EP1310972B1

EP1310972B1 - Fuse box for vehicles

Info

Publication number: EP1310972B1
Application number: EP01830694A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Umberto Falchetti
Original assignee: MTA SpA
Current assignee: MTA SpA
Priority date: 2001-11-09
Filing date: 2001-11-09
Publication date: 2007-01-17
Anticipated expiration: 2021-11-09
Also published as: ATE352095T1; EP1310972A1; DE60126101T2; DE60126101D1

Abstract

A fuse box (10) for vehicles comprises a bottom (14) which houses at least one fuse (34-40) connected electrically to one pole of a battery by means of a distribution plate (52), and a battery clamp (48) connected electrically to the said distribution plate (52) and capable of being fitted directly on to the pole of the battery and of supporting the fuse box (10). The distribution plate (52) comprises an element (54) which extends away from the said distribution plate (52) and forms a connection element for gripping means (56), the said element being capable of forming a mechanical connection and an electrical connection between the vehicle battery and a lead (58) for emergency starting. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a fuse box for vehicles, of the type identified in the precharacterizing clause of Claim 1.
The present invention relates to a fuse box particularly designed to be fitted on the positive pole of the battery, being provided with a corresponding clamp which also forms a mechanical support for fixing the box to the battery.
The aforesaid fuse box meets the requirements of safety and simplicity of fitting, both of these requirements being particularly important in the motor industry.
This is because the present fuse box has connecting elements at one end of the fuses, these elements being connected both electrically and mechanically to a battery terminal in such a way that the box is made integral with the terminal to form a single body. The fuse box is fixed to the battery by tightening the aforesaid clamp on the positive supply pole of the battery. Conversely, the fuse box can be detached from the battery in one piece with the clamp, by slackening the clamp.
The fuse box, as described schematically above, has numerous advantages, including the virtual elimination of unprotected conductors, in other words those conductors interposed between the electrical power source (battery) and the fuses.
However, the aforesaid fuse box has some important drawbacks which limit its efficiency. In particular, owing to the presence of the box and its clamp, the battery pole is not directly accessible. This causes difficulties when it is necessary to create an electrical connection between the battery pole and a clamping element located at the end of a lead for the emergency starting of the vehicle. Such a fuse box is known e.g. from the document US-A- 5 643 693.
The object of the present invention is to devise and make available a fuse box for vehicles which has structural and functional characteristics such that the aforesaid requirements can be met and the aforesaid drawbacks mentioned with reference to the prior art can be overcome.
This object is achieved with a fuse box according to Claim 1.
Further characteristics and the advantages of the fuse box according to the invention will be made clear by the following description of a preferred example of embodiment of the invention, provided for guidance and without restrictive intent, with reference to the attached figures, in which:
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a fuse box, open at the top to show certain details;
Figure 2 shows a detail of the fuse box of Figure 1, in which some elements have been omitted to show others more clearly;
Figure 3 shows a detail of the box of Figure 1 in a different operating condition;
Figure 4 shows a possible variant embodiment of a detail of Figure 1;
Figure 5 shows a detail of the box according to the present invention which was not shown in Figure 1.
With reference to the aforesaid figures, the number 10 indicates the whole of a fuse box suitable for application to vehicles, particularly to motor vehicles. In a conventional way, the aforesaid box essentially takes the shape of a parallelepiped whose base is an irregular polygon which has two essentially rectangular portions. This box is provided with a cover, which is not shown since it is of an essentially known type and not related to the object of the present invention.
The aforesaid box comprises a housing 12 made from insulating material of a known type. This housing can be made, for example, by moulding a plastic material.
The housing 12 is closed below by a bottom 14 whose shape reproduces that of the base of the box. This bottom extends principally in one plane and is delimited along its profile by a surround 16 which extends perpendicularly from the bottom.
The bottom 14 can have some ribs 18 to delimit portions for housing the components of the present box, as will be described in detail below.
Additionally, the bottom 14 can have, in the smaller rectangular portion, two penetrating slots 20 arranged with axes and an attachment element 22 which extends perpendicularly from the bottom.
The surround 16 can have seats 24 for receiving snap-locking elements which are housed in the cover and which are therefore not shown.
A number of screws are fixed in the bottom 14 in the form of inserts, their heads being, for example, embedded in the material of the bottom or received in seats whose shapes are complementary to those of the screw heads. The shank of each screw extends away from the bottom 14 and perpendicularly thereto.
Some of the aforesaid screws are arranged in pairs, indicated by the references 26, 28, 30 and 32, for housing fuses, indicated by 34, 36, 38 and 40. In particular, the screws belonging to one pair are arranged near each other with a distance between centres equal to the distance between the centres of the fixing holes of the corresponding fuses.
In addition to the fuse fixing screws, a further screw, also embedded in the bottom 14, is provided, as indicated by the reference 42, next to one of the pairs of fuse fixing screws.
In addition to what has been described above, the bottom 14 has an aperture 44 located parallel to one side of the surround 16 and in the proximity of this side. This aperture 44 has an essentially rectangular shape, with ribs 46 which pass across it perpendicularly to the longer side.
The reference 48 indicates a battery clamp, previously described in the patent IT 1290589, the clamp being formed by stamping, striking and bending a flat metal sheet to form a pair of split rings which are coaxial with and parallel to each other and have their ends joined to each other to form two U-shaped seats for receiving a tightening bolt. The dimensions of the rings are such that they can be fitted and tightened on the pole of the battery by means of the aforesaid tightening bolt.
In a position orthogonal to the axis of the bolt, one of the two rings extends to form a wall perpendicular to the plane containing the ring, this wall being bent to form a supporting bracket. The free edge of this bracket houses the heads of three corresponding screws 50 whose shanks extend perpendicularly to the bracket.
The supporting bracket of the clamp 48 is fitted into the aperture 44 of the box. The spacing between the centres of the aforesaid screws 50 is such that each shank is inserted between two adjacent ribs and projects into the box.
The reference 52 indicates a distribution plate of conductive material which has an irregular profile provided with holes. Some of these holes are designed so that each one can receive one of the screws belonging to the pairs of fuse fixing screws.
The distribution plate 52 comprises further holes of which one is designed to receive the screw 42 embedded in the bottom of the box and two are designed to receive the shanks of two of the screws 50 forming part of the clamp 48.
In addition to what has been described above, the distribution plate 52 comprises an element 54 which extends away from the distribution plate 52.
In a possible embodiment, the element 54 consists of a tab formed in one piece with the distribution plate 52 and bent in such a way that it extends perpendicularly away from the said plate.
This element 54 forms a connection element for gripping means 56 to provide a mechanical and electrical connection between the battery of the vehicle and a lead for emergency starting.
The figures also show that the box 10 comprises further means 60 of fixing the box to the battery casing. These fixing means 60 comprise two plugs 62 joined together by a link 64 made from plastic material, for example from the same material as that which forms the outer sleeves of the plugs.
The link 64 can have apertures 66 for receiving the free end of the attachment element 22 in such a way that the fixing means 60 are fixed to the bottom 14 so that they are supplied together with the box 10 directly by the manufacturer to the user without any risk of loss of the link 64.
The method of assembling the fuse box 10 according to the present invention will now be described.
The screws 50 of the clamp 48 are inserted into the aperture 44 of the bottom 14. The distribution plate 52 is fitted on to two of the screws 50 and also on to the screws embedded in the bottom 14, and is clamped between the head of each screw and a terminal of the corresponding fuse by means of nuts 68. Other nuts 70 are tightened on the screws 50.
The fuse box 10 and the corresponding clamp 48 are placed on the top panel of the battery. The clamp is fitted on the positive pole of the battery and tightened to fix and support the box 10.
If a further means of fixing the box 10 to the battery is required, the link 64 is detached from the attachment element 22 and the two plugs 62 are inserted in the slots 20, engaging in seats formed in the battery panel.
Also, if the battery has to be recharged or an emergency start has to be carried out by means of leads, the element 54 forms a connection element for gripping means 56 located at the end of the lead.
The above text makes it clear that a fuse box as described above meets the aforesaid requirement of simplifying the assembly and making the connection more secure, while avoiding the use of conductors which are interposed between the battery and the fuses and which are therefore not protected.
Additionally, this fuse box, although applied directly to the pole of the battery, permits fast, stable and immediate attachment of emergency leads, while avoiding any need to remove the box or to use incorrect attachment elements which would be insecure.
Furthermore, the presence of supplementary fixing means supplied directly by the manufacturer enables the box to be additionally stabilized on the battery, while avoiding the use for this purpose of fixing means which would damage the battery, such as excessively long screws.
A further advantage of the fuse box according to the invention lies in its novel structural simplicity, which enables it to be manufactured at a very low cost.
Clearly, variants of, and/or additions to, the invention described and illustrated above can be provided.
The element 54 can be of a different shape and size from those described above. For example, it can be made in one piece with the distribution plate as before, but inclined at an angle of less than 90° to it. Additionally, the element 54 can have a stepped profile permitting a more secure fixing of the gripping means 56.
It is also possible for the element 54 not to be made in one piece with the distribution plate 52; for example it can be fixed to the plate by suitable connecting means.
Clearly, the box 10 can also have a shape and internal elements whose number, dimensions and shapes can differ from those illustrated above.

Claims

Fuse box (10) for vehicles, comprising:
a bottom (14) which houses at least one fuse (34-40) electrically connected to one pole of a battery by means of a distribution plate (52), and

a battery clamp (48) electrically connected to the said distribution plate (52) and capable of being fitted directly on to the pole of the battery and of supporting the fuse box (10),

the said distribution plate (52) comprising an element (54) which extends away from the said distribution plate (52), characterized in that the said element (54) forms a connection element adapted to be connected to gripping means (56) and being capable of forming a mechanical connection and an electrical connection between the vehicle battery and a lead in core of an emergency starting.
Fuse box (10) according to Claim 1, in which the element (54) comprises a tab formed in one piece with the distribution plate (52).
Fuse box (10) according to Claim 2, in which the said tab is bent up in such a way as to extend perpendicularly away from the distribution plate (52).
Fuse box (10) according to Claim 2, in which the said tab is bent up in such a way as to extend at an angle of less than 90° away from the distribution plate (52).
Fuse box (10) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the said element (54) has steps to increase the stability of the grip.
Fuse box (10) according to Claim 1, comprising further means (60) of fixing the box to the battery casing.
Fuse box (10) according to Claim 6, in which the fixing means (60) comprise two plugs (62) joined together by a link (64).
Fuse box (10) according to Claim 7, in which the link (64) has apertures (66) adapted to receive the free end of an attachment element (22) of the bottom (14).