Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-27
2003-02-04
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
C439S949000, C439S076100, C439S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06514091
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical junction box for a vehicle, in particular a box to be connected to a wire harness for a vehicle. The invention also provides a vehicle such as an automobile having the electrical junction box mounted on it.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, the rapid increase in the number of electric and electronic component parts that are mounted on a vehicle has led to increase in the number of circuits to be accommodated in a junction box in the vehicle. When forming branch circuits at high density, it is necessary to mount a large number of component parts on the junction box, which causes increase in the number of assembly stages.
The assignees of the present applicants proposed a junction box
1
shown in
FIG. 14
in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/833,595. The junction box
1
of
FIG. 14
is intended to be thin, capable of permitting circuit alteration and reducing time and labor when it is assembled from component parts.
In the junction box
1
of
FIG. 14
, a connector connection circuit (base circuit), a fuse connection circuit, and a relay connection circuit provided in the junction box
1
are formed separately as a connector module
2
, a fuse module
3
and a relay module
4
, respectively. The connector module
2
, the fuse module
3
and the relay module
4
are incorporated in the casing composed of a lower case part
5
and an upper case part
6
.
In each of the connector module
2
, the fuse module
3
and the relay module
4
, bus bars
2
a
,
3
a
and
4
a
are fixed to insulation substrates
2
b
,
3
b
and
4
b
, respectively, and project from the periphery of the insulation substrates where they are welded to each other.
Because the whole circuit of the junction box
1
is divided into the connector module
2
, the fuse module
3
and the relay module
4
, it can be avoided that tabs of the bus bars overlap on each other. Thus excessive layering of the bus bars can be prevented, and the junction box
1
can be thin. Further the circuits of the bus bars can be wired easily. Thus it is possible to reduce the area of the bus bars of each module. Consequently, even though the connector connection bus bars
2
a
, the fuse connection bus bars
3
a
and the relay connection bus bars
4
a
are separately formed, it is possible to reduce the total area of the bus bars and avoid increase of the area of the junction box.
Further, when the specification of any one of the connector circuit
2
, the fuse circuit
3
and the relay circuit
4
is altered, it is only necessary to alter the respective module. Thus, the junction box I permits alteration of the specification easily.
However, the welding portions for connecting the modules to each other are disposed on the three sides of the connector module. Thus, it is necessary to move a welding machine or the junction box in correspondence to each welding position when carrying out welding. Therefore much time and labor are required in the welding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide an electrical junction box, suitable for use in a vehicle such as an automobile, which permits simple and efficient welding operations for connecting its modules to each other.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a method of forming bus bars for the fuse module of such an electrical junction box that is simple and minimises waste of material.
According to the invention in a first aspect there is provided an electrical junction box having a connector module that provides a connector connection circuit, which in use makes electrical connection to at least one electrical connector, a fuse module that provides a fuse connection circuit, which in use makes electrical connection to a plurality of fuses, and a relay module that provides a relay connection circuit, which in use makes electrical connection to a plurality of relays.
The connector module includes a plurality of insulation substrates stacked one on another to form a layered assembly having a pair of main faces and a plurality of sides, and bus bars fixed on the insulation substrates, the bus bars providing a plurality of projecting first welding tabs that are aligned with one another in at least one linear row adjacent one of the sides of the layered assembly.
The fuse module includes one or more insulation substrates and bus bars fixed thereon and arranged to be connected in use to the fuses and providing a plurality of projecting second welding tabs confronting the first welding tabs of the connector module.
The relay module includes one or more insulation substrates and bus bars fixed thereon and arranged to be connected in use to the relays and providing a plurality of third welding tabs also confronting the first welding tabs of the connector module.
The second and third welding tabs are welded to the first tabs to effect electrical connection of the connector connection circuit, the fuse connection circuit and the relay connection circuit.
As described above, in this junction box the welding tabs of the connector module, the welding tabs of the fuse module and the welding tabs of the relay module may be arranged linearly in one or more rows at a single side of the connector module. Thus, when welding the tabs of the connector module, the fuse module and the relay module to each other, they can be welded easily by moving a welding machine relative to the components linearly and sequentially. It is even possible to layer welding tabs of the connector module, the fuse module and the relay module respectively as a triple layer and weld them to each other in a single step. The welding tabs can be welded to each other with a small number of operations and thus the welding efficiency can be improved greatly.
Preferably the electrical junction box has a casing having upper and lower casing parts, and the connector module, fuse module and relay module are mounted in the casing with the layered assembly of the connector module lying horizontally and the insulation substrate or substrates of the fuse module extending vertically, the fuse module being adapted to receive the fuses in use in an upper row and a lower row.
In this case, the casing has a lateral opening for insertion and removal of the fuses, and the first welding tabs of the connector module are aligned in a vertically spaced pair of said linear rows. The second welding tabs of the fuse module project in a pair of aligned rows at an upper side and a lower side respectively of the insulation substrate or substrates of the fuse module and confront the first welding tabs of the pair of linear rows thereof, and the confronting first welding tabs and second welding tabs are welded to each other at the upper and lower sides of the insulation substrate or substrates of the fuse module.
This construction allows the connector module and the fuse module to be disposed in a direction in which the connector module and the fuse module intersect with each other. The welding tabs of the two modules project at upper and lower sides of the intersection region and are arranged linearly in rows. Therefore the welding tabs can be welded to each other successively along the same lines, with the confronting welding tabs layered on each other.
The relay module may be disposed above or below the connector module in such a way that the relay module is proximate to the side where the fuse module is disposed. The welding tabs of the relay module may project at positions where they confront the welding tabs of the connector module and the welding tabs of the fuse module, the welding tabs of the relay module being welded to the welding tabs of the connector module and/or the welding tabs of the fuse module.
With this construction, because the relay module and the fuse module are disposed proximately, the welding tabs of the relay module and those of the fuse module can be reduced in number and further the welding tabs can be connected to each other by layering them triply.
An electronic control u
Kasai Koji
Kobayashi Nobuchika
Saito Yukitaka
Hammond Briggitte R.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
Ta Tho D.
LandOfFree
Electrical junction box for a vehicle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electrical junction box for a vehicle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electrical junction box for a vehicle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3177093