Terminal fittings

Abstract

To provide a terminal fitting capable of improving the connection workability in connecting with a mating terminal fitting.SOLUTION: A terminal fitting 10 has a cylindrical junction 11, an elastically deformable elastic contact 34 disposed inside the junction 11, and a contact point 39 provided on the elastic contact 34. Inside the junction 11, a mating terminal fitting 90 is disposed along a front-back direction though an opening at a forward end of the junction 11. The contact point 39 has a top 43, and a front side slope 44 that is extended and inclined forward from the top 43. The contact is provided with a gradual-thickness-change thin-wall 46 having a thickness smaller toward the top 43 in the front side slope 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , , , , , , , ,

[0005]

[0001] This disclosure relates to terminal fittings.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a terminal fitting including an elastic contact portion (contact part), and a top portion (electromechanical contact dome) provided on the elastic contact portion and contacting a mating terminal fitting (opposing terminal). The elastic contact portion has a "free mechanical dome transition region" on the front side and a "fixed mechanical dome transition region" on the rear side, sandwiching the top portion. This type of terminal fitting is also disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the terminal fitting disclosed in Patent Document 1, in each of the "free mechanical dome transition region" and the "fixed mechanical dome transition region" (hereinafter simply referred to as the "transition region"), the plate thickness of the elastic contact portion is abruptly changed, and the plate thickness of the entire top portion is made thin. Therefore, when the elastic contact portion contacts the mating terminal fitting and undergoes elastic deformation, there is a concern that stress may concentrate in the transition region, and when connecting the terminal fitting and the mating terminal fitting, the connection resistance may increase in the transition region, and the workability may deteriorate.

[0005] Therefore, an object of this disclosure is to provide a terminal fitting capable of improving workability when connecting to a mating terminal fitting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The terminal fitting of this disclosure comprises a cylindrical connecting portion, an elastically deformable elastic contact portion disposed inside the connecting portion, and a contact portion provided on the elastic contact portion, wherein a mating terminal fitting is disposed inside the connecting portion through an opening at the front end of the connecting portion along the front-rear direction, and the contact portion has a top portion that contacts the mating terminal fitting and a front inclined portion that extends forward from the top portion, and the front inclined portion is provided with a gradually thinning portion that gradually decreases in thickness toward the top portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a terminal fitting that can improve the ease of connection when connecting to a mating terminal fitting. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a terminal fitting according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the terminal fittings from a different direction than Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a front view of the terminal fitting. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a plan cross-sectional view of the connection point. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the connection point. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a side cross-sectional view showing the mating terminal fitting inserted inside the connection part. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing an enlarged view of the contact point of the connection. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the insertion force of the mating terminal fitting inserted inside the connection part and its stroke. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, the embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. The terminal fittings disclosed herein are (1) The connector comprises a cylindrical connector, an elastically deformable elastic contact portion disposed inside the connector, and a contact portion provided on the elastic contact portion, wherein a mating terminal fitting is arranged inside the connector through an opening at the front end of the connector along the front-to-back direction, and the contact portion has a top portion that contacts the mating terminal fitting and a front inclined portion that extends forward from the top portion, and the front inclined portion is provided with a gradually thinning portion that gradually decreases in thickness toward the top portion.

[0010] The contact portion in the above configuration has a gradually changing thin-walled portion, which allows for a larger surface area than a contact portion that is continuous with a constant thickness in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, with the above configuration, when the elastic contact portion contacts the mating terminal fitting, the stress acting on the contact portion can be widely distributed to the gradually changing thin-walled portion, thereby improving workability such as insertion workability when connecting terminal fittings.

[0011] (2) The surface of the contact portion opposite to the surface that contacts the mating terminal fitting is preferably a curved surface that curves toward the apex of the top portion.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the stress acting on the contact point when the elastic contact part comes into contact with the mating terminal fitting can be widely distributed across the entire curved surface. Furthermore, the curved surface can be easily formed by striking it with a press punch.

[0013] (3) A pure metal plating layer is formed on the surface of the elastic contact portion, and it is preferable that the thickness of the pure metal plating layer on the surface of the elastic contact portion facing the mating terminal fitting is thinner than the thickness of the pure metal plating layer around the contact portion.

[0014] The mating terminal fitting with the above structure can contact the thin pure metal plating layer at the top of the contact portion. Therefore, in the process of inserting the mating terminal fitting inside the connection portion, the amount of plating peeling of the pure metal plating layer can be reduced, and the stress generated at the contact portion during the insertion of the mating terminal fitting can be decreased.

[0015] (4) The connection portion has a receiving portion at a position facing the elastic contact portion and capable of sandwiching the mating terminal fitting between it and the elastic contact portion. The elastic contact portion is in a strip shape and has a front extending portion that extends rearward from a base end portion provided on the front end side of the connection portion so as to approach the receiving portion. The elastic contact portion is elastically deformable in the plate thickness direction of the front extending portion with the base end portion as a fulcrum. The front inclined portion is disposed at the rear end side of the front extending portion. When the plate thickness of the portion continuous with the front end of the front inclined portion in the front extending portion is ft and the plate thickness of the top portion is tt, it is preferable that the relational expression of 1 / 2 ≦ tt / ft ≦ 3 / 4 is satisfied.

[0016] According to the above structure, the contact portion can be provided with a plate thickness appropriate for improving workability such as insertion workability when connecting the elastic contact portion and the mating terminal fitting. If tt / ft < 1 / 2, the plate thickness of the top portion becomes too small, and it becomes difficult to obtain the contact load between the elastic contact portion and the mating terminal fitting. If tt / ft > 3 / 4, it becomes difficult to sufficiently exert the stress dispersion effect of the creep-thinned portion.

[0017] [Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this exemplification, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims, which are indicated by the claims.

[0018] <Embodiment 1> The terminal fitting 10 according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure is integrally formed by bending a conductive metal plate. The terminal fitting 10 comprises a connecting portion 11 and barrel portions 12 and 13 arranged in parallel with each other. In the following description, the front-rear direction is defined as the direction in which the connecting portion 11 and barrel portion 12 are aligned, and the side on which the connecting portion 11 is located relative to the barrel portions 12 and 13 is defined as the front. The up-down direction is based on the up-down direction in each figure except Figures 4 and 8. The left-right direction is based on the left-right direction in Figure 3. The up-down direction is synonymous with the height direction, and the left-right direction is synonymous with the width direction. The reference numerals X, Y, and Z in Figures 1 and 2 indicate the front, left, and top sides, respectively. These directional references are for convenience only and do not necessarily coincide with the direction when a connector (not shown) containing the terminal fitting 10 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown).

[0019] (Structure of terminal fittings) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the terminal fitting 10 is formed in an elongated shape in the front-to-back direction. The terminal fitting 10 has a strip-shaped bottom plate portion 14 that extends along its entire length in the front-to-back direction.

[0020] The barrel section includes the rear of the base plate section 14 and has a wire barrel section 12 and an insulation barrel section 13. The wire barrel section 12 is positioned in front of the insulation barrel section 13 and has a pair of wire barrel pieces 15 rising from both the left and right ends of the rear of the base plate section 14. The wire barrel section 12 is electrically connected to the core wire 62 exposed by the removal of the insulation 61 at the end of the insulated wire 60 by crimping. The insulation barrel section 13 has a pair of insulation barrel pieces 16 rising from both the left and right ends of the rear of the base plate section 14 and is mechanically connected to the insulation 61 at the end of the insulated wire 60 by crimping.

[0021] The connecting portion 11 has a rectangular tube shape that is long in the front-to-back direction and is open on both the front and rear sides. As shown in Figure 3, the connecting portion 11 has a front part of the bottom plate portion 14, a pair of side plate portions 17 and 18 that rise from both the left and right ends of the front part of the bottom plate portion 14, an inner plate portion 19 that is bent from the upper end of the side plate portion 17 on one side (left side in Figure 3) toward the side plate portion 18 on the other side (right side in Figure 3) and is positioned opposite the bottom plate portion 14, and an outer plate portion 21 that is bent from the upper end of the side plate portion 18 on the other side toward the side plate portion 17 on one side and overlaps the upper surface side of the inner plate portion 19 (the outer surface side of the connecting portion 11).

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, a receiving portion 22 is provided in the left and right center of the front of the base plate portion 14, with a shape that bulges inward from the connecting portion 11. The receiving portion 22 is rib-shaped extending in the front-rear direction and is configured in a curved shape with the front-rear center recessed from both the front and rear ends.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the outer plate portion 21 is provided with a through hole 23 that penetrates in the thickness direction. The through hole 23 is positioned off-center to the other side of the outer plate portion 21 (the side where the other side plate portion 18 is located). At one end of the outer plate portion 21, a first locking piece 24 and a second locking piece 25 are provided side by side. The first locking piece 24 is positioned side by side with the through hole 23, is bent at one end of the outer plate portion 21, and is supported by the upper end of the side plate portion 17 on one side. The second locking piece 25 is positioned behind the first locking piece 24, is bent in a stepped manner, and is inserted into and locked into a second locking hole 26 that opens into the side plate portion 17 on one side (see Figure 4).

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, a third locking piece 27 is provided at the other end of the inner plate portion 19, in a position forward of the through hole 23. As shown in Figure 4, the third locking piece 27 is inserted into and locked in a third locking hole 28 that opens into the other side plate portion 18. In this way, the rectangular tubular shape of the connecting portion 11 is maintained because the first locking piece 24 is supported by the side plate portion 17 on one side, the second locking piece 25 is inserted into and locked in the second locking hole 26, and the third locking piece 27 is inserted into and locked in the third locking hole 28.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the front end of the outer plate portion 21 is provided with a first projection 29 that bulges out in a U-shape upwards (outside the connecting portion 11). The rear end of the first projection 29 constitutes the front end of the through hole 23. The rear end of the outer plate portion 21 is also provided with a second projection 31 that bulges out in a U-shape upwards. The second projection 31 bulges out more than the first projection 29 (see Figure 3). The rear end of the outer plate portion 21 is provided with a notch 32 that is cut along the width direction while demarcating the front end of the second projection 31. As shown in Figure 1, the notch 32 is positioned behind the second locking piece 25.

[0026] The terminal fitting 10, although not shown in the diagram, is inserted into the cavity of the connector housing from the rear. A lance is formed protruding from the cavity. When the terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity, the lance faces the through hole 23 and is held in place by the connector housing in a state where it is restricted from coming out to the rear, as the lance faces the rear end of the first projection 29 so as to be able to lock into place. Here, the second projection 31 fits into a guide groove that communicates with the cavity and guides the insertion operation of the terminal fitting 10.

[0027] As shown in Figure 5, the inner plate portion 19 is composed of a base portion 33 that is in close contact with the lower surface of the outer plate portion 21 at its front end, and an elastic contact portion 34 that extends cantilevered backward from the base portion 33. As shown in Figure 4, the third locking piece 27 is formed as an overhang at the other end of the base portion 33.

[0028] The elastic contact portion 34 is elastically deformable in the vertical direction (plate thickness direction) with the base end portion 33 as a fulcrum. As shown in Figure 5, the elastic contact portion 34 has a front extension portion 35 that extends downward inclined so as it approaches the receiving portion 22 from the base end portion 33 towards the rear, and a rear extension portion 36 that extends upward inclined so as it moves away from the receiving portion 22 towards the rear, except for the rear end. The rear end of the rear extension portion 36 is bent downward, with its upper surface facing the outer plate portion 21. The front extension portion 35 and the rear extension portion 36 are each made up of a constant vertical thickness (plate thickness ft as shown in Figure 7, which will be described later), except for the contact portion 39 which will be described later.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the front extension 35 has a wide section 37 extending rearward from the base end 33. The rear extension 36 has a wide section 37 that is continuous with the front extension 35, and a narrow section 38 that extends rearward with a constant width from one end on the left or right of the rear end of the wide section 37. The narrow section 38 has a smaller width than the wide section 37 and is positioned side by side with the second locking piece 25 to avoid interference with the second locking piece 25.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, the elastic contact portion 34 has a dome-shaped contact portion 39 that bulges downward in the middle of the front and rear sections, including the boundary between the front extension portion 35 and the rear extension portion 36. The upper surface of the contact portion 39 is formed as a curved surface 41 that is curved inward from the surroundings by striking the upper surface of the elastic contact portion 34 with a press punch (not shown). As shown in Figure 4, the curved surface 41 has a teardrop-shaped outer edge portion 42 that extends long in the front-rear direction in a plan view and decreases in width from side to side as it goes forward. The outer edge portion 42 of the curved surface 41 has the largest width from side to side at the left-right center of the wide portion 37 at the boundary between the front extension portion 35 and the rear extension portion 36 (the dotted line portion in Figure 4). As shown in Figure 2, the curved surface 41 is visible through the through hole 23 of the outer plate portion 21.

[0031] As shown in Figure 7, the contact portion 39 is composed of a top portion 43, a front inclined portion 44 that slopes upward as it extends forward from the top portion 43, and a rear inclined portion 45 that slopes upward as it extends backward from the top portion 43. The front-to-back length of the front inclined portion 44 is greater than the front-to-back length of the rear inclined portion 45, and is more than twice the front-to-back length of the rear inclined portion 45. The front inclined portion 44 is located on the rear end side of the front extension portion 35. The top portion 43 has a curved shape that protrudes downward at the boundary between the front extension portion 35 and the rear extension portion 36, and has a vertex 47 at the lowest end of the elastic contact portion 34, which is the lower end. As shown in Figure 5, the top portion 43 is located above the front-to-rear center of the receiving portion 22 and is positioned opposite the receiving portion 22.

[0032] The contact portion 39 has a gradually thinning portion 46 that extends from the outer peripheral edge 42 to the top 43 of the curved surface 41, corresponding to the concave shape of the curved surface 41, across its entire length, including the front inclined portion 44, the top portion 43, and the rear inclined portion 45.

[0033] As shown in Figure 7, the gradually thinning portion 46 of the front inclined portion 44 has a shape in which the thickness gradually decreases from the front end of the front inclined portion 44 to the apex 47 of the apex 43 when viewed in a side cross-section cut at the left and right center of the contact portion 39. The upper and lower surfaces of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the front inclined portion 44 are inclined at a constant angle with respect to the front-rear direction toward the apex 43. The upper surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the front inclined portion 44 constitutes the front part of the curved surface 41. The upper surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the front inclined portion 44 has a larger angle of inclination than the lower surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 so that it gradually approaches the lower surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 from the front end of the front inclined portion 44 to the apex 47 of the apex 43.

[0034] The upper surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the apex 43 is the bottom portion of the curved surface 41 and has a concave curved shape, and is continuous with the upper surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the front inclined portion 44 without any step. The lower surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the apex 43 is continuous with the lower surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the front inclined portion 44 without any step. The apex 43 constitutes the thinnest part of the gradually thinning portion 46 at a position corresponding to the vertex 47. The upper surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the rear inclined portion 45 has a curved shape that slopes steeply upward from the upper surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the apex 43. The lower surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the rear inclined portion 45 is continuous with the lower surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the apex 43 without any step and slopes gently upward.

[0035] The surface of the terminal fitting 10 is plated with tin plating or the like, and although not shown in the diagram, it has a structure in which a pure metal plating layer made of tin or the like is laminated onto an alloy plating layer made of tin alloy or the like.

[0036] (Function of terminal fittings) When manufacturing the terminal fitting 10, although not shown in the diagram, first, the upper surface of the metal plate that has undergone the above plating treatment is struck with a press punch to create an indentation. The pressing surface of the punch is shaped to correspond to the curved surface 41 of the contact portion 39. This creates a contact portion 39 on the metal plate that bulges downward. On the lower side of the contact portion 39, the outermost metal plating layer is thinned out due to the tensile stress caused by the bulging. Subsequently, the metal plate is punched out and then bent to form a rectangular tube-shaped connecting portion 11, etc., thereby manufacturing the terminal fitting 10.

[0037] Although not shown in the diagram, the terminal fitting 10 is inserted into the cavity of the connector housing while connected to the end of the insulated wire 60, and is secured to the connector housing by a lance. Next, when the connector housing is fitted into the mating connector housing (not shown), the tab 91 of the mating terminal fitting 90 is inserted into the inside of the connection part 11 through the opening at the front end of the connection part 11, as shown in Figure 6. This tab 91 has a shape that extends along the front-to-back direction.

[0038] As the tab 91 of the mating terminal fitting 90 is inserted into the inside of the connecting portion 11, the tab 91 moves in the front-rear direction between the contact portion 39 and the receiving portion 22, sliding along the lower surface of the front inclined portion 44 (more specifically, the lower surface of the gradually thinning portion 46 of the front inclined portion 44) and the upper surface of the receiving portion 22. The elastic contact portion 34 is pressed by the tab 91 and is elastically deformed upward with the base end portion 33 as the pivot point. Subsequently, the tab 91 reaches a position where it contacts the apex 47 of the top portion 43, and the fitting of the connector housing and the mating connector housing is completed. At this time, as shown in Figure 6, the elastic contact portion 34, in its elastically deformed state, brings the rear end of the rear inclined portion 45 into contact with the outer plate portion 21. The tab 91 is sandwiched between the contact portion 39 and the receiving portion 22 while in contact with the apex 47 on the lower surface of the top portion 43 and the front and rear ends of the receiving portion 22. This electrically connects terminal fitting 10 and mating terminal fitting 90.

[0039] During the insertion process of the tab 91 into the connecting portion 11, the tab 91 comes into contact with the front inclined portion 44 and receives the elastic reaction force of the elastic contact portion 34, gradually increasing the insertion force. Specifically, the insertion force of the tab 91 gradually increases according to the stroke (contact stroke) from the contact start position where the tab 91 begins to contact the front inclined portion 44 to the contact completion position where it contacts the top portion 43.

[0040] In this embodiment 1, since the contact portion 39 is provided with a gradually changing thin-walled portion 46, the stress acting on the contact portion 39 is widely distributed across the gradually changing thin-walled portion 46 as the tab 91 moves from the contact start position to the contact completion position of the contact portion 39. As a result, the insertion force of the tab 91 can be kept low. Consequently, it is also possible to keep the mating resistance between the connector housing and the mating connector housing low, improving workability during connector mating. In particular, the above configuration with a gradually changing thin-walled portion 46 on the contact portion 39 offers significant advantages in multi-pole connectors where a large number of terminal fittings 10 are housed in the connector housing.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment 1, since the metal plate is punched to form the bulging contact portion 39, as described above, a pure metal plating layer thinner than the surrounding lower surface of the contact portion 39 exists on the lower surface of the contact portion 39. As the pure metal plating layer becomes thinner, the amount of plating wear is reduced when the tab 91 slides along the lower surface of the contact portion 39, thereby reducing the stress generated. Therefore, in this embodiment 1, the insertion force of the tab 91 can be further reduced by thinning the pure metal plating layer in addition to the stress distribution effect of the gradually thinning portion 46.

[0042] Incidentally, in the case shown in Figure 7, if we let tt be the upper and lower thickness of the thinnest part of the gradually changing thin-walled section 46, that is, the upper and lower thickness of the gradually changing thin-walled section 46 along the perpendicular line passing through the apex 47 of the top 43 (the plate thickness in the vertical direction, which is the direction in which the elastic contact section 34 elastically deforms), and tf be the upper and lower thickness of the part of the front extension 35 that is connected to the front end of the front inclined section 44, then the relationship tt / ft = 1 / 2 holds true. In other words, the plate thickness tt of the top 43 of the gradually changing thin-walled section 46 is made sufficiently smaller than the plate thickness ft of the front extension 35. As a result, the area of ​​the curved surface 41 of the gradually changing thin-walled section 46 is also increased, and stress can be distributed over a wider area.

[0043] Figure 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the stroke of the tab 91 and the insertion force in a terminal fitting 10 with a plate thickness of 0.5 mm in the portion excluding the gradually thinning portion 46, in the following cases: criterion (solid line in the figure) where the gradually thinning portion 46 is not provided at the contact portion 39 and the relationship tt / ft=1 holds true; pattern A (dotted line in the figure) where the gradually thinning portion 46 is provided at the contact portion 39 and the relationship tt / ft=1 / 2 holds true; and pattern B (dash-dot line in the figure) where the gradually thinning portion 46 is provided at the contact portion 39 and the relationship tt / ft=3 / 4 holds true.

[0044] As shown in the graph in Figure 8, both Pattern A and Pattern B show a significantly reduced insertion peak compared to the standard, and the insertion force is reduced throughout the entire stroke. Therefore, a terminal fitting 10 equipped with an elastic contact portion 34 that satisfies the relationship 1 / 2 ≤ tt / ft ≤ 3 / 4 can reduce the insertion force of the tab 91, thereby improving workability during connector mating. However, if tt / ft < 1 / 2, the contact portion 39 becomes too thin, making it difficult to obtain a contact load between the elastic contact portion 34 and the mating terminal fitting 90. On the other hand, if tt / ft > 3 / 4, the insertion force of the tab 91 cannot be reduced by a significant difference compared to the standard, making it difficult to fully utilize the stress distribution effect of the gradually thinning portion 46.

[0045] As described above, according to this embodiment 1, when the elastic contact portion 34 contacts the tab 91 of the mating terminal fitting 90, the stress acting on the contact portion 39 can be widely distributed to the gradually changing thin-walled portion 46, thereby reducing the insertion force of the tab 91. Therefore, according to this embodiment 1, it is possible to provide a terminal fitting 10 that can improve workability when the connector is mated (when the terminal fitting 10 and the mating terminal fitting 90 are connected).

[0046] [Other embodiments of this disclosure] Embodiment 1 disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. In the first embodiment described above, the elastic contact portion extended in a cantilevered manner toward the rear from the base end, and had a contact portion with a gradually changing thinning section at the top of the intermediate section between the front and rear. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the elastic contact portion may extend in a cantilevered manner toward the front from the base end, and have a contact portion with a gradually changing thinning section at the portion that bends downward at the front end. Alternatively, the elastic contact portion may be cantilevered in a double-arched shape, spanning between base ends provided at both the front and rear ends of the connecting portion, and have a contact portion with a gradually changing thinning section at the top of the arch. In the first embodiment described above, the gradually changing thin-walled portion was formed over the entire contact area. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the gradually changing thin-walled portion may be formed only on the front inclined portion of the contact area, or it may be formed on the front inclined portion and the top, but not on the rear inclined portion. In the first embodiment described above, the gradually thinning portion was formed by a concave shape of a curved surface provided on the side of the contact portion opposite to the side that contacts the mating terminal fitting. In contrast, according to other embodiments, the gradually thinning portion may be formed by a concave shape provided on the side of the contact portion that contacts the mating terminal fitting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10…Terminal fittings 11…Connection part 12...Wire barrel section (barrel section) 13…Insulation barrel section (barrel section) 14…Bottom plate part 15…Wire barrel piece 16…Insulation barrel piece 17... One side panel (side panel) 18... The other side panel (side panel) 19...Inner plate part 21...Outer panel part 22...receiving part 23…Through hole 24...First locking piece 25...Second locking piece 26…Second locking hole 27…Third locking piece 28…Third locking hole 29…First Pier 31...Second Pier 32... Notch 33...Proximal end 34…Elastic contact area 35... Front extension 36…Rear side extension part 37... Wide part 38…Narrow part 39... Contact point 41…Curved surface 42... Peripheral edge 43...Top 44…Front slope part 45…Rear side slope part 46... Gradual thinning section 47…Peak 60...Insulated wire 61... Covering 62... Core wire 90... Mating terminal fittings 91... Tab

Claims

1. A cylindrical connecting part, An elastically deformable elastic contact portion is disposed inside the aforementioned connecting portion, The elastic contact portion comprises a contact portion provided in the elastic contact portion, Inside the aforementioned connection portion, the mating terminal fitting is arranged along the front-to-back direction through the opening at the front end of the connection portion. The terminal fitting has a contact portion having a top portion that contacts the mating terminal fitting and a front inclined portion that extends forward from the top portion, and the front inclined portion is provided with a gradually thinning portion that gradually decreases in thickness toward the top portion.

2. The terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the contact portion opposite to the surface that contacts the mating terminal fitting is a curved surface that curves toward the apex of the top portion.

3. A pure metal plating layer is formed on the surface of the elastic contact portion. The terminal fitting according to claim 1, wherein, on the surface of the elastic contact portion facing the mating terminal fitting, the thickness of the pure metal plating layer of the contact portion is thinner than the thickness of the pure metal plating layer around the contact portion.

4. The connecting portion has a receiving portion at a position opposite to the elastic contact portion, which is capable of sandwiching the mating terminal fitting between itself and the elastic contact portion. The elastic contact portion is in the shape of a strip, and has a front extension that extends from a base end provided on the front end side of the connecting portion toward the rear toward the receiving portion, and is elastically deformable in the thickness direction of the front extension with the base end as a fulcrum. The aforementioned front inclined portion is positioned on the rear end side of the front extension portion. Let the plate thickness of the portion of the front extension that is connected to the front end of the front inclined portion be ft. When the thickness of the top plate is tt, 1 / 2 ≤ tt / ft ≤ 3 / 4 The terminal fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the following relationship holds true.

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