Female terminal and terminal unit

Abstract

To disclose a female terminal capable of suppressing deformation risks during manufacture of a contact spring part while suppressing upsizing of the female terminal even when it is necessary to cope with a large current.SOLUTION: A female terminal 10 includes: a body part 22 having a connection part 18 being a pressed product of a first metal plate 16 and electrically connected to other members, and a hollow cylindrical conductor part 20; and a contact point forming metal fitting 26 which is a pressed product of a second metal plate 24 smaller in thickness than the first metal plate 16 and conductively assembled with the cylindrical conductor part 20. The cylindrical conductor part 20 has a male terminal insertion port 32 opening to one end side. The contact point forming metal fitting 26 has: a frame body part 62 assembled with inner surfaces of wall parts 36a, 36b, 38, 40 of the cylindrical conductor part 20; and a contact spring part 64 which is held by the frame body part 62, projects toward the inside of the frame body part 62 and is in press contact with a male terminal 12 to be inserted through a male terminal insertion port 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a female terminal and a terminal unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a female terminal formed by pressing a metal plate. The base end of the female terminal is provided with an electric wire connection part formed by overlapping a pair of flat plate parts, and the tip end of the female terminal is provided with a male terminal mounting tube part into which a flat tab-shaped male terminal is inserted, and the female terminal and the male terminal are provided as a terminal unit. The male terminal mounting tube part has a pair of L-shaped support plate parts that protrude from each flat plate part to the opposite side in the overlapping direction and then protrude toward the tip side. Furthermore, the male terminal mounting tube part also has a pair of contact spring parts that are connected to the protruding end parts of the pair of support plate parts in a cantilever shape via a semicircular arc-shaped curved part and protrude toward the base end side. The pair of contact spring parts are arranged opposite to each other across a male terminal insertion gap, and a separate contact pressure applying spring is attached to the tip end of the pair of contact spring parts. This contact pressure applying spring applies contact pressure to the pair of contact spring parts to the male terminal, so that a stable connection state of the female and male terminals can be maintained. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-83287 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, since the female terminal of Patent Document 1 is formed by pressing a metal plate, the contact spring part also needs to have a thickness according to the current capacity. Therefore, when a large current needs to flow, the plate thickness of the contact spring part also becomes thick. As a result, in order to ensure that the contact spring part can follow the male terminal, the contact spring part has to be made longer, which tends to increase the size of the female terminal. In addition, since the contact spring part is open to the side, it is easily contacted with other members or tools during the manufacturing stage of the female terminal, and there is a risk of deformation.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention discloses a female terminal and a terminal unit that can suppress an increase in size of the female terminal even when it is necessary to accommodate a large current, while also suppressing the risk of deformation during manufacturing of the contact spring portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The female terminal of the present disclosure comprises: a main body portion which is a press-formed product of a first metal flat plate and which has a connection portion which is conductively connected to another member and a hollow tubular conductor portion; and a contact-forming fitting which is a press-formed product of a second metal flat plate which is thinner than the first metal flat plate and which is conductively assembled to the tubular conductor portion, wherein the tubular conductor portion has a male terminal insertion port which opens toward one end side, and the contact-forming fitting has a frame portion which is assembled to the inner surface of a wall portion of the tubular conductor portion, and a contact spring portion which is held by the frame portion and protrudes toward the inside of the frame portion so as to be pressed against a male terminal inserted through the male terminal insertion port.

[0007] The terminal unit of the present disclosure is a terminal unit including a female terminal and a male terminal connected to the female terminal, the female terminal being the female terminal described in the present disclosure. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a female terminal and a terminal unit that can suppress an increase in size of the female terminal even when it is necessary to accommodate a larger current, while also suppressing the risk of deformation during manufacturing of the contact spring portion. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a female terminal according to a first embodiment in a connected state with a male terminal. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the female terminal shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the female terminal shown in FIG. 1 in a state where it is not connected to the male terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the female terminal shown in FIG. 4 and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is an exploded perspective view of the female terminal shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a contact-forming fitting constituting the female terminal shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the first metal flat plate constituting the main body of the female terminal shown in FIG. 1 in a state prior to press working. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the second metal plate constituting the contact-forming metal fitting shown in FIG. 8 in a state prior to press working. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure> First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The female terminal of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A press-formed product of a first metal flat plate, comprising: a main body portion having a connection portion conductively connected to another member and a hollow tubular conductor portion; and a press-formed product of a second metal flat plate having a thickness thinner than that of the first metal flat plate, comprising a contact-forming metal fitting electrically assembled to the tubular conductor portion, the tubular conductor portion having a male terminal insertion port opening toward one end side, the contact-forming metal fitting having a frame portion assembled to the inner surface of a wall portion of the tubular conductor portion, and a contact spring portion held by the frame portion, protruding toward the inside of the frame portion and pressed against a male terminal inserted through the male terminal insertion port.

[0011] According to the female terminal of the present disclosure, the main body having a connection portion with another member and a hollow cylindrical conductor portion, and the contact-forming metal fitting assembled to the cylindrical conductor portion of the main body portion so as to be conductive are configured as separate parts, and further, the contact-forming metal fitting is formed using a second metal plate having a thickness thinner than that of the first metal plate forming the main body portion. As a result, when it is necessary to accommodate a large current, the contact spring portion can be provided with a thickness thinner than that of the main body portion while ensuring the current-carrying capacity of the main body portion having a large thickness dimension. Therefore, even when it is necessary to accommodate a large current, compared to the conventional structure, it is possible to reduce the need to increase the length of the contact spring portion in order to obtain the followability of the contact spring portion to the male terminal, and it is possible to accommodate a large current while suppressing the increase in size of the female terminal.

[0012] In addition, the contact-forming metal fitting has a frame portion that is attached to the inner surface of the wall portion of the cylindrical conductor portion, and a contact spring portion that is pressed against the male terminal, and the contact spring portion is held by the frame portion and formed to protrude toward the inside of the frame portion. This makes it possible to easily perform the assembly work when assembling the contact-forming metal fitting to the cylindrical conductor portion of the main body, since the assembly work can be performed while holding the frame portion. In addition, the frame portion can reduce the risk of other members or tools interfering with the contact spring portion during the assembly work, and therefore the risk of deformation of the contact spring portion during manufacturing can be reduced compared to conventional structures.

[0013] (2) In the above item (1), it is preferable that the contact-forming metal has a welded portion, and the welded portion is welded to the welded portion of the tubular conductor. By welding the welded portion of the contact-forming metal to the welded portion of the tubular conductor, it is possible to reduce the electrical resistance between the contact-forming metal and the tubular conductor, and to ensure a more stable conductive state between the contact-forming metal and the main body.

[0014] (3) In the above (2), it is preferable that the contact-forming fitting is inserted from the male terminal insertion port on one end side of the tubular conductor portion toward the other end side and assembled to the tubular conductor portion, the frame portion of the contact-forming fitting has an abutment edge portion which is superimposed on the end face of the tubular conductor portion on the male terminal insertion port side, the insertion end of the contact-forming fitting into the tubular conductor portion is defined by the abutment of the abutment edge portion against the end face, and the abutment edge portion is welded to the end face, with the abutment edge portion constituting the welded portion and the end face constituting the welded portion.

[0015] Since the contact-forming metal fitting is inserted from the male terminal insertion opening of the tubular conductor toward the other end thereof and is then assembled to the tubular conductor, the assembly workability is good. Moreover, by overlapping and abutting the contact edge of the contact-forming metal fitting against the end face of the tubular conductor on the male terminal insertion opening side, the insertion end of the contact-forming metal fitting into the tubular conductor is defined, making the assembly work even easier.

[0016] Moreover, because the abutting edge is welded to the end face to form the welded part and the welded part, it is possible, for example, to orient the male terminal insertion opening of the tubular conductor part upward, overlap the abutting edge (welded part) with the end face (welded part) from above, and perform welding in a state in which the welded part is brought into close contact with the welded part by the weight of the terminal-forming fitting. This makes it possible to stably weld the tubular conductor part of the contact-forming fitting, and advantageously ensures a more stable conductive state between the contact-forming fitting and the main body.

[0017] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, it is preferable that the tubular conductor portion has a rectangular tubular shape having a pair of side walls and an upper wall and a lower wall connected by the pair of side walls, the frame portion of the contact-forming metal fitting has a rectangular frame shape having a pair of side portions that are superimposed on each of the pair of side walls of the tubular conductor portion, and an upper portion and a lower portion that are superimposed on each of the upper wall and the lower wall of the tubular conductor portion, and the cantilever-shaped contact spring portion is formed by partially cutting and raising at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the frame portion inward.

[0018] Since the cylindrical conductor portion is formed in a rectangular tube shape and the contact-forming metal fitting is formed in a rectangular frame shape, the rigidity of the contact spring portion can be advantageously ensured. Moreover, since the cantilever-shaped contact spring portion is formed by partially cutting and raising at least one of the upper and lower portions of the frame portion of the contact-forming metal fitting toward the inside of the frame portion, the contact spring portion can be easily manufactured with a good yield. Furthermore, by adjusting the length of the inward cut and raising of the upper and lower portions, the spring rigidity and amount of deflection of the contact spring portion can be easily set to the desired value, which is excellent in manufacturability.

[0019] More preferably, both the upper and lower portions are partially cut inward to form a pair of upper and lower contact spring portions facing each other, which allows the pair of upper and lower contact spring portions to contact both the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal, thereby improving the connection stability between the female and male terminals.

[0020] (5) In the above (4), it is preferable that the contact-forming fitting is inserted from the male terminal insertion port on the one end side of the tubular conductor portion toward the other end side and is assembled to the tubular conductor portion, the pair of side walls of the tubular conductor portion and one of the pair of side parts of the frame body portion each have a locking hole, the other of the pair of side walls of the tubular conductor portion and the pair of side parts of the frame body portion each have a locking claw that fits into the locking hole, the locking claw elastically deforms to allow insertion of the contact-forming fitting to the other end side, and the locking claw elastically returns to its original state to fit into the locking hole, thereby maintaining the contact-forming fitting in an assembled state to the tubular conductor portion.

[0021] By effectively utilizing a pair of side walls and a pair of side portions arranged opposite each other, a lock hole and a lock claw can be provided to hold the contact-forming fitting in an assembled state to the tubular conductor portion. This makes it possible to maintain the stability of the assembly of the contact-forming fitting and the tubular conductor portion without increasing the size of the female terminal. The lock hole and the lock claw may be fitted to prevent the contact-forming fitting from moving into the male terminal insertion port, or may be fitted to define the insertion end of the contact-forming fitting to the other end side, or may be formed in a plurality of holes and lock claws to include both.

[0022] (6) In the above (4) or (5), it is preferable that a rear opening window is provided on the other end side of the cylindrical conductor portion, the contact spring portion includes a first contact spring portion and a second contact spring portion, the upper and lower parts of the frame portion have a pair of upper and lower first contact spring portions that are held by the frame portion at the one end side and protrude inward toward the other end side and extend out like a cantilever, and the frame portion further includes a contact pressure applying spring that is arranged to sandwich the respective protruding ends of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion and has a size that allows the rear opening window to be inserted, and when the male terminal is pressed into between the opposing surfaces of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion, the contact pressure applying spring urges the respective protruding ends in a direction approaching each other, so that the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion are pressed against the male terminal.

[0023] The contact pressure applying spring biases the protruding ends of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion in a direction approaching each other, and the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion are pressed against the male terminal pressed between the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion with a high contact pressure. This advantageously reduces the size of the female terminal, while ensuring the flexibility and followability of the contact spring portion and advantageously ensures contact pressure between the female and male terminals. Furthermore, since the contact pressure applying spring has a size that allows it to pass through the rear opening window, it can be inserted through the rear opening window and disposed from the front side in the protruding direction relative to the protruding ends of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion. This improves the assembly of the female terminal compared to the conventional structure in which it could only be assembled from the side, which is a direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion.

[0024] (7) In the above (6), it is preferable that the contact pressure applying spring is constituted by a clip spring having a rectangular flat connecting plate portion and a pair of rectangular flat clamping plate portions each of which protrudes in a direction approaching each other from both side edges of the connecting plate portion, and the protruding end portion of the first contact spring portion and the protruding end portion of the second contact spring portion are clamped between the pair of clamping plate portions of the clip spring when the male terminal is inserted. By employing a clip spring as the contact pressure applying spring, it is possible to configure a contact pressure applying spring with a compact and simple structure that can bias the protruding ends of the first spring piece and the second spring piece in a direction approaching each other when the male terminal is inserted, while enabling arrangement of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion at the protruding ends.

[0025] (8) In the above (7), it is preferable that the contact spring portion includes a plurality of the first contact spring portions and a plurality of the second contact spring portions arranged at a plurality of positions spaced apart from each other in the plate width direction of the male terminal, the clip spring has a plurality of pairs of the clamping plate portions arranged at a plurality of positions spaced apart from each other in the plate width direction corresponding to the contact spring portions, and when the male terminal is inserted, the protruding end portions of the plurality of the first contact spring portions and the protruding end portions of the plurality of the second contact spring portions are each paired and clamped separately by each of the plurality of pairs of the clamping plate portions. The male terminal can be clamped by the plurality of first contact spring portions and the second contact spring portions arranged at a plurality of positions spaced apart from each other in the plate width direction of the male terminal. Moreover, when the male terminal is inserted, the pair of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion is clamped by each separate pair of the clamping plate portions arranged at a distance from each other in the plate width direction. This advantageously enables the female terminal to stably follow the rotational displacement of the male terminal.

[0026] The terminal unit of the present disclosure comprises: (9) A terminal unit including a female terminal and a male terminal connected to the female terminal, the female terminal being any one of the female terminals described in any one of (1) to (8) above. In the terminal unit of the present disclosure, the female terminal is configured in any one of (1) to (8) above, and therefore it is possible to provide a terminal unit that can achieve the same effect as that obtained by any one of (1) to (8) above.

[0027] <Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure> Specific examples of the female terminal and terminal unit of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0028] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, the female terminal 10 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure and the terminal unit 14 including the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 connected to the female terminal 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 10. The female terminal 10 is a terminal that connects between a power source side member such as a battery and a load side member such as a motor. The female terminal 10 provided on one side of the power source side and the load side and the male terminal 12 provided on the other side of the power source side and the load side are in contact with each other to be in a conductive state, so that power is supplied from the power source such as a battery to the load such as a motor. The female terminal 10 can be arranged in any direction, but in the following, the upper side will be described as the upper side in Fig. 3, the lower side will be described as the lower side in Fig. 3, the front side will be described as the left side in Fig. 2, the rear side will be described as the right side in Fig. 2, the left side will be described as the upper side in Fig. 2, and the right side will be described as the lower side in Fig. 2. In addition, for multiple identical members, only some of the members may be labeled with a reference symbol, and the reference symbols may be omitted for the other members.

[0029] <Female terminal 10> The female terminal 10 includes a connection portion 18 that is conductively connected to another member (for example, a member on the power source side such as a battery) and a main body portion 22 that has a hollow tubular conductor portion 20. The main body portion 22 is a pressed product of a first metal flat plate 16 (see FIG. 9). The female terminal 10 also includes a contact-forming metal fitting 26 that is electrically conductively assembled to the tubular conductor portion 20. The contact-forming metal fitting 26 is a pressed product of a second metal flat plate 24 (see FIG. 10) that is thinner than the first metal flat plate 16.

[0030] <Male terminal 12> The male terminal 12 is a tab terminal having a plate shape as a whole. The male terminal 12 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, has a predetermined width dimension (left-right dimension) and thickness dimension (up-down dimension), and extends substantially straight in the front-rear direction. In the first embodiment, the male terminal 12 has a horizontally elongated shape in which the width dimension is larger than the thickness dimension. In addition, the end portion (rear end portion) of the male terminal 12 on the front side in the insertion direction into the female terminal 10 is tapered. The male terminal 12 is conductive and is formed of a metal with low electrical resistance, such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, or aluminum alloy. For example, a bolt insertion hole is provided in the base end portion (front end portion) of the male terminal 12, and the male terminal 12 is fixed to another member (for example, a load side member such as a motor) by a bolt not shown. Alternatively, when a bolt insertion hole is not provided, a load side electric wire or the like is fixed to the base end portion of the male terminal 12 by crimping or the like.

[0031] <Connection 18> The connection portion 18 is generally plate-shaped, and when the female terminal 10 is disposed as shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the connection portion 18 extends in the front-rear direction as a whole, and is generally rectangular in shape with a front-rear dimension greater than a top-bottom dimension in a side view (left-right view). A bolt insertion hole 28 penetrating in the plate thickness direction (left-right direction) is formed at the rear end of the connection portion 18, and the female terminal 10 can be fixed to another member (e.g., a member on the power source side such as a battery) by, for example, a bolt (not shown) inserted into the bolt insertion hole 28. For example, the connection portion 18 can be connected to an end of an electric wire, a bus bar, or the like (not shown) as another member.

[0032] As described above, the main body 22 having the connection portion 18 and the tubular conductor portion 20 is a press-formed product of the first metal plate 16, which is a single metal plate, and the connection portion 18 has the same plate thickness as the tubular conductor portion 20. The tubular conductor portion 20 is integrally connected to the front of the connection portion 18. In other words, the connection portion 18 extends rearward from the tubular conductor portion 20, and in the first embodiment, the connection portion 18 extends rearward from the left side wall (left side wall 36a) of a pair of side walls 36, 36, which will be described later, constituting the tubular conductor portion 20. As shown in FIG. 9, a narrow width portion 30 having a smaller width dimension (vertical dimension) than the connection portion 18 and the left side wall 36a is provided at the connection portion (front end portion of the connection portion 18) between the connection portion 18 and the tubular conductor portion 20 (left side wall 36a). This makes it possible to easily perform press working of the first metal plate 16.

[0033] <Cylindrical conductor portion 20> The tubular conductor portion 20 is generally cylindrical and opens on both sides in the front-rear direction, and has a male terminal insertion opening 32 that opens toward one end (front end) of the tubular conductor portion 20 in the length direction, and a rear opening window 34 that opens toward the other end (rear end) in the length direction. In the first embodiment, the tubular conductor portion 20 is generally rectangular and has a pair of side walls 36, 36 (a left side wall 36a and a right side wall 36b) and an upper wall 38 and a lower wall 40 connected by the left and right side walls 36a, 36b. The left-right dimensions of the upper wall 38 and the lower wall 40 are larger than the up-down dimensions of the left and right side walls 36a, 36b, so that the tubular conductor portion 20 is generally rectangular and cylindrical. Each wall (the left and right side walls 36a, 36b, the upper wall 38, and the lower wall 40) constituting the tubular conductor portion 20 is generally rectangular plate-shaped. In embodiment 1, the welded portions are formed on each front end face 41, which is the end face on the male terminal insertion port 32 side of the upper wall 38 and the lower wall 40, and the welded portions formed by each abutment edge portion 88 described later on the contact forming fitting 26 are welded.

[0034] In the first embodiment, a fitting protrusion 42 protruding toward the right side wall 36b is provided at a front-rear middle portion of the right end portion of the upper wall 38, and a fitting recess 44 opening toward the upper wall 38 is provided at a front-rear middle portion of the upper end portion of the right side wall 36b. The length dimension (front-rear dimension) of the fitting protrusion 42 is made substantially equal to the length dimension of the fitting recess 44. As a result, when forming the tubular conductor 20 by applying press working or the like to the first metal flat plate 16, for example, by fitting the fitting protrusion 42 of the upper wall 38 into the fitting recess 44 of the right side wall 36b in a substantially press-fit state, it is possible to prevent the upper wall 38 and the right side wall 36b from being unintentionally separated from each other when the tubular conductor 20 is formed.

[0035] In a state in which the first metal flat plate 16 is bent to form the cylindrical conductor portion 20, the left and right side walls 36a, 36b face each other in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the rear end portions of the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 36a, 36b that form the inner surface of the cylindrical conductor portion 20 are provided with positioning protrusions 46 that protrude inward in the opposing direction (inward in the left-right direction). In addition, recesses 48 that open outward are formed in the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 36a, 36b at positions corresponding to the positioning protrusions 46. Furthermore, in the left and right side walls 36a, 36b, lock holes 50 that penetrate the left and right side walls 36a, 36b in the thickness direction (left-right direction) are formed in front of the positioning protrusions 46 (respective recesses 48). Each lock hole 50 is substantially rectangular in side view (left-right view) and has a predetermined size in the front-rear direction dimension and the up-down direction dimension. In addition, the front ends of the left and right side walls 36a, 36b are provided with abutment portions 52 that protrude forward, and when the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 are connected, each abutment portion 52 abuts against a housing (not shown) that holds the male terminal 12.

[0036] Similarly, when the cylindrical conductor portion 20 is constructed, the upper wall 38 and the lower wall 40 face each other in the up-down direction. The rear end portions of the outer surfaces of the upper wall 38 and the lower wall 40 are provided with locking protrusions 54 that protrude outward in the facing direction (outward in the up-down direction). The rear end faces of the positioning protrusions 46 and the front end faces of the locking protrusions 54 each form a vertical surface 56 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Furthermore, on the inner surfaces of the upper wall 38 and the lower wall 40 that constitute the inner surface of the cylindrical conductor portion 20, recesses 58 that open inward are formed at positions corresponding to the locking protrusions 54.

[0037] <Main body portion 22> The first metal flat plate 16 before press working is shown in Fig. 9. Recesses 48 are formed on the left and right side walls 36a, 36b of the first metal flat plate 16 on the outer surface side of the cylindrical conductor portion 20, that is, on the far side of the paper in Fig. 9, so that the positioning protrusions 46 protrude on the inner surface side of the cylindrical conductor portion 20, that is, on the near side of the paper in Fig. 9. In addition, recesses 58 are formed on the upper wall 38 and the lower wall 40 of the first metal flat plate 16 on the inner surface side of the cylindrical conductor portion 20, that is, on the near side of the paper in Fig. 9, so that the locking protrusions 54 protrude on the outer surface side of the cylindrical conductor portion 20, that is, on the far side of the paper in Fig. 9.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 9, in the state before the first metal flat plate 16 is pressed, the upper wall 38, the left side wall 36a, the lower wall 40, and the right side wall 36b constituting the cylindrical conductor portion 20 are continuously provided in the up-down direction in FIG. 9, and the connection portion 18 extends from the left side wall 36a to the right in FIG. 9 through the narrow width portion 30. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, a bent portion 60 is provided between the upper wall 38 and the left side wall 36a, between the left side wall 36a and the lower wall 40, and between the lower wall 40 and the right side wall 36b. The bent portions 60 are bent to fit the mating convex portion 42 and the mating concave portion 44, thereby forming the cylindrical conductor portion 20 in the front portion of the main body portion 22. The material of the metal of the first metal flat plate 16 constituting the main body portion 22 is not limited, but a metal having excellent electrical conductivity can be used, for example, pure copper can be used.

[0039] <Contact forming metal fitting 26> The contact-forming metal fitting 26 has a frame body part 62 that is assembled to the inner surface of the wall part (left and right side walls 36a, 36b, upper wall 38, and lower wall 40) of the cylindrical conductor part 20. The contact-forming metal fitting 26 also has a contact spring part 64 that is held by the frame body part 62, protrudes toward the inside of the frame body part 62, and is pressed against the male terminal 12 inserted from the male terminal insertion port 32. In the first embodiment, the contact spring part 64 includes a first contact spring part 66 that protrudes toward the inside of the frame body part 62 from an upper part of the frame body part 62, and a second contact spring part 68 that protrudes toward the inside of the frame body part 62 from a lower part of the frame body part 62. In particular, in the first embodiment, the contact-forming metal fitting 26 has a substantially vertically symmetrical shape, and can be assembled to the cylindrical conductor part 20 without distinguishing between the upper and lower directions.

[0040] <Frame part 62> 8, the frame 62 of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is generally rectangular frame-shaped. That is, the frame 62 has a pair of side portions 70, 70 (left portion 70a and right portion 70b) assembled to each side wall 36 (left side wall 36a and right side wall 36b) of the tubular conductor 20, an upper portion 72 overlapped with the upper wall 38, and a lower portion 74 overlapped with the lower wall 40. The left portion 70a and the right portion 70b are connected by the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74, respectively. As a result, the frame 62 is open on both front and rear sides, and a front opening 75a and a rear opening 75b are provided.

[0041] A substantially rectangular through window 76 is formed in the front-rear middle portion of each of the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74, penetrating in the thickness direction (up-down direction), and each through window 76 is formed over the entire length of the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74 in the left-right direction. As a result, the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74 are divided on both the front and rear sides by each through window 76, and each of the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74 includes a front connection portion 78 that connects each side portion 70 (left portion 70a and right portion 70b) at a front portion and a rear connection portion 80 that connects each side portion 70 at a rear portion. In other words, the left portion 70a and the right portion 70b are connected at a front portion by the front connection portions 78 of the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74, and are connected at a rear portion by the rear connection portions 80 of the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74.

[0042] FIG. 10 shows the state of the second metal flat plate 24 before the press working. As shown in FIG. 8, in the first embodiment, the left side portion 70a is provided with portions that are butted together when the second metal flat plate 24 is bent to form the contact-forming fitting 26. That is, a first left side portion 82a extending downward is provided at the left end of the front connection portion 78 and the rear connection portion 80 in the upper portion 72, and a second left side portion 82b extending upward is provided at the right end of the front connection portion 78 and the rear connection portion 80 in the lower portion 74. The first left side portion 82a and the second left side portion 82b are butted together in the vertical direction to form the left side portion 70a. In particular, in the first embodiment, an engagement recess 84 opening downward is provided at the lower end of the first left side portion 82a, and an engagement protrusion 86 protruding upward is provided at the upper end of the second left side portion 82b. As a result, when forming the contact forming fitting 26, the left side portion 70a is formed, for example, by striking the engaging protrusion 86 from the outside and fitting it into the engaging recess 84, thereby preventing the first left side portion 82a and the second left side portion 82b from unintentionally separating from each other.

[0043] In the first embodiment, the contact-forming metal fitting 26 has abutment edges 88 that are overlapped with the end faces (front end faces 41) of the tubular conductor portion 20 on the male terminal insertion opening 32 side. The abutment edges 88 are provided on the front connection parts 78 of the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74 of the contact-forming metal fitting 26, and extend outward in the vertical direction from the front connection parts 78. When welding the tubular conductor portion 20 and the contact-forming metal fitting 26 as described later, the mutually overlapping front end faces 41 and the abutment edges 88 are welded, and the abutment edges 88 form a welded portion, and the front end faces 41 form a welded portion. The welding method between the front end faces 41 and the abutment edges 88 is not limited, but in the first embodiment, they are welded by laser welding.

[0044] Furthermore, at the rear end of the left and right side parts 70a, 70b of the contact-forming metal fitting 26, a notch 90 is provided in the vertical center part, which opens rearward and penetrates each side part 70a, 70b in the thickness direction (left and right direction). In addition, a substantially rectangular through hole 92 is formed in the front part of the left and right side parts 70a, 70b, which penetrates each side part 70a, 70b in the thickness direction, and a lock claw 94 is provided in the rear part of the inner circumferential surface of each through hole 92, which protrudes forward. A space (gap) is provided on three sides (both sides in the vertical direction and the front) around each lock claw 94, so that each lock claw 94 can elastically deform in the left and right direction. As shown in FIG. 8 and the like, in the assembled state of the contact-forming metal fitting 26, each lock claw 94 protrudes in a direction that gradually inclines outward in the left and right direction as it approaches the front. As described above, since the left side portion 70a is composed of the upper and lower first left side portion 82a and second left side portion 82b, the left side through hole 92 and locking claw 94 are also separated before bending the second metal flat plate 24 that constitutes the contact-forming fitting 26. In other words, the left side through hole 92 and locking claw 94 are formed by butting the first left side portion 82a and the second left side portion 82b together to form the left side portion 70a.

[0045] <Contact spring portion 64 (first contact spring portion 66 and second contact spring portion 68)> In each of the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74, the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68 extend rearward in a cantilever shape from the rear end of each front connection portion 78 inside each through window portion 76. That is, the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68 are held by each front connection portion 78 of the frame portion 62 at the front side, which is one end side, and extend inward toward the rear side, which is the other end side, in a cantilever shape. As a result, spaces (gaps) are provided on three sides (both left and right directions and rear) around the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68, and the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68 are elastically deformable in the up and down direction, with the connection portion with each front connection portion 78 at the front end as the base point.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 8 and other figures, in the assembled state of the contact forming fitting 26, the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68 are inclined in a direction (inward in the vertical direction) approaching each other toward the rear. As a result, the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68 face each other in the vertical direction. The first contact spring portion 66 has a first contact 96 with the male terminal 12 on a surface (lower surface) facing the second contact spring portion 68, and the second contact spring portion 68 has a second contact 98 with the male terminal 12 on a surface (upper surface) facing the first contact spring portion 66. In particular, as shown in Fig. 5, before the male terminal 12 is inserted into the female terminal 10, the respective protruding ends 99 of the first and second contact spring portions 66, 68 are relatively close to each other, and the first contact 96 and the second contact 98 abut against each other or face each other in the vertical direction with a slight distance therebetween.

[0047] In the first embodiment, a bent portion 100 is provided at each of the protruding tip portions of the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68, and the first contact 96 and the second contact 98 are provided at the formation position of each bent portion 100. The first contact 96 and the second contact 98 are formed in a curved arc shape in the vertical cross section shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 5, have a predetermined left-right dimension at the left-right central portion of the first and second contact spring portions 66, 68, and are provided so as to straddle both front-rear directions of the first and second contact spring portions 66, 68 with the bent portion 100 therebetween. The first and second contacts 96, 98 are formed in an elliptical shape in which the dimension in the front-rear direction, which is the insertion direction of the male terminal 12, is larger than the dimension in the left-right direction when viewed in a plan view (projected in the up-down direction). This ensures a stable contact area between the first and second contacts 96, 98 and the male terminal 12 even when the male terminal 12 inserted into the female terminal 10 is swung and displaced in the up-down direction. In the first embodiment, the first and second contacts 96, 98 are formed by pressing the first and second contact spring portions 66, 68, respectively, and recesses 102 are formed at positions corresponding to the first and second contacts 96, 98 on the outer side in the opposing direction of the first and second contact spring portions 66, 68 (outer in the up-down direction).

[0048] In the first embodiment, the front connection portion 78 in the upper portion 72 is provided with first contact spring portions 66, 66 at each of a plurality of locations (two locations) spaced apart from each other in the plate width direction (left-right direction) of the male terminal 12, and the front connection portion 78 in the lower portion 74 is provided with second contact spring portions 68, 68 at each of a plurality of locations (two locations) spaced apart from each other in the plate width direction of the male terminal 12. That is, a slit 104 extending over approximately the entire length in the front-rear direction is provided in the left-right center of the approximately rectangular portions that extend rearward from each front connection portion 78 and constitute the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion, whereby a pair of first contact spring portions 66, 66 are provided spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, and a pair of second contact spring portions 68, 68 are provided spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

[0049] In addition, the bent portion of the second metal flat plate 24 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 10, before the second metal flat plate 24 is pressed, the second left side portion 82b, the lower portion 74, the right side portion 70b, the upper portion 72 and the first left side portion 82a constituting the contact-forming fitting 26 are provided continuously in the up-down direction in Fig. 10 via the bent portion. The metal material of the second metal flat plate 24 constituting the contact-forming fitting 26 is not limited, but a metal having electrical conductivity and spring properties can be used, for example a copper alloy.

[0050] In the first embodiment, each of the first contact spring parts 66 and each of the second contact spring parts 68 is formed by partially cutting and raising the wall parts constituting the upper part 72 and the lower part 74. That is, each of the first contact spring parts 66 and each of the second contact spring parts 68 is cut and raised, for example, from the upper part 72 and the lower part 74 toward the front side of the paper in FIG. 10, so that when the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is formed, it protrudes inwardly from the frame part 62. Similarly, each of the locking claws 94 is formed by partially cutting and raising the wall parts constituting the left part 70a (the first left part 82a and the second left part 82b) and the right part 70b. That is, each of the locking claws 94 is cut and raised, for example, from the left part 70a and the right part 70b toward the rear side of the paper in FIG. 10, so that when the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is formed, it protrudes outwardly in the left-right direction from the contact-forming metal fitting 26. In addition, the first contact spring portions 66, the second contact spring portions 68, and the lock claws 94 may be bent so as to protrude inwardly or outwardly in the left-right direction of the frame portion 62 after the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is formed into a generally cylindrical shape.

[0051] <Contact pressure spring (clip spring 106)> The female terminal 10 includes clip springs 106 as contact pressure applying springs arranged on the protruding ends 99 of the first contact spring parts 66 and the second contact spring parts 68. When the male terminal 12 is inserted into the female terminal 10, the clip springs 106 bias the protruding ends 99 of the first contact spring parts 66 and the protruding ends 99 of the second contact spring parts 68 in a direction in which they approach each other. The clip springs 106 are formed to a size that allows them to be inserted through the rear opening window 34 of the tubular conductor part 20. In particular, in the first embodiment, the clip springs 106 are formed to a size that allows them to be inserted through the rear opening 75b of the contact forming fitting 26 arranged inside the tubular conductor part 20.

[0052] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the clip spring 106 has a rectangular flat connecting plate 108 and a pair of rectangular flat clamping plates 110, 110 protruding in a direction approaching each other (inward in the vertical direction) from both side edges (upper and lower side edges) of the connecting plate 108. In the first embodiment, a plurality (two) of clamping plates 110, 110 spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, which is the plate width direction of the male terminal 12, are provided on each side of the connecting plate 108, and a total of four clamping plates 110 are provided in the clip spring 106. That is, one pair of clamping plates 110, 110 facing each other in the vertical direction is provided at a position spaced apart in the left-right direction. Each of these clamping plates 110 is elastically deformable in the vertical direction with the connection part with the connecting plate 108 as a base point.

[0053] The left-right dimension of each clamping plate 110 is larger than the left-right dimension of each recess 102 provided on the up-down outer side of each first contact spring portion 66 and each second contact spring portion 68. Also, a bent portion 112 is provided in the middle portion of each clamping plate 110 in the longitudinal direction. As a result, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the female terminal 10 and the bent portion 112 of each clamping plate 110 abuts against the formation positions of the recesses 102 of each first contact spring portion 66 and each second contact spring portion 68, both left-right end portions of each clamping plate 110 abut at portions on the left-right outer side of each recess 102 of each first contact spring portion 66 and each second contact spring portion 68.

[0054] Since a bent portion 112 is provided in the longitudinal intermediate portion of each clamping plate portion 110, the protruding tip portions of each clamping plate portion 110 extend in a direction away from each other from the bent portion 112. Therefore, the opposing distance between the clamping plate portions 110 facing each other in the vertical direction is smallest at the bent portion 112 provided in the longitudinal intermediate portion. The gap between these bent portions 112 is an insertion opening 114 for inserting and assembling the protruding ends 99 of the first and second contact spring portions 66, 68.

[0055] The opening dimensions (vertical dimension) of each insertion opening 114 of the clip spring 106 before elastic deformation of each clamping plate portion 110 may be equal to, or slightly larger or smaller than, the vertical dimension at the protruding tip portion of each first contact spring portion 66 and each second contact spring portion 68. Such a clip spring 106 is inserted into the inside of the tubular conductor portion 20 from the rear opening window 34 of the tubular conductor portion 20 (particularly, the rear opening 75b of the contact forming metal fitting 26). The protruding tip portions of the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68 are inserted into the insertion openings 114 without abutting against the bent portions 112 located most inward in the up-down direction in each clamping plate portion 110, or while the protruding tip portions of the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68 push the bent portions 112 outward in the up-down direction. The position of the insertion end of the tubular conductor portion 20 inward from the rear opening window 34 of the clip spring 106 is determined by the left and right ends of the connecting plate portion 108 abutting against the vertical faces 56 at the rear ends of the positioning protrusions 46 provided on the inner surfaces of the left wall 36a and the right wall 36b, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

[0056] As described above, in the female terminal 10 before the male terminal 12 is inserted, the vertical dimension of each insertion opening 114 may be larger than the vertical dimension of the protruding tip portion of each of the first contact spring portions 66 and each of the second contact spring portions 68 to be inserted. Also, the front-rear distance between each positioning protrusion 46 (vertical surface 56) and a retainer 116 described later may be larger than the thickness dimension (front-rear dimension) of the connecting plate portion 108, and the distance between the opposing surfaces of the inner surfaces of the left wall 36a and the right wall 36b may be larger than the width dimension (left-right dimension) of the connecting plate portion 108. As a result, in the female terminal 10 before the male terminal 12 is inserted, the clip spring 106 may be arranged in a free state without being fixed to the tubular conductor portion 20 in the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions.

[0057] <Retainer 116> The female terminal 10 further includes a retainer 116 that is attached to the cylindrical conductor portion 20 to cover the rear opening window 34 and prevent the clip spring 106 from falling off. As shown in Fig. 7, the retainer 116 is formed by bending a generally strip-shaped member by pressing or the like. The retainer 116 may be formed of, for example, metal or synthetic resin, and preferably has sufficient strength (deformation rigidity) and heat resistance, and in the first embodiment, is formed of stainless steel.

[0058] When assembled to the tubular conductor portion 20, the retainer 116 extends in the up-down direction as a whole, and a displacement restriction portion 118 is provided in the center portion in the longitudinal direction, which is disposed adjacent to the clip spring 106 and abuts against the clip spring 106 to restrict displacement of the clip spring 106 toward the rear opening window 34 when the female terminal 10 is assembled. The displacement restriction portion 118 is substantially rectangular in front view (front-rear view) and is smaller in size than the rear opening window 34. In particular, in the first embodiment, the displacement restriction portion 118 is slightly smaller in size than the rear opening 75b of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 arranged inside the tubular conductor portion 20. As a result, when the retainer 116 is assembled to the tubular conductor portion 20, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the displacement restriction portion 118 enters the inside of the tubular conductor portion 20 through the rear opening window 34 and covers substantially the entire rear opening 75b of the contact-forming metal fitting 26.

[0059] Moreover, both vertical end portions of the retainer 116 are bent so as to extend forward relative to the displacement restriction portion 118, and the forward extending portions at both vertical end portions of the retainer 116 constitute fixing portions 120 for fixing the retainer 116 to the tubular conductor portion 20. A substantially rectangular locking hole 122 penetrating in the thickness direction (vertical direction) is formed in the front portion of each fixing portion 120, and the retainer 116 is assembled to the tubular conductor portion 20 by bringing the retainer 116 close to the tubular conductor portion 20 from the rear and locking the locking protrusions 54 protruding outward in the vertical direction at the tubular conductor portion 20 into the locking holes 122.

[0060] <Assembly of female terminal 10> The following describes a specific example of a method for assembling the female terminal 10. However, the method for assembling the female terminal 10 is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0061] First, the first metal flat plate 16 constituting the main body 22 is prepared, each bent portion 60 is bent, and the mating protrusion 42 of the upper wall 38 is fitted into the mating recess 44 of the right side wall 36b. This forms the main body 22 having the tubular conductor 20 and the connection portion 18. Also, the second metal flat plate 24 constituting the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is prepared, each bent portion is bent, and the engaging protrusion 86 of the second left side portion 82b is fitted into the engaging recess 84 of the first left side portion 82a. This forms the contact-forming metal fitting 26 having the frame portion 62 and the contact spring portions 64 (the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contact spring portions 68).

[0062] 7, the contact-forming metal fitting 26 and the main body 22 are arranged opposite each other in the front-rear direction, and the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is inserted from the male terminal insertion opening 32, which is one end side (front end side) of the tubular conductor portion 20, toward the other end side (rear end side) and assembled. When the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is assembled to the tubular conductor portion 20, each abutting edge portion 88 of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is superimposed on each front end face 41, which is the end face of the tubular conductor portion 20 on the male terminal insertion opening 32 side. In short, the insertion end of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 into the tubular conductor portion 20 is defined by the abutment of each abutting edge portion 88 with each front end face 41. Note that the insertion of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 into the tubular conductor portion 20 may be performed by inserting the contact-forming metal fitting 26 from above with the male terminal insertion opening 32 of the tubular conductor portion 20 facing upward, for example. As a result, the contact-forming metal fitting 26 naturally displaces downward due to gravity inside the tubular conductor portion 20, and each abutment edge portion 88 can be easily overlapped with each front end face 41 with almost no gap.

[0063] When the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is inserted into the tubular conductor portion 20, the positioning protrusions 46 protruding inward in the tubular conductor portion 20 fit into the notches 90 provided at the rear end of the contact-forming metal fitting 26, thereby preventing interference between the positioning protrusions 46 and the left and right side portions 70a, 70b of the contact-forming metal fitting 26. Furthermore, the locking claws 94 protruding outward in the left-right direction of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 abut against the left and right side walls 36a, 36b as the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is inserted into the tubular conductor portion 20, and elastically deform inward in the left-right direction, thereby allowing further insertion backward in the tubular conductor portion 20. Then, when the locking claws 94 reach the locking holes 50 in the left and right side walls 36a, 36b, they elastically deform to their original shape (elastic return), and the locking claws 94 fit into the locking holes 50. As a result, each locking claw 94 abuts against the front portion of the inner surface of each locking hole 50, preventing the contact-forming fitting 26 from falling forward from the tubular conductor portion 20, and maintaining the contact-forming fitting 26 in an assembled state to the tubular conductor portion 20.

[0064] With the contact-forming fitting 26 assembled to the tubular conductor portion 20 with the lock claws 94 fitted into the lock holes 50 as described above, the mutually overlapping abutment edges 88 and the front end faces 41 are welded. In the first embodiment, this welding is performed by laser welding. In particular, when the contact-forming fitting 26 is assembled from above with the male terminal insertion opening 32 in the tubular conductor portion 20 facing upward, welding subsequent to the insertion of the contact-forming fitting 26 (laser welding in the first embodiment) can also be performed from above on the overlapping portions between the abutment edges 88 and the front end faces 41, so that the assembly work of the contact-forming fitting 26 and the tubular conductor portion 20 can be performed efficiently.

[0065] Thereafter, the clip spring 106 is inserted into the tubular conductor portion 20 through the rear opening window 34 (particularly the rear opening 75b of the contact-forming metal fitting 26) in the tubular conductor portion 20, and the protruding tip portions of the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contact spring portions 68 are inserted into the insertion openings 114 in the clip spring 106. As a result, the clip spring 106 is disposed on the protruding end portions 99 of the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contact spring portions 68. Note that the insertion of the clip spring 106 into the tubular conductor portion 20 through the rear opening window 34 is restricted, for example, by the connecting plate portion 108 of the clip spring 106 abutting against the positioning protrusions 46 protruding into the interior of the tubular conductor portion 20.

[0066] Then, the retainer 116 is disposed behind the clip spring 106, and the retainer 116 is brought close to the tubular conductor portion 20. As a result, the displacement restricting portion 118 of the retainer 116 enters the rear opening 75b of the contact-forming fitting 26, and the locking protrusions 54 of the tubular conductor portion 20 enter and are locked into the locking holes 122 in the fixing portions 120 on both the upper and lower sides of the retainer 116. As a result, the retainer 116 is attached to the tubular conductor portion 20, and the assembly of the female terminal 10 of embodiment 1 is completed.

[0067] <Assembly of terminal unit 14> Hereinafter, a specific example of a method for assembling terminal unit 14 in a state in which female terminal 10 and male terminal 12 are connected by inserting male terminal 12 into female terminal 10 of embodiment 1 will be described.

[0068] First, the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 assembled as described above are opposed to each other in the front-rear direction as shown in Figures 4 to 6. Then, the male terminal 12 is inserted into the inside of the tubular conductor portion 20 through the male terminal insertion opening 32 and pressed into between the opposing surfaces of the first contacts 96 and the second contacts 98 of the upper and lower first contact spring portions 66 and second contact spring portions 68. As a result, as shown in Figure 3, the first contacts 96 of the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contacts 98 of the second contact spring portions 68 come into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12, and the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contact spring portions 68 are pushed apart from each other.

[0069] Then, the bent portions 100 of the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contact spring portions 68 that are expanded outward in the vertical direction come into contact with the bent portions 112 of the clip spring 106 from the inside in the vertical direction, and the clamping plate portions 110 are elastically deformed outward in the vertical direction. The elastic restoring force of each of the clamping plate portions 110 clamps the protruding ends 99 of the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contact spring portions 68, and the protruding ends 99 of the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contact spring portions 68 are biased in a direction in which they approach each other. As a result, the first contacts 96 and the second contacts 98 are pressed against both the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12 that is pressed between the opposing surfaces of the first contact spring portions 66 and the second contact spring portions 68. As a result, the male terminals 12 and the female terminals 10 are brought into electrical conduction, completing the terminal unit 14 in which the female terminals 10 and the male terminals 12 are connected.

[0070] That is, the vertical distance A (see FIG. 3) at each bent portion 100 of each of the first contact spring portions 66 and each of the second contact spring portions 68 that are pressed against the male terminal 12 from both the top and bottom sides after the male terminal 12 is inserted is made larger than the vertical dimension B (see FIG. 5) of each insertion opening 114 of the clip spring 106 before the male terminal 12 is inserted. As a result, not only the first contact spring portions 66 and each of the second contact spring portions 68 but also the clamping plate portions 110 of the clip spring 106 are pushed outward in the vertical direction as the male terminal 12 is inserted, so that the first contacts 96 and each of the second contacts 98 are pressed against both the top and bottom sides of the male terminal 12 not only by the elastic restoring forces of the first contact spring portions 66 and each of the second contact spring portions 68 but also by the elastic restoring forces of the clamping plate portions 110.

[0071] In particular, in the first embodiment, a pair of first contact spring portions 66, 66 and a pair of second contact spring portions 68, 68 spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction are provided, and a pair of clamping plate portions 110, 110 spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction are provided on both the upper and lower sides of the clip spring 106. As a result, the upper and lower clamping plate portions 110, 110 clamp the first contact spring portion 66 and the second contact spring portion 68 on both the left-right sides, respectively, to press the first contact 96 and the second contact 98 against the male terminal 12.

[0072] According to the female terminal 10 of the first embodiment, the contact-forming metal fitting 26 having the first contacts 96 and the second contacts 98 is provided as a separate body from the main body 22 having the tubular conductor portion 20, and the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is assembled inside the tubular conductor portion 20. This allows the member constituting the contact (the contact-forming metal fitting 26) to be formed from the second metal flat plate 24 having a relatively small thickness, compared to the conventional structure in which the contact is formed by bending a metal flat plate, and the female terminal 10 can be made smaller. In addition, since the main body 22 having the tubular conductor portion 20 is formed by bending the first metal flat plate 16 having a relatively large thickness, it can also handle large currents, and it is possible to achieve both an improvement in current-carrying capacity and avoidance of an increase in the size of the terminal.

[0073] In particular, the contact-forming metal fitting 26 includes a frame body portion 62 and a contact spring portion 64 (first contact spring portions 66 and second contact spring portions 68), and each of the first contact spring portions 66 and each of the second contact spring portions 68 protrudes inward from the frame body portion 62. This reduces the risk of unintentionally coming into contact with each of the first contact spring portions 66 and each of the second contact spring portions 68 when the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is gripped during assembly of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 to the tubular conductor portion 20, thereby making it possible to avoid problems such as deformation of each of the first contact spring portions 66 and each of the second contact spring portions 68 during assembly of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 and the tubular conductor portion 20.

[0074] The contact-forming metal fitting 26 has a welded portion, and this welded portion is welded to the welded portion of the tubular conductor portion 20. In the first embodiment, the welded portion of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is formed by each abutment edge portion 88 extending outward in the vertical direction from the front connection portion 78 of the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74, and the welded portion of the tubular conductor portion 20 is formed by each front end face 41 of the upper wall 38 and the lower wall 40. When the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is inserted into the tubular conductor portion 20, the abutment edge portions 88 abut against the front end faces 41 to define the insertion end, and the contact edge portions 88 and the front end faces 41 are welded by skillfully utilizing the mutually overlapping abutment edge portions 88 and the front end faces 41, whereby the contact-forming metal fitting 26 and the tubular conductor portion 20 can be firmly fixed to each other. In particular, since the tubular conductor portion 20 and the contact-forming fitting 26 are formed by a series of press processes, and then the welding work is performed between each abutment edge portion 88 and each front end face 41, manufacturing efficiency is improved compared to, for example, a case in which welding work is performed in the middle of press processes.

[0075] The tubular conductor portion 20 is a rectangular tube having left and right side walls 36a, 36b, an upper wall 38, and a lower wall 40, and the frame portion 62 of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is a rectangular frame having left and right side parts 70a, 70b, an upper part 72, and a lower part 74. Since both the tubular conductor portion 20 and the contact-forming metal fitting 26 have rectangular outer shapes, displacement (such as rattling) of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 within the tubular conductor portion 20 can be suppressed. In particular, since the contact-forming metal fitting 26 has a substantially vertically symmetrical shape, it can be assembled to the tubular conductor portion 20 without specifying the top and bottom of the contact-forming metal fitting 26, improving assembly efficiency. Furthermore, since each of the first contact spring portions 66 and each of the second contact spring portions 68 in the contact-forming fitting 26 are formed by partially cutting out the upper portion 72 and the lower portion 74, respectively, no other parts separate from the frame portion are used when forming the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion, and the contact-forming fitting 26 can be formed with good yield.

[0076] The left and right side walls 36a, 36b of the tubular conductor portion 20 have respective lock holes 50, and the left and right side portions 70a, 70b of the contact-forming fitting 26 have respective lock claws 94, and when the contact-forming fitting 26 is assembled to the tubular conductor portion 20, the respective lock claws 94 are fitted into the respective lock holes 50. That is, the above-mentioned abutment edges 88 and the respective front end faces 41 abut against each other to limit displacement of the tubular conductor portion 20 in the contact-forming fitting 26 in the insertion direction, and displacement of the tubular conductor portion 20 in the contact-forming fitting 26 in the direction opposite to the insertion direction is limited by the above-mentioned lock claws 94 fitting into the respective lock holes 50. This allows the contact-forming fitting 26 and the tubular conductor portion 20 to be positioned in the front-rear direction. Since each abutment edge portion 88 and each front end face 41 are welded with the contact forming fitting 26 and the tubular conductor portion 20 positioned in the fore-and-aft direction in this manner, they can be welded with almost no gap between each abutment edge portion 88 and each front end face 41.

[0077] The female terminal 10 has clip springs 106 as contact pressure applying springs arranged on the protruding ends 99 of the first contact spring parts 66 and the second contact spring parts 68 and having a size that allows the clip springs to pass through the rear opening window 34 of the tubular conductor part 20. That is, while the clip springs are assembled from the side in the conventional structure, the clip springs 106 in the female terminal 10 of the first embodiment are assembled from the rear through the rear opening window 34 of the tubular conductor part 20. In particular, while the clip springs are assembled in a state in which the openings of the clip springs are widened in the conventional structure, in the first embodiment, the vertical dimensions of the protruding ends 99 of the first contact spring parts 66 and the second contact spring parts 68 are substantially equal to the opening dimensions of the insertion openings 114 of the clip springs 106, and the clip springs can be assembled without the need to widen the openings. This improves the workability when assembling the clip springs 106.

[0078] A clip spring 106 is adopted as a contact pressure applying spring that applies contact pressure to each of the first contact spring parts 66 and each of the second contact spring parts 68 when the male terminal 12 is inserted. As a result, the clip spring 106 can be assembled to each of the first contact spring parts 66 and each of the second contact spring parts 68 by inserting each of the protruding ends 99 of each of the first contact spring parts 66 and each of the second contact spring parts 68 into the insertion opening 114 of the clip spring 106. In particular, before the male terminal 12 is inserted, the clip spring 106 can be arranged in a free state in each of the up-down, front-back, and left-right directions relative to the cylindrical conductor part 20. As a result, even when the male terminal 12 is inserted at an angle relative to the female terminal 10, for example, the clip spring 106 can be displaced in response to the angle of the male terminal 12, and contact pressure can be stably applied to each of the first contact spring parts 66 and each of the second contact spring parts 68.

[0079] A pair of first contact spring parts 66, 66 are provided at a distance from each other in the left-right direction at the upper part 72 of the contact-forming fitting 26, and a pair of second contact spring parts 68, 68 are provided at a distance from each other in the left-right direction at the lower part 74. In addition, in the clip spring 106, two clamping plate parts 110 are provided at a distance from each other in the left-right direction on both the upper and lower sides of the connecting plate part 108. This allows the upper and lower clamping plate parts 110 to apply contact pressure to the first contact spring part 66 and the second contact spring part 68 on both the left and right sides, respectively. As a result, even if, for example, the male terminal 12 is rotated around a central axis extending in the front-rear direction after the male terminal 12 is inserted into the female terminal 10, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a problem such as insufficient contact pressure being applied to either the left or right side.

[0080] <Modification> Although the first embodiment has been described above as a specific example of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited to this specific description. Modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope of achieving the object of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modified examples of the embodiment are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0081] (1) In the above embodiment, the male terminal 12 is a flat tab terminal, and the tubular conductor portion 20 and the contact-forming metal fitting 26 are each substantially rectangular in shape, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, when the male terminal is a cylindrical pin terminal, the tubular conductor portion and the contact-forming metal fitting may each be cylindrical. Similarly, when the male terminal is a vertically long terminal, the tubular conductor portion and the contact-forming metal fitting may each be substantially rectangular in shape, and in this case, the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion constituting the contact spring portion may be provided on each of a pair of side portions of the contact-forming metal fitting.

[0082] (2) In the above embodiment, the cylindrical conductor 20 and the contact-forming metal fitting 26 are fixed by welding each abutment edge 88 (weld portion) to each front end face 41 (welded portion) and by fitting each lock hole 50 to each lock claw 94, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. The cylindrical conductor and the contact-forming metal fitting may be fixed only by welding, or may be fixed only by a concave-convex fit such as the fit between the lock hole and the lock claw. Alternatively, a fixing method other than welding or concave-convex fit (for example, fixing with bolts or rivets) may be used.

[0083] (3) In the above embodiment, the abutment edges 88 as welded parts extend outward in the up-down direction from the front ends of the front connection parts 78 in the upper part 72 and the lower part 74 of the contact-forming metal fitting 26, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, depending on the shape of the housing that holds the male terminal, the abutment edges as welded parts may extend outward in the left-right direction from a pair of side parts of the contact-forming metal fitting instead of or in addition to the front ends of the upper and lower parts. In the above embodiment, the contact-forming metal fitting 26 is inserted into the tubular conductor part 20 through the male terminal insertion opening 32 on the front end side, but the contact-forming metal fitting may be inserted into the tubular conductor part through a rear opening window on the rear end side, and in this case, the abutment edges as welded parts may be provided at at least one rear end of the pair of side parts, upper part, and lower part of the contact-forming metal fitting. As described above, the tubular conductor part and the contact-forming metal fitting may be fixed by a method other than welding, and the welded part and the welded part are not essential to the female terminal according to the present disclosure.

[0084] (4) In the above embodiment, each first contact spring portion 66 is formed by partially cutting and raising the upper portion 72 of the contact-forming fitting 26, and each second contact spring portion 68 is formed by partially cutting and raising the lower portion 74 of the contact-forming fitting 26, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, the first contact spring portion and / or the second contact spring portion may be formed separately from the frame portion of the contact-forming fitting and then later fixed to the metal plate constituting the frame portion by welding or the like. The contact-forming fitting may then be formed by pressing the metal plate.

[0085] (5) In the above embodiment, the lock holes 50 are provided in the tubular conductor 20, and the lock claws 94 are provided in the contact-forming metal fitting 26, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, instead of or in addition to the above embodiment, the lock claws may be provided in the tubular conductor, and the lock holes may be provided in the contact-forming metal fitting. Also, in the above embodiment, the lock claws 94 protrude in the opposite direction (from rear to front) to the insertion direction of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 into the tubular conductor 20, and displacement in the opposite direction to the insertion direction of the contact-forming metal fitting 26 into the tubular conductor 20 is prevented, but this is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the lock claws may protrude in the same direction as the insertion direction of the contact-forming metal fitting into the tubular conductor, and displacement in the insertion direction of the contact-forming metal fitting into the tubular conductor may be prevented. In this case, for example, by inserting the contact-forming metal fitting into the tubular conductor with the lock claws pressed inward, it is possible to prevent the lock claws from getting caught on the wall of the tubular conductor when the contact-forming metal fitting is inserted.

[0086] (6) In the above embodiment, the female terminal 10 includes the clip spring 106 as a contact pressure applying spring, but the contact pressure applying spring is not essential to the female terminal according to the present disclosure. That is, the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion may be pushed outward in the vertical direction by the insertion of the male terminal, and the first and second contacts of the first and second contact spring portions may be pressed against the male terminal by the elastic restoring force of the first and second contact spring portions. In addition, even when a contact pressure applying spring is used, it does not have to be a clip spring, and a contact pressure applying spring of any structure, such as a coil spring or an annular elastic body, may be used.

[0087] (7) In the above embodiment, a pair of first contact spring portions 66, 66 is provided on the upper portion 72 of the contact-forming metal fitting 26, and a pair of second contact spring portions 68, 68 is provided on the lower portion 74. However, the number of the first contact spring portions and the second contact spring portions is not limited. That is, one or more first contact spring portions may be provided on the upper portion of the contact-forming metal fitting, and one or more second contact spring portions may be provided on the lower portion of the contact-forming metal fitting. Similarly, the number of upper and lower clamping plate portions of the clip spring is not limited, and one or more of each may be provided. Note that the number of the first contact spring portions and the number of the upper clamping plate portions may be different from each other, and the number of the second contact spring portions and the number of the lower clamping plate portions may be different from each other.

[0088] (8) In the above embodiment, the connection portion 18 that is conductively connected to another member extends rearward from the left side wall 36a of the tubular conductor portion 20, but it may extend rearward from, for example, the upper wall or lower wall of the tubular conductor portion. In that case, the retainer attached to the rear end portion of the tubular conductor portion may be attached in a state in which it extends in the left-right direction. Note that a retainer is not essential to the female terminal according to the present disclosure.

[0089] (9) In the above embodiment, the portions that are butted together when the second metal plate 24 is pressed to form the contact-forming fitting 26 are provided on the left side portion 70a of the contact-forming fitting 26. However, this is not limited to this embodiment, and the portions that are butted together when pressed can be set at any position on the contact-forming fitting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 10 female terminal 12 male terminal 14 Terminal Unit 16 1st metal plate 18 Connection 20 Cylindrical conductor part 22 Main body 24 Second metal plate 26 Contact forming metal fitting 28 Bolt insertion hole 30 Narrow section 32 Male terminal insertion port 34 Rear opening window 36 Side wall (wall section) 36a Left side wall (wall) 36b Right side wall (wall part) 38 Upper wall (wall section) 40 Lower wall (wall section) 41 Front end face (end face, part to be welded) 42 Fitting protrusion 44 Fitting recess 46 Positioning protrusion 48 Recess 50 Lock Hole 52 Contact part 54 Locking protrusion 56 Vertical plane 58 Recess 60 Bend section 62 Frame body part 64 Contact spring part 66 First contact spring part 68 Second contact spring part 70 Side (frame) 70a Left side (frame body) 70b Right side (frame body part) 72 Upper part (frame body) 74 Lower part (frame part) 75a Front opening 75b Rear opening 76 Through window section 78 Front connection 80 Rear connection 82a 1st left side 82b 2nd left side 84 Engagement recess 86 Engagement protrusion 88 Abutting edge (weld) 90 Notch 92 Through hole 94 Locking Claw 96 First Contact 98 Second Contact 99 Protruding end 100 Bend 102 Recess 104 Slit 106 Clip spring (contact pressure spring) 108 Connecting plate part 110 Holding plate part 112 Bent part 114 Insertion port 116 Retainer 118 Displacement control section 120 Fixed part 122 Locking hole

Claims

1. a main body portion which is a press-formed product of a first metal plate and which has a connection portion which is electrically connected to another member and a hollow cylindrical conductor portion; a contact-forming metal fitting which is a press-formed product of a second metal flat plate having a thickness thinner than that of the first metal flat plate and is assembled to the cylindrical conductor portion so as to be conductive thereto; the cylindrical conductor portion has a male terminal insertion opening that opens toward one end side, The contact-forming metal fitting has a frame portion that is attached to the inner surface of the wall portion of the cylindrical conductor portion, and a contact spring portion that is held by the frame portion, protrudes toward the inside of the frame portion, and is pressed against the male terminal inserted through the male terminal insertion opening. Female terminal.

2. 2. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the contact-forming metal fitting has a weld portion, and the weld portion is welded to a welded portion of the tubular conductor portion.

3. the contact-forming metal fitting is inserted from the male terminal insertion opening at the one end side of the cylindrical conductor portion toward the other end side thereof and is assembled to the cylindrical conductor portion, the frame portion of the contact-forming metal fitting has an abutment edge portion that is superimposed on an end surface of the cylindrical conductor portion on the male terminal insertion opening side, an insertion end of the contact-forming metal fitting into the cylindrical conductor portion is defined by the abutment of the abutment edge portion against the end surface, 3. The female terminal according to claim 2, wherein the abutting edge portion is welded to the end surface, the abutting edge portion defining the welded portion, and the end surface defining the welded portion.

4. the cylindrical conductor portion has a rectangular cylindrical shape having a pair of side walls and an upper wall and a lower wall connected by the pair of side walls, the frame portion of the contact-forming metal fitting has a rectangular frame shape having a pair of side portions that are superimposed on the pair of side walls of the cylindrical conductor portion, and an upper portion and a lower portion that are superimposed on the upper wall and the lower wall of the cylindrical conductor portion, 3. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the contact spring portion is configured in a cantilever shape by partially cutting and raising inward at least one of the upper and lower portions of the frame portion.

5. the contact-forming metal fitting is inserted from the male terminal insertion opening at the one end side of the cylindrical conductor portion toward the other end side thereof and is assembled to the cylindrical conductor portion, the pair of side walls of the cylindrical conductor portion and one of the pair of side portions of the frame portion each have a lock hole, the other of the pair of side walls of the cylindrical conductor portion and the other of the pair of side portions of the frame body portion each have a lock claw that is fitted into the lock hole, 5. The female terminal according to claim 4, wherein the locking claw elastically deforms to allow insertion of the contact-forming fitting into the other end, and the locking claw elastically returns to its original position to engage with the locking hole, thereby maintaining the contact-forming fitting in an assembled state with the tubular conductor portion.

6. A rear opening window is provided on the other end side of the cylindrical conductor portion, the contact spring portion includes a first contact spring portion and a second contact spring portion, the upper and lower portions of the frame portion include a pair of upper and lower first and second contact spring portions that are held by the frame portion at the one end and protrude inward toward the other end in a cantilever shape, a contact pressure applying spring arranged to sandwich the protruding end portions of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion and having a size large enough to be inserted through the rear opening window; 5. The female terminal according to claim 4, wherein as the male terminal is pressed between the opposing surfaces of the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion, the contact pressure applying spring urges the respective protruding ends in a direction approaching each other, so that the first contact spring portion and the second contact spring portion are pressed against the male terminal.

7. 7. The female terminal as described in claim 6, wherein the contact pressure applying spring is composed of a clip spring having a rectangular flat connecting plate portion and a pair of rectangular flat clamping plate portions each of which protrudes in a direction approaching each other from both side edges of the connecting plate portion, and when the male terminal is inserted, the protruding end of the first contact spring portion and the protruding end of the second contact spring portion are clamped between the pair of clamping plate portions of the clip spring.

8. the contact spring portion includes a plurality of the first contact spring portions and a plurality of the second contact spring portions that are respectively arranged at a plurality of positions spaced apart from each other in a plate width direction of the male terminal, the clip spring has a plurality of pairs of clamping plate portions disposed at a plurality of positions spaced apart from each other in the plate width direction in correspondence with the contact spring portions, 8. The female terminal as described in claim 7, wherein when the male terminal is inserted, the protruding end portions of the first contact spring portions and the protruding end portions of the second contact spring portions are respectively paired and clamped separately by each of the pairs of clamping plate portions.

9. A terminal unit including a female terminal and a male terminal connected to the female terminal, A terminal unit, wherein the female terminal is the female terminal according to claim 1 or 2.

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