JP2004357410A - Reinforcing structure of electric connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reinforcing structure of an electric connection box capable of maintaining/improving the strength of a case and also capable of maintaining/improving the dimension precision of a bus bar housing part. <P>SOLUTION: The reinforcing structure of a joint box 10 comprises a case 13 having a frame like outer wall 14 and a bus bar housing part 35 for housing a bus bar, with the outer walls 14 of the case 13 which faces each other across a recess 15 and partition walls 35a on both sides of the bus bar housing part 35 reinforced by ribs 40 and 41. A triangular partition wall reinforcing rib 40 connecting at least a bottom wall 15a and the partition wall 35a of the recess 15, and a triangular outer wall reinforcing rib 41 connecting at least the bottom wall 15a and the outer wall 14 of the recess 15, are provided in a plurality of numbers. The triangular partition wall reinforcing rib 40 and the outer wall reinforcing rib 41 are alternately arranged along the partition wall 35a on both sides of the bas bar housing part 35 and the outer wall 14 of the case 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a reinforcement structure of an electric junction box mounted on an automobile or the like and absorbing a joint of a wire harness.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 4 shows an example of a conventional electric connection box (Patent Document 1).
[0003]
The electric connection box 50 includes a case 51 made of an insulating resin, a joint bus bar 55 with terminals, a male terminal 60 having a tab terminal 62, and a fusible link 63. In the case 51, a bus bar accommodating portion 53 including a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 53a partitioned by a partition wall 52 and a terminal connecting chamber 53b accommodating the terminal connecting portion 58a of the joint bus bar 55 and the fastening bolt 66 is formed. I have. The partition 52 has a cutout 52a into which the joint bus bar 55 is vertically inserted. The inserted joint bus bar 55 is configured to be pressed against the bottom on the back side in the insertion direction.
[0004]
In the terminal accommodating chamber 53a, a separation portion (not shown) is formed substantially at the center in the up-down direction, and a groove is provided in one of the separation portions so that the male terminal 60 can be stored therein. A band accommodation chamber for accommodating the band 56 of the joint bus bar 55 is formed in the other of the separation parts. A bottom portion that is in contact with the end of the joint bus bar 55 is formed on the back side of the band housing chamber. A lance (not shown) for preventing engagement with the hole 61 of the male terminal 60 is formed in the groove, and a lance for preventing engagement with the hole 56a of the joint bus bar 55 is formed in the band accommodating chamber. Lances 53d are respectively formed.
[0005]
The joint bus bar 55 is formed by punching and bending a conductive substrate. The joint bus bar 55 is formed by bending a band portion 56, a plurality of tab terminals 57 erected on the band portion 56, and one of the band portions 56 in a crank shape. The extension portion 58 is formed. The terminal 67 of the connection wire 68 is connected to the terminal connection portion 58 a of the extension portion 58 via a fastening bolt 66.
[0006]
The fusible link 63 includes a case 64 made of an insulating resin, a fusible body (not shown) that is blown when an overcurrent flows, and an end of the fusible body. The female terminal 65 is connected to the tab terminal 57 of the bus bar 55.
[0007]
According to such a configuration, since the bottom portion is formed in the band housing chamber, the joint bus bar 55 is prevented from being detached from the case 51 when connected to the female terminal 65 of the fusible link 63. is there.
[0008]
However, in the above-mentioned conventional electric connection box 50, one joint bus bar 55 is inserted into the case, and it is not possible to sufficiently cope with the increase in the number of electric wires accompanying the recent increase in vehicle mounted parts. Met. Also, it was not possible to flexibly cope with circuit configurations of different vehicle types. On the other hand, when a plurality of electric connection boxes 50 are prepared and attached to a vehicle in order to cope with an increase in the number of electric wires, there is a problem that the space is further narrowed in a vehicle where there is not enough space.
[0009]
Therefore, in order to cope with such a problem, the present applicant has proposed various electric connection boxes in which a plurality of bus bars can be vertically assembled. Such an electrical junction box has a busbar accommodating section with high dimensional accuracy in which a plurality of busbars are accommodated inside a case, and the busbar accommodating section accommodates a thin and long joint busbar in which a plurality of tab terminals are chained. It has become so.
[0010]
However, since a case molded by injection molding using an insulating resin material as a constituent material shrinks after injection molding, warpage occurs on the outer wall of the case, and the warpage affects the busbar housing portion and deforms the busbar housing portion. There was a problem. In particular, when the outer wall of the case or the wall of the bus bar housing is formed to be thin, such a problem has been concerned.
[0011]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-62474 (page 6-10, FIG. 1 (a))
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention can maintain and improve the strength of a case of an electric junction box that can form a complex joint circuit and can flexibly respond to a change in vehicle type and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a reinforcement structure for an electric junction box that can maintain and improve the dimensional accuracy of the electric junction box.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a reinforcing structure of an electric junction box in which one wall and the other wall rising from the bottom wall are reinforced by ribs, and at least the bottom wall and A plurality of the ribs for connecting the one wall and a plurality of the ribs for connecting at least the bottom wall and the other wall are provided.
According to the above configuration, the one wall and the other wall are individually reinforced by the ribs without interacting with each other, so that deformation from one wall to the other wall is prevented.
[0014]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the reinforcing structure for an electric junction box according to the first aspect, the rib has a triangular shape.
According to the above configuration, the root sides of the one wall and the other wall are reinforced, and the deformation of both walls is effectively prevented.
[0015]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the reinforcing structure of the electrical junction box according to the second aspect, the plurality of ribs are alternately arranged along the one wall and the other wall. And
According to the above-described configuration, the one wall and the other wall are reinforced to the same degree in a well-balanced manner, and the walls are prevented from being deformed unevenly due to contraction after molding.
[0016]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the reinforcing structure for an electric junction box according to any one of the first to third aspects, the one wall is an outer wall of a case and the other wall is an inner wall of the case. It is characterized by being a partition of a bus bar accommodation part formed in.
According to the above configuration, a joint circuit is formed by accommodating the plurality of bus bars in the bus bar accommodating portion, and the wire harness is connected to the joint circuit via the joint connector, so that the joint absorption of the wire harness is reduced. As a result, the circuit form is diversified. Further, since the partition walls and the outer wall do not interact with each other and are individually reinforced by the ribs, deformation such as warpage of the case and the busbar housing portion due to contraction after injection molding is prevented. For this reason, the strength of the case and the dimensional accuracy of the busbar housing portion are maintained and improved.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Specific examples of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an electric junction box according to the present invention.
[0018]
The joint box (electric connection box) 10 includes a joint connector block 12 and a joint connector 25. The joint connector block 12 includes a case 13 made of an insulating resin, and a bus bar having a plurality of terminals in two directions in the vertical and horizontal directions which are inserted into the case 13 from below (in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upside down is shown). 23 and 24 (FIG. 3) and a cover 22 made of an insulating resin for preventing the bus bars 23 and 24 from falling off. The case 13 includes an upper connector fitting portion (not shown) having a plurality of connector fitting chambers in parallel, and a lower bus bar accommodating portion 35 for accommodating the bus bars 23 and 24. The joint connector 25 is inserted into the connector fitting portion, and the female terminal to which the electric wire 33 is connected is connected to the tab terminals 23 a and 24 a of the bus bars 23 and 24.
[0019]
A joint circuit is formed by accommodating the plurality of bus bars 23 and 24 in the bus bar accommodating portion 35 of the case 13, and an electric wire (wire harness) 33 is connected to the joint circuit via the joint connector 25, thereby forming the electric wire 33. Is performed, and the circuit form is diversified.
[0020]
The reinforcing structure of the joint box 10 according to the present invention includes a case 13 having a frame-shaped outer wall (one wall) 14, and a bus bar accommodating portion 35 accommodating the bus bars 23 and 24 in the case 13. ) The reinforcing structure of the joint box 10 in which the outer wall 14 of the case 13 and the partition wall (the other wall) 35a on both sides of the bus bar accommodating portion 35 opposed to each other via 15 are reinforced by ribs 40, 41, The ribs (ribs) 40 for reinforcing the triangular partition wall connecting the bottom wall 15a of the fifteen and the partition wall 35a, and the ribs (ribs) 41 for reinforcing the triangular outer wall connecting the bottom wall 15a of the concave portion 15 and the outer wall 14 at least. Are provided in plurality. In addition, the ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall in a triangular shape are alternately arranged along the partition walls 35 a on both sides of the bus bar accommodating portion 35 and the outer wall 14 of the case 13. is there.
[0021]
According to such a configuration, the ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall improve the strength of the case 13 and the busbar accommodating portion 35, and the partition wall 35a and the outer wall 14 do not interact with each other. Deformation such as warpage or falling due to shrinkage of the case 13 is prevented, and the strength of the case 13 and the dimensional accuracy of the bus bar housing 35 are maintained and improved. When the dimensional accuracy is improved, the insertion of the busbars 23 and 24 is performed smoothly, and the assemblability of the busbars 23 and 24 is improved. In addition, since the ribs 40 and 41 have a triangular shape, the root sides of the partition walls 35a on both sides of the bus bar housing 35 and the outer wall 14 of the case 13 are reinforced, and deformation is effectively prevented.
[0022]
Further, as in the second feature, when the ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall are alternately arranged along the partition walls 35a on both sides of the bus bar accommodating portion 35 and the outer wall 14 of the case 13, the ribs on both sides are provided. The partition wall 35a or the outer wall 14 is reinforced to the same degree in a well-balanced manner, and is prevented from being deformed to one side.
[0023]
Hereinafter, the main components of the joint box 10 and the operation thereof will be described in detail.
In addition, for convenience of description of this specification, the concept of the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction will be defined as follows. The front-back direction is defined as the direction in which the pair of brackets 20 and 20 face each other, the left-right direction is defined as the direction in which the female terminals accommodated in the joint connector 25 are arranged, and the up-down direction is defined as the insertion direction of the joint connector 25. It shall be determined. The upper side in the vertical direction is the side where the connector fitting portion is located, and the lower side is the side where the bus bar accommodating portion 35 is located (the upside down is shown in FIGS.
[0024]
The case 13 has a connector fitting portion in an upper half portion and a busbar housing portion 35 in a lower half portion, back to back. The connector fitting portion has a plurality of slot-like connector fitting chambers for receiving the plate-like joint connector 25 in parallel. Each connector fitting chamber has an opening formed at the top. The joint connector 25 inserted into the connector fitting chamber is locked by locking means and is prevented from coming off. In addition, a detachable cover (not shown) may be provided at the connector fitting portion to reliably prevent the joint connector 25 from coming off. The locking means of the joint connector 25 and the cover 22 will be proposed in another application, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0025]
The busbar accommodating portion 35 is formed inside the case 13 and has a vertical groove 35b defined by a plurality of partitions 35a extending in the front-rear direction, and a cutout 35d formed in the plurality of partitions 35a orthogonal to the vertical groove 35b. And a lateral groove 35c communicated in the direction.
[0026]
The plate thickness of each partition 35a is formed to be about 1 mm in consideration of the dimensional accuracy of the bus bar accommodating portion 35 and the assemblability of the bus bars 23 and 24. The width of the vertical groove 35b formed between the adjacent partition walls 35a is slightly smaller than the thickness of the vertical bus bar 23, and the vertical bus bar 23 (FIG. 3 (a)) is formed by the partition walls 35a on both sides. It is becoming sandwiched. The groove width is arbitrary, but in this embodiment, it is formed to be as narrow as about 1 mm. The band 23b of the vertical bus bar 23 is sandwiched between the vertical grooves 35b.
[0027]
The notch 35d is a slit formed on the upper end side of the partition wall 35a, and the horizontal groove 35c connecting the slits in the left-right direction is a communication groove that crosses the vertical groove 35b. The width of the slit is formed to be slightly smaller than the thickness of the horizontal bus bar 24 (FIG. 3B) so that the band portion 24b of the horizontal bus bar 24 is sandwiched.
[0028]
A trough-shaped recess 15 is formed between the outer wall 14 of the case 13 and the partition walls 35a on both sides in the left-right direction. The reason why the recess 15 is provided is to enhance the moldability of the partition wall 35a to improve the dimensional accuracy of the bus bar accommodating portion 35, and to increase the strength of the case 13 by forming the outer wall 14 outside the partition wall 35a. This is because the protrusion of the end of the horizontal bus bar 24 protruding from the partition walls 35 a on both sides is protected by the cover 22.
[0029]
Between the partition wall 35a and the outer wall 14, a triangular partition wall reinforcing rib 40 and a triangular outer wall reinforcing rib 41 are formed. The rib 40 for reinforcing the partition wall connects the bottom wall 15a of the concave portion 15, the partition wall 35a and the root side of the outer wall 14, and the rib 41 for reinforcing the outer wall is formed of the rib 15 for the concave wall 15 and the outer wall 14 and the partition wall 35a. The ribs for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall are alternately (alternately) arranged along the outer wall 14. Although the number of the ribs 40 and 41 is arbitrary, in the present embodiment, six outer wall reinforcing ribs 41 are provided on the outer wall 14 in order to improve the strength of the case 13. On the partition wall 35a, three ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition wall are formed.
[0030]
By forming the ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall into a triangular shape, the partition wall 35a and the outer wall 14 are prevented from being deformed such as warping or falling due to interaction (interference). . Further, since the plurality of ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall are formed differently from each other, the outer wall 14 which is a thick wall and the partition wall 35a which is a thin wall are reinforced to a similar degree in a well-balanced manner. It is designed to prevent the deformation to the side.
[0031]
The ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall may be provided without being connected to the partition wall 35a and the outer wall 14 facing each other. That is, the rib 40 for partition reinforcement can be connected to the bottom wall 15a of the recess 15 and the partition 35a, and the rib 41 for reinforcement of the outer wall can be connected to the bottom wall 15a of the recess 15 and the outer wall 14. When formed in this way, the outer wall 14 and the partition wall 35a are completely reinforced independently, and the deformation due to the interaction between the two wall portions can be more reliably prevented.
[0032]
Further, the present invention is not limited to the ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall, and may have a trapezoidal shape, a curved shape, or other shapes. In the case of a triangular shape as in the present embodiment, the outer wall 14 and the root side of the partition wall 35a are effectively reinforced, and there is an effect that the wall is efficiently prevented from being deformed.
[0033]
Brackets 20 with fixing holes are integrally formed at both ends in the front-rear direction of the case 13 so that bolts (not shown) are inserted through the hole portions 20a so that the brackets 20 are fastened and fixed to a body panel or the like (not shown). Has become.
[0034]
The cover 22 is formed in a box shape from a frame wall 22a and a bottom wall 22b, and an opening is formed at an upper portion. After the busbars 23 and 24 are mounted in the busbar housing 35, the cover 22 is addressed to the busbar housing 35 to prevent the busbars 23 and 24 from falling off. A pair of locking projections 14 a are formed on the outer walls 14 on both sides of the case 13, respectively, and an engaging portion (not shown) is formed on the inner surface of the frame wall 22 a of the cover 22. When the cover 22 is addressed, the engaging portion engages with the locking projection 14 a so that the cover 22 can be attached to the case 13 without being detached.
[0035]
The joint connector 25 includes small female terminals (not shown) connected to the tab terminals 23 a and 24 a of the bus bars 23 and 24, and a plate-shaped housing 26. The joint connector 25 and the electric wires 33 connected to the female terminals constitute a wire harness.
[0036]
The housing 26 is made of an insulating resin material, and includes a flat substrate 27, and a partition wall 29 and a front wall 28 that stand perpendicular to the substrate 27. The rear wall of the housing 26 and the upper wall facing the substrate are open. The width dimension of the board 27 is formed to a dimension corresponding to the width dimension of the connector fitting chamber of the case 13 so that no gap is generated. The depth of the board 27 is formed to a size that accommodates the female terminal and the end of the electric wire 33.
[0037]
An elongated terminal accommodating chamber is formed between adjacent partition walls 29 of the housing 26. The accommodated female terminal has its electrical contact portion abutting against the front wall 28 of the housing 26 so as not to fall out forward. Further, a projection (not shown) is formed in the terminal accommodating chamber, and the female terminal is locked so that the female terminal does not come out backward.
[0038]
The female terminal is the same as a normal female terminal, and is formed by punching a conductive substrate with a press and bending. On one side, a box-shaped electric contact portion is formed, and on the other side, a wire connection portion is formed. Inside the electric contact portion, an elastic contact piece is bent in a curved shape so that the tab terminals 23a and 24a of the bus bars 23 and 24 are sandwiched. The electric wire connection portion is formed of a pair of crimping pieces before and after, and the core portion of the electric wire 33 and the insulating coating portion are crimped. Note that the wire connection portion may be a pair of pressure contact pieces.
[0039]
The vertical bus bar 23 shown in FIG. 3A is formed by punching and bending a conductive substrate, similarly to the joint bus bar 55 shown in the conventional example of FIG. The vertical bus bar 23 includes a band 23b, a plurality of tab terminals 23a protruding from one side of the band 23b, and a plurality of tuning fork-like holding terminals 23c formed on the other side of the band 23b. Have been.
[0040]
Each tab terminal 23a is inserted through a terminal insertion hole (not shown) formed at the bottom of the bus bar accommodating portion 35, protrudes into the connector fitting chamber, and is connected to the female terminal of the joint connector 25. ing. Each holding terminal 23c is a terminal having a slit 23d formed between a pair of holding pieces. The band portion 24b of the horizontal bus bar 24 intersects and is sandwiched between the slits 23d.
[0041]
The horizontal bus bar 24 shown in FIG. 3B is formed by punching and bending a conductive substrate similarly to the vertical bus bar 23, and is provided with a band portion 24b and one side of the band portion 24b. Tab terminal 24a. A plurality of small-diameter holes 24c are formed in the band portion 24b, but these holes 24c are formed in manufacturing and have no meaning. The tab terminal 24a is inserted into the terminal insertion hole of the bus bar housing 35 in the same manner as the tab terminal 23a of the vertical bus bar 23, protrudes into the connector fitting chamber, and is connected to the female terminal of the joint connector 25. Has become. Note that the circuit structures of the vertical bus bar 43 and the horizontal bus bar 44 forming the joint circuit will be proposed in another application, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0042]
Note that the spacing between the ribs 40 for reinforcing the partition walls and the ribs 41 for reinforcing the outer wall adjacent to each other is arbitrary, and is not limited to being formed at equal intervals as in the present embodiment, and is expected to have the largest deformation amount. It may be formed densely at the location. For example, at a substantially middle portion in the longitudinal direction between the partition wall 35a and the outer wall 14 on both sides, the interval between the adjacent partition wall reinforcing rib 40 and the outer wall reinforcing rib 410 is narrowed. The reinforcing ribs 41 may be formed so as to widen the intervals.
[0043]
Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the one wall and the other wall are individually reinforced by the ribs without interaction, so that the deformation from one wall to the other wall occurs. Is prevented. Therefore, the strength of the molded body is improved, and the dimensional accuracy after molding is maintained and improved.
[0045]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the ribs have a triangular shape, the root sides of one wall and the other wall are reinforced, and the deformation of both walls is effectively prevented.
[0046]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the triangular ribs are alternately arranged along the one wall and the other wall, the one wall and the other wall are in a well-balanced state. And the wall is prevented from being deformed unevenly due to shrinkage after molding. Therefore, the dimensional accuracy of the molded body is further improved, and the effect of claim 1 is promoted.
[0047]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the ribs are individually provided on the side wall of the bus bar accommodating portion and the outer wall of the case, the side wall and the outer wall do not interact with each other and the case due to shrinkage after injection molding. And deformation of the busbar housing portion such as warpage is prevented. Therefore, the strength of the case can be maintained and improved. In addition, the dimensional accuracy of the bus bar accommodating portion can be maintained and improved, the terminal connection between the tab terminal of the bus bar and the terminal of the connector is reliably performed, and the reliability of the terminal connection is improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of an electric junction box according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the joint connector block shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bus bar shown in FIG. 1, wherein (a) is a vertical bus bar and (b) is a horizontal bus bar.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional electric junction box.
[Explanation of symbols]
10. Joint box (electric junction box)
12 Joint connector block 14 Outer wall (one wall)
15 recess 23 vertical busbar (busbar)
23a tab terminal 24 horizontal bus bar (bus bar)
24a Tab terminal 25 Joint connector 26 Housing 35 Busbar accommodating portion 35a Partition wall (the other wall)
40 rib for rib reinforcement
41 Outer wall reinforcement ribs

Claims (4)

One wall and the other wall rising from the bottom wall are reinforcement structures of the electric junction box reinforced by ribs, and at least the ribs connecting the bottom wall and the one wall, and at least the bottom wall, A reinforcing structure for an electric junction box, wherein a plurality of ribs for connecting the other wall are provided. The reinforcing structure for an electric junction box according to claim 1, wherein the rib has a substantially triangular shape. The reinforcing structure for an electric junction box according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of ribs are alternately arranged along the one wall and the other wall. The electrical connection according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one wall is an outer wall of a case, and the other wall is a partition of a busbar housing formed inside the case. Box reinforcement structure.

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