Automotive Junction Box Segmentation for Collision Impact Absorption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional electric junction boxes in motor vehicles are prone to damage during collisions, leading to disruptions in electric power supply to essential instruments due to their design and placement.

Innovation Solution

The electric junction box is designed with a partitioned connection block at the front and a power supply branching block at the rear, allowing the connection block to absorb impact and reduce damage to the power supply components, ensuring continued power delivery to electronic instruments during accidents.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the electric junction box is arranged at the front in the engine room, then it can supply electric power to electronic instruments, but it is vulnerable to damage during front collisions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectric power supply reliabilityVSAvoidcollision damage risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The electric junction box is divided into two distinct blocks: an electric connection block (front) and a power supply branching block (rear). This segmentation allows the front connection block to absorb collision impact while protecting the rear power supply components, thus maintaining electric power supply reliability during front collisions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The electric connection block serves as an intermediary protective element between the external collision force and the power supply branching block. It absorbs and dissipates impact energy, preventing direct transmission of harmful forces to the critical power supply components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Strength

If the box body is made of rigid synthetic resin, then it provides structural strength, but it transmits collision force to internal components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebox body structural strengthVSAvoidcollision force transmission

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The rigid box body is segmented into functional blocks (electric connection block and power supply branching block) positioned at different locations. The front electric connection block acts as a sacrificial element that can deform or absorb impact, while the rear power supply block remains protected, thus reducing force transmission to critical components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the box body are designed with different functional qualities: the front electric connection block region is designed to absorb impact (lower local strength requirement), while the rear power supply branching block region maintains high structural strength to protect critical components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS7837480B2Electric junction box

Publication Date: 2010.11.23 YAZAKI CORP

AI summary

An electric junction box, which is arranged at the front in a motor vehicle, having a box body including: an electric connection block partitioned into a plurality of spaces by a plurality of partition walls, the spaces receiving respective cassette blocks and each cassette block being connected to an end of at least one electric wire; and a power supply branching block branching off electric power from a power supply, wherein the electric connection block is arranged at the front side of the motor vehicle in the electric junction box, while the power supply branching block is arranged at the rear side of the motor vehicle in the electric junction box, wherein a power supply connecting part of the power supply branching block is arranged at the rear of the electric connection block, the power supply connecting part being connected to the power supply.