Terminals

Abstract

To provide a terminal that facilitates management on a contact load, and is improved in reliability of a connection with an opposite-side terminal.SOLUTION: A terminal 10 is in a clip shape which is electrically connected to a plate-like terminal 5 as an opposite-side terminal, and then the terminal 10 comprises a base end part 11 and a plurality of holding pieces 12 which extend from the base end part 11 in a crossing direction crossing an extending direction of the base end part 11 to hold the opposite-side terminal, and is provided with a first cut part 17a at an internal corner part for the terminal 10 that the base end part 11 and holding pieces 12 constitute.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a clip-type terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, clip-shaped terminals have been proposed that are electrically connected to a mating terminal by clamping the mating terminal. One conventional terminal has a pair of clamping pieces that are configured to clamp a plate-shaped mating terminal (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-287423 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the conventional clip-shaped terminals described above have high rigidity (i.e., spring constant) in order to clamp the mating terminal. When the terminal has high rigidity, even a slight change in the position of the contact point with the mating terminal can cause a large change in the contact load on the mating terminal.

[0005] In other words, the contact load of conventional terminals may vary significantly due to manufacturing tolerances. For this reason, it has been difficult to control the contact load with the mating terminal (hereinafter simply referred to as the "required contact load") of conventional terminals. For example, if a terminal does not meet the required contact load, the connection reliability between the terminal and the mating terminal decreases. For this reason, conventional terminals have room for improvement in terms of the connection reliability between the terminal and the mating terminal.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a terminal that makes it easy to manage contact load and improves connection reliability with a mating terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the terminal according to the present invention has the following features.

[0008] A clip-shaped terminal formed into a substantially U-shape from a plate-shaped member, and electrically connected to a mating terminal, A base end portion; a pair of clamping pieces extending from the base end in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the base end and clamping the mating terminal, A first notch is provided along an inside corner of the terminal formed by the base end and the clamping piece, the first notch being cut out so that the plate thickness of the terminal is reduced. 、 The pair of clamping pieces are Second notches are provided on inner surfaces facing each other in the extension direction, a third notch portion is provided on an outer surface located opposite to the inner surface in the extending direction, The clamping piece is a plurality of the second notches are provided on the inner surface, and a plurality of the third notches are provided on the outer surface; the plurality of second notches and the plurality of third notches are disposed at different positions in the intersecting direction, It is a terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The terminal according to the present invention will be described below. Generally, clip-shaped terminals have high rigidity in order to clamp a mating terminal. When a terminal clamps a mating terminal, the pair of clamping pieces move away from each other (i.e., the pair of clamping pieces open). However, as described above, if the terminal has high rigidity, the pair of clamping pieces are less likely to move (i.e., the clamping pieces are less likely to open), which makes the positional deviation of the contact points more noticeable.

[0010] The inventor conducted various studies on this matter and found that lowering the rigidity of the terminal widens the allowable range (tolerance, allowable deviation) of the positional deviation amount (hereinafter also referred to as "displacement amount") of the contact portion that satisfies the required contact load.

[0011] For this reason, the terminal of this configuration has a first notch at the corner formed by the base end and the clamping piece, thereby reducing its rigidity. Specifically, by providing the first notch at the corner, which has particularly high rigidity among clip-shaped terminals, the clamping piece is made easier to open. This makes it possible to widen the tolerance range for the displacement of the contact part that satisfies the required contact load. In other words, by reducing the rigidity of the terminal, it is possible to absorb misalignment of the contact part due to manufacturing tolerances, etc. As a result, the terminal of this configuration makes it easier to manage the contact load compared to conventional terminals, and improves the connection reliability with the mating terminal.

[0012] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal including a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the main part of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the terminal shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view of the terminal shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the "contact load" and the "amount of displacement" of the terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a terminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The terminal 10 is, for example, a clip-shaped terminal used in the connector 1 shown in FIGS.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, connector 1 is a connector including a first connector 2 and a second connector 3. For example, vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are provided with a service plug that cuts off electrical continuity between a power source and a load to ensure safety during maintenance of the electrical system. Connector 1 functions as the service plug described above.

[0016] The first connector 2 includes clip-shaped terminals 10 and a first housing 4 that holds the terminals 10. The second connector 3 includes a pair of plate-shaped terminals 5 and a second housing 6 that holds the pair of plate-shaped terminals 5.

[0017] That is, by mating the first connector 2 with the second connector 3, the pair of plate-like terminals 5 are clamped by the terminals 10, enabling electrical continuity between the power supply unit and the load (see FIG. 2). Also, by detaching the first connector 2 from the second connector 3, the clamped state of the terminals 10 by the pair of plate-like terminals 5 is released, and electrical continuity between the power supply unit and the load is interrupted (see FIG. 3).

[0018] For ease of explanation, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" are defined below as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "upper-lower direction" are perpendicular to one another. The left-right direction corresponds to the "extending direction" of the base end portion 11 of the present invention, and the upper-lower direction corresponds to the "crossing direction" of the present invention. In addition, in the left-right direction, the side of the terminal 10 that contacts the plate terminal 5 is referred to as the "inner side," and the side opposite the inner side is referred to as the "outer side."

[0019] The terminal 10 is made of a conductive plate-like member, and has, for example, a substantially U-shaped shape when viewed from the front (rear) obtained by bending the plate-like member. When the pair of plate-like terminals 5 is first clamped, a biasing force is applied to the terminal 10 in the direction of opening the terminal 10 (see arrow Y1 in FIG. 4), and when the pair of plate-like terminals 5 is clamped, a biasing force is applied to the terminal 10 in the direction of closing the terminal 10 (see arrow Y2 in FIG. 4).

[0020] In other words, when the pair of plate-like terminals 5 is initially clamped, the clamping piece 12 described later displaces so as to move away from the pair of plate-like terminals 5, and as the pair of plate-like terminals 5 is clamped, the clamping piece 12 displaces so as to move closer to the clamping piece 12.

[0021] 4 to 6, the terminal 10 is integrally formed with a base end 11 extending in the left-right direction and a pair of clamping pieces 12 extending in the up-down direction from both ends of the base end 11. The terminal 10 has a corner 13 formed at the location where the base end 11 and the clamping pieces 12 are continuous.

[0022] The terminal 10 has a slit S formed therein, which extends from the end of the base end 11 to the lower end of the clamping piece 12. As a result, the terminal 10 of this example can be said to have two pairs of clamping pieces 12.

[0023] 5, each clamping piece 12 has a lower end that is gently curved in a bow shape so as to approach the opposing clamping piece 12 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the portion of each clamping piece 12 of the terminal 10 that is closest to the opposing clamping piece 12 in the left-right direction is configured as a contact portion 16 that comes into contact with the plate terminal 5.

[0024] Specifically, in the right clamping piece 12, the leftmost portion is configured as the contact portion 16, and in the left clamping piece 12, the rightmost portion is configured as the contact portion 16.

[0025] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, terminal 10 has cutouts 17 (so-called notches) cut out to reduce the plate thickness at corners 13, inner surfaces 14 of clamping pieces 12, and outer surfaces 15 of clamping pieces 12. Specifically, first cutouts 17a are provided on the inside of corners 13, multiple second cutouts 17b are provided on inner surfaces 14, and multiple third cutouts 17c are provided on outer surfaces. The insides of corners 13 correspond to the "inner corners of terminal 10 formed by base end 11 and clamping pieces 12" of the present invention.

[0026] The cutout portion 17 including the first cutout portion 17a, the second cutout portion 17b, and the third cutout portion 17c can also be said to be a recessed portion that is substantially V-shaped when viewed from the front (rear).

[0027] The second notch portions 17b and the third notch portions 17c are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction (i.e., the extending direction of the clamping piece 12). Specifically, the second notch portions 17b and the third notch portions 17c are arranged alternately along the vertical direction.

[0028] In this embodiment, in order to make it easier to open the clamping pieces 12 when the terminal 10 clamps a pair of plate-shaped terminals 5, the rigidity of the terminal 10 is reduced by providing a notch 17 in the terminal 10 as described above.

[0029] The reason for reducing the rigidity of terminal 10 in this way is to widen the allowable range of the displacement of contact portion 16 that satisfies the required contact load. This will be explained with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the "contact load" and "displacement" of the terminal.

[0030] For example, if the required contact load needs to be controlled within a range of 5 N to 10 N, a terminal with high rigidity such as a conventional terminal must control the displacement of the contact portion 16 within a range of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm. On the other hand, a terminal with low rigidity such as the terminal 10 according to the present embodiment can control the displacement of the contact portion 16 within a range of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm. Thus, a terminal with low rigidity has a wider tolerance for the displacement of the contact portion 16 than a terminal with high rigidity.

[0031] In this embodiment, "rigidity" refers to the spring constant of the terminal 10. In other words, a terminal with high rigidity has a high spring constant, and a terminal with low rigidity has a low spring constant. The control ranges of the contact load and displacement for terminals with high and low rigidity shown in FIG. 7 are merely examples and are not limiting.

[0032] <Actions and Effects> According to the terminal 10 of the embodiment of the present invention, the first notch 17a is provided on the inside of the corner 13, which reduces the rigidity of the terminal 10 and makes it easier for the clamping pieces 12 to open. This allows the terminal 10 to expand the allowable range of displacement of the contact portion 16 that satisfies the required contact load. As a result, the terminal 10 can absorb misalignment of the contact portion 16 due to manufacturing tolerances, etc.

[0033] Furthermore, in the terminal 10 according to this embodiment, the second notch 17b is provided on the inner surface of the clamping piece 12, and the third notch 17c is provided on the outer surface thereof, thereby more appropriately reducing the rigidity of the terminal 10 according to this embodiment.

[0034] Furthermore, in the terminal 10 according to this embodiment, the second notches 17b and the third notches 17c are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction and alternately along the vertical direction. For example, if the second notches 17b and the third notches 17c were arranged at the same position in the vertical direction, the plate thickness of the corresponding portion of the terminal 10 would be too small, which could reduce the strength of the terminal 10. Furthermore, by arranging the second notches 17b and the third notches 17c alternately, the rigidity of the terminal 10 can be reduced while maintaining the strength of the terminal 10.

[0035] In this way, the terminal 10 according to this embodiment makes it easier to manage the contact load compared to conventional terminals, and improves the reliability of connection with the pair of plate terminals 5.

[0036] <Other forms> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0037] Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the terminal according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3]. [1] A clip-shaped terminal (10) electrically connected to a mating terminal (plate-shaped terminal 5), A base end portion (11), a pair of clamping pieces (12) extending from the base end in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the base end and clamping the mating terminal; A first notch (17a) is provided at an inside corner of the terminal formed by the base end (11) and the clamping piece (12). Terminal(10). [2] In the terminal (10) described in [1] above, The pair of clamping pieces (12) are Second notches (17b) are provided on the inner surfaces (14) facing each other in the extending direction, a third notch portion (17c) is provided on the outer surface (15) located on the opposite side to the inner surface in the extension direction; Terminal(10). [3] In the terminal (10) described in [2] above, The clamping piece (12) is a plurality of the second notches (17b) are provided on the inner surface (14), and a plurality of the third notches (17c) are provided on the outer surface (15); The plurality of second notches (17b) and the plurality of third notches (17c) are disposed at different positions in the intersecting direction. Terminal(10).

[0038] According to the terminal having the configuration [1] above, a first notch is provided at the recessed corner of the terminal, which is defined by the base end and the clamping pieces. This reduces the rigidity of the terminal, making it easier for the clamping pieces to open. In other words, the terminal can widen the tolerance range for the displacement of the contact part that satisfies the required contact load. In other words, the terminal can absorb misalignment of the contact part due to manufacturing tolerances, etc. As a result, the terminal having this configuration makes it easier to manage the contact load compared to conventional terminals, and improves the connection reliability with the mating terminal.

[0039] According to the terminal of the configuration [2] above, the second notch is provided on the inner surface of the clamping piece, and the third notch is provided on the outer surface, which allows the terminal of this configuration to more appropriately reduce its rigidity, making it easier to manage the contact load and further improving the connection reliability with the mating terminal.

[0040] The terminal having the configuration [3] above will be described below. For example, if the second notch and the third notch were located at the same vertical position, the plate thickness at that point of the terminal would be too small, which could reduce the strength of the terminal. However, in the terminal of this configuration, the second notch and the third notch are located at different vertical positions, so the rigidity can be reduced while maintaining the strength of the terminal. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 connector 2 First Connector 3 Second Connector 4. First Housing 5 Plate terminal 6 Second Housing 10 terminals 11 Proximal end 12 Clamping piece 13 Corner 14 Inner surface 15 External surface 16 Contact area 17 Notch 17a First notch 17b Second notch 17c Third notch S slit Y1,Y2 arrows

Claims

[Claim 1] A clip-shaped terminal formed into a substantially U-shape from a plate-shaped member, and electrically connected to a mating terminal, A base end portion; a pair of clamping pieces extending from the base end in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the base end and clamping the mating terminal, a first notch that is cut out so as to reduce the thickness of the terminal along an inside corner portion of the terminal that is formed by the base end portion and the clamping piece; The pair of clamping pieces are second notches are provided on inner surfaces facing each other in the extending direction, a third notch portion is provided on an outer surface located opposite to the inner surface in the extending direction, The clamping piece is a plurality of the second notches are provided on the inner surface, and a plurality of the third notches are provided on the outer surface; the plurality of second notches and the plurality of third notches are disposed at different positions in the intersecting direction, Terminal.

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