to the tip 2b of the base 21. The terminal piece 12 for grounding is electrically connected to the outer peripheral surface 2 a of the base 21 with the base 21 of the valve 2 inserted into the insertion portion 11 of the socket 1, and power is supplied to the two electrodes 22. The terminal fitting 3 is electrically connected so that, for example, the illuminance of the bulb 2 can be switched.

The insertion portion 11 of the socket 1 is formed in a cylindrical shape into which the base 21 of the valve 2 can be inserted. A substantially L-shaped groove 13 into which the protrusion 24 of the valve 2 is inserted is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11. Accordingly, when the base 21 of the valve 2 is inserted into the insertion portion 11 of the socket 1, the protrusion 24 is inserted into the groove 13 by inserting the protrusion 24 of the valve 2 into the groove 13 and rotating the valve 2 in the circumferential direction. It is to be locked to. Further, a groove 14 into which the terminal piece 12 is inserted and supported is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion portion 11.

  The terminal piece 12 is formed by, for example, processing (bending) a substantially strip-shaped metal plate, and the ground piece is connected to a tongue piece portion 12a formed by cutting and raising a part of the terminal piece 12. It has the terminal part 12b electrically connected to an external other party terminal. The terminal piece 12 is inserted and supported in the groove 14 with the tongue piece portion 12a facing the inside of the fitting portion 11. Thereby, when the base 21 is inserted in the insertion part 11, the tongue piece part 12a elastically contacts the outer peripheral surface 2a of the base 21 of the valve 2, and the ground wire is electrically connected to the terminal part 12b. It has become.

<Example 1 of terminal fitting>
The terminal metal fitting 3 having a structure as shown in FIG. 3 can be applied. The terminal fitting 3 in FIG. 3 can be formed, for example, by processing (bending or the like) a long flat metal plate, and is fixedly supported by the socket 1 and electrically connected to the power supply side outside the figure. The base portion 31, the contact portion 32 that is in pressure contact with the electrode 22 of the bulb 2, and the curved portion 33 and the plate-like portion 34 are alternately and continuously extended between the base portion 31 and the contact portion 32. The base plate 31, the contact portion 32, and the spring portion 35 are integrated with each other.

  In the spring portion 35, the plate-like portion 34 is not a simple rectangular flat plate shape, but has a shape in which a substantially semicircular cutout portion 34 b is formed on the side end edge portion 34 a side, and a central portion of the side end edge portion 34 a. As the position approaches, the widthwise dimension of the plate-like portion 34 becomes narrower and becomes a constricted shape. As a result, the cross-sectional area of the plate-like portion 34 in the cross-sectional direction (the cross-sectional area in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the spring portion 35) is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the bending portion 33 in the cross-sectional direction. For this reason, the plate-like portion 34 has a smaller elastic modulus than that of a simple rectangular flat plate, and is easily elastically deformed.

  The contact portion 32 is connected to the end portion of the spring portion 35 on the valve 2 side, and is pressed and contacted by the electrode 22 in a state where the base 21 of the valve 2 is inserted into the insertion portion 11. The shape of the contact portion 32 is not particularly limited, and there is a structure in which the contact portion 32 is pressed and contacted by the electrode 22 and can be connected to each other as described above. For example, as shown in FIG. The shape which formed the notch part 34b in this and made it easy to elastically deform may be sufficient.

  The base portion 31 is connected to the end of the spring portion 35 on the power supply side (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the partition wall (the valve 2 side and the outside of the drawing) in the insertion portion 11 of the socket 1 is provided. A partition wall (partitioning the power supply side) 11a, a lead terminal portion 31a drawn out from the through hole 11b, and a tongue piece 31b (refer to FIG. 3 in particular) locked to the inner peripheral surface of the insertion portion 11 of the socket 1. ing. The lead terminal portion 31a is electrically connected to a counterpart terminal connected to the power supply side outside the drawing through the opening 15 (see FIG. 2). The tongue piece 31 b is formed by cutting and raising a part of the base portion 31. When the terminal fitting 3 is fixed to the insertion portion 11 of the socket 1, the tongue piece 31 b is locked to a locking portion (not shown) on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion portion 11 so as to prevent the terminal fitting 3 from coming off. It has become.

  When the base 21 of the valve 2 is inserted into the insertion portion 11 of the socket 1 having the terminal fitting 3 as shown in FIG. 3 (inserted in the direction of the white arrow in FIGS. 2A and 2B), first, FIG. As shown to (A), the contact part 32 of the terminal metal fitting 3 contacts the electrode 22. When the base 21 is inserted deeper into the insertion portion 11, the contact portion 32 is pressed and contacted by the electrode 22 as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, and the spring portion 35 is elastically deformed and compressed. Will be. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the bending portion 33 is not simply elastically deformed, but the plate-like portion 34 is also elastically deformed.

  Therefore, even when the bulb 2 is inserted into the socket 1 as shown in FIG. 2, the stress on the spring portion 35 due to the pressing contact of the electrode 22 of the bulb 2 does not concentrate on the curved portion 33 and the spring portion 35. Since it is possible to reduce the stress applied to the curved portion 33, for example, it is possible to suppress the settling of the spring portion 35.

<Example 2 of terminal fitting>
In Example 1, the structure in which the substantially semicircular cutout portion 34b is formed on the side edge portion 34a side of the plate-like portion 34 is shown, but the shape of the cutout portion is not particularly limited, An example is the structure shown in FIG.

  In the terminal fitting 3 shown in FIG. 4, the base portion 31, the contact portion 32, and the spring portion 35 similar to those in the first embodiment are integrated, and the side edge portion of the plate-like portion 34 of the spring portion 35. The cutout portion 34b is formed so that 34a is substantially S-shaped (semi-circular arc shape in FIG. 3). Even in the terminal fitting 3 having the structure as shown in FIG. 4, the cross-sectional area of the plate-shaped portion 34 in the cross-sectional direction is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the curved portion 33 in the cross-sectional direction. The elastic modulus is smaller than that of a flat plate, and it is easy to elastically deform.

  As a result, as in the first embodiment, the stress on the spring portion 35 due to the pressing contact of the electrode 22 of the bulb 2 is not concentrated on the curved portion 33 but dispersed throughout the spring portion 35. For example, the stress applied to the curved portion 33 is Since it can reduce, it becomes possible to suppress the settling of the spring part 35. FIG.

<Example 3 of terminal fitting>
In the first and second embodiments, the structure in which the cutout portion 34b is formed on the side edge portion 34a side of the plate-like portion 34 is shown, but the cross section of the plate-like portion 34 can be formed without forming the cutout portion 34b. Any shape can be used as long as the cross-sectional area in the direction can be made smaller than the cross-sectional area in the cross-sectional direction of the bending portion 33. For example, the structure shown in FIG.

  In the terminal fitting 3 shown in FIG. 5, the base portion 31, the contact portion 32, and the spring portion 35 are integrated as in the first embodiment, and the notch portion 34 b is formed in the plate-like portion 34 of the spring portion 35. 1 or more, one or more slit-like groove portions 34c that are long in the extending direction of the plate-like portion 34 are formed on the side of the central portion 34d of the plate-like portion 34 (in FIG. 5, two groove portions 34c are connected to each other). The structure is formed so as to be parallel to each other at a distance. Even in the terminal fitting 3 having the structure as shown in FIG. 5, the cross-sectional area of the plate-like portion 34 in the cross-sectional direction is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the curved portion 33 in the cross-sectional direction. The elastic modulus is smaller than that of a flat plate, and it is easy to elastically deform. Note that the contact portion 32 of the terminal fitting 3 of FIG. 5 may also have a shape that is easily elastically deformed by forming the groove portion 34 c as in the case of the spring portion 35.

  As a result, as in the first embodiment, the stress on the spring portion 35 due to the pressing contact of the electrode 22 of the bulb 2 is not concentrated on the curved portion 33 but dispersed throughout the spring portion 35. For example, the stress applied to the curved portion 33 is Since it can reduce, it becomes possible to suppress the settling of the spring part 35. FIG.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail only for the specific examples described above, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is natural that such changes and the like belong to the scope of the claims.

  In the terminal fitting 3 according to the present embodiment, an example of a structure in which the base portion 31, the contact portion 32, and the spring portion 35 are integrated by bending a single long flat metal plate is given. The base 31, the contact 32, and the spring 35 may be separately formed and connected by welding or the like. Moreover, although the structure which formed the notch part 34b or the groove part 34c with respect to the plate-shaped part 34 was mentioned, the structure which formed these notch part 34b and the groove part 34c is also considered. Further, in FIG. 1, two terminal fittings 3 are provided corresponding to the electrodes 22 of the valve 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the electrodes 22 of the valve 2.

  The structure in which the valve 2 is inserted into the socket 1 is not limited to this embodiment. For example, a male screw is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the base 21 of the valve 2 and a female screw is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 11 of the socket 1. The valve 2 may be inserted into the socket so that the male screw and the female screw are screwed together (screwed). Furthermore, in the case of the present embodiment, specifically, the structure in which the base 21 of the valve 2 is inserted into the cylindrical insertion portion 11 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Valve socket 11 ... Insertion part 2 ... Valve (power supply object)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Terminal metal fitting 31 ... Base part 32 ... Contact part 33 ... Curved part 34 ... Plate-shaped part 34a ... Side edge part 34b ... Notch part 34c ... Groove part 34d ... Center part 35 ... Spring part

Claims (2)

A base part fixedly supported by the socket and electrically connected to the power supply side, a contact part pressed against the power supply target electrode inserted in the socket, and a serpentine shape extending between the base part and the contact part And a bent metal plate spring portion in which curved portions and plate-like portions are alternately continuous, and a terminal fitting formed integrally,
The central portion of the plate-like portion, the extending direction in an elongated slit-shaped grooves of the plate-like portion is formed of one or more cross-sectional area of the cross-sectional direction of the plate-like portion, the cross section direction of the curved portion terminal fitting, wherein not smaller than the cross-sectional area of the.   The terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein a notch portion is formed on a side edge portion side of the plate-like portion.

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