MULTI-CONTACT TERMINAL FITTING

• US 20120202391A1
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yutaka, Ito, Hikaru
• Granted Patent: US 8,616,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/709
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/113 co-operating with pins or blades having a rectangular transverse section
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/16 for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending

Abstract

A multi-contact terminal fitting (T) has a plurality of resilient contact pieces (40) that extend from a rectangular tubular base (25) and can be brought into contact with an outer peripheral surface of a flat plate-shaped tab (11). The resilient contact pieces (40) extending from parts of the base (25) that have relatively high rigidity are narrow and those extending from less rigid parts of the base (25) are wider.

Claims

1. A multi-contact terminal fitting (T), comprising:

a base (25) with at least one first part (25A) having high rigidity and at least one second part (25B) having low rigidity; and

first and second resilient contact pieces (40A, 40B) extending respectively from the first and second parts (25A, 25B) of the base (25) and being configured to be brought into contact with an outer peripheral surface of a tab (11) of a mating terminal fitting (10), the first resilient contact pieces (25A) being narrower than the second resilient contact pieces (25B).

2. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 1, wherein the base (25) is a substantially rectangular or polygonal tube.

3. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 2, wherein the base (25) has side edges locked together to prevent opening of the rectangular or polygonal tube.

4. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 1, further comprising a cover (50) for at least partly covering the resilient contact pieces (40).

5. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 4, wherein the cover (50) has at least one inner wall (58B) disposed for contacting the tab (11) inserted into the female terminal fitting (20).

6. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 4, wherein the resilient contact pieces (40) are cantilevered from the base (25), the terminal fitting further including a cover support (26) located outward of free ends of the resilient contact pieces (40), the cover support (26) being in contact with an inner side of the cover (50).

7. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 6, further comprising a cover support (26) connected to the base (25) by means of a coupling (36), the cover support (26) having a cross-sectional shape substantially conforming to a cross-sectional shape as the base (25) and a dimension of the cover support (26) in forward and backward directions being smaller than the base (25).

8. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 6, wherein a contact (41) is defined at a most inward part of the resilient contact piece (40) for contacting the tab (11).

9. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 8, wherein the contact (41) of the resilient contact piece (40) is located closer to a vertical center of the coupling (35) than a lateral edge of the coupling (35) when the resilient contact piece (40) is in a natural state.

10. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 8, wherein a tip of the resilient contact piece (40) stays at a position more inward than a ceiling plate (29) or a bottom plate (27) the base (25) when the resilient contact piece (40) is in a natural state and does not project from the ceiling plate (29) or the bottom plate (27) if the resilient contact piece (40) is resiliently deformed by the contact with the tab (11).

11. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 6, wherein a difference between sides near the base (25) and the free ends of the first resilient contact pieces (40A) is larger than that between the sides near the base (25) and the free ends of the second resilient contact pieces (40B).

12. The multi-contact terminal fitting of claim 6, wherein free ends of the resilient contact pieces (40) are narrower than sides near the base (25), and widths are narrowed substantially at a fixed rate from the sides near the base portion (25) toward the free ends.