Electrically conductive terminal and connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10763609-B2
Application number	US-201816136805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2018
Priority date	Sep 20, 2017
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

An electrically conductive terminal that has a first terminal at its outer layer and a second terminal at its inner layer. The first terminal has a first contact portion at an end thereof. The second terminal is on an inner surface side of the first terminal and has a second contact portion at an end thereof. There is an opening in the first contact portion. A raised portion is on the second contact portion. The raised portion passes through the first terminal via the opening, so as to electrically contact with a mating member. The first terminal at the outer layer and the second terminal at the inner layer may be in electrical contact with the mating member simultaneously, so that the electrically conductive terminal may carry a larger electric current. The electrically conductive terminal can be part of a connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrically conductive terminal comprising:
an outer layer having a first terminal having:
(a) a first contact portion at an end thereof, the first contact portion including an outer surface side for making contact with a mating member, and
(b) an opening in the first contact portion; and
an inner layer having a second terminal positioned on and corresponding with an inner surface side of the first terminal and having:
(a) a second contact portion at an end thereof, and
(b) a raised portion on the second contact portion that passes through the opening and extends toward the outer surface side of the first terminal to make contact with the mating member.

2. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 1 , wherein a height of the raised portion on the inner layer is greater than the material thickness of the first contact portion, such that the raised portion protrudes from an outer surface of the first terminal through the opening in the first contact portion when the second terminal abuts against the inner surface side of the first terminal.

3. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 2 , wherein:
(a) the second terminal abuts against the inner surface side of the first terminal, and
(b) the raised portion of the second terminal protrudes from the outer surface of the first terminal when the raised portion of the second terminal is mating with the mating member and the raised portion first contacts the mating member and then contacts with the first contact portion of the first terminal.

4. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 2 , wherein there is an interval between the second terminal and the inner surface side of the first terminal such that the raised portion of the second terminal is flush with the outer surface of the first terminal, so that when mating with the mating member, the mating member makes contact simultaneously with the first contact portion of the first terminal and the raised portion of the second terminal.

5. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 2 , wherein there is an interval between the second terminal and the inner surface of the first terminal such that the raised portion of the second terminal is lower than the outer surface of the first terminal, so that when mating with the mating member, the mating member first contacts the first contact portion of the first terminal and pushes the first terminal to elastically to move toward the second terminal, and then the mating member contacts with the raised portion of the second terminal.

6. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the second terminal is equal to, or greater than, or less than a length of the first terminal.

7. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the second terminal is equal to, or greater than, or less than a thickness of the first terminal.

8. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 1 , wherein:
(a) the first terminal includes a first fixing portion fixed in an insulation body and has a row of first elastic cantilevers on one side of the first fixing portion,
(b) the first contact portion is at a free end of each of the first elastic cantilevers,
(c) the second terminal includes a second fixing portion fixed in the insulation body and has a row of second elastic cantilevers on one side of the second fixing portion,
(d) the second contact portion is at a free end of each of the second elastic cantilevers, and
(e) the raised portion on each second contact portion passes through the opening in a corresponding first contact portion in the first terminal in a thickness direction.

9. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 8 , wherein the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion are plate-shaped and parallel to each other and an inclination angle of the first elastic cantilevers with respect to the first fixing portion is smaller than an inclination angle of the second elastic cantilevers with respect to the second fixing portion.

10. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 9 , wherein a length of the first elastic cantilevers is greater than a length of the second elastic cantilevers.

11. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 8 , wherein:
(a) each opening is in a middle position in a width direction of a corresponding first elastic cantilever, and
(b) each raised portion is in a middle position in a width direction of a corresponding second elastic cantilever.

12. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 8 , wherein the opening is a closed hole or an opened hole formed in the first elastic cantilever.

13. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 8 , wherein:
(a) the first terminal further includes a row of first connection legs on the other side of the first fixing portion and adapted to be electrically connected to a circuit board, and
(b) the second terminal further includes a row of second connection legs on the other side of the second fixing portion and adapted to be electrically connected to the circuit board.

14. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 13 , wherein:
(a) the first connection legs are pin-shaped solder legs adapted to be soldered into a hole of the circuit board, or plate-shaped solder legs adapted to be soldered onto a surface of the circuit board, or a fisheye-shaped plug-in legs adapted to be plugged into a hole of the circuit board;
(b) the second connection legs are pin-shaped solder legs adapted to be soldered into a hole of the circuit board, or plate-shaped solder legs adapted to be soldered onto a surface of the circuit board, or fisheye-shaped plug-in legs adapted to be plugged into a hole of the circuit board.

15. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 8 , wherein the electrically conductive terminal further includes a connection portion that connects the first fixing portion of the first terminal and the second fixing portion of the second terminal together, such that the first terminal and the second terminal form an integral member.

16. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are two independent members separated from each other.

17. The electrically conductive terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are formed into a single one-piece member from a single metal material plate.

18. A connector, comprising:
an electrically conductive terminal comprising:
an outer layer having a first terminal having:
(a) a first contact portion at an end thereof, the first contact portion including an outer surface side for making contact with a mating member, and
(b) an opening in the first contact portion; and
an inner layer having a second terminal positioned on and corresponding with an inner surface side of the first terminal and having:
(a) a second contact portion at an end thereof, and
(b) a raised portion on the second contact portion that passes through the opening and extends toward the outer surface side of the first terminal to make contact with the mating member; and
an insulation body, in which the electrically conductive terminal is held.

19. The connector according to claim 18 , wherein the connector is a power supply connector.

20. An electrically conductive terminal comprising:
an outer layer having a first terminal having:
(a) a first contact

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Zhicheng

Classifications

• H01R4/58 Primary

  characterised by the form or material of the contacting members (H01R4/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R13/055

  co-operating with sockets having a rectangular transverse section · CPC title

• H01R12/707

  Soldering or welding · CPC title

• H01R13/2492

  multiple contact points · CPC title

• H05K3/306

  with lead-in-hole components (H05K3/32 takes precedence) · CPC title