Terminal fitting

Abstract

The present invention relates to a terminal fitting capable of suppressing damage to an assembled object. The terminal fitting (10) is made of a conductive plate material. A terminal fitting (10) is provided with a main body section (11) having gaps (G1, G2, G3) between opposing wall sections and formed in a cylindrical shape so as to extend in the front-rear direction, and a protruding wall (12) covering the gaps (G1, G2, G3) from the front.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to terminal parts. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electric contact (terminal component) having a socket portion (main body portion) in a square tube shape. The socket portion is formed into a square tube shape by a plate-like wall portion. Patent Documents 2 and 3 also disclose terminal components. Prior art literature Patent Literature

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-270269 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-50131 Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-95422 Summary of the invention Problems to be solved by the invention

[0004] The electrical contact disclosed in Patent Document 1 overlaps the wall portion in the plate thickness direction at a part of the socket portion. For example, if the electrical contact having such a structure is inserted into the through hole of the main rubber plug, the main rubber plug may be sunk into the gap between the wall portions and damage the through hole. In the case of such a structure in which a gap is formed between the wall portions, it is not limited to the main rubber plug, and for example, the housing may also be damaged, and it is required to suppress damage to the assembly object.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal component capable of suppressing damage to an object to be assembled. Solutions to Solve Problems

[0006] The terminal part disclosed in the present invention is composed of a conductive plate material, and includes a main body and a protruding wall. The main body has a gap between the opposing wall portions and is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction. The protruding wall covers the gap from the front. Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a terminal component capable of suppressing damage to an assembly object. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 This is a side cross-sectional view showing a connector including the terminal component according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 It is a perspective view showing terminal parts. Figure 3 It is a front view showing the terminal parts. Figure 4 is a side sectional view showing a terminal part. Figure 5 It is a side cross-sectional view showing a process of inserting the front end portion of the terminal component into the through hole of the main rubber plug. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. (1) A terminal part, comprising a conductive plate, the terminal part comprising a main body and a protruding wall, The main body has a gap between the opposing wall portions and is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction. The protruding wall covers the gap from the front.

[0010] The terminal component of (1) can prevent the assembly object from sinking into and thus suppress damage to the assembly object because the gap of the main body portion is covered from the front by the protruding wall.

[0011] (2) In the terminal component described in (1), the protruding wall has a plate thickness in the front-rear direction and protrudes forward from the main body by an amount corresponding to one plate thickness.

[0012] The terminal part of (2) can reliably cover the gap formed in the main body. In addition, since the protruding wall is added to the existing main body, the protruding wall can be easily added.

[0013] (3) In the terminal part described in (1), the main body is in the shape of a square tube, having a pair of side walls, an upper wall, a lower wall, and a side gap, and the side gap is open to the side at a corner of the end of one side wall of the pair of side walls that is opposite to the end of the upper wall, The protruding wall has a portion that covers the side gap from the front.

[0014] The terminal parts of (3) are easily damaged because the assembly object is sunk into the side gap, so it is more advantageous to provide a protruding wall that covers the side gap from the front.

[0015] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] <Implementation Method 1> Reference Figures 1 to 5 Embodiment 1 that concretizes the connector 30 having the terminal part 10 disclosed in the present invention is described. In the figure, "front side", "rear side", "upper side", "lower side", "right side" and "left side" are represented by "F", "B", "U", "D", "R", and "L", respectively. In addition, the reference of the direction is defined for the convenience of description, and it is not necessarily consistent with the direction of the connector 30 including the terminal part 10 when it is mounted on a vehicle, etc. For example, the up and down direction is not limited to the direction of gravity.

[0016] The connector 30 can be mated with a mating connector (not shown). The mating connector includes a mating housing (not shown) and a mating terminal component (not shown). The mating terminal component is a male terminal component having a protruding piece formed in a rod shape.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the connector 30 includes a housing 31, a main rubber plug 32, a sealing ring 33, a stopper 35, and a plurality of terminal parts 10. Figure 1 Only one terminal part 10 is shown.

[0018] [Case Structure] The housing 31 is configured by assembling an inner housing 36 made of synthetic resin, an outer housing 38 made of synthetic resin, and a front member 37 made of synthetic resin assembled to a front end portion of the inner housing 36 .

[0019] [Constitution of the inner casing] A plurality of cavities 36A are formed inside the inner housing 36. The terminal part 10 is inserted into each cavity 36A from the rear. At the front end of the inner housing 36, a plurality of lance-shaped parts 36D are provided to extend forward in a cantilevered manner. Each lance-shaped part 36D is arranged corresponding to each cavity 36A. The lance-shaped part 36D is locked from the rear with the first locking protrusion 11H, which is a locking protrusion of the terminal part 10 arranged at the regular position in the cavity 36A. At the rear end of the inner housing 36, in order to accommodate the total rubber plug 32, a storage recess 36B is formed in a shape in which the rear surface thereof is recessed toward the front. The rear ends of all the cavities 36A are open in the storage recess 36B. A stopper mounting hole 36C is formed in the central part of the inner housing 36 in the front-to-back direction, which opens upward and communicates with each cavity 36A.

[0020] [Constitution of the outer shell] The outer shell 38 is assembled to the inner shell 36 from the rear. The outer shell 38 has a back wall 38A and a cylindrical portion 38B extending forward from the outer peripheral edge of the back wall 38A. A plurality of insertion holes 38C are formed in the back wall 38A and penetrate in the front-to-back direction. Each insertion hole 38C is formed corresponding to each cavity 36A. Each insertion hole 38C is a passage when the terminal part 10 is inserted into the cavity 36A. The wire W is inserted into each insertion hole 38C, and the wire W is fixed to the rear end of the terminal part 10.

[0021] [Construction of the front member] The front member 37 is assembled to the inner housing 36 from the front. The front member 37 has an opposing wall 37A and a covering portion 37B extending backward in a cylindrical shape from the outer peripheral edge of the opposing wall 37A. A plurality of insertion holes 37C are formed in the opposing wall 37A and penetrate in the front-to-back direction. The protrusions of the other terminal parts (not shown) connected to the terminal parts 10 are inserted through each insertion hole 37C from the front.

[0022] [Composition of the total rubber plug] The main rubber plug 32 is made of rubber such as silicone rubber. The main rubber plug 32 is housed in the housing recess 36B of the inner housing 36. The outer periphery of the main rubber plug 32 is in close contact with the inner periphery of the housing recess 36B in a liquid-tight manner. In the main rubber plug 32, a plurality of through holes 32A are formed in a shape that penetrates in the front-to-back direction corresponding to each cavity 36A. Each through hole 32A is a passage when the terminal part 10 is inserted into the cavity 36A. The wire W is inserted through each through hole 32A in a liquid-tight manner.

[0023] [Composition of the sealing ring] The seal ring 33 is made of rubber such as silicone rubber. The seal ring 33 is annular and is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the inner housing 36. The seal ring 33 is assembled from the front of the inner housing 36 and is restricted from moving forward by the front member 37 and the stopper 35 arranged in the formal locking position. When the unillustrated counterpart connector is connected to the connector 30, the seal ring 33 is in fluid-tight contact with the inner periphery of the cover formed on the counterpart connector.

[0024] [Structure of the stopper] The stopper 35 is made of, for example, synthetic resin. The stopper 35 is plate-shaped and is inserted into the stopper mounting hole 36C of the inner housing 36 from above. The stopper 35 can move between a temporary locking position and a formal locking position relative to the inner housing 36. When the stopper 35 is located at the formal locking position, it is locked from the rear with the second locking protrusion 11J provided at the rear end of the main body 11 of the terminal part 10. The terminal part 10 is prevented from falling off by the stopper 35 located at the formal locking position. When the stopper 35 is located at the temporary locking position, the locking of the second locking protrusion 11J is released, and the prevention of the terminal part 10 from falling off by the stopper 35 is released.

[0025] [Terminal parts configuration] The terminal part 10 is formed by stamping a conductive metal plate. Figure 2 As shown, the terminal part 10 is a female terminal part, and has a main body 11 formed in a square cylindrical shape, a protruding wall 12, and a cylindrical part 13. The main body 11 is arranged in a manner extending in the front-to-back direction, and the front and rear ends are open. Figure 3 As shown, the main body 11 includes a side wall 11A and a left side wall 11B as a pair of side walls, a lower wall 11C, an inner wall 11D as an upper wall, a middle wall 11E, and an outer wall 11F. The right side wall 11A, the left side wall 11B, the lower wall 11C, the inner wall 11D, the middle wall 11E, and the outer wall 11F are wall parts constituting the main body 11. The right side wall 11A and the left side wall 11B are arranged separately in the left and right directions with the plate thickness oriented in the left and right directions. The lower wall 11C is connected to the lower end edges of the right side wall 11A and the left side wall 11B with the plate thickness oriented in the up and down directions.

[0026] The inner wall 11D, the middle wall 11E, and the outer wall 11F have their plate thicknesses oriented in the up-down direction. The middle wall 11E is stacked on the inner wall 11D, and the outer wall 11F is stacked on the middle wall 11E. In other words, the middle wall 11E is disposed between the inner wall 11D and the outer wall 11F. The inner wall 11D is disposed above the lower wall 11C and is separated from the lower wall 11C. In other words, the inner wall 11D, the middle wall 11E, and the outer wall 11F are stacked in the inner-outer direction at the upper portion of the main body 11.

[0027] The right edge of the middle wall 11E is connected to the upper edge of the right side wall 11A. The middle wall 11E is bent in parallel with the lower wall 11C with the upper edge of the right side wall 11A as the base point. The left edge of the inner wall 11D is connected to the left edge of the middle wall 11E. The inner wall 11D is folded back in parallel with the lower wall 11C with the left edge of the middle wall 11E as the base point. The rear portion of the inner wall 11D is formed as an elastic contact portion 11G (see FIG. 11G ) that is inclined downward and backward and extends in a cantilevered manner. Figure 4 The elastic contact portion 11G can be elastically deformed in the up-down direction with its front end portion as a base point.

[0028] The left end edge of the outer wall 11F is connected to the upper end edge of the left side wall 11B (see Figure 2 The outer wall 11F is formed by bending with the upper edge of the left side wall 11B as the base point so as to cover the middle wall 11E from above. The rear portion of the outer wall 11F protrudes upward to form a first locking protrusion 11H (see Figure 2 The left side wall 11B extends perpendicularly to the inner wall 11D via a lateral gap G3.

[0029] The main body 11 has a gap G1 between the middle wall 11E and the outer wall 11F. The main body 11 has a gap G2 between the middle wall 11E and the inner wall 11D. The main body 11 has a side gap G3 as a gap at a corner where the upper end of the left side wall 11B and the left end of the inner wall 11D (upper wall) are opposite. The side gap G3 is open on the left side and the front of the main body 11 (see Figure 2 ). When the terminal part 10 is viewed from the front, the side gap G3 is formed between the left side wall 11B and the inner wall 11D. Hereinafter, the side gap G3 is also simply referred to as the gap G3. That is, the main body 11 has gaps G1, G2, and G3 between the opposing wall portions.

[0030] The protruding wall 12 is connected to the front end of the outer wall 11F (see Figure 2 , 4 The protruding wall 12 is bent into a curved shape with the front edge of the outer wall 11F as a base point, and is formed to cover the front end of the main body 11 from the front (see Figure 4 The protruding wall 12 makes the plate thickness oriented in the front-rear direction. The protruding wall 12 protrudes forward from the main body 11 by the thickness of one plate (see Figure 4). The protruding wall 12 has a pair of left and right protrusions 12A. These protrusions 12A protrude outward from the protruding wall 12 in the left-right direction. In the up-down direction, the lower end of the protruding wall 12 is separated from the lower wall 11C. The protruding wall 12 covers the gap G1 between the middle wall 11E and the outer wall 11F, the gap G2 between the middle wall 11E and the inner wall 11D, and the side gap G3 between the inner wall 11D (upper wall) and the left side wall 11B from the front. The side gap G3 is covered from the front by the protruding portion 12A on the left side. That is, the protruding wall 12 has a portion (protruding portion 12A) that covers the side gap G3 from the front.

[0031] A protruding piece of a mating terminal component (not shown) is inserted into the main body 11 from an opening between the lower end of the protruding wall 12 and the upper surface of the lower wall 11C. The elastic contact portion 11G contacts the protruding piece in a state of being elastically displaced.

[0032] The barrel 13 is in an open cylindrical shape, connected to the rear end of the main body 11 and extending backward (see Figure 2 The barrel 13 is fixed to the terminal end of the electric wire W (see Figure 2 ).

[0033] [An example of a process of assembling terminal parts into a housing] First, the connector 30 is assembled except for the terminal part 10. At this time, the stopper 35 is arranged at the temporary locking position. Then, the terminal part 10 is adjusted in a manner such that the wire W is pulled out backward with the protruding wall 12 as the front end, so that the terminal part 10 approaches from the rear of the housing 31, and the terminal part 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 38C of the outer housing 38 from the rear (see Figure 1 ).

[0034] Next, the terminal component 10 is inserted into the through hole 32A of the main rubber plug 32 from the rear. Figure 5 As shown, first, the protruding wall 12, the right side wall 11A, the left side wall 11B and the lower wall 11C of the terminal part 10 contact the inner surface of the through hole 32A from the rear. Figure 5 Furthermore, when the terminal part 10 is pushed through, the through hole 32A is expanded in diameter by the protruding wall 12, the right side wall 11A, the left side wall 11B and the lower wall 11C. The gaps G1, G2 and G3 are covered from the front by the protruding wall 12 (see Figure 3 ), so it does not contact the inner surface of the through hole 32A. Figure 5 This prevents the gaps G1, G2, and G3 of the terminal fitting 10 from damaging the inner surface of the through hole 32A.

[0035] Then, the terminal part 10 passes through the through hole 32A of the main rubber plug 32 and is inserted from the rear into the cavity 36A of the inner housing 36. And when the front surface of the protruding wall 12 of the terminal part 10 contacts the upper part of each insertion hole 37C on the rear surface of the opposing wall 37A, or the front end of the lower wall 11C contacts the lower part of each insertion hole 37C on the rear surface of the opposing wall 37A, the insertion action of the terminal part 10 into the housing 31 is completed (refer to Figure 1 At this time, the lance 36D is locked with the first locking protrusion 11H from behind (see Figure 1 ). Then, the stopper 35 is displaced from the temporary locking position to the formal locking position. As a result, the stopper 35 and the second locking protrusion 11J are locked from the rear. In this way, the assembly of the connector 30 is completed (refer to Figure 1 ).

[0036] Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

[0037] The terminal part 10 is made of a conductive plate. The terminal part 10 includes: a main body 11 having gaps G1, G2, G3 between opposing wall parts and formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction; and a protruding wall 12 covering the gaps G1, G2, G3 from the front. According to this structure, since the gaps G1, G2, G3 of the main body 11 are covered from the front by the protruding wall 12, it is possible to prevent the assembly object (the total rubber plug 32) from sinking into the gaps G1, G2, G3 and suppress damage to the assembly object.

[0038] The protruding wall 12 has a thickness in the front-rear direction and protrudes forward from the main body 11 by one sheet thickness. With this structure, the gaps G1, G2, and G3 formed in the main body 11 can be reliably covered. In addition, since the protruding wall 12 is added to the existing main body 11, the protruding wall 12 can be easily added.

[0039] The main body 11 is in a square tube shape, and has a right side wall 11A and a left side wall 11B, an inner wall 11D (upper wall), a lower wall 11C, and a side gap G3 opened to the left side at a corner of the end of the left side wall 11B and the end of the inner wall 11D. The protruding wall 12 has a portion covering the side gap G3 from the front. According to this structure, since the assembly object is easily damaged by sinking into the side gap, it is advantageous to provide a protruding wall covering the side gap from the front.

[0040] The protruding wall 12 is bent from the front end of the outer wall 11F into a curved shape, and covers the front end of the main body 11 from the front. According to this structure, the portion of the protruding wall 12 bent from the front end of the outer wall 11F can open the through hole 32A when the main body 11 is inserted into the through hole 32A of the main rubber plug 32, so the terminal part 10 is easily inserted into the through hole 32A.

[0041] The protruding wall 12 has a pair of left and right protrusions 12A protruding outward in the left-right direction, and the left protrusion 2A covers the gap G3 between the inner wall 11D and the left side wall 11B from the front. According to this configuration, the entire left-right direction of the front end of the main body 11 can be covered by the protrusion 12A from the front.

[0042] [Other embodiments of the present disclosure] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0043] Unlike the above-mentioned embodiment, the protrusion may be on either the left side or the right side.

[0044] Unlike the above-described embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which either the middle wall or the inner wall is omitted.

[0045] Different from the above-mentioned embodiment, the main body may be cylindrical.

[0046] Different from the above-mentioned embodiment, the left side wall may extend in a direction intersecting the inner wall. That is, the left side wall may not extend in a direction intersecting the inner wall at 90 degrees.

[0047] Unlike the above-described embodiment, a side gap opening to the right may be formed at a corner of the right side wall facing the end of the inner wall, and the side gap may be covered from the front by the protruding wall. Description of Reference Numerals

[0048] 10: Terminal parts 11: Main body 11A: Right side wall (wall) 11B: Left side wall (wall) 11C: Lower wall (wall) 11D: Inner wall (wall) (upper wall) 11E: Middle wall (wall) 11F: Outer wall (wall) 11G: Elastic contact part 11H: 1st locking protrusion 11J: Second locking protrusion 12: Wall Break 12A: protrusion 13: Barrel 30: Connector 31: Shell 32: Total rubber plug 32A: Through hole 33: Sealing ring 35: Stopper 36: Inner shell 36A: Cavity 36B: Storage recess 36C: Stopper mounting hole 36D: Spear 37: Front member 37A: Opposing wall 37B: Covering 37C: Through hole 38: Outer shell 38A: Back wall 38B: Cylindrical part 38C: Through hole G1, G2: Clearance G3: Side clearance (gap) W: Wire

Claims

1. A terminal part, composed of a conductive plate, wherein: The terminal part comprises a main body and a protruding wall. The main body has a gap between the opposing wall portions and is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction. The protruding wall covers the gap from the front.

2. The terminal part according to claim 1, wherein The protruding wall has a plate thickness in the front-rear direction and protrudes forward from the main body by an amount corresponding to one plate thickness.

3. The terminal part according to claim 1, wherein The main body is in a square tube shape, and has a pair of side walls, an upper wall, a lower wall, and a side gap, wherein the side gap opens to the side at a corner of the end of one side wall of the pair of side walls that is opposite to the end of the upper wall. The protruding wall has a portion that covers the side gap from the front.

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