Electrical connectors – Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient... – Spring actuated or resilient securing part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-15
2001-09-11
Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...
Spring actuated or resilient securing part
C439S877000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287157
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a connector component and an electrical terminal, particularly for use in a wiring system of a vehicle, such as an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,542 and JP-A-8-306420 disclose examples of known terminals for electrical wires.
FIG. 7
of the present drawings shows a typical conventional terminal
100
before it is installed in a connector housing
104
. A resilient sealing member
106
is installed on the connector housing
104
. The terminal
100
is pressed through a terminal insertion opening
101
formed through the resilient sealing member
106
.
The terminal
100
is formed by cutting and bending an electrically conductive plate material, e.g. by press-working. A connection portion
102
that in use is connected with a tab of a mating male-side terminal (not shown) is provided at a front half portion of the terminal
100
. An electrical wire connection portion
103
that is connected with an electrical wire W is formed rearward from the connection portion
102
.
The diameter of the opening
101
is smaller than the outer diameter of the connection portion
102
. Thus, when an operation of pressing the terminal
100
into the opening
101
is performed, the periphery of the opening
101
is elastically expanded. To prevent a sharp (e.g. unfinished) surface or jagged edge formed in the press-working from damaging the periphery of the terminal insertion opening
101
, the front edge
107
of the connection portion
102
is folded inward, as shown in FIG.
8
. That is, in the conventional terminal
100
, the front surface of the terminal fixture
100
is so formed as to prevent the sharp surface from damaging the resilient sealing member
106
.
However, when the operation of pressing the terminal
100
into the opening
101
is performed, a side-wall edge
105
extending from the rear end of the connection portion
102
to the front end of the electrical wire connection portion
103
contacts the periphery of the opening
101
. When an operation of removing the terminal
100
from the opening
101
is performed, a rear edge
102
A of the connection portion
102
as well as the side wall edge
105
contacts the periphery of the opening
101
. That is, in the conventional terminal
100
, countermeasures of preventing the sharp surface at the rear portion of the connection portion
102
from damaging the periphery of the opening
101
at the rear portion of the connection portion
102
are not sufficient. Thus, when pressing the terminal
100
into the opening
101
is performed or when removing the terminal
100
therefrom is performed, the resilient sealing member
106
may be damaged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved connector assembly in which there is a lesser risk that a terminal damages a resilient sealing member on insertion of the terminal into and removal of the terminal from an opening in the resilient sealing member.
Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides a connector assembly including a connector housing, a resilient sealing member installed on the housing, and a terminal. The resilient sealing member has an opening for inserting the terminal, in use, into the connector housing in an insertion direction. The terminal is formed by cutting and bending an electrically conductive plate material and has a matable connection portion with a front end and a rear end. The matable connection portion, in use, is connectable to a complementary terminal of another connector component. The terminal also includes an electrical wire connection portion. The electrical wire connection portion has a front end and a rear end. In use, the electrical wire connection portion is connectable to an electrical wire. The rear end of the matable connection portion is joined to the front end of the electrical wire connection portion. In a view perpendicular to the insertion direction, a top surface of the rear end of the matable connection portion and a top surface of the front end of the electrical wire connection portion are at different heights relative to a bottom surface of the terminal. The terminal also has a guard member, which is arranged to guide, during insertion of the terminal into and withdrawal of the terminal from the opening, the periphery of the opening between the top surface of the rear end of the matable connection portion and the top surface of the front end of the electrical wire connection portion.
Preferably, the guard member has a top surface inclined with respect to the top surface of the rear end of the matable connection portion and the top surface of said front end of the electrical wire connection portion. The guard member thereby provides a sloping surface between the top surface of the rear end of the matable connection portion and the top surface of the front end of the electrical wire connection portion.
The terminal may be formed as a single piece of the electrically conductive plate material.
Preferably, the guard member may include a pair of lateral upward projections adjacent the front end of the electrical wire connection portion.
Alternatively, the guard member may include a projection joined to the rear end of the matable connection portion.
In use, the terminal is attached to an electrical wire. The electrical wire has an exposed core at the electrical wire connection portion. Preferably, the guard member is higher, with respect to a base of the terminal, than the tip of the core of the electrical wire. On insertion of the terminal into and withdrawal of the terminal from the opening, contact between the periphery of the opening and the tip of the core of the electrical wire is restricted.
A second aspect of the present invention provides an electrical terminal that is securable to an electrical wire. The terminal has a base, a first portion in the form of a matable connection portion standing up from the base and adapted to connect to another terminal, and a second portion in the form of an electrical wire connection portion upstanding from the base and secured to the electrical wire by crimping of material of the terminal. The height of the matable connection portion above the base is greater than that of the electrical wire connection portion, and the terminal further has a guard member upstanding from the base between the first and second portions.
The guard member provides an upward facing portion which forms a transition slope sloping downwardly in the direction from the first portion to the second portion over at least part of the extent of the height difference between the first and second portions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5067916 (1991-11-01), Denlinger et al.
patent: 5478263 (1995-12-01), Kato
patent: 5487686 (1996-01-01), Sawada
patent: 5516311 (1996-05-01), Maejima
patent: 5545062 (1996-08-01), Takagishi et al.
patent: 5775960 (1998-07-01), Saito et al.
patent: 5788542 (1998-08-01), Miwa
patent: 5904600 (1999-05-01), Tamita et al.
patent: 5989078 (1999-11-01), Chailot et al.
patent: 198 01 539 A 1 (1998-07-01), None
patent: 0 923 159 A2 (1998-08-01), None
patent: 8-306420 (1996-11-01), None
Fukatsu Yukihiro
Suzuki Izumi
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Patel Tulsidas
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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