Receptacle terminal and terminal assembly

Abstract

A receptacle terminal (1A) contacts with a plug terminal that is inserted and is removed along a normal direction of a principal surface (3a) of a substrate (3) and is configured for a metal plate to be bent. The receptacle terminal (1A) comprises: a mounting part (10) that is connected to the substrate (3); a pair of terminal contact parts (11) that are disposed facing each other so as to be capable of sandwiching the plug terminal between plate thickness surfaces of the metal plate serving as a contact surface that contacts the plug terminal; a connection part (13) that connects one of the pair of terminal contact parts (11) to the other; and an elastic deformation part (12) that is bent at a plurality of positions, has flexibility, connects one of the pair of terminal contact parts (11) to the mounting part (10) so as to be displaceable, and connects the other of the pair of terminal contact parts (11) to the mounting part (10) so as to be displaceable.

Description

Receptacle terminal and terminal assembly

[0001] The present invention relates to a receptacle terminal and a terminal assembly.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a receptacle terminal formed by bending a metal plate and adapted to contact a plug terminal. In this receptacle terminal, an elastic portion is provided between a pair of contact portions that contact the plug terminal and a base member that connects to a circuit board. The elastic portion is capable of elastic deformation due to the provision of multiple bent ends. The elastic deformation of the elastic portion allows the pair of contact portions to follow the misaligned plug terminal, enabling the plug terminal and receptacle terminal to be mated.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-19296

[0004] In the receptacle terminal disclosed in Patent Document 1, the number of bent ends, i.e., the number of bent portions, may need to be increased to obtain the desired elastic displacement. Increasing the number of bent ends causes the elastic portion to extend in a direction away from the pair of contact portions, making it difficult to miniaturize the terminal.

[0005] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a receptacle terminal and a terminal assembly that can be further miniaturized.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a receptacle terminal according to a first aspect of the present invention is a receptacle terminal that comes into contact with a plug terminal that is inserted and removed along a normal direction to a main surface of a substrate and is constructed by bending a metal plate, and comprises: a mounting portion that connects to the substrate; a pair of terminal contact portions that are arranged opposite each other so that the plug terminal can be sandwiched between the plate thickness surfaces of the metal plate that serve as contact surfaces that come into contact with the plug terminal; a connecting portion that connects one of the pair of terminal contact portions to the other; and an elastic deformation portion that is bent at multiple points and is flexible, and displaceably connects one of the pair of terminal contact portions or the connecting portion to the mounting portion, and displaceably connects the other of the pair of terminal contact portions or the connecting portion to the mounting portion.

[0007] A terminal assembly according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises the receptacle terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention, and an insulating protective part that covers and protects at least a portion of the receptacle terminal.

[0008] According to the present invention, further miniaturization can be achieved.

[0009] 8 is a perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a development view of the receptacle terminal of FIG. 1 before bending. FIG. 1 is a front view of the receptacle terminal of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a top view of the receptacle terminal of FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a part of the receptacle terminal cut away to show the shape of an elastically deformable portion. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a plug terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a view showing a state in which a plug terminal is inserted into the receptacle terminal. FIG. 12 is a view showing a state in which the receptacle terminal and the plug terminal are mated. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a development view of the receptacle terminal of FIG. 8 before bending. FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the receptacle terminal of FIG. 8. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a plug terminal according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a first exploded perspective view of a terminal assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a second exploded perspective view of a terminal assembly according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a terminal assembly according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a front view showing a state in which the terminal assembly and the plug terminal are mated. 15 showing a state in the middle of removing the plug terminal from the terminal assembly. An exploded perspective view of a terminal assembly according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. An oblique view of a terminal assembly according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. A cross-sectional view of the terminal assembly of FIG. 18 taken along line XIX-XIX. A first perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. A second perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. A first perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. A second perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. A first perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. A second perspective view of a receptacle terminal according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the following embodiments, the terms "have," "include," or "contain" also mean "consist of" or "consist of."

[0011] Embodiment 1 A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, two terminals that can be connected to each other to supply power between boards will be described. One of the two terminals is a receptacle terminal 1A shown in FIG. 1, and the other terminal is a plug terminal 2A shown in FIG. 5.

[0012] [Receptacle Terminal] First, the receptacle terminal 1A will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the receptacle terminal 1A has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. The receptacle terminal 1A is mounted on a first substrate 3, which serves as a substrate. In Fig. 1, the first substrate 3 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0013] In this embodiment, the receptacle terminal 1A will be described with reference to a three-axis Cartesian coordinate system consisting of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The X-axis and Y-axis are defined as coordinate axes along the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3, and the Z-axis is defined as a coordinate axis parallel to the normal direction perpendicular to the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3.

[0014] The receptacle terminal 1A mates with a plug terminal 2A (see FIG. 5) mounted on a second substrate 4 (described later), and is used, for example, to supply power between the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4. The plug terminal 2A is inserted into and removed from the receptacle terminal 1A along the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 1 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). In the following description, the Z-axis direction is the insertion / removal direction that is normal to the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3, the X-axis direction is the left-right direction, and the Y-axis direction is the depth direction.

[0015] The receptacle terminal 1A is formed from a single sheet of conductive metal. Examples of the material for the sheet include copper alloys. Examples of copper alloys include Corson alloys, beryllium copper, phosphor bronze, and titanium copper. Of these, at least one of beryllium copper conforming to alloy numbers C1770, C1720, and C1750 of JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) H3130 (2018), phosphor bronze conforming to alloy numbers C5210 and C5240, and titanium copper conforming to alloy number C1990 is preferred. The thickness of the metal sheet is preferably 0.1 to 0.5 mm, more preferably 0.2 to 0.4 mm, and even more preferably 0.2 to 0.3 mm.

[0016] The plate material is processed by punching into a metal plate 5 having the shape (strip-like) shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 shows the metal plate 5 in which the receptacle terminal 1A is unfolded. In the metal plate 5, the mounting portion 10, terminal contact portion 11, elastic deformation portion 12, and connecting portion 13, which are connected in series, are located on the same plane. The in-plane directions of the metal plate 5 are the α-axis and β-axis, and the thickness direction of the metal plate 5 is the γ-axis. By punching, the metal plate 5 is formed with a central portion C1, a first arm portion A1 extending from the central portion C1 in the +α direction, and a second arm portion A2 extending from the central portion C1 in the -α direction.

[0017] The central portion C1 is rectangular overall, symmetrical with respect to an imaginary center line CL parallel to the β axis, and is a U-shaped portion with the edge in the -β direction cut out. Of the two tip portions of this U-shape, the first arm A1 is connected to the tip portion closer to +α, and the second arm A2 is connected to the tip portion closer to -α. The first arm A1 is a strip-shaped portion that extends from the central portion C1 in the +α direction but is bent in an L-shape in the -β direction. The second arm A2 is a strip-shaped portion that extends from the central portion C1 in the -α direction but is bent in an L-shape in the -β direction.

[0018] The first arm A1 and the second arm A2 have the same shape and size but are oriented in opposite directions and are arranged in line-symmetrical positions with respect to an imaginary center line CL parallel to the β axis. The entire metal plate 5 has a shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to the imaginary center line CL. The metal plate 5 formed by punching a plate material is bent along the two-dot chain line by a bending process into the shape shown in FIG. 1 to form the receptacle terminal 1A.

[0019] In this way, the receptacle terminal 1A is formed by bending the metal plate 5. One surface of the metal plate 5 shown in Figure 2 is referred to as the front surface, and the other surface is referred to as the back surface. Hereinafter, the front surface and the back surface will be referred to as the front and back surfaces without distinction. Furthermore, the surface of the metal plate 5 along the plate thickness direction will be referred to as the plate thickness surface.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the receptacle terminal 1A includes the mounting portion 10, a pair of terminal contact portions 11, an elastic deformation portion 12, and a connecting portion 13, as described above.

[0021] [Mounting section] The mounting section 10 is connected to the first substrate 3. The mounting section 10 is composed of a pair of substrate connection sections 10a, 10b. One substrate connection section 10a and the other substrate connection section 10b are rectangular flat plate-like sections of the same shape and size that extend parallel to the Y-axis direction (depth direction).

[0022] The board connection portions 10a and 10b are arranged in the order of board connection portions 10b, 10a (from left to right) toward the +X direction, spaced apart in the X-axis direction, so that the front and back surfaces of each metal plate 5 are along the same plane parallel to the XY plane. The board connection portions 10a and 10b are connected to electrodes (not shown) formed on the mounting surface of the first board 3 on the front and back surfaces of each metal plate 5 by at least one of soldering, silver sintering, ultrasonic bonding, and resistance welding.

[0023] [Terminal Contact Portion] In FIG. 1 , one of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 is shown as terminal contact portion 11a, and the other of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 is shown as terminal contact portion 11b. Terminal contact portions 11a and 11b are arranged in the order of terminal contact portions 11b, 11a, toward the +X direction, with a gap in the X-axis direction, so that the front and back surfaces of each metal plate 5 are along the same plane parallel to the XZ plane. Terminal contact portions 11a and 11b are arranged so that their plate thickness surfaces face each other. As shown in FIG. 3A , terminal contact portions 11a and 11b have shapes that are mirror-symmetrical to each other with respect to an imaginary center line CL1 parallel to the Z-axis.

[0024] Each of the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b is provided with a contact piece 20 and a support piece 21. The contact piece 20 protrudes toward each other into a gap between the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b formed by a cutout in the central portion C1. The plug terminal 2A is inserted between the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b in the insertion / removal direction (see FIG. 7).

[0025] The distance between the tip of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portion 11a and the tip of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portion 11b is determined based on the thickness of the plug terminal 2A to be inserted therebetween. Specifically, the distance between the tip of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portion 11a and the tip of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portion 11b is set to be the same as or slightly shorter than the thickness of the plug terminal 2A.

[0026] The plate thickness surface of the tip portion of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portion 11a and the plate thickness surface of the tip portion of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portion 11b each form a contact surface 22 that comes into contact with the plug terminal 2A. The terminal contact portion 11a and the terminal contact portion 11b come into contact with the plug terminal 2A at their respective contact surfaces 22. In other words, the contact surface 22 that comes into contact with the plug terminal 2A is provided on a portion of the plate thickness surface of each of the metal plates 5 of the pair of terminal contact portions 11. The pair of terminal contact portions 11 are arranged opposite each other so that they can sandwich the plug terminal 2A between their contact surfaces 22. The pair of terminal contact portions 11 come into contact with and sandwich the plug terminal 2A at their opposing contact surfaces 22.

[0027] The plate thickness surface of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b that is closer to the +Z direction than the contact surface 22 is inclined in the direction gradually approaching the -Z direction. This inclined plate thickness surface functions as a guide surface 23 that guides the plug terminal 2A to the contact surface 22.

[0028] The support piece 21 provided on the terminal contact portion 11a protrudes toward the board connection portion 10a, and the support piece 21 provided on the terminal contact portion 11b protrudes toward the board connection portion 10b. That is, the support piece 21 protrudes toward the first board 3 at a portion of each of the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b that is closer to the first board 3 than the contact surface 22. As described below, when the plug terminal 2A is inserted into the receptacle terminal 1A, the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b contact the plug terminal 2A. As the plug terminal 2A moves toward the first board 3 (in the −Z direction) and slides against the contact surface 22, the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b receive a force in the −Z direction and are displaced in the −Z direction together with the elastic deformation portion 12. At this time, each support piece 21 abuts against the board connection portions 10a, 10b. As a result, the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b are supported so as to resist displacement in the −Z direction, and plastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion 12 is suppressed.

[0029] [Elastic Deformation Portion] As shown in FIG. 1 , the elastic deformation portion 12 is bent at multiple locations to have flexibility, displaceably connecting the terminal contact portion 11a to the board connection portion 10a and displaceably connecting the terminal contact portion 11b to the board connection portion 10b. In this embodiment, the elastic deformation portion 12 includes a first member 12a and a second member 12b. The first member 12a is bent around the Z axis to displaceably connect one terminal contact portion 11a of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 to one board connection portion 10a of the mounting portion 10. The second member 12b is bent around the Z axis to displaceably connect the other terminal contact portion 11b of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 to the other board connection portion 10b of the mounting portion 10. The first member 12a is bent multiple times in the same direction around the Z axis. The same is true for the second member 12b. That is, the elastic deformation portion 12 has a shape bent around the Z axis extending in the normal direction to the main surface 3 a of the first substrate 3 .

[0030] As shown in FIG. 4 , the first member 12a and the second member 12b of the elastic deformation unit 12 include a first bent portion 31, a first plate portion 32, a second bent portion 33, a second plate portion 34, and a connecting portion 35. The first bent portion 31 is continuous with one terminal contact portion 11a or the other terminal contact portion 11b of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 and is bent around the Z-axis along the insertion / removal direction relative to the continuous terminal contact portion 11a or 11b. One end of the first plate portion 32 is continuous with the first bent portion 31 and extends from that end in the depth direction along the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3. The second bent portion 33 is continuous with the other end of the first plate portion 32 and is bent around the Z-axis relative to the first plate portion 32. The second plate portion 34 has one end connected to the second bent portion 33, extends from that end in the left-right direction along the main surface 3a, and connects via a connection portion 35 to the board connection portion 10a or the other board connection portion 10b.

[0031] 3B , a virtual center line CL2 is an imaginary line that extends in a direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the direction (X-axis direction) in which the contact surfaces 22 of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 a, 11 b face each other and passes through an imaginary center point CP between the contact surfaces 22. In this case, when viewed in the insertion / removal direction, the elastic deformation portion 12, i.e., the first bent portion 31, the first plate portion 32, the second bent portion 33, and the second plate portion 34, have shapes that are line-symmetrical to one another with respect to the virtual center line CL2.

[0032] 1 , the connecting portion 13 connects one of the pair of terminal contact portions 11, i.e., the terminal contact portion 11a and the terminal contact portion 11b. The connecting portion 13 is configured in a flat plate shape without being bent. When viewed in the insertion / removal direction, the connecting portion 13 has a frame shape that conforms to the elastic deformation portion 12. The space surrounded by the connecting portion 13 and the contact piece 20 is an opening 13d through which a terminal contact portion 41 (described below) of the plug terminal 2A is inserted.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1 , the receptacle terminal 1A further includes a pair of third bent portions (bent portions) 36. The pair of third bent portions 36 is a pair of a member that is continuous with the terminal contact portion 11a and bent relative to the terminal contact portion 11a about the X-axis parallel to the main surface 3a to connect the terminal contact portion 11a and the connecting portion 13, and a member that is continuous with the terminal contact portion 11b and bent relative to the terminal contact portion 11b about the X-axis to connect the terminal contact portion 11b and the connecting portion 13. The connecting portion 13 is connected to the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b via the pair of third bent portions 36. The connecting portion 13 is continuous with the pair of third bent portions 36 and extends in the same direction as the first plate portion 32. In other words, the connecting portion 13 is disposed opposite the elastic deformation portion 12.

[0034] [Plug Terminal] Next, the plug terminal 2A will be described. In Fig. 5, the second substrate 4 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The surface facing the -Z direction is the main surface 4a of the second substrate 4, and the plug terminal 2A is mounted on the main surface 4a.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 5 , the plug terminal 2A has an outer shape that is convex in the −Z direction when viewed in the depth direction or left-right direction, and includes a board connection portion 40, a terminal contact portion 41, and a linking portion 42. The board connection portion 40 connects to the second substrate 4. Specifically, the board connection portion 40 is connected to an electrode (not shown) formed on the main surface 4a of the second substrate 4 by soldering or the like. The terminal contact portion 41 is flat and extends in a normal direction perpendicular to the main surface 4a, and contacts the receptacle terminal 1A (see FIG. 7 ). The linking portion 42 links the board connection portion 40 and the terminal contact portion 41 while being bent in a normal direction relative to the board connection portion 40.

[0036] The plug terminal 2A is formed from a single sheet of conductive metal material. Examples of the material for the sheet include the same material as that for the receptacle terminal 1A or a copper-magnesium alloy conforming to CDA (Copper Development Association) Standard No. C18665. The thickness of the sheet may be the same as that of the receptacle terminal 1A. The sheet is punched to form a metal plate having a predetermined shape (the shape of the plug terminal 2A when unfolded), and then bent to form the connecting portion 42. This results in the plug terminal 2A having the shape shown in FIG. 5.

[0037] Next, a description will be given of the mating operation between the receptacle terminal 1A and the plug terminal 2A according to the present embodiment 1. The mating of the receptacle terminal 1A and the plug terminal 2A is performed in a state where the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3 and the main surface 4a of the second substrate 4 are arranged to face each other, as shown in Figures 6 and 7 .

[0038] 6 , when the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2A is inserted into the opening 13d while being misaligned in the −X direction with respect to the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b of the receptacle terminal 1A, the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2A comes into contact with the guide surface 23 of the terminal contact portion 11a. As a result, the inner angle of the first bent portion 31 of the first member 12a (the angle between the terminal contact portion 11a and the first plate portion 32) and the inner angle of the second bent portion 33 of the second member 12b (the angle between the first plate portion 32 and the second plate portion 34) increase, and the inner angle of the second bent portion 33 of the first member 12a and the inner angle of the first bent portion 31 of the second member 12b decrease, causing the entire elastic deformation portion 12 to elastically deform while distorting. As a result, the terminal contact portion 11 follows the terminal contact portion 41. In addition, the terminal contact portion 41 is guided along the guide surface 23 to a mating position where it is sandwiched between the contact surfaces 22 of the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b of the receptacle terminal 1A.

[0039] 7, even if terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2A is inserted into opening 13d misaligned in the -X direction, it is accurately inserted between the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b of receptacle terminal 1A, and receptacle terminal 1A and plug terminal 2A are mated in the intended position. As a result, the electrical circuit of first board 3 and the electrical circuit of second board 4 are electrically connected via receptacle terminal 1A and plug terminal 2A, enabling power to be supplied between first board 3 and second board 4.

[0040] In the receptacle terminal 1A according to this embodiment, the pair of terminal contact portions 11 are arranged so as to face each other and sandwich the plug terminal 2A, with the plate thickness surface of the metal plate 5 serving as the contact surface 22 that contacts the plug terminal 2A. Therefore, the elastically deforming portion 12 extends in a bent state along the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3, i.e., extends in a bent state around an axis extending in the Z-axis direction, which is the normal direction to the main surface 3a. This allows the pair of terminal contact portions 11 and the elastically deforming portion 12 to be positioned at the same height as viewed from the first substrate 3. As described above, the elastically deforming portion 12 extends in a bent state around an axis extending in the Z-axis direction, which is the normal direction to the main surface 3a. This allows the elastically deforming portion 12 to bend in a manner that does not extend in one direction even when bent. Therefore, the size in the Z-axis direction can be reduced compared to an elastically deforming portion that extends in one direction when the number of bent ends is increased. This allows the receptacle terminal 1A to be made smaller and thinner.

[0041] Furthermore, in the receptacle terminal 1A, the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2A inserted between the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b displaces the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b in a direction away from each other. This generates stress in the connecting portion 13 connected to the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b. Because the connecting portion 13 is flat and has no bent portions, the bending stress generated by the bending process for forming the bent portions is not inherent in the connecting portion 13. Therefore, even if the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b and the terminal contact portion 41 are in contact with each other for a long period of time (e.g., 500 to 1000 hours) in a high-temperature atmosphere (e.g., 150 to 250°C), stress relaxation in the connecting portion 13 is unlikely to occur. As a result, in this receptacle terminal 1A, the contact pressure of the contact surface 22 against the terminal contact portion 41 is unlikely to decrease, thereby maintaining the supply of power between the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4.

[0042] Embodiment 2 A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, two terminals that can be connected to each other to supply power between the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4 will be described, which are different from the receptacle terminal 1A and the plug terminal 2A according to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, one of the two terminals is the receptacle terminal 1B shown in FIG. 8, and the other is the plug terminal 2B shown in FIG. 11.

[0043] [Receptacle Terminal] Similar to receptacle terminal 1A according to the first embodiment, receptacle terminal 1B according to the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and is mounted on first substrate 3 as a substrate.

[0044] 8, receptacle terminal 1B includes mounting portion 10, a pair of terminal contact portions 11, elastic deformation portion 12, and connecting portion 13. In this respect, receptacle terminal 1B is the same as receptacle terminal 1A according to the first embodiment.

[0045] Similarly to the receptacle terminal 1A, the receptacle terminal 1B is formed from a conductive metal plate material. The plate material is processed into a predetermined (strip-shaped) metal plate 6 by a punching process. FIG. 9 shows the metal plate 6 of the receptacle terminal 1B unfolded. In the metal plate 6, the continuously connected mounting portion 10, a pair of terminal contact portions 11, an elastic deformation portion 12, and a connecting portion 13 are located on the same plane. The in-plane directions of the metal plate 6 are the α-axis and β-axis, and the thickness direction of the metal plate 6 is the γ-axis. Similar to the metal plate 5 shown in FIG. 2, the metal plate 6 is formed by punching to have a central portion C1, a first arm portion A1 extending from the central portion C1 in the +α direction, and a second arm portion A2 extending from the central portion C1 in the −α direction.

[0046] The general shapes of the central portion C1, first arm portion A1, and second arm portion A2 of metal plate 6 are substantially the same as those of metal plate 5 shown in FIG. 2 , and metal plate 6 has a shape that is generally line-symmetrical with respect to an imaginary center line CL parallel to the β-axis. After the above-described punching process, metal plate 6 is split open at portions corresponding to connecting portion 13 and third bent portion 36 by a splitting process that divides the plate thickness in half, forming first connecting portion 13a and second connecting portion 13b. Next, metal plate 6 is bent along the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9 by a bending process. In this bending process, first connecting portion 13a and second connecting portion 13b are bent at third bent portion 36 so as to move away from each other, forming third bent portion 36 that branches into a substantially V-shape when viewed from the left and right. As a result, receptacle terminal 1B shown in FIG. 8 is formed.

[0047] In this embodiment as well, the front and rear surfaces of the metal plate 6 shown in FIG. 9 are referred to as the front and rear surfaces, and the surface of the metal plate 6 along the thickness direction is referred to as the thickness surface.

[0048] [Mounting Section] As shown in FIG. 8 , the mounting section 10 is composed of a board connection section 10a and a board connection section 10b, and the board connection section 10a and the board connection section 10b are each connected to the first board 3. In the mounting section 10, the board connection section 10a and the board connection section 10b are rectangular flat plate-shaped sections that extend along the Y-axis direction (depth direction) and are arranged facing each other. The board connection sections 10a and 10b are arranged in this order toward the +Y direction, with the front and back surfaces of the respective metal plates 6 aligned along the same plane parallel to the XY plane. The board connection sections 10a and 10b are connected to electrodes (not shown) formed on the mounting surface of the first board 3 by soldering or the like on the front and back surfaces of the respective metal plates 6.

[0049] [Terminal Contact Portion] In the pair of terminal contact portions 11, terminal contact portion 11a and terminal contact portion 11b are arranged in the order of terminal contact portion 11b, 11a, with a gap in the X-axis direction, toward the +X direction, so that the front and back surfaces of each metal plate 6 are along the same plane parallel to the XZ plane. Terminal contact portion 11a and terminal contact portion 11b are arranged so that their plate thickness surfaces face each other, and as shown in FIG. 10 , they have shapes that are mirror-symmetrical to each other with respect to an imaginary center line CL2 that is parallel to the Y-axis, as in the first embodiment.

[0050] The terminal contact portion 11a and the terminal contact portion 11b are each provided with a contact piece 20. The contact piece 20 protrudes in a direction in which the terminal contact portion 11a and the terminal contact portion 11b, which are formed by the notch in the central portion C1, approach each other. The plug terminal 2B shown in FIG. 11 is inserted between the terminal contact portion 11a and the terminal contact portion 11b along the Z-axis direction, as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 7). The distance between the tip of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portion 11a and the tip of the contact piece 20 of the terminal contact portion 11b is determined based on the thickness of the plug terminal 2B to be inserted therebetween.

[0051] A contact surface 22 that comes into contact with the plug terminal 2B is provided on a portion of the plate thickness surface of the metal plate 6 of each of the pair of contact pieces 20. The pair of terminal contact portions 11 are arranged opposite each other so that the contact surfaces 22 can sandwich the plug terminal 2B. The contact piece 20 is provided with a guide surface 23, as in the first embodiment.

[0052] [Elastic Deformation Portion] As shown in Figure 8, the elastic deformation portion 12 includes a first member 12a and a second member 12b. The first member 12a bends around the Z-axis and displaceably connects the terminal contact portion 11a to the board connection portion 10a. The second member 12b bends around the Z-axis and displaceably connects the terminal contact portion 11b to the board connection portion 10b. The first member 12a is bent multiple times in the same direction. The second member 12b is bent multiple times in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the first member 12a. In other words, the elastic deformation portion 12 is bent at multiple locations and has flexibility, displaceably connects the terminal contact portion 11a to the board connection portion 10a, and displaceably connects the terminal contact portion 11b to the board connection portion 10b.

[0053] 8 , each of the elastic deformation portions 12, i.e., the first member 12a and the second member 12b, includes a first bent portion 31, a first plate portion 32, a second bent portion 33, and a second plate portion 34. The first bent portion 31 is continuous with the terminal contact portion 11a or the terminal contact portion 11b and is bent around the Z-axis relative to the continuous terminal contact portion 11a or the terminal contact portion 11b. One end of the first plate portion 32 is continuous with the first bent portion 31 and extends from that end in the depth direction along the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3. The second bent portion 33 is continuous with the other end of the first plate portion 32 and is bent around the Z-axis relative to the first plate portion 32. The second plate portion 34 has one end connected to the second bent portion 33, and extends from that end in the left-right direction along the main surface 3a to connect to one board connection portion 10a or the other board connection portion 10b of the mounting portion 10.

[0054] The pair of terminal contact portions 11 in this embodiment differ from the elastic deformation portion 12 in the first embodiment in that, when viewed in the insertion / removal direction (normal direction of the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3), the midpoint between each contact surface 22 is taken as a virtual center point CP (see Figure 10), and the elastic deformation portion 12, i.e., the first bending portion 31, the first plate portion 32, the second bending portion 33, and the second plate portion 34, have shapes that are point-symmetrical to each other with respect to the virtual center point CP.

[0055] [Coupling Portion] The receptacle terminal 1B has a first coupling portion 13a and a second coupling portion 13b as the coupling portion 13. The first coupling portion 13a and the second coupling portion 13b extend in directions away from each other from the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b. In this embodiment, the first coupling portion 13a extends in the +Y direction, and the second coupling portion 13b extends in the -Y direction. The first coupling portion 13a and the second coupling portion 13b as a whole form a surface parallel to the XY plane. The first coupling portion 13a and the second coupling portion 13b are connected to the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b via the third bent portion 36. The first coupling portion 13a and the second coupling portion 13b form a frame shape that follows the first member 12a and the second member 12b of the elastic deformation portion 12, respectively, when viewed in the insertion / removal direction. The first connecting portion 13a and the second connecting portion 13b form a ring shape together with the third bent portion 36, and the space surrounded by the first connecting portion 13a, the second connecting portion 13b, and the third bent portion 36 is an opening 13d that communicates with the gap between the contact surfaces 22 of the pair of terminal contact portions 11. The terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2B is inserted into the opening 13d.

[0056] [Plug Terminal] Next, the plug terminal 2B will be described. In Fig. 11, the second substrate 4 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The surface of the second substrate 4 facing the -Z direction is the main surface 4a of the second substrate 4, and the plug terminal 2B is mounted on the main surface 4a.

[0057] 11 , the plug terminal 2B includes a board connection portion 40, a terminal contact portion 41, and a linking portion 42. The board connection portion 40 is connected to the second board 4. The plug terminal 2B includes board connection portions 40a and 40b as the board connection portion 40. The board connection portions 40a and 40b are formed by bending the board connection portions 40a and 40b in opposite directions using a splitting process. The board connection portions 40a and 40b are connected to electrodes (not shown) formed on the main surface 4a of the second board 4 by at least one of soldering, silver sintering, ultrasonic bonding, and resistance welding.

[0058] Terminal contact portion 41 comes into contact with receptacle terminal 1B. Linking portion 42 links board connecting portion 40 and terminal contact portion 41 in a state where they are bent in opposite directions by the splitting process described above.

[0059] The plug terminal 2B is formed from a single sheet of conductive metal. The material and thickness of the sheet are the same as those in the first embodiment. The sheet is punched to form a metal plate (not shown) having the outlines of the board connection portion 40, the terminal contact portion 41, and the linking portion 42. Next, the metal plate is split in the thickness direction of the metal plate at a location corresponding to the board connection portion 40 by splitting, thereby forming the board connection portions 40a and 40b. As a result, the plug terminal 2B shown in FIG. 11 is formed.

[0060] Next, a description will be given of the mating operation between receptacle terminal 1B and plug terminal 2B according to this embodiment 2. As in the above-described embodiment 1, when mating, receptacle terminal 1B and plug terminal 2B are arranged so that main surface 3a of first substrate 3 and main surface 4a of second substrate 4 face each other.

[0061] For example, if terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2B is inserted into opening 13d displaced in the −X direction relative to terminal contact portions 11a and 11b of receptacle terminal 1B, terminal contact portion 41 contacts guide surface 23, which is the plate thickness surface of terminal contact portion 11b, causing the interior angles of first bent portions 31 of first member 12a and second member 12b to both expand and the interior angles of second bent portions 33 of first member 12a and second member 12b to both contract, thereby distorting and elastically deforming entire elastic deformation portion 12. As a result, terminal contact portion 11 follows terminal contact portion 41. Similar to the first embodiment, terminal contact portion 41 is guided along guide surface 23 toward contact surfaces 22 of terminal contact portions 11a and 11b of receptacle terminal 1B (see FIG. 6 ).

[0062] On the other hand, for example, if the terminal contact portion 41 is inserted into the opening 13d displaced in the +Y direction relative to the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b, the plate thickness surface of the terminal contact portion 41 abuts against the inner edge of the first connecting portion 13a, causing the first connecting portion 13a to displace in the +Y direction. Because the first connecting portion 13a is connected to the pair of terminal contact portions 11a and 11b via the third bent portion 36, the pair of terminal contact portions 11a and 11b displace in the +Y direction along with the first connecting portion 13a. Specifically, the interior angles of the first bent portion 31 and the second bent portion 33 in the first member 12a both decrease, while the interior angles of the first bent portion 31 and the second bent portion 33 in the second member 12b both increase, causing the entire elastic deformation portion 12 to elastically deform while distorting. As a result, the pair of terminal contact portions 11a and 11b displace in the +Y direction to follow the terminal contact portion 41. In this way, the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b follow the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2B in both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, so that the receptacle terminal 1B can be fitted accurately to the plug terminal 2B at the desired position.

[0063] The receptacle terminal 1B and the plug terminal 2B are connected by inserting the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2B between the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b of the receptacle terminal 1B. This electrically connects the electric circuit of the first board 3 and the electric circuit of the second board 4 via the receptacle terminal 1B and the plug terminal 2B, enabling the supply of power between the first board 3 and the second board 4.

[0064] In the receptacle terminal 1B according to this embodiment, the pair of terminal contact portions 11 are arranged so as to face each other and sandwich the plug terminal 2B, with the plate thickness surface of the metal plate 6 serving as the contact surface 22 that contacts the plug terminal 2A. Therefore, the elastically deforming portion 12 is configured to bend and extend along the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3, i.e., bend and extend around an axis extending in the Z-axis direction, which is the normal direction to the main surface 3a. This allows the pair of terminal contact portions 11 and the elastically deforming portion 12 to be positioned at the same height as viewed from the first substrate 3. As described above, the elastically deforming portion 12 is configured to bend and extend around an axis extending in the Z-axis direction, which is the normal direction to the main surface 3a. This allows the elastically deforming portion 12 to bend and extend around an axis extending in the Z-axis direction, which is the normal direction to the main surface 3a. Therefore, the elastically deforming portion 12 does not extend in one direction even when bent. Therefore, the size in that direction can be reduced compared to an elastically deforming portion that extends in one direction when the number of bent ends is increased. This allows the receptacle terminal 1B to be made smaller and thinner. Furthermore, because the connecting portion 13 is formed by splitting, the thickness of the connecting portion 13 can be reduced to half the thickness of the metal plate 6. As a result, the receptacle terminal 1B can be made smaller and thinner.

[0065] Third Embodiment As shown in FIG. 12, the shape of a receptacle terminal 1C is the same as that of the receptacle terminal 1B according to the second embodiment, except for the shape of the connecting portion 13.

[0066] The receptacle terminal 1C is similar to the receptacle terminal 1B in that the first and second connecting portions 13a, 13b, which constitute the connecting portion 13, form a ring shape together with the third bent portion 36, and the space surrounded by the first connecting portion 13a, the second connecting portion 13b, and the third bent portion 36 is an opening 13d. The opening 13d communicates with the gap between the contact surfaces 22 of the pair of terminal contact portions 11. In the receptacle terminal 1C, the first connecting portion 13a and the second connecting portion 13b are inclined so as to approach each other toward the pair of terminal contact portions 11 as they approach the first board 3. With this configuration, when the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2B approaches the receptacle terminal 1C while shifting in the Y-axis direction relative to the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b during connection between the first board 3 and the second board 4, the terminal contact portion 41 slides along the first connecting portion 13a and the second connecting portion 13b while contacting them. This allows the connecting portion 13 to function as a guide that guides the terminal contact portion 41 toward the contact surface 22 .

[0067] Furthermore, the width of opening 13d in the X-axis direction narrows as it approaches contact surface 22. Terminal contact portion 41, which is inserted into opening 13d offset in the X-axis direction relative to terminal contact portions 11a, 11b, comes into contact with the edge of opening 13d, allowing connecting portion 13 to function as a guide that guides terminal contact portion 41 toward contact surface 22, which is the intended mating position. Note that receptacle terminal 1C is the same as receptacle terminal 1B described in embodiment 2 in that terminal contact portion 41 is guided along guide surface 23 and that the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b follow terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2B in both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0068] Fourth Embodiment A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 13, 14, and 15, a terminal assembly 100 will be described that includes a receptacle terminal 1D and an insulating protective portion 7 that covers and protects at least a portion of the receptacle terminal 1D.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 13 , the receptacle terminal 1D is the same as the receptacle terminal 1A, except that it includes an extension portion 50a extending from the board connection portion 10a, an extension portion 50b extending from the board connection portion 10b, and a pair of protrusions 13c protruding in the +X and -X directions from the +Y side of the connecting portion 13. The extension portion 50a is continuous with the -Y end of the board connection portion 10a and extends therefrom in the +Z direction. A hook-shaped engagement portion 51 protrudes in the +X direction from the +Z end of the extension portion 50a. The extension portion 50b is continuous with the -Y end of the board connection portion 10b and extends therefrom in the +Z direction. The engagement portion 51 protrudes in the -X direction from the +Z end of the extension portion 50b. The pair of protrusions 13c are provided on the connecting portion 13 and have engagement claws 13c1 that protrude in the +X direction or the −X direction from the connecting portion 13. The engagement claws 13c1 are wedge-shaped and gradually narrow in the −Y direction when viewed in the insertion / removal direction.

[0070] The protective portion 7 is made of an insulating material such as resin, and includes a frame portion 70, a first side surface portion 71 a, a second side surface portion 71 b, a first front surface portion 72 a, and a second front surface portion 72 b.

[0071] The frame portion 70 forms the upper surface (surface facing the +Z direction) of the terminal assembly 100 and covers most of the connecting portion 13. The frame portion 70 has a base portion 70c extending in the X-axis direction, a first frame portion 70a connected to the +X side of the base portion 70c and extending in the -Y direction, a second frame portion 70b connected to the -X side of the base portion 70c and extending in the -Y direction, a first side surface portion 71a connected to the edge of the first frame portion 70a closer to the +X side, a second side surface portion 71b connected to the edge of the second frame portion 70b closer to the -X side, a first front surface portion 72a connected to the edge of the first frame portion 70a closer to the -Y side and extending in the -Z direction, and a second front surface portion 72b connected to the edge of the second frame portion 70b closer to the -Y side and extending in the -Z direction. The cutout 70d is formed by the base 70c, the first frame 70a, the second frame 70b, the first front surface 72a, and the second front surface 72b, so that the frame 70 has a U-shape when viewed in the insertion / removal direction.

[0072] The first front portion 72a covers at least a portion of the terminal contact portion 11a, and the second front portion 72b covers at least a portion of the terminal contact portion 11b. As shown in Fig. 14, the first front portion 72a has a first engaged portion 72a1 that protrudes in the +Y direction to face the first bent portion 31, and the second front portion 72b has a second engaged portion 72b1 that protrudes in the +Y direction to face the first bent portion 31. A notch 70d extends between the first front portion 72a and the second front portion 72b. At least a portion of the contact piece 20 is exposed between the first front portion 72a and the second front portion 72b (see Fig. 16A).

[0073] The first side surface portion 71a has a first groove 71a1 that is recessed in a concave shape on the surface closer to the cutout portion 70d, and the second side surface portion 71b has a second groove 71b1 that is recessed in a concave shape on the surface closer to the cutout portion 70d. The first groove 71a1 and the second groove 71b1 face each other in the X-axis direction and extend in the Y-axis direction. The first frame portion 70a, the second frame portion 70b, and the base portion 70c each have an inclined surface 70d1 on the edge facing the cutout portion 70d that is inclined so that the cutout portion 70d narrows.

[0074] The protector 7 is attached to the receptacle terminal 1D as follows. As shown in FIG. 14 , the protector 7 is positioned toward the -Y side of the connecting portion 13, and then slid along the Y axis toward the receptacle terminal 1D. Although the shortest distance between the first groove 71a1 and the second groove 71b1 is shorter than the longest distance between the pair of protrusions 13c, the engaging claw 13c1 has an inclined surface and is wedge-shaped, gradually narrowing in the -Y direction as viewed in the insertion / removal direction. Therefore, the first groove 71a1 and the second groove 71b1 smoothly engage with the engaging claw 13c1 along this inclined surface, and the engaging claw 13c1 bites into the first groove 71a1 and the second groove 71b1. As a result, the first groove 71a1 and the second groove 71b1 fit into the pair of protrusions 13c. Eventually, the -Y side surfaces of extension portion 50a and engaging portion 51 come into contact with the +Y side surface of first front portion 72a, and the -Y side surfaces of extension portion 50b and engaging portion 51 come into contact with the +Y side surface of second front portion 72b. At the same time, the -Z side surface of engaging portion 51 faces the +Z side surfaces of first engaged portion 72a1 and second engaged portion 72b1. In this manner, protector 7 is attached to receptacle terminal 1D, and terminal assembly 100 shown in FIG. 15 is formed.

[0075] 16A , receptacle terminal 1D of terminal assembly 100 mates with plug terminal 2A, similar to receptacle terminal 1A described in embodiment 1. When plug terminal 2A is inserted into receptacle terminal 1D, if plug terminal 2A is misaligned in the X-axis direction relative to the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b, terminal contact portion 41 comes into contact with inclined surface 70d1 and is guided toward contact piece 20. The same applies when plug terminal 2A is misaligned in the +Y direction relative to the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b. As a result, terminal contact portion 41 is inserted between the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b through cutout portion 70d and comes into contact with contact surface 22.

[0076] 16B , in the protective part 7, ribs 73 protrude in the −Z direction from the edge of the first frame part 70a closer to the −X direction and from the edge of the second frame part 70b closer to the +X direction. The ribs 73 extend along the Y-axis direction corresponding to the edge of the opening 13d and face the surface of the connecting part 13 closer to the +Z direction. As a result, the ribs 73 are located directly above the contact pieces 20.

[0077] When plug terminal 2A is removed from receptacle terminal 1D, plug terminal 2A moves in the +Z direction. This causes terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2A to slide along contact surface 22, so that a pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b equipped with contact pieces 20 and connecting portion 13 located near terminal contact portions 11a, 11b are subjected to a force in the +Z direction. At this time, the force in the +Z direction acts on connecting portion 35 of elastic deformation portion 12, deforming it, and first bent portion 31 is displaced away from main surface 3a of first substrate 3, with connecting portion 35 as a fulcrum. This displaces terminal contact portions 11a, 11b and connecting portion 13 in the +Z direction, and rib 73 comes into contact with connecting portion 13. Because the first groove 71a1 and the second groove 71b1, and the first engaged portion 72a1 and the second engaged portion 72b1 of the protective portion 7 are engaged with the engaging claw 13c1 and the engaging portion 51, respectively, the rib 73 is not displaced in the +Z direction. As a result, further displacement of the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b and further deformation of the elastically deforming portion 12 are suppressed. In this way, the protective portion 7 has the rib 73, which effectively suppresses plastic deformation of the elastically deforming portion 12, particularly the connecting portion 35.

[0078] The protective part 7 may engage with the elastically deforming part 12 at another part without engaging with the protruding part 13c or in addition to engaging with the protruding part 13c. In this case, the protective part 7 may have a hook-shaped engaged part (not shown) that is connected to the edge of the base part 70c closer to the +Y direction and protrudes in the -Z direction, and this engaged part may engage with the second bent part 33 of the elastically deforming part 12.

[0079] Protective portion 7 is made of an insulating material. When terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2A does not reach the intended mating position and does not contact contact surface 22 of receptacle terminal 1D, terminal contact portion 41 abuts against protective portion 7. Because protective portion 7 is insulating, terminal contact portion 41 does not contact elastic deformation portion 12 or connecting portion 13, resulting in a discontinuity between receptacle terminal 1D and plug terminal 2A. By detecting this discontinuity, it is possible to detect improper mating between receptacle terminal 1D and plug terminal 2B.

[0080] Fifth Embodiment A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this fifth embodiment, a terminal assembly 101 having a different shape from the terminal assembly 100 according to the fourth embodiment will be described.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 17, a terminal assembly 101 according to this embodiment includes a receptacle terminal 1B and an insulating protective portion 8 that covers and protects at least a portion of the receptacle terminal 1B.

[0082] The configuration of receptacle terminal 1B is as described in the second embodiment above. Receptacle terminal 1B includes connecting portion 13, which has first connecting portion 13a and second connecting portion 13b. First connecting portion 13a and second connecting portion 13b extend in directions away from each other from terminal contact portions 11a, 11b via third bent portion 36. In this embodiment, first connecting portion 13a extends in the +Y direction, and second connecting portion 13b extends in the -Y direction. First connecting portion 13a and second connecting portion 13b form opening 13d at the center, through which terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2B is inserted.

[0083] The protective portion 8 includes a frame portion 80, a first side surface portion 81a, a second side surface portion 81b, and a rear surface portion 82. The frame portion 80 constitutes the upper surface (the surface facing the +Z direction) of the terminal assembly 101. The frame portion 80 has a rectangular frame shape along the connecting portion 13, and an opening 80d corresponding to and communicating with the opening 13d is formed in the area surrounded by the frame portion 80. The size and shape of the opening 80d may be the same as those of the opening 13d. The size of the opening 80d may be smaller than that of the opening 13d, and the edge of the opening 80d may have an inclined surface 80d1 that tapers toward the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b. The plug terminal 2B approaching the receptacle terminal 1B comes into contact with the inclined surface 80d1 and is guided toward the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b.

[0084] The protective portion 8 has a slit 80c formed in the center of the Y-axis direction near the +X side, where a portion of the frame portion 80 is missing. A first frame portion 80a and a second frame portion 80b are located on either side of the slit 80c, toward the +Y and -Y sides, respectively. An engaging portion 80a1 protruding in the -Z direction is provided on the edge of the first frame portion 80a near the -Y side, and an engaging portion 80b1 protruding in the -Z direction is provided on the edge of the second frame portion 80b near the +Y side. The opening 80d and the slit 80c are connected. The slit 80c allows the first frame portion 80a and the second frame portion 80b to elastically displace independently in the Z-axis direction.

[0085] The first side surface portion 81a connects over substantially the entire edge of the frame portion 80 closer to the +Y direction and extends in the -Z direction. The second side surface portion 81b connects over substantially the entire edge of the frame portion 80 closer to the -Y direction and extends in the -Z direction. The first side surface portion 81a has a first groove 81a1 recessed in the surface closer to the opening 80d. The second side surface portion 81b has a second groove 81b1 recessed in the surface closer to the opening 80d. The back surface portion 82 connects over substantially the entire edge of the frame portion 80 closer to the -X direction and extends in the -Z direction.

[0086] 17, 18, and 19, protector 8 is attached to receptacle terminal 1B as follows: After positioning protector 8 so that first groove 81a1 fits into the edge of first connecting portion 13a closer to the +Y direction and second groove 81b1 fits into the edge of second connecting portion 13b closer to the -Y direction, protector 8 is slid in the +X direction. At this time, engaging portions 80a1 and 80b1 come into contact with connecting portion 13, but first frame portion 80a and second frame portion 80b are each displaced in the +Z direction by slit 80c, so engaging portions 80a1 and 80b1 ride on the upper surface of connecting portion 13 and slide thereon.

[0087] Engagement portions 80a1 and 80b1 reach the edge of connecting portion 13 closer to the +X direction and engage therewith. Also, back surface portion 82 abuts against the edge of connecting portion 13 closer to the -X direction. That is, protective portion 8 engages with receptacle terminal 1B by sandwiching connecting portion 13 between first groove 81a1, second groove 81b1, engagement portions 80a1, engagement portions 80b1, and back surface portion 82. Frame portion 80 contacts the upper surface of connecting portion 13, and opening 80d is aligned with opening 13d.

[0088] Except for the terminal contact portion 41 passing through the opening 80d, the plug terminal 2B mates with the receptacle terminal 1B of the terminal assembly 101 in the same manner as in the second embodiment. When the plug terminal 2B is removed from the receptacle terminal 1B, the plug terminal 2B moves in the +Z direction. As a result, the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2A slides along the contact surface 22, and the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b receive a force in the +Z direction and are displaced in the +Z direction together with the elastic deformation portion 12. At this time, the protective portion 8 engages with the receptacle terminal 1B and contacts the connecting portion 13 to cover the receptacle terminal 1B. This prevents the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b from being displaced apart and twisted around the Y axis, as indicated by the dashed-dotted arrows in FIG. 19 . As a result, plastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion 12 connected to the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b can be suppressed.

[0089] Protective portion 8 is made of an insulating material. When terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2B does not reach the intended mating position and does not contact contact surface 22 of receptacle terminal 1B, terminal contact portion 41 abuts against protective portion 8. Because protective portion 8 is insulating, terminal contact portion 41 does not contact elastic deformation portion 12 or connecting portion 13, resulting in a discontinuity between receptacle terminal 1B and plug terminal 2B. By detecting this discontinuity, it is possible to detect improper mating between receptacle terminal 1B and plug terminal 2B.

[0090] Sixth Embodiment A sixth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. As shown in Figures 20A and 20B, receptacle terminal 1E in this embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, similar to receptacle terminal 1B according to the second embodiment shown in Figure 8, and is mounted on first substrate 3 as a substrate.

[0091] Receptacle terminal 1E includes mounting portion 10 (board connection portions 10a, 10b), a pair of terminal contact portions 11, an elastic deformation portion 12, and a connecting portion 13. In this respect, receptacle terminal 1E is the same as receptacle terminal 1B according to the second embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus mainly on the differences between receptacle terminal 1E and receptacle terminal 1B.

[0092] [Elastic Deformation Portion] As in the second embodiment, the elastic deformation portion 12 includes a first member 12a and a second member 12b. The first member 12a bends around the Z axis to displaceably connect the terminal contact portion 11a to the board connection portion 10a. The second member 12b bends around the Z axis to displaceably connect the terminal contact portion 11b to the board connection portion 10b. When the midpoint between the contact surfaces 22 of the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b is defined as a virtual center point when viewed in the normal direction to the main surface 3a of the first board 3, the elastic deformation portion 12 has a shape that is point-symmetrical about the virtual center point. Furthermore, the board connection portions 10a and 10b are arranged in positions and shapes that are point-symmetrical about the center of the receptacle terminal 1E when viewed in the Z axis direction.

[0093] Each of the elastic deformation portions 12, i.e., the first member 12a and the second member 12b, includes a first bent portion 31, a first plate portion 32, a second bent portion 33, a second plate portion 34, a fourth bent portion 38, and a third plate portion 37. Similar to the receptacle terminal 1B, the second plate portion 34 extends in the left-right direction along the main surface 3a. One left-right end of the second plate portion 34 is continuous with one end of the second bent portion 33. One end of the first plate portion 32 is continuous with the other end of the second bent portion 33 and extends in the depth direction. The other end of the first plate portion 32 is continuous with one end of the first bent portion 31, and the other end of the first bent portion 31 is connected to the terminal contact portion 11a or 11b.

[0094] On the other hand, unlike the receptacle terminal 1B, the other left-right end of the second plate portion 34 is continuous with a fourth bent portion 38 bent around the Z-axis relative to the second plate portion 34. One end of the third plate portion 37 is continuous with the fourth bent portion 38 and extends from that end in the depth direction along the main surface 3a. A connection portion 35 bent around the Y-axis is continuous with the end of the third plate portion 37 facing the main surface 3a. In the first member 12a, the third plate portion 37 is continuous with the board connection portion 10a via the connection portion 35, and in the second member 12b, the third plate portion 37 is continuous with the board connection portion 10b via the connection portion 35. One board connection portion 10a and the other board connection portion 10b extend from their ends connected to the third plate portion 37 in directions away from each other in the left-right direction and in directions approaching each other in the depth direction. Nevertheless, the pair of mounting portions 10 are located inside the first plate portion 32 in the left-right direction, that is, on the contact surface 22 side.

[0095] [Connecting Portion] The pair of terminal contact portions 11, i.e., terminal contact portion 11a and terminal contact portion 11b, are each continuous with a third bent portion 36 bent around the X-axis. The connecting portion 13 extends in the +Y direction via the third bent portion 36. The connecting portion 13 has a frame shape that follows the first member 12a of the elastic deformation portion 12 when viewed in the insertion / removal direction. The connecting portion 13 may also follow the second member 12b. The connecting portion 13 may have a first connecting portion 13a and a second connecting portion 13b, similar to the receptacle terminals 1B and 1C (see FIGS. 8 and 12).

[0096] As described above, the elastic deformation portion 12 has a fourth bent portion 38 in addition to the first bent portion 31 and the second bent portion 33. As can be seen from this, the number of bent portions in this receptacle terminal 1E is greater than that in the receptacle terminal 1A. This makes it easier for the receptacle terminal 1E to follow the movement of the plug terminal 2A. Furthermore, because the mounting portion 10 is located closer to the contact surface 22 than the first plate portion 32 in the left-right direction, the receptacle terminal 1E is able to be made smaller while still having an increased number of bent portions.

[0097] 13 and 14, the connecting portion 13 may be provided with a protrusion 13c and an engagement claw 13c1. This makes it possible to obtain a terminal assembly 100 in which the protection portion 7 is fitted into the connecting portion 13.

[0098] Seventh Embodiment A seventh embodiment of the present invention will now be described. A receptacle terminal 1F according to the seventh embodiment, shown in Figures 21A and 21B, includes a mounting portion 10, a pair of terminal contact portions 11, an elastic deformation portion 12, and a connecting portion 13. In this respect, the receptacle terminal 1F is the same as the receptacle terminal 1A according to the first embodiment (see Figure 1). Therefore, the following description will focus mainly on the differences between the receptacle terminal 1F and the receptacle terminal 1A.

[0099] [Mounting Section] The mounting section 10 is connected to the first substrate 3. The mounting section 10 is composed of substrate connecting sections 10a and 10b. In the mounting section 10, the substrate connecting sections 10a and 10b are rectangular flat plate-shaped sections that extend along the Y-axis direction (depth direction) and are arranged to face each other. The substrate connecting sections 10a and 10b are arranged in this order toward the +X direction along the same plane parallel to the XY plane, with the substrate connecting sections 10b and 10a facing each other.

[0100] [Elastic Deformation Portion] The elastic deformation portion 12 includes a pair of third plate portions 37, a pair of fourth bent portions 38, a connecting portion 52, and a neck-shaped portion 53. One end of the connection portion 35 is located toward the -Y direction in one board connection portion 10a or the other board connection portion 10b of the mounting portion 10. The third plate portion 37 is continuous with the other end of the connection portion 35 and extends from that end in the depth direction (+Y direction) along the main surface 3a. The fourth bent portion 38 is bent around the Z axis. A support hole 37a is provided in the third plate portion 37 of the elastic deformation portion 12 toward the -Y direction, i.e., toward the mounting portion 10. The support hole 37a penetrates the third plate portion 37.

[0101] [Connecting Portion and Neck-Shaped Portion] The pair of fourth bent portions 38 in the elastically deformable portion 12 are connected via a connecting portion 52. The connecting portion 52 extends in the X-axis direction along the main surface 3a, and both ends thereof are continuous with the pair of fourth bent portions 38. The pair of third plate portions 37, the pair of fourth bent portions 38, and the connecting portion 52 constitute a third member connecting the board connecting portion 10a and the board connecting portion 10b. One end of the neck-shaped portion 53 is connected to the connecting portion 52 via a branch portion 53a located approximately in the middle of the connecting portion 52, and extends along the normal direction to the main surface 3a. The other end of the neck-shaped portion 53 is bent around the X-axis relative to the connecting portion 52 and continues to the connecting portion 13. The neck-shaped portion 53 corresponds to a fourth member connecting the third member and the connecting portion 13.

[0102] [Support Piece] Support pieces 21 protruding along the first substrate 3 are provided on portions of each of the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b closer to the first substrate 3 than the contact surfaces 22. The support pieces 21 protrude toward the main surface 3a so as to extend the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b. The pair of support pieces 21 have extending tip portions 21a that extend in the left-right direction from their respective ends in the -Z direction so as to move away from each other. The extending tip portions 21a are inserted into the support holes 37a. That is, the support pieces 21 are inserted into the support holes 37a. The support holes 37a restrict movement of the support pieces 21 in the normal direction to the main surface 3a.

[0103] For example, if the terminal contact portion 41 (see FIG. 5) of the plug terminal 2A is inserted into the opening 13d while being misaligned in the −X direction relative to the terminal contact portions 11a and 11b of the receptacle terminal 1B, the terminal contact portion 41 contacts the guide surface 23, which is the plate thickness surface of the terminal contact portion 11b, causing the interior angle of the fourth bent portion 38 of the first member 12a to decrease and the interior angle of the fourth bent portion 38 of the second member 12b to increase. This causes the entire elastic deformation portion 12 to elastically deform while distorting. In addition, the neck portion 53 elastically deforms, twisting around the branch portion 53a as a fulcrum, causing the connecting portion 13 and the terminal contact portion 11 to follow the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2A. In this way, according to the receptacle terminal 1F, in addition to the elastic deformation portion 12, the neck-shaped portion 53 also elastically deforms, so even if the elastic deformation portion 12 has only one bending point, the fourth bending portion 38, i.e., without increasing the number of bending points, the receptacle terminal 1F can be made smaller and can follow the plug terminal 2A.

[0104] When plug terminal 2A is removed from receptacle terminal 1F, plug terminal 2A moves in the +Z direction. Terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2A slides along contact surface 22, and a force is applied to paired terminal contact portions 11a, 11b in the +Z direction. Terminal contact portions 11a, 11b, support piece 21, and connecting portion 13 are displaced in a combined direction of the +Z and +Y directions (diagonally upward to the right when viewed in the -X direction) with branch portion 53a as a fulcrum. Because extended tip portion 21a of support piece 21 is inserted through support hole 37a of third plate portion 37, extended tip portion 21a abuts against the inner edge of support hole 37a in the +Z direction, preventing excessive displacement of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b, and connecting portion 13. As a result, plastic deformation of branch portion 53a is effectively suppressed when plug terminal 2A is removed from receptacle terminal 1F. Note that support hole 37a may be a support slit formed by cutting out third plate portion 37, as long as extending tip portion 21a can abut against its inner edge in the +Z direction. Furthermore, the plug terminal inserted into or removed from receptacle terminal 1F may be plug terminal 2B.

[0105] 13 and 14, the connecting portion 13 may be provided with a protrusion 13c and an engagement claw 13c1. This makes it possible to obtain a terminal assembly 100 in which the protection portion 7 is fitted into the connecting portion 13.

[0106] Eighth Embodiment An eighth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. A receptacle terminal 1G according to this embodiment, shown in Figures 22A and 22B, has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, similar to the receptacle terminals 1A to 1F according to the first to seventh embodiments, and includes a mounting portion 10, a pair of terminal contact portions 11, an elastic deformation portion 12, and a connecting portion 13. In this respect, the receptacle terminal 1G is the same as the receptacle terminals 1A to 1F according to the first to seventh embodiments. Therefore, the following description will mainly focus on the differences between the receptacle terminal 1G and the receptacle terminals 1A to 1F.

[0107] The mounting portion 10 is a plate-like member extending in the XY plane along the main surface 3 a. The mounting portion 10 is connected at its −Y end to a connecting portion 35 that is bent around the X axis relative to the mounting portion 10.

[0108] [Elastic Deformation Portion] The elastic deformation portion 12 includes a first member 12a and a second member 12b. The elastic deformation portion 12 displaceably connects the terminal contact portion 11a and the terminal contact portion 11b to the mounting portion 10. The first member 12a and the second member 12b each include a first plate portion 32, a first bent portion 31, a second plate portion 34, a second bent portion 33, a third plate portion 37, a fourth bent portion 38, and a fourth plate portion 39.

[0109] One end of the first plate portion 32 is continuous with the connection portion 35 and extends in the normal direction (+Z direction) of the main surface 3a. The other end of the first plate portion 32 is continuous with the first bent portion 31. Each of the pair of first plate portions 32 has a protruding portion 32a that protrudes close to each other along the X-axis direction. As a result, a support slit 54 is provided between the pair of protruding portions 32a that are part of the first plate portion 32 and the connection portion 35, i.e., in the portion of the elastic deformation portion 12 that is closer to the mounting portion 10.

[0110] One end of the first bent portion 31 is continuous with the other end of the first plate portion 32 and is bent around the X-axis relative to the first plate portion 32. One end of the second plate portion 34 is continuous with the other end of the first bent portion 31 and extends from that end in the depth direction along the main surface 3a. One end of the second bent portion 33 is continuous with the other end of the second plate portion 34 and is bent around the X-axis relative to the second plate portion 34. One end of the third plate portion 37 is continuous with the other end of the second bent portion 33 and extends from that end in the normal direction (+Z direction) to the main surface 3a. One end of the fourth bent portion 38 is continuous with the other end of the third plate portion 37 and is bent around the X-axis relative to the third plate portion 37. One end of the fourth plate portion 39 is continuous with the fourth bent portion 38 and extends in the depth direction along the main surface 3a. The other end of the fourth plate portion 39 is continuous with the connecting portion 13. The plate surfaces of the mounting portion 10, the second plate portion 34, and the fourth plate portion 39 face each other in the Z-axis direction. The mounting portion 10 and the elastic deformation portion 12 continuous therewith together form a substantial S-shape when viewed in the +X direction.

[0111] As described above, in the present embodiment, the elastic deformation portion 12 is bent at multiple locations to provide flexibility, displaceably connecting the connecting portion 13 to the mounting portion 10, and displaceably connecting the connecting portion 13 to the mounting portion 10. The elastic deformation portion 12 has a shape bent about the X-axis extending in a direction parallel to the main surface 3a of the first substrate 3. Because the bent portions 31, 33, and 38 of the elastic deformation portion 12 are all bent about the X-axis direction, the receptacle terminal 1G is miniaturized by minimizing its expansion in the XY plane along the main surface 3a. As a result, the area occupied by the receptacle terminal 1G on the main surface 3a can be made relatively small, making it easier to arrange multiple electronic components in the limited space on the main surface 3a and increasing the flexibility of board design.

[0112] [Support Piece] Support pieces 21 protrude along the first substrate 3 from portions of each of the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b closer to the first substrate 3 than the contact surfaces 22. The pair of support pieces 21 extend from the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b. The support piece 21 has a linear portion 60 extending toward the main surface 3a, a bent portion 61 continuing from the -Z end of the linear portion 60 and bent around the X-axis relative to the linear portion, and an extended tip portion 21a extending from the bent portion 61 in the depth direction (+Y direction) along the main surface 3a. This gives the support piece 21 a generally hook-shaped configuration. The extended tip portion 21a is inserted into a support slit 54. The support slit 54 restricts movement of the support piece 21 in the normal direction. A gap is formed between the edge of the support slit 54 in the X-axis direction and the extended tip portion 21a.

[0113] For example, when terminal contact portion 41 (see FIG. 5) of plug terminal 2A is inserted into opening 13d while being shifted in the −X direction relative to terminal contact portions 11a and 11b of receptacle terminal 1B, terminal contact portion 41 comes into contact with guide surface 23, which is the plate thickness surface of terminal contact portion 11b. As a result, terminal contact portions 11a and 11b are displaced in the −X direction, and third plate portion 37 elastically deforms so as to twist around second bent portion 33 and fourth bent portion 38 as fulcrums, displacing fourth plate portion 39 in the −X direction. As a result, fourth plate portion 39 is shifted in the −X direction relative to second plate portion 34, and connecting portion 13 and terminal contact portion 11 follow terminal contact portion 41 of plug terminal 2A. At this time, since a gap is formed between the extending tip portion 21a and the edge of the support slit 54 in the X-axis direction, when the connecting portion 13 and the terminal contact portion 11 are displaced in the -X direction, the extending tip portion 21a remains within this gap and does not abut against the edge of the support slit 54 in the X-axis direction. Therefore, the extending tip portion 21a does not prevent the connecting portion 13 and the terminal contact portion 11 from being displaced in the -X direction.

[0114] When the plug terminal 2A is removed from the receptacle terminal 1G, the plug terminal 2A moves in the +Z direction. This causes the terminal contact portion 41 of the plug terminal 2A to slide along the contact surface 22, and the pair of terminal contact portions 11a, 11b are subjected to a force in the +Z direction. As a result, the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b, the support piece 21, and the connecting portion 13 are displaced in the combined direction of the +Z and +Y directions (diagonally upward to the right when viewed in the -X direction) with the second bent portion 33 as a fulcrum. Here, because the extended tip portion 21a of the support piece 21 is inserted into the support slit 54, the extended tip portion 21a abuts against the inner edge of the support slit 54 in the +Z direction. This prevents excessive displacement of the terminal contact portions 11a, 11b and the connecting portion 13. As a result, plastic deformation of the second bent portion 33 when the plug terminal 2A is removed from the receptacle terminal 1G is effectively suppressed. Note that the support slit 54 may be a support hole formed by connecting a pair of protruding portions 32a, as long as the extending tip portion 21a is able to abut against the inner edge of the support slit 54 in the +Z direction. The plug terminal inserted into or removed from the receptacle terminal 1G may be the plug terminal 2B.

[0115] 13 and 14, the connecting portion 13 may be provided with a protrusion 13c and an engagement claw 13c1. This makes it possible to obtain a terminal assembly 100 in which the protection portion 7 is fitted into the connecting portion 13.

[0116] As described above in detail, this embodiment has the following features and effects.

[0117] (1) Receptacle terminal 1A according to the first embodiment comes into contact with plug terminal 2A that is inserted and removed along an insertion / removal direction that is normal to main surface 3a of first substrate 3. Receptacle terminal 1A is formed by bending metal plate 5. Receptacle terminal 1A includes mounting portion 10, a pair of terminal contact portions 11, elastic deformation portion 12, and connecting portion 13.

[0118] Each mounting portion 10 is connected to the first substrate 3. The pair of terminal contact portions 11 are arranged opposite each other so that the plug terminal 2A can be sandwiched between the plate thickness surfaces of the metal plate 5, which serve as contact surfaces 22 that contact the plug terminal 2A. The connecting portion 13 connects one of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 to the other. The elastic deformation portion 12 is bent at multiple locations to have flexibility, and displaceably connects one of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 or the connecting portion 13 to the mounting portion 10, and displaceably connects the other of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 or the connecting portion 13 to the mounting portion 10.

[0119] According to this configuration, the elastically deforming portion 12 is bent at multiple locations as described above and extends. Therefore, compared to an elastic portion that extends in one direction, the elastically deforming portion 12 can suppress extension in that direction even if the number of bent ends increases. This allows for further miniaturization and a lower height.

[0120] (2) According to the first embodiment, when viewed in the insertion / removal direction, when a virtual center line CL2 (see FIG. 3B ) is defined as a virtual line extending through a virtual center point CP between the contact surfaces 22 of a pair of terminal contact portions 11 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the contact surfaces 22 of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 face each other, the elastic deformation portions 12 are arranged symmetrically with respect to each other with respect to the virtual center line CL2. This makes it possible to make the horizontal elastic force of the elastic deformation portions 12 uniform in the direction in which they are arranged symmetrically.

[0121] (3) According to the second embodiment, when viewed in the insertion / removal direction, the elastic deformation portions 12 are arranged point-symmetrically with respect to each other with respect to the imaginary center point CP (see FIG. 10 ), where the midpoint between the contact surfaces 22 of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 is the imaginary center point CP. This makes it possible to make the horizontal elastic force of the elastic deformation portions 12 uniform in the direction in which they are arranged line-symmetrically.

[0122] (4) The elastic deformation portion 12 includes a first member 12a that displaceably connects the pair of terminal contact portions 11a or the connecting portion 13 to the mounting portion 10, and a second member 12b that displaceably connects the pair of terminal contact portions 11b or the connecting portion 13 to the mounting portion 10. In this way, by making the elastic deformation portion 12 a member that is bent multiple times, the mounting area on the first substrate 3 can be reduced and it can be configured as a member that is elastically deformable in two-dimensional directions along the main surface 3a.

[0123] (5) The elastically deforming portion 12 may include a third member that connects the pair of board connection portions 10a and the other board connection portion 10b, and a neck-shaped portion that connects the third member to the connecting portion 13. In this way, the elastically deforming portion 12 can be configured to be continuous with the connecting portion 13.

[0124] (6) The elastic deformation portion 12 has a shape bent around an axis extending in the normal direction to the main surface of the first substrate 3. In this way, by making the elastic deformation portion 12 a member bent along the main surface 3 a of the first substrate 3, it is possible to reduce the mounting area on the first substrate 3 and configure the elastic deformation portion 12 as a member that is elastically deformable in two-dimensional directions along the main surface 3 a.

[0125] (7) The elastic deformation portion 12 has a shape bent around an axis extending in a direction parallel to the main surface of the first substrate 3. In this way, by making the elastic deformation portion 12 a member bent around an axis parallel to the main surface 3 a of the first substrate 3, it is possible to reduce the mounting area on the first substrate 3 and configure the elastic deformation portion 12 as a member that is elastically deformable in two-dimensional directions along the main surface 3 a.

[0126] (8) Support pieces 21 that protrude toward the first board 3 are provided on each of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 at a position closer to the first board 3 than the contact surfaces 22. In this way, even if the pair of terminal contact portions 11 are displaced toward the first board 3 due to the influence of the terminal contact portions 41 of the plug terminal 2A inserted therebetween, the support pieces 21 abut against the mounting portion 10, suppressing further displacement of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 and preventing plastic deformation of the receptacle terminal 1A.

[0127] (9) In the receptacle terminals 1F and 1G according to the seventh and eighth embodiments, support pieces 21 are provided on the pair of terminal contact portions 11 closer to the first substrate 3 than the contact surfaces 22, protruding along the first substrate 3. Support holes 37a or support slits 54 are provided on the elastic deformation portion 12 closer to the mounting portion 10, restricting movement of the support pieces 21 in the normal direction. The support pieces 21 are inserted into the support holes 37a or support slits 54. In this manner, even if the pair of terminal contact portions 11 are displaced toward the first substrate 3 due to the pull of the terminal contact portions 41 of the plug terminal 2A inserted therebetween, the support pieces 21 come into contact with the support holes 37a or support slits 54, suppressing further displacement of the pair of terminal contact portions 11 and preventing plastic deformation of the receptacle terminal 1A.

[0128] (10) The connecting portion 13 is formed in a flat plate shape without being bent. This prevents stress relaxation in the connecting portion 13, thereby maintaining high mechanical strength. This allows the spacing between the pair of terminal contact portions 11 that sandwich the plug terminal 2A to be kept constant, preventing a decrease in the mating force between the receptacle terminal 1A and the plug terminal 2A.

[0129] (11) The receptacle terminal 1A according to the first embodiment includes a pair of third bent portions 36, each of which includes a member bent about an X-axis parallel to the main surface 3a and connecting the terminal contact portion 11a to the connecting portion 13, and a member bent about the X-axis parallel to the main surface 3a and connecting the terminal contact portion 11b to the connecting portion 13. The connecting portion 13 is positioned opposite the elastic deformation portion 12 in the normal direction to the main surface 3a. This arrangement allows the height of the connecting portion 13 to be kept low. Furthermore, since the extending direction of the connecting portion 13 and the extending direction of the first plate portion 32 are the same for the pair of terminal contact portions 11, the receptacle terminal 1A as a whole can be made small and compact.

[0130] (12) Receptacle terminal 1B according to the second embodiment has first and second connecting portions 13a and 13b as connecting portions 13. In connecting portion 13, first connecting portion 13a and second connecting portion 13b extend in directions away from terminal contact portion 11. In this way, a pair of terminal contact portions 11 can be connected by first connecting portion 13a and second connecting portion 13b that are oriented in opposite directions, and therefore, the pair of terminal contact portions 11 can be firmly held regardless of the direction of the force applied.

[0131] (13) In the receptacle terminal 1C according to the third embodiment, the first linking portion 13a and the second linking portion 13b are inclined so as to approach each other toward the pair of terminal contact portions 11. This allows the first linking portion 13a and the second linking portion 13b themselves to function as guides that guide the plug terminal 2A to the mating position.

[0132] (14) Terminal assembly 100 includes receptacle terminal 1D and insulating protective portion 7 that covers and protects at least a portion of receptacle terminal 1D. Protective portion 7 prevents unintended electrical connection between receptacle terminal 1D and other conductive members and also reinforces receptacle terminal 1D.

[0133] (15) According to the terminal assembly 100 of the fourth embodiment, the extension portions 50a, 50b are provided extending from the mounting portion 10, and the protective portion 7 engages with the extension portions 50a, 50b and at least one of the connecting portion 13 and the elastically deforming portion 12. In this way, it is possible to protect the elastically deforming portion 12 that connects the extension portions 50a, 50b and at least one of the connecting portion 13 and the elastically deforming portion 12 without causing plastic deformation.

[0134] (16) In the terminal assembly 101 according to the fifth embodiment, the protective portion 8 engages with the connecting portion 13 to suppress deformation of the elastically deforming portion 12. This suppresses plastic deformation of the elastically deforming portion 12 when the plug terminal 2B is removed.

[0135] This invention allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain this invention and do not limit the scope of this invention. That is, the scope of this invention is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of this invention.

[0136] In addition, this application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-198589 filed on November 22, 2023, and the specification, claims, and drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-198589 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0137] The present invention can be applied to terminals that electrically connect substrates to each other.

[0138] 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G receptacle terminal, 2A, 2B plug terminal, 3 first substrate (substrate), 3a main surface, 4 second substrate, 4a main surface, 5, 6 metal plate, 7, 8 protective portion, 10 mounting portion, 10a, 10b substrate connection portion, 11, 11a, 11b terminal contact portion, 12 elastic deformation portion, 12a first member, 12b second member, 13 connecting portion, 13a first connecting portion, 13b second connecting portion, 13c protruding portion, 13c1 engaging claw, 13d opening, 20 contact piece, 21 support piece, 21a extended tip portion, 22 contact surface, 23 guide surface, 31 first bent portion, 32 first plate portion, 32a protruding portion, 33 second bent portion, 34 second plate portion, 35 Connection portion, 36 Third bent portion, 37 Third plate portion, 37a Support hole, 38 Fourth bent portion, 39 Fourth plate portion, 40, 40a, 40b Board connection portion, 41 Terminal contact portion, 42 Linking portion, 50a, 50b Extension portion, 51 Engagement portion, 52 Linking portion, 53 Neck-shaped portion, 53a Branch portion, 54 Support slit, 60 Straight portion, 61 Bent portion, 70 Frame portion, 70a First frame portion, 70b Second frame portion, 70c Base portion, 70d Notch portion, 70d1 Inclined surface, 71a First side portion, 71a1 First groove, 71b Second side portion, 71b1 Second groove, 72a First front portion, 72a1 First engaged portion, 72b Second front portion, 72b1 Second engaged portion, 73 Rib, 80 Frame portion, 80a: First frame portion, 80a1: Engagement portion, 80b: Second frame portion, 80b1: Engagement portion, 80c: Slit, 80d: Opening, 80d1: Inclined surface, 81a: First side portion, 81a1: First groove, 81b: Second side portion, 81b1: Second groove, 81d: Opening, 81d1: Inclined surface, 82: Back portion, 100, 101: Terminal assembly, C1: Center portion, CL, CL1, CL2: Virtual center line, CP: Virtual center point, A1: First arm portion, A2: Second arm portion

Claims

1. A receptacle terminal constructed by bending a metal plate to come into contact with a plug terminal which is inserted and removed in the normal direction to the main surface of a board, comprising: a mounting portion connected to the board; a pair of terminal contact portions arranged opposite each other so that the plug terminal can be sandwiched between the plate thickness surfaces of the metal plate which serve as contact surfaces that come into contact with the plug terminal; a connecting portion connecting one and the other of the pair of terminal contact portions; and an elastic deformation portion bent at multiple points to have flexibility, and which displaceably connects one of the pair of terminal contact portions or the connecting portion to the mounting portion, and displaceably connects the other of the pair of terminal contact portions or the connecting portion to the mounting portion.

2. A receptacle terminal as described in claim 1, wherein, when viewed in the normal direction, when an imaginary center line is defined as an imaginary straight line extending through a midpoint between the contact surfaces in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the contact surfaces of each of the pair of terminal contact portions face each other, the elastic deformation portion has a shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to the imaginary center line.

3. The receptacle terminal according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed in the normal direction, a midpoint between the contact surfaces of the pair of terminal contact portions is taken as a virtual center point, and the elastic deformation portion has a shape that is point-symmetrical with respect to the virtual center point.

4. A receptacle terminal as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the elastic deformation portion comprises: a first member that displaceably connects one of the pair of terminal contact portions or the connecting portion to the mounting portion; and a second member that displaceably connects the other of the pair of terminal contact portions or the connecting portion to the mounting portion.

5. A receptacle terminal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting portion is composed of a pair of board connection portions, and the elastic deformation portion comprises: a third member connecting one of the pair of board connection portions to the other of the pair of board connection portions; and a fourth member connecting the third member to the connecting portion.

6. A receptacle terminal as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein the elastic deformation portion has a shape bent around an axis extending in the normal direction of the main surface of the board.

7. A receptacle terminal as claimed in claim 4, wherein the elastically deforming portion has a shape bent about an axis extending in a direction parallel to the main surface of the board.

8. A receptacle terminal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a support piece protruding towards the board is provided on each of the pair of terminal contact portions at a portion closer to the board than the contact surface.

9. A receptacle terminal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a support piece protruding along the board is provided in a portion of each of the pair of terminal contact portions closer to the board than the contact surface, and a support hole or support slit restricting movement of the support piece in the normal direction is provided in a portion of the elastic deformation portion closer to the mounting portion, and the support piece is inserted into the support hole or support slit.

10. A receptacle terminal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting portion is configured in a flat plate shape without being bent.

11. A receptacle terminal as described in claim 10, comprising a pair of folded portions consisting of a member folded about an axis parallel to the main surface and connecting one of the pair of terminal contact portions to the connecting portion, and a member folded about an axis parallel to the main surface and connecting the other of the pair of terminal contact portions to the connecting portion, wherein the connecting portion is disposed in a position opposite the elastic deformation portion in the normal direction.

12. A receptacle terminal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion as the connecting portion, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion extending in directions away from each other from the terminal contact portion.

13. The receptacle terminal according to claim 12, wherein the first and second connecting portions are inclined so as to approach each other toward the pair of terminal contact portions.

14. A terminal assembly comprising: a receptacle terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 13; and an insulating protective portion that covers and protects at least a portion of the receptacle terminal.

15. The terminal assembly according to claim 14, wherein an extension portion is provided extending from said mounting portion, and said protective portion engages with at least one of said connecting portion and said elastically deformable portion and said extension portion.

16. The terminal assembly according to claim 14, wherein the protective portion is fitted into the connecting portion to suppress deformation of the elastic deformation portion.

Images