Female terminal

Abstract

A female terminal is disclosed that maintains flexibility to absorb misalignment between the male terminal and the contact portion, while suppressing excessive bending of the flexible portion, thereby reducing contact resistance. [Solution] The female terminal 10 is made up of a pair of metal plates 14, each metal plate 14 having a contact portion 16 that contacts the male terminal 12, a connection portion 20 that is connected to another current-carrying member 18, a flexible portion 22 that allows relative displacement between the contact portion 16 and the connection portion 20, and a displacement-suppressing projection 26 that protrudes from the connection portion 20 toward the contact portion 16 and is positioned opposite to the opposing surface 24. The contact portions 16 are positioned opposite each other to form a male terminal mounting portion 30, and the connection portions 20 are stacked to form a conductive connection portion 32. When the male terminal 12 is mounted on the male terminal mounting portion 30, the displacement of the male terminal mounting portion 30 relative to the conductive connection portion 32 is allowed by the flexible portion 22, and excessive displacement of the male terminal mounting portion 30 relative to the conductive connection portion 32 is suppressed by the contact of the displacement-suppressing projection 26 with the opposing surface 24.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to female terminals.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector including a female terminal to which a flat tab-shaped male terminal is slidably attached. The female terminal is formed of a metal flat plate extending in a strip shape, has a contact portion on one end side where the male terminal is slidably attached, and has a connection portion on the other end side connected to a terminal portion of an in-vehicle device or the like. In an intermediate region in the length direction of this female terminal, an elastically deformable bending portion is provided by bending the metal flat plate into a U shape in a side view. By utilizing the relative displacement of the contact portion with respect to the connection portion due to the deformation of the bending portion, the positional deviation between the male terminal and the contact portion of the female terminal is absorbed, enabling stable electrical connection between the male terminal and the contact portion.

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 the female terminal disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the male terminal is slidably attached to the contact portion, since the deformation of the bending portion is freely allowed, depending on the contact pressure of the male terminal, the contact portion on one end side of the female terminal may continue to be pushed toward the connection portion on the other end side, resulting in the possibility of plastic deformation of the bending portion and associated contact point displacement. Therefore, when it is necessary to reduce the contact resistance with respect to the male terminal in order to handle large currents, further measures have been required.

[0005] . Therefore, a female terminal is disclosed that can reduce the contact resistance by suppressing excessive bending of the bending portion while maintaining flexibility to absorb the positional deviation between the male terminal and the contact portion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The female terminal of this disclosure is constructed by assembling a pair of strip-shaped metal plates together, each of which has a contact portion provided at one end in the longitudinal direction for contact with a male terminal, a connection portion provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction for connection to another current-carrying member, a flexible portion provided in the intermediate region in the longitudinal direction for allowing relative displacement between the contact portion and the connection portion in the longitudinal direction, and at least one displacement restraint protruding from one side of the contact portion and the connection portion toward the other side in the longitudinal direction and positioned opposite to the opposing surface on the other side. The device has a suppressing projection, and a pair of the contact portions are arranged opposite each other so as to be able to press against the male terminal with a gap in which the male terminal is inserted, forming a male terminal mounting portion, and a pair of the connecting portions are superimposed on each other to form a conductive connection portion, and when the male terminal is mounted on the male terminal mounting portion, the displacement of the male terminal mounting portion relative to the conductive connection portion is permitted by the flexible portion, and excessive displacement of the male terminal mounting portion relative to the conductive connection portion is suppressed by the contact of the displacement suppressing projection with the opposing surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The female terminal of this disclosure maintains flexibility to absorb misalignment of the contact portion with the male terminal, while suppressing excessive bending of the flexible portion, thereby reducing contact resistance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front perspective view showing the female terminal according to Embodiment 1 in a mated state with the male terminal. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view from the rear side of the female terminal shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a plan view of the female terminal shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a right side view of the female terminal shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the VV section in Figure 4. [Figure 6]Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in Figure 3. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state of the female terminal shown in Figure 1 before mating with the male terminal, and corresponds to Figure 5. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in Figure 7. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the state in which the pair of metal plates constituting the female terminal shown in Figure 1 are assembled together. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the pair of metal plates shown in Figure 9 before they are assembled together. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the spring member that constitutes the female terminal shown in Figure 1. [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 pair of metal plates extending in a strip shape are assembled together, and each metal plate has a contact portion provided on one end in the longitudinal direction that contacts a male terminal, a connection portion provided on the other end in the longitudinal direction that connects to another current-carrying member, a flexible portion provided in the intermediate region in the longitudinal direction that allows relative displacement between the contact portion and the connection portion in the longitudinal direction, and at least one displacement-restricting projection that protrudes from one side of the contact portion and the connection portion toward the other side in the longitudinal direction and is positioned opposite to the opposing surface on the other side. The device has the following features: a pair of contact portions are arranged opposite each other so as to be able to press against the male terminal with a gap in which the male terminal is inserted, forming a male terminal mounting portion; a pair of connection portions are superimposed on each other to form a conductive connection portion; when the male terminal is mounted on the male terminal mounting portion, the displacement of the male terminal mounting portion relative to the conductive connection portion is permitted by the flexible portion; and excessive displacement of the male terminal mounting portion relative to the conductive connection portion is suppressed by the contact of the displacement suppressing projection with the opposing surface.

[0010] In this embodiment, the female terminal is constructed by assembling a pair of metal plates together, and the contact portions of each metal plate are positioned opposite each other with a gap in which the male terminal is inserted, thereby forming the male terminal mounting portion. Furthermore, a flexible portion is provided in the intermediate area between the contact portion and the connection portion of each metal plate, which allows for relative displacement between the contact portion and the connection portion in the longitudinal direction. As a result, even when it is necessary to secure the cross-sectional area of ​​the female terminal to accommodate high currents, by constructing the female terminal using a pair of metal plates, it is possible to secure the required cross-sectional area of ​​the female terminal while suppressing an increase in the thickness of each metal plate. Consequently, it is possible to reduce contact resistance while maintaining flexibility to absorb misalignment between the male terminal and the contact portion. Moreover, each metal plate is provided with a displacement-suppressing projection that protrudes from one side of the contact portion and connection portion toward the other side in the longitudinal direction and is positioned opposite to the opposing surface on the other side. As a result, when a male terminal is attached to the male terminal mounting portion, the displacement of the male terminal mounting portion relative to the conductive connection portion is permitted by the flexible portion, and excessive displacement of the male terminal mounting portion relative to the conductive connection portion can be reliably suppressed by the contact of the displacement suppressing projection with the opposing surface. Therefore, excessive bending of the flexible portion can be suppressed, eliminating or suppressing the risk of plastic deformation of the flexible portion and the resulting contact misalignment.

[0011] Furthermore, the bending portion of each metal plate can take any shape as long as it allows for relative displacement between the contact portion and the connection portion in the longitudinal direction. For example, it may be a U-shaped bend with four corners in a side view, as in Patent Document 1, or it may be a crank-shaped bend. In addition, it may be a smooth curved shape without corners, a mountain-shaped curved shape, or a wave-shaped shape in which mountain and valley shapes are continuous.

[0012] Furthermore, the pair of contact parts constituting the male terminal mounting section may be pressed against the male terminal by springs within the contact parts themselves, or a separate spring member may be assembled to apply contact pressure, thereby pressing the contact parts against the male terminal.

[0013] (2) In the above (1), it is preferable that the plate thickness dimension of each of the metal plates is smaller than the plate thickness dimension of the male terminal. Since the plate thickness dimension of each metal plate can be made smaller than the plate thickness dimension of the male terminal, the flexibility of the bending portion can be advantageously ensured. Moreover, even if the plate thickness dimension of each metal plate is reduced, since a pair of metal plates are combined to form the female terminal, the cross-sectional area required for the female terminal can be advantageously ensured, and the reduction of the conduction resistance can be advantageously achieved.

[0014] (3) In the above (1) or (2), the bending portion of each of the metal plates is configured to have a pair of vertical walls extending in the vertical direction from the end portions on the intermediate region side of each of the contact portion and the connection portion, and a bottom wall connecting the vertical walls at the vertical end portions. The displacement suppressing protrusions of each of the metal plates include a pair of the displacement suppressing protrusions connected to both side edges of the connection portion, and the protruding end portions of each of the displacement suppressing protrusions are bent inward in the width direction of the connection portion and are disposed opposite to the vertical walls extending from the contact portion constituting the opposing surface. It is preferable that this is the case. Since the displacement suppressing protrusions of each metal plate are connected to both side edges of the connection portion and provided in a pair, the displacement of the contact portion due to the bending portion with respect to the connection portion can be suppressed in a balanced manner. Moreover, since the pair of displacement suppressing protrusions protrude from the connection portion side to the contact portion side and the protruding end portions abut against the vertical walls extending from the contact portion that is displaced to the connection portion side and the displacement load is applied, the displacement of the contact portion can be regulated, and thus the excessive bending of the bending portion can be more reliably suppressed.

[0015] (4) In the above (3), it is preferable that the protruding end portions of the displacement suppressing protrusions of each of the metal plates face the region in the vicinity of the contact portion on the vertical wall. The displacement suppressing protrusions can abut against the region in the vicinity of the contact portion on the vertical wall to more quickly regulate the displacement of the contact portion, and the excessive bending of the bending portion can be more reliably suppressed.

[0016] (5) In any one of the above (1) to (4), it further includes a cylindrical spring member externally fitted to the male terminal mounting portion, and on the opposing surface of the spring member facing at least one of the contact portions, there is provided a spring piece that biases one of the contact portions toward the other contact portion side. This is preferable. Since a separate cylindrical spring member externally fitted to the male terminal mounting portion can apply a contact pressure to the contact portion of the male terminal, the stabilization of the connection state between the male terminal and the female terminal can be achieved with a simple structure and a high degree of design freedom.

[0017] (6) In the above (5), in the spring member, on at least one side wall facing the gap between the pair of contact portions, there is provided a male terminal pressing spring protruding toward the gap and contacting the male terminal. This is preferable. Since a male terminal pressing spring protruding toward the gap is provided on the side wall of the cylindrical spring member, when the male terminal pressing spring contacts the male terminal mounted on the male terminal mounting portion, the inclination of the male terminal can be corrected and induced to the correct mounting orientation. More preferably, by providing male terminal pressing springs on both side walls, the centering of the male terminal in the male terminal mounting portion can be more advantageously performed. Further, since the male terminal pressing spring protrudes toward the gap between the pair of contact portions, even if the contact portion is pressed by the spring piece of the spring member, the contact portion abuts against the male terminal pressing spring to ensure the gap between the pair of contact portions. Thereby, an increase in resistance due to the spring piece during insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion can be suppressed.

[0018] <Details of the Embodiment of the Present Disclosure> Specific examples of the female terminal of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, and is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0019] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, the female terminal 10 of Embodiment 1 of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 11. This female terminal 10 is provided, for example, in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and when a male terminal 12 is inserted into and makes contact with the female terminal 10, the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 are electrically connected. The location of the female terminal 10 is not limited, but for example, it is provided on the motor side component and the male terminal 12 is 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 4, "down" as the lower part in Figure 4, "front" as the left side in Figure 3, "rear" as the right side in Figure 3, "left" as the upper part in Figure 3, and "right" as the lower part in Figure 3. 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 the others.

[0020] <Female terminal 10> The female terminal 10 is constructed by assembling a pair of strip-shaped metal plates 14, 14 together. In Embodiment 1, these metal plates 14 are assembled in the vertical direction, and the pair of metal plates 14, 14 consists of an upper metal plate 14a and a lower metal plate 14b. Each metal plate 14a, 14b has a contact portion 16 (upper contact portion 16a and lower contact portion 16b) provided at one end (front end) in the longitudinal direction that contacts the male terminal 12. Each metal plate 14a, 14b also has a connection portion 20 (upper connection portion 20a and lower connection portion 20b) provided at the other end (rear end) in the longitudinal direction that connects to another energizing member 18 (shown by a dashed line in Figures 3 and 4), such as a busbar on the motor side. Furthermore, each metal plate 14a, 14b is provided with a flexible portion 22 (upper flexible portion 22a and lower flexible portion 22b) located in the intermediate region in the longitudinal direction, which allows for relative displacement between each contact portion 16a, 16b and each connecting portion 20a, 20b in the longitudinal direction.

[0021] Furthermore, each metal plate 14a, 14b is provided with displacement suppression projections 26 (upper displacement suppression projection 26a and lower displacement suppression projection 26b) that protrude from one side toward the other

[0022] In the female terminal 10, the male terminal mounting portion 30 is formed by the arrangement of contact portions 16a and 16b facing each other so as to be able to press against the male terminal 12, separated by a gap 28 into which the male terminal 12 is inserted. In addition, in the female terminal 10, the conductive connection portion 32 is formed by the overlapping of connection portions 20a and 20b in the vertical direction.

[0023] <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-rear direction, for example. This male terminal 12 extends in the front-rear direction with the above rectangular cross-section, and the base portion (front portion) of the male terminal 12 is fixed to a component on the battery side, such as a busbar, by a bolt (not shown). The male terminal 12 has a predetermined plate thickness dimension A (see Figure 4) and a predetermined plate width dimension B (see Figure 3). This male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 30 described above from front to rear.

[0024] <Metal plate 14 (upper metal plate 14a and lower metal plate 14b)> Each metal plate 14a and 14b is a strip-shaped member as described above, formed by press-forming into a predetermined shape. Each metal plate 14a and 14b has approximately equal dimensions in the front-to-back direction, and its width (left-to-right) dimension is approximately constant over its entire length in the front-to-back direction. Each metal plate 14a and 14b has approximately equal plate thickness C (see Figure 4), and the plate thickness C of each metal plate 14a and 14b is smaller than the plate thickness A of the male terminal 12. As the material for each metal plate 14a and 14b, for example, copper, a metal with excellent conductive properties, is used. Each metal plate 14a and 14b may be made of pure copper considering its conductive properties, or it may be made of a copper alloy considering the deformation performance (springiness) of each bending portion 22a and 22b and each displacement suppressing projection 26a and 26b.

[0025] <Upper metal flat plate 14a> As described above, the upper metal plate 14a has an upper contact portion 16a at its front end and an upper connecting portion 20a at its rear end, and an upper flexible portion 22a in the intermediate region in the front-rear direction. As shown in Figure 10, the upper contact portion 16a and the upper connecting portion 20a are generally flat in shape, and the upper connecting portion 20a is located a predetermined distance below the upper contact portion 16a. These upper contact portion 16a and the upper connecting portion 20a are connected by the upper flexible portion 22a, meaning that the upper contact portion 16a protrudes forward from the front end of the upper flexible portion 22a, and the upper connecting portion 20a protrudes backward from the rear end of the upper flexible portion 22a.

[0026] In Embodiment 1, the upper contact portion 16a is substantially rectangular in shape, and upwardly projecting wall portions 34, 34 are provided at both left and right edges of the upper contact portion 16a. Each upward projecting wall portion 34 is formed over substantially the entire length of the upper contact portion 16a in the front-rear direction, and an elastic locking piece 36, formed in a cut-and-bent shape, is provided in the middle portion of each upward projecting wall portion 34 in the front-rear direction. Each of these elastic locking pieces 36 protrudes outward in the left-right direction from each upward projecting wall portion 34 and is elastically deformable in the left-right direction.

[0027] Furthermore, an upper contact 38 is formed on the lower surface of the upper contact portion 16a, protruding downward in an embossed manner, and contacts the male terminal 12 when the male terminal 12 is mated. In Embodiment 1, four upper contacts 38 are formed on the lower surface of the upper contact portion 16a, and each upper contact 38 is spaced apart from each other in the front-rear and left-right directions. In a plan view (projection in the vertical direction), each of these upper contacts 38 is formed in an oval shape, with the front-rear dimension being larger than the left-right dimension. As mentioned above, since the upper metal plate 14a is formed by press-forming a strip-shaped member, a substantially oval-shaped recess 40 that opens upward is formed on the upper surface of the upper contact portion 16a at a position corresponding to each upper contact 38.

[0028] Furthermore, the upper connecting portion 20a has through holes 42 formed through it in the vertical direction, through which the crimping fixing portion 58, which will be described later and is provided in the lower connecting portion 20b, is inserted when the upper connecting portion 20b is superimposed and fixed. In Embodiment 1, four through holes 42 are formed in the upper connecting portion 20a, and each through hole 42 is spaced apart from each other in the front-rear and left-right directions. In particular, in Embodiment 1, each through hole 42 has a tapered shape in which the inner diameter gradually decreases from top to bottom, so that each crimping fixing portion 58, which is crimped as described later, does not come out of each through hole 42.

[0029] <Upper flexed portion 22a> The upper flexible portion 22a has a roughly U-shape that opens downwards as a whole, and is provided with a pair of upper vertical walls 44, 44 that extend upwards from the ends on the intermediate region side of the upper contact portion 16a and the upper connecting portion 20a, i.e., the rear end of the upper contact portion 16a and the front end of the upper connecting portion 20a. In short, each upper vertical wall 44 faces each other at a predetermined distance apart in the front-rear direction. The upper ends of each of these upper vertical walls 44 are connected by an upper bottom wall 46, which serves as a bottom wall, thereby forming the roughly U-shaped upper flexible portion 22a that opens downwards.

[0030] Before the spring member 68, described later, is assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 30, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the front and rear upper vertical walls 44 extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper contact portion 16a and the upper connection portion 20a, and the upper bottom wall 46 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to each upper vertical wall 44. That is, the upper metal plate 14a has upper bent portions 48 that bend in a substantially vertical direction at a total of four locations: the connection portion between the upper contact portion 16a and the upper vertical wall 44, the connection portion between each upper vertical wall 44 and the upper bottom wall 46, and the connection portion between the upper vertical wall 44 and the upper connection portion 20a. Then, as described later, when the upper deflection portion 22a deforms, the intersection angle of the walls on both sides of the upper bent portion 48 changes at least one of these upper bent portions 48, causing deformation of the upper deflection portion 22a.

[0031] <Upper displacement suppression projection 26a> As described above, the upper displacement suppression projection 26a is formed to protrude from the upper connection portion 20a toward the upper contact portion 16a. In Embodiment 1, a pair of upper displacement suppression projections 26a, 26a are connected to the left and right side edges of the upper connection portion 20a and protrude forward. Specifically, each upper displacement suppression projection 26a is substantially rectangular and has a flat plate portion 49 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction. The rear end of the flat plate portion 49 of each of these upper displacement suppression projections 26a is connected to the left and right side edges of the upper connection portion 20a. In addition, the protruding end (front end) 50 of each upper displacement suppression projection 26a is bent inward in the width direction (left-right direction) of the upper connection portion 20a at the front end of each flat plate portion 49. In particular, each protruding end 50 of each upper displacement suppressing projection 26a, which is bent inward in the left-right direction, is curved to be convex forward, as shown in Figures 5 and 7 (Figures 5 and 7 show each protruding end 50 of each lower displacement suppressing projection 26b), and the apex of this curved portion is an upper contact portion 52 that abuts against the opposing surface 24 (upper opposing surface 24a) on the upper contact portion 16a side.

[0032] Each upper displacement-suppressing projection 26a, shaped in this manner, protrudes forward from both the left and right edges of the upper connection portion 20a, and their front ends (each protruding end 50) are located slightly behind the front upper vertical wall 44 that is continuous with the upper contact portion 16a. Furthermore, each protruding end 50 is bent inward in the left-right direction and curved to be convex forward, so that each upper contact portion 52, which is the apex of each curved portion, abuts against the inner surface (rear surface) of the upper vertical wall 44 on the upper contact portion 16a side. In other words, the upper opposing surface 24a that faces each upper displacement-suppressing projection 26a protruding from the upper connection portion 20a side to the upper contact portion 16a side in the front-rear direction is formed by the inner surface of the upper vertical wall 44 on the upper contact portion 16a side. In other words, the protruding end 50 of each upper displacement-suppressing projection 26a faces the upper vertical wall 44 on the upper contact portion 16a side. In Embodiment 1, the protruding ends 50 of each upper displacement suppressing projection 26a face the lower portion of the upper vertical wall 44, in other words, the region near the upper contact portion 16a. In the initial state before deformation of the upper deflection portion 22a, each upper contact portion 52 may face the upper opposing surface 24a at a slight distance in the front-rear direction.

[0033] As a result, when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 30, as described later, and the upper contact portion 16a is displaced backward so as to approach the upper connection portion 20a, the lower portion of the upper vertical wall 44, which is continuous with the upper contact portion 16a, is displaced backward. The upper opposing surface 24a, formed by the inner surface of this upper vertical wall 44, then comes into contact with each protruding end 50 (each upper contact portion 52) that bends inward in the left-right direction at each upper displacement suppressing projection 26a, causing elastic deformation backward of each protruding end 50 and bulging outward in the left-right direction at each flat plate portion 49. By deforming each protruding end 50 and each flat plate portion 49 by a predetermined amount, further deformation is prevented, and in short, the backward displacement of the upper contact portion 16a accompanying the insertion of the male terminal 12 is limited to a predetermined amount. In other words, as will be described later, the displacement of the male terminal mounting portion 30 relative to the conductive connection portion 32 when the male terminal 12 is mounted on the male terminal mounting portion 30 is permitted by the upper flexible portion 22a. Furthermore, excessive displacement of the male terminal mounting portion 30 relative to the conductive connection portion 32 is suppressed by the contact of the upper displacement suppressing projection 26a with the upper opposing surface 24a.

[0034] <Lower metal flat plate 14b> Since the lower metal plate 14b has a shape similar to the upper metal plate 14a but inverted, only a brief explanation will be given for parts that have the same shape as the upper metal plate 14a. Specifically, the lower metal plate 14b has a lower contact portion 16b at its front end and a lower connecting portion 20b at its rear end, with the lower connecting portion 20b located a predetermined distance above the lower contact portion 16b. These lower contact portion 16b and lower connecting portion 20b are connected by a lower bending portion 22b. An elastic locking piece 54, formed in a cut-and-bent shape, is provided in the central part of the lower contact portion 16b. This elastic locking piece 54 protrudes downward from the lower contact portion 16b and is elastically deformable in the vertical direction. Furthermore, a notched engagement recess 55 is formed in the left-right central part of the front end of the lower contact portion 16, so that an engagement projection 86 provided on the spring member 68, which will be described later, engages with it.

[0035] Furthermore, on the upper surface of the lower contact portion 16b, similar to the upper contact portion 16a, a lower contact 56 is formed that protrudes upward in an embossed manner and contacts the male terminal 12 when the male terminal 12 is mated. In Embodiment 1, four lower contacts 56 are provided on the lower contact portion 16b at positions approximately corresponding to each upper contact 38, and each lower contact 56 is spaced apart from each other in the front-rear and left-right directions. Each lower contact 56 is also an oval shape in plan view, with its front-rear dimension being larger than its left-right dimension, and recesses (not shown) are formed on the lower surface of the lower contact portion 16b at positions corresponding to each lower contact 56.

[0036] Furthermore, in the lower connection portion 20b, crimping fixing portions 58 that protrude upward are provided at positions corresponding to each insertion hole 42 in the upper connection portion 20a. Before crimping, each crimping fixing portion 58 is, for example, roughly cylindrical in shape, and after being inserted into each insertion hole 42, the upper end is crushed and crimped to prevent it from coming out of each insertion hole 42.

[0037] <Lower deflection portion 22b> The lower flexible portion 22b has a shape that is the inverted of the upper flexible portion 22a, and as a whole it has a roughly U-shape that opens upward, and is provided with a pair of lower vertical walls 60, 60 that extend downward from the ends on the intermediate region side of the lower contact portion 16b and the lower connecting portion 20b, that is, from the rear end of the lower contact portion 16b and the front end of the lower connecting portion 20b. The lower ends of each of these lower vertical walls 60 are connected by a lower bottom wall 62 which serves as a bottom wall, thereby forming the roughly U-shaped lower flexible portion 22b that opens upward.

[0038] As a result, the lower deflection portion 22b has four lower bends 64 that bend in a substantially vertical direction at a total of four locations: the connection portion between the lower contact portion 16b and the lower vertical wall 60, the connection portion between each lower vertical wall 60 and the lower bottom wall 62, and the connection portion between the lower vertical wall 60 and the lower connection portion 20b. Then, as will be described later, when the lower deflection portion 22b deforms, the intersection angle of the walls on both sides of the lower bend 64 changes at least one of these lower bends 64, causing deformation of the lower deflection portion 22b.

[0039] <Lower displacement suppression projection 26b> The lower displacement suppression projections 26b have the same shape as the upper displacement suppression projections 26a, and a pair of lower displacement suppression projections 26b, 26b are connected to the left and right side edges of the lower connection portion 20b and protrude forward. Each lower displacement suppression projection 26b has flat plate portions 49 that protrude forward from the left and right side edges of the lower connection portion 20b, and at the front end of each flat plate portion 49 there is a protruding end portion 50 that bends inward in the width direction (inward in the left and right direction) of the lower connection portion 20b. Each protruding end portion 50 is curved to be convex forward, and the apex of this curved portion is a lower contact portion 66 that abuts against the opposing surface 24 (lower opposing surface 24b) on the lower contact portion 16b side.

[0040] Furthermore, the lower opposing surface 24b that faces each lower displacement suppressing projection 26b protruding from the lower connection portion 20b to the lower contact portion 16b in the front-rear direction is formed by the inner surface of the lower vertical wall 60 on the lower contact portion 16b side. In other words, the protruding end 50 of each lower displacement suppressing projection 26b faces the lower vertical wall 60 on the lower contact portion 16b side. In Embodiment 1, the protruding end 50 of each lower displacement suppressing projection 26b faces the lower portion of the lower vertical wall 60, in other words, the area near the lower contact portion 16b. Note that in the initial state before deformation of the lower deflection portion 22b, each lower contact portion 66 may face the lower opposing surface 24b at a small distance in the front-rear direction.

[0041] As a result, when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 30, the lower contact portion 16b is displaced backward so as to approach the lower connection portion 20b. In this case, the lower opposing surface 24b comes into contact with each lower displacement suppression projection 26b, causing elastic deformation backward of each protruding end 50 and bulging outward in the left-right direction of each flat plate portion 49. By deforming each protruding end 50 and each flat plate portion 49 by a predetermined amount, further deformation is prevented, and in short, the backward displacement of the lower contact portion 16b accompanying the insertion of the male terminal 12 is limited to a predetermined amount. That is, as will be described later, the displacement of the male terminal mounting portion 30 relative to the conductive connection portion 32 when the male terminal 12 is mounted on the male terminal mounting portion 30 is permitted by the lower bending portion 22b. In addition, excessive displacement of the male terminal mounting portion 30 relative to the conductive connection portion 32 is suppressed by the contact of the lower displacement suppression projection 26b with the lower opposing surface 24b.

[0042] The upper metal plate 14a and the lower metal plate 14b, which are shaped as described above, are fixed to each other by overlapping the upper connecting portion 20a and the lower connecting portion 20b and crimping them at each crimping fixing portion 58. The upper contact portion 16a is located above the upper connecting portion 20a, and the lower contact portion 16b is located below the lower connecting portion 20b. As the upper connecting portion 20a and the lower connecting portion 20b are overlapped and fixed to each other, the aforementioned gap 28 is formed between the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b. Thus, the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b constitute the male terminal mounting portion 30.

[0043] <Spring member 68> The female terminal 10 further includes a cylindrical spring member 68 that is fitted onto the male terminal mounting portion 30. As shown in Figure 11, the spring member 68 has an inner hole 70 through which the male terminal mounting portion 30 is inserted, extending in the front-to-back direction. The spring member 68 in Embodiment 1 is rectangular in shape and includes an upper wall 72 and a lower wall 74 that face each other in the vertical direction, and a left wall 76 and a right wall 78 that are a pair of side walls that face each other in the left-to-right direction. A spring member 68 with such a shape can be made of a hard synthetic resin or metal, for example, a copper alloy having a certain degree of springiness. In Embodiment 1, the spring member 68 is constructed by press-forming a single metal sheet made of copper alloy into the above shape.

[0044] More specifically, as described above, the male terminal mounting portion 30 (upper contact portion 16a and lower contact portion 16b) is inserted through the inner hole 70 of the spring member 68, so the inner surface 80 of the upper wall 72 and the inner surface 82 of the lower wall 74 are opposing surfaces facing the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b, respectively. Here, a spring piece 84 is formed in the middle portion in the left-right direction at the rear end of the upper wall 72, projecting downward and extending forward, and this spring piece 84 protrudes into the inner hole 70 of the spring member 68. In short, this spring piece 84 can be considered to be provided on the inner surface 80 of the upper wall 72. A curved portion 85 that is convex downward is formed at the protruding tip portion (front end portion) of this spring piece 84.

[0045] As shown in Figure 8, when the spring member 68 is externally fitted and mounted on the male terminal mounting portion 30, the curved portion 85 of the spring piece 84 protruding into the inner hole 70 contacts the upper surface of the upper contact portion 16a from above, thereby pressing the spring piece 84 upward and causing it to elastically deform. Furthermore, due to the elastic restoring force against the elastic deformation of the spring piece 84, the upper contact portion 16a is biased toward the other contact portion, the lower contact portion 16b. As a result, the upper contact portion 16a is displaced downward by the installation of the spring member 68, compared to before the installation of the spring member 68 as shown in Figures 9 and 10. In addition, along with this downward displacement of the upper contact portion 16a, the upper deflection portion 22a, which is continuous with the upper contact portion 16a, is pulled forward and tilts forward. In this state, with the spring member 68 attached to the male terminal mounting portion 30, the vertical distance D (see Figure 8) between each upper contact 38 and each lower contact 56 is made smaller than the plate thickness dimension A of the male terminal 12, so that the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 30 in a press-fit state.

[0046] Furthermore, an engaging projection 86 is formed at the center of the front end of the lower wall 74 in the left-right direction, projecting upward and folding back to the rear. When the spring member 68 is externally fitted onto the male terminal mounting portion 30 from the front, this engaging projection 86 engages with the engaging recess 55 in the lower contact portion 16b. The engagement of this engaging projection 86 with the engaging recess 55 restricts further rearward displacement of the spring member 68. In addition, a substantially rectangular locking hole 88 is formed in the upper portions of the lower wall 74 and the left wall 76 and right wall 78, respectively, penetrating them in the thickness direction. When the spring member 68 is mounted on the male terminal mounting portion 30, the elastic locking pieces 54 and 36 in the lower contact portion 16b and each of the upper protruding wall portions 34 are locked together.

[0047] Furthermore, since the male terminal mounting portion 30 is composed of an upper contact portion 16a and a lower contact portion 16b, both the left and right sides are open, and when the spring member 68 is attached to the male terminal mounting portion 30, both the left and right sides of the gap 28 are covered by the lower portions of the left wall 76 and the right wall 78 of the spring member 68. In other words, when the spring member 68 is attached to the male terminal mounting portion 30, the lower portions of the left wall 76 and the right wall 78 face the gap 28 between the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b. Male terminal pressing springs 90 are provided on these lower portions of the left wall 76 and the right wall 78, protruding toward the gap 28 and contacting the male terminal 12 when the male terminal 12 is inserted. In Embodiment 1, a plurality of male terminal pressing springs 90 are provided, and two male terminal pressing springs 90 are arranged in the lower portions of the left wall 76 and the right wall 78, separated from each other in the front-rear direction. Each of these male terminal pressing springs 90 is formed in a cut-and-bent shape in the lower portions of the left wall 76 and the right wall 78, and as shown in Figure 7, it protrudes inward in the left-right direction, allowing for elastic deformation in the left-right direction. That is, a portion of each male terminal pressing spring 90 is located in the gap 28 between the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b in the vertical direction.

[0048] As shown in Figure 7, before the insertion of the male terminal 12, the distance E between the opposing male terminal pressing springs 90 in the left-right direction is smaller than the plate width dimension B of the male terminal 12. As a result, when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 30 (gap 28), the left and right sides of the male terminal 12 press each male terminal pressing spring 90 outward in the left-right direction, and the elastic deformation of each male terminal pressing spring 90 outward in the left-right direction allows for further insertion of the male terminal 12. When the male terminal 12 is inserted, the elastic recovery deformation of each male terminal pressing spring 90 presses each male terminal pressing spring 90 against both the left and right sides of the male terminal 12, ensuring sufficient contact pressure.

[0049] <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.

[0050] First, the upper metal plate 14a and the lower metal plate 14b are press-formed into the aforementioned shape and positioned opposite each other vertically as shown in Figure 10. Then, each crimping fixing portion 58 of the lower connecting portion 20b is inserted into each insertion hole 42 of the upper connecting portion 20a, and the upper connecting portion 20a and the lower connecting portion 20b are superimposed. After that, each crimping fixing portion 58 is crushed and crimped to fix the upper metal plate 14a and the lower metal plate 14b. This forms a male terminal mounting portion 30 with a gap 28 between the vertical and horizontal parts, and also forms a conductive connection portion 32. Next, the spring member 68 is fitted onto the male terminal mounting portion 30 from the front. At this time, the elastic locking pieces 36 and 54 provided on each upper protruding wall portion 34 and the lower contact portion 16b are locked into the locking holes 88 provided on the spring member 68, and the engaging projection 86 provided on the spring member 68 engages with the engaging recess 55 provided on the lower contact portion 16b. As a result, the spring member 68 is attached to the male terminal mounting portion 30. By attaching the spring member 68 to the male terminal mounting portion 30, as described above, the upper contact portion 16a is displaced downward by the spring piece 84 compared to before attachment, resulting in the state shown in Figure 8. This completes the female terminal 10.

[0051] <Connection between female terminal 10 and male terminal 12> As described above, the male terminal 12 is inserted from the front into the male terminal mounting portion 30 (gap 28) of the female terminal 10. Since the vertical distance D between each upper contact 38 and each lower contact 56 is smaller than the plate thickness dimension A of the male terminal 12, inserting the male terminal 12 into the gap 28 causes each upper contact 38 (upper contact portion 16a) and each lower contact 56 (lower contact portion 16b) to be pushed outward in the vertical direction by both the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12. Also, since the horizontal distance E between each male terminal pressing spring 90 is smaller than the plate width dimension B of the male terminal 12, inserting the male terminal 12 into the gap 28 causes each male terminal pressing spring 90 to be pushed outward in the horizontal direction by both the left and right surfaces of the male terminal 12. As a result, when the male terminal 12 is inserted, the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b elastically return to their original shape, and each upper contact 38 and each lower contact 56 press against both the upper and lower surfaces of the male terminal 12. This ensures contact pressure between each upper contact 38 and each lower contact 56 and the male terminal 12, thereby electrically connecting the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12. Also, when the male terminal 12 is inserted, each male terminal pressing spring 90 elastically returns to its original shape, and each male terminal pressing spring 90 presses against both the left and right surfaces of the male terminal 12. This ensures contact pressure between each male terminal pressing spring 90 and the male terminal 12, thereby stably holding the male terminal 12. In particular, if the spring member 68 is made of a metal with excellent conductivity, the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 can also be electrically connected through the spring member 68 (each male terminal pressing spring 90).

[0052] With the female terminal 10 having the structure described above, when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 30, for example, as shown by the thick black solid line in Figure 6, if an external force is applied in a direction that brings the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 closer together, that is, if an external force is applied in a direction that brings the conductive connection portion 32 and the male terminal mounting portion 30 closer together, deformation occurs in each upper bent portion 48 and each lower bent portion 64, causing the lower end of each upper vertical wall 44 to deform in a direction that brings them closer together, and the upper end of each lower vertical wall 60 to deform in a direction that brings them closer together. Here, in Embodiment 1, each upper displacement suppression projection 26a protrudes from the upper connection portion 20a side to the upper contact portion 16a side, and as the front upper vertical wall 44 is displaced backward, the upper opposing surface 24a, which is the inner surface of the upper vertical wall 44, comes into contact with the protruding end 50 of the upper displacement suppression projection 26a. As a result, each protruding end 50 and each flat plate portion 49 of each upper displacement suppressing projection 26a undergoes elastic deformation by a predetermined amount, meaning that displacement beyond that is suppressed. The same applies to each lower displacement suppressing projection 26b. Therefore, excessive displacement in the front-rear direction between the conductive connection portion 32 and the male terminal mounting portion 30, and consequently between the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12, is suppressed, preventing damage to the female terminal 10, etc.

[0053] Furthermore, when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion 30, for example, as shown by the thick black dashed line in Figure 6, if an upward external force is applied to the male terminal 12, that is, if an upward external force is applied to the male terminal mounting portion 30, the upper and lower bending portions 22a and 22b elastically deform in response to the displacement of the male terminal 12, thereby maintaining the contact state between each upper contact 38 and each lower contact 56 and the male terminal 12. The basic configuration is the same even when a downward external force is applied to the male terminal 12, only the orientation is reversed. In particular, when an upward external force is applied to the male terminal 12, the upper contact portion 16a is displaced upward against the downward biasing force of the spring piece 84 in the spring member 68, and the elastic restoring force of the spring piece 84 (downward biasing force by the spring piece 84) stably maintains the contact state between each upper contact 38 and the male terminal 12. Note that in Figure 6, the deformation states of each bending portion 22a, 22b, indicated by the dashed-dot lines and single-dotted-dot lines, may be exaggerated compared to reality.

[0054] Furthermore, when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the male terminal mounting section 30, if an external force is applied to the male terminal 12 in the left-right direction, the displacement of the male terminal 12 is permitted by the deformation of the left or right male terminal pressing springs 90. In addition, even when an external force is applied to the male terminal 12 around the rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction or in the left-right direction, the male terminal 12 maintains contact with each upper contact 38 and / or each lower contact 56, and even when an external force is applied around the rotation axis extending in the up-down direction, the displacement is permitted by the deformation of the left and right male terminal pressing springs 90. As a result, the electrical connection between the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 is maintained regardless of whether the male terminal 12 is displaced relative to the female terminal 10 in the front-rear, left-right, or up-down direction. Furthermore, even when the male terminal 12 is rotated relative to the female terminal 10 around a rotation axis extending in any of the following directions—front-to-back, left-to-right, or up-and-down—the electrical connection between the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 is maintained.

[0055] The thickness dimension C of each metal plate 14a and 14b is smaller than the thickness dimension A of the male terminal 12. In other words, by reducing the thickness dimension of each metal plate 14a and 14b to a certain extent, stable elastic deformation can be generated in each metal plate 14a and 14b. Furthermore, the female terminal 10 is constructed by overlapping two metal plates 14a and 14b, which allows for a relatively large cross-sectional area in the current path, enabling it to handle high currents.

[0056] Each upper displacement-suppressing projection 26a is provided in pairs on both the left and right sides, protruding from the upper connection portion 20a side to the upper contact portion 16a side. The protruding end 50 of each upper displacement-suppressing projection 26a faces the upper opposing surface 24a, which is the inner surface of the upper vertical wall 44 on the upper contact portion 16a side, in the front-rear direction. The lower displacement-suppressing projections 26b have a similar configuration. In other words, the female terminal 10 is provided with a total of four displacement-suppressing projections 26a, 26b on both the upper and lower sides and on both the left and right sides, so that the electrical connection between the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12 can be stably maintained even with respect to displacement in all directions (including rotational displacement).

[0057] In particular, the protruding ends 50 of each displacement-suppressing projection 26a, 26b face the vicinity of each contact portion 16a, 16b on the upper and lower vertical walls 44, 60. As a result, when each contact portion 16a, 16b is displaced backward and each vertical wall 44, 60 (each opposing surface 24a, 24b) comes into contact with the protruding ends 50 of each displacement-suppressing projection 26a, 26b, each opposing surface 24a, 24b can quickly come into contact with each protruding end 50 (each contact portion 52, 66). This makes it possible to limit the relative displacement between the male terminal 12 and the female terminal 10 relatively early.

[0058] The female terminal 10 is equipped with a spring member 68 that is externally fitted onto the male terminal mounting portion 30, and the spring member 68 is provided with a spring piece 84 that biases the upper contact portion 16a downward. This allows for stable maintenance of the contact state between the upper contact portion 16a (each upper contact 38) and the male terminal 12. Furthermore, the spring member 68 is provided with male terminal pressing springs 90 that protrude inward in the left-right direction and contact the male terminal 12 on the left wall 76 and the right wall 78. This allows for stable holding of the male terminal 12 even when the male terminal 12 is displaced in the left-right direction. In particular, if the spring member 68 is made of a metal with excellent conductivity, the electrical connection between the male terminal 12 and the female terminal 10 can be maintained more reliably even when the male terminal 12 is displaced in the left-right direction.

[0059] Furthermore, since each male terminal pressing spring 90 is inserted between the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b in the vertical direction, it can function as a guide when assembling the spring member 68 to the male terminal mounting portion 30. In addition, the spring piece 84 of the spring member 68 biases the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b toward each other, and the position of each male terminal pressing spring 90 between the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b ensures that the gap 28 between the upper contact portion 16a and the lower contact portion 16b is stably secured before inserting the male terminal 12, thereby reducing the insertion resistance when inserting the male terminal 12.

[0060] <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.

[0061] (1) In the above embodiment, each upper displacement suppression projection 26a protruded from the upper connection portion 20a side to the upper contact portion 16a side, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment, and each upper displacement suppression projection may protrude from the upper contact portion side to the upper connection portion side. Also, in the above embodiment, each upper displacement suppression projection 26a protruded from both the left and right sides of the upper connection portion 20a, but it may protrude from only one side of the upper connection portion. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each upper displacement suppression projection 26a protruded straight forward from the upper connection portion 20a, and each protruding end 50 faced the area near the upper contact portion 16a on the upper vertical wall 44, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment. The upper displacement suppression projection may, for example, be inclined in a direction that gradually becomes upward or downward as it moves forward, or it may, for example, protrude from the intermediate vertical portion on the rear upper vertical wall toward the intermediate vertical portion on the front upper vertical wall. By adjusting the vertical position of each displacement-suppressing projection in this way, the amount of deformation of the upper deflection portion when the male terminal is displaced relative to the female terminal can be appropriately set. The same configuration as that of the upper displacement-suppressing projections can also be used for each lower displacement-suppressing projection.

[0062] (2) In the above embodiment, a cylindrical spring member 68 fitted onto the male terminal mounting portion 30 was used in the female terminal 10, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, clip-shaped spring members that bias the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion constituting the male terminal mounting portion from both the left and right sides may be assembled to them. Note that in the female terminal according to this disclosure, a spring member that biases the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion toward each other is not essential. Furthermore, the upper contact and the lower contact are not limited to embossed shapes as in the above embodiment, and may be provided by folding back from the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion, or by cutting and raising a part of the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion.

[0063] (3) In the above embodiment, the spring piece 84 of the spring member 68 is provided on the inner surface 80 of the upper wall 72, and when the spring member 68 is attached to the male terminal mounting portion 30, the upper contact portion 16a is biased toward the lower contact portion 16b by the spring piece 84, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The spring piece of the spring member may be provided on the lower wall instead of the upper wall, or in addition to the upper wall, and instead of biasing the upper contact portion toward the lower contact portion, or in addition to the lower contact portion, may be biased toward the upper contact portion. Also, in the above embodiment, each male terminal pressing spring 90 that contacts the male terminal 12 from the side (left and right direction) when the male terminal 12 is inserted is provided on the left wall 76 and the right wall 78 of the spring member 68, but the male terminal pressing spring may be provided on only one of the left wall or the right wall. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0064] 10 female terminal 12 male terminal 14 Metal flat plate 14a Upper metal plate 14b Lower metal plate 16 Contact area 16a Upper contact part 16b Lower contact part 18 Other energized components 20 Connection part 20a Upper connection part 20b Lower connection section 22. Flexible section 22a Upper deflection portion 22b Lower deflection section 24 Opposing surfaces 24a Upper opposing surface 24b Lower facing surface 26 Displacement-inhibiting protrusions 26a Upper displacement suppression projection 26b Lower displacement suppression projection 28 gaps 30 Male terminal mounting section 32 Conductive connection 34 Upper projecting wall part 36 Elastic locking piece 38 Upper contact 40 recess 42 Through hole 44 Upper vertical wall (vertical wall) 46 Upper bottom wall (bottom wall) 48 Upper bent section 49 Flat plate part 50 Protruding end 52 Upper contact part 54 Elastic locking piece 55 Engagement recess 56 Lower contact 58 Crimped fixing part 60 Lower vertical wall (vertical wall) 62 Lower bottom wall (bottom wall) 64 Lower bend 66 Lower contact part 68 Spring component 70 Inner bore 72 Upper wall 74 Lower wall 76 Left wall (side wall) 78 Right wall (side wall) 80 (Inner surface of the upper wall) (opposite surface) 82 (Inner surface of the lower wall) (opposite surface) 84 spring pieces 85 Curved section 86 Engaging projection 88 Locking hole 90 Male terminal pressing spring A. Thickness dimensions of the male terminal B Male terminal board width dimension C. Thickness dimensions of metal flat plates D. The distance between the upper and lower contacts in the vertical direction. E. The distance between opposing male terminal pressing springs in the left-right direction.

Claims

1. It is constructed by assembling a pair of strip-shaped metal plates together. Each of the metal plates has a contact portion provided on one end in the longitudinal direction that contacts a male terminal, a connection portion provided on the other end in the longitudinal direction that connects to another current-carrying member, a flexible portion provided in the intermediate region in the longitudinal direction that allows relative displacement between the contact portion and the connection portion in the longitudinal direction, and at least one displacement-suppressing projection that protrudes from one side of the contact portion and the connection portion toward the other side in the longitudinal direction and is positioned opposite to the opposing surface on the other side. A pair of the aforementioned contact portions are arranged opposite each other so as to be able to press against the male terminal with a gap in which the male terminal is inserted, thereby forming a male terminal mounting portion. The pair of aforementioned connecting parts are superimposed on each other to form a conductive connection part. A female terminal in which, when the male terminal is mounted on the male terminal mounting portion, the displacement of the male terminal mounting portion relative to the conductive connection portion is permitted by the flexible portion, and excessive displacement of the male terminal mounting portion relative to the conductive connection portion is suppressed by the contact of the displacement suppressing projection with the opposing surface.

2. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the thickness dimension of each of the metal plates is smaller than the thickness dimension of the male terminal.

3. Each of the metal plates has a bending portion comprising a pair of vertical walls extending vertically from the ends on the intermediate region side of the contact portion and the connecting portion, and a bottom wall that connects each of the vertical walls at their ends in the vertical direction. The female terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the displacement-suppressing projections of the metal plate includes a pair of displacement-suppressing projections connected to both side edges of the connecting portion, and the protruding end of each displacement-suppressing projection is bent inward in the width direction of the connecting portion and is positioned opposite to the vertical wall extending from the contact portion that constitutes the opposing surface.

4. The female terminal according to claim 3, wherein the protruding end of the displacement-suppressing projection of each of the metal plates faces the region near the contact portion on the vertical wall.

5. The invention further includes a cylindrical spring member that is fitted onto the male terminal mounting portion, The female terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the opposing surfaces of the spring member facing the contact portion is provided with a spring piece that biases one of the contact portions toward the other contact portion.

6. The female terminal according to claim 5, wherein at least one side wall of the spring member facing the gap between the pair of contact portions has a male terminal pressing spring protruding toward the gap and in contact with the male terminal.

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