Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6659813
-
Patent Number
6,659,813
-
Date Filed
Friday, July 26, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, December 9, 200320 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 439 692
- 439 693
- 439 697
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A male contact having a male contact section formed by bending both sides of a metal plate inward and a method for manufacturing the same. The male contact section having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape and curved sections formed on four corners of the cross-sectional plane of the male contact section having a radius that is equal to or less than ⅓ of the thickness of the metal plate. The male contact makes it possible to obtain a sufficient area of contact with a mating female contact even in cases where the width of the male contact section formed by bending both sides of the metal plate inward is small.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a male contact having a male contact section formed by bending both sides of a metal plate inward, and a method of manufacturing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The contacts shown in
FIG. 6
(see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H7-192793) and
FIG. 7
(see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-162191) are known as conventional male contacts that have male contact sections formed by bending both sides of a metal plate inward.
Shown in FIG.
6
(A), male contact
100
comprises a male contact section
101
that contacts a mating terminal (not shown), an electrical wire termination portion
102
connected to an electrical wire (not shown), and a securing portion
103
disposed between the male contact section
101
and the electrical wire termination portion
102
that is attached to a connector housing (not shown). Shown in FIG.
6
(B), the male contact section
101
is formed by bending both sides of a stamped metal plate
104
so that joining faces
105
are positioned on an upper side in the approximate center with respect to the direction of width of the metal plate
104
. The cross-sectional shape of the male contact section
101
is a substantially oval shape in the direction of width. Upper and lower surfaces of the male contact section
101
form substantially flat contact surfaces
106
,
107
, respectively, that contact a mating female contact (not shown). Curved sections
108
are formed on the four corners of the cross-sectional plane of the male contact section
101
. The radius of the curved sections
108
is substantially equal to the thickness of the metal plate
104
.
Shown in FIG.
7
(A), male contact
200
comprises a male contact section
201
that contacts a mating terminal (not shown), an electrical wire termination portion
202
connected to an electrical wire (not shown), and a securing portion
203
disposed between the male contact section
201
and electrical wire termination portion
202
that is secured to a connector housing (not shown). Shown in FIG.
7
(B), the male contact section
201
is formed by bending one side of a stamped metal plate
204
so that joining faces
205
are positioned at a side portion with respect to the direction of width of the metal plate
204
. The cross-sectional shape of the male contact section
201
is a substantially oval shape in the direction of width. Upper and lower surfaces of the male contact section
201
form substantially flat contact surfaces
206
,
207
, respectively, that contact a mating female contact (not shown). Curved sections
208
are formed on the four corners of the cross-sectional plane of the male contact section
201
. The curved sections
208
have a radius that is greater than the thickness of the metal plate
204
.
Electrical connectors, such as the male contacts
100
,
200
shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
, are commonly used in industrial fields, such as the automotive field. In recent years there has been a demand for multi-pole connectors. As a result of this demand for multi-pole connectors, a need has arisen for contacts having male contact sections with a small width, for example 0.64 mm square posts.
When male contact sections are formed with a small width, by bending both sides of a stamped metal plate
104
or one side of a metal plate
204
in the same manner as the male contact sections
101
,
201
of the male contacts
100
,
200
, an insufficient area of contact with the mating female contact (not shown) arises due to the fact that the curved sections
108
,
208
formed on the four corners of the cross-sectional plane of the male contact sections
101
,
201
have radii substantially equal to the thicknesses of the metal plates
104
,
204
. If a sufficient area of contact with the mating female contact (not shown) can not be obtained, the contact pressure between the contacts is unstable, resulting in unstable contact.
It is therefore desirable to provide a male contact having a sufficient area for contact with a mating female contact in cases where the width of the male contact section formed by bending both sides of a metal plate inward is small. It is further desirable to develop a method of manufacturing the same.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This and other objects of the present invention are solved by a contact part having an electrical wire termination portion, a metal contact part, and a securing portion disposed between the male contact section and the electrical wire termination portion. The male contact section is formed from a metal plate and has a rectangular cross-sectional shape. Curved sections are formed at corners of the cross-sectional shape that have a radius that is equal to or less than ⅓ of the thickness of the metal plate.
The male contact section is formed by bending both sides of the metal plate inward, and then shaping the cross-sectional shape into a substantially rectangular shape by forging so that the curved sections on the four corners of the cross-sectional plane have a radius that is equal to or less than ⅓ of the thickness of the metal plate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a first side of a male contact of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a perspective view of a second side of the male contact shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is an enlarged sectional view along line
3
—
3
of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 4
shows a method of manufacture of the male contact section, FIG.
4
(A) shows the shapes of the dies and punches from a first step to a fourth step, and FIG.
4
(B) shows the process of deformation of the male contact section formed by the respective steps from the first step to the fourth step;
FIG. 5
shows the method of manufacture of the male contact section in
FIG. 4
, FIG.
5
(A) shows the shapes of the dies and punches from a fifth step to an eighth step, and FIG.
5
(B) shows the process of deformation of the male contact section formed by the respective steps from the fifth step to the eighth step;
FIG. 6
shows a first example of a conventional male contact, FIG.
6
(A) shows a perspective view, and FIG.
6
(B) shows a sectional view along line
6
B—
6
B of FIG.
6
(A); and
FIG. 7
shows a second example of a conventional male contact, FIG.
7
(A) shows a perspective view, and FIG.
7
(B) shows a sectional view along line
7
B—
7
B of FIG.
7
(A).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1 and 2
show a male contact
1
having a male contact section
2
, an electrical wire termination portion
3
, and a securing portion
4
. The male contact section
2
contacts a mating female contact (not shown). The electrical wire termination portion
3
is connected to an electrical wire (not shown). The securing portion
4
is secured to a connector housing (not shown) and disposed between the male contact section
2
and the electrical wire termination portion
3
.
The individual components of the male contact
1
will now be described in greater detail. Shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the electrical wire termination portion
3
has a wire barrel
31
and an insulation barrel
32
. The wire barrel
31
is crimped to a core wire of the electrical wire (not shown). The insulation barrel
32
is crimped to a covering of the electrical wire (not shown).
Shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the securing portion
4
has a contact lance
43
. The contact lance
43
extends upward at an inclination toward the electrical wire termination portion
3
from a portion that is bent inward from an upper edge of a first side wall
41
of the securing portion
4
. The contact lance
43
is secured to the connector housing wall (not shown) when the male contact
1
is received in a terminal accommodating hole of the connector housing (not shown). A lance protecting wall
44
extends upward from an upper edge of a second side wall
42
of the securing portion
4
. The lance protecting wall
44
prevents the electrical wire (not shown) from becoming entangled with the contact lance
43
during assembly. Shown in
FIG. 2
, a lower-side top plate
45
extends inward from the upper edge of the first side wall
41
and closes off a lower portion of the contact lance
43
. An upper-side top plate
46
extends inward from the upper edge of the second side wall
42
to superimpose the lower-side top plate
45
. A double locking member (not shown) engages with end surfaces of the lower-side top plate
45
and upper-side top plate
46
on the side of the electrical wire termination portion
3
when the male contact
1
is accommodated in the connector housing (not shown). The upper-side top plate
46
is installed because a sufficient margin for engagement with the double locking member can not be ensured by the lower-side top plate
45
alone.
FIG. 3
shows a sectional view of the male contact section
2
. The male contact section
2
is formed by bending both sides of a stamped metal plate
21
inward and then shaping the cross-sectional shape into a substantially rectangular shape by forging. The male contact
2
is formed so that the curved sections
25
on the four corners of the cross-sectional plane have a radius R that is equal to or less than ⅓ of the thickness t of the metal plate
21
. In the cross section of the male contact section
2
, the width w of the male contact section
2
is slightly greater than the thickness h, however, the cross-sectional shape is extremely close to square. As a result, the width w of the male contact section
2
is smaller than the widths of the conventional tab type male contact sections
101
,
201
shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
. The joining faces
22
on both sides of the metal plate
21
are positioned on the upper side in the approximate center with respect to the direction of width of the metal plate
21
. The upper and lower surfaces of the male contact section
2
form substantially flat contact surfaces
23
,
24
, respectively, that contact the mating female contact (not shown).
A method used to manufacture the male contact section
2
will now be described in greater detail with reference to
FIGS. 4 and 5
.
FIG. 4
illustrates the first through fourth steps used to manufacture the male contact section
2
, and
FIG. 5
illustrates the fifth through eighth steps used to manufacture the male contact section
2
. The second through seventh steps represent bending processes, and the eighth step represents a forging process.
Shown in
FIG. 4
, in a first step a stamped metal plate
21
is placed on a die
50
having a flat surface. The metal plate
21
is pressed from above by a punch
51
having a plurality of projecting ribs
51
a
on a bottom surface to form a plurality of linear recessed parts
21
a
in an upper surface of the metal plate
21
.
In a second step, the metal plate
21
is placed on a recessed part
50
a
of a die
50
. The metal plate
21
is pressed from above by a punch
52
having a width smaller than the width of the recessed part
50
a.
The punch
52
has a tip end having a flat surface so that a pair of first bent parts
21
b
that extend upward are formed on both edges of the metal plate
21
.
In a third step, the metal plate
21
is placed on a recessed part
50
b
formed on a surface of a die
50
. The recessed part
50
b
has relatively gradual inclined surfaces formed on both sides. The metal plate
21
is pressed from above by a punch
53
having inclined surfaces on both sides and a tip end having a flat surface, so that the areas between the metal plate
21
and the pair of first bent parts
21
b
located on both edges of the metal plate
21
are bent slightly upward to form a pair of second bent parts
21
c.
In a fourth step, the metal plate
21
is placed on a recessed part
50
c
formed on a surface of a die
50
. The recessed part
50
c
has inclined surfaces formed on both sides that are somewhat steeper and deeper than the inclined surfaces of the recessed part
50
b.
The first bent parts
21
b
of the metal plate
21
are pressed from above by a punch
54
having a V-shaped recessed part
54
a
formed on a tip end, so that the pair of second bent parts
21
c
are caused to bend toward each other.
Shown in
FIG. 5
, in a fifth step the metal plate
21
is placed on a recessed part
50
d
formed on a surface of a die
50
. The recessed part
50
d
has inclined surfaces that are somewhat steeper than the inclined surfaces of the recessed part
50
c
and has the same depth as the recessed part
50
c.
The first bent parts
21
b
of the metal plate
21
are pressed from above by a punch
55
having a V-shaped recessed part
55
a
formed in a tip end so that the inclination of both side surfaces is somewhat more gradual than in the V-shaped recessed part
54
a
to bend the pair of second bent parts
21
c
so that the pair of second bent parts
21
c
are caused to bend closer toward each other.
In a sixth step, the metal plate
21
is placed on a recessed part
50
e
formed on a surface of a die
50
. The recessed part
50
e
has inclined surfaces formed on both sides that are somewhat steeper than the inclined surfaces of the recessed part
50
d,
and has the same depth as the recessed part
50
d
. The first bent parts
21
b
of the metal plate
21
are pressed from above by a punch
56
having a V-shaped recessed part
56
a
formed on a tip end and side surfaces having an inclination somewhat more gradual than in the V-shaped recessed part
55
a,
so that the pair of second bent parts
21
c
are caused to bend closer toward each other.
In a seventh step, the metal plate
21
is placed on a die
50
having a flat surface. The side surfaces of the pair of second bent parts
21
c
are pressed by a punch
57
having a pair of pressing plates
57
a
that can pivot about the respective axes
57
b
until the total width wl formed by the side surfaces is substantially equal to the width w of the male contact section
2
following working.
In an eighth step, the metal plate
21
is placed inside a recessed part
50
f
formed on a top surface of a die
50
. The recessed part
50
f
has vertical surfaces on both sides and a width slightly greater than w
1
. The pair of first bent parts
21
b
are struck from above by a punch
58
with a tip end having a flat surface and a width slightly smaller than the width of the recessed part
50
f,
so that the male contact section
2
is formed with a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape.
Shown in
FIG. 3
, the male contact section
2
manufactured as described herein has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape in which curved sections
25
formed on the four corners of the cross-sectional plane of the male contact section
2
have a radius R that is equal to or less than ⅓ of the thickness t of the metal plate
21
. Accordingly, even in cases where the width w of the male contact section
2
is small, the contact surfaces
23
,
24
that contact the mating female contact (not shown) can be made broad, so that a sufficient area of contact with the mating female contact (not shown) can be obtained.
Furthermore, in the method of manufacturing the male contact of the present invention, the male contact section is formed by bending both sides of a metal plate inward, and then shaping the cross-sectional shape into a substantially rectangular shape by forging so that the curved sections on the four corners of the cross-sectional plane have a radius that is equal to or less than ⅓ of the thickness of the metal plate. Accordingly, a male contact which makes it possible to obtain a sufficient area of contact with the mating female contact can easily be manufactured even in cases where the width of the male contact section formed by bending both sides of a metal plate inward is small.
The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practising the invention. Many other embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims together with their full range of equivalents.
Claims
- 1. A male contact comprising:an electrical wire termination portion; a male contact section formed from a metal plate and having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, an upper surface, a lower surface and curved sections formed at corners between the upper and lower surfaces; and a securing portion disposed between the male contact section and the electrical wire termination portion, wherein the curved sections have a radius that is equal to or less than ⅓ of the thickness of the metal plate.
- 2. The male contact of claim 1, wherein the metal plate includes a first joining face positioned proximate a second joining face.
- 3. The male contact of claim 2, wherein the first and second joining faces are positioned on an upper surface of the male contact section.
- 4. The male contact of claim 3, wherein the first and second joining faces are centered with respect to the direction of width on the upper surface.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2001-237004 |
Aug 2001 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
07192793 |
Jul 1995 |
JP |
08162191 |
Jun 1996 |
JP |