JP2000308234A - Electrical connection box for automobile and mounting structure thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To relax shocks impact in collision by preventing an electrical connection box from limiting the collapse deformation of a hood in collision, when the electrical connection box is to be installed below the hood. SOLUTION: By connecting an insertion-type connection part 20 formed on the outer surface of the case of an electrical connection box 10 to a bracket 12 that is fixed to a body 14 in an engine room, the electrical connection box 10 is mounted below a hood 32. A movable stopper 34, that is engaged to the upper end of the bracket 12 and prevents the electrical connection box 10 from being lowered, is provided at the insertion-type connection part 20 of the electrical connection box 10. An engagement canceling piece 36 for removing the movable stopper 34 from the upper end of the bracket 12, when the bonnet 32 is subjected to collapse deformation is allowed to project from the lower surface of the hood 32, thus lowering the electrical connection box 10 when the hood 32 is subjected to collapse deformation and reducing the damage to a collision object.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric connection box installed under a hood in an engine room of an automobile,
It relates to the mounting structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 3 and 4 show a conventional electric junction box and its mounting structure. In the figure, 10 is an electrical junction box, 12
Is a bracket for attaching the electric connection box 10 to a predetermined position. As shown in FIG. 4B, the bracket 12 is fixed to a body 14 in an engine room by a fastening member 16 in advance (the bracket 12 may be formed integrally with the body 14). The electric connection box 10 includes an insertion connection portion 20 with the bracket 12 on the outer surface of the case 18. The insertion coupling portion 20 includes a guide frame 22 into which the upper end of the bracket 12 is inserted, a shoulder 24 at which the upper end of the bracket 12 abuts, a fixed end at the lower end, and a free end at the upper end. Reference numeral 28 denotes a projecting lock piece 26 and the like. The claw of the lock piece 26 is located at the upper end of the bracket 12.
An opening 30 into which 28 drops is formed.

With the above structure, the electric connection box 10
When attaching the bracket 12, the insertion joint 20 of the electric connection box 10 is simply fitted to the upper end of the bracket 12 in a fixed state, so that the upper end of the bracket 12 abuts the shoulder 24 and the claw 28 is Opening of bracket 12 with elasticity
Since it falls into 30, the electric connection box 10 can be easily attached. Also, when maintaining the electrical junction box 10,
The electric connection box 10 can be easily removed simply by pulling the upper end of the lock piece 26 and pulling out the claw 28 from the opening 30.

[0004]

The electric connection box 10 may be mounted directly below the bonnet 32 as shown in FIG. In the case of such a mounting structure, in a case where the vehicle collides with something and the bonnet 32 collapses, at the installation position of the electric connection box 10, the electric connection box 10 is fixedly supported by the bracket 12. Because the hood 32
Is limited by the electrical junction box 10, and the electrical junction box 10 may substantially collide with the opponent collision object, possibly damaging the collision object. Particularly when the collision object is a human body, there is a possibility that the human body may be damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric connection box which does not limit the collapse and deformation of the hood at the time of a collision when the electric connection box is installed under the hood, and a mounting structure thereof.

[0006]

In order to achieve this object, an electric connection box for a vehicle according to the present invention is provided on a bracket fixed to or integrally formed with a body in an engine room, and on a case outer surface. An electric junction box installed under the hood by joining the formed plug-in joints, wherein the plug-in joints are normally engaged with a bracket to prevent the electric junction box from descending, When the bonnet is depressed and deformed, a movable stopper is provided to allow the electrical junction box to be disengaged from the bracket when the hood is depressed.

Further, in the mounting structure for an electric connection box according to the present invention, a plug-in connection portion formed on an outer surface of a case of the electric connection box is attached to a bracket fixed to a body in an engine room or formed integrally with the body. A structure in which the electric connection box is attached under the hood by being connected, wherein a movable stopper that engages with a bracket to prevent the electric connection box from lowering is provided at a pluggable connection portion of the electric connection box,
An engagement release piece for removing the movable stopper from the bracket when the hood is depressed and deformed is provided on a lower surface of the hood.

According to the present invention, the electric junction box is evacuated downward in accordance with the collapse of the bonnet at the time of the collision to reduce the impact at the time of the collision.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the same parts as those in FIG. 4 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals. The electric connection box 10 is installed in the engine room below the hood 32. A bracket 12 is fixed to a body 14 in the engine room by a fastening member 16. The electric connection box 10 is attached to the upper end of the bracket 12 by connecting an insertion connection portion 20.

The electrical connection box 10 is different from the conventional one in that the plug-in connection portion 20 does not have a shoulder 24 as shown in FIG. That is, the movable stopper 34 to be abutted is formed. The electric connection box 10 is
Is prevented from descending. The movable stopper 34
It is formed integrally with the case 18 and can be elastically deformed in a direction in which the tip side approaches the outer surface of the case 18 when pushed from outside.

On the other hand, an engagement release piece 36 is fixed to the lower surface of the bonnet 32 by welding or the like. This disengagement piece
Reference numeral 36 is used for elastically deforming the movable stopper 34 and removing the movable stopper 34 from the bracket 12 when the hood 32 is depressed and deformed.

With such a structure, the electric connection box 10
In the normal state, the movable stopper 34 is held at a fixed position without falling because the movable stopper 34 abuts on the upper end of the bracket 12.
The car crashes into something and the bonnet 32 as shown in Figure 2
Is depressed and deformed, the disengagement piece 36 is lowered, and the movable stopper 34 is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the outer surface of the case 18, so that the movable stopper 34 comes off from the upper end of the bracket 12, and the electric connection box 10 is attached to the bonnet 32. Will be lowered together with the collapse deformation. Therefore, the electric connection box 10 does not limit the collapse deformation of the bonnet 32 at the time of collision, and the possibility of damaging the collision object is reduced.

In this embodiment, when the electric connection box 10 is lowered, the opening 30 is moved up and down so that the claw 28 of the locking piece 26 does not catch on the lower edge of the opening 30 of the bracket 12. It has a long slot. However, the claw portion 28 is formed so as to be easily caught on the upper edge of the opening 30 and difficult to be caught on the lower edge, so that even if the opening 30 is the same size as the conventional one, it is locked. It is possible to avoid the claw 28 from being caught by the elastic deformation of the piece 26.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the bonnet is depressed and deformed by the collision of the vehicle, the electric connection box below the hood is lowered, and the electric connection box collides with the collision object. And damage to the colliding object can be minimized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A and 1B show an embodiment of an electric junction box and an attachment structure thereof according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a partially cutaway front view, and FIG.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the bonnet is depressed and deformed by a collision in the mounting structure of FIG. 1, (a) is a front view,
(B) is a sectional view taken along line BB of (a).

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a conventional electric junction box and its mounting structure.

FIG. 4 shows a conventional electric junction box and its mounting structure.
(A) is a partially cutaway front view, and (b) is a sectional view taken along line BB of (a).

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: Electrical connection box 12: Bracket 14: Body 18: Case 20: Insertion joint 22: Guide frame 26: Lock piece 28: Claw 30: Opening 32: Bonnet 34: Movable stopper 36: Disengagement piece

Claims (2)

[Claims] An electric connection box installed under a hood by connecting a plug-in connection formed on an outer surface of a case to a bracket fixed to or integrally formed with a body in an engine room. In addition, a movable stopper is provided on the plug-in connection portion, which is engaged with the bracket in normal times to prevent the electric connection box from descending, and is detached from the bracket when the hood is depressed and deformed to allow the electric connection box to descend. An electric junction box for an automobile, characterized by being characterized in that: 2. A plug-in connection formed on an outer surface of a case of an electric connection box is connected to a bracket fixed to or integrally formed with a body in an engine room, and the electric connection box is placed under the hood. A movable stopper that engages with a bracket to prevent the electric connection box from descending, and is provided on the lower surface of the bonnet when the hood is depressed and deformed. A mounting structure for an electric junction box for an automobile, wherein a disengagement piece for detaching a movable stopper from a bracket is projected.