Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-01
2001-03-20
Kincaid, Kristine (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
C174S07100B, C174S0720TR, C174S09900B, C361S611000, C361S624000, C361S662000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06204451
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electric wiring construction having a bus bar that supplies electricity to one or more electrical components. A first connection terminal is connected with the bus bar by means of a first screw tightened into the bus bar. A second connection terminal is connected with the bus bar by means of a second screw tightened into the bus bar. An input line is connected with the first connection terminal, and an output line that supplies electric current to one or more other electricity-consuming components is connected with the second connection terminal.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, the various electricity-consuming components installed on a vehicle (e.g. a glow plug, heater, or the like) are powered by electricity generated by a generator which is operated by the actuation of the engine. A relay box is provided on an electricity supply path connected with the electricity-consuming components. The relay box accommodates a plurality of relays that switches the supply of electric current to electricity-consuming components, to turn them on and off.
FIG. 6
shows a conventional relay box
11
. An electrically conductive bus bar
12
is installed on the relay box
11
. Relays are electrically connected with the bus bar
12
. A part of the bus bar
12
is exposed on an outer surface of the relay box
11
. Electricity generated by a generator is transmitted to the relays through an input line
13
and the bus bar
12
. The input line
13
is crimped to connect it with a first crimping portion
151
of a first connection terminal
15
. The first connection terminal
15
is connected with the bus bar
12
by a first screw
16
tightened into the bus bar
12
.
The bus bar
12
that supplies electricity to the relays is also used to supply electricity to other electricity-consuming components other than via the relays. An output line
14
that supplies electricity to the other electricity-consuming components is crimped to connect it with a second crimping portion
171
of a second connection terminal
17
. The second connection terminal
17
is connected with the bus bar
12
by a second screw
18
tightened into the bus bar
12
.
The electricity generated by the generator is transmitted to the relays accommodated inside the relay box
11
and the output line
14
through the input line
13
and the bus bar
12
. That is, through the bus bar
12
, electricity is sent to the other electricity-consuming components positioned at the other end of the output line
14
. When electricity passes through the bus bar
12
, heat is generated by the bus bar
12
. The generated heat is transmitted to the first and second connection terminals
15
and
17
and the first and second screws
16
and
18
. Owing to the heat transmission, the first and second connection terminals
15
and
17
and the first and second screws
16
and
18
are heated. As described above, the input line
13
is fixed by crimping to the first connection terminal
15
, and the output line
14
is fixed by crimping to the second connection terminal
17
. When the temperature of the generated heat of the bus bar
12
exceeds the thermal resistance temperature of the first connection terminal
15
and that of the second connection terminal
17
, the electrical contact between the input line
13
and the first crimping portion
151
and that between the output line
14
and the second crimping portion
171
become poor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to prevent poor electrical contact between a connection terminal and a bus bar.
In order to address the object described above, the present invention provides an electric wiring construction having a bus bar that supplies electricity to one or more electricity-consuming components; a first connection terminal is connected with the bus bar by means of a first screw tightened into the bus bar; a second connection terminal is connected with the bus bar by means of a second screw tightened into the bus bar; an input line is connected to the first connection terminal; and an output line that supplies electric current to one or more other electricity-consuming components is connected to the second connection terminal. The first connection terminal and the second connection terminal are also connected to each other by a bypassing member.
Accordingly, part of the electric current flowing through the input line flows to the output line not via the bus bar but via the bypassing line. This construction allows a smaller amount of electric current to flow through the bus bar than that flowing through a bus bar of the conventional construction.
Preferably, the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal each have a respective crimping portion; one end of the bypassing member and the input line are crimped to the crimping portion of the first connection terminal; and the other end of the bypassing member and the output line are crimped to the crimping portion of the second connection terminal.
For example, it is easy to form a construction in which the bypassing member is crimped to the crimping portion of each connection terminal, together with the input and output lines.
Preferably, one end of the bypassing member is connected with at least one of the first connection terminal and the bus bar by means of the first screw tightened into the bus bar; and the other end of the bypassing member is connected with at least one of the first connection terminal and the bus bar by means of the second screw tightened into the bus bar. That is, both the bypassing member and the connection terminals are connected with the bus bar by tightening the screws into the bus bar. Usually, the bus bar is installed on a relay box accommodating a plurality of relays, and the relays are electrically connected with the bus bar.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2569223 (1951-09-01), Bowers
patent: 3035242 (1962-05-01), Sloop
patent: 3076167 (1963-01-01), Spencer et al.
patent: 5087999 (1992-02-01), Sato et al.
patent: 5438310 (1995-08-01), Ikari
patent: 5749671 (1998-05-01), Chauquet
Akoshima Shigeru
Kasahara Yasuhiro
Kato Shinshu
Kincaid Kristine
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
Walkenhorst W. David
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