Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-24
2001-12-04
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
C439S949000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325641
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric junction box for use for distribution of an electric system of an automobile or the like therein, and more particularly to an electric junction box in which a group of male terminals provided on a bus bar in such a manner as to erect therefrom and a group of male terminals provided on an associated electronic unit in such a manner as to erect therefrom are connected to each other via a group of relay female terminals.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, various types of junction boxes have been in use for distribution of an electric system of an automobile or the like therein. For instance, referring to
FIGS. 7
to
9
, a conventional assembling construction will be described in which a relay terminal is assembled to a conventional electric junction box. As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, in a conventional electric junction box
51
, a first group of male terminals
4
provided on a bus bar
3
on a laminated electric distribution substrate
2
in such a manner as to erect therefrom and a second group of male terminals
6
provided on an associated electronic unit
5
such as a relay unit in such a manner as to erect therefrom are connected to each other via a group of relay female terminals
57
.
To be more specific, terminal receiving chambers
59
made to open toward a bus bar
3
are provided in a cover
58
covering an electric distribution substrate
2
for holding relay female terminals
57
. In addition, an insertion through hole
60
having inclined guide surfaces for the second male terminal is formed in a ceiling portion of the terminal receiving chamber
59
, and a fit holding groove
62
is formed in a portion above the ceiling portion for holding an electronic unit
5
fitted therein at external walls of the electronic unit.
FIG.
9
(
a
) is a side view of the relay female terminal
57
, and FIG.
9
(
b
) is a plan view thereof. This relay female terminal
57
is formed by folding a metal plate having high electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance such as a brass plate. Sides of a bottom plate
63
are bent to form side plates
64
,
65
and one of the side plates, which is the side plate
65
, is further bent to form a ceiling plate
66
, thus the relay female terminal
57
being formed into a box-like configuration as a whole.
In addition, the side plate
64
is also partially bent over the ceiling plate
66
so as to form a positioning projection plate
67
which is adapted to be brought into engagement with a positioning groove
59
a
provided in the terminal receiving chamber
59
. Moreover, a boundary groove
70
is formed in the ceiling plate
66
between a first female terminal portion
68
adapted to be inserted over a first male terminal
4
and a second female terminal portion
69
adapted to be inserted over a second male terminal
6
. Furthermore, the ceiling plate
66
is inwardly bent at ends thereof to form first and second elastic contact pieces
71
,
72
which are adapted to be brought into contact with the first and second male terminals
4
,
6
, respectively.
In the electric junction box
51
constructed as described above, a cover
58
is placed in position after the first female terminal portions
68
of the respective relay female terminals
57
are securely inserted over the first group of male terminals
4
provided on the electric distribution substrate
2
in such a manner as to erect therefrom. When this is performed, the cover has to be so placed while the group of relay female terminals
57
provided erectly on the electric distribution substrate
2
are being aligned with the terminal receiving chambers
59
and positioning grooves
59
a
provided in the cover
58
. Then, when the electronic unit
5
is securely mounted in the fit holding groove
62
, the second male terminals
6
are brought into contact with the second elastic contact piece
72
within the second female terminal portion
69
, whereby the bus bar
3
and the electronic unit
5
are electrically connected to each other.
Furthermore, since there is contemplated a positional tolerance of the first group of male terminals
4
and second group of male terminals
6
relative to the position of the group of terminal receiving chambers
59
, the relay female terminal
57
is constructed so as to be loosely fitted in the terminal receiving chamber
59
to thereby correct a positioning error.
In the above conventional electric junction box
51
, however, when the large cover
58
is placed over the electric distribution substrate
2
, with a small pitch between the first male terminals
4
, there exists a problem that engagement of the group of relay female terminals
57
within the terminal receiving chambers
59
becomes difficult and hence the working efficiency is deteriorated.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention was made in view of the aforesaid problem and an object thereof is to provide an electric junction box for facilitating an operation of mounting the cover onto the electric distribution substrate.
The aforesaid problem the present invention is to solve can be solved by an electric junction box in which a first group of male terminals provided on a bus bar in such a manner as to erect therefrom on an electric distributing substrate and a second group of male terminals provided on an associated electronic unit in such a manner as to erect therefrom are connected to each other via a group of relay female terminals, the electric junction box comprising a notched portion formed in a part of a cover where the electronic unit is connected with the electric junction box, a housing provided separately from the cover so as to be fitted in the notched portion, terminal receiving chambers formed in the housing so as to open to a side thereof facing to the bus bar for holding entirely within the terminal receiving chambers. The relay female terminals in the housing, and a press hold mechanism provided on sides of the relay terminal that is to be received in the housing in such a manner as to be held against internal walls of the terminal receiving chamber by pressing thereagainst.
In addition, in the electric junction box, preferably the press hold mechanism comprises a first projection provided on one of sides of a first female terminal portion adapted to be connected to the first group of male terminals and a second projection provided on the other side of the first female terminal portion or a second female terminal portion adapted to be connected to the second male terminals, the other side being a side opposite to the one of sides where the first projection is provided, and wherein a width-wise dimension between the first and second projections is set to allow the first and second projections to fit between the internal walls of the terminal receiving chamber.
Furthermore, in the electric junction box, the second projection is provided either at a position confronting the first projection on the first female terminal portion relative to a longitudinal center axis of the relay terminal or on the second terminal portion at a position on a line passing through a central point of the central axis and the first projection.
According to the electric junction box of the present invention constructed as described above, the electric junction box comprises a notched portion formed in a part of a cover where the electronic unit is connected with the electric junction box, a housing provided separately from the cover so as to be fitted in the notched portion, terminal receiving chambers formed in the housing so as to open to a side thereof facing to the bus bar for holding the relay female terminals in the housing, and a press hold mechanism provided on sides of the relay terminal that is to be received in the housing in such a manner as to be held against internal walls of the terminal receiving chamber by pressing thereagainst.
Thus, the relay female terminals are inserted and held in the terminal receiving chambers in advance by means of the press hold mechanism, and only the h
Hagikura Hirofumi
Nishiyama Naomasa
Hyeon Hae Moon
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Sircus Brian
Yazaki -Corporation
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