JP7002931B2 - Connector terminal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector terminal used by inserting it into a connector.

A connector terminal composed of terminal fittings is inserted into a connector such as a card edge connector (see Patent Document 1). Such a connector terminal is provided with a terminal contact exposed to the outside of the terminal fitting as a terminal contact that comes into contact with a circuit board or the like.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-203716

By the way, when handling the connector terminal in the assembling work or the like, since the terminal contact is exposed to the outside, there is a possibility that the terminal contact may be deformed or damaged. Since the deformation of the terminal contacts in this way is a factor that causes a connection failure of the connector, it is required to protect the terminal contacts of the connector terminals.

An object of the present invention is to protect the terminal contacts of the connector terminals.

The connector terminal of the present invention is a connector terminal that is used by being inserted into a connector and is provided with a terminal fitting, and is provided at a tip portion provided at one end of the terminal fitting and an electric wire provided at the other end of the terminal fitting. A contact portion provided on the terminal fitting located between the tip portion and the wire connection portion to be connected, and a contact portion having a terminal contact exposed to the outside of the terminal fitting, and the contact portion. It has a projecting portion provided on the terminal fitting located between the wire connecting portion and having a projecting piece projecting to the outside of the terminal fitting, and the terminal contact has the tip portion and the projecting piece. It is located inside the virtual plane in contact with and, and the height dimension of the tip portion is lower than the height dimension of the contact portion.
The connector terminal of the present invention is a connector terminal that is used by being inserted into a connector and is provided with a terminal fitting, and is provided at a tip portion provided at one end of the terminal fitting and an electric wire provided at the other end of the terminal fitting. A contact portion provided on the terminal fitting located between the tip portion and the wire connection portion to be connected, and a contact portion having a terminal contact exposed to the outside of the terminal fitting, and the contact portion. It has a projecting portion provided on the terminal fitting located between the wire connecting portion and having a projecting piece projecting to the outside of the terminal fitting, and the terminal contact has the tip portion and the projecting piece. The projecting piece is located inside the virtual plane in contact with the connector, and when inserted into the connector, the projecting piece is bent in contact with the connector and stored inward from the projecting position projecting outward of the terminal fitting. Move to the storage position.

According to the present invention, the terminal contact is located inside the virtual plane in contact with the tip and the protruding piece. This makes it possible to protect the terminal contacts of the connector terminals.

(A) and (b) are perspective views showing a connector in which a connector terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is used, and a controller connected to the connector. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the connector along the line AA of FIG. 1 (a). It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the connector along the line BB of FIG. 1 (b). It is a perspective view which shows an example of a connector terminal. It is a side view which shows an example of a connector terminal. It is a side view which shows the connector terminal together with a virtual plane. It is explanatory drawing which shows the connector terminal placed on the workbench. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the shipping state of a connector terminal. (A) and (b) are explanatory views showing the process of inserting a connector terminal into an inner housing. (A) and (b) are explanatory views showing the process of inserting a connector terminal into an inner housing.

[Connector structure]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 (a) and 1 (b) are perspective views showing a connector 10 in which a connector terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is used, and a controller 11 connected to the connector 10. FIG. 1A shows the separated state of the connector 10 and the controller 11, and FIG. 1B shows the connected state of the connector 10 and the controller 11.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the illustrated connector 10 is a so-called card edge connector, and a controller 11 or the like provided with a circuit board (board) 12 is inserted into the connector 10. A plurality of electric wires 13 are connected to the connector 10, and these electric wires 13 are connected to other controllers, sensors, and the like (not shown). The controller 11 shown in the figure is a controller in which a circuit board 12 on which electronic components are mounted is sealed with a resin, and is called a transfer mold control unit.

The circuit board 12 of the controller 11 has a structure in which a part thereof is exposed to the outside from the mold resin portion 14. Further, on both sides of the circuit board 12 exposed from the mold resin portion 14, board contacts 15 that come into contact with the connector terminals 28 and 29, which will be described later, are formed. As shown by the arrow α in FIG. 1A, the circuit board 12 and the electric wire 13 can be electrically connected by inserting the controller 11 into the opening 16 of the connector 10, and the controller 11 can be connected to another controller 11. It can be connected to a controller, sensor, etc.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the connector 10 along the line AA of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of the connector 10 along the line BB of FIG. 1B. It is sectional drawing which shows. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 2, the front-back direction and the up-down direction of the connector 10 are conveniently defined, and the structure of the connector 10 will be described using the front-back direction and the up-down direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front seal holder 21 is housed in the outer housing 20 of the connector 10 so as to be movable back and forth. An annular inner seal 22 is provided inside the front seal holder 21, and the gap between the front seal holder 21 and the controller 11 is sealed by the inner seal 22. Further, an annular outer seal 23 is provided on the outside of the front seal holder 21, and the gap between the outer housing 20 and the front seal holder 21 is sealed by the outer seal 23.

A terminal holding portion 25 for holding the terminal assembly 24 is provided at the rear portion of the outer housing 20. The terminal assembly 24 includes an inner housing 26 and an inner housing 27 facing the inner housing 26. A plurality of connector terminals 28 are assembled to the upper inner housing 26, and a plurality of connector terminals 29 are assembled to the lower inner housing 27. The electric wire 13 connected to the connector terminals 28 and 29 is guided to the outside through the through hole 31 of the rear seal 30 assembled to the terminal holding portion 25. Further, a rear seal holder 32 for holding the rear seal 30 is attached to the terminal holding portion 25.

The front seal holder 21 housed in the outer housing 20 has an inner inclined surface 41 facing the outer inclined surface 40 of the upper inner housing 26 and an inner inclined surface 43 facing the outer inclined surface 42 of the lower inner housing 27. And, it has. In this way, since the inclined surfaces 40 to 43 are formed with respect to the front seal holder 21 and the inner housings 26 and 27, when the front seal holder 21 is pushed backward, the inner housing 26 is formed from the front seal holder 21. Thrust is transmitted to, 27 in a different direction. That is, when the front seal holder 21 is pushed in, the inner housings 26 and 27 approach each other, so that the distance between the vertically opposed connector terminals 28 and 29 is gradually narrowed. As a result, when the controller 11 is inserted into the connector 10, the circuit board 12 and the connector terminals 28 and 29 do not rub excessively, and the circuit board 12 and the connector terminals 28 and 29 can be well connected. can.

In the illustrated example, the inner housings 26 and 27 are separately formed from the viewpoint of gradually narrowing the distance between the connector terminals 28 and 29 arranged above and below when the controller 11 is inserted, and the front seal holder 21 and the front seal holder 21 and the like. Inclined surfaces 40 to 43 are formed on the inner housings 26 and 27, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the two inner housings 26 and 27 may be provided integrally, or the inclined surfaces 40 to 43 may be reduced from the front seal holder 21 and the inner housings 26 and 27.

[Connector terminal structure]
Subsequently, the connector terminals 28 and 29 that are inserted into the connector 10 and used will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the connector terminals 28 and 29, and FIG. 5 is a side view showing an example of the connector terminals 28 and 29. In the following description, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front-back direction and the up-down direction of the connector terminals 28 and 29 are conveniently defined, and the structure of the connector terminals 28 and 29 is defined by using the front-back direction and the up-down direction. explain. The connector terminal 28 and the connector terminal 29 have the same structure.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the connector terminals 28 and 29 are composed of sheet metal-processed terminal fittings 50. The terminal fitting 50 includes a substantially rectangular bottom plate 51, a pair of side plates 52 and 53 that are bent upward from both ends in the width direction of the bottom plate 51, a tip top plate 54 that is horizontally bent from one side plate 52, and one side plate. It has a support top plate 55 that can be bent horizontally from 52. Further, the tip top plate 54 is connected to a contact plate 56 extending rearward, and the contact plate 56 is provided with a terminal contact 57 protruding upward. That is, the terminal fittings 50 of the connector terminals 28 and 29 are provided with terminal contacts 57 exposed to the outside of the terminal fittings 50. Further, a projecting piece 58 extending upward and rearward is connected to the support top plate 55, and the tip of the projecting piece 58 is gently bent. Further, the bottom plate 51 and the side plates 52 and 53 are connected to a wire connecting portion 59 extending rearward. Four restraint pieces 60 are provided in the electric wire connection portion 59, and the electric wire 13 is restrained in the electric wire connection portion 59 by the four restraint pieces 60.

The terminal fitting 50 having such a structure is provided between the tip portion 61 provided at one end in the longitudinal direction, the electric wire connecting portion 59 provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction, and the tip portion 61 and the electric wire connecting portion 59. It is composed of a contact portion 62 to be formed, and a protruding portion 63 provided between the contact portion 62 and the electric wire connecting portion 59. That is, the tip portion 61 of the terminal fitting 50 is composed of a part of the bottom plate 51, a part of the side plates 52 and 53, and the tip top plate 54. The height dimension of the tip portion 61, that is, the distance from the bottom plate 51 to the tip top plate 54 is "Ha". Further, the contact portion 62 of the terminal fitting 50 is composed of a part of the bottom plate 51, a part of the side plates 52 and 53, and the contact plate 56. The height dimension of the contact portion 62, that is, the distance from the bottom plate 51 to the terminal contact 57 of the contact plate 56 is “Hb”.

Further, the protruding portion 63 of the terminal fitting 50 is composed of a part of the bottom plate 51, a part of the side plates 52 and 53, the support top plate 55, and the protruding piece 58. In other words, the projecting portion 63 of the terminal fitting 50 includes a support portion 64 including a part of the bottom plate 51, a part of the side plates 52 and 53, and a support top plate 55, and a projecting piece 58 supported by the support portion 64. , Consists of. As described above, the height dimension of the support portion 64 forming a part of the protrusion portion 63, that is, the distance from the bottom plate 51 to the support top plate 55 is “Hc”. As shown in FIG. 5, the height dimension “Ha” of the tip portion 61 is designed to be lower than the height dimension “Hb” of the contact portion 62. Further, the height dimension "Hb" of the contact portion 62 is designed to be lower than the height dimension "Hc" of the support portion 64.

[Terminal contact protection]
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the connector terminals 28 and 29 together with the virtual plane X. Further, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the connector terminals 28 and 29 placed on the workbench 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal contact 57 of the connector terminals 28 and 29 is located inside the virtual plane X in contact with the tip portion 61 and the projecting piece 58. That is, the terminal contact 57 is located inside the terminal fitting 50 with respect to the virtual plane X, that is, on the bottom plate 51 side with respect to the virtual plane X. By arranging the terminal contact 57 inside the virtual plane X in this way, the terminal contact 57 can be protected in the assembling work of the connector terminals 28 and 29 and the like. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, even when the connector terminals 28, 29 are placed on the workbench 100 or the like with the terminal contacts 57 facing downward, one end of the connector terminals 28, 29 is provided by the protruding piece 58. Can be floated, so that contact between the terminal contact 57 and the workbench 100 can be avoided, and the terminal contact 57 exposed to the outside can be protected from deformation or damage. By protecting the terminal contacts 57 of the connector terminals 28 and 29 in this way, the terminal contacts 57 can function normally. Therefore, when connecting the controller 11 or the like to the connector 10, the connector terminals 28 , 29 The terminal contact 57 and the board contact 15 of the circuit board 12 can be satisfactorily connected.

Further, not only the terminal contact 57 is protected in the assembly work of the connector terminals 28 and 29, but also the terminal contact 57 is protected, for example, during transportation and storage of the manufactured connector terminals 28 and 29. Is possible. Here, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the shipping state of the connector terminals 28 and 29. As shown in FIG. 8, when the manufactured connector terminals 28 and 29 are shipped, they are shipped as a state in which a large number of connector terminals 28 and 29 are connected to the strip-shaped member 70, that is, as a connector terminal group 71. Often. Further, since the connector terminal group 71 is a long product in which a large number of connector terminals 28 and 29 are connected, it is generally transported or stored in a wound state. In this way, even when the connector terminal group 71 is wound, that is, when the connector terminals 28 and 29 overlap in the radial direction of the wound connector terminal group 71, the terminal contact 57 is provided by providing the protruding piece 58. Contact with other connector terminals 28 and 29 can be suppressed, and the terminal contact 57 can be protected.

[Assembling work of connector terminals]
Subsequently, the work of assembling the connector terminals 28 and 29 to the connector 10 will be described. 9 and 10 are explanatory views showing a process of inserting the connector terminals 28 and 29 into the inner housings 26 and 27. In the following description, the assembly work of the connector terminal 29 provided on the lower side will be described, but the procedure for assembling the connector terminal 28 provided on the upper side is the same as that of the connector terminal 29. The explanation is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when the connector terminal 29 is assembled to the inner housing 27, the connector terminal 29 is inserted into the insertion port 72 of the inner housing 27 in the direction of arrow a1. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the connector terminal 29 is inserted in the direction of arrow a1 and the protruding piece 58 comes into contact with the end face of the inner housing 27, the protruding piece 58 is pushed by the inner housing 27 and the arrow b1. Can be bent in the direction. As a result, the protruding piece 58 of the connector terminal 29 moves from the protruding position shown by the solid line to the storage position shown by the broken line. That is, the protruding piece 58 of the connector terminal 29 moves from the protruding position protruding to the outside of the terminal fitting 50 to the storage position stored inside the terminal fitting 50. Next, as shown in FIG. 10A, the connector terminal 29 is further inserted in the direction of arrow a1 while the protruding piece 58 is stored in the storage position. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the connector terminal 29 is inserted until it hits the wall portion 73 of the inner housing 27, the protrusion 74 and the lock claw 75 of the inner housing 27 engage with the connector terminal 29. , The connector terminal 29 is positioned and fixed to the inner housing 27.

As described above, when the connector terminals 28 and 29 are inserted into the inner housings 26 and 27, the protruding piece 58 is bent in contact with the inner housings 26 and 27 constituting the connector 10 and is bent to the outside of the terminal fitting 50. It moves from the protruding position to the storage position stored inside the terminal fitting 50. As described above, the projecting piece 58 projecting to the outside of the terminal fitting 50 has a structure that is bent toward the storage position at the time of insertion so as not to interfere with the assembly work of the connector terminals 28 and 29.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the weights of the connector terminals 28 and 29 act on the projecting piece 58, the projecting piece 58 maintains the projecting position without being significantly deformed, while being shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. As described above, when the connector terminals 28 and 29 are inserted into the inner housings 26 and 27, the rigidity of the projecting pieces 58 at the connector terminals 28 and 29 is increased so that the projecting pieces 58 are greatly deformed and moved to the storage position. It is set.

As described above, the connector terminals 28 and 29 are provided with a projecting piece 58 projecting to the outside of the terminal fitting 50. The terminal contact 57 of the connector terminals 28 and 29 is located inside the virtual plane X where the tip portion 61 and the projecting piece 58 are in contact with each other. As a result, in the assembly work of the connector terminals 28 and 29 and the like, the terminal contact 57 exposed to the outside can be protected from deformation and the like, and the terminal contact 57 can function normally.

As shown in FIG. 5, the height dimension "Hb" of the contact portion 62 is designed to be higher than the height dimension "Ha" of the tip portion 61. As a result, as shown in the enlarged portion of FIG. 3, when the controller 11 is inserted into and connected to the connector 10, the circuit board 12 of the controller 11 does not come into contact with the tips 61 of the connector terminals 28 and 29. It will come into contact with the portion 62. As a result, the contact pressure between the circuit board 12 and the contact portion 62 can be appropriately secured, and the circuit board 12 and the contact portion 62 can be satisfactorily connected.

As shown in FIG. 5, the height dimension “Hb” of the contact portion 62 is designed to be lower than the height dimension “Hc” of the support portion 64. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10A, when the connector terminals 28 and 29 are inserted into the inner housings 26 and 27, the connector terminals are not applied to the inner housings 26 and 27 by the terminal contacts 57. 28, 29 can be inserted. As a result, the terminal contact 57 can be protected from deformation and the like, and the terminal contact 57 can function normally.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. In the above description, the present invention is applied to the connector terminals 28 and 29 used for the card edge connector 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the terminal contact 57 exposed to the outside of the terminal fitting 50 is provided. The present invention may be applied to a connector terminal used for any connector as long as it is provided. Further, in the above description, the terminal metal fitting 50 is processed by sheet metal processing, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the terminal metal fitting 50 may be processed by another processing method.

10 connector (card edge connector)
12 Circuit board (board)
13 Wire 28 Connector terminal 29 Connector terminal 50 Terminal bracket 57 Terminal contact 58 Protruding piece 59 Wire connection part 61 Tip part 62 Contact part 63 Protruding part 64 Support part X Virtual plane

Claims (5)

It is a connector terminal that is used by inserting it into a connector and has a terminal fitting.
The tip provided at one end of the terminal fitting and
An electric wire connection portion provided at the other end of the terminal fitting and to which an electric wire is connected,
A contact portion that is located between the tip portion and the electric wire connection portion and is provided on the terminal fitting and has a terminal contact exposed to the outside of the terminal fitting.
A protruding portion provided on the terminal fitting located between the contact portion and the electric wire connecting portion and having a protruding piece protruding to the outside of the terminal fitting.
Have,
The terminal contact is located inside the virtual plane in contact with the tip and the protrusion.
The height dimension of the tip portion is lower than the height dimension of the contact portion.
Connector terminal. It is a connector terminal that is used by inserting it into a connector and has a terminal fitting.
The tip provided at one end of the terminal fitting and
An electric wire connection portion provided at the other end of the terminal fitting and to which an electric wire is connected,
A contact portion that is located between the tip portion and the electric wire connection portion and is provided on the terminal fitting and has a terminal contact exposed to the outside of the terminal fitting.
A protruding portion provided on the terminal fitting located between the contact portion and the electric wire connecting portion and having a protruding piece protruding to the outside of the terminal fitting.
Have,
The terminal contact is located inside the virtual plane in contact with the tip and the protrusion.
When inserted into the connector, the projecting piece is bent in contact with the connector and moves from a projecting position protruding outward of the terminal fitting to a storage position stored inward.
Connector terminal. In the connector terminal according to claim 1 ,
When inserted into the connector, the projecting piece is bent in contact with the connector and moves from a projecting position protruding outward of the terminal fitting to a storage position stored inward.
Connector terminal. In the connector terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .
The protrusion comprises a support for supporting the protrusion.
The height dimension of the contact portion is lower than the height dimension of the support portion.
Connector terminal. In the connector terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The connector is a card edge connector into which a substrate is inserted.
Connector terminal.

Images