Press-fit terminal and connector

The press-fit terminal design with non-overlapping shoulder and locking portions and a displacement allowance feature addresses deformation issues, facilitating secure and stable assembly by allowing independent pressing and reducing structural damage.

JP2025112369APending Publication Date: 2025-08-01SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024006543
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-01-19
Publication Date
2025-08-01

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing press-fit terminals face deformation issues during assembly due to the need for precise alignment and potential tilting of the shoulder and locking portions, which complicates the installation process and may lead to structural damage.

Method used

The press-fit terminal design includes a shaft portion with a press-fit portion, a shoulder portion, and a claw-shaped locking portion that are arranged to avoid overlap, allowing the shoulder to be pressed from the rear without interference, and incorporates a displacement allowance portion to manage locking force, preventing deformation during assembly.

Benefits of technology

This design enables secure connection to a substrate without deforming the terminal, simplifies the assembly process, and prevents structural damage by allowing independent pressing of the shoulder and locking portions, ensuring stable attachment and reduced risk of disconnection.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide a structure for preventing deformation of a press-fit terminal and capable of pressing a shoulder portion without hindrance.SOLUTION: A press-fit terminal 20 includes an axial portion 21 extending in an axial direction. The press-fit terminal 20 has a press-fit portion 23 that is located at a front end portion which is an end part of the axial portion 21 in the axial direction and capable of elastic deformation in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, a shoulder portion 26 that is located rearward of the press-fit portion 23 and projecting from the axial portion 21 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and a claw-shaped locking portion 29 that is located rearward of the shoulder portion 26 and projecting from the axial portion 21 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The shoulder portion 26 and the locking portion 29 are such that, when viewed from the rear, they are arranged with misalignment so that they do not overlap each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to press-fit terminals and connectors.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector including an axially extending male contact (hereinafter referred to as a press-fit terminal) and a male housing in which the press-fit terminal is mounted. The press-fit terminal has a shoulder portion that protrudes in the left-right direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the press-fit terminal. The shoulder portion is inserted into a hole of the male housing. Further, the press-fit terminal has a press-fit portion below the shoulder portion. When the upper surface of the shoulder portion is pushed, the press-fit portion is inserted into and connected to a through hole of a backboard (hereinafter referred to as a substrate). This type of press-fit terminal is also disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the case of Patent Document 1, the shoulder portion is pushed in from above by a jig, the shoulder portion is inserted into a hole of the male housing, and the press-fit portion is inserted into a through hole of the substrate. Therefore, before assembling the press-fit terminal, it is necessary to previously position and install the male housing and the substrate.

[0005] In addition, when the male housing is fitted with the female housing and the fitting force acts on the shoulder portion, there is a possibility that the shoulder portion tilts within the hole and the shoulder portion, the press fit portion, etc. may be deformed.

[0006] On the other hand, a press fit portion is provided at the front end portion in the axial direction of the press fit terminal, a locking portion having a locking structure for locking with the male housing is provided at the rear end portion, and a shoulder portion for pushing the press fit portion into the through hole of the substrate is provided between the locking portion and the press fit portion. Such a configuration can be adopted. With such a configuration, since the locking portion locks with the male housing, the concern that the press fit terminal may be deformed during connector fitting can be reduced. In addition, since the locking portion and the shoulder portion can be pressed independently, it is not necessary to previously install the male housing and the substrate in a positioned state. However, if both the locking portion and the shoulder portion aligned in the axial direction project in the left-right direction, the locking portion will cover the shoulder portion from above, and there is a problem that the shoulder portion cannot be pressed with a jig from above.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a structure that can prevent the press fit terminal from being deformed and can press the shoulder portion without any trouble when assembling to a substrate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present disclosure is a press fit terminal including a shaft portion extending in the axial direction, a press fit portion that is located at the front end portion in the axial direction of the shaft portion and is elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, a shoulder portion that is located behind the press fit portion in the axial direction and projects from the shaft portion in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and a claw-shaped locking portion that is located behind the shoulder portion in the axial direction and projects from the shaft portion in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and the shoulder portion and the locking portion are displaced and arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the front in the axial direction.

[0009] The present disclosure also provides a connector including a housing to which the press-fit terminal described above is attached, wherein the press-fit portion is connected to a through-hole of a substrate, and a locking hole for locking to the locking portion is formed in the housing.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a structure that prevents the press-fit terminal from deforming and allows the shoulder portion to be pressed without any problem.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The press-fit terminal of the present disclosure is (1) A press-fit terminal having a shaft portion extending in the axial direction, the press-fit terminal including: a press-fit portion located at a front end portion, which is the tip end portion of the shaft portion in the axial direction, and being elastically deformable in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction; a shoulder portion located rearward of the press-fit portion in the axial direction and protruding from the shaft portion in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction; and a claw-shaped locking portion located rearward of the shoulder portion in the axial direction and protruding from the shaft portion in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, wherein the shoulder portion and the locking portion are displaced so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the rear in the axial direction.

[0013] Since the shoulder portion and the locking portion are displaced so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the rear, when inserting (press-fitting) the press-fit portion into the through-hole of the substrate for connection, the shoulder portion can be pressed from the rear by a jig. Also, when the press-fit terminal is assembled to the connector, the locking portion can be locked to the housing. Thus, when the connector is mated with a mating connector and the mating force acts on the locking portion, the locking portion can be prevented from tilting with respect to the housing. As a result, a situation where the locking portion and the press-fit portion are deformed by receiving the mating force can be prevented.

[0014] (2) In the press-fit terminal according to (1) above, it is preferable that there is a twisted portion located between the shoulder portion and the locking portion and twisted around the axis so that a non-overlapping displacement occurs between them.

[0015] When manufacturing the press-fit terminal, after punching a conductive plate material into a predetermined shape, a twisting process is performed, whereby the twisted portion can be easily formed.

[0016] (3) In the press-fit terminal according to (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the shaft portion has a displacement allowance portion at a position overlapping the locking portion in the axial direction for allowing elastic displacement of the locking portion.

[0017] When assembling the press-fit terminal, if the locking portion is initially locked to the housing, the housing will cover the shoulder portion from the rear. Therefore, even if an attempt is made to connect the press-fit portion to the through-hole of the substrate in this state, the shoulder portion cannot be pressed with a jig. For this reason, as an assembly procedure for the press-fit terminal, it is required to connect the press-fit portion to the through-hole of the substrate and then lock the locking portion to the housing. Here, if the locking force of the locking portion with respect to the housing is greater than the holding force of the press-fit portion with respect to the substrate, there is a concern that the press-fit portion may come out of the through-hole of the substrate during the process of assembling the press-fit terminal to the housing. In that regard, according to the configuration of the above (3), since the shaft portion has a displacement allowance portion that allows elastic displacement of the locking portion, the locking force of the locking portion with respect to the housing can be reduced by the displacement allowance portion. While the locking portion ensures a predetermined locking force, it is possible to avoid the situation where the press-fit portion comes out of the through-hole of the substrate when assembling the housing.

[0018] (4) In the press-fit terminal described in the above (3), it is preferable that the displacement allowance portion is a hole that penetrates the shaft portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0019] According to the configuration of the above (4), by performing a punching process on the shaft portion, a hole as the displacement allowance portion can be easily formed.

[0020] (5) In the press-fit terminal described in the above (4), on the shaft portion, the locking portions project in the axial direction side by side, and it is preferable that the displacement allowance portion is a long hole that is longer in the axial direction than in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0021] Since the displacement allowance portion is a long hole that is long in the axial direction, elastic displacements of each of the plurality of locking portions arranged in the axial direction can be allowed collectively, and simplification of the configuration can be achieved.

[0022] It includes a housing to which the press-fit terminal according to any one of (1) to (5) above is attached, the press-fit portion is connected to a through-hole of a substrate, and a locking hole for locking to the locking portion is formed in the housing.

[0023] The shoulder portion can be pressed with a jig, and the press-fit portion can be inserted into and connected to the through-hole of the substrate. Thereafter, the locking portion can be inserted into and locked to the locking hole of the housing.

[0024] [Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this exemplification, and is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0025] <Embodiment 1> As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 10 of Embodiment 1 includes a plurality of press-fit terminals 20 connected to a rigid substrate 100 such as a printed circuit board, and a housing 60 to which each press-fit terminal 20 is attached. The press-fit terminal 20 has a shaft portion 21 extending in the axial direction. The shaft portion 21 is a portion extending in the axial direction, and in the case of the present Embodiment 1, it is formed to extend over the entire length of the press-fit terminal 20. The housing 60 is placed on and supported by the surface of the substrate 100. In the following description, regarding the front-rear direction, the front end in the axial direction of the press-fit terminal 20 is taken as the front. The front is also the direction in which the substrate 100 is located with respect to the housing 60. The left-right direction is based on the left-right direction in FIG. 4. The left-right direction is synonymous with the width direction. The up-down direction is based on the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the description of the structure of the press-fit terminal 20 to be described later, the direction orthogonal to the axial direction includes both the left-right direction and the up-down direction. In each figure, the symbol X represents the front, the symbol Y represents the right, and the symbol Z represents the upper side. These direction references are for convenience and do not necessarily coincide with the direction references in the state where the connector 10 is mounted on a vehicle or the like not shown in the drawings.

[0026] (Housing 60) The housing 60 is made of synthetic resin and, as shown in FIG. 1, has a flat base portion 61 along the left - right direction and a hood portion 62 protruding rearward from the base portion 61. The hood portion 62 has a long cylindrical shape in the up - down direction. A mating connector (not shown) is fitted into the hood portion 62 from the rear. The base portion 61 has a horizontal plate shape. A plurality of locking holes 63 are formed penetrating in the front - rear direction (plate - thickness direction) in the base portion 61. Each of the locking holes 63 is arranged in a plurality of rows in the left - right direction and in a plurality of stages in the up - down direction (the paper - thickness direction of FIG. 1) in the base portion 61. On the front - end side of each locking hole 63 in the base portion 61, as shown in FIG. 2, an inviting portion 64 that expands forward is formed. A locking portion 29 (described later) of the press - fit terminal 20 is inserted into the locking hole 63 from the inviting portion 64 and locked.

[0027] Although not shown in detail, the housing 60 has a plurality of leg portions 65 protruding downward from the four - corner portions on the outer - peripheral side of the base portion 61. Each leg portion 65 is supported by the substrate 100 and fixed to the substrate 100 by tightening a bolt or the like (not shown) penetrating each leg portion 65. The base portion 61 is arranged in parallel with a space from the surface (rear surface) of the substrate 100 via each leg portion 65.

[0028] (Press - fit terminal 20) The press - fit terminal 20 is integrally formed by punching a conductive metal plate or the like. As shown in FIGS. 3 - 5, the shaft portion 21 of the press - fit terminal 20 has tapered narrowing portions 22 that taper toward the tip at the front - most end and the rear - most end in the axial direction.

[0029] The front - end portion of the shaft portion 21 of the press - fit terminal 20 has a press - fit portion 23 behind the tapered narrowing portion 22. The press - fit portion 23 is inserted into the through - hole 101 of the substrate 100 and electrically connected to a conductive portion (not shown) of the substrate 100.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the press fit portion 23 has a through hole 24 located at the left and right center of the shaft portion 21, and a pair of left and right extending portions 25 that extend to connect the front and rear portions adjacent to the press fit portion 23 at both left and right ends of the shaft portion 21. The through hole 24 penetrates the left and right center of the shaft portion 21 in the plate thickness direction (up and down direction) between the respective extending portions 25. Each extending portion 25 projects outward in the left and right directions from the adjacent front and rear portions. Each extending portion 25 contacts the inner surface of the through hole 101 of the substrate 100 and elastically deforms in a direction to narrow the left and right width of the through hole 24.

[0031] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the press fit terminal 20 has a pair of left and right shoulder portions 26 that project outward in the left and right directions from the shaft portion 21 behind the press fit portion 23. Each shoulder portion 26 has a rectangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction when viewed from above (the front side in the paper thickness direction of FIG. 4). The front ends of the respective shoulder portions 26 are arranged along the left and right directions and are continuously provided via a curved surface portion with respect to the rear ends of the respective extending portions 25. The rear ends of the respective shoulder portions 26 are also arranged along the left and right directions and are configured as pressing ends 27 that are pressed by a jig (not shown). When the pressing ends 27 of the respective shoulder portions 26 are pressed by the jig, the press fit portion 23 is inserted into the through hole 101 of the substrate 100.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the shaft portion 21 of the press fit terminal 20 has a twisted portion 28 having a shape twisted around the axis behind each shoulder portion 26. The twisted portion 28 is formed rearward from a position corresponding to the rear end of each shoulder portion 26 and extends beyond the front-rear length of each shoulder portion 26. Among the front and rear portions of the press fit terminal 20 pinched by the twisted portion 28, the front portion (the portion located in front of the twisted portion 28 and having the respective shoulder portions 26 and the press fit portion 23) is arranged with the plate surface facing in the up and down direction (the paper thickness direction of FIG. 4), and the rear portion (the portion located behind the twisted portion 28 and having the respective locking portions 29 described later) is arranged with the plate surface facing in the left and right direction (the paper thickness direction of FIG. 5). That is, the front and rear portions of the shaft portion 21 face the plate surfaces in different directions via the twisted portion 28.

[0033] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the press-fit terminal 20 has a plurality of locking portions 29 that project vertically from corresponding portions of the shaft portion 21 behind the twisting portion 28. Each locking portion 29 is formed in a pair so as to project from each of the upper and lower edges of the shaft portion 21. As shown in FIG. 5, each locking portion 29 has a claw shape, and has a rear edge 31 that inclines forward as it goes to the tip in the protruding direction, a front edge 32 along the vertical direction, and a tip edge 33 in the protruding direction that extends in the front-rear direction between the front edge 32 and the rear edge 31. Each of the front-side locking portions 29 projects more greatly vertically outward than each of the rear-side locking portions 29. As shown in FIG. 2, each locking portion 29 is locked to the inner surface of the locking hole 63 of the housing 60.

[0034] The shaft portion 21 of the press-fit terminal 20 has displacement allowance portions 34 at front-rear positions corresponding (overlapping) to each locking portion 29. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the displacement allowance portion 34 is configured as a hole that penetrates the upper and lower central portion of the shaft portion 21 in the plate thickness direction (left-right direction). Specifically, the displacement allowance portion 34 is an elongated hole that is longer in the front-rear direction than in the vertical direction, and is disposed at front-rear positions overlapping each of the front and rear locking portions 29. As shown in FIG. 7, the displacement allowance portion 34 is formed to be slightly smaller than the through hole 24. The displacement allowance portion 34 allows elastic displacement of each locking portion 29 locked to the locking hole 63. Further, the shaft portion 21 of the press-fit terminal 20 has a connecting portion 35 that extends in the front-rear direction with a certain vertical width between the portion (the portion having each locking portion 29 and the displacement allowance portion 34) inserted into the locking hole 63 of the housing 60 and the twisting portion 28.

[0035] (Operation of Press-Fit Terminal 20 and Connector 10) When manufacturing the press-fit terminal 20, first, a conductive metal plate is punched by press working to form a flat terminal 20A shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, in the flat terminal 20A, each locking portion 29 and each shoulder portion 26 project from the shaft portion 21 in the same direction (plate width direction), and the through hole 24 and the displacement allowance portion 34 penetrate the shaft portion 21 in the same direction (plate thickness direction).

[0036] Subsequently, a process of twisting the portion between each locking portion 29 and each shoulder portion 26 in the flat terminal 20A by 90 degrees around the axis is performed to form the twisted portion 28. Due to the twisted portion 28, as shown in FIG. 6, when viewed from the rear, the locking portions 29 and the shoulder portions 26 are displaced around the axis so as not to overlap each other. The pressing end 27 of each shoulder portion 26 is visible without being hidden by the locking portions 29 when viewed from the rear. In this way, the press-fit terminal 20 is formed.

[0037] Next, the press-fit portion 23 is shallowly inserted into the through-hole 101 of the substrate 100 from the guiding portion 64, and a jig (not shown) is applied to the pressing end 27 of each shoulder portion 26 from the rear. As described above, since the shoulder portions 26 and the locking portions 29 are displaced around the axis, the jig can be applied to the pressing end 27 of each shoulder portion 26 without contacting the locking portions 29. In the case of the first embodiment, the jig is simultaneously applied to the shoulder portions 26 of the plurality of press-fit terminals 20. In that state, the pressing end 27 of each shoulder portion 26 is pressed by the jig, and the press-fit portion 23 is inserted (press-fitted) into the through-hole 101 of the substrate 100 to the normal depth. Thereby, the press-fit terminal 20 is connected to the conductive portion of the substrate 100. Further, the press-fit terminal 20 is held (fixed) in a state where its movement is restricted with respect to the substrate 100 by the elastic force of each extending portion 25 of the press-fit portion 23.

[0038] Next, the housing 60 is assembled so as to cover the substrate 100 from the rear. By assembling the housing 60 to the substrate 100, as shown in FIG. 2, each locking portion 29 of the press-fit terminal 20 is locked in the locking hole 63 of the base portion 61 so as to bite into it. In the case of the first embodiment, each locking portion 29 is arranged in the locking hole 63 in a state of being elastically displaced toward the side that narrows the opening width of the hole of the displacement allowance portion 34 (the axial center side of the shaft portion 21). The locking force of each locking portion 29 with respect to the locking hole 63 of the housing 60 is adjusted by the displacement allowance portion 34 to be smaller than the holding force of the press-fit portion 23 with respect to the through hole 101 of the substrate 100. For this reason, when the housing 60 is assembled to the substrate 100, it is possible to avoid a situation where the press-fit portion 23 comes out of the through hole 101 of the substrate 100.

[0039] The housing 60 is fixed to the substrate 100 via a fixing member (not shown). In a state where the housing 60 is fixed to the substrate 100, as shown in FIG. 2, the front portions of the respective shoulder portions 26, the twisting portions 28, and the connecting portion 35 are arranged between the base portion 61 of the housing 60 and the surface of the substrate 100. When a mating connector (not shown) is fitted to the hood portion 62 of the housing 60, a mating terminal (not shown) attached to the mating connector is connected to the rear portion of the press-fit terminal 20 (the portion protruding into the hood portion 62 behind each locking portion 29). Here, since each locking portion 29 is locked in each locking hole 63 of the base portion 61, even when a fitting force acts on the press-fit terminal 20 during connection with the mating terminal, the relative positional variation of the press-fit terminal 20 with respect to the base portion 61 can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the press-fit terminal 20 from tilting or the respective locking portions 29 and the press-fit portions 23 from being deformed.

[0040] As described above, the press-fit terminal 20 of the first embodiment includes a shaft portion 21 that extends in the front-rear direction (axial direction). This press-fit terminal 20 has a press-fit portion 23 that is located at the front end and can be elastically deformed in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, a shoulder portion 26 that is located rearward of the press-fit portion 23 and projects from the shaft portion 21 in the left-right direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, and a claw-shaped locking portion 29 that is located rearward of the shoulder portion 26 and projects from the shaft portion 21 in the up-down direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction. The shoulder portion 26 and the locking portion 29 are offset so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the rear.

[0041] According to the above configuration, when the press-fit portion 23 is inserted (press-fitted) into the through-hole 101 of the substrate 100 for connection, the shoulder portion 26 can be pressed from the rear without any hindrance by a jig (not shown). Also, when the press-fit terminal 20 is assembled to the connector 10, the locking portion 29 can be locked to the housing 60. Therefore, when the connector 10 is mated with a mating connector and the mating force acts on the locking portion 29, it is possible to avoid the locking portion 29 from tilting with respect to the housing 60. As a result, it is possible to prevent a situation where each locking portion 29 and the press-fit portion 23 are deformed by receiving the mating force.

[0042] Further, the press-fit terminal 20 of the first embodiment has a twisted portion 28 that is located between the shoulder portion 26 and the locking portion 29 and is twisted around the axis so that the above-mentioned misalignment occurs. When manufacturing the press-fit terminal 20, after punching a conductive plate material into a predetermined shape, a twisting process is performed, whereby the twisted portion 28 can be easily formed.

[0043] Also, in the case of the first embodiment, the shaft portion 21 has a displacement allowance portion 34 at a position overlapping the locking portion 29 in the front-rear direction, which allows elastic displacement of the locking portion 29. Since the shaft portion 21 has the displacement allowance portion 34 that allows elastic displacement of the locking portion 29, the locking force of the locking portion 29 with respect to the housing 60 can be reduced by the displacement allowance portion 34. While the locking portion 29 secures a predetermined locking force, it is possible to avoid a situation where the press fit portion 23 comes out of the through hole 101 of the substrate 100 when the housing 60 is assembled.

[0044] Here, since the displacement allowance portion 34 is a hole penetrating the shaft portion 21, by punching the shaft portion 21 by press working, the hole as the displacement allowance portion 34 can be easily formed. Further, since a plurality of locking portions 29 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction (axial direction) of the shaft portion 21 and the displacement allowance portion 34 is a long hole that is long in the front-rear direction, the elastic displacements of each of the plurality of locking portions 29 arranged in the front-rear direction can be collectively allowed by the displacement allowance portion 34.

[0045] The connector 10 of the first embodiment includes a housing 60 to which the press fit terminal 20 is attached. The press fit portion 23 is connected to the through hole 101 of the substrate 100, and a locking hole 63 that is locked to the locking portion 29 is formed in the housing 60. By pressing the shoulder portion 26 with a jig without being obstructed by the locking portion 29, the press fit portion 23 can be inserted into and connected to the through hole 101 of the substrate 100. Thereafter, by locking the locking portion 29 to the locking hole 63 of the housing 60, relative position fluctuations between the press fit terminal 20 and the housing 60 can be suppressed, and it is possible to prevent the press fit terminal 20 from tilting or deforming when the connector 10 is fitted.

[0046] [Other Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] It should be considered that the above-described first embodiment disclosed this time is illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In the case of the above-described Embodiment 1, when the housing is fixed to the substrate via the leg portions, the locking portion of the press-fit terminal is locked to the housing. On the other hand, according to another embodiment, when the housing is integrally provided in the upper case, the substrate is housed in the lower case, and the upper case is fixed to the lower case, the locking portion of the press-fit terminal may be locked to the housing. In the case of the above-described Embodiment 1, the shaft portion was formed so as to extend over the entire length of the press-fit terminal in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, according to another embodiment, the shaft portion extending in the front-rear direction (axial direction) may be formed on a part of the press-fit terminal. For example, the rear portion of the press-fit terminal may include a portion that bends in a direction intersecting (including orthogonal) the axial direction from the shaft portion. In the case of the above-described Embodiment 1, the displacement allowance portion was configured as a hole (including a long hole). On the other hand, according to another embodiment, the displacement allowance portion may have an elastically deformable shape. For example, without passing through the shaft portion, a part of the shaft portion may be formed to be thin so as to be elastically deformable. In the case of the above-described Embodiment 1, the shoulder portion and the locking portion were displaced so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the rear by means of the twisting portion. On the other hand, according to another embodiment, the shoulder portion and the locking portion may be displaced so as not to overlap each other when viewed from the rear by being integrally formed during die molding.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0047] 10... Connector 20... Press-fit terminal 20A... Flat terminal 21... Shaft portion 22... Tapered portion 23... Press-fit portion 24... Through hole 25... Extended portion 26... Shoulder portion 27... Pressing end 28... Twisting portion 29... Locking portion 31... Rear edge 32…Leading edge 33…Tip edge 34…Displacement allowance part 35…Connecting part 60…Housing 61…Base part 62…Hood part 63…Locking hole 64…Enticing part 65…Leg part 100…Substrate 101…Through hole

Claims

1. A press-fit terminal having an axially extending shaft portion, a press-fit portion located at a front end portion of the shaft portion in the axial direction and elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; a shoulder portion located rearward of the press-fit portion in the axial direction and extending from the shaft portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; a claw-shaped locking portion located rearward of the shoulder portion in the axial direction and extending from the shaft portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, The press-fit terminal is configured such that the shoulder portion and the locking portion are misaligned so as not to overlap with each other when viewed from the rear in the axial direction.

2. The press-fit terminal according to claim 1 , further comprising a twisted portion located between the shoulder portion and the locking portion and twisted about an axis so as to cause the misalignment so that the shoulder portion and the locking portion do not overlap each other.

3. 3. The press-fit terminal according to claim 2, wherein the shaft portion has a displacement allowing portion that allows elastic displacement of the locking portion at a position that overlaps with the locking portion in the axial direction.

4. The press-fit terminal according to claim 3 , wherein the displacement-allowing portion is a hole that penetrates the shaft portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

5. The locking portions are arranged side by side in the axial direction and protrude from the shaft portion, The press-fit terminal according to claim 4 , wherein the displacement-allowing portion is an elongated hole that is longer in the axial direction than in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

6. A housing in which the press-fit terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is mounted, the press-fit portion is connected to a through-hole in a substrate; The connector has a locking hole formed in the housing that is locked to the locking portion.

Citation Information

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