Female crimp terminal

• US 6,524,143 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• 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): Paumen, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harvey, James R.
• Application Number:
  US10/022,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 439/839, 439/841, 439/851, 439/852
• 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 crimp terminal includes a tubular body, a leaf spring contact inside the body and integrally extending from the front part of the body, a neck having a U shape when seen in the longitudinal direction and integrally extending from the lower parts of both side walls and the bottom wall at the rear end of the body, and a barrel having a U shape when seen in the longitudinal direction, integrally extending from the neck and having retainers extending upward high above the neck. A notch is made in a rear edge of each side wall from the rear end of the body so as to divide the side wall into an upper part and a lower part. This isolates crimping forces of the barrel from the tubular body which houses the leaf spring contact.

Claims

1. A crimpable 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, wherein said tubular body extends in a longitudinal direction from a front end of said tubular body defined by front edges of said side walls, said bottom wall and said upper wall to a rear end of said tubular body defined by rear edges of said side walls and said upper wall, wherein said tubular body has rigidity from said front end to said rear end, wherein a respective notch is provided in each one of said rear edges of said side walls such that each said notch extends from a respective one of said rear edges in said longitudinal direction toward said front end so as to divide a respective rear portion of each respective one of said side walls into an upper side wall portion between said notch and said upper wall and a lower side wall portion between said notch and said bottom wall;

an electrically conductive spring contact element integrally extending from said front end of said tubular body into said terminal cavity in said longitudinal direction toward said rear end of said tubular body;

an electrically conductive neck including a bottom neck wall integrally extending in said longitudinal direction from said bottom wall at said rear end of said tubular body, and two side neck walls integrally extending in said longitudinal direction from said lower side wall portions at said rear end of said tubular body, wherein said side neck walls and said bottom neck wall together form a U-shape on a section plane perpendicular to said longitudinal direction; and

an electrically conductive crimpable connection barrel including a bottom barrel wall integrally extending from said bottom neck wall in said longitudinal direction away from said tubular body, and crimpable retainers respectively integrally extending from said side neck walls in said longitudinal direction away from said tubular body, wherein said bottom barrel wall and said crimpable retainers together form a U-shape on a section plane perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, and wherein said crimpable retainers extend farther away from said bottom barrel wall to respective upper retainer edges of said crimpable retainers than said side neck walls extend away from said bottom neck wall to respective upper neck edges of said side neck walls.

2. The crimpable female electrical terminal according to claim 1, wherein said spring contact element includes a front element part integrally joined with said front end of said tubular body, a rear element part in said terminal cavity proximate to said rear end of said tubular body, and an intermediate element part integrally extending between said front element part and said rear element part, and wherein said notches have a notch depth extending in said longitudinal direction from said rear edges of said side walls, said notch depth being sufficient to reach a longitudinal position of said rear element part of said spring contact element.

3. The crimpable female electrical terminal according to claim 1, wherein said notches respectively have lower notch edges along said lower side wall portions, and wherein said lower notch edges are continuous with and on a same level as said upper neck edges of said side neck walls.

4. The crimpable female electrical terminal according to claim 3, wherein said lower notch edges and said upper neck edges all lie on a common plane that extends parallel to said bottom wall of said tubular body.

5. The crimpable female electrical terminal according to claim 1, wherein said bottom wall of said tubular body, said bottom neck wall, and at least a portion of said bottom barrel wall all lie on a common plane.

6. A crimpable 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, wherein said tubular body extends in a longitudinal direction from a front end of said tubular body defined by front edges of said side walls, said bottom wall and said upper wall to a rear end of said tubular body defined by rear edges of said side walls and said upper wall, wherein a respective notch is provided in each one of said rear edges of said side walls such that each said notch extends from a respective one of said rear edges in said longitudinal direction toward said front end so as to divide a respective rear portion of each respective one of said side walls into an upper side wall portion between said notch and said upper wall and a lower side wall portion between said notch and said bottom wall;

an electrically conductive spring contact element integrally extending from said front end of said tubular body into said terminal cavity in said longitudinal direction toward said rear end of said tubular body;

an electrically conductive neck including a bottom neck wall integrally extending in said longitudinal direction from said bottom wall at said rear end of said tubular body, and two side neck walls integrally extending in said longitudinal direction from said lower side wall portions at said rear end of said tubular body, wherein said side neck walls and said bottom neck wall together form a U-shape on a section plane perpendicular to said longitudinal direction; and

an electrically conductive crimpable connection barrel including a bottom barrel wall integrally extending from said bottom neck wall in said longitudinal direction away from said tubular body, and crimpable retainers respectively integrally extending from said side neck walls in said longitudinal direction away from said tubular body, wherein said bottom barrel wall and said crimpable retainers together form a U-shape on a section plane perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, and wherein said crimpable retainers extend farther away from said bottom barrel wall to respective upper retainer edges of said crimpable retainers than said side neck walls extend away from said bottom neck wall to respective upper neck edges of said side neck walls; and

wherein said spring contact element includes a front element part integrally joined with said front end of said tubular body, a rear element part in said terminal cavity proximate to said rear end of said tubular body, and an intermediate element part integrally extending between said front element part and said rear element part, and wherein said notches have a notch depth extending in said longitudinal direction from said rear edges of said side walls, said notch depth being sufficient to reach a longitudinal position of said rear element part of said spring contact element.

7. The crimpable female electrical terminal according to claim 6, wherein said notches respectively have lower notch edges along said lower side wall portions, and wherein said lower notch edges are continuous with and on a same level as said upper neck edges of said side neck walls.

8. The crimpable female electrical terminal according to claim 7, wherein said lower notch edges and said upper neck edges all lie on a common plane that extends parallel to said bottom wall of said tubular body.

9. The crimpable female electrical terminal according to claim 6, wherein said bottom wall of said tubular body, said bottom neck wall, and at least a portion of said bottom barrel wall all lie on a common plane.