Abstract:
A grounding block is provided. The grounding block includes a means for fastening and a formed metallic block. The formed metallic block further comprises two or more flanges, where each flange is configured to accept the means for fastening. The formed metal block further comprises a uniform clearance formed into the underside of the grounding block between the flanges and a hole formed through the grounding block configured to accept a bolt. Various embodiments include angled surfaces to optimize assembly ergonomics and variable depth to optimize the mass of the blocks.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The technical field generally relates to the electrical grounding blocks. Specifically, an improved, ergonomic, grounding block is provided. Embodiments herein are particularly suited for dry environments but are not so limited herein. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Electrical systems of all types are usually connected to a ground for safety and for operational considerations. This ground is ultimately connected to the earth in stationary circumstances such as with systems installed in buildings. In vehicles, a physical connection to ground is usually not feasible. As such electrical systems in a vehicle are connected to the vehicle&#39;s structural chassis/body, which is often used as a common ground. The vehicle chassis/body is often referred to as being in a wet environment because it is not unusual for it to be exposed to water, dirt, grease, oil and other foreign matter, which may or may not aggravate corrosion or other electrical problems. 
         [0003]    To minimize corrosion of chassis/body components in wet environments and to ensure a solid electrical connection, components requiring electrical attachment to the chassis/body are typically welded to the chassis/body such that the water tight integrity of the chassis/body is not broken and a secure connection is maintained. However, welding is in fact a permanent attachment such that the replacement of a welded part (i.e., a grounding block) requires considerable effort to grind through the weld, which may in and of itself cause unavoidable damage to the chassis/body. 
         [0004]    Grounding blocks are usually a minor component in manufacturing a vehicle.  FIG. 1  is a rendition of a conventional grounding block  10 , which is secured to the chassis/body  2  by a weld  3 . The typical grounding block has some type of attachment point  1 . Grounding blocks are relatively cheap, relatively heavy, designed for single use, and simply connect wires to the chassis/body. Thus, less time is applied to designing grounding blocks to facilitate connection or disconnection by assembly crews and repair technicians. Material weight reductions may also be realized. Thus, it is desirable to address these issues and produce an improved vehicle thereby. 
         [0005]    Further, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A grounding block is provided. The grounding block comprises a means for fastening and a formed metallic block. The formed metallic block comprises two or more flanges, where each flange is configured to accept the means for fastening. The formed metal block further comprises a uniform clearance formed into the underside of the grounding block between the flanges and a hole formed through the grounding block configured to accept a bolt. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a rendition of a conventional grounding block; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a large scale view of an exemplary vehicle body portion with a grounding block installed according to embodiments; 
           [0010]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a grounding bock installed on a chassis/body/body according to embodiments; 
           [0011]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate another exemplary embodiment of the grounding bock installed on a chassis/body according to embodiments; 
           [0012]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate another exemplary embodiment of a grounding bock installed on a chassis/body according to embodiments; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  illustrates a grounding block being attached by a power screwdriver. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    The various illustrative components described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein are merely exemplary and which may be modified with a multitude of adjustments to the various components disclosed herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. 
         [0015]    In this document, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinals such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc. simply denote different singles of a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the claim language. The sequence of the text in any of the claims does not imply that process steps must be performed in a temporal or logical order according to such sequence unless it is specifically defined by the language of the claim. Any process steps may be interchanged in any order without departing from the scope of the invention as long as such an interchange does not contradict the claim language and is not logically nonsensical. 
         [0016]    Further, depending on the context, words such as “connect” or “coupled to” used in describing a relationship between different elements do not imply that a direct physical connection must be made between these elements. For example, two elements may be connected to each other physically, electronically, logically, or in any other manner, through one or more additional elements. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a large scale view of an exemplary vehicle body portion  50  that includes an exemplary conductive metallic grounding block  100  secured to a chassis/body  2  (e.g., a crush can) according to embodiments. The grounding block  100  is attached to the chassis/body  2  by fastening means  103 . Exemplary fastening means  103  may be any type of suitable reversible securing device known in the art such as a screw, bolt or nut of any description. In some preferred embodiments, the reversible securing device may be flow drill screws that have the advantage of reinstating the water tight integrity of the chassis/body once the ground block is installed and which may be removed more easily than a weld is case repair or replacement is necessary. Flow drilling is well known in the art and will not be discussed herein further in the interest of brevity and clarity. In alternative embodiments the grounding block  100  may be permanently welded or riveted (i.e. permanent fastening means) to the chassis/body  2  if so desired. The grounding block in some embodiments is comprised of aluminum but is operable when constructed of any other conductive material. 
         [0018]      FIG. 3A  is an oblique view of an exemplary embodiment of the grounding block  111  attached to a chassis/body  2  while  FIG. 3B  is a side view of the same embodiment. The grounding block  111  has two flanges  106  that serve as attachment points to the chassis/body  2 . The flanges  106  may be welded, riveted, bolted, screwed or otherwise electrically and physically fastened to the chassis/body. Holes  108  in the flanges  106  are provided for fastening means  103 . 
         [0019]    The grounding block  111  is depicted as essentially a rectangular solid with a top surface  112  but may be extruded or otherwise manufactured with other shapes as may prove to be advantageous such as a cylinder, multi-faceted cylinder, a triangular solid, a pyramid, a truncated pyramid, etc. In this exemplary embodiment the upper corners of the grounding block  111  are rounded off to reduce weight. Similarly, underside cut outs  107  are also formed or cut into the grounding block  111  to reduce weight. 
         [0020]    Further, additional material is removed on the underside of the grounding block  111  to ensure that there is sufficient clearance  104  between the chassis/body  2  and the underside of the grounding block  111  such that flexation or vibration of the grounding block  111  and/or chassis/body  2  does not cause the block to impact the chassis/body  2  thereby causing a rattle. The clearance  104  may be approximately 2-3 mm from a bottom surface of the grounding block after the weight reducing cutouts  107  are factored in. In other embodiments the clearance my range from 1-6 mm depending on the severity of vibration and the length of the grounding block. Such anti-rattle clearances apply to this embodiment and the following embodiments. 
         [0021]    The grounding block  111  includes one or more transverse (i.e. side-to-side) bolt holes ( 101 , 102 ) completely through the grounding block  111  to accommodate terminal bolts ( 6 ,  8 ). The diameter of the transverse bolt holes may differ to accommodate different size bolts such as a 6 mm (“M6”) and//or 8 mm (“M8”) bolts. The bolts ( 6 ,  8 ) secure an electrical wire  105  to the grounding block  111 . The electrical wire  105  comprises an attachment eye with a tab  109  that engages a surface of the grounding block  111  that is prepared to engage the tab  109 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 4A  is an oblique view of another exemplary embodiment of the grounding block  211  attached to a chassis/body  2  while  FIG. 4B  is a side view of the same embodiment. The grounding block  211  has two flanges  106  that server as attachment points to the chassis/body  2 . The flanges may be welded, riveted, screwed bolted or otherwise electrically and physically fastened to the chassis/body. Holes  108  are provided for screw, bolt or rivet attachment. 
         [0023]    The grounding block  211  is depicted as essentially a rectangular solid with a top surface  212  but may be extruded or otherwise manufactured with other shapes as may prove to be advantageous such as a cylinder, multi-faceted cylinder, a triangular solid, a pyramid, a truncated pyramid, etc. Similarly, underside cut outs  107  are also formed into the block to reduce weight. 
         [0024]    Further, additional material is removed on the underside of the grounding block  211  to ensure that there is sufficient clearance  104  between the chassis/body  2  and the underside of the grounding block  211  such that flexation or vibration of the block and or chassis/body does not cause the block to impact the chassis/body  2 , thereby causing a rattle. 
         [0025]    The grounding block  211  includes one or more bolt holes ( 101 , 102 ) completely through the grounding block  211  via the upper surface to accommodate terminal bolts ( 6 ,  8 ). The diameter of the bolt holes may differ to accommodate different size bolts such as a 6 mm (“M6”) and//or 8 mm (“M8”) bolts. The bolts ( 6 ,  8 ) secure an electrical wire  105  to the grounding block  211 . The electrical wire  105  comprises an attachment eye with a tab  109  that engages a surface if he grounding block  211  that is prepared to engage the tab  109 . 
         [0026]    Further, the height (H) of the grounding block  211  may be increased or decreased to accommodate the length of a standard bolt of a specific size, such that the upper surface comprises two or more parallel planes (A, B). For example the standard M8 bolt  8  is longer than the standard M6 bolt so that the height of the block at plane B is increased to provide sufficient clearance for the bolt to avoid contacting the chassis/body  2  when properly and fully inserted. 
         [0027]      FIG. 5A  is an oblique view of an exemplary embodiment of the grounding block  311  attached to a chassis/body  2  while  FIG. 5B  is a side view of the same embodiment. The grounding block  311  has two flanges  106  that serve as attachment points to the chassis/body  2 . The flanges  106  may be welded, riveted, bolted, screwed or otherwise electrically and physically fastened to the chassis/body. Holes  108  are provided for screw or rivet attachment. 
         [0028]    The grounding block  311  is depicted as essentially a rectangular solid, the top surface  312  of which is configured into a triangular or sawtooth shape. Material is removed on the underside of the grounding block  311  to ensure that there is sufficient clearance  104  between the chassis/body  2  and the underside of the grounding block  311  such that flexation or vibration of the grounding block  311  or the chassis/body  2  does not cause the block to impact the chassis/body  2  thereby causing a rattle. 
         [0029]    The grounding block  311  includes one of more triangular structures with a face that is formed at an angle of θ n  relative to a plane parallel to a plane formed between the flanges  106 . Angel θ n  may be any angle that may be necessary or desirable to facilitate the ergonomic attachment of an electric cable  105  into the grounding block  311 . 
         [0030]    One or more bolt holes ( 101 , 102 ) are formed completely through the top surface  312  of the grounding block  311  normal to one or both upper faces (C, D) of the triangular structure to accommodate the insertion of terminal bolts ( 6 ,  8 ). The diameter of the bolt holes ( 101 ,  102 ) may differ to accommodate different size bolts such as a 6 mm (“M6”) and//or 8 mm (“M8”) bolts. The bolts ( 6 ,  8 ) attach the electrical wire  105  to the grounding block  311 . The electrical wire  105  comprises an attachment eye with a tab  109  that engages a surface of the grounding block  311  that is prepared to engage eh tab  109 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 6  illustrates the embodiment of  FIGS. 5A and 5B  being attached by a screwdriver  20 . The screwdriver  20  may be any manual or power screwdriver know in the art. As a non-limiting example, the screwdriver may be a flow drill screwdriver Thus, the flange  106  is large enough to accommodate access by the tip  21  of the screwdriver  20 . In this particular depiction, weight cutouts  107  (see, dotted line) may be removed to reduce the weight of the grounding block. 
         [0032]    While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claim and the legal equivalents thereof.