Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – With testing or indicating
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-10
2003-05-13
Vidovich, Gregory (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
With testing or indicating
C029S467000, C029S505000, C029S509000, C029S525050, C269S054500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06560840
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is in the field of methods and devices for assembling multi-layered electrical junction boxes, especially those used in automotive applications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Automotive junction boxes, power distribution centers, and the like typically comprise stacked array of plastic insulating plates and covers, which are sandwiched and at least semi-permanently secured together prior to being installed in a vehicle. Referring to
FIG. 1
, an exemplary representation of a prior art junction box
10
includes a plastic bottom cover
10
a
, a plastic top cover
10
b
, and a plurality of insulation plates
10
c
sandwiched therebetween in stacked relationship. Insulation plates
10
c
are provided with various conductive pathways typically formed with metal bus bars laid out in circuitous arrangements designed to inter-connect and re-route multi-branch wiring from vehicle electrical systems using various electrical components (fuses, relays, etc.) plugged into the junction box via suitable receptacles formed in top cover
10
b.
As vehicles incorporate ever greater numbers of electrical components and systems, junction boxes are increasingly designed to accommodate ever greater numbers of electrical components. At the same time, junction boxes are expected to remain the same size, or to be made smaller.
A typical method for assembling junction boxes such as that shown in
FIG. 1
is illustrated in
FIGS. 2A-2G
. The junction box covers
10
a
,
10
b
and insulation plates
10
c
are each provided with aligned, coaxially mating pilot holes
12
,
14
,
16
sized to receive an alignment pin or pilot
18
at an assembly station
19
. As best shown in
FIGS. 2A-2D
, bottom cover
10
a
, insulation plates
10
c
, and top cover
10
b
are sequentially lowered onto stationary pilots
18
, the pilots engaging and passing through the respective holes,
12
,
14
,
16
to register and maintain the stacked plates and covers in proper alignment until the stacked components can be at least semi-permanently secured together. For this purpose, the assembly station will typically have at least two pilot pins
18
to prevent rotation of the stacked, registered junction box components, although it may be possible in certain cases to use a single, asymmetrical pilot engaging asymmetrical pilot holes in the stacked components to prevent rotation.
Referring to
FIG. 1
again, lower cover
10
a
is provided with weld boss, heat stake or similar structure generally in the form of upright pin members
20
designed to pass through mating stake holes
22
and
24
in the top cover and insulation plates as the covers and plates are being aligned and registered on pilot pin
18
at the assembly station. As shown in
FIGS. 2E-2G
, the insulation plates and top cover are lowered down over heat stake pins
20
and the upper ends of the heat stake pins protruding through holes
22
in the top cover are then flattened or otherwise deformed in known manner using a technique such as heat staking, sonic welding, and others known to those skilled in the art. This locks the assembly of stacked junction box components together and the junction box is then removed from pilot pins
18
at the assembly station for installation in a vehicle.
A significant drawback of the foregoing method for aligning and staking junction box components lies in the fact that valuable junction box layout and component receptacle space is taken up by the pilot holes and stake holes. The placement of the pilot and stake holes complicates the routing of bus bars on the insulation plates and must be factored into the placement of plug-in components on the top cover, an increasingly complicated procedure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention eliminates the need for separate pilot and stake hole structure by replacing the usual pilot pin at the assembly station with a plastic heat stake pin or weld boss designed to fit through the pilot holes formed in the junction box components and to be melted or otherwise deformed in the manner of a conventional heat stake. In a preferred form, this combination pilot pin/heat stake is configured as the usual pilot pin, is held at an assembly station as if it were a pilot pin, and the pilot holes on the junction box components are stacked in place over the pilot pin/heat stake for proper alignment and registration. Immediately thereafter, and without removing the registered components from the station, the upper end of the pilot pin/heat stake is melted, punched, or otherwise deformed in the manner of a typical heat stake to lock the stacked components together.
In a most preferred form of the invention, the pilot pin/heat stake (hereafter “pilot stake”) has a lower plug portion adapted to be securely but removably seated in a holder or jig at the assembly station. The jig securely positions the pilot stake in an upright position ready to receive the junction box components in stacked relationship thereover. The jig also provides a secure base or anvil for the bottom of the pilot stake while the upper end of the pilot stake is being deformed to lock the stacked junction box components togther. Once the deformation has taken place, the pilot stake (which is now locked to the junction box) can be pulled free from the jig.
In yet a further preferred form of the invention, the configuration of the jig for the pilot stake combines with the configuration of the pilot stake when the pilot stake is seated therein to replicate the configuration of the original pilot pin for which the pilot holes in the stacked junction box components were designed. The assembly can thus be considered a composite pilot pin with a breakaway heat stake feature.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2347411 (1944-04-01), Hefler et al.
patent: 2957237 (1960-10-01), Regle et al.
patent: 3061526 (1962-10-01), Skoknick
patent: 3197844 (1965-08-01), Bassett, Jr.
patent: 3754310 (1973-08-01), Shea
patent: 4208080 (1980-06-01), Teogno
patent: 4506442 (1985-03-01), Alzmann et al.
patent: 4781600 (1988-11-01), Sugiyama et al.
patent: 5047896 (1991-09-01), Zust
patent: 5368802 (1994-11-01), Wanha
patent: 5434749 (1995-07-01), Nakayama
patent: 6023409 (2000-02-01), Takahashi
patent: 06097598 (1995-11-01), None
patent: 08272501 (1998-05-01), None
patent: 10153083 (1999-12-01), None
Duhr Jerome Adam David
Jenkins Roderick Rhys
Kazarian David Michael
Cozart Jermie E.
Vidovich Gregory
Yazaki North America
Young & Basile P.C.
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