Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-23
2004-05-18
Le, Thanh-Tam (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
active
06736648
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a junction box and a connector containing a connecting terminal for electrically connecting a fuse or the like to a wiring circuit. More particularly, the present invention relates to a junction box and a connector that are lightweight and low-profiled so as to promote the trend of down-sizing and allow to freely shift the point of connection with external wiring circuit, while showing a high heat emitting effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, to branch a wiring of a car or the like, a junction box (J/B) has been used for purposes of space saving and cost reduction.
FIG. 23
is a plan view of the junction box,
FIG. 24
is a plan view of a bus bar contained in the junction box,
FIG. 25
is a sectional view of a part VII of
FIG. 23
, and
FIG. 26
is a sectional view of a part VIII of FIG.
23
.
This type of a junction box
101
is constituted of a lower cover
102
, a bus bar
103
attached to the lower cover
102
, and an upper cover
105
which seals the lower cover and bus bar and to which a connector, fuse, and the like are attached. In the junction box
101
, as shown in
FIG. 24
, the bus bar
103
formed, for example, of a pressed/punched metal plate of copper alloy, aluminum alloy, or the like is used to branch the wiring. Moreover, the junction box
101
also includes a function, for example, of a fuse box, when a fuse
107
is incorporated halfway in the wiring circuit constituted by the bus bar
103
.
A connector
107
shown in
FIG. 25
is a connector connected to the wiring circuit constituted of the bus bar
103
. A connector
105
a
can be connected to the connector
107
, when a connecting terminal portion
103
a
formed by bending a tip end of the bus bar
103
upwards by 90° is passed upwards through an upper cover
105
via a through hole
105
b
formed in the cover. Moreover, for a fuse attachment portion
105
c
to which a fuse
108
is attached as shown in
FIG. 26
, a connecting terminal portion
103
d
is formed by bending the tip end of the bus bar
103
with a slit
103
b
formed therein upwards by 90°, and is passed upwards through the upper cover
105
through a through hole
105
d
formed in the cover. Thereby, the connecting terminal portion can directly be connected to a leg
108
a
for connecting the fuse
108
, or can be connected using a so-called female to female (F—F) terminal.
Moreover, as shown in
FIG. 27
, the bus bars
103
and insulation plates (IP)
109
having functions of supporting and insulating the bus bars
103
are alternately superimposed to form a wiring circuit (multilayered wiring circuit)
110
which has a multilayered structure. A junction box
112
structured to contain the multilayered wiring circuit
110
in a housing for entirely protecting the outside of the circuit as shown in
FIG. 28
is frequently used.
However, in the above-described junction box
101
, the bus bar
103
is manufactured by punching the metal plate with a die and the wiring circuit is formed. Therefore, when the bus bars
103
having various shapes are manufactured, different dies are required, and much cost is taken. Moreover, the bus bar
103
is formed of a thick metal, a weight of the junction box
101
therefore increases, and there is a problem that it is difficult to thin the junction box
101
. Furthermore, in the junction box
112
, the number of layers of the multilayered wiring circuit
110
needs to be minimized in order to prevent the weight and cost of the entire junction box from increasing. Additionally, the multilayered wiring circuit
110
having a small number of layers is used in accordance with a connection mode. For this, a circuit is drawn so as to avoid a wiring circuit of another layer and through holes
111
through which the connecting terminal portions
103
a
,
103
d
are passed, and a long circuit needs to be formed. This causes a problem that it is very difficult to lighten and thin the junction box
112
.
Furthermore, since each of these junction boxes
101
,
112
has a part thereof that is integral with it and on which a connector or a fuse is mounted, it inevitably shows certain dimensions and hence is subjected to certain restrictions particularly in terms of the position in a car where it is mounted. Additionally, since it has a structure in which the bus bar
103
is contained in a predetermined cabinet to make it show a rather poor heat emitting performance. Therefore, it is difficult to downsize the junction box and make is lightweight and lowly profiled particularly when it is to be used with a circuit adapted to allow a large electric current to flow. Furthermore, since the part on which a connector or a fuse is mounted is integrally formed with it, the operation of connecting the connector of an external wiring circuit to it will have to be carried out only poorly efficiently to baffle the efforts for improving the efficiency when the part, on which a fuse is mounted, is arranged on the front surface of the instrument panel of a car that is provided with a conventional junction box
101
or
112
for the purpose of improving the servicing efficiency.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a junction box and a connector that are lightweight and low-profiled so as to make themselves adapted to downsizing and show an enhanced level of freedom in terms of layout and a high heat emitting performance.
According to an aspect of the invention, the above object is achieved by providing a junction box comprising:
a junction box main body to which an electric component to be connected is attached; and
a cable portion which is constituted of a flexible printed circuit with a circuit portion including a conductor pattern formed on an insulating film, and electrically connects the junction box main body to an outer wiring circuit,
wherein the flexible printed circuit includes a strip portion having a part thereof contained in the junction box main body and a terminal connecting portion extending transversally from a lateral edge of the strip portion at a position to be fitted to the junction box main body,
the junction box main body includes a junction box housing provided with a part fitting port for fitting the electric component and a plate-shaped first connecting terminal to be contained in the junction box housing so as to be connected to the terminal connecting portion of the flexible printed circuit and further to the electric component,
the junction box housing including a strip portion containing portion for containing a strip portion provided with the terminal connecting portion of the flexible printed circuit and a terminal containing hole arranged outside the strip-shaped containing portion containing portion so as to contain the first connecting terminal with its tip end exposed to the outside, and
the lateral edges of the strip portion are contained in the strip portion containing portion with the terminal connecting portion bent to show an S-shaped profile at the lateral edges of the strip-shaped containing portion of the flexible printed circuit.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
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patent:
Kosugi Hideyuki
Misaki Nobumasa
Momota Atsushi
Terunuma Ichiro
Fujikura Ltd.
Le Thanh-Tam
Nasri Javaid H.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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