Connector Terminal, Connector, and Size Adjustment Device

• US 20190237894A1
• Filed: 01/25/2019
• Published: 08/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iwanuma Seiko Corporation, Tatsuta Electric Wire & Cable Co Ltd
• Original Assignee: Iwanuma Seiko Corporation, Tatsuta Electric Wire & Cable Co Ltd
• Inventors: Nakazono, Syoji, Urashita, Kiyotaka, Chiba, Koji, Hori, Kokichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,855,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/11 Resilient sockets carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15
• 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 4/184 comprising a U-shaped wire-receiving portion
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/16 for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending

Abstract

Provided is a connector terminal, including: a tubular section having a lance formed by cutting a part of a peripheral wall thereof and raising the same about its base part. At least a portion of the peripheral wall in which the lance is cut and raised is curved to bulge outward as seen from an opening direction of the tubular section. The lance has a pair of end edges opposed to each other in a width direction orthogonal to a direction in which the lance extends, and at least one of the pair of end edges at least on the side of the base part of the lance is formed to come close to an opposed one of the at least one of the end edges as it advances toward a leading end of the lance. Also provided are a connector including the connector terminal, and a size adjustment device.

Claims

1. A connector terminal, comprising:

a tubular section having a lance formed by cutting a part of a peripheral wall thereof and raising the same about its base part,

wherein at least a portion of the peripheral wall in which the lance is cut and raised is curved to bulge outward as seen from an opening direction of the tubular section, and

wherein the lance has a pair of end edges opposed to each other in a width direction orthogonal to a direction in which the lance extends, and at least one of the pair of end edges at least on the side of the base part of the lance is formed to come close to an opposed one of the at least one of the pair of end edges as it advances toward a leading end of the lance.

2. A connector, comprising:

the connector terminal according to claim 1; and

a connector housing having an inner surface that surrounds the tubular section of the connector terminal in a peripheral direction and having a terminal housing part configured to house the connector terminal,

wherein the tubular section has a pair of the lances provided at positions opposed to each other in the peripheral direction, and

wherein each of the pair of the lances has a leading end abutting the inner surface.

3. The connector according to claim 2, wherein

the connector terminal has a conductive part that is arranged on one side in the opening direction of the tubular section and enables a mating terminal to be detachably connected to itself from the opening direction, and

the connector terminal is housed in the terminal housing part with the conductive part held in position.

4. A size adjustment device, comprising:

a pressing section capable of pressing a portion to be pressed, which is a portion in a peripheral direction of a tubular section of a member having the tubular section, toward an inside of the tubular section; and

a supporting unit capable of supporting a residual portion in the peripheral direction of the tubular section other than the portion to be pressed, by abutting on the residual portion from an outer side.

5. The size adjustment device according to claim 4, comprising:

a pair of first force transmission members capable of reciprocating in a pressing direction of the pressing section,

wherein the pressing section comprises a pressing part capable of pressing in the pressing direction and a second force transmission member extending in the pressing direction and configured to transmit pressing force applied by the pressing part to the portion to be pressed,

wherein the supporting unit comprises a pair of pinching members each having a rotation fulcrum that is located at a position closer in the pressing direction to the pressing part than an arrangement position of the tubular section is, and being configured to pivotally move about the rotation fulcrums to be capable of pinching the tubular section arranged at the arrangement position from a direction substantially orthogonal to the pressing direction, p1 wherein each of the pair of pinching members has an inclined surface located along an outer end portion in the pinching direction and inclined relative to the pressing direction so as to be away from a counterpart pinching member as it advances from the pressing portion, and

wherein each of the pair of first force transmission members is arranged between the pressing part and the inclined surface of a corresponding one of the pair of pinching members in the pressing direction, and is configured to slide along the inclined surface while pressing the inclined surface in the pressing direction as each of the pair of first force transmission members moves in the pressing direction by the pressing force of the pressing part so that the pair of pinching members respectively having the inclined surfaces pivotally move toward each other.

6. The size adjustment device according to claim 5, wherein

the supporting unit comprises an opposed portion supporting member capable of supporting an opposed portion of the tubular section that is opposed to the portion to be pressed of the tubular section, and

the pair of pinching members are configured to pinch a part of the residual portion other than the opposed portion of the tubular section.

7. The size adjustment device according to claim 6, wherein

pressing of the tubular section by the pressing section and pinching of the tubular section by the pair of pinching members are completed simultaneously.