Terminal fixture and a method of manufacturing the same

• US 5,833,500 A
• Filed: 03/29/1996
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Mahon, Tony, Samejima, Masakuni
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ta, Tho Dac
• Application Number:
  US08/623,521
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 439/850, 439/851, 439/852, 439/856, 439/857, 439/842, 439/843, 439/845, 439/849, 439/867, 29/874, 29/879
• US Class Current: 439/852
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing

Abstract

A terminal fixture of the present invention comprises an electric wire connection member connected to the terminal of an electric wire; a pair of elastic contact members in which the respective top ends of a pair of side plates opposite to each other and bent in the same direction from a bottom plate are bent inward in a reverse U-shape; and a protective plate member comprising a front protective plate provided integrally with the above-mentioned bottom plate on the front side of the pair of elastic contact members, a pair of side protective plates which surround the outside of the above-mentioned pair of side plates and is formed by bending both the sides of the front protective plate on the above-mentioned electric wire connection member side, and a top plate which is located between the above-mentioned electric wire connection member and the above-mentioned pair of elastic contact members and top end thereof is extendedly provided from the one side protective plate and locked to the other side protective plate.

Claims

1. A terminal fixture, comprising:

an electric wire connection member connected to the terminal of an electric wire;

a pair of elastic contact members in which respective top ends of a pair of side plates opposite to each other and bent in the same direction from a bottom plate are bent inward in a reverse U-shape; and

a protective plate member comprising a front protective plate provided integrally with said bottom plate on a front side of the pair of elastic contact members, a pair of said protective plates which surround the outside of said pair of side plates and is formed by bending both the sides of the front protective plate toward said electric wire connection member side, and a top plate which is located between said electric wire connection member and said pair of elastic contact members and the top end thereof is extendedly provided from the one side protective plate and locked to the other side protective plate.

2. A terminal fixture according to claim 1, wherein:

a cutout being provided at the top end of said top plate;

a prong inserted into the cutout being provided on said other side protective plate; and

catch parts overlapping the outside of said other side protective plate being bent and formed at the top end of said top plate.

3. A terminal fixture according to claim 1, wherein:

provided between said electric wire connection member and said pair of elastic contact members are a pair of support walls which are bent in the same direction from said bottom plate and urge the under surface of said top plate to support.

4. A terminal fixture according to claim 3, wherein:

a cutout being provided at the top end of said top plate;

a prong inserted into the cutout being provided on said other side protective plate; and

catch parts overlapping the outside of said other side protective plate being bent and formed at the top end of said top plate.

5. A terminal fixture, comprising:

an electric wire connection member connected to the terminal of an electric wire;

a pair of elastic contact members in which the respective top ends of a pair of side plates opposite to each other and bent in the same direction from a bottom plate are bent inward in a reverse U-shape;

side protective plates which are bent from a front side of said bottom plate and formed perpendicularly to said pair of side plates;

a pair of front protective plates which are bent and formed from a respective front side of said pair of side plates to surround a front side of said side protective plates;

a pair of rear protective plates which are bent and formed in a direction in which they approach each other from said electric wire connection member of said pair of side plates; and

top plates which are located between said electric wire connection member and said pair of elastic contact members, and extendedly provided from both sides of said pair of side plates so as to overlap each other and link.

6. A terminal fixture according to claim 5, wherein:

said top plates comprise a lower side plate which is extendedly provided from the one side plate and bent to the other side plate side, and an upper side plate which is extendedly provided from the other side plate and bent to the one side plate side so as to be overlapped on the lower side plate, whereby the lower side plate and the upper side plate being linked through a link part.

7. A terminal fixture according to claim 6, wherein:

said link part comprises a lock hole provided on said one side plate side of said lower side plate, and a catch part which is provided at the top end of said upper side plate so as to be inserted into said lock hole and engaged with the open edge of said lock hole.

8. A method of manufacturing a terminal fixture, comprising the steps of:

punching a flat plate in a spread state to integrally form a bottom plate, an electric wire connection member connected to the terminal of an electric wire, a pair of side plates, a pair of elastic contact members connected to a mating terminal, and a protective plate member comprising a front protective plate provided on the front side of the pair of elastic contact members, a pair of side protective plates surrounding an outside of said pair of side plates, and a top plate which is located between said electric wire connection member and said pair of elastic contact members and provided on an upper side of said pair of elastic contact members;

bending in the same direction parts which are located on both the sides of said bottom plate and correspond to said electric wire connection member to form the member;

bending a pair of top ends of parts which are extendedly provided on both the sides of said bottom plate and correspond to said pair of side plates in the same direction and in a U-shape, and then bending the parts corresponding to said pair of side plates in the same direction to form said pair of side plates and said elastic contact members;

bending parts corresponding to said pair of side protective plates in the same direction with respect to parts corresponding to said front protective plate, and bending parts corresponding to said front protective plate toward said elastic contact members to form said front protective plate and said pair of side protective plates; and

bending a part corresponding to said top plate extendedly provided from the one side protective plate, toward the other side protective plate, and locking the top end of the part to said other side protective plate to form said top plate.

9. A method of manufacturing a terminal fixture, comprising the steps of:

punching a flat plate in a spread state to integrally form a bottom plate, an electric wire, a pair of side plates, a pair of elastic contact members connected to a mating terminal, a pair of side protective plates and a pair of front protective plates provided on a front side of the pair of elastic contact members, a rear protective plate provided on said electric wire connection member side of the pair of elastic contact members, and a top plate which is located between said electric wire connection member and said pair of elastic contact members, and provided on the upper side of said pair of elastic contact members and which comprises an upper side plate, a lower side plate and a link part for linking both the plates;

bending in the same direction parts which are located on the both the sides of said bottom plate and correspond to said electric wire connection member to form the member;

bending both the front side and said electric wire connection member side of parts which are extendedly provided on both the sides of said bottom plate and correspond to said pair of side plates in the same direction to form said pair of front protective plates and said pair of rear protective plates;

bending a pair of top ends of parts corresponding to said pair of side plates in the same direction and in a U-shape to form said elastic contact members;

bending the other respective top ends of parts corresponding to said pair of said plates in the same direction to form said upper side plate and said lower side plate;

bending parts extendedly provided on the front side of said bottom plate to form said pair of side protective plates; and

bending respective parts corresponding to said pair of side plates in the same direction to form said pair of side plates and at the same time, linking said link part in a state in that said upper side plate is overlapped on said lower side plate to form said top plate.

10. A method of manufacturing a terminal fixture according to claim 9, wherein:

said top plate comprises a lock hole provided on said one side plate side of said lower side plate and a catch part provided at the top end of the said upper side plate; and

the catch part being inserted into said lock hole and engaged with the open edge of said lock hole to form said top plate.