Geometrical instruments – Gauge – Template
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-05
2003-02-25
Gutierrez, Diego (Department: 2859)
Geometrical instruments
Gauge
Template
C033S600000, C429S100000, C180S068500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06523274
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a unit assembling error prevention structure for preventing a pitch discrepancy when assembling, for example, a battery connection plate, a unit to be assembled to a battery assembly of an electric vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 5
shows a first example of a conventional unit assembling structure.
This structure fixes a unit of an elongated harness protector
50
to an outer wall
52
of a mating unit of a device
51
with small screws (fixing means)
53
. The device
51
is installed, for example, on a vehicle and connected to a power source (not shown) through a wiring harness
54
inside the harness protector
50
.
The harness protector
50
is made of synthetic resin into rectangular trough-like shape and is provided at both sides of its trough-like portion
55
with a plurality of brackets
56
disposed at equal pitches. The wiring harness
54
is received inside the trough-like portion
55
and fixed therein with a wound vinyl tape
57
. Each bracket
56
is fixed to the outer wall
52
of the device
51
with the small screws
53
.
The wiring harness
54
has a plurality of branch lines
58
which extend at substantially equal pitches from an intermediate portion of the harness protector
50
, and a connector
59
at the tip end of each branch line
58
is fitted and connects to a connector (not shown) situated on the outer wall
52
of the device
51
. The main line of the wiring harness
54
extends out at both ends of the harness protector
50
and is led inside the device
51
through apertures
60
formed in the outer wall
52
.
With the above construction, however, when to install the harness protector
50
on the device outer wall
52
, an operator, during fixation of the brackets
56
to the outer wall
52
, may accidentally have the holes (not shown) of the brackets
56
misaligned or mismatched by one pitch in the longitudinal direction of the harness protector
50
with the threaded holes (not shown) of the outer wall
52
. Consequently, a false connection is made between the branch line connectors
59
and the device
51
side connectors.
FIG. 6
shows a second example of a conventional unit assembling structure.
This structure fixes and connects units, i.e., a pair of elongated battery connection plates
62
,
62
′ to both ends of a mating unit of a battery assembly
63
. The battery assembly
63
is installed on an electric vehicle inclusive of a hybrid car, and the battery connection plates
62
,
62
′ connect the batteries
65
(
65
1
,
65
2
. . . ) of the battery assembly
63
in series through a plurality of busbars
70
(
70
1
,
70
2
. . . ) thereof of conductive metal.
The batteries
65
, each having a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape, are joined in a width direction thereof and fixed one another with a band
66
. Each battery
65
has at its longitudinal ends a positive and negative electrodes
67
(
67
1
,
67
2
. . . ) or externally threaded terminals (fixing means) such that positive and negative electrodes
67
are arranged in an alternating manner at equal pitches P in the joining direction of the batteries
65
.
Each battery connection plate
62
,
62
′ consists of a plate body
68
of synthetic resin which is substantially the same in length as the entire width of the battery assembly
63
, a busbar
70
disposed in a plurality of rectangular grooves
69
formed on the plate body
68
, and a cover
72
of synthetic resin rotatably provided via a hinge
71
to the plate body
68
.
The busbars
70
are disconnected and independent from one another. One of the battery connection plates
62
is provided at both ends with a substantially square busbar
70
1
having one insertion hole
73
1
for the electrode
67
1
located at both left and right ends of the battery assembly
63
. Each busbar
70
2
located at a longitudinally intermediate portion of the plate body
68
is rectangular in shape and has two insertion holes
73
2
,
73
3
for electrodes
67
2
,
67
3
of two batteries
65
2
,
65
3
. The busbar insertion holes
73
are provided at equal pitches, corresponding to the electrodes
67
. The plate body
68
has relatively large circular holes
74
arranged at equal pitches at its rear side for receiving the electrodes
67
. A plurality of busbars
70
, each having two insertion holes
73
, are disposed in the other battery connection plate
62
′.
To describe with one of the battery connection plates
62
in
FIG. 6
, on assembling the battery connection plate
62
to the battery assembly
63
, the positive electrode
67
of the battery
65
1
at the left side end enters the insertion hole
73
1
of the left-side end busbar
70
1
. Likewise, the negative electrode
67
2
of the second-from-left battery
65
2
enters one of the insertion holes
73
2
of the second-from-left busbar
70
2
, and the positive electrode
67
3
of the third-from-left battery
65
3
enters the other insertion hole
73
3
of the second-from-left busbar
70
2
, with the remaining electrodes
67
entering the insertion holes
73
of the remaining busbars
70
. Each electrode
67
is tightened and connected to related busbars
70
with a nut
75
. The electrodes
67
1
. . . at the left and right side ends connect through the busbars
70
1
. . . and not-shown plate terminals to a power source line (not shown).
On assembling the battery connection plate
62
, a series circuit
76
as shown in
FIG. 7
is constituted. Denoted
62
is the battery connection plate,
63
the battery assembly,
67
positive and negative electrodes, and
70
the busbars.
Reverting to
FIG. 6
, after each busbar
70
has been fastened and connected to the battery electrodes
67
with the nut
75
, the cover
72
is closed to protect the busbars
70
, electrodes
67
, nuts
75
and the above plate terminals (not shown) in the plate body
68
. The battery connection plate
62
thus also serves as a protector. The cover
72
has locking frames
77
engageable with locking projections
78
of the plate body
68
to lock the cover
72
in closed position.
With the above construction, however, there is worry that an operator, during assembling the battery connection plate
62
to the battery assembly
63
, may connect the busbars
70
to the battery electrodes
67
, with an inadvertent error made in aligning or matching the busbar insertion holes
73
with the battery electrodes
67
by one pitch. In this instance, as shown in
FIG. 8
, a closed circuit
79
as indicated by an arrow X is formed in the battery assembly
63
, possibly causing a short circuit and sparks, and damages to batteries
65
. In
FIG. 8
, denoted
62
is the battery connection plate,
67
the positive and negative electrodes, and
70
the busbars.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been accomplished to overcome the above drawbacks and an object of this invention is to provide a unit assembling error prevention structure which enables assembling a unit having fixing means at equal pitches such as a harness protector or a battery connection plate reliably to a mating unit such as a device or a battery assembly without a pitch discrepancy therebetween.
In order to attain the object, according to this invention, there is provided a unit assembling error prevention structure which comprises: a first unit; a second unit; a plurality of fixing means arranged at equal pitches, with which to assemble the first and second units together; two types of positioning frames, large and small, provided in an alternate manner on one of the first and second units; and a projection means provided on the other of the first and second units, which is capable of advancing into the large positioning frame, but abuts against the small positioning frame.
Preferably, the projection means comprises a pair of projections capable of advancing at opposite sides in the large positioning frame.
Preferably, the pair of projections each comprises walls intersecting at right angles.
Advantageously, the large positioning fra
Ikeda Tomohiro
Saito Satoshi
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Guadalupe Yaritza
Gutierrez Diego
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
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