EP0162694A2 - Fusebox - Google Patents
Fusebox Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0162694A2 EP0162694A2 EP85303547A EP85303547A EP0162694A2 EP 0162694 A2 EP0162694 A2 EP 0162694A2 EP 85303547 A EP85303547 A EP 85303547A EP 85303547 A EP85303547 A EP 85303547A EP 0162694 A2 EP0162694 A2 EP 0162694A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- clip
- component
- housing
- clips
- terminals
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R11/00—Individual connecting elements providing two or more spaced connecting locations for conductive members which are, or may be, thereby interconnected, e.g. end pieces for wires or cables supported by the wire or cable and having means for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal, or conductive member, blocks of binding posts
- H01R11/03—Individual connecting elements providing two or more spaced connecting locations for conductive members which are, or may be, thereby interconnected, e.g. end pieces for wires or cables supported by the wire or cable and having means for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal, or conductive member, blocks of binding posts characterised by the relationship between the connecting locations
- H01R11/09—Individual connecting elements providing two or more spaced connecting locations for conductive members which are, or may be, thereby interconnected, e.g. end pieces for wires or cables supported by the wire or cable and having means for facilitating electrical connection to some other wire, terminal, or conductive member, blocks of binding posts characterised by the relationship between the connecting locations the connecting locations being identical
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H85/00—Protective devices in which the current flows through a part of fusible material and this current is interrupted by displacement of the fusible material when this current becomes excessive
- H01H85/02—Details
- H01H85/20—Bases for supporting the fuse; Separate parts thereof
- H01H85/2045—Mounting means or insulating parts of the base, e.g. covers, casings
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H85/00—Protective devices in which the current flows through a part of fusible material and this current is interrupted by displacement of the fusible material when this current becomes excessive
- H01H85/02—Details
- H01H85/20—Bases for supporting the fuse; Separate parts thereof
- H01H85/205—Electric connections to contacts on the base
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H85/00—Protective devices in which the current flows through a part of fusible material and this current is interrupted by displacement of the fusible material when this current becomes excessive
- H01H85/02—Details
- H01H85/20—Bases for supporting the fuse; Separate parts thereof
- H01H2085/2075—Junction box, having holders integrated with several other holders in a particular wiring layout
- H01H2085/208—Junction box, having holders integrated with several other holders in a particular wiring layout specially adapted for vehicles
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R31/00—Coupling parts supported only by co-operation with counterpart
- H01R31/08—Short-circuiting members for bridging contacts in a counterpart
Definitions
- This invention relates to a fusebox, and to a method of manufacturing a fusebox, particularly but not exclusively for use in a road vehicle wiring system.
- fusebox there are many known forms of fusebox in which the fuse clips and their respective external terminals are parallel and are longitudinally adjacent one another, for example by being axially coextensive. Such an arrangement gives rise to a fusebox of relatively large overall height and it is an object of the present invention to provide a fusebox having, by comparison with such known fuseboxes, a reduced overall height.
- a fusebox according to the invention includes an electrically insulating housing,.a plurality of fuse clips supported by the housing for receiving and making electrical connection to fuses, a plurality of terminals accessible at the exterior of the housing, and electrical connecting components electrically connecting the fuse clips to appropriate terminals, said fuse clips and terminals being positioned generally parallel and transversely adjacent one another, and each fuse clip being secured to its respective connecting component by means including at least one resilient finger pressed-out from a limb of the clip, each of said connecting components including a portion which is gripped between the finger and the limb of the respective clip, and each component and its respective clip including alignment means positioning the clip relative to the component when the clip is secured to the component by engagement of said portion between said limb and said finger.
- each clip is soldered to its respective connecting component, the engagement of said portion of the component between the limb and the finger of its clip, and the alignment means of the clip and the component, serving to secure and position the clip relative to the component before soldering.
- each terminal is soldered to its respective connecting component.
- the housing is a two-part housing, said clips and said terminals extending through recesses in one of the housing parts and being trapped in position relative to the housing by engagement of the second housing part with said one housing part.
- the invention further resides in a method of manufacturing a fusebox comprising the steps of:
- the step of effecting a good electrical connection between each clip and its respective component comprises soldering the clip to the respective component.
- the method includes the further steps of,
- the fusebox includes a moulded synthetic resin housing 11 comprising upper and lower parts 12, 13 which are interengaged as a snap fit, and which are not intended to be separated once interengaged.
- the fusebox further includes a plurality of fuse receiving clips 14, externally accessible blade terminals 15, and, electrical connecting components 16 providing electrical interconnections within the housing between associated fuse clips and external terminals.
- the external blade terminals 15 may be of different sizes to accommodate different functions, for example power supply blade terminals may be of a larger dimension than the remaining blade terminals.
- Each of the fuse receiving clips 14 is formed from a single sheet of brass and comprises a pair of parallel elongate limbs 17, 18 interconnected along part of one edge by a transversely extending web 19.
- each clip 14 is, adjacent one end which will be referred to as the lowe: end, U-shaped in cross-section.
- the upper end regions of the limbs 17, 18 are not interconnected by the web 19 and are curved inwardly to define jaws 21, 22 between which the blade like terminal of a fuse can be gripped.
- Adjacent its lowermost end the limb 18 of each clip 14 has an integral resilient finger 23 pressed-out therefrom.
- pressed-out is intended to indicate that the material of the limb l8 has been cut in, for example, an elongate U-shape and the finger bounded by the U-shaped slit, slot or shear line has then be pressed outwardly adjacent its root.
- the finger 23 from a point adjacent its root, is inclined back towards the surface of the limb 18 except at its free end where it is turned outwardly.
- the manufacture of the fusebox is as follows. Three frets 24, 25, 26 ( Figures 7, 8 and 9) are stamped from copper sheet, the frets 24 and 25 defining a plurality of electrical connecting components 16 joined together by integral necks 16a.
- the connecting components 16 are intended to make electrical connection between clips 14 and terminal blades 15, and dependent upon the location within the fusebox, a component 16 may interconnect a single clip 14 with a single blade terminal 15, a single clip 14 with a plurality of blade terminals 16, a single blade terminal with a plurality of clips 14 (this variant not illustrated) or a plurality of blade terminals with a plurality of clips 14 ( Figure 9 to be described in more detail later).
- Each component 16 cf each of the frets 24, 25 includes a clip receiving portion indicated by the suffix b and a blade terminal receiving portion indicated by the suffix c.
- the frets are bent during, or immediately after, stamping from the blank sheet so that the portions 16b extend at right-angles to the portions 16c.
- the portions 16c are formed with slots for receiving the shaped ends of the blade terminals 15, and the free end edges of the portions 16b are formed with a centrally disposed rectangular notch 16d.
- a number of blade terminals 15 appropriate to a particular fret are placed in a jig with their fret connecting ends uppermost. The jig locates the blade terminals 15 parallel to one another in an orientation appropriate to the respective fret.
- the fret with the portions 16c extending downwardly is then placed onto the blade terminals 15 so that the connecting end regions 15a of the blade terminals pass through the respective slots of the portions 16c of the fret and a flow soldering operation is used to effect a soldered connection between the portions 16c of the connecting components 16 and the blade terminals 15.
- the blade terminals 15 extend from the component 16 parallel to, and in the same direction as the portions 16b, that is to say at right angles to the plane of the portions 16c.
- the portions 16b and the blades 15 are parallel and transversely adjacent rather than being parallel and longitudinally adjacent as would be the case if the portion 16b had been bent to extend upwardly from the plane of the portions 16c.
- each of the portions 16b is formed with a rectangular notch 16d in its free end edge, the notch 16d being seen clearly in, for example, Figure 13.
- the width of the notch 16d is fractionally greater than the width of the finger 23 of each clip 14, and each clip 14 is engaged with its respective portion 16b by inserting the free end of the portion 16b between the finger 23 and the limb 18 of the respective clip 14.
- the clip 14 is then moved slidingly along the length of the portion 16b until the root of its finger 23 seats within the notch 16d in the free end edge of the portion 16b.
- the portion 16b is of course gripped between the finger 23 and the surface of the limb 18, and so the clip 14 is secured to the limb 16b, and, by virtue of the engagement of the root of the finger 23 in the notch 16d of the portion 16b the clip is held aligned with the respective portion 16b, that is to say is held parallel to and transversely adjacent the blade terminals 15.
- each fret 24 or 25 equipped with blade terminals 15 and clips 14 can be handled as a single unit since all of the necks 16a are still in tact.
- the frets together with blades and clips is then offered to the inner surface of the housing part 13 so that the blade terminals pass through appropriate slots 27 in the wall of the housing part 13 while the clips 14 are received in appropriately shaped recesses 28 of the housing.
- the housing part 13 is formed in its lower surface with pockets 29 into which the blade terminals 15 extend. Thus it is the base of each of the pockets 29 which is formed with the slots 27. ( Figure 4).
- the blade terminals 15 extend downwardly through the slots 27, the clips 14 extend downwardly into the recesses 28, and the connecting portions 16 between the clips 14 and the terminals 15 are seated upon inner surfaces of the housing part 13.
- the housing part 13 does not provide a support surface immediately beneath the necks 16a of the fret and the next stage in the manufacture of the fusebox is to sever the connections between the component 16 by severing the necks 16a of the frets.
- the fret 26 shown in Figure 9 differs from the frets 24 and 25 in that it is in effect a single connecting component 16 for interconnecting a pair of power blade terminals 15 and six clips 14. It will be noted also, with particular reference to Figure 13, that for convenience and economy of material the intermediate portion between the clip connecting portions 16b and the terminal connecting portion 16c lies with its plane parallel to that of the portion 16b rather than the portion 16c as is the case with the frets 24, 25.
- the assembly of the clips 14 and terminals 15 to the fret 26 is exactly as described with reference to the frets 24 and 25, and the insertion of the fret equipped with blades and clips into the housing part 13 is also the same as described above.
- the housing part 12 has barbed legs 12a ( Figure 4) which pass, as a snap-fit, through corresponding apertures in the housing part 13.
- the housing part 12 is formed with ribs or pads which engage the connecting components 16 and trap them against the lower housing part 13 thereby, in co-operation with the slots 27 and recesses 28, holding the clips, terminals, and connecting components in position relative to the housing 11.
- the upper housing part 12 is formed externally with a series of fuse receiving recesses 31 arranged, as can be seen in Figure 1, in two parallel rows.
- the base of each of the recesses 31 is formed with a pair of slots 32 beneath each of which, and aligned with each of.- which, is a respective fuse receiving clip 14.
- each fuse which comprises a fusable element and a pair of co-planar blade-like terminals, can be inserted into a respective recess 31 such that the blade terminals pass through the slots 32 of the recess 31 and into engagement with the appropriate fuse receiving clip positioned beneath the slot 32.
- the upper surface of the housing part 12 is formed with a recess 33 for accommodating four spare fuses, and a retainer 34 for receiving a fuse extraction tool.
- the housing 11 is formed with mounting lugs for mounting the fusebox in a convenient location in use. It will be recognised that the fuses are accessible from the top of the fusebox, and electrical connections between the fuses and the wiring harness of the vehicle are made by plug-in connections at the underside of the fusebox, the mating connectors being introduced into the pockets 29 to engage the blade terminals 15 therein.
- each clip could be provided with a pair of spaced, parallel fingers each similar to a finger 23, and the free end edge of each of the portions 16b could be provided with a rectangular projection, rather than a rectangular notch, the rectangular projection passing between the roots of the two parallel pressed-out fingers to effect alignment of the clip relative to the portion 16b.
- the positioning of the blade terminals 15 and the clips 14 so that they are parallel to one another, and at the same time are transversely adjacent one another effects a considerable saving in the overall height of the fusebox by comparison with known arrangements where fuse receiving clips and their respective blade terminals are parallel, but longitudinally adjacent, for example longitudinally co-extensive, since in this latter case the overall height will be at least the total of the length of the blade terminal added to the length of the fuse clip, whereas because in the above described arrangement the length of the fuse clip is alongside, or at least overlaps substantially, the length of the blade terminal the overall height will be less than the total of the length of the clip added to the length of the terminal.
- the blade terminals and/or the clips can be provided with roughened or barbed edge regions which bite into the material of the lower housing part when the clips, blades and connecting portions are correctly positioned, to resist withdrawal.
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- Fuses (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This invention relates to a fusebox, and to a method of manufacturing a fusebox, particularly but not exclusively for use in a road vehicle wiring system.
- There are many known forms of fusebox in which the fuse clips and their respective external terminals are parallel and are longitudinally adjacent one another, for example by being axially coextensive. Such an arrangement gives rise to a fusebox of relatively large overall height and it is an object of the present invention to provide a fusebox having, by comparison with such known fuseboxes, a reduced overall height.
- A fusebox according to the invention includes an electrically insulating housing,.a plurality of fuse clips supported by the housing for receiving and making electrical connection to fuses, a plurality of terminals accessible at the exterior of the housing, and electrical connecting components electrically connecting the fuse clips to appropriate terminals, said fuse clips and terminals being positioned generally parallel and transversely adjacent one another, and each fuse clip being secured to its respective connecting component by means including at least one resilient finger pressed-out from a limb of the clip, each of said connecting components including a portion which is gripped between the finger and the limb of the respective clip, and each component and its respective clip including alignment means positioning the clip relative to the component when the clip is secured to the component by engagement of said portion between said limb and said finger.
- Preferably each clip is soldered to its respective connecting component, the engagement of said portion of the component between the limb and the finger of its clip, and the alignment means of the clip and the component, serving to secure and position the clip relative to the component before soldering.
- Desirably each terminal is soldered to its respective connecting component.
- Conveniently the housing is a two-part housing, said clips and said terminals extending through recesses in one of the housing parts and being trapped in position relative to the housing by engagement of the second housing part with said one housing part.
- The invention further resides in a method of manufacturing a fusebox comprising the steps of:
- (a) commencing with a fret comprising a plurality of interconnected electrical connecting components,
- (b) physically and electrically securing terminal members to chosen components of said fret,
- (c) engaging fuse receiving clips with respective chosen components of said fret by introducing a portion of a chosen component between a limb of the respective clip and a resilient finger pressed-out from the limb of the clip so that saia.portion is gripped between the finger and the limb and alignment means on the clip and said component align the clip with the component such that the clips and the terminals are parallel and transversely adjacent one another, and, effecting a good electrical and physical connection between each clip and its respective component.
- Preferably the step of effecting a good electrical connection between each clip and its respective component comprises soldering the clip to the respective component.
- Preferably the method includes the further steps of,
- (a) introducing the fret carrying terminals and fuse receiving clips into a first part of a two-part electrically insulating housing such that the clips and terminals extend through recesses in the housing,
- (b) severing the fret at predetermined points to separate, both electrically and physically, chosen connecting components from one another, and engaging the second part of said two part housing with said first part to trap the assemblies of terminals, connecting components, and clips in position relative to the housing.
- One example of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
- Figure 1 is a plan view of a fusebox;
- Figure 2 is a view in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1;
- Figure.3 is a plan view of the underside of the box of Figure 1;
- Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 in Figure 1;
- Figure 5 is a plan view of the lower part of the two-part housing of the fusebox;
- Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing frets in position;
- Figures 7, 8 and 9 are plan views respectively of the three frets seen in Figure 6;
- Figure 10 is a perspective view of a fuse receiving clip;
- Figure 11 is a side elevational view of the clip of Figure 10;
- Figure 12 is an end view of the clip;
- Figure 13 is a perspective view of the fret seen in Figure 9 after shaping and securing thereto of a pair of terminal blades and a single fuse receiving clip; and
- Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13 of a small part of the fret of Figure 7.
- Referring to the drawings, the fusebox includes a moulded synthetic resin housing 11 comprising upper and
lower parts fuse receiving clips 14, externallyaccessible blade terminals 15, and,electrical connecting components 16 providing electrical interconnections within the housing between associated fuse clips and external terminals. Theexternal blade terminals 15 may be of different sizes to accommodate different functions, for example power supply blade terminals may be of a larger dimension than the remaining blade terminals. - Each of the
fuse receiving clips 14 is formed from a single sheet of brass and comprises a pair of parallelelongate limbs web 19. Thus as is evident for example from Figure 12 eachclip 14 is, adjacent one end which will be referred to as the lowe: end, U-shaped in cross-section. The upper end regions of thelimbs web 19 and are curved inwardly to define jaws 21, 22 between which the blade like terminal of a fuse can be gripped. Adjacent its lowermost end thelimb 18 of eachclip 14 has an integralresilient finger 23 pressed-out therefrom. The term "pressed-out" is intended to indicate that the material of the limb l8 has been cut in, for example, an elongate U-shape and the finger bounded by the U-shaped slit, slot or shear line has then be pressed outwardly adjacent its root. As is evident from Figures 10 and 11 thefinger 23, from a point adjacent its root, is inclined back towards the surface of thelimb 18 except at its free end where it is turned outwardly. - The manufacture of the fusebox is as follows. Three
frets frets electrical connecting components 16 joined together byintegral necks 16a. Theconnecting components 16 are intended to make electrical connection betweenclips 14 andterminal blades 15, and dependent upon the location within the fusebox, acomponent 16 may interconnect asingle clip 14 with asingle blade terminal 15, asingle clip 14 with a plurality ofblade terminals 16, a single blade terminal with a plurality of clips 14 (this variant not illustrated) or a plurality of blade terminals with a plurality of clips 14 (Figure 9 to be described in more detail later). Eachcomponent 16 cf each of thefrets portions 16b extend at right-angles to theportions 16c. Theportions 16c are formed with slots for receiving the shaped ends of theblade terminals 15, and the free end edges of theportions 16b are formed with a centrally disposedrectangular notch 16d. A number ofblade terminals 15 appropriate to a particular fret are placed in a jig with their fret connecting ends uppermost. The jig locates theblade terminals 15 parallel to one another in an orientation appropriate to the respective fret. The fret, with theportions 16c extending downwardly is then placed onto theblade terminals 15 so that the connectingend regions 15a of the blade terminals pass through the respective slots of theportions 16c of the fret and a flow soldering operation is used to effect a soldered connection between theportions 16c of the connectingcomponents 16 and theblade terminals 15. - It will be recognised that following the securing of the
blade terminals 15 to theportions 16c of the fret theblade terminals 15 extend from thecomponent 16 parallel to, and in the same direction as theportions 16b, that is to say at right angles to the plane of theportions 16c. Thus theportions 16b and theblades 15 are parallel and transversely adjacent rather than being parallel and longitudinally adjacent as would be the case if theportion 16b had been bent to extend upwardly from the plane of theportions 16c. - The next stage in the manufacture is the attachment of the
clips 14 to theportions 16b. As mentioned previously each of theportions 16b is formed with arectangular notch 16d in its free end edge, thenotch 16d being seen clearly in, for example, Figure 13. The width of thenotch 16d is fractionally greater than the width of thefinger 23 of eachclip 14, and eachclip 14 is engaged with itsrespective portion 16b by inserting the free end of theportion 16b between thefinger 23 and thelimb 18 of therespective clip 14. Theclip 14 is then moved slidingly along the length of theportion 16b until the root of itsfinger 23 seats within thenotch 16d in the free end edge of theportion 16b. Theportion 16b is of course gripped between thefinger 23 and the surface of thelimb 18, and so theclip 14 is secured to thelimb 16b, and, by virtue of the engagement of the root of thefinger 23 in thenotch 16d of theportion 16b the clip is held aligned with therespective portion 16b, that is to say is held parallel to and transversely adjacent theblade terminals 15. - When each of the
components 16 of the fret has been equipped with aclip 14 in this manner thelimbs 18 of theclips 14 are soldered to theirrespective portions 16b. While thefingers 23 provide a sufficiently secure fixing of the clips to theportion 16b to facilitate handling of the sub-assembly they do not provide a sufficiently good electrical connection. The soldering of thelimbs 18 to theirrespective portions 16b provides a more secure physical fixing, and a very good electrical connection of eachclip 14 to theclip connecting portion 16b of the connectingcomponent 16. - It will be understood that at this stage each
fret blade terminals 15 andclips 14, can be handled as a single unit since all of thenecks 16a are still in tact. The frets together with blades and clips is then offered to the inner surface of thehousing part 13 so that the blade terminals pass throughappropriate slots 27 in the wall of thehousing part 13 while theclips 14 are received in appropriately shapedrecesses 28 of the housing. In order that theterminals 15 are shrouded, and yet are accessible at the exterior of the housing 11, thehousing part 13 is formed in its lower surface withpockets 29 into which theblade terminals 15 extend. Thus it is the base of each of thepockets 29 which is formed with theslots 27. (Figure 4). - At this stage in the assembly therefore the
blade terminals 15 extend downwardly through theslots 27, theclips 14 extend downwardly into therecesses 28, and the connectingportions 16 between theclips 14 and theterminals 15 are seated upon inner surfaces of thehousing part 13. Thehousing part 13 does not provide a support surface immediately beneath thenecks 16a of the fret and the next stage in the manufacture of the fusebox is to sever the connections between thecomponent 16 by severing thenecks 16a of the frets. It is anticipated that assembly of the frets into thehousing part 13 will be an automatic procedure, and the handling device which presses the frets downwardly so that theclips 14 locate in therecesses 28 and theterminals 15 pass through theslots 27 will incorporate cutting devices which, when thecomponents 16 are fully seated within the housing part l3,descend to sever thenecks 16a. - The fret 26 shown in Figure 9 differs from the frets 24 and 25 in that it is in effect a single connecting
component 16 for interconnecting a pair ofpower blade terminals 15 and sixclips 14. It will be noted also, with particular reference to Figure 13, that for convenience and economy of material the intermediate portion between theclip connecting portions 16b and theterminal connecting portion 16c lies with its plane parallel to that of theportion 16b rather than theportion 16c as is the case with the frets 24, 25. The assembly of theclips 14 andterminals 15 to the fret 26 is exactly as described with reference to the frets 24 and 25, and the insertion of the fret equipped with blades and clips into thehousing part 13 is also the same as described above. - The final stage in the manufacture of the fusebox is engagement of the
upper housing part 12 with thelower housing part 13. Thehousing part 12 hasbarbed legs 12a (Figure 4) which pass, as a snap-fit, through corresponding apertures in thehousing part 13. Internally thehousing part 12 is formed with ribs or pads which engage the connectingcomponents 16 and trap them against thelower housing part 13 thereby, in co-operation with theslots 27 and recesses 28, holding the clips, terminals, and connecting components in position relative to the housing 11. - The
upper housing part 12 is formed externally with a series offuse receiving recesses 31 arranged, as can be seen in Figure 1, in two parallel rows. The base of each of therecesses 31 is formed with a pair ofslots 32 beneath each of which, and aligned with each of.- which, is a respectivefuse receiving clip 14. Thus each fuse, which comprises a fusable element and a pair of co-planar blade-like terminals, can be inserted into arespective recess 31 such that the blade terminals pass through theslots 32 of therecess 31 and into engagement with the appropriate fuse receiving clip positioned beneath theslot 32. Additionally the upper surface of thehousing part 12 is formed with arecess 33 for accommodating four spare fuses, and aretainer 34 for receiving a fuse extraction tool. The housing 11 is formed with mounting lugs for mounting the fusebox in a convenient location in use. It will be recognised that the fuses are accessible from the top of the fusebox, and electrical connections between the fuses and the wiring harness of the vehicle are made by plug-in connections at the underside of the fusebox, the mating connectors being introduced into thepockets 29 to engage theblade terminals 15 therein. - During assembly of the
clips 14 to theportions 16b of thecomponents 16 the alignment of theclips 14 relative to theportion 16b is effected, in the arrangement described above, by the engagement of the root of eachfinger 23 in the corresponding notch of theportion 16b. It is to be understood however that other arrangements are possible. For example, thelimb 18 of each clip could be provided with a pair of spaced, parallel fingers each similar to afinger 23, and the free end edge of each of theportions 16b could be provided with a rectangular projection, rather than a rectangular notch, the rectangular projection passing between the roots of the two parallel pressed-out fingers to effect alignment of the clip relative to theportion 16b. Furthermore, although for convenience three separate frets 24, 25, 26 are produced it is to be understood that more or less than three frets can be used dependent upon the nature and layout of the fuse and terminal connections required. For example in the construction described above, the frets 24 and 25 could be replaced by a single fret fulfilling the functions of both. However, production of such a single fret would be more wasteful of material than the use of two separate frets 24 and 25 as described. Nevertheless, given a different layout of fuse receiving clips andterminals 15 then it may well be possible economically 'to produce a single fret to which all of the terminals and clips are assembled prior to insertion of the fret into thehousing part 13. - It will be understood that the positioning of the
blade terminals 15 and theclips 14 so that they are parallel to one another, and at the same time are transversely adjacent one another effects a considerable saving in the overall height of the fusebox by comparison with known arrangements where fuse receiving clips and their respective blade terminals are parallel, but longitudinally adjacent, for example longitudinally co-extensive, since in this latter case the overall height will be at least the total of the length of the blade terminal added to the length of the fuse clip, whereas because in the above described arrangement the length of the fuse clip is alongside, or at least overlaps substantially, the length of the blade terminal the overall height will be less than the total of the length of the clip added to the length of the terminal. - In order to assist the friction between the blade terminals, the clips, and the housing lower part, in retaining the parts in position prior to engagement of the housing upper part, the blade terminals and/or the clips can be provided with roughened or barbed edge regions which bite into the material of the lower housing part when the clips, blades and connecting portions are correctly positioned, to resist withdrawal.
- It is to be understood that in certain fusebox applications the frets illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9 may be utilized but with certain of the
regions 16b and/or 16c devoid ofclips 14 and/orblade terminals 15.
Claims (8)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB848413414A GB8413414D0 (en) | 1984-05-25 | 1984-05-25 | Fusebox |
GB8413414 | 1984-05-25 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0162694A2 true EP0162694A2 (en) | 1985-11-27 |
EP0162694A3 EP0162694A3 (en) | 1986-12-30 |
EP0162694B1 EP0162694B1 (en) | 1989-08-09 |
Family
ID=10561505
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP19850303547 Expired EP0162694B1 (en) | 1984-05-25 | 1985-05-20 | Fusebox |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0162694B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE3572251D1 (en) |
GB (1) | GB8413414D0 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0339846A2 (en) * | 1988-04-23 | 1989-11-02 | LUCAS INDUSTRIES public limited company | Fuse box |
DE102004011490A1 (en) * | 2004-03-09 | 2005-09-29 | Lisa Dräxlmaier GmbH | Fuse holder for flat fuses |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE2821992A1 (en) * | 1977-05-21 | 1978-11-23 | Amp Inc | CONNECTION BOX |
DE3048451A1 (en) * | 1980-12-22 | 1982-07-22 | Kabelwerke Reinshagen Gmbh, 5600 Wuppertal | Simple centralised electrical unit for vehicle - has insulating boards between metal circuit boards with connections for plug-on components |
DE3225319A1 (en) * | 1982-07-07 | 1984-01-12 | Zünderwerk Rudolf Brüggemann, 5300 Bonn | Kit of components having terminal holders for the detachable attachment of fuse elements, especially for the fusing of circuits in vehicles |
-
1984
- 1984-05-25 GB GB848413414A patent/GB8413414D0/en active Pending
-
1985
- 1985-05-20 EP EP19850303547 patent/EP0162694B1/en not_active Expired
- 1985-05-20 DE DE8585303547T patent/DE3572251D1/en not_active Expired
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE2821992A1 (en) * | 1977-05-21 | 1978-11-23 | Amp Inc | CONNECTION BOX |
DE3048451A1 (en) * | 1980-12-22 | 1982-07-22 | Kabelwerke Reinshagen Gmbh, 5600 Wuppertal | Simple centralised electrical unit for vehicle - has insulating boards between metal circuit boards with connections for plug-on components |
DE3225319A1 (en) * | 1982-07-07 | 1984-01-12 | Zünderwerk Rudolf Brüggemann, 5300 Bonn | Kit of components having terminal holders for the detachable attachment of fuse elements, especially for the fusing of circuits in vehicles |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0339846A2 (en) * | 1988-04-23 | 1989-11-02 | LUCAS INDUSTRIES public limited company | Fuse box |
EP0339846A3 (en) * | 1988-04-23 | 1990-09-26 | LUCAS INDUSTRIES public limited company | Fuse box |
DE102004011490A1 (en) * | 2004-03-09 | 2005-09-29 | Lisa Dräxlmaier GmbH | Fuse holder for flat fuses |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0162694A3 (en) | 1986-12-30 |
GB8413414D0 (en) | 1984-07-04 |
DE3572251D1 (en) | 1989-09-14 |
EP0162694B1 (en) | 1989-08-09 |
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