Electrical Connection Box Layout for External High-Current Wire Routing

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Solution Overview

Problem

In electrical connection boxes for vehicles, it is challenging to route thick, inflexible electric wires in narrow spaces while preventing overload and ensuring waterproofness, especially when these wires are used for high current applications.

Innovation Solution

The design includes a tubular frame with openings at both ends, a block, and cover members to house an internal conductive member and circuit branching component, which features a notch in the tubular wall for water diversion and a protruding block portion to secure electrical connections, ensuring waterproofness and overload suppression by routing the wires outside the housing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Power

If thick electric wires with larger diameter are used for weight reduction and large current applications, then current carrying capacity and weight reduction are improved, but routing difficulty and space requirements in the housing increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecurrent carrying capacityVSAvoidrouting difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

PowerVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the thick electric wires from the housing interior and routes them through openings in the housing to the exterior. This allows the wires to be positioned outside the main housing space, eliminating the routing difficulty caused by their large diameter and inflexibility while maintaining their high current carrying capacity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions the wire routing from a two-dimensional planar path within the housing to a three-dimensional path that extends through the housing openings to the exterior. This dimensional change provides additional routing options and accommodates the thick wires that cannot be easily routed within the confined housing space

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If electric wires are routed outside the housing to suppress overload, then overload on housing components is reduced, but waterproofness is compromised due to required insertion passages

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoverload suppressionVSAvoidwater infiltration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs waterproof seals (gaskets) as flexible barrier films at the housing openings where wires pass through. These seals maintain the waterproof integrity of the housing while allowing the thick electric wires to be routed externally, thus preventing water infiltration through the insertion passages

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces waterproof seals as intermediary elements between the housing opening and the external environment. These seals mediate the conflict between wire routing and waterproofness by providing a water-tight barrier at the penetration point, allowing wires to pass through without compromising housing密封性

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250105606A1Electrical connection box

Publication Date: 2025.03.27 YAZAKI CORP

AI summary

An electrical connection box includes a circuit branching component disposed outside the frame and outside a tubular portion, in which the tubular wall of the tubular portion has a notch through which a second electrical connection portion of an internal conductive member protrudes toward the outside of the frame outside the tubular portion, and a block includes a protruding block portion that protrudes toward the outside of the tubular portion through the notch, and a notch closing portion that closes the notch.