Connector Unit

Abstract

To provide a terminal excellent in assembling workability with a counterpart terminal.SOLUTION: A terminal 30 is electrically connected while being pressed and contacted on a counterpart terminal 50. The terminal 30 is equipped with a contact portion 35 that is electrically connected with a conductive portion 51 of the counterpart terminal 50, an abutting portion 36 that abuts on a portion 43 to be abutted different from the conductive portion 51, and a coupling portion 37 that couples the contact portion 35 and the abutting portion 36 and can be elastically deformed. The terminal 30 is configured to displace so that the abutting portion 36 abuts on the portion 43 to be abutted and comes close to the conductive portion 51 and displace so that the contact portion 35 comes close to the conductive portion 51 and to press-contact the contact portion 35 on the conductive portion 51 with the elastic deformation of the coupling portion 37, when assembling the terminal 30 and the counterpart terminal 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal and a connector unit using the terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Connector units have been proposed that electrically connect a terminal and a mating terminal in a state of being pressed into contact with each other. For example, a terminal used in this type of connector unit is a terminal (so-called clip terminal) that has a U-shape as a whole so as to sandwich the mating terminal between a pair of contact parts (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The clip terminal is applied to, for example, a service plug that is used to cut off a high-voltage battery mounted on an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like, from an on-board circuit during maintenance or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-220129 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2006-260794 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the above-mentioned conventional terminal is electrically connected while approaching the mating terminal, a frictional force generated between the terminal and the mating terminal is applied to the terminal in a direction that prevents the terminal from moving. The external force required to connect the terminal while moving it against the frictional force is hereinafter referred to as "insertion force". In particular, when both the terminal and the mating terminal are plated with the same plating material, the friction coefficient between them may increase due to localized frictional bonding at the interface between the two, and a large insertion force may be required. Furthermore, if such a large insertion force is required and the amount of movement of the terminal relative to the mating terminal is large, it is difficult to improve the workability of assembling the terminals.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal that is excellent in workability for assembling with a mating terminal. Using A connector unit is provided. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the connector unit according to the present invention comprises the following components: of It is characterized by: [1] A connector unit including a mating connector having a mating terminal, and a connector having a terminal that is to be electrically connected in a state of being in pressure contact with the mating terminal, The mating connector is A conductive portion provided on the mating terminal; a contact portion different from the conductive portion, The terminal is a contact portion to be electrically connected to the conductive portion; an abutting portion that comes into contact with the abutted portion; a connecting portion that is elastically deformable and connects the contact portion and the abutment portion, When the connector and the mating connector are mated, the abutting portion abuts against the abutted portion and is displaced so as to approach the conductive portion, and the contact portion is displaced so as to approach the conductive portion, and the contact portion is pressed into contact with the conductive portion with elastic deformation of the connecting portion, The terminal is A pair of the contact portions arranged to face each other in an opposing direction; A pair of the abutment portions arranged to face each other in the opposing direction; A pair of the connecting portions arranged to face each other in the opposing direction; a pair of flat board portions arranged to face each other in the opposing direction and extending in a direction of connection with the mating terminal, one end of the board portion on one side in the opposing direction in the connecting direction being connected to one side portion that is continuous and includes the contact portion, the connecting portion, and the abutment portion located on one side in the opposing direction, and one end of the board portion on the other side in the opposing direction in the connecting direction being connected to the other side portion that is continuous and includes the contact portion, the connecting portion, and the abutment portion located on the other side in the opposing direction; a flat top plate portion that connects the one end and the other end of the pair of substrate portions opposite to each other in the connection direction and extends in the opposing direction; The clip-shaped member includes a The pair of substrate portions of the terminals are press-fitted and fixed to grooves provided in the connector and opening on the one end side in the connection direction. Cage , The contact portion has a curved shape so as to protrude toward the conductive portion, The contact portion has a curved shape so as to protrude toward the contacted portion, The terminal is: a distance between the pair of contact portions is increased by expanding the gap between the pair of contact portions by the contacted portions, and each of the pair of contact portions is configured to be in pressing contact with the corresponding conductive portion. Or, a distance between the pair of contact portions is reduced by pressing and narrowing the gap between the pair of contact portions by the contacted portions, and each of the pair of contact portions is configured to be in pressing contact with the corresponding conductive portion. It is a connector unit 。

[0007] The above configuration [1] Connector Unit According to When mating a mating connector having a mating terminal with a connector having a terminal that is to be electrically connected in a state of being in pressure contact with the mating terminal,The contact portion of the terminal comes into contact with the contacted portion and is displaced so as to approach the conductive portion, and the contact portion is displaced so as to approach the conductive portion. The displaced contact portion comes into pressure contact with the conductive portion accompanied by elastic deformation of the connecting portion. In other words, unless the contact portion is displaced, the contact portion is located away from the conductive portion, so no frictional force is generated between the contact portion and the conductive portion. As an example, when the terminal is brought close to the mating terminal to connect the two, the timing at which the contact portion of the terminal starts to come into pressure contact with the conductive portion of the mating terminal can be adjusted by adjusting the timing at which the contact portion and the contacted portion come into contact. In addition, for example, by forming the contacted portion from a resin or the like, the frictional force generated between the contact portion and the contacted portion can be reduced. As a result, the distance by which the terminal is moved relative to the mating terminal in a state in which the contact portion is in pressure contact with the conductive portion (i.e., in a state in which an insertion force is required) can be shortened. As a result, in this configuration, Connector Unit is the conventional terminal Connector unit having Compared to the above, it is easier to assemble with the mating terminal.

[0008] Furthermore, the above[ 1 According to the connector unit having the configuration of [1], the contact portion has a curved shape so as to protrude toward the conductive portion, so that the contact portion can slide smoothly against the conductive portion. The same applies to the sliding between the contact portion and the contacted portion. As a result, the connector unit having this configuration is further excellent in workability in assembling with the mating terminal.

[0009] Furthermore, the above[ 1According to a connector unit having the configuration of [1], the gap between the pair of contact parts of the terminal having a clip-like shape is pushed wider by the abutted parts (for example, the pair of abutted parts sandwich the abutted parts), so that the distance between the pair of contact parts of the terminal increases, and each of the pair of contact parts comes into pressing contact with the corresponding conductive part. Conversely, the gap between the pair of contact parts of the terminal having a clip-like shape is pushed narrower by the abutted parts (for example, the pair of abutted parts are sandwiched by the abutted parts), so that the distance between the pair of contact parts of the terminal decreases, and each of the pair of contact parts comes into pressing contact with the corresponding conductive part. In this way, according to the connector unit having this configuration, the present invention can be specifically realized as a terminal having a clip-like shape. Effect of the Invention

[0011] Thus, according to the present invention, a terminal having excellent workability is provided. Using Connector units can be provided.

[0012] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description of the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connector unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 for explaining the operation when the terminal and the mating terminal are connected, FIG. 3(a) shows the state before the terminal and the mating terminal are connected (the state during the mating operation of the connector and the mating connector), and FIG. 3(b) shows the state after the connection of the terminal and the mating terminal is completed (the state after the mating of the connector and the mating connector is completed). [Figure 4] 4(a) and 4(b) are views corresponding to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), respectively, of a connector unit according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a connector unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the connector unit 1 includes a connector 2 and a mating connector 3. When the connector 2 and the mating connector 3 are mated, a terminal 30 (see Fig. 2) accommodated in the connector 2 and a mating terminal 50 (see Fig. 2) accommodated in the mating connector 3 are electrically connected.

[0015] The connector unit 1 is typically mounted on electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, etc., and used as a service plug for disconnecting the on-board high-voltage battery from the on-board circuit during maintenance, etc., to ensure the safety of workers. For ease of explanation, the following definitions are given for the "front-rear direction," "width direction," "up-down direction," "front," "rear," "upper," and "lower" as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. The "front-rear direction," "width direction," and "up-down direction" are perpendicular to each other.

[0016] 1 and 2, the connector 2 includes a housing 10, a lever 20 rotatably supported by the housing 10, and a terminal 30 accommodated in the housing 10. The mating connector 3 includes a mating housing 40 and a mating terminal 50 accommodated in the mating housing 40. First, each of the components constituting the connector 2 will be described below in order.

[0017] First, the housing 10 will be described. The resin housing 10 has a generally flat plate shape that extends in the width direction and the front-rear direction and is long in the front-rear direction, as shown in Fig. 1. A fitting portion 11 is formed in the center of the lower surface of the housing 10 in the front-rear direction, as shown in Fig. 2. The fitting portion 11 has a fitting space 12 that opens downward. The fitting portion 11 fits into a fitting portion 41 of a mating housing 40, which will be described later.

[0018] 2, a groove 13 that is recessed upward and opens downward is formed in the widthwise center of the fitting portion 11 so as to extend in the front-rear direction within the fitting space 12. A pair of substrate portions 32 of the terminal 30, which will be described later, are press-fitted and fixed in the groove 13.

[0019] Next, the lever 20 will be described. The lever 20 serves to assist the fitting operation between the housing 10 and the mating housing 40. As shown in Fig. 1, the resin lever 20 is composed of a pair of arm portions 21 extending in the front-rear direction, and a connecting portion 22 connecting one ends of the pair of arm portions 21 to each other and extending in the width direction.

[0020] Fulcrum parts 24 located near tip parts 23 on the connecting part 22 side of tip parts (other ends) 23 of the pair of arm parts 21 are rotatably supported by the housing 10 on both outer sides in the width direction of the housing 10. As a result, the lever 20 is rotatable with respect to the housing 10 about the pair of fulcrums 24 between a first position (lying down, see FIG. 1) where the connecting part 22 is located in front of the front end of the housing 10, and a second position (standing up) where the connecting part 22 is located above the fulcrum parts 24.

[0021] Next, the terminal 30 will be described. The terminal 30 is a so-called clip terminal having a substantially U-shaped configuration when viewed from the front-rear direction, as shown in Fig. 2. The terminal 30 is formed by subjecting a long and narrow rectangular metal plate to pressing, bending, and other processes.

[0022] Specifically, the terminal 30 is composed of a flat top plate portion 31 extending in the width direction and the front-rear direction, a pair of flat base plate portions 32 hanging down from both width direction ends of the top plate portion 31 to face each other in the width direction and extending in the front-rear direction, a pair of first curved portions 33 continuing from the lower sides of the pair of base portions 32, curving to protrude outward in the width direction and extending in the front-rear direction, and a pair of second curved portions 34 continuing from the lower sides of the pair of first curved portions 33, curving to protrude inward in the width direction and extending in the front-rear direction. The entire surface of the terminal 30 is plated with a metal material such as tin and silver.

[0023] Here, the apex of the first curved portion 33 (the portion located outermost in the width direction) constitutes the contact portion 35, the apex of the second curved portion 34 (the portion located innermost in the width direction) constitutes the abutment portion 36, and a portion connecting the contact portion 35 and the abutment portion 36 constitutes a connecting portion 37 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3(a), when the terminal 30 is not elastically deformed, the pair of contact portions 35 are located outward in the width direction from the pair of abutment portions 36. A distance C between the widthwise outer end faces of the pair of contact portions 35 and a distance B between the widthwise inner end faces of the pair of abutment portions 36 can change due to elastic deformation of the terminal 30 in the width direction.

[0024] A pair of substrate portions 32 of terminal 30 are press-fitted and fixed in groove portion 13 of housing 10 (see FIG. 2). As a result, terminal 30 protrudes downward from mating space 12 of mating portion 11, and is fixed to housing 10 such that a pair of contact portions 35 and a pair of abutment portions 36 are located below the opening of mating portion 11. Each of the components constituting connector 2 has been described above. Next, each of the components constituting mating housing 40 will be described in order.

[0025] First, the mating housing 40 will be described. The resin mating housing 40 extends in the width direction and the front-rear direction and is long in the front-rear direction as shown in Fig. 1. A mating portion 41 is formed in the center of the mating housing 40 in the front-rear direction as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The mating portion 41 has a mating space 42 that opens upward.

[0026] A flat abutted portion 43 extending in the vertical direction is provided in the center of the width direction of the fitting portion 41 so as to extend in the front-rear direction within the fitting space 42. The resin abutted portion 43 is inserted between the pair of abutting portions 36 of the terminal 30. A pair of tapered surfaces 43a inclined from the vertical direction are formed at the upper end corners of the resin abutted portion 43 so as to extend in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the mating housing 40 is provided with a pair of engaging protrusions 44 which engage with the pair of tip portions 23 of the lever 20 when the lever 20 rotates from the second position to the first position.

[0027] Next, the mating terminal 50 will be described. The metal mating terminal 50 is fixed to the mating portion 41 of the mating housing 40. The mating terminal 50 has a pair of flat conductive portions 51 that face each other in the width direction and extend in the front-rear direction. The pair of conductive portions 51 define a pair of widthwise end faces of the mating space 42. The pair of contact portions 35 of the terminal 30 are inserted between the pair of conductive portions 51. One conductive portion 51 is electrically connected to the high-voltage battery mounted on the vehicle, and the other conductive portion 51 is electrically connected to the vehicle circuit. The entire surface of the mating terminal 50 is plated with the same metal material as the terminal 30.

[0028] 3(a), when the terminal 30 is not elastically deformed, the width A of the abutted portion 43 is larger than the distance B between the pair of abutting portions 36 of the terminal 30 (A>B), and the distance D between the widthwise inner end faces of the pair of conductive portions 51 is equal to or larger than the distance C between the pair of contact portions 35 (D≧C). The components that make up the mating housing 40 have been described above.

[0029] Next, a description will be given of the mating operation between the connector 2 and the mating connector 3. To mate the connector 2 and the mating connector 3, first, the housing 10 and the mating housing 40 are positioned so that the mating portion 11 of the housing 10 is located above the mating portion 41 of the mating housing 40 with the lever 20 maintained in the second position (upright position).

[0030] Next, the housing 10 and the mating housing 40 are brought closer to each other in the vertical direction, and the mating portion 11 and the mating portion 41 are semi-fitted. In this process, the pair of contact portions 36 of the terminal 30 first contact the pair of tapered surfaces 43a of the contacted portion 43, and then slide on the tapered surfaces 43a while increasing the amount of elastic deformation outward in the width direction due to the outward component of the force received from the tapered surfaces 43a in the width direction. That is, while the pair of contact portions 36 slide on the pair of tapered surfaces 43a, the interval B (see FIG. 3(a)) gradually increases, and the interval C (see FIG. 3(a)) also increases accordingly. Note that the terminal 30 is not elastically deformed before the pair of contact portions 36 contact the pair of tapered surfaces 43a. Therefore, even if the pair of contact portions 35 enter between the pair of conductive portions 51, the pair of contact portions 35 will not press and contact the pair of conductive portions 51 due to the above-mentioned relationship "D≧C."

[0031] Here, the frictional force generated when the metal abutting portion 36 and the resin abutted portion 43 (tapered surface 43a) rub against each other is smaller than the frictional force generated between metals. Therefore, even if the inclination angle of the tapered surface 43a from the vertical direction is increased, the vertical force (so-called insertion force) required to advance the fitting of the housing 10 and the mating housing 40 can be easily maintained at a small value. Therefore, the inclination angle of the tapered surface 43a from the vertical direction can be increased to shorten the vertical length of the tapered surface 43a, so that the vertical movement amount (stroke) of the housing 10 relative to the mating housing 40 while the pair of abutting portions 36 rub against the tapered surface 43a can be reduced.

[0032] When the pair of contact parts 36 pass the lower end edges of the pair of tapered surfaces 43a, the increase in the amount of elastic deformation of the pair of contact parts 36 outward in the width direction (i.e., the increase in the intervals B and C) stops, and the pair of contact parts 36 rub against the pair of side surfaces of the contacted part 43 with which they are in pressing contact. At this stage, the interval B is expanded to the width A of the contacted part 43, so that the interval C between the pair of contact parts 35 also tends to become larger than the interval D between the pair of conductive parts 51 (see FIG. 3(a)). However, at this stage, since the pair of contact parts 35 have already entered between the pair of conductive parts 51, the interval C cannot become larger than the interval D. As a result, the pair of contact parts 35 come into pressing contact with the pair of conductive parts 51 with the elastic deformation of the pair of connecting parts 37.

[0033] In this manner, when the mating portion 11 and the mating portion 41 are semi-engaged, the spacing B between the pair of abutting portions 36 is pushed apart by the abutted portion 43, thereby increasing the spacing C between the pair of contact portions 35 (see the white arrows pointing outward in the width direction in Figure 3(b)), and the pair of contact portions 35 are in pressing contact with the pair of conductive portions 51.

[0034] Next, the connecting portion 22 of the lever 20 is pushed forward and downward to rotate the lever 20 from the second position (upright position) to the first position (lying position). In this process, the pair of tip portions 23 of the lever 20 continue to press the pair of engagement protrusions 44 of the mating housing 40 upward (see FIG. 1), and the lever 20 (i.e., the housing 10 supporting the lever 20) moves downward relative to the mating housing 40 (i.e., the mating progresses) due to the "principle of leverage" with the fulcrum portion 24 as the fulcrum, the connecting portion 22 as the force point, and the tip portion 23 as the action point. In this way, the lever 20 functions to assist the mating operation of the housing 10 and the mating housing 40.

[0035] In this manner, in the process of mating progressing by the rotation of lever 20, as described above, the pair of abutting portions 36 rub against the pair of side surfaces of contacted portion 43 with which they are in pressing contact, and the pair of contact portions 35 rub against the inner wall surfaces of the pair of conductive portions 51 with which they are in pressing contact. Here, the frictional force between metal contact portion 35 and metal conductive portion 51 is greater than the frictional force between metal abutting portion 36 and resin contacted portion 43. This is because the coefficient of friction is likely to be large due to localized frictional bonding occurring at the interface between terminal 30 and mating terminal 50, which are plated with the same plating material.

[0036] That is, at this stage, the insertion force is likely to be large. However, due to the above-mentioned "principle of leverage," the lever 20 can be easily rotated (i.e., the mating can be advanced) by simply pressing the connecting portion 22 of the lever 20 with a small force. Furthermore, in the process in which the gap C between the pair of contact portions 35 is increasing, the pair of contact portions 35 are not in pressing contact with the pair of conductive portions 51, so that the amount (stroke) of vertical movement of the housing 10 with respect to the mating housing 40 in a state in which the pair of contact portions 35 rub against the inner wall surfaces of the pair of conductive portions 51 can be reduced.

[0037] When the lever 20 reaches the first position as the rotation of the lever 20 progresses, the mating of the mating portion 11 and the mating portion 41 (i.e., the mating of the connector 2 and the mating connector 3) is completed, and the connector unit 1 shown in Fig. 1 is obtained. When the mating of the connector 2 and the mating connector 3 is complete, as shown in Fig. 2, each of the pair of contact portions 35 of the terminal 30 is pressed into contact with the corresponding conductive portion 51 of the mating terminal 50 and is electrically connected. As a result, the on-board high-voltage battery connected to one conductive portion 51 and the on-board circuit connected to the other conductive portion 51 are electrically connected via the terminal 30.

[0038] In this manner, when vehicle maintenance is performed with the connector 2 and the mating connector 3 completely fitted together, the connector 2 is removed from the mating connector 3. This cuts off the connection between the terminal 30 and the mating terminal 50, and cuts off the electrical connection between the pair of conductive parts 51, thereby cutting off the connection between the high-voltage battery and the on-board circuit. As a result, the safety of the maintenance worker is ensured.

[0039] <Actions and Effects> As described above, according to the terminal 30 and the connector unit 1 of the present embodiment, when the mating connector 3 having the mating terminal 50 is fitted to the connector 2 having the terminal 30 to be electrically connected in a state of being in pressing contact with the mating terminal 50, the pair of abutting portions 36 of the terminal 30 are pushed apart by the abutted portion 43 and displaced so as to approach the pair of conductive portions 51, and the pair of contact portions 35 are also displaced so as to approach the pair of conductive portions 51. Then, the pair of contact portions 35 displaced in this manner come into pressing contact with the pair of conductive portions 51 with the elastic deformation of the respective connecting portions 37. In other words, unless the abutting portion 36 is displaced, the contact portion 35 is located away from the conductive portion 51, so that no frictional force is generated between the contact portion 35 and the conductive portion 51. That is, by adjusting the timing at which the abutting portion 36 comes into contact with the abutted portion 43, the timing at which the pressing contact between the contact portion 35 of the terminal 30 and the conductive portion 51 of the mating terminal 50 starts can be adjusted. Furthermore, by making the contacted portion 43 out of resin, it is possible to reduce the frictional force generated between the contact portion 36 and the contacted portion 43. As a result, it is possible to shorten the vertical distance over which the terminal 30 is moved relative to the mating terminal 50 in a state in which the contact portion 35 is in pressing contact with the conductive portion 51 (i.e., in a state in which a relatively large insertion force is required). As a result, the connector unit 1 according to this embodiment is easier to work with than the connector unit having the above-mentioned conventional terminals.

[0040] <Other aspects> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications, improvements, etc. are possible. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0041] For example, in the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(a), the abutted portion 43 of the mating housing 40 is disposed on the widthwise inner side of the pair of abutting portions 36 of the terminal 30, and the pair of conductive portions 51 of the mating terminal 50 is disposed on the widthwise outer side of the pair of contact portions 35 of the terminal 30, and in a state in which the terminal 30 is not elastically deformed, the width A of the abutted portion 43 is larger than the interval B of the pair of abutting portions 36 (A>B), and the interval D between the widthwise inner end faces of the pair of conductive portions 51 is equal to or larger than the interval C of the pair of contact portions 35 (D≧C). As a result, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the interval B of the pair of abutting portions 36 is pushed wide by the abutted portion 43, thereby increasing the interval C of the pair of contact portions 35, and as a result, the pair of contact portions 35 are in pressure contact with the widthwise inner end faces of the pair of conductive portions 51.

[0042] 4(a), the pair of abutting portions 36 and the pair of contact portions 35 in the terminal 30 of the above embodiment may be used as the pair of contact portions 35 and the pair of abutting portions 36, respectively, a pair of flat-plate-shaped contacted portions 43 may be disposed at the positions of the pair of conductive portions 51 in the above embodiment, and a pair of flat-plate-shaped conductive portions 51 may be disposed on both sides of the flat-plate-shaped resin portion 45 in the width direction so as to sandwich the flat-plate-shaped resin portion 45, at the positions of the contacted portions 43 in the above embodiment. In other words, the pair of contacted portions 43 of the mating housing 40 may be disposed on the widthwise outer sides of the pair of abutting portions 36 of the terminal 30, and the pair of conductive portions 51 of the mating terminal 50 may be disposed on the widthwise inner sides of the pair of contact portions 35 of the terminal 30.

[0043] In this case, when the terminal 30 is not elastically deformed, the distance C between the widthwise outer end faces of the pair of contacting portions 36 is larger than the distance D between the widthwise inner wall faces of the pair of contacted portions 43 (C>D), and the distance B between the widthwise inner end faces of the pair of contact portions 35 is equal to or larger than the distance A between the widthwise outer end faces of the pair of conductive portions 51 (B≧A). In Fig. 4, components corresponding to those shown in Fig. 3 are denoted by the same reference characters as those in Fig. 3.

[0044] 4(b), the pair of contact portions 43 press and narrow the gap C between the pair of contact portions 36, thereby reducing the gap B between the pair of contact portions 35, so that the pair of contact portions 35 press and contact the widthwise outer end faces of the pair of conductive portions 51. The configuration shown in FIG. 4 can also achieve the same effects as the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the terminal 30 has a pair of contact portions 35, a pair of abutting portions 36, and a pair of connecting portions 37, and the mating terminal 50 has a pair of conductive portions 51. Alternatively, the terminal 30 may have a single contact portion 35, a single abutting portion 36, and a single connecting portion 37 located on one side in the width direction, and the mating terminal 50 may have a single conductive portion 51 located on one side in the width direction. Even in this case, when the terminal 30 and the mating terminal 50 are assembled, the abutting portion 36 abuts against the abutted portion 43 and displaces to approach the conductive portion 51, and the contact portion 35 displaces to approach the conductive portion 51, so that the contact portion 35 comes into pressure contact with the conductive portion 51 accompanied by elastic deformation of the connecting portion 37.

[0046] Here, the features of the embodiments of the terminal 30 and the connector unit 1 according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [4]. [1] A terminal (30) that is electrically connected to a mating terminal (50) in a state of being in pressure contact therewith, a contact portion (35) to be electrically connected to a conductive portion (51) of the mating terminal (50); a contact portion (36) that is to come into contact with a contacted portion (43) different from the conductive portion (51); a connecting portion (37) that is elastically deformable and connects the contact portion (35) and the abutment portion (36), When the terminal (30) and the mating terminal (50) are assembled, the abutting portion (36) abuts against the abutted portion (43) and is displaced to approach the conductive portion (51), and the contact portion (35) is displaced to approach the conductive portion (51), so that the contact portion (35) is pressed into contact with the conductive portion (51) with elastic deformation of the connecting portion (37). Terminal(30). [2] In the terminal (30) described in [1] above, The contact portion (35) has a curved shape so as to protrude toward the conductive portion (51), The contact portion (36) has a curved shape so as to protrude toward the contacted portion (43). Terminal(30). [3] In the terminal (30) according to the above [1] or [2], The terminal (30) is The pair of contact portions (35) are arranged to face each other, and the pair of abutment portions (36) are arranged to face each other, and the clip-shaped connector has a clip-like shape. The distance between the pair of contact portions (35) is increased by expanding the gap between the pair of contact portions (36) by the contacted portions (43), and each of the pair of contact portions (35) is configured to be in pressing contact with the corresponding conductive portion (51). Or, The distance between the pair of contact portions (35) is reduced by narrowing the gap between the pair of contact portions (36) with the contacted portions (43), and each of the pair of contact portions (35) is configured to be in pressing contact with the corresponding conductive portion (51). Terminal(30). [4] A connector unit (1) including a mating connector (3) having a mating terminal (50) and a connector (2) having a terminal (30) that is to be electrically connected in a state of being in pressing contact with the mating terminal (50), The mating connector (3) is A conductive portion (51) provided on the mating terminal (50); a contact portion (43) different from the conductive portion (51), The terminal (30) is a contact portion (35) to be electrically connected to the conductive portion (51); an abutting portion (36) that comes into contact with the abutted portion (43); a connecting portion (37) that is elastically deformable and connects the contact portion (35) and the abutment portion (36), When the connector (2) and the mating connector (3) are mated, the abutting portion (36) abuts against the abutted portion (43) and is displaced so as to approach the conductive portion (51), and the contact portion (35) is displaced so as to approach the conductive portion (51), and the contact portion (35) is pressed into contact with the conductive portion (51) with elastic deformation of the connecting portion (37). Connector unit(1). [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Connector unit 2 Connector 3 Mating Connector 30 Terminals 33 First curved section 34 Second curved section 35 Contact part 36 Contact part 37 Connecting part 43 Abutted part 50 Counterpart terminal 51 Conductive part

Claims

[Claim 1] A connector unit including a mating connector having a mating terminal, and a connector having a terminal that is to be electrically connected in a state of being in pressure contact with the mating terminal, The mating connector is A conductive portion provided on the mating terminal; a contact portion different from the conductive portion, The terminal is a contact portion to be electrically connected to the conductive portion; an abutting portion that comes into contact with the abutted portion; a connecting portion that is elastically deformable and connects the contact portion and the abutment portion, When the connector and the mating connector are mated, the abutting portion abuts against the abutted portion and is displaced so as to approach the conductive portion, and the contact portion is displaced so as to approach the conductive portion, and the contact portion is pressed into contact with the conductive portion with elastic deformation of the connecting portion, The terminal is A pair of the contact portions arranged to face each other in an opposing direction; A pair of the abutment portions arranged to face each other in the opposing direction; A pair of the connecting portions arranged to face each other in the opposing direction; a pair of flat board portions arranged to face each other in the opposing direction and extending in a direction of connection with the mating terminal, one end of the board portion on one side in the opposing direction in the connecting direction being connected to one side portion that is continuous and includes the contact portion, the connecting portion, and the abutment portion located on one side in the opposing direction, and one end of the board portion on the other side in the opposing direction in the connecting direction being connected to the other side portion that is continuous and includes the contact portion, the connecting portion, and the abutment portion located on the other side in the opposing direction; a flat top plate portion that connects the one end and the other end of the pair of substrate portions opposite to each other in the connection direction and extends in the opposing direction; The clip-shaped member includes a The pair of substrate portions of the terminals are press-fitted and fixed to grooves provided in the connector and opening to the one end side in the connection direction, The contact portion has a curved shape so as to protrude toward the conductive portion, The contact portion has a curved shape so as to protrude toward the contacted portion, The terminal is: a distance between the pair of contact portions is increased by expanding the gap between the pair of contact portions by the contacted portions, and each of the pair of contact portions is configured to be in pressing contact with the corresponding conductive portion. Or, a distance between the pair of contact portions is reduced by pressing and narrowing the gap between the pair of contact portions by the contacted portions, and each of the pair of contact portions is configured to be in pressing contact with the corresponding conductive portion. Connector unit.

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