Fuse Positioning Fixture for Relay Center Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The manual placement of fuses in a fuse relay center is time-consuming and prone to errors, leading to increased production costs and delays in truck manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A fuse positioning fixture comprising a template with fuse positioning openings and a loading block that aligns with the fuse holders, allowing for accurate and efficient placement of fuses, with a biasing mechanism to hold and release fuses, and template fuses for visual indication of correct placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual placement of fuses is used according to instructions, then flexibility in handling different fuse types is maintained, but the process becomes time-consuming and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a fuse loading block as an intermediary device between the technician and the fuse relay center. This loading block contains multiple fuse loading openings that correspond to specific fuse holder positions, serving as a physical guide and mediator that ensures fuses are placed in the correct locations while allowing rapid loading of multiple fuses at once.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse loading block allows technicians to pre-load multiple fuses into the loading openings before placing them in the fuse relay center. This preliminary action of organizing and positioning fuses in advance enables faster and more accurate installation, as the blocking portion already defines the correct placement positions before the actual installation occurs.
2Ease of manufacture
If a common fuse relay center is used across multiple truck models, then design costs are reduced, but the complexity of ensuring correct fuse placement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the fuse placement process into segmented components: the fuse relay center remains a common standardized design across truck models, while the fuse loading block provides model-specific guidance through its configuration of loading openings and blocking portions. This segmentation allows the complex variation handling to be isolated in the removable loading block rather than in the permanent relay center design.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse loading block is designed as a dynamic, removable component that can be configured differently for different truck models. Unlike the static fuse relay center housing, the loading block can be swapped or reconfigured to match specific fuse holder arrangements, allowing the system to adapt to different truck models without redesigning the entire relay center.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The fixture significantly improves the efficiency and accuracy of fuse placement, reducing production time and costs by allowing technicians to verify and secure fuse positions before final installation.
Implementation Method 1
The fuse loading block is biased in the first position by a biasing mechanism. The biasing mechanism may be a biasing spring.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
A fuse positioning fixture includes a fuse positioning template and a fuse loading block. The fuse positioning template includes a number of fuse positioning openings. Each one of the fuse positioning openings extends through the fuse positioning template and corresponds with a fuse holder in a fuse relay center. The fuse positioning template includes solid portions adjacent each one of the fuse positioning openings which provide a fuse blocking portion. The fuse loading block includes a number of fuse loading openings and is configured to slidably engage with a top surface of the fuse positioning template such that in a first position of the fuse loading block fuses placed in the fuse loading openings are held in place by the fuse blocking portion. In a second position of the fuse loading block, the fuse loading openings align with the fuse positioning openings.