Abstract:
A connector terminal for insertion in a terminal storage chamber of a connector housing has a terminal housing body that is formed by bending a plate material into a somewhat cylindrical form. A plurality of stabilizers are erected in at least three positions directed radially away from a centerline running along an insertion direction of the terminal housing body such that the terminal housing body is rotatable about the centerline. At least one stabilizer is formed by outwardly bending a portion of the plate material that runs along the insertion direction of the terminal housing body, and at least another stabilizer is formed by making a cut from the side wall of the terminal housing body.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. JP2007-199857, which was filed on Jul. 31, 2007 and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a connector terminal construction that is inserted and installed within a connector housing. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   An example of a connector terminal that is inserted and assembled in the connector housing is shown in the external view in  FIG. 3(   a ), and  FIG. 3(   b ) shows an enlarged view of a cross-sectional end face of view B-B, in which a publicly known form of a connector terminal  110  has been formed by bending a plate material into a somewhat cylindrical form with a cross-sectional ring shape. This connector  110  has a lance  114  and stabilizer  113  that are formed through a cut in the side wall of the terminal housing body  111  in the intermediate space along the insertion direction of the terminal housing body  111 . 
     FIG. 3(   c ) shows this connector terminal  110  as it is installed within the connector housing  120 , and  FIG. 3(   d ) shows a cross-sectional end face drawing in which the stabilizer  113  in its installed state is cross-cut in the terminal insertion direction and right-angle direction. In order to position the connector terminal  110  within the terminal storage chamber of the connector housing as shown in  FIG. 3(   d ), it is necessary to provide at least approximately three stabilizers  113  in the circumferential direction with respect to the insertion direction of the terminal. 
   However, when as many as three stabilizers  113  are cut into the terminal housing body  111 , the cross-sectional area needed for conductivity within the terminal housing body is reduced because of the notch that is provided in order to make the cut, which is unfavorable in cases where large amounts electrical current are used. 
   Further, as shown in  FIG. 4(   a ), with the number of stabilizers  113  set to two, and as shown in  FIGS. 4(   b ) and  4 ( c ), in which a guide groove  121  is provided on the side of the connector housing  120  to hold the stabilizer, it becomes necessary in such a case to line up the position of the stabilizer in the guide groove during insertion and assembly of the connector terminal, which results in a drop in assembly productivity. 
   In Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-216324, a technology is disclosed in which a stabilizer is formed by stretching a portion of the plate material that forms the terminal housing body at an edge of the material, but because of the inevitable need for engaging the stabilizer in a guide groove, the directional movement that occurs after installation adversely affects the assembly process. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In light of the technological problems noted above, it is an object of the present invention to provice a connector terminal that can be inserted and installed without directionality in the peripheral direction with respect to the insertion direction during insertion and assembly of the connector terminal in the terminal storage chamber of the connector housing, as well as a connector terminal with excellent conductivity. 
   The present invention is a connector terminal that is inserted and installed within a terminal storage chamber of a connector housing, which has a terminal housing body that is formed by bending a plate material into a somewhat cylindrical form. As for the terminal housing body, a stabilizer that makes contact with the inner wall of the terminal storage chamber in which there is no guide groove for the stabilizer is erected in a radial fashion such that it is rotatable about an axis extending along an insertion direction of the terminal, and such that it is erected in at least three directions radially positioned about the axis. At least one stabilizer is formed by outwardly bending a portion of the plate material that forms the terminal housing body about an edge of the plate material that runs along an insertion direction of the terminal, and another stabilizer is formed by making a cut from the side wall of the terminal housing body. 
   Here, the terminal storage chamber in which there is no guide groove for the stabilizer refers to the fact that there is no guide groove for determining a position for inserting the stabilizer, such that during insertion and assembly of the connector terminal in the housing, there are no limits with regard to the position in the peripheral direction of the connector terminal. 
   With the connector terminal according to the present invention, at least one of the stabilizers in the three or more directions along the periphery of the connector terminal is not cut from the plate material that forms the terminal housing body. As compared to conventional cases in which all stabilizers are formed through cutting for the purpose of outwardly bending and forming the stabilizers, there is a smaller increase in electrical resistance as results from forming stabilizers using a cutting process, and therefore excellent conductivity is achieved. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will become more readily apparent from the Detailed Description of the Invention, which proceeds with reference to the drawings, in which; 
       FIG. 1(   a ) is a plan view of a connector terminal according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 1(   b ) is a bottom surface view of the connector terminal; 
       FIG. 1(   c ) is an enlarged view of a cross-sectional end face of view A-A; 
       FIG. 1(   d ) is an explanatory drawing of the connector terminal installed within a connector housing, such that the front side of the connector housing is removed; 
       FIG. 1(   e ) is an explanatory drawing of the connector terminal installed within the connector housing with an enlarged view of a cross-sectional end face that is cut away in the engagement direction and right angle of the connector near the stabilizers; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional end view of a stabilizer part in the case where only one portion of the plate material is bent about one edge of the plate material along an insertion direction of the terminal to provide a stabilizer. 
       FIGS. 3(   a )- 3 ( d ) are explanatory drawings of a first conventional connector terminal construction. 
       FIGS. 4(   a )- 4 ( c ) are explanatory drawings of a second conventional connector terminal.  4  is an explanatory drawing 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The following listing provides a key to the reference numerals and elements depicted in the drawings.
       10 : Plug-type connector terminal     11 : Connector housing body     11   a:  Side wall of connector housing body     11   b:  Aligning part for plate material     11   c ,  11   d : Edges of plate material running in insertion direction of the terminal  11       12 : Stabilizer formed by bending extended portion of the plate material insulation part     12   a:  Outer end of stabilizer     12   b : Stack     12   c ,  12   d : Bent portions     13 : Stabilizer formed through a cut-away process     13   a:  Outer end of stabilizer     13   b:  Notch     14 : Lance     15 : Contact part     16 : Electric line connection part     20 : Connector housing     21 : Terminal storage chamber     22 : Electric line storage part     22   a:  Side wall of electric line storage part     23 : Circular convex part     23   a:  Lance clip part     24 : Connection space part   

   The connector terminal construction according to the present invention can be widely applied to connectors that are inserted and assembled in housings, and  FIGS. 1(   a )-( d ) show explanatory drawings of an embodiment that is applied to a plug type connector terminal  10 . 
     FIG. 1(   a ) shows a plan view of the connector terminal  10 .  FIG. 1(   b ) shows a bottom surface view of the same, and  FIG. 1(   c ) shows an enlarged view of a cross-sectional end face of view A-A. 
   The connector terminal  10  is formed through a process in which a punched metal plate material is bent into a somewhat cylindrical shape. 
   On the front end side of the connector terminal  10  in the direction of insertion toward the connector housing, a contact part  15  is formed nearly in the shape of a round pin for the purpose of connecting a mating side connector terminal, and a cylindrical terminal housing body  11  is provided in the intermediate space in the lengthwise direction. On the rear end side, an electric line connection part  16  is provided so that a crimp-style connection of the electric line is possible. 
   The terminal housing body  11  is equipped with a lance  14  for locking the connector terminal  10  within the connector housing using a snapping operation, as well as stabilizers  12  and  13  for stabilizing the installation posture of the connector terminal  10  toward the inside of the connector housing. 
     FIG. 1(   d ) shows an explanatory drawing of the connector terminal  10  installed within a connector housing  20 , such that the front side of the connector housing  20  is removed.  FIG. 1(   e ) shows the connector terminal  10  installed within the connector housing  20  with an enlarged view of a cross-sectional end face that is cut away in the engagement direction and right angle of the connector near the stabilizers  12  and  13 . 
   The connector housing  20  is equipped with a terminal storage chamber  21  that passes through in the engagement direction of the connector, a connection space part  24  on the front side in the engagement direction, an electric line storage part  22  on the rear side, and a circular convex part  23  that protrudes in the shape of a ring from the side wall of the terminal storage chamber  21  to the space between the connection space part  24  and the electric line storage part  22 . 
   The connector terminal  10  is inserted from the electric line storage part  22  into the connector housing  20 , and with the front end in the engagement direction of the stabilizers  12  and  13  at the position where it nearly hits against the circular convex part  23 , the lance  14  elastically snaps onto a lance clip part  23   a  belonging to the circular convex part  23  to install the connector terminal  10  in the terminal storage chamber  21 . 
   A side wall  22   a  of the electric line storage part  22  is formed such that the parts that correspond to the stabilizers  12  and  13  of the connector terminal  10 , which is in its installed state, are cross-sectional circular shapes concentric to the somewhat cylindrical axis of the connector terminal  10  and such that outer ends  12   a  and  13   a  of the stabilizers  12  and  13  nearly make uniform contact. 
   Thus, regardless of the directionality of the peripheral direction with respect to the insertion axis of the connector terminal  10 , the stabilizers  12  and  13  make contact with the side wall  22   a  such that positioning can be achieved with the installation posture of the connector terminal  10  stabilized. 
   The circular convex part  23  is formed in a circular shape concentric to the somewhat cylindrical axis of the connector terminal  10 , and regardless of the directionality of the peripheral direction with respect to the insertion axis of the connector terminal  10 , it is possible to elastically lock the lance  14  into place. 
   A pair of lances  14  are symmetrically positioned in the peripheral direction of the terminal housing body  11  by forming a cut-away from the terminal housing body, and these are angled such that they separate from the front side to the rear side in their respective engagement directions. 
   At an aligning part  11   b  of the plate material used to form the terminal housing body  11 , two stabilizers  12  are formed in a stack  12   b  when two portions  12   c ,  12   d  of the plate material that forms the terminal housing body  11  are respectively bent about opposing edges  11   c ,  11   b  of the plate material that run along the insertion direction of the terminal  11 , thereby extending outwardly to in combination form the aligning part  11   b.    
   At a position of approximately 120 degrees on both sides in the peripheral direction from the aligning part  11   b  of the terminal housing body  11 , stabilizers  13  are provided that are formed through a cut-away process. 
   Each stabilizer is formed by outwardly bending a protruding arm equipped with a notch  13   b  formed on a side wall  11   a  of the terminal housing body. 
   It is acceptable for two or more stabilizers  13  to be provided through a cut-away forming process. 
   The stabilizers  12  and  13  are parallel to the insertion direction toward the respective terminal storage chambers  21  of the connector terminal  10 , and they outwardly protrude in the cylindrical radial direction of the terminal housing body  11 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the stabilizers  12  provided at the aligning part  11   b  of the plate material may be formed by bending only one portion  12   d  of the plate material that forms the terminal housing body  11  about corresponding edge  11   b  of the plate material that run along the insertion direction of the terminal  11 . In this case, the portion  12   c  of the plate material is omitted. 
   With regard to the connector terminal  10 , at least one of the stabilizers provided on the terminal housing body  11  does not need to be a stabilizer  13  formed through a cut-away process, and by outwardly bending the insulation part of the plate material that forms the connector terminal  10 , not only is a drop in strength prevented, but an increase in electrical resistance due to a reduction of the cross-sectional area can also be prevented, and thus it is particularly favorable to apply this approach for the sake of conductivity when large amounts electrical current are used. 
   Moreover, the application of the connector terminal construction according to the present invention is not limited to connector terminals used for unipolar contacts, and therefore this construction can also be applied to connector terminals used for multipolar contacts of a conventional connector terminal construction. 
   It is within the scope of the present invention to include all foreseeable equivalents to the elements of the present invention described with reference to  FIGS. 1(   a )- 2 . The examples provided by the disclosure are not to be interpreted as limiting the invention beyond that which is claimed.