I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a control relay for use in a vehicle assembly and, in particular, to a relay which is isolated from the vehicle chassis to prevent noise of the relay from being transferred into the vehicle chassis.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Control relays are utilized throughout a vehicle construction to control various electrical components such as headlights, windshield wipers, etc. Normally, such relays are mounted directly to the vehicle chassis in the vicinity of the component. Because such relays produce a distinctive "click" when energized and de-energized, the sound from the relay can be transmitted throughout the vehicle chassis. At times, such relay noise can be heard inside the passenger compartment. This is particularly objectionable in luxury cars where engineers strive to reduce noise to a minimum. While passenger compartments are sealed and insulated to eliminate road noise, the relay noise becomes attenuated. Moreover, although the relays are mounted proximate the particular component in past known vehicles, it is anticipated that future vehicles will centralize the component relays and fuses in a load center possibly located within the passenger compartments which will only increase the amount of noise transmitted into the passenger compartment.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds