Electrical connectors – With magnet – To urge mating connectors together
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-26
2004-05-04
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electrical connectors
With magnet
To urge mating connectors together
C439S527000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06729887
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a structure of installation for installing an automotive component used for a wire harness, such as an electric connecting box or a protector, on a body panel of a motor vehicle or other vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8
shows an example of the related art corresponding to this type of a structure of installation.
An electric connecting box
80
, as shown in
FIG. 8
, includes a main body
81
, a cover
85
for covering an opening of the main body
81
and a not-shown junction block being received in the main body
81
. The junction block has functional components, such as a relay, a fuse and a connector, and a bus bar being laminated on an insulating baseboard.
A locking portion
82
is provided on the main body
81
and an engaging portion
86
for engaging with the locking portion
82
is provided on a cover
85
. The main body
81
and the cover
85
are fitted closely by means of engaging the locking portion
82
with the engaging portion
86
to prevent water from penetrating into the electric connecting box for protecting functional components when the electric connection box is splashed with water.
L-shape or inverted L-shape mounting brackets
83
are provided at both side walls of the main body
81
, and a mounting portion
84
having a bolt inserting opening
84
a
is formed at a flat portion of a front end of the mounting bracket
83
. The bolt insertion opening
84
a
is not threaded but is formed into a so-called unloaded hole. When displacement of position exists between the main body
81
and the body of motor vehicle, the displacement of position can be absorbed in order to form the bolt insertion opening
84
a
into an unloaded hole.
Nuts
88
are welded at predetermined positions on a body panel
87
of a not-shown body of motor vehicle. The mounting portions
84
of the main body
81
are placed correspondingly to the nuts
88
. Usually, the electric connecting boxes
80
are fixed at an engine room and at the body panel
87
surrounding an instrument panel in a motor vehicle.
For mounting the electric connecting box
80
on the body panel
87
, the electric connecting box
80
can be fixed on the body of motor vehicle by means of positioning holes
88
a
of the nuts
88
on the body panel
87
and the bolt insertion openings
84
a
of the mounting portions
84
to be coaxial, inserting clamping bolts
89
into the bolt insertion openings
84
a
, and tightening the clamping bolts
89
.
For dismounting the electric connecting box
80
from the body of motor vehicle, the electric connecting box
80
can be easily removed from the body of motor vehicle by means of removing clamping bolts
89
from nuts
88
, doing an operation by inverse process against mounting operation mentioned above.
Objects to be Solved
Usual structure of installation by prior art mentioned above has following drawback to be solved.
Operation of mounting and dismounting the electric connection box is inefficient. Many electronic devices and functional components are located at the vicinity of an engine room and an instrument panel of a motor vehicle where the electric connecting boxes are mounted, and many electric wires are placed at the same area. Therefore, it is not easy to obtain a space for mounting the electric connection box
80
and there is almost no extra room. Fastening/unfastening the clamping bolts
89
at such small area requires operation in poor posture and may deteriorate operatability thereof.
When a motor vehicle is scrapped, electric wires and automotive components are necessarily removed from a body panel
87
for recycling. In a structure of installation by using a clamping bolt
89
and a nut
88
, the clamping bolt
89
being fastened tightly once cannot be removed easily at insufficient working area to hinder in recycling.
On the other hand, the main body
81
and the cover
85
of the electric connection box
80
may be formed with synthetic resin by injection molding. Therefore, displacements of position between the bolt insertion openings
84
a
of the mounting portions
84
and nuts
88
may be caused by expansion, shrinkage, warpage or deformation after injection molding. When displacement of position exist, the electric connection box
80
may not be fixed on the body panel
87
in case. To prevent displacement of position, controlling accuracy of dimension about the electric connection box
80
by molding may be required so that extra operation is required and productivity is deteriorated.
When displacement of position between the bolt insertion openings
84
a
and nuts
88
by deformation or the like exists, if the electric connection box
80
is mounted forcibly on the body panel
87
to deform the electric connection box
80
, the electric connection box
80
may be cracked on a wall or damaged. When the electric connection box
80
is deformed, sealing effect between the main body
81
and the cover
85
is deteriorated so that water may penetrate into the electric connection box
80
through a gap.
To overcome the above drawback of prior art, one object of this invention is to provide a structure of installation which can easily mount a device on a body panel and dismount the device from the body panel, and can fix the device securely, and can improve recyclability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
How to Attain the Object
In order to attain the objects, a structure of installation for installing automotive components on a body of motor vehicle includes a mounting portion provided on the automotive component, a supporting portion provided on the body of motor vehicle, and a magnet placed on either one of the mounting portion or supporting portion. The other of the mounting portion or supporting portion is made of a ferromagnetic material, and the mounting portion and the supporting portion are joined by magnetic force.
According to the structure mentioned above, the body panel and the automotive component are attracted mutually by magnetic force so that the automotive component can be mounted securely on the body panel by one operation. When dismounting the automotive component from the body panel, sliding the mounting portion of the automotive component along shearing plane by applying property of magnetic force which along shearing plane is weaker, the automotive component can be dismounted easily from the body.
The structure of installation mentioned above is characterized by that the magnet is mounted on the mounting portion, and the supporting portion is made of a ferromagnetic material.
According to the structure mentioned above, the mounting portion of the automotive component has a magnet so that the automotive component can be fixed on unrestricted position of the body panel by attracting magnetic force without paying attention to positioning accuracy of the mounting bracket to be inserted by clamping bolts. Therefore, operatability of mounting automotive components is improved.
The structure of installation, mentioned above, further includes a slide portion provided on the mounting portion and a guide portion formed at the supporting portion for engaging slidingly with the slide portion.
According to the structure mentioned above, the slide portion is inserted into the guide portion and engaged slidingly with the guide portion. Therefore, the slide portion is positioned in a direction perpendicular to sliding direction so that the automotive component is fixed on the body panel without chattering motion.
The structure of installation mentioned above is further characterized by that the magnet is surrounded by a yoke made of a ferromagnetic material between the mounting portion and the magnet, and an end portion of the yoke performs as the sliding portion.
According to the structure mentioned above, the magnet is covered with the yoke so that the magnetic flux is concentrated by preventing surrounding magnetic flux leakage of the magnet and then magnetic flux density of the magnet is increased. Furthermore, the end portion of the yoke performs as the sl
Kagawa Atsushi
Kato Tatsuya
Katsumata Makoto
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Lee Jinhee
Reichard Dean A.
Yazaki -Corporation
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