Terminal metal fitting

Details Terminal metal fitting Terminal metal fitting

2001-01-23

2002-07-09

Patel, Tulsidas (Department: 2839)

Electrical connectors

Metallic connector or contact having movable or resilient...

Spring actuated or resilient securing part

C439S858000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06416366

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a terminal metal fitting for electrically connecting an electric wire to a connection terminal of electric parts such as busbar, electric relay or fuse.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a terminal metal fitting
101
shown in
FIG.7
has been used for connection with a connection terminal of electric parts such as busbar, electric relay or fuse. The terminal metal fitting
101
is formed, for example, by bending a conductive metal plate and has a wire connecting portion
104
and an electrically contacting portion
105
.
The metal plate to form the terminal metal fitting
101
is initially rectangular. The wire connecting portion
104
has a bottom wall
110
a
and cramping pieces
111
continuing from an edge of the bottom wall
110
a
. The wire connecting portion
104
is electrically connected to an electric wire
103
by inwardly bending the cramping pieces
111
after a wire-exposed end portion of the electric wire
103
has been put on the bottom wall
110
a.
The electrically contacting portion
105
is cylindrical and has a bottom wall
110
b
, a ceiling wall
112
facing the bottom wall
110
b
, sidewalls
113
connecting the bottom wall
110
b
and the ceiling wall
112
, and a pair of elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
. The bottom wall
110
a
of the wire connecting portion
104
and the bottom wall
110
b
of the electrically contacting portion
105
are integrally formed in one plane.
The pair of elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
each are formed in a belt-like shape and are integrally formed with the bottom wall
110
b
. The elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
are arranged in a direction parallel with the electric wire
103
placed on the bottom wall
110
a.
End portions
116
a
,
116
b
(hereinafter, one end portions) of the respective elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
integrally continue from the above bottom wall
110
b
and oppositely positioned apart from each other. End portions
117
a
,
117
b
(hereinafter, other end portions) of the respective elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
are flatly arranged between the bottom wall
110
b
and the ceiling wall
112
parallel therewith and are positioned close to each other. In this way, the elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
each are in a cantilevered state.
And, the elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
have connecting portions
118
a
,
118
b
connecting the one end portions
116
a
,
116
b
and the other end portions
117
a
,
117
b
, respectively. The connecting portions
118
a
,
118
b
each are formed obliquely to the above bottom wall
110
b
, namely to the ceiling wall
112
, from the bottom wall
110
b
toward the ceiling wall
112
.
And, the other end portions
117
a
,
117
b
of the pair of elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
are in layers in a vertical direction and can be elastically-deformed contactably and discontactably with the above ceiling wall
112
.
An insertion
102
of the above connection terminal (P in
FIG.7
) of electric parts is inserted among the bottom wall
110
b
, the ceiling wall
112
, and the sidewalls
113
of the terminal metal fitting
101
.
And, the insertion
102
having been inserted is put between the ceiling wall
112
and one, closer to the ceiling wall
112
, of the elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
, whereby the electric wire
103
connected to the wire connecting portion
104
is electrically connected with the insertion
102
. In this state, the elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
have an elastic restoring force to push the insertion
102
toward the ceiling wall
112
.
With respect to the above prior art terminal metal fitting
101
, however, since the other end portions
117
a
,
117
b
of the pair of elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
are in layers in vertical direction, a distance between the bottom wall
110
b
and the ceiling wall
112
is large.
And, in the prior art terminal metal fitting
101
, the elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
each are in a cantilevered state, wherein the one end portions
116
a
,
116
b
each integrally continue from the bottom wall
110
b
. Therefore, since the elastic restoring force of the elastic pieces
115
a
,
115
b
to push the insertion
102
toward the ceiling wall
112
is comparatively week, the insertion
102
is likely to come out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, a first object of the present invention is to provide a downsized terminal metal fitting, and a second object of the present invention is to provide a terminal metal fitting which is capable of preventing an insertion of a mating connection terminal from coming out.
In order to achieve the above first object, as a first aspect of the present invention, a terminal metal fitting for electrically connecting an electric wire to a mating terminal metal fitting comprises: a wire connecting portion to which the electric wire is connected; an electrically contacting portion in which an insertion of the mating terminal metal fitting is inserted; a pair of walls formed on the electrically contacting portion to receive the insertion therebetween; and a pair of elastic pieces formed on one of the pair of walls to push the insertion toward the other of the pair of walls, the insertion being put between the other of the pair of walls and the pair of elastic pieces, wherein the pair of elastic pieces are arranged in an insertion direction of the insertion, while obliquely projecting from the one of the pair of walls toward the other of the pair of walls, and end faces, facing each other, of the pair of elastic pieces, respectively, face the insertion direction of the insertion. As a second aspect of the present invention, in the structure with the above first aspect, the pair of elastic pieces each are formed in a belt-like shape, one end portion of each elastic piece integrally continues from the one of the pair of walls, and the other end portion of each elastic piece obliquely projects toward the other of the pair of walls and is capable of elastically deforming contactably and discontactably therewith.
As a third aspect of the present invention, in the structure with either one of the above aspects, the terminal metal fitting further comprises: a second elastic piece, formed in a belt-like shape, to be put on top of the pair of elastic pieces so that the insertion is pushed toward the other of the pair of walls and securely held between the other of the pair of walls and the second elastic piece.
According to the above-described structures of the present invention, the following advantages are provided.
(1) Since the pair of end faces of the other end portions of the elastic pieces face the insertion direction of the insertion, the pair of elastic pieces are not put on top of each other. Therefore, the vertical thickness of the electrically contacting portion can be decreased, thereby attaining the downsizing of the terminal metal fitting.
(2) A pair of elastic pieces each are formed in a belt-like shape, and one end portion of each elastic piece integrally continues from the one of the pair of walls. And, the other end portion of each elastic piece obliquely projects toward the other of the pair of walls and is capable of elastically deforming contactably and discontactably therewith.
When the insertion is inserted into the electrically contacting portion, an elastic restoring force to push the insertion toward the ceiling wall arises in each of the elastic pieces. Therefore, the insertion can be securely held between the ceiling wall and the elastic pieces, thereby preventing the insertion from coming out of the electrically contacting portion.
(3) The insertion having inserted into the electrically contacting portion is pushed by the second elastic piece in addition to the elastic pieces. Therefore, the insertion can be more securely held inside the electrically contacting portion, thereby preventing the insertion from coming out of the electrically contacting portion.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5281175 (1994-01-01), Chupak et al.
patent: 5624289 (1997-04-01), Kourimsky et al.
patent: 5791945 (1998-08-01), Myer et al.

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