Electrical connection box

Details Electrical connection box Electrical connection box

2001-11-06

2003-03-25

Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With supporting means for coupling part

Nonuse covering means, e.g., connector storage means

C439S076200, C439S681000, C439S924200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06537105

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an electrical connection box, and more particularly, to a vehicular electrical connection box adapted to be selectively attached with an electrical-part mounted unit and enabling a worker to accurately and quickly connect and fit a sharable wire harness at different connecting and fitting locations depending on whether an electrical-part mounted unit has been attached to the connection box.
BACKGROUND ART
In recent years, the need for comfort in automobiles has been rising. To satisfy such a need, the general practice has been to provide individual vehicles with options, such as audio systems, navigation systems, television sets, power antennas, air-conditioners, rear window heaters, seat heaters, power seats, suspension hardness control units, and various other electrical components, in accordance with types of vehicles or, even with the same type, in accordance with grades of vehicles.
The wiring for connecting such electrical components with the battery or controller is complicated. Wire harnesses or cables extending from the electrical components, battery, and controller are generally connected to an electrical connection box so as to accurately and simply establish electrical connections between these vehicle-mounted components. Various electrical parts are mounted in the electrical connector box. For example, a fuse is mounted to prevent overcurrent at the time of a short-circuit between a wire harness and a vehicle body or at the time of breakdown of a motor or other electrical component, and a relay is mounted, which cooperates with the operating switch of the electrical component to establish and break a power feed route to an electrical component.
In the case of a vehicle equipped with a large number of electrical components, sometimes an ACG control unit for continuously detecting the amount of power consumed by the electrical components and for controlling the engine speed in accordance with a change in the amount of power consumption is provided in the electrical connection box. In a vehicle equipped with a large number of electrical components, if many of the electrical components are operated at one time, the power consumption increases, the load on the battery rises, and the performance of the electrical components sometimes are lowered, but by controlling the engine speed to one suitable for the power consumption by using the ACG controller, the large number of electrical components can be operated stably.
The ACG control unit attached to the electrical connection box is connected to an engine speed sensor and an engine controller via wire harnesses. Therefore, the manner of wiring in the vehicle differs depending on whether an ACG control unit (more generally, an electrical-part mounted unit) is attached to the electrical connection box. Accordingly, the specifications of the wire harness sometimes vary in accordance with the presence/absence of an ACG control unit. That is, the provision is made of a wire harness having a connector
122
for connection of the ACG control unit (shown at right side in
FIG. 5B
) and a wire harness not provided with a connector
122
as shown by the two-dot chain line at the right side of FIG.
5
A. These two types of wire harnesses are selectively used in accordance with whether the ACG control unit is attached to the connection box. In this case, the types of the wire harnesses increase and the cost rises.
In FIG.
5
A and
FIG. 5B
, reference numeral
111
denotes an ACG control unit holder of the electrical connection box, which holder is formed with a fitting hole
111
a
into which the ACG control unit
121
having the connector
121
c
is fitted.
To avoid increased cost caused by the increase in the number of types of wire harnesses, sometimes a wire harness with a tape-insulated connector, serving as a sharable wire harness, is used irrespective of whether an ACG control unit is attached to the electrical connection box. As shown at the right side of
FIG. 6A
, a wire harness of this kind is provided with a connector
222
employed for connection of the ACG control unit, which connector is covered by an electrically insulating plastic tape
222
a.
By peeling off the insulating tape
222
a
from the connector
222
, the connector
122
can be connected to a connector of the ACG control unit
121
(
FIG. 6B
) fitted to the fitting hole
111
a
of the unit holder
111
of the electrical connection box. On the other hand, when the ACG control unit
121
is not attached to the unit holder
111
of the electrical connection box (shown by the two-dot chain line at the left side of FIG.
6
A), it is possible to leave the connector
222
of the wire harness unused in the covered and insulated state (shown at the right side in FIG.
6
A).
Since the wire harness of this kind is suitably useable for both the state where the ACG control unit (
FIG. 6B
) is attached to the connection box and the state where it is not attached thereto (FIG.
6
A), such a wire harness may be used as a sharable wire harness to reduce the number of types of wire harnesses. However, to connect the ACG control unit with this wire harness, the extra step of work of peeling off the insulating tape
222
a
of the connector
222
is required, as shown in FIG.
6
B.
To eliminate such inconvenience, it may be considered to form a dummy connector housing near the ACG control unit holder of the electrical connection box. With an electrical connection box of this configuration, it would be possible to fit the wire harness connector to the dummy connector housing when the ACG control unit is not attached to the connection box, while it would be possible to connect the wire harness connector to the connector of the ACG control unit when the ACG control unit is attached thereto. That is, by using a combination of an electrical connection box provided with a dummy connector housing and a wire harness with a connector, a sharable wire harness can be provided, and there is no need to electrically insulate the connector, whereby the labor involved in peeling off the covering tape can be eliminated.
According to the electrical connection box of this configuration, however, even if an ACG control unit (more generally, an electrical-part mounted unit) is attached to the electrical connection box, a worker is liable to mistakenly end up fitting the wire harness connector to the dummy connector housing. In this case, the ACG control unit is not electrically connected with the wire harness, and therefore, the electrical connection box is end up being assembled in a state where the functions of the control unit are prevented from becoming effective. If the electrical connection box assembled with the wire harness connector mistakenly connected in this way were mounted in a vehicle, the mistaken connection would not be discovered before the final inspection line of the vehicle assembly line and the subsequent work for correction would become complicated.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection box adapted to be selectively attached with an electrical-part mounted unit and enabling a sharable wire harness to be quickly and accurately connected and held at a different connecting and holding location depending on whether the electrical-part mounted unit is attached to the connection box, the sharable wire harness being suitable for use in both the state where the electrical-part mounted unit is attached to the connection box and the state where the unit is not attached.
To achieve the above object, the electrical connection box according to the present invention comprises a unit holder to which an electrical-part mounted unit is adapted to be attached, a dummy connector housing adapted to be fitted with a connector of a wire harness, which connector is employed for connection of the electrical-part mounted unit, and blocking means for preventing the connector from being fitted to the dummy connector housing in a state where the electrical-part mounted unit is attached to

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