Power distributor for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9966675-B2
Application number	US-201615195471-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2016
Priority date	Jun 29, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments disclose a power distributor for a vehicle, comprising a printed circuit board for diagnosis and/or for controlling a power supply of a plurality of electrical loads connected to the power distributor, and a bus bar comprising a plurality of first plug contact parts. According to the present disclosure, the printed circuit board comprises a switch part for collectively controlling the power supply of multiple electrical loads via the bus bar disposed separately from the printed circuit board, wherein the first plug contact part of the bus bar together with a second plug contact part disposed on the printed circuit board form a plug contact pair, and a load connected to the respective second plug contact part can be supplied via each plug contact pair.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power distributor for a vehicle, comprising:
a first printed circuit board configured to diagnose and control a power supply of a first plurality of electrical loads connected to the power distributor, the first printed circuit board including a switch part;
a first bus bar including a first plurality of first plug contact parts, the first bus bar disposed separately from the first printed circuit board; and
a first plurality of second plug contact parts disposed on the first printed circuit board;
wherein:
the switch part is configured to collectively control the power supply of one or more of the first plurality of electrical loads via the first bus bar;
the first plug contact parts of the first bus bar together with the second plug contact parts of the first printed circuit board form at least one first plug contact pair; and
at least one of the first plurality of electrical loads connected to one of the second plug contact parts of the first printed circuit board is supplied via the at least one first plug contact pair; and

a second printed circuit board configured to control a power supply of a second plurality of electrical loads, the second printed circuit board including a plurality of electronic fuses;
a second bus bar including a second plurality of first plug contact parts, the second bus bar disposed separately from the second printed circuit board; and
wherein:
the first plug contact parts of the second bus bar together with the further second plug contact part of the second printed circuit board form at least one second plug contact pair.

2. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein the first plug contact pair is configured to receive an electronic fuse connecting the first plug contact parts of the first bus bar with the second plug contact parts of the first printed circuit board.

3. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first plurality of second plug contact parts is connected to the first printed circuit board for diagnosing the supply of at least one of the first plurality of electrical loads.

4. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of first plug contact parts and the second plurality of second plug contact parts are each formed as tuning-fork contacts.

5. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of first plug contact parts are designed in one piece with the first bus bar.

6. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of second plug contact parts is formed on an individual contact element configured to connect to the first plurality of electrical loads.

7. The power distributor according to claim 6 , wherein:
the individual contact element extends through the first printed circuit board such that the first plurality of second plug contact parts is disposed on a first planar side of the first printed circuit board; and
a contact tab configured for the connection of the first plurality of electrical loads, is disposed on a second planar side of the first printed circuit board located opposite the first planar side.

8. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein the first printed circuit board includes at least one tuning fork-shaped bus bar contacting element configured to connect the first bus bar to the switch part.

9. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein a blade-shaped printed circuit board contacting element is formed on the first bus bar, the blade-shaped printed circuit board contacting element configured to connect to the first printed circuit board.

10. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein the first printed circuit board further includes a module contacting element configured to connect to a universal module.

11. The power distributor according to claim 10 , wherein the module contacting element is a tuning-fork contact.

12. The power distributor according to either claim 10 , wherein the universal module includes a mating contact element configured to contact the module contacting element.

13. The power distributor according to claim 10 , wherein:
the universal module is an exclusively electrical universal module; and
the first printed circuit board is configured to diagnose and control the exclusively electrical universal module.

14. The power distributor according to claim 1 , wherein the second printed circuit board includes a control unit configured for switch control and data communication within the vehicle, the control unit further configured to:
monitor the power supply of the second plurality of electrical loads; and
shut off the power supply to the second plurality of electrical loads when a fault occurs in the at least one second plug contact pair.

15. The power distributor according to claim 14 , further comprising:
a communication interface disposed between the control unit and a higher-level control device, the communication interface designed in a contactless manner as an optical, inductive or capacitive interface.

16. The power distributor according to claim 14 , further comprising:
a supply bus bar coupled to a primary power supply; and
a redundancy bus bar coupled to a secondary power supply;
wherein:
the supply bus bar is coupled via the switch part to the first bus bar of the first printed circuit board;
the supply bus bar is coupled via a contact device to the second bus bar of the second printed circuit board; and
the redundancy bus bar is coupled to at least one of the plurality of electronic fuses of the second printed circuit board.

17. The power distributor according to claim 16 , wherein at least one of the second plurality of electrical loads is coupled via a first of the plurality of electronic fuses disposed on the second printed circuit board, and via a second of the plurality of electronic fuses disposed on the second printed circuit board, wherein:
with the first of the plurality of electronic fuses is coupled at least to the supply bus bar; and
the second of the plurality of electronic fuses is coupled at least to the redundancy bus bar.

18. The power distributor according to claim 14 , wherein the control unit is configured to:
monitor at least one of a current or a voltage flowing across the plurality of electronic fuses; and
shut off at least one electronic fuse of the plurality of electronic fuses or at least one of the second plurality of electrical loads when a threshold value is exceeded.

19. The power distributor according to claim 14 , further comprising:
a temperature monitoring device configured to shut off the switch part via the control unit of the plurality of electronic fuses when a threshold temperature is exceeded.

20. The power distributor according to claim 14 , wherein at least one of the second plurality of electrical loads is coupled both via the first printed circuit board and via one of the plurality of electronic fuses disposed on the second printed circuit board.

Assignees

• Draexlmaier Lisa Gmbh

Inventors

• Wortberg Michael
• Fuessl Peter
• Seidenschwand Martin

Classifications

• H01R2201/26

  for vehicles · CPC title

• H01R9/226 Primary

  comprising a plurality of conductive flat strips providing connection between wires or components (H01R9/2425 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01H85/20

  Bases for supporting the fuse; Separate parts thereof · CPC title

• H01H2085/208

  specially adapted for vehicles · CPC title