JP2001197628A - Electrical junction box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical junction box which is easy to fabricate and enables efficient utilization of an area of a board. SOLUTION: This electrical junction box 11 comprises an upper case 13 and a lower case 12. Connector housings 26 are provided on the upper case 13. Through-holes 27 are formed in the connector housings 26. Press-fit terminals 28 are inserted into the through-holes 27. The press-fit terminals 28 are connected to a printed wiring board 15. Electronic components 16 are mounted on the printed wiring board 15. Bus-bars 14 are arranged between the upper case 13 and the printed wiring board 15. The lower surfaces of the bus-bars 14 and the component mounting surface 15a of the printed wiring board 15 are separated from each other. First tabs 14a and second tabs 14b are formed on the bus-bars 14.

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.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of electric connection boxes, such as junction boxes, relay boxes, fusible link boxes, and electric control units, used in electric circuits of automobiles have been proposed.

As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, a connector housing 43 is formed on an upper surface of an upper case 42 constituting the electric connection box 41. At the bottom of the connector housing 43, a plurality of insertion holes 44 are provided. A press-fit terminal 45 is press-fitted into each insertion hole 44 from above. The lower end of the press-fit terminal 45 is connected to a conductor on the substrate 46 side by soldering. An electronic component 47 is mounted on the board 46. This substrate 46
Are covered by a lower case (not shown). In this state, the electric connection box 41 is manufactured by fitting the upper case 42 and the lower case.

[0004]

However, in the prior art, the press-fitting terminals 45 are press-fitted into all the insertion holes 44. Therefore, when manufacturing the electric connection box 41, a very large number of press-fit terminals 45 are used. Therefore, when press-fitting the press-fit terminal 45 into the insertion hole 44, a very large number of man-hours were required. Therefore, it is very troublesome to manufacture the electric connection box 41. Also, the substrate 4
Most of the portion 6 was occupied by the portion to which the press-fit terminal 45 was soldered. Therefore, when a circuit is provided on the substrate 46, the circuit is apt to be restricted, and the area of the substrate cannot be used effectively.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric junction box which can be easily manufactured and can effectively use the area of a substrate. is there.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an upper case in which a plurality of insertion holes for inserting a press-fit terminal are provided in a bottom portion of a connector housing. A board on which electronic components are mounted is connected to the board by soldering the press-fit terminal, and a lower case is put on the board,
In the electric connection box adapted to fit the upper case and the lower case, a bus bar is arranged between the upper case and the board, and a plurality of first tab portions bent upward from the bus bar are formed. A second tab portion that is bent downward from the bus bar and that is smaller in number than the first tab portion is soldered to the board while being inserted through a part of the insertion hole, and the lower surface of the bus bar and the board are soldered. The gist of the present invention is that the upper surface is separated from the upper surface.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a projection provided on the lower surface of the upper case is provided with an engagement recess, and an engagement piece corresponding to the engagement recess is projected from the first tab. The gist is that you have done it.

[0008] The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that a support portion for pressing and supporting both the substrate and the bus bar is provided on the bottom surface of the lower case. Hereinafter, the “action” of the present invention will be described.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a bus bar is used instead of the plurality of press-fit terminals. Therefore, the number of press-fit terminals used is reduced. Therefore, the number of steps for inserting the press-fit terminal into the insertion hole is reduced. Therefore, the electric connection box can be easily manufactured. A second tab portion bent downward at one location of the bus bar is soldered to the substrate. At the same time, the space between the lower surface of the bus bar and the upper surface of the substrate is separated. Therefore, it is hard to be restricted when a circuit is provided on a substrate. Therefore, the area of the substrate can be effectively used. Also, it is possible to secure a mounting place for electronic components on the substrate. Therefore, many electronic components can be mounted on the substrate.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the locking piece is made of metal, the locking piece is less likely to be damaged than when the locking piece is provided on the protruding portion. Therefore, the durability of the locking piece can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the substrate and the bus bar are reliably pressed and supported by the support portion. Therefore, in the state where the electric connection box is manufactured, it is possible to prevent generation of abnormal noise due to rattling of the board and the bus bar.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electric junction box for a vehicle embodying the present invention will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an electric connection box 11 made of a synthetic resin includes a lower case 12 and an upper case 13.
And is constituted by. Inside the electrical connection box 11, a bus bar 14 made of a conductive material and a printed wiring board 15 as a substrate are accommodated.

The printed wiring board 15 has a substantially rectangular shape and is accommodated in the lower case 12.
The lower surface of the printed wiring board 15 is covered by the lower case 12. The printed wiring board 15 of the present embodiment is a double-sided board having conductor patterns (not shown) on both sides of the printed wiring board 15. The conductor patterns on both side surfaces of the printed wiring board 15 are electrically connected to each other through plated through holes 17 into which terminals can be inserted. 1 and 2, various electronic components (IC package, resistor, capacitor, etc.) 16 are mounted on one side (that is, component mounting surface) 15a of the printed wiring board 15. Each of these electronic components 16 has a plurality of terminals 16a. In this case, the component mounting surface 1 of the printed wiring board 15
Each terminal 16a is soldered to 5a.

The printed wiring board 15 is covered with the lower case 12 from below. The inner wall surface of the lower case 12 is in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the printed wiring board 15. At the upper end of the outer wall surface of the lower case 12,
A substantially rectangular engagement hole 18 is provided at a plurality of locations.
At the four corners on the bottom surface of the lower case 12, substantially L-shaped support portions 19 are provided. This support 19
Are formed integrally with the lower case 12. Support part 1
Numeral 9 presses and supports the lower surface of the printed wiring board 15.

The upper case 13 is disposed above the printed wiring board 15. Upper case 13
Is formed in a box shape by closing the lower opening of the case body 20 with the lower lid 21. The lower lid 21 is formed in a plate shape from a synthetic resin. The outer peripheral edge of the lower cover 21 is in contact with the inner wall surface of the case body 20. On the lower lid 21,
The through holes 22 are provided at a plurality of locations. A groove 23 is provided on the lower surface of the lower cover 21. Part of the groove 23 is continuous with the through hole 22.

An engagement projection 24 is provided at a lower end portion of the outer wall surface of the case body 20 so as to correspond to the engagement hole 18. A flange 25 is protruded around the outer wall surface of the case body 20. Flange part 25
Is disposed slightly above the engagement protrusion 24. A plurality of connector housings 26 are provided on the upper surface of the case body 20.
Is provided. Each connector housing 26 is formed in a box shape. Each connector housing 26 is open at the top. The bottom surface of the connector housing 26 is located lower than the upper surface of the case body 20.

A plurality of insertion holes 27 are provided on the bottom surface of each connector housing 26. The insertion hole 27 is arranged so as to correspond to the through hole 22. Each insertion hole 2
7, a press-fit terminal 28 is inserted. The cross-sectional shape of the press-fit terminal 28 is the same as the shape of the insertion hole 27. The thickness of the press-fit terminal 28 is slightly larger than the width of the insertion hole 27. The press-fit terminal 28 is provided in the through hole 2.
2 is also inserted. The thickness of the press-fit terminal 28 is substantially the same as the width of the through hole 22. Press-fit terminal 2
The lower end of 8 is soldered in a state of being inserted into the plated through hole 17.

On the lower surface of the case body 20, a protruding portion 29 is protruded from a portion corresponding to the connector housing 26. The protrusion 29 protrudes downward from the edge of the insertion hole 27. The lower end surface of the projecting portion 29 is
Is in contact with the upper surface of the A locking recess 30 is provided on the inner side surface 29 a of the protrusion 29.

The bus bar 14 is arranged between the lower cover 21 and the printed wiring board 15. Bus bar 1
4 is inserted into the groove 23. Lower surface of bus bar 14 and component mounting surface 15a of printed wiring board 15
And are separated. The electronic component 16 is arranged between the lower surface of the bus bar 14 and the printed wiring board 15. From the three ends of the bus bar 14, three first tab portions 14a are bent upward. The first tab portion 14a is inserted through a part of the insertion hole 27. Base end 31 of first tab portion 14a
Has the same size as the width of the bus bar 14. The width of the first tab portion 14a at the distal end portion 32 is
The size of the bus bar 14 is about half the width of the bus bar 14.
The first tab portion 14a comes into contact with the inner surface 29a of the protruding portion 29. A locking piece 33 is formed in the base end portion 31 of the first tab portion 14a by making a notch in a U-shape and slightly bending the cutout. The locking piece 33 is arranged so as to correspond to the locking recess 30.

Further, the second tab portion 1 is provided from the bus bar 14.
4b is bent downward. The width of the second tab portion 14 b is about half the width of the bus bar 14. The lower end of the second tab portion 14b is soldered while being inserted into the plating through hole 17.

Next, a method for manufacturing the electric junction box 11 configured as described above will be described in detail. First, the case body 20
The upper case 13 is configured by covering the lower opening 21 with the lower lid 21. Next, the bus bar 14 is inserted into the groove 23 provided on the lower surface of the lower cover 21 from below the upper case 13. At the same time, the first tab portion 14a is
2 The first tab portion 14a is inserted into the insertion hole 27 while slidingly contacting the inner surface 29a of the protruding portion 29. Then, when the first tab portion 14a is inserted at a certain position, the locking piece 33 provided on the first tab portion 14a is inserted into the locking recess 30. As a result, the bus bar 14 is attached to the upper case 13. The press-fit terminal 28 is inserted into the insertion hole 27 and the through-hole 22. Then, the lower end of the second tab portion 14b and the lower end of the press-fit terminal 28 are
Plating through hole 1 provided in printed wiring board 15
7 In this state, the second tab portion 14b
And the lower end of the press-fit terminal 28 and the plated through hole 17 are soldered. As a result, the upper case 13 and the printed wiring board 15 are electrically connected. Further, the lower case 12 is attached to the upper case 13 so that the engagement holes 18 and the engagement protrusions 24 are engaged.
In this case, the lower surface of the printed wiring board 15 is pressed and supported by the upper surface of the protrusion 29.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) In the case of the electric connection box 11, instead of providing three press-fitting terminals 28 which should be originally on the same one circuit, the first tab portions 1 are formed at three places using one bus bar 14.
4a is provided. Therefore, the number of press-fitting terminals 28 used decreases. Therefore, the press-fit terminal 28 is inserted through the insertion hole 27 and the through-hole 22, and the lower end of the press-fit terminal 28 is plated through the plated through hole 17 of the printed wiring board 15.
The number of man-hours to be inserted into the device decreases. Therefore, the electric connection box 11
Can be easily produced. In this case, the space for soldering the press-fit terminals 28 on the printed wiring board 15 is reduced, so that a circuit can be provided on the component mounting surface 15a of the printed wiring board 15 using the bus bar 14. Further, the second tab portion 14 b bent downward in the bus bar 14 is soldered to the printed wiring board 15.
At the same time, the lower surface of the bus bar 14 and the printed wiring board 1
5 is separated from the component mounting surface 15a. Therefore, it is possible to secure a mounting place of the electronic component 16 on the component mounting surface 15a. Therefore, many electronic components 16 can be mounted on the component mounting surface 15a of the printed wiring board 15. That is, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the area of the substrate can be effectively used.

(2) Since the locking piece 33 is formed integrally with the first tab portion 14a, the locking piece 33 is made of metal. Therefore, the locking piece 33 is less likely to be damaged than when the locking piece 33 is provided on the protrusion 29 made of synthetic resin.
Therefore, the durability of the locking piece 33 can be improved.

(3) The printed wiring board 15 is securely pressed and supported by the distal end surface of the support portion 19. Therefore, when the electric connection box 11 is manufactured, the printed wiring board 1
It is possible to prevent generation of abnormal noise due to rattling of 5.

(4) The bus bar 14 is inserted into a groove 23 provided on the lower surface of the lower cover 21. Therefore, it is possible to prevent generation of abnormal noise due to rattling of the bus bar 14.

(5) From the bus bar 14, the second tab 1
4b is formed by bending only one downward. In addition, the one second tab portion 14 b can be disposed at a position where the electronic component 16 is avoided in the bus bar 14. Therefore, the board area of the printed wiring board 15 can be effectively used.

The embodiment of the present invention may be modified as follows. In the embodiment, the first tab portion 14a is inserted through the insertion hole 27. However, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,
The first tab portion 14a may be pressed into the insertion hole 27. With this configuration, the first tab portion 14 a can be reliably held by the inner wall surface of the insertion hole 27 even when the projecting portion 29 is not provided on the lower surface of the case main body 20.

In the above-described embodiment, the locking tab 33 is provided at the base end 31 of the first tab portion 14a, and the locking recess 30 is provided at the protruding portion 29. However, the locking pieces 33 and the locking recesses 30 need not be provided. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the protrusion 29 may not be provided.

In the embodiment, the first tab portion 14a is inserted into the insertion hole 27, and the first tab portion 14a
And the first tab portion 14a is attached to the upper case 13. However, the first tab part 1
The first tab portion 14 a may be attached to the upper case 13 by press-fitting the first tab portion 14 a into the insertion hole 27 and engaging the first tab portion 14 a with the locking concave portion 30.

In the above embodiment, the support portion 19 presses and supports the lower surface of the printed wiring board 15. However, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, a support portion insertion hole 15 b is provided in the printed wiring board 15, the support portion 19 presses and supports the lower surface of the printed wiring board 15, and the lower surface of the bus bar 14 is supported via the support portion insertion hole 15 b. You may make it support by pressing. With this configuration, rattling of the printed wiring board 15 and the bus bar 14 can be suppressed. Therefore, generation of unusual noise due to rattling from the electric connection box 11 can be more reliably prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, the support 19 is provided on the bottom surface of the inner surface of the lower case 12, and the support 19 presses the lower surface of the printed wiring board 15. Instead, as shown in FIG. 5, a support 19 may be provided on the component mounting surface 15a of the printed wiring board 15, and the support 19 may press and support the lower surface of the bus bar 14.

In the above embodiment, the groove 23 for inserting the bus bar 14 is provided on the lower surface of the upper case 13. Instead, a projection may be provided on the lower surface of the upper case 13 and the bus bar 14 may be fixed by the projection.

In the above-described embodiment, the support portion 19 is provided on the bottom surface of the inner side surface of the lower case 12. However, the support 19 may be provided on the inner wall surface of the lower case 12. Further, the support portion 19 may not be provided.

Next, in addition to the technical ideas described in the claims, the technical ideas grasped by the above-described embodiments will be listed below together with their effects. (1) An electric connection box, wherein a groove for inserting a bus bar is provided on a lower surface of the upper case. Therefore, according to the technical idea (1), rattling of the bus bar can be prevented.

(2) The electric connection box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a support portion for pressing the bus bar is provided on the upper surface of the substrate. (3) The electric connection box according to claim 1, wherein the first tab portion is fixed by press-fitting into the insertion hole.

[0037]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an electric junction box can be easily manufactured. Further, the area of the substrate can be effectively used.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the durability of the locking piece can be improved. According to the third aspect of the invention, in the state where the electric connection box is manufactured, it is possible to prevent generation of abnormal noise due to rattling of the board and the bus bar.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an electric connection box in the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part, similarly showing an electric junction box.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an electric junction box in another example.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part, similarly showing an electric junction box.

FIG. 5 is an essential part cross-sectional view showing an electric junction box in another example.

FIG. 6A is a side view showing a part of an electric junction box in the related art, FIG. 6B is a top view showing a part of the electric junction box, and FIG. Sectional side view which shows a part of junction box.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... electric junction box, 12 ... lower case, 13 ... upper case, 14 ... bus bar, 14a ... first tab part, 14b ...
2nd tab part, 15 ... printed wiring board as a board, 15
a: component mounting surface as upper surface, 16: electronic component, 19 ...
Supporting part, 26 ... connector housing, 27 ... insertion hole, 2
8 ... Press-fit terminal, 29 ... Protrusion, 30 ... Locking recess, 33 ...
Locking piece.

Claims (3)

[Claims] An upper case provided with a plurality of insertion holes for inserting a press-fit terminal at a bottom portion of a connector housing, and a board on which an electronic component is mounted, which is connected by soldering the press-fit terminal; An electrical connection box configured to fit the upper case and the lower case so as to cover the lower case with respect to the substrate, wherein a bus bar is arranged between the upper case and the substrate, A plurality of first tab portions bent upward are inserted through some of the insertion holes,
A second tab portion, which is formed to be bent downward from the bus bar and is smaller in number than the first tab portion, is soldered to the substrate, and a lower surface of the bus bar is separated from an upper surface of the substrate. Electrical junction box. 2. A projection provided on a lower surface of the upper case, wherein a projection is provided on the lower surface of the upper case, and a projection corresponding to the projection is provided on the first tab. Item 2. An electric connection box according to item 1. 3. The electric connection box according to claim 1, wherein a support portion for pressing and supporting both the substrate and the bus bar is provided on a bottom portion of the lower case.