JP2014023322A - Electric connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connection box of a new structure capable of surely improving waterproofness at an electric wire drawing opening of a divided body structure divided into two in the vertical direction.SOLUTION: The electric connection box is configured with the electric wire drawing opening 36 in a cylindrical shape by overlapping circumferential both end faces 42a, 42b of an upper divided body 28 and circumferential both end faces 38a, 38b of a lower divided body 30 in the vertical direction, while a pair of side waterproof walls 44a, 44b are protruded which extends downward from the circumferential both end faces 42a, 42b on the outer peripheral surface of the upper divided body 28 and a pair of front waterproof walls 46a, 46b are protruded which extends over both upper and lower sides of the circumferential both end faces 42a, 42b on a protruded end face 45 of the upper divided body.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric connection box mounted on an automobile or the like, and more particularly to an electric connection box provided with an electric wire outlet from which an electric wire bundle is inserted and taken out from the inside of the electric connection box.

  Conventionally, an electrical junction box mounted on an automobile contains an electrical circuit composed of electrical parts such as fuses and relays and current-carrying members such as bus bars. Electric wire is connected. These electric wires are taken out through the electric wire outlet projecting on the outer surface of the case of the electric junction box.

  By the way, the electric wire outlet in the electric junction box is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and protruding outward with a predetermined length for the purpose of preventing the entry of water or the like from the outside and bundling and holding the electric wires to be taken out. There are many cases. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 of JP 2011-15467 A (Patent Document 1). Such an electric wire outlet includes a substantially semi-cylindrical divided body projecting from one case of the electrical junction box and a substantially semi-cylindrical divided body projecting from the other case between end faces in the circumferential direction. They are configured in a substantially cylindrical shape by overlapping each other, and when assembling one case and the other case, a bundle of wires (wire harness) is easily inserted into the wire outlet. It can be taken out to the outside.

  However, in such an electrical junction box having a conventional structure, since the wire outlet is divided into two parts in the vertical direction, the outer peripheral surface of the wire outlet has a contact between the divided parts. While the dividing line extending in the axial direction formed between the contact surfaces is exposed, the dividing line extending in the radial direction formed by the space between the contacting surfaces of the divided bodies is also exposed on the protruding tip surface of the wire outlet. Has been. Therefore, depending on the part where the electrical junction box is installed, there is a possibility that water may enter from the dividing line.

  In addition, a very small gap is formed between the contact surfaces of the divided bodies forming the dividing line, and water that has entered the dividing line moves quickly to the proximal end side of the wire outlet due to capillary action. There was also a risk that it would easily enter the inside of the electrical junction box.

JP 2011-15467 A

  The present invention has been made in the background of the above-mentioned circumstances, and the problem to be solved is to reliably improve the waterproofness at the electric wire outlet of the divided body structure divided into two in the vertical direction. An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box having a novel structure.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, an electric circuit is housed in a case, and a bundle of a plurality of electric wires connected to the electric circuit is provided in a cylindrical shape on the outer surface of the case. In the electrical junction box adapted to be taken out to the outside through the wire, the wire outlet is composed of an upper divided body and a lower divided body divided in two in the vertical direction, and the upper divided The cylindrical electric wire outlet is configured by overlapping both ends in the circumferential direction of the body and both ends in the circumferential direction of the lower divided body in the vertical direction. On the outer peripheral surface, a pair of side waterproof walls projecting downward beyond both circumferential end surfaces protrudes, while on the projecting tip surface of the upper divided body, both circumferential end surfaces A pair of front waterproof walls that extend across the top and bottom sides of the It is characterized.

  According to this aspect, the dividing line formed between the overlapping surfaces of the circumferential end surfaces of the upper divided body and the lower divided body is formed on the outer peripheral surface side of the wire outlet from the outside by the pair of side waterproof walls. On the other hand, on the protruding front end side of the wire outlet, it is covered from the outside by a pair of front waterproof walls. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water from entering from the dividing line, which has been a problem in the past, and to reliably improve the waterproofness of the wire outlet.

  Further, since the side waterproof wall and the front waterproof wall are provided in the upper divided body and are formed to extend toward the lower divided body side, water drops and the like flowing down from above can be separated from the dividing line. Without touching the surface, it can be quickly guided downward along the surfaces of the side waterproof wall and the front waterproof wall. Further, the extension of the side waterproof wall and the front waterproof wall toward the lower divided body side advantageously prevents water from entering from the lower side until reaching the dividing line.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the one described in the first aspect, the pair of front waterproof walls are formed to have a size capable of covering the entire length in the width direction of the circumferential end faces. Each side waterproof wall extends over the entire length of the upper divided body in the axial direction, and the side edge of each side waterproof wall is integrally connected to the case, An end edge portion of the side waterproof wall on the protruding front end surface side is integrally connected to each of the front waterproof walls.

  According to this aspect, the dividing line formed on the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire outlet is covered with the lateral waterproof wall over the entire length, and the dividing line formed on the protruding tip surface of the electric wire outlet is on the entire length. It will be covered with a front waterproof wall. Thereby, the waterproofness of an electric wire outlet can be ensured more reliably. In addition, since both end edges in the extending direction of the side waterproof wall are integrally connected to the case and the front waterproof wall, the rigidity of the waterproof wall and the entire upper mold divided body can be improved. Therefore, deformation or breakage of the upper divided body due to the external force from the bundle of wires inserted through the wire outlet can be prevented beforehand.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the one described in the first or second aspect, the lower divided body is provided with a pair of reinforcing wall portions extending downward from both circumferential end surfaces. In a state where the upper divided body and the lower divided body are overlapped in the vertical direction, the pair of side waterproof walls of the upper divided body overlap from the outside with respect to the outer surfaces of the pair of reinforcing wall portions. It is what has been.

  According to this aspect, in the assembled state in which the upper divided body and the lower divided body are overlapped in the vertical direction, the pair of side waterproof walls and the pair of reinforcing wall portions are overlapped to reach the dividing line. The route is covered more stably, and the waterproofness can be further improved. Further, even if the upper divided body and the lower divided body are deformed in a direction away from each other due to an external force applied to the case, the deformation is prevented by the overlap of the side waterproof wall and the reinforcing wall portion, and the axial dividing line is also provided. Can be advantageously prevented from being exposed to the outside.

  In the present invention, the dividing line formed between the overlapping surfaces of the circumferential end surfaces of the upper divided body and the lower divided body is covered from the outside by the side waterproof wall and the front waterproof wall provided in the upper divided body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water from entering from the dividing line and improve the waterproofness of the wire outlet.

The perspective view of the electrical-connection box as one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 1. The principal part front view of the lower case of the electrical-connection box shown in FIG. The principal part top view of the lower case of the electrical-connection box shown in FIG. The principal part front view of the upper case of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. The principal part bottom view of the upper case of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. The front view of the electrical-connection box shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing of the principal part of the VIII-VIII cross section of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the principal part of the IX-IX cross section of FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an electrical junction box 10 as an embodiment of the present invention. The electrical junction box 10 includes an upper case 14 and a lower case 16 that constitute the case 12. The upper case 14 and the lower case 16 are assembled to each other with the corrugated tube 20 inserted into the wire harness 18 as a bundle of electric wires sandwiched therebetween, whereby the wire harness 18 and the corrugated tube 20 are connected to an electric wire outlet 36 described later. Is inserted into the outside of the case 12. The extrapolation of the corrugated tube 20 to the wire harness 18 is not essential, and the present invention can be applied to a form in which the wire harness 18 is directly taken out of the case 12.

  The upper case 14 and the lower case 16 are made of synthetic resin and have a box shape that opens toward the other side. A plurality of bus bar accommodating portions 22 are formed in the lower case 16, and an electric circuit in the case 12 is configured by accommodating bus bars (not shown) in the bus bar accommodating portions 22. And the wire harness 18 is connected to these bus bars. Of course, a printed circuit board or the like can be used as the electric circuit accommodated in the electric junction box 10. The upper case 14 and the lower case 16 are engaged with each other by engaging locking claws 24 provided at a plurality of positions of the upper case 14 by being inserted into engagement frames 26 provided at corresponding positions of the lower case 16. Can be assembled to.

  The upper case 14 and the lower case 16 are each provided with an upper divided body 28 and a lower divided body 30. The upper divided body 28 has a semi-cylindrical shape protruding from the side wall of the upper case 14 and is integrally formed with the upper case 14. Similarly, the lower divided body 30 has a semi-cylindrical shape protruding from the side wall of the lower case 16, and is integrally formed with the lower case 16. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, two ribs 34 are formed at the projecting tip portions of the upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30, respectively. These ribs 34 have the same shape as each other, protrude from the inner peripheral surfaces of the upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30 inward in the radial direction, and each of the upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30. It extends over the entire length in the circumferential direction.

  The upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30 are formed by assembling the upper case 14 and the lower case 16 to each other so that both the circumferential end faces 42a and 42b of the upper divided body 28 and the circumferential end faces 38a and 38b of the lower divided body 30 are obtained. Are brought into contact with each other and combined. Thereby, the cylindrical electric wire outlet 36 which consists of the upper division body 28 and the lower division body 30 divided | segmented into two by the up-down direction is formed. And the rib 34 provided in the upper division body 28 and the lower division body 30 is contact | abutted by the outer peripheral surface of the corrugated tube 20 inserted by the wire harness 18 penetrated by the electric wire outlet 36, and it is an electric wire. The water stoppage at the opening of the take-out port 36 is ensured.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower divided body 30 is integrally provided with a pair of reinforcing wall portions 40 a and 40 b that extend downward just below the circumferential end surfaces 38 a and 38 b. The reinforcing wall portions 40a and 40b have a substantially rectangular flat plate shape in a side view (see FIG. 2), and extend over the entire length of the lower divided body 30 in the axial direction. The side edge portions on the lower case 16 side of the reinforcing wall portions 40 a and 40 b are integrally connected to the side wall of the lower case 16, while the side edge portion on the protruding tip surface 41 side of the lower divided body 30 is the lower divided body 30. It is flush with the protruding tip surface 41 of the. By such reinforcing wall portions 40a and 40b, the shape stability and rigidity of the lower divided body 30 are improved.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, on the outer peripheral surface of the upper divided body 28, it goes toward the lower case 16 side that is lower (lower side in FIG. 5) beyond the circumferential end surfaces 42 a and 42 b. A pair of side waterproof walls 44a and 44b extending in a projecting manner are integrally provided. The side waterproof walls 44a and 44b have a substantially rectangular flat plate shape in a side view (see FIG. 2), and extend over the entire length of the upper divided body 28 in the axial direction. The side edge portions of the side waterproof walls 44a and 44b on the upper case 14 side are integrally connected to the side wall of the upper case 14, while the side edge portion on the protruding tip surface 45 side of the upper divided body 28 is It is flush with the protruding front end surface 45 of the divided body 28 (see FIG. 6).

  Moreover, on the protrusion front end surface 45 of the upper divided body 28, a pair of front waterproof walls that extend across both upper and lower sides (upper and lower sides in FIG. 5) sandwiching the circumferential end surfaces 42a and 42b therebetween. 46a and 46b are projected. The front waterproof walls 46a, 46b have a substantially rectangular flat plate shape that is long in the vertical direction when viewed from the front, and the upper end surfaces thereof are positioned above the circumferential end surfaces 42a, 42b of the upper divided body 28, The lower end surface is positioned below the circumferential end surfaces 42a and 42b and at the middle portion in the vertical direction of the side waterproof walls 44a and 44b. Furthermore, the width dimension of the front waterproof walls 46a, 46b is set to a size that can cover the entire length in the width direction of the circumferential end faces 42a, 42b. In the present embodiment, the width dimension of the circumferential end faces 42a, 42b The lateral waterproof walls 44a and 44b are formed to have a width dimension over the entire length in the width direction (see FIG. 6).

  Then, a pair of front waterproof walls in which the side edge portions of the pair of side waterproof walls 44a and 44b located on the protruding tip surface 45 side of the upper divided body 28 protrude on the protruding tip surface 45 of the upper divided body 28. 46a and 46b are integrally connected to each other. As described above, the upper divided body 28 is configured such that the lateral waterproof walls 44a and 44b and the front waterproof walls 46a and 46b are mutually connected in such a manner that the outer edges of the circumferential end surfaces 42a and 42b of the upper divided body 28 are covered from the outside. It is connected and protruded integrally.

  Further, the upper divided body 28 is also integrally provided with a pair of reinforcing ribs 48a and 48b that are positioned immediately above the circumferential end faces 42a and 42b and extend upward (upward in FIG. 5). The reinforcing ribs 48a and 48b have a substantially rectangular flat plate shape when viewed from the side (see FIG. 2), and extend over the entire length of the upper divided body 28 in the axial direction. The side edges of the reinforcing ribs 48a and 48b on the upper case 14 side are integrally connected to the side wall of the upper case 14, while the side edges of the upper divided body 28 on the protruding tip surface 45 side are connected to the upper divided body. 28 is flush with the protruding front end surface 45. As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of reinforcing ribs 48 a and 48 b positioned immediately above the circumferential end faces 42 a and 42 b of the upper divided body 28 and a pair of sides projecting on the outer peripheral surface of the upper divided body 28. Stepped surfaces 50a and 50b are formed between the waterproof walls 44a and 44b.

  Then, the upper case 14 and the lower case 16 each having the upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30 having such a structure are assembled to each other so as to project in a cylindrical shape on the outer surface of the case 12 shown in FIGS. A cylindrical wire outlet 36 is formed. Here, when the upper case 14 and the lower case 16 are assembled, first, the inner surfaces of the lower end portions of the side waterproof walls 44a and 44b of the upper divided body 28 are formed on the reinforcing wall portions 40a and 40b of the lower divided body 30. It is inserted and overlapped with the outer surface of the upper end, and finally pushed in until the circumferential end surfaces 42a and 42b of the upper divided body 28 come into contact with the circumferential end surfaces 38a and 38b of the lower divided body 30. At this time, the engaging claw 24 of the upper case 14 is inserted into and engaged with the engaging frame 26 of the lower case 16 so that the upper case 14 and the lower case 16 are held in the assembled state, and the upper divided body. 28 and the lower divided body 30 are held in a state where the circumferential end faces 42a, 42b, 38a, 38b are overlapped in the vertical direction to form a cylindrical wire outlet 36.

  According to the electrical junction box 10 of the present embodiment having the above-described structure, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, both circumferential end surfaces 42 a, 42 b, 42 a, 42 b of the upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30 are arranged. A dividing line formed between the overlapping surfaces of 38a and 38b is covered from the outside by a pair of front waterproof walls 46a and 46b on the protruding front end side of the wire outlet 36. Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, on the outer peripheral surface side of the wire outlet 36, the overlapping surfaces of the circumferential end surfaces 42 a, 42 b, 38 a, 38 b of the upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30. A dividing line formed therebetween is covered from the outside by a pair of side waterproof walls 44a and 44b. Thereby, it is possible to prevent water from entering the dividing line, which has been a problem in the past, and to reliably improve the waterproofness of the electric wire outlet 36.

  Further, the side waterproof walls 44a and 44b and the front waterproof walls 46a and 46b are integrally provided on the upper divided body 28 and are formed so as to extend toward the lower divided body 30 side. The water droplets flowing down from the upper side can be guided to the lower part of the side waterproof wall and the front waterproof wall quickly while advantageously preventing contact with the split line or flowing into the split line side. it can.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the outer circumferential surface of the electric wire outlet 36 is formed between the circumferential contact surfaces 42a and 42b of the upper divided body 28 and the vertical contact surfaces of the circumferential both end surfaces 38a and 38b of the lower divided body 30. Each of the dividing line exposed on the surface and the dividing line exposed on the protruding tip surface of the wire outlet 36 is covered from the outside over the entire length thereof, and the side waterproof walls 44a, 44b The front waterproof walls 46a and 46b are integrally projected on the upper divided body 28. Thereby, the waterproofness of the electric wire outlet 36 can be ensured more reliably.

  In addition, both side edges of the side waterproof walls 44a and 44b are integrally connected to the upper case 14 and the front waterproof walls 46a and 46b, so that the side waterproof walls 44a and 44b, the front waterproof walls 46a and 46b, Furthermore, the rigidity and shape stability of the entire upper divided body 28 can be improved. Thereby, the deformation | transformation and damage of the electric wire outlet 36 by the external force applied from the wire harness 18, and the accompanying waterproof fall are prevented advantageously. In addition, since the upper divided body 28 is connected to and supported by the upper case 14 via the reinforcing ribs 48a and 48b, the rigidity and shape stability of the upper divided body 28 are further ensured.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a pair of side waterproofing provided in the upper divided body 28 with respect to the outer surfaces of the pair of reinforcing wall portions 40a and 40b provided in the lower divided body 30. The walls 44a and 44b are overlapped from the outside with a predetermined overlap margin. Thus, the dividing line formed between the upper and lower circumferential contact surfaces 42a and 42b of the upper divided body 28 and the upper and lower circumferential contact surfaces 38a and 38b of the lower divided body 30 can be covered more reliably. The route to the line is set long enough. Therefore, even if the upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30 are deformed in a direction away from each other by an external force applied to the case 12, the deformation is prevented by the overlap of the side waterproof walls 44a and 44b and the reinforcing wall portions 40a and 40b. In addition, it is possible to more advantageously prevent the division line from being exposed to the outside due to the deformation. In order to advantageously obtain such an effect, the vertical overlap margin (vertical length shown in FIG. 9) of the pair of reinforcing wall portions 40a, 40b and the pair of side waterproof walls 44a, 44b is as follows. It is desirable that the radius is set to 0.5 times or more, preferably 0.8 times or more of the radius of the wire outlet 36.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited by the specific description. For example, the wire outlet 36 may be any one that protrudes in a cylindrical shape on the outer surface of the case 12, and other than the cylindrical shape illustrated in the above embodiment, a rectangular cylindrical shape, an elliptical cylindrical shape, a polygonal shape, etc. Any shape such as a cylindrical shape in cross section can be adopted.

  Furthermore, the upper divided body 28 and the lower divided body 30 are not limited to the half-divided shape of the wire outlet 36 as described in the present embodiment, and either one is a divided body having a larger area than the other. Also good.

10: Electric junction box, 12: Case, 14: Upper case (case), 16: Lower case (case), 18: Wire harness (bundle of electric wires), 28: Upper divided body, 30: Lower divided body, 36: Electric wire Take-out port, 38a, b: circumferential end surfaces, 40a, b: reinforcing wall portions, 41: protruding tip surfaces, 42a, b: circumferential end surfaces, 44a, b: side waterproof walls, 45: protruding tip surfaces, 46a, b: Front waterproof wall

Claims (3)

An electric circuit is housed in the case, and a bundle of a plurality of electric wires connected to the electric circuit is taken out through an electric wire outlet formed in a cylindrical shape on the outer surface of the case. In the electrical junction box
The wire outlet is composed of an upper divided body and a lower divided body that are divided into two in the vertical direction, and both circumferential end surfaces of the upper divided body and circumferential end surfaces of the lower divided body are The cylindrical wire outlet is configured by being overlapped in the vertical direction,
On the outer peripheral surface of the upper divided body, a pair of lateral waterproof walls projecting downward beyond both circumferential end faces are provided,
An electrical junction box, wherein a pair of front waterproof walls are provided on the protruding front end surface of the upper divided body so as to extend across both upper and lower sides of the circumferential end surfaces.   The pair of front waterproof walls are formed with a size that can cover the entire length in the width direction of the protruding tip surface, while the pair of side waterproof walls extend over the entire axial length of the upper divided body. The side edge of each side waterproof wall is integrally connected to the case, while the end edge of each side waterproof wall on the protruding front end side is connected to each front waterproof wall. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, which is integrally connected.   The lower divided body is provided with a pair of reinforcing wall portions extending downward from both circumferential end surfaces, and the pair of the upper divided body and the lower divided body are overlapped in the vertical direction. The electrical junction box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pair of side waterproof walls of the upper divided body are overlapped on the outer surface of the reinforcing wall portion from the outside.

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