Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Including compound movement of coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2002-07-23
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Including compound movement of coupling part
C439S034000, C439S533000, C174S0720TR
Reexamination Certificate
active
06422889
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting construction for automotive electric equipment which is provided on an interior member of an automotive vehicle and an interior unit employing the same automotive electric equipment mounting construction.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, electric equipment such as an interior room lamp and a map lamp is mounted on a ceiling portion of a passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle. In addition, electric equipment such as a power window switch and a foot well light is mounted on a door trim.
Conventionally, in a case where an interior member or an electric member is assembled to the body of an automotive vehicle, a wiring harness is disposed in advance on the inside of the body which is assembled from welded body parts and painted, and a distal end of the wiring harness and a connector are put through an opening formed in the interior member (a lining) for mounting therein electric equipment from a body side (a non-passenger compartment side: inside) of the interior member to a passenger compartment side thereof (outside). Then, in that state, the interior material is fixed to the frame of the body, and furthermore, after the connector is connected to the electric equipment, a portion of the wiring harness which protrudes on the passenger compartment side of the interior member is pushed in between the interior member and the body, so that the electric equipment fits in the opening in the interior material, the electric equipment being finally fixed to the frame of the body with screws or the like.
On the other hand, in recent years, modularization of an automotive vehicle has been progressing with a view to reducing time and cost required for development of an automotive vehicle, as well as reducing automotive component parts cost and simplifying the assembly process. As a part of the modularization, interior members (linings) are now supplied to an automotive vehicle assembly line with electric equipment being mounted in advance on the interior members (linings) and wiring harnesses which have already been connected to the electric equipment being disposed on the inside of the interior members.
While the modulation of respective parts of the automotive vehicle is very effective in improving the assembling efficiency at a car manufacturer, the modulation rather deteriorates the serviceability at dealerships.
For example, in a case where the housing of electric equipment such as an interior room lamp gets dirty or cracks, although depending on users, there are many cases where they want the whole of the electric equipment to be replaced. However, in the event that the electric equipment is modularized together with the interior member, the wiring harness is disposed tightly on the inside of the interior member, and therefore it is not possible in practice to pull the wiring harness out of the tight space to a wider space to disconnect and reconnect connectors, this making it difficult to replace the dirty or cracked electric equipment with new electric equipment. Furthermore, in a case where electric equipment is fixed to an interior member, there may occur a case where the whole interior member has to be removed to replace the electric equipment. Thus, there is caused a problem that the modulation deteriorates the serviceability at dealerships when compared with the conventional construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made with a view to solving the problem inherent in the conventional modular electric equipment, and an object thereof is to provide automotive electric equipment and an automotive interior unit which are more suitable for modularization of an automotive vehicle to seek for better assembling efficiency during the assembling process and better serviceability at dealerships.
With a view to attaining the object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided automotive electric equipment comprising a main unit mounted in an opening formed in an automotive interior member from a passenger compartment side, an electric wire connecting unit provided in such a manner as to be separated from the main unit and disposed on a non-passenger compartment side of the interior member for connecting with electric wires, an engagement unit provided in such a manner as to protrude from the opening to the non-passenger compartment side of the interior member in a state in which the main unit fits in the opening for engagement with the electric wire connecting unit and a function unit provided on the main unit in such a manner as to connect with the electric wire connecting unit via conductors in a state in which the electric wire connecting unit is in engagement with the engagement unit for performing a predetermined function.
In the above construction, preferably, the engagement of the engagement unit with the main unit can be released from the passenger compartment side of the interior member.
In addition, preferably, the engagement unit has a guide which is substantially parallel relative to a mounting reference plane of the main unit which is exposed from the opening in the interior member toward the non-passenger compartment side, and the electric wire connecting unit is adapted to engage with and disengage from the guide of the engagement unit by being caused to slide in directions substantially parallel relative to the mounting reference plane.
Furthermore, preferably, one of the engagement unit and the electric wire connecting unit has a raised portion protruding in a direction substantially perpendicular to the mounting reference plane, whereas the other has a recessed portion or a hole portion adapted to be brought into engagement with the protruding raised portion.
Moreover, preferably, the engagement of the engagement unit with the electric wire connecting unit is released by displacing the raised portion.
Furthermore, preferably, the electric wire connecting unit is disposed so as to connect with the electric wires at intermediate positions along the lengths thereof.
In addition, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an automotive interior unit comprising an interior member having an opening for mounting therein electric equipment and fixed to a frame of an automotive vehicle, electric wires disposed on a non-passenger compartment side of the interior member and automotive electric equipment having any of the constructions as set forth above wherein at least part of the electric equipment fits in the opening from a passenger compartment side for electric connection with the electric wires.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3970354 (1976-07-01), Hopkins et al.
patent: 4500746 (1985-02-01), Meehan
patent: 5309634 (1994-05-01), Van Order et al.
patent: 5324203 (1994-06-01), Sano et al.
Autonetworks Tech, Ltd.
Nguyen Khiem
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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