Terminal, connector and connector pair

Abstract

Provided are a terminal, a connector, and a connector pair that suppress grinding of a surface of a contact object at a terminal that contacts the contact object. A terminal 30 includes a base 31 held to a housing 40 and a first contact piece 32 extending from the base 31. The first contact piece 32 includes a first contact point portion 32a that contacts a side toward a contact direction. The first contact point portion 32a includes an apex surface 34a on the side toward the contact direction, a pair of side surfaces 34b disposed on an outer side in a width direction with respect to the apex surface 34a and having a normal direction toward the outer side in the width direction, and a pair of connecting surfaces 34c connecting the apex surface 34a and the pair of side surfaces 34b. At least one of the pair of connecting surfaces 34c connects the apex surface 34a and the side surface 34b with a smooth curved surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to terminals, connectors, and connector pairs. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal that is held in the housing and in contact with the object being contacted.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-75371

[0006] In the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the relative positions of the terminal and the contact object are offset, the contact object will come into contact with the corner formed on the terminal, which may cause the surface of the contact object to be ground. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this disclosure is to suppress the grinding of the surface of the contact object at the terminal that contacts the contact object.

[0008] The terminal involved in the first method is a terminal held in a housing, the terminal comprising: a base held in the housing; and a first contact piece extending from the base, the first contact piece comprising: a first contact portion, which contacts an object inserted into the housing relative to the side facing the insertion direction, toward a contact direction perpendicular to the insertion direction; and a connecting portion, which connects the first contact portion and the base, wherein, when the direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction and the contact direction is referred to as the width direction, the first contact portion comprises: a vertex surface, facing the contact direction; a pair of side surfaces, disposed on the outside of the width direction relative to the vertex surface, such that the normal direction faces the outside of the width direction; and a pair of connecting surfaces, which connect the vertex surface and the pair of side surfaces, at least one of the pair of connecting surfaces connecting the vertex surface and the side surfaces with a smooth curved surface.

[0009] This method relates to a terminal held in a housing. The terminal includes: a base held in the housing; and a first contact piece extending from the base. The first contact piece includes: a first contact portion that contacts an object inserted into the housing relative to an insertion direction, facing a contact direction perpendicular to the insertion direction; and a connecting portion that connects the first contact portion and the base. When the direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction and the contact direction is referred to as the width direction, the first contact portion includes: a vertex surface facing the contact direction; a pair of side surfaces disposed on the outer side of the vertex surface in the width direction, such that the normal direction faces the outer side of the width direction; and a pair of connecting surfaces that connect the vertex surface and the pair of side surfaces.

[0010] However, in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the connecting surface is formed by chamfering, and the boundary between the connecting surface and the vertex surface, as well as the boundary between the connecting surface and the side surface, constitute corners. In such a structure, if the relative position of the first contact point and the contact object shifts for some reason, the contact object may come into contact with the corner, potentially causing the surface of the contact object to be ground.

[0011] Therefore, in this method, at least one of the connecting surfaces in a pair connects the vertex surface and the side surface with a smooth curved surface.

[0012] Therefore, it can prevent the surface of the object in contact from being ground.

[0013] In addition, one example of the aforementioned "certain reason" is that the housing of the retaining terminal or the housing of the object being held deforms under high temperature conditions.

[0014] Furthermore, in the embodiments described later, both sides of a pair of connecting surfaces are connected by a smooth curved surface to the vertex face and the side face, but this method is not limited to this. As long as at least one of the connecting surfaces in a pair is connected by a smooth curved surface to the vertex face and the side face, it is acceptable.

[0015] Furthermore, in the embodiments described later, the first contact portion is configured to be elastically displaced relative to the base portion, but this method is not limited to this.

[0016] Regarding the terminal involved in the second method, in the first method, the connecting portion is formed to extend from the base toward the other side of the insertion direction, and the connecting portion includes a folded-back portion that folds the extension direction back to one side from the other side of the insertion direction and a side extension portion that extends toward one side of the insertion direction and is connected to the first contact portion.

[0017] In this configuration, the connecting portion is formed to extend from the base toward the other side in the insertion direction.

[0018] In this embodiment, the connecting portion includes: a folded-back portion that folds back from the other side of the insertion direction to one side, and a side extension portion that extends toward the insertion direction and is connected to the first contact portion.

[0019] Therefore, it is easy to miniaturize the entire terminal in the insertion direction.

[0020] Regarding the terminal involved in the third method, in the second method, the one-sided extension is configured to guide the contact object toward the first contact portion by contacting the contact object when it is inserted.

[0021] In this method, the one-sided extension is configured to guide the contact object toward the first contact point by contacting the contact object when it is inserted.

[0022] Therefore, the object to be contacted can be guided toward the first contact point by using the extension on one side.

[0023] Regarding the terminal involved in the fourth method, in the third method, the first contact portion is disposed at the front end of the first contact piece.

[0024] However, assuming that the first contact portion is located in a portion other than the front end of the first contact piece (specifically, the portion that causes the material to buckle is the first contact portion), there is a limit to how small the radius of curvature of the vertex surface of the first contact portion can be when viewed from the width direction.

[0025] In this embodiment, the first contact portion is located at the front end of the first contact piece.

[0026] Therefore, it is easy to reduce the radius of curvature of the vertex surface of the first contact portion when viewed from the width direction. By reducing the radius of curvature of the vertex surface of the first contact portion when viewed from the width direction, the force required when connecting a connector with terminals to a mating connector, etc. (during mating) can be reduced.

[0027] Furthermore, in the embodiments described later, the radius of curvature of the vertex surface of the first contact portion when viewed from the width direction is 0.15 mm or less, but this method is not limited to this.

[0028] For the terminal involved in the fifth method, in any of the first to fourth methods, when viewed from the contact direction, at least a portion of the first contact portion overlaps with at least a portion of the base portion.

[0029] In this method, when viewed from the contact direction, at least a portion of the first contact portion overlaps with at least a portion of the base portion.

[0030] Therefore, the first contact portion can be configured using the space overlapping the base when viewed from the contact direction. As a result, miniaturization of the terminal can be achieved.

[0031] Furthermore, in the embodiments described later, when viewed from the contact direction, the entire first contact portion overlaps with a portion of the base portion, but this method is not limited to this.

[0032] For the terminal involved in the sixth method, in any of the first to fifth methods, the connecting portion includes a portion bent to protrude toward the other side of the contact direction.

[0033] In this method, the connecting portion includes a portion that is bent to protrude to the other side in the contact direction.

[0034] Therefore, it is easy to ensure the contact pressure of the first contact point relative to the object being contacted.

[0035] In addition, in the embodiments described later, the entire extension on one side is bent to protrude to the other side in the contact direction, but this method is not limited to this.

[0036] For the terminal involved in the seventh method, in any of the first to sixth methods, when the area within 0.01 mm from one end of the contact direction to the other side of the contact direction in the vertex surface is called a flat area, the dimension of the width direction of the flat area is 0.025 mm or more.

[0037] In this method, when the area within 0.01 mm from one end of the contact direction to the other end of the vertex face is called the flat area, the width dimension of the flat area is 0.025 mm or more (preferably 0.050 mm or more).

[0038] Therefore, since the first contact portion and the contact object can make contact in a region extending along the width direction, poor contact can be suppressed.

[0039] For the connector involved in the eighth method, in any of the first to seventh methods, the base has a first plate portion, the first contact piece extends from the first plate portion, and the first contact portion is located at a different position from the first plate portion in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction.

[0040] In this embodiment, the base has a first plate portion, and a first contact piece extends from the first plate portion.

[0041] However, in such a structure, due to thermal deformation of the housing, the terminals may rotate around the insertion direction axis centered on the first plate. Furthermore, in this configuration, the first contact portion is located at a different position from the first plate portion in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. Therefore, if rotation occurs around the insertion direction axis centered on the first plate portion, the first contact portion may shift significantly.

[0042] However, as described above (as shown in the first method), since at least one of the connecting surfaces of a pair of connecting surfaces connects the vertex surface and the side surface with a smooth curved surface, it is possible to suppress the grinding of the surface of the contacting object.

[0043] Furthermore, in the embodiments described later, the base includes a second plate portion in addition to the first plate portion, but the base of this embodiment is not limited to this. The base of this embodiment may also be composed of only the first plate portion.

[0044] The connector involved in the ninth method comprises: terminals involved in any one of the first to eighth methods; and the housing for retaining the terminals.

[0045] This method relates to connectors with housings having terminals and retaining terminals.

[0046] In addition, in the embodiments described later, the terminals are held by being pressed into the housing, but this method is not limited to this. The terminals can also be held in the housing by embedding molding.

[0047] For the connector involved in the tenth embodiment, in the ninth embodiment, the housing is configured to directly support the inserted contact object from the other side of the contact direction.

[0048] In this method, the housing is configured to directly support the inserted contact object from the other side of the contact direction.

[0049] Therefore, the contact pressure between the first contact point and the object being contacted can be ensured. Furthermore, in this structure, thermal deformation of the housing can affect the contact state between the first contact point and the object being contacted.

[0050] The connector pair involved in the eleventh aspect is a connector pair having the connector involved in the tenth aspect and a mating connector, wherein the mating connector includes: a mating terminal as the contact object; and a resin mating housing for holding the mating terminal, wherein the mating terminal includes: a mating holding portion held in the mating housing; and a mating contact piece extending from the mating holding portion, wherein the first contact portion contacts the mating contact piece.

[0051] This method involves connector pairs that have a connector and a mating connector.

[0052] The mating connector includes mating terminals that serve as contact objects and a resin mating housing that holds the mating terminals. The mating terminals include a mating retaining portion held in the mating housing and a mating contact piece extending from the mating retaining portion. A first contact portion contacts the mating contact piece.

[0053] Therefore, due to the thermal deformation of the resin mating housing, the mating terminals may be misaligned.

[0054] For the terminals involved in the twelfth method, in the eleventh method, the mating contact pieces extend in a straight line parallel to the insertion direction.

[0055] In this method, the mating contact pieces extend in a straight line parallel to the insertion direction.

[0056] Therefore, the mating contact pieces can be made into a simple structure.

[0057] Furthermore, in the embodiments described later, the mating contact pieces extend without contacting the mating housing, but this method is not limited to this. For example, the mating contact pieces may also be housed within a groove formed in the mating housing.

[0058] For the terminals involved in the thirteenth method, in the eleventh or twelfth method, the mating contact piece extends without contacting the mating housing.

[0059] In this method, the mating contact pieces extend without contacting the mating housing.

[0060] Therefore, the mating housing can be made into a simple structure. However, since the mating contact pieces extend without contacting the mating housing, it is easy for the position of the mating contact pieces to shift. Attached Figure Description

[0061] Figure 1 It is a 3D diagram showing the connection structure in the state before it is about to be connected.

[0062] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram showing the connection structure in the connected state.

[0063] Figure 3A This is a 3D view of the upper terminal.

[0064] Figure 3B This is a 3D view of the lower terminal.

[0065] Figure 4 It is a magnified three-dimensional view of the first contact piece.

[0066] Figure 5 This is an enlarged side view of the first contact piece.

[0067] Figure 6 This is a magnified top view of the first contact piece.

[0068] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 , Figure 6 Sectional view along line 7-7 in the diagram.

[0069] Figure 8 yes Figure 6 The cross-sectional view along line 8-8 in the diagram.

[0070] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0071] S: Connection structure; 100, 200: Connector pair; 100: Connector; 200: Mating connector; 30: Terminal; 30A: Upper terminal (terminal); 30B: Lower terminal (terminal); 31: Base; 32: First contact piece; 32a: First contact part; 32b: Connecting part; 32b1: Fold-back part; 32b2: One-side extension part; 34a: Vertex surface; 34b: Side surface; 34c: Connecting surface; 40: Housing; 60: Mating terminal (contact object); 60A: Upper mating terminal (contact object); 60B: Lower mating terminal (contact object); 61: Mating holding part; 62: Mating contact piece; 63: Substrate connecting part; 70: Mating housing; 91: Flat conductor (mounting object); 92: Rigid substrate (mating mounting object); W1: Width dimension of the flat area. Detailed Implementation

[0072] The preferred embodiments of this disclosure will be described below.

[0073] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the connection structure S of this embodiment includes a mounting object 91, a mating mounting object 92, and connector pairs 100 and 200. The connection structure S is a structure in which the mounting object 91 and the mating mounting object 92 are connected by connector pairs 100 and 200.

[0074] Connector pairs 100 and 200 each have connector 100 and mating connector 200.

[0075] Additionally, in the following description, terms such as vertical direction, width direction, and front-back direction are sometimes used to describe the connection structure S, connector pairs 100 and 200, connector 100, and mating connector 200. These directional terms are used for ease of explanation and do not limit the orientation of the connection structure S relative to the direction of gravity.

[0076] (Connector 100)

[0077] The connector 100 has multiple terminals 30A, 30B and a housing 40 for holding the multiple terminals 30A, 30B.

[0078] like Figure 3A , 3B As shown, the plurality of terminals 30A and 30B include upper terminals 30A and lower terminals 30B. Multiple upper terminals 30A are arranged in a width-direction arrangement, and multiple lower terminals 30B are arranged in a width-direction arrangement. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, they will be referred to simply as terminals 30.

[0079] Terminal 30 is formed by punching and bending of conductive sheet material.

[0080] Terminal 30 has a base 31 held on housing 40, a first contact piece 32 extending from base 31 and a second contact piece 33 extending from base 31.

[0081] The base 31 is held in the housing 40 by pressing it in relative to the housing 40.

[0082] The first contact piece 32 includes: a first contact portion 32a, which makes contact with the side of the contact object 60 facing the contact direction; and a connecting portion 32b, which connects the first contact portion 32a and the base portion 31.

[0083] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the contact object 60 is the mating terminal 60 inserted into the housing 40. The direction in which the mating terminal 60 is inserted into the housing 40 is called one side of the insertion direction. The contact direction is the direction in which the first contact portion 32a contacts the contact object 60, and it is a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. The direction perpendicular to both the contact direction and the insertion direction is called the width direction.

[0084] The base 31 has a first plate portion 31a, a second plate portion 31b, and a curved portion 31c.

[0085] The first plate portion 31a is oriented in the thickness direction toward the contact direction. The first plate portion 31a has a locking protrusion 31a1. The locking protrusion 31a1 is located on the side of the first plate portion 31a in the width direction and on the side where the second plate portion 31b is not present.

[0086] The second plate portion 31b is oriented with its thickness direction facing its width direction. The second plate portion 31b has a locking protrusion 31b1. The locking protrusion 31b1 is located on the opposite side of the first plate portion 31a in the contact direction. The locking protrusion 31b1 is located on the side closer to the insertion direction than the first plate portion 31a.

[0087] The second plate portion 31b of the upper terminal 30A is disposed on the opposite side in the width direction relative to the first plate portion 31a of the upper terminal 30A.

[0088] The second plate portion 31b of the lower terminal 30B is disposed on one side in the width direction relative to the first plate portion 31a of the lower terminal 30B.

[0089] The bent portion 31c is formed by extending in a direction parallel to the insertion direction in a manner that connects the first plate portion 31a and the second plate portion 31b.

[0090] The first contact piece 32 of the upper terminal 30A and the first contact piece 32 of the lower terminal 30B have the same structure.

[0091] like Figure 1As shown, in the state of connector 100, the first contact piece 32 of the upper terminal 30A is located higher than the first contact piece 32 of the lower terminal 30B. The first contact pieces 32 of the plurality of upper terminals 30A and the first contact pieces 32 of the plurality of lower terminals 30B are aligned in the width direction.

[0092] The second contact piece 33 has a second contact portion 33a that contacts the object to be installed 91 and a connecting portion 33b that connects the second contact portion 33a and the base portion 31.

[0093] The second contact portion 33a contacts the flat conductor 91, which is the object to be mounted, from above. The direction in which the second contact portion 33a contacts the object to be mounted (downward direction) is opposite to the direction in which the first contact portion 32a contacts the object to be contacted (upward direction, which is the contact direction).

[0094] Both the second contact portion 33a of the upper terminal 30A and the second contact portion 33a of the lower terminal 30B are in contact with the upper surface of the mounting object 91. Therefore, in the state of the connector 100, the second contact portions 33a of the upper terminal 30A and the second contact portions 33a of the lower terminal 30B are arranged in the same position in the vertical direction. In addition, a plurality of second contact portions 33a of the upper terminal 30A and the second contact portions 33a of the lower terminal 30B are alternately arranged in the width direction.

[0095] Next, use Figures 4 to 8 The first contact piece 32 is described in detail.

[0096] The first contact portion 32a is provided at the front end of the first contact piece 32. The terminal 30 is formed by a forging process, in addition to the processes of punching and bending the conductive sheet material. The specific shape of the first contact portion 32a is produced by forging. The thickness of the material plate of the terminal 30 is, for example, 0.20 mm to 0.30 mm.

[0097] like Figure 7 As shown, the first contact portion 32a has a vertex surface 34a facing the contact direction, a pair of side surfaces 34b disposed on the outer side in the width direction relative to the vertex surface 34a and with the normal direction facing the outer side in the width direction, and a pair of connecting surfaces 34c connecting the vertex surface 34a and the pair of side surfaces 34b.

[0098] Vertex surface 34a is the surface that contacts the mating terminal 60, which is the contact object 60. A pair of connecting surfaces 34c connect vertex surface 34a and a pair of side surfaces 34b with a smooth curved surface.

[0099] like Figure 5 , Figure 8As shown, viewed from the width direction, vertex face 34a is a smooth curved surface that bulges out to one side in the contact direction. The radius of curvature of vertex face 34a when viewed from the width direction is less than 0.15 mm.

[0100] like Figure 7 As shown, viewed from the insertion direction, the vertex surface 34a has a flat region extending in a generally straight line parallel to the width direction. When the area within 0.01 mm from one end in the contact direction to the other end of the vertex surface 34a is defined as the flat region, the width dimension W1 of the flat region is, for example, 0.050 mm to 0.100 mm. However, this is a design value, and the dimensions of the flat regions of each terminal 30 may sometimes deviate due to tolerances.

[0101] like Figure 6 As shown, the width of the front end of the first contact piece 32 tapers towards the front end. Therefore, a pair of side surfaces 34b are formed in a manner that gradually approaches the front end.

[0102] like Figure 4 As shown, the first contact piece 32 extends from the first plate portion 31a of the base 31 toward the other side in the insertion direction. That is, the connecting portion 32b extends from the first plate portion 31a of the base 31 toward the other side in the insertion direction.

[0103] The connecting portion 32b includes: a folded-back portion 32b1 that folds back from the other side of the insertion direction to one side; and a side extension portion 32b2 that extends toward the insertion direction and is connected to the first contact portion 32a.

[0104] The folded-back portion 32b1 is formed by bending in the thickness direction of its plate.

[0105] One-sided extension 32b2 is located on one side of the contact direction relative to the base end of the first contact piece 32. One-sided extension 32b2 extends in an inclined direction toward both the insertion direction and the contact direction. One-sided extension 32b2 is bent to protrude toward the other side of the contact direction. The function of one-sided extension 32b2 is to guide the contact object 60 toward the first contact point 32a by contacting it when the contact object 60 is inserted.

[0106] The housing 40 is made of resin. The housing 40 is maintained in a state of accommodating multiple terminals 30A and 30B. The housing 40 is configured to allow insertion of a flat conductor 91, which is a mounting object 91, from the rear. The inserted flat conductor 91 makes contact with the second contact portion 33a of the multiple terminals 30A and 30B.

[0107] like Figure 2As shown, the housing 40 is configured to directly support the inserted contact object 60 (mating terminal 60) from the other side of the contact direction.

[0108] (Matching connector 200)

[0109] like Figure 1 As shown, the mating connector 200 has a plurality of mating terminals 60A, 60B that serve as contact objects 60 and a mating housing 70 that holds the plurality of mating terminals 60A, 60B.

[0110] The mating mounting object 92 for mounting the mating connector 200 is a rigid substrate 92. The rigid substrate 92 is arranged with its thickness direction facing vertically. The mating connector 200 is disposed on the upper side of the rigid substrate 92.

[0111] The plurality of mating terminals 60A and 60B include a plurality of upper mating terminals 60A and a plurality of lower mating terminals 60B. The upper mating terminal 60A corresponds to the upper terminal 30A, and the lower mating terminal 60B corresponds to the lower terminal 30B. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, they will be referred to simply as mating terminals 60.

[0112] The mating terminal 60 includes a mating holding portion 61 held in the mating housing 70, a mating contact piece 62 extending from the mating holding portion 61, and a substrate connecting portion 63.

[0113] The mating holding part 61 is held in the mating housing 70 by pressing it into the mating housing 70.

[0114] The mating contact piece 62 contacts the first contact portion 32a of the terminal 30. The mating contact piece 62 extends linearly parallel to the front-back direction (insertion direction). The mating contact piece 62 extends without contacting the mating housing 70.

[0115] The substrate connection portion 63 is mounted on the top surface of the rigid substrate 92. Therefore, the substrate connection portion 63 of the upper mating terminal 60A and the substrate connection portion 63 of the lower mating terminal 60B are located at the same position in the vertical direction.

[0116] The mating contact 62 of the upper mating terminal 60A is positioned higher than the mating contact 62 of the lower mating terminal 60B. The mating contact 62 of the upper mating terminal 60A and the mating contact 62 of the lower mating terminal 60B are aligned in the width direction.

[0117] The mating housing 70 is made of resin. The mating housing 70 has a cylindrical portion 71 that houses the mating contact piece 62. A portion of the front side of the connector 100 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 71.

[0118] <Effects>

[0119] Next, the effects of this implementation method will be explained.

[0120] like Figure 3A , 3B As shown, this embodiment relates to a terminal 30 held in a housing 40. The terminal 30 includes a base 31 held in the housing 40 and a first contact piece 32 extending from the base 31. The first contact piece 32 includes a first contact portion 32a and a connecting portion 32b connecting the first contact portion 32a and the base 31. The first contact portion 32a contacts a contact object 60 inserted into the housing 40 with respect to the side facing the insertion direction, and contacts the object with respect to the side facing the insertion direction, with respect to the side facing the insertion direction.

[0121] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 4 , Figure 7 As shown, when the direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction and the contact direction is referred to as the width direction, the first contact portion 32a has a vertex surface 34a facing the contact direction, a pair of side surfaces 34b disposed on the outside of the width direction relative to the vertex surface 34a and with the normal direction facing the outside of the width direction, and a pair of connecting surfaces 34c connecting the vertex surface 34a and the pair of side surfaces 34b.

[0122] However, in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the connecting surface is formed by chamfering, and the boundary between the connecting surface and the vertex surface, as well as the boundary between the connecting surface and the side surface, constitute corners. In such a structure, if the relative position of the first contact point and the contact object shifts for some reason, the contact object may come into contact with the corner, potentially causing the surface of the contact object to be ground.

[0123] Therefore, in this embodiment, as Figure 7 As shown, two of the two sides of a pair of connecting surfaces 34c are connected by a smooth curved surface to the vertex surface 34a and the side surface 34b.

[0124] Therefore, it is possible to prevent the surface of the contact object 60 from being ground.

[0125] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 4 As shown, the connecting portion 32b is formed to extend from the base 31 toward the other side in the insertion direction.

[0126] In this embodiment, the connecting portion 32b includes a folded-back portion 32b1 that folds back from the other side of the insertion direction to one side, and a side extension portion 32b2 that extends toward the insertion direction and is connected to the first contact portion 32a.

[0127] Therefore, it is easy to miniaturize the terminal 30 as a whole in the insertion direction.

[0128] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the one-sided extension 32b2 is configured to guide the contact object 60 toward the first contact point 32a by contacting the contact object 60 when it is inserted.

[0129] Therefore, the object 60 can be guided toward the first contact portion 32a by using the side extension 32b2.

[0130] However, assuming that the first contact portion 32a is provided in a portion that is not the front end of the first contact piece 32 (specifically, the portion that causes the material to buckle is provided as the first contact portion), there is a limit to how small the radius of curvature of the vertex surface of the first contact portion can be when viewed from the width direction.

[0131] In this embodiment, as Figure 4 As shown, the first contact portion 32a is disposed at the front end of the first contact piece 32.

[0132] Therefore, as Figure 8 As shown, it is easy to reduce the radius of curvature of the vertex surface 34a of the first contact portion 32a when viewed from the width direction. By reducing the radius of curvature of the vertex surface 34a of the first contact portion 32a when viewed from the width direction, the force required when the connector 100 with terminal 30 is connected to the mating connector 200, etc. (when mated) can be reduced.

[0133] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 6 As shown, when viewed from the contact direction, at least a portion of the first contact portion 32a overlaps with at least a portion of the base portion 31.

[0134] Therefore, the first contact portion 32a can be arranged in the space overlapping with the base 31 when viewed from the contact direction. As a result, the terminal 30 can be miniaturized.

[0135] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the connecting portion 32b includes a portion that is bent to protrude to the other side in the contact direction (one-sided extension 32b2).

[0136] Therefore, it is easy to ensure the contact pressure of the first contact portion 32a relative to the contact object 60.

[0137] In addition, in this embodiment, such as Figure 7 As shown, when the area within 0.01 mm from one end of the contact direction to the other end of the contact direction in the vertex face 34a is called a flat area, the dimension W1 of the width direction of the flat area is 0.025 mm or more (preferably 0.050 mm or more).

[0138] Therefore, since the first contact portion 32a and the contact object 60 can make contact in a region extending in the width direction, poor contact can be suppressed.

[0139] In addition, in this embodiment, the base 31 has a first plate portion 31a, and the first contact piece 32 extends from the first plate portion 31a.

[0140] However, in such a structure, due to thermal deformation of the housing, the terminal 30 may rotate around the insertion direction axis centered on the first plate portion 31a. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first contact portion 32a is located at a different position from the first plate portion 31a in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. Therefore, if rotation occurs around the insertion direction axis centered on the first plate portion 31a, the first contact portion 32a may shift significantly.

[0141] However, as described above, since both sides of the pair of connecting surfaces 34c are connected by a smooth curved surface to the vertex surface 34a and the side surface 34b, it is possible to suppress the surface of the contact object 60 from being ground.

[0142] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment relates to a connector 100 having a housing 40 having terminals 30 and retaining terminals 30.

[0143] In this embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the housing 40 is configured to directly support the inserted contact object 60 from the other side of the contact direction.

[0144] Therefore, the contact pressure between the first contact portion 32a and the contact object 60 can be ensured. In addition, since the contact object 60 is directly supported by the housing 40, the thermal deformation of the housing 40 can affect the contact state between the first contact portion 32a and the contact object 60.

[0145] In addition, this embodiment relates to connector pairs 100, 200 having connector 100 and mating connector 200.

[0146] The mating connector 200 includes mating terminals 60 as contact objects 60 and a resin mating housing 70 for retaining the mating terminals 60. The mating terminals 60 include a mating holding portion 61 held in the mating housing 70 and a mating contact piece 62 extending from the mating holding portion 61. A first contact portion 32a contacts the mating contact piece 62.

[0147] Therefore, due to the thermal deformation of the resin mating housing 70, the position of the mating terminals 60 may be offset.

[0148] In addition, in this embodiment, the mating contact piece 62 extends in a straight line parallel to the insertion direction.

[0149] Therefore, the mating contact piece 62 can be made into a simple structure.

[0150] In addition, in this embodiment, the mating contact piece 62 extends without contacting the mating housing 70.

[0151] Therefore, the mating housing 70 can be made to have a simple structure. In addition, since the mating contact piece 62 extends in a state where it is not in contact with the mating housing 70, it is easy to cause the position of the mating contact piece 62 to shift.

[0152] The preferred embodiments of the connector disclosed herein have been described above, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

Claims

1. A terminal, which is retained in a housing. The terminal includes: The base is held in the housing; and The first contact piece extends from the base. The first contact piece has: The first contact portion contacts the object that is inserted into the housing relative to the side facing the insertion direction, and the contact portion is in a contact direction that is perpendicular to the insertion direction. and The connecting part connects the first contact part and the base part. When the direction perpendicular to both the insertion direction and the contact direction is referred to as the width direction... The first contact portion includes: The vertex face, facing the side of the contact direction; A pair of side faces, positioned outside the vertex face in the width direction, such that the normal direction faces outward in the width direction; and A pair of connecting faces, connecting the vertex face and the pair of side faces. At least one of the pair of connecting surfaces connects the vertex surface and the side surface with a smooth curved surface.

2. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein, The connecting portion is formed to extend from the base toward the other side in the insertion direction. The connecting part includes: The fold-back section folds the extension direction back to one side from the other side of the insertion direction; and One side extension extends toward the side facing the insertion direction and is connected to the first contact portion.

3. The terminal according to claim 2, wherein, The one-sided extension is configured such that, when the contact object is inserted, it guides the contact object toward the first contact point by contacting the contact object.

4. The terminal according to claim 3, wherein, The first contact point is located at the front end of the first contact piece.

5. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein, Viewed from the contact direction, at least a portion of the first contact portion overlaps with at least a portion of the base portion.

6. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein, The connecting portion includes a portion that is bent to protrude to the other side in the contact direction.

7. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein, When a region within 0.01 mm from one end of the contact direction to the other end of the contact direction in the vertex face is called a flat region, the dimension of the width direction of the flat region is 0.025 mm or more.

8. The terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The base has a first plate portion. The first contact piece extends from the first plate portion. The first contact portion is located at a different position from the first plate portion in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction.

9. A connector comprising: Terminals according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and The housing retains the terminal.

10. The connector according to claim 9, wherein, The housing is configured to directly support the inserted contact object from the other side of the contact direction.

11. A connector pair, comprising: The connector according to claim 10; and Pairing connectors, The mating connector has: As the mating terminals of the contact object; and The resin mating housing retains the mating terminals. The mating terminals include: The mating holding part is held in the mating housing; and The mating contact piece extending from the mating holding portion The first contact portion contacts the mating contact piece.

12. The connector pair according to claim 11, wherein, The mating contact pieces extend in a straight line parallel to the insertion direction.

13. The connector pair according to claim 11, wherein, The mating contact piece extends without contacting the mating housing.

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