Electrical center with vertical power bus bar

• US 20100038133A1
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Senk, Joseph Matthew, Roncone, Gino M., Gladd, Joseph Howard, Kirk, John B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,027,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/72.B
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0238 Electrical distribution centers

Abstract

An electrical assembly comprises a mounting bracket lift assembly and an electrical center. The electrical center is attached to the mounting bracket lift assembly for plugging wiring harness end connectors into the electrical center. The electrical center comprises a lower housing, a circuit board sub-assembly, an upper housing, electrical components such as fuses and relays that plug into the upper housing and a cover. The circuit board sub-assembly includes a power bus bar that provides a power path for the various electrical circuits of the vehicle via the circuit components carried on the circuit board. Three power bus bars that are configured, oriented and located to reduce the foot print of the electrical center and/or to improve the dissipation of heat generated by the electrical center are disclosed.

Claims

1. An electrical center comprising

a circuit board assembly that includes a circuit board having a substrate that carries electrical traces and electric and/or electronic components, and

a power bus bar having a generally planar metal strap that is attached to the circuit board so that the generally planar metal strap is substantially perpendicular to the circuit board to reduce a foot print of the electrical assembly and/or increase heat transfer from the circuit board assembly to the power bus bar.

2. The electrical center as defined in claim 1 wherein the generally planar strap of the power bus bar is sized to act as a heat sink for the circuit board assembly when the heating resistance 1²R of the power bus bar is taken into account.

3. The electrical center as defined in claim 2 wherein the generally planar strap of the power bus bar extends upwardly away from the circuit board to take advantage of heat rise.

4. The electrical center as defined in claim 1 wherein the circuit board has a plurality of slots and the metal strap has a plurality of depending connector tabs that extend through selected ones of the plurality of slots to mount the power bus bar on the circuit board.

5. The electrical center as defined in claim 4 wherein the connector tabs have shoulders engaging the circuit board to space the power bus bar from an adjacent surface of the circuit board.

6. The electrical center as defined in claim 1 wherein the power bus bar has a plurality of generally planar metal straps.

7. The electrical center as defined in claim 6 wherein the plurality of generally planar metal straps includes a first pair of substantially parallel metal straps that are connected to each by at least one bridge.

8. The electrical center as defined in claim 7 wherein the first pair substantially parallel metal straps have inner edges adjacent the circuit board and wherein the at least one bridge is at the inner edges of the first pair of substantially parallel straps.

9. The electrical center as defined in claim 7 wherein the first pair of substantially parallel straps are connected by a second pair of substantially parallel straps.

10. The electrical center as defined in claim 9 wherein the first pair of substantially parallel straps have opposite ends that are connected by the second pair of substantially parallel straps to provide a rectangular arrangement.

11. The electrical center as defined in claim 10 wherein the circuit board has a plurality of slots and the first pair of substantially parallel straps and the second pair of substantially parallel straps have a plurality of depending connector tabs that connect the parallel straps to the circuit board, the connector tabs having shoulders engaging the circuit board to space the straps from an adjacent surface of the circuit board.

12. The electrical center as defined in claim 11 wherein the first set of substantially parallel straps have straps of equal length and the second set of substantially parallel straps have straps of the same equal length as the first set of substantially parallel straps to provide a square arrangement.

20. The electrical center as defined in claim 1 in combination with a mounting bracket lift assembly, the electrical center including a plurality of electrical connector sockets, and the mounting bracket lift assembly carrying a plurality of electrical connectors, the electrical center being connected to the mounting bracket lift assembly and the mounting bracket lift assembly having means for lifting the electrical connectors into engagement with the electrical connector sockets.

13. An electrical center comprising:

a circuit board assembly that includes a circuit board having a substrate that carries electrical traces and electric and/or electronic components, and

a power bus bar having a power attachment tab and a plurality of generally planar straps that are attached to the circuit board so that the generally planar straps are substantially perpendicular to the circuit board,

the substrate having a perimeter and the plurality of generally planar straps forming a shell disposed at the perimeter of the substrate.

14. The electrical center as defined in claim 13 wherein the generally planar plates have depending connector tabs that engage the substrate to mount the generally planar straps on the substrate.

15. The electrical center as defined in claim 14 wherein the connector tabs have shoulders that engage the substrate to space the generally planar straps from the substrate.

16. The electrical center as defined in claim 15 wherein the substrate and the shell are rectangular.

17. The electrical center as defined in claim 15 wherein the substrate and the shell are square.

18. The electrical center as defined in claim 13 further comprising a housing wherein the shell is disposed in the housing and the power tab is exposed for connection to an external power source.

19. The electrical center as defined in claim 18 wherein the housing has a peripheral channel that receives the shell.