JP2000323252A - Electrical connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely prevent an electric wire being caught by surrounding components. SOLUTION: A wall structure 28 is installed on the top of a relay block 17 in a state that a lower case is covered with an upper case 14. An electric wire 32 is loosely inserted into a slender space 27 formed on the inside of the wall structure 28. An electric wire 32 placed on a relay block 17 on one side is protected with the wall structure 28.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric junction box used for, for example, an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an electric junction box in which an electric component block is accommodated in a case body. The electrical component block is electrically connected via an electric wire drawn from outside the case body. A connector is provided at one end of the electric wire, and the connector is mounted on a connector mounting portion provided on the upper surface of the electrical component block.

[0003] In this type of electric connection box, there is a risk that the electric wire may be caught by a component provided on the electrical component block and the connector may come off from the connector mounting portion. Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, an electric connection box 51 as shown in FIG. 3 has been conventionally proposed. In this electric junction box 51, a plurality of pairs of wire fixing ribs 53 and 54 are formed on the upper surface of a relay block 52 at predetermined intervals. Therefore, when assembling the electric junction box 51, the operator places the electric wire 55 between the pair of ribs 53 and 54.
, The electric wire 55 is sandwiched and fixed between the ribs 53 and 54.

[0004]

However, in the electric connection box shown in the prior art, the electric wire 55 is only partially fixed by the ribs 53 and 54. Therefore, the electric wire 55 is not completely fixed between one pair of the ribs 53 and the other pair of the ribs 54. Therefore, electric wire 5
There was still a risk that 5 would get caught by the surrounding parts. Further, when the electric wire 55 is pressed and fixed between the ribs 53 and 54, stress is easily applied to the ribs 53 and 54. For this reason, if the force for pushing the electric wire 55 is too strong, there is a problem that the ribs 53 and 54 are damaged. Furthermore, since the work of pushing in and fixing the electric wire 55 is required, the number of work steps is large, and the productivity is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric connection box capable of reliably preventing an electric wire from being caught by surrounding components.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one end of an electric wire is connected to an upper surface of an electric component block housed in a case body. In the connection box, the gist is that a wall structure is provided on the upper surface of the block, and the electric wire is loosely inserted into an elongated space formed inside the wall structure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electrical junction box according to the first aspect, the wall structure comprises a first wall provided on an upper surface of the block and a part of the case body. Is provided on the inner surface of the upper case,
The gist of the present invention comprises a second wall portion that can be fitted to an upper edge of the first wall portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electrical junction box according to the first or second aspect, a connector mounting portion for attaching and detaching a connector provided at one end of the electric wire is disposed in the elongated space. The gist is that you have done.

The "action" of the present invention will be described below. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the electric wire is loosely inserted into the elongated space formed inside the wall structure provided on the upper surface of the electrical component block. Therefore, since the entire electric wire is protected by the wall structure, the electric wire does not get caught on the components around the electric wire.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an elongated space is formed by fitting the two wall portions together. Therefore, water and the like hardly enter from the upper edge of the first wall portion, which is the fitting portion between the two wall portions. Therefore, the waterproofness in the elongated space is improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the connector mounting portion is disposed in the elongated space having high waterproofness. For this reason, poor electrical connection between the connector mounting portion and the connector is reduced.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric connection box 11 is housed in an engine room of an automobile. The electric connection box 11 includes a case body 12 made of a synthetic resin. The case body 12
It comprises a lower case 13 and an upper case 14 which is detachably provided above the lower case 13.

In the lower case 13, a plurality of relay blocks 17 and 18 as electric component blocks are accommodated. In the present embodiment, the relay blocks 17, 1
8 are provided two. Each relay block 17, 18
A relay mounting portion 19 is provided on the upper surface of each of them, and a relay 20 is detachably mounted on each relay mounting portion 19.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a first wall portion 25 is provided on the upper surface of one relay block 17. The first wall portion 25 is made of a synthetic resin, and is formed integrally with the relay block 17. The first wall portion 25 is formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the lower case 13, and has a slender U-shaped groove looking down. The upper surface and one end (the left side in FIG. 1) of the first wall portion 25 are open.

On the inner top surface of the upper case 14, a second
A wall 26 is formed, and the second wall 26 is arranged at a position facing the first wall 25. Second wall 26
Is made of synthetic resin and is formed integrally with the upper case 14. The second wall portion 26 is formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the upper case 14, and has a slender inverted U-shaped groove as viewed upward. The lower surface and one end (the upper side in FIG. 1) of the second wall portion 26 are open.

The upper case 1 is attached to the lower case 13.
The second wall portion 26 can be fitted to the upper edge of the first wall portion 25 by being covered with the fourth wall portion 4. In this fitted state, the upper surface opening of the first wall 25 is closed by the second wall 26. Therefore, an elongated space 27 extending along the longitudinal direction of the case body 12 is formed between the two wall portions 25 and 26. In the present embodiment, the first wall portion 25 and the second wall portion 26 constitute a linear wall structure 28.

The first wall 25 in the elongated space 27
A connector mounting portion 31 is provided at the other end of the inside. An electric wire 32 is introduced into the case main body 12 from the outside, and a part of the electric wire 32 passes through openings 25 a, 26 a formed at one end of both walls 25, 26 to form an elongated space 27.
It is inserted inside. A connector 33 is provided at the end of the electric wire 32.
The connector 33 is provided with the connector mounting portion 3.
1 is detachably connected.

Next, the operation of the electric junction box 11 configured as described above will be described. The connector 33 is connected to the connector mounting portion 31 so that the electric wire 32 extends along the longitudinal direction of the first wall portion 25. When the upper case 14 is put on the lower case 13 in this state, the second wall 26 is fitted to the first wall 25, and the wall structure 28 is assembled. Then, the electric wire 32 is accommodated in the elongated space 27 formed inside the wall structure 28. The other end of the electric wire 32 is led out of the elongated space 27 through the openings 25a and 26a of both walls 25 and 26. Therefore, the periphery of the electric wire 32 is protected by the wall structure 28. Therefore, the electric wire 32 does not catch on the relay mounting portion 19, the relay 20, and the like around the electric wire 32.

Since the peripheral edges of the first wall portion 25 and the second wall portion 26 are fitted to each other, it is difficult for water and the like to enter the elongated space 27 from the upper edge of the first wall portion 25. Therefore, slender space 2
7 and connector 3 and connector 3
There is no hindrance to the electrical connection with 3.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) When the lower case 13 is covered with the upper case 14, a wall structure 2 is provided on the upper surface of the relay block 17.
8 are provided. An electric wire 32 is loosely inserted into the elongated space 27 formed inside the wall structure 28.
Therefore, the electric wire 32 on one relay block 17
Are protected by the wall structure 28. Therefore, there is no possibility that the electric wire 32 is caught on the relay mounting portion 19 or the relay 20 provided on the relay block 17. As a result, it is possible to prevent the connector 33 from being accidentally detached from the connector mounting portion 31.

(2) Since the electric wire 32 is loosely inserted into the elongated space 27, there is no need to press the electric wire 32 into the elongated space 27. Therefore, unlike the related art, no stress is applied to the first wall portion 25 or the second wall portion 26.
As a result, breakage of the wall structure 28 can be prevented. In addition, the lower case 13 can be covered with the upper case 14, and at the same time, the electric wire 32 can be protected. In other words, the electric wire 32 can be protected by also assembling the two cases 13 and 14. Therefore, the number of work steps can be reduced, and productivity can be improved.

(3) The wall structure 28 includes a first wall 25 formed on the upper surface of one relay block 17 and a second wall 26 formed on the inner top surface of the upper case 14. I have. Then, the upper case 14 is connected to the lower case 1
3, the second wall 26 is attached to the upper edge of the first wall 25.
Are fitted. For this reason, the first wall 2
It becomes difficult for water or the like to enter from the upper edge of 5. As a result, the waterproof property in the elongated space 27 can be improved.

(4) The connector mounting section 31 is a wall structure 2
8 are arranged in an elongated space 27 formed inside. For this reason, since water or the like does not easily enter the elongated space 27, troubles due to poor electrical connection between the connector mounting portion 31 and the connector 33 can be reduced. Moreover, the openings 25a for drawing the electric wire 32 into the elongated space 27,
The connector mounting section 31 is arranged at a position farthest from the connector 26a. As a result, troubles due to poor electrical connection between the connector mounting portion 31 and the connector 33 can be further reduced.

(5) Upper case 1 is attached to lower case 13
4, the wall structure 28 is open at one end only. In short, only one opening 25a, 26a for drawing the electric wire 32 into the elongated space 27 is provided. Moreover, the opening 25
The opening areas of the openings a and 26a are set as small as possible. Therefore, the waterproofness in the elongated space 27 can be further improved.

The embodiment of the present invention may be modified as follows. In the above-described embodiment, the second case 26 is fitted to the upper end edge of the first wall 25 by covering the lower case 13 with the upper case 14. Besides this,
The second wall 26 may be omitted. And the lower case 1
When the upper case 14 is covered with the upper case 14,
The upper opening of the first wall 25 is closed by the inner top surface of
An elongated space 27 may be formed. According to this configuration, the number of walls can be reduced, so that manufacturing costs can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the wall structure 28 is provided only on one of the relay blocks 17. Alternatively, the wall structure 28 may be provided on another relay block 18. With this configuration, the electric wires 3 on both blocks 17 and 18 can be used.
2 can be protected. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent the electric wire 32 from being caught on a component around the electric wire 32.

In the embodiment, when the lower case 13 is covered with the upper case 14, the openings 25 a and 26 a are formed only at one end of the wall structure 28. In addition, the openings 25a, 2
6a may be formed. In this case, it is preferable to arrange the connector mounting portion 31 at the other end of the wall structure 28. Also, openings may be formed at both ends of the wall structure 28.

In the embodiment, the first wall 25 is formed integrally with the relay block 17. Besides this,
The first wall portion 25 and the relay block 17 may be formed of different members, and the two members 25 and 17 may be assembled together with screws or the like. Similarly, the second wall 26
May be configured separately from the upper case 14, and the two members 26, 14 may be assembled together with screws or the like.

In the above embodiment, the other end of the electric wire 32 is drawn out of the case body 12. Alternatively, a connector mounting portion 31 may be provided on the other relay block 18 to connect the two relay blocks 17 and 18 to each other via the electric wire 32.

In the above-described embodiment, the wall structure 28 is linear. In addition, the wall structure 28 may be changed to an arbitrary shape such as an L shape or an S shape. Next, in addition to the technical idea described in the claims,
The technical ideas grasped by the above-described embodiments are listed below together with their effects.

(1) In claim 1, the case main body is composed of a lower case and an upper case detachably provided on an upper portion of the lower case, and the wall structure is provided on an upper surface of the block. An electrical connection box which is a first wall portion in which a front edge contacts an inner surface of the upper case in a state where the upper case is assembled to the lower case. According to this configuration, the number of walls can be reduced to one, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(2) In Claim 2 or 3, the case main body is composed of a lower case and an upper case detachably provided in the lower case, and the first wall portion is disposed in the lower case. 2 The wall is an electrical junction box located in the upper case.

(3) The electric connection box according to (2), wherein the first wall is formed integrally with the electrical component block, and the second wall is formed integrally with the upper case. According to this configuration, the work of assembling the respective wall portions can be omitted.

(4) The electric connection box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and (1) to (3), wherein the case main body is disposed in an engine room of an automobile. According to this configuration,
Water droplets and the like blown into the engine room can be reduced from entering the elongated space.

[0035]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the electric wire from being caught on the surrounding parts.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the waterproofness in the narrow space can be improved. According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce troubles caused by poor electrical connection between the connector mounting portion and the connector.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electric connection box of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a first wall portion and a second wall portion.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an electric connection box according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Electric connection box, 12 ... Case main body, 13 ... Lower case, 14 ... Upper case, 17 ... Relay block (electrical component block), 25 ... 1st wall part, 26 ... 2nd wall part, 27
... Elongated space, 28 ... Wall structure, 31 ... Connector mounting part, 3
2 ... electric wires, 33 ... connectors.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An electric connection box in which at least one end of an electric wire is connected to an upper surface of an electric component block accommodated in a case body, wherein a wall structure is provided on the upper surface of the block and formed inside the wall structure. An electric connection box, wherein the electric wire is loosely inserted into the elongated space. 2. The wall structure is provided on a first wall portion provided on an upper surface of the block, and on an inner surface of an upper case constituting a part of the case main body, and an upper edge of the first wall portion. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, comprising a second wall portion that can be fitted to the second connection portion. 3. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein a connector mounting portion provided at one end of the electric wire and to which a connector is attached / detached is arranged in the elongated space.