Female terminal and method for manufacturing female terminal

Abstract

To easily confirm that a spring member is arranged in a normal position relative to a terminal body. A female terminal (1) includes a terminal body (10) having a bottom wall (22), and a spring member (70) fitted to the terminal body, the terminal body having a connecting cylinder portion (20) connected to the bottom wall and inserted into a tab (81) of a male terminal (80), an elastic contact piece (50) elastically contacted with the tab inserted into the connecting cylinder portion, and a through-hole (31) passing through the bottom wall, the spring member being composed of a metal having a greater elastic modulus than the elastic contact piece, one end portion of the spring member abutting against the elastic contact piece and applying a force to the elastic contact piece in a direction in which the elastic contact piece approaches the tab, and the other end portion of the spring member being located in an inner side region of a hole edge portion of the through-hole in a state in which the spring member is fitted to the terminal body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to female terminals and methods for manufacturing female terminals. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, a female terminal was disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-45322. This female terminal has a male contact receiving portion of a female contact formed into a roughly box-shaped structure consisting of an upper wall, side walls, and a bottom wall, and a spring sheet is disposed inside it. Furthermore, a stainless steel spring member having a higher elastic modulus than the spring sheet is disposed below the spring sheet.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-45322 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] Based on the above configuration, since the spring member is disposed within the box-shaped male contact receiving portion, it is difficult to confirm whether the spring member is disposed in the correct position within the male contact receiving portion.

[0008] This disclosure is made based on the above circumstances, with the aim of providing a technology involving a female terminal that allows easy confirmation that the spring member is positioned correctly.

[0009] Solution for solving the problem

[0010] This disclosure discloses a female terminal comprising: a terminal body having a bottom wall; and a spring member assembled to the terminal body, the terminal body having: a connecting cylindrical portion connected to the bottom wall and a protrusion into which a male terminal is inserted; an elastic contact piece elastically contacting the protrusion inserted into the connecting cylindrical portion; and a through hole penetrating the bottom wall, the spring member being made of a metal having an elastic modulus greater than that of the elastic contact piece, one end of the spring member abutting against the elastic contact piece and applying force in a direction that brings the elastic contact piece closer to the protrusion, and the other end of the spring member being located in the inner region of the edge of the through hole when the spring member is assembled to the terminal body.

[0011] Invention Effects

[0012] According to this disclosure, it can be easily confirmed that the spring member is positioned correctly relative to the terminal body. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view showing the female terminal of Embodiment 1. Figure 3 Sectional view along line II.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a side view showing the male and female terminals.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a top view showing the female terminal.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional view showing the spring components.

[0017] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The VV-line sectional view in the diagram.

[0018] Figure 6 It is shown Figure 2 A magnified side view of region P in the image.

[0019] Figure 7 It is shown Figure 3 A magnified top view of region Q in the image.

[0020] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 1 A magnified top view of region R in the image.

[0021] Figure 9 This is a top view showing the bare terminal body sheet formed by stamping a first metal sheet.

[0022] Figure 10 This is a top view showing the state in which a spring blank, formed by stamping a second metal sheet, is placed on a terminal body blank.

[0023] Figure 11 This is a top view showing the state in which a spring member is formed by stamping a second metal sheet.

[0024] Figure 12 This is a top view showing the state in which the tightening part is fastened to the spring member. Detailed Implementation

[0025] [Description of embodiments of this disclosure]

[0026] First, the implementation methods of this disclosure are listed and explained.

[0027] (1) The present disclosure is a female terminal having: a terminal body having a bottom wall; and a spring member assembled to the terminal body, the terminal body having: a connecting cylindrical portion connected to the bottom wall and a protrusion into which a male terminal is inserted; an elastic contact piece elastically contacting the protrusion inserted into the connecting cylindrical portion; and a through hole penetrating the bottom wall, the spring member being made of a metal having an elastic modulus greater than that of the elastic contact piece, one end of the spring member abutting against the elastic contact piece and applying force in a direction that brings the elastic contact piece closer to the protrusion, and the other end of the spring member being located in the inner region of the hole edge of the through hole when the spring member is assembled to the terminal body.

[0028] By simply checking whether the other end of the spring member is located inside the edge of the through hole, it is easy to confirm whether the spring member is positioned correctly relative to the terminal body.

[0029] (2) Preferably, the spring member is fastened to the terminal body by a tightening portion formed on the terminal body.

[0030] By checking the other end of the spring member through the through hole, it is possible to confirm whether the spring member is tilted when fixing it to the terminal body using the tightening part.

[0031] (3) Preferably, the terminal body has: a wire crimping part for crimping a wire; and a connecting part disposed between the connecting cylinder part and the wire crimping part to connect the connecting cylinder part and the wire crimping part, wherein the through hole is disposed on the bottom wall of the connecting part.

[0032] When the wire crimping part is crimped onto the wire, a relatively large force is applied to the wire crimping part. Additionally, when the male terminal's tab and the connecting sleeve are electrically connected, a relatively large force is applied to the connecting sleeve from the elastic contact piece. On the other hand, the connecting part is not subjected to the same large force as the wire crimping part and the connecting sleeve. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the reduction in strength of the terminal body and to form a through hole.

[0033] (4) Preferably, a shear surface is formed at the other end of the spring member.

[0034] Based on the above configuration, when stamping is performed with the spring member mounted on the bottom wall, a die for cutting the spring member can be inserted into the through hole. Therefore, stamping can be performed with the spring member mounted on the bottom wall.

[0035] (5) Preferably, an over-deflection suppression sheet is provided on the bottom wall, the over-deflection suppression sheet protruding toward the elastic contact sheet, and in the event of excessive force applied to the elastic contact sheet, the over-deflection suppression sheet suppresses the excessive deflection of the elastic contact sheet by abutting against the elastic contact sheet, the over-deflection suppression sheet being separated from one end of the spring member.

[0036] Because the spring member has a relatively high elastic modulus, the excessive deflection suppression sheet may deform when the spring member comes into contact with it. According to this disclosure, since the excessive deflection suppression sheet separates from the spring member, deformation of the excessive deflection suppression sheet can be suppressed.

[0037] (6) Preferably, the connecting cylinder portion has a sidewall extending from the side edge of the bottom wall, the sidewall having a window extending through the sidewall, and the portion of one end of the elastic contact piece and the spring member that abuts is exposed from the window.

[0038] From the window, it is easy to see that one end of the elastic contact piece and the spring member are in contact.

[0039] (7) This disclosure is a method for manufacturing a female terminal, the female terminal comprising: a terminal body having a bottom wall; and a spring member assembled on the terminal body, the method comprising: a step of forming a bare terminal body sheet having a through hole in the bottom wall by stamping a first metal sheet; a step of forming a bare spring sheet by stamping a second metal sheet having an elastic modulus greater than that of the first metal sheet; a step of placing the bare spring sheet on the bottom wall; and a step of forming the spring member by stamping the bare spring sheet by inserting a stamping die through the through hole.

[0040] A spring component can be formed by stamping a bare spring sheet placed on a bottom wall.

[0041] (8) Preferably, the process includes fastening the bare spring sheet or the spring member placed on the bottom wall to the bottom wall.

[0042] By fastening the bare spring sheet or spring component to the bottom wall, the spring component or bare spring sheet can be firmly fixed to the bottom wall.

[0043] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure]

[0044] The embodiments of this disclosure are described below. This disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims, as shown by the claims.

[0045] <Implementation Method 1>

[0046] While referring to Figures 1 to 12 The first embodiment of this disclosure will be described below. For example... Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the female terminal 1 is connected to the male terminal 80 (only the protrusion portion is shown) which has a tab 81. The female terminal 1 includes a terminal body 10 and a spring member 70 that is separately formed from and assembled to the terminal body 10. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow line Z is defined as upward, the direction indicated by arrow line Y is defined as forward, and the direction indicated by arrow line X is defined as leftward. In addition, regarding multiple identical components, sometimes only some components are labeled with reference numerals, and reference numerals are omitted for other components.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, the terminal body 10 is formed into an elongated shape in the front-to-back direction by stamping a first metal sheet 90 made of a copper alloy such as copper or brass. The terminal body 10 has a bottom wall 22 extending in the front-to-back direction. The bottom wall 22 continues from the front end to the rear end of the terminal body 10. Figure 2 As shown, a connecting sleeve portion 20 with a male terminal 80 protrusion 81 formed in the front half of the terminal body 10 and inserted in the direction indicated by arrow line A is formed in the rear half of the terminal body 10, and a wire connecting portion 40 with a connecting wire 60 is formed in the rear half of the terminal body 10.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown, the connecting cylindrical portion 20 is formed into a rectangular tube that is elongated in the front-to-back direction, and a terminal insertion port 21 for inserting a male terminal 80 is provided at its front end. The connecting cylindrical portion 20 includes: a pair of side walls 23 that rise upward from the left and right ends of the front half of the bottom wall 22; and a top wall 24 that spans the upper end of the pair of side walls 23 and is disposed opposite to the bottom wall 22 (see reference). Figure 1 ).

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the wire connection portion 40 is connected to the connecting cylinder portion 20 via a connecting portion 30 extending rearward from the rear end of the bottom wall 22 in the connecting cylinder portion 20. The wire connection portion 40 includes a rear half of the bottom wall 22 extending rearward from the rear end of the connecting portion 30, and a pair of spool portions 42 and insulating cylinder portions 43 protruding from the left and right side edges of the rear half of the bottom wall 22. The spool portions 42 and insulating cylinder portions 43 are electrically and mechanically connected to the core wire 61 and the insulating sheath 62 of the wire 60 mounted on the rear half of the bottom wall 22.

[0050] like Figure 1As shown, an elastic contact piece 50 is disposed inside the connecting cylinder portion 20. The elastic contact piece 50 is formed by bending rearward from the front end edge of the bottom wall 22. The elastic contact piece 50 extends to approximately the center of the connecting cylinder portion 20 in the front-rear direction. The elastic contact piece 50 is formed such that it can elastically deform in the up-and-down direction within the connecting cylinder portion 20, with the front end of the bottom wall 22 as a fulcrum. A contact portion 54 protruding upward is formed near the rear end of the elastic contact piece 50. The contact portion 54 elastically contacts the tab 81 of the male terminal 80 from below.

[0051] The spring member 70 is formed by stamping a second metal sheet 91 having a larger elastic modulus than the first metal sheet 90. In this embodiment 1, the second metal sheet 91 is made of stainless steel. The spring member 70 is generally formed as a plate that is elongated in the front-rear direction.

[0052] like Figure 1 As shown, with the spring member 70 mounted on the bottom wall 22, the front end (an example of one end) of the spring member 70 is located approximately at the center of the connecting cylinder portion 20 in the front-rear direction. The front end of the spring member 70 is formed as a force-applying portion 71 that abuts against the rear end of the elastic contact piece 50 from below when the elastic contact piece 50 elastically deforms downward, thereby applying force upward to the elastic contact piece 50. As a result, the elastic contact piece 50 is forceped in a direction approaching the protrusion 81. When the elastic contact piece 50 is in its natural state, the rear end of the elastic contact piece 50 and the force-applying portion 71 of the spring member 70 can either be separated or in contact.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the rear half of the spring member 70 is formed as a mounting portion 72 that rests on the upper surface of the bottom wall 22 of the terminal body 10. The mounting portion 72 is in contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall 22. The area between the force-applying portion 71 and the mounting portion 72 becomes an inclined portion 73, which slopes forward when the spring member 70 is resting on the upper surface of the bottom wall 22.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, with the spring member 70 mounted on the bottom wall 22, the rear end portion 76 of the mounting portion 72 extends further rearward than the rear end portion of the connecting cylinder portion 20. Thus, the rear end portion 76 of the mounting portion 72 is located on the upper surface of the bottom wall 22 of the connecting portion 30. A shear surface 77, formed by stamping and described later, is formed on the rear surface of the rear end portion 76 of the mounting portion 72.

[0055] like Figure 4 As shown, locking protrusions 74 are formed at the front end of the mounting portion 72, protruding from the left and right side edges to the left and right sides. Two locking protrusions 74 are arranged at intervals along the front-back direction on each side edge of the mounting portion 72.

[0056] like Figure 5 As shown, a pair of sidewalls 23 in the connecting cylinder portion 20 have tightening portions 25 formed therein. The tightening portions 25 protrude inward from the connecting cylinder portion 20 and are fastened to the mounting portion 72 of the spring member 70. The tightening portions 25 are formed by cutting and punching out the sidewalls 23 of the connecting cylinder portion 20. The tightening portions 25 are fastened between two locking protrusions 74 arranged in a front-to-back manner on both sides of the mounting portion 72. Thus, the spring member 70 is assembled to the terminal body 10 in a state where its forward and rearward movement is restricted. The two tightening portions 25 do not overlap but are arranged with a gap between their respective top ends.

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, the side wall 23 of the connecting cylinder 20 is provided with windows 26 that penetrate the side wall 23 in the left and right directions, corresponding to the rear end of the elastic contact piece 50 and the left and right sides of the force-applying part 71 of the spring member 70. Figure 6 As shown, the window portion 26 is generally rectangular in shape from the left and right. Viewed from the left and right, the rear end of the elastic contact piece 50 and the force-applying portion 71 of the spring member 70 are disposed in the inner region of the opening edge of the window portion 26. Thus, the rear end of the elastic contact piece 50 and the force-applying portion 71 of the spring member 70 can be visually confirmed from the window portion 26.

[0058] like Figure 7 As shown, a through hole 31 is formed in the bottom wall 22 of the connecting portion 30, penetrating the bottom wall 22 in the vertical direction. The through hole 31 is square when viewed from the vertical direction. Specifically, the through hole 31 is roughly trapezoidal in shape, with the length of the front edge of the hole being larger than the length of the rear edge. When the spring member 70 is assembled to the terminal body 10, the rear end portion 76 of the spring member 70 is located in the inner region of the edge of the through hole 31. The lower surface of the rear end portion 76 of the spring member 70 protrudes downward from the through hole 31. A gap 32 is formed between the rear end portion 76 of the spring member 70 and the edge of the through hole 31.

[0059] like Figure 8 As shown, sometimes a downward-protruding burr 75 or a downward-protruding deformed portion is formed at the rear end 76 of the spring member 70. The burr 75 is formed during the stamping process of the spring member 70. The burr 75 is located in the inner region of the hole edge of the through hole 31. Thus, the burr 75 is disposed within the thickness of the bottom wall 22 and does not protrude outward from the bottom wall 22.

[0060] like Figure 1As shown, an upwardly protruding over-deflection suppression piece 27 is provided on the bottom wall 22 of the connecting cylinder 20, below the elastic contact piece 50 and in front of the force-applying portion 71 of the spring member 70. The over-deflection suppression piece 27 is formed by cutting and punching through the bottom wall 22. A gap is formed between the upper end of the over-deflection suppression piece 27 and the lower edge of the elastic contact piece 50 in its natural state. When the protrusion 81 of the male terminal 80 is inserted into the connecting cylinder 20, a gap is also formed between the upper end of the over-deflection suppression piece 27 and the lower edge of the elastic contact piece 50. When the elastic contact piece 50 is excessively pressed downward by the protrusion 81 of the male terminal 80, the upper end of the over-deflection suppression piece 27 abuts against the lower edge of the elastic contact piece 50 from below, thereby suppressing the elastic contact piece 50 from excessively deflecting downward. Furthermore, the elastic contact piece 50 in its natural state means that no force is applied to the elastic contact piece 50 from the outside.

[0061] Because the excessive deflection suppression piece 27 is located further forward than the force-applying portion 71 of the spring member 70, the excessive deflection suppression piece 27 does not contact the spring member 70.

[0062] [Manufacturing process of female terminals]

[0063] The manufacturing of the female terminal 1 is performed, for example, as follows. Furthermore, the manufacturing process of the female terminal 1 is not limited to those described below.

[0064] First, such as Figure 9 As shown, a first metal sheet 90 made of copper or a copper alloy is stamped to form a terminal body blank 10E. At this time, a through hole 31 is formed in the bottom wall 22 of the terminal body blank 10E.

[0065] Next, the second metal sheet 91, made of stainless steel, is stamped to form the spring blank 70E. Then, as... Figure 10 As shown, the bare spring sheet 70E is mounted on the bottom wall 22.

[0066] Next, as Figure 11 As shown, the spring sheet 70E is cut off by inserting a cutting die 92 from above into the through hole 31, forming a spring member 70. At this time, a shear surface 77 is formed on the rear surface of the rear end portion 76 of the spring member 70. Additionally, burrs 75 are sometimes formed on the rear end portion 76 of the spring member 70. The die 92 is configured to allow insertion in the vertical direction between the edge of the through hole 31 and the rear end portion 76 of the spring member 70.

[0067] Next, as Figure 12 As shown, with the spring member 70 placed on the bottom wall 22, the tightening portion 25 is bent in a way that it is completely bent inward, thereby fastening the spring member 70 to the terminal body bare sheet 10E.

[0068] Furthermore, the bending process of the tightening portion 25 can also be performed while the bare spring sheet 70E is placed on the bottom wall 22 and before the spring member 70 is cut (the shear surface 77 is formed). In this case, it is possible to suppress the misalignment of the bare spring sheet 70E during the stamping process.

[0069] The terminal body blank 10E is bent to form the elastic contact piece 50 and the connecting sleeve portion 20. This completes the female terminal 1 (see reference). Figure 1 ).

[0070] [Effects of Implementation Method 1]

[0071] Next, the effects of this embodiment 1 will be explained. The female terminal 1 of this embodiment 1 has: a terminal body 10 having a bottom wall 22; and a spring member 70, which is assembled to the terminal body 10. The terminal body 10 has: a connecting cylinder portion 20 connected to the bottom wall 22 and a protrusion 81 inserted into the male terminal 80; an elastic contact piece 50 that elastically contacts the protrusion 81 inserted into the connecting cylinder portion 20; and a through hole 31 that penetrates the bottom wall 22. The spring member 70 is made of a metal having an elastic modulus greater than that of the elastic contact piece 50. The force-applying portion 71 of the spring member 70 abuts against the elastic contact piece 50 and applies force to the elastic contact piece 50 in the direction that brings the elastic contact piece 50 closer to the protrusion 81. The rear end portion 76 of the spring member 70 is located in the inner region of the hole edge portion of the through hole 31 when the spring member 70 is assembled to the terminal body 10.

[0072] By simply checking whether the rear end 76 of the spring member 70 is located in the inner region of the hole edge of the through hole 31, it is easy to confirm whether the spring member 70 is positioned correctly relative to the terminal body 10.

[0073] Furthermore, according to Embodiment 1, the spring member 70 is fastened to the terminal body 10 by the tightening portion 25 formed on the terminal body 10.

[0074] By checking the rear end 76 of the spring member 70 through the through hole 31, it is possible to confirm whether the spring member 70 is tilted when the spring member 70 is fixed to the terminal body 10 using the tightening part 25.

[0075] In addition, according to this embodiment 1, the terminal body 10 has: a wire connection portion 40, which is crimped to a wire 60; and a connecting portion 30, which is disposed between the connecting cylinder portion 20 and the wire connection portion 40 to connect the connecting cylinder portion 20 and the wire connection portion 40, and a through hole 31 is disposed on the bottom wall 22 of the connecting portion 30.

[0076] When the wire connector 40 is crimped onto the wire 60, a large force is applied to the wire connector 40. Similarly, when the tab 81 of the male terminal 80 is electrically connected to the connecting sleeve 20, a large force is applied to the connecting sleeve 20 from the elastic contact piece 50. On the other hand, the connecting portion 30 is not subjected to the same large force as the wire connector 40 and the connecting sleeve 20. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the reduction in strength of the terminal body 10 and to form the through hole 31.

[0077] Furthermore, according to Embodiment 1, a shear surface 77 is formed at the rear end 76 of the spring member 70.

[0078] According to the above configuration, when the spring member 70 is placed on the bottom wall 22 and stamping is performed, the die 92 for cutting the spring member 70 can be inserted into the through hole 31. Thus, stamping can be performed while the spring member 70 is placed on the bottom wall 22.

[0079] In addition, according to this embodiment 1, an over-deflection suppression piece 27 is provided on the bottom wall 22. The over-deflection suppression piece 27 protrudes toward the elastic contact piece 50, and when an excessive force is applied to the elastic contact piece 50, the over-deflection suppression piece 27 suppresses the excessive deflection of the elastic contact piece 50 by abutting against the elastic contact piece 50. The over-deflection suppression piece 27 separates from the front end of the spring member 70.

[0080] Because the spring member 70 has a relatively high elastic modulus, the excessive deflection suppression sheet 27 may deform when the spring member 70 comes into contact with it. However, according to this disclosure, since the excessive deflection suppression sheet 27 is separated from the spring member 70, deformation of the excessive deflection suppression sheet 27 can be suppressed.

[0081] In addition, according to this embodiment 1, the connecting cylinder portion 20 has a side wall 23 extending from the side edge of the bottom wall 22, and the side wall 23 has a window portion 26 penetrating through the side wall 23, and the portion of the elastic contact piece 50 and the force-applying portion 71 of the spring member 70 abutting each other is exposed from the window portion 26.

[0082] Therefore, the contact between the elastic contact piece 50 and the force-applying portion 71 of the spring member 70 can be easily confirmed from the window portion 26.

[0083] In the manufacturing method of the female terminal 1 disclosed herein, the female terminal 1 includes: a terminal body 10 having a bottom wall 22; and a spring member 70 assembled to the terminal body 10. The manufacturing method of the female terminal 1 includes: a step of forming a terminal body blank 10E having a through hole 31 in the bottom wall 22 by stamping a first metal sheet 90; a step of forming a spring blank 70E by stamping a second metal sheet 91 having a higher elastic modulus than the first metal sheet 90; a step of placing the spring blank 70E on the bottom wall 22; and a step of forming the spring member 70 by inserting a stamping die 92 through the through hole 31.

[0084] The spring component 70 can be formed by stamping while the bare spring sheet 70E is placed on the bottom wall 22.

[0085] In addition, the manufacturing method of the female terminal 1 in this embodiment 1 includes a step of fastening the spring member 70 placed on the bottom wall 22 to the bottom wall 22.

[0086] By fastening the spring member 70 to the bottom wall 22, the spring member 70 can be firmly fixed to the bottom wall 22.

[0087] <Other Implementation Methods>

[0088] (1) The method of fixing the spring member 70 and the terminal body 10 is not limited to fastening. The spring member 70 and the terminal body 10 can also be welded, or they can be locked with rivets.

[0089] (2) The through hole 31 can be located at a different position than the connecting part 30. For example, it can be located on the bottom wall 22 of the connecting cylinder part 20 or on the bottom wall 22 of the wire cylinder part 42.

[0090] (3) The excessive deflection suppression piece 27 may also be omitted. Alternatively, the excessive deflection suppression piece 27 may be a structure that abuts against the spring member 70 to suppress excessive deflection of the spring member 70.

[0091] (4) Window 26 can also be omitted.

[0092] (5) The burr 75 of the spring member 70 can also be configured to protrude upwards.

[0093] (6) In this embodiment 1, the spring member 70 is fastened to the bottom wall 22 by two tightening parts 25, but it is not limited to this. It can also be configured to fasten the spring member 70 to the bottom wall 22 by three or more tightening parts 25. Attached Figure Description

[0095] 1: Female terminal

[0096] 10: Terminal body

[0097] 10E: Terminal body bare die

[0098] 20: Connecting cylinder section

[0099] 21: Terminal insertion port

[0100] 22: Bottom wall

[0101] 23: Sidewall

[0102] 24: Top Wall

[0103] 25: Tightening section

[0104] 26: Window

[0105] 27: Excessive Flexibility Inhibition Tablets

[0106] 30: Connecting parts

[0107] 31: Through hole

[0108] 32: Gap

[0109] 40: Wire connection part (wire crimping part)

[0110] 42: Boll section

[0111] 43: Insulating cylinder section

[0112] 50: Flexible contact piece

[0113] 54: Contact section

[0114] 60: Electrical wire

[0115] 61: Core wire

[0116] 62: Insulation Covering Part

[0117] 70: Spring component

[0118] 70E: Bare spring sheet

[0119] 71: Force-Exerting Unit

[0120] 72: Loading section

[0121] 73: Inclined section

[0122] 74: Locking protrusion

[0123] 75: Burrs

[0124] 76: Rear end

[0125] 77: Shear plane

[0126] 80: Male terminal

[0127] 81: Protrusion

[0128] 90: First metal sheet

[0129] 91: Second metal sheet

[0130] 92: Mold

Claims

1. A female terminal comprising: a terminal body having a bottom wall; and a spring member assembled to the terminal body. The terminal body includes: a connecting cylindrical portion connected to the bottom wall; an elastic contact piece that elastically contacts a protrusion of a male terminal inserted into the connecting cylindrical portion; and a through hole penetrating the bottom wall. The spring member is made of a metal having a larger elastic modulus than the elastic contact piece. One end of the spring member abuts against the elastic contact piece and applies force in a direction that brings the elastic contact piece closer to the tab. The other end of the spring member includes a shear surface located in the inner region of the hole edge of the through hole when the spring member is assembled with the terminal body. The shear surface and the lower surface of the other end of the spring member are exposed downward from the through hole.

2. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein, The spring member is fastened to the terminal body by a tightening portion formed on the terminal body.

3. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein, The terminal body includes: a wire crimping portion for crimping a wire; and a connecting portion disposed between the connecting cylindrical portion and the wire crimping portion, connecting the connecting cylindrical portion and the wire crimping portion. The through hole is provided on the bottom wall of the connecting part.

4. The female terminal according to claim 2, wherein, The terminal body includes: a wire crimping portion for crimping a wire; and a connecting portion disposed between the connecting cylindrical portion and the wire crimping portion, connecting the connecting cylindrical portion and the wire crimping portion. The through hole is provided on the bottom wall of the connecting part.

5. The female terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The shear surface is formed at the other end of the spring member, where a burr is formed by stamping the metal. The burr protrudes upward or downward from the spring member.

6. The female terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, An excessive deflection suppression plate is provided on the bottom wall, protruding toward the elastic contact plate. When excessive force is applied to the elastic contact plate, the excessive deflection suppression plate suppresses excessive deflection of the elastic contact plate by abutting against it. The excessive deflection damping sheet separates from one end of the spring member.

7. The female terminal according to claim 5, wherein, An excessive deflection suppression plate is provided on the bottom wall, protruding toward the elastic contact plate. When excessive force is applied to the elastic contact plate, the excessive deflection suppression plate suppresses excessive deflection of the elastic contact plate by abutting against it. The excessive deflection damping sheet separates from one end of the spring member.

8. The female terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The connecting cylinder portion has a sidewall extending from the side edge of the bottom wall, and the sidewall has a window portion extending through the sidewall. The portion of one end of the elastic contact piece and the spring member that abuts is exposed from the window.

9. The female terminal according to claim 5, wherein, The connecting cylinder portion has a sidewall extending from the side edge of the bottom wall, and the sidewall has a window portion extending through the sidewall. The portion of one end of the elastic contact piece and the spring member that abuts is exposed from the window.

Images