CN109698418B

CN109698418B - Terminal and connector

Info

Publication number: CN109698418B
Application number: CN201811243541.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 西范洋
Original assignee: Molex LLC
Current assignee: Molex LLC
Priority date: 2017-10-24
Filing date: 2018-10-24
Publication date: 2020-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-24
Also published as: TW201924150A; JP2019079667A; TWI707504B; CN109698418A

Abstract

Provided is a terminal which has a simple structure, is manufactured at low cost, is reliable, and is not damaged or deformed even if the terminal is brought into contact with another member. The terminal includes: a body portion (52) made of a conductive metal; a tail portion connected to one side of the body portion (52); a contact portion (54) connected to the other side of the body portion (52); and a cover member (71) that can be attached to the main body portion (52), and the cover member (71) can cover at least a part of the contact portion (54).

Description

Terminal and connector

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a terminal and a connector.

Background

The terminals of some conventional connectors are connected to a substrate-like mating member such as a printed wiring board, which has leads exposed on the surface. Such a terminal has an elastic piece with elastic properties, and is surely in contact with the surface of the wire by pressing the elastic piece against the surface of the wire. In this type of terminal, the elastic piece protruding from the base may come into contact with other components, and thus may be damaged or deformed due to such contact. In order to solve this problem, a technique is proposed (for example, see patent document 1). The technique employs a slidable protective cover configured to cover an elastic sheet and mounted to a base. When the butt-joint component is connected with the terminal, the protective cover automatically slides to expose the elastic sheet.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional connector and a mating member.

In the figure, a connector housing 811 made of an insulating material is arranged to be fitted to a mating housing 911 of a mating connector, also made of an insulating material. The housing 811 has a terminal accommodating recess 813 configured to accommodate a plurality of terminals 851 connected to the end of the wire 891. The elastic piece 854 is integrally formed at a position near the front end of each terminal 851 and protrudes upward from that position. Further, a plate-like protective cover 817 is slidably attached to the base 811. In a state before the housing 811 is fitted to the mating housing 911, the protective cover 817 is located above the elastic piece 854 and covers the elastic piece 854 from above.

A portion of the surface of the docking base 911 is recessed to form a receiving space 913. The housing space 913 is a concave space. A portion near the front end of the housing 811 is inserted into the accommodation space 913 and fitted therein. A printed wiring board 912 having a plurality of exposed wires 951 is provided on the surface of the docking base 911. The printed wiring board 912 is provided to extend along the upper surface of the housing space 913 and reach the bottom of the housing space 913.

When the connector and the counterpart connector are fitted to each other, as shown in fig. 13, a portion near the front end of the housing 811 is inserted into the receiving space 913. Subsequently, the locking portion 824 of the flexible locking piece 821 attached to the base 811 is locked to the locked portion 915 formed at the inlet end of the housing space 913. This prevents the two connectors from being disengaged from each other. When driving member 914 formed to protrude from the bottom of housing space 913 comes into contact with detecting member 817a of protective cover 817 coupled to base 811, driving member 914 causes detecting member 817a to move relatively toward the rear end of terminal 851. Protective cover 817 is thereby slid toward the rear ends of terminals 851 so that resilient piece 854 is exposed. The elastic piece 854 is thereby brought into contact with the conductive wires 951 extending along the upper side surface of the housing space 913 exposed from the surface of the printed wiring board 912.

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. H06-215832

However, in this conventional connector, when the terminal 851 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating recess portion 813 of the housing 811, the elastic piece 854 of the terminal 851 is protected by the protective cover 817 of the housing 811. However, in a state before the terminal 851 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating recess portion 813 of the housing 811, the elastic piece 854 is not protected at all. Therefore, for example, when the terminal 851 is carried or temporarily held until a working process of housing the terminal 851 in the terminal housing concave portion 813 of the housing 811, the elastic piece 854 protruding outward may be damaged or deformed by contact with an external member (such as a tool, an instrument, or the like) or other terminal 851 positioned around the elastic piece 854.

Disclosure of Invention

Thus, the present invention provides a terminal and a connector provided with the terminal, which can solve the above-mentioned problems with the conventional terminal and connector. Further, the terminal and the connector to be provided have a simple structure, are manufactured at low cost, and have high reliability without being damaged or deformed even if the terminal and the connector are brought into contact with other components.

To this end, a terminal is provided, comprising: a body part made of a conductive metal; a tail part connected to one side of the body part; a contact part connected to the other side of the body part; and a cover member movably attached to the main body portion, and in the terminal, the cover member can cover at least a part of the contact portion.

In a terminal of another embodiment, the cover member is also detachable from the body portion.

In a terminal of yet another embodiment, the cover member is further movable between a closed position covering at least a portion of the contact portion and an open position uncovering the contact portion.

In the terminal of still another embodiment, the contact portion is also an elastic sheet-like member having elasticity, and at least a part of the contact portion is exposed outside the main body portion; and the covering member can cover at least a part of the portion of the contact portion exposed outside the main body portion.

In a terminal of yet another embodiment, the body portion further includes a rail portion extending in a front-rear direction; and the cover member includes a slide portion slidably engaging the rail portion.

In the slide portion terminal, the cover member further includes a stopping member; and the body portion includes: a first stop engaging the stop member when the cover member is in a closed position covering at least a portion of the contact portion; and a second stop portion that engages the stop member when the cover member is in an open position that does not cover the contact portion.

There is provided a connector including the terminal; and a base on which the terminal can be mounted.

In another connector, the base further includes a projection that is contactable with the cover member; and when the terminal is loaded into the base with the cover member in a closed position covering at least a part of the contact portion, the cover member comes into contact with the projection and moves to an open position not covering the contact portion.

The terminal provided according to the present invention is not damaged or deformed even if the terminal is in contact with other members. Further, the terminal has a simple structure, is manufactured at low cost, and has improved reliability.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a terminal according to an embodiment, in which a cover member is in a closed position.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing the terminal according to the present embodiment, with the cover member in the closed position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the cover member is detached from the terminal according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the cover member configured to be mounted to the terminal according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the terminal according to the present embodiment, taken in the direction of the arrow along the line a-a of fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the terminal according to the present embodiment, taken in the direction of the arrow on the line B-B of fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover member of the terminal according to the present embodiment is moved from the closed position to the open position.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the terminal according to the present embodiment, with the cover member in the open position.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an action of loading the terminal into the base of the connector according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 10A to 10C are sectional views taken in the arrow direction of the line C-C of fig. 9, showing the action of loading the terminals into the base of the connector according to the present embodiment and showing the steps of the action of loading the terminals into the base of the connector.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the mating member is connected to the connector according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing a state where a mating member is connected to the connector according to the present embodiment, and is a sectional view showing the same portion as that shown in fig. 11.

Wherein the reference numerals are as follows:

1 connector

11. 811 base

11a side wall part

11b partition wall

11f, 52f, 72f front end

11r, 15b, 52r rear end

12. 72a ceiling part

12a convex part

13. 813 terminal receiving recess

13a groove part

13c, 15c, 52c upper end

14. 52a bottom plate part

15 front wall part

15a engaging projection

16 lance part

16a locking projection

17 insertion space

51. 851 terminal

52 body part

52b, 72b side plate parts

52d lance engaging recess

52e locking end

52g front end engaging recess

53 connecting part

53a core wire clamping part

53b cladding material clamping part

54 contact part

54a base

54b front side bent portion

54c upper inclined part

54d rear side bent part

54e lower inclined part

54f bottom side bend

55 track part

56a front side stop part

56b rear side stop

56c bevel

71 cover part

72d lower end

75 sliding part

75a, 76a vertical portion

75b, 76b junction

75c, 76c separation gap

76 stop member

91. 891 conducting wire

211 card

817 protective cover

817a detection part

821 flexible locking piece

824 locking part

854 resilient tab

911 docking base

912 printed wiring board

913 the accommodating space

914 drive member

915 locked part

951 conducting wire

Detailed Description

The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a terminal according to an embodiment, in which a cover member is in a closed position. Fig. 2 is a side view showing the terminal according to the present embodiment, with the cover member in the closed position. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the cover member is detached from the terminal according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the cover member configured to be mounted to the terminal according to the present embodiment. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the terminal according to the present embodiment taken in the direction of the arrow of the line a-a of fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the terminal according to the present embodiment taken in the direction of the arrow on the line B-B of fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover member of the terminal according to the present embodiment is moved from the closed position to the open position. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the terminal according to the present embodiment, with the cover member in the open position.

These figures show the terminal 51 according to the present embodiment. Preferably, the terminal 51 is loaded on the base 11 of the connector 1 described later in a state where the terminal 51 is connected to the end of the lead wire 91 described later. The terminal 51 and the connector 1 are used for various electronic devices and various other devices such as home-use devices, medical devices, industrial devices, and transportation devices, but may be used for any purpose. For convenience of explanation, the terminal 51 and the connector 1 are a terminal and a connector for transportation equipment (such as an automobile).

Note that, in the present embodiment, expressions indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, rear, and the like for describing the configurations and operations of the terminals 51, the connector 1, and the parts included in other parts are relative rather than absolute. These expressions are appropriate when the positions of the portions contained in the terminal 51, the connector 1, and other components are shown in the figures, however, when the positions of the portions contained in the terminal 51, the connector 1, and other components are changed, these directions should be interpreted as being changed in response to the change in the positions.

The terminal 51 is a member integrally formed from a conductive metal plate by a process such as punching, bending, or the like. The terminal 51 includes: a body portion 52; a connecting portion 53 which is a tail portion connected to one side of the main body portion 52, that is, the rear side (X-axis negative direction) of the main body portion 52; and a contact portion 54 which is an elastic piece connected to the other side, i.e., the front side, of the body portion 52. Note that a cover member 71 capable of covering at least a part of the contact portion 54 is attached to the body portion 52. The cover member 71 is movable, or more specifically, slidable in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction). Note that the cover member 71 is a member formed, for example, from a conductive metal plate by a process such as punching, bending, or the like. However, the cover member 71 may be a member formed of a resin (such as a synthetic resin).

The connection portion 53 includes: a core wire holding portion 53a which holds and fixes the conductive core wire of the wire 91; and a covering clamping part 53b for clamping and fixing the lead wire 91 from the periphery of the insulating covering the whole core wire. Thus, the connection portion 53 is electrically and mechanically connected and fixed to the core wire of the wire 91. The terminal 51 is connected to the end of the wire 91. Note that the wire 91 may be any one of a power supply line, a ground line, a signal line, and the like.

As shown in fig. 5, the body portion 52 is a grooved member having a generally U-shaped cross section. The body portion 52 includes: an elongated flat bottom plate portion 52a extending in the X-Y plane; the pair of side plate portions 52b rise upward (in the positive Z-axis direction) from both left and right side ends of the bottom plate portion 52 a. The pair of side plate portions 52b extend in parallel with each other in the front-rear direction. Each side plate portion 52b has an upper end 52c extending in the front-rear direction substantially parallel to the bottom plate portion 52 a. Note that the bottom plate portion 52a does not exist within a predetermined length from the front end 52f of the body portion 52. Further, the bottomed plate portion 52a is also absent in a portion of a predetermined length in the vicinity of the rear end 52r of the body portion 52, so that a lance (land) engagement recess portion 52d is formed. The lance-engaging recess portion 52d is a portion configured to engage with a lance 16 described later when the terminal 51 is loaded into the base 11. The front end of the lance-engaging recess 52d is a locking end 52e, and the locking end 52e is configured to be locked by the locking protrusion 16a of the lance 16.

The contact portion 54 is a bent plate spring-like member, and the overall shape thereof in the X-Z plane is an ellipse with a portion removed. The contact portion 54 includes: a flat plate-like base portion 54a extending straight forward from the front end of the bottom plate portion 52a located rearward of the front end 52f of the main body portion 52; a front side bent portion 54b rising from a front end of the base portion 54a and bent obliquely upward and rearward; a flat plate-like upper inclined portion 54c extending linearly and obliquely upward and rearward from a rear end of the front curved portion 54 b; a rear side bent portion 54d descending from a rear end of the upper side inclined portion 54c and bent obliquely downward and frontward; a flat plate-like lower inclined portion 54e extending linearly from the front end of the rear curved portion 54d obliquely downward toward the front; and a bottom side bent portion 54f rising from a lower end of the lower inclined portion 54e and bent obliquely upward toward the front. At least a part of the contact portion 54 is exposed to the body portion 52. More specifically, although the upper-side inclined portion 54c and at least a part of the rear-side bent portion 54d are exposed above the upper ends 52c of the two side plate portions 52b in the X-Z plane, the remaining part of the contact portion 54 is located below the upper ends 52c of the two side plate portions 52b and is thus protected by the two side plate portions 52 b.

Although the front end 52f of the body portion 52 is located forward of the front side bent portion 54b of the contact portion 54, the side plate portion 52b extends to the front end 52 f. The front end engagement recess 52g is formed at the lower end of the front end 52f of each side plate 52 b. The tip engaging recess 52g is a portion that engages an engaging projection 15a formed on the front wall 15, which will be described later, when the terminal 51 is loaded in the housing 11.

Each side plate portion 52b includes: a rail portion 55 extending linearly in the front-rear direction; a front stop portion 56a that extends linearly in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) and serves as a first stop portion; and a rear side stop portion 56b serving as a second stop portion. The rail portion 55 is a portion which can be slidably engaged with a sliding portion (slider part)75 of the cover member 71. The front side stopper 56a and the rear side stopper 56b are portions engageable with a stopper part 76 of the covering member 71. Note that, in the illustrated example, the rail portion 55, the front side stop portion 56a, and the rear side stop portion 56b are formed in an elongated slit shape penetrating the side plate portion 52b in the plate thickness direction (Y-axis direction). These

portions

55, 56a, 56b do not necessarily need to penetrate the side plate portion 52b, but may be formed in a groove shape having a bottom that does not penetrate the side plate portion 52 b. In the illustrated example, the upper end of each front stop portion 56a and the upper end of each rear stop portion 56b open at the upper end 52c of the corresponding side plate portion 52b, but it is not necessary that the upper end 52c of the corresponding side plate portion 52b open. Note that, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the inclined surface 56c may preferably be formed at the rear end of the front side stopper portion 56a so that the gap is enlarged toward the outside of the side plate portion 52 b.

The cover portion 71 is a member having a substantially U-shaped cross section. The cover member 71 includes: a flat top plate portion 72a extending in the X-Y plane; and a pair of side plate portions 72b hanging downward (Z-axis negative direction) from both left and right side ends of the top plate portion 72 a. The pair of side plate portions 72b extend in the front-rear direction in parallel with each other. The slide portion 75 is formed at the lower end 72d of each side plate portion 72b, and the stopper 76 is formed at the front end 72f of each side plate portion 72 b.

The slide portion 75 includes a vertical portion 75a separated from the other portions of the side plate portions 72b by a pair of separation slits 75c, and an engaging portion 75b linearly extending from the lower end of the vertical portion 75a toward the center of the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the cover member 71, and the slide portion 75 is a portion substantially shaped like L on the Y-Z plane, the vertical portion 75a functions as a cantilever-shaped spring piece by connecting the upper end thereof to the side plate portions 72b, and as shown in fig. 5, the engaging portion 75b connected to the free end of the spring piece is arranged to be able to enter and slidably engage with the rail portion 55.

The stop member 76 includes a vertical portion 76a that is separated from the other portions of the side plate portion 72b by a pair of separation slits 76c, and an engaging portion 76b that extends linearly from the front end of the vertical portion 76a toward the center of the cover member 71 in the width direction (Y-axis direction). furthermore, the stop member 76 is a portion substantially shaped like L on the X-Y plane.the vertical portion 76a functions as a cantilever-shaped spring piece by connecting the rear end thereof to the side plate portion 72 b. as shown in fig. 6, the engaging portion 76b connected to the free end of the spring piece is disposed so as to be able to enter the front stop portion 56a and engage with the front stop portion 56 a. therefore, when the cover member 71 is in the closed position, as shown in fig. 1, 2, and the like, the cover member 71 is held in a state of being stopped relative to the terminal 51.

Although a part of the contact portion 54 of the terminal 51 is exposed above the upper end 52c of the side plate portion 52b, the cover member 71 at least partially covers the above-mentioned exposed part of the contact portion 54 when the cover member 71 is in the closed position. Specifically, the cover member 71 covers a part of the upper inclined portion 54c, both right and left sides and the upper side of the rear curved portion 54 d. Therefore, even if the contact portion 54 is a relatively weak member, the contact portion 54 does not come into contact with other members (such as external members). Accordingly, there is no opportunity for the contact portion 54 to be damaged or deformed by such contact.

Further, the cover member 71 is allowed to slide relative to the terminal 51 to reach the open position shown in fig. 8. As will be described later, when the terminal 51 is loaded into the base 11 of the connector 1, the front end 72f of the side plate portion 72b or the top plate portion 72a comes into contact with a projection 12a of the base 11 described later, whereby the cover member 71 receives a force opposing toward the rear of the body portion 52 of the terminal 51. Subsequently, the vertical portion 76a of the stop member 76 is elastically deformed, and the engaging portion 76b is displaced outward in the width direction of the cover member 71. This displacement causes the engagement portion 76b to disengage from the front stop portion 56 a. Since the inclined surface 56c is formed at the rear end of the front stop portion 56a so as to expand the gap toward the outside of the side plate portion 52b, the joint portion 76b is smoothly displaced toward the outside in the width direction of the covering member 71. This smooth displacement allows the engagement portion 76b to be smoothly disengaged from the front stop portion 56 a. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 7, the cover member 71 is moved toward the rear of the body portion 52 of the terminal 51, and thereby is slid to the open position shown in fig. 8.

Note that, if necessary, even if the terminal 51 is not loaded into the base 11 of the connector 1, the operator can slide the cover member 71 relative to the terminal 51 by applying a force with the operator's finger or the like or with a tool (such as pliers) to push the cover member 71 toward the rear of the body portion 52 of the terminal 51.

Once the cover portion 71 reaches the open position, the stop portion 76 is restored by its own elasticity. As shown in fig. 8, the engaging portion 76b enters the rear stopping portion 56b and engages the rear stopping portion 56 b. Therefore, although the cover member 71 is in the open position, the cover member 71 is kept in a state of being stopped with respect to the terminal 51.

Further, since the slide portion 75 is also an elastically deformable member, if necessary, the operator can also detach the cover member 71 from the terminal 51 by displacing the engaging portion 75b of the slide portion 75 toward the outside in the width direction of the cover member 71 using the operator's finger or the like or by a tool (such as a nipper) and thereby disengaging the engaging portion 75b from the rail portion 55. This makes it possible to obtain the terminal 51 with the cover member 71 removed as shown in fig. 3.

Next, a description is provided about: an operation of loading the terminal 51 of the cover member 71 having the above-described configuration to the base 11 of the connector 1; and an operation of connecting the mating member to the connector 1.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an action of loading the terminal into the base of the connector according to the present embodiment. Fig. 10A to 10C are sectional views taken in the arrow direction of the line C-C of fig. 9, showing the action of loading the terminal into the base of the connector according to the present embodiment. Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the mating member is connected to the connector according to the present embodiment. Fig. 12 is a sectional view showing a state where a mating member is connected to the connector according to the present embodiment, and is a sectional view showing the same portion as that shown in fig. 11. Note that, in fig. 10A to 10C, steps of an operation of loading the terminal into the base of the connector are shown.

In the drawing, a connector 1 is a connector provided according to the present embodiment, which is connected to the ends of a plurality of cables having a plurality of wires 91. The edge of the card 211 as the mating member is connected to the connector 1. That is, a so-called card edge connector will be described as the connector 1. Further, some examples of the card 211 include a printed circuit substrate, a Flexible Flat Cable (FFC), a flexible printed circuit substrate (FPC), and the like, but may be any type of card-like member. Note that a plurality of conductive lines (not shown) are exposed on the lower surface of the card 211 within a predetermined length from the front end (right end in fig. 12) of the card 211.

The connector 1 is integrally formed of a resin (such as a synthetic resin) which is an insulating material. The connector 1 includes: a base 11 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped overall shape; and a terminal 51 configured to be connected to an end of the wire 91 and loaded into the base 11 in this connected state. Note that the cover member 71 is attached to the terminal 51. In the illustrated example, 10 terminals 51 are arranged in parallel with each other, and are loaded to the base 11 in this arranged state. However, the number of terminals 51 may be changed to any number corresponding to the number of wires 91. In addition, the pitch of the terminals 51 can be arbitrarily set.

The base 11 includes: a pair of side wall portions 11a provided on both left and right sides of the base 11 and extending in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) of the connector 1 (i.e., the direction in which the card 211 is fitted into the base 11); a flat plate-like top plate 12 located on the upper side and extending in the X-Y plane; and a bottom plate 14 located below the top plate 12 and parallel to the top plate 12. Further, the base 11 includes a plurality of terminal receiving recesses 13 extending in the front-rear direction in the base 11. The plurality of terminal accommodating recess portions 13 are arranged side by side with each other in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the base 11. Each terminal accommodating recess 13 has an opening at the rear end 11r of the base 11. Adjacent terminal receiving recesses 13 are separated from each other by a partition wall 11b formed therebetween. In the illustrated example, there are 10 terminal accommodating recess portions 13. The number of the terminal receiving recesses 13 may be changed to any number corresponding to the number of the terminals 51 and the number of the wires 91. Further, the pitch of the terminal receiving recess 13 may be set to any pitch corresponding to the pitch of the terminals 51 and the wires 91.

As shown in fig. 10, in each terminal accommodating recess 13, a portion near the rear end 11r of the base 11 has an upper end defined by the top plate portion 12. However, a portion near the front end 11f of the base 11 has an open upper end, and is thus formed as a groove portion 13 a. The space (interval) between the upper end 13c of the groove portion 13a and the top plate portion 12 is an insertion space 17 into which the portion near the front end of the card 211 is inserted. The insertion space 17 is a flat space extending in the width direction of the base 11 and has an opening at the front end 11f of the base 11. The insertion space 17 allows at least the upper end portion of the contact portion 54 of the terminal 51 loaded into the terminal accommodating recess 13 to enter. Note that, a convex portion 12a protruding downward from the top plate portion 12 is formed in each terminal accommodating concave portion 13. Groove 13a and insertion space 17 are located forward (positive X-axis direction) of projection 12 a. When the terminal 51 is inserted into the terminal accommodating recess 13, the front end 72f of the cover member 71 attached to the terminal 51 contacts the convex portion 12 a.

The front wall portion 15 exists at the front end 11f of the base 11. The rear end 15b of the front wall portion 15 defines the front end of the groove portion 13a, and the upper end 15c of the front wall portion 15 defines the lower surface of the insertion space 17 together with the upper end 13c of the groove portion 13 a. Further, an engaging projection 15a projecting rearward is formed at a rear end 15b of the front wall portion 15. When the terminal 51 is inserted into the terminal accommodating recess 13, the engaging convex portion 15a engages a front end engaging recess 52g formed at a front end 52f of the body portion 52 of the terminal 51. On the bottom plate portion 14, a lance portion 16 is formed at a position directly below the convex portion 12a or at a position closer to the rear end 11r of the base 11 than the position. The lance 16 has: a rear end integrally connected to the bottom plate portion 14; and a cantilevered front end (free end) extending obliquely upward toward the front. A locking projection 16a is formed in a region of the upper surface near the front end of lance 16. When the terminal 51 is inserted into the terminal accommodating recess 13, the locking convex portion 16a locks the locking end 52e of the lance-shaped portion engaging recess 52d formed on the body portion 52 of the terminal 51.

To load the terminal 51 having the cover member 71 into the base 11 of the connector 1, as shown in fig. 9 and 10A, the operator moves the terminal 51 to approach the base 11 with the front end of the terminal 51 facing the rear end 11r of the base 11, thereby inserting the terminal 51 into the terminal accommodating recess 13. Note that, in the example shown in fig. 9 and 10A, 9 terminals 51 have been loaded into the base 11 by being inserted into the corresponding terminal receiving recess 13, and the last terminal 51 will be inserted into the corresponding terminal receiving recess 13. The connection portions 53 of all the terminals 51 are connected to the ends of the corresponding wires 91. Further, in each of the terminals 51 inserted into the corresponding terminal accommodating recess portion 13, although a part of each of the contact portions 54 is exposed above the upper end 52c of the side plate portion 52b, the covering member 71 attached to the main body portion 52 is in the closed position and at least partially covers the exposed part of the contact portion 54.

Subsequently, the operator advances the terminal 51 inserted into the terminal accommodating recess 13. As the terminal 51 advances toward the front end 11f of the base 11, the bottom plate portion 52a of the body portion 52 moves along the bottom plate portion 14 of the terminal accommodating recess 13, and the top plate portion 72a of the cover member 71 moves along the top plate portion 12 of the terminal accommodating recess 13. When the terminal 51 travels as described above, the tip of the lance 16 is pressed down by the bottom plate 52a of the body 52, and therefore, the terminal 51 can smoothly travel in the terminal accommodating recess 13.

Subsequently, once the front end 52f of the body portion 52 of the terminal 51 enters the groove portion 13a, the front end 72f of the cover member 71 comes into contact with the convex portion 12a formed in the top plate portion 12. In the above state, if the operator further advances the terminal 51, the cover member 71 receives a force directed toward the rear of the body portion 52 of the terminal 51 from the opposite projection 12 a. Subsequently, the vertical portion 76a of the stop member 76 is elastically deformed, and the engaging portion 76b is displaced outward in the width direction of the cover member 71. This displacement causes the engagement portion 76b to disengage from the front stop portion 56 a. Subsequently, if the operator further advances the terminal 51, the cover member 71 is relatively moved toward the rear of the body portion 52, as shown in fig. 10B. This causes the proportion of the portion of the contact portion 54 covered by the cover member 71 to gradually decrease.

Subsequently, if the operator further advances the terminal 51, the cover member 71 is relatively moved further toward the rear of the body portion 52, and reaches the open position shown in fig. 10C. Subsequently, the engaging portion 76b engages the rear-side stopping portion 56b, and thereby the cover member 71 becomes immovable with respect to the body portion 52. Further, although a part of the contact portion 54 is exposed above the upper end 52c of the side plate portion 52b, the exposed part protrudes into the insertion space 17 from below.

Once the front end 52f of the body portion 52 that has entered the groove portion 13a comes into contact with the rear end 15b of the front wall portion 15 of the base 11, the terminal 51 cannot travel any more. Note that, since the front-end engaging concave portion 52g formed at the front end 52f of the body portion 52 engages the engaging convex portion 15a of the front wall portion 15, the body portion 52 is prevented from being displaced downward.

Further, since the lance-engaging recess 52d formed on the bottom plate portion 52a of the body portion 52 reaches the front end position of the lance 16, the front end of the lance 16 rises due to the elastic property of the lance 16, and the locking protrusion 16a formed near the front end locks the locking end 52e of the lance-engaging recess 52 d. Thereby, the body portion 52 is prevented from being displaced rearward (X-axis negative direction). Therefore, for example, even if an external force pulling the terminal 51 backward is applied via the lead wire 91, the terminal 51 can be reliably prevented from coming out of the terminal accommodating recess 13.

In this manner, the action of loading the terminals 51 including the cover members 71 into the base 11 of the connector 1 is completed.

As shown in fig. 11 and 12, when the card 211 is connected to the connector 1 on which the terminals 51 are loaded, the front end of the card 211 and a portion near the front end are inserted into the insertion space 17 having an opening at the front end 11f of the base 11. A plurality of conductive lines not shown in the drawing are exposed on the lower surface of the front end of the card 211 and its vicinity. Each contact portion 54 protruding from below in the insertion space 17 is in contact with a corresponding wire. Thus, electrical continuity is established between each terminal 51 and the corresponding lead wire of the card 211. In this case, the contact portion 54 is an elastic piece, and is an elliptical plate spring-like member lacking a part. The contact portion 54 includes a front side bent portion 54b and a rear side bent portion 54d, each of which is bent to have a circular arc shape. Therefore, the contact portion 54 can be elastically deformed in a wide range in the vertical direction. As a result, if the contact portion 54 is pressed downward by the card 211, the elasticity of the contact portion 54 helps to maintain reliable contact with the conductive line exposed on the lower surface of the card 211.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the terminal 51 includes: a body portion 52 made of a conductive metal; a connecting portion 53 connected to one side of the body portion 52; a contact portion 54 connected to the other side of the body portion 52; and a cover member 71 movably attached to the main body 52. Further, the cover member 71 can cover at least a part of the contact portion 54.

Thereby, the contact portion 54 is protected by the cover member 71. Therefore, even if the terminal 51 comes into contact with other components (such as external components), the contact portion 54, although being a relatively fragile portion, will never be damaged or deformed. Therefore, the terminal 51 becomes miniaturized, has a simple structure, is manufactured at low cost, and allows to have high reliability.

Further, the cover member 71 is detachable from the body portion 52. Therefore, if the cover member 71 is required, the cover member 71 can be attached to the body portion 52. If the cover member 71 is not required, the cover member 71 can be detached from the body portion 52. Thus, the convenience of the user is improved.

Further, the cover member 71 is movable between a closed position such that the cover member 71 covers at least a portion of the contact portion 54 and an open position such that the cover member 71 does not cover any portion of the contact portion 54. Therefore, even if the cover member 71 is still mounted to the body portion 52, the contact portion 54 is allowed to come into contact with a mating contact portion (such as a wire of the card 211) by moving the cover member 71 to the open position.

The contact portion 54 is a plate spring-like member having elasticity, and at least a part of the contact portion 54 is exposed to the main body portion 52. The covering member 71 can cover at least a part of the contact portion 54 exposed to the main body portion 52. Therefore, even if the terminal 5 is brought into contact with an external member or another terminal, the portion of the contact portion 54 exposed to the body portion 52 is protected by the cover member 71. Accordingly, the exposed portion will never be damaged or deformed by such contact.

Further, the main body portion 52 includes a plurality of rail portions 55, and each rail portion 55 extends in the front-rear direction. The cover member 71 includes a plurality of sliding portions 75 configured to slidably engage the corresponding rail portions 55. Therefore, the cover member 71 is allowed to slide smoothly in the front-rear direction.

Further, the cover portion 71 includes a stopping portion 76. The body portion 52 includes: a front stop 56a that engages stop member 76 when cover member 71 is in a closed position such that cover member 71 covers at least a portion of contact portion 54; and a rear stop 56b that engages stop member 76 when cover member 71 is in the open position such that cover member 71 does not cover any portion of contact portion 54. Therefore, the cover member 71 can be reliably stopped at the closed position to protect the contact portion 54 without any unnecessary movement. Further, the cover member 71 can be reliably stopped at the open position without causing an obstruction to the contact between the contact portion 54 and the mating contact portion.

In the present embodiment, the connector 1 includes the terminals 51 and the base 11 that allows the terminals 51 to be loaded therein. Further, the base 11 includes a convex portion 12a that the cover member 71 can contact. When the terminal 51 is loaded into the base 11 with the cover member 71 in the closed position such that the cover member 71 covers at least a part of the contact portion 54, the cover member 71 is brought into contact with the convex portion 12a, and then moved to the open position such that the cover member 71 does not cover any part of the contact portion 54. Therefore, when the operator performs the work of loading the terminals 51 into the base 11 of the connector 1, the work can be performed while the contact portions 54 are protected by the covering member 71. Accordingly, the contact portion 54 will never be damaged or deformed. Further, by loading the terminals 51 into the base 11, the cover member 71 is moved from the closed position to the open position. Therefore, no special work is required to move the covering member 71.

It is noted that the disclosure of the present specification illustrates features relevant to preferred and exemplary embodiments. From the summary of the disclosure, those skilled in the art will naturally be able to devise various other embodiments, modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Industrial applicability

The present invention is applicable to a terminal and a connector.

Claims

1. A terminal, comprising:

a body part made of a conductive metal;

a tail part connected to one side of the body part;

a contact part connected to the other side of the body part; and

a cover member movably attached to the body portion,

the cover portion is capable of covering at least a portion of the contact portion,

the covering member is a member having a U-shaped cross section formed by a flat top plate and a pair of side plates,

the cover member has:

a stopper member that is joined to a stopper portion of the main body, the stopper member being formed to extend from a side of the side plate portion and bent toward a center of the cover member in a width direction;

a sliding portion slidably engaged with a rail portion extending in the front-rear direction included in the main body portion, the sliding portion being formed to extend from below the side plate portion and bent toward a center in a width direction of the cover member.

2. A terminal according to claim 1,

the cover member is detachable from the body portion.

3. A terminal according to claim 1,

the cover portion is movable between a closed position covering at least a portion of the contact portion and an open position uncovering the contact portion.

4. A terminal according to claim 2,

5. A terminal of any of claims 1-4,

the contact part is an elastic sheet-shaped component with elasticity, and at least one part of the contact part is exposed out of the body part;

the cover member can cover at least a part of the portion of the contact portion exposed to the outside of the main body portion.

6. A terminal of any of claims 1-4,

the stopping portion of the main body portion includes:

a first stop engaging the stop member when the cover member is in a closed position covering at least a portion of the contact portion; and

a second stop portion that engages the stop member when the cover member is in an open position that does not cover the contact portion.

7. A terminal according to claim 5,

the stopping portion of the main body portion includes:

8. A connector, comprising:

the terminal of any one of claims 1-7; and

and a base capable of mounting the terminal.

9. The connector of claim 8,

the base includes a projection contactable with the cover member;

when the terminal is loaded into the base with the cover member in the closed position covering at least a part of the contact portion, the cover member comes into contact with the projection and moves to the open position not covering the contact portion.