Plated terminal for connector and terminal pair

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9673547-B2
Application number	US-201314395906-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2013
Priority date	May 11, 2012
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a plated terminal for connector which requires a smaller insertion force by reducing a friction coefficient and a terminal pair formed using such a plated terminal for connector. An alloy containing layer ( 1 ) made of tin and palladium and containing a tin-palladium alloy is formed on a surface of a terminal base material ( 2 ) made of copper or copper alloy. Here, the alloy containing layer ( 1 ) is preferably such that domain structures of a first metal phase ( 11 ) made of an alloy of tin and palladium are formed in a second metal phase ( 12 ) made of pure tin or an alloy having a higher ratio of tin to palladium than in the first metal phase ( 11 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plated terminal for connector, comprising:
a base material made of copper or a copper alloy; and
an alloy containing layer carried on a surface of the base material, the alloy containing layer comprising a first metal phase made of an alloy of tin and palladium in a second metal phase made of pure tin or an alloy having a higher ratio of tin to palladium than in the first metal phase,
the first metal phase and the second metal phase exposed on a surface of the alloy containing layer, and including an exposed surface ratio of the first metal phase to the second metal phase of 10% to 80%.

2. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein a content of palladium in the alloy containing layer is not lower than 1 atom %.

3. The plated terminal for connector of claim 2 , wherein the content of palladium in the alloy containing layer is below 20 atom %.

4. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein the glossiness of the surface is in a range of 10 to 300%.

5. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the alloy containing layer is not smaller than 0.8 μm.

6. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein a dynamic friction coefficient when surfaces of the alloy containing layers are rubbed against each other is not higher than 0.4.

7. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein a Vickers hardness of the alloy containing layer is not lower than 100.

8. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein a domain of the first metal phase having a dimension shorter than the longest one of straight lines crossing a contact portion to be brought into electrical contact with another electrically conductive member is exposed on a surface of the contact portion.

9. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein the contact portion is in the form of an emboss.

10. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein a radius of the emboss is not smaller than 3 mm.

11. A terminal pair, comprising a male connector terminal and a female connector terminal, wherein at least one of the male and female connector terminals is formed by a plated terminal for connector of claim 1 .

12. The terminal pair of claim 11 , wherein a contact load applied to a contact portion where the male and female connector terminals come into contact with each other is not lower than 2 N.

13. The terminal pair of claim 12 , wherein the contact load is not lower than 5 N.

14. The plated terminal for connector of claim 1 , wherein a content of palladium in the alloy containing layer is between 1 atom % and 7 atom %.

15. A plated terminal for connector, comprising:
a base material carrying an alloy containing layer,
the alloy containing layer comprising a first metal phase made of an alloy of tin and palladium in a second metal phase made of pure tin or an alloy having a higher ratio of tin to palladium than in the first metal phase,
the alloy containing layer including a surface composition that includes an exposed surface ratio of the first metal phase to the second metal phase of 10% to 80%.

16. The plated terminal of claim 15 , wherein the base material comprises a layer of copper or a copper alloy.

17. The plated terminal of claim 16 , wherein the base material comprises a surface layer of nickel.

18. The plated terminal of claim 15 , wherein the alloy containing layer includes a nickel tin alloy layer adjacent to the base material.

19. The plated terminal of claim 15 , wherein a content of palladium in the alloy containing layer is between 1 atom % and 7 atom %.

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Saka Yoshifumi
• Watanabe Hajime
• Satou Mikio
• Ookubo Masayuki

Classifications

• C25D5/12

  at least one layer being of nickel or chromium · CPC title

• C25D7/00

  Electroplating characterised by the article coated · CPC title

• C25D3/60

  containing more than 50% by weight of tin · CPC title

• H01R13/03 Primary

  characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials · CPC title

• C25D5/627

  Electroplating characterised by the visual appearance of the layers, e.g. colour, brightness or mat appearance · CPC title