JP2009232598A - Electric connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connection box which improves the accuracy in assembling of a terminal metal fitting. <P>SOLUTION: This electric connection box 10 includes an engaging tube 18, which is provided in a case 12 and can engage with a mating connector, an opening 20, which is formed at the wall face 19 of the engaging tube 18 and connects the inside and outside of the case 12, a pin 23, which has the first end 26 connected to the conductive path of a circuit board 11 and the second end 30 piercing the opening 20 and arranged in the engaging tube 18, an insulating holding member 22, which holds the pin 23 and whose one end at least is arranged in the opening 20, and a step 34, which is provided at the holding member 22 and engages with the brim of the opening 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical junction box in which a circuit board is accommodated in a case.

Conventionally, the thing of patent document 1 is known as an electrical junction box. The electrical junction box includes a case and a circuit board accommodated in the case. A holding member for holding the terminal fitting is accommodated in the case. The terminal fitting is inserted into an insertion hole formed in the circuit board while being held by the holding member, and is electrically connected to the conductive path of the circuit board by soldering or the like. . Further, the other end of the terminal fitting is arranged in a fitting cylinder provided in the case and connected to a mating connector fitted in the fitting cylinder.
JP 2001-15951 A

  In the above-described conventional technology, the holding member is sandwiched between the circuit board and the wall surface of the fitting cylinder portion on the circuit board side. For this reason, for example, there is a concern that a positional deviation between the circuit board and the holding member or a positional deviation between the case and the circuit board occurs. Then, there is a concern that the connection reliability between the mating connector and the terminal metal fitting may be reduced by disposing the terminal metal fitting from the normal position in the fitting tube portion.

  This invention is completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It aims at providing the electrical junction box which improved the assembly | attachment precision of the terminal metal fitting.

  The present invention is an electrical connection box, a case, a circuit board that is accommodated in the case and has a conductive path, a fitting cylinder portion that is provided in the case and can be fitted to a mating connector, The fitting tube has an opening formed on the inner wall of the fitting cylinder and communicates with the inside and outside of the case, and a first end connected to the conductive path of the circuit board and penetrates the opening to fit the fitting. A terminal fitting having a second end portion disposed in the joint tube portion, an insulating holding member that holds the terminal fitting and is at least partially disposed in the opening, and the holding member is provided with the An engaging portion that engages with an opening edge of the opening.

  According to the present invention, the holding member is positioned with respect to the case by the engagement between the opening edge of the opening and the engaging portion. Thereby, the assembly | attachment precision with respect to a case of the terminal metal fitting hold | maintained at the holding member can be improved.

As embodiments of the present invention, the following embodiments are preferable.
The engaging portion may be a stepped portion formed between a region of the holding member disposed in the opening and a region different from the region disposed in the opening.

  According to said structure, positioning with a case and a holding member can be performed by the simple structure of providing a step part in a holding member.

  A plurality of the terminal fittings may be held on the holding member.

  When one terminal fitting is held by one holding member, a holding member is required for each terminal fitting, so the number of parts increases and the manufacturing cost increases.

  According to said structure, since a some terminal metal fitting is hold | maintained at a holding member, a number of parts can be reduced. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  A bus bar may be disposed on the holding member.

  According to said structure, since it is not necessary to provide the member for hold | maintaining a bus bar separately, a number of parts can be reduced.

  The holding member may be insert-molded with a synthetic resin material for the bus bar.

  According to the above configuration, no space is formed between the bus bar and the holding member. As a result, heat generated from the bus bar by energizing the bus bar is quickly transmitted from the bus bar to the holding member. As a result, it can suppress that a bus bar becomes high temperature locally.

  The linear expansion coefficient of the holding member may be substantially the same as the linear expansion coefficient of the circuit board.

  When the linear expansion coefficient of the circuit board and the linear expansion coefficient of the holding member are significantly different, the circuit board and the holding member have different dimensions due to heat from the external environment and heat generated from components mounted on the electrical junction box. It expands and contracts. Then, there is a concern that stress is generated in the connection portion between the terminal fitting held by the holding member and the circuit board, and cracks may occur in some cases. As a result, there is a concern that the connection reliability between the terminal fitting and the circuit board is lowered.

  In the above configuration, since the linear expansion coefficient of the holding member is substantially the same as the linear expansion coefficient of the circuit board, the circuit board and the holding member expand and contract with substantially the same dimensions due to temperature changes. As a result, it can suppress that a stress generate | occur | produces in the connection part of a circuit board and a terminal metal fitting.

  In the holding member, a confirmation window is formed in the vicinity of a connection portion between the terminal metal fitting and the conductive path and at a position where the connection portion between the terminal metal fitting and the conductive path is visible. May be.

  According to said structure, the connection part of a terminal metal fitting and a circuit board can be easily confirmed by visually confirming from a confirmation window.

  According to the present invention, the assembly accuracy of the terminal fitting can be improved.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The electrical junction box 10 according to the present embodiment includes a circuit board 11 accommodated in a case 12. The electrical connection box 10 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) and supplies electric power supplied from a battery (not shown) to in-vehicle electrical components such as a wiper and a lamp (not shown).

  The case 12 includes a lower case 13 that is located on the lower side in FIG. 1 and opens upward, and an upper case 14 that is assembled to the lower case 13 and closes the opening of the lower case 13 from above.

  The lower case 13 is made of synthetic resin. A plurality of ribs 15 projecting upward in FIG. 1 are formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall of the lower case 13. The circuit board 11 is placed on the upper surface of the rib 15.

  A plurality of locking portions 16 projecting outward are formed on the outer surface of the side wall of the lower case 13. The lower case 13 and the upper case 14 are assembled together by elastically engaging the lock portion 16 and the lock receiving portion 17 formed at a position corresponding to the lock portion 16 on the side wall of the upper case 14. It is done.

  The upper case 14 is made of synthetic resin. On the outer surface of the upper wall of the upper case 14, a fitting tube portion 18 that can be fitted with a mating connector (not shown) is formed so as to protrude upward in FIG. An opening 20 that communicates the inside and the outside of the case 12 is formed in the back wall 19 located on the back side of the fitting cylinder portion 18.

  Further, a cylindrical accommodating portion 21 capable of accommodating a fuse (not shown) or a relay (not shown) is formed on the outer surface of the upper wall of the upper case 14 so as to protrude upward in FIG.

  The circuit board 11 is made of a thermosetting resin containing glass fibers. As a thermosetting resin, arbitrary materials, such as an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, or a polyimide resin, can be selected as needed. In this embodiment, it consists of an epoxy resin containing glass fiber. A conductive path is formed on the surface of the circuit board 11 by a printed wiring technique. An electronic component (not shown) may be connected to the conductive path.

  The holding member 22 is made of an insulating synthetic resin material and has a generally plate shape. The linear expansion coefficient of the holding member 22 is substantially the same as the linear expansion coefficient of the circuit board 11. “Substantially the same” includes the case where the material forming the holding member 22 is the same as the material forming the circuit board 11. As a material constituting the holding member 22, an arbitrary material such as an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, or a polyimide resin can be selected as necessary. Further, even when the material forming the holding member 22 is different from the material forming the circuit board 11, it includes the case where the linear expansion coefficient is made of substantially the same material. The case where the linear expansion coefficients are substantially the same includes the case where the linear expansion coefficients of the holding member 22 and the circuit board 11 completely match. Further, the fact that the linear expansion coefficient is substantially the same includes the case where the linear expansion coefficient of the holding member 22 and the linear expansion coefficient of the circuit board 11 do not completely match but within the error range of the measuring instrument. In the present embodiment, the holding member 22 is made of a thermosetting resin, specifically, an epoxy resin.

  The holding member 22 holds a plurality of pins 23 (corresponding to terminal fittings). The pin 23 is press-fitted into a through hole 24 formed in the holding member 22. The pin 23 may be formed by pressing a metal plate material into a predetermined shape. The pin 23 may be formed by cutting a round bar or a square bar into a predetermined length.

  In addition, the holding member 22 holds a plurality of tuning fork terminals 25 that have one end branched into two and can hold a relay or fuse terminal. The tuning fork terminal 25 is press-fitted into a through hole 24 formed in the holding member 22. The tuning fork terminal 25 is formed by pressing a metal plate material into a predetermined shape.

  The pin 23 and the tuning fork terminal 25 have a first end portion 26 that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the holding member 22 in FIG. The first end portion 26 is inserted into a through hole 27 formed in the circuit board 11 and is electrically connected to a conductive path formed in the circuit board 11 by solder 28.

  In the lower surface of the holding member 22 in FIG. 1 (surface on the side of the circuit board 11), in the vicinity of the area where the pin 23 is press-fitted, escape from the solder 28 rising when the pin 23 and the circuit board 11 are soldered. Is formed so as to be depressed upward (in the direction opposite to the circuit board 11).

  In the vicinity of the region where the pin 23 is press-fitted in the holding member 22, the thickness dimension of the holding member 22 in the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is set to be twice or more the plate thickness dimension or diameter of the pin 23. Thereby, it can suppress that the holding member 22 is cracked when the pin 23 is press-fitted.

  The pin 23 and the tuning fork terminal 25 have a second end 30 protruding upward from the upper surface of the holding member 22 in FIG. The second end 30 of the pin 23 is disposed in the fitting cylinder 18 of the upper case 14 and can be connected to the mating connector. The second end 30 of the tuning fork terminal 25 is disposed in the accommodating portion 21 of the upper case 14 and can be connected to a fuse or a relay.

  A plurality of bus bars 31 are insert-molded in the holding member 22. The holding member 22 is in close contact with the bus bar 31. The bus bar 31 is formed by pressing a metal plate material into a predetermined shape. The bus bar 31 has a third end portion 32 protruding upward from the upper surface of the holding member 22 in FIG. The third end portion 32 of the bus bar 31 is arranged in the fitting cylinder portion 18 of the upper case 14 or in the accommodating portion 21 of the upper case 14.

  The holding member 22 is sandwiched between the circuit board 11 placed on the upper surface of the rib 15 of the lower case 13 and the upper case 14 in a state where the lower case 13 and the upper case 14 are assembled. Yes.

  The holding member 22 is confirmed in the vicinity of the soldered portion between the first end portion 26 of the pin 23 and the conductive path of the circuit board 11 and at a position where the soldered portion of the pin 23 and the conductive path is visible. A window 33 is opened. The holding member 22 communicates vertically with the confirmation window 33.

  Now, at least a part of the holding member 22 is disposed in the opening 20 formed in the inner wall 19 of the fitting cylinder portion 18 of the upper case 14. The second end portion 30 of the pin 23 protrudes upward from the region of the holding member 22 that is located in the opening 20 of the upper case 14.

  Of the holding member 22, a region located in the opening 20 of the upper case 14 is formed so as to protrude upward compared to a region different from the region located in the opening 20. Thereby, a stepped portion 34 (corresponding to an engaging portion) is formed between a region of the holding member 22 located in the opening 20 and a region different from the region located in the opening 20. The step portion 34 comes into contact with the opening edge of the opening portion 20 from the direction along the wall surface of the inner wall 19 of the fitting cylinder portion 18. The shape of the stepped portion 34 is formed following the shape of the opening 20. In addition, the shape of the stepped portion 34 is set to be approximately the same size as the opening edge of the opening 20 or slightly smaller.

  The upper surface of the back wall 19 of the fitting cylinder portion 18 and the upper surface of the holding member 22 in the region located in the opening 20 are set to be substantially flush with each other. Thereby, when the other party connector is fitted in the fitting cylinder part 18, it can suppress that the other party connector rattles.

  Then, an example of the assembly | attachment process of this embodiment is demonstrated. First, the bus bar 31 having a predetermined shape is formed by press-molding a metal plate material. Subsequently, the bus bar 31 is placed on a mold (not shown), and the holding member 22 is insert-molded (see FIG. 2).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3, the pin 23 and the tuning fork terminal 25 are press-fitted into the through hole 24 of the holding member 22. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4, the holding member 22 is assembled at the normal position from above the circuit board 11. At this time, the pin 23 and the second end 30 of the tuning fork terminal 25 are inserted into the through hole 27 of the circuit board 11.

  At this time, positioning pins 23 (not shown) that hang downward (in the direction of the circuit board 11) are formed on the lower surface of the holding member 22 in FIG. 4, and the circuit board 11 corresponds to the positioning pins 23. A positioning hole (not shown) may be formed at the position. The positioning pin 23 is inserted into the positioning hole, whereby the holding member 22 and the circuit board 11 can be positioned in the direction along the plate surface of the circuit board 11. Further, after the circuit board 11 and the holding member 22 are arranged at the regular positions, both may be screwed together.

  Subsequently, the pin 23 and the second end 30 of the tuning fork terminal 25 and the conductive path of the circuit board 11 are connected by solder 28. The soldering process can be performed by a known method such as flow soldering. After the soldering is completed, the soldering portion between the second end portion 30 of the pin 23 and the conductive path of the circuit board 11 is visually confirmed from the confirmation window 33 to confirm the quality of the soldering.

  Subsequently, the circuit board 11 and the holding member 22 are placed on the upper surface of the rib 15 formed on the bottom surface of the lower case 13. Thereafter, the upper case 14 is assembled from above the lower case 13. Then, the lock receiving portion 17 comes into contact with the lock portion 16 from above. When the upper case 14 is further pushed down, the lock receiving portion 17 is elastically deformed and then restored, and the lock receiving portion 17 and the lock portion 16 are elastically engaged. Thereby, the upper case 14 is restricted from moving upward, and the upper case 14 and the lower case 13 are assembled together. Thereby, the electrical junction box 10 is completed.

  Then, the effect | action and effect of this embodiment are demonstrated. According to the present embodiment, the opening edge of the opening 20 and the stepped portion 34 are engaged from the direction along the wall surface of the back wall 19 of the fitting cylinder portion 18. Thereby, the holding member 22 is positioned with respect to the case 12 with respect to the direction along the wall surface of the back wall 19 of the fitting cylinder part 18. As a result, the assembly accuracy of the pin 23 held by the holding member 22 with respect to the case 12 can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the case 12 and the holding member 22 can be positioned with a simple configuration of the step portion 34.

  Further, when one pin 23 is held by one holding member 22, the holding member 22 is required for each pin 23, which increases the number of parts and increases the cost. According to the present embodiment, since the plurality of pins 23 are held by the holding member 22, the number of parts can be reduced. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be increased.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, there is no need to separately provide a member for holding the bus bar 31, so that the number of parts can be reduced. Furthermore, since there is only one mold for molding the member for holding the pin 23 and one for molding the member for holding the bus bar 31, the investment can be greatly reduced. Can do.

  According to the present embodiment, since the holding member 22 is formed by insert molding the bus bar 31, no space is formed between the bus bar 31 and the holding member 22. As a result, heat generated from the bus bar 31 by energizing the bus bar 31 is quickly transmitted from the bus bar 31 to the holding member 22. As a result, it is possible to suppress the bus bar 31 from locally becoming high temperature.

  Further, when the linear expansion coefficient of the material constituting the circuit board 11 and the linear expansion coefficient of the material constituting the holding member 22 are greatly different, the heat of the external environment or the heat generated from the components mounted on the electrical junction box 10 is obtained. Thus, the circuit board 11 and the holding member 22 expand and contract with different dimensions. Then, there is a concern that stress is generated at a connection portion between the pin 23 and the tuning fork terminal 25 held by the holding member 22 and the circuit board 11 and a crack is generated in some cases. As a result, there is a concern that the connection reliability between the pin 23 and the tuning fork terminal 25 and the circuit board 11 is lowered.

  In this configuration, since the linear expansion coefficient of the material constituting the holding member 22 is substantially the same as the linear expansion coefficient of the material constituting the circuit board 11, the circuit board 11 and the holding member 22 have substantially the same dimensions due to temperature changes. It expands and contracts with. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of stress at the connection portion between the circuit board 11 and the pin 23 and the tuning fork terminal 25.

  According to the present embodiment, by visually recognizing from the confirmation window 33, the soldered portion between the pin 23 and the circuit board 11 can be easily confirmed. This eliminates the need for a separate inspection as to whether or not the connection between the pin 23 and the circuit board 11 is ensured, thereby reducing the inspection process.

  According to the present embodiment, the circuit board 11 is placed on the rib 15 formed on the bottom wall of the lower case 13. As a result, even if a force is transmitted to the circuit board 11 via the pin 23 or the tuning fork terminal 25 when the mating connector, relay, or fuse is mounted in the fitting cylinder portion 18, this force is applied to the rib 15. Therefore, the deformation of the circuit board 11 can be suppressed.

<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) In the present embodiment, the holding member 22 is configured to hold the plurality of pins 23. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and the holding member 22 may be configured to hold one pin 23.
(2) In the present embodiment, the bus bar 31 is disposed on the holding member 22, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the bus bar 31 is disposed on an insulating substrate separate from the holding member 22. It is good also as a structure.
(3) In the present embodiment, the bus bar 31 is insert-molded into the holding member 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the resin formed in the holding member 22 in the through hole 24 formed in the bus bar 31. The bus bar 31 may be disposed on the holding member 22 by inserting the pin 23 and heating and deforming the tip of the resin pin 23.
(4) In this embodiment, the holding member 22 is configured to form the confirmation window 33. However, when a means for confirming the connection between the terminal fitting and the circuit board 11 is provided, the confirmation window 33 is It may be omitted. In this embodiment, the confirmation window 33 is formed in the vicinity of the connection portion between the pin 23 and the circuit board 11, but is formed in the vicinity of the connection portion between the tuning fork terminal 25 and the circuit board 11. It is good also as a structure.
(5) In this embodiment, the circuit board 11 and the holding member 22 are made of a material having substantially the same linear expansion coefficient, but the circuit board 11 and the holding member 22 have different linear expansion coefficients. You may be comprised from material. Further, the circuit board 11, the holding member 22, and the case 12 may be configured to have substantially the same linear expansion coefficient.
(6) In the present embodiment, the first end portion 26 of the terminal fitting and the conductive path of the circuit board 11 are connected by soldering. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first end of the terminal fitting is not limited thereto. The part 26 and the conductive path of the circuit board 11 can be connected by any means as required, such as press-fit or press-fitting.
(7) In the present embodiment, the escape recess 29 is provided in the vicinity of the area where the pin 23 is press-fitted in the lower surface of the holding member 22. It is good also as a structure provided in the vicinity of the area | region where the tuning fork terminal 25 was press-fitted among the lower surfaces of 22. FIG.

Sectional drawing of the electrical junction box which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing which shows the holding member of the state which carried out insert molding of the bus bar Sectional drawing which shows the state which pin-fitted the pin and the tuning fork terminal to the holding member Sectional view showing a state where pins and tuning fork terminals are soldered to a circuit board

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Electrical junction box 11 ... Circuit board 12 ... Case 13 ... Lower case (case)
14 ... Upper case (case)
18 ... Fitting cylinder part 20 ... Opening part 23 ... Pin (terminal fitting)
26 ... 1st end part 30 ... 2nd end part 31 ... Bus bar 33 ... Confirmation window 34 ... Step part (engagement part)

Claims (7)

A case, a circuit board housed in the case and having a conductive path, a fitting cylinder provided in the case and fitable with a mating connector, and a back wall of the fitting cylinder A second end portion that has an opening communicating with the inside and the outside of the case and a first end connected to the conductive path of the circuit board and is disposed in the fitting tube portion through the opening. A terminal metal fitting, an insulating holding member that holds the terminal metal fitting and at least a part of which is disposed in the opening, and an engagement that is provided on the holding member and engages with an opening edge of the opening. And an electrical junction box. The electricity according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is a step portion formed between a region of the holding member disposed in the opening and a region different from the region disposed in the opening. Connection box. The electrical junction box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the holding member holds a plurality of the terminal fittings. The electrical junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a bus bar is disposed on the holding member. The electrical connection box according to claim 4, wherein the holding member is formed by insert molding the bus bar with a synthetic resin material. The electrical junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a linear expansion coefficient of the holding member is substantially the same as a linear expansion coefficient of the circuit board. The holding member is formed in the vicinity of a connection portion between the terminal fitting and the conductive path, and a confirmation window is opened at a position where the connection portion between the terminal fitting and the conductive path is visible. The electrical junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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