JP2007209049A - Electrical junction box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical junction box for improving a waterproof property. <P>SOLUTION: Spaces 71 are partitioned by fitting walls 52 on the connector side, and communicated with each other by communication paths 70. If a liquid level of a filler 16 is above a lower end of the fitting walls 52 on the connector side when the filler 16 is filled within a case 13, air pushed out by the filler 16 is distributed among the spaces 71 through the communication paths 70. The liquid level of the filler 16 filled within the spaces 71 is equalized among the spaces 71 partitioned by the fitting walls 52 on the connector side. Since the spaces 71 for degrading the waterproof property in comparison with the others are not formed, the waterproof property of the electrical junction box 10 can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical junction box.

  Conventionally, as an electrical connection box that is mounted on a vehicle and controls electrical disconnection of on-vehicle electrical components, a circuit component is accommodated in a housing, and a filling material for filling the circuit component is filled in the housing. Is known (see Patent Document 1). The electrical connection box is waterproofed by filling the circuit structure with the filler.

When a filling material is filled into the housing of the electrical junction box, the filling material is filled while raising the liquid level from the bottom of the housing. At this time, the air in the housing is pushed by the filler and escapes from the housing.
JP 2003-164039 A

  In this type of electrical junction box, in order to reinforce the housing, it is conceivable to form vertical ribs protruding inward from the inner wall of the housing. According to this configuration, a space defined by the vertical ribs is formed inside the housing.

  When the filling material is filled into the housing according to the above configuration, the filling material is filled while raising the liquid level from the bottom of the housing. When filling progresses and the liquid level of the filler is positioned above the lower end of the vertical rib formed on the upper wall that becomes the ceiling during filling, the space inside the space defined by the vertical rib There is a concern that the liquid level of the filler varies in each space due to the difference in the escape of air. As described above, when the liquid level of the filler varies in each space, there is a concern that the waterproof property of the space where the liquid level of the filler is low compared to other spaces is lower than the other.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electrical junction box with improved waterproofness.

  As means for achieving the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes a housing for housing the circuit structure, a filler injected into the housing to fill the circuit structure, and a wall surface portion of the housing. Among them, a plurality of vertical ribs formed on the inner surface of the upper wall serving as a ceiling when the housing is filled with the filler, and a space formed inside the upper wall and defined by the vertical ribs An electrical junction box having a communication path for communicating with each other.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the upper wall is formed with a concave portion recessed in the housing, and the filler injected into the housing at the bottom of the concave portion has a predetermined liquid level. A through hole for confirming the liquid level is provided to allow the liquid to overflow when it reaches the point.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the housing has an opening in which the circuit component is housed through the opening, and a lid member that closes the opening. The housing is filled with the filler in a posture with the opening of the case facing up, and the vertical rib is provided on the lid member.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the circuit component is configured by attaching a bus bar to a circuit board, and the lid member is disposed outside the housing. The connector housing is configured as a connector housing having a hood portion that opens toward the front, and the distal end portion of the bus bar penetrates the inner wall of the hood portion on the side opposite to the opening.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the concave portion is formed to be recessed in the back wall portion of the hood portion, and a front end portion of the bus bar is penetrated through the through hole. And

<Invention of Claim 1>
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the spaces separated by the vertical ribs are communicated with each other by the communication path. As a result, when the filling material is filled in the housing, even if the liquid level of the filling material is located above the lower end portion of the vertical rib, the air pushed out by the filling material is communicated with the communication path. It is possible to circulate between each space through. As a result, the liquid level of the filler filled in each space is made uniform between the spaces partitioned by the vertical ribs. Thereby, since the space where waterproofness becomes low compared with others is not formed, the waterproofness of an electrical junction box can be improved.

<Invention of Claim 2>
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is easy to confirm that the filler filled in the housing has reached a predetermined liquid level by visually observing that the filler has overflowed from the through hole formed in the bottom of the recess. Can be confirmed.

<Invention of Claim 3>
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the filler can be prevented from leaking at the mating surface between the lid member and the case opening by filling the filler with the case opening facing upward.

<Invention of Claim 4>
According to invention of Claim 4, since a cover member can be used as a connector housing, a number of parts can be reduced compared with the case where a connector housing is formed separately from a cover member.

<Invention of Claim 5>
According to the invention of claim 5, since the through hole for confirming the liquid level of the filler also serves as a hole for the front end portion of the bus bar constituting the connector to penetrate the back wall portion of the hood portion. There is no need to separately provide a through hole for confirming the liquid level. Thereby, the structure of the electrical junction box can be simplified.

  An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electric junction box 10 for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. This device is connected between a power source (not shown) such as a battery and on-vehicle electrical components (not shown) such as a headlamp and a wiper, and performs on / off control of various on-vehicle electrical components. ing. The electrical junction box 10 is configured by housing a circuit component 12 in a housing 11 having a substantially flat rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing 11 includes a case 13 having an opening and a flat shape, and a connector housing (corresponding to a lid member according to the present invention) 15 that closes the opening and includes a hood portion 14. The case 13 is filled with a filler 16 so as to fill the circuit component 12, and a cover 17 that covers the hood portion 14 is attached to the case 13. The electrical junction box 10 can be attached to the vehicle (not shown) in an arbitrary posture. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover 17 can be attached to the vehicle with the posture directed downward.

(Case)
The case 13 is made of a synthetic resin and has a flat shape and opens downward. A stepped portion 20 is formed at the lower end of the case 13 so as to extend outward in the left-right direction in FIG. A lock claw 21 protruding outward is formed on the outer surface of the stepped portion 20, and the case 13 and the cover 17 are assembled by elastically engaging a lock claw receiving portion 22 of the cover 17 described later. It is supposed to be. The right end portion in FIG. 2 of the stepped portion 20 is formed to hang downward, and serves as a wire guide portion 23 for guiding a wire (not shown) when the cover 17 is assembled.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a slit 24 is formed outwardly from the opening edge of the case 13 at the lower end portions of the two side surfaces facing in the left-right direction in FIG. A plurality of elastic lock pieces 25 that can be bent and deformed are formed. The elastic lock piece 25 is provided with a lock recess 26 penetrating in the thickness direction of the elastic lock piece 25, and is engaged with a lock projection 27 of the connector housing 15 to be described later. The housing 15 can be assembled.

  In the case 13, a pair of surfaces along the plate surface of the circuit structure 12 is formed in a wide and flat shape above the step portion 20 in FIG. 3, and heat generated from the circuit structure 12. Is a heat radiating surface 60 for radiating the heat to the outside.

  An end of the case 13 on the diagonally left side in FIG. 1 extends in the vertical direction and protrudes to the diagonally left front side in FIG. 1 so as to accommodate an injection cylinder part 19 to be described later. Is formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the end portion of the case on the right oblique front side in FIG. 1 is formed by being recessed into the right oblique rear side in FIG. 1 of the case, and a guide rail 31 of the connector housing 15 described later. The guide rail housing part 63 is housed.

  As shown in FIG. 14, on the inner surfaces of the two surfaces facing in the vertical direction in FIG. 14 among the side walls of the case 13, a plurality of ( 7) A case side fitting wall portion 51 is formed, and the case 13 and the connector housing 15 are slidably in contact with a connector housing side fitting wall portion (corresponding to a vertical rib according to the present invention) 52 described later. Assembling has been done. 14 except for the case-side fitting wall 51 located at the upper right end in FIG. 14 and the case-side fitting wall 51 located at the upper left end in FIG. It is bent upward or downward. The slidable contact surface of the case-side fitting wall 51 includes a surface along the left-right direction in FIG. 14 (a surface parallel to two opposing surfaces of the case 13 on which the elastic lock pieces 25 are formed) and a surface along the vertical direction. It has become.

(cover)
The cover 17 is made of a synthetic resin, and has an opening on the upper side and a shape that covers the lower end of the case 13 from below. A lower edge portion of the cover 17 is formed to be inclined downward toward the right side in FIG. 2, and an electric wire outlet port through which an unillustrated electric wire is led out at the right end portion in FIG. 2 among the lower end portions of the cover 17. 28 is formed (see FIG. 1), and the electric wire is led out through a space between the case 13 and the electric wire guide portion 23. . A lock claw receiving portion 22 that engages with the lock claw 21 of the case 13 described above is formed at the upper end portion of the cover 17, and the lock claw receiving portion 22 and the lock claw 21 are elastically engaged. Thus, the case 13 and the cover 17 are assembled.

(Connector housing)
The connector housing 15 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 6, a main body portion 30 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and extending upward from the left and right end portions of the main body portion 30 in FIG. 12 and a pair of guide rails 31 for guiding the circuit component 12 when the connector housing 15 is assembled.

  On the outer surface of the end portion 30, a lock projection 27 that engages with a lock recess 26 provided in the elastic lock piece 25 is provided outwardly at a position corresponding to the elastic lock piece 25 of the case 13 described above. Has been. A guide slope 50 is formed on the upper surface side of the lock protrusion 27 so as to be inclined inward as it goes upward. When the connector housing 15 and the case 13 are assembled, the guide slope 50 and the elastic lock piece 25 are engaged, and the elastic lock piece 25 rides on the guide slope 50 and elastically deforms outward.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of hood portions 14 opening downward are formed on the lower surface of the main body portion 30, and can be fitted to a mating connector (not shown). An electric wire (not shown) is connected to the mating connector, and this electric wire is guided by the electric wire guide portion 23 of the case 13 and electrically connected between the electric wire guide portion 23 of the cover 17 and the electric wire outlet port 28. It is led out of the box 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 17, 18, and 20, a recess 61 is formed in the back wall of the hood portion 14. An insertion hole (corresponding to the through-hole according to the present invention) 34 through which an extension 33 of the bus bar 32 of the circuit component 12 to be described later passes is formed in the bottom wall of the recess 61 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction. Has been. The insertion hole 34 also serves as an escape hole for the air in the case 13 to escape when the filler 16 is filled into the case 13.

  As will be described in detail later, when the filler 16 is filled into the case 13 to a predetermined liquid level, the filler 16 overflows into the recess 61 from the insertion hole 34, and thereby the filler 16. Can be confirmed to be filled to a predetermined liquid level. Since the filler 16 overflowing from the insertion hole 34 is accommodated in the recess 61 so as not to overflow into the hood portion 14, the filler 16 is interposed on the mating surface with the mating connector. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of poor fitting.

  A receiving plate portion 35 is formed on the upper surface side of the main body portion 30 and extends upward from the right edge of the insertion hole 34 in FIG. 4 and receives the extended portion 33 of the bus bar 32 from the right side in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 6, the receiving plate part 35 is formed over substantially the entire width in the left-right direction of the main body part 30 in FIG.

  On the upper surface of the main body portion 30, at positions near the left and right ends in FIG. 8, the region surrounded by the pair of slits 24 provided downward from the upper edge of the receiving plate portion 35 is directed upward. A pair of elastic engagement portions 36 extending is formed. The elastic engagement portion 36 is elastically deformable in the left-right direction in FIG. At the upper end portion of the elastic engagement portion 36, an engagement protrusion 37 is formed so as to protrude to the left in FIG. 7 and can be engaged with the engagement hole 38 of the circuit component 12. The elastic engagement portion 36 is bent and deformed on the back surface side, so that the engagement with the engagement hole 38 is released.

  A rib 43 that protrudes leftward and extends upward is formed from the left side surface of the receiving plate portion 35 in FIGS. 3 and 4. The rib 43 is formed between the adjacent insertion holes 34 and enters between the adjacent extending portions 33. The rib 43 is crushed from the left side in FIG. 4 by being heated and pressurized in a state where the extending portion 33 is inserted into the insertion hole 34, and is in close contact with the extending portion 33 and between the receiving plate portion 35 and the rib 43. By holding the extension part 33, the extension part 33 is prevented from coming off.

  The guide rail 31 is substantially U-shaped when viewed from above, and both left and right ends of the circuit component 12 are inserted into a space surrounded by the U-shape to guide the circuit component 12 in the vertical direction. It is possible. Further, when the connector housing 15 and the case 13 are assembled, the guide rail 31 slides on the inner wall of the guide rail accommodating portion 63 of the case 13 to guide the connector housing 15.

  An inlet 18 for injecting the filler 16 into the case 13 is formed at the right end of the main body 30 in FIG. The cross section of the injection port 18 has a substantially rectangular shape, and a space can be effectively used in the main body portion 30 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 19, the injection cylinder portion 19 is formed in the main body portion 30 of the connector housing 15 so as to communicate with the injection port 18. The injection cylinder portion 19 is formed so as to overlap with the left side guide rail 31 in FIG. 6 on the front side in the direction penetrating the paper surface. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 10, the filler 16 is injected into the case 13 with the injection port 18 facing upward, and the injection cylinder portion 19 faces downward in FIG. The lower end edge in FIG. 10 of the injection cylinder part 19 is formed extending to the vicinity of the lower wall in FIG. The cross section of the injection cylinder portion 19 has a substantially rectangular shape, and a space can be effectively used in the main body portion 30 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the state where the circuit structure 12 is assembled to the connector housing 15, the injection cylinder portion 19 is mounted on the mounting surface side (front surface side) of the circuit board 39 on which the electronic component 40 is mounted. It is supposed to be arranged in.

  Further, when the connector housing 15 and the case 13 are assembled, the injection cylinder part 19 is configured to guide the connector housing 15 by slidingly contacting the inner wall of the injection cylinder part accommodating part 62 of the case 13.

(Circuit structure)
As shown in FIG. 5, the circuit component 12 has an electronic component 40 mounted on a conductive path (not shown) formed by, for example, a printed wiring technique on the surface of a circuit board 39, and a plurality of bus bars 32 on the back surface. It is bonded through an insulating adhesive layer (not shown). An opening 41 is formed in the circuit board 39, and the bus bar 32 is exposed in the opening 41. An electronic component 40 is accommodated in the opening. A connection terminal (not shown) is provided on the surface of the electronic component 40 on the bus bar 32 side, and the connection terminal and the bus bar 32 are connected to each other. It is like that. In addition, a plurality of connection terminals 42 are formed on the lower surface side in FIG. 7 of the electronic component 40, extending downward and then bent substantially at right angles to the circuit board 39 side. As shown in FIG. 7, a part of the connection terminals 42 provided on each electronic component 40 is connected to the bus bar 32 exposed from the opening, and the other connection terminals 42 are conductive conductors formed on the surface of the circuit board 39. Connected to the road.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the bus bar 32 extends downward from the lower edge of the circuit board 39, and serves as an extension portion 33 (corresponding to the tip portion of the bus bar 32 according to the present invention). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower portion of the extension portion 33 is inserted into an insertion hole 34 formed in the back wall of the hood portion 14 of the connector housing 15 and protrudes into the hood portion 14. It can be mated with the mating connector. The outer surface of the extending portion 33 is in contact with the insertion hole 34.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, both the circuit board 39 and the bus bar 32 are engaged with an elastic engagement portion 36 to be described later in a state where the circuit component 12 is held in a normal position with respect to the connector housing 15. An engagement hole (corresponding to the engagement portion according to the present invention) 38 is formed at a position corresponding to the mating protrusion 37. As shown in FIG. 7, the engagement protrusions 37 are engaged with the engagement holes 38, so that the circuit component 12 is prevented from coming off upward in FIG. The circuit board 39 is fixed to the connector housing 15 by engaging with an elastic engagement portion 36 formed integrally with the connector housing 15.

  As shown in FIG. 5, an engagement recess 44 is formed in a surface of the extension 33 that is close to the circuit board 39, on the surfaces of the extension 33 that are adjacent to each other. As shown in FIG. 6, when the rib 43 is crushed, the rib 43 bulges into the engagement recess 44, and the rib 43 and the engagement recess 44 engage to prevent the extension 33 from coming off. It is supposed to be.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 21, the case 13 is filled with a filler 16 that fills the entire circuit board 39 while leaving the extending portion 33. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 21, the filler 16 is filled in the case 13 with the case 13 facing downward and the connector housing 15 facing upward. The entire circuit board 39 is filled with the filler 16 so that the circuit structure 12 is waterproofed. Further, the heat generated from the electronic component 40 and the bus bar 32 of the circuit structure 12 is transmitted to the filler 16, is transmitted through the filler 16, and is dissipated to the outside from the heat radiation surface 60 of the case 13. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of connector-side fitting wall portions 52 that protrude upward (on the right front side in FIG. 11) are formed on the upper surface (the surface on the right front side in FIG. 11) of the main body 30. Yes. Thereby, a plurality of spaces 71 are defined by the connector-side fitting wall portions 52 above the main body portion 30. The connector-side fitting wall portion 52 extends in the vertical direction in FIG. 11 and also extends in the left-right direction in FIG. 11 to reinforce the main body portion 30. The connector-side fitting wall portion 52 can be slidably contacted with the case-side fitting wall portion 51 described above when the connector housing 15 is assembled to the case 13. The sliding contact surface of the connector-side fitting wall portion 52 is a surface along the left-right direction in FIG. 11 (a surface parallel to two opposing surfaces of the case 13 on which the elastic lock pieces 25 are formed) and a surface along the vertical direction. It has become.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the process of assembling the case 13 and the connector housing 15, both the fitting wall portions 51 and 52 are disposed so as to extend toward each other.

  As shown in FIG. 16, when the case 13 and the connector housing 15 are assembled, the case-side fitting wall portion 51 and the connector-side fitting wall portion 52 are extended in the vertical direction in FIG. Are in contact with each other in the left-right direction in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, a portion of the case side fitting wall portion 51 that is bent in the left-right direction in FIG. 17 extends in the direction penetrating the paper surface in FIG. 17 of the connector side fitting wall portion 52. It is in contact with the installed one from the left-right direction in FIG.

  Further, in FIG. 16, the case side fitting wall portion 51 except for the one located at the upper right end and the one located at the upper left end is the connector side fitting wall from both sides in the left-right direction in FIG. It comes into sliding contact with the part 51.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the connector-side fitting wall portion 52 has a space 71 defined by the connector-side fitting wall portion 52 between the side walls constituting the main body portion 30 of the connector housing 15. A communication path 70 for communication is formed. When the filler 16 is filled in the case 13 by the communication passage 70, the air pushed by the filler 16 can flow between the spaces 71, and the liquid level of the filler 16 is changed for each space 71. To be uniform.

  Then, the effect | action and effect of this embodiment are demonstrated. First, the circuit structure 12 is assembled to the connector housing 15. As shown in FIG. 12, both end edges of the circuit board 39 of the circuit component 12 are inserted into the guide rail 31 of the connector housing 15. As shown in FIG. 13, when the assembly process proceeds and the tip of the extension portion 33 reaches the receiving plate portion 35, the circuit component 12 is further moved while the extending portion 33 and the receiving plate portion 35 are in sliding contact. insert. Then, the extension portion 33 is inserted into the insertion hole 34 while being guided by the receiving plate portion 35. As the assembly proceeds, the elastic engagement portion 36 of the connector housing 15 comes into contact with the bus bar 32 and is elastically bent and deformed to the back side of the circuit board 39.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in a state where the circuit component 12 is assembled at the normal position with respect to the connector housing 15, the elastic engagement portion 36 is restored and deformed, and the engagement protrusion 37 of the elastic engagement portion 36 is a circuit. The structure 12 is engaged with the engagement hole 38 of the structure 12. At this time, since the extension portion 33 is in contact with the insertion hole 34, the extension portion 33 is supported by the inner wall surface of the insertion hole 34, so that the circuit component 12 is bent and deformed in a direction to escape from the elastic engagement portion 36. Can be prevented. As a result, the lower end edge of the circuit component 12 is fixed to the connector housing 15 by the elastic engagement portion 36 formed integrally with the connector housing 15.

  Subsequently, the ribs 43 are heated and melted and crushed. Then, the rib 43 is in close contact with the extending portion 33. The extending portion 33 is sandwiched between the rib 43 and the receiving plate portion 35. Furthermore, the rib 43 comes into contact with and engages by expanding into an engagement recess 44 formed in the extension portion 33. Thereby, the bus bar 32 is fixed to the connector housing 15.

  Thereafter, the connector housing 15 assembled with the circuit structure 12 is accommodated in the case 13 as shown in FIG. In the middle of the housing operation, the case-side fitting wall 51 and the connector-side fitting wall 52 begin to slidably contact each other. As the housing operation further proceeds, the guide slope 50 formed on the lock protrusion 27 of the connector housing 15 and the elastic lock piece 25 of the case 13 come into contact with each other, and the elastic lock piece 25 is guided by the guide slope 50 and is removed. It bends elastically. When the housing operation further proceeds, the elastic six knitting 25 is restored and deformed, and the lock projection 27 is engaged with the lock recess 26 of the elastic lock piece 25, whereby the connector housing 15 and the case 13 are assembled. As a result, the left and right side edges and the upper edge of the circuit structure 12 are covered by the case 13.

  Since the elastic lock piece 25 can be bent and deformed, the connector housing 15 moves the elastic lock piece 25 in the direction intersecting the two opposing surfaces of the case 13 in which the elastic lock piece 25 is formed (left and right direction in FIG. 17). There is concern about swinging as a fulcrum.

  In view of the above points, in this embodiment, the case 13 and the connector housing 15 are each formed with a case-side fitting wall portion 51 and a connector-side fitting wall portion 52. In the state in which the case 13 and the connector housing 15 are assembled, as shown in FIG. 16, the case side fitting wall portion 51 and the connector side fitting wall portion 52 are extended in the vertical direction in FIG. The thing abuts on each other from the left-right direction in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the portion of the case side fitting wall portion 51 that is bent in the left-right direction in FIG. 17 extends in the direction penetrating the paper surface in FIG. 17 of the connector side fitting wall portion 52. It is in contact with the installed one from the left-right direction in FIG. As a result, the case 13 or the connector housing 15 is displaced so as to swing with respect to the left and right direction in FIG. 17 and the left and right direction in FIG. 16 with the engaging portion of the elastic lock piece 25 and the lock projection 27 as a substantial fulcrum. Can be prevented.

  In a state in which the connector housing 15 and the case 13 are assembled, the vertical position (see FIG. 10) with the case 13 facing down and the connector housing 15 facing up is set, and the opening of the case 13 faces upward. Then, the liquid filler 16 is injected from the inlet 18 of the connector housing 15. Since the injection cylinder portion 19 communicating with the injection port 18 has an opening formed in the vicinity of the lower wall in FIG. 10, the filler 16 flows down from the injection port 18 into the injection cylinder portion 19, and the case 13 in FIG. It is injected into the case 13 from an opening formed in the vicinity of the lower wall. As a result, since the filler 16 is restricted from being in a turbulent state, air is prevented from being involved when the filler 16 is filled.

  The filler 16 injected from the injection port 18 flows out from the opening of the injection cylinder portion 19 and spreads to the inner surface of the lower wall of the case 13 in FIG. 10, and the inner surface of the lower wall of the case 13 is covered with the filler 16. When the filler 16 is further injected, the liquid level of the filler 16 rises while contacting the inner surface of the side wall of the case 13. Thereby, a gap is not formed between the filler 16 and the inner surface of the heat radiation surface 60 of the case 13. The air in the case 13 is pushed by the filler 16 and escapes upward from the insertion hole 34 of the connector housing 15. Thereby, the filler 16 can be smoothly injected into the case 13.

  When the filler 16 is further injected, the entire circuit board 39 is buried in the filler 16 except for the extending portion 33. Thereby, waterproofing and insulation of the circuit structure 12 can be achieved.

  When the liquid level of the filler 16 reaches above the lower end edge of the connector-side fitting wall portion 52, the air pushed by the liquid surface of the filler 16 flows through the communication passages 70 communicating with the respective spaces 71. This prevents air from accumulating in each space 71. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the liquid level of the filler 16 from varying in each space 71 defined by the connector-side fitting wall portion 52.

  When the liquid level of the filler 16 reaches the insertion hole 34 of the connector housing 15, the filler 16 overflows into the recess 61 from the insertion hole 34. Thereby, it can be confirmed visually that the filler 16 is filled in the case 13 by a normal amount. When the filler 16 overflows from the insertion hole 34 in this way, the injection of the filler 16 is terminated (see FIG. 21). 2 and 3, the inside of the recess 61 is filled with the filler 16, but if the filler 16 overflows into the recess 61 from the insertion hole 34, The entire recess 61 may not be filled with the filler 16. If the filler 16 is filled up to the above state, the filler 16 is interposed between the adjacent extending portions 33 in the housing 11, so that the extending portions 33 are reliably insulated from each other. Can do.

  When the filling material 16 is filled into the case 13 by a proper amount, the filling material 16 is solidified, and then the mating connector is fitted into the hood portion 14. A cover 17 is assembled from the side of the connector housing 15 where the hood portion 14 is formed. Then, the lock claw 21 of the case 13 and the lock claw receiving portion 22 of the cover 17 come into contact with each other, and after the lock claw 21 is elastically deformed, the lock claw 21 is restored and deformed, and the lock claw 21 and the lock claw receiving portion 22 are elastically engaged. By combining, the cover 17 and the connector housing 15 are assembled.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the spaces 71 separated by the connector-side fitting wall portion 52 are communicated with each other by the communication path 70. Thereby, even when the liquid level of the filler 16 is positioned higher than the lower end of the connector side fitting wall portion 52 when the filler 16 is filled in the case 13, The pushed-out air can flow between the spaces 71 through the communication path 70. As a result, the liquid level of the filler 16 filled in each space 71 is made uniform between the spaces 71 defined by the connector-side fitting wall portion 52. Thereby, since the space 71 whose waterproofness becomes lower than others is not formed, the waterproofness of the electrical junction box 10 can be improved.

  Further, by visually observing that the filler 16 has overflowed from the insertion hole 34 formed at the bottom of the recess 61, it is easily confirmed that the filler 16 filled in the case 13 has reached a predetermined liquid level. it can.

  Furthermore, by filling the filler 16 with the opening of the case 13 facing upward, the filler 16 can be prevented from leaking at the mating surface between the connector housing 15 and the opening of the case 13.

Further, since the cover member that closes the opening of the case 13 is the connector housing 15, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where the connector housing 15 is formed separately from the cover member. In addition, the insertion hole 34 for confirming the liquid level of the filler 16 also serves as a hole for the extended portion 33 of the bus bar 32 to penetrate the back wall portion of the hood portion 14. There is no need to provide a separate hole for confirming the above.
<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.

  (1) When the seal between the case 13 and the mating surface of the lid member is sufficient, the filler 16 may be filled in such a manner that the opening of the case 13 faces sideways.

  (2) In the present embodiment, the filling material 16 is configured to be filled in the case 13 in a posture in which the circuit component 12 is vertically disposed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the circuit component 12 is disposed horizontally. It is good also as a structure with which the case 13 is filled with the attitude | position which becomes.

  (3) For example, when there is no other member disposed around the through hole for liquid level confirmation, even if the filler 16 overflows from the through hole, the other member is not affected. The through hole may be formed in the upper wall of the housing 11 without providing the recess 61. Moreover, a convex part may be formed in the upper wall of the housing 11, and a through-hole may be formed in the upper end surface of this convex part.

  (4) In the present embodiment, the connector-side fitting wall portion 52 is formed with the communication path 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the spaces 71 defined by the connector-side fitting wall portion 52 are mutually connected. It is good also as a structure in which the communicating hole which connects between is formed.

  (5) For example, an electronic component such as a fuse may be connected to the extending portion 33 of the bus bar 32.

  (6) The concave portion 61 may be formed at a position different from the hood portion 14 in the main body portion 30 of the connector housing 15.

  (7) As the filler 16, any material can be used as long as it is a material capable of transmitting heat generated from the circuit component 12, such as an epoxy resin, a urethane resin, or a silicone resin.

The perspective view of the electrical junction box concerning one embodiment of the present invention. Front view of electrical junction box AA line sectional view in FIG. BB sectional view in FIG. The perspective view which shows the circuit structure 12 Front view showing a state where the connector housing and the circuit structure are assembled. CC sectional view in FIG. Rear view showing the connector housing and circuit component assembled Side view showing the connector housing and case assembled EE sectional view in FIG. The perspective view which shows the state before attaching a connector housing and a circuit structure. The perspective view which shows the middle state of the assembly | attachment operation | work of a connector housing and a circuit structure The perspective view which shows the state which assembled | attached the connector housing and the circuit structure. The perspective view which shows the state before assembling a connector housing and a case Front view showing the connector housing and case assembled DD sectional view in FIG. Side sectional view showing the connector housing and case assembled Bottom view showing the connector housing and case assembled FF sectional view in FIG. GG sectional view in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 9, showing a state after filling the case with a filler.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Electrical junction box 11 ... Housing 12 ... Circuit structure 13 ... Case 14 ... Hood part 15 ... Connector housing (lid member)
16 ... Filler 32 ... Bus bar 34 ... Insertion hole (through hole)
39 ... Circuit board 52 ... Connector side fitting wall (vertical rib)
61 ... concave 70 ... communication passage

Claims (5)

A housing that accommodates the circuit structure, a filler that is injected into the housing to fill the circuit structure, and an upper portion that becomes a ceiling when the housing is filled with the filler in the wall surface of the housing An electrical junction box having a plurality of vertical ribs formed on an inner surface of a wall and a communication path for communicating between spaces formed inside the upper wall and defined by the vertical ribs. The upper wall is formed with a recess recessed in the housing, and a liquid level confirmation for allowing the filler injected into the housing to overflow at the bottom of the recess reaches a predetermined liquid level. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein a through hole is provided. The housing includes an opening and a case in which the circuit component is accommodated through the opening, and a lid member that closes the opening.
The housing is adapted to be filled with the filler in a posture with the opening of the case facing up,
The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the vertical rib is provided on the lid member. The circuit configuration body is configured by attaching a bus bar to a circuit board, and the lid member is configured as a connector housing including a hood portion that opens toward the outside of the housing, and is provided on a side opposite to the hood portion. The electrical junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a connector is configured by a distal end portion of the bus bar penetrating through a back wall portion. The electrical connection box according to claim 4, wherein the recess is formed to be recessed in the back wall portion of the hood portion, and a front end portion of the bus bar is passed through the through hole.

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