Vehicle Junction Box Bolt-Retention Cover for Secure Wire Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical junction boxes in vehicles face issues with bolts becoming loose and falling off, leading to potential short-circuits due to their design, where bolts are not adequately secured.
Innovation Solution
The electrical junction box incorporates a terminal block with first and second conductive members, bolts, and cover members to prevent bolts from falling off by covering their heads, ensuring they remain securely fixed and reducing the risk of short-circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bolts are installed from below to fix electric wires, then the electric wires can be securely connected to the terminal block, but the bolt heads may become loose and fall off
Solution Approach 1:
A cover member is introduced as an intermediary component between the bolt head and the external environment. The cover member fits over the bolt head to provide retention while allowing the bolt to maintain its fastening function. This mediator prevents the harmful effect (bolt falling off) without interfering with the useful function (wire connection).
Solution Approach 2:
The solution separates the bolt into two functional parts: the fastening portion (shank and threads) that secures the wire, and the head portion that is covered and retained by the cover member. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function independently - the bolt provides mechanical fastening while the cover provides retention.
2Reliability
If cover members are added to prevent bolts from falling off, then bolt retention is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover member is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a retention mechanism for bolt heads, provides electrical insulation, and offers structural support. By combining multiple functions into a single component, the solution improves bolt retention without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover member integrates several protective and structural functions into one element. Rather than adding separate components for retention, insulation, and support, the design merges these functions into a single cover member that performs all roles, thereby minimizing the increase in component count.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical junction box to be installed in a vehicle includes: a terminal block; first conductive members provided to the terminal block and placed so as to be aligned in a row; second conductive members provided to the terminal block and placed so as to be aligned in another row; first bolts tightened to the terminal block from below and fixing electric wires, which are electrically connected to the first conductive members, respectively, to the terminal block; second bolts tightened to the terminal block from below and fixing electric wires, which are electrically connected to the second conductive members, respectively, to the terminal block; a first cover member provided to the terminal block and covering heads of the first bolts from below; and a second cover member provided to the terminal block and covering heads of the second bolts from below.