Electrical connectors – With provision to restrict environment effects – Including contact cover or case
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-07
2001-08-28
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With provision to restrict environment effects
Including contact cover or case
C174S13800J
Reexamination Certificate
active
06280244
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electric connector box used in an automobile or the like.
Internal wiring in an automobile is connected to an electric connection box incorporating electronic parts such as relays.
For example, an electric connection box
20
, shown in
Fig. 3
, includes a body
21
, electronic parts
22
, such as relays, mounted in the body
21
, and a lid
23
attached to the body
21
to cover the electronic parts
22
. An upper recess portion
24
is formed in an upper surface of the body
21
, and a side recess portion
25
is formed in a side surface of the body
21
, and the upper recess portion
24
is continuous with the side recess portion
25
. A power supply terminal
27
is fixedly secured to the upper recess portion
24
. The power supply terminal
27
has a plate-like shape, and is fixedly secured to the upper recess portion
24
by a fixing bolt
26
A, passing perpendicularly through the upper recess portion
24
, and a nut
26
B threaded on the fixing bolt
26
A at the upper side of the body
21
.
In this electric connection box
20
, the body
21
is covered with the lid
23
in such a manner that the side recess portion
25
in the body
21
is also covered with the lid
23
.
In the electric connection box
20
, the side recess portion
25
in the body
21
is continuous with the upper recess portion
24
, and the upper recess portion
24
is continuous with the entire area of the upper surface of the body
21
. Therefore, when water intrudes from the lower edge of the lid
23
toward the upper side, there is a possibility that the water intrudes to the entire area of the upper surface through the side recess portion
25
and the upper recess portion
24
, and therefore it has been required to provide any countermeasures for this.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in order to meet the above requirement, and an object of the invention is to provide an electric connection box in which although a body, covered by a lid, has an upper recess portion and a side recess portion which are continuous with each other, water is prevented from intruding to an upper surface of the body.
The above object has been achieved by an electric connection box including:
a body having an upper surface, a side surface, an upper recess recessed from said upper surface and a side recess recessed from said upper recess and disposed in said side surface;
a terminal provided in said upper recess and said side recess;
a lid covering said upper surface and said side surface;
a tubular portion provided to said lid, wherein said lid is received by said upper recess to cover said terminal. The fastening member is not limited to a fixing bolt and a nut, but a pin or a rivet can be used.
The tubular portion only need to project from the reverse surface (facing the body) of the lid toward the bottom of the upper recess portion in the body, and a wall of the tubular portion may be defined by a side wall of the lid, or may be formed by a wall independent of the side wall of the lid.
In the electric connection box of this construction, the tubular portion is received in the upper recess portion in a manner to cover the plate-like terminal, and therefore even when water intrudes from the lower edge of the lid toward the upper side, the tubular portion serves as a waterproof wall, and therefore the water will hardly intrude to the upper recess portion in the body, and therefore the above object can be achieved.
In the invention, when the plate-like terminal is mounted in inclined relation to the upper recess portion, an end of the tubular portion can contact the plate-like terminal. Therefore, if the plate-like terminal is incompletely connected, the end of the tubular portion contacts the fastening member, so that the lid can not be properly attached to the body.
In this electric connection box, the incomplete connection of the plate-like terminal can be detected from the incomplete attachment of the lid to the body, and the attention of the operator is drawn to this fact, so that the rate of defective products can be greatly reduced.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3629806 (1971-12-01), Wietchmann
patent: 4729059 (1988-03-01), Wang
patent: 4749363 (1988-06-01), Luska et al.
patent: 4909756 (1990-03-01), Jervis
patent: 4988309 (1991-01-01), Garretson
patent: 5371323 (1994-12-01), Schneider et al.
patent: 5671273 (1997-09-01), Lanquist
patent: 5709567 (1998-01-01), Gladd et al.
patent: 5771151 (1998-06-01), Hotea
patent: 0 782 233 A (1997-07-01), None
patent: 0 816 177 A (1998-01-01), None
patent: 62-19021 (1987-02-01), None
Duverne J. F.
Sircus Brian
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
Electric connection box does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electric connection box, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electric connection box will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2438085