JP6301723B2 - Contact connection structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact connection structure that performs electrical connection between a first terminal and a second terminal.

  5 and 6 show a female terminal and a male terminal to which a conventional contact connection structure is applied (see Patent Document 1 as a similar technique). As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the female terminal 51 includes a rectangular box portion 52 and an elastic bending portion 53 that is provided integrally with the box portion 52 and disposed in the box portion 52. Have. The elastic bending portion 53 is provided with an indent portion 54 that protrudes toward the bottom surface side. The indented portion 54 has a substantially spherical outer peripheral surface, and the center vertex is located at the lowest position.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 8, the male terminal 60 has a flat tab portion 61.

  In the above configuration, when the tab portion 61 of the male terminal 60 is inserted into the box portion 52 of the female terminal 51 in the position of FIG. 5, the elastic bending portion 53 is deformed and the insertion of the tab portion 61 is allowed. In the insertion process of the tab portion 61, the indent portion 54 of the elastic bending portion 53 slides on the contact surface of the tab portion 61, and at the terminal insertion completion position, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the indentation of the elastic bending portion 53 is performed. The surface of the part 54 and the tab part 61 contacts. The indented portion 54 of the female terminal 51 and the contact surface of the tab portion 61 of the male terminal 60 are in electrical contact with each other using the bending return force of the elastic bending portion 53 as a contact load.

JP 2007-280825 A

  However, in the conventional structure, the indent portion 54 of the female terminal 51 has a substantially spherical shape, and contacts the tab portion 61 of the male terminal 60 at the apex portion. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, since the outer diameter of this single contact surface becomes the apparent contact surface diameter (diameter) D2, the apparent contact surface diameter D2 (hatched for clarity in FIG. 10). Is small.

  The apparent contact surface E2 is not actually in contact with the entire region because the entire region does not actually contact due to the influence of surface roughness or the like, but the surface that actually contacts within the apparent contact surface E2. (True contact surface) is responsible for electrical energization. Here, the current is more likely to flow when the true contact surface is located on the outer peripheral portion of the apparent contact surface diameter D2, but in the conventional example, the true contact surface has no regularity in the apparent contact surface E2 (randomly). )it can. As described above, in the conventional structure, the apparent contact surface diameter D2 is small, and since the true contact surface is not regular (randomly) in the apparent contact surface E2, there is a problem that the contact resistance is large. there were.

  Here, in order to reduce the contact resistance by increasing the apparent contact surface diameter, it is possible to increase the bending return force (contact load) of the elastic bending portion or increase the size of the contact portion (indent portion 54). Though conceivable, the terminals 51 and 60 become larger or complicated.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a contact connection structure capable of reducing contact resistance without increasing the size of a terminal or making it as complex as possible.

The present invention is provided in a first terminal, provided in a first contact portion in which three or more first indent portions project on the same circumference, and a second terminal connected to the first terminal, And a second contact portion projecting from one second indent portion. In the terminal insertion process, the first indent portion of the first contact portion slides on the second contact portion and the second contact portion. The second indent portion of the contact portion slides on the first contact portion, and at the terminal insertion completion position, the second indent portion enters a position surrounded by three or more first indent portions, and the The contact connection structure is characterized in that the outer peripheral surface of the first indent portion is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of each of the second indent portions.

  Each said 1st indent part contains what is arrange | positioned in the position shifted | deviated from the sliding locus | trajectory of the said 2nd indent part.

  According to the present invention, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are contacted at three or more contact points located on the same circumference, and the diameter on the circumference where the three or more contact points are arranged is set. Since it can be regarded as an apparent contact surface diameter, the apparent contact surface diameter is larger than that of the prior art, and a true contact surface is formed at the outer peripheral portion of the apparent contact surface diameter. Since the current flowing through the contact portion does not flow on the average with respect to the apparent contact surface diameter but easily flows to the outer peripheral portion of the contact surface diameter, the current flows efficiently. As described above, the contact resistance can be reduced without increasing the size of the terminal or making it as complex as possible.

It is sectional drawing of the female terminal and male terminal which show one Embodiment of this invention before a terminal connection. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view of a female terminal and a male terminal in a terminal connection state, (b) is a side view of an essential part of a contact connection point, and (c) is a diagram showing an apparent contact surface diameter. It is. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a side view of an essential part of a contact portion of a female terminal, and (b) is a view as seen from an arrow A in (a). 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a side view of an essential part of a contact portion of a male terminal, and (b) is a view as seen from the direction B of (a). It is a sectional view of a female terminal and a male terminal before showing a conventional example and connecting a terminal. It is a sectional view of a female terminal and a male terminal in a terminal connected state, showing a conventional example. A prior art example is shown, (a) is a principal part side view of the contact part of a female terminal, (b) is C arrow directional view of (a). A prior art example is shown, (a) is a principal part side view of the contact part of a male terminal, (b) is a principal part top view of the contact part of a male terminal. It is a principal part side view of a contact connection part which shows a prior art example. It is a figure which shows the apparent contact surface diameter of a prior art example.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. The contact connection structure according to the present invention is applied between the female terminal as the first terminal and the male terminal as the second terminal. This will be described below.

  The female terminal 1 is disposed in a terminal accommodating chamber in a female connector housing (not shown). The female terminal 1 is formed by bending a conductive metal (for example, copper alloy) punched into a predetermined shape. A tin-plated layer (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the female terminal 1 from the viewpoint of improving connection reliability in a high-temperature environment and improving corrosion resistance in a corrosive environment. The female terminal 1 includes a rectangular box part 2 having an opening in the front where the male terminal 10 is inserted, and an elastic bending part 3 that extends from the upper surface part of the box part 2 and is disposed in the box part 2. Have. The elastic bending portion 3 is provided with three first indent portions 4 that protrude toward the bottom surface side.

  The three first indent portions 4 are arranged on the same circumference (G1) at equal intervals (see FIGS. 3B and 3C). Two first indent portions 4 are arranged at the upstream position in the terminal insertion direction M (shown in FIG. 2B) and one at the downstream position. The two first indent portions 4 on the upstream side are arranged at symmetrical positions of the sliding locus T of the second indent portion 12. The first indent portion 4 on the downstream side is downstream from the insertion completion position of the second indent portion 12, but is disposed on an extension of the sliding locus T of the second indent portion 12. In this way, the three first indent portions 4 are arranged at positions displaced from the sliding locus T (shown in FIG. 2C) of the second indent portion 12. That is, the 1st indent part 4 is arrange | positioned in the position which can be slid without climbing on the 2nd indent part 12 in a terminal insertion process and a terminal detachment process. Each first indent portion 4 has a substantially spherical outer peripheral surface, and the center vertex is located at the lowest position. The first indent portion 4 can be shifted upward by the bending deformation of the bending deformation portion 3. In the female terminal 1, the elastic deflection portion 3 and the bottom surface portion 2 a of the box portion 2 form a first contact portion.

  The male terminal 10 is disposed in a terminal accommodating chamber in a male connector housing (not shown). The male terminal 10 is formed by bending a conductive metal (for example, copper alloy) punched into a predetermined shape. A tin-plated layer (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the male terminal 10 from the viewpoint of improving connection reliability in a high temperature environment and improving corrosion resistance in a corrosive environment. The male terminal 10 has a flat tab portion 11. On the upper surface of the tab portion 11, one second indent portion 12 that protrudes upward is provided. The 2nd indent part 12 is arrange | positioned in the insertion completion position (position of Fig.2 (a)) with the female terminal 1, and the position penetrated into the position enclosed by the three 1st indent parts 4 (FIG.2). (See (b)). The outer diameter of the second indent portion 12 is larger than the diameter of the circumference G2 (see FIG. 3B) with which the inner edge ends of the three first indent portions 4 are in contact, and the insertion completion position with the female terminal 1 ( 2 (a)), the size is set such that the outer peripheral surface of the second indent portion 12 contacts the outer peripheral surface of each first indent portion 4, respectively. As for the male terminal 10, the tab part 11 forms the 2nd contact part.

  In the above configuration, when the female connector housing (not shown) and the male connector housing (not shown) are mated, the tab portion 11 of the male terminal 10 is connected to the box portion 2 of the female terminal 1 in the mating process. Inserted. Then, first, the tip of the tab portion 11 comes into contact with the elastic bending portion 3, and when the insertion further proceeds from this contact portion, the elastic bending portion 3 is bent and deformed, and insertion of the tab portion 11 is allowed. In the insertion process (terminal insertion process) of the tab part 11, each first indent part 4 of the elastic bending part 3 slides on the contact surface of the tab part 11. Further, the second indent portion 12 of the tab portion 11 slides on the contact surface of the elastic bending portion 3. At the insertion completion position (connector mating completion position), as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the three first indent portions 4 and the one second indent portion 12 are the bending return force of the elastic bending portion 3. As a contact load. Specifically, the outer peripheral surface of each first indent portion 4 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second indent portion 12, and a true contact surface is formed in the contact surface 4a. The contact surface 4a is clarified by hatching in FIG.

  In this contact connection structure, at the insertion completion position, the second indent portion 12 enters the position surrounded by the three first indent portions 4, and the outer peripheral surface of each first indent portion 4 is the outer periphery of the second indent portion 12. Each surface touches. Therefore, since the diameter on the circumference passing through the three contact points 4a can be regarded as the apparent contact surface diameter D1 (shown in FIG. 2 (c)), the apparent contact surface diameter D1 is larger than the conventional one, In addition, a true contact surface is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the apparent contact surface diameter D1. Since the current flowing through the contact portion does not flow on the average with respect to the apparent contact surface diameter D1, but easily flows to the outer peripheral portion of the contact surface diameter D1, the current flows efficiently. As described above, the contact resistance can be reduced without increasing the size of the female terminal 1 and the male terminal 10 or complicating them as much as possible.

  Next, it will be described that the contact resistance is reduced by Holm's contact theory. According to Holm's theoretical contact formula, contact resistance R is: D: apparent contact surface diameter (diameter), ρ: resistivity of contact material, a: radius of true contact surface (spot), n: true contact surface If it is a number, it is calculated by R = (ρ / D) + (ρ / 2na). In the present invention, since the apparent contact surface diameter D is larger than in the prior art, the contact resistance is reduced.

  Each first indent portion 4 is disposed at a position shifted from the sliding locus T of the second indent portion 12. Therefore, since the first indent portion 4 is slid without climbing over the second indent portion 12 as much as possible in the terminal insertion process and the terminal removal process, it is possible to prevent the terminal insertion force and the terminal removal force from increasing as much as possible. .

  In this embodiment, there are three first indent portions 4, and the first indent portions 4 are arranged at symmetrical positions of the sliding locus T of the second indent portion 12. Therefore, so-called oblique fitting (per piece) between the female terminal 1 and the male terminal 10 can be prevented as much as possible.

  In this embodiment, there are three first indents 4, but four or more may be provided on the same circumference. Also in this case, the first indent portion 4 is arranged at a symmetrical position of the sliding locus T of the second indent portion 12. If it arrange | positions in this way, what is called diagonal fitting (per piece) between the female terminal 1 and the male terminal 10 can be prevented as much as possible. Further, if the number of first indent portions 4 is increased, the number of contact surfaces 4a can be increased.

  In this embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of each first indent portion 4 has a spherical shape, but the shape of the outer peripheral surface of each indent portion 4 is gradually increased by a smooth curved surface with the apex at the highest position toward the outer periphery. It may be a curved surface shape that becomes lower, an elliptical spherical surface, a conical surface, or a pyramidal surface.

1 Female terminal (1st terminal)
2a Bottom part (first contact part)
3 Elastic flexure (first contact)
4 1st indent part 10 Male terminal (2nd terminal)
11 Tab part (second contact part)
12 Second indent section

Claims (2)

Provided in the first terminal, a first contact portion in which the first indents of three or more projecting on the same circumference,
A second contact point provided on a second terminal connected to the first terminal, and having a second contact part projecting one second indent part ;
The pin insertion process, the second indent portion of the second contact portion with the first indent portion of the first contact portion slides on the second contact portion slides said first contact portion,
The pin insertion completion position, the second indent portion enters into position surrounded by three or more of the first indent portion, and, on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral surface of the first indent portion each second indents Contact connection structure characterized by contact with each other. The contact connection structure according to claim 1,
Each of the first indent portions is disposed at a position shifted from a sliding locus of the second indent portion.

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