Terminal fitting and method of producing it

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8944861-B2
Application number	US-201313863784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2013
Priority date	Apr 26, 2012
Publication date	Feb 3, 2015
Grant date	Feb 3, 2015

Abstract

A terminal fitting has a rectangular tube ( 2 ) with a ceiling plate ( 8 ). A struck portion ( 19 ) is formed by striking an extending end edge of the ceiling plate ( 8 ) inwardly of the rectangular tube ( 2 ) while maintaining a plate thickness. The inner surface of this struck portion ( 19 ) is at the same height as the projecting end of a ceiling plate side contact portion ( 18 ) and the outer surface of the struck portion ( 19 ) is at the same height as the inner surface of the ceiling plate ( 8 ) around the contact portion. A pressing portion ( 9 ) is bent from the upper end edge of a second side plate ( 5 ) to extend substantially parallel to a bottom plate ( 3 ) and contacts the outer surface of the struck portion ( 19 ). The pressing portion ( 9 ) does not project in a height direction from the ceiling plate ( 8 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal fitting, comprising a tube for receiving a mating terminal, the tube including,
a base plate with opposite first and second sides;
first and second side plates projecting respectively from first and second sides of the base plate; and
a ceiling plate bent from an end of the first side plate opposite the base plate and extending substantially parallel to the base plate, an extending end edge thereof being supported in contact with a receiving portion formed on the second side plate;
the ceiling plate being shaped to project inwardly of the tube to form a contact portion with the mating terminal;
the extending end edge part of the ceiling plate being deformed inwardly of the tube while maintaining a uniform plate thickness, thereby forming a bent portion, and the bent portion having an outer surface set at the same height position as or below the inner surface of the ceiling plate at locations disposed laterally of and adjacent to the contact portion; and
at least one pressing portion bent from an end of the second side plate opposite the base plate to extend substantially in parallel to the base plate so that opening of the ceiling plate is prevented by contact of the pressing portion with the outer surface of the bent portion.

2. The terminal fitting of claim 1 , wherein the first and second side plates stand up substantially at a right angle from the base plate.

3. The terminal fitting of claim 1 , wherein a height difference between an inwardly projecting end of the contact portion and the inner surface of the ceiling plate at the locations disposed laterally of and adjacent to the contact portion is substantially equal to a plate thickness of walls forming the tube.

4. The terminal fitting of claim 1 , wherein the contact portion and the bent portion are arranged at opposite sides of a center line of the tube with respect to a width direction and the inwardly projecting end of the contact portion and the inner surface of the bent portion are set substantially at the same height.

5. The terminal fitting of claim 1 , wherein part of the contact portion is more backward than a leading end position of the mating terminal when the mating terminal is inserted to a proper depth in the tube.

6. The terminal fitting of claim 1 , wherein the contact portion has a substantially semicircular front cross-sectional shape and a height difference between the projecting end of the contact portion and the inner surface of the ceiling plate around the contact portion is substantially equal to a plate thickness of the terminal fitting and the bent portion has a length substantially equal to the formation range of the contact portion in the longitudinal direction.

7. The terminal fitting of claim 1 , wherein the inwardly projecting end of the contact portion and the inner surface of the contact portion are at substantially the same height position relative to the base plate.

8. The terminal fitting of claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the bent portion and outer surface areas of the ceiling plate at the locations disposed laterally of and adjacent to the contact portion are at substantially the same height position relative to the base plate.

9. A terminal fitting, comprising a tube for receiving a mating terminal, the tube including:
a base plate with opposite first and second sides;
first and second side plates projecting respectively from the first and second sides of the base plate; and
a ceiling plate bent from an end of the first side plate opposite the base plate and extending substantially parallel to the base plate, an extending end edge thereof being supported in contact with a receiving portion formed on the second side plate;
the ceiling plate being shaped to project inwardly of the tube to form a contact portion with the mating terminal;
the extending end edge part of the ceiling plate being deformed inwardly of the tube while maintaining a uniform plate thickness, thereby forming a bent portion, and an outer surface of the bent portion being set at the same height position as or below the inner surface of the ceiling plate at locations disposed laterally of and adjacent to the contact portion; and
at least one pressing portion bent from the end of the second side plate opposite the base plate to extend substantially parallel to the base plate so that opening of the ceiling plate is prevented by the contact of the pressing portion with the outer surface of the bent portion,
wherein the receiving portion is formed by making at least one cut extending in a longitudinal direction in the second side plate and causing a corresponding portion of the second side plate to project inwardly of the tube so that a cut side becomes a base surface of a substantially semi-conical shape, and an end surface of a projecting part at the cut side is a substantially flat surface substantially perpendicular to the second side plate.

10. A terminal fitting, comprising a tube for receiving a mating terminal, the tube including:
a base plate with opposite first and second sides;
first and second side plates projecting respectively from the first and second sides of the base plate; and
a ceiling plate bent from an end of the first side plate opposite the base plate and extending substantially parallel to the base plate, an extending end edge thereof being supported in contact with a receiving portion formed on the second side plate;
the ceiling plate being shaped to project inwardly of the tube to form a contact portion with the mating terminal;
the extending end edge part of the ceiling plate being deformed inwardly of the tube while maintaining a uniform plate thickness, thereby forming a bent portion, and an outer surface of the bent portion being set at the same height position as or below the inner surface of the ceiling plate at locations disposed laterally of and adjacent to the contact portion; and
at least one pressing portion bent from an end of the second side plate opposite the base plate to extend substantially in parallel to the base plate so that opening of the ceiling plate is prevented by contact of the pressing portion with the outer surface of the bent portion,
wherein the receiving portion is formed by making a pair of cuts extending in a longitudinal direction in the second side plate and spaced apart in a height direction and causing an area between the cuts to project inwardly of the tube to have an arcuate shape, and surfaces formed by the end edges of a projecting part are substantially flat and substantially perpendicular to the second side plate.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Wiring Systems

Inventors

• Amano Takamaru
• Tanaka Tsutomu

Classifications

• H01R13/113 Primary

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

• H01R13/11 Primary

  Resilient sockets (carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15) · CPC title