JP6301722B2 - Contact connection structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact connection structure that performs electrical connection between a first terminal and a second terminal.

  4 and 5 show a female terminal and a male terminal to which a conventional contact connection structure is applied (see Patent Document 1 as a similar technique). As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the female terminal 51 includes a rectangular box portion 52 and an elastic bending portion 53 that is provided integrally with the box portion 52 and disposed in the box portion 52. Have. The elastic bending portion 53 is provided with an indent portion 54 that protrudes toward the bottom surface side. The indented portion 54 has a substantially spherical outer peripheral surface, and the center vertex is located at the lowest position.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, the male terminal 60 has a flat tab portion 61.

  In the above configuration, when the tab portion 61 of the male terminal 60 is inserted into the box portion 52 of the female terminal 51 in the position of FIG. 5, the elastic bending portion 53 is deformed and the insertion of the tab portion 61 is allowed. In the insertion process of the tab portion 61, the tab portion 61 slides on the indent portion 54 of the elastic bending portion 53, and at the terminal insertion completion position, as shown in FIGS. The surface of the tab part 61 contacts.

  In this conventional example, the indented portion 54 of the female terminal 51 and the contact surface of the tab portion 61 of the male terminal 60 are in electrical contact with each other using the bending return force of the elastic bending portion 53 as a contact load.

JP 2007-280825 A

  However, in the conventional structure, the indent portion 54 of the female terminal 51 has a substantially spherical shape, and contacts the tab portion 61 of the male terminal 60 at the apex portion. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9, since the outer diameter of this single contact surface becomes the apparent contact surface diameter (diameter) D2, the apparent contact surface diameter D2 (hatched for clarity in FIG. 9) Is small.

  The apparent contact surface E2 is not actually in contact with the entire region because the entire region does not actually contact due to the influence of surface roughness or the like, but the surface that actually contacts within the apparent contact surface E2. (True contact surface) is responsible for electrical energization. Here, the current is more likely to flow when the true contact surface is located on the outer peripheral portion of the apparent contact surface diameter D2, but in the conventional example, the true contact surface has no regularity in the apparent contact surface E2 (randomly). )it can. As described above, in the conventional structure, the apparent contact surface diameter D2 is small, and since the true contact surface is not regular (randomly) in the apparent contact surface E2, there is a problem that the contact resistance is large. there were.

  Here, in order to reduce the contact resistance by increasing the apparent contact surface diameter, it is possible to increase the bending return force (contact load) of the elastic bending portion or increase the size of the contact portion (indent portion 54). Though conceivable, the terminals 51 and 60 become larger or complicated.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a contact connection structure capable of reducing contact resistance without increasing the size of a terminal or making it as complex as possible.

The present invention includes a first contact portion provided on a first terminal and having an indented portion projecting therefrom, and a second contact portion provided on a second terminal connected to the first terminal, wherein the terminal is inserted. In the process, the indent portion of the first contact portion slides on the contact surface of the second contact portion, and the contact surface of the indent portion contacts the second contact portion at the terminal insertion completion position. In the contact connection structure, at least three indent portions are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference.

  According to the present invention, since the diameter on the circumference where at least three indent portions are arranged can be regarded as the apparent contact surface diameter, the apparent contact surface diameter is larger than that in the past, and the apparent contact surface A true contact surface is formed at the outer peripheral portion of the surface diameter. Since the current flowing through the contact portion does not flow on the average with respect to the apparent contact surface diameter but easily flows to the outer peripheral portion of the contact surface diameter, the current flows efficiently. As described above, the contact resistance can be reduced without increasing the size of the terminal or making it as complex as possible.

It is sectional drawing of the female terminal and male terminal which show one Embodiment of this invention before a terminal connection. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view of a female terminal and a male terminal in a terminal connection state, (b) is a view of a main part of a bending deformation part as viewed from below, and (c) an indentation and appearance It is a figure which shows the contact surface diameter. It is a figure which shows the modification of one Embodiment of this invention, and shows an indent part and an apparent contact surface diameter. It is a sectional view of a female terminal and a male terminal before showing a conventional example and connecting a terminal. It is a sectional view of a female terminal and a male terminal in a terminal connected state, showing a conventional example. A prior art example is shown, (a) is a principal part side view of the indent part of a female terminal, (b) is A arrow directional view of (a). A prior art example is shown, (a) is a principal part side view of the contact part of a male terminal, (b) is a principal part bottom view of the contact part of a male terminal. It is a principal part side view of a contact connection part which shows a prior art example. It is a figure which shows the apparent contact surface diameter of a prior art example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. The contact connection structure according to the present invention is applied between the female terminal as the first terminal and the male terminal as the second terminal. This will be described below.

  The female terminal 1 is disposed in a terminal accommodating chamber in a female connector housing (not shown). The female terminal 1 is formed by bending a conductive metal (for example, copper alloy) punched into a predetermined shape. A tin-plated layer (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the female terminal 1 from the viewpoint of improving connection reliability in a high-temperature environment and improving corrosion resistance in a corrosive environment. The female terminal 1 includes a rectangular box part 2 having an opening in the front where the male terminal 10 is inserted, and an elastic bending part 3 that extends from the upper surface part of the box part 2 and is disposed in the box part 2. Have. The elastic bending portion 3 is provided with three indent portions 4 that protrude toward the bottom surface side. The three indent portions 4 are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference (see FIGS. 2B and 2C). Each indent portion 4 has a substantially spherical outer peripheral surface, and the center vertex is located at the lowest position. The indent portion 4 can be shifted upward by the bending deformation of the bending deformation portion 3. In the female terminal 1, the elastic deflection portion 3 and the bottom surface portion 2 a of the box portion 2 form a first contact portion.

  The male terminal 10 is disposed in a terminal accommodating chamber in a male connector housing (not shown). The male terminal 10 is formed by bending a conductive metal (for example, copper alloy) punched into a predetermined shape. A tin-plated layer (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the male terminal 10 from the viewpoint of improving connection reliability in a high temperature environment and improving corrosion resistance in a corrosive environment. The male terminal 10 has a flat tab portion 11. As for the male terminal 10, the tab part 11 forms the 2nd contact part.

  In the above configuration, when the female connector housing (not shown) and the male connector housing (not shown) are mated, the tab portion 11 of the male terminal 10 is connected to the box portion 2 of the female terminal 1 in the mating process. Inserted. Then, first, the tip of the tab portion 11 comes into contact with the elastic bending portion 3, and when the insertion further proceeds from this contact portion, the elastic bending portion 3 is bent and deformed, and insertion of the tab portion 11 is allowed. In the insertion process (terminal insertion process) of the tab part 11, the indent part 4 of the elastic bending part 3 slides on the contact surface of the tab part 11. At the terminal insertion completion position (connector mating completion position), as shown in FIG. 2A, the three indent portions 4 and the tab portion 11 come into contact with each other using the bending return force of the elastic bending portion 3 as a contact load. Specifically, the apex portion of each indent portion 4 is a contact surface 4 a with the tab portion 11. The contact surface 4a is clarified by hatching in FIG.

  In this contact connection structure, three indent portions 4 are arranged on the same circumference. Accordingly, since the diameter on the circumference where the contact surfaces 4a (shown in FIG. 2 (c)) of the three indent portions 4 are arranged can be regarded as the apparent contact surface diameter D1, the apparent contact compared to the conventional case. A true contact surface (in the region of the contact surface 4a) can be formed at the outer peripheral portion of the apparent contact surface diameter D1 having a large surface diameter D1. Since the current flowing through the contact portion does not flow on the average with respect to the apparent contact surface diameter D1, but easily flows to the outer peripheral portion of the contact surface diameter D1, the current flows efficiently. As described above, the contact resistance can be reduced without increasing the size of the female terminal 1 and the male terminal 10 or complicating them as much as possible.

  Next, it will be described that the contact resistance is reduced by Holm's contact theory. According to Holm's theoretical contact formula, contact resistance R is: D: apparent contact surface diameter (diameter), ρ: resistivity of contact material, a: radius of true contact surface (spot), n: true contact surface If it is a number, it is calculated by R = (ρ / D) + (ρ / 2na). In the present invention, since the apparent contact surface diameter D is larger than the conventional one, the contact resistance R is smaller than the above formula.

  What is necessary is just to arrange | position at least 3 indent part 4 in the position on the same periphery. FIG. 3 shows a modification in which five indent portions 4 are arranged at equal intervals. The contact surface 4a is clarified by hatching display.

  Even in this modification, the contact resistance can be reduced without increasing the size of the terminal or making it as complex as possible for the same reason as in the above embodiment.

  In the said embodiment and the said modification, each indent part 4 has the spherical outer peripheral surface, However, The shape of the outer peripheral surface of each indent part 4 is not limited. For example, the apex may be the highest position, and may be a curved surface shape that gradually decreases with a smooth curved surface toward the outer periphery, a conical shape, or a pyramid shape.

1 Female terminal (1st terminal)
2a Bottom part (first contact part)
3 Elastic flexure (first contact)
4 Indented part 4a Contact surface 10 Male terminal (second terminal)
11 Tab part (second contact part)

Claims (1)

A first contact portion provided on the first terminal and having an indented portion protruding therefrom ;
A second contact portion provided on a second terminal connected to the first terminal ,
The pin insertion process, the said indentation of the first contact portion slides the contact surface of the second contact portion, the terminal insertion completion position, the contact surface of the indent portion is in contact with the second contact portion A contact connection structure,
The contact connection structure according to claim 1 , wherein at least three of the indent portions are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference.

Images