JP2007110852A - Electrical connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical connection box that prevents the intrusion of water into a casing. <P>SOLUTION: A bulging wall 63 which forms a connector accommodation portion 25 by bulging outward from a sidewall is formed on a lid plate 22 of a cover 14. The bulging wall has an overhead wall 60 formed such that it rises from the lid plate 22. A first sloping wall 64 is formed on the overhead wall 60 such that the vicinity of the center in the width direction of the connector accommodation portion 25 serves as a vertex and the sloping wall is inclined downward from the vertex toward both ends in the width direction. Water that flows down over the lid plate 22 is caught by the overhead wall 60 and flows downward along a first inclined wall 64. The water is guided to both side surfaces on outer sides in the width direction of the connector accommodation portion 25, so that the water is drained off while avoiding openings 69 of second to fourth connectors 17, 18 and 19. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical junction box.

Conventionally, the thing of patent document 1 is known as an electrical junction box mounted in a vehicle. In this connector, a circuit board on which an electric circuit is configured is accommodated in a case, a connector accommodating portion that bulges outward is formed in the lower part of the side wall of the case, and a connector that opens downward in the connector accommodating portion Is supposed to be housed.
JP 2004-40873 A (FIG. 6)

  In this type of electrical junction box, water generated on the upper surface of the case due to condensation may flow down along the outer side surface of the side wall of the case. The water flowing down the side wall reaches the connector housing part, and further flows down to the lower edge of the connector housing part. Since the connector is opened at the lower edge of the connector housing portion, there is a concern that water may enter the case from the opening and short circuit the electric circuit formed in the circuit structure.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at providing the electrical junction box which can avoid the penetration | invasion of the water to the inside of a case.

  An electrical junction box according to the invention of claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problems is a circuit board on which an electric circuit is configured, a case having a side wall surrounding the circuit board, and rising from the side wall of the case A bulging wall portion having a ceiling wall formed in a form and bulging outward from the side wall to form a connector housing portion; and a connector disposed in the connector housing portion and opening sideways or downward. The ceiling wall of the bulging wall portion receives a water flowing down from the upper portion of the case along the side wall, and guides the water to a laterally outer side surface of the connector housing portion. It is an electrical junction box characterized by the above.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the ceiling wall is formed to have a downward slope toward both ends in the width direction, with the vicinity of the center in the width direction of the connector housing portion as a vertex. It is characterized by being.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, at least one of the lower edges of the widthwise opposite end portions of the connector housing portion is provided with a protruding portion that hangs downward. The lower end portion of the overhanging portion is disposed below the opening edge portion of the connector.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the side wall is provided with an eaves portion that rises outward from the side wall at a position above the connector housing portion. It is characterized by.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the upper surface of the eaves portion is provided with a second inclined surface having a vertex in the vicinity of the center in the width direction and a downward slope toward both ends in the width direction. It is characterized by being.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the edge portions in the width direction of the eaves portion are continuous with the side surface on the outer side in the width direction of the connector housing portion. .

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the water flowing down the outer side surface of the side wall from the upper part of the case is received by the ceiling wall formed so as to rise from the side wall, and then the first inclined surface formed on the ceiling wall. And is guided to the side surface of the connector housing portion on the outer side in the width direction. Thereby, since the water flowing down the side wall of the case is discharged while avoiding the opening of the connector, it is possible to prevent the water from entering the case.

<Invention of Claim 2>
For example, if the water that flows down to the ceiling wall is drained only from one end of the ceiling wall, if there is much water flowing down to the ceiling wall, it cannot be drained from only one end, and the ceiling There is a concern that water overflows from the wall and flows down to an area of the connector housing where the connector opens.

  According to invention of Claim 2, the water adhering to a ceiling wall is drained from the both ends of the width direction of a ceiling wall by flowing along the gradient of a 1st inclined surface. Thereby, even when there is a large amount of water flowing down to the ceiling wall, it is possible to prevent water from overflowing from the ceiling wall, so that it is possible to further prevent water from entering the case.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the water transmitted to the lower edge portion of the outer side surface in the width direction of the connector housing portion is guided downward by the overhang portion and dripped from the lower end edge of the overhang portion. Since the lower edge portion of the overhanging portion is disposed below the opening edge portion of the connector, the water dripped from the overhanging portion does not enter the opening of the connector.

  Further, in order to prevent water transmitted to the lower edge portion of the outer side surface of the connector housing portion from flowing into the opening portion of the connector, the lower edge portion of the outer side surface of the connector housing portion, Since the area | region which spaces apart between opening of a connector can be abbreviate | omitted, the width | variety of an electrical-connection box can be aimed at.

<Invention of Claim 4>
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the water flowing down the side wall of the case is blocked by the eaves portion and is prevented from flowing into the connector housing portion, so that it is possible to prevent water from entering from the connector.

<Invention of Claim 5>
According to invention of Claim 5, the water adhering to the upper surface of a eaves part is drained from the both ends of the eaves part in the width direction by flowing along the gradient of the eaves part side inclined surface. Thereby, even when there is much water flowing down on the upper surface of the eaves part, it is possible to prevent water from overflowing from the eaves part and flowing down to the connector housing part. Thereby, it can suppress that water permeates from a connector.

<Invention of Claim 6>
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the water adhering to the upper surface of the eaves portion is guided to the side surface on the outer side in the width direction of the connector housing portion, and drained while avoiding the opening of the connector. This further prevents water from entering the case.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The electrical junction box according to the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle, and is interposed between a power source (not shown) and electrical components (not shown) such as a lamp and an audio, and controls disconnection of each electrical component. Is. This electrical junction box is configured by housing the circuit board 10 in a case 11 having a flat shape. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the electrical connection box is drawn so that the front side faces upward, but when mounted on a vehicle, the electrical connection box is a plate surface of the circuit board 10 as shown in FIG. 4. Are arranged in a vertical arrangement that is vertical. Hereinafter, the vertical and horizontal directions will be described with reference to the state of being mounted on the vehicle.

  The case 11 opens in the front and back direction (left and right direction in FIG. 4), and is made of a synthetic resin frame 12 and a metal heat dissipating plate 13 attached so as to close the opening on the back side (right side in FIG. 4) of the frame 12. A synthetic resin cover 14 assembled so as to close the opening on the surface side (left side in FIG. 4) of the frame 12, a synthetic resin fuse block 15 assembled from the upper side to the frame 12, and a fuse block 15 The first connector 16 made of synthetic resin to be assembled to the first and second connectors 17, 18, 19 made of synthetic resin to be assembled to the lower edge of the frame 12.

  The frame 12 has a substantially rectangular shape, and includes an upper frame portion 12A, a left frame portion 12B and a right frame portion 12C extending downward from both left and right ends of the upper frame portion 12A, and lower end portions of the left and right frame portions 12B and 12C. And a lower frame portion 12D for connecting the two. Lock projections 20 projecting outward are formed on the outer surfaces of the left and right frame portions 12B and 12C.

  The heat radiating plate 13 attached to the back surface of the frame 12 has a substantially rectangular shape, and is generally similar to the outer shape of the frame 12. The heat radiating plate 13 is fixed to the back surface of the frame 12 with an adhesive (not shown) and screwed with bolts 21.

  The cover 14 has a shallow dish shape that opens to the back surface as a whole, and is generally similar to the outer shape of the frame 12 as a whole and covers the opening on the front surface side of the frame 12 (according to the present invention). (Corresponding to a side wall) 22 and a side wall 23 raised to the back surface side along the periphery of the cover plate portion 22. A receiving portion 24 is formed on the side wall 23 of the cover 14 at a position corresponding to the locking projection 20 of the frame 12. The receiving portion 24 and the locking projection 20 are elastically engaged with each other. Can be assembled to the frame 12 from the front side. The cover plate portion 22 of the cover 14 is arranged substantially parallel to the plate surface of the circuit board 10.

  The lower portion of the cover 14 is formed with a bulging wall portion 63 that bulges to the front side (left side in FIG. 4) leaving both left and right ends, and the inside of the bulging wall portion 63 is a connector housing portion 25. The Two openings 27 are provided in the lower surface of the connector housing portion 25, and the second to fourth connectors 17, 18, 19 are arranged in the openings 27 so as to close the openings 27. Each of the second to fourth connectors 17, 18, and 19 has an opening 69 that opens downward, and a mating connector (not shown) is assembled in the opening 69. As a result, the electrical connection box can be thinned in the front and back directions, and the second to fourth connectors 17, 18, and 19 that require a predetermined height to be connected to the mating connector can be accommodated. It has become.

  The third connector 18 is attached to the circuit board 10. One end of a rod-shaped terminal fitting 29 is inserted into the upper portion of the third connector 18 from above, and the other end of the terminal fitting 29 is inserted. Is bent at a substantially right angle on the back surface side, inserted into a through hole 30 formed in the circuit board 10, and connected to an electric circuit formed in the circuit board 10. From the upper side of the fourth connector 19, a lower end portion of a lower projection 31 described later is inserted from the upper side to form a connector terminal portion 46 described later.

  On the outer surface of the cover plate portion 22 of the cover 14, the eaves portion 32 is in a front side direction (in FIG. 4) at a position slightly lower than the upper end edge of the cover plate portion 22 and above the connector housing portion 25. It is formed by standing up on the left. The eaves portion 32 has a rib shape extending continuously in the left-right direction (width direction), and is inclined with a downward gradient from the approximate center position in the left-right direction toward the left and right ends. In the eaves portion 32, the gradual slope portion 32 </ b> A is inclined with a gentle downward slope from the position corresponding to the left and right edges of the connector housing portion 25 to a slightly inner position, and the outside is steeper than the gradual slope portion 32 </ b> A. The steeply inclined portion 32B is inclined with a downward slope. As a result, the upper surface of the eaves portion 32 is a second inclined surface 33 that has a substantially central position in the left-right direction as an apex and is inclined downwardly from there to the left and right. The lower end portion of the steeply inclined portion 32B is connected to the upper left and right edges of the connector housing portion 25, whereby the edge of the eaves portion 32 is continuous with the left and right side surfaces on the outer side in the width direction of the connector housing portion 25. Yes.

  The fuse block 15 is disposed along the upper edge portion of the frame 12 and has a horizontally long main body portion 34 whose front side portion protrudes to the front side of the cover 14, and a piece downward from both left and right end portions of the main body portion 34. It consists of a pair of arm part 35 of the form extended to a holding shape.

  On the upper surface of the main body portion 34, two right and left fuse accommodating portions 36 for accommodating fuses (not shown) are formed in a form protruding in a rectangular block shape above the upper surface of the main body portion 34 and opened to the upper surface side. Has been. Further, an upper end portion of an upper projecting portion 37 to be described later is inserted from below the main body portion 34.

  A first connector 16 is assembled from the lower side to a portion of the fuse block 15 protruding to the front side. The first connector 16 is formed with an opening 69 that opens downward, and an external connector (not shown) can be fitted therein. A substantially lower half region of the terminal fitting 38 is accommodated in the opening 69, and a substantially upper half region of the terminal fitting 38 is inserted into the main body 34 from the lower side. The terminal fitting 38 and the upper protruding portion 37 are connected in the main body portion 34 via a fuse and a relay terminal 39.

  The circuit board 10 is configured by forming a control circuit by printed wiring means on the surface (left side in FIG. 4) of a substantially rectangular insulating substrate 40 and mounting a switching element 41 such as a relay on the control circuit. On the other hand, a plurality of bus bars 42 are arranged along the back surface (the right surface side in FIG. 4) in a state of being electrically connected to the control circuit. The bus bar 42 is bonded to the back surface of the insulating substrate 40 via an adhesive sheet 43. The circuit board 10 is accommodated in the case 11 with its plate surface oriented vertically. The upper protrusion 37 formed at the end of the bus bar 42 protrudes side by side from the upper edge of the insulating substrate 40, and the lower protrusion 31 also formed at the end of the bus bar 42 is the lower edge of the insulating substrate 40. Among the portions, the portion protrudes side by side from the substantially left half region in FIG. The circuit board 10 is bonded to the surface of the heat sink 13 via an adhesive (not shown) applied to the back side of the bus bar 42.

  The lower protruding portion 31 is bent in a crank shape on the front side of the plate surface of the circuit board 10 so that the lower end portion protrudes downward. The lower end portion protrudes upward from the fourth connector 19. By being inserted, the connector terminal portion 46 can be connected to the mating connector.

  Now, the bulging wall portion 63 forming the connector housing portion 25 includes a ceiling wall 60 formed so as to rise from the cover plate portion 22 to the front surface side, and a front wall hanging downward from the front edge of the ceiling wall 60. 67, and a left side wall 61 and a right side wall 62 that respectively hang downward from the left and right ends of the ceiling wall 60 in FIG. The outer side surfaces of the left and right side walls 61 and 62 of the bulging wall portion 63 constitute the outer side surface of the connector housing portion 25 in the width direction. Further, the front wall 67 constitutes a side surface of the connector housing portion 25 that intersects the thickness direction (front and back direction) of the electrical junction box.

  The upper surface of the ceiling wall 60 is a first inclined surface 64 formed so as to have a downward slope toward both ends in the left-right direction, with the approximate center position in the left-right direction (width direction) of the ceiling wall 60 as a vertex. The left and right end portions of the ceiling wall 60 and the upper end portions of the left and right side wall surfaces 61 and 62 are formed to be continuous in an arc shape.

  A separation portion 65 is formed between the lower edge portion of the left side wall 61 and the opening edge portion 68 of the third connector 18, and the left side wall 61 is separated by the separation portion 65. Water that has moved to the lower edge of the third connector 18 can be prevented from entering the opening 69 of the third connector 18.

  Further, an overhanging portion 66 that hangs downward is formed at the lower edge portion of the right side wall 62. A lower end portion of the projecting portion 66 is formed to be positioned below the opening edge portion 68 of the second and fourth connectors 17 and 19.

Then, the effect | action and effect of the electrical-connection box which concern on this embodiment are demonstrated.
In the electrical junction box, water may be generated in the upper part of the case 11 due to condensation or the like. This water flows down from the upper part of the case 11 along the outer surface of the cover plate part 22. Then, it is first received by the upper surface of the eaves portion 32 formed in a form rising from the outer surface of the lid plate portion 22. The upper surface of the eaves portion 32 is a second inclined surface 33 that is inclined downward toward both left and right ends with the approximate center position in the left and right direction as a vertex, and the left and right end portions of the second inclined surface 33 are connector Since it is connected to the outer side surfaces of the left and right end portions of the housing portion 25, the water flows down along the second inclined surface 33, and the outer side surfaces of the left and right end portions of the connector housing portion 25, that is, the bulge It moves to the left and right side walls 61 and 62 of the wall 63.

  As a result, the water flowing down from above the eaves part 32 is received by the eaves part 32, whereby the amount of water flowing down to the connector housing part 25 located below the eaves part 32 can be reduced. Thereby, it can suppress that water permeates from the opening part 69 of the 2nd-4th connectors 17, 18, and 19 accommodated in the connector accommodating part 25. FIG.

  And since the water which flowed down to the upper surface of the eaves part 32 flows down from both right and left ends of the eaves part 32, even when a lot of water flows down to the upper surface of the eaves part 32, the water overflows from the eaves part 32 and the connector housing part. It is possible to prevent the outer surface of the 25 front walls 67 from flowing down. Thereby, it can further avoid that water permeates from the opening of the second to fourth connectors 17, 18, 19.

  Further, the water flowing down to the upper surface of the eaves part 32 is guided to the left and right side walls 61 and 62 by the second inclined surface 33. Of these, the water flowing down the left side wall 61 reaches the lower edge of the left side wall 61. Since a separation portion 65 is formed at the lower edge portion of the left side wall 61, water is prevented from reaching the opening 69 of the third connector 18.

  On the other hand, the water flowing down the right side wall 62 reaches the lower edge of the right side wall 62. A protruding portion 66 is formed at the lower edge of the right side wall 62. The water is guided to the overhanging portion 66 and moves downward, and falls downward from the lower end portion of the overhanging portion 66. Since the lower end portion of the overhanging portion 66 is positioned below the opening edge portion 68 of the second and fourth connectors 17 and 19, water is open to the opening portions of the second and fourth connectors 17 and 19. 69 can be prevented from wrapping around. Moreover, since the separation part 65 can be omitted, the width of the electrical junction box can be reduced.

  By the way, in the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment, in order to reduce the thickness, the bulging wall portion 63 is formed on the cover 14 to form the connector housing portion 25, and the second to fourth inside the connector housing portion 25. The connector 17, 18, 19 is accommodated. For this reason, between the lower edge part of the front wall 67 of the bulging wall part 63 and the opening part 69 of the 2nd-4th connectors 17, 18, and 19, the water which moved to the lower edge part on the front wall 67 However, there is no dimensional allowance for providing the separation portion 65 and the overhanging portion 66 for preventing the second and fourth connectors 17, 18, and 19 from wrapping around the opening 69. For this reason, when water adheres to the front wall 67 of the bulging wall 63 and the water moves to the lower edge of the front wall 67, the water flows from the opening 69 of the second to fourth connectors 17, 18, 19. There is concern about intrusion.

  In view of the above points, in the present embodiment, the ceiling wall 60 of the bulging wall portion 63 that forms the connector housing portion 25 is formed so as to rise outward from the lid plate portion 22, and the ceiling wall 60 includes The first inclined surface 64 is formed so as to have a downward slope with the substantially center position in the left-right direction as a vertex toward both ends in the left-right direction. Thereby, in the lid plate portion 22, below the eaves portion 32 and in the region above the connector housing portion 25, the water attached due to condensation or the like flows down the outer surface of the lid plate portion 22, It reaches the ceiling wall 60 of the bulging wall portion 63 that forms the connector housing portion 25 and is received by the ceiling wall 60 that is formed to rise outward from the cover plate portion 22. Then, the water flows down along the first inclined surface 64, flows down from both left and right end portions of the ceiling wall 60, moves to the left and right side walls 61 and 62 of the bulging wall portion 63, and flows down. Thereby, since the water which flowed down to the ceiling wall 60 does not adhere to the front wall 67, it can prevent that water permeates from the opening part 69 of the 2nd-4th connectors 17,18,19. Furthermore, even when there is a lot of water flowing down to the ceiling wall 60, the water flows down from the left and right ends of the ceiling wall 60, so that the water overflows from the ceiling wall 60 and flows down to the front wall 67. Can be prevented. As described above, the water that has reached the lower edge portions of the left and right side walls 61 and 62 of the bulging wall portion 63 is separated from the second to fourth connectors 17, 18, and 19 by the separation portion 65 and the overhanging portion 66. Intrusion from the opening 69 is avoided.

  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) In the above-described embodiment, the first inclined surface 64 is formed to have a downward slope toward the left and right ends with the approximate center in the left-right direction of the ceiling wall 60 as an apex, but is not limited to this. The slope may be a downward slope with the left end as the bottom and the left end as the bottom, or conversely, the slope may be a downward slope with the left end as the top and the right end as the bottom. .

(2) In the present embodiment, the overhanging portion 66 is provided at the lower end portion on the right side of FIG. 3 in the lower edge portion of the side surface on the outer side in the width direction of the connector housing portion 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is good also as a structure which provides the overhang | projection part 66 in the lower end part of the left side of this, and it is good also as a structure which provides the overhang | projection part 66 in both lower edge parts of the width direction outer side of the connector accommodating part 25. Moreover, when the lower edge part of the side surface outside the width direction of the connector accommodating part 25 and the opening edge part of a connector can be spaced apart, the overhang | projection part 66 can be abbreviate | omitted.

(3) In the above embodiment, the upper surface of the eaves 32 is inclined to form the second inclined surface 33. However, the eaves 32 itself may not be inclined, and only the upper surface may be inclined. Further, it is not necessary to provide a slope.

(4) In the above embodiment, the edge of the eaves part 32 is made continuous with the left and right side surfaces of the connector housing part 25, but the edge of the eaves part 32 may be separated from the connector housing part 25.

(5) In the above embodiment, the second inclined surface 33 is formed to have a downward slope toward the left and right ends with the approximate center of the eaves portion 32 in the left-right direction as an apex, but is not limited to this. The slope may be a downward slope with the left end as the bottom and the left end as the bottom, or conversely, the slope may be a downward slope with the left end as the top and the right end as the bottom. .

(6) In the present embodiment, the second to fourth connectors 17, 18, and 19 are configured to open downward. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be configured to open sideways.

Overall perspective view of electrical junction box of embodiment Exploded perspective view of electrical junction box of embodiment Front view of electrical junction box of embodiment AA line sectional view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Circuit board 11 ... Case 17 ... 2nd connector 18 ... 3rd connector 19 ... 4th connector 22 ... Cover plate part (side wall)
25 ... Connector accommodating part 32 ... Eaves part 33 ... 2nd inclined surface 60 ... Ceiling wall 63 ... Swelling wall part 64 ... 1st inclined surface 66 ... Overhang | projection part

Claims (6)

A circuit board configured with an electric circuit, a case having a side wall to surround the circuit board, and a ceiling wall formed in a form rising from the side wall of the case and bulging outward from the side wall A bulging wall portion that forms a connector housing portion, and a connector that is disposed in the connector housing portion and opens sideways or downward,
The ceiling wall of the bulging wall portion is a first inclined surface that receives water flowing down from the upper portion of the case along the side wall and guides the water to the laterally outer side surface of the connector housing portion. An electrical junction box characterized in that The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein the ceiling wall is formed to have a downward slope toward both ends in the width direction, with the vicinity of the center in the width direction of the connector housing portion as a vertex. At least one of the lower edges of both ends of the connector housing in the width direction is provided with an overhanging portion that hangs downward, and the lower end of the overhanging portion is disposed below the opening edge of the connector. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the electrical junction box is provided. The electrical connection box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an eaves portion rising outward from the side wall is provided on the side wall at a position above the connector housing portion. . 5. The electrical connection according to claim 4, wherein a second inclined surface is provided on the upper surface of the eaves portion, with the vicinity of the center in the width direction as an apex and a downward slope toward both ends in the width direction. box. 6. The electrical junction box according to claim 4, wherein both edge portions in the width direction of the eaves portion are continuous with a side surface on the outer side in the width direction of the connector housing portion.

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