Female terminal

Abstract

The present invention discloses a female terminal with which conduction resistance of the female terminal can be reduced while suppressing increase in the insertion resistance of a male terminal into the female terminal. A female terminal (10) according to the present disclosure comprises: a terminal body (18) which has a male terminal mounting part (16) that is conductively connected to a male terminal (12), and which is formed using a first metal flat plate; and a contact member (20) which is formed using a second metal flat plate that is thinner than the first metal flat plate, and is attached to the male terminal mounting part. The contact member (20) integrally has: a plurality of contact arm parts (72) which protrude in cantilever beam fashion from a near side of the male terminal mounting part (16) toward the far side, and are arrayed in parallel in an intersecting direction intersecting an insertion direction; a near-side holding plate part (74) that integrally holds basal end portions of the plurality of contact arm parts (72) and is fixed to the male terminal mounting part (16); and a far-side holding plate part (76) on which distal end portions of the plurality of contact arm parts (72) are placed and which is fixed to the male terminal mounting part (16).

Description

Female terminal

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a female terminal.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a female terminal configured by combining a terminal body formed of a thick conductive material with a contact member formed of a thin conductive material. By forming the terminal body and the contact member from conductive materials with different thicknesses, the current capacity required for large current applications can be addressed by increasing the thickness of the terminal body, while reducing the thickness of the contact member ensures the followability of the contact member to a male terminal, enabling the female terminal to accommodate large currents while suppressing an increase in overall size. The contact member includes a plurality of elongated contact arms arranged in alignment in a row, and a holding plate portion that mutually connects and holds the base end portions of the contact arms. A clamping block protruding from the terminal body is inserted into a clamping hole provided in the holding plate portion and caulked and fixed, whereby the contact member is conductively connected and fixed to the terminal body.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.2022-104906

[0004] However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, since the current path to the terminal body via the contact arm portion that comes into contact with the male terminal assembled to the female terminal is only on the holding plate portion side, there is an inherent problem that the conduction resistance increases. To address this, it is conceivable to increase the number of contact arm portions to reduce the resistance, but this causes an increase in the insertion resistance of the male terminal, so this is not a preferable solution.

[0005] Therefore, a female terminal is disclosed that can reduce the conduction resistance of the female terminal while suppressing an increase in the insertion resistance of the male terminal into the female terminal.

[0006] The female terminal of this disclosure has a male terminal mounting portion that is electrically connected to a male terminal, and comprises a terminal body formed from a first metal plate and a contact member formed from a second metal plate having a thinner plate thickness than the first metal plate and assembled to the male terminal mounting portion, wherein the contact member integrally has a plurality of contact arm portions that protrude in a cantilever shape from the front side to the back side of the male terminal mounting portion in the direction in which the male terminal is inserted into the male terminal mounting portion and are arranged in parallel in an intersecting direction that intersects the insertion direction, a strip-shaped front holding plate portion that integrally holds the base ends of the plurality of contact arm portions and extends in the intersecting direction, and a strip-shaped rear holding plate portion on which the tips of the plurality of contact arm portions are placed and extends in the intersecting direction, wherein the front holding plate portion and the rear holding plate portion of the contact member are fixed to the male terminal mounting portion and electrically connected.

[0007] This disclosure makes it possible to reduce the conductivity resistance of the female terminal while suppressing the increase in insertion resistance of the male terminal into the female terminal.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a female terminal according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the female terminal shown in Figure 1 from yet another angle. Figure 3 is a partial perspective view showing the main part of the female terminal shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the state with the contact member removed from Figure 3. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the contact member used in the female terminal of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a side view of the contact member shown in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the state with the male terminal inserted into the female terminal shown in Figure 1. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along VIII-VIII in Figure 7. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the contact member. Figure 10 is a side view of the contact member shown in Figure 9.

[0009] <Description of Embodiments of the Disclosure> First, embodiments of the Disclosure will be listed and described. The female terminal of the Disclosure comprises: (1) a terminal body formed from a first metal plate having a male terminal mounting portion that is electrically connected to a male terminal; and a contact member formed from a second metal plate having a thinner plate thickness than the first metal plate and assembled to the male terminal mounting portion, wherein the contact member integrally has a plurality of contact arm portions that protrude in a cantilever shape from the front to the back of the male terminal mounting portion in the direction of insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion and are arranged in parallel in an intersecting direction that intersects the insertion direction; a strip-shaped front holding plate portion that integrally holds the base ends of the plurality of contact arm portions and extends in the intersecting direction; and a strip-shaped rear holding plate portion on which the tips of the plurality of contact arm portions are placed and extends in the intersecting direction, wherein the front holding plate portion and the rear holding plate portion of the contact member are fixed to the male terminal mounting portion and electrically connected.

[0010] According to the female terminal of this disclosure, the contact member integrally comprises a front retaining plate portion, a plurality of contact arm portions held in a cantilevered manner on the front retaining plate portion, and a rear retaining plate portion on which the tips of the plurality of contact arm portions are placed. Furthermore, the front retaining plate portion and the rear retaining plate portion are fixed to the male terminal mounting portion of the terminal body and electrically connected. With this structure, two electrical pathways can be secured from the plurality of contact arm portions that are pressed against the male terminal: a pathway through which current is supplied to the terminal body via the front retaining plate portion on which the base ends of each contact arm portion are integrally held, and a pathway through which current is supplied to the terminal body via the rear retaining plate portion on which the tips of each contact arm portion are placed. As a result, the resistance value of the entire contact member can be reduced without requiring an increase in the number of contact arm portions. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the conductivity resistance of the female terminal while suppressing an increase in the insertion resistance of the male terminal into the female terminal.

[0011] (2) In (1) above, it is preferable that the contact member has a pair of connecting plate portions arranged on both sides of the plurality of contact arm portions in the intersecting direction, and the front holding plate portion and the rear holding plate portion are connected to each other and integrated via the pair of connecting plate portions, the plurality of contact arm portions have a curved shape that is convex on one side in the thickness direction of the contact member, each connecting plate portion has a projection that is convex on the other side in the thickness direction at an intermediate portion in the length direction, and the contact member is positioned on the male terminal mounting portion by fitting the projection of each connecting plate portion into a fitting hole that opens on the surface to which the front holding plate portion and the rear holding plate portion of the male terminal mounting portion are fixed. By arranging the pair of connecting plate portions that connect the front holding plate portion and the rear holding plate portion to each other on both sides in the alignment direction of the plurality of contact arm portions, the rigidity of the entire contact member can be improved. Furthermore, by providing a protruding portion on the opposite side of the plate thickness direction from the curved side in the middle of the connecting plate portion where the contact arm portion contacts the male terminal, a contact member can be easily manufactured by press-punching from a single metal plate, for example, having a front holding plate portion, multiple contact arm portions held in a cantilever-like manner on the front holding plate portion, and a rear holding plate portion on which the tips of the multiple contact arm portions are placed. Moreover, by fitting the protruding portion provided in the middle of the connecting plate portion into a fitting hole that opens on the surface to which the front and rear holding plate portions of the male terminal mounting portion are fixed, the contact member can be stably positioned on the male terminal mounting portion, improving workability during assembly and fixing of the contact member to the terminal body, and improving durability after manufacturing.

[0012] (3) In (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the plurality of contact arm portions have a curved shape that is convex to one side in the thickness direction of the contact member, and that the contact portion with the maximum protruding height is provided at the same position along the length of each contact arm portion. Since the contact portions of the plurality of contact arm portions are provided at the same position along the length of each contact arm portion, it is possible to easily manufacture the contact member and manage the contact pressure, etc.

[0013] (4) In (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the plurality of contact arm portions have a curved shape that is convex to one side in the thickness direction of the contact member, and that the contact portion with the maximum protrusion height is provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction of each contact arm portion. Since the contact portions of the plurality of contact arm portions are provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction of each contact arm portion, the timing at which the contact pressure becomes high when the male terminal is inserted can be staggered, and the insertion resistance can be distributed. It is also possible to improve the ability of the contact arm portions to follow the displacement of the male terminal during use.

[0014] <Details of Embodiments of the Disclosure> Specific examples of the female terminals and terminal units of the Disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the Disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the Claims as indicated by the Claims.

[0015] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, the female terminal 10 of Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The female terminal 10 is provided in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and is electrically connected to the male terminal 12 shown in Figure 7. The female terminal 10 has a male terminal mounting portion 16, and the male terminal 12 is mounted on this male terminal mounting portion 16, thereby electrically connecting the female terminal 10 and the male terminal 12. The female terminal 10 can be positioned in any orientation within the vehicle, but in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the directions indicated by the arrows in Figure 1 will be described as the up-down direction, the front-back direction, and the left-right direction. In addition, for multiple identical components, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the components, while the reference numerals for other components may be omitted.

[0016] <Female Terminal 10> The female terminal 10 has a male terminal mounting portion 16 which is electrically connected to the male terminal 12 described above, and comprises a terminal body 18 formed from a first metal plate and a contact member 20 (see Figures 2, 4-5) formed from a second metal plate which is thinner than the first metal plate and assembled to the male terminal mounting portion 16. In Embodiment 1, the terminal body 18 which extends in the left-right direction as a whole is constructed by press-forming a single first metal plate having a predetermined thickness, and the male terminal mounting portion 16 is provided at one end (left end) of the terminal body 18. In addition, a connection portion 22 which is electrically connected to other members such as electric wires or busbars (not shown) is provided at the other end (right end) of the terminal body 18. The terminal body 18 which includes the male terminal mounting portion 16 and the connection portion 22 is formed from a metal with excellent conductivity, such as copper (including copper alloys) or aluminum (including aluminum alloys).

[0017] <Male Terminal 12> The male terminal 12 is tab-shaped and has an overall rectangular flat plate shape. The male terminal 12 is composed of a flat plate-shaped terminal fitting 24 and a resin cap 26 that surrounds the periphery of the terminal fitting 24. The terminal fitting 24 is a rectangular flat plate shape that extends in the front-to-back direction and is made of a metal with excellent conductivity. On the other hand, the resin cap 26 is a frame shape that covers the front and both sides of the terminal fitting 24. As a result, both the upper and lower surfaces of the terminal fitting 24 are exposed and not covered by the resin cap 26. The male terminal 12 with this shape is constructed, for example, by inserting the terminal fitting 24 into the rear opening of the resin cap 26 and assembling it, or by forming the resin cap 26 as an integrally molded product that includes the terminal fitting 24. The male terminal 12 is mounted on the male terminal mounting part 16 from rear to front.

[0018] <Male terminal mounting section 16> The male terminal mounting section 16 includes a lower wall 30 and an upper wall 32 that are positioned opposite each other with a gap in between, and that define the male terminal insertion space 28 between them. That is, the upper wall 32 is positioned opposite the lower wall 30 with a gap in between. The male terminal insertion space 28 is provided penetrating in the front-rear direction between the opposing surfaces of the lower wall 30 and the upper wall 32. The male terminal mounting section 16 is provided with a male terminal insertion opening 34 that is partitioned by the rear side edges of the lower wall 30 and the upper wall 32 and opens to the rear of the male terminal insertion space 28. Furthermore, the male terminal mounting section 16 is provided with a right wall section 36 that covers the right side of the male terminal insertion space 28.

[0019] <Crimping piece 38> A crimping piece 38 is provided on the left side of the male terminal insertion space 28, which protrudes integrally in a strip shape from the side surface (left side) of the lower wall 30. The crimping piece 38 includes a first side bent portion 40 that is close to the side surface (left side) of the lower wall 30 and bent toward the upper wall 32, an extension portion 42 that extends straight from the first side bent portion 40 to the upper wall 32, and a second side bent portion 48 that is close to the side surface (left side) of the upper wall 32 and bends the protruding end 44 of the crimping piece 38 so that it overlaps with the outer surface 46 of the upper wall 32.

[0020] A support projection 50 is integrally provided on the upper wall 32, projecting backward from the rear side of the extended portion 42 of the crimping piece 38, approximately in the middle of the extension direction (up and down direction in Figure 1). An overlapping projection 52 is integrally provided on the side surface (left side) of the upper wall, projecting laterally (to the left) and overlapping the support projection 50 from above. The protruding end 44 of the crimping piece 38 is then overlapped with the outer surface 46 of the upper wall 32 and crimped, thereby crimping and fixing the protruding end 44 of the crimping piece 38 to the upper wall 32. In this state, the overlapping projection 52 projecting from the upper wall 32 is overlapped from above with the support projection 50 projecting from the crimping piece 38.

[0021] In Embodiment 1, the crimping piece 38 is positioned offset to one end (front end in Figure 1) of the side surface (left side in Figure 1) of the lower wall 30. The width dimension (dimension in the front-rear direction) of the crimping piece 38 is smaller (for example, 1 / 2 or less) than the length dimension (left side in the front-rear direction) of the side surface (left side in Figure 1) of the lower wall 30. Therefore, a viewing window 54 is provided on the other end of the side surface (left side in Figure 1) of the lower wall 30, allowing the contact member 20 to be seen from the gap between the lower wall 30 and the upper wall 32. Thus, the contact member 20, which is fixed and held to the opposing surfaces of the lower wall 30 and the upper wall 32, can be easily seen from the outside through the viewing window 54.

[0022] In this type of terminal body 18, the lower wall 30 of the male terminal mounting portion 16 is formed by one end in the longitudinal direction of a single first metal plate, and the upper wall 32 of the male terminal mounting portion 16 is formed by the other end in the longitudinal direction of the first metal plate, which is folded back via the folded portion 56. The protruding end 44 of the crimping piece 38 provided on the side surface of the lower wall 30 (left side in Figure 1) is bent so as to overlap the outer surface 46 of the upper wall 32 and crimped in place, thereby suppressing displacement in the opening direction, which is the direction in which the lower wall 30 and the upper wall 32 move apart from each other. The rear opening of the male terminal mounting portion 16 (male terminal insertion space 28) thus formed into a cylindrical shape is the male terminal insertion port 34. Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, a connecting portion 22 is continuously provided to the right of the male terminal mounting portion 16. Electric wires, busbars, etc. (not shown) are fixed to the connecting portion 22 by means of, for example, welding or adhesive.

[0023] Specifically, the right wall portion 36 extends from the upper wall 32 and connects to the upper connecting portion 22a that constitutes the connecting portion 22, and the lower connecting portion 22b extends from the lower wall 30, and these upper connecting portion 22a and lower connecting portion 22b are connected at their respective rear ends by a folded portion 56. The upper connecting portion 22a and lower connecting portion 22b, folded back by the folded portion 56, are joined by overlapping each other in the vertical direction, thereby forming the connecting portion 22. The method of joining these upper connecting portion 22a and lower connecting portion 22b is not limited, but in Embodiment 1, a through hole 58 that penetrates in the thickness direction (vertical direction) is formed in the upper connecting portion 22a, and a fitting projection 60 that protrudes upward is formed in the lower connecting portion 22b. The fitting projection 60 is inserted into the through hole 58 and fitted, so that the upper connecting portion 22a and lower connecting portion 22b are fixed to each other in an overlapping state.

[0024] <Lower wall 30 and upper wall 32> Since the lower wall 30 and the upper wall 32 have similar shapes, the lower wall 30 will be described, and the upper wall 32 will be given the same reference numeral as the lower wall 30, thus omitting a detailed description.

[0025] Figure 3 shows the lower wall 30 of the terminal body 18 viewed from diagonally above, with the upper wall 32 of the terminal body 18 abstracted away for easier understanding, and Figure 4 shows the lower contact member 20b of the lower wall 30 of Figure 3 viewed from diagonally above. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the lower wall 30 is generally rectangular and flat, and the upper surface of the lower wall 30 is the lower surface 62 that constitutes the male terminal insertion space 28. The lower contact member 20b that constitutes the contact member 20 is fixed to the lower surface 62 (upper surface of the lower wall 30) by crimping via a plurality of crimping portions 65 provided on the lower wall 30, and in Embodiment 1, the lower contact member 20b is fixed to the central part of the lower surface 62. Similarly, the lower surface of the upper wall 32 is the upper surface 64 that constitutes the male terminal insertion space 28, and the upper contact member 20a that constitutes the contact member 20 is fixed to the central part of the upper surface 64 by crimping via a crimping portion 65 provided on the upper wall 32.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, on the lower surface 62 (upper surface of the lower wall 30), four crimping portions 65 are provided in the regions located on the front and rear sides in the direction of insertion of the male terminal 12 into the male terminal mounting portion 16 (male terminal insertion space 28), respectively, spaced apart from each other in directions intersecting the insertion direction. Between the front crimping portion 65 and the rear crimping portion 65, at two locations spaced apart from each other in the intersecting direction, a pair of fitting holes 66 are provided that penetrate the lower wall 30 and open in a substantially rectangular shape on the lower surface 62, which is the surface to which the front retaining plate portion 74 and the rear retaining plate portion 76, described later, are fixed. Further in front of the front crimping portion 65, at two locations spaced apart from each other in the intersecting direction, guide protrusions 68 project inward toward the male terminal insertion space 28. Further inside the crimped portion 65 on the inner side, three guide protrusions 68 are projected toward the inward direction of the male terminal insertion space 28, at mutually separated locations in intersecting directions.

[0027] The crimping portion 65, the fitting hole 66, and the guide projection 68 described above are also provided at corresponding positions on the upper wall 32 and the upper surface 64, which is the lower surface of the upper wall and also constitutes the male terminal insertion space 28. Therefore, the guide projection 68 on the upper surface 64 side protrudes downward, and the guide projection 68 on the lower surface 62 side protrudes upward. By inserting the male terminal 12 between these upper and lower guide projections 68, the male terminal 12 is guided and held in a centered state relative to the male terminal insertion space 28. Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, as described above, the terminal body 18 is constructed by press-forming a single first metal plate, so recesses 70 that open outward in the vertical direction are formed on the upper surface of the upper wall 32 and the lower surface of the lower wall 30 at positions corresponding to each crimping portion 65 and each guide projection 68, and the fitting hole 66 is opened.

[0028] <Contact Member 20> Figures 5 and 6 show the contact member 20 in its individual state. In Figures 1 to 3, the contact member 20 that is crimped and fixed to the lower surface 62 which constitutes the male terminal insertion space 28 is shown as the lower contact member 20b, and the contact member that is crimped and fixed to the upper surface 64 which constitutes the male terminal insertion space 28 is shown as the upper contact member 20a. The lower contact member 20b will be described below, and the upper contact member 20a will be given the same reference numeral as the lower contact member 20b, and its description will be omitted.

[0029] The lower contact member 20b includes a plurality of contact arm portions 72 that are arranged in parallel in a crossing direction (left-right direction) that intersects with the insertion direction, projecting in a cantilevered manner from the front to the back (from rear to front) of the male terminal insertion space 28 (male terminal insertion space 28) in the direction of insertion of the male terminal 12 into the male terminal mounting portion 16 (male terminal insertion space 28). The lower contact member 20b also integrally includes a strip-shaped front holding plate portion 74 that extends in a crossing direction (left-right direction) and integrally holds the base ends of the plurality of contact arm portions 72, which are integrally connected, and a strip-shaped rear holding plate portion 76 that extends in a crossing direction (left-right direction) and on which the tips of the plurality of contact arm portions 72 are placed and in contact.

[0030] The lower contact member 20b further has a pair of connecting plate portions 78, 78 arranged on both sides of the multiple contact arm portions 72 in a crossing direction, and the front holding plate portion 74 and the rear holding plate portion 76, as well as the multiple contact arm portions 72 held in a cantilevered manner by the front holding plate portion 74, are integrated via the connecting plate portions 78. The front holding plate portion 74 and the rear holding plate portion 76 are each provided with through holes 80 (four in this embodiment) that penetrate in the plate thickness direction, and the multiple crimping portions 65 provided on the lower wall 30 are inserted through the through holes 80 and crimped and fixed.

[0031] As shown in Figure 6, the multiple contact arm portions 72 have a curved shape that is convex upward toward one side in the thickness direction of the contact member 20. On the other hand, each connecting plate portion 78 has a projection portion 82 that is bent into a substantially U-shape at an intermediate portion in the length direction and is convex toward the other side in the thickness direction. In particular, in this embodiment, the multiple contact arm portions 72 have a curved shape that is convex toward one side in the thickness direction of the contact member 20, and the contact portion 84 with the maximum projection height is provided at the same position in the length direction (left-right direction in Figure 6) of each contact arm portion 72. That is, in the side projection shown in Figure 6, all the contact portions 84 overlap. A contact member 20 of this shape can be easily formed, for example, by press punching from a single metal plate.

[0032] <Assembly of Female Terminal 10> When assembling the female terminal 10, first, a single first metal plate constituting the terminal body 18 is pressed and punched out in the unfolded shape of the terminal body 18. Furthermore, crimping portions 65, fitting holes 66, guide protrusions 68, and recesses 70 are formed on the portions corresponding to the lower wall 30 and the upper wall 32. After that, contact members 20a and 20b, each formed from a second metal plate into a desired shape, are attached to the surfaces corresponding to the lower surface 62 of the lower wall 30 and the upper surface 64 of the upper wall 32, which constitute the male terminal insertion space 28. When attaching, the protruding portions 82 of the connecting plate portions 78 of each contact member 20a and 20b are fitted into the corresponding fitting holes 66. As a result, each contact member 20a, 20b is positioned on the upper surface 64 and the lower surface 62, respectively, and the crimping portions 65, which are provided at corresponding positions on the upper surface 64 and the lower surface 62, are inserted through the through holes 80 provided in the front retaining plate portion 74 and the rear retaining plate portion 76 of each contact member 20a, 20b. Then, each crimping portion 65 is crimped onto the respective surfaces of the front retaining plate portion 74 and the rear retaining plate portion 76. As a result, the front retaining plate portion 74 and the rear retaining plate portion 76 are crimped and fixed to the male terminal mounting portion 16 (the lower surface 62 and the upper surface 64 that define the male terminal insertion space 28) via the crimping portions 65, and the front retaining plate portion 74 and the rear retaining plate portion 76 are electrically connected to the male terminal mounting portion 16. Finally, by bending the first metal plate to which the upper contact member 20a and the lower contact member 20b are fixed into the shape described above, the connecting portion 22 and the male terminal mounting portion 16 are formed, and the female terminal 10 of Embodiment 1 is completed.

[0033] In the female terminal 10 of Embodiment 1, which has the structure described above, the contact members 20a and 20b integrally include a front retaining plate portion 74, a plurality of contact arm portions 72 held in a cantilevered manner by the front retaining plate portion 74, and a rear retaining plate portion 76 on which the tips of the plurality of contact arm portions 72 are placed and made contact. Furthermore, the front retaining plate portion 74 and the rear retaining plate portion 76 are fixed and electrically connected to the upper surface 64 and lower surface 62 that define the male terminal insertion space 28 in the male terminal mounting portion 16 of the terminal body 18 by crimping. As shown in Figures 7-8, this structure ensures two conductive paths from the multiple contact arm portions 72 pressed against the male terminal to the terminal body 18: one path through which current is supplied to the terminal body 18 via the front holding plate portion 74, which integrally holds the base ends of each contact arm portion 72; and another path through which current is supplied to the terminal body 18 via the rear holding plate portion 76, on which the tips of each contact arm portion 72 are placed and in contact. Therefore, the overall resistance value of the contact members 20a and 20b can be reduced without increasing the number of contact arm portions 72. As a result, the conductivity resistance of the female terminal 10 can be reduced while suppressing an increase in the insertion resistance of the male terminal 12 into the female terminal 10.

[0034] Furthermore, each contact member 20 has a pair of connecting plate portions 78 arranged on both sides of the multiple contact arm portions 72 in the intersecting direction, and the front holding plate portion 74 and the rear holding plate portion 76 are connected to each other via the pair of connecting plate portions 78 and are integrated into a single structure. In other words, by arranging the pair of connecting plate portions 78 that connect the front holding plate portion 74 and the rear holding plate portion 76 to each other on both sides in the alignment direction of the multiple contact arm portions 72 held by the front holding plate portion 74 in a cantilevered beam shape, the overall rigidity of the contact members 20a and 20b can be improved.

[0035] In addition, by providing a protruding portion 82 in the middle of the connecting plate portion 78 that is convex on the opposite side of the plate thickness direction from the one side where the contact arm portion 72 is curved to contact the male terminal, contact members 20a and 20b can be easily provided, for example, by press punching out from a single metal plate, which integrally have a front holding plate portion 74, a plurality of contact arm portions 72 held in a cantilevered manner by the front holding plate portion 74, and a rear holding plate portion 76 on which the tips of the plurality of contact arm portions 72 are placed. Furthermore, by fitting the protrusion 82 provided in the middle of the connecting plate portion 78 into the fitting hole 66 that opens on the surfaces (lower surface 62 and upper surface 64) to which the front retaining plate portion 74 and the rear retaining plate portion 76 of the male terminal mounting portion 16 are fixed, the contact members 20a and 20b can be stably positioned on the male terminal mounting portion 16, thereby improving workability when assembling and fixing the contact members 20a and 20b to the terminal body 18, and improving durability after manufacturing.

[0036] In particular, in this embodiment, each contact portion 84 of the multiple contact arm portions 72 is provided at the same position along the length of each contact arm portion 72, and in the side projection shown in Figure 6, all the contact portions 84 overlap. This makes it easy to manufacture the contact members 20a and 20b and to manage the contact pressure.

[0037] <Modifications> Although Embodiment 1 has been described in detail above as a specific example of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited by this specific description. Modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that they can achieve the purpose of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0038] (1) In the above embodiment 1, in the contact member 20, each contact portion 84 of the plurality of contact arm portions 72 was provided at the same position in the longitudinal direction of each contact arm portion 72. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and each contact portion 86a, 86b of the plurality of contact arm portions 72 may be provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction of each contact arm portion 72. For example, as shown in Figures 9 to 10, in the contact member 20, the plurality of contact arm portions 72 are arranged so that those having a contact portion 86a positioned in front of the other contact portion 86b and those having a contact portion 86b positioned behind the contact portion 86 are arranged alternately in the intersecting direction. In this embodiment, in the side projection shown in Figure 10, the contact portions 86a and 86b are at different positions in the longitudinal direction, but overlap in the intersecting direction. In this way, since the contact portions 86a and 86b of each of the multiple contact arm portions 72 are provided at different positions along the length of each contact arm portion 72, the timing at which the contact pressure increases when the male terminal 12 is inserted can be staggered, thereby distributing the insertion resistance. Furthermore, it is possible to improve the ability of the contact arm portion 72 to follow the displacement of the male terminal 12 during use.

[0039] (2) The terminal body 18 of the female terminal 10 was formed by press-forming a single first metal plate, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment. The female terminal 10 in the above embodiment may be formed by overlapping an upper first metal plate having an upper wall 32, a right wall portion 36 and an upper connecting portion 22a, and a lower first metal plate having a lower wall 30 and a lower connecting portion 22b in the vertical direction and fixing them to each other by welding, crimping, etc., and the terminal body of the female terminal according to the present disclosure may be made up of a plurality of first metal plates.

[0040] (3) In the embodiment 1 described above, the contact members 20 (upper contact member 20a and lower contact member 20b) were provided on both the upper surface 64 and the lower surface 62 that constitute the male terminal insertion space 28. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the contact members 20 may be provided on only one of the upper surface 64 or the lower surface 62.

[0041] (4) The number, shape, and location of the guide projections 68 are not limited to those shown in the examples, and any number, shape, and location can be selected according to requirements. Furthermore, the viewing window 54 is not necessarily required, and the crimping piece 38 may be made wide enough to make it difficult to form the viewing window 54.

[0042] 10 Female terminal (Embodiment 1) 12 Male terminal 16 Male terminal mounting part 18 Terminal body 20 Contact member 20a Upper contact member 20b Lower contact member 22 Connection part 22a Upper connection part 22b Lower connection part 24 Terminal fitting 26 Resin cap 28 Male terminal insertion space 30 Lower wall 32 Upper wall 34 Male terminal insertion opening 36 Right wall part 38 Crimping piece 40 First side bend part 42 Extension part 44 Protruding end part 46 Outer surface (second opposing wall) 48 Second side bend part 50 Support projection 52 Overlapping projection 54 Viewing window 56 Folded part 58 Through hole 60 Fitting projection 62 Lower surface 64 Upper surface 65 Crimping part 66 Fitting hole 68 Guide projection 70 Recess 72 Contact arm portion 74 Front retaining plate portion 76 Rear retaining plate portion 78 Connecting plate portion 80 Through hole 82 Protruding portion 84 Contact portion 86a,b Contact portion (modified)

Claims

1. A female terminal comprising: a terminal body formed from a first metal plate and having a male terminal mounting portion that is electrically connected to a male terminal; and a contact member formed from a second metal plate having a thinner plate thickness than the first metal plate and assembled to the male terminal mounting portion, wherein the contact member integrally has: a plurality of contact arm portions that protrude in a cantilever shape from the front to the back of the male terminal mounting portion in the direction of insertion of the male terminal into the male terminal mounting portion and are arranged in parallel in an intersecting direction that intersects the insertion direction; a strip-shaped front holding plate portion that integrally holds the base ends of the plurality of contact arm portions and extends in the intersecting direction; and a strip-shaped rear holding plate portion on which the tips of the plurality of contact arm portions are placed and extends in the intersecting direction, wherein the front holding plate portion and the rear holding plate portion of the contact member are fixed to the male terminal mounting portion and electrically connected.

2. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the contact member has a pair of connecting plate portions arranged on both sides of a plurality of contact arm portions in the intersecting direction, and the front retaining plate portion and the rear retaining plate portion are connected to each other and integrated via the pair of connecting plate portions, the plurality of contact arm portions have a curved shape that is convex to one side in the thickness direction of the contact member, each connecting plate portion has a protruding portion that is convex to the other side in the thickness direction at an intermediate portion in the length direction, and the contact member is positioned on the male terminal mounting portion by fitting the protruding portion of each connecting plate portion into a fitting hole that opens to the surface to which the front retaining plate portion and the rear retaining plate portion of the male terminal mounting portion are fixed.

3. The female terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the plurality of contact arm portions have a curved shape that protrudes to one side in the thickness direction of the contact member, and the contact portion with the maximum protruding height is provided at the same position in the longitudinal direction of each contact arm portion.

4. The female terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the plurality of contact arm portions have a curved shape that protrudes to one side in the thickness direction of the contact member, and the contact portion with the maximum protruding height is provided at different positions in the longitudinal direction of each contact arm portion.

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