Female terminal and method for fabricating female terminal

• US 9,356,412 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DOWA Metaltech Co., Ltd. (DOWA Holdings Company Limited), Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: DOWA Metaltech Co., Ltd. (DOWA Holdings Company Limited), Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Kubodera, Atsushi, Suda, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAMBERS, TRAVIS SLOAN
• Application Number:
  US13/861,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20130225017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 439/887, 439/884, 439/885, 439851-853
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 9/00 Alloys based on copper
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 9/06 with nickel or cobalt as the next major constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/03 characterised by the material, e.g. plating, or coating materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/11 Resilient sockets carrying separate resilient parts H01R13/15
• 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 female terminal includes a box portion which is formed into a quadrangular prism-like shape so as for a tab of a male terminal to fit therein by bending a copper alloy plate which is obtained by being continuously and repeatedly bent before an age heat treatment is applied thereto, which has a proof stress of 700 MPa or larger and a width of 10 mm or larger and in which no crack is produced therein when bent 180 degrees about a bending axis which is at right angle to a rolling direction of the copper alloy plate. The box portion comprises notches which are formed in inner sides of bent portions produced by bending the copper alloy plate. A depth of the notch is set to be in the range from ¼ to ½ of a thickness of the copper alloy plate.

Claims

1. A female terminal, to be connected with a male terminal with a tab width of not larger than 0.64 mm, comprising:

a box portion which is formed into a quadrangular prism-like shape such that a tab of a male terminal fits therein, by bending a copper alloy plate which is obtained by being continuously and repeatedly bent under tension thereby applying strain to surface layers of the copper alloy plate and obtaining a rate of elongation of 0.1 to 1.5% while applying thereto a tension corresponding to 30 to 70% of a proof stress of a material of the copper alloy plate, before an age heat treatment is applied thereto, the copper alloy plate having a proof stress of 700 MPa or larger and a width of 10 mm or larger and in which no crack is produced therein when bent 180 degrees about a bending axis which is at a right angle to a rolling direction of the copper alloy plate, wherein

the box portion comprises notches which are formed in inner sides of bent portions produced by bending the copper alloy plate, and wherein

a depth of the notch is set to be in the range from ¼

to ½

of a thickness of the copper alloy plate.

2. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the notch has a trapezoidal section, and a width of a short side of the trapezoidal section is set to be in the range from ⅓

to ⅔

of the thickness of the copper alloy plate.

3. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein

the copper alloy plate is made of a Corson series copper alloy having a work hardening exponent ranging from 0.13 or larger to less than 0.6.

4. The female terminal according to claim 3, wherein the notch has a trapezoidal section, and a width of a short side of the trapezoidal section is set to be in the range from ⅓

to ⅔

of the thickness of the copper alloy plate.