Conductive terminals and connectors

Abstract

To provide a conductive terminal of a connector which has improved resistance stability and can reduce costs. [Solution] A conductive terminal (100) and a connector are disclosed. The conductive terminal (100) includes a terminal body (10) and an insert member (20), an insert sleeve (21) formed at a first end of the insert member (20), a second end of the insert member opposite the first end attached to the terminal body (10), an insert cavity formed in the insert sleeve (21) for inserting a mating terminal, a plurality of slots formed in a side wall of the insert sleeve (21), each slot extending from an open end of the insert sleeve (21) to the other end of the insert sleeve (21) opposite the open end, and the insert member (20) formed by a cold heading or cold forging process.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a conductive terminal and to a connector including the conductive terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Slotted conductive terminals are a common type of terminal that typically includes a terminal body and an insertion sleeve for inserting a mating terminal. The insertion sleeve and terminal body are typically formed as a single piece from copper through a machining process. However, this process is complex, resulting in terminals with fewer than 10 contact points, resulting in high overall contact resistance, instability, and increased costs. Furthermore, the machining process can create burrs on the contact points of the insertion sleeve, resulting in increased insertion force when inserting a mating terminal into the insertion sleeve of the conductive terminal. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] An object of the present disclosure is to solve at least one of the above problems and shortcomings existing in the related art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a conductive terminal comprising a terminal body and an insert member, an insert sleeve formed at a first end of the insert member, a second end of the insert member opposite the first end attached to the terminal body, an insert cavity formed in the insert sleeve for inserting a mating terminal, a plurality of slots formed in a sidewall of the insert sleeve, each slot extending from an open end of the insert sleeve to another end of the insert sleeve opposite the open end, and the insert member formed by a cold heading process or a cold forging process.

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the second end of the insert member is connected to the terminal body by welding.

[0006] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the second end of the insert member is threadably connected to the terminal body.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal body is made from aluminum or copper.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of slots is greater than eight.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of slots are evenly distributed around the circumference of the insertion sleeve.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an annular groove is formed in the outer wall of the insertion sleeve proximate the open end, with the locking ring embedded therein.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a locking portion for fixing the conductive terminal is formed on the outer wall of the insertion member, and the locking portion is provided between the insertion sleeve and the second end of the insertion member.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking portion is in the form of a groove or boss.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an annular receiving portion for receiving a seal ring is formed in the outer wall of the insert member, and the annular receiving portion is provided between the locking portion and the second end of the insert member.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a threaded hole is formed in the terminal body, and the conductive terminal further includes a fixing member, the fixing member being threadedly connected to the threaded hole, and the fixing member being configured to fix a conductive sheet electrically connected to a cable to the terminal body.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a weld is provided on the terminal body, and a conductor of a cable electrically connected to the conductive terminal is welded at the weld.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a connector comprising: a connector housing; and conductive terminals mounted within the connector housing, the conductive terminals being conductive terminals according to any one of the above exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] The conductive terminal of the connector provided by the above exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure adopts a two-part structure, i.e., the terminal body and the insert member are two separate parts, and the insert member is formed by a cold heading or cold forging process, which simplifies processing compared to traditional machining processes, increases the number of slots (e.g., more than eight), thereby increasing the number of contacts for contacting the mating terminal, improving resistance stability, and reducing costs. In addition, because the insert member is formed by a cold heading or cold forging process, the contact seat of the insert member is smooth and burr-free, which can reduce the insertion force when inserting the mating terminal into the insertion sleeve of the conductive terminal.

[0018] Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the disclosure taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the present disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating the structure of a conductive terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the conductive terminal shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of an insertion member of the conductive terminal shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of a terminal body of the conductive terminal shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of a fixing member of the conductive terminal shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating the structure of a conductive terminal according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Although the present disclosure will be fully described with reference to the drawings including the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that those skilled in the art can modify the present disclosure described herein and obtain the technical effects of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the above description is a broad disclosure for those skilled in the art and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments described in the present disclosure.

[0021] Additionally, in the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are diagrammatically shown to simplify the drawings.

[0022] According to one general technical concept of the present disclosure, there is provided a conductive terminal comprising a terminal body and an insert member, an insert sleeve formed at a first end of the insert member, a second end of the insert member opposite the first end attached to the terminal body, an insert cavity formed in the insert sleeve for inserting a mating terminal, a plurality of slots formed in a side wall of the insert sleeve, each slot extending from an open end of the insert sleeve to another end of the insert sleeve opposite the open end, and the insert member formed by a cold heading or cold forging process.

[0023] According to another general technical concept of the present disclosure, there is provided a connector comprising a connector housing and conductive terminals mounted within the connector housing, the conductive terminals being according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] 1 and 2 illustrate a conductive terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conductive terminal 100 includes a generally plate-shaped terminal body 10 and a generally cylindrical insert member 20. An insert sleeve 21 is formed at a first end of the insert member 20, and a second end of the insert member 20 opposite the first end is attached to the terminal body 10. The insert member 20 is formed by a cold heading or cold forging process. An insert cavity 27 for inserting a mating terminal (not shown) is formed in the insert sleeve 21. A plurality of slots 22 are provided in a side wall of the insert sleeve 21, and each slot 22 extends from an open end of the insert sleeve 21 to the other end of the insert sleeve 21 opposite the open end. The open end of the insert sleeve 21 is divided into a plurality of contact sheets 23 by the plurality of slots 22. When a mating terminal is inserted into the insertion cavity 27 of the conductive terminal 100, the contact sheet 23 contacts the mating terminal disposed in the insertion cavity 27. Compared with conventional machining processes, the conductive terminal 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure adopts a two-part structure, i.e., the terminal body 10 and the insert member 20 are two independent parts, and the insert member 20 is formed by a cold heading or cold forging process, thereby simplifying processing and forming a large number of contact sheets (e.g., more than eight), thereby increasing the number of contact points for contacting the mating terminal, improving resistance stability, and reducing costs. In addition, because the insert member 20 is formed by a cold heading or cold forging process, the contact sheet 23 of the insert member 20 is smooth and burr-free, thereby reducing the insertion force required when inserting the mating terminal into the insertion sleeve 27 of the conductive terminal 100.

[0025] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the second end of the insert member 20 is connected to the terminal body 10 by welding. However, in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the second end of the insert member 20 may be threadedly connected to the terminal body 10. Specifically, for example, the second end of the insert member 20 has external threads, and the terminal body 10 has a mounting hole with internal threads. The insert member 20 can be attached to the terminal body 10 by engaging the external threads of the insert member 20 with the internal threads of the mounting hole of the terminal body 10. It should be noted that in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the second end of the insert member 20 may be connected to the terminal body 10 in other ways.

[0026] 1 and 2, terminal body 10 is made from aluminum, which can further reduce costs compared to existing terminal bodies made from copper. Of course, terminal body 10 may also be made from copper or other suitable materials known in the art.

[0027] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of slots 22 is 16, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. The multiple slots 22 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the insertion sleeve 21 to increase retention force, thereby improving the reliability of the connection between the conductive terminal 100 and the mating terminal and ensuring that the insertion member 20 is subjected to a more uniform force along the circumferential direction. It should be noted that, although 16 slots are shown in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the number of slots 22 may be 8, 12, 18, or 24 in other embodiments of the present disclosure. The specific number of slots 22 should be determined based on specific circumstances and is not limited herein. In addition, although the 16 slots 22 are evenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the insertion sleeve 21 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the multiple slots 22 may be unevenly distributed along the circumferential direction of the insertion sleeve 21 in other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] 1, 2, and 3, an annular groove 24 is formed in a portion of the outer wall of the insertion sleeve 21 adjacent to the open end, and a fixing ring 30 is embedded in the annular groove 24. The fixing ring 30 provides a certain retention force to the conductive terminal 100 when the mating terminal is inserted into the insertion cavity 27 of the conductive terminal 100, thereby maintaining stable contact between the conductive terminal 100 and the mating terminal.

[0029] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1 , 2, and 3, a locking groove 25 for fixing the conductive terminal 100 is formed on the outer wall of the insertion member 20, and the locking groove 25 is provided between the insertion sleeve 21 and the second end of the insertion member 20. The locking groove 25 can be engaged with a locking boss of a connector housing (not shown) to form a locking structure for fixing the conductive terminal 100 to the connector housing. It should be noted that in some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the locking groove 25 may be replaced with a locking boss, in which case the connector housing has a locking groove, and the locking groove is engaged with the locking boss to form a locking structure for fixing the conductive terminal 100 to the connector housing.

[0030] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, an annular receiving portion 26 for receiving a seal ring is formed in the outer wall of the insert member 20, and the annular receiving portion 26 is provided between the locking groove 25 and the second end of the insert member 20.

[0031] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 , a screw hole 11 is formed in a terminal body 10, and the conductive terminal 100 further includes a fixing member 40. The fixing member 40 is threadedly connected to the screw hole 11 and configured to fix a conductive sheet (not shown) electrically connected to a cable to the terminal body 10. Specifically, the fixing member 40 includes a head 41 and a connecting portion 42 connected to the head 41. The connecting portion 42 is configured to be threadedly connected to the screw hole 11 of the terminal body 10, and the size of the head 41 is larger than the size of the through-hole of the conductive sheet. During assembly, a conductor of a cable can be welded to the conductive sheet, and the connecting portion 42 of the fixing member 40 passes through the through-hole of the conductive sheet and enters the screw hole 11 of the terminal body 10, thereby fixing the conductive sheet to the terminal body 10 and thus establishing an electrical connection between the conductive terminal 100 and the cable.

[0032] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 6 , a weld 12 is provided on the terminal body 10, and a conductor of a cable (not shown) electrically connected to the conductive terminal is welded at the weld 12 to achieve an electrical connection between the conductive terminal 100 and the cable.

[0033] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a connector is provided, the connector comprising a connector housing and a conductive terminal mounted within the connector housing, the conductive terminal being a conductive terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] The conductive terminal of the connector provided by the above exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure adopts a two-part structure, i.e., the terminal body and the insert member are two independent parts, and the insert member is formed by a cold heading or cold forging process, which simplifies processing compared to traditional machining processes, increases the number of slots (e.g., more than eight), thereby increasing the number of contacts for contacting the mating terminal, improving resistance stability, and reducing costs. In addition, because the insert member is formed by a cold heading or cold forging process, the contact seat of the insert member is smooth and burr-free, which can reduce the insertion force when inserting the mating terminal into the insertion sleeve of the conductive terminal.

[0035] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments are intended to be illustrative and that many modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the various structures described in the various embodiments can be freely combined with each other without any contradiction in structure or principle.

[0036] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed in the accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure by way of example and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0037] While certain embodiments of the general inventive concepts of this disclosure have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concepts, the scope of which is defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

[0038] It should be noted that the words "comprise" or "include" do not exclude other elements or steps, and the words "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. In addition, reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A conductive terminal (100), A terminal body (10), An insert (20) and Equipped with An insertion sleeve (21) is formed at a first end of the insertion member (20), and a second end of the insertion member (20) opposite to the first end is attached to the terminal body (10). An insertion cavity (27) for inserting a mating terminal is formed in the insertion sleeve (21). A plurality of slots (22) are provided in a side wall of the insertion sleeve (21), and each slot (22) extends from an open end of the insertion sleeve (21) to the other end of the insertion sleeve (21) opposite to the open end. The conductive terminal (100) is formed by a cold heading or cold forging process.

2. The conductive terminal (100) of claim 1, wherein the second end of the insert member (20) is connected to the terminal body (10) by welding.

3. The conductive terminal (100) of claim 1, wherein the second end of the insert member (20) is threadably connected to the terminal body (10).

4. The conductive terminal (100) of claim 1, wherein the terminal body (10) is made of aluminum or copper.

5. The conductive terminal (100) of claim 1, wherein the number of slots (22) is greater than eight.

6. The conductive terminal (100) according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of slots (22) are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the insertion sleeve (21).

7. 2. The conductive terminal (100) according to claim 1, wherein an annular groove (24) is formed in a portion of the outer wall of the insertion sleeve (21) adjacent to the open end, and a fixing ring (30) is embedded in the annular groove (24).

8. The conductive terminal (100) according to claim 1, wherein a locking portion for fixing the conductive terminal (100) is formed on the outer wall of the insertion member (20), and the locking portion is provided between the insertion sleeve (21) and the second end of the insertion member (20).

9. The conductive terminal (100) according to claim 8, wherein the locking portion is in the form of a groove (25) or a boss.

10. 9. The conductive terminal (100) according to claim 8, wherein the outer wall of the insert member (20) is formed with an annular receiving portion (26) for receiving a seal ring, the annular receiving portion (26) being provided between the locking portion and the second end of the insert member (20).

11. 2. The conductive terminal (100) according to claim 1, wherein a screw hole (11) is formed in the terminal body (10), and the conductive terminal (100) further comprises a fixing member (40), the fixing member (40) being threadedly connected to the screw hole (11), and the fixing member (40) being configured to fix a conductive sheet electrically connected to a cable to the terminal body (10).

12. 2. The conductive terminal (100) according to claim 1, wherein the terminal body (10) is provided with a weld portion (12), and a conductor of a cable electrically connected to the conductive terminal is welded to the weld portion (12).

13. A connector, A connector housing; a conductive terminal mounted within the connector housing; Equipped with A connector, wherein the conductive terminal is the conductive terminal (100) according to claim 1.

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