Electrical fuse box for motor vehicles

• US 6,396,380 B1
• Filed: 01/25/1999
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Wohlfahrt, Karl-Heinz, Girke, Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vortman, Anatoly
• Application Number:
  US09/171,112
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 337/189,158,159,161,188,229,256,290,278 361/104,626,642,646,775,804 439/76.2 174/72 B,71 B,68.2
• US Class Current: 337/189
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2085/025 Structural association with a binding post of a storage battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2085/208 specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/044 General constructions or structure of low voltage fuses, i.e. below 1000 V, or of fuses where the applicable voltage is not specified H01H85/046 - H01H85/048 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/20 Bases for supporting the fuse; Separate parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/2045 Mounting means or insulating parts of the base, e.g. covers, casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/205 Electric connections to contacts on the base
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/24 Means for preventing insertion of incorrect fuse

Abstract

A fuse box for motor vehicles includes a housing that is adapted to contain electrical fuses mounted to a common busbar for connecting one end of the fuses directly to a pole of an electric battery in the vehicle. The housing includes lateral surfaces for providing torsional protection to the fuses against twisting or bending when the nuts holding the fuses in place are tightened. Screening zones are defined in the housing for screening off fusable portions of the fuses so that melted material is prevented from migrating into the housing beyond the screening zone where the melted material may cause damage. Mechanical coding structures are provided in the housing to ensure that only cable terminals having a shape corresponding to the coding structures can be installed in selected regions of the fuse box. This prevents inadvertent misuse of cross-connection of cables having inadequate or excessive current carrying capacity. A removable intermediary bottom member carries the lateral surfaces, screening zones and other mechanical coding structures so that the subject fuse box can be easily reconfigured.

Claims

1. A fuse box for use in an associated motor vehicle having electric power accessories powered by an electric battery, the fuse box comprising:

a housing directly connectable to the electric battery of the associated motor vehicle;

a plurality of strip fuses disposed within said housing, the plurality of strip fuses providing fuse protection to at least a one of an electric power consumer within the associated motor vehicle and an electric current carrying conductor within the associated motor vehicle; and

,

a common busbar directly connectable to a pole of said electric battery, the common busbar being both mechanically and electrically connected to said plurality of strip fuses, each of said plurality of strip fuses including a pair of bore holes formed therein for mounting the strip fuses within the housing onto associated pairs of threaded bolts using corresponding associated nuts to hold each of the plurality of strip fuses in place with at least one end of each of the plurality of strip fuses being fastened to said common busbar.

2. The fuse box according to claim 9 wherein:

said intermediary bottom member defines a bore hole for selectively receiving a threaded portion of said pairs of threaded bolts; and

,

said housing selectively captively retains a head portion of said pairs of threaded bolts.

3. The fuse box according to claim 1 wherein said housing defines a screening zone positioned adjacent a melting zone of at least a first strip fuse of said plurality of strip fuses, the screening zone being operative to screen off the melting zone of the first strip fuse to prevent melted material from migrating from the screening zone and into areas in said housing outside said screening zone.

4. The fuse box according to claim 3 wherein said screening zone is configured to provide mechanical coding to enable only selected strip fuses having a corresponding mechanical coding shape to be accommodated in the screening zone.

5. The fuse box according to claim 1 wherein the housing selectively receives i) at least one electrical fuse for providing said fuse protection to said electrical power consumer within the associated motor vehicle, and ii) at least one of said plurality of strip fuses for providing said fuse protection to said electric current carrying conductor within the associated motor vehicle.

6. The fuse box according to claim 1 wherein said housing includes a lid member for providing a fluid tight sealing of said plurality of strip fuses disposed within the housing.

7. The fuse box according to claim 1 wherein said pairs of threaded bolts associated with said pairs of bolt holes in said plurality of strip fuses are captively retained in said housing to enable cable terminals to be connected to free ends of said plurality of strip fuses opposite the ends that are connected to said busbar.

8. The fuse box according to claim 1 further comprising an intermediary bottom member selectively engagable with the housing of the fuse box.

9. The fuse box according to claim 8 wherein said pairs of threaded bolts associated with said pairs of bolt holes in said plurality of strip fuses are captively retained in said housing to enable cable terminals to be connected to free ends of said plurality of strip fuses opposite the ends that are connected to said busbar.

10. The fuse box according to claim 9 further comprising a spring bushing received on said pairs of threaded bolts between said strip fuses and said associated nuts for maintaining a predetermined starting torque on said associated nuts.

11. The fuse box according to claim 10 wherein said spring bushing includes a cylindrical region extending in an axial direction onto said threaded bolts, the cylindrical region being captively retained in said housing.

12. The fuse box according to claim 10 wherein said spring bushing is press fitted into a bore hole formed in said intermediary bottom member.

13. The fuse box according to claim 10 wherein said spring bushing includes a radially extending collar providing a flat surface for selectively engaging said strip fuses.

14. The fuse box according to claim 1 wherein said housing includes a set of lateral contact surfaces positioned to engage said strip fuses to prevent twisting and deformation of the strip fuses as they are mounted within the housing onto said associated pairs of threaded bolts using said corresponding associated nuts.

15. The fuse box according to claim 1 wherein the housing includes a cable terminal coding zone adjacent at least one end of one of the plurality of strip fuses providing mechanical coding to said housing to enable only selected conductor terminal connectors having a corresponding mechanical coding shape to be accommodated in the terminal coding zone.

16. The fuse box according to claim 1 further comprising an intermediary bottom member selectively engagable with the housing of the fuse box, the intermediary bottom member forming at least a one of:

a set of lateral contact surfaces positioned to engage said strip fuses to prevent twisting and deformation of the strip fuses as they are mounted within the housing onto said associated pairs of threaded bolts using said corresponding associated nuts;

a screening zone positioned adjacent a melting zone of at least a first strip fuse of said plurality of strip fuses, the screening zone being operative to screen off the melting zone of the first strip fuse to prevent melted material from migrating from the screening zone and into areas in said housing outside said screening zone;

a mechanical coding zone to enable only selected strip fuses having a corresponding mechanical coding shape to be accommodated in the screening zone; and

,

a cable terminal coding zone adjacent at least one end of one of the plurality of strip fuses providing mechanical coding to said housing to enable only selected conductor terminal connectors having a corresponding mechanical coding shape to be accommodated in the terminal coding zone.

17. The fuse box according to claim 16 wherein said pairs of threaded bolts associated with said pairs of bolt holes in said plurality of strip fuses are captively retained in said housing to enable cable terminals to be connected to free ends of said plurality of strip fuses opposite the ends that are connected to said busbar.

18. The fuse box according to claim 17 wherein:

said intermediary bottom member defines a bore hole for selectively receiving a threaded portion of said pairs of threaded bolts; and

,

said housing selectively captively retains a head portion of said pairs of threaded bolts.

19. The fuse box according to claim 18 further comprising a spring bushing received on said pairs of threaded bolts between said strip fuses and said associated nuts for maintaining a predetermined starting torque on said associated nuts.

20. The fuse box according to claim 19 wherein said spring bushing includes a cylindrical region extending in an axial direction onto said threaded bolts, the cylindrical region being captively retained in said housing.

21. The fuse box according to claim 20 wherein said spring bushing is press fitted into a bore hole formed in said intermediary bottom member.

22. The fuse box according to claim 21 wherein said spring bushing includes a radially extending collar providing a flat surface for selectively engaging said strip fuses.

23. A fuse box comprising:

a housing selectively receiving, at a first location, an associated electrical strip fuse having a melting zone formed therein to melt and open a circuit conducting current beyond a predetermined threshold;

at least one screening zone formed by the housing defining an area adjacent to said first location for collecting melted material generated when the melting zone of the associated strip fuse melts so that the melted material is contained within the screening zone to prevent damage to the fuse box;

a busbar disposed in said housing, the busbar being selectively directly connectable to a pole of an electric battery;

a lateral surface defined by the housing for selectively engaging said electrical strip fuse to prevent twisting and deformation of the strip fuse as it is fastened to the busbar;

a fuse coding zone mechanically coding a portion of said housing to prevent inadvertent misinstallation of an electrical strip fuse having improper current carrying capacity; and

,

a terminal coding zone formed in the housing for providing mechanical coding to an area of said housing to prevent inadvertent misinstallation of a terminal joined to an electrical conductor having improper current carrying capacity.

24. The fuse box according to claim 23 wherein at least a one of said lateral surface, said fuse coding zone and said terminal coding zone are defined by an intermediary bottom member selectively engagable with said housing.

25. A fuse box for use in motor vehicles, the fuse box comprising:

a housing;

an electrical strip fuse having a melting zone formed therein designed to melt and open a circuit conducting current beyond a predetermined threshold;

at least one screening zone for collecting melted material generated when the melting zone of the associated strip fuse melts so that the melted material is contained within the screening zone to prevent damage to the fuse box; and

,

a lateral surface defined by an intermediary bottom member selectively engagable with the housing for selectively engaging said electrical strip fuse to prevent twisting and deformation of the strip fuse as it is fastened to the fuse box.

26. A fuse box for use in motor vehicles, the fuse box comprising:

a housing selectively receiving an associated electrical strip fuse at a first location, the strip fuse having a melting zone formed therein designed to melt and open a circuit conducting current beyond a predetermined threshold;

at least one screening zone formed by the housing defining an area adjacent to said first location for collecting melted material generated when the melting zone of the associated strip fuse melts so that the melted material is contained within the screening zone to prevent damage to the fuse box; and

,

a fuse coding zone mechanically coding a portion of said housing to prevent inadvertent misinstallation of an electrical strip fuse having improper current carrying capacity.

27. The fuse box according to claim 26 wherein said fuse coding zone is defined by an intermediary bottom member selectively engagable with said housing.