JP2014022355A - Female terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to increase the contact pressure of an elastic contact piece against a male terminal while preventing the elastic contact piece from being bent or the like from being damaged or increasing the size of a female terminal.
A female terminal including a terminal main body portion 20 having an elastic contact piece 27 that elastically contacts a tab portion T of a male terminal M, and a cover 40 formed separately from the terminal main body portion 20. 10, the elastic contact piece 27 is formed with an upper contact portion 30 and a lower contact portion 32 that contact the tab portion T, and the cover 40 has an upper contact portion 30 and a lower contact portion 32. The tab portion T is characterized in that an auxiliary elastic piece 46 which is arranged so as to overlap with the upper pressed portion 31 and the lower pressed portion 33 provided on the back side and elastically deforms together with the elastic contact piece 27 is formed. Have.
[Selection] Figure 13

Description

  The present invention relates to a female terminal.

  Conventionally, the thing of patent document 1 is known as a female terminal electrically connected to a male terminal. This female terminal comprises a terminal main body part formed with an elastic contact piece that elastically contacts the male terminal, and a cylindrical cover formed separately from the terminal main body part, A cover is attached to the outside of the terminal main body so as to cover the elastic contact piece of the terminal main body, so that other members are not in contact with the elastic contact. Further, the cover is provided with an auxiliary elastic piece that supports from the outside to the middle position of the elastic contact piece from the base end portion of the elastic contact piece, and the auxiliary elastic piece presses the elastic contact piece from the outside, The contact pressure of the elastic contact piece to the male terminal is increased.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-50376

By the way, when the female terminal as described above is used in a circuit through which a large current flows, the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece to the male terminal is further increased, and the male terminal and the female terminal are electrically connected. Must be ensured.
However, in order to increase the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece, if it is attempted to increase the plate thickness of the elastic contact piece, not only the elastic contact piece but also the plate thickness of the terminal body is increased, and the entire female terminal is enlarged. End up. Also, if the contact pressure is increased by increasing the rigidity of the auxiliary elastic piece, the load near the contact portion of the elastic contact piece that is not supported by the auxiliary elastic piece increases, and the vicinity of the contact portion of the elastic contact piece is bent. There is a risk that.

  The present invention has been completed on the basis of the above circumstances, and the elastic contact piece against the male terminal while preventing the elastic contact piece from being bent or being damaged or enlarging the female terminal. The purpose is to secure the contact pressure of the piece.

As means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the present invention is formed separately from the terminal body part having an elastic contact piece that elastically contacts the male terminal, and to cover the elastic contact piece. A contact portion that contacts the male terminal is formed on the elastic contact piece, and the cover is arranged on the back side of the contact portion. The auxiliary elastic piece that is elastically deformed together with the elastic contact piece is formed.
According to the female terminal having such a configuration, when the elastic contact piece is elastically deformed, the back side of the contact portion is directly pressed by the auxiliary elastic piece so that the contact portion is strongly pressed against the male terminal together with the elastic contact piece. Can do. Thereby, the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece with respect to the male terminal can be ensured while preventing the vicinity of the contact portion of the elastic contact piece from being bent by pressing the portion other than the contact portion of the elastic contact piece. . In addition, since the auxiliary elastic piece is provided on the cover side, only the structure of the terminal main body is extremely complicated compared to the case where both the elastic contact piece and the auxiliary elastic piece are formed on the terminal main body. Can be prevented.

The following configuration is preferable as an embodiment of the present invention.
The cover may be formed of a metal having rigidity higher than that of the terminal main body.
According to such a structure, the plate | board thickness of a cover can be made thinner than the plate | board thickness of a terminal main-body part, ensuring the contact pressure of the contact part with respect to a male terminal. Thereby, a female terminal can be reduced in size compared with the case where a cover and a terminal main-body part are formed with the same metal.

A plurality of the elastic contact pieces may be formed on the terminal main body portion, and a plurality of pressing portions may be formed on the auxiliary elastic piece so as to overlap each elastic contact piece.
According to such a structure, the back side of each contact part can be separately pressed by each auxiliary elastic piece, and the contact pressure with respect to the male terminal in each contact part can be ensured reliably.

The auxiliary elastic piece may be formed with a pressing portion that is arranged on the back side of the contact portion, and the pressing portion may have a rounded shape.
According to such a configuration, since the pressing portion is rounded, when the elastic contact piece is elastically deformed, the auxiliary elastic piece is elastically deformed while the pressing portion smoothly slides with respect to the back side of the contact portion. Become. Therefore, it is possible to suppress damage such as sliding while the back side of the contact portion is scraped by the pressing portion.

The back side of the contact portion is formed in a shape that is recessed against the male terminal side, and the pressing portion is formed to be warped so as to overlap and fit on the back side of the contact portion. Good.
According to such a configuration, the cover is positioned with respect to the terminal main body at the position where the pressing portion is most deeply fitted to the back side of the contact portion, and the cover is held with respect to the terminal main body. That is, the pressing portion can be used as the positioning portion and the holding portion. This simplifies the structure of the female terminal compared to the case where a positioning part for positioning the cover with respect to the terminal main body part or a holding part for holding the cover on the terminal main body part are separately provided on the cover or the terminal main body part. It is possible to prevent the female terminal from becoming large. In addition, since the back side of the contact portion and the pressing portion are both warped, the elastic contact piece and the auxiliary elastic piece are naturally overlapped and positioned when the cover is assembled to the terminal body portion. The workability of assembling the cover to the terminal main body can be improved.

The terminal main body portion is formed with a wire holding portion to which an electric wire is crimped, and the female terminal is accommodated in a synthetic resin housing, and the terminal main body portion includes: It is good also as a structure in which the lance latching | locking part latched with the lance formed in the said housing is formed.
When the cover is provided with a lance locking part that locks with the lance formed on the housing, the cover and the terminal body part are connected so that the cover is not removed from the terminal body part by the wire being pulled strongly. A locking mechanism that firmly locks is required. However, according to the above configuration, since the lance locking portion is formed in the terminal main body portion, it is not necessary to separately form a locking mechanism for firmly locking the cover and the terminal main body portion. Thereby, a female terminal can be reduced in size compared with the case where the latching mechanism which latches a cover and a terminal main-body part mutually strongly is provided separately. Further, it is very effective in a female terminal in which the cover and the terminal main body are not firmly locked.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the contact pressure of the elastic contact piece with respect to a male type terminal can be ensured, preventing an elastic contact piece being bent etc. and damaging or enlarging a female type terminal.

Perspective view of female terminal Front view Plan view Side view AA line sectional view of FIG. BB sectional view of FIG. The perspective view which shows the state before attaching a cover to a terminal main-body part. Plan view FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the cover is attached to the terminal main body, corresponding to FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state just before a cover is mounted | worn to a terminal main-body part. Rear view of cover Front view of terminal body Sectional drawing which shows the state in which the female terminal was accommodated in the housing

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The present embodiment is a female terminal 10 accommodated in a synthetic resin housing 50 from behind, and has a plurality of elastic contacts that elastically contact the male terminal M as shown in FIGS. The terminal main body 20 having the piece 27 and the cover 40 covering the elastic contact piece 27 of the terminal main body 20 are provided. In the following description, the vertical direction is based on the vertical direction in FIG. 2, the horizontal direction is based on the horizontal direction in FIG. 2, and the front-back direction is based on the horizontal direction in FIG. The left side will be described as the front side.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the male terminal M is formed by pressing a metal plate material having excellent conductivity, and a flat tab portion T is formed at the tip.

  The terminal body portion 20 is formed by pressing a metal plate material (for example, a copper or copper alloy plate material) excellent in electrical conductivity. As shown in FIGS. Are connected to each other, and an electric wire holding part 23 formed behind the connecting part 21 via a connecting part 22.

  The electric wire holding part 23 has a pair of caulking pieces 25 rising upward from the bottom plate 24, and the caulking pieces 25 are caulked and crimped to the core wire W <b> 1 exposed at the end of the electric wire W, whereby the end of the electric wire W is obtained. The terminal body 20 is electrically connected to the terminal.

  The connecting portion 21 has a cylindrical portion 26 formed in a rectangular tube shape, and cantilevered forward from the front end edge of the cylindrical portion 26, and is connected to the tab portion T of the male terminal M up and down. A plurality of elastic contact pieces 27 elastically contacting from both sides in the direction and a pair of left and right extending pieces 28 extending forward from the left and right side walls of the cylindrical portion 26 are configured.

  The cylindrical portion 26 is formed to open in the front-rear direction, and a lance locking portion 29 that is bent and extended upward is formed on the upper rear end edge 26 </ b> A of the cylindrical portion 26. When the female terminal 10 is accommodated in the housing 50 from the rear, the lance locking portion 29 is locked with the lance 51 formed in the housing 50 so that the female terminal 10 is prevented from being pulled into the housing 50. It has become.

  Three elastic contact pieces 27 are formed on each of the upper front edge 26B and the lower front edge 26C of the cylindrical portion 26, and can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction. The upper elastic contact piece 27U provided on the upper side and the lower elastic contact piece 27D provided on the lower side are arranged at equal intervals in the left-right direction so as to face each other in the vertical direction, and the upper elastic contact piece 27U The tab portion T of the male terminal M can be inserted from the front between the elastic contact piece 27D and the lower elastic contact piece 27D. Then, when the tab portion T is disposed between the upper elastic contact piece 27U and the lower elastic contact piece 27D, as shown in FIG. 13, the upper elastic contact piece 27U and the lower elastic contact piece 27D from both sides in the vertical direction. Thus, the tab portion T is elastically sandwiched.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the upper elastic contact piece 27 </ b> U extends obliquely downward and forward from the upper front edge 26 </ b> B of the cylindrical portion 26, and the front end portion is bent obliquely upward. . That is, the front end portion of the upper elastic contact piece 27U is warped so as to protrude downward. The lower surface of the warped and rounded lower side is the upper contact portion 30 that is in contact with and electrically connected to the tab portion T of the male terminal M, and the upper surface that is the back side of the upper contact portion 30. The upper pressed portion 31 is rounded and recessed downward. That is, the upper pressed portion 31 is formed directly above the upper contact portion 30.
The lower elastic contact piece 27D extends obliquely upward and forward from the lower front end edge 26C of the cylindrical portion 26, and the front end portion thereof is bent obliquely downward. That is, the front end portion of the lower elastic contact piece 27D is warped so as to protrude upward. Then, the upper surface of the warped portion that is rounded to the upper side is the lower contact portion 32 that is in contact with and electrically connected to the tab portion T of the male terminal M, and the back side of the lower contact portion 32. The lower surface is a lower pressed portion 33 that is rounded and recessed upward. That is, the lower pressed portion 33 is formed directly below the lower contact portion 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the pair of left and right extending pieces 28 are formed slightly longer in the front-rear direction than the elastic contact pieces 27. A substantially rectangular locking hole 34 penetrating in the direction (plate thickness direction) is formed. Further, a positioning projection 35 is formed at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction at the front end edge of each extending piece 28. The positioning protrusion 35 has a shape protruding forward from the front end edge of the extending piece 28, and the vertical central portion at the front end of the positioning protrusion 35 is formed to be tapered forward.

  The cover 40 is formed by pressing a stainless steel plate that is higher in rigidity than the metal plate material forming the terminal body 20. The cover 40 is formed separately from the terminal body 20 and has a rectangular tube-shaped cover 41 that is horizontally long in the left-right direction, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 11. The cover part 41 is opened in the front-rear direction, and the tab part T of the male terminal M can be inserted from the front end opening of the cover part 41. The terminal main body 20 can be inserted from the rear end opening of the cover 41, and when the terminal main body 20 is inserted into the cover 41 from the rear as shown in FIGS. The connection part 21 and the cylindrical part 26 of the terminal body part 20 are covered by the part 41 over the entire circumference.

  A pair of upper and lower positioning pieces 42 are respectively formed on the left front end edge and the right front end edge of the front end opening edge of the cover portion 41. The pair of upper and lower positioning pieces 42 arranged on the left side are bent and extended rightward from the left front end edge of the cover part 41, and the pair of upper and lower positioning pieces 42 arranged on the right side are arranged on the right side of the cover part 41. It bends and extends to the left from the front edge. Between the pair of upper and lower positioning pieces 42, the positioning protrusion 35 on the extending piece 28 of the connecting portion 21 is guided, and the connecting portion 21 of the terminal main body portion 20 is inserted into the cover portion 41 from the rear. When inserted, the positioning protrusion 35 of the extending piece 28 is guided between the pair of upper and lower positioning pieces 42 so that the connecting portion 21 of the cover 40 and the terminal main body 20 is positioned in the vertical direction. .

  At the upper front edge and the lower front edge of the front end opening edge of the cover portion 41, an abutting prevention wall 43 extending so as to face each other is formed. The abutting prevention wall 43 extends to a position covering the front end edge of the elastic contact piece 27 accommodated in the cover portion 41, and the tab portion T of the male terminal M is inserted from the front end opening of the cover portion 41. In this case, the tab portion T is protected from abutting against the front end edge of the elastic contact piece 27.

  A pair of locking pieces 44 that extend obliquely forward toward the inside of the cover portion 41 are formed on both side walls in the left-right direction of the cover portion 41. The pair of locking pieces 44 are formed so as to fit into the locking holes 34 formed in the extending pieces 28 of the connecting portion 21 from the outside in the left-right direction. The cover 40 is prevented from being detached from the terminal body 20 by contacting the front side of the peripheral wall.

Now, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, a pair of upper and lower auxiliary elastic pieces 45 folded toward the inside of the cover portion 41 are formed on the upper rear end edge 41 </ b> U and the lower rear end edge 41 </ b> D of the cover portion 41. Is formed.
The upper auxiliary elastic piece 45 is elastically deformable in the vertical direction together with the upper elastic contact piece 27U. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper auxiliary elastic piece 45 extends from the position of the upper rear end edge 41U of the cover portion 41 to the inside of the cover portion 41. 5 and FIG. 9, once extended toward the ceiling wall 41 </ b> A of the cover part 41, then bent obliquely forward and downward and straightened to the vicinity of the front end opening of the cover part 41. I am doing. Further, the front portion of the upper auxiliary elastic piece 45 from the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction is branched into three upper overlapping pieces 46U. The upper overlapping pieces 46U are formed on the upper surface of the upper elastic contact piece 27U. Each is arranged.

  An upper pressing portion 47 is formed on the front side portion of the upper overlapping piece 46U, and the upper side pressing portion 47 is rounded to the lower side when the front side portion warps upward, and the connection portion 21 is inserted into the cover portion 41. Then, the upper overlapping piece 46U is arranged on the upper surface of the upper elastic contact piece 27U, so that the upper pressing portion 47 overlaps and fits on the upper pressed portion 31. Further, the upper pressing portion 47 has a form that is more acutely curved than the upper pressed portion 31, and only the upper pressing portion 47 is in contact with the upper surface of the upper elastic contact piece 27U in the upper overlapping piece 46U. Yes. In other words, the upper pressed portion 31 is more gently warped than the upper pressed portion 47, and the upper pressed portion 47 can easily slide on the upper surface of the upper elastic contact piece 27U including the upper pressed portion 31. It has become.

  The lower auxiliary elastic piece 45 can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction together with the lower elastic contact piece 27D, and as shown in FIG. 4, the cover 41 from the position of the lower rear edge 41D of the cover 41 is covered. 5 and 9, once extended toward the bottom wall 41 </ b> B of the cover portion 41, it is bent diagonally forward and straight and straight up to the vicinity of the front end opening of the cover portion 41. It has an extended form. Further, the front portion of the lower auxiliary elastic piece 45 from the substantially central portion in the front-rear direction is branched into three lower overlapping pieces 46D, and the lower overlapping pieces 46D are formed as the lower elastic contact pieces 27D. It is arranged on the lower surface of each.

  A lower pressing portion 48 is formed on the front side portion of the lower overlapping piece 46D, and the lower side pressing portion 48 is rounded upward as the front side portion warps downward, and the connecting portion 21 is inserted into the cover portion 41. Then, the lower overlapping piece 46D is arranged on the lower surface of the lower elastic contact piece 27D, so that the lower pressing portion 48 overlaps with the lower pressed portion 33 and is fitted therein. Similarly to the upper pressing portion 47, the lower pressing portion 48 has a shape that is bent at an acute angle with respect to the lower pressed portion 33, and only the lower pressing portion 48 on the lower overlapping piece 46D is on the lower side. It is in the state which contacted the lower surface of elastic contact piece 27D. In other words, the lower pressed portion 33 is configured to be more gently warped than the lower pressed portion 48, and the lower pressing portion 48 includes the lower surface of the lower elastic contact piece 27 </ b> D including the lower pressed portion 33. Is easy to slide.

Then, when the tab portion T of the male terminal M is disposed between the upper elastic contact piece 27U and the lower elastic contact piece 27D of the connection portion 21, as shown in FIG. The portion 47 presses the upper pressed portion 31 of the upper elastic contact piece 27U from the upper side so that the upper contact portion 30 is pressed against the tab portion T, and the lower pressing portion 48 of the lower overlapping piece 46D is the lower elastic contact piece 27D. The lower contacted portion 33 is pressed from below and the lower contact portion 32 is pressed against the tab portion T. Thereby, the contact pressure of the upper contact part 30 and the lower contact part 32 with respect to the tab part T which is insufficient only with the elastic force of the elastic contact piece 27 can be ensured reliably. In addition, the auxiliary elastic piece 45 is provided with an upper pressing portion 47 and a lower pressing portion 48 that press the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32 against the tab portion T, respectively. Therefore, the contact pressure of the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32 with respect to the tab portion T can be reliably ensured.
By the way, in order to secure the contact pressure of the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion with respect to the tab portion, it is possible to increase the plate thickness of the elastic contact piece or to increase the width dimension of the elastic contact piece in the left-right direction. However, in such a configuration, the terminal main body becomes large. However, according to the present embodiment, since the auxiliary elastic piece 45 is provided on the cover 40, the contact pressure of the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32 against the tab portion T 1 without increasing the size of the terminal body portion 20. Can be surely secured.

  The female terminal 10 of the present embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation and effect will be described next. In the following description, when the upper pressed portion 31 and the lower pressed portion 33 are described together, the pressed portions 31 and 33 are used, and the upper pressed portion 47 and the lower pressed portion 48 are combined. Will be described using the pressing portions 47 and 48.

First, the operation and effect when the cover 40 is attached to the terminal body 20 will be described.
In order to attach the cover 40 to the terminal main body portion 20, first, the terminal main body portion 20 is disposed behind the cover 40, and the connection portion 21 and the cylindrical portion of the terminal main body portion 20 are opened from the rear opening of the cover portion 41 of the cover 40. 26 is inserted into the cover 41. When the cylindrical portion 26 is inserted into the cover portion 41 by about half, as shown in FIG. 10, the front end portion of the upper elastic contact piece 27U is placed on the upper pressing portion 47 of the upper overlapping piece 46U of the upper auxiliary elastic piece 45. The upper elastic contact piece 27 </ b> U and the upper auxiliary elastic piece 45 are elastically deformed in directions opposite to each other. Further, the front end portion of the lower elastic contact piece 27D comes into contact with the lower pressing portion 48 of the lower overlapping piece 46D of the lower auxiliary elastic piece 45, and the lower elastic contact piece 27D and the lower auxiliary elastic piece 45 are brought into contact with each other. Elastically deform in directions opposite to each other.

  When the cylindrical portion 26 is further inserted into the cover portion 41 from this state, the front end portion of the upper elastic contact piece 27U gets over the upper pressing portion 47 of the upper overlapping piece 46U, and the upper elastic contact piece 27U and the upper auxiliary portion The elastic pieces 45 and the elastic pieces 45 elastically return to each other, so that the upper pressing portion 47 slides so as to slide on the upper surface of the upper elastic contact piece 27U and naturally moves to the upper side of the upper pressed portion 31 (the position where it is most deeply fitted). (See FIG. 5). Further, the front end portion of the lower elastic contact piece 27D gets over the lower pressing portion 48 of the lower overlapping piece 46D, and the lower elastic contact piece 27D and the lower auxiliary elastic piece 45 are elastically restored to each other. The lower pressing portion 48 slides so as to slide on the lower surface of the lower elastic contact piece 27D and is fitted so as to naturally overlap with the lower side of the lower pressed portion 33 (the position where it is most deeply fitted) (see FIG. 5). That is, when the cover 40 is attached to the terminal body 20, the upper pressing portion 47 is disposed on the back side of each upper contact portion 30, and the lower pressing portion 48 is disposed on the back side of each lower contact portion 32. Thus, the cover 40 is held in a state of being positioned in the front-rear direction with respect to the terminal main body portion 20.

That is, by using the pressed parts 31, 33 and the pressing parts 47, 48 as a positioning part and a holding part, a positioning part for positioning the cover on the terminal body part and a holding part for holding the cover on the terminal body part are provided. The structure of the female terminal 10 can be simplified as compared with the case where it is separately provided on the cover or the terminal main body. Thereby, it can prevent that the female terminal 10 enlarges.
Further, when the cover 40 is assembled to the terminal body 20, the pressing portions 47 and 48 slide on the surface of the elastic contact piece 27 and are positioned so as to naturally overlap the pressed portions 31 and 33. The workability of the assembly work of the cover 40 to the main body 20 can be improved.

Further, at the same time that the cover 40 is positioned in the front-rear direction with respect to the terminal body 20, the positioning protrusion 35 formed at the front end of the extension piece 28 has a pair of upper and lower as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It fits between the positioning pieces 42 and the cover 40 is also positioned in the vertical direction with respect to the terminal body 20.
Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the locking piece 44 of the cover portion 41 is fitted into the locking hole 34 of the extension piece 28 from both sides in the left-right direction, whereby the cover 40 is prevented from being pulled out by the terminal main body portion 20.

Next, the operation and effect when the female terminal 10 configured by the above procedure is accommodated in the housing 50 and the male terminal M is connected to the female terminal 10 accommodated in the housing 50 will be described. .
When the tab portion T of the male terminal M is inserted from the front end opening in the cover portion 41 of the cover 40, the tab portion T is connected to the upper elastic contact piece 27U and the lower elastic contact piece 27D in the connection portion 21 of the terminal body portion 20. Enter between. Then, the upper elastic contact piece 27U is elastically deformed upward by being pressed by the tab portion T, and the upper auxiliary elastic piece 45 disposed above the upper elastic contact piece 27U is elastically deformed upward. Similarly, the lower elastic contact piece 27D is elastically deformed downward, and the lower auxiliary elastic piece 45 disposed below the lower elastic contact piece 27D is also elastically deformed downward.

  At this time, since the upper pressing portion 47 is arranged so as to overlap the upper pressed portion 31 of the upper elastic contact piece 27U, when the upper elastic contact piece 27U is elastically deformed, the upper pressing portion is pressed against the upper pressed portion 31. The upper auxiliary elastic piece 45 is elastically deformed upward while 47 is sliding. Similarly, on the lower side, the lower auxiliary elastic piece 45 is elastically deformed downward while the lower pressing portion 48 slides on the lower pressed portion 33. However, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, since the upper and lower pressing portions 47 and 48 are rounded, the pressing portions 47 and 48 are against the pressed portions 31 and 33. Will slide smoothly. Accordingly, for example, the pressed parts 31 and 33 are prevented from being scraped by the pressing parts 47 and 48 and the elastic contact piece 27 is damaged as compared with the case where the edge of the auxiliary elastic piece remains in the pressing part. Can be prevented.

When the tab portion T is further inserted into the connection portion 21 from this state, the tab portion T is connected to the upper contact portion 30 of the upper elastic contact piece 27U and the lower elastic contact piece as shown in FIG. The male terminal M and the female terminal 10 are electrically connected by being elastically sandwiched from above and below by the lower contact portion 32 of 27D. At this time, the upper contact portion 30 is pressed against the tab portion T by the upper pressed portion 31 formed directly behind the upper contact portion 30 being pressed from above by the upper pressing portion 47 of the upper auxiliary elastic piece 45. Pressed down. Similarly, the lower contact portion 32 is tabbed when the lower pressed portion 33 formed directly behind the lower contact portion 32 is pressed from below by the lower pressing portion 48 of the lower auxiliary elastic piece 45. Pressed against the part T. Thereby, the contact pressure of the upper contact part 30 and the lower contact part 32 with respect to the tab part T is securable.
Also, if it is attempted to secure the contact pressure of the upper contact portion and the lower contact portion with respect to the tab portion without providing the auxiliary elastic piece on the cover, the plate thickness of the elastic contact piece is increased or the elastic contact piece is moved in the left-right direction. As a result, the terminal body will be enlarged. However, according to the present embodiment, since the auxiliary elastic piece 45 is provided on the cover 40, the contact pressure of the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32 against the tab portion T 1 without increasing the size of the terminal body portion 20. Can be surely secured.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the material of the cover 40 is made of a metal having higher rigidity than the material forming the terminal main body 20, the cover is formed of the same material as the terminal main body. As compared with this, the plate thickness of the cover 40 can be made thinner than the plate thickness of the terminal body 20. Thereby, the female terminal 10 can be reduced in size while ensuring the contact pressure with respect to the tab part T of the upper side contact part 30 and the lower side contact part 32. FIG.

  By the way, when the rigidity of the auxiliary elastic piece 45 is higher than that of the elastic contact piece 27 as in the above configuration, the position of the base end portion side of the elastic contact piece is pressed by the pressing portion rather than the back side of the contact portion. If set, the load concentrates on the position of the base end portion side of the elastic contact piece from the back side of the contact portion, and the elastic contact piece may be bent. However, according to the present embodiment, the upper pressing portion 47 and the lower pressing portion 48 press against the pressed portions 31 and 33 formed on the back side of the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32, and thereby against the tab portion T. Since the contact pressure between the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32 is ensured, the elastic contact piece 27 can be prevented from being bent and damaged.

In addition, in the female terminal to which the cover is attached, when the lance locking portion for locking with the lance formed in the housing is provided on the cover side, the terminal main body when the electric wire W is pulled strongly A locking mechanism that firmly locks the cover and the terminal main body portion so that the cover does not come off from the portion is required.
However, in the present embodiment, the lance locking portion 29 is formed on the terminal main body portion 20 side, and the pressed portions 31 and 33 and the pressing portions 47 and 48 are fitted to each other so that the cover 40 is attached to the terminal main body portion 20. Therefore, there is no need to separately form a locking mechanism that firmly locks the cover 40 and the terminal body 20, and a locking mechanism that firmly locks the cover and the terminal body 20 is separately provided. Compared with the case where it provides, the female terminal 10 can be reduced in size.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the upper elastic contact piece 27U and the lower elastic contact piece 27D are elastically deformed, the pressed portion 31 provided on the back side of the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32. , 33 can be pressed by the pressing portions 47, 48, so that the contact force of the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32 against the tab portion T can be reduced while preventing the elastic contact piece 27 from being bent or the like. Can be secured.

  Further, since the cover 40 on which the auxiliary elastic piece 45 is formed is formed of a metal having rigidity higher than that of the terminal main body portion 20, the contact pressure of the upper contact portion 30 and the lower contact portion 32 with respect to the tab portion T is secured. The female terminal 10 can be reduced in size. Further, since the auxiliary elastic piece 45 is provided on the cover 40 side, only the structure of the terminal main body portion 20 is extremely complicated as compared with the case where both the elastic contact piece and the auxiliary elastic piece are formed on the terminal main body portion. Can be prevented.

  Further, by attaching the cover 40 to the terminal main body 20, the pressed parts 31 and 33 and the pressing parts 47 and 48 overlap naturally, and the cover 40 is positioned and held in the front and rear direction by the terminal main body 20. Therefore, the workability of assembling the cover 40 to the terminal main body 20 can be improved.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the upper pressing portion 47 and the lower pressing portion 48 are configured by warping the front end portions of the upper overlapping piece 46U and the lower overlapping piece 46D, but the present invention is limited to such an aspect. For example, the overlapping piece may be bent inward so that the tip of the overlapping piece is brought into contact with the pressed portion.
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the elastic contact piece 27 and the overlapping piece 46 are formed three each in the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. The overlapping pieces may be formed one by one or four on the top and bottom.

(3) In the above embodiment, only the caulking piece 25 to be crimped to the core wire W1 of the electric wire W is configured in the electric wire holding portion 23, but the present invention is not limited to such an aspect. You may form both the crimping piece crimped | bonded to a core wire and the crimping piece crimped | bonded to the coating | cover of an electric wire in a barrel part.
(4) In the above embodiment, the cover 40 is made of a material having rigidity higher than that of the terminal main body 20. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode. For example, an elastic contact piece for the tab portion is used. If the contact pressure can be ensured, the cover may be formed of a material that is less rigid than the terminal main body, such as a synthetic resin or a copper alloy.

10: Female terminal 20: Terminal body part 23: Electric wire holding part 27: Elastic contact piece 29: Lance locking part 30: Upper contact part (contact part)
32: Lower contact part (contact part)
40: cover 46: auxiliary elastic piece 47: upper pressing part (pressing part)
48: Lower pressing part (pressing part)
50: Housing 51: Lance M: Male terminal

Claims (6)

A female terminal comprising a terminal main body portion having an elastic contact piece that elastically contacts a male terminal, and a cover formed separately from the terminal main body portion so as to cover the elastic contact piece,
The elastic contact piece is formed with a contact portion that contacts the male terminal,
A female terminal, wherein the cover is formed with an auxiliary elastic piece that is arranged on the back side of the contact portion and elastically deforms together with the elastic contact piece.   The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the cover is made of a metal having rigidity higher than that of the terminal main body. A plurality of the elastic contact pieces are formed on the terminal main body,
3. The female terminal according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary elastic piece is formed with a plurality of pressing portions arranged to overlap each elastic contact piece. The auxiliary elastic piece is formed with a pressing portion arranged on the back side of the contact portion,
The female terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pressing portion is rounded. The back side of the contact portion has a shape that is recessed against the male terminal side,
The female terminal according to claim 4, wherein the pressing portion is formed so as to be bent so as to be overlapped with the back side of the contact portion. The terminal main body is formed with an electric wire holding portion to which an electric wire is crimped,
The female terminal is adapted to be accommodated in a synthetic resin housing,
The female terminal according to claim 5, wherein a lance locking portion that locks with a lance formed in the housing is formed in the terminal main body portion.

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