JP2014054034A - Electric connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connection box having a new structure which can secure waterproofness more highly.SOLUTION: In the electric connection box, an elastic sheet 12 is provided between a box body 14 in which electric component mounting sections 22, 26 are arranged and a lid member 16 to cover the box body 14, a fixed groove 28 to surround the electric component mounting sections 22, 26 is formed in the box body 14, an outer peripheral section 56 of the elastic sheet 12 is inserted in the fixed groove 28 and locked by a locking means 32, and the electric component mounting sections 22, 26 are covered with the elastic sheet 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical junction box mounted on an automobile or the like, and more particularly to an electrical junction box in which a lid member is assembled to a box body provided with an electrical component mounting portion.

  Conventionally, in an automobile or the like, an electric connection box such as a relay box or a fuse box is used for distributing electric power from a power source such as a battery to electric parts such as an electric circuit or a motor. Such an electrical junction box is provided in a box body provided with an electrical component mounting portion on which electrical components such as relays and fuses are mounted, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-288975 (Patent Document 1). The lid member is assembled and the electrical component mounting portion is covered with the lid member, so that waterproofness is ensured. In addition, in JP-A-2005-93602 (Patent Document 2), a seal member made of rubber or the like is disposed in a fitting portion between the box body and the lid member in order to ensure better waterproofness. An electrical junction box is disclosed.

  By the way, the lid member is fixed to the box body via a locking means. Therefore, if the locking means is not properly fitted, the lid member may come off from the box body, or a gap may be formed between the box body and the lid member, so that waterproofness may not be ensured. Even in the structure using the sealing member as described in Patent Document 2, the sealing member does not function effectively unless the locking means is properly fitted, and it is difficult to ensure waterproofness.

  In recent years, it has been studied to use an aluminum wire as an electric wire for the purpose of weight reduction. In such a so-called aluminum electric wire, the electric wire is made of aluminum, while the terminal is made of copper in order to ensure connectivity with an electrical component. Therefore, when the electric wire gets wet, there is a problem that corrosion is likely to occur at the connection portion between the electric wire and the terminal due to the difference in ionization tendency between aluminum and copper, and it is difficult to apply the electric connection box.

  In view of this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-70839 (Patent Document 3) proposes an aluminum electric wire in which a connection portion between an electric wire and a terminal is sealed with an adhesive tape to ensure waterproofness. However, with such a structure, new processing is required for each aluminum electric wire, resulting in an increase in manufacturing cost. Further, since the outer shape becomes large at the wound portion of the adhesive tape, there is a possibility that the workability of assembling to the electrical junction box may be impaired. Therefore, securing waterproofness on the electric wire side is not an effective measure.

JP 2007-288975 A JP 2005-93602 A JP 2011-70839 A

  The present invention has been made in the background of the above-described circumstances, and a problem to be solved is to provide an electrical junction box having a novel structure capable of ensuring a higher level of waterproofness.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a lid member is placed on a box body provided with a plurality of electrical component mounting portions, and the lid member is fixed to the box body by a locking means, whereby the plurality of electric In the electrical junction box in which the component mounting portion is covered with the lid member, an elastic sheet is disposed between the box body and the lid member, and at least one electrical component mounting portion is provided on the box body. A fixing groove extending in a surrounding manner is formed, and an outer peripheral portion of the elastic sheet is inserted into the fixing groove and is locked by a locking means provided in the fixing groove, whereby the elastic sheet is It is assembled to a main body, and the electrical component mounting portion is covered with the elastic sheet.

  In the electrical junction box having the structure according to the present invention, the electrical component mounting portion provided in the box body is covered with an elastic sheet. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent water from being attached to the electrical component mounting portion to a higher degree.

  In addition, as an elastic sheet, what has waterproofness and the elasticity which can be inserted in a fixed groove | channel can be employ | adopted suitably, for example, the sheet | seat which consists of rubber materials, such as silicone rubber, and the polymer gel were used. A so-called gel sheet or the like can be used. By using the gel sheet, the cooling effect of the box body can be enhanced.

  Further, the outer peripheral portion of the elastic sheet is inserted into the fixing groove of the box body and fixed by the locking means. Thereby, the circumference | surroundings of an electrical component mounting part can be sealed with an elastic sheet, and the outstanding waterproofness can be acquired. Moreover, even when the fitting of the locking means is insufficient and a gap is generated between the lid member and the box body, or the lid member is removed, the elastic sheet is fixed to the box body by the locking means, The elastic sheet can prevent water from being applied to the electrical component mounting portion, and can secure a higher level of waterproofness.

  Furthermore, it is possible to collectively waterproof the plurality of electrical component mounting portions with the elastic sheet, and to efficiently waterproof the plurality of electrical component mounting portions. And since the waterproofness of each electrical component mounting part is secured to a higher level, aluminum wires should be adopted as the electrical wires connected to the electrical parts mounted on the electrical component mounting part without using special waterproofing processing. It is also possible to reduce the weight of the electrical junction box including the electric wires.

  The fixing groove into which the outer peripheral portion of the elastic sheet is inserted may be formed so as to surround the entire box body and cover the entire box body with the elastic sheet, or any region of the box body may be covered. You may make it form so that it may surround and may cover the specific area | region of a box main body with an elastic sheet. Further, the number of elastic sheets is not limited, and a plurality of elastic sheets may cover a plurality of regions of the box body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the one described in the first aspect, the fixing groove continuously extends in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion of the surface of the box body provided with the plurality of electrical component mounting portions. The entire surface of the box body is covered with the elastic sheet.

  According to this aspect, all the electrical component mounting parts formed on the surface of the box body can be covered together with the elastic sheet. Thereby, all the electrical component mounting parts can be efficiently waterproofed with a small number of components. In addition, since the entire surface of the box body is covered with an elastic sheet, even if the lid member is removed from the box body, the elastic sheet functions as a substitute for the lid member, and all electrical component mounting parts are dusted. It can also be protected from, etc.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the one described in the first or second aspect, the locking means is arranged on the outer side of the box body from an inner wall located inside the box body in the fixing groove. It is comprised by the latching protrusion which protrudes toward.

  In this aspect, the elastic sheet is locked by the locking protrusions, so that the elastic sheet is fixed while being inserted into the fixing groove. And, since the locking projection protrudes from the inside of the box body toward the outside, it is possible to obtain an effective locking force that resists the elastic restoring force toward the inside of the box body of the elastic sheet, The elastic sheet can be stably fixed to the box body. Note that the locking protrusions may be formed continuously over the entire length of the fixing groove in the circumferential direction, or may be partially formed in the circumferential direction of the fixing groove.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the one described in the third aspect, an opening-side end surface of the fixing groove in the locking projection goes from the opening edge of the fixing groove to the bottom side of the fixing groove. As a result, the bottom surface of the locking projection on the bottom side of the locking groove is a locking surface that protrudes vertically from the inner wall. It is what.

  According to this aspect, the elastic sheet can be smoothly inserted into the fixed groove by the inclined guide surface formed on the opening-side end surface of the fixed groove in the locking projection. And since the latching surface formed in the bottom part side end surface of the fixing groove in a latching protrusion protrudes perpendicularly | vertically from an inner wall, the effective latching force with respect to an elastic sheet can be obtained.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the outside of the fixed groove in the box body communicates with a drain outlet at at least one place on the circumference. The water drain groove formed is formed.

  According to this aspect, the water that has entered from the outer peripheral side of the box body can be supplemented by the water draining groove before being transmitted to the elastic sheet, and discharged to the outside of the box body through the drain port. Thereby, the water | moisture content of an electrical component mounting part can be prevented more effectively. The drain groove may be formed over the entire outer periphery of the fixed groove, or may be partially formed on the outer side of the fixed side.

  In the present invention, an elastic sheet is disposed between the box body and the lid member so that the electrical component mounting portion is covered with the elastic sheet. Thereby, the water | moisture content of an electrical component mounting part can be prevented more highly, and waterproofness can be improved. And since the waterproof property of the electrical component mounting part can be improved, it becomes possible to connect the aluminum electric wire to the electrical component mounting part without requiring a special waterproofing process, and it is possible to reduce the weight of the electrical junction box including the electric wire. I can do it.

The disassembled perspective view of the electrical-connection box as one Embodiment of this invention. The top view of the box main body of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. The principal part enlarged view of the III-III cross section in FIG. The bottom view of the cover member of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the III-III cross section in FIG. 2 in the assembly | attachment state of the electrical-connection box shown in FIG. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 3 in the assembly | attachment state of the electrical-connection box shown in FIG. The top view which shows the box main body of the electrical junction box as a different aspect of this invention.

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

  First, FIG. 1 shows an electrical junction box 10 as an embodiment of the present invention. The electrical junction box 10 is, for example, a relay box or a junction box, and is disposed in the engine room of the automobile. The electrical junction box 10 has a structure in which a lid member 16 is assembled to the box body 14 with an elastic sheet 12 interposed therebetween.

  FIG. 2 shows the box body 14. The box body 14 has a substantially longitudinal rectangular box shape made of synthetic resin. A fuse mounting portion 22 as an electrical component mounting portion on which a fuse 20 (see FIG. 1) as an electrical component is mounted and a relay 24 (see FIG. 1) as an electrical component are mounted on the surface 18 of the box body 14. A plurality of relay mounting portions 26 are formed as electrical component mounting portions.

  A fixing groove 28 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the surface 18 of the box body 14. The fixing groove 28 is formed continuously over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral portion of the surface 18 and is opened to the lid member 16 side (upper side in FIG. 3) of the box body 14 as shown in FIG. It has a groove shape. Thereby, in this embodiment, all the electrical component mounting parts such as the fuse mounting part 22 and the relay mounting part 26 formed on the surface 18 of the box body 14 are surrounded by the fixing groove 28. In addition, it is preferable that the groove bottom surface 30 which is a bottom part of the fixed groove 28 is protruded from the surface 18 to the lid member 16 side.

  Locking projections 32 as locking means are formed in the fixing groove 28 at a plurality of locations on the circumference with appropriate intervals. As shown in FIG. 3, the locking projection 32 extends from the inner side wall 34 located on the inner side (right side in FIG. 3) of the box body 14 in the fixing groove 28 to the outer side (left side in FIG. 3). It protrudes toward the outer wall 36 located. The end face of the locking projection 32 on the opening side (upper side in FIG. 3) of the fixing groove 28 gradually increases in the protruding dimension from the inner side wall 34 as it goes from the opening edge 38 of the fixing groove 28 to the groove bottom surface 30. It is set as the taper-shaped inclination guide surface 40 which becomes. Further, the end surface of the locking projection 32 on the groove bottom surface 30 side is a locking surface 42 that protrudes vertically from the inner wall 34. As a result, the locking protrusion 32 has a right-angled triangular cross-sectional shape and is formed over a predetermined dimension in the circumferential direction of the fixed groove 28.

  Further, a drain groove 44 is formed outside the fixed groove 28 in the outer peripheral portion of the surface 18. The drainage groove 44 is formed continuously over the entire outer periphery of the fixed groove 28 and has a groove shape that opens to the lid member 16 side (upper side in FIG. 3). At an appropriate position on the circumference of the water draining groove 44, at least one drain port 46 penetrating the box body 14 vertically (in the vertical direction in FIG. 3) is formed and communicated with the inside of the water draining groove 44. . In the present embodiment, four drain ports 46 are formed at the four corners of the box body 14.

  The elastic sheet 12 is overlaid on the surface 18 of the box body 14. The elastic sheet 12 has a sheet shape corresponding to the shape of the fixing groove 28 in a top view (see FIG. 2), and has a longitudinal rectangular shape in the present embodiment. The elastic sheet 12 is waterproof and has elasticity that can be inserted into the fixing groove 28. For example, a sheet made of a rubber material such as silicone rubber, a so-called gel sheet using a polymer gel, or the like. Can be used. By using the gel sheet, the cooling effect of the box body 14 can be enhanced.

  On the other hand, the lid member 16 is made of synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 4, a pressing rib 48 is formed on the inner surface 47 of the lid member 16. The pressing rib 48 protrudes from the inner surface 47 and has a shape corresponding to the fixing groove 28 of the box body 14. In the present embodiment, the pressing rib 48 has a longitudinal rectangular shape that is continuous over the entire circumference. Further, as shown in FIG. 6 described later, the cross-sectional shape of the pressing rib 48 is a triangular cross-sectional shape that tapers toward the fixing groove 28.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the fuse 20 is mounted on the fuse mounting portion 22 of the box body 14, and the relay 24 is mounted on the relay mounting portion 26. These fuses 20 and relays 24 are connected to connection terminals such as a printed circuit board and a bus bar (not shown) provided in the box body 14, and as shown in the fuse mounting part 22 as an example, Connected. The aluminum electric wire 50 has a structure in which a copper connection terminal 54 is fixed to an electric wire 52 made of aluminum by crimping or welding. The connection terminal 54 of the aluminum electric wire 50 is connected to the fuse 20 by being inserted into the fuse mounting portion 22 from the side opposite to the fuse 20.

  Next, the elastic sheet 12 is overlaid on the surface 18 of the box body 14. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the outer peripheral portion 56 of the elastic sheet 12 is superimposed on the fixed groove 28 and inserted into the fixed groove 28. In FIG. 5, the fuse 20 to be attached to the fuse attachment portion 22 is omitted. Since the groove bottom surface 30 of the fixed groove 28 is located above the surface 18 of the box body 14 (upward in FIG. 6), interference with the fuse mounting portion 22 of the elastic sheet 12 is reduced, The elastic sheet 12 can be easily inserted into the fixing groove 28. And the outer peripheral part 56 of the elastic sheet 12 inserted in the fixed groove | channel 28 is maintained by the insertion state in the fixed groove | channel 28 by being latched by the latching protrusion 32 in multiple places, and the elastic sheet 12 Is assembled to the box body 14. As a result, all the electric component mounting parts such as the fuse mounting part 22 and the relay mounting part 26 formed in the box body 14 are covered with the elastic sheet 12. The outer peripheral edge 58 of the elastic sheet 12 is disposed between the fixing groove 28 and the water draining groove 44 so that the water draining groove 44 is not covered with the elastic sheet 12.

  Then, the lid member 16 is put on the box body 14. As a structure for assembling the lid member 16 to the box body 14, various structures conventionally employed can be employed. In the present embodiment, the engagement frames 60 (see FIG. 1) provided at a plurality of locations of the lid member 16 are engaged with the engagement claws 62 provided at the corresponding positions of the box body 14, so that the lid The member 16 is fixed to the box body 14, and the engaging frame 60 and the engaging claw 62 constitute a locking means.

  Thereby, all the electrical component mounting parts such as the fuse mounting part 22 and the relay mounting part 26 of the box body 14 are covered with the lid member 16, and the elastic sheet 12 is disposed between the box body 14 and the lid member 16. Thus, the entire surface 18 of the box body 14 is covered with the elastic sheet 12. As a result, all electrical component mounting parts such as the fuse mounting part 22 and the relay mounting part 26 are covered with the elastic sheet 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the pressing rib 48 of the lid member 16 enters the fixing groove 28 and presses the outer peripheral portion 56 of the elastic sheet 12 from above (in FIG. 6, upward), whereby the elastic sheet 12. Is prevented from coming out of the fixing groove 28.

  In the electrical junction box 10 having such a structure, the surface 18 of the box body 14 is covered with the elastic sheet 12. Therefore, for example, even when the engagement between the engagement frame 60 and the engagement claw 62 is insufficient and a gap is formed between the lid member 16 and the box body 14 or the lid member 16 is detached from the box body 14, the fuse is mounted. The elastic sheet 12 can prevent the portion 22 and the relay mounting portion 26 from getting wet. Thereby, the waterproofness of the electrical junction box 10 can be improved. And since the waterproof property of the electrical junction box 10 is improved, it becomes possible to connect the aluminum electric wire 50 to the fuse mounting part 22 and the relay mounting part 26 without requiring a special waterproofing process. The weight can be reduced.

  In particular, the elastic sheet 12 is fixed in the fixing groove 28 by the locking protrusion 32. Thereby, even when the lid member 16 is detached from the box body 14, the surface 18 of the box body 14 is covered with the elastic sheet 12, so that the waterproofness of the box body 14 can be ensured and the elastic sheet. 12 functions as a substitute for the lid member 16 and can protect the fuse mounting portion 22 and the relay mounting portion 26 from dust and the like. Further, since the locking projection 32 protrudes from the inside of the box body 14 toward the outside, an effective locking force is obtained with respect to the elastic restoring force of the elastic sheet 12 that goes inward of the box body 14. I can do it. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the tapered protrusions 32 are formed on the locking projections 32, the elastic sheet 12 can be easily inserted into the fixed groove 28, and the locking surface Since 42 protrudes perpendicularly from the inner wall 34, an effective locking force can be obtained.

  Furthermore, the elastic sheet 12 is configured to cover the entire surface 18 of the box body 14. As a result, a plurality of electrical component mounting parts such as the fuse mounting part 22 and the relay mounting part 26 formed on the surface 18 can be collectively waterproofed, and good assembly efficiency can be obtained and less. With the number of parts, waterproofing can be improved cost-effectively.

  Further, a water draining groove 44 is formed outside the fixed groove 28 in the box body 14. As a result, the water that has entered the lid member 16 can be captured by the drain groove 44 before reaching the elastic sheet 12, and discharged to the outside of the electrical junction box 10 through the drain port 46. As a result, more excellent waterproof properties can be obtained.

  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 number of elastic sheets is not limited to one, and each electric component mounting portion of the box body may be covered with a plurality of elastic sheets. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of fixing grooves 28a and 28b are formed around the fuse mounting portion 22 and the relay mounting portion 26 of the box body 14 to correspond to these fixing grooves 28a and 28b. An elastic sheet (not shown) having a shape to be fixed may be stacked and fixed. Further, the fixing groove may be one that surrounds only one electrical component mounting portion. Further, the drainage groove 44 in the embodiment is not formed in the box body 14 shown in FIG. Thus, the water drain groove is not always necessary.

  Further, as a locking means for fixing the elastic sheet to the fixing groove, a frame-shaped locking projection that is continuous over the entire circumference is formed separately from the box body, and fixed to the box body by adhesion or the like, You may form a latching protrusion over the perimeter of a fixed groove.

10: Electrical connection box, 12: Elastic sheet, 14: Box body, 16: Lid member, 18: Surface, 20: Fuse (electrical part), 22: Fuse mounting part (electrical part mounting part), 24: Relay (electrical) Parts), 26: relay mounting portion (electrical component mounting portion), 28: fixed groove, 30: groove bottom surface (bottom of fixed groove), 32: locking protrusion (locking means), 34: inner wall, 36: outside Wall: 38: Opening edge, 40: Inclined guide surface, 42: Locking surface, 44: Drain groove, 46: Drainage port, 50: Aluminum electric wire, 60: Engagement frame (locking means), 62: Engagement Claw (locking means)

Claims (5)

A lid member is put on a box body provided with a plurality of electrical component mounting parts, and the lid member is fixed to the box body by a locking means, so that the plurality of electrical component mounting parts are covered with the lid member. In the electrical junction box
An elastic sheet is disposed between the box body and the lid member,
The box body is formed with a fixing groove extending around at least one of the electrical component mounting portions,
By inserting the outer peripheral portion of the elastic sheet into the fixed groove and being locked by the locking means provided in the fixed groove,
An electrical junction box, wherein the elastic sheet is assembled to the box body, and the electrical component mounting portion is covered with the elastic sheet. The fixing groove is formed continuously in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion of the surface of the box body provided with the plurality of electrical component mounting portions,
The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the entire surface of the box body is covered with the elastic sheet. The electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein the locking means is configured by a locking projection that protrudes toward the outside of the box body from an inner wall located inside the box body in the fixing groove. box. The opening-side end surface of the fixing groove in the locking projection is an inclined guide surface whose protruding dimension from the inner side wall increases from the opening edge of the fixing groove toward the bottom side of the fixing groove. The electrical connection box according to claim 3, wherein a bottom side end surface of the fixing groove in the locking projection is a locking surface protruding vertically from the inner wall. The electrical junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a water draining groove communicated with the drain outlet is formed at least at one place on the circumference outside the fixed groove in the box body.

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