Female terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11177602-B2
Application number	US-201916970125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2019
Priority date	Mar 2, 2018
Publication date	Nov 16, 2021
Grant date	Nov 16, 2021

Abstract

A female terminal, including: a female terminal fitting including a connector to be conductively connected to a male terminal; a facing member held on the female terminal fitting, the facing member being arranged to face the connector across a male terminal insertion gap into which the male terminal is inserted; a spring held on the female terminal fitting, the spring biasing at least one of the facing member and the connector toward the other; and an approach displacement restricting device that maintains the male terminal insertion gap by restricting a displacement in an approaching direction between the facing member and the connector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A female terminal, comprising:
a female terminal fitting including a connector to be conductively connected to a male terminal;
a facing member held on the female terminal fitting, the facing member being arranged to face the connector across a male terminal insertion gap into which the male terminal is inserted;
a spring held on the female terminal fitting, the spring biasing at least one of the facing member and the connector toward the other; and
an approach displacement restricting device that maintains the male terminal insertion gap by restricting a displacement in an approaching direction between the facing member and the connector, wherein:
the male terminal is press-fit into the male terminal insertion gap to be disposed between the connector and the facing member by allowing a displacement in a separating direction between the connector and the facing member against a biasing force of the spring,
the female terminal further comprises a case assembled with the female terminal fitting and including an accommodation space,
the spring is held on the female terminal fitting by being accommodated in the accommodation space of the case, and
the approach displacement restricting device includes an engaging projection provided on at least one of the facing member and the connector biased toward the other by the spring and an engaging window penetrating through a wall of the case, and the displacement in the approaching direction between the facing member and the connector is restricted by an engagement of the engaging projection with the engaging window.

2. The female terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the facing member includes a pressing member held on the female terminal fitting,
the pressing member is arranged to face the connector of the female terminal fitting across the male terminal insertion gap and biased toward the connector by the spring, and
the pressing member is displaceable in a direction away from the connector against the biasing force.

3. The female terminal of claim 2 , wherein:
the pressing member and the spring are held on the female terminal fitting by being accommodated in the accommodation space of the case, and
the approach displacement restricting device includes the engaging projection provided on the pressing member and the engaging window penetrating through the wall of the case and extending a predetermined length in a facing direction of the pressing member and the connector, and an end edge part of the engaging window on a side of the connector is set at a position separated from the connector across the male terminal insertion gap, whereas the engaging projection of the pressing member is biased and engaged with the end edge part.

4. The female terminal of claim 3 , wherein:
the female terminal fitting has a rectangular flat plate shape, a wire connector is provided on one side in a longitudinal direction of the female terminal fitting and a part of the female terminal fitting closer to the other longitudinal side than the wire connector serves as the connector,
the case is assembled on a surface of the connector of the female terminal fitting, the case includes the wall facing the connector via the accommodation space and the flat pressing member accommodated and arranged in the accommodation space is positioned and held above and in parallel to the connector across the male terminal insertion gap,
the spring is accommodated and arranged in a compressed state between the wall of the case and the pressing member and the engaging projection of the pressing member is biased toward the end edge part of the engaging window on the side of the connector, and
the male terminal insertion gap communicates with outside via a male terminal insertion opening provided in the case.

5. The female terminal of claim 4 , wherein the male terminal insertion opening of the case is open in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the female terminal fitting.

6. The female terminal of claim 4 , wherein an edge of the pressing member projects outward from the male terminal insertion opening provided in the case and bent in the direction away from the connector.

7. The female terminal of claim 3 , wherein:
a wire connector is provided on one longitudinal end edge part of the female terminal fitting and the connector having a concave shape and open toward the other longitudinal side is provided on the other longitudinal end edge of the female terminal fitting,
the case is disposed on a side opposite to the wire connector with respect to the connector in the longitudinal direction and assembled with the female terminal fitting, the case includes the wall facing the connector via the accommodation space, and the pressing member accommodated and arranged in the accommodation space is positioned and held across the male terminal insertion gap in the longitudinal direction with respect to the connector,
the spring is accommodated and arranged in a compressed state between the wall of the case and the pressing member and the engaging projection of the pressing member is biased toward the end edge part of the engaging window on the side of the connector, and
the male terminal insertion gap communicates with outside via a male terminal insertion opening located between the pressing member and the connector in the longitudinal direction, provided in the case and open in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

8. The female terminal of claim 7 , wherein:
the female terminal fitting is formed by bending a flat plate fitting and the wire connector is formed by overlapping longitudinal end edge parts of the flat plate fitting, and
the other longitudinal end edge part of the female terminal fitting is formed into a tubular shape in a side view and the connector having the concave shape is formed by concavely recessing a wall defining an end surface on the other longitudinal side of the female terminal fitting.

9. The female terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the connector of the female terminal fitting is accommodated and arranged in the accommodation space of the case assembled with the female terminal fitting and the facing member includes the wall of the case,
the connector of the female terminal fitting is arranged to face the wall of the case across the male terminal insertion gap and biased toward the wall by the spring, and
the connector of the female terminal fitting is displaceable in a direction away from the wall of the case against the biasing force.

10. The female terminal of claim 9 , wherein:
the female terminal fitting has a rectangular flat plate shape, a wire connector is provided on one side in a longitudinal direction of the female terminal fitting and a part of the female terminal fitting closer to the other longitudinal side than the wire connector serves as the connector,
one surface of the connector of the female terminal fitting accommodated in the accommodation space of the case faces the wall of the case across a gap and the other surface of the connector faces another wall of the case across a gap,
the spring is accommodated and arranged in a compressed state between the connector and the other wall of the case and the connector and the wall of the case are arranged to face each other across the male terminal insertion gap, and
the connector is biased toward the wall of the case by the spring.

11. The female terminal of claim 1 , wherein the spring includes a coil spring.

Assignees

• Autonetworks Technologies Ltd
• Sumitomo Wiring Systems
• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• Nishijima Seido

Classifications

• H01R13/111

  co-operating with pins having a circular transverse section · CPC title

• H01R2201/26

  for vehicles · CPC title

• H01R13/113

  co-operating with pins or blades having a rectangular transverse section · CPC title

• H01R4/48

  utilising a spring, clip, or other resilient member (H01R4/52 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R13/193 Primary

  Means for increasing contact pressure at the end of engagement of coupling part {, e.g. zero insertion force or no friction} · CPC title