Electrical connectors – Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient... – Spring actuated or resilient securing part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-04
2001-09-18
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...
Spring actuated or resilient securing part
C439S852000, C439S845000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290553
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a female terminal used in the wiring in an automobile or the like. The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 11-130168, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 2
, a female terminal
20
, used in the wiring in an automobile or the like, is adapted to be connected to a strip-like male terminal, and includes a body
21
of a square tubular shape for receiving the male terminal therein, a contact piece
22
received within the body
21
, and clamping portions
23
and
24
connected to the body
21
.
The body
21
has a pair of opposed walls
25
and
25
through which windows
26
and
26
are formed, respectively (see FIG.
2
C).
The contact piece
22
has a generally curved strip-shape, and a pair of projections
27
and
27
are formed on and extend respectively from opposite side (lateral) edges of the contact piece
22
away from each other. The two projections
27
and
27
of the contact piece
22
are engaged respectively in the windows
26
and
26
, with a convexly-arcuate surface
28
facing an inner surface
29
of the body
21
, so that opposite end portions of the contact piece
22
, spaced from each other in a direction of curvature thereof, are held in contact with an inner surface
30
of the body
21
.
When the male terminal is inserted between the inner surface
29
of the body
21
and the arcuate surface
28
of the contact piece
22
, the female terminal
20
holds the male terminal in a direction of a thickness of the male terminal, and therefore is connected to the male terminal.
In the female terminal
20
, the contact piece
22
needs to be mounted within the body
21
, and therefore an inner dimension of the windows
26
is larger than an outer dimension of the projections
27
.
Namely, in the female terminal
20
, the contact piece
22
can shake relative to the body
21
in the direction of insertion of the male terminal, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that the reliability of connection to the male terminal is low.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the above problem in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a female terminal which can hold a male terminal in a direction of a thickness thereof, and can be connected thereto in a stable manner.
To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a female terminal which comprises a body including a hollow electrical contact portion into which a male terminal is insertable, the electrical contact portion including opposite side walls which have windows respectively formed therein, a resilient contact piece disposed in the electrical contact portion, the contact piece including a substantially curved portion and a pair of projections which are respectively extended from opposite side edges of the substantially curved portion, and are respectively engaged in the windows of the electrical contact portion, and a resilient support portion disposed in the electrical contact portion, the support portion abutting against the substantially curved portion of the contact piece to urge the contact piece.
The support portion may be formed, for example, by stamping a relevant portion of the wall of the body facing the concave surface of the contact piece. Accordingly, for example, the support portion may be formed on a bottom wall of the electrical contact portion in a cantilevered manner. In this case, the contact piece is effectively urged upwardly by the support portion. Further, it is preferable that a projecting portion is formed on a upper wall of the electrical contact portion to oppose to one of the concave portion and the convex portion. In this case, the male terminal, inserted in the electrical contact portion, is effectively held between the projecting portion and the contact piece.
Preferably, the female terminal may further comprise a concave portion, and a convex portion engaged in the concave portion, as a engagement mechanism. In this case, the contact piece includes one of the concave portion and the convex portion, and the support portion includes the other one of the concave portion and the convex portion. However, the shape, size, number and so on of the concave and convex portions are suitably selected.
In the female terminal of the above construction, the support portion is resiliently held against the concave surface of the contact piece. Therefore, even if respective inner dimensions of the windows are larger than respective outer dimensions of the projections, the projections are kept pressed respectively against predetermined portions of inner (peripheral) edges of the windows.
In the female terminal, since the support portion can be held against the contact piece through the engagement mechanism, the movement of the contact piece relative to the body is prevented, and therefore the reliability of connection of the female terminal to the male terminal can be enhanced as compared with the above-related construction.
Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the engagement mechanism includes a convex semispherical surface, formed on one of the contact piece and the support portion, and a concave semispherical surface formed in the other one of the contact piece and the support portion. Accordingly, the contact piece and the support portion are held in contact with each other through the convex semi-spherical surface and the concave semi-spherical surface. Therefore, even if an error develops in the radius of curvature of the convex semi-spherical surface and the concave semispherical surface, the concave-convex engagement can be maintained.
In the meantime, in the above-related female terminal, the respective inner dimensions of the windows are different from the respective outer dimensions of the projections as described above, and therefore when the male terminal is inserted, the contact piece can be moved relative to the body by an amount corresponding to the difference of the dimensions. In other words, an inserting resistance, obtained when inserting the male terminal into the above-related female terminal, is not constant, and therefore there has been a possibility that a connection error occurs.
On the other hand, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the radius of curvature of the concave semi-spherical surface is smaller than the radius of curvature of the convex semi-spherical surface, and therefore the concave semi-spherical surface is held in circular line contact with the convex semi-spherical surface. Therefore, the contact piece can not be moved relative to the body, and therefore when inserting the male terminal, a stable inserting resistance can be obtained.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5690517 (1997-11-01), Betsui
patent: 6062918 (2000-05-01), Myer et al.
patent: 10-189102 (1998-07-01), None
patent: 98/29924 (1998-07-01), None
Sato Naotoshi
Yamada Satoshi
Yamamoto Masaya
Bradley Paula
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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