Electrical connectors – Preformed panel circuit arrangement – e.g. – pcb – icm – dip,... – Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-14
2002-04-09
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Preformed panel circuit arrangement, e.g., pcb, icm, dip,...
Within distinct housing spaced from panel circuit arrangement
C439S076100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06368119
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connection box mounted in, for example, an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
As vehicles, e.g., automobiles, are expected to meet increasing market requirements for comfortable riding, they tend to require use of increased electrical compartments, such as an audio system, navigation system, TV set, power antenna, air conditioner, rear window heater, seat heater, power seat, suspension hardness control device, etc.
The electrical compartments are supplied with electric power from wire harnesses or the like through an electrical connection box that is located near a battery in an engine compartment or a pedal attached to a driver's seat. In some cases, excessive current may flow in the electrical connection box if the vehicle body and the wire harnesses or the like are shorted or if a load such as a motor goes wrong from any cause. The electrical connection box is mounted with a large number of electrical components, such as fuses to cope with such trouble and relays that control power supply to the electrical compartments in association with various operating switches.
As is schematically shown in the partial sectional view of
FIG. 11
, the electrical connection box
1
comprises a lower casing (not shown) fitted with the relays, an upper casing
2
fitted with at least two fuses, formed with connector housings
2
a
,
2
b
that can be fitted with a connector C of wire harnesses on the vehicle body, and attached to the lower casing, an electrically insulating wiring board
3
located between the lower casing and the upper casing
2
and having wires laid in a desired shape on either side thereof, and pressure connection terminals (not shown) for electrical connection between the wires and the electrical components and connection between the wires. The electrical connection box
1
further comprises at least three busbars
4
a
,
4
b
,
4
c
for high-current conduction on either side of the wiring board
3
, an insulating plate
5
interposed between the upper casing
2
and the busbars
4
a
,
4
b
,
4
c
so that one of the busbars
4
b
is held between the plate
5
and the board
3
, and the like.
The wiring board
3
is formed with laying grooves (not shown), which are a little wider than the wires and extend so that the wires can be laid in desired shapes therein. The wires are fitted in the laying grooves to be laid in a predetermined path.
In general, the wire laying operation is carried out by means of an automatic laying apparatus. More specifically, the lead of each wire is inserted into a given position in one of the laying grooves by means of the laying apparatus. Subsequently, the wire is continuously laid with one stroke in the predetermined path, and its trailer is cut. Thereafter, the wire is cut at given spots to be divided for each circuit. Further, the pressure connection terminals are driven in given positions on the wire so that they can conduct to the wire, electrical components, and external connecting terminals for the individual circuits. A plurality of electric circuits thus formed are coupled to a plurality of connectors (not shown) of the body-side wire harnesses through the external connecting terminals, individually. A projection that is formed on a part of the busbar
4
c
can be also coupled as an external connecting terminal to the connector C.
The external connecting terminals and the wire harnesses can be connected electrically to one another by fitting predetermined wire harness connectors (only the connector C of which is illustrated as a representative) individually into the connector housings
2
a
,
2
b
of the upper casing
2
.
The electrical components mounted in the vehicle can be combined in various manners depending on the specifications of the vehicle. Accordingly, there are various electric circuits that are formed on the wiring board or busbars, corresponding to the individual electrical components. Further, there may be a lot of combinations of external connecting terminals that are led out of the upper or lower casing, corresponding to the electric circuits. Various types of upper and lower casings must be prepared if electrical connection boxes that have external connecting terminals and connector housings corresponding to the specifications of the vehicle are manufactured for the individual specifications.
In general, however, the upper and lower casings are generally formed of synthetic resin, so that molds must be prepared individually for the upper and lower casings of various specifications, thus entailing high manufacturing costs. It is to be desired, therefore, that the upper and lower casings should be designed for common use to be compatible with any electrical components mounted in the vehicle. More specifically, all usable connector housings may be formed on the upper or lower casing in advance so that unused ones can be stopped with rubber grommets G while the electrical connection box is being assembled, as shown in
FIG. 11
, depending on the specifications of the vehicle in which the box is mounted. Thus, the wire harness connectors can be prevented from being wrongly connected to the connector housings.
Once an operator fails to stop the connector housings to be stopped with the grommets G during the assembly of the electrical connection box, however, there is a high possibility that another operator in charge of a vehicle assembly line may wrongly connect the wire harness connectors to the electrical connection box. This is because the electrical connection box is generally located in the engine compartment of the vehicle or near the pedal attached to the driver's seat, that is, in a position such that the operator must connect the wire harness connectors by touch without directly viewing the connector housings.
With the electrical connection box in this situation, the operator usually fails to become aware of wrong connection if he fits by touch the wire harness connectors into unstopped connector housings that should be stopped with the grommets, that is, connector housings having no external connecting terminals. Once the connectors are wrongly connected in this manner, the wrong connection can be detected only in an inspection process after the assembly of the vehicle. In order to reconnect the wire harness connectors to correct connector housings, thereafter, peripheral components must be disengaged again, so that the correcting operation requires substantial labor.
On the other hand, an electrical connection box that serves to simplify the arrangement of complicated electric circuits of an automobile comprises upper and lower casings, which are combined together with busbars and a wiring board between them. The electrical connection box is loaded with electrical components, such as relays, fuses, connectors, capacitors, diodes, control unit, PTC (positive temperature coefficient) thermistor, etc. The relays, fuses, connectors, etc. vary in size, especially in height, depending on their respective functions.
In the conventional electrical connection box, however, loading portions for carrying the electrical components are designed without giving consideration to differences in height between the components.
Modern automobiles are designed to enjoy minimized external dimensions and as wide an inside space as possible, so that room for the electrical connection box is gradually becoming narrower. Thus, in order to secure good room in the automobile, the electrical connection box is expected to be minimized in thickness, and therefore, in size.
In the electrical connection box loaded with tall electrical components, therefore, the components excessively project outside the casings, so that the thickness of the box increases. Thus, the conventional connection box inevitably interferes with body portions of the automobile.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection box in which wrong connection of wire harness connectors can be p
McCamey Ann
Ta Tho D.
The Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd.
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