Electrical Junction Box with Offset Hollow Cavity

Solution Overview

Problem

The alignment of terminal receiving, bus bar receiving, and hollow cavity portions at the same height in conventional electrical junction boxes makes it difficult to distinguish between them, leading to low workability when inserting components, particularly due to similar sizes of the insertion openings.

Innovation Solution

The electrical junction box design includes a frame with the lower end of at least one hollow cavity portion positioned 1 to 5 mm nearer the upper surface than the lower end of the component receiving portion, allowing easy distinction and improved workability by varying the position of the hollow cavity and component receiving portions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the lower ends of the terminal receiving portion, bus bar receiving portion, and hollow cavity portion are aligned at the same height, then the structural simplicity is maintained, but the workability upon inserting components deteriorates and the distinguishability between portions deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural simplicityVSAvoidworkability upon inserting components

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making the lower end of the hollow cavity portion different from the lower ends of the receiving portions. Specifically, the lower end of the hollow cavity portion is positioned either higher (1-5mm nearer to upper surface) or lower (5-10mm further from upper surface) than the lower ends of the terminal and bus bar receiving portions. This local differentiation creates visual and physical distinction without changing the overall simple block structure of the cassette block.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies asymmetry by breaking the symmetric alignment of all lower ends at the same height. By positioning the hollow cavity portion's lower end at a different height level, the design creates an asymmetric configuration that provides clear visual cues for workers to distinguish between component receiving portions and hollow cavity portions, thereby improving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

2Ease of manufacture

If the lower ends of the terminal receiving portion, bus bar receiving portion, and hollow cavity portion are aligned at the same height, then the manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the distinguishability between hollow cavity portion and component receiving portion deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoiddistinguishability between portions

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making the lower end of the hollow cavity portion different from the lower ends of the receiving portions. Specifically, the lower end of the hollow cavity portion is positioned either higher (1-5mm nearer to upper surface) or lower (5-10mm further from upper surface) than the lower ends of the terminal and bus bar receiving portions. This local differentiation creates visual and physical distinction without changing the overall simple block structure of the cassette block.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies dimensionality change by utilizing the vertical dimension (height) to create distinction. Instead of changing the horizontal dimensions or shapes of the portions, the invention varies the vertical position of the lower ends at different heights, providing clear visual cues for identification while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Stability of the object's composition

If the sizes of insertion opening of terminal receiving portion and opening of hollow cavity portion are similar, then the structural uniformity is maintained, but the reliability of preventing terminal insertion into hollow cavity portion deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural uniformityVSAvoidprevention of terminal insertion into hollow cavity portion

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies asymmetry by breaking the symmetric alignment of all lower ends at the same height. By positioning the hollow cavity portion's lower end at a different height level, the design creates an asymmetric configuration that provides clear visual cues for workers to distinguish between component receiving portions and hollow cavity portions, thereby improving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentUS9142943B2Electrical junction box

Publication Date: 2015.09.22 YAZAKI CORP

AI summary

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box allowing a hollow cavity portion and a component receiving portion to be easily distinguished from each other so that the workability upon inserting components is improved. The electrical junction box includes a cassette block. Electronic components such as relay or fuse are mounted on an upper surface of the cassette block, and a bus bar and a terminal are inserted into a lower surface of the cassette block. The lower surface of the cassette block is provided with a bus bar receiving portion into which the bus bar is inserted, a terminal receiving portion into which the terminal is inserted, and a plurality of hollow cavity portions adjacent to the bus bar receiving portion and the terminal receiving portion and into which no component is inserted.