Female terminal

Claim 1

A female terminal to be fitted in a connector housing cavity which includes an inner surface and a front opening, said female terminal comprising: a terminal member having an electrical wire connecting section to which an electrical wire is to be connected and a female receptacle section, said receptacle section including means for receiving a male terminal and comprising a base cylindrical part and a flexible contact part extending from the base cylindrical part adapted for receiving the male terminal therein, and a flexible contact part having a tip part; and means for protectively covering only the receptacle section of the female terminal member, comprising a protective sleeve which further includes: a base cylindrical portion fixedly fitted onto the base cylindrical part of the receptacle section; an enlarged diameter portion integrally connected to the base cylindrical portion for allowing sufficient deformation of the tip part of the flexible contact part to make the insertion of the make terminal easy when the male terminal is connected to the female terminal; and a stepped portion circumferentially formed between the base cylindrical portion and the enlarged diameter portion, with at least one stopper arm protrudingly provided on the inner surfaces of the cavity of the connector housing and adapted to be engaged when the female terminal is fitted in the cavity to secure the female terminal in the cavity, the stepped portion being located substantially around a middle portion of the flexible contact part such that the engagement between the stepped portion and the stopper arm is made at a position relatively close to the front opening of the cavity when the female terminal is properly fitted in the cavity.