Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-09
2003-05-06
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
C296S191000, C296S901010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06557925
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle inner circuit panel with a conducting plastic circuit path, in particular, for use in vehicle panel assemblies such as door and room panel assemblies. Further, the present invention relates to a vehicle panel assembly with the conducting plastic circuit path and to a vehicle panel assembly wiring construction.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventionally, as shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, wire harnesses
32
,
42
(which are produced by bundling a plurality of electric wires) are utilized to supply power to electrical components in the vehicle door
31
and roof
41
, respectively.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the door wire harness
32
, routed to such electrical components as electrically-operated door locks and side view mirrors, extends sinuously in the limited vehicle space to prevent interference with a flashing or sharp edge that occurs around a spot weld. To prevent interference with the flashing, protecting members
33
are also mounted on the wire harness
32
. A corrugated tube, polyvinyl chloride sheet (PVC sheet), polyvinyl chloride tube (PVC tube), or acetate tape can be used as the protecting member. For example,
FIG. 9
shows a corrugated tube
33
which is mounted as the protecting member on the wire harness
32
.
As shown in
FIG. 8
, the roof wire harness
42
is routed at the back of the ceiling, extending to the operating interior lights such as the dome light
43
and vanity mirror lights
44
. The roof harness
42
is fixed at several places by a fixing member such as the tape
45
, and extends so that its connectors
46
,
47
face the openings
48
,
49
of the roof
41
. The respective connectors
46
,
47
are connected to the operating interior lights
43
,
44
through the openings
48
,
49
.
The prior art wiring construction as described above has the following problems.
First, the degree of freedom of design regarding the routing paths of the wire harnesses
32
,
42
is limited. It is difficult to set a routing path that involves rapid curves because the wire harnesses
32
,
42
are hard to bend. It is also difficult to set a three dimensional routing path because of the limited routing space in the door
31
and roof
41
.
Second, the wire harnesses
32
,
42
require tight dimensional tolerances for the lengths of main trunks and branches and for the mounting positions of the protecting members
33
. It is difficult and cumbersome to maintain the tight dimensional tolerances. Further, the process of fixing the wire harnesses at several places by tape is tedious and inconvenient.
Third, it is tedious and inconvenient to manage the various kinds of protecting members
33
. More specifically, it is tedious and inconvenient to select most appropriate protecting members among the various kinds of protecting members, taking into account the flashing and edge conditions and the required degree of soundproofing; and to mount the selected protecting members appropriately.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed, taking the above problems into account. An object of the present invention is to increase the degree of freedom of design to arrange an electrical circuit path on a vehicle circuit panel such as vehicle door and roof circuit panels, and to improve circuit path forming workability. Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the labor-intensive protecting members.
To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vehicle inner circuit panel that includes a base member formed of an electrically insulating plastic material and a conducting plastic circuit path formed of an electrically conductive plastic material. The conducting plastic circuit path is formed unitarily with the base member, and is at least partially embedded in the base member, thereby forming a one-piece molded plastic member. Thus, the conducting plastic circuit path is formed into a desired circuit configuration within the base member.
In accordance with this construction of the present invention, the vehicle inner circuit panel can be used as a circuit board. Additionally, the conducting plastic circuit path can be formed into any circuit configuration, thereby eliminating the constraints of location and configuration of the circuit path and thus increasing the degree of freedom of design of the arrangement of the circuit path. Also, the wire harness fixing process can be eliminated, thereby improving productivity significantly. Further, even a tight dimensional tolerance can be readily accommodated with a suitable mold. Finally, since the conducting plastic circuit path is embedded in the base member, it becomes easy to prevent interference with a flashing or a sharp edge, thus eliminating the labor-intensive protecting members.
In another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle inner circuit panel has a contact portion that projects from the conducting plastic circuit path into a socket of a connector housing made of an electrically insulating plastic material. Preferably, the contact portion is a metal contact member formed integrally with the plastic circuit path. For example, the metal contact member may be molded into the conducting plastic circuit path during its manufacture. Alternatively, the metal contact member may be press fit or attached within an opening or a recess of the conducting plastic circuit path. Also, the contact portion may be made of the electrically conductive plastic material and formed unitarily with the circuit path.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the connector housing is formed unitarily with the base member.
In another aspect of the present invention, the vehicle circuit panel has a mounting cover made of a non-conductive hard plastic material and a housing portion made of the non-conductive hard plastic material. The housing portion is formed unitarily with the mounting cover. The mounting cover is mounted on the one-piece molded plastic member, and the contact portion projects into the socket of the housing portion.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the conducting plastic circuit path is embedded in such a manner as to be generally coplanar with the base member, thereby forming a generally flat surface on the one-piece molded plastic member. The conducting plastic circuit path is exposed on the flat surface. Hence, to cover the exposed circuit path, an electrically insulating cover sheet is mounted on the flat surface. Preferably, the cover sheet is formed of a relatively soft resin, thereby increasing the shock absorption as well as the electrical insulation of the one-piece molded plastic member. Of course, instead of the cover sheet, the mounting cover may be mounted on the flat surface.
Moreover, the present invention provides a vehicle panel assembly that includes a vehicle body panel, an interior trim panel engageable with the vehicle body panel, and a plastic circuit panel disposed between the vehicle body panel and the interior trim panel. The plastic circuit panel has a base member formed of an electrically insulating plastic material and a conducting plastic circuit path formed of an electrically conductive plastic material. An electrical component is mounted on at least one of the three panels, and is configured to be electrically connected to the conducting plastic circuit path. Preferably, the plastic circuit panel is a one-piece member formed by molding the circuit path unitarily with the base member, whereby the plastic circuit path is formed into a desired circuit configuration.
In another aspect of the present invention, the plastic circuit panel has a first connector which is connected to the conducting plastic circuit path and which is configured for engagement with a mating connector of an outer wire harness that extends from outside the vehicle body panel. Thus, the plastic circuit path can be readily connected to the outer wire harness upon engagement of the first and mating connectors. The plastic circuit panel further has a second connector which is connect
Odashima Yoshiharu
Sugiyama Masashi
Dayoan D. Glenn
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Morrow Jason
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
LandOfFree
Vehicle inner circuit panel, vehicle panel assembly and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Vehicle inner circuit panel, vehicle panel assembly and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Vehicle inner circuit panel, vehicle panel assembly and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3040009