Terminal and connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9368895-B2
Application number	US-201314373221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2013
Priority date	Jan 19, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

The terminal has a base portion held by a terminal holding member, and a contact arm portion extending from the base portion and contacting the contact portion of another terminal. In this terminal, the contact arm portion includes a cantilevered first frame portion and second frame portion extending from the base portion, a connecting frame portion connecting a free end of the first frame portion and a free end of the second frame portion, a contact protruding portion formed in the first frame portion, and a contact face formed in the contact protruding portion; and the contact face moves in a parallel direction and maintains contact with a contact face of a contact portion of another terminal when the contact arm portion is elastically deformed by contact with the contact portion of the other terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal, the terminal comprising:
a base portion; and
a contact arm portion extending from the base portion, the contact arm portion including a cantilevered first frame portion extending from the base portion and a cantilevered second frame portion extending from the base portion, the contact arm portion including a connecting frame portion which connects a free end of the first frame portion to a free end of the second frame portion, the first frame portion includes a contact protruding portion, the contact protruding portion protruding outwardly from the first frame portion and away from the second frame portion, the contact protruding portion having a thickness which is greater than a thickness of the first frame portion, the contact protruding portion includes a contact face.

2. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the contact arm portion further includes an open portion whose periphery is defined by the base portion, the first frame portion, the second frame portion, and the connecting frame portion.

3. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein a pair of left and right contact arm portions extend from a single base portion, and are arranged so the contact faces of the contact protruding portions face each other.

4. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the contact face is flat.

5. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the contact protruding portion is provided on the first frame portion proximate to a position where the first frame portion is connected to the connecting frame portion, whereby, when the contact arm portion is elastically deformed by contact with a contact portion of a separate terminal, the contact face moves in parallel direction and maintains contact with a contact face of the contact portion of the separate terminal.

6. A terminal, the terminal comprising:
a base portion having an upper surface;
a first contact arm portion extending forwardly from the base portion, the first contact arm portion having an upper surface which is planar with the upper surface of the base portion, the first contact arm portion including first and second frame portions and a connecting frame portion, the first and second frame portions extending forwardly from the base portion to the connecting frame portion, the base portion, the first and second frame portions and the connecting frame portion define an open portion therebetween, the first frame portion having a contact protruding portion extending outwardly therefrom in a direction opposite the open portion, the contact protruding portion having an outward surface which defines a contact face of the contact protruding portion, the contact protruding portion having an upper surface, the upper surface of the contact protruding portion being offset from the upper surface of the first contact arm portion; and
a tail portion extending rearwardly from the base portion.

7. The terminal of claim 6 , wherein the tail portion has an upper surface, the upper surface of the tail portion being offset from the upper surface of the base portion.

8. The terminal of claim 6 , wherein the contact face is flat and is orthogonal to the upper surface of the contact protruding portion.

9. The terminal of claim 6 , wherein the first contact arm portion is generally U-shaped in configuration.

10. The terminal of claim 9 , wherein the open portion is generally rectangular in configuration.

11. The terminal of claim 6 , further comprising a second contact arm portion extending forwardly from the base portion, the second contact arm portion having an upper surface which is planar with the upper surface of the base portion, the second contact arm portion including first and second frame portions and a connecting frame portion, the first and second frame portions of the second contact arm portion extending forwardly from the base portion to the connecting frame portion of the second contact arm portion, the base portion, the first and second frame portions of the second contact arm portion and the connecting frame portion of the second contact arm portion define an open portion therebetween, the first frame portion of the second contact arm portion having a contact protruding portion extending outwardly therefrom in a direction opposite the open portion of the second contact arm portion, the contact protruding portion of the second contact arm portion having an outward surface which defines a contact face of the contact protruding portion of the second contact arm portion.

12. The terminal of claim 11 , wherein the first and second contact arm portions are arranged so the contact faces of the contact protruding portions face each other.

13. The terminal of claim 11 , wherein the terminal has a substantially tuning fork-shaped planar profile.

14. The terminal of claim 6 , wherein the base portion has an engaging protruding portion extending upwardly from the upper surface thereof.

15. The terminal of claim 6 , wherein the base portion has a side surface, and wherein the base portion has an engaging uneven portion formed in the side surface.

16. The terminal of claim 6 , wherein the contact protruding portion is provided on the first frame portion proximate to a position where the first frame portion is connected to the connecting frame portion, whereby, when the contact arm portion is elastically deformed by contact with a contact portion of a separate terminal, the contact face moves in parallel direction and maintains contact with a contact face of the contact portion of the separate terminal.

17. A connector, the connector comprising:
a housing having a holding portion; and
a plurality of terminals, each terminal having a base portion and a contact arm portion, the contact arm portion extending from the base portion, the contact arm portion including a cantilevered first frame portion extending from the base portion and a cantilevered second frame portion extending from the base portion, the contact arm portion including a connecting frame portion which connects a free end of the first frame portion to a free end of the second frame portion, the first frame portion includes a contact protruding portion, the contact protruding portion protruding outwardly from the first frame portion and away from the second frame portion, the contact protruding portion having a thickness which is greater than a thickness of the first frame portion, the contact protruding portion includes a contact face, the base portion being held inside the holding portion of the housing.

18. The connector of claim 17 , wherein the housing includes a main body portion, the main body portion extending forward from the holding portion, the main body portion having a bottom plate portion and a plurality of mating protruding portions which extend upwardly from the bottom plate portion, wherein adjacent mating protruding portions are separated by mating recessed portions, wherein the contact arm portions are accommodated by the mating protruding portions, and wherein portions of the contact protruding portions protrude into the mating recessed portions.

19. The connector of claim 17 , wherein each terminal has a tail portion extending rearwardly from the base portion, the tail portion extends outward to a rear of the holding portion.

20. The connector of claim 17 , each terminal has a pair of left and right contact arm portions extending from a single base portion, the pair of contact arm portions being arranged so the contact faces of the contact protruding portions face each other.

21. The connector of claim

Assignees

• Molex Llc

Inventors

• Ueno Hiroshi
• Niitsu Toshihiro
• Suzuki Hirokazu

Classifications

• H01R12/79

  connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures · CPC title

• H01R13/112 Primary

  forked sockets having two legs · CPC title

• H01R12/91

  allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating or self aligning (for coupling devices not specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R13/6315 takes precedence) · CPC title