Electric connection box

Details Electric connection box Electric connection box

2000-05-16

2001-11-13

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...

Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement

C439S488000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06315579

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to and claims priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, from Japanese Patent Application No. 11-141535, filed on May 21, 1999, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric connection box mounted to a vehicle such as a passenger car.
2. Discussion of Background
To satisfy a growing demand for improved passenger comfort, the electrical components mounted in a vehicle are increasing in number, which components may include audio system, navigation system, television, electrically-powered antenna, air conditioner, rear-wind heater, seat heater, electrically-powered seat, and suspension-stiffness controller.
The vehicle-mounted electrical components are supplied with electric power from a battery and operated under the control of a controller. Usually, the battery and the controller are disposed in the engine room and the passenger compartment, respectively, whereas the vehicle-mounted electrical components are disposed at various parts of the vehicle body, so that complicated wiring is required for electrical connection between the vehicle-mounted electrical components, the battery and the controller. For convenience of wiring, an electric connection box and wire harnesses are generally employed, the harnesses extending between the connection box, the battery, and the controller.
An electrical connection box is exemplarily shown at
50
in FIG.
5
. The connection box
50
mainly includes: upper and lower cases
51
,
52
assembled into one piece; a wiring board
53
interposed between the upper and lower cases
51
,
52
; and bus bars
55
,
56
mounted on opposite first and second surfaces, respectively, of the wiring board
53
for distributing large electric currents. Electrical parts, including fuses, relays, and terminals, adapted for connection with wire harnesses, are mounted on the upper and lower cases
51
,
52
. The fuses serve as protective measures against overcurrent that can be generated when a wire harness is short-circuited with the vehicle body or an electric load, such as an electric motor, becomes faulty for any reason.
The wiring board
53
, formed by resin injection molding, for instance, is formed with reinforcing ribs for providing the wiring board
53
with desired mechanical strength and vibration resistance. The wiring board
53
has opposite faces thereof formed with wiring grooves in which continuous wires W are installed with the use of a wiring machine. The continuous wire W are cut, where required, to form desired electrical connecting circuits. Further, press-fitted terminals
54
for establishing electrical connection between corresponding ones one the wires and the electrical parts, such as fuses, are mounted on the wiring board
53
. The wiring board
53
cooperates with the wires W, the terminals
54
, and the bus bars
55
,
56
, to constitute an electrical connecting component (internal component)
57
received in the upper and lower cases
51
,
52
.
To fabricate electrical connecting components
57
each having a number of constituent elements, such as the wire W, the wiring board
53
, the terminals
54
, and the bus bars
55
,
56
, complicated assembling work, which may include many steps, is required. Thus the cycle time for fabricating the electrical connecting component
57
is generally longer than that of a subsequent step of assembling the cases
51
,
52
and the internal component
57
into one piece. This causes a reduction in production efficiency of electric connection boses. In order to improve the production efficiency by shortening an apparent cycle time of production of the electrical connecting component
57
to the extent that it becomes nearly equal to that of the subsequent assembling step, a plurality of production facilities, each including a wiring machine and a terminal press-fitting machine, can be employed for production of electrical connecting components
57
of the same kind.
Defective electrical connecting components
57
can be manufactured if any one of the production facilities is faulty in operation. For instance, if one of the wiring machines becomes faulty, wires W are inappropriately installed on the wiring boards
53
concerned. If a molding die for forming wiring boards
53
is defective or if an amount of resin injected is insufficient, a defective formation of reinforcing ribs can occur in the associated wiring boards
53
. In such cases, defective products to be discarded must be discriminated from non-defective products. However, a proper discrimination of defective products cannot be made when a plurality of production facilities are employed for the production of electrical connecting components
57
in particular.
That is, if a faulty operation of a certain production facility has been overlooked for a long time and defective electrical connecting components have been one incorporated into the cases (casing) of electrical connecting boxes, it becomes impossible to specify those electrical connecting boxes, which accommodate defective components therein, by external inspection. Although electric connection boxes are labeled with an indication, such as a manufacturer's serial number, discrimination between defective products and non-defective products cannot usually be made based on the serial numbers alone. Thus, all the products, including defective and non-defective products manufactured during the period in which at least one production facility was abnormally operated, must be repaired or discarded to eliminate the fear of shipment of defective products, resulting in a waste in costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electric connection box making it possible to identify from outside, among production facilities, a production facility actually employed for production of an internal component already accommodated in a casing of each individual electric connection box.
According to the present invention, an electric connection box is provided, which includes: a casing; an internal component accommodated in the casing; an identification mark provided on an outer surface of the internal component for indicating a production facility employed for production of the internal component; and an inspection window formed in the casing for permitting inspection to ascertain the identification mark from outside of the casing.
According to the electrical connection box of the present invention, inspection can easily be made from outside of the electric connection box to ascertain whether the internal component, accommodated in each individual electric connection box, was fabricated by a production facility whose operation was faulty, even after internal components, produced by a plurality of production facilities, at least one of which was defective in operation, are already incorporated into electric connection boxes.
In the present invention, preferably, the identification mark has a different shape or color for each of the production facilities employed for production of internal components of the same kind. Alternatively, the identification mark is provided at a different location on the outer face of the internal component for each of the production facilities.
In this case, on the basis of the shape, color, or location of the identification mark, whether or not each individual internal component was fabricated by a faulty production facility can be easily ascertained from outside of the electric connection box.
Alternatively, the identification mark specifies a molding die employed for production of the internal component. In this case, on the basis of the identification mark, discrimination can be easily made from outside of the electric connection box as to whether or not the internal component was fabricated by using a defective molding die or a molding die which entailed injection shortage.
In the present invention, the internal component may be an electrical con

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

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.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2618653