Electrical contact

Details Electrical contact Electrical contact

2001-03-21

2002-05-14

Patel, Trisida C (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...

Spring actuated or resilient securing part

C439S856000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06386928

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical contact which is used to prevent microrubbing wear.
BACKGROUND
Electrical connectors used in automobiles may be subjected to vibration depending on the use of the connector. When such electrical connectors vibrate, microrubbing occurs between the electrical contacts and their respective mating contacts. As a result of this microrubbing, wear occurs between the contacts, causing the electrical resistance at the connection to increase.
For example, a known receptacle terminal
100
is shown in FIG.
5
and disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. HEI 7-296886. This receptacle consists of an inner body
110
, and an outer body
130
. The inner body
110
is equipped with a contact member
111
which has an elastic contact section
112
that contacts the mating contact (not shown in the figures), a wire receiving section
113
, and a spring
116
which is formed between the contact member
111
and the wire receiving section
113
. The wire receiving section
113
consists of a wire barrel
114
and an insulation barrel
115
. A projection
125
is formed so that it protrudes from the bottom wall
117
of the inner body
110
at a point located further toward the wire receiving section
113
than the spring
116
. This projection
125
engages with an opening (not shown in the figures) formed in the bottom wall of the outer body
130
to fasten the inner body
110
and outer body
130
together. The spring
116
is constructed from a plurality of elastic girders
123
separated by a plurality of slots
119
,
120
,
121
and
122
which extend through the bottom wall
117
and side walls
118
, so that the spring
116
has elasticity in the axial direction. The respective elastic girders
123
are connected by bridge parts
124
that are deformable in the plane of the side walls
118
.
This receptacle terminal
100
is inserted into a connector housing (not shown in the figures), and is anchored to this connector housing by lances
131
formed on the side walls of the outer body
130
. In this case, as a result of the presence of the spring
116
, the contact member
111
of the inner body
110
can be freely and independently moved in the axial direction. In cases where the connector is subjected to vibration, the outer body
130
and the portion of the inner body
110
that is located further toward the wire receiving section
113
than the spring
116
vibrate. However, since this vibration is absorbed by the spring
116
, the contact member
111
does not vibrate, so that microrubbing with the mating contact is prevented.
Another example of a known contact is shown in FIG.
6
and disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. HEI 10-189102. This electrical contact
200
consists of a receptacle
210
that accommodates a mating contact (not shown in the figures), and a wire receiving section
220
to which an electrical wire is connected. The receptacle
210
is equipped with a top wall
212
which extends from the upper end of one side wall (not shown in the figures) toward the other side wall
211
, a connecting part
213
which extends from this second side wall
211
toward the first side wall, and a contact member
214
which extends from the end of the connecting part
213
and contacts the mating contact. Here, the width of the connecting part
213
is set so that it is considerably narrower than the width of the side wall
211
. The connecting part
213
is thus constructed so that it has elasticity in the axial direction.
This electrical contact
200
is inserted into a connector housing (not shown in the figures), and a lance formed on the housing engages with an opening in the bottom wall of the receptacle
210
, so that the electrical contact
200
is anchored to the connector housing. As a result of the presence of the connecting part
213
which possesses elasticity, the contact member
214
can move freely and independently in the axial direction inside the receptacle
210
. In cases where the connector is subjected to vibration, the outside portion of the receptacle
210
vibrates. However, since this vibration is absorbed by the connecting part
213
, the contact member
214
does not vibrate, so that microrubbing wear with the mating contact is prevented.
Yet another known electrical contact is shown in FIG.
7
and disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. HEI 10-149855. This electrical contact
300
consists of two bodies, an internal body
310
and an external body
320
. The internal body
310
has a contact member
311
that contacts the mating contact (not shown in the figures), and a lead part
312
that extends rearward from the rear end portion of the contact member
311
. Furthermore, the external body
320
is equipped with an enveloping body
321
that supports the contact member
311
of the internal body
310
so that play is possible in the axial direction, and a wire receiving section
322
which positions the lead part
312
of the internal body
310
on the inside, and to which an electrical wire (not shown in the figures) is connected.
This electrical contact
300
is inserted into a connector housing (not shown in the figures), and a lance formed on the housing engages with an opening in the bottom wall of the enveloping body
321
, so that the electrical contact
300
is anchored to the connector housing. The contact member
311
can move freely and independently in the axial direction inside the enveloping body
321
, and the lead part
312
possesses flexibility so that it can flex in the axial direction. In cases where the connector is subjected to vibration, the enveloping body
321
and wire receiving section
322
vibrate. However, the contact member
311
does not vibrate, so that microrubbing wear with the mating contact is prevented.
The following problems have been encountered in these known electrical contacts. In the case of the receptacle terminal
100
shown in
FIG. 5
, the transmission of vibration to the contact member
111
is reduced as a result of the presence of the spring
116
. However, since this terminal consists of two bodies, the outer body
130
and inner body
110
, there are difficulties in terms of the ease of assembly and manufacture of the contact. Furthermore, since the spring
116
is constructed from a plurality of slender elastic girders
123
, an extremely slender conductive path is formed in the spring
116
, so that this structure is unsuitable for the flow of a relatively large current.
In the case of the electrical contact
200
shown in
FIG. 6
, as in the receptacle terminal
100
shown in
FIG. 5
, the transmission of vibration to the contact member
214
is reduced as a result of the presence of the connecting part
213
which acts as a spring, but a slender conductive path is formed in the connecting part
213
.
Similarly, in the case of the electrical contact
300
shown in
FIG. 7
, as in the receptacle terminal
100
shown in
FIG. 5
, a slender conductive path is formed in the lead part
312
, and since the contact does not consist of a single part, there are difficulties in terms of the ease of assembly and manufacture of the contact.
SUMMARY
The present invention was devised to address these problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical contact which has favorable assembly characteristics and is easily manufacturable, and which can allow the flow of a relatively large current and reduce microrubbing wear without using a spring that reduces the transmission of vibration to the contact member from the outside.
The electrical contact has a contact member that contacts the mating contact. The contact member has a first resilient contact arm which extends rearward from the lower top wall, a connecting section which is bent downward at the rear end of the first resilient contact arm, and a second resilient contact arm which extends forward from the connecting section. In cases where the mating contact tends to be pushed further inward after the insertion of the mating conta

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