Electrical connectors – Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient... – Spring actuated or resilient securing part
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-09
2001-07-03
Gellner, Michael L. (Department: 2832)
Electrical connectors
Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...
Spring actuated or resilient securing part
C439S846000, C439S851000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254439
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a female type terminal for a large current, an assembling method of the female type terminal, and a connector housing for the female type terminal and, more particularly to a female type terminal having a spring contact, which is put into contact with a male type terminal in a terminal body, and used for charging a battery of an electric vehicle or for connecting the battery to another apparatus, an assembling method of the female type terminal, and a connector housing to accommodate the female type terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional female type terminal for a large current, a female type terminal shown in
FIG. 8A
exists, for example.
FIG. 8A
shows the female type terminal applied to an electric vehicle.
In
FIG. 8A
, a reference numeral
100
indicates the conventional female type terminal which has a cylindrical spring contact
120
which is put into contact with a rod-like male type terminal
200
(
FIG. 8B
) to be inserted in a cylindrical terminal body
110
.
The terminal body
110
is formed by boring a good conductive metal, such as aluminum, and an introductory opening
111
with substantially the same diameter as the male type terminal
200
opens at the end thereof. The introductory opening
111
is tapered so as to easily insert the male type terminal
200
into the terminal body
110
.
A space to receive the male type terminal
200
continues from the introductory opening
111
, and an accommodating portion
110
A having substantially the same diameter as the spring contact
120
is formed as a part of the space. By forming the accommodating portion
110
A having a larger diameter than that of the male type terminal
200
on the way of the space, the front and rear inner walls of the accommodating portion
110
A function as first and second stopping walls
112
,
113
having smaller diameters than that of the spring contact
120
.
On the rear of the terminal body
110
a fastening portion
110
B of an electrical wire (not shown) continues.
On the other hand, the spring contact
120
has a number of arched leaf spring pieces
121
which are connected with connecting portions
122
. The spring contact
120
has a cylindrical shape.
When such a spring contact
120
is accommodated in the accommodating portion
110
A of the terminal body
110
, the connecting portions
122
abut against an end surface
112
a
of the first stopping wall
112
and an end surface
113
a
of the second stopping wall
113
, whereby the spring contact
120
is held in the accommodating portion
110
A.
With respect to the above-described conventional female type terminal
100
, however, since the female type terminal
100
and the male type terminal
200
, being both for a large current, and large-sized and large-weighted differently from a female type terminal and a male type terminal for general and small current use, resistance, force, and shock for insertion or drawing of the male type terminal against the female type terminal is large. Despite the above, since the spring contact
120
, being relatively weak and easily broken, exists in the female type terminal
100
, various problems described below exist.
First, as shown in
FIG. 8B
, since there are an edge between the introductory opening
111
and the first stopping wall
112
, i.e. the boundary
111
b
, and an end edge
112
b
of the first stopping wall
112
in the conventional female type terminal
100
, the outer surface of the male type terminal
200
rubs against these edges when the male type terminal
200
is inserted aslant into or drawn aslant from the introductory opening
111
, and therefore the plating on the outer surface of the male type terminal
200
would come off.
That is, since the female type terminal
100
and the male type terminal
200
for a large current are large-sized and large-weighted differently from a female type terminal and a male type terminal generally used, too large frictional resistance against the edges (the boundary
111
b
and the end edge
112
b
) of the female type terminal
100
arises when the male type terminal
200
is inserted aslant or drawn aslant, whereby the plating of the male type terminal
200
would come off.
Generally, the plating processed on a terminal improves conductivity thereof, lowers insertion and drawing resistance thereof, and further prevents the terminal from becoming rusty.
Accordingly, the coming-off of the plating on the male type terminal
200
by the insertion or drawing of the male type terminal
200
, the conductivity thereof lowers, the insertion and drawing resistance of the female type terminal
100
increases, and the male type terminal
200
would become rusty.
Secondly, since the female type terminal
100
is accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber of a connector housing (not shown) and forms a connector, the end of the male type terminal
200
inserted straight into the female type terminal
100
strikes against the leaf spring piece
121
of the spring contact
120
, and in case the female type terminal
100
has been set aslant in the terminal accommodating chamber, the leaf spring piece
121
would be broken.
Thirdly, since the spring contact
120
has to pass through the introductory opening
111
and the first stopping wall
112
, both having a smaller diameter than that of the spring contact
120
, when the spring contact
120
is inserted into the accommodating portion
110
A of the terminal body
110
, the spring contact
120
has to be compressed to make the diameter smaller and, while keeping the state, is passed through the introductory opening
111
and through the first stopping wall
112
, and is inserted in the accommodating portion
110
A.
Therefore, the assembly work of the female type terminal would require practice and time; in other words, the assembly work could not be done efficiently.
Fourth, through the terminal body
110
of the above conventional female type terminal
100
can be formed by boring a metal, another terminal body
310
can be formed by cylindrically bending a metal plate
300
by the press work, as shown in
FIGS. 9A
,
9
B and
9
C.
Further, since the female type terminal for a large current is large-sized and large-weighted, it is characterized in having such a spring contact accommodated in the terminal body, and has the above-described problems such as coming-off of the plating of the male type terminal, breakage of the spring contact, difficulty of the assembly work, or the like, therefore, fully effective use of the cap member would be required in order to solve all of the problems.
Also, as shown in
FIG. 10A
, a gap L
1
arises between the abutting surfaces
301
,
302
by “spring-back” after the press work.
And, in case that the gap L
1
is larger than a width L
2
of the leaf spring piece
121
of the spring contact
120
, the leaf spring piece
121
of the spring contact
120
is put in the gap L
1
and broken when a male type terminal (not shown) is inserted in the terminal body
310
(refer to FIG.
10
B).
Further, if the pressing force is strengthened so as to prevent the gap of the abutting surfaces
301
,
302
, the abutting surfaces
301
,
302
do not meet each other, which forms a wrong terminal body in dimension.
Here, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-14472 proposes a general connector
400
having a ferrule (a cap member)
411
at the end of a female type terminal
410
as shown in
FIGS. 11A
,
11
B, and
11
C.
As shown in
FIG. 11C
, the ferrule
411
abuts against lances
422
when a female type terminal
410
is accommodated in a terminal accommodating chamber
421
of a connector housing
420
, whereby the female type terminal
410
is prevented from shifting rearward, that is, from coming out of the terminal accommodating chamber
421
.
And, the ferrule
411
guides a pin-shaped terminal
430
of the mating connector into the female type terminal
410
.
With respect to the above general connector being merely equipped with the cap member at th
Endo Takayoshi
Ishizaki Kazuhisa
Okamoto Ken-ichi
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Gellner Michael L.
Lee Richard K.
Yazaki -Corporation
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