Electricity: conductors and insulators – Boxes and housings
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-30
2004-08-31
Patel, Dhiru R (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Boxes and housings
C174S058000, C174S060000, C220S004020
Reexamination Certificate
active
06784365
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a cavity structure of an electric junction box in which an automotive fuse is mounted.
FIG. 4
shows a related-art electric junction box in which an automotive fuse is mounted.
In the cavity
40
shown in
FIG. 4
, a pair of tab (male) terminals
43
and
44
, projecting from a bottom plate
42
, are disposed within a housing receiving portion
41
having four side walls, and an upper end portion of the housing receiving portion
41
serves as a cavity opening
45
. The pair of tab terminals
43
and
44
are connected serially to a circuit of an automotive electrical equipment.
Examples of automotive fuses to be mounted in such a cavity
40
are shown in
FIGS. 5 and 6
.
An automotive fuse
50
, shown in
FIG. 5
, is a long-body plug-in fuse, and a cover
52
is provided at an upper end of a housing body
51
of a square tubular shape, and an opening
53
is formed at a lower end of the housing body
51
. A pair of tab-receiving (female) terminals
54
and
55
are provided within the housing body
51
, and are disposed relatively remote from the opening
53
, and a fusible element
56
is integrally connected to upper ends of the tab-receiving terminals
54
and
55
. The cover
52
is locked to the housing body
51
by a pair of locking pieces (not shown).
An automotive fuse
60
, shown in
FIG. 6
, is a short-body plug-in fuse, and a cover
62
is provided at an upper end of a housing body
61
of a square tubular shape, and an opening
63
is formed at a lower end of the housing body
61
. A pair of tab-receiving (female) terminals
64
and
65
are provided within the housing body
61
, and are disposed relatively close to the opening
63
, and a fusible element
66
is integrally connected to upper ends of the tab-receiving terminals
64
and
65
.
A pair of elastic locking pieces
62
a
are formed respectively at opposite ends of the cover
62
, and these locking pieces
62
a
can be locked respectively to a pair of retaining projections
61
a
formed respectively at corresponding portions of the housing body
61
.
The opening
53
,
63
of the automotive fuse
50
,
60
is located in registry with the cavity opening
45
, and the housing body
51
,
61
is inserted into the housing receiving portion
41
until the opening
53
,
63
is brought into contact with the bottom plate
42
, so that the tab-receiving terminals
54
and
55
(
64
and
65
) are electrically connected to the tab terminals
43
and
44
, respectively.
When a large current flows in the circuit, for example, as a result of development of seizure in the electrical equipment such as a motor, the fusible element
56
,
66
melts to break the circuit so as to prevent an excess large current from flowing in the circuit, thus protecting the circuit.
The automotive fuses
50
and
60
are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-325875A.
Usually, fuse cavities, together with switching devices (such as relays) are provided at a junction box or a specially-designed fuse box, and therefore it is not desired to form the fuse cavities into various shapes, and the fuse cavities are molded into a standardized single shape. Therefore, it has been desired that the cavity
40
should have the housing receiving portion
41
of a common construction for use with both of the long-body automotive fuse
50
and the short-body automotive fuse
60
.
When the long-body automotive fuse
50
is mounted in the cavity
40
, the housing body
51
is received within the housing receiving portion
41
, with the distal ends of the tab terminals
43
and
44
considerably spaced from the fusible element
56
(see FIG.
5
).
However, when the short-body automotive fuse
40
is mounted in the cavity, the housing body
61
is received within the housing receiving portion
41
, with the distal ends of the tab terminals
43
and
44
disposed close to the fusible element
66
, and therefore the tab terminals
43
and
44
are liable to interfere with the fusible element
66
. When the tab terminals
43
and
44
interfered with the fusible element
66
, there is anxiety that the housing body
61
could not be surely inserted into the housing receiving portion
41
.
When the tab terminals
43
and
44
are designed such that the length of projecting of the tab terminals
43
and
44
within the housing receiving portion
41
is reduced, the above anxiety with the short-body automotive fuse
60
is overcome. However, since the length of projecting of the tab terminals
43
and
44
are short, the area of contact between each of the tab terminals
43
and
44
and the corresponding tab-receiving terminal
64
,
65
of the long-body automotive fuse
60
is reduced, the electrical connection between the two would be unstable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention is to provide a cavity structure of an electric junction box which has an enhanced general-purpose ability for use with various fuses.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention, there is provided an electric junction box, comprising:
a first housing, formed with a cavity adapted to receive both of a second housing having a first length and provided with a first fuse, and a third housing having a second length smaller than the first length and provided with a second fuse, the cavity having a bottom;
a pair of terminals, extending from the bottom of cavity so as to have a third length, and adapted to be fitted with both of the first fuse and the second fuse; and
at least one spacer, having a predetermined thickness smaller than the third length and removably disposed on the bottom of cavity, at least in a case where the third housing is received in the cavity.
Here, it is preferable that the predetermined thickness is determined so as to adjust a fitting amount of the third housing into the cavity.
It is also preferable that the predetermined thickness is determined so as to adjust a length of the terminals projected from a top face of the spacer.
It is also preferable that the predetermined thickness is determined so as to adjust a depth of the cavity.
In the above configuration, in a case where the terminals interfere with the fuse provided in the mating housing, the spacer is disposed so as to reduce the fitting amount of the mating housing into the cavity (the projected amount of the terminal from the top face of the spacer, or the depth of the cavity). On the other hand, in a case where the terminals do not interfere with the fuse, the spacer is not disposed.
Therefore, the different housings can be surely mounted in the first housing of the same construction, and there can be obtained the electric junction box having an enhanced general-purpose ability for use with the various fuses.
Preferably, an outline of the spacer is substantially identical with an outline of the bottom of the cavity.
It is also preferable that the spacer is formed with a pair of through holes through which the terminals are inserted.
In such configuration, since the terminals are prevented from being bent, the fuse is prevented from being displaced out of position.
Preferably, a color of the spacer is different from a color of the first housing.
In such a configuration, those cavities, each having the spacer mounted therein, can be easily distinguished from those cavities each having no spacer, and the erroneous mounting of the fuse can be surely prevented.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5514010 (1996-05-01), Myer et al.
patent: 5621311 (1997-04-01), Kamiya
patent: 5920188 (1999-07-01), Voorheis et al.
patent: 6350949 (2002-02-01), Boyd
patent: 6462270 (2002-10-01), Depp et al.
patent: 6570088 (2003-05-01), Depp et al.
patent: 11-96890 (1999-04-01), None
patent: 11-96891 (1999-04-01), None
patent: 2001-325875 (2001-11-01), None
Kondo Hiroki
Ohashi Norihiro
Patel Dhiru R
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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