Connector

Abstract

To provide a connector capable of suppressing fine slide abrasion of a terminal while suppressing an increase of a connector fitting force.SOLUTION: A connector 10 comprises: a terminal 40 connected to an electric wire terminal while having a terminal connection member 20 and an electric wire connection member 30; and a housing 12. The terminal connection member 20 includes: a terminal main body part 22; a terminal spring 25 that nips a tab 77 between upper walls 22b that are provided into the terminal main body part 22 to construct the terminal main body part 22; and an inclination part 26 that is formed in the terminal spring 25 so that a tip end is extended to a side opposite to a spring energization direction. The electric wire connection member 30 includes: an electric wire connection part 35 that is connected to the electric wire terminal; an insertion piece 37 that is inserted into the terminal main body part 22 so as to be communicated with the electric wire connection part 35; and a pressing force projection 39 that is provided to a tip end part of the insertion piece 37 and is pulled off by the inclination part 26, and presses the inclination part 26. The housing 12 includes a flexible engagement piece 15 that pulls off the terminal connection member 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a fitting connector in which a female terminal and a male terminal are electrically connected by fitting a female housing that houses the female terminal and a male housing that houses the male terminal. In such a fitting connector, when an external force is applied due to vibrations during vehicle travel or the like, there is a risk of micro-sliding wear occurring between the female terminal and the male terminal. If wear powder generated by such micro-sliding wear intervenes between the female terminal and the male terminal, the electrical connection reliability between the female terminal and the male terminal may decrease.

[0003] Therefore, a technique for providing a terminal fitting that suppresses wear caused by the movement of a tab (male terminal) is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The terminal fitting described in Patent Document 1 is configured to sandwich the tab in the thickness direction between an elastic contact piece and a receiving portion provided inside a square tube portion into which the tab of the mating terminal is inserted. Further, an elastic piece formed on the side wall of the square tube portion presses the side edge of the tab in the width direction, so that displacement of the tab in the width direction is suppressed. Therefore, the tab of the mating terminal inserted into the square tube portion can suppress wear of the tab, the elastic contact piece, and the receiving portion caused by movement of the tab in the width direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when inserting the tab of the mating terminal into the square tube portion of the terminal fitting described in Patent Document 1 above, it is necessary to simultaneously elastically deform the elastic contact piece and the elastic piece by the tab, resulting in a high insertion force for inserting the tab of the mating terminal into the terminal fitting. Therefore, there is a problem that the connector fitting force between the terminal fitting and the mating terminal becomes high, reducing workability.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector that can suppress minute sliding wear of a terminal while suppressing an increase in the connector fitting force.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the connector according to the present invention is characterized as follows. A terminal connected to a wire terminal, having a terminal connection member and a wire connection member, A housing that houses the terminal, The terminal connection member has a terminal spring that sandwiches the tab between a square tube-shaped terminal body portion into which the tab of the mating terminal is inserted and a side wall portion provided within the terminal body portion and constituting the terminal body portion, and an inclined portion formed on the terminal spring such that the tip extends in a direction opposite to the spring biasing direction. The wire connection member has a wire connection portion connected to the wire terminal, an insertion piece continuously provided at the tip of the wire connection portion and inserted into the terminal body portion, and a pressing protrusion provided at the tip of the insertion piece that is engaged with the inclined portion to prevent detachment and presses the inclined portion in the spring biasing direction. The housing has a flexible locking piece that prevents the terminal connection member from coming off. Connector.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the connector of the present invention, it is possible to suppress minute sliding wear of the terminal while suppressing an increase in the connector fitting force.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the respective drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a mating connector 1 in which a mating connector 50 is fitted to a connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector 10 shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a front view showing a state in which the terminal connection member 20 shown in FIG. 2 is viewed from obliquely below in front.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the fitting connector 1 includes a connector 10 according to the first embodiment and a mating connector 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 10 according to the first embodiment is a female connector composed of an insulating resin housing 12 and a terminal 40 which is a female terminal connected to the end of the electric wire 60. In the following description, the side that fits into the mating connector 50 (the right side in FIG. 2) is defined as the front of the connector 10.

[0013] In the housing 12 of the connector 10, three terminal accommodation chambers 18 for accommodating the three terminals 40 respectively are formed. In the terminal accommodation chamber 18, a flexible locking piece 15 for preventing the terminal connection member 20 of the terminal 40 inserted from the rear from coming off is provided (see FIG. 6). On the outer peripheral surface of the housing 12, a locking portion 14 having a lock arm 16 is provided.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 40 is composed of two parts, a terminal connection member 20 and an electric wire connection member 30. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the terminal connection member 20 has a rectangular tube-shaped terminal body portion 22 into which a tab 77 of a mating terminal 70 which is a male terminal is inserted, and a terminal spring 25 provided in the terminal body portion 22. The terminal body portion 22 has an appearance of a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long and flat in the insertion direction.

[0015] The terminal spring 25 can elastically sandwich the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 between the upper wall 22b which is a side wall portion constituting the terminal body portion 22. The terminal spring 25 is formed by being folded back from the front end of the bottom wall 22a which is a side wall portion in the terminal body portion 22 (see FIG. 6). The terminal spring 25 has an inclined portion 26 formed on the terminal spring 25 such that the tip extends in the direction opposite to the spring biasing direction (the bottom wall 22a side). The tip of the inclined portion 26 is a convex curved portion on the bottom wall 22a side.

[0016] On the upper wall 22b facing the terminal spring 25, a rectangular contact convex portion 27 protruding inward is formed. The distance between the protruding surface of the contact convex portion 27 and the tip surface in the spring biasing direction in a state where the terminal spring 25 is not elastically displaced is set to be smaller than the thickness dimension of the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70. On the bottom wall 22a of the terminal body portion 22, a locking hole 23 that is locked to prevent removal by the flexible locking piece 15 of the housing 12 and an engaging protrusion X that engages with and is locked to prevent removal from the engaging hole Y provided in the wire connection member 30 are formed.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the wire connection member 30 has a wire connection portion 35 connected to the end of the wire 60, an insertion piece 37 continuously provided at the tip of the wire connection portion 35 and inserted into the terminal body portion 22, and a pressing protrusion 39 provided at the tip of the insertion piece 37. The wire connection portion 35 has a conductor crimping portion 31 that crimps the conductor 62 exposed at the end of the wire 60 and a covering crimping portion 33 that fixes the wire 60 from above the covering 64. The insertion piece 37 protrudes forward from the leading edge of the bottom wall of the conductor crimping portion 31, and the pressing protrusion 39 formed at the tip protrudes upward. Further, an engaging hole Y that is locked to prevent removal by the engaging protrusion X of the terminal body portion 22 is provided in the bottom wall of the conductor crimping portion 31.

[0018] The pressing protrusion 39 protrudes in a direction facing the upper wall 22b within the terminal body portion 22. When the insertion piece 37 is inserted into the terminal body portion 22 from the rear opening 24, the pressing protrusion 39 is locked to prevent removal by the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 and presses the inclined portion 26 in the spring biasing direction. Therefore, when the insertion piece 37 is inserted into the terminal body portion 22, the terminal connection member 20 and the wire connection member 30 can be integrally connected and electrically connected to form the terminal 40 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0019] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the mating connector 50 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the mating connector 50 is a male connector composed of a housing 52 made of insulating resin and a mating terminal 70 which is a male terminal connected to the end of the electric wire 80. In the following description, the side that fits into the connector 10 (the left side in FIG. 5) is defined as the front of the mating connector 50.

[0020] In the main body portion 53 of the housing 52, three terminal accommodation chambers 56 for accommodating the three mating terminals 70 respectively are formed (see FIG. 6). In the terminal accommodation chamber 56, a flexible locking piece 57 for preventing the mating terminal 70 inserted from the rear from coming off is provided (see FIG. 6). In front of the main body portion 53, a hood portion 55 is provided which defines a fitting space 58 into which the housing 12 of the connector 10 is fitted. On the outer peripheral surface of the hood portion 55, a locked portion 54 having a locked projection (not shown) to be locked by the lock arm 16 is provided.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5, the mating terminal 70 has a wire connection portion 75 connected to the end of the electric wire 80, and a tab 77 continuously provided at the tip of the wire connection portion 75 and inserted into the terminal main body portion 22 of the terminal 40. The wire connection portion 75 has a conductor crimping portion 71 for crimping the conductor 82 exposed at the end of the electric wire 80, and a covering crimping portion 73 for fixing the electric wire 80 from above the covering 84. The tab 77 has an outer appearance in the shape of a rectangular plate that is long in the insertion direction.

[0022] Next, the assembly procedure of the mating connector 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state during the fitting of the connector assembly 10A of the connector 10 in which the terminal connection member 20 is accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the housing 12 shown in FIG. 2 and the mating connector 50.

[0023] First, as shown in FIG. 6, the three mating terminals 70 are respectively inserted into the terminal accommodation chambers 56 of the mating housing 52. Then, the mating terminals 70 are locked by the flexible locking pieces 57 to prevent them from coming off, and the mating connector 50 is assembled.

[0024] Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the three terminal connection members 20 are respectively inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the housing 12. Then, the terminal connection members 20 are engaged with the flexible locking pieces 15 to prevent them from coming off, and the connector assembly 10A of the connector 10 is assembled. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the housing 12 is fitted into the fitting space 58 of the mating housing 52.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state before the wire connection member 30 is inserted into the fitting connector assembly 1A in which the connector assembly 10A of the connector 10 shown in FIG. 6 and the mating connector 50 are fitted. FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part showing a state in which the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 shown in FIG. 7 is inserted into the terminal connection member 20 of the fitting connector assembly 1A, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part showing a state in which the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 shown in FIG. 8 is locked by the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20 to prevent it from coming off.

[0026] In the process of fitting the connector assembly 10A and the mating connector 50, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 inserted from the terminal insertion port 13 of the housing 12 into the terminal accommodation chamber 18 is inserted into the terminal main body portion 22, and the terminal spring 25 is elastically deformed.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 7, when the fitting of the connector assembly 10A and the mating connector 50 is completed, due to the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 contacts the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20. Therefore, the mating terminal 70 is electrically connected to the terminal connection member 20 in a state where the tab 77 is clamped between the terminal spring 25 and the contact convex portion 27 in the terminal connection member 20.

[0028] When the connector assembly 10A and the mating connector 50 are fitted, a locked projection (not shown) of the mating housing 52 is locked to the locking arm 16 of the housing 12, and the fitting state between the mating housing 52 and the housing 12 is maintained.

[0029] Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the wire connection member 30 connected to the terminal of the electric wire 60 is inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the housing 12, and is assembled to the terminal connection member 20 of the fitting connector assembly 1A in which the connector assembly 10A and the mating connector 50 are fitted.

[0030] In the process of coupling the terminal connection member 20 and the wire connection member 30, as shown in FIG. 8, the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 inserted into the terminal main body portion 22 from the rear opening 24 abuts against the curved portion 28 formed at the tip of the terminal spring 25.

[0031] Then, as the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 is further inserted into the terminal main body portion 22, the pressing protrusion 39 passes while pushing up the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, when the coupling between the terminal connection member 20 and the wire connection member 30 is completed, the pressing protrusion 39 reaches the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. In this way, when the coupling between the terminal connection member 20 and the wire connection member 30 is completed, they are integrally connected and electrically connected to form the terminal 40.

[0032] In addition, when the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection portion 30 is inserted into the terminal main body portion 22, it is desirable that an engagement mechanism is provided between the wire connection portion 30 and the terminal main body portion 22. As the engagement mechanism, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, an engagement protrusion X is provided on the bottom wall 22a of the terminal main body portion 22 (see FIG. 4), and an engagement hole Y is provided on the bottom wall of the conductor crimping portion 31 (see FIG. 2). By the engagement between the engagement protrusion X and the engagement hole Y, the wire connection portion 30 and the terminal main body portion 22 can be maintained in a more integrally connected state.

[0033] The pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 that has completed the coupling between the terminal connection member 20 and the wire connection member 30 and engaged with the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. Then, due to the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 and the pressing force of the pressing protrusion 39 that presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 and the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20 come into contact. Therefore, the mating terminal 70 is electrically connected to the terminal 40 in a state where the tab 77 is sandwiched between the terminal spring 25 and the contact projection 27 in the terminal connection member 20.

[0034] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the mating connector 1 showing a state where the connector 10 according to the first embodiment and the mating connector 50 are electrically connected. As shown in FIG. 10, the mating connector assembly 1A is assembled by assembling three wire connection members 30 to the terminal connection member 20, respectively, which means that the mating connector 1 is assembled.

[0035] Note that the mating state of the mating connector 1 with the mating connector 50 is maintained by the locking of the locked projection (not shown) and the locking arm 16. The disconnection of the mating connector 1 is performed by operating the locking arm 16 to release the locking between the locked projection and the locking arm 16, and pulling out the connector 10 from the fitting space 58 of the mating connector 50.

[0036] Next, the operation and effect of the connector 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. As described above, according to the connector 10 according to the first embodiment, the terminal 40 accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the housing 12 is composed of two parts, namely the terminal connection member 20 and the wire connection member 30, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0037] Therefore, first, the three terminal connection members 20 are respectively inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the housing 12 and locked by the flexible locking piece 15 to prevent them from coming off, thereby assembling the connector assembly 10A of the connector 10.

[0038] Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the connector assembly 10A is fitted to the mating connector 50. At this time, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 is inserted into the terminal main body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20 to elastically deform the terminal spring 25. Therefore, due to the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 contacts the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20.

[0039] That is, only the restoring force due to the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 acts on the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 inserted into the terminal main body 22 of the terminal connection member 20, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the insertion force for inserting the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 into the terminal main body 22 of the terminal connection member 20. Therefore, it is also possible to suppress an increase in the connector fitting force between the connector 10 and the mating connector 50.

[0040] Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the wire connection member 30 connected to the end of the wire 60 is assembled to the terminal connection member 20 of the fitting connector assembly 1A in which the connector assembly 10A and the mating connector 50 are fitted. At this time, the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 is inserted into the terminal main body 22 of the terminal connection member 20, and the pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37 engaged with the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25.

[0041] That is, with respect to the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 sandwiched between the terminal spring 25 and the contact convex portion 27 in the terminal connection member 20, the restoring force due to the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 and the pressing force of the pressing projection 39 that presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 act, and the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 and the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20 can be in strong contact.

[0042] Therefore, in the fitting connector 1 in which three wire connection members 30 are respectively connected to and assembled to the terminal connection member 20 of the fitting connector assembly 1A, the micro-sliding wear between the terminal spring 25 and the tab 77 due to the play between the terminal 40 and the mating terminal 70 is suppressed. By suppressing this micro-sliding wear, it is possible to prevent wear powder generated by the micro-sliding wear from intervening between the terminal spring 25 and the tab 77. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the electrical connection reliability between the terminal 40 and the mating terminal 70. Therefore, according to the connector 10 according to the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress the micro-sliding wear of the terminal 40 while suppressing an increase in the connector fitting force.

[0043] FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the wire connection member 30 is inserted into the connector assembly 110A of the connector 110 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state during fitting between the connector 110 shown in FIG. 11 and the mating connector 50. Note that the connector 110 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the connector 10 of the first embodiment except that the terminal 40A is used instead of the terminal 40. Thus, the same reference numerals are given to the same components and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 11, the terminal 40A of the connector 110 according to the second embodiment is composed of two parts: a terminal connection member 20A and a wire connection member 30. The terminal connection member 20A has a terminal spring 25 provided in the terminal body portion 22 and a retaining piece 21. When the terminal connection member 20A is housed in the terminal housing chamber 18 of the housing 12, the connector assembly 110A of the connector 110 is constituted.

[0045] The retaining piece 21 is a rectangular protruding piece that is formed by being cut and raised on the upper wall 22b facing the terminal spring 25 and whose tip protrudes inward. When the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 is inserted into the terminal body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20A, the retaining piece 21 retains the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 at a position behind the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25 to prevent it from coming off.

[0046] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the wire connection member 30 inserted into the terminal housing chamber 18 of the connector assembly 110A and having the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 retained by the retaining piece 21 of the terminal connection member 20A can form the terminal 40A in a temporarily assembled state in which it can slide relative to the terminal connection member 20A in the insertion direction.

[0047] That is, when the wire connection member 30 is inserted into the terminal housing chamber 18 of the connector assembly 110A and assembled to the terminal connection member 20A in a temporarily assembled state, the connector assembly 110A becomes the connector 110 in which the terminal 40A is housed in the terminal housing chamber 18.

[0048] Next, an assembly procedure of the fitting connector 101 that fits the connector 110 and the mating connector 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14. FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 shown in FIG. 12 is retained by the retaining piece 21 of the terminal connection member 20A, and FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 shown in FIG. 13 is retained by the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20A.

[0049] First, as shown in FIG. 11, the wire connection members 30 connected to the terminals of the wires 60 are respectively inserted into the terminal accommodation chambers 18 of the connector assembly 110A. Then, the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 passes while pushing up the retaining piece 21 of the terminal connection member 20A, and the pressing protrusion 39 is inserted between the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25 and the retaining piece 21.

[0050] Then, the wire connection member 30 in which the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 is retained by the retaining piece 21 of the terminal connection member 20A constitutes a temporarily assembled terminal 40A that can slide relative to the terminal connection member 20A in the insertion direction. That is, the terminal 40A accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the connector assembly 110A constitutes a connector 110 in which the wire connection member 30 is temporarily assembled with respect to the terminal connection member 20A. The connector 110 in which the wire connection member 30 is temporarily assembled with respect to the terminal connection member 20A prevents the wire connection member 30 and the terminal connection member 20A from being inadvertently separated during handling such as transportation.

[0051] Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the housing 12 of the connector 110 is inserted into the fitting space 58 of the mating housing 52. At this time, the wire connection member 30 connected to the terminal of the wire 60 has the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 retained by the retaining piece 21 of the terminal connection member 20A. Therefore, the wire connection member 30 of the terminal 40A does not accidentally fall out of the connector 110, and the fitting workability of the connector is good.

[0052] In the fitting process between the connector 110 and the mating connector 50, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber 18 from the terminal insertion port 13 of the housing 12 is inserted into the terminal main body portion 22, elastically deforming the terminal spring 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, when the fitting between the connector 110 and the mating connector 50 is completed, the restoring force due to the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 causes the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 to contact the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20A.

[0053] Next, by further inserting the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 into the terminal main body portion 22, the pressing projection 39 passes through while pushing up the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, when the connection between the terminal connection member 20A and the wire connection member 30 is completed, the pressing projection 39 reaches the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. In this way, when the connection between the terminal connection member 20A and the wire connection member 30 is completed, they are integrally connected and electrically connected to form the assembled terminal 40A.

[0054] The pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37 that is engaged with the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 after the connection between the terminal connection member 20A and the wire connection member 30 is completed presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. Then, due to the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 and the pressing force of the pressing projection 39 that presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 contacts the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20A. Therefore, the mating terminal 70 is electrically connected to the terminal 40A in a state where the tab 77 is sandwiched between the terminal spring 25 and the contact convex portion 27 in the terminal connection member 20A.

[0055] Next, the operation and effect of the connector 110 according to the second embodiment will be described. As described above, according to the connector 110 according to the second embodiment, the terminal 40A accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the housing 12 is composed of two parts, namely, the terminal connection member 20A and the wire connection member 30, as shown in FIG. 11.

[0056] Therefore, first, the three terminal connection members 20A are respectively inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the housing 12 and are locked by the flexible locking piece 15 to prevent removal, whereby the connector assembly 110A of the connector 110 is assembled.

[0057] Next, the wire connection members 30 connected to the ends of the wires 60 are respectively inserted into the terminal accommodation chambers 18 of the connector assembly 110A. At this time, the pressing protrusions 39 of the insertion pieces 37 are inserted between the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25 and the retaining piece 21 in the terminal connection member 20A.

[0058] Then, a temporarily assembled state is formed in which the wire connection member 30 can slide relative to the terminal connection member 20A in the insertion direction, constituting the terminal 40A. That is, when the terminal 40A is accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the connector assembly 110A, the connector 110 in which the wire connection member 30 is in a temporarily assembled state with respect to the terminal connection member 20A is assembled.

[0059] Therefore, the connector 110 in which the wire connection member 30 of the terminal 40A is in a temporarily assembled state with respect to the terminal connection member 20A can prevent the wire connection member 30 and the terminal connection member 20A from being inadvertently separated when handled during transportation or the like.

[0060] Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the connector 110 is fitted to the mating connector 50. At this time, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 is inserted into the terminal body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20A to elastically deform the terminal spring 25. Therefore, due to the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 and the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20A come into contact.

[0061] That is, as shown in FIG. 13, only the restoring force due to the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 acts on the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 inserted into the terminal body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20A, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the insertion force for inserting the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 into the terminal body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20A. Therefore, it is also possible to suppress an increase in the connector fitting force for fitting the connector 110 and the mating connector 50.

[0062] Furthermore, when the connector 110 is fitted to the mating connector 50, the wire connection member 30 connected to the terminal of the wire 60 has the pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37 locked against the retaining piece 21 of the terminal connection member 20A to prevent removal. Therefore, the wire connection member 30 of the terminal 40A does not accidentally fall out of the connector 110 during the connector fitting operation, and the connector fitting workability is good.

[0063] Then, as the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 is further inserted into the terminal body portion 22, the pressing projection 39 passes while pushing up the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, when the connection between the terminal connection member 20A and the wire connection member 30 is completed, the pressing projection 39 reaches the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. The pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37 engaged with the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25.

[0064] That is, with respect to the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 sandwiched between the terminal spring 25 and the contact convex portion 27 in the terminal connection member 20A, the restoring force due to the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 and the pressing force of the pressing projection 39 that presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 act, and the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 and the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20A can be in strong contact.

[0065] Therefore, in the fitting connector 101 assembled by connecting three wire connection members 30 to the terminal connection member 20A of the connector 110 respectively, the slight sliding wear between the terminal spring 25 and the tab 77 due to the play between the terminal 40A and the mating terminal 70 is suppressed. By suppressing this slight sliding wear, it is possible to prevent wear powder generated by the slight sliding wear from intervening between the terminal spring 25 and the tab 77. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the electrical connection reliability between the terminal 40A and the mating terminal 70. Therefore, according to the connector 110 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to suppress the slight sliding wear of the terminal 40A while suppressing an increase in the connector fitting force.

[0066] FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the wire connection member 30 is inserted into the connector assembly 210A of the connector 210 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state during the fitting of the connector assembly 210A shown in FIG. 15 and the mating connector 50. Note that the connector 210 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the connector 10 of the first embodiment except that a terminal 40B is used instead of the terminal 40, and thus the same reference numerals are given to the same components and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 15, the terminal 40B of the connector 210 according to the third embodiment is composed of two parts, a terminal connection member 20B and a wire connection member 30. The terminal connection member 20B has a terminal spring 25 provided in the terminal main body portion 22, a retaining piece 21A, and an anti-sliding piece 29. When the terminal connection member 20B is housed in the terminal housing chamber 18 of the housing 12, the connector assembly 210A of the connector 210 is configured.

[0068] The retaining piece 21A is a rectangular protruding piece formed by cutting and raising on a side wall 22c which is a side wall portion constituting the terminal main body portion 22, and the tip thereof protrudes inward. When the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 is inserted into the terminal main body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20B, the retaining piece 21A retains the pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37 at a position behind the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25.

[0069] The anti-slip piece 29 is a rectangular protruding piece formed by cutting and raising on the upper wall 22b facing the terminal spring 25, with the tip protruding inward, and the protruding position is on the front side of the terminal main body 22 compared to the retaining piece 21A. When the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 retained by the retaining piece 21A moves in the insertion direction, the anti-slip piece 29 engages with the pressing protrusion 39 and prevents the pressing protrusion 39 from being retained against the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. Also, when the connector 210 and the mating connector 50 are fitted together, the anti-slip piece 29 is elastically deformed into a state where it cannot engage with the pressing protrusion 39 by the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 inserted into the terminal main body 22.

[0070] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, for the wire connection member 30 inserted into the terminal housing chamber 18 of the connector assembly 210A, the retaining piece 21 and the anti-slip piece 29 of the terminal connection member 20B prevent the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 from being retained against the terminal connection member 20B and from being inadvertently retained against the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. That is, the wire connection member 30 can form the terminal 40B in a temporarily held state where it can slide relatively in the insertion direction without being inadvertently coupled to the terminal connection member 20B.

[0071] That is, when the wire connection member 30 is inserted into the terminal housing chamber 18 of the connector assembly 210A and assembled to the terminal connection member 20B in a temporarily held state, the connector assembly 210A becomes the connector 210 with the terminal 40B housed in the terminal housing chamber 18.

[0072] Next, the assembly procedure of the mating connector 201 for fitting the connector 210 and the mating connector 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 19. FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 shown in FIG. 16 is prevented from coming off by the retaining piece 21A of the terminal connection member 20B and the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 is prevented from coming off by the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20B by the anti-sliding piece 29 of the terminal connection member 20B. FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where the anti-sliding piece 29 of the terminal connection member 20B shown in FIG. 17 is elastically deformed into a state where it cannot engage with the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 by the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70. FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state where the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 shown in FIG. 18 is prevented from coming off by the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20B.

[0073] First, as shown in FIG. 15, the wire connection member 30 connected to the end of the wire 60 is inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the connector assembly 210A, respectively. Then, the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 passes while spreading the retaining piece 21A of the terminal connection member 20B, and the pressing protrusion 39 is inserted between the anti-sliding piece 29 and the retaining piece 21A.

[0074] Then, the wire connection member 30 in which the pressing protrusion 39 of the insertion piece 37 is prevented from coming off by the retaining piece 21 and the anti-sliding piece 29 of the terminal connection member 20B and is prevented from being inadvertently retained by the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 constitutes the terminal 40B in a temporarily held state that can slide relative to the terminal connection member 20B in the insertion direction without being inadvertently coupled to the terminal connection member 20B. That is, the terminal 40B accommodated in the terminal accommodation chamber 18 of the connector assembly 210A constitutes the connector 210 in which the wire connection member 30 is temporarily held with respect to the terminal connection member 20B. The connector 210 in which the wire connection member 30 is temporarily held with respect to the terminal connection member 20B does not inadvertently separate or inadvertently couple the wire connection member 30 and the terminal connection member 20B when handled during transportation or the like.

[0075] Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the housing 12 of the connector 210 is inserted into the fitting space 58 of the mating housing 52. At this time, the wire connection member 30 connected to the terminal of the wire 60 is in a temporarily held state by the retaining piece 21 and the anti-sliding piece 29 of the pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37. Therefore, the wire connection member 30 of the terminal 40B does not accidentally fall off from the connector 110 or become accidentally coupled, and the fitting workability of the connector is good.

[0076] In the fitting process of the connector 210 and the mating connector 50, as shown in FIG. 17, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 inserted into the terminal accommodation chamber 18 from the terminal insertion port 13 of the housing 12 is inserted into the terminal body portion 22 and elastically deforms the terminal spring 25.

[0077] Then, as shown in FIG. 18, when the fitting of the connector 210 and the mating connector 50 is completed, the anti-sliding piece 29 is elastically deformed into a state where it cannot engage with the pressing projection 39 by the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 inserted into the terminal body portion 22. Further, due to the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 contacts the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20B.

[0078] Next, by further inserting the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 into the terminal body portion 22, the pressing projection 39 passes while pushing up the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 19, when the connection between the terminal connection member 20B and the wire connection member 30 is completed, the pressing projection 39 reaches the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. In this way, when the connection between the terminal connection member 20B and the wire connection member 30 is completed, they are integrally connected and electrically connected to form the terminal 40B in the assembled state.

[0079] When the connection between the terminal connection member 20B and the wire connection member 30 is completed and the pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37 engaged with the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. Then, due to the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 and the pressing force of the pressing projection 39 that presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 and the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20B come into contact with each other. Therefore, the mating terminal 70 is electrically connected to the terminal 40B in a state where the tab 77 is sandwiched between the terminal spring 25 and the contact convex portion 27 in the terminal connection member 20B.

[0080] Next, the operation and effect of the connector 210 according to the third embodiment will be described. As described above, according to the connector 210 according to the third embodiment, the terminal 40B housed in the terminal housing chamber 18 of the housing 12 is composed of two parts, namely, the terminal connection member 20B and the wire connection member 30, as shown in FIG. 15.

[0081] Therefore, first, the three terminal connection members 20B are respectively inserted into the terminal housing chamber 18 of the housing 12 and locked by the flexible locking piece 15 to prevent removal, whereby the connector assembly 210A of the connector 210 is assembled.

[0082] Next, the wire connection member 30 connected to the end of the wire 60 is inserted into the terminal housing chamber 18 of the connector assembly 210A. At this time, the pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37 is inserted between the anti-sliding piece 29 and the retaining piece 21 in the terminal connection member 20B.

[0083] And a temporarily held state is formed in which the wire connection member 30 can slide relative to the terminal connection member 20B in the insertion direction without accidentally connecting to the terminal connection member 20B. That is, when the terminal 40B is housed in the terminal housing chamber 18 of the connector assembly 210A, the connector 210 in which the wire connection member 30 is in a temporarily held state with respect to the terminal connection member 20B is assembled.

[0084] Therefore, in the connector 210 where the wire connection member 30 of the terminal 40B is in a temporarily held state with respect to the terminal connection member 20B, when it is handled during transportation or the like, it is possible to prevent the wire connection member 30 and the terminal connection member 20B from being inadvertently separated or inadvertently joined.

[0085] Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the connector 210 is fitted to the mating connector 50. At this time, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 is inserted into the terminal body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20B to elastically deform the terminal spring 25. Therefore, due to the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 and the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20B come into contact.

[0086] That is, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, only the restoring force caused by the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 acts on the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 inserted into the terminal body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20B, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the insertion force for inserting the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 into the terminal body portion 22 of the terminal connection member 20B. Therefore, it is also possible to suppress an increase in the connector fitting force for fitting the connector 210 and the mating connector 50.

[0087] Furthermore, when the connector 210 is fitted to the mating connector 50, the wire connection member 30 connected to the end of the wire 60 is prevented from being inadvertently retained by the retaining piece 21 of the terminal connection member 20B and inadvertently retained by the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 by the pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37. Therefore, the wire connection member 30 of the terminal 40B does not inadvertently fall off from the connector 210 during the connector fitting operation, and the fitting workability of the connector is good.

[0088] Then, as the insertion piece 37 of the wire connection member 30 is further inserted into the terminal body portion 22, the pressing projection 39 passes through while pushing up the curved portion 28 of the terminal spring 25. Then, as shown in FIG. 19, when the coupling of the terminal connection member 20B and the wire connection member 30 is completed, the pressing projection 39 reaches the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25. The pressing projection 39 of the insertion piece 37 engaged with the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 presses the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25.

[0089] That is, with respect to the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 sandwiched between the terminal spring 25 and the contact convex portion 27 in the terminal connection member 20B, the restoring force due to the elastic deformation of the terminal spring 25 and the pressing force of the pressing projection 39 pressing the inclined portion 26 of the terminal spring 25 act, and the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70 and the terminal spring 25 of the terminal connection member 20B can be in strong contact.

[0090] Therefore, in the fitting connector 201 in which the three wire connection members 30 are respectively connected to the terminal connection member 20B of the connector 210 and assembled, the slight sliding wear between the terminal spring 25 and the tab 77 due to the play between the terminal 40B and the mating terminal 70 is suppressed. By suppressing this slight sliding wear, it is possible to prevent wear powder generated by the slight sliding wear from intervening between the terminal spring 25 and the tab 77. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the electrical connection reliability between the terminal 40B and the mating terminal 70. Therefore, according to the connector 210 according to the third embodiment, it is possible to suppress the slight sliding wear of the terminal 40B while suppressing an increase in the connector fitting force.

[0091] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. can be made as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, 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.

[0092] For example, in the above embodiment, the tab 77 of the mating terminal 70, which is a male terminal, is described as an example of the tab of the mating terminal, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it can also be a bus bar terminal press-fitted into the mating housing.

[0093] Here, the features of the embodiment of the connector according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in [1] to [3] below respectively. [1] Terminals (40, 40A, 40B) having terminal connection members (20, 20A, 20B) and wire connection members (30) and connected to a wire terminal, and a housing (12) for housing the terminals (40, 40A, 40B). The terminal connection members (20, 20A, 20B) include a rectangular tube-shaped terminal body portion (22) into which a tab (77) of a mating terminal (70) is inserted, and a terminal spring (25) that sandwiches the tab (77) between side wall portions (bottom wall 22a, upper wall 22b) provided in the terminal body portion (22) and constituting the terminal body portion (22), and an inclined portion (26) formed on the terminal spring (25) such that the tip extends in a direction opposite to the spring biasing direction. The wire connection member (30) includes a wire connection portion (35) connected to the wire terminal, an insertion piece (37) continuously provided at the tip of the wire connection portion (35) and inserted into the terminal body portion (22), and a pressing protrusion (39) provided at the tip of the insertion piece (37) that is engaged with the inclined portion (26) to prevent detachment and presses the inclined portion (26) in the spring biasing direction. The housing (12) has flexible locking pieces (15) for preventing the terminal connection members (20, 20A, 20B) from detaching. Connector (10, 110, 210). [2] The connector (110, 210) according to [1] above, provided with retaining pieces (21, 21A) provided in the terminal body portion (22) for retaining the pressing protrusion (39) of the insertion piece (37) to prevent detachment. The connector (110, 210) described in [1] above. [3] It is provided so as to project inward from the side wall portion (upper wall 22b) into the terminal body portion (22). When the insertion piece (37) moves in the insertion direction, it engages with the pressing projection (39) to prevent the pressing projection (39) from being retained by the inclined portion (26) with a retaining engagement, and is elastically deformed into a state where it cannot engage with the pressing projection (39) by the tab (77) of the mating terminal (70) inserted into the terminal body portion (22), and is provided with an anti-sliding piece (29). The connector (210) according to [2] above.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0094] 10…Connector 12…Housing 15…Flexible locking piece 20…Terminal connection member 22…Terminal body portion 22a…Bottom wall (side wall portion) 22b…Upper wall (side wall portion) 25…Terminal spring 26…Inclined portion 30…Wire connection member 35…Wire connection portion 37…Insertion piece 39…Pressing projection 40…Terminal 70…Mating terminal 77…Tab

Claims

1. a terminal connected to a wire terminal, having a terminal connection member and a wire connection member; a housing for accommodating the terminal, and the terminal connection member includes a rectangular tube-shaped terminal body portion into which a tab of a mating terminal is inserted, and a terminal spring that sandwiches the tab between the side wall portion provided in the terminal body portion and constituting the terminal body portion, and an inclined portion formed on the terminal spring so that the tip extends in the direction opposite to the spring biasing direction; the wire connection member includes a wire connection portion connected to the wire terminal, an insertion piece continuously provided at the tip of the wire connection portion and inserted into the terminal body portion, and a pressing protrusion provided at the tip of the insertion piece that is engaged with the inclined portion to prevent detachment and presses the inclined portion in the spring biasing direction; the housing has a flexible locking piece for preventing the terminal connection member from coming off; a connector.

2. The connector according to claim 1, further comprising a retaining piece provided in the terminal body portion for retaining the pressing protrusion of the insertion piece to prevent detachment. The connector according to claim 1.

3. The connector according to claim 2, further comprising an anti-sliding piece provided so as to protrude inward from the side wall portion into the terminal body portion, which, when the insertion piece moves in the insertion direction, engages with the pressing protrusion to prevent the pressing protrusion from being engaged with the inclined portion to prevent detachment, and is elastically deformed by the tab of the mating terminal inserted into the terminal body portion so as not to be engaged with the pressing protrusion. The connector according to claim 2.

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