Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-23
2004-04-13
Nguyen, Truc (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
C439S034000, C439S949000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06719572
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a junction box mounted on a vehicle body. More particularly, the present invention relates to a junction box, disposed between a dash panel and an installment panel, where fuses and relay replacements may be easily accomplished with high workability in a reasonable maintenance time. The present invention also relates to a compact junction box that can be connected to a wire harness with high operability
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the conventional art, two kinds of wire harnesses, namely, an installment panel harness and a cowl harness are disposed between an installment panel of a vehicle and a dash panel at the vehicle-body side. A power-source line, a signal line, and a ground line are present in each of the installment panel harness and the cowl harness. The junction box to be connected to the wire harness is assembled by connecting it to the installment panel harness or the cowl harness through a connector.
The cowl harness is disposed along a dash panel in an assembly line of a vehicle and fixed with a clamp. The installment panel harness is disposed along the installment panel and fixed with a clamp. In this state, the installment panel is installed on the dash panel. A front harness, a floor harness, a roof harness, and a door harness connector is fitted on a connector fit-on portion of a junction box connected to the installment panel harness or the cowl harness. Further a connector of the installment panel harness or the cowl harness at the side not connected to the junction box is fitted on the connector fit-on portion of the junction box. After required connectors are all fitted on the junction box, the junction box is fixed to the dash panel.
As described above, the power-supply line, the signal line, and the ground line are present in each of the installment panel harness and the cowl harness that are disposed on the installment panel and the dash panel. Further the wire harnesses and the junction box connected to the wire harnesses are also large. Thus, a large junction box-installing space is required. Also, it is difficult to install the junction box on the dash panel.
In connecting a large number of connectors to the junction box, it is necessary for an operator to extend her/his hand from below to a dark space sandwiched between the dash panel and the installment panel. The operator is crouching and stooping during installation. Thus, this operation is a physical burden on the operator. Further because it is necessary to connect the floor harness, the front harness, the roof harness, the door harness, and the installment panel harness or the cowl harness to the junction box, it is necessary to connect a large number of connectors on the junction box. Thus it takes a substantial amount of time to perform the connector connection operation.
To overcome the above-described problem, the present applicant proposed a junction box
1
as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-154216 and as shown in FIG.
13
. The junction box
1
is divided into a first junction box
2
, with a common power-supply circuit, a ground circuit, and a high-current power supply circuit branch-connected to the common power-supply circuit and the ground circuit. The second junction box
3
has the low-current circuit which includes the signal circuit. The first junction box
2
and the second junction box
3
have the batch fit-on connector portions
2
a
and
3
a,
respectively. The relays and the fuses are mounted on the first junction box
2
. The first junction box
2
is mounted on the installment panel P
1
to connect it to the installment panel harness W/H
1
. The second junction box
3
is mounted on the dash panel P
2
. Further the junction box
1
has a plurality of harness/connector portions
3
b
that connect with the front harness, the floor harness, the roof harness, and the door harness.
The large junction box
1
, which is later fixed to the dash panel, is divided into the high-current circuit and the low-current circuit to form the first junction box that is mounted on the installment panel in advance and the second junction box that is mounted on the dash panel in advance. Thus the internal circuit of each junction box has a simple compact construction. Further the first junction box and the second junction box are mounted on the installment panel and the dash panel, respectively, before the installment panel is mounted on the dash panel. Since the electrical connection is made when the installment panel is mounted on the dash panel, the junction box
1
has a function similar to that of a conventional junction box.
Through connectors, other wire harnesses are connected to the second junction box which is to be mounted on the dash panel. Thus, upon engagement of the batch fit-on connector portions, which are to be fitted on the first and second junction boxes, the installment panel harness can be connected to other wire harnesses. As described above, because of the connection between the first and second junction boxes, a batch connection between the installment panel harness and other wire harnesses can be achieved. Therefore the junction box proposed by the present invention enables the connector fit-on operation to be accomplished in a smaller number of processes than the conventional connector fit-on operation.
However, due to the disposition of the junction box between the dash panel and the installment panel it makes it difficult to perform maintenance work. In particular, where a large number of fuses and relays are used, the fuses and relays are mounted on both surfaces of each of the upper case and the lower case. Thus, it is difficult to perform a replacement operation of the fuses and the relays.
The internal circuit of the junction box is composed of bus bars. Thus, it is necessary to produce bus bars which depend on a circuit alteration, which increases the manufacturing cost. Further when a high-density circuit is required, the number of the bus bars increases and in turn, the junction box becomes large. Because the space between the dash panel and the installment panel is small, a large space is required to install the junction box. Furthermore because the junction box is connected to a wire harness of an external circuit through connectors, the number of component parts increases and numerous assembling stages are required in an assembling work, and so forth.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described shortcomings of the art. Accordingly, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a junction box, disposed between a dash panel and a installment panel. Replacement of fuses and relays can be easily accomplished in a reasonable maintenance time. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a junction box capable of coping with a circuit alteration and having a small number of component parts and assembling stages.
Accordingly, the present invention includes a junction box disposed between a dash panel of a vehicle body and an installment panel. The junction box has a plurality of boxes removably connected to each other by overlapping the boxes on each other. A fuse and/or a relay accommodation portion is provided on one surface of each of the boxes.
In this construction, in an overlapped state, same-side surfaces of the fuse and/or relay accommodation portions of the boxes are exposed to the outside. Internal circuits of the overlapped boxes are connected to each other through a connector, a relay terminal or bolted terminal.
A plurality of boxes means the upper case and the lower case each accommodate an internal circuit. Unlike conventional junction boxes which have one box, the junction box of the present invention is divided into a plurality of boxes. Thus, circuits connected to electric component parts mounted on the installment panel are collectively accommodated in one box. Other circuits are collectively accommodated in another box. Therefore when circuit construction of the installment panel is alter
Hosoe Katsuhiro
Seo Hiroyuki
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
Nguyen Truc
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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