Female terminal

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a female terminal which is easy to manufacture even if the plate thickness of a cylindrical connection part is increased, and which can contribute to reduction of on-resistance and improvement of heat dissipation performance. The female terminal (10) includes: a cylindrical connection section (54) that is conductively connected to the columnar connection section (18) of the male terminal (14); and an electric wire connection section 52 that is connected to the core wire 24 of the electric wire 22. The cylindrical connection section 54 has: a first peripheral wall section 38 provided by bending and deforming one end of a band-shaped first flat plate member 44 into an arc shape; and a second peripheral wall part (40) provided by bending one end of a belt-shaped second flat plate member (46) into an arc shape. The wire connection portion 52 is configured by overlapping a first other end portion 48, which is the other end portion of the first flat plate member 44, with a second other end portion 50, which is the other end portion of the second flat plate member 46, and by overlapping the first other end portion 48 of the first flat plate member 44 and the second other end portion 50 of the second flat plate member 46 with each other, the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 are disposed so as to face each other with a gap therebetween. Therefore, a cylindrical connecting part 54 is formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to female terminals. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an electrical connection structure is formed by using a male terminal having a roughly cylindrical columnar connection portion such as a so-called pin terminal and a female terminal having a roughly cylindrical tubular connection portion such as a so-called sleeve terminal. When the tubular connection portion of the female terminal is cut into a cylindrical shape by cutting, the processability is poor and the manufacturing cost is high. In response to this, Patent Document 1 proposes to manufacture the tubular connection portion by stamping a metal flat plate to bend it into a cylindrical shape, in an attempt to improve the processability and reduce the manufacturing cost. Prior art literature Patent Literature

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-187171 Summary of the invention Problems to be solved by the invention

[0004] However, in order to cope with the high current of vehicle-mounted equipment in recent years, the thickness of the metal plate constituting the female terminal has also increased, and it has become difficult to bend the thick metal plate into a cylindrical shape to manufacture the female terminal itself of Patent Document 1. In addition, in the structure of Patent Document 1, only a part of the circumferential area of ​​the cylindrical connection part is directly connected to the wire connection part to which the core wire of the covered wire is connected. As a result, the conductive path to the wire connection part becomes longer in the remaining circumferential area of ​​the cylindrical connection part, resulting in deterioration of the on-resistance and heat dissipation performance of the female terminal.

[0005] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a female terminal which is easy to manufacture even if the plate thickness of the cylindrical connecting portion is increased and which can contribute to reducing the on-resistance and improving the heat dissipation performance. Solutions to Solve Problems

[0006] The female terminal disclosed in the present invention includes: a cylindrical connection portion that is conductively connected to the columnar connection portion of the male terminal; and an electric wire connection portion that is connected to the core wire of the electric wire, the cylindrical connection portion having: a first peripheral wall portion that is formed by bending and deforming one end of a strip-shaped first flat part into an arc shape; and a second peripheral wall portion that is formed by bending and deforming one end of a strip-shaped second flat part into an arc shape, the electric wire connection portion is formed by overlapping the first other end portion that is the other end portion of the first flat part and the second other end portion that is the other end portion of the second flat part, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion are arranged opposite to each other with a gap therebetween to form the cylindrical connection portion.

[0007] According to the female terminal of the present disclosure, it is easy to manufacture even if the plate thickness of the cylindrical connection portion is increased, and it is possible to contribute to reducing the on-resistance and improving the heat dissipation performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing a state in which a female connector including a female terminal according to the first embodiment is fitted to a male terminal. Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 The II-II section is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the female terminal and female connector is shown. Figure 4 Yes Figure 2 The IV-IV section is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view. Figure 5 This is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to Embodiment 2, which is a female terminal connected to a terminal end of a covered electric wire. Figure 6 This is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to Embodiment 3, which is a female terminal connected to a terminal end of a covered electric wire. Figure 7 This is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to a modification of the first embodiment, which is a female terminal connected to a terminal end of a covered electric wire. Figure 8 This is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to a modification of the third embodiment, which shows a state in which the female terminal is connected to the end of a covered electric wire. Fig. 9 This is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to another modified example of the third embodiment, which is connected to a terminal end of a covered electric wire. Fig.10 This is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to still another modified example of the third embodiment, which is a state in which the female terminal is connected to the end of a covered electric wire. Fig.11 This is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to another modified example of the first embodiment, which is connected to a terminal end of a covered electric wire. Fig.12 This is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to another embodiment, which shows a state in which the female terminal is connected to the end of a covered electric wire. Fig.13 Yes means Fig.12 An exploded perspective view of the female terminal is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] <Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. The female terminal disclosed herein, (1) It includes: a cylindrical connection portion conductively connected to the columnar connection portion of the male terminal; and an electric wire connection portion connected to the core wire of the electric wire, the cylindrical connection portion having: a first peripheral wall portion formed by bending and deforming one end of a strip-shaped first flat part into an arc shape; and a second peripheral wall portion formed by bending and deforming one end of a strip-shaped second flat part into an arc shape, the electric wire connection portion is formed by overlapping the first other end portion as the other end portion of the first flat part and the second other end portion as the other end portion of the second flat part, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion are arranged opposite to each other with a gap therebetween to form the cylindrical connection portion.

[0010] According to the female terminal disclosed in the present invention, a cylindrical connection portion can be formed by bending and deforming one end of a strip-shaped metal flat plate into an arc shape and disposing the first circumferential wall portion and the second circumferential wall portion opposite to each other with a gap. Therefore, unlike the existing structure described in Patent Document 1, it is not necessary to bend the metal flat plate into a cylindrical shape at 360°. Even if the thickness of the cylindrical connection portion is increased to adapt to high current, it can be bent and deformed into an arc shape, so that the female terminal can be easily manufactured. In addition, the first other end of the first flat plate part having the first circumferential wall portion at one end and the second other end of the second flat plate part having the second circumferential wall portion at one end overlap with each other to form a wire connection portion. Therefore, the first circumferential wall portion and the second circumferential wall portion constituting the cylindrical connection portion are directly connected to the wire connection portion as a whole, which helps to reduce the on-resistance of the female terminal and improve the heat dissipation performance compared with the existing structure described in Patent Document 1, in which only a part of the cylindrical connection portion is connected to the wire connection portion.

[0011] Furthermore, the first flat plate part and the second flat plate part may be separated from each other, or may be connected to each other at the other end sides. In addition, the cylindrical connection part may be configured to open in the front in the direction away from the wire connection part, and open on both sides in the direction orthogonal to the direction away from the wire connection part. In addition, the so-called "the first other end and the second other end overlap" does not require the first other end and the second other end to be in close contact on the entire surface, as long as they are opposite to each other and arranged close to each other, and also includes a state where part or all of them are opposite to each other with a gap therebetween.

[0012] (2) In the above (1), it is preferred that the first flat plate part and the second flat plate part are composed of a strip-shaped metal flat plate formed by connecting the first other end portion and the second other end portion to each other via a connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion of the first flat plate part and the second peripheral wall portion of the second flat plate part are respectively provided at both ends of the metal flat plate, and the first other end portion of the first flat plate part and the second other end portion of the second flat plate part are overlapped with each other by bending the connecting portion of the metal flat plate in the plate thickness direction, thereby forming the wire connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion provided at the two end portions are spaced apart from each other and arranged opposite to each other, thereby forming the tubular connecting portion.

[0013] By stamping out the first / second circumferential wall portions at both ends of a strip-shaped metal flat plate, and bending the connecting portion arranged in the central portion of the strip plate part along the plate thickness direction, the strip plate part is bent in half in the length direction, so that the cylindrical connecting portion and the wire connecting portion can be easily manufactured, which can help to further improve the manufacturability and operability.

[0014] (3) In the above (1) or (2), it is preferred to include a cylindrical contact member arranged on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical connecting portion, the contact member having a plurality of elastic contact portions, the plurality of elastic contact portions applying force to and contacting the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connecting portion of the male terminal inserted into the cylindrical connecting portion.

[0015] By including the contact member that is separated from the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion constituting the cylindrical connection portion, it is easy to control the contact pressure of the cylindrical connection portion on the male terminal. In particular, it is easy to achieve low contact pressure, which can help reduce the insertion force when the male and female terminals are engaged. Furthermore, by providing multiple elastic contact portions to achieve multi-contact, it can also help reduce contact resistance.

[0016] (4) In any one of the above (1) to (3), it is preferred that the contact part further includes: a cylindrical contact member arranged on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical connection portion; and an anti-opening member that limits displacement in a direction opposite to the opposing direction of the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion installed on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical connection portion, wherein the contact member has a plurality of elastic contact portions, and the plurality of elastic contact portions apply force to and contact the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connection portion of the male terminal inserted into the cylindrical connection portion.

[0017] By enclosing the contact member that is separated from the first circumferential wall portion and the second circumferential wall portion constituting the cylindrical connection portion, it is easy to control the contact pressure of the cylindrical connection portion on the male terminal. In particular, it is easy to achieve low contact pressure, which can help reduce the insertion force when the male and female terminals are engaged. Furthermore, by providing a plurality of elastic contact portions to achieve multi-contact, it can also help reduce contact resistance. In addition, by installing an anti-opening member on the cylindrical connection portion to limit the displacement of the first circumferential wall portion and the second circumferential wall portion in the opposite direction to the opposing direction, it is possible to effectively prevent the deformation of the contact member.

[0018] (5) In the above (4), it is preferred that the anti-opening component includes a ring component made of metal which is cut at one place in the circumferential direction, the cylindrical connecting portion has a plurality of engaging holes which respectively penetrate the first circumferential wall portion and the second circumferential wall portion along the plate thickness direction, the ring component is arranged to cover the outer circumferential side openings of the plurality of engaging holes, and the plurality of engaging portions provided on the contact component are respectively engaged with the inner circumferential side openings of the plurality of engaging holes, so that the contact component is positioned on the cylindrical connecting portion.

[0019] The anti-opening component can be easily formed by a ring component made of metal that is notched at one place in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, the contact component can be positioned relative to the cylindrical connecting portion by using a plurality of engaging holes provided in the first circumferential wall portion and the second circumferential wall portion. Moreover, the outer peripheral openings of the plurality of engaging holes can be covered by the ring component. Therefore, the contact component can be stably positioned relative to the cylindrical connecting portion, and foreign matter can be effectively suppressed or prevented from entering the cylindrical connecting portion, thereby contributing to achieving the conduction stability of the female terminal.

[0020] (6) In any one of the above (1) to (3), preferably, the first flat plate part has a first intermediate plate part connecting the first peripheral wall part and the first other end part, and the second flat plate part has a second intermediate plate part connecting the second peripheral wall part and the second other end part, and the first peripheral wall part and the second peripheral wall part are allowed to be separated and displaced in a direction opposite to the opposing direction through elastic deformation of the first intermediate plate part and the second intermediate plate part, and a force applying component for applying force to the first peripheral wall part and the second peripheral wall part in the opposing direction is installed in the cylindrical connecting part.

[0021] By utilizing the elasticity of each intermediate plate portion of each flat component, the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion are pressed against the male terminal inserted into the cylindrical connecting portion, and by installing a force applying member to apply force to the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion in opposing directions on the cylindrical connecting portion, further contact pressure can be applied to the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion toward the male terminal. As a result, the conduction stability of the female terminal to the male terminal can be improved.

[0022] (7) In the above (6), the urging member preferably includes a metal ring member notched at one position in the circumferential direction, and the inner peripheral surface of the ring member is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting portion and mounted.

[0023] The force-applying member can be easily formed by using a ring member made of metal with a cutout at one place in the circumferential direction. In addition, since the ring member is installed on the cylindrical connection part in a state where the inner circumferential surface of the ring member is pressed against the outer circumferential surfaces of the first circumferential wall part and the second circumferential wall part, the force of the ring member can be uniformly applied to a wider area of ​​the cylindrical connection part. Therefore, the application of contact pressure to the cylindrical connection part can be stably achieved by a simple structure. In addition, the metal ring member can be any structure as long as it is cutout at one place in the circumferential direction and can be assembled to the cylindrical connection part. For example, a well-known C-shaped ring or E-shaped ring can be advantageously used.

[0024] (8) In any one of the above (1) to (7), the tubular connecting portion is preferably configured to open forward in a direction away from the wire connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion respectively include: a slit that passes through the plate thickness direction and opens forward in the direction away from the wire connecting portion; and a plurality of partition wall portions that are separated from each other in the circumferential direction by the slit.

[0025] The first and second peripheral wall portions are respectively divided into a plurality of partition wall portions separated from each other along the circumferential direction, and the end of each partition wall portion on the front side of the direction of separation becomes a free end through a slit and is maintained in a cantilever beam shape. Therefore, the followability of the cylindrical connection portion relative to the radial displacement of the cylindrical connection portion of the male terminal can be improved. In addition, according to the combination of the above-mentioned structures (6) and (7), the force can be applied to each partition wall portion by the force-applying member, thereby advantageously achieving the simultaneous effects of improving the followability of the cylindrical connection portion to the male terminal and the contact pressure.

[0026] (9) In any one of the above (1) to (7), the cylindrical connecting portion is preferably configured to be open on both sides of the axial direction of the cylindrical connecting portion which is a direction orthogonal to the direction away from the wire connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion respectively include: a slit penetrating the middle portion of the axial direction along the plate thickness direction; and a plurality of partition wall portions separated from each other in the axial direction by the slit, and the plurality of partition wall portions of the first peripheral wall portion and the plurality of partition wall portions of the second peripheral wall portion are respectively arranged opposite to each other, and constitute a plurality of partition cylindrical portions arranged to be separated from each other in the axial direction.

[0027] The first / second peripheral wall portions are respectively divided into a plurality of mutually separated partitioning wall portions in the axial direction of the cylindrical connecting portion, and a plurality of partitioning barrel portions are provided which are separated and arranged in the axial direction by the partitioning wall portions on the first peripheral wall portion side and the partitioning wall portions on the second peripheral wall portion side which are mutually opposed. Therefore, the partitioning barrel portions can provide a more excellent tracking performance for the displacement of the male terminal inserted into the cylindrical connecting portion in a direction inclined relative to the axial direction.

[0028] (10) In the above (9), it is preferred that there are a plurality of force-applying members corresponding to the plurality of split barrel portions, and each of the split barrel portions is respectively installed with each of the force-applying members for applying force to the split wall portion on the first peripheral wall portion side and the split wall portion on the second peripheral wall portion side in opposite directions. By installing force-applying members on the plurality of split barrel portions respectively, it is possible to apply contact pressure to the male terminal on each of the split barrel portions. Therefore, it is possible to improve the tracking performance achieved by the split barrel portions and the contact pressure on each of the split barrel portions, i.e., the tubular connecting portion, of the male terminal. In addition, as the force-applying member, the structure of the above (7) can be adopted. In this case, it is preferred that a mounting groove is provided in each of the split barrel portions and each of the ring members is fitted into each of the mounting grooves.

[0029] (11) In the above (4) or (6), the female terminal is preferably accommodated in an insulating housing, and the anti-opening member has a fitting portion that is embedded in the fitted portion of the housing, and the female terminal is positioned relative to the housing by the fitting portion being embedded in the fitted portion. The anti-opening member or the force-applying member can also constitute a positioning mechanism for the female terminal relative to the housing, thereby reducing the number of parts and contributing to miniaturization. (12) In the above (1), it is preferred that the first flat plate part and the second flat plate part are composed of a strip-shaped metal flat plate formed by connecting the first other end portion and the second other end portion to each other via a connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion of the first flat plate part and the second peripheral wall portion of the second flat plate part are respectively provided at both ends of the metal flat plate, and the first other end portion of the first flat plate part and the second other end portion of the second flat plate part are overlapped with each other by the connecting portion of the metal flat plate, thereby forming the wire connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion provided at the two end portions are arranged opposite to each other with a gap, thereby forming the tubular connecting portion. The first flat plate part has a first intermediate plate portion connecting the first peripheral wall portion and the first other end portion, and the second flat plate part The plate part comprises a second intermediate plate portion connecting the second peripheral wall portion and the second other end portion, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion are allowed to separate and shift in a direction opposite to the opposing direction through elastic deformation of the first intermediate plate portion and the second intermediate plate portion, and a force-applying component that applies force to the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion in the opposing direction is installed on the cylindrical connecting portion, and the force-applying component includes a ring component made of metal that is notched at a point in the circumferential direction, and the inner peripheral surface of the ring component is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting portion and installed, and the cylindrical connecting portion is configured to open forward in a direction away from the wire connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion respectively: include a slit that passes through the plate thickness direction and opens forward in the direction away from the wire connecting portion; and a plurality of dividing wall portions that are separated from each other in the circumferential direction by the slit.

[0030] <Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure> Specific examples of the female terminal of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0031] <Implementation method 1> Below, use Figures 1 to 4 The female terminal 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figures 1 to 4 The female connector 12 including the female terminal 10 of the present disclosure and the male terminal 14 conductively connected to the female terminal 10 are shown. The male terminal 14 is protrudingly provided on the frame of an on-board device such as a high-voltage battery (not shown) to improve the conductive connection with the female connector 12 provided at the end of a covered electric wire 22 to be described later and connected to other on-board devices such as an inverter, thereby achieving electrical connection between the on-board devices. In addition, the female terminal 10 can be arranged in any direction, but in the following description, Figure 2 The up and down directions in are the up and down directions, Figure 2 The left and right directions in are the front-back directions, Figure 2 In the figure, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is the left-right direction. In addition, for a plurality of identical components, sometimes only some of the components are marked with reference numerals, and the reference numerals of the other components are omitted.

[0032] <Male terminal 14> The male terminal 14 is formed by cutting or stamping a metal with low electrical resistance such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy into a predetermined shape. The male terminal 14 is integrally provided with: a fixing portion 16 fixed to a device-side connecting portion provided in a frame of an in-vehicle device such as a high-voltage battery (not shown) in a connected state; and a columnar connecting portion 18 protruding from the fixing portion 16 to the outside of the frame. The fixing portion 16 is provided with a bolt fastening hole 20 for fastening with a fastening bolt (not shown) fastened to the device-side connecting portion.

[0033] <Female connector 12> The female connector 12 includes a coated electric wire 22 connected to an in-vehicle device (not shown), a female terminal 10 to which a core wire 24 made of a metal such as copper or aluminum exposed at the end of the coated electric wire 22 is connected, and an insulating housing 26 for accommodating the female terminal 10. The housing 26 is formed of a synthetic resin or the like and is an integral injection molded product, and includes a hollow cylindrical main body 28 and a front cover 30 covering the front opening of the main body 28. In addition, the front cover 30 is provided with an insertion hole 32 penetrating in the thickness direction and capable of inserting the columnar connection portion 18 of the male terminal 14. Furthermore, a pair of fitted portions 34 in the shape of rectangular holes penetrating in the plate thickness direction are provided at two locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction and facing each other in the radial direction in the main body 28 of the housing 26. The rear opening 36 of the main body 28 of the housing 26 is not covered but is open, and the female terminal 10 is accommodated in the housing 26 through the rear opening 36. The female terminal 10 accommodated in the housing 26 is positioned and assembled relative to the housing 26 by a pair of fitting portions 78 of a ring member 80 described later provided on the female terminal 10 being fitted into a pair of fitted portions 34, respectively (see Figure 2 ).

[0034] <Female terminal 10> The female terminal 10 is made by stamping a strip-shaped metal plate into a predetermined shape. The strip-shaped metal plate is cut into a predetermined length and width size from a strip of metal with low electrical resistance, such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy. In this embodiment, the two ends of the strip-shaped metal plate are bent and deformed by stamping to protrude into a semi-cylindrical shape on the same side in the plate thickness direction, thereby forming a first peripheral wall portion 38 and a second peripheral wall portion 40. The first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 are bent and deformed into approximately the same curvature, and their axial directions are set to be consistent with the long strip direction of the strip-shaped metal plate.

[0035] The connecting portion 42 is formed by the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped metal flat plate. A first flat plate component 44 is formed by the side provided with the first peripheral wall portion 38, and a second flat plate component 46 is formed by the side provided with the second peripheral wall portion 40, across the connecting portion 42. In the first flat plate component 44, a first other end portion 48, which is the other end portion opposite to the one end portion provided with the first peripheral wall portion 38, is connected to the connecting portion 42 and expanded in a flat plate shape. In the second flat plate component 46, a second other end portion 50, which is the other end portion opposite to the one end portion provided with the second peripheral wall portion 40, is connected to the connecting portion 42 and expanded in a flat plate shape. Furthermore, the connecting portion 42 of the metal plate is bent so as to protrude in the same plate thickness direction as the side where the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 protrude, and the first other end portion 48 of the first plate part 44 and the second other end portion 50 of the second plate part 46 overlap each other, and the first other end portion 48 and the second other end portion 50 overlap each other to form the wire connecting portion 52. Figure 3 As shown, the core wire 24 of the covered electric wire 22 is overlapped on the electric wire connecting portion 52 and welded by ultrasonic welding or the like, and the core wire 24 of the covered electric wire 22 is fixed and electrically connected to the electric wire connecting portion 52. In addition, the first other end portion 48 and the second other end portion 50 constituting the electric wire connecting portion 52 may be fixedly connected to each other at their opposing surfaces when the core wire 24 is welded, or may be arranged to face each other with a gap at least partially therebetween.

[0036] In a state where the first other end portion 48 and the second other end portion 50 overlap each other to form the wire connecting portion 52, the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 are arranged opposite to each other with a gap therebetween. In addition, the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 arranged opposite to each other in this way form a cylindrical connecting portion 54 (see Figure 3 ).

[0037] In the present embodiment, the cylindrical connection portion 54 is configured to open forward in a direction away from the wire connection portion 52 (see FIG. Figure 3 ), the columnar connection portion 18 of the male terminal 14 is inserted into the interior of the cylindrical connection portion 54 from the front opening portion 56 of the cylindrical connection portion 54. In addition, a pair of engaging holes 58, 58 are provided in the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40, which are respectively provided through the central portion of the circumferential direction in the plate thickness direction by punching and punching. The pair of engaging holes 58, 58 are arranged opposite to each other in the radial direction of the cylindrical connection portion 54 along the opposing direction of the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 (see Figure 2 ). Further, at the circumferential end portions ( Figure 3The first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 38 are provided with concave fitting grooves 60 and 60 that open to the outer peripheral surface. The fitting groove 60 of the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the fitting groove 60 of the second peripheral wall portion are arranged opposite to each other with a gap therebetween in the circumferential direction and extend to a predetermined length in the circumferential direction. Figure 4 As shown, a ring member 80 described later is fitted into the fitting grooves 60, 60, and the ring member 80 is arranged in the axial direction ( Figure 4 in the front-to-back direction) is positioned.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the first flat plate part 44 has a first intermediate plate part 62 connecting the first peripheral wall part 38 and the first other end part 48, and the second flat plate part 46 has a second intermediate plate part 64 connecting the second peripheral wall part 40 and the second other end part 50. The first intermediate plate part 62 is curved in a substantially arc shape along the curvature of the first peripheral wall part 38 on the side of the first peripheral wall part 38, and the curvature becomes smaller as it approaches the first other end part 48, and expands into a substantially flat plate shape on the side of the first other end part 48. The shape of the second intermediate plate part 64 also changes with substantially the same curvature as the first intermediate plate part 62, and extends between the second peripheral wall part 40 and the second other end part 50. In the first flat plate part 44, the first peripheral wall part 38 is connected to the first other end part 48 in a cantilever beam shape via the first intermediate plate part 62, and in the second flat plate part 46, the second peripheral wall part 40 is connected to the second other end part 50 in a cantilever beam shape via the second intermediate plate part 64.

[0039] <Contact member 66> The female terminal 10 further includes a contact member 66. The contact member 66 is formed by stamping and bending a metal material such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum or aluminum alloy. Figure 3 As shown, the contact member 66 includes: a substantially cylindrical mounting tube portion 68 thinner than the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40; and a plurality of elastic contact portions 70 disposed at a plurality of mutually separated positions along the circumferential direction and the axial direction of the mounting tube portion 68. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , each elastic contact portion 70 is provided by cutting and raising the peripheral wall of the mounting tube portion 68 toward the inner peripheral side in a cantilever beam shape. Each elastic contact portion 70 has a contact 72 bent into a substantially V-shaped cross section at the radially inner side of the mounting tube portion 68 at the middle portion in the protruding direction. Figure 3 A plurality of contact pieces 74 (six in this embodiment) are provided at a plurality of locations separated from each other in the circumferential direction so as to protrude toward the outer circumferential side.

[0040] In addition, on the other opening end side ( Figure 3A pair of engaging portions 76, 76 are provided at two locations separated from each other in the circumferential direction and facing each other in the radial direction. Each engaging portion 76 is provided by cutting up the peripheral wall of the mounting cylinder portion 68 in a cantilever beam shape along the outer peripheral side, and protrudes from the other opening end side (rear side) to one opening end side (front side).

[0041] The contact member 66 thus constructed is formed from the side of the opening end where the contact piece 74 is not provided ( Figure 3 The contact member 66 is inserted into the front opening 56 of the cylindrical connection part 54 by the contact piece 74 contacting the front opening 56 of the cylindrical connection part 54, and the insertion end of the contact member 66 into the cylindrical connection part 54 is limited. Figure 2 As shown, at the insertion end position of the contact member 66 into the cylindrical connection portion 54, the protruding end of each engaging portion 76 is fitted into the front side end surface of the inner peripheral side opening of each engaging hole 58 provided in the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40. In this way, each abutting piece 74 abuts against the front opening 56 of the cylindrical connection portion 54, and each engaging portion 76 engages with the front side end surface of each engaging hole 58, thereby restricting the displacement of the contact member 66 in the axial direction (front-rear direction in the figure) of the cylindrical connection portion 54, and the contact member 66 is positioned in the cylindrical connection portion 54.

[0042] Furthermore, since the outer diameter of the contact member 66 is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cylindrical connection portion 54, when the contact member 66 is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical connection portion 54, the outer peripheral surface of the mounting cylindrical portion 68 of the contact member 66 is crimped to the inner peripheral surfaces of the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40. In addition, when the columnar connection portion 18 of the male terminal 14 is inserted from the front opening portion 56 of the cylindrical connection portion 54, each elastic contact portion 70 is flexibly deformed toward the outer peripheral side, thereby allowing the columnar connection portion 18 to be inserted into the cylindrical connection portion 54. Subsequently, due to the elastic restoring force of the elastic contact portion 70, each elastic contact portion 70 is urged to contact the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connection portion 18, and the contact 72 of each elastic contact portion 70 is crimped to the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connection portion 18 (see Figure 2 ).

[0043] <Ring member 80 (opening prevention member)> The female terminal 10 further includes a ring member 80 as an anti-opening member. The ring member 80 is formed of a C-shaped ring made of metal with a cutout at one place in the circumferential direction. The ring member 80 can be embedded in the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 54 from the side through the cutout portion on the circumference. The inner diameter of the ring member 80 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical connecting portion 54. Therefore, when the first circumferential wall portion 38 and the second circumferential wall portion 40 constituting the cylindrical connecting portion 54 want to displace in the opposite direction of the opposing direction, the ring member 80, which is embedded in the cylindrical connecting portion 54, exerts a force that restricts the displacement in the opposite direction due to the elastic restoring force of the ring member 80. Therefore, as an anti-opening member, the ring member 80 has the function of restricting the displacement of the first circumferential wall portion 38 and the second circumferential wall portion 40 in the direction opposite to the opposing direction.

[0044] In addition, the ring member 80 embedded in the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 54 from the side is respectively embedded in the fitting grooves 60 (see Figure 4 ). Therefore, the displacement of the ring member 80 in the axial direction (front-rear direction in the figure) relative to the cylindrical connecting portion 54 is restricted by the ring member 80 abutting against the side wall of the engaging groove 60, and the ring member 80 is positioned in the cylindrical connecting portion 54. In this way, when the ring member 80 is positioned in the cylindrical connecting portion 54, the ring member 80 is arranged to cover the outer peripheral openings of the pair of engaging holes 58, 58 (see Figure 2 ).

[0045] Furthermore, the ring member 80 has a pair of interlocking portions 78, 78 disposed in a radially opposed manner at a plurality of locations (two locations in the present embodiment) separated from each other in the circumferential direction. Each interlocking portion 78 has an axial end portion ( Figure 2 The front end of the middle) to the other end of the axial direction ( Figure 2 When the female terminal 10 is received in the housing 26, the pair of engaging portions 78, 78 of the ring member 80 engage with the pair of engaged portions 34, 34 provided in the housing 26 (see Figure 2 ). Therefore, the female terminal 10 is prevented from coming out of the housing 26 and is positioned in the housing 26 .

[0046] Next, the effects of the female terminal 10 involved in the present embodiment are described. According to the female terminal 10 of the present embodiment, the first circumferential wall portion 38 and the second circumferential wall portion 40 are arranged opposite to each other with a gap, thereby forming a cylindrical connection portion 54. Therefore, it is not necessary to bend the metal plate into a cylindrical shape of 360° as in the existing structure described in Patent Document 1. Even if the thickness of the cylindrical connection portion is increased to cope with high current, it can be bent into a semi-cylindrical shape, so that the female terminal 10 can be easily manufactured. The first other end portion 48 of the first flat plate part 44 having the first circumferential wall portion 38 at one end and the second other end portion 50 of the second flat plate part 46 having the second circumferential wall portion 40 at one end overlap with each other to form a wire connection portion 52. Therefore, the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 constituting the cylindrical connection portion are directly connected to the wire connection portion 52 as a whole via the first intermediate plate portion 62 and the second intermediate plate portion 64. Therefore, as with the existing structure described in patent document 1, compared with the situation where only a part of the cylindrical connection portion is connected to the wire connection portion, this embodiment can help reduce the on-resistance of the female terminal and improve the heat dissipation performance.

[0047] In particular, in this embodiment, the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 are provided at both ends of a strip-shaped metal flat plate by stamping, and the connecting portion 42 provided at the center of the metal flat plate is bent in the plate thickness direction to form the female terminal 10. That is, the cylindrical connecting portion 54 and the wire connecting portion 52 can be easily manufactured by simply bending the metal flat plate in half in the length direction. Therefore, it is possible to further contribute to improving the manufacturability and operability.

[0048] In addition, a contact member 66 is embedded in the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical connection part 54, and the contact member 66 has a plurality of elastic contact parts 70 that apply force to and contact the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connection part 18 of the male terminal 14 inserted into the cylindrical connection part 54. Therefore, it is easy to control the contact pressure of the cylindrical connection part 54 on the male terminal 14. In particular, the contact member 66 is formed of a metal plate thinner than the first peripheral wall part 38 and the second peripheral wall part 40. Therefore, it is easy to achieve low contact pressure in the cylindrical connection part 54, which can help to reduce the insertion force when the male and female terminals are engaged. Furthermore, by providing a plurality of elastic contact parts 70 to achieve multi-contact, it can also help to reduce contact resistance. In addition, by installing a ring member 80 on the cylindrical connection part 54 to limit the displacement of the first peripheral wall part 38 and the second peripheral wall part 40 in the direction opposite to the opposing direction, it is also possible to prevent deformation of the contact member 66.

[0049] Furthermore, the ring member 80 is arranged to cover the outer peripheral openings of the plurality of engagement holes 58 , and the engagement portions 76 provided on the contact member 66 are respectively engaged with the inner peripheral openings of the plurality of engagement holes 58 , so that the contact member 66 is positioned at the cylindrical connecting portion 54 .

[0050] Therefore, the contact member 66 can be used to position the cylindrical connection portion 54 using the plurality of engagement holes 58 provided in the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40. In addition, the outer peripheral openings of the plurality of engagement holes 58 can be covered by the ring member 80. As a result, the contact member 66 can be stably positioned with respect to the cylindrical connection portion 54, foreign matter can be suppressed or prevented from entering the cylindrical connection portion 54, and the conduction stability of the female terminal 10 can be advantageously achieved.

[0051] <Implementation method 2> Next, use Figure 5 A female terminal 90 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The structure of the female terminal 90 according to the second embodiment is basically the same as that of the female terminal 10 according to the first embodiment, but the difference is that the female terminal 90 does not include the contact member 66, and the first peripheral wall portion 94 and the second peripheral wall portion 96 constituting the cylindrical connecting portion 92 form a contact with the columnar connecting portion 18 of the male terminal 14. In the following description, the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and for the substantially same components and parts as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given in the drawings to omit detailed description.

[0052] Similar to the first embodiment, the female terminal 90 includes the first flat member 44 and the second flat member 46, but the difference is that the first flat member 44 and the second flat member 46 are connected by a connecting portion 98 ( Figure 5 That is, in the female terminal 90, the first flat part 44 and the second flat part 46 arranged in parallel are bent along the plate thickness direction to overlap the first other end 48 of the first flat part 44 and the second other end 50 of the second flat part 46 to form the wire connecting part 52. Figure 5 A rivet sheet 100 is provided on the right side of the first other end portion 48 and is crimped to the side edge portion ( Figure 5 Therefore, it is possible to prevent the first flat plate part 44 and the second flat plate part 46 from opening in the direction opposite to the opposing direction.

[0053] Similar to the first embodiment, the first peripheral wall portion 94 is connected to the first other end portion 48 via the first intermediate plate portion 62, and the second peripheral wall portion 96 is connected to the second other end portion 50 via the second intermediate plate portion 64. Therefore, the first peripheral wall portion 94 and the second peripheral wall portion 96 are allowed to be separated and displaced in the direction opposite to the opposing direction by elastic deformation of the first intermediate plate portion 62 and the second intermediate plate portion 64.

[0054] The cylindrical connection portion 92 composed of the first peripheral wall portion 94 and the second peripheral wall portion 96 is configured to open forward in the direction away from the wire connection portion 52. The first peripheral wall portion 94 has a slit 104 that penetrates in the plate thickness direction and opens forward in the direction away from the wire connection portion 52, and a plurality of partitioning walls 94a, 94b that are separated from each other in the circumferential direction by the slit 104. The second peripheral wall portion 96 has a slit 106 that penetrates in the plate thickness direction and opens forward in the direction away from the wire connection portion 52, and a plurality of partitioning walls 96a, 96b that are separated from each other in the circumferential direction by the slit 106. The partitioning walls 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b all protrude forward from the first / second intermediate plate portion 62, 64 in a cantilever beam shape. The inner circumferential surfaces of the partition walls 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b serve as contact surfaces with the outer circumferential surface of the columnar connecting portion 18 of the male terminal 14, and contact points with the columnar connecting portion 18 of the male terminal 14 are provided on the inner circumferential surfaces of the partition walls 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b.

[0055] In the cylindrical connection part 92, a ring member 108 constituting a biasing member for biasing the first peripheral wall part 94 and the second peripheral wall part 96 in the opposing direction is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the protruding end side of the partition wall parts 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b. The ring member 108 is constituted by a C-shaped ring made of metal with a cutout at one point in the circumferential direction, and the ring member 108 can be fitted into the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical connection part 92 from the side through the cutout portion on the circumference. The inner diameter dimension of the ring member 108 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the cylindrical connection part 92, so that the ring member 108 fitted on the outside of the cylindrical connection part 92 applies a biasing force to displace the partition wall parts 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b constituting the cylindrical connection part 92 in the opposing direction, which is a direction in which they approach each other. That is, when the columnar connection portion 18 of the male terminal 14 is pressed into the cylindrical connection portion 92, the partition wall portions 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b are displaced radially outward of the cylindrical connection portion 92, which is the direction opposite to the opposing direction, against the urging force of the ring member 108. The radially outward displacement of the partition wall portions 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b is also permitted by the elastic deformation of the first / second intermediate plate portions 62, 64 in the direction opposite to the opposing direction. As a result, the partition wall portions 94a, 94b of the first peripheral wall portion 94 and the partition wall portions 96a, 96b of the second peripheral wall portion 96 are pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connection portion 18 of the male terminal 14 by the elastic restoring force of the first / second intermediate plate portions 62, 64. In addition, due to the elastic restoring force of the ring member 108 , the dividing wall portions 94 a , 94 b of the first peripheral wall portion 94 and the dividing wall portions 96 a , 96 b of the second peripheral wall portion 96 are pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connecting portion 18 of the male terminal 14 .

[0056] In this embodiment, since the ring member 108 applies contact pressure to the columnar connection portion 18 of the male terminal 14 to the dividing wall portions 94a, 94b of the first peripheral wall portion 94 and the dividing wall portions 96a, 96b of the second peripheral wall portion 96, the conduction stability of the female terminal 90 can be advantageously improved. In addition, the inner peripheral surface of the ring member 108 is pressed and mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical connection portion 92. Therefore, the force of the ring member 108 can be uniformly applied to a wide area of ​​the cylindrical connection portion 92, and the contact pressure to the cylindrical connection portion 92 can be stably applied with a simple structure.

[0057] In addition, the first peripheral wall portion 94 and the second peripheral wall portion 96 are respectively divided into a plurality of mutually separated dividing wall portions 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b in the circumferential direction, and the ends of the front side of the separating direction of each dividing wall portion 94a, 94b, 96a, 96b become free ends through the slits 104, 106 and are maintained in a cantilever beam shape. Therefore, the followability of the cylindrical connecting portion 92 with respect to the radial displacement of the cylindrical connecting portion 18 of the male terminal 14 can be improved. Moreover, the ring member 108 can be easily used to constitute the urging member, so that the followability of the cylindrical connecting portion 92 to the male terminal 14 and the improvement of the contact pressure can be advantageously achieved at the same time.

[0058] <Implementation method 3> Next, use Figure 6 The female terminal 110 according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The structure of the female terminal 110 according to the third embodiment is basically the same as that of the female terminal 10 according to the first embodiment, but the difference is that the contact member 66 is not included, and the cylindrical connection portion 112 is configured to be open on both sides of the axial direction of the cylindrical connection portion 112, which is a direction orthogonal to the direction away from the wire connection portion 52. In the following description, the differences from the first embodiment are described, and for the components and parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are marked in the drawings to omit detailed description.

[0059] like Figure 6 As shown, the cylindrical connection portion 112 of the female terminal 110 is configured to be open on both sides of the axial direction of the cylindrical connection portion 112, which is a direction orthogonal to the direction away from the wire connection portion 52. That is, the cylindrical connection portion 112 is configured to be open in the up-down direction. The first peripheral wall portion 114 has a slit 116 that passes through the middle portion in the axial direction in the plate thickness direction, and has two partition wall portions 114a and 114b separated from each other in the axial direction by the slit 116. The second peripheral wall portion 118 has a slit 120 that passes through the middle portion in the axial direction in the plate thickness direction, and has two partition wall portions 118a and 118b separated from each other in the axial direction by the slit 120. The partition wall portion 114a and the partition wall portion 118a are arranged opposite to each other to form a partitioned cylindrical portion 122. The partition wall portion 114b and the partition wall portion 118b are arranged opposite to each other to form a partitioned cylindrical portion 124. The divided cylindrical portion 122 and the divided cylindrical portion 124 are separated from each other in the axial direction by the slits 116 and 120 .

[0060] A force-applying member 126 composed of a C-shaped ring made of metal cut at one point in the circumferential direction is installed on the outer circumferential surface of the split barrel portion 122. By means of the force-applying member 126, the split wall portion 114a on the first circumferential wall portion 114 side and the split wall portion 118a on the second circumferential wall portion 118 side are forced in opposite directions. Therefore, when the columnar connecting portion 18 of the male terminal 14 is inserted, a contact pressure that causes the split barrel portion 122 to press against the surface of the columnar connecting portion 18 can be applied. Similarly, a force-applying member 128 composed of a C-shaped ring made of metal cut at one point in the circumferential direction is installed on the outer circumferential surface of the split barrel portion 124. By means of the force-applying member 128, the split wall portion 114b on the first circumferential wall portion 114 side and the split wall portion 118b on the second circumferential wall portion 118 side are forced in opposite directions. Therefore, when the columnar connection portion 18 of the male terminal 14 is inserted, a contact pressure that causes the split cylindrical portion 124 to press against the surface of the columnar connection portion 18 can be applied.

[0061] In the female terminal 110 thus constructed, the first peripheral wall portion 114 and the second peripheral wall portion 118 are respectively divided into a plurality of mutually separated dividing wall portions 114a, 114b, 118a, 118b along the cylindrical connecting portion 112, and a plurality of divided cylindrical portions 122, 124 arranged separately in the axial direction are provided through them. Therefore, when the columnar connecting portion 18 of the male terminal 14 inserted into the cylindrical connecting portion 112 is tilted in the axial direction, the divided cylindrical portions 122, 124 can play an excellent tracking performance for the displacement of the columnar connecting portion 18. Moreover, the divided cylindrical portions 122 and the divided cylindrical portions 124 are respectively installed with force applying members 126, 128. Therefore, contact pressure can be applied to each divided cylindrical portion 122, 124. Thus, the split barrel portions 122 and 124 can achieve both the effect of improving the followability of the columnar connection portion 18 of the male terminal 14 to the displacement and the effect of improving the contact pressure of each split barrel portion 122 and 124 on the columnar connection portion 18 .

[0062] <Modification> As a specific example of the present disclosure, embodiments 1 to 3 are described in detail above, but the present disclosure is not limited to these specific descriptions. Deformations and improvements within the scope of the purpose of the present disclosure are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the following modified examples of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0063] (1) In the female terminal 10 of the first embodiment, the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 are configured to be bent into a substantially semi-cylindrical shape, but the shape is not necessarily limited to a semi-cylindrical shape. Figure 7As shown in the female terminal 130, the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 can form an arc shape that does not extend to a circumference less than the semi-cylindrical shape, and a circumferential gap 132 is formed between the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40. In addition, as in the second embodiment, a connecting portion 98 that connects the side edges of the first other end portion 48 and the second other end portion 50 can be provided, and a rivet portion 134 can be provided on the side edge on the opposite side, and the first other end portion 48 and the second other end portion 50 are bent and overlapped on one side of the side edge, and are firmly connected by the rivet portion 134.

[0064] (2) In the first embodiment, the contact member 66 is embedded in the cylindrical connecting portion 54, but it is not necessary to include it. As in the second or third embodiment, the contact may be directly formed by the inner peripheral surfaces of the first peripheral wall portion 94, 114 and the second peripheral wall portion 96, 118.

[0065] (3) On the contrary, Figure 6 The female terminal 110 shown does not use the contact member 66, but as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As in the female terminal 136 shown in the figure, in this type of female terminal 136, the separate contact member 66 may be fitted into the split cylindrical portions 122, 124 and held.

[0066] (4) The female terminal 110 of the third embodiment is a type in which the cylindrical connection portion 112 is configured to be open to both sides in the axial direction, but the cylindrical connection portion 112 does not necessarily need to be divided into a plurality of divided cylindrical portions 122 and 124 in the axial direction. Fig. 9 Like the female terminal 138 shown in the figure, the cylindrical connection part 112 may be composed of the first peripheral wall part 114 and the second peripheral wall part 118 extending continuously in the axial direction. In this case, the urging member may be constituted by fitting a single ring member 108 outside the cylindrical connection part 112.

[0067] (5) Fig.10 Even if the cylindrical connection portion 112 is composed of the first peripheral wall portion 114 and the second peripheral wall portion 118 extending continuously in the axial direction as in the female terminal 140 shown, multiple contacts can be easily achieved by fitting the contact member 66 into the cylindrical connection portion 112 .

[0068] (6) In the female terminal 10 of the first embodiment, the elasticity of the ring member 80 is set so that the ring member 80 functions as an expansion prevention member, but the present invention is not limited to this. Fig.11 In the female terminal 10' shown, the elasticity of the ring member 80 can be set to be elastic enough to apply a force in the direction of approaching the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 in the opposing direction. In addition, the fitting portion 78 provided on the ring member 80 is not necessarily provided.

[0069] (7) In the female terminal involved in the present disclosure, a ring member as an anti-opening member or a ring member, a contact member, etc. as a force-applying member may not be provided. That is, when the columnar connecting portion of the male terminal is inserted into the cylindrical connecting portion of the female terminal, the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion can be elastically deformed in a direction of separation (radial outward) by the columnar connecting portion, and the columnar connecting portion is supported on the cylindrical connecting portion by the elastic restoring force of the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion in a direction of approaching each other (radial inward).

[0070] Or Fig.12 , 13 Like the female terminal 150 shown in the figure, the female terminal involved in the present disclosure may also be provided with only the contact member 152 without the separate anti-opening member or the force applying member. Fig.12 , 13 In the illustrated embodiment, the shape of the cylindrical connection portion 154 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, and is constituted by a first peripheral wall portion 156 and a second peripheral wall portion 158 each bent into a substantially semi-cylindrical shape and arranged opposite to each other with a small gap therebetween.

[0071] Also, in Fig.12 , 13 In the embodiment shown, mutually engaging rivets 160 are provided on mutually opposing circumferential end surfaces of the first circumferential wall portion 156 and the second circumferential wall portion 158. Specifically, engaging convex portions 162, 162 protruding toward the second circumferential wall portion 158 are provided on both circumferential end surfaces of the first circumferential wall portion 156, and engaging concave portions 164, 164 opening toward the first circumferential wall portion 156 are provided on both circumferential end surfaces of the second circumferential wall portion 158. The width dimension (front-rear dimension) of each engaging convex portion 162 is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the width dimension of each engaging concave portion 164. Therefore, when the cylindrical connecting portion 154 is formed by stamping a strip-shaped metal flat plate, the engaging protrusions 162 are inserted into the engaging recesses 164 in a substantially pressed state, thereby preventing the first peripheral wall portion 156 and the second peripheral wall portion 158 from being displaced in the direction of being separated from each other when the male terminal 14 is inserted into the female terminal 150. That is, the engaging protrusions 162 and the engaging recesses 164 can constitute an anti-opening member integrally provided on the first peripheral wall portion 156 and the second peripheral wall portion 158.

[0072] In addition, Fig.12 , 13 In the embodiment shown, a receiving recess 166 for receiving each contact piece 74 of the contact member 152 is provided on the front end surface of the cylindrical connecting portion 154, that is, the front end surface of each of the first peripheral wall portion 156 and the second peripheral wall portion 158. The receiving recess 166 is provided at a circumferential position corresponding to each contact piece 74, and a plurality of receiving recesses 166 are provided circumferentially separated from each other. Fig.12 ,13 In the illustrated embodiment, the engaging grooves 60 provided at the circumferential ends of the first circumferential wall portion 156 and the second circumferential wall portion 158 that are opposite to each other are respectively provided to penetrate along the thickness direction of the first circumferential wall portion 156 and the second circumferential wall portion 158 (the radial direction of the cylindrical connecting portion 154).

[0073] Moreover, in Fig.12 , 13 The contact member 152 of the embodiment shown in the figure has the same basic structure as that of the first embodiment, and includes a substantially cylindrical mounting tube 168 and a plurality of elastic contact portions 170 that are separated from each other along the circumferential direction of the mounting tube 168. Each elastic contact portion 170 has a portion that protrudes toward the inner circumference relative to the circumferential wall of the mounting tube 168, and each contact 72 with the male terminal 14 is formed by these portions that protrude toward the inner circumference. That is, when the male terminal 14 is inserted into the female terminal 150, each contact 72 presses against the outer circumferential surface of the columnar connecting portion 18 of the male terminal 14, and the plurality of elastic contact portions 170 apply force to the outer circumferential surface of the columnar connecting portion 18 and make contact.

[0074] The female terminal 150 having the above-mentioned structure can also achieve the same effect as the female terminal 10 of the first embodiment. In particular, in the first embodiment, the separate ring member 80 is used as the anti-opening member for preventing the first peripheral wall portion 38 and the second peripheral wall portion 40 from opening and deforming. Fig.12 , Fig.13 In the illustrated embodiment, the rivet 160 can prevent the first peripheral wall portion 156 and the second peripheral wall portion 158 from opening and deforming. Therefore, it can also help to reduce the number of parts. In addition, the interlocking convex portion and the interlocking concave portion can also be arranged in reverse, and the interlocking concave portion can be arranged on the first peripheral wall portion, and the interlocking convex portion can be arranged on the second peripheral wall portion.

[0075] In addition, in the female terminal of the present disclosure, the structure of the contact part is not limited, and the existing known contact parts can be used. Fig.12 , 13 In the illustrated embodiment, the contact member 66 having the same structure as that of the first embodiment can also be adopted. Description of Reference Numerals

[0076] 10 Female terminal (Implementation 1) 12 Female connector 14 Male terminal 16 Fixed part 18 Column connection 20 Bolt fastening holes 22 Coated wire 24 core wire 26 Housing 28 Main body 30 Front cover 32 Through hole 34 The part to be fitted 36Rear opening 38 1st week wall 40 2nd wall 42 connection part 44 1st plate part 46 2nd plate parts 48 The other end 50 The other end 52 Wire connection 54 cylindrical connection 56 Front opening 58 snap-in hole 60 fitting groove 62 1st intermediate plate 64 2nd intermediate plate 66 Contact parts 68 Install the barrel 70 elastic contact part 72 contacts 74 contact piece 76 snap-fit ​​part 78 Chimeric part 80 Ring Parts 90 female terminal (Implementation 2) 92 cylindrical connection part 94 1st wall 94a, 94b dividing wall portion 96 2nd wall 96a, 96b dividing wall portion 98 Connection 100 Riveting Sheets 102 Riveted protrusion 104 Slit 106 Slit 108 Ring parts 110 female terminal (Implementation 3) 112 cylindrical connection part 114 1st wall 114a, 114b dividing wall portion 116 Slit 118 2nd wall 118a, 118b dividing wall portion 120 Slit 122 Split barrel 124 Split barrel 126 Force-applying components 128 Force-applying components 130 female terminal (variant 1) 132 Gap 134 Riveting Department 136 female terminal (variation 2) 138 female terminal (variant 3) 140 female terminal (variant 4) 10' female terminal (variation 5) 150 female terminal( Fig.12 , 13 ) 152 Contact parts 154 cylindrical connection 156 1st wall 158 2nd wall 160 Riveting Department 162 Fitting convex part 164 fitting recess 166 Storage recess 168 Install the barrel 170 elastic contact part

Claims

1. A female terminal, comprising: A cylindrical connection portion conductively connected to the columnar connection portion of the male terminal; and A wire connection portion connected to a core wire of the wire, The cylindrical connecting portion comprises: a first peripheral wall portion formed by bending and deforming one end of a first strip-shaped flat plate part into an arc shape; and a second peripheral wall portion formed by bending and deforming one end of a second strip-shaped flat plate part into an arc shape. The wire connecting portion is formed by overlapping a first other end portion, which is the other end portion of the first flat plate part, and a second other end portion, which is the other end portion of the second flat plate part. The first other end portion of the first flat plate member and the second other end portion of the second flat plate member overlap each other, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion are arranged to face each other with a gap therebetween, thereby forming the cylindrical connection portion.

2. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein: The first flat plate part and the second flat plate part are formed by a strip-shaped metal flat plate in which the first other end portion and the second other end portion are connected to each other via a connecting portion. The first peripheral wall portion of the first flat plate part and the second peripheral wall portion of the second flat plate part are respectively provided at both ends of the metal flat plate. By bending the connecting portion of the metal flat plate in the direction of the plate thickness, the first other end portion of the first flat plate part and the second other end portion of the second flat plate part overlap with each other, thereby forming the wire connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion arranged at the two end portions are spaced apart and arranged opposite to each other, thereby forming the tubular connecting portion.

3. The female terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: comprising a cylindrical contact member provided on the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical connecting portion, The contact member includes a plurality of elastic contact portions configured to urge and contact the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connection portion of the male terminal inserted into the cylindrical connection portion.

4. The female terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: Further including: a cylindrical contact member disposed on the inner circumference of the cylindrical connecting portion; and The expansion prevention member restricts displacement in a direction opposite to the opposing direction of the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion installed on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical connecting portion, The contact member includes a plurality of elastic contact portions configured to urge and contact the outer peripheral surface of the columnar connection portion of the male terminal inserted into the cylindrical connection portion.

5. The female terminal according to claim 4, wherein: The anti-opening component includes a metal ring component cut at one position in the circumferential direction. The cylindrical connection portion has a plurality of engagement holes that penetrate the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion along the plate thickness direction. The ring member is arranged to cover the outer peripheral openings of the plurality of engagement holes, and the plurality of engagement portions provided on the contact member are respectively engaged with the inner peripheral openings of the plurality of engagement holes, so that the contact member is positioned at the cylindrical connecting portion.

6. The female terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The first flat plate part has a first intermediate plate part connecting the first peripheral wall part and the first other end part, and the second flat plate part has a second intermediate plate part connecting the second peripheral wall part and the second other end part. The first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion are allowed to be separated and displaced in a direction opposite to the opposing direction by elastic deformation of the first intermediate plate portion and the second intermediate plate portion. The cylindrical connection portion is provided with an urging member for urging the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion in the opposing direction.

7. The female terminal according to claim 6, wherein: The force applying member includes a metal ring member which is cut at one position in the circumferential direction. The inner peripheral surface of the ring member is mounted by being pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting portion.

8. The female terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The cylindrical connection portion is configured to open forward in a direction away from the wire connection portion. The first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion each include: a slit penetrating in a plate thickness direction and opening forward in the separating direction; and a plurality of partition wall portions separated from each other in a circumferential direction by the slit.

9. The female terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The cylindrical connection portion is arranged to be open on both sides of the axial direction of the cylindrical connection portion, which is a direction orthogonal to a direction away from the electric wire connection portion. The first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion each include: a slit penetrating the middle portion in the axial direction in the plate thickness direction; and a plurality of partition walls separated from each other in the axial direction by the slit, The plurality of divided wall portions of the first peripheral wall portion and the plurality of divided wall portions of the second peripheral wall portion are disposed opposite to each other and constitute a plurality of divided cylindrical portions that are disposed apart from each other in the axial direction.

10. The female terminal according to claim 9, wherein: having a plurality of force applying members corresponding to the plurality of divided cylinder portions, Each of the divided cylindrical portions is provided with each of the biasing members for biasing the dividing wall portion on the first peripheral wall portion side and the dividing wall portion on the second peripheral wall portion side in the opposing direction.

11. The female terminal according to claim 4, wherein: The female terminal is accommodated in an insulating housing, and the expansion prevention member has a fitting portion that fits into a fitted portion provided in the housing. The female terminal is positioned relative to the housing by the fitting portion being fitted into the fitted portion.

12. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein: The first flat plate part and the second flat plate part are formed by a strip-shaped metal flat plate in which the first other end portion and the second other end portion are connected to each other via a connecting portion. The first peripheral wall portion of the first flat plate part and the second peripheral wall portion of the second flat plate part are respectively provided at both ends of the metal flat plate. The connecting portion of the metal flat plate is bent in the plate thickness direction, so that the first other end portion of the first flat plate part and the second other end portion of the second flat plate part overlap with each other, thereby forming the wire connecting portion, and the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion provided at the two end portions are arranged opposite to each other with a gap, thereby forming the cylindrical connecting portion. The first flat plate part has a first intermediate plate part connecting the first peripheral wall part and the first other end part, and the second flat plate part has a second intermediate plate part connecting the second peripheral wall part and the second other end part. The first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion are allowed to be separated and displaced in a direction opposite to the opposing direction by elastic deformation of the first intermediate plate portion and the second intermediate plate portion. A biasing member is mounted on the cylindrical connecting portion to bias the first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion in the opposing direction. The force applying member includes a metal ring member which is cut at one position in the circumferential direction. The inner peripheral surface of the ring member is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical connecting portion and installed. The cylindrical connection portion is configured to open forward in a direction away from the wire connection portion. The first peripheral wall portion and the second peripheral wall portion each include: a slit penetrating in a plate thickness direction and opening forward in the separating direction; and a plurality of partition wall portions separated from each other in a circumferential direction by the slit.

Images