JP2003243113A - Joint box and connector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively dissipate heat generated in the box and case. <P>SOLUTION: The electric connection box 1 is constructed of a joint box 10, a connector 20, and a cable part 30 made of belt-shape flexible printed circuits 30a-30d of which a part is housed in these joint box 10 and connector 20 and the remaining part is drawn out to the outside, and the joint box 10 and the connector 20 are moveably connected by the cable part 30. The lid 16 of the joint box 10 is made of a metal or ceramic having high heat conduction and a heat sink 28 made of similar material is fitted to the case 23 of the connector 20. The heat generated by electric flow in the cable part 30 is dissipated to the outside through the lid 16 and the heat sink 28 without remaining in the housing 13 of the joint box 10 and in the case 23 of the connector 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a joint box for connecting electrical components of an automobile to each other for branching wiring or for distributing power, and particularly to a connector connected to an external wiring circuit. The invention relates to a joint box and a connector that can increase the power consumption.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A joint box (Joint Box: J / B) for wiring branching is used for the purpose of saving space and low cost when wiring a plurality of electric components arranged in an automobile.
Is used. 20 to 22 show the conventional J /
It is a figure for demonstrating B. As shown in FIG. 20 to FIG. 22, the J / B 100 has a wiring branch circuit 110 built in a housing 101, a connector connecting portion (not shown) is provided in the housing 101, and the connector connecting portion is The connector (not shown) at the tip of the wire harness connected to the external electric component is connected. Wiring branch circuit 1
10 is a bus bar 103 which is a conductor, and this bus bar 1
03, and an insulation plate (IP) 109 for insulating between the bus bars 103. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the busbars 103 are usually arranged in multiple layers via the IP 109,
A part is bent in a direction orthogonal to the main surface of the IP 109, penetrates the IP 109 and the other bus bar 103 and faces the outside of the housing 101, and this part constitutes the terminal portion 104 of the connector connecting portion. When electrical components such as fuses and relay boxes are directly mounted on the J / B 100, the bus bar 103 also serves as a support member for the mounted components, and the components can be easily attached / detached during maintenance and added at the time of attachment / detachment. It must be able to withstand force. For this reason, in some cases, a metal terminal, which is a separate component, is attached to the tip of the bus bar 103, and the metal component is connected to the mounted component via the metal terminal to ensure the connection with the mounted component. In addition, for the purpose of improving maintainability, J
/ B100 may be installed in a concentrated manner.
0 is generally a fuse box (F / B)
However, a joint connector (J / C) is often referred to as a joint connector (J / C) that does not have a fuse and has only a power distribution function.

However, in the combination of the bus bar 103 and the IP 109, a die such as a punching die and a press die for the bus bar 103, an IP die and the like are required for each layer, and the cost of the die is high, so that a small number of production is required. The problem that it is not suitable and it is difficult to change the design has come to the surface. Therefore, a flexible printed circuit (Flexible Printed
J / B using Circuits: FPC) is being studied.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the FPC
When a circuit such as the wiring branch circuit 110 is formed by using, and the J / B 100 is configured by being housed in the housing 101, the circuits of each layer stacked in multiple layers generate heat in the energized state. It is conceivable that the temperature rises mainly in the circuit of the intermediate layer where the escape area is small, and eventually exceeds the heat resistant temperature of the FPC, resulting in a marked decrease in the insulating property. This can also occur in a connector in which a wiring connection circuit in which FPCs are stacked in multiple layers is housed inside a case.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a joint box and a connector which can efficiently dissipate heat generated in a housing or a case.

[0006]

A joint box according to the present invention is a joint box in which a wiring branch circuit for connecting a plurality of electrical components is housed inside a casing, wherein the wiring branch circuits are superposed. It is characterized by comprising a plurality of flexible printed circuits, and at least a part of the housing is made of a metal plate or ceramic.

The connector according to the present invention is a connector in which a wiring connection circuit to be connected to a plurality of external wiring circuits is housed in a case, wherein the wiring connection circuit is formed by stacking a plurality of flexible printed circuits. At least a part of the case is made of a metal plate or a ceramic.

According to the present invention, at least a part of the wiring branch circuit or the wiring connection circuit formed by stacking a plurality of flexible printed circuits (hereinafter referred to as "FPC") has a high thermal conductivity. Since the joint box or connector is housed in a case or case made of a metal plate or ceramic to form a joint box or connector, the heat generated by the current generated in the wiring branch circuit or the wiring connection circuit does not stay in the case or case and is efficient. The heat is radiated well, and it is possible to effectively prevent deterioration of the insulating property of the FPC forming the wiring branch circuit or the wiring connection circuit.

The metal plate forming at least a part of the housing or the case is preferably made of any one of aluminum, iron, copper, brass and heat-resistant copper alloy. This is because a metal plate made of these materials can have high thermal conductivity. Further, it is considered that other than these materials, any metal having a high thermal conductivity can be applied.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an electric junction box to which a joint box and a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied. The electrical junction box 1 is a joint box (J / B) 10, a connector 20, and a wiring branch circuit (or wiring connection) in which a part is housed in the J / B 10 and the connector 20 and the remaining portion is pulled out to the outside. And a cable portion 30 as a circuit, and the cable portion 30 movably connects the J / B 10 and the connector 20. The cable portion 30 includes, for example, a plurality of strip-shaped flexible printed circuits (hereinafter, referred to as “FPC”) 30 in which multi-layer wiring is performed.
A plurality of a to 30d are flexibly laminated in a non-adhesive state. J / B 10 is a housing 1 made of a resin molded member.
3 and the housing 13, which has a housing made of a plate-like lid 16 made of metal or ceramic having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, iron, copper, brass and heat-resistant copper alloy, which is detachable from the housing 13, and a cable. It is arranged at one end of the portion 30. In the housing 13, a plurality of fuses 1 are provided on the same surface as the main surface of the FPCs 30a to 30d (the surface corresponding to the front surface).
A plurality of fuse mounting portions 14 and relay mounting portions 15 for mounting the relay 1 and the relay 12 are formed in two rows along the longitudinal direction of the cable portion 30. The connector 20 is
Connector housing 22 (22
a, 22b) and these connector housings 22a, 2
It is configured to include a case 23 (23a, 23b) that accommodates a part of 2b and can be divided in the thickness direction of the cable portion 30, and is arranged at the other end of the cable portion 30. It should be noted that the case components 23a and 23b forming the case 23
A heat radiating plate 28 made of the same material as the lid 16 is attached to a part (not shown) of the above. The connector housings 22a and 22b include a plurality of connector fitting portions 25 into which the plug connectors 21a and 21b are respectively inserted from the side along both side edge portions of the cable portion 30.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the cable portion 30. First, the strip-shaped FPCs 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d that form the cable portion 30 are made of copper on a base film 31 made of an insulating film such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and polyimide (PI). The circuit portion 32 is formed by patterning a conductive material such as a foil by a method such as etching, and has a structure in which a cover lay (not shown) is provided on the circuit portion 32 if necessary. For example, a plurality of terminal connecting portions 34 are formed from both side edge portions of the strip-shaped portion 33 of the FPCs 30 a to 30 d so as to extend in the lateral direction of the strip-shaped portion 33 with a predetermined length, and the terminal connecting portions 34 are provided at the tip end side of these terminal connecting portions 34. Is, for example, a metal plate-shaped connection terminal 39a that is housed in the housing 13 and forms a part of the J / B 10, or a connection terminal 39b that is housed in the connector housing 22a (22b) and forms a part of the connector 20.
Are connected respectively. In addition, in this example, the connection terminal 39a is a so-called fork terminal whose tip has a bifurcated end to sandwich the foot (connection portion) of the fuse 11 or the relay 12 on the opposite surface to establish an electrical connection.
Reference numeral b is a so-called male connection terminal connected to female connection terminals (not shown) of the plug connectors 21a and 21b. Also,
The connection terminals 39a and 39b have housings 13 to be described later.
Engagement holes 39c that engage with lance mechanisms provided in the connector housing 22a (22b) are formed.

The connection terminals 39a and 39b are connected to the terminal connection portion 3
After being placed on the terminal connection portion 34 so as to be in close contact with the circuit portion 32 on the upper surface 4, the circuit portion 32 is joined by resistance welding and connected to the terminal connection portion 34. Connection terminals 39a, 3
After connecting 9b to the terminal connecting portion 34, the FPCs 30a to 3
The cable portion 30 is configured by stacking 0d. At this time, the connection terminals 39a and 39b are arranged so as to be arranged at positions corresponding to the connection terminal arrangement positions of the housing 13 and the connector housing 22a (22b).
The terminal connection portions 34 of 0a to 30d are preferably formed.

After the strip-shaped FPCs 30a to 30d are overlapped with each other to form the cable portion 30 and the joint portion between the connection terminal 39a (39b) and the terminal connection portion 34 is sealed with the resin mold portion 37, the joint portion The connection reliability can be improved. Then, the terminal connecting portion 34 connected to the connecting terminal 39 a is extended in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the cable portion 30 on which the circuit portion 32 is formed. ,
The connection terminal 39a is attached to the housing 13 and the connection terminal 39b is attached to the connector housing 22a (22b) by bending so as to be housed in a predetermined terminal arrangement position of the housing 13.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which the connection terminal 39a is attached to the housing 13 of the J / B 10.
FIG. 4 shows a connector housing 22a (2
It is a figure which shows a mode that the connection terminal 39b was attached to 2b) by a part cross section. As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 13 of the J / B 10 is engaged with the terminal accommodating hole 24a for accommodating the connection terminal 39a with the tip thereof exposed and the engagement hole 39c of the connection terminal 39a. Lance portions 26a as lance mechanisms for locking and fixing the connection terminals 39a in the housing 13 are formed at predetermined positions. The FPCs 30a to 30d that form the cable portion 30 are housed in the housing 13 with the circuit portion 32 forming surface being flat and the terminal connecting portion 34 being bent in the vertical direction. In this way, the terminal connecting portion 34 is bent so as to be oriented in the direction orthogonal to the main surfaces of the FPCs 30a to 30d, and the connecting terminal 3
If the cable portion 30 is housed in the J / B 10 with a structure in which the lance portion 26a locks and fixes 9a, the height h of the J / B 10
FPC3 that can suppress 3 and is flexible
It is possible to reliably hold the connection terminals 39a connected to 0a to 30d and ensure a predetermined connection strength. After accommodating the cable portion 30 in the housing 13 in this way, the lid 16 made of metal or ceramic is attached to the housing 13. The housing of the J / B 10 is composed of the housing 13 and the lid body 16 as described above, but in this example, the lid body 16 forming at least a part of the housing is made of metal or ceramic having high thermal conductivity. With this structure, the heat generated by the energization generated in the circuit portion 32 of the FPCs 30a to 30d housed therein is efficiently radiated to the outside via the lid 16.
Therefore, the FPCs 30 a to 30
It is possible to effectively prevent the deterioration of the insulation property due to the heat of 30d.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a connector housing 22a (22b) of a connector (not shown) has a connector (not shown) for the external wiring circuit and a plug connector 21.
A plurality of terminal accommodating holes 24b for accommodating the connector fitting portion 25 into which the a (21b) is fitted and the connection terminal 39b are inserted and the tip of which is projected into the connector fitting portion 25.
And an insertion hole 27 for inserting each of the FPCs 30a to 30d forming the cable portion 30 in the side edge direction of the strip-shaped portion 33 while inserting the connection terminal 39b into the terminal accommodation hole 24b. In the inside of the connection terminal 39
Lance portions 26b are formed as lance mechanisms that engage with the engagement holes 39c of b to lock and fix the connection terminals 39b in the connector housing 22a (22b). FPCs 30a to 30d forming the cable unit 30
Is accommodated in the connector housing 22a (22b) such that the width a direction of the connector housing 22a (22b) and the width b direction of the cable portion 30 are orthogonal to each other. After housing the cable part 30 in the connector housing 22a (22b) in this way, the case constituent parts 23a, 2
3b is attached to the connector housing 22a (22b). In this example, at least a part of the case components 23a and 23b is composed of the heat dissipation plate 28 made of a metal or ceramic material having high thermal conductivity similar to that of the lid body 16 described above, and thus the FPCs 30a to 30d housed therein. Circuit part 32
The heat generated by the energization in the case components 23a, 23
Heat is efficiently radiated to the outside through a part of b. Therefore, in the same manner as described above, each FPC that constitutes the cable unit 30.
It is possible to effectively prevent the deterioration of the insulating property due to the heat of 30a to 30d. Note that the heat dissipation plate 28 is appropriately configured with an area and a thickness that can be expected to have a sufficient heat dissipation effect, and may be attached to only one of the case constituent parts 23a and 23b.

As described above, the plurality of FPCs 30a-30
The cable portion 30 as a wiring branch circuit and a wiring connection circuit formed by stacking d is at least partly made of a metal or ceramic having a high thermal conductivity.
J / B accommodated in a case or case 23 configured by
The cable portion 30 for configuring the connector 10 and the connector
The heat generated by the electric current generated in the circuit portion 32 of each of the FPCs 30a to 30d is efficiently dissipated through the lid body 16 and the heat dissipation plate 28 without being trapped in the housing or the case 23, and each FPC is
It is possible to effectively prevent deterioration of the insulating properties of 30a to 30d.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an electric junction box to which another J / B and connector are applied. In the electrical junction box 1'of this example, the cable portion 30 'includes the FPCs 30a to 3a.
It is branched into two in the stacking direction of 0d, one at each branch destination, and two connectors 20a and 20b in total, and the fuse mounting portion 14 and the relay mounting portion 15 of the J / B 10 ', The structure is such that one row is inserted from each side toward both side edges of the cable portion 30 ', and that the housing 13 has two housings 13a and 13b.
And the heat sink 2 is attached to the housing 13a.
8 is attached, which is different from the electrical junction box 1 of the previous example. In this example, each connector 20
a and 20b are provided with the connector fitting portion 25 only on one side edge portion side of the cable portion 30 '.

6 to 9 show a cable portion 30 'of this example.
It is a figure which shows the structure of. First, as shown in FIG. 6A, a strip-shaped FPC 3 that constitutes a part of the cable portion 30 '.
0a is configured by including a patterned circuit portion 32 on a base film 31 made of an insulating film such as PET, PEN, and PI. Although illustration is omitted,
Coverlays shall be formed on these as required. A plurality of terminal connecting portions 34 are formed from both side edge portions of the belt-shaped portion 33 of the FPC 30a so as to extend in the lateral direction of the belt-shaped portion 33 with a desired length.
On the tip end side of 4, there is, for example, a metal plate-like connection terminal 39.
a and 39b are respectively connected. In this example, the terminal connecting portion 34 on one side is connected to the terminal connecting portion 34 on the other side.
It is formed to be longer than. The terminal connecting portion 34 may be formed only on one side edge portion of the strip portion 33. Further, the connection terminals 39a and 39b are respectively formed with engagement holes 39c that engage with a lance mechanism provided in the housing 13a (13b) or the connector housing 22a (22b), for example.

The connection terminal 39a (39b) is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a series welding (not shown) is placed on the terminal connecting portion 34 so as to be in close contact with the circuit portion 32 on the terminal connecting portion 34, and then abutted from above the joint portion with the circuit portion 32, for example. Resistance welding is performed by the pair of electrodes 38a, 38b of the device to join the circuit portion 32 and connect to the terminal connecting portion 34. Since resistance welding is a known technique, description thereof will be omitted here. In addition to this, it goes without saying that the connection terminals 39a (39b) may be connected to the terminal connection portion 34 by a method such as ultrasonic welding, laser welding, or soldering. If connection is made using these connection methods, high connection reliability can be ensured.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, a cable portion 30 'is constructed by stacking strip-shaped FPCs 30a (30b) in which the connection terminals 39a (39b) are connected to the terminal connection portions 34 by the above method. The figure (a) is FPC30a, 3
0b is a top view showing a cable portion 30 'configured to be overlapped with each other, FIG. 10B is a side view of a portion of the cable portion 30', and FIG. FIG. At this time, the FPC 3 forming the cable portion 30 '
0a, 30b of the terminal connection portion 34, the connection terminal 39a (3
9b) is arranged at a desired position on the side edge portion of the band-shaped portion 33 so that the housing 9a (13b) and the connector housing 22a (22b) are arranged at a predetermined position corresponding to the connection terminal arrangement position. It should be formed.

After forming a cable portion 30 'by stacking a plurality of FPCs 30a and 30b in this manner, as shown in FIG. 8, the connection portion between each connection terminal 39a (39b) and the terminal connection portion 34 is, for example, The resin mold portion 37 is used for sealing. At this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a certain number of joints are collectively put together and resin-molded at one time.
The desired terminal arrangement state of the connection terminals 39a (39b) can be realized without separately adhering the strip-shaped portion 33 of 30b. In addition, the strip-shaped portion 33 of each FPC 30a, 30b
Is not adhered, it is possible to flexibly move each of the FPCs 30a and 30b. The figure (a) is
A top view showing the cable portion 30 'having a resin mold,
The figure (b) is a side view of a part of the cable part 30 ', and the figure (c) is a sectional view of a part of the cable part 30'.

As shown in FIG. 9A, for example, the terminal connecting portion 34 formed on one side edge portion of the strip portion 33 of the cable portion 30 'thus formed is formed on the other side edge portion. The terminal connecting portion 3 is folded back to the terminal connecting portion 34 side
4 and the connection terminals 39a (39b) may be concentrated on one side edge of the cable portion 30 ', or, for example, as shown in FIG.
Of the cable portion 3 by folding back only the terminal connecting portion 34 formed on one side edge portion of the side accommodated in the connector 20a (20b) to the terminal connecting portion 34 side formed on the other side edge portion.
You may make it comprise 0 '. If the terminal connection portion 34 and the connection terminal 39a (39b) are arranged on one side edge portion side, for example, it is possible to suppress the overall height and width of the electric connection box, and the terminal connection portion 34 and By arranging only a part of the connection terminals 39 on one side edge side, one height of the J / B 10 'or the connector 20a (20b) can be increased like the electric connection box 1'of this example. The other structure can be a structure that can be connected from both directions (up and down directions) while suppressing. Further, by using the cable portion 30 ′ in the state shown in FIG. 7, a structure capable of connecting to both of them while suppressing the width c of the J / B 10 ′ and the width d of the connector 20a (20b) to be small is realized. can do.

FIG. 10 shows the housing 13 of the J / B 10 '.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the connection terminal 39a is attached to a and 13b. FIG. 11 shows the connection terminal 39b in the connector housing 22a (22b) of the connector 20a (20b).
It is a figure which shows a state which attached | attached a part by a cross section. Figure 10
As shown in, the housing 13a of the J / B 10 '(13
The connection terminal 39a is inserted into the b), and the connection terminal 39a is inserted in the connection terminal 39a and the connection terminal 39a is accommodated with the tip thereof exposed.
Lance portions 26a as lance mechanisms that engage with the engaging holes 39c of a and lock and fix the connection terminals 39a in the housings 13a and 13b are formed at predetermined positions. The housings 13a and 13b are locked to each other by a lock mechanism (not shown), and have a structure in which, for example, the housings 13a and 13b can be divided into upper and lower parts by releasing this lock. Further, a heat dissipation plate 28 for heat dissipation is attached to each side wall of the housing 13a. The FPCs 30a and 30b forming the cable portion 30 'are, for example, in a state where the circuit forming surface of the circuit portion 32 is vertical in the housings 13a and 13b, and the terminal connection portions 34 from both side edge portions remain extended. It is housed in such a state.
With such a structure, the heat generated by energization in the circuit portion 32 of the cable portion 30 'housed in the J / B 10' is radiated to the outside through the heat radiating plate 28 attached to the housing 13a.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the connector housing 22a (22b) is inserted with a connector fitting portion 25 for fitting a connector of an external wiring circuit (not shown) and a connection terminal 39b, and the tip thereof is a connector. Insertion for inserting the cable portion 30 ′ toward the side edge portion of the band-shaped portion 33 while inserting the plurality of terminal accommodation holes 24 b to be accommodated in the fitting portion 25 in a protruding state and the connection terminals 39 b into the terminal accommodation holes 24 b. Hole 2
7 are formed, and inside the plurality of terminal receiving holes 24b,
The connection terminal 39 is engaged with the engagement hole 39c of the connection terminal 39b.
A lance portion 26b is formed as a lance mechanism for locking and fixing b in the connector housing 22a (22b). FPC30 that constitutes the cable section 30 '
The terminal connection portions 34 of a and 30b are housed in the insertion holes 27 in the connector housing 22a (22b) so as to configure predetermined connection terminal arrangement positions in the state shown in FIG. Note that, for example, since the coverlay 30a1 is provided on the circuit portion 32 of the FPC 30a, the FPC 30b has a structure that does not short-circuit with the circuit portion 32 of the folded terminal connecting portion 34.

Connector housing 22a as described above
If a structure for attaching the connection terminal 39b to (22b) is provided,
As shown in FIG. 12, the connectors 20a (20b) corresponding to various connector shapes can be realized at low cost simply by replacing the connector housings 22a (22b) having different shapes. For example, the height h1 of the outer wall forming the connector fitting portion 25 of the connector housing 22a (22b) shown in FIG. 11A and the connector fitting portion 25 of the connector housing 22a (22b) shown in FIG. Since the height is different from the height h2 of the outer wall that configures, the connection terminal 39b, the folded state of the terminal connection portion 34, the cable portion 30 ', and the case 23 (case configuration portions 23a, 23
It is possible to connect connectors of different types of external wiring circuits corresponding to the respective heights h1, h2, plug connectors 21a, 21b, etc. without changing b) and the like. As a result, it is possible to provide an electric connection box that can be used with various connectors while suppressing costs. In this case, too, since the heat radiating plates 28 for radiating heat are attached to the case constituent portions 23a and 23b that form the case 23 of the connector 20a (20b), they are accommodated in the connector 20a (20b). The heat generated by energizing the cable portion 30 'is efficiently dissipated.

The electrical junction box 1'of this example is a J / B
Since the connector 10 'and the connectors 20a and 20b are connected by the cable portion 30' composed of a plurality of flexible FPCs 30a to 30d, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), the J / B 10 'is provided. The connector 20a (20b) and the connector 20a (20b) are formed in different housings, and the housings are connected by the cable portion 30 'so that the housings are movable, as shown in FIG. J / in the housing 36
B10 'and the connector 20a (20b) are arranged, and the cable portion 30' is accommodated in the housing 36 in a state where the J / B 10 'and the connector 20a (20b) are connected to each other, and the electrical connection of the integrated structure is performed. The box 1 ″ may be formed.
By using the flexible cable portion 30 ', various types of electric junction boxes having different shapes can be realized easily and at low cost. It should be noted that the heat dissipation plate 2 (not shown) is provided in a part of the housing 36 made of a resin molded member, for example.
Since 8 is attached, the electric junction box 1 ″ having such an integral structure can also have high heat dissipation characteristics.

Further, not only the integrated structure shown in FIG. 13 (b) but also the integrated structure shown in FIG. 14 may be adopted. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an electrical junction box to which still another J / B and connector are applied. That is, the integral structure of this example is, as shown in FIG. 3A, an electric junction box 1A in which a J / B 10A and a connector 20A are connected via a cable portion 30A,
0A and the connector 20A are integrally fixed via a fixing mechanism 70 (70a, 70b) provided at a predetermined position. This fixing mechanism 70 is used for the lid 16 of the J / B 10A.
And a hook engaging portion 70b formed on a part of the case 23 of the connector 20A. FIG. 2B shows the hook 70a formed on the J / B 10A. Hook engaging portion 7 formed on 20A
0b is inserted and both are integrally locked and fixed. The lid 16 of the J / B 10A may be made of a metal or ceramic having high thermal conductivity. However, in the J / B 10A of this example, even if the lid 16 is a resin molded member, the housing 13 has a radiator plate. Since 28 is attached, the same effect as described above can be obtained with respect to heat dissipation. It goes without saying that the case 23 of the connector 20A is also provided with the heat dissipation plate 28 and has high heat dissipation characteristics. And such a fixing mechanism 7
As 0, for example, one shown in FIG. 15 can be considered.

That is, the one shown in FIG.
A bracket that is formed by insert molding or the like on the side surface of a housing such as one of the housing 0A and the connector 20A or a case by insert molding, and is fitted on the side surface of the other housing with the metal bracket 40. By forming the fitting portion 41 and fitting them together, J / B10
It is a fixing mechanism for fixing A and the connector 20A.

Further, the one shown in FIG.
An anchor including a so-called anchor clip 42 formed by integral molding or the like on the side surface or the like of either one of the housings 0A and 20A, and a hole or the like into which the anchor clip 42 is fitted on the side surface or the like of the other housing. Clip fixing part 4
3 is a fixing mechanism for fixing the J / B 10A and the connector 20A by forming 3 and inserting the anchor clip 42 into the anchor clip fixing portion 43.

Further, the one shown in FIG.
A rib 44 having a T-shaped cross section is integrally formed on a side surface or the like of one of the housings 0A and 20A, and the rib 44 is formed on the side surface or the like of the other housing.
Is a fixing mechanism that forms a rib fixing portion 45 having a groove of a structure that is slidably inserted and engaged, and inserts the rib 44 into the rib fixing portion 45 to fix the J / B 10A and the connector 20A.

Further, the one shown in FIG.
0A and the connector 20A, one of the housings or the like is formed with a fixing projection 46, and the other housing or the like is formed with a locking piece 47 that engages with the projection 46, and both are engaged. This is a fixing mechanism for fixing the J / B 10A and the connector 20A by doing. If the above-mentioned fixing mechanism 70 is formed in advance in the housing of the J / B 10A or the connector 20A, the form of the electric junction box 1A can be an independent structure at the stage of designing or the like. It is possible to easily select a structure in which the structure is bound to. As a result, the degree of freedom in the layout of the electric junction box 1A can be improved, and high heat dissipation characteristics can be provided. Other various fixing mechanisms for the J / B 10A and the connector 20A are conceivable, but the description thereof is omitted here. Needless to say, the plurality of connectors may be integrally fixed to each other by using the fixing mechanism 70 as described above.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing an electric junction box to which still another J / B and a connector are applied, and a partial cross-sectional view. As shown in FIG. 3A, the electric junction box 1B
Connects the J / B 10 'and the connector 20a (20b) with a cable portion 30 (not shown).
No. 0 J / B 10 'and the exposed portion from the connector 20a (20b) are covered with a grommet 48. The grommet 48 is made of a material such as silicon rubber or ethylene-propylene rubber (EPDM), as shown in FIG. 2B, and has a so-called bellows shape because it has flexibility and high durability. . Both ends 48a of the grommet 48 are connected to the J / B 10 'and the connector 20a (2
0b) has a fitting structure that fits into the opening peripheral edge 48b of the insertion port of the cable portion 30 and is fixedly attached to the J / B 10 'and the connector 20a (20b), respectively. With the grommet 48 attached in this way,
Each of the FPCs that can effectively prevent water and dust from entering the J / B 10 'and the connector 20a (20b) and that form the exposed cable portion 30 between them
It is possible to effectively protect the circuit portion 32 of 30a to 30d from scratches, breakage, etc., and it is possible to improve the durability of the electrical junction box 1B. In this example also, J / B1
Since the radiator plate 28 is attached to the housing 13 of 0'and the case 23 of the connector 20a (20b),
It has high heat dissipation characteristics.

As shown in FIG. 17 (a), for example, the grommet 48 may have a cylindrical shape having a square cross section or a cylindrical shape having a circular cross section, instead of the bellows shape. As shown in FIG. 7B, if it is not necessary to protect the exposed portion of the cable portion 30 so as to cover the exposed portion, the J / B 10 ′ and the opening peripheral edge 48 b of the cable portion 30 insertion port of the connector 20 a (20 b) are The electrical connection box 1B is adapted to employ the grommet 48 as a packing that is fitted to effectively block the insertion port and prevent the ingress of water and the like.
The same effect can be obtained by configuring the above.

The electric junction box 1 to which the J / B or connector of the present invention is applied is used in a form in which the J / B 10 and a plurality of connectors 20 are connected to each other by a cable portion 30 in an independent state. In this case, for example, the application method as shown in FIG. 18 can be realized. That is, FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which an electric junction box 1 is arranged in an instrument panel (hereinafter, referred to as “instrument panel”) of a vehicle. FIG. 1A is a so-called right steering wheel (hereinafter, “right”). The instrument panel used for a vehicle equipped with a steering wheel is shown. FIG. 1B shows the instrument panel used for a vehicle equipped with a so-called left steering wheel (hereinafter referred to as a "left handle").

For example, as shown in (a) of the figure, J / B in the case of the instrument panel 50a of the vehicle equipped with the right steering wheel and J / in the case of the instrument panel 50b of the vehicle equipped with the left handle as shown in (b) of the figure. The position of B10 is set near the steering wheel, and the position of connector 20a is set to the instrument panel 5.
By disposing the connector 20b on the right side of 0a, 50b and the connector 20b in the center of the instrument panel 50a, 50b, the connector 20a (20b) can be installed on both the right-hand drive vehicle and the left-hand drive vehicle. Since it is possible to use a common harness or the like, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and reduce the cost. As described above, according to the arrangement structure using the electric junction box 1, the attachment positions of the J / B 10 and the connector 20a (20b) can be easily changed, and the arrangement positions and the like can be freely determined. Therefore, the degree of freedom of layout can be improved and the width of wiring design and the like can be widened without requiring a large design change, and the J / B 10 and the connector 20a (20
Since a heat radiation plate 28 (not shown) for heat radiation is attached to b), relatively stable wiring branching / wiring connection can be performed without special design for heat radiation. .

In the above example, the J / B provided with the lid 16 and the heat dissipation plate 28 and the connector have been described with some examples, but the present invention is not limited to this. No, for example, J / B10C as shown in FIG.
An electrical junction box 1C including a combination of a connector 20a (20b) including a lid 16 (made of metal or ceramic) and a heat sink 28 and a cable portion 30C, and a J / B 10D (housing) as shown in FIG. 13 to heat sink 28)
Connector 20D including the heat sink 28 and the cable portion 30
Various forms are included, such as an electrical junction box 1D that is a combination with D.

[0037]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A wiring branch circuit or wiring connection circuit formed by stacking a plurality of FPCs is housed in a housing or case at least a part of which is made of metal or ceramic having high thermal conductivity, and J / B or connector The heat generated by the energization of the wiring branch circuit or the wiring connection circuit is efficiently radiated without being trapped in the housing or case, and the insulation property of the FPC forming the wiring branch circuit or the wiring connection circuit is deteriorated. Can be effectively prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an electric junction box to which a joint box and a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a cable portion of the electric junction box.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how a connection terminal is attached to a housing of a joint box.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how a connection terminal is attached to a connector housing of a connector.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an electric connection box to which another joint box and a connector are applied.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cable portion of the electric junction box.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cable portion of the electric junction box.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cable portion of the electric junction box.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a cable portion of the electric junction box.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the connection terminal is attached to the housing of the joint box.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing how a connection terminal is attached to the connector housing of the connector.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a connector for explaining how to use connector housings having different shapes.

FIG. 13 is a top view showing the electric connection box and a top view showing the electric connection box when an integrated structure is realized by utilizing the structure of the electric connection box.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an electric connection box to which another joint box and a connector are applied.

FIG. 15 is a view for explaining various fixing mechanisms adopted in the electric junction box.

16A and 16B are a side view and a partial cross-sectional view showing an electric junction box to which still another joint box and connector are applied.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing a part in section for explaining another pattern of the grommet.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a state in which an electric connection box to which a joint box and a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied is arranged on an instrument panel of a vehicle.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an electrical junction box to which still another joint box and connector are applied.

FIG. 20 is an external perspective view of a conventional joint box.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a wiring branch circuit of the joint box.

FIG. 22 is a partial cross-sectional view of the same wiring branch circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrical connection box, 10 ... Joint box, 11 ... Fuse, 12 ... Relay, 13 ... Housing, 14 ... Fuse mounting part, 15 ... Relay mounting part, 16 ... Lid, 20 ...
Connector, 21 ... Plug connector, 22 ... Connector housing, 23 ... Case, 23a, 23b ... Case constituent part, 24 ... Terminal accommodating hole, 25 ... Connector fitting part, 26 ...
Lance part, 27 ... Insertion hole, 28 ... Heat sink, 30 ... Cable part, 31 ... Base film, 32 ... Circuit part, 33 ... Strip part, 34 ... Terminal connection part, 38 ... Electrode, 39 ... Connection terminal.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5E077 BB18 BB23 BB32 CC23 DD03                       EE05 GG12 JJ03                 5E087 EE11 FF02 FF15 FF16 GG16                       JJ09 LL03 LL04 LL11 MM05                       QQ04 RR01 RR02 RR12                 5G361 BA01 BC01

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A joint box in which a wiring branch circuit for connecting a plurality of electric components is housed inside a casing, wherein the wiring branch circuit is formed of a plurality of flexible printed circuits that are stacked on each other. A joint box, wherein at least a part of the body is made of a metal plate or ceramic. 2. The metal plate is made of aluminum, iron, copper,
The joint box according to claim 1, which is made of any one of brass and heat-resistant copper alloy. 3. A connector in which a wiring connection circuit to be connected to a plurality of external wiring circuits is housed inside a case, wherein the wiring connection circuit comprises a plurality of flexible printed circuits stacked on each other. At least a part of the connector is made of a metal plate or ceramic. 4. The metal plate is aluminum, iron, copper,
The connector according to claim 3, wherein the connector is made of any one of brass and heat-resistant copper alloy.