Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-25
2004-03-30
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
C439S212000, C439S949000, C174S050510
Reexamination Certificate
active
06712623
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automobile junction box, in which the internal circuits utilize and share rectangular-shaped bus bars, and in which circuit changes are simplified.
2. Discussion of Background Information
In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of automobile electrical equipments, and the number of circuits that are housed inside an automotive electrical connection boxes, especially junction boxes. Construction of such a high density of branch circuits requires numerous parts and a large amount of assembly time.
Among such automotive electrical connection boxes is junction box
1
of
FIG. 15
, for example, that has a multi-layered configuration of bus bars
5
A-
5
D with intervening insulating plates
4
A-
4
E between upper case
2
and lower case
3
. The above-mentioned upper case
2
includes connector receptacles
2
a,
relay housings
2
b,
and fuse housings
2
c
to which connectors
6
, relays
7
, and fuses
8
are respectively attached so that their terminals are directly connected to tabs protruding from the bus bars or via relay terminals. Lower case
3
also includes connector receptacles
3
a
that connect to protruding tabs
5
a
of the bus bars. Bus bars
5
A-
5
D that are attached to above mentioned insulating plates
4
A-
4
E are stamped out of conductive metal boards into required circuit patterns.
As shown in FIGS.
16
(A) and (B), vertical bus bars
5
′ may also be housed inside upper case
2
′ (
3
′), instead of the above bus bars
5
A-
5
D. The above vertical bus bars
5
′ are formed as ribbon-shaped conductive metal pieces formed to the required bent shapes.
In junction box
1
of
FIG. 15
, since the bus bars are stamped into circuit patterns, new bus bars must be manufactured if a change in the circuit is necessary. Therefore, the cost of dies to form the bus bars becomes very expensive as it becomes difficult to flexibly accommodate circuit changes. Also, the production yield for conductive metal boards is very poor, thus increasing the cost of manufacturing.
Using vertical bus bars
5
′ as shown in
FIG. 16
, will improve the yield for manufacturing the conductive metal boards, because the bus bars are ribbon-shaped. However, bus bars that are formed and bent need to be inserted one by one into slots inside a case or between protruding guides. Therefore, such manufacturing still requires time and increases the cost.
Additionally, both of the junction boxes in
FIGS. 15 and 16
have a configuration in which connectors, fuses, and relays are connected to bus bars in the internal circuits. Therefore, when there is a specification change that changes the connections between the fuses and relays and internal circuit, it is necessary to change the entire internal circuit, and it has been very difficult to easily accommodate circuit changes.
Furthermore, in the junction box of
FIG. 15
, when installing connectors, relays or fuse housings in vertically opposing positions, tabs that bend from the bus bars will overlap and cannot be extended. As a result, such tabs need to be installed at bus bars of different layers, thus increasing the number of bus bar layers. Due to such an increase in the number of bus bar layers, the height of the junction box will also increase and thus will no longer be compact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is provided in view of the above-described problems. The first object of the invention is to provide for bus bars made to have a high yield rate for use in a junction box housing, automatic assembly of the bars into a case in a single automatic operation, and simplified circuit modification. The second object of the invention is to provide module units that contain the circuits in a junction box so that in the event of a change in a circuit that is connected to external circuits, fuses, or relays, the change is only made to the corresponding circuit without the need to modify the other circuit.
To address the above-described problems, the present invention provides a junction box that is divided into a base circuit part connected to an external circuit, and a fuse and/or relay circuit connection part, that incorporates a base module including the base circuit part and a fuse module including the above fuse connection circuit part and/or a relay module including the relay connection circuit, and that is assembled by combining these modules. The base circuit part of the base module is configured with rectangular vertical bus bars aligned in parallel in an internal part of a case, wherein the case incorporates multiple terminal housing compartments into which terminals for connection to external wire terminals are inserted, the terminals incorporating pairs of terminal grip ends that grip and connect to the vertical bus bars.
As described above, the junction box, according to the present invention, incorporates a base module including a base circuit part connected to an external circuit of external wires, and employs rectangular vertical bus bars as a circuit body for the base module. Unlike conventional vertical bus bars that are formed by bending, the vertical bars of the present invention are used “as is” in rectangular shape and are aligned in parallel inside a case. Thus, it is possible to get a 100% yield from a conductive metal board omitting the forming process, and to automatically assemble the internal case by installing the vertical bars in one operation.
In addition, the internal circuit of the junction box is divided into a base circuit part that is connected to an external circuit, and a fuse and/or relay connection circuit part, and the junction box incorporates a base module including the base circuit part, and a fuse module including the fuse connection circuit and/or relay module including the relay connection circuit. Because the junction box is assembled with these modules, if there are any specification changes in the fuse and/or relay connection circuit parts, it is only necessary to change the corresponding fuse and/or relay modules, thus simplifying the process for such specification changes. Conversely, if changes only to the connection circuit with the external wires are required, it is only necessary to change connection positions of the wires that are connected to the vertical bus bars of the base module, thus also simplifying the process for such circuit changes.
A terminal stop part that stops the terminal is installed on the inner surface of the individual terminal housing that is installed in the case of the base module. It is preferable to align the terminal housings in parallel and to have a retainer insertion orifice in the case, so that the terminals inserted in these terminal housings are secured with overlapping stops. By installing the double stop retainer, it is possible to prevent unplugging and to detect incomplete insertion of the terminals inside each terminal housing. Also, since the terminal housings are aligned in parallel, it is possible to automatically connect multiple wire terminals to vertical bus bars in one operation.
As described above, once all of the terminals from the external wires connected to the vertical bus bars inside the base module are inserted in the terminal housings, it is no longer necessary to have a conventional connection between the wire harness and junction box circuits. It also becomes possible to form a one-piece junction box and wire harness assembly that includes the above external wires.
The above terminal housing and/or connector receptacle are provided on both cases on the surfaces that oppose the aligned vertical bus bars, and both sides of the aligned vertical bus bars are gripped in the length direction and connected by the above wire end terminals. When a junction box is horizontally positioned, the vertical bus bars are housed inside the internal case that is formed by lower and upper cases of the base module. However, it is possible to install the terminal housing and/or connector receptacle only at the upper ca
Figueroa Felix O.
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Luebke Renee
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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