GB2305548A

GB2305548A - Electrical installations in vehicles

Info

Publication number: GB2305548A
Application number: GB9619764A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Askew; Reiner Hirschle
Original assignee: HIRSCHLE GmbH; ALLEN GROUP Ltd
Current assignee: HIRSCHLE GmbH; ALLEN GROUP Ltd
Priority date: 1995-09-25
Filing date: 1996-09-23
Publication date: 1997-04-09
Also published as: GB9619764D0; GB9519500D0

Abstract

Power supply to lamps L1-6 of a commercial trailer vehicle is via cables C1-9 via junction boxes B1-2. The boxes B1-2 are installed with cables C3-5 and C6-9 respectively, already attached, the cables C3-4,6-9 being individually of a length for direct connection to the relevant lamps L1-6; alternatively, the cables C3-4,6-9 are already attached to the lamps L1 to L6. Connections within the junction boxes B1-2 are made via circuit boards 11 (Figs 2,3) and jumper leads 16. The rear junction box B2 may be incorporated with the lamps L6 into a unit (Fig 5) for mounting the rear number/identification plate 31 of the vehicle.

Description

Electrical Installations in Vehicles This invention relates to electrical installations in vehicles.

L The invention is c cerned especially with methods of installation of elect cay systems in vehicles, and in particular, though not exclusively, in commercial vehicles and trailers.

There is considerable labour involved in the installation of electrical lighting and signalling systems in commercial-vehicle trailers. Conventionally, the lighting and signalling lamps and other units are first installed on the trailer together with junction boxes and fuses, and are then wired up. The wiring-up process involves much manual labour in feeding the cables required round and through the various structural parts of the trailer chassis, and then cutting them to appropriate lengths and forming the end-connections for establishing the required connections to and from the respective components. As currently performed, the process is arduous and open to inconsistencies and errors, and it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a method of electrical installation that reduces significantly these problems.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of electrical installation in a vehicle in which lamps and/or other electrical components are interconnected by elements of cable or other wiring, wherein such elements are already connected electrically at one end to at least some of the components before these components are installed in the vehicle, and are individually of such length that after installation of these components electrical interconnections between their other ends and others of the installed components can be established directly.

The method may include installation of a junction box for distribution of power to at least some of the components of the installation. In these circumstances the elements of cable or other wiring for supply of power from the junction box to others of the components may be already connected electrically at one end to the junction box before it is installed, and may be individually of a length to enable direct connections to be made from their other ends to these other components within the installation. As an alternative, the elements of cable or other wiring may be already connected electrically at one end to the other components before they are installed. In either case, the interconnections within the junction box may be established via circuit boards and jumper leads connected to the boards.

The said other ends of the elements of cable or other wiring may have spade terminals attached before installation, and the connections at these ends may then be made by plugging the terminals into sockets of the relevant component or components within the installation.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an electrical installation in a vehicle in which lighting and/or other electrical components are connected via elements of cable or other wiring to a junction box for distribution of electrical power to said components, wherein the junction box forms part of a unit that incorporates at least one other electrical component of the installation, powered from the junction box.

The unit may be for mounting a rear number/identification plate on the vehicle and in these circumstances may incorporate one or more lamps powered from the junction box for illuminating such plate.

An electrical lighting and signalling system of a commercial-vehicle trailer and methods of installation thereof according to the present invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the electrical lighting and signalling system of the tailer; and Figures 2 and 3 are, respectively, a side-elevation and plan both partly in section and illustrating the general form of a junction box suitable for use in the system of Figure 1, the section of Figure 2 being taken on the line II-II of Figure 3; Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a typical electrical socket of the junction box of Figures 2 and 3; and Figure 5 is illustrative of a combined junction box and rear number/identification unit according to the invention and suitable for use in the system of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, electrical power supply to the lighting system of the trailer is made from the tractor vehicle via socket connectors S1 and S2. The connectors S1 and S2 are connected by cables C1 and C2 respectively, to a front-mounted junction box B1. The box Bl supplies power to either side of the trailer via cables C3 and C4 which are connected to front-marker lamps L1 and L2 located towards the top and bottom respectively of the front-wall of the trailer. It also supplies power to a rear-mounted junction box B2 via a main power cable C5.

The junction box B2 supplies power from the cable C5 to two lengths of cable C6 that supply side-marker lamps L3 distributed along the two sides respectively of the trailer. Cables C7 from the junction box B2 supply rearmarker lamps L4 mounted towards the top on the left-hand and right-hand sides of the rear-wall of the trailer, and rear-lamp units L5 (including reversing and directionindicating lamps) are each supplied from the box B2 by cables C8. Lamps L6 that provide illumination for the number/identification plate of the trailer are also supplied from the box B2, by cables C9.

Installation of the cabling system is carried out by installing the junction box B1 with the cables C3 to C5 cut to length, already connected, and the junction box B2 with the cables C6 to C9 already connected. The cables C3, C4 and C6 to C9 are then fed through the trailerstructure for connection to the respective lamps L1 to L6 as previously or subsequently installed, and connection of the cable C5 to the box B2 established. In this way considerable economy of labour and cost in wiring the trailer can be achieved, the connection steps once the junction boxes B1 and B2 have been installed and the cables C1 to C9 laid out, being confined in each case to those necessary at one cable-end only. The establishment of connections of this nature to the lamps L1 to L6 can be greatly facilitated by use of connectors on the lamps L1 to L6 that involve prongs to pierce the cableinsulation and establish contact with the conductor of the cable without the necessity for removing the insulation.

As an alternative to the installation method described above, the lamps L1 to L6 can be supplied and installed on the trailer with the cables C3, C4 and C6 to C9 cut to length, already connected. With the junction boxes B1 and B2 installed and interconnected by the cable C5, all that is then required is to feed the cables C3, C4 and C6 to C9 through the trailer-structure from the lamps L1 to L6, and connect them in the boxes B1 and B2.

The junction boxes B1 and B2 may take the general form illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, each comprising a closedbox structure 10 that contains circuit boards 11 (only some of which are shown) for establishing the required interconnections within the box. The boards 11 slot into the structure 10 and serve to establish the required power-distribution connections between, in the case illustrated, five sockets 12 and a fuse box 13 that is accessible externally of the structure 10. More particularly, each board 11 involves one or more copper tracks 14 that are supported robustly on the board 11 together with spade terminals 15. Generally, more than two spade terminals 15 are connected to each track 14, one terminal 15 being connected to each end of the track 14 and at least one other to an intermediate position along its length.The spade terminals 15 project from the boards 11 to facilitate interconnection with the fuse box 13 and the sockets 12 within the box. The individual interconnections are established using jumper leads 16.

Each jumper lead 16 comprises a length of insulated wire that is terminated at both ends by a female spadeconnector 17 (the connectors 17 at one end only, are visible in Figures 2 and 3). In using the lead 16 to establish an interconnection between a track 14 and a socket 12 or the fuse box 13, one of the two connectors 17 of the lead 16 is pushed firmly onto the spade terminal 15 of the track 14, closest to the socket 12 or box 13, and the other onto one of a plurality of spade terminals 19 (not shown in Figures 2 and 3) of the socket 12 or box 13 as the case may be. The construction of a typical socket 12 is illustrated in Figure 4, and will now be described; construction of the electrical interface with the fuse box 13 is of comparable form.

Referring to Figure 4, the socket 12 has an externallythreaded cylindrical body 20 that is moulded from plastics with a rearwardly-projecting boss 21 of reduced diameter. The boss 21, which is externally threaded also, projects into the box-structure 10 through an aperture 22 that has been punched out from the box-wall, the socket 12 as a whole being clamped tightly to the wall by a threaded ring 23 screwed onto the boss 21 (instead of using the clamping ring 23, the boss 21 may be provided with resilient tines that spring outwardly to hold the socket 12 firmly to the wall when the boss 21 is first pushed through the aperture 22). A resilient ring 24 is sandwiched between the body 20 and the wall to ensure that the joint between them is sealed.

The spade terminals 19 project rearwardly from within respective cavities 25 of the boss 21, each being connected by an individual wire 26 within the moulding to respective spade terminals 27 that project forwardly from within cavities 28 of the body 20. External electrical connection from one of the cables C1 to C9 to the box structure 10 via the socket 12, is made by connecting the leads of that cable to the spade terminals 27. The cable (not shown in Figure 4) enters the socket 12 through a flexible sealing gland 29 that is clamped to the body 20 using a threaded ring 30.

Each cable C1 to C9 is made up before installation with appropriate female spade-connectors on the constituent leads, so that connection through the junction box is established simply by plugging or pushing these female connectors home onto the terminals 27 of the relevant sockets 12. The connections made through the box can be established beforehand simply by suitable interconnection within, using the jumper leads 16.

The lamps L1, L2 and L4 to L6 may with advantage be carried within sockets that incorporate spade terminals corresponding to those (19) of the boss 21 of the socket 12. In these circumstances the cables C3, C4 and C7 to C9 are made up with female spade-connectors on both ends.

The electrical distribution and fuse functions of the rear junction box B2 may be combined in one unit as illustrated in Figure 5, with the mounting and illumination functions for a rear number/identification plate 31; this is of advantage in reducing installation work and wiring. In the latter respect, the lamps L6 and the junction box are combined using a construction in which the distribution function is carried out behind the lamps L6. The construction is similar to that of Figures 2 and 3, but with the fuse box (13) in this case relocated for ready access as a box 32 on one side of the unit; the sockets 12 may be all located on the rear face (not shown) of the combined unit.The connections to the lamps L6 may be made directly from the boards 11 using jumper leads 16; the lamps L6 in this respect are retained within sockets that, like the sockets 12, have spade terminals (19) for easy push-fit connection from the jumper leads 16.

The unit of Figure 5 may be modified to incorporate vehicle-marker boards of reflective and fluorescent form such as required at the rear of commercial vehicles under EC regulations. With this modification the need for marker boards separately attached by screws to the vehicle-rear can be avoided to improve even further the economies of installation cost and work.

The incorporation of the distribution function with a lighting or some other electrical function is of considerable advantage in saving installation work and cost, and the principle involved may usefully be extended beyond the specific context described above of the installation of electrical circuitry on a trailer, to include electrical installation in the tractor vehicle as well as to installation of electrical systems in vehicles generally.

As described above, the combined unit may combine lamps of the rear number/identification plate with the junction box, but other combinations are possible. For example, where the system includes headlights, a junction box may be incorporated in unitary form with one or other of such headlights. Moreover, where the system includes two or more junction boxes they may each be combined in unitary form with respective lighting or other electrical components of the system.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method of electrical installation in a vehicle in which lamps and/or other electrical components are interconnected by elements of cable or other wiring, wherein such elements are already connected electrically at one end to at least some of the components before these components are installed in the vehicle, and are individually of such length that after installation of these components electrical interconnections between their other ends and others of the installed components can be established directly.

2. A method according to Claim 1 including installation of a junction box for distribution of power to at least some of the components of the installation, wherein elements of cable or other wiring for supply of power from the junction box to others of the components are already connected electrically at one end to the junction box before it is installed, and wherein these elements are individually of a length to enable direct connections to be made from their other ends to these other components within the installation.

3. A method according to Claim 1 including installation of a junction box for distribution of power to at least some of the components of the installation, wherein elements of cable or other wiring for supply of power from the junction box to others of the components are already connected electrically at one end to these other components before they are installed, and wherein these elements are individually of a length to enable direct connections to be made from their other ends to the junction box within the installation.

4. A method according to Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein interconnections within the junction box are established via circuit boards and jumper leads connected to the boards.

5. A method according to any one of Claims 2 to 4 wherein the junction box is part of a unit that incorporates at least one other electrical component of the installation, powered from the junction box.

6. A method according to Claim 5 wherein the unit is for mounting a rear number/identification plate on the vehicle and incorporates one or more lamps powered from the junction box for illuminating such plate.

7. A method according to Claim 5 or Claim 6 wherein two or more junction boxes are installed each of which is part of a respective unit that incorporates at least one other electrical component of the installation, powered from that junction box.

8. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the said other ends of the elements of cable or other wiring have spade terminals attached before installation, and the connections at these ends are made by plugging the terminals into sockets of the relevant component or components within the installation.

9. An electrical installation in a vehicle in which lighting and/or other electrical components are connected via elements of cable or other wiring to a junction box for distribution of electrical power to said components, wherein the junction box forms part of a unit that incorporates at least one other electrical component of the installation, powered from the junction box.

10. An electrical installation according to Claim 9 wherein interconnections within the junction box are established via circuit boards and jumper leads connected to the boards.

11. An electrical installation according to Claim 9 or Claim 10 wherein the unit is for mounting a rear number/identification plate on the vehicle and incorporates one or more lamps powered from the junction box for illuminating such plate.

12. An electrical installation according to any one of Claims 9 to 11 including two or more junction boxes each of which is part of a respective unit that incorporates at least one other electrical component of the installation, powered from that junction box.

13. A method of electrical installation in a vehicle in which lamps are interconnected by elements of cable or other wiring, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

14. An electrical installation in a vehicle in which lamps are interconnected by elements of cable or other wiring, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 1 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.