JP2015210941A - Contact connection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact connection structure capable of reducing contact resistance without upsizing a terminal and complexing the terminal as much as possible.SOLUTION: A contact connection structure includes an elastic deflection part 3 in which a first indent part 4 whose outer peripheral surface is an arc-like curved surface is installed in a protruding manner, and a tab part 11. The first indent part 4 of the elastic deflection part 3 slides on the tab part 11. In a terminal insertion completion position, the first indent part 4 comes into contact with the tab part 11. A second indent part 12 which comes into contact with the first indent part 4 in the terminal insertion completion position and whose outer peripheral surface is an arc-like curved surface is installed in the tab part 11 in a protruding manner.

Description

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

  5 and 6 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. 5, 6, and 7, 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. A tin-plated layer (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the female terminal 51 from the viewpoint of improving connection reliability in a high temperature environment and improving corrosion resistance in a corrosive environment. 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. 5, 6, and 8, the male terminal 60 has a flat tab portion 61. A tin-plated layer (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the male terminal 60 from the viewpoint of improving connection reliability in a high temperature environment and improving corrosion resistance in a corrosive environment.

  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 indent portion 54 of the elastic bending portion 53 slides on the contact surface of the tab portion 61, and at the terminal insertion completion position, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the indentation of the elastic bending portion 53 is performed. The contact surface of the part 54 and 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. A current flows through the contact surface to energize the female terminal 51 and the male terminal 60.

JP 2007-280825 A

  By the way, the contact surface between the contacts can be considered as an apparent contact surface because the entire region does not carry electrical conduction. Of the apparent contact surfaces, the actual contact surface (the true contact surface) is responsible for electrical conduction. The true contact surface is formed at a point (ohmic point) at which the oxide film formed on the surface of the tin plating layer is destroyed and tin contacts each other.

  In the conventional contact connection structure, since the spherical indent portion 54 contacts the flat tab portion 61, the apparent contact area is large and the contact pressure is small. Therefore, the oxide film is not sufficiently broken and the contact resistance is high.

  Here, in order to increase the contact pressure of the contact portion and reduce the contact resistance, the bending return force (contact load) of the elastic bending portion 53 is increased, or the contact portion (indent portion 54) is enlarged. However, the terminals 51 and 60 are enlarged 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 in which a plating layer 3a is formed on the outer surface and a first indent portion whose outer peripheral surface is an arcuate curved surface is projected, and a second contact portion in which a plating layer is formed on the outer surface. The first indent portion of the first contact portion slides on the second contact portion, and the contact surface of the first indent portion contacts the second contact portion at the terminal insertion completion position. In the contact connection structure, the second contact portion is provided with a second indent portion whose outer peripheral surface is an arcuate curved surface at a position corresponding to the first indent portion at the terminal insertion completion position. The contact connection structure characterized by the above.

  The second indent portion includes one whose outer peripheral surface is an arc surface having a width in a direction orthogonal to the terminal insertion direction.

  According to the present invention, since the first indent portion and the second indent portion are in contact with each other between the arcuate curved surfaces and the apparent contact area is small, the contact is made with a large contact pressure, and the oxide film is reliably destroyed, and the plating layer The contact points between each other increase. Therefore, 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 cross-sectional view of a main part of a contact connection location. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a bottom view of a principal part of a bending deformation portion of a female terminal, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of (a). (A) is a principal part perspective view of the tab part of the male terminal which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a principal part perspective view of the tab part of a 1st modification, (c) is a tab of a 2nd modification. It is a principal part perspective view of a part. 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 bending deformation part of a female terminal, (b) is C arrow directional view of (a). A prior art example is shown, the principal part side view of the tab part of a male terminal, (b) is a principal part top view of the tab 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 a prior art example and shows an apparent contact surface diameter.

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

  1 to 4 (a) 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. 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 a first indent portion 4 that protrudes toward the bottom surface side. The first indent portion 4 is a curved surface (specifically, a spherical shape or an ellipsoidal shape) on the outer peripheral surface, and the center vertex is located at the lowest position. The first indent portion 4 can be shifted upward by the bending deformation of the bending deformation portion 3.

  The female terminal 1 is tin-plated from the viewpoints of improving connection reliability in a high temperature environment and improving corrosion resistance in a corrosive environment. Therefore, as shown in detail in FIG. 2B and FIG. 3B, a tin plating layer 3b is formed on the outer surface of the base material layer 3a of the copper alloy material in the elastic bending 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. The male terminal 10 has a flat tab portion 11. The male terminal 10 is tin-plated from the viewpoints of improving connection reliability in a high temperature environment and improving corrosion resistance in a corrosive environment. Therefore, as shown in detail in FIG. 2B, the tab portion 11 has a tin plating layer 11b formed on the outer surface of the base material layer 11a of the copper alloy material. On the upper surface side (contact surface side) of the tab portion 11, a second indent portion 12 is provided at a position corresponding to the first indent portion 4 at the terminal insertion completion position. The outer peripheral surface of the second indent portion 12 is an arcuate curved surface with respect to the terminal insertion direction, and the center vertex is located at the uppermost position in the same manner as the first indent portion 4. As shown in FIG. 4A, the arc-shaped curved surface is a curved surface (a part of a cylindrical shape) having a width d1 in a direction orthogonal to the terminal insertion direction. 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 portion 11, the first indent portion 4 of the elastic bending portion 3 slides on the contact surface of the tab portion 11, and the second indent portion 12 of the tab portion 11 is elastically bent portion 3. Slide on the contact surface. At the terminal insertion completion position (connector mating completion position), as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the positions of the first indent portion 4 of the elastic bending portion 3 and the second indent portion 12 of the tab portion 11 are as follows. In agreement, the first indent portion 4 and the second indent portion 12 come into contact with each other by using the bending return force of the elastic bending portion 3 as a contact load.

  In this contact connection structure, at the terminal insertion completion position, the arc-shaped first indent portion 4 of the female terminal 1 and the arc-shaped second indent portion 12 of the male terminal 10 contact each other. Therefore, the first indent portion 4 and the second indent portion 12 are in contact with each other with arcuate curved surfaces, and since the apparent contact area is small, the contact is made with a large contact pressure, and the oxide film is reliably destroyed, which is conventionally tinned. The contact point (ohmic point) between the layers 3b and 11b increases. Therefore, the contact resistance can be reduced without increasing the size of the terminal or making it as complex as possible.

  The second indent portion 12 is an arc surface having an outer peripheral surface having a width d1 in a direction orthogonal to the terminal insertion direction. Therefore, even in the state where the flexural deformation portion 3 and the tab portion 11 are displaced in the direction orthogonal to the terminal insertion direction, the second indent portion 12 and the first indent portion 4 are reliably in contact with each other at substantially the apex location of the outer peripheral surface. The destruction of the oxide film is promoted, and the contact resistance can be reduced.

  FIG. 4B shows a first modification of the second indent portion 12. The outer peripheral surface of the second indent portion 12A of the first modification is substantially the same as that of the above embodiment, and an arcuate curved surface is formed with a width d2 having substantially the same dimension as the width of the tab portion 11.

  FIG. 4C shows a second modification of the second indent portion 12. As for the 2nd indent part 12B of this 2nd modification, an outer peripheral surface is a spherical surface (an outer peripheral surface is a curved surface of circular arc shape). In the second modified example, the contact area between the first indent portion 4 and the second indent portion 12 is smaller and the apparent contact area is smaller than in the first embodiment and the first modified example. It can be contacted, and the destruction of the oxide film is further promoted.

  The shape of the outer peripheral surface of the first indent portion 4 can be changed in the same manner as the second indent portions 12, 12A, 12B.

  The plating layers are tin plating layers 3b and 11b, but may be an aluminum plating layer, a gold plating layer, a silver plating layer, or the like.

1 Female terminal (1st terminal)
2a Bottom part (first contact part)
3 Elastic flexure (first contact)
4 1st indent part 10 Male terminal (2nd terminal)
11 Tab part (second contact part)
12, 12A, 12B Second indent part

Claims (2)

A plating layer formed on the outer surface, and a first contact portion projecting from a first indent portion having an arcuate outer peripheral surface; and a second contact portion having a plating layer formed on the outer surface, In the contact connection structure, the first indent portion of the first contact portion slides on the second contact portion, and the contact surface of the first indent portion contacts the second contact portion at the terminal insertion completion position. And
The second contact portion is provided with a second indent portion having an arcuate outer peripheral surface protruding at a position corresponding to the first indent portion at the terminal insertion completion position. . The contact connection structure according to claim 1,
The second indent portion is a contact connection structure characterized in that an outer peripheral surface is an arc surface having a width in a direction orthogonal to a terminal insertion direction.

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