Wire harness assembly

• US 6,220,874 B1
• Filed: 03/25/1999
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Takada, Nobuhiro, Kurata, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prasad, Chandrika
• Application Number:
  US09/276,784
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 439/76.2, 439/404, 439/949, 439/395, 439/942
• US Class Current: 439/76.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/506 assembled by snap action of the parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5833 the cable being forced in a tortuous or curved path, e.g. knots in cable H01R13/582 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2429 mounted in an insulating base
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/2458 Electrical interconnections between terminal blocks

Abstract

A wire harness assembly including a wire harness and a junction box. The junction box contains a plurality of junction box terminals and it also carries an attachment unit projecting outwardly. The attachment unit has a plurality of openings in its outer surface through which the junction box terminals project. One end of the terminals is in contact with the internal circuit of the junction box and the other is a pair of cutting blades into which the wire is inserted. An intermediate section of the wires is attached in accordance with the foregoing, and the ends are inserted into a plurality of connection boxes. The openings may be in multiple rows, offset transversely from each other. This permits inclusion of a large number of terminals in a relatively small space.

Claims

1. A wire harness assembly comprising:

a wire harness, and

a junction box containing a plurality of junction box terminals, positioned in said junction box

an attachment unit projecting outwardly from said junction box, said attachment unit having an inverted U-shaped cross section,

said attachment unit having an outer surface remote from said junction box, said outer surface corresponding to the closed end portion of said inverted U-shape

a plurality of openings in said outer surface,

said junction box terminals having blades extending through said openings and projecting outwardly thereof, wires of said wire harness are pressed against said blades at an attachment portion of said wires which is spaced apart axially from a forward end of each of said wires thereby to contact said junction box terminals to said wires of said wire harness

said forward end of each of said wires in said wire harness pressure contact connected to a connector terminal in a connection box,

a cover having an inverted U-shaped cross section so as to fit over said attachment unit and hold said wires onto said attachment unit, said cover, causing said wires to have an inverted U-shaped configuration to conform to said attachment unit and said cover, said cover having an interior surface parallel to and spaced apart from said outer surface, thereby defining a space between said outer surface and said interior surface, at least a portion of said wires being in said space as said wires pass over said attachment unit.

2. The assembly of claim 1 comprising a plurality of connection boxes, each of said connection boxes having a terminal insertion chamber, at least one connector terminal in said chamber, cutting ends on said connector terminal and in electrical contact therewith, said cutting ends, when said wires are pressed thereagainst, adapted to make electrical contact with said wires,

said blades being spaced apart in a transverse direction to axes of said wires by a first pitch, said cutting ends being spaced apart in said transverse direction by a second pitch, said first and said second pitch being either the same or one of said first pitch and said second pitch being an even multiple of the other.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said first pitch is a multiple of said second pitch.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said first pitch is twice said second pitch.

5. The assembly of claim 1 comprising a plurality of connection boxes, each of said connection boxes having a terminal insertion chamber, at least one connector terminal in said chamber, cutting ends on said connector terminal and in electrical contact therewith, said cutting ends, when said wires are pressed thereagainst, adapted to make electrical contact with said wires, said attachment portion being intermediate both ends of said wires,

a first plurality of said blades being spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction to axes of said wires by a first pitch, a second plurality of said blades being spaced apart from each other in said transverse direction, said first plurality and said second plurality being offset from each other in said transverse direction.

6. The assembly of claim 5 comprising at least a third plurality of said blades spaced apart from each other in said transverse direction, said first plurality, said second plurality, and at least said third plurality being offset from each other in said transverse direction.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said first plurality, said second plurality, and said third plurality project from said openings different distances from each other.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said blades includes at least one busbar.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein there is a plurality of said busbars which are laminated with an insulating plate between adjacent busbars.

10. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said busbar is bent so that a bus bar end thereof forms said junction box terminal.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said cover further comprising a first side and a second side which are parallel to and spaced apart from each other, said first side and said second side extending from said interior surface toward said junction box and terminating in a first edge and a second edge, respectively,

an outer wall on said cover parallel to said first side and spaced apart therefrom in a direction away from said second side, thereby defining a hollow between said outer wall and said first side, a terminal end of at least one of said wires being in said hollow.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein, said cover further comprising a first side and a second side which are parallel to and spaced apart from each other, said first side and said second side extending from said interior surface toward said junction box and terminating in a first edge and a second edge, respectively,

said attachment unit having a first side wall and a second side wall which are parallel to and spaced apart from each other, said first side wall and said second side wall extending from said junction box to said outer surface,

there being a first gap between said first side wall and said first side, said first gap being equal to a diameter of at least one of said wires, some of said attachment portion of said wires being in said first gap.

13. The assembly of claim 12 wherein there is a second gap between said second side and said second side wall, said second gap being equal to said diameter, some of said attachment portion of said wires being in said second gap.

14. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said cover further comprising a first side and a second side which are parallel to and spaced apart from each other, said first side and said second side extending from said interior surface toward said junction box and terminating in a first edge and a second edge, respectively, there being rounded wire guides on at least one of said first edge and said second edge.

15. The assembly of claim 1 wherein there is a flat section of said junction box, a load bearing tool in contact with said flat section whereby, when pressure is exerted on said attachment portion, said tool permits insertion of said wires into said blades without distortion of said junction box.