Female terminal

• US 6,527,601 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke, Renee
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUONGCHI T
• Application Number:
  US10/022,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20020076999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 439/851, 439/852, 439/862, 439/816, 439/856, 439/857, 439/858, 439/861, 439/849, 439/850, 439/854, 439/853
• US Class Current: 439/852
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/114 co-operating with pins or blades having a square transverse section
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/187 with spring member in the socket

Abstract

A female terminal includes: a tubular body; a leaf spring inside the body having a first bent part bent upward and rearward from the front end of the bottom wall of the body, an intermediate part extending rearward from the first bent part, a second bent part bent downward and forward from the rear end of the intermediate part, and a top end part extending forward from the second bent part and spaced away from the intermediate part; a first fitting means for fitting the front end of the top end part onto the side walls; a second fitting means, which allows the intermediate part to be displaced downward to contact the top end part of the leaf spring, and a part ahead thereof to be displaced downward until the intermediate part fits onto the side walls at the bottom dead point; and a flexible-piece-receiving hole in the bottom wall ahead of a part at which the leaf spring will contact the bottom wall.

Claims

1. A female terminal comprising

a tubular body having a bottom wall, side walls provided on both ends of the bottom wall in the width direction to oppose to each other and an upper wall provided on the upper side of the side wall to oppose to the bottom wall, into which a male terminal is inserted through a front opening thereof,

a leaf spring being provided inside the body and having a first bent part being integrally provided on the front end of the bottom wall of the body and being bent upward and rearward, an intermediate part extending rearward from the first bent part, a second bent part being bent downward and forward from the rear end of the intermediate part, and a top end part extending forward from the bottom of the second bent part and keeping itself away from the intermediate part,

a first fitting means for fitting the front end of the top end part of the leaf spring onto the side walls elevated above the bottom wall,

a second fitting means, which allows, when the intermediate part of the leaf spring is displaced downward to contact a contacting part of the top end part of the leaf spring, a supported part ahead of said contacting part of the intermediate part of the leaf spring to be displaced downward by a certain length, and fits the supported part onto the side walls at a bottom dead point of the downward displacement, and

a flexible-piece-receiving hole being opened in the bottom wall ahead of a part at which the second bent part or the rear end of the top end part of the leaf spring being displaced downward contacts the bottom wall.

2. A female terminal as recited in claim 1 wherein

a part of the bottom wall to which the second bent part or the rear end of the top end part of the leaf spring is displaced downward and contacts is formed concavely.

3. A female terminal as recited in claim 1 wherein

the fitting means comprise protrusions protruding in the width direction on both sides of the leaf spring and swelled parts being formed in the side walls to swell outward and in which the protrusions are fitted.

4. A female terminal as recited in claim 3 wherein

a part of the bottom wall to which the second bent part or the rear end of the top end part of the leaf spring is displaced downward and contacts is formed concavely.

5. A female terminal as recited in claim 3 wherein

the swelled parts are shifted in the vertical direction from the center of the height direction.

6. A female terminal as recited in claim 5 wherein

a part of the bottom wall to which the second bent part or the rear end of the top end part of the leaf spring is displaced downward and contacts is formed concavely.

7. A female terminal as recited in claim 1 wherein

the fitting means comprise protrusions protruding in the width direction on both sides of the leaf spring and through holes being formed in side walls and into which the protrusions are fitted.

8. A female terminal as recited in claim 7 wherein

a part of the bottom wall to which the second bent part or the rear end of the top end part of the leaf spring is displaced downward and contacts is formed concavely.

9. A female terminal as recited in claim 7 wherein

the fitting means comprise protrusions protruding in the width direction on both sides of the leaf spring and swelled parts being formed in the side walls to swell outward and in which the protrusions are fitted.

10. A female terminal as recited in claim 9 wherein

a part of the bottom wall to which the second bent part or the rear end of the top end part of the leaf spring is displaced downward and contacts is formed concavely.

11. A female terminal as recited in claim 9 wherein

the swelled parts are shifted in the vertical direction from the center of the height direction.

12. A female terminal as recited in claim 11 wherein

a part of the bottom wall to which the second bent part or the rear end of the top end part of the leaf spring is displaced downward and contacts is formed concavely.

13. A female electrical terminal comprising:

an electrically conductive tubular body including a bottom wall, an upper wall spaced above said bottom wall, and two side walls spaced laterally from each other and respectively extending between said bottom wall and said upper wall, wherein a terminal cavity is formed within said tubular body between said bottom wall, said upper wall and said side walls, with an opening into said terminal cavity bounded by respective front ends of said bottom wall, said upper wall, and said two side walls; and

an electrically conductive spring element, which is arranged in said terminal cavity, and which includes a first bent part extending from said front end of said bottom wall and bending in a U-shape into said terminal cavity away from said opening, an intermediate part integrally extending from said first bent part in said cavity away from said opening, a second bent part integrally extending from said intermediate part and bending in a U-shape toward said opening, and an end part that integrally extends from said second bent part toward said opening at a location between said intermediate part and said bottom wall and spaced apart from said intermediate part, and that terminates at a free end located between said intermediate part and said bottom wall and spaced apart from said bottom wall;

wherein;

said side walls include a first support portion and said free end includes a first support portion that cooperate to form a first support arrangement that supports said free end relative to said side walls at a supported height between said intermediate part and said bottom wall and spaced apart from said bottom wall;

said side walls include a second support portion and said intermediate part includes a second support portion that cooperate to form a second support arrangement that supports said intermediate part relative to said side walls with a vertical play range and a supported bottom travel limit; and

said second support arrangement is located closer to said opening than are said first support arrangement and said free end.

14. The female electrical terminal according to claim 13, wherein said supported bottom travel limit of said second support arrangement is elevated higher above said bottom wall than is said supported height of said first support arrangement.

15. The female electrical terminal according to claim 13, wherein said spring element, said first support arrangement and said second support arrangement are configured and arranged so that:

when said spring element is in repose and in a first deflection stage of being deflected toward said bottom wall, said end part and said second bent part are spaced away from said bottom wall, said free end is supported at said supported height by said first support arrangement, said intermediate part is spaced apart from said free end and said end part, and said second support portion of said intermediate part is in said vertical play range of said second support arrangement;

when said spring element is deflected toward said bottom wall to an end of said first deflection stage and into a second deflection stage, at least one of said end part and said second bent part come into contact with said bottom wall, said free end is supported at said supported height by said first support arrangement, said intermediate part is spaced apart from said free end and said end part, and said second support portion of said intermediate part is in said vertical play range of said second support arrangement;

when said spring element is deflected toward said bottom wall to an end of said second deflection stage and into a third deflection stage, said at least one of said end part and said second bent part remain in contact with said bottom wall, said free end is supported at said supported height by said first support arrangement, said intermediate part comes into contact with at least one of said free end and said end part, and said second support portion of said intermediate part is in said vertical play range of said second support arrangement; and

when said spring element is deflected toward said bottom wall to an end of said third deflection stage, said at least one of said end part and said second bent part remain in contact with said bottom wall, said free end is supported at said supported height by said first support arrangement, said intermediate part remains in contact with said at least one of said free end and said end part, and said second support portion of said intermediate portion comes to said supported bottom travel limit of said second support arrangement so as to support said intermediate part at said bottom travel limit.

16. The female electrical terminal according to claim 13, wherein said first support portion of said side walls comprises an opening or recess in at least one of said side walls, and said first support portion of said free end comprises at least one protrusion protruding laterally from said end part into said opening or recess.

17. The female electrical terminal according to claim 13, wherein said second support portion of said side walls comprises an opening or recess in at least one of said side walls, and said second support portion of said intermediate part comprises at least one protrusion protruding laterally from said intermediate part into said opening or recess.

18. The female electrical terminal according to claim 13, wherein said bottom wall has a hole therein adapted to receive a flexible protrusion of an outer insulating housing, said hole is located between said first bent part and said second bent part, and said free end and said first support arrangement are located above said hole and between said hole and said intermediate part.

19. The female electrical terminal according to claim 13, wherein said free end is located closer to said opening of said cavity than is a center of a length of said intermediate part.