Electrical connector with improved terminal positioning means

An electrical connector for connecting a conductor of an electrical wire to a terminal of a mating connector, the electrical connector including

• a dielectric housing having at least one elongated terminal-receiving cavity defining a longitudinal axis,
• a terminal received in the cavity and having a mating portion adapted to mate with the terminal of the mating connector, a conductor-terminating portion, and an intermediate portion joining the mating and conductor-terminating portions, the intermediate portion being generally U-shaped and including a base wall and pair of elongated resilient side walls extending upwardly from the base wall, each side wall having a upper free end portion,
• wherein the improvement in the connector is the terminal positioning and stabilizing means comprising:
• a pair of laterally spaced, elongated slots each slot having opposed inner walls within an upper wall of the terminal-receiving cavity, each slot adapted to slidingly receive an upper free end portion of a respective one of the side walls of the terminal where both opposed surfaces of each side wall contact a respective inner wall of a respective slot to prevent movement of the terminal laterally or angularly of said longitudinal axis, each upper free end portion of each side wall including a bent portion laterally offsetting the opposed surfaces from the remainder of the respective side walls to provide a compliant fit within the respective elongated slot.

An electrical connector for connecting a conductor of an electrical wire to a terminal of a mating connector, the electrical connector including

• a dielectric housing having at least one elongated terminal-receiving cavity defining a longitudinal axis,
• a terminal received in the cavity and having a mating portion adapted to mate with the terminal of the mating connector, a conductor-terminating portion, and an intermediate portion joining the mating and conductor-terminating portions, the intermediate portion including a base and a pair of elongated resilient side walls extending from the base, each side wall having an upper free end portion,
• wherein the improvement in the connector is the terminal positioning and stabilizing means comprising:
• an elongated slot within a wall of the cavity for slidingly receiving the free end portion of one of the side walls of the terminal having a bent portion offset laterally from the remainder of the side wall to provide a compliant fit within said elongated slot to prevent movement of the terminal laterally or angularly of the longitudinal axis and including a latch portion of the terminal formed out of said one side wall between said bent portion and the base of the terminal.

An electrical connector for connecting a conductor of an electrical wire to a terminal of a mating connector, the electrical connector including

• a dielectric housing having at least one elongated terminal-receiving cavity defining a longitudinal axis,
• a terminal received in the cavity and having a mating portion adapted to mate with the terminal of the mating connector, a conductor-terminating portion, and an intermediate portion joining the mating and conductor-terminating portions, the intermediate portion being generally U-shaped and including a base wall and pair of elongated resilient side walls extending upwardly from the base wall, each side wall having a upper free end portion,
• wherein the improvement in the connector is the terminal positioning and stabilizing means comprising:
• a pair of laterally spaced, elongated slots within an upper wall of the terminal-receiving cavity for slidingly receiving the upper end portions of the side walls of the terminal to prevent movement of the terminal laterally or angularly of said longitudinal axis, each upper free end portion of each side wall including a bent portion offset laterally of the remainder of the respective side wall to provide a compliant fit within the respective elongated slot and further including a latch portion formed out of each side wall between said bent portion and the base wall of the terminal.