Automobile electrical circuit assembly with transparent protective cover

[0002] This invention relates to automobile electrical circuit assemblies, and more particularly to an automobile circuit assembly having substantially flat and rectangular segments which may be selectively connected to cooperatively form a desired circuit assembly.

[0003] Circuit assemblies are used within automobiles to selectively connect the various electrical components and/or modules of the automobile with a source of electrical power and/or with relays, fuses, and other types of electrical devices or signals. Typically these circuit assemblies are formed and created by the use of several relatively bulky wire harnesses which are typically and manually installed within and which traverse through the automobile, such as along the “cross car beam” within the instrument panel. Each of the harnesses typically contain a bundle of insulated wires which are wrapped in tape, foam, or other types of protective cover materials and which are selectively spliced, crimped, and/or connected to various other wires within the same harness or to various wires contained within the other harnesses. The harness wires are selectively connected to the various automobile components and/or modules by the use of separate “pigtail” type wire connector assemblies which typically and orthogonally project from each of the harnesses and which provide a connecting “bridge” between the harness and the selected components. These harnesses suffer from various drawbacks.

[0004] Particularly, these harnesses require a relatively large amount of installatation time and effort, thereby increasing the overall cost of producing an automobile. The relatively bulky harnesses require a relatively large amount of space, thereby undesirably prohibiting an enlargement of some of the automotive components, such as the air conditioning vents. The required wire splicing and “pigtail” assemblies reduce the overall integrity of the circuit assembly making it prone to failure and malfunction. Moreover, the detection, isolation, and correction of associated circuitry faults is difficult due to the rather bulky arrangement of the insulated wires within the harness and due to the use of complicated splicing and “pigtail” type connections. Further, each of these harnesses is typically configured for a unique type or model of automobile. Hence, new harness designs are required for substantially every new automobile model and for every change made to an existing model, thereby reducing the overall cost of automobile production.

[0005] There is therefore a need for an automotive circuit assembly which is relatively easy to install within an automobile; which is relatively compact; which allows circuits to be relatively easily and efficiently formed; which allows the formed circuits to be relatively easily and directly connected to a component; which allows circuit faults and malfunctions to be relatively easily identified and corrected; and which may be used by a wide variety of automobiles. Applicant's invention addresses these and other needs.

[0006] It is a first object of the invention to provide an automotive circuit assembly which overcomes the various previously delineated drawbacks of prior automotive circuit assemblies.

[0007] It is a second object of the invention to provide an automotive circuit assembly which allows circuits to be relatively easily and selectively created and installed within an automobile, and which may be selectively and directly connected to an automotive component and/or module.

[0008] It is a third object of the invention to provide a circuit assembly having a portion which allows for the relatively efficient detection, isolation, and correction of circuit and/or conductor faults.

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present invention, an automotive electrical circuit assembly is provided. The assembly includes a plurality of substantially rectangular and flat circuit segments, each of the circuit segments having a plurality of conductive busses operatively positioned between a dielectric substrate and a protective cover and being adapted to be selectively interconnected to cooperatively form an electrical circuit assembly.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for creating automobile circuits is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of rectangular flat circuit segments, each of the circuit segments including a dielectric substrate containing a plurality of electrically conductive busses and a transparent protective membrane which overlays the electrically conductive busses; selecting at least a first and a second of the rectangular circuit segments; removing at least a portion of the protective membrane of a first of the rectangular segments to expose a first portion of one of the electrically conductive busses of the first rectangular segment; removing at least a portion of the membrane of a second of the rectangular segments to expose at least one of the electrically conductive busses of the second rectangular segment; orthoganally coupling the at least one of the electrically conductive busses of the first rectangular segment to the at least one of the electrically conductive busses of the second rectangular segment, thereby creating an electrical circuit.

[0011] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the specification and by reference to the following drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the interconnection of several circuit segments which selectively and cooperatively form a circuit assembly made in accordance with a first embodiment;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the interconnection of several circuit segments which selectively and cooperatively form a circuit assembly which is made in accordance with a second embodiment and which further includes a service interface portion;

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the interconnection of two circuit segments, in accordance with a third embodiment one of the segments having two substantially identical partially detached portions;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating the interconnection of the partially detached circuit portions to other circuit segments;

[0016] FIG. 5 is an exploded side view of one of the circuit segments shown in FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 6 is a fragmented perspective view of an automobile instrument panel containing a circuit assembly made in accordance with the teachings of the preferred embodiment of the invention; and

[0018] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a circuit segment made in accordance with the teachings of an alternate embodiment of the invention and selectively coupled to an automobile module or component.

[0019] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, there is shown an electrical circuit assembly 10 made in accordance with a first embodiment. Assembly 10 includes generally flat and rectangular circuit segments 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20. Each segment 12-18 has a substantially identical dielectric substrate 22, 24, 26, and 28 and at least one respective conductive bus or wire 30, 32, 34, and 36, formed of copper or some other electrically conductive material and which is operatively positioned upon respective substrates 22-28. Segment 20 includes four conductive busses 38, 40, 42, and 44 which are operatively deployed upon substrate 46. Each segment 12-20 further includes a substantially identical transparent protective membrane or cover 48 which substantially overlays the respective substrates 22-28 and 46 and the conductors 30-44. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, each substrate is formed from a commercially available polyester material, such as those substrates commonly known as “PET” or “PEN”, which are provided by the Sheldahl Corporation, while membrane 48 is formed from a commercially available copper-polyester laminate material which is also provided by the Sheldahl Corporation.

[0020] Small portions of each of the respective protective covers 48 overlaying each of the conductors 30-44 are removed, thereby selectively exposing a small portion of each of the conductors 30-44. The selected exposed portions of these conductors 30-44 are joined in the manner shown in FIG. 1 (e.g., conductors 30-36 are respectively coupled to conductors 38-44) by the use of soldering, welding, or other types of electrical connection methodologies. Moreover, connection pins 50 are placed through each pair of mated segments 12, 20; 14, 20; 16, 20; and 18, 20 further ensuring the continued integrity of the conductor couplings. In this manner, a circuit assembly 10 is formed by the selective interconnection of several substantially flat and generally rectangular circuit segments 12-20.

[0021] Automobile modules or components, such as power door lock motor assembly 52 (see FIGS. 1 and 7) having a pair of electrical terminals 54, 56, may be selectively and directly connected to certain portions of assembly 10, such as to the conductive busses 30 and 58 of segment 12. Particularly, a small portion of the protective membrane 48 is removed from each of the conductors 30, 58 in the vicinity of module 52. Terminals 56 and 54 are respectively soldered to conductors 58 and 30 which electrically and cooperatively couple module 52 to conductors 38 and 40 of segment 20. In this non-limiting embodiment, conductors 38 and 40 respectively represent an electrical power and an electrical ground “source”. No intermediate “pigtail” connection is necessary to connect module 52 to these conductors 30, 58 (or to any of the other conductors 32-44 of assembly 10), thereby reducing the probability of electrical malfunction or failure and markedly improving upon the reliability of prior circuit assemblies. In another embodiment, module 52 represents a fuse. In the configuration, a selected number of fuses 52 may be operatively deployed upon these segments 12-20 in order to cooperatively replace a conventional junction box.

[0022] These relatively flat interconnected circuit segments are also relatively efficiently installed within an automobile, requiring substantially less mounting space than prior harnesses. Importantly, these flat rectangular segments 12-20 allow for relatively straight circuit segment “runs” to be made from one or more “backbone” segments (e.g., segments which contain electrical power and ground signals which are to be distributed to components and modules throughout the automobile and/or which are integrally formed within a protective fuse assembly), such as segment 20, to the various modules or central centers, such as module 52, thereby substantially minimizing the total circuit segment length of assembly 10 and concomitantly reducing material and installation costs. One such segment run is illustrated within instrument panel 160 of FIG. 6. As shown, relay and fuse assembly 162 is connected to a segment 164. This “backbone” segment 164 is connected to segments 166, 168, 170, and 172 which respectively terminate within and are connected to the instrument cluster 174, the steering wheel stalk 176, the audio and air conditioning center 178, and the remainder of the vehicle components, shown as 180. Further, these segments 164-172 may be selectively interconnected in a variety of desired configurations, thereby being adapted for use in a wide variety of automobiles.

[0023] Notwithstanding the assembly shown in FIG. 1, it should be appreciated that other circuit assemblies may be configured having different numbers and/or lengths of segments 12-20 and having segments containing different numbers and/or types of conductors 30-44. Hence, these rectangular circuit segments 12-20 are “building blocks” which allow for the selective creation of a circuit assembly of a selected and desired size and shape. Moreover, some of the selectively coupled conductors, such as conductors 30 and 38, are not of the same weight or cross sectional area. Rather, conductors having dissimilar weights and associated cross sectional areas may be selectively and directly connected as shown (see FIG. 2) by the coupling of conductor 60 of circuit segment 62 to conductor 64 of circuit segment 66. As shown, the weight and cross sectional area of conductor 60 is substantially greater than that of conductor 64. These dissimilar conductors may be directly connected further facilitating the connection of many diverse types of components or modules to a “backbone” segment 66. The formed dissimilar conductor connection is constrained to carry no amount of electrical current greater than the current carrying capacity of the conductor having the lowest weight and cross sectional area and to no more current than that allowed by a conductor having the largest available weight.

[0024] FIG. 2 shows an electrical circuit assembly 84 in accordance with a second embodiment. A service portion 70 may be selectively created in one or more circuit segments, such as circuit segment 66. Particularly, service portion 70 is formed by removing the protective cover 48 of one or more of the conductive busses 72-82 of the segment 66. The area may remain exposed allowing for the connection of electronic testing and/or diagnostic equipment to be made to these busses 72-82 and to all other busses to which they are connected. In this manner efficient “troubleshooting” of assembly 84 may be accomplished. Alternatively, portion 70 may include several conventional receptacles 180 positioned upon opposed sides of the conductors 72-82 and adapted to removably receive mating plugs 182 formed upon a removable protective cover 184. In this manner, conductors 72-82 are protected by the removable protective cover 184 until service and/or testing is required. FIG. 7 shows an automobile module or component selectively coupled to a circuit segment in accordance with an alternate embodiment. The terminals 54 and 56 of module 52 may also individually and respectively terminate within conventional plugs 182. In this embodiment, busses 30 and 52 terminate within receptacles 180, thereby allowing terminals 54 and 56 to be easily and selectively coupled to the busses 54 and 56 as plugs 182 removably mate with receptacles 182. All of the automobile modules and components may be similarly configured to efficiently and easily mate with circuit segments 12, 20.

[0025] Referring now to FIGS. 3-4, there is shown an electrical circuit assembly 90 in accordance with a third embodiment. The electrical circuit assembly 90 has a first circuit segment 92, including conductive busses 94, 96 which are respectively coupled to conductive busses 98, 100 of circuit segment 102. Particularly, a portion of segment 102 is longitudinally severed allowing for the creation of movably detached circuit segments 104, 106 which may be selectively coupled to busses 108, 110 of respective circuit segments 112, 114 (see FIG. 4). The selective severing of circuit segment 90 allows the segment to efficiently conform to the shape of the automobile, thereby allowing for relatively efficient installation.

[0026] It is understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction or method illustrated and described above, but that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as delineated within the following claims.