Patent ID: 8152576

Claim:
A terminal fitting, comprising: a female terminal including a substantially tubular main portion having an open front end, a base plate, a ceiling plate opposed to the base plate and a resiliently deformable resilient contact piece in the main portion, a contact portion being formed by an apex on the resilient contact piece at a specified length from the open front end and at a specified height from the base plate; a male terminal including a tab to be inserted into the main portion from the open front end and along an inserting direction for electrically connecting the male and female terminals, the tab having a specified thickness; and at least one guide formed on an inner surface of the main portion and facing the resilient contact piece, the guide having an inclined portion that is inclined with respect to the inserting direction of the tab to approach the base plate at farther distances from the open front end, the inclined portion being aligned so that a distance between the inclined portion and the base plate at all positions between the open front end and the contact portion exceeds the height of the contact portion by a distance greater than the thickness of the tab and so that a distance between the inclined portion and the base plate at a location rearward of the contact portion exceeds the height of the contact portion by a distance less than the thickness of the tab, whereby the tab contacts the guide inside the main portion before the tab contacts the contact piece so that the guide guides the tab into contact with the contact portion.