Electrical connector
AssigneeAMP Incorporated
InventorSakae Manabe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An assist spring is provided for a female terminal having contact arms in a high conductivity electrical connector. The assist spring may be formed of high resilient material and have dual support to assist the lower resilience, more conductive material of the contact arms and provide greater contact force on a male terminal inserted into the female terminal.
Claims9
A spring assist means for a female electrical contact terminal, said female terminal having opposing contact arms to receive therebetween contact portions of a male terminal and being secured within a cavity of an insulating housing, said spring assist means comprising a spring body portion and leaf spring portions, said spring body portion securable to a body portion of said female terminal remote from contact portions of said contact arms, said leaf spring portions extending from said spring body portion along and proximate outer surfaces of said contact arms and including free ends engageable with and slidable along associated side walls of said housing cavity, whereby when a said male terminal is inserted into and between said contact arms, said contact arms are urged into engagement with said leaf springs whose free ends are urged into slidable engagement with said cavity side walls and thereby provide spring force against said contact arms increasing contact force of said contact arms with contact portions of said male terminal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.