Female terminal

Abstract

This invention discloses a female terminal that eliminates the need to weld contact components to the terminal body, thereby suppressing decreased productivity and increased costs. [Solution] The female terminal 10 has a male terminal mounting portion 14 which is electrically connected to the male terminal 12, and comprises a terminal body 18 formed from a first metal plate and a contact member 20 formed from a second metal plate which is thinner than the first metal plate and assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 14. The contact member 20 has a strip portion 38 which extends in the direction in which the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 14. The strip portion 38 is formed in a wave shape in which a body-side contact portion 42 which curves toward the terminal body 18 and a male terminal-side contact portion 44 which curves toward the male terminal 12 are alternately provided at a distance from each other. It is expandable and contractible in the direction in which the male terminal 12 is inserted, and the insertion of the male terminal 12 into the male terminal mounting portion 14 is permitted by the elastic deformation of the strip portion 38, and the body-side contact portion 42 is pressed against the terminal body 18 and the male terminal-side contact portion 44 is pressed against the male terminal 12 by the elastic restoring force of the strip portion 38.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to female terminals.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a female terminal configured by combining a terminal body formed of a thick conductive material and a contact member formed of a thin conductive material. By forming the terminal body and the contact member of conductive materials with different thicknesses, while increasing the thickness of the terminal body to meet the current capacity required by a large current, the thickness of the contact member can be made thin to ensure the followability of the contact member to the male terminal, and it is possible to cope with a large current while suppressing the increase in the size of the entire female terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, in order to ensure the conductivity and fixity of the contact member to the terminal body, a process of welding the contact member to the terminal body during the manufacture of the terminal body is required, which has problems of reduced productivity and increased costs.

[0005] Therefore, a female terminal is disclosed that does not require welding the contact member to the terminal body and can suppress a decrease in productivity and an increase in cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The female terminal of this disclosure has a male terminal mounting portion at one end that is electrically connected to a male terminal, and a connecting portion at the other end that is electrically connected to another member, and comprises a terminal body formed from a first metal plate and a contact member formed from a second metal plate having a thinner plate thickness than the first metal plate and assembled to the male terminal mounting portion, wherein the contact member has a strip portion that extends in the direction of insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion, and an assembly portion that holds the strip portion and is assembled to the terminal body, The strip portion is formed in a wave shape with a body-side contact portion that curves convexly toward the terminal body and a male terminal-side contact portion that curves convexly toward the male terminal, which are alternately arranged at a distance from each other in the insertion direction. The strip portion is expandable and contractible in the insertion direction, and the elastic deformation of the strip portion in the insertion direction allows the insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion. The elastic restoring force of the strip portion causes the body-side contact portion to press against the terminal body and the male terminal-side contact portion to press against the male terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the female terminal of this disclosure, there is no need to weld the contact member to the terminal body, which helps to suppress a decrease in productivity and an increase in costs. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the female terminal according to Embodiment 1 mated with the male terminal. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a plan view of the female terminal shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the main part of the III-III section in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the female terminal shown in Figure 1 before mating with the male terminal. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the female terminal shown in Figure 4, and corresponds to Figure 3. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view from the front of the female terminal shown in Figure 4. [Figure 7]Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view from the rear of the female terminal shown in Figure 4. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the disassembled state of the female terminal shown in Figure 4, and corresponds to Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure> First, embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. The female terminal in this disclosure is (1) A terminal body formed from a first metal plate, having a male terminal mounting portion at one end that is electrically connected to a male terminal and a connecting portion at the other end that is electrically connected to another member, and a contact member formed from a second metal plate that is thinner than the first metal plate and assembled to the male terminal mounting portion, wherein the contact member has a strip portion that extends in the direction in which the male terminal is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion, and an assembly portion that holds the strip portion and is assembled to the terminal body, wherein the strip portion is formed in a wave shape with a body-side contact portion that curves convexly toward the terminal body and a male terminal-side contact portion that curves convexly toward the male terminal, which are alternately provided separated from each other in the insertion direction, and is expandable and contractible in the insertion direction, the insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion is permitted by the elastic deformation of the strip portion in the insertion direction, the body-side contact portion is pressed against the terminal body by the elastic restoring force of the strip portion, and the male terminal-side contact portion is pressed against the male terminal

[0010] The female terminal of this disclosure comprises a terminal body and a contact member formed from a second metal plate having a thinner thickness than the first metal plate forming the terminal body. This allows for, for example, handling of high currents by increasing the thickness of the terminal body to accommodate the current capacity required by the high current, while keeping the thickness of the contact member thin to ensure the contact member's ability to follow the male terminal, thereby enabling handling of high currents while suppressing an overall increase in the size of the female terminal.

[0011] In addition, the contact member is formed in a wave-like shape, with a body-side contact portion that curves convexly toward the terminal body and a male terminal-side contact portion that curves convexly toward the male terminal, arranged alternately and spaced apart in the insertion direction, allowing it to expand and contract in the insertion direction. The elastic deformation of the strip portion in the insertion direction allows the insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion, and the elastic restoring force of the strip portion presses the body-side contact portion against the terminal body, and the male terminal-side contact portion against the male terminal. In a female terminal with such a structure, the elastic deformation of the strip portion of the wave-shaped contact member in the insertion direction can be used to press the body-side contact portion and the male terminal-side contact portion provided on the strip portion against the male terminal and the terminal body, respectively. As a result, compared to conventional structures that lack a press-fit structure for the contact member to the terminal body, conductivity between the male terminal and the male terminal mounting portion can be ensured by the press-fit of the body-side contact portion and the male terminal-side contact portion of the strip portion against the terminal body and the male terminal, respectively. Consequently, the process of welding the contact member to the terminal body, which was required in conventional structures, can be eliminated.

[0012] Furthermore, since the fixing of the contact member to the terminal body can be achieved by assembling the assembly part of the contact member to the terminal body, this can be accomplished during the assembly process of the terminal body and the contact member. Compared to conventional structures where fixation is ensured through a welding process, this reduces additional processes other than the assembly process. As a result, it is possible to provide a female terminal that can suppress a decrease in productivity and an increase in costs.

[0013] The shape of the male terminal mounting portion of the female terminal can be any shape that corresponds to the shape of the male terminal it will be connected to. For example, if a cylindrical male terminal is connected, it will have a corresponding cylindrical shape, and if a flat male terminal is connected, it will have a corresponding rectangular cylindrical shape.

[0014] (2) In the above (1), it is preferable to include a compression spring that is pressed by the elastic deformation of the strip portion in the insertion direction and presses the strip portion in the direction opposite to the insertion direction by a spring reaction force. The compression spring pressed by the strip portion elastically deformed in the insertion direction by the insertion of the male terminal presses the strip portion in the direction opposite to the insertion direction by the spring reaction force. Thereby, the contact pressure when pressing the main body side contact portion and the male terminal side contact portion against the male terminal and the terminal main body respectively can be added by the compression spring, and the conductivity between the male terminal and the male terminal mounting portion can be more advantageously ensured by the respective press contacts of the strip portion's main body side contact portion and the male terminal side contact portion to the terminal main body and the male terminal.

[0015] Note that the compression spring may be provided so as to press the strip portion by a spring reaction force from before the male terminal is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion to apply a so-called preload, or may be provided so as to abut against and press the strip portion elastically deformed after the male terminal is inserted and then press the strip portion by a spring reaction force.

[0016] (3) In the above (2), it is preferable that the compression spring presses the assembling portion of the contact member against the assembling portion side on the terminal main body side. The spring reaction force of the compression spring that presses the strip portion in the direction opposite to the insertion direction can also be used to press the assembling portion of the contact member against the assembling portion side on the terminal main body side. Thereby, the gap between the terminal main body and the contact member can be absorbed, and it can be prevented in advance that rattling occurs between the terminal main body and the contact member during use and abnormal noises or the like are generated.

[0017] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, the contact member has a plurality of the strip portions, a base end portion of each strip portion in the insertion direction is held by the assembly portion, and a tip end portion of each strip portion in the insertion direction is displaceable in the insertion direction away from / close to the assembly portion. This is preferable. Since the contact member has a plurality of strip portions, a plurality of main body side contact portions and male terminal side contact portions can be respectively pressure - contacted to the male terminal and the terminal main body. Thereby, by connecting the male terminal and the male terminal mounting portion with multiple contacts, the combined resistance can be reduced, and a female terminal with low resistance conductivity and capable of handling a large current can be advantageously provided.

[0018] Moreover, since the base end portions of the plurality of strip portions are held by the assembly portion and integrated, the handling property of the contact member is not impaired while adopting a plurality of strip portions. Further, since the tip end portion of each strip portion is displaceable away from / close to the assembly portion in the insertion direction, elastic deformation of each strip portion accompanying the insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion can be stably and more evenly exhibited.

[0019] (5) In any one of (2) to (4) above, the contact member has a plurality of the strip portions, and the plurality of strip portions are arranged in parallel in a crossing direction crossing the insertion direction. A base end portion of each strip portion in the insertion direction is held by the assembly portion and integrated, while a tip end portion of each strip portion in the insertion direction is held by a connecting portion and integrated, and the spring reaction force of the pressing spring acts on the connecting portion. This is preferable. The plurality of strip portions arranged in parallel in the direction crossing the insertion direction are held by the assembly portion and integrated at their respective base end portions, and held by the connecting portion and integrated at their respective tip end portions. Thereby, the equalization of the expansion and contraction states of the plurality of strip portions can be achieved, and the equalization of the pressure - contact states of each contact portion can be achieved. Further, by the spring reaction force of the pressing spring acting on the connecting portion, the application of contact pressure by the pressing spring can also be evenly exerted on the plurality of strip portions.

[0020] (6) In any one of (1) to (5) above, it is preferable that the contact member has a plurality of strip portions, the plurality of strip portions are arranged in parallel in an intersecting direction that intersects the insertion direction, and the body-side contact portion and the male terminal-side contact portion are arranged alternately in the intersecting direction. When a plurality of strip portions are arranged in parallel in a direction that intersects the insertion direction, the body-side contact portion and the male terminal-side contact portion are arranged alternately in the intersecting direction. As a result, in other strip portions arranged in parallel next to a strip portion in which the body-side contact portion, male terminal-side contact portion, and body-side contact portion are lined up in the order of body-side contact portion, male terminal-side contact portion, and body-side contact portion in the insertion direction, the male terminal-side contact portion, body-side contact portion, and male terminal-side contact portion are lined up in the order of male terminal-side contact portion, and male terminal-side contact portion in the insertion direction. As a result, the insertion resistance of the male terminals in adjacent strip portions can be varied, and the problem of the insertion resistance increasing all at once due to the male terminal-side contact portions being arranged adjacently in an intersecting direction can be prevented.

[0021] (7) In any one of (4) above and (5) or (6) which is subordinate to (4), it is preferable that the male terminal mounting portion has a rectangular cylindrical shape, the contact member has a plurality of strip portions arranged on the upper wall side of the male terminal mounting portion and a plurality of strip portions arranged on the lower wall side of the male terminal mounting portion, and a male terminal insertion gap is formed between the plurality of strip portions on the upper wall side and the plurality of strip portions on the lower wall side. Since a male terminal insertion gap is formed between the plurality of strip portions arranged on the upper wall side and the lower wall side of the male terminal mounting portion, a plurality of male terminal side contact portions can be pressed against the upper and lower walls, respectively, while a flat male terminal inserted into the gap is pressed against the upper and lower walls. This ensures a stable electrical connection between the male terminal and the female terminal.

[0022] <Details of the embodiments of this disclosure> Specific examples of the female terminals of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims as indicated by the claims.

[0023] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, the female terminal 10 of Embodiment 1 of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. This female terminal 10 is provided, for example, in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and the male terminal 12, which is the mating terminal, is inserted into the female terminal 10 and makes contact with it, thereby creating an electrical connection between the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12. The location of the female terminal 10 is not limited, but for example, it may be provided on the motor side component, and the male terminal 12 may be provided on the battery side component, and the battery and motor are electrically connected by the electrical connection between the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12. The female terminal 10 can be positioned in any orientation, but in the following, "up" will be described as the upper part in Figure 3, "down" as the lower part in Figure 3, "front" as the left side in Figure 2, "rear" as the right side in Figure 2, "left" as the upper part in Figure 2, and "right" as the lower part in Figure 2. In addition, for multiple identical components, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the components, and the reference numerals may be omitted for others.

[0024] <Female terminal 10> The female terminal 10 has a male terminal mounting portion 14 at one end (front end) which is electrically connected to the male terminal 12, and a connecting portion 16 at the other end (rear end) which is electrically connected to another member (for example, a busbar, which is a member on the motor side), and comprises a terminal body 18 formed from a first metal plate. The female terminal 10 also comprises a contact member 20 formed from a second metal plate which is thinner than the first metal plate and is assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 14. In Figures 1 and 4, for clarity, the contact member 20 inside the male terminal mounting portion 14 is shown with a dashed line, but the compression spring 70, which will be described later and is also provided inside the male terminal mounting portion 14, is not shown.

[0025] <Male terminal 12> The male terminal 12 of Embodiment 1 is a flat tab and has a rectangular cross-section that extends in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction. This male terminal 12 extends in the front-to-back direction with the above rectangular cross-section, and a bolt insertion hole 22 is formed in the base portion (front portion) of the male terminal 12. The male terminal 12 is fixed to a component on the battery side, such as a busbar, by a bolt (not shown) inserted through this bolt insertion hole 22. Since the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 14 from front to rear, the direction from front to rear is the insertion direction of the male terminal 12.

[0026] <Terminal body 18> As described above, the terminal body 18 has a male terminal mounting portion 14 at its front end and a connecting portion 16 at its rear end. The terminal body 18 is formed by press-forming a single metal plate (first metal plate) having a predetermined thickness. That is, the male terminal mounting portion 14 and the connecting portion 16 are integrally formed in the terminal body 18. The material of the first metal plate constituting the terminal body 18 is preferably a metal with excellent conductivity, for example, pure copper is used. The male terminal mounting portion 14 provided at the front end of the terminal body 18 is configured as a cylindrical shape extending in the front-rear direction so that the male terminal 12 can be inserted, and is a rectangular cylindrical shape to match the shape of the male terminal 12. That is, the male terminal mounting portion 14 has an upper wall 24, a lower wall 26, and left and right walls 28 and 30. The inner surface 24a of the upper wall 24 and the inner surface 26a of the lower wall 26 face each other with a constant distance B between them in the vertical direction, as will be described later.

[0027] In Embodiment 1, a substantially rectangular locking hole 32 is formed in the front portion of each wall 24, 26, 28, and 30, penetrating in the thickness direction. Furthermore, the rear ends of the left wall 28 and the right wall 30 are provided with rear walls 34 that are bent inward in the left-right direction to cover the rear opening of the male terminal mounting portion 14. Each of these rear walls 34 is formed as a substantially rectangular shape with a predetermined area when viewed in the front-rear direction. In addition, the front ends of the upper wall 24 and the lower wall 26 are located behind the front ends of the left wall 28 and the right wall 30, thereby forming a notched front opening 35 that opens forward at the front ends of the upper wall 24 and the lower wall 26.

[0028] Furthermore, the lower wall 26 that constitutes the male terminal mounting portion 14 extends further rearward than the male terminal mounting portion 14, and the rear end of this lower wall 26 constitutes the connecting portion 16 provided at the rear end of the terminal body 18. A bolt insertion hole 36 is formed in the connecting portion 16. The female terminal 10 is fixed to, for example, a busbar or other component on the motor side by a bolt (not shown) inserted through this bolt insertion hole 36.

[0029] <Contact Member 20> As shown in Figure 6 and other figures, the contact member 20 comprises a strip portion 38 extending in the insertion direction (front-to-back direction) of the male terminal 12 into the male terminal mounting portion 14, and an assembly portion 40 that holds the strip portion 38 and is assembled to the terminal body 18. The strip portion 38 is formed in a wave-like shape with a body-side contact portion 42 that curves convexly toward the terminal body 18 side and a male terminal-side contact portion 44 that curves convexly toward the male terminal 12 side, which are alternately provided at a distance from each other in the insertion direction of the male terminal 12, and is expandable and contractible in the insertion direction of the male terminal 12. In Embodiment 1, the contact member 20 is formed by press-forming a single metal plate (second metal plate) having a thickness dimension smaller than the first metal plate. That is, the strip portion 38 and the assembly portion 40 are integrally formed in the contact member 20. The material of the second metal plate constituting the contact member 20 is preferably a metal that has excellent conductivity and is elastically deformable, for example, a copper alloy is used.

[0030] In Embodiment 1, the contact member 20 comprises a plurality of strip portions 38, each strip portion 38 having a main body-side contact portion 42 and a male terminal-side contact portion 44. These strip portions 38 are arranged in parallel in a direction that intersects with the insertion direction (front-to-back direction) of the male terminal 12, and in Embodiment 1, they are arranged in parallel in the left-to-right direction, which is perpendicular to the front-to-back direction. Each of these left-to-right arranged strip portions 38 is elastically deformable in the expansion and contraction direction (front-to-back direction). That is, in the contact member 20, a slit 46 extending in the front-to-back direction is provided between each strip portion 38 in the left-to-right direction, so that each strip portion 38 can be elastically deformed independently.

[0031] In particular, in Embodiment 1, each strip portion 38 is provided with a total of three main body-side contact portions 42 and three male terminal-side contact portions 44 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. In each strip portion 38 arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, the main body-side contact portions 42 and the male terminal-side contact portions 44 are arranged alternately in the parallel direction. That is, if a certain strip portion 38 is provided with a pair of main body-side contact portions 42, 42 at both ends in the front-rear direction and one male terminal-side contact portion 44 in the center in the front-rear direction, then the strip portion 38 adjacent to this strip portion 38 in the left-right direction is provided with a pair of male terminal-side contact portions 44, 44 at both ends in the front-rear direction and one main body-side contact portion 42 in the center in the front-rear direction. Therefore, in Embodiment 1, in adjacent strip portions 38, 38 in the left-right direction, the protruding direction of the main body-side contact portions 42 and the protruding direction of the male terminal-side contact portions 44 are in opposite directions along the entire length in the front-rear direction.

[0032] Furthermore, each strip portion 38, which is arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, has its base end (front end) 48 held and integrated with the assembly portion 40. Also, the tip end (rear end) of each strip portion 38 is held and integrated with the connecting portion 50. In particular, in Embodiment 1, each strip portion 38, which is arranged in parallel in the left-right direction in this manner, is provided on both the upper wall 24 side and the lower wall 26 side of the male terminal mounting portion 14. In other words, the contact member 20 has a plurality of strip portions 38 arranged on the upper wall 24 side of the male terminal mounting portion 14 and a plurality of strip portions 38 arranged on the lower wall 26 side of the male terminal mounting portion 14.

[0033] Here, the assembly portion that holds each of the upper strip portions 38 and the assembly portion that holds each of the lower strip portions 38 are formed as a single unit, and in Embodiment 1, the assembly portion 40 is formed as a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape that opens in the front-rear direction. That is, each of the upper strip portions 38 extends backward from the upper wall portion of the substantially rectangular cylindrical assembly portion 40, and each of the lower strip portions 38 extends backward from the lower wall portion of the assembly portion 40. Note that the connecting portion 50, which is the tip of each of the upper strip portions 38, and the connecting portion 50, which is the tip of each of the lower strip portions 38, are not connected, and each strip portion 38 protrudes backward from the assembly portion 40 in a cantilevered manner. As a result, the connecting portion 50, which is the tip of each strip portion 38, can be displaced in the direction of separation from or approach to the assembly portion 40 in the insertion direction (front-rear direction) of the male terminal 12.

[0034] Furthermore, each slit 46 provided between adjacent strip sections 38, 38 in the left-right direction basically extends from the base end 48 across the connecting section 50, but the slit 46 in the center in the left-right direction extends to the tip of the connecting section 50, dividing the upper strip sections 38 and the lower strip sections 38 in the left-right direction. In other words, a total of four connecting sections 50 are provided at the rear end of the contact member 20, which hold the tip (rear end) of each strip section 38.

[0035] Furthermore, in each of the two connecting parts 50, 50 that hold each of the upper strip plate portions 38, a contact portion 52 is provided at the rear end that protrudes downward and is pressed against a compression spring 70, which will be described later, when assembling the female terminal 10. Similarly, in each of the two connecting parts 50, 50 that hold each of the lower strip plate portions 38, a contact portion 52 is provided at the rear end that protrudes upward and is pressed against a compression spring 70, which will be described later, when assembling the female terminal 10. On the other hand, an upwardly protruding portion 54 is provided at the front end of the upper wall portion of the assembly portion 40, which is shaped like a roughly rectangular cylinder, and a downwardly protruding portion 56 is provided at the front end of the lower wall portion of the assembly portion 40.

[0036] The contact member 20, having this shape, is inserted from the front into the inner hole of the male terminal mounting portion 14, which is roughly rectangular in shape, in the terminal body 18 and assembled. Therefore, in the upper strip portion 38 of the contact member 20, each body-side contact portion 42 is curved so as to protrude upward toward the upper wall 24 of the terminal body 18, and in the lower strip portion 38, each body-side contact portion 42 is curved so as to protrude downward toward the lower wall 26 of the terminal body 18. Figures 6 to 8 show the disassembled state of the contact member 20 before it is assembled to the terminal body 18. In Embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 8, the vertical separation distance A between the upwardly protruding end of each upper body-side contact portion 42 of the contact member 20 and the downwardly protruding end of each lower body-side contact portion 42 is slightly larger than the vertical distance B between the opposing surfaces of the inner surface 24a of the upper wall 24 and the inner surface 26a of the lower wall 26 of the male terminal mounting portion 14.

[0037] As a result, when the contact member 20 is inserted into the inner hole of the male terminal mounting portion 14 from the front and assembled, the upper and lower main body-side contact portions 42 of the contact member 20 come into contact with the inner surfaces 24a and 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26 of the male terminal mounting portion 14, respectively. Each main body-side contact portion 42 is pressed vertically by the inner surfaces 24a and 26a, causing each main body-side contact portion 42 to be elastically deformed so that its upward or downward protrusion is reduced. In other words, when the contact member 20 is assembled into the male terminal mounting portion 14, the protruding ends of each main body-side contact portion 42 slide against the inner surfaces 24a and 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26 as it is inserted from front to rear. As a result, when the contact member 20 is assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 14, the vertical separation distance A between the upwardly protruding end of each upper body-side contact portion 42 and the downwardly protruding end of each lower body-side contact portion 42 is equal to the distance B between the opposing surfaces of each inner surface 24a, 26a. Then, due to the elastic restoring force accompanying the elastic deformation of each body-side contact portion 42, each body-side contact portion 42 is pressed against the inner surfaces 24a, 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26 of the male terminal mounting portion 14.

[0038] Furthermore, when the contact member 20 is assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 14, the upper protrusion 54 and lower protrusion 56 that protrude from both the upper and lower ends of the front end of the contact member 20 are housed in the respective front openings 35 provided at the front ends of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26 of the male terminal mounting portion 14. Insertion of the contact member 20 into the male terminal mounting portion 14 may be restricted by the upper protrusion 54 and lower protrusion 56 contacting the bottom surface (front end surface) of each front opening 35.

[0039] <Cover 58> The contact member 20 assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 14 is prevented from falling forward by a cover 58 attached to the front end of the male terminal mounting portion 14. The cover 58 is made of a hard material such as metal or synthetic resin, and in Embodiment 1 it is made of metal. The cover 58 is formed, for example, by press-forming a single metal sheet into a predetermined shape. The cover 58 as a whole is a roughly rectangular box shape that opens to the rear, and is made of a front wall portion 60 located at the front and a peripheral wall portion 62 that protrudes rearward from the peripheral edge of the front wall portion 60 and extends in the circumferential direction. A roughly rectangular male terminal insertion hole 64 for inserting the male terminal 12 is formed in the central part of the front wall portion 60, penetrating in the front-to-back direction. Thus the front wall portion 60 is provided around the male terminal insertion hole 64, or in other words, the front wall portion 60 is made up of portions that protrude inward in the vertical and horizontal directions from the front end of the peripheral wall portion 62.

[0040] Furthermore, locking claws 66 are formed on the upper and lower sides and the left and right sides of the peripheral wall portion 62 of the cover 58 by cutting and bending, and protrude into the interior of the cover 58. Each of these locking claws 66 is capable of elastic deformation in the thickness direction. That is, after inserting the contact member 20 into the male terminal mounting portion 14 from the front, the cover 58 is placed on top of the male terminal mounting portion 14 from the front and the locking claws 66 are locked into the locking holes 32, thereby fixing the cover 58 to the front end of the male terminal mounting portion 14 with the contact member 20 covering it from the front. As described above, since the front ends of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26 of the male terminal mounting portion 14 are provided with front openings 35, when the cover 58 is fixed to the male terminal mounting portion 14, the upper protrusion 54 and the lower protrusion 56 are inserted into the space between the upper part of the front wall portion 60 and the upper wall 24 in the front-rear direction, and between the lower part of the front wall portion 60 and the lower wall 26 in the front-rear direction, respectively, forming a displacement-allowable space 68 that allows them to be displaced in the front-rear direction. In Embodiment 1, when the cover 58 is fixed to the male terminal mounting portion 14, the upper protrusion 54 and the lower protrusion 56 are formed with a height that protrudes outward in the vertical direction but does not reach the peripheral wall portion 62 of the cover 58, and the upper protrusion 54 and the lower protrusion 56 are also able to be displaced in the vertical direction within their respective displacement-allowable spaces 68. In short, the contact member 20 is allowed to be displaced to a certain extent in the vertical direction relative to the male terminal mounting portion 14.

[0041] <Compression spring 70> In Embodiment 1, a compression spring 70 is provided inside the male terminal mounting portion 14, between the contact member 20 inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 14 from the front and the rear walls 34 of the male terminal mounting portion 14 in the front-rear direction. This compression spring 70 is pressed by the elastic deformation of each strip portion 38 in the insertion direction of the male terminal 12 (from rear to front), and has the function of pressing each strip portion 38 in the opposite direction to the insertion direction (from front to rear) by the spring reaction force.

[0042] Specifically, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the compression spring 70 is substantially rectangular in shape when viewed in the front-to-back direction (projection in the front-to-back direction) and is formed from a hard material such as metal or synthetic resin. In Embodiment 1, the compression spring 70 is made of metal and is formed by press-forming a single metal sheet into a predetermined shape. In Embodiment 1, the compression spring 70 has a substantially rectangular compression wall portion 72 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction at its front end, and a pair of spring pieces 74, 74 that are folded back from both the left and right ends of the compression wall portion 72 and are elastically deformable in the direction of approaching or moving away from the compression wall portion 72. A bent portion 76 is provided in the middle of the length of each spring piece 74. In addition, rearward protruding portions 78 are provided at both ends of the compression wall portion 72 in the vertical direction.

[0043] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, in the disassembled state before the compression spring 70 is assembled to the male terminal mounting section 14, the bent portion 76 of each spring piece 74 protrudes further rearward than the rearward protrusions 78 on both the upper and lower sides. As a result, when the compression spring 70 is positioned inside the male terminal mounting section 14, each bent portion 76 abuts against the rear walls 34, which are the rear walls of the male terminal mounting section 14, from the front. Then, as shown in Figure 3, etc., when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the female terminal 10 (male terminal mounting section 14), each spring piece 74 elastically deforms in a direction approaching the compression wall 72, so that in addition to the bent portions 76, the rearward protrusions 78 on both the upper and lower sides also abut against the rear walls 34.

[0044] As described above, the compression spring 70 is positioned behind the contact member 20. In short, in the assembled state of the female terminal 10, the contact member 20 and the compression spring 70 are located between the front cover 58 and the rear wall 34 of the male terminal mounting portion 14 in the front-rear direction. Here, the front-rear dimension C1 of the contact member 20 in the disassembled state (see Figure 8) + the front-rear dimension C2 of the compression spring 70 (see Figure 8) is equal to or slightly greater than the front-rear separation distance D (see Figure 5) from the front surface of each rear wall 34 to the rear surface of the front wall portion 60 when the compression spring 70 and cover 58 are assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 14. In Embodiment 1, the sum of the front-rear dimension C1 of the contact member 20 and the front-rear dimension C2 of the compression spring 70 in the disassembled state is slightly greater than the front-rear separation distance D from the compression wall portion 72 to the front wall portion 60.

[0045] As a result, when the female terminal 10 is constructed by assembling the compression spring 70, contact member 20 and cover 58 to the terminal body 18 (before insertion of the male terminal 12), the contact member 20 and / or compression spring 70 are compressed in the front-rear direction by the cover 58 and each rear wall 34. Specifically, each bent portion 76 provided at the rear end of the compression spring 70 abuts against each rear wall 34, and the upper projection 54 and lower projection 56 provided at the front end of the contact member 20 abut against the upper and lower portions of the front wall 60. The contact member 20 and / or compression spring 70 are compressed in the front-rear direction by these rear walls 34 and the front wall 60. Note that either the compression spring 70 or the contact member 20 may preferentially undergo elastic deformation, or both may undergo elastic deformation simultaneously.

[0046] In other words, the contact member 20 and / or the compression spring 70 are compressed in the front-rear direction, and the elastic restoring force associated with this compression is exerted on the upper and lower portions of the front wall 60, causing the upper projection 54 and the lower projection 56 to be pressed against the upper and lower portions of the front wall 60. Therefore, in Embodiment 1, the compression spring 70 presses the assembly portion 40 (upper projection 54 and lower projection 56) of the contact member 20 against the assembly portion of the cover 58 provided on the terminal body 18 side, and this assembly portion is composed of the upper and lower portions of the front wall 60. As a result, when assembling the female terminal 10 (before inserting the male terminal 12), the contact member 20 and / or the compression spring 70 are subjected to a preload.

[0047] Then, for example, when the contact member 20 is compressed in the front-rear direction, the connecting portion 50 and contact portion 52 at the tip of each strip portion 38 are displaced to move closer to the assembly portion 40, causing each strip portion 38 to shrink and deform in the front-rear direction. As a result, compared to the disassembled state shown in Figures 6 to 8, in the assembled state of the female terminal 10 shown in Figures 4 and 5, the outward protrusion dimensions in the vertical direction of each body-side contact portion 42 and each male terminal-side contact portion 44 are increased, and each body-side contact portion 42 is pressed more strongly against the inner surfaces 24a and 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26, respectively. Also, compared to the disassembled state, in the assembled state of the female terminal 10, the vertical distance between each male terminal-side contact portion 44 on each upper strip portion 38 and each male terminal-side contact portion 44 on each lower strip portion 38 is reduced.

[0048] Here, in the assembled state of the female terminal 10, the vertical distance E (see Figure 5) between each male terminal-side contact portion 44 on each upper strip portion 38 and each male terminal-side contact portion 44 on each lower strip portion 38 is smaller than the plate thickness dimension F (see Figure 5) of the male terminal 12. When the male terminal 12 is inserted in a press-fit state between these upper and lower male terminal-side contact portions 44, each male terminal-side contact portion 44 is pressed outward in the vertical direction by both the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12, causing it to elastically deform. Furthermore, as each male terminal-side contact portion 44 is pressed outward in the vertical direction, each strip portion 38 is also pressed outward in the vertical direction, so each main body-side contact portion 42 is further pressed against the inner surfaces 24a and 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26, respectively. Due to the elastic restoring force against the elastic deformation of each male terminal-side contact portion 44, each male terminal-side contact portion 44 is pressed against both the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12. Furthermore, each main body-side contact portion 42 is pressed against the terminal body 18 (the inner surfaces 24a and 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26) by the elastic restoring force against the elastic deformation of each main body-side contact portion 42.

[0049] In particular, the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12 press each male terminal-side contact portion 44 outward in the vertical direction, causing each strip portion 38 to deform in a direction that separates the connecting portion 50 and the contact portion 52, which are the tip portions, from the assembly portion 40. That is, the front-to-back dimension H (see Figure 5) of the contact member 20 after insertion of the male terminal 12 is larger than the front-to-back dimension G (see Figure 5) of the contact member 20 before insertion of the male terminal 12. In short, each strip portion 38 elastically deforms in the insertion direction of the male terminal 12 (from front to back), allowing the insertion of the male terminal 12 into the male terminal mounting portion 14 (especially the male terminal insertion gap 80, which will be described later), and the elastic restoring force of each strip portion 38 causes each main body-side contact portion 42 to press against the terminal body 18, and each male terminal-side contact portion 44 to press against the male terminal 12.

[0050] Furthermore, as the male terminals 12 are inserted while abutting against each male terminal-side contact portion 44, the contact member 20 is displaced from front to rear, which is the insertion direction of the male terminals 12. As shown in Figure 3, the upper protrusion 54 and lower protrusion 56 of the assembly portion 40 abut against the bottom surface (front end surface) of each front opening 35 provided on the front end surfaces of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26. As a result, each spring piece 74 of the compression spring 70 is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the compression wall portion 72, and the elastic restoring force (spring reaction force) against this elastic deformation biases the compression wall portion 72 forward. Then, the forward biasing force of the pressing wall portion 72 acts on the connecting portion 50 and the contact portion 52 at the tip of each strip portion 38 of the contact member 20, pressing each strip portion 38 from the rear, so that each main body side contact portion 42 is pressed more firmly against the inner surfaces 24a and 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26, and each male terminal side contact portion 44 is pressed more firmly against both the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12.

[0051] As a result, the male terminal 12 comes into contact with the female terminal 10 (contact member 20 and terminal body 18), and the male terminal 12 and the female terminal 10 are electrically connected. In other words, the male terminal insertion gap 80 into which the male terminal 12 is inserted is formed in the female terminal 10 between each strip plate portion 38 on the upper wall 24 side and each strip plate portion 38 on the lower wall 26 side (between each male terminal side contact portion 44 on both the upper and lower sides).

[0052] <Assembly method for female terminal 10> The following describes a specific example of how to assemble the female terminal 10. However, the assembly method for the female terminal 10 is not limited to the description below.

[0053] First, the terminal body 18 is formed in the aforementioned shape by press working on the first metal plate. Similarly, the contact member 20 is formed in the aforementioned shape by press working on the second metal plate. Furthermore, the cover 58 and the compression spring 70 are formed by press working on the metal sheet. This prepares the terminal body 18, the contact member 20, the cover 58, and the compression spring 70, respectively. Then, the compression spring 70 and the contact member 20 are inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 14 of the terminal body 18 from the front in that order, and the cover 58 is then assembled to the front end of the male terminal mounting portion 14. As a result, as described above, the contact member 20 and / or the compression spring 70 are compressed in the front-rear direction between each rear wall 34 of the male terminal mounting portion 14 and the front wall portion 60 of the cover 58, and each body-side contact portion 42 of the contact member 20 is pressed against the inner surfaces 24a and 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26 of the male terminal mounting portion 14. In this way, the female terminal 10 is completed.

[0054] <Connection between female terminal 10 and male terminal 12> As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the male terminal 12 is inserted from the front through the male terminal insertion hole 64 of the cover 58 into the male terminal insertion gap 80 of the female terminal 10 manufactured as described above. Each male terminal side contact portion 44 of the contact member 20 that protrudes toward the male terminal insertion gap 80 is elastically deformed so as to be pushed outward in the vertical direction by the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12. In addition, the contact member 20 is displaced forward while stretching as the male terminal 12 is inserted, compressing and deforming the compression spring 70. Due to the elastic restoration deformation accompanying these elastic deformations, each male terminal side contact portion 44 is pressed against and makes contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12. As a result, the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 are electrically connected.

[0055] With the female terminal 10 having the structure described above, the female terminal 10 is composed of a compression spring 70, a contact member 20, and a cover 58 that are assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 14. With this configuration, welding is not required when assembling the female terminal 10, and the female terminal 10 can be easily assembled. In Embodiment 1, each strip portion 38 of the contact member 20 includes a plurality of body-side contact portions 42 or a plurality of male terminal-side contact portions 44, so that the contact member 20 can contact the terminal body 18 with multiple contacts, and the contact member 20 can also contact the male terminal 12 with multiple contacts. As a result, a relatively large current can be passed between the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12. In particular, when the male terminal 12 is inserted, each body-side contact portion 42 and each male terminal-side contact portion 44 are elastically deformed in a direction that reduces their respective protruding dimensions compared to the state before assembly of the contact member 20. As a result, the elastic restoring force against these elastic deformations causes each main body side contact portion 42 to be pressed against the inner surfaces 24a and 26a of the upper wall 24 and lower wall 26 of the male terminal mounting portion 14, and each male terminal side contact portion 44 to be pressed against both the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12, thereby providing good conductivity between the male terminal 12 and the female terminal 10.

[0056] The female terminal 10 is equipped with a compression spring 70, which is pressed by the elastic deformation of each strip portion 38 in the extension direction when the male terminal 12 is inserted, causing the compression spring 70 to be elastically deformed in the front-rear direction to compress, and the elastic restoring force (spring reaction force) of this compression spring 70 presses each strip portion 38 in the front-rear direction. As a result, each body-side contact portion 42 and each male terminal-side contact portion 44 bulge outward in the vertical direction as each strip portion 38 compresses, pressing each body-side contact portion 42 and each male terminal-side contact portion 44 against the terminal body 18 and male terminal 12. This improves the conductivity between the male terminal 12 and the female terminal 10.

[0057] In particular, the compression spring 70 presses the contact member 20 forward during the assembly of the female terminal 10 (before insertion of the male terminal 12). In short, the compression spring 70 presses the assembly portion 40 (especially the upper protrusion 54 and the lower protrusion 56) provided at the front end of the contact member 20 against the upper and lower portions of the front wall portion 60, which is the assembly portion. This allows the contact member 20 to be held between the cover 58 and the compression spring 70 in the front-rear direction, thereby suppressing rattling of the contact member 20. The contact member 20 may or may not be compressed between the cover 58 and the compression spring 70 in the front-rear direction. During the assembly of the female terminal 10, it is also possible to adjust the amount of protrusion of each male terminal side contact portion 44 into the male terminal insertion gap 80 by adjusting the amount of compression of the contact member 20 in the front-rear direction, thereby making it possible to appropriately set the magnitude of the insertion resistance when inserting the male terminal 12.

[0058] In Embodiment 1, the contact member 20 has a plurality of strip portions 38, and the base end of each strip portion 38 is held by a substantially rectangular cylindrical assembly portion 40. That is, each strip portion 38 protrudes from the assembly portion 40 in a cantilevered manner toward the rear, and expansion and contraction deformation of each strip portion 38 can be achieved by the displacement of the connecting portion 50 and the contact portion 52, which are the tip portions of each strip portion 38, toward or away from the assembly portion 40.

[0059] In particular, the base ends of each of these multiple strip portions 38 are integrated at the assembly portion 40, allowing the contact member 20 to be formed from a single metal sheet. As a result, even when each strip portion 38 is provided on both the upper and lower sides of the male terminal 12, the strip portions 38 do not separate and can be treated as a single contact member 20. Furthermore, although the ends of each strip portion 38 are connected by a connecting portion 50, the upper and lower connecting portions 50 are not connected. As a result, when the male terminal 12 is inserted, if the male terminal 12 is displaced in one direction vertically, one of the strip portions 38 in the vertical direction is compressed and deformed vertically, while the other strip portion 38 in the vertical direction is elastically restored and deformed. In this configuration, one of the vertical strip portions 38 is deformed to stretch in the front-rear direction, while the other vertical strip portion 38 is deformed to contract in the front-rear direction. For example, in the insertion state of the male terminal 12 shown in Figure 3, the pressing spring 70 is positioned so that the pressing wall portion 72 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction. By preventing the upper and lower connecting portions 50 from being connected in this way, the ability to follow the displacement of the male terminal 12 can be improved.

[0060] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the upper and lower connecting portions 50 are each divided into two in the left-right direction by a slit 46 in the center in the left-right direction, and connecting portions 50 are provided on both the left and right sides. This allows each strip portion 38 to deform in accordance with the displacement of the male terminal 12 around its central axis extending in the front-rear direction, further improving the ability to follow the displacement of the male terminal 12.

[0061] In each strip portion 38, the main body side contact portion 42 and the male terminal side contact portion 44 are arranged alternately in the left-right parallel direction. This avoids the placement of the male terminal side contact portion 44 at predetermined positions in the front-rear direction of each strip portion 38, so that when inserting the male terminal 12, insertion resistance is not felt at predetermined positions during insertion, and a substantially uniform insertion resistance can be achieved throughout.

[0062] The contact member 20 comprises upper strip portions 38 positioned on the upper wall 24 side of the male terminal mounting portion 14, and lower strip portions 38 positioned on the lower wall 26 side. This allows contacts with the female terminal 10 (each body-side contact portion 42 and each male terminal-side contact portion 44) to be provided on both the upper and lower sides of the male terminal 12, further improving the conductivity between the male terminal 12 and the female terminal 10.

[0063] <Variation> While Embodiment 1 has been described in detail above as a specific example of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited by this specific description. Modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that they can achieve the objectives of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0064] (1) In the above embodiment, the male terminal 12 is in the shape of a flat tab, and the contact member 20 and the terminal body 18 are each in the shape of a roughly rectangular cylinder, but the male terminal may be in the shape of a pin, and the contact member and the terminal body may each be in the shape of a cylinder.

[0065] (2) In the above embodiment, the contact member 20 was made of a single metal plate, but it may be made of multiple members, for example, the member having each upper strip portion and the member having each lower strip portion may be separate from each other. Also, in the above embodiment, the contact member 20 was provided with multiple strip portions 38, but the number of strip portions is not limited. For example, only one strip portion may be provided on either the upper or lower side relative to the male terminal. Also, the number of main body side contact portions and male terminal side contact portions provided on the strip portions is not limited, and only one of each may be provided.

[0066] (3) In the above embodiment, a compression spring 70 was provided between the contact member 20 and the rear wall 34 of the male terminal mounting portion 14, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, if a male terminal insertion hole is provided in the compression spring through which the male terminal is inserted, the compression spring may be provided between the contact member and the cover. Alternatively, the compression spring may be integrally provided at the tip (rear end) of the contact member, in which case a separate compression spring from the contact member may not be provided. It should be noted that a compression spring is not essential in the female terminal according to this disclosure. Furthermore, even if a compression spring is provided, it does not need to be made of metal, and may be made of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer.

[0067] (4) In the above embodiment, the contact member 20 and / or the compression spring 70 were compressed in the front-rear direction between the cover 58 and the rear wall 34 when assembling the female terminal 10, but the embodiment is not limited to this. When assembling the female terminal, neither the contact member nor the compression spring is required to be compressed in the front-rear direction, and these members are not required to be preloaded.

[0068] (5) In the above embodiment, the cover 58 was fixed to the front end of the male terminal mounting portion 14 by the locking claws 66 being locked into the locking holes 32. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment, and known fixing structures such as press-fitting or locking mechanisms may be used. In addition, the cover is not essential for the female terminal according to the present disclosure, and the front end of the contact member may be fixed to the front end of the male terminal mounting portion by providing locking claws on the front end of the contact member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10 female terminal 12 male terminal 14 Male terminal mounting section 16 Connection part 18 Terminal body 20 Contact Member 22 Bolt insertion holes 24 Upper wall 24a (Inner surface of the upper wall) 26 Lower wall 26a (Inner surface of the lower wall) 28 Left wall 30 Right wall 32 Locking holes 34 Back wall 35 Front opening 36 bolt insertion holes 38 Band part 40 Assembly section 42 Main unit side contact part 44 Male terminal side contact section 46 slits 48 Proximal end 50 Connection part (tip part) 52 Contact part (tip part) 54 Upper protrusion 56 Downward protrusion 58 Cover 60 Front wall section (assembled section) 62 Peripheral wall section 64 Male terminal insertion holes 66 Locking claws 68 Displacement-allowed space 70 Compression spring 72 Pressing wall section 74 spring pieces 76. Flexed section 78 Rear protrusion 80 Male terminal insertion gap

Claims

1. A terminal body formed from a first metal plate has a male terminal mounting portion at one end that is electrically connected to a male terminal, and a connecting portion at the other end that is electrically connected to another member, The device comprises a contact member formed from a second metal plate that is thinner than the first metal plate and assembled to the male terminal mounting portion, The contact member has a strip portion extending in the direction of insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion, and an assembly portion that is assembled to the terminal body while holding the strip portion. The strip portion is formed in a wave-like shape, with a body-side contact portion that curves convexly toward the terminal body and a male terminal-side contact portion that curves convexly toward the male terminal, arranged alternately and spaced apart from each other in the insertion direction, and is expandable and contractible in the insertion direction. The elastic deformation of the strip portion in the insertion direction allows the insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion, the elastic restoring force of the strip portion presses the main body side contact portion against the terminal body, and the male terminal side contact portion presses against the male terminal. Female terminal.

2. The female terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a compression spring that is pressed by the elastic deformation of the strip portion in the insertion direction and presses the strip portion in the opposite direction to the insertion direction by a spring reaction force.

3. The female terminal according to claim 2, wherein the compression spring presses the assembly portion of the contact member against the assembled portion on the terminal body side.

4. The female terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the contact member has a plurality of strip portions, the base end of each strip portion in the insertion direction is held by the assembly portion, and the tip of each strip portion in the insertion direction is capable of moving away from / towards the assembly portion in the insertion direction.

5. The contact member has a plurality of strip portions, Multiple strip portions are arranged in parallel in intersecting directions that intersect the insertion direction, with the base end of each strip portion in the insertion direction being held and integrated with the assembly portion, while the tip end of each strip portion in the insertion direction is held and integrated with the connecting portion. The female terminal according to claim 2, wherein the spring reaction force of the compression spring is applied to the connecting portion.

6. The contact member has a plurality of strip portions, Multiple strip portions are arranged in parallel in a direction that intersects the insertion direction, The female terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the main body side contact portion and the male terminal side contact portion are arranged alternately in the aforementioned intersecting direction.

7. The male terminal mounting portion has a rectangular cylindrical shape, The contact member has a plurality of strip portions arranged on the upper wall side of the male terminal mounting portion, and a plurality of strip portions arranged on the lower wall side of the male terminal mounting portion. The female terminal according to claim 4, wherein a gap for inserting a male terminal is formed between the plurality of strip portions on the upper wall side and the plurality of strip portions on the lower wall side.

Images