Patent Publication Number: US-11381009-B2

Title: Contact and connector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) of Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-214024, filed on Nov. 27, 2019. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a contact and, more particularly, to a contact having a cold-weld portion into which an electric wire is cold-welded. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A connector conventionally can include a contact having a cold-weld portion. For example, Japanese Patent No. 6-5316A discloses a contact having a cold-weld portion provided above a base portion and a contact portion, provided below the base portion, that makes contact with a mating contact. The cold-weld portion has a cold-weld slot formed in the center between the right and the left. The cold-weld slot receives a covered electric wire, cuts off an outer jacket of the covered electric wire, and makes contact with a core wire of the covered electric wire. The contact portion makes contact with an inserted male mating contact by receiving the mating contact into a space between the contact portion and the base portion. This contact has press-fitted portions, provided on both the right and left sides of the cold-weld portion, that are press-fitted into a housing. When this contact is incorporated into the housing, the press-fitted portions are press-fitted into the housing, so that this contact is fixed in the housing. 
     Recent demands for reductions in size and weight have reached connectors including the above types of contacts. For this reason, there have been further reductions in size and thickness of the contacts, so that it has become easier and easier for them to bend. In the case of a contact structured as described in JP 6-5316A, when the contact is press-fitted into the housing, the press-fitted portions receive reaction forces from the housing, so that a force acts on the cold-weld portion in such a direction as to reduce the width of the cold-weld slot. For this reason, when the contact easily bends under the effect of reductions in size and thickness, the press-fitted portions are not securely press-fitted into the housing, with the result that an intended effect might not be brought about. 
     Further, when the mating contact has been received into the space between the contact portion and the base portion, the contact portion elastically deforms. In the case of a contact structured as described in JP 6-5316A, the press-fitted portions are located on the right and left sides of the cold-weld portion. For this reason, the effect of the elastic deformation of the contact portion by the insertion of the mating contact might reach the cold-weld portion. When the contact easily bends under the effect of reductions in size and thickness, the cold-weld portion is greatly affected, with the result that there might be a fluctuation in contact pressure of the cold-weld portion against the core wire. 
     SUMMARY 
     A contact includes a base portion, a cold-weld portion extending upward from the base portion and having a cold-weld slot into which an electric wire is configured to be cold-welded, a trailing portion extending downward by being folded back downward from an upper end of the cold-weld portion, and a contact portion extending from a lower end of the trailing portion. The trailing portion has a press-fitted portion below the cold-weld slot that is press-fitted into the housing. The contact portion makes contact with a mating contact by receiving the mating contact in a space between the contact portion and the base portion. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a contact according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the connector; 
         FIG. 4A  is an enlarged sectional side view of the connector taken along line A-A in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 4B  is an enlarged sectional side view of the connector taken along line B-B in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5A  is a sectional perspective view of the connector with a covered electric wire; 
         FIG. 5B  is a sectional perspective view of the connector with a mating connector prior to mating; and 
         FIG. 5C  is a sectional perspective view of the connector mated with the mating connector. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S) 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, several aspects of the embodiments may form—individually or in different combinations—solutions according to the present invention. The following described embodiments thus can be considered either alone or in an arbitrary combination thereof. 
     A contact  10  according to an embodiment is shown in  FIG. 1 . The contact  10 , in an embodiment, is formed by stamping and forming one flat sheet of metal. The contact  10  has a base portion  20 , a cold-weld portion  30 , a trailing portion  40 , and a contact portion  50 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the base portion  20  is in the shape of a flat plate that extends horizontally. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the cold-weld portion  30  extends upward from the base portion  20 . The cold-weld portion  30  has a cold-weld slot  31  onto which a covered electric wire  90  (see  FIG. 5 ) is cold-welded. Fitting the covered electric wire  90  into this cold-weld portion  30  causes an outer jacket of the covered electric wire  90  to be cut off at both edges of the cold-weld slot  31 , allowing electrical continuity between a core wire inside the outer jacket and the contact  10 . 
     The cold-weld portion  30  has a first cold-weld portion  30 A and a second cold-weld portion  30 B provided at a front end and a rear end, respectively, of the base portion  20  in a direction of insertion of a mating contact  80  (see  FIG. 5 ) indicated by an arrow S. Cold-welding the covered electric wire  90  at two places, namely the first cold-weld portion  30 A and the second cold-weld portion  30 B, improves reliability of the continuity between the core wire and the contact  10 . 
     The trailing portion  40 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , extends downward by being folded back downward at an upper end of the cold-weld portion  30  or, specifically, at an upper end of the first cold-weld portion  30 A provided at the front end in the direction of insertion S. The trailing portion  40  has a press-fitted portion  41  that is press-fitted into a housing. The press-fitted portion  41  is located below the cold-weld slot  31  and includes a pair of press-fitted portions  41  provided on both the right and left sides of the trailing portion  40 . 
     The cold-weld slot  31  is not formed in a place where this press-fitted portion  41  is provided, as shown in  FIG. 1 , and there is no space such as the cold-weld slot  31  between the right and left press-fitted portions  41 . For this reason, even in the presence of the application of forces in such directions as to move the right and left press-fitted portions  41  toward each other (i.e. in directions indicated by arrows F), the distance between the right and left press-fitted portions  41  is maintained. On the other hand, the application of forces to the cold-weld portion  30 , which has the cold-weld slot  31  formed therein, in directions indicated by arrows F′ causes the cold-weld slot  31  to bend inward, so that the distance between right and left edges  32  of the cold-weld portion  30  becomes shorter. 
     In known contacts, the press-fitted portions are formed in locations beside the cold-weld slot  31  as indicated by the arrows F′. For this reason, when the cold-weld slot  31  bends inward, the press-fitted portions move in a direction away from a wall of the housing, so that there is a risk that sufficient press fitting and, by extension, retention of the contact may not be accomplished. 
     In the present invention, there is no space such as the cold-weld slot  31  between the right and left press-fitted portions  41 , so that even when the press-fitted portions  41  receive strong reaction forces from a wall  61  of a housing  60 , the press-fitted portions  41  can withstand the strong reactive forces. This allows sufficient press fitting. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the contact portion  50  extends in a cantilever form from a lower end of the trailing portion  40 . In the shown embodiment, the press-fitted portion  41  is provided midway between the cold-weld portion  30  and the contact portion  50 . The contact portion  50  makes contact with an inserted male mating contact  81  for electrical continuity by receiving the mating contact  81  into a space between the contact portion  50  and the base portion  20 , as described in greater detail below. 
     A connector  100  according to an embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , includes a housing  60  and a plurality of (in the case of the example illustrated in  FIG. 2 , thirteen) contacts  10  fitted in the housing  60 . It should be noted that although the connector  100  described here includes thirteen contacts  10 , the number of contacts  10  may be any number of 1 or larger. An arrow S shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  is oriented in the same direction as the arrow S shown in  FIG. 1 . That is, the housing  60  is fitted with the plurality of contacts  10  so that the arrow S of  FIG. 1  and the arrow S of  FIGS. 2 and 3  are oriented in the same direction. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , fitting each contact  10  into the housing  60  causes the press-fitted portion  41  to be press-fitted into the wall  61  of the housing  60 . This causes each contact  10  to be fixed in its predetermined location within the housing  60 . 
     The housing  60  has an insertion opening  62 , formed in a location corresponding to each contact  10 , into which a mating contact  81  (see  FIG. 5 ) is inserted, as shown in  FIGS. 2, 3 , and  4 B. As shown in  FIG. 4B , the insertion opening  62  is formed in a location between the base portion  20  and the contact portion  50  of the contact  10  that communicates with a receptacle  51  of the mating contact  81 . 
     The housing  60  has a holding groove  63  corresponding to each contact  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 2, 3, and 4B . The covered electric wire  90  has an end cold-welded onto the cold-weld portion  30  of the contact  10 , and a portion of the covered electric wire  90  that extends from the cold-welded end is held in the holding groove  63  of the housing  60 . Note, however, that  FIGS. 2-4B  omit illustration of the covered electric wire  90 . 
     The connector  100  is shown with the covered electric wire  90  in  FIGS. 5A-5C . The covered electric wire  90  illustrated here is illustrated as a single entity without distinction between the outer jacket and the core wire.  FIGS. 5B and 5B  show a mating connector  80  matable with the connector  100 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5A , the covered electric wire  90  has an end cold-welded onto the cold-weld portion  30  of the contact  10 , and a portion of the covered electric wire  90  that extends from the cold-welded end is held in the holding groove  63  of the housing  60 . 
     The mating connector  80  is shown prior to mating with the connector  100  in  FIG. 5B  and is shown mated with the connector  100  in  FIG. 5C . The mating connector  80  includes as many male mating contacts  81  as the contacts  10  of the connector  100 . Mating the mating connector  80  with the connector  100  causes each mating contact  81  to be inserted into the connector  100  through the corresponding insertion opening  62 . Moreover, the mating contact  81  thus inserted is placed between the contact portion  50  and the base portion  20  of the contact  10  of this connector  100  to electrically conduct with the contact  10 . 
     In inserting the mating contact  81 , the contact portion  50  elastically bends. Note, however, that the effect of bending of the contact portion  50  is blocked in a portion of the trailing portion  40  where the press-fitted portion  41  is formed, so that the effect on the cold-weld portion  30  can be ignored. Accordingly, stable conduction between the cold-weld portion  30  and the core wire of the covered electric wire  90  is maintained even when the mating contact  81  is inserted.