Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Limited

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Autonetworks Technologies, Limited

Kanji Horiuchi

Kensaku Takata

Yoshitomo Tsujii

Masafumi Uno

Katsuhiko Aizawa

Kan Murai

Atsushi Okuda

Noriyuki Uematsu

Noriyuki Uematu

A terminal fitting () includes a rectangular tubular body (). A resilient contact piece () is arranged inside the body () and a pressure receiving piece () faces the resilient contact piece () inside the body (). The resilient contact piece () has a base end (Eb) curved inward of the body () from an end of the body (). The pressure receiving piece () has one end including a base end (Eb) curved inwardly of the body () from an end of the body (). An area of a first facing surface (F) of the resilient contact piece () to be contacted by a tab () serves as a first plating area (M) having Ag plating applied thereto. Areas of a second facing surface (F) of the pressure receiving piece () to be contacted by the tab () serves as second plating areas (M) having Ag plating applied thereto.

Terminal fitting

A female terminal fitting () includes a tubular portion () to receive a rod-like mating terminal (). Three contact points are on an inner surface of the tubular portion and achieve point contact with an outer surface of the mating terminal (). One or more resilient contact pieces () resiliently contact the mating terminal (). The contact points () are disposed side by side in an outer circumferential direction of the mating terminal () when viewed along a center axis () of the mating terminal (). The contact point in the middle is shifted along the center axis () with respect to the contact points on both sides in the outer circumferential direction. The resilient contact pieces () resiliently contact the mating terminal () between the contact points on both sides and the contact point in the middle in the direction of the center axis ().

Female terminal fitting

A terminal () includes a body (), a resilient contact piece () displaceable in a direction to separate a first contact point () from a second wall (bottom wall), and three projections (F,R) provided to project toward a first wall (ceiling wall) from the second wall. The front projection (F) disposed in front of the first contact point includes a front contact point (F) provided on a projecting end part thereof and a front bead (F) having a slope approaching the second wall as the slope extends rearward from the front contact point (F). The rear projecting portion (R) disposed behind the first contact point includes a rear contact point (R) on a projecting end part thereof and a rear bead (R) having a slope approaching the second wall as the slope extends forward from the rear contact point (R).

Terminal

A method for manufacturing a female terminal () with a tubular portion () formed by bending a metal plate into a tubular shape and resilient contact pieces () extending from the tubular portion () in an axial direction of the tubular portion (), folded inwardly of the tubular portion () and configured to resiliently contact a mating terminal inside the tubular portion () includes a joining step of joining metal members thinner than the metal plate to the metal plate, and a forming step of bending the metal members joined to the metal plate and forming the metal members as the resilient contact pieces.

Method for manufacturing female terminal and female terminal

A device connector () is mounted into a mounting hole (C) on a case (C) of a device in a vehicle, and includes terminals () connected to wires (W). A synthetic resin housing () includes a wire introducing portion () and a fitting portion (). The wire introducing portion () receives the wires (W) and the terminals () while the fitting portion () fits into the mounting hole (C). A metal shield shell () accommodates the wire introducing portion () and includes a lower shell () for covering the entire outer circumferential surface of the wire introducing portion (). A seal ring () fits on an outer surface of the wire introducing portion () and seals between the lower shell () and the wire introducing portion (). Water drainage holes () vertically penetrate a stepped portion () of the lower shell () above the seal ring ().

Device connector

A female terminal () includes a tubular portion () into which a male terminal () is to be inserted, a plurality of first resilient pieces () projecting inwardly of the tubular portion () from a bottom wall () of the tubular portion () and arranged side by side in a direction intersecting with an inserting direction of the male terminal () into the tubular portion (), and a plurality of contact portions () arranged at positions of the tubular portion () respectively corresponding to the plurality of first resilient pieces () and configured to sandwich the male terminal () between the plurality of resilient pieces () and the contact portions. Since this enables each first resilient piece () to apply a proper contact pressure to the male terminal (), the male terminal () is pressed against the second contact portions () at a proper contact pressure.

Female terminal having opposed first and second pluralities of resilient pieces, with each resilient piece having a free end and a contact portion near the free end

A socket terminal () to be fitted and connected to a mating pin terminal () includes a tubular portion () to be fitted to the pin terminal (). The tubular portion () includes a base portion () provided on a side opposite to a fitting starting end to the pin terminal () and a plurality of terminal pieces () extending in an axial direction of the tubular portion () from the base portion () toward the pin terminal (), spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the tubular portion () and capable of resiliently coming into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pin terminal () fitted in the tubular portion (). The base portion () includes a plurality of terminal pieces () projecting toward the pin terminal () radially of the tubular portion () and configured to hold the outer peripheral surface of the pin terminal ().

Growing community of inventors

Mie, Japan

Kanji Horiuchi