JP2006240369A - Electric junction box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric junction box stored by effectively utilizing a storing space while securing a working space. <P>SOLUTION: This electric junction box 10 is provided with a fender member 41 extended to cover an upper side of an engine room 38 from a tire house 40 side and is mounted on a vehicle 11 in which the upper side of the engine room 38 is made openable/closable by a hood 39. In the electric junction box body 42, a region R for replacement parts to attachably/detachably mount relay 27A and fuse 25 is provided by being moved to one side, the region R is located below the hood 39 of the vehicle 39, and the remaining region is located below fender member 41. As a result, the hood 39 is opened to secure the working space for performing replacing works of the relay 27A and fuse 25, and the electric junction box 10 can be stored by effectively utilizing the space below the fender member 41 where the electric junction box 10 is conventionally stored. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical junction box attached to a vehicle.

Conventionally, as an electrical junction box attached to a vehicle, for example, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This is provided with a fender member extending so as to cover the engine room from the tire house side, and is attached to a vehicle in which the upper part of the engine room can be opened and closed by a hood. Etc. are disposed. The electrical component includes a replacement part that is detachably attached to the electrical junction box, such as a relay. The electric junction box is arranged below the hood in the engine room because it is necessary to secure a space for exchanging replaceable electrical components.
JP 2003-47127 A

  In recent years, since the number of electrical components mounted on a vehicle has increased, an increase in the space for accommodating an electrical junction box is required.

  On the other hand, from the viewpoint of improving safety, it is necessary to provide a crushable zone for absorbing a collision at the time of a collision in the vehicle body, so that the engine room tends to be narrowed. In addition, the engine room tends to be narrowed because it is necessary to secure a large living space in order to improve passenger comfort.

  For this reason, in order to ensure the accommodation space of an electrical junction box, the effective utilization of the accommodation space of an electrical junction box is calculated | required.

  In order to solve the above problem, it is conceivable to accommodate the electrical junction box in the space below the fender member where the electrical junction box has not been accommodated. However, according to the above configuration, in order to replace the electrical components arranged in the electrical junction box, the operator needs to squeeze his finger into the narrow space between the fender and the electrical junction box. The work space cannot be secured sufficiently. For this reason, there is a problem that the work efficiency of the electrical component replacement is significantly reduced.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box that is accommodated by effectively utilizing the accommodation space while securing the work space.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a fender member extending so as to cover the upper side of the engine room from the tire house side, and the upper part of the engine room can be opened and closed by a hood. An electrical junction box attached to the vehicle, wherein the electrical junction box is provided with a replacement part area for detachably mounting the replacement part on one side, and the replacement part area is provided on the vehicle. It is located below the hood and is arranged so that the remaining area is located below the fender member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric connection box main body accommodated in the electric connection box according to the first aspect, a distribution board formed by arranging a plurality of bus bars along an insulating plate is a case. And a control circuit board in which an electronic circuit is configured on the circuit board is provided in the case. The control circuit board is provided in the case. The control circuit board is arranged to be positioned below the fender member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the control circuit board is arranged on the substantially same plane with respect to the power distribution board.

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the replacement part region is located below the hood, it is possible to secure a work space for exchanging replacement parts by opening the hood.

  Moreover, since the region different from the region for replacement parts in the electrical connection box is configured to be located below the fender member, the electrical connection box is effectively used in the space where the conventional electrical connection box is not accommodated. Can be accommodated.

<Invention of Claim 2>
In some cases, a precision component such as a CPU is mounted on the control circuit board. For this reason, in replacement work of replacement parts, for example, when an operator inadvertently causes vibrations by, for example, colliding tools with a case, the precision parts may be broken or detached from the control circuit board. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the control circuit board is arranged so as to be positioned below the fender member, so that the operator cannot easily touch it. This prevents the operator from inadvertently coming into contact with the case in the area where the control circuit board is stored and giving vibrations even during the work of the replacement part. Damage can be prevented.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the electrical junction box is accommodated in a limited accommodation space such as an engine room, it is required to use the space effectively. According to the invention of claim 3, since the power distribution board and the control circuit board are arranged side by side on substantially the same plane, even when a sufficient space cannot be secured in the direction perpendicular to the plate surfaces of both boards, The electrical connection box can be accommodated by effectively using the space.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The electrical junction box 10 of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 11 (see FIG. 1), and an electrical junction box main body 42 is accommodated in a synthetic resin lower cover 12 whose top surface is open, and its open top surface. Are covered with a synthetic resin upper cover 13, and both covers 12 and 13 are joined (see FIG. 3).

  The case 14 constituting the electrical junction box main body 42 is made of synthetic resin, and is formed by joining a lower case 15 whose upper surface is opened and an upper case 16 covering the opened upper surface.

  In FIG. 3, a substantially left half area of the lower case 15 accommodates a horizontally placed power distribution board 17, and serves as a power distribution board accommodation area P. Further, in the substantially right half area, the horizontally placed control circuit board 18 is accommodated side by side on substantially the same plane as the power distribution board 17 and is defined as a control circuit board accommodation area Q. The distribution board accommodation area P and the control circuit board accommodation area Q are divided by a partition wall 19 standing from the bottom wall of the lower case 15. The height of the partition wall 19 is set so that the upper edge of the partition wall 19 is positioned above the uppermost surface of the power distribution board 17 when the power distribution board 17 is accommodated in the regular position of the power distribution board accommodation area P. Is set.

  The power distribution board 17 is obtained by laminating a plurality of wiring boards 22 each having a predetermined circuit pattern by arranging a plurality of bus bars 20 along the insulating board 21. The end of each bus bar 20 is bent upward or downward. Each insulating plate 21 is formed with a relief hole 23 for vertically escaping the end of the bus bar 20 when stacked.

  A predetermined one of the bus bars 20 bent upwardly passes through the escape hole 23 and protrudes upward from the uppermost surface of the power distribution board 17. A predetermined one of the bus bars 20 penetrating through the escape hole 23 and projecting upward from the uppermost surface of the power distribution board 17 projects into a fuse block 24 described later and corresponds to a fuse 25 described later (corresponding to a replacement part according to the present invention). ) And a fuse terminal (not shown). Further, the bus bar 20 that passes through the escape hole 23 and protrudes upward from the uppermost surface of the power distribution board 17 is different from the fuse terminal and protrudes into a relay block 26 described later, and a relay 27A described later (the replacement according to the present invention). A relay terminal (not shown) connected to a component).

  On the other hand, the end of the bus bar 20 that is bent downward passes through the escape hole 23 and protrudes downward from the lowermost surface of the power distribution board 17 and protrudes into the connector hood 28 described later, not shown. The male tab 29 is connected to the mating connector.

  In the lower case 15, a connector hood portion 28 for connecting a wire harness (not shown) is formed on the bottom wall of the power distribution board housing region P so as to open downward. The male tab 29 described above passes through the bottom wall of the connector hood portion 28 and protrudes into the connector hood portion 28. As described above, according to the present embodiment, inflow and outflow of current between the control circuit board 18 and the outside of the electrical junction box 10 is caused by the male tab 29 protruding into the connector hood portion 28 formed integrally with the case 14. Done through. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide a connector for connection to the outside on the control circuit board 18, the control circuit board 18 can be reduced in size. As a result, the electrical junction box 10 can be downsized as a whole. Further, since the male tab 29 is formed integrally with the bus bar 20 on the distribution board 17 side, the male tab 29 and the bus bar 20 on the distribution board 17 side are separated and assembled to each other so that the connector terminal fittings are assembled. The structure of the connector can be simplified as a whole as compared with the case of configuring. Thereby, the electrical junction box 10 can be reduced in size.

  A fuse block 24 for detachably mounting the fuse 25 and a relay block 26 for detachably mounting the relay 27A are provided in a region above the power distribution board 17 in the ceiling wall of the upper case 16. Opened upward. The fuse terminal described above passes through the bottom wall of the fuse block 24 and protrudes into the fuse block 24. Further, the relay terminal described above passes through the bottom wall of the relay block 26 and protrudes into the relay block 26. A region of the upper case 16 where the fuse block 24 and the relay block 26 are formed is a replacement component region R for detachably mounting replacement components. As shown in FIG. 2, the replacement part region R is formed so as to be offset toward the substantially right half of FIG. 2 in the upper case 16.

  The control circuit board 18 is configured by forming a control circuit on one surface of the circuit board 30 by printed wiring means and mounting electrical components such as a relay 27B and an FET 31 on the one side of the circuit board 30, and is opposite to the component mounting surface. A predetermined one of the plurality of bus bars 20 is placed on the surface in a state of being electrically connected to the control circuit. In addition, predetermined ones of the bus bars 20 are connected to the relays 27B and the terminals of the FET 31 to constitute a power circuit. The bus bar 20 is integrally attached to the circuit board 30 through a thin adhesive sheet (not shown) having insulating properties. Further, a heat radiating plate 32 for radiating heat generated from electrical components such as the relay 27B and the FET 31 is bonded to the bus bar 20 via an insulating adhesive layer (not shown). The heat radiating plate 32 is made of a metal such as aluminum having a high thermal conductivity.

  Around the control circuit board 18, a frame 33 having an open up and down direction is arranged. The frame 33 has a shape that follows the outer shape of the control circuit board 18 and continuously surrounds the control circuit board 18 over the entire circumference.

  In the lower case 15, an opening 34 </ b> A that opens downward is formed on the bottom wall of the control circuit board accommodation region Q. The above-described heat radiating plate 32 is attached to the opening 34A so as to close the opening 34A. The lower cover 12 also has an opening 34B that opens downward at a position corresponding to the control circuit board 18, and the radiator plate 32 is attached so as to close the opening 34B on the lower cover 12 side. Yes. Thus, since the heat sink 32 provided on the control circuit board 18 is located on the side of the openings 34A and 34B of the electrical connection box 10, from the electrical components such as the relay 27B mounted on the control circuit board 18. Heat generation can be efficiently dissipated to the outside of the electrical junction box 10. Thereby, the heat dissipation of the electrical junction box 10 can be improved.

  The predetermined bus bar 20 on the power distribution board 17 side protrudes from the side edge of the power distribution board 17 facing the partition wall 19, and is upward (on the opening surface side of the lower case 15, the plate surface of the power distribution board 17. In the direction intersecting with the upper surface of the power distribution board 17, and the tip protrudes upward from the uppermost surface of the power distribution board 17 to form a connection piece 35 </ b> A for connection to the bus bar 20 on the control circuit board 18 side.

  An accommodation groove (not shown) for accommodating the connection piece portion 35A is formed in the position corresponding to the connection piece portion 35A in the power distribution board 17 so as to extend in the vertical direction, and the connection piece portion 35A is accommodated. ing.

  Further, the predetermined bus bar 20 on the control circuit board 18 side protrudes from the side edge of the control circuit board 18 facing the partition wall 19 and is bent on the upper surface side of the control circuit board 18 to be Protrudes upward (on the opening surface side of the lower case 15) and serves as a connection piece portion 35B for connection to the bus bar 20 on the power distribution board 17 side.

  In the ceiling wall of the upper case 16, a plurality of through holes 36 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the vicinity of the approximate center in the left-right direction in FIG. . The through holes 36 are formed side by side in the vertical direction in FIG. The tips of both connection piece portions 35A and 35B penetrate through the through hole 36 and protrude above the upper case 16. Both the connecting piece portions 35A and 35B are connected by welding at a portion protruding above the upper case 16.

  The upper case 16 is integrally attached with a cap-shaped connection piece cover 37 so as to cover the connection piece portions 35A and 35B protruding from the upper case 16 from above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a hood 39 is attached to the vehicle 11 so as to cover the upper part of the engine room 38. For example, the hood 39 can be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism (not shown). A tire house 40 is formed in the engine room 38 of the vehicle 11 so as to protrude inward from the left and right side walls. A fender member 41 is formed to project inward so as to cover the tire house 40 (on the front side in the direction penetrating the paper surface).

  An electrical junction box 10 according to the present invention is attached above the left tire house 40 in FIG. 1 (the front side in the direction penetrating the paper surface). Although not shown in detail, the electrical connection box 10 has a control circuit board 18 and a front end (lower side in FIG. 1) of the control circuit board 18 and the distribution board 17 accommodated in the tire case 14 slightly below ( It is attached in a state inclined to the back side in the direction penetrating the paper surface.

  In FIG. 2, the edge of the hood 39 in the state which the hood 39 was closed is shown by the AA line. The replacement part region R in which the fuse 25 and the relay 27 are attached to the upper surface of the upper cover 13 is arranged on the right side of the line AA in FIG. Has been. An area different from the replacement part area R in the electrical connection box 10 is located on the left side of the line AA, that is, below the fender member 41, and the control circuit board 18 is located in this area. Is housed. Although not shown in detail in the control circuit board 18, precision parts such as a microcomputer may be mounted. For this reason, during the replacement work of the fuse 25 and the relay 27A, there is a concern that these precision parts may be damaged due to vibration caused by, for example, an operator colliding a tool with the upper case 16 or the like. According to this embodiment, since the control circuit board 18 is arranged below the fender member 41, the operator cannot easily touch the control circuit board 18. Thereby, even during the replacement work, it is possible to prevent the worker from coming into contact with the case in the area in which the control circuit board 18 is accommodated and applying vibration. This can prevent damage to the control circuit board 18 during replacement of the fuse 25 and the relay 27A.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.
First, the distribution board 17 is assembled in the distribution board accommodation area P of the lower case 15 from above so that the connection piece 35A on the distribution board 17 side faces the partition wall 19. Then, the male tab 29 penetrates the bottom wall of the connector hood portion 28 and protrudes into the connector hood portion 28, and the lowermost surface of the power distribution board 17 comes into contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall of the lower case 15. Is accommodated in the normal position.

  Next, the control circuit board 18 is accommodated in the control circuit board accommodation area Q of the lower case 15 in a state where the heat radiating plate 32 and the frame 33 are assembled. At this time, the control circuit board 18 is assembled so that the heat radiating plate 32 closes the opening 34 of the lower case 15 from above. Then, the lower surface of the heat radiating plate 32 comes into contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall of the lower case 15, and the control circuit board 18 is accommodated in the normal position.

  After the two substrates 17 and 18 are accommodated in the lower case 15, the upper case 16 is assembled from above the opening surface of the lower case 15 so as to cover the opening surface.

  Then, the fuse terminal of the power distribution board 17 passes through the bottom wall of the fuse block 24 of the upper case 16 and protrudes into the fuse block 24. In addition, the connection piece 35 </ b> A on the power distribution board 17 side and the connection piece 35 </ b> B on the control circuit board 18 side pass through the through hole 36 of the upper case 16 and are exposed to the outside of the upper case 16.

  Further, the left side wall of the upper case 16 in FIG. 3 presses the left side surface of the power distribution board 17 from the left side, so that the right side surface of the power distribution board 17 is pressed from the left side to the left side surface of the partition wall 19. Thereby, the connection piece 35 </ b> A on the distribution board 17 side is sandwiched and fixed between the left side surface of the partition wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall of the accommodation groove of the distribution board 17. Further, the lower surface of the ceiling wall of the upper case 16 presses the uppermost surface of the power distribution board 17 from above, so that the power distribution board 17 is sandwiched between the ceiling surface of the upper case 16 and the bottom surface of the lower case 15. Fixed.

  The right side surface of the upper case 16 presses the right side surface of the frame body 33 from the right side, so that the left side surface of the frame body 33 is pressed against the right side surface of the partition wall 19 from the right side. As a result, the control circuit board 18 is sandwiched and fixed between the upper case 16 and the lower case 15 via the frame 33. Thus, since the process of accommodating both the boards 17 and 18 in the case 14 and the process of fixing the relative positions of the boards 17 and 18 can be performed simultaneously, the manufacturing process of the electrical junction box can be rationalized.

  After the relative positions of the power distribution board 17 and the control circuit board 18 in the case 14 are fixed as described above, the connection piece 35A on the power distribution board 17 side, and the connection piece 35B on the control circuit board 18 side, However, it is welded by resistance welding in a state exposed to the outside of the upper case 16. After both the connecting piece portions 35 </ b> A and 35 </ b> B are all welded, the connecting piece portion cover 37 is assembled from above the upper case 16.

  Thus, since both the connecting piece portions 35A, 35B can be welded in a state exposed to the outside of the upper case 16, it is easier to weld than when both the connecting piece portions 35A, 35B are welded inside the upper case 16. it can. However, when both the connecting piece portions 35A and 35B are exposed to the outside of the upper case 16, there is a possibility that the welded portion may be splashed with water or foreign matter may hit. In view of this point, in the present embodiment, since the welded portions of both the connecting piece portions 35A and 35B are covered with the connecting piece portion cover 37, the waterproofness of the welded portions can be ensured, and foreign matter is welded. It can be prevented from hitting the part.

  The electrical connection box main body 42 assembled as described above is accommodated in the lower cover 12, and the upper cover 13 is assembled and integrated from above to assemble the electrical connection box 10.

The electrical junction box 10 assembled as described above is attached to the front portion of the left tire house 40 in FIG. At that time, the replacement part region R is arranged so as to be positioned below the hood 39, and the remaining region is assembled so as to be positioned below the fender member 41.
Next, the procedure for replacing the fuse 25 and the relay 27A will be described. First, the hood 39 is opened, and the upper cover 13 is removed from the electrical junction box 10. Then, the replacement part region R is exposed. Since the replacement part region R is positioned below the hood 39, the operator can easily replace the fuse 25 and the relay 27A disposed in the replacement part region R by pushing his hand from the hood 39. can do.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the replacement part region R is positioned below the hood 39, the replacement parts (the fuse 25 and the relay 27A, etc.) can be removed by opening the hood 39. A work space for performing the replacement work can be secured. Furthermore, since the region different from the replacement part region R in the electrical connection box 10 is configured to be located below the fender member 41, the space in which the conventional electrical connection box is not accommodated can be effectively used to The connection box 10 can be accommodated.

  Furthermore, since the electrical junction box 10 is accommodated in a limited accommodation space such as in the engine room, it is required to use the space effectively. According to the present embodiment, since the power distribution board 12 and the control circuit board 13 are arranged side by side on substantially the same plane, a sufficient space cannot be secured in the direction perpendicular to the plate surfaces of both the boards 12 and 13. Even in this case, the electrical junction box 10 can be accommodated by effectively using the space.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the relay 27A and the fuse 25 attached to the upper case 16 are normally covered with the upper cover 13, so that it is possible to prevent foreign matter from hitting or being splashed with water. . Then, when the upper cover 13 is removed from the electrical connection box 10, the relay 27A and the fuse 25 are exposed, so that the replacement work can be easily performed.

  Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the fuse block 24 and the relay block 26 are formed on the upper surface of the case 14, the fuse 25 and the relay 27A can be exchanged from above by opening the hood 39, and the exchange work is easy. Can be done.

  Further, the conventional electrical junction box has a large number of relays built in, and these relays are connected to a power distribution circuit composed of a large number of bus bars formed by punching a copper plate or the like. Further, the control circuit for controlling each of the relays described above is configured by mounting electronic components such as transistors and ICs on a printed circuit board housed in a control box installed at a location different from the electrical junction box. .

  Since the above control box is installed at a location different from the electrical junction box, in order to transmit signals from the control circuit into the electrical junction box, connectors are provided on both the control box and the electrical junction box. Were connected by a wire harness.

  According to the above-described conventional configuration, since the connector for the wire harness is required for both the electrical connection box and the control box, the electrical connection box and the control box are increased in size, and the volume occupied by the wire harness is added. Therefore, there is a problem that a large installation space is required for the entire system related to the electrical junction box.

  According to the present embodiment, the distribution board 17 and the control circuit board 18 are accommodated in the same case 14, and the connection piece 35A on the distribution board 17 side and the connection piece 35B on the control circuit board 18 side are provided. By connecting by welding, it is possible to connect the power distribution board 17 and the control circuit board 18 without using a wire harness, so that the entire system related to the electrical junction box 10 can be reduced in size.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.

  (1) Although the electrical junction box 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to accommodate the power distribution board 17 and the control circuit board 18 in the case 14, the invention is not limited thereto, and the board accommodated in the case 14 is One may be sufficient and three or more may be sufficient.

  (2) In this embodiment, the relay block 26 and the fuse block 24 are positioned below the hood 39. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when a relay that is not a replacement part is attached to the upper case 16, FIG. The relay block 26A is formed so as to be located on the left side of the line AA, that is, below the fender member 41, and a relay (not shown) that is not a replacement part is mounted on the relay block 26A. Also good.

  (3) In the present embodiment, the relay block 26 and the fuse block 24 are formed on the upper surface of the case 14 so as to open upward. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a replacement work space for the relay 27A and the fuse 25 is provided. As long as it can be secured, the side surface of the case 14 may be formed to open to the side.

  (4) According to the present embodiment, the distribution board 17 and the control circuit board 18 are configured to be arranged side by side on the same plane with the plate surfaces facing in the same direction. 17 and the control circuit board 18 may be arranged vertically. Thereby, the control circuit board 18 can be accommodated in the electrical junction box 10 without increasing the projected area in the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the power distribution board 17. Further, for example, the power distribution board 17 and the control circuit board 18 may be arranged so as to be stacked in two upper and lower stages with the plate surfaces parallel to each other. Thereby, the space efficiency of the electrical junction box 10 can be improved. Thus, the power distribution board 17 and the control circuit board 18 can be arbitrarily arranged in the case 14.

The top view which shows the state which accommodated the electrical junction box which concerns on this embodiment in the engine room Top view of the electrical junction box body Cross section of electrical junction box The top view of the electric junction box main part concerning other embodiments (2)

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Electrical junction box 11 ... Vehicle 14 ... Case 17 ... Power distribution board 18 ... Control circuit board 20 ... Bus bar 21 ... Insulation board 25 ... Fuse (replacement parts)
27A ... Relay (replacement part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Circuit board 38 ... Engine room 39 ... Hood 40 ... Tire house 41 ... Fender member 42 ... Electric junction box main body R ... Area for replacement parts

Claims (3)

An electric junction box attached to a vehicle having a fender member extending so as to cover the upper part of the engine room from the tire house side and capable of opening and closing the upper part of the engine room with a hood,
The electrical junction box is provided with a replacement part area for detachably attaching the replacement part to one side, the replacement part area is located below the hood of the vehicle, and the remaining area is An electrical junction box arranged so as to be positioned below the fender member. In the electrical junction box body accommodated in the electrical junction box, a distribution board formed by arranging a plurality of bus bars along an insulating plate is accommodated in the case, and the replacement part is mounted on the case. Connected to the power distribution board,
In the case, a control circuit board in which an electronic circuit is configured on a circuit board is provided,
The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit board is arranged to be positioned below the fender member. The electrical connection box according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit board is arranged side by side on substantially the same plane with respect to the power distribution board.

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