JP2009277439A - Electrical connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrical connection box for connecting an external connector of an external inspector to an inspection connector without detaching an upper cover from an under cover, and for attaining good waterproof property. <P>SOLUTION: An electrical connection box 10 includes a cylindrical portion 17 surrounding an insertion hole 16 in an upper cover 12, a male screw 21 provided to the cylindrical portion 17, a cap 18 having a lid 19 and a cover 20, a female screw 22 provided to the cover 20, and a connecting member 23 having a ring 24 and a connecting portion 25 which are rotatable in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 17. The material of the cap 18 is more flexible than the material of the cylindrical portion 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical junction box disposed in an engine room of an automobile, and more particularly to an electrical junction box that accommodates an inspection connector for connecting with an external connector of an external inspection device after the assembly or repair of the automobile. It is about.

  An electrical junction box 50 shown in FIG. 5 includes an outer case 53 including an under cover 51 that houses various components (not shown) and an upper cover 52 that covers the upper surface opening of the under cover 51 and prevents water from entering the interior. It is arranged in the engine room of a car.

Conventionally, an inspection connector is arranged in the engine room. The inspection connector is waterproofed with a special waterproof cap, and the waterproof cap is removed to check whether various electronic components placed in various parts of the vehicle function properly after assembly and repair of the car. To the external connector of the external inspection equipment.
Since this inspection connector is used less frequently, the priority of placing the inspection connector at a location with good workability in the engine room is low.
Therefore, the conventional inspection connector has a problem that it is difficult to perform the inspection work because it is often arranged at a place where the workability in the engine room is poor.

For such a problem, as shown in FIG. 5, an electrical junction box 50 in which an inspection connector is accommodated in an outer case 53 can be considered.
In such an electrical connection box, after the upper cover 52 is removed from the under cover 51, the external connector 55 of the external inspection device is connected to the inspection connector 54.

However, the electrical connection box 50 requires a place for the removed upper cover 52 to be placed in the engine room when performing an inspection using the inspection connector 54, and the removed upper cover 52 is damaged. May occur.
In the electrical junction box 50, after the inspection using the inspection connector 54 is completed, the operator forgets to attach the upper cover 52 to the under cover 51, or the operator uppers the under cover 51. There is a possibility that the cover 52 is fixed incompletely, and there is a possibility that the wetness may be impaired.

In order to solve such a problem, an electrical connection box is conceivable in which an insertion hole is provided in the upper cover and the insertion hole is covered with a lid so that the external connector of the external inspection device can be connected to the inspection connector accommodated inside. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
According to such an electrical junction box, since the lid is connected to the upper cover, when the insertion hole is opened, it is not necessary to consider a place where the lid is temporarily placed. There is no risk of scratches or loss due to dropping them.

Further, according to this electrical junction box, when the insertion hole is opened, the lid is always arranged in the vicinity of the upper case, so that the operator forgets to close the cap after the inspection by the external inspection device is completed. The possibility can be lowered compared to the conventional case.
JP 2004-134278 A (FIG. 1)

  By the way, in recent years, the demand for the waterproofness of the electrical junction box with respect to liquids such as water from above is increasing, and a new proposal is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to connect an external connector of an external inspection device to an inspection connector without removing the upper cover from the under cover, and to obtain a good waterproof property. Is to provide an electrical junction box.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the electrical junction box according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1).
(1) Electricity having an outer case including an under cover and an upper cover that closes an upper surface opening of the under cover, and an inspection connector that is accommodated in the outer case and can be connected to an external connector of an external inspection device A connection box, which is provided at a position where the inspection connector is exposed on the upper cover, through which the external connector can be inserted, a cylindrical portion surrounding the insertion hole, and an outer periphery of the cylindrical portion A cap provided with a male screw provided on a surface, a lid that covers the tip of the cylindrical part, and a cylindrical cover that is connected to the lid and covers the outer surface of the cylindrical part; A female screw that is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the portion and can be screwed into the male screw, a ring that is disposed outside the cylindrical portion and is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion, the ring and the cap And a connecting member having a connecting portion for connecting the cap, and the material of the cap is softer than the material of the cylindrical portion.

  Here, the insertion hole is not limited to the position directly above the inspection connector in the upper cover. For example, when the inspection connector is obliquely oriented inside the exterior case, the external connector is connected to the inspection connector. What is necessary is just to form on the axis line of the connector for an inspection so that it can connect. In this case, the insertion hole does not become a position directly above the inspection connector in the upper cover. Further, the opening shape of the insertion hole is arbitrary as long as the external connector can be inserted.

  The cylindrical portion may be erected so that the inner peripheral surface thereof is continuous with the opening edge of the insertion hole, or may be erected on the surface of the upper cover so as to surround the insertion hole.

  The ring may have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion, and the connecting portion may be formed in a band shape or a rod shape, for example.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the electrical junction box according to the present invention is characterized by the following (2).
(2) Electricity having an outer case including an under cover and an upper cover that closes an upper surface opening of the under cover, and an inspection connector that is housed in the outer case and can be connected to an external connector of an external inspection device A connection box, provided at a position where the inspection connector is exposed at an upper portion of the upper cover, an insertion hole through which the external connector can be inserted, a cylindrical portion surrounding the insertion hole, and a tip of the cylindrical portion A cap that includes a cover that covers the outer surface of the cylindrical portion and is connected to the lid, and is elastic to the inner surface of the cylindrical portion provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion A first protrusion that can be deformed and brought into close contact; a second protrusion that is provided on the inner surface of the covering portion and can be elastically deformed and brought into close contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical portion; and the upper case and the cap In A connecting member having a molded connection portion, and when the cap is attached, the first protrusion and the second protrusion get over each other along the axial direction of the tube portion.

  Here, as a cylinder part and a coating | coated part, regardless of the opening shape of an insertion hole, any of cylindrical shape and a rectangular tube shape may be sufficient.

According to the electrical junction box having the configuration (1), since the insertion hole provided in the upper cover is surrounded by the wall portion, water dripped onto the upper surface of the upper case from above may be immersed in the insertion hole. Therefore, the waterproof property can be improved as compared with the conventional case.
Furthermore, according to the electrical junction box having the configuration of (1), since the connecting member includes the ring that is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion is used to fix the cap to the cylindrical portion. However, even if the cap is rotated with respect to the shaft, the ring follows the cap and rotates, thereby preventing the connection portion from being twisted.

According to the electrical junction box having the configuration (1), the cap fixed to the cylindrical portion is softer than the cylindrical portion, and therefore the lid portion is attached to the end surface of the cylindrical portion by screwing of the male screw and the female screw. Adhering while deforming, this makes it easy to obtain good waterproofness.
In the electrical connection box having the configuration (1), if the male screw or the male screw is a tapered screw, the flank surface of the male screw and the flank surface of the female screw are brought into close contact with the screwing of the male screw and the female screw. Water resistance is easily obtained.

According to the electrical junction box having the configuration (2), since the insertion hole provided in the upper cover is surrounded by the wall portion, water dripped onto the upper surface of the upper case from above may be immersed in the insertion hole. Therefore, the waterproof property can be improved as compared with the conventional case.
In addition, according to the electrical junction box having the configuration of (2), since the cap is formed integrally with the upper case via the connecting member, the number of parts is reduced as compared with the case where the cap is molded separately. it can.

And according to the electrical junction box of the structure of said (2), the 1st protrusion part which can be elastically deformed and closely_contact | adhered with respect to the inner surface of a coating | coated part, and the outer surface of a cylinder part can be elastically deformed and closely_contact | adhered Since it has a 2nd protrusion, between a cylinder part and a coating | coated part will be water-stopped twice, and, thereby, favorable waterproofness is acquired.
Furthermore, according to the electrical junction box having the configuration of (2), the first protrusion of the tubular portion and the second protrusion of the covering portion get over each other when the cap is attached. Is securely fixed, so that waterproofness can be maintained.

  According to the electrical connection box of the present invention, it is possible to connect an external inspection device to the inspection connector without removing the upper cover from the under cover, and to obtain an excellent waterproof property.

(First embodiment)
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a main configuration of an electrical junction box according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a cap, and FIG. 3 is a state in which inspection is performed by an external inspection device with the cap open. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical junction box 10 includes an outer case 13 including an under cover 11 and an upper cover 12 that closes an upper surface opening of the under cover 11.
An inspection connector 14 is housed inside the outer case 13 together with other components not shown. The inspection connector 14 is used to confirm whether or not various electronic components arranged in various places on the vehicle body function normally, and is connected to an external connector 15 (see FIG. 3) of an external inspection device in use. The

The under cover 11 and the upper cover 12 are provided with concave and convex fitting portions 11A and 12A on the mating surfaces formed in an annular shape.
The outer case 13 is waterproofed between the under cover 11 and the upper cover 12 by fitting the concave and convex fitting portions 11A and 12A to each other.

The upper cover 12 is provided with an insertion hole 16 at a position where the inspection connector 14 is exposed on the upper plate 12B, that is, a position directly above the inspection connector 14. The insertion hole 16 has an opening shape and an opening dimension into which the external connector 15 of the external inspection device can be inserted, and is circular in the first embodiment.
Therefore, the external connector 15 of the external inspection device can be connected to the inspection connector 14 through the insertion hole 16 from the outside of the outer case 13.

  The upper cover 12 is provided with a cylindrical portion 17 at a position surrounding the insertion hole 16 in the upper plate 12B provided with the insertion hole. The cylindrical portion 17 is erected so that the inner peripheral surface thereof is continuous with the opening edge portion of the insertion hole 16, and a cap 18 is detachably attached to the tip.

The cap 18 includes a lid portion 19 that covers the tip of the cylindrical portion 17, and a covering portion 20 that is connected to the lid portion 19 and covers the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 17.
The lid portion 19 has a disk shape corresponding to the diameter of the cylindrical portion 17, and the covering portion 20 has a cylindrical shape. A male screw 21 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 17, and a female screw 22 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the covering portion 20. The male screw 22 has a larger diameter than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 21.
Accordingly, the cap 18 is fixed to the upper case 12 by screwing the female screw 22 of the covering portion 20 into the male screw 21 of the cylindrical portion 17.

As shown also in FIG. 2, such a cap 18 is connected to the upper case 12 by a connecting member 23.
The connecting member 23 includes a ring 24 disposed outside the cylindrical portion 17, and a connecting portion 25 that connects the ring 24 and the cap 18.

The ring 24 is smaller than the crest diameter of the male screw 21 and has an inner diameter that exceeds the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 17. Therefore, the ring 24 is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 17 and is not dropped from the cylindrical portion 17. The connecting portion 25 has a substantially band shape and can be bent in a substantially U shape.
Such a connecting member 23 is formed integrally with the cap 18.

  The cap 17 and the connecting member 23 are softer than the upper case 12.

  In the first embodiment as described above, when the insertion hole 16 of the upper case 12 is closed, as shown in FIG. 3, the cap 18 is oriented so that the back surface 19A of the lid portion 19 faces upward. Then, the ring 24 is covered on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 17, and the male screw 21 is allowed to pass through while slightly expanding the diameter of the ring 24 by elasticity, and then the upper plate 12 </ b> B of the upper case 12 is placed outside the cylindrical portion 17. Leave it on top.

Next, by curving the connection portion 25 of the connecting member 23 in a substantially U shape, the cap 18 is inverted so that the back surface 19A of the lid portion 19 faces the end surface of the cylindrical portion 17, and the cap 18 is pivoted clockwise. By rotating, the cap 18 is fixed to the upper case 12 by screwing the female screw 22 of the covering portion 20 into the male screw 21 of the cylindrical portion 17, and the insertion hole 16 is closed (state of FIG. 1).
At this time, since the ring 24 of the connecting member 23 is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 17, the ring 24 follows the cap 18 and rotates even if the cap 18 is axially rotated with respect to the cylindrical portion 17. As a result, there is no possibility that the connecting portion 25 is twisted.

  Since the cap 17 is softer than the upper case 12, the back surface 18 </ b> A of the lid portion 18 is brought into close contact with the end surface of the cylindrical portion 17 by the screwing of the male screw 21 and the female screw 22. Water resistance is obtained that closes and prevents water from entering the inside of the cylindrical portion 17.

Next, when opening the insertion hole 16 of the upper case 12, the cap 18 is removed from the cylindrical portion 17 by rotating the cap 18 counterclockwise.
At this time, since the cap 18 is connected to the upper case 12 by the connecting member 23, it is not necessary to consider a place where the cap 18 is temporarily placed, and further, the cap 18 is damaged by dropping into the engine room. Since the cap 18 is arranged in the vicinity of the upper case 12 without fear of being generated or lost, the possibility that the operator forgets to close the cap 18 after the inspection by the external inspection device is completed is compared with the conventional case. Can be lowered.

  In particular, in the first embodiment, since the inner diameter dimension of the ring 24 is smaller than the crest diameter of the male screw 21 and exceeds the outer diameter dimension of the cylindrical portion 17, the ring 24 rotates in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 17. It is movable and does not fall off easily from the cylindrical portion 17, considering the temporary placement of the cap 18, the risk of damage or loss due to dropping, and the risk of forgetting to close it after completion of work. it can.

  In the first embodiment described above, if one or both of the male screw 21 and the male screw 22 is a taper screw, the flank surface of the male screw 21 and the flank surface of the female screw 22 are engaged with the screwing of the male screw 21 and the female screw 22. And a good waterproof property can be easily obtained between the male screw 21 and the female screw 22.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the electrical junction box 30 of 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention is demonstrated based on FIG. In addition, in 2nd Embodiment demonstrated below, about the member similar to the electrical junction box 10 of 1st Embodiment mentioned above, the code | symbol same as the code | symbol used in 1st Embodiment is attached | subjected to drawing, and the description Will be omitted.

The electrical junction box 30 shown in FIG. 4 is provided with a first protrusion 41 on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 37 that is a cylindrical portion, and on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical covering portion 40 constituting the cap 33. Two protrusions 42 are provided.
The first projecting portion 41 is elastically deformable to be in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the covering portion 40, and the second projecting portion 42 is elastically deformable to be in close contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical portion.

When the cap 33 is attached to the cylindrical portion 37, one or both of the first protruding portion 41 and the second protruding portion 42 is deformed or contracted by deformation, or the diameter of the cylindrical portion 37 is reduced or deformed. 40, the first protrusion 41 and the second protrusion 42 get over each other along the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 37 and are engaged with each other, whereby the cap 33 is fixed to the cylindrical portion 37. .
Therefore, such an electrical junction box 40 is provided between the cylindrical portion 37 and the covering portion 40, between the first protruding portion 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the covering portion 40, and between the second protruding portion 42 and the cylindrical portion 37. The water is stopped in triplicate by three places between the outer peripheral surface of the first protrusion 41 and the surface of the first protrusion 41 and the surface of the second protrusion 42, and a better waterproof property is obtained. .

  Further, in the electrical connection box 40 of the second embodiment, the cap 37 is formed integrally with the upper case 32 via the connection portion 45 that is the connecting member 43, so that the cap is formed separately from the cap. The number of parts can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, in 2nd Embodiment mentioned above, although the cylindrical part 37 was illustrated as a cylinder part of this invention and the cylindrical coating | coated part 40 was illustrated corresponding to the cylindrical part 37, as a cylinder part and a coating | coated part in this invention, The cross-sectional shape is arbitrary, and it may be a cylindrical shape having a similar shape.

  Also, under cover, upper cover, exterior case, inspection connector, external connector, insertion hole, cylindrical part, cap, lid part, covering part, male screw, female screw, connecting member, ring, connection part, cylinder part, first protrusion The parts, the second protrusions, and the like are not limited to the shapes, forms, and the like shown in the first and second embodiments, and modifications and changes within the scope that can achieve the present invention are included in the present invention.

  According to the electrical connection box of the present invention, it is possible to connect an external inspection device to the inspection connector without removing the upper cover from the under cover, and to obtain an excellent waterproof property.

It is sectional drawing which shows the electrical-connection box of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the cap and connection member of 1st Embodiment. It is a sectional side view which shows the state which opened the insertion hole in 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the electrical-connection box of 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,40 Electrical connection box 11 Under cover 12, 42 Upper cover 13, 43 Outer case 14 Inspection connector 15 External connector 16, 46 Insertion hole 17 Cylindrical part 18 Cap 19 Lid part 20 Cover part 21 Male screw 22 Female screw 23 Connecting member 24 Ring 25 Connection part 37 Cylindrical part (cylinder part)
41 1st protrusion 42 2nd protrusion

Claims (2)

An outer case including an under cover and an upper cover that closes an upper surface opening of the under cover;
An electrical connection box housed in the exterior case and having an inspection connector connectable with an external connector of an external inspection device,
An insertion hole through which the external connector can be inserted, provided at a position at which the inspection connector is exposed on the upper cover;
A cylindrical portion surrounding the insertion hole;
A male screw provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion;
A cap provided with a lid that covers the tip of the cylindrical part, and a covering part that is connected to the lid and that is formed in a cylindrical shape that covers the outer surface of the cylindrical part;
A female screw provided on the inner peripheral surface of the covering portion and capable of being screwed into the male screw;
A connecting member that is disposed outside the cylindrical portion and includes a ring that is rotatable in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion; and a connecting portion that connects the ring and the cap;
Further comprising
The electrical junction box is characterized in that the material of the cap is softer than the material of the cylindrical portion. An outer case including an under cover and an upper cover that closes an upper surface opening of the under cover;
An electrical connection box housed in the exterior case and having an inspection connector connectable with an external connector of an external inspection device,
An insertion hole through which the external connector can be inserted, provided at a position at which the inspection connector is exposed on the upper cover;
A cylindrical portion surrounding the insertion hole;
A cap provided with a lid that covers the tip of the cylinder, and a cylindrical covering that is connected to the lid and covers the outer surface of the cylinder;
A first protrusion provided on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion and capable of elastically deforming and closely contacting the inner surface of the covering portion;
A second protrusion provided on the inner surface of the covering portion and elastically deformable and in close contact with the outer surface of the cylindrical portion;
A connecting member comprising a connecting portion formed integrally with the upper case and the cap;
Further comprising
The electrical junction box, wherein when the cap is attached, the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion get over each other along the axial direction of the cylindrical portion.

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