Connector terminal, connector including the connector terminal, and method for producing the connector terminal

• US 10,644,424 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iwanuma Seiko Corporation, Tatsuta Electric Wire & Cable Co Ltd
• Original Assignee: Tatsuta Electric Wire & Cable Co Ltd
• Inventors: Nakazono, Syoji, Urashita, Kiyotaka, Chiba, Koji, Hori, Kokichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Riyami, Abdullah A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgos-Guntin, Nelson R.
• Application Number:
  US16/257,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20190237888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 439851
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/11 Resilient sockets carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/111 co-operating with pins having a circular transverse section
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/193 Means for increasing contact pressure at the end of engagement of coupling part , e.g. zero insertion force or no friction
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4223 comprising integral flexible contact retaining fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/432 by stamped-out resilient tongue snapping behind shoulder in base or case
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/642 by position or shape of contact members
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/18 by crimping H01R4/01, H01R4/2495 take precedence; for coaxial cables H01R9/0518
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/16 for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/18 for manufacturing bases or cases for contact members

Abstract

Provided is a connector terminal including a connection part having three or more conductive pieces arranged at intervals from each other around a central axis, wherein each of the three or more conductive pieces has a plate shape with its inside surface directed toward the central axis, wherein a distal end portion including a distal end of each conductive piece is inclined to be away from the central axis as it advances toward the distal end thereof, and wherein a surface of the distal end portion includes a distal end surface, an outside surface located opposite to the inside surface, and a connection surface that connects the distal end surface and the outside surface and that is inclined relative to the distal end surface and the outside surface. Also provided are a connector including the connector terminal, and a method for producing the connector terminal.

Claims

1. A connector terminal, comprising:

a connection part into and from which a mating terminal pin is inserted and removed,

wherein the connection part comprises a plurality of conductive pieces arranged at intervals from each other around a central axis extending along the insertion and removal direction of the mating terminal pin,

wherein each of the plurality of conductive pieces has an inside surface that contacts the mating terminal pin during the insertion of the mating terminal pin into the connector terminal, and a plate shape that extends toward the removal direction of the mating terminal pin with the inside surface being directed to the central axis,

wherein a distal end portion including a distal end of each of the conductive pieces is inclined to be away from the central axis as it advances toward the distal end thereof,

wherein a surface of the distal end portion comprises;

a distal end surface;

an outside surface located opposite to the inside surface; and

a connection surface connecting the distal end surface with the outside surface and inclined relative to the distal end surface and the outside surface, and

wherein the connection surface is parallel or substantially parallel to the direction in which the central axis extends.

2. A connector, comprising:

the connector terminal according to claim 1; and

a connector housing that communicates with the outside thereof through a terminal insertion port through which the mating terminal pin can be inserted and through a proximal end opening located opposite to the terminal insertion port, and that has a terminal housing part in which the connector terminal is housed with the distal end portion of each of the plurality of conductive pieces directed to the terminal insertion port, wherein

the terminal housing part has a tubular inner surface extending toward the terminal insertion port, with the connection part enclosed therein.

3. A method for producing a connector terminal using a connector terminal member having a flat plate shape along a certain plane, the connector terminal member comprising:

a tubular body elongated in a first direction that is a certain direction along the plane; and

a plurality of conductive pieces that extend from the tubular body along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and along the plane, and that are arranged at intervals from each other in the first direction, the method comprising;

a conductive piece bending step of bending the plurality of conductive pieces so that distal end portions including distal ends of the plurality of the conductive pieces are inclined in the same direction relative to the tubular body;

a chamfering step of chamfering a corner composed of a surface on one side in a thickness direction of the distal end portion of each of the plurality of conductive pieces in the connector terminal member, and a distal end surface of the distal end portion; and

a tubular section forming step of, after the bending step and the chamfering step, bending the tubular body of the connector terminal member into a tubular shape with its edges in a longitudinal direction of the tubular body opposed to each other, so that the surface on the one side of each of the plurality of conductive pieces faces outward and that the distal end portion inclined in the conductive piece bending step is made to be away from a central axis of the tubular body as it advances toward an distal end of the connector terminal,

wherein a connection surface is formed by the chamfering step, and

wherein the connection surface is parallel or substantially parallel to a direction in which the central axis extends.

4. The method for producing the connector terminal according to claim 3, wherein

the chamfering step is performed before the conductive piece bending step, and the chamfering step is performed to simultaneously chamfer the distal end portions of the plurality of conductive pieces so that the chamfered surfaces in the distal end portions of the plurality of conductive pieces are located on the same plane.