Power management and distribution assembly mountable to a battery

• US 20040048142A1
• Filed: 06/04/2002
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. (Howmet Aerospace, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. (Howmet Aerospace, Inc.)
• Inventors: Migrin, Robert S., Marusak, Brian T., Gutman, Robert F.
• Application Number:
  US10/161,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20040048142A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0238 Electrical distribution centers

Abstract

A power management and distribution assembly for use with a battery. A housing is secured to a face of the battery and includes a first terminal engaging the negative battery terminal, and a second terminal engaging the positive battery terminal. An energy management subassembly is in operative commnication with the negative terminal; a cut-off switch subassembly likewise being in operative communication with the positive terminal. Electrical components, such as fuses, relays and controllers, are arranged upon a circuit board mounted within the housing in electrical communication with both the energy management and cut-off switch subassemblies. A cover secures over an exposed face of the housing and an access door is defined in the cover and is openable to reveal the electrical components. Power feed output connectors and wire harness output connectors are associated with the energy management subassembly and are accessible from locations exterior the housing.

Claims

1. A mounted power distributing junction box assembly for use with a battery, the battery having positive and negative terminals, said assembly comprising:

a three dimensional housing adapted to be secured to a face of the battery;

a first terminal extending from a location of said housing and engaging the negative battery terminal, a second terminal extending from a further location of said housing and engaging the positive battery terminal;

said housing including an energy management sub-assembly in operative communication with a first selected one of said battery terminals, a cut-off switch subassembly in operative communication with a second selected one of said battery terminals;

a plurality of electrical components arranged upon a circuit board mounted within said housing and in electrical communication with both said energy management sub-assembly and cut-off switch subassembly; and

at least one individual plurality of connector outputs associated with at least one of said energy management and cut-off switch subassemblies, said outputs being accessible from locations exterior said housing.

2. The assembly as described in claim 1, further comprising a main cover securable over a face of said housing, an access door defined in said main cover and revealing said electrical components.

4. The assembly as described in claim 1, said energy management module further comprising a Communication Access Network interface circuit and being capable of emitting a diagnostic output signal representative of a measured condition of the battery.

5. The assembly as described in claim 1, said cutoff switch subassembly incorporating logic circuitry for generating a power trip signal of said battery power upon receipt of an associated input signal.

6. The assembly as described in claim 5, said input signal originating from an output signal of said energy management subassembly.

7. The assembly as described in claim 5, said input signal originating from an output signal issued by deployment of a vehicle crash sensor.

8. The assembly as described in claim 1, further comprising a manual trip button at a first exposed location proximate to and communicable with said cut-off switch subassembly.

9. The assembly as described in claim 8, further comprising a reset button at a second exposed location proximate to and communicable with said cut-off switch subassembly.

10. The assembly as described in claim 1, further comprising said plurality of electrical components being selected from the group consisting of fuses, relays, diodes, circuit breakers and controllers.

11. The assembly as described in claim 1, said connector outputs further comprising a plurality of power feed connectors in operative communication with said cut-off switch subassembly.

12. The assembly as described in claim 11, further comprising a plurality of rated fuse elements in electrical communication with said power feed connectors via a common bus connector.

13. The assembly as described in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of wire harness input and output pins engageable with selected ones of said connector outputs.

14. The assembly as described in claim 1, further comprising at least one connector input associated with said energy management subassembly.

15. The assembly as described in claim 1, said housing further comprising an extending and planar base for supporting a corresponding bottom surface of the battery.

16. The assembly as described in claim 15, said housing further comprising a pair of pedestal portions extending from a top surface of said housing and engaging a corresponding top surface of the battery.

3. The assembly as described in claim 3, further comprising first and second battery terminal covers assembleable over said first and second terminals.

17. A power management and distribution assembly for use with a battery, the battery exhibiting a substantially rectangular configuration with top, bottom, front, rear and side faces, the battery further having positive and negative terminals projecting from the top face, said assembly comprising:

a three dimensional and substantially rectangular shaped housing adapted to be secured a face of the battery;

a first terminal extending from a location of said housing and engaging the negative battery terminal, a second terminal extending from a further location of said housing and engaging the positive battery terminal;

said housing including an energy management sub-assembly in operative communication with said first terminal, a cut-off switch subassembly in operative communication with said second terminal;

a plurality of electrical components arranged upon a circuit board mounted within said housing and in electrical communication with both said energy management sub-assembly and cut-off switch subassembly;

a main cover securable over an exposed face of said housing, an access door defined in said cover openable to reveal said electrical components; and

a first plurality of power feed output connectors and a second plurality of wire harness output connectors, said connectors being accessible from locations exterior said housing.

18. A mounted power distributing junction box assembly for use with a battery, the battery having positive and negative terminals, said assembly comprising:

a three dimensional housing adapted to be secured to a face of the battery;

a first terminal extending from a location of said housing and engaging the negative battery terminal, a second terminal extending from a further location of said housing and engaging the positive battery terminal;

the positive and negative terminals of the battery each further including a recessed cavity communicating with a selected edge of the battery, each of the battery terminals including a first input pin corresponding to a selected positive and negative of the battery, said battery terminals each further including a second voltage sensor pin;

said first and second housing terminals each further including a male insertion element corresponding to a configuration of said input and voltage sensor pins;

said housing including an energy management sub-assembly in operative communication with a first selected one of said battery terminals, a cut-off switch subassembly in operative communication with a second selected one of said battery terminals;

a plurality of electrical components arranged upon a circuit board mounted within said housing and in electrical communication with both said energy management sub-assembly and cut-off switch subassembly; and

at least one individual plurality of connector outputs associated with at least one of said energy management and cut-off switch subassemblies, said outputs being accessible from locations exterior said housing.