Electrical Junction Box Terminal Layout for Compact Wire Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical junction boxes have a large dimension in the left-right direction due to the arrangement of terminals and wire harnesses on the first surface, leading to a need for miniaturization.
Innovation Solution
The terminals and wire harnesses are arranged on a first surface of the case such that the first terminal and second terminal are located in a first region on one side in the left-right direction, with different positions in the up-down direction, utilizing a tray-shaped case and flag terminals with separate fixing portions to minimize overlap and interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the first terminal and second terminal are arranged in a row in the left-right direction with the wire harness as reference, then the electrical junction box can accommodate all components on the first surface, but the dimension W in the left-right direction becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional linear arrangement (left-right direction only) to a two-dimensional arrangement by utilizing both the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The first terminal is positioned in a first region in the left-right direction, while the second terminal is positioned in a second region in the up-down direction, creating a spatial distribution that reduces the maximum left-right dimension while accommodating all components on the first surface.
2Ease of manufacture
If both the power supply side end portion and load side end portion are located on the first surface side, then the wire harness can be routed through one surface, but the terminals require more space in the left-right direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the space conflict by arranging terminals in two dimensions (left-right and up-down directions) rather than forcing them into a single linear row. This allows the wire harness to be routed through the first surface while terminals are distributed across different regions, reducing the overall left-right dimension without compromising manufacturing ease.
3Length of moving object
If the first terminal and second terminal are positioned close to minimize the left-right dimension, then the junction box can be miniaturized, but the electric wires may interfere with each other
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the first terminal in a first region in the left-right direction and the second terminal in a second region in the up-down direction, creating spatial separation in two dimensions. This two-dimensional distribution minimizes the left-right dimension for miniaturization while maintaining sufficient separation between terminals to prevent electric wire interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent defines specific regions (first region and second region) on the first surface with different spatial characteristics. The first region is optimized for the first terminal and its associated wire, while the second region is optimized for the second terminal and its wire, allowing each terminal-wire pair to have its own localized space to prevent interference while contributing to overall compactness.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical junction box includes a case; a circuit unit; a wire harness for connecting another device with the circuit unit; a first terminal supporting a first electric wire electrically connected to the circuit unit; and a second terminal supporting a second electric wire electrically connected to the circuit unit. When a direction along one side of the first surface is defined as a left-right direction and a direction along the other side of the first surface is defined as an up-down direction, the first terminal and the second terminal are located in a first region on one side in the left-right direction with the part of the wire harness as reference, and the first terminal and the second terminal are at different positions from each other in the up-down direction in the first region.