Internal power bus and power output assembly
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to a power distribution unit with output power terminals and electrical leads with mating portions connected to extensions of the terminals, with adjacent mating portions and connected extensions offset from one another. Alternatively, an electrical power unit may have one or more power output terminals connected to a corresponding number of power distribution circuits by leads, each lead having a portion parallel to and offset from other adjacent leads in a first direction and another portion parallel to and offset from each adjacent lead in a second direction. The present invention further relates to an output power assembly with inner and outer faces, a first set of terminals on the outer face which are electrically connected to a common conductor along the inner face and a second set of terminals each having individual connectors along the inner face, the individual connectors being offset from each adjacent connector.
1. An output power terminal block, the block defining a plane and comprising:
an inner face and an outer face;
two sets of terminals mounted on the outer face, each set of terminals arranged in a line lying in the plane of the block along a first direction, the two sets of terminals including:
a first set of terminals configured such that all of the first set of terminals are electrically linked to a common connector;
a second set of terminals configured such that each terminal of the second set of terminals is electrically linked to a separate circuit connector on the inner face;
the separate circuit connectors along the inner face arranged such that adjacent circuit connectors are offset from each other, the offset being in a second direction in the plane perpendicular to the first direction.
2. The output power terminal block of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is vertical and the second direction is horizontal.
3. The output power terminal block of claim 1 , wherein each of the terminals of the first set and the second set comprise two posts for linking to power cables.
4. The output power terminal block of claim 1 , wherein the common connector is a common return strap.
5. The output power terminal block of claim 1 , wherein the separate circuit connector is a conductor strap.
6. The output power terminal block of claim 1 , wherein the common connector extends through the output power terminal block and beyond the inner face.
7. The output power terminal block of claim 1 , wherein at least one separate circuit connector extends through the output power terminal block and beyond the inner face.
8. The output power terminal block of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal set includes six terminals.
9. The output power terminal block of claim 1 , wherein the second terminal set includes six terminals.
10. The output pdwer terminal block of claim 1 , further comprising an integral housing supporting both sets of terminals.
11. The output power terminal block of claim 10 , wherein the integral housing is made of plastic.