Receptacle terminal

Details Receptacle terminal Receptacle terminal

2001-01-11

2002-09-10

Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...

Spring actuated or resilient securing part

C439S842000, C439S843000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06447345

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receptacle terminal used for electrically connecting an electrical wire to an electrical element such as a busbar, a relay, or a fuse.
2. Related Art
FIG. 5
shows a terminal
101
disclosed in Japan Utility Model Application laid-open 61-180469. The terminal
101
is used for electrically connecting an electrical wire to an electrical element such as a busbar, a relay, and a fuse. The terminal
101
is obtained by bending a sheet of a blank
120
made of an electrical conductive material (FIG.
6
). The terminal
101
has an electrical wire connection portion
104
and an electrical connection portion
105
.
The electrical wire connection portion
104
has a bottom wall
110
a
and a plurality of crimping pieces
111
each contiguous to a periphery of the bottom wall
110
a
. The electrical wire connection portion
104
is electrically connected to an electrical wire. That is, a stripped core end (not shown) of the electrical wire is disposed on the bottom wall
110
a
, and the stripped core end is secured on the bottom wall
110
a
by bending the crimping pieces
111
to crimp the core end.
The electrical connection portion
105
has a bottom wall
110
b
, a top wall
112
opposing to the bottom wall
110
b
, a side wall
113
joining the bottom wall
110
b
to the top wall
112
, and a resilient piece
115
. The electrical connection portion
105
is a square barrel. The bottom wall
110
b
of the electrical connection portion
105
unitarily aligns with the bottom wall
110
a
of the electrical wire connection portion
104
.
The resilient piece
115
is a thin plate strip. The resilient piece
115
has a part extending along the longitudinal direction of the electrical wire disposed on the bottom wall
110
a
. An end of the resilient piece
115
is contiguous to the top wall
112
at a side of the electrical wire connection portion
104
.
The other end of the resilient piece
115
is positioned at a longitudinal middle portion of the bottom wall
110
b
, since the resilient piece
115
is turned back from the one end. The folded part of the resilient piece
115
lies over the bottom wall
110
b
longitudinally along the bottom wall
110
b.
The resilient piece
115
is a cantilever having one end joined to the top wall
112
. The resilient piece
115
is resiliently deflectable such that a free end portion of the resilient piece
115
can move toward and apart from the top wall
112
.
The resilient piece
115
has a resilient press-contact portion
116
positioned in the other end side of the resilient piece
115
. The resilient press-contact portion
116
is defined in a convex shape projecting toward the top wall
112
at a longitudinal middle portion of the turned-back resilient piece
115
. The resilient press-contact portion
116
has a blunt peak.
In the thus configured terminal
101
, a pin
102
of an opposing terminal such as a busbar tab illustrated by a chain line P of
FIG. 5
is inserted between the side walls
113
and between the bottom wall
110
b
and the top wall
112
. The inserted pin
102
contacts the resilient press-contact portion
116
of the resilient piece
115
. The insertion of the pin
102
pushes the resilient press-contact portion
116
to move it away from the top wall
112
.
The resilient piece
115
urges the pin
102
toward the top wall
112
. The resilient piece
115
and the top wall
112
pinches the pin
102
therebetween. Thus, the terminal
101
electrically connects the electrical wire disposed in the electrical wire connection portion
104
to the pin
102
.
The blank
120
illustrated in
FIG. 6
is obtained by striking out an electrically conductive metal sheet. The blank
120
is substantially rectangular. The blank
120
has a bottom wall part
121
positioned at a lateral central portion thereof, a pair of side wall parts
122
, a top wall part
123
, a plurality of crimping piece parts
124
, and a resilient piece part
126
.
The bottom wall part
121
, the pair of side wall parts
122
, the top wall part
123
, the plurality of crimping piece parts
124
, and resilient piece part
126
are bent at fold lines shown by chain lines Q of the blank
120
. Thereby, the terminal
101
is defined to have the bottom walls
110
a
,
110
b
, the side wall
113
, the top wall
112
, the crimping piece
111
, and the resilient piece
115
.
The bottom wall part
121
is a bar extending in a longitudinal direction of the blank
120
. Each side wall part
122
is contiguous to a lateral edge of the bottom wall part
121
. The side wall part
122
also extends longitudinally. The top wall part
123
is contiguous to an edge of one of the side wall parts
122
. The top wall part
123
also extends longitudinally.
Each crimping piece part
124
is contiguous to an edge of the bottom wall part
121
. The crimping piece part
124
extends outward from an edge of the bottom wall part
121
. The resilient piece part
126
extends longitudinally toward one of the crimping piece parts
124
and has one end contiguous with an end
123
a
of the top wall part
123
.
The resilient piece part
126
is positioned in an outward side to longitudinally align with the top wall part
123
. The thus configured blank
120
is bent along the fold lines Q, and the resilient piece part
126
is bent such that its tip is positioned near in an edge
122
a
of the side wall part
122
to obtain the terminal
101
.
The resilient piece part
126
of the blank
120
is positioned to align with the top wall part
123
, and the resilient piece part
126
extends from the top wall part
123
toward another edge
120
a
of the blank
120
. Thus, the resilient piece part
126
is positioned close to the crimping piece part
124
, so that the crimping piece part
124
tends to have a smaller length along the bottom wall part
121
.
Thus, the terminal
101
limits an electrical wire connected to the electrical wire connection portion
104
in thickness. That is, the terminal
101
is not satisfactory for receiving an electrical wire having a comparatively larger thickness.
Moreover, since the resilient piece part
126
is positioned close to the crimping piece part
124
, the resilient piece part
126
also tends to have a smaller length. Hence, the resilient piece
115
defined by bending the resilient piece part
126
tends to exert a smaller resilient force on the pin
102
against the top wall
112
. Thereby, the pin
102
which has been received between the resilient piece
115
and the top wall
112
might undesirably fall out from them.
In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages, an object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle terminal which can receives an electrical wire having a comparatively larger thickness. The receptacle terminal prevents an unintentional disengagement of a mated terminal pin from the receptacle terminal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
For achieving the object, a receptacle terminal according to the present invention includes: an electrical wire connection portion electrically connected to an electrical wire and an electrical connection portion receiving an opposing terminal pin. The electrical wire connection portion has a base wall retaining the electrical wire and a plurality of crimping piece contiguous to the base wall for crimping the electrical wire. The electrical connection portion has a pair of walls receiving the pin and a resilient piece, the resilient piece urging the pin against one of the pair of walls to pinch the pin therebetween. The receptacle terminal is defined by bending a blank having parts corresponding to the base wall, the crimping piece, the pair of walls, and the resilient piece. The resilient piece has a joining piece and an extended strip joined to the joining piece. The extended strip extends in an insertion direction of the pin, and the joining piece projects from a longitudinal edge of the one of the pair of walls.
Preferably, the joining piece is contiguous to the one of the pair of walls at a side of the crimpi

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