JP2021174978A - Electrical component box and electrical junction box with high waterproofness and airtightness by integrating packing with case or lid of enclosure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a case or lid of an enclosure of each of an electrical component box, an electrical junction box and the like, capable of achieving size reduction, no positional deviation or dropping-off of a packing and quick and simple installation while ensuring waterproofness and airtightness.SOLUTION: An enclosure of each of an electrical component box and an electrical junction box is structured so that a lid 2a or a case 1 includes a trapezoidal protrusion 7 which generates repulsive power when a packing 3a is compressed by integrating the packing 3a by means of insert molding (injection molding) and thermal welding and a packing part rib 6 generating repulsive power of deflection by bending, which are provided around an opening part in an annular manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

In the present invention, a thermoplastic elastomer resin is heat-welded by insert molding (injection molding) to a case or lid which is a housing of an electrical box or an electrical connection box, and a part to be a packing to be sealed is integrated to be waterproof and airtight. The present invention relates to a housing and packing of an electrical box or an electrical connection box that can be assembled quickly and easily without being caught in the packing due to misalignment of the packing during assembly or having no waterproof or airtightness due to the packing falling off.

As a waterproof structure of a case having an opening and a housing provided with a lid covering the case, two structures disclosed in Patent Document 1 below are known. First, according to the first waterproof structure, a packing groove is formed around the case, and an annular packing is attached to the packing groove. When the lid is put on, the packing is crushed. Sometimes the packing adheres to both the case and the lid to prevent the ingress of moisture.

Next, according to the second waterproof structure, a flat plate-shaped second packing is arranged on the outside of the first waterproof structure at a position one step lower than the opening position, and this packing is also pushed. It has a double waterproof structure that is crushed and adheres to both the case and lid.

In Patent Document 2, for example, water containing salt can be stored in the groove by forming the groove on the same plane outside the packing groove in the first waterproof structure, and as a result, the salt is crystallized. Is disclosed in a structure that can be generated not in the packing but in the groove, prevent deterioration of the packing, and maintain a waterproof function (anticorrosion function due to salt).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-101256 JP-A-2019-220538

In the above-mentioned prior art, as a waterproofing method, a packing groove is provided in the case or lid of the housing, and an annular packing is assembled along the packing groove, or a flat plate-shaped packing is attached to the case or lid of the housing. However, in each case, there is a problem that the packing cannot be attached in a predetermined place, such as the packing being misaligned or falling off during assembly. In addition, if the opening is not a flat surface but has an uneven surface such as an inclined or curved surface, floating may occur when the packing is attached, causing biting due to misalignment or defects due to falling off. There is a difficult problem. To solve these problems, the packing must be securely attached to the housing case or lid in place.

Further, the waterproof structure of the above-mentioned conventional technique has a structure in which the packing is crushed to bring the packing into close contact with the case and the lid to prevent water from entering. In this method, since the packing cannot be provided around the opening, there is a problem that it cannot be used in a housing having a small space or a housing in which the packing is sandwiched between the case and the lid and cannot be crushed.

In order to solve the above problems, the housing of the present invention is characterized in that, as in claim 1, the packing is heat-welded to either the lid or the case by insert molding (injection molding) to be integrated. .. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which a sealing material to be a packing is heat-welded to the lid side of a housing by insert molding (injection molding) and integrated. The resin to be a sealing material is a thermoplastic elastomer (commonly known as TPE: thermoplastic. It is called an elastomer.)

As an alternative material to O-rings (made of vulcanized rubber), TPE has performance that contributes to reducing the burden on the environment such as weight reduction, productivity, energy saving, and recyclability as interest in environmental issues grows. , Home appliances, medical care, food, electric wires and daily necessities. Especially in the automobile field, as seen in the expansion of EV and HEV models, due to concerns about environmental issues, fuel efficiency is improved by reducing the weight of vehicles, CO2 and NOx gas are reduced, and environmental load is reduced by high recyclability. Therefore, it has become remarkably popular as a substitute material for vultured rubber and soft vinyl chloride resin.

In addition, polyester elastomer such as Hirel manufactured by Toray DuPont Co., Ltd. is used for TPE, and it has been proved that it has good weldability with hard resin materials such as metal (iron, copper, etc.) and PBT resin, and the lid. Alternatively, insert molding (injection molding) is performed on either one of the cases to perform heat welding, and the case or lid of the housing and the packing can be integrated. By further integrating, the case and lid of the housing that require a waterproof or airtight structure have only one mating surface, so it is easy to take a waterproof or airtight structure, and the size and workability are improved. It has excellent points.

According to the present invention having such a feature of claim 1, since the packing is integrated with either the lid or the case, there is no misalignment or falling off, and the packing portion is visible due to downward mounting or an interfering object. When installing in a place where there is no packing, the packing does not shift or fall off, and it can be installed quickly and easily. Furthermore, since the packing is not assembled in the packing groove on the outside of the opening, the range of waterproof or airtight structure can be expanded even for a complicated opening shape having an inclined surface or a curved surface that can be miniaturized and requires a waterproof or airtight structure. ..

FIG. 2 shows a form in which the lid and the packing are integrated by heat-welding the packing 3a to the lid 2a by insert molding (injection molding). As shown in the cross section of the assembled housing of FIG. 3, it is the same as the conventional method that the packing has a protrusion 7 that comes into close contact with the case 1 due to the repulsive force generated by compression, but claim 2. As described above, a higher waterproof effect can be obtained by providing the annular rib 6 that brings the corner of the opening or the corner R into close contact with the side surface of the opening. When the rib 6 is pressed against the case 1 when the lid 2a is attached, the rib 6 is crushed at the corner or corner R of the opening, and the rib 6 is bent like a mortar, and the repulsive force is generated by this bending. It is in close contact with the corner or corner R of the opening and the side surface of the opening. Since the packing also adheres to the side surface of the opening in this way, it is possible to reliably prevent water from entering even in a complicated irregular shape having an inclination and a curved surface, and it is possible to improve waterproofness or airtightness.

FIG. 4 shows a form in which the packing is integrated on the case side of the housing. As shown in the cross section of the assembled housing of FIG. 5, when the lid 2 is provided with a concave shape matching the opening, the waterproof or airtight effect can be enhanced by the effect as shown above. .. Further, FIG. 6 shows a cross section of a housing in which a lid having a flat shape is assembled. The rib 6 is crushed into a mortar shape on the flat surface of the lid, and the rib 6 is brought into close contact with the lid by the repulsive force as described above, so that a higher waterproof or airtight effect can be obtained than when the lid and the case are crushed by the surface.

As described above, according to the present invention having the feature of claim 2, the waterproof or airtight effect can be further enhanced by being able to strongly adhere the corners or the side surfaces of the opening of the housing with the ribs of the packing. In addition, a waterproof structure can be provided on a housing having an opening having a complicated irregular shape such as an inclined surface and a curved surface.

Claim 3 is an application of the integrated packing of the housing of the present invention to a single packing. FIG. 7 shows the structure of a packing having an irregular shape or an opening shape having an inclined shape and a curved surface. By integrating TPE into a hard material (for example, a metal such as iron and a resin material such as PBT and PPS) that serves as a core that matches the shape of the mounting surface by insert molding (injection molding), the shape is formed. The stable packing can be manufactured, and unlike the O-ring, there is no need to insert it while pressing it so that it does not rise along the groove, and it can be installed quickly and easily.

Claim 4 shows the packing positioning and dropout prevention structure of claim 3. In FIG. 7, tabs having cross holes are provided at a plurality of locations on the outer circumference of the packing, and by inserting the tabs into the pin-shaped guides of the mounting partner, the mounting position is determined and there is an effect of further preventing the packing from falling off. Similarly, FIG. 8 shows the shape of positioning and prevention of falling off when the mounting partner is a hole, and has a boss with a crack. By inserting it into the hole of the mounting partner, the mounting position is determined and the mounting partner is further dropped. To prevent. By having these positioning and falling-out prevention functions, when mounting downwards where it is easy to fall off, or when mounting in a position that is not visible due to obstacles, the position can be determined simply by inserting it into a pin or hole that serves as a guide, and the packing. There is no misalignment or falling off, and it is possible to provide a packing having excellent workability, which enables quick and easy installation with high reliability.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of a housing such as an electrical box and an electrical connection box with improved waterproofness or airtightness as described above, and processing defects such as misalignment and dropping during installation. By not generating the above, quick and easy installation work becomes possible.

This is an embodiment showing the structure of a conventional cage sealing method. This is an embodiment in which packing is integrated on the lid side of the housing of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a part A at the time of assembling the embodiment. It is an embodiment in which packing is integrated on the case side of the housing of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion B at the time of assembling the embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the sealed state of a packing when it is mounted on a flat surface. Reference example of tab installation for positioning and dropout prevention for packing mounting. Reference example of boss installation for positioning and dropout prevention for packing mounting An example of mounting the packing of the present invention in the packing groove. An example of mounting the packing of the present invention without a packing groove.

The electrical box and the electrical connection box include a housing and a plurality of electronic components housed in the housing. The housing includes a case 1 having an opening shown in FIG. 1, a lid 2 covering the opening, an annular packing 3 arranged outside the opening, and a plurality of fastening members 5 for fastening the case and the cover. It is composed. The case has a first surface around the opening and the cover has a second surface in surface contact with the first surface. A packing groove 4 for assembling the packing is generally arranged on either the first surface or the second surface, but the present invention has no packing groove and is provided on either the case or the cover. The packing is heat-welded by insert molding (injection molding) and integrated.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an embodiment of the housing of the present invention. The packing 2a is welded and integrated with the lid 3a by insert molding (injection molding). FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the housing after assembly in FIG. 2, and the integrated lid 3a also has a packing function. In order to improve waterproofness, the packing is provided with one or more annular trapezoidal protrusions 7a along the outside of the opening that obtains a repulsive force by compression to bring the case and lid into close contact with each other to prevent water from entering and waterproof. Or the airtightness is improved.

In order to further improve waterproofness or airtightness, an annular rib 6a is provided so as to be in contact with the side surface of the opening corner or corner R, and the rib is shaped like a mortar by pressing the opening corner or corner R against the rib. It bends and produces a repulsive force, and by coming into close contact with the corner or corner R of the opening and the side surface of the opening, it exhibits higher waterproofness or airtightness.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a housing in which the packing 2a is welded to the case 1a by insert molding (injection molding) and integrated. Similar to the above, the packing portion is provided with an annular protrusion for preventing water from entering, and similarly, a rib is provided so as to be in contact with the concave corner or the corner R of the lid 2. Similarly to the above, FIG. As shown in the cross section B at the time of morphological assembly, this rib is bent to generate a repulsive force, and by coming into close contact with the corner of the recess or the side surface of the corner R, higher waterproofness and airtightness are exhibited.

FIG. 5 shows a cross section of an embodiment in which a flat plate lid 2b is assembled in a case in which the packing 2a of FIG. 3 is welded to the case 1a by insert molding (injection molding) and integrated. The rib 6b is pushed by the lid and bent into a mortar shape, so that the repulsive force increases the adhesion between the ribs in contact with the ring and the lid, and exhibits higher waterproofness. By integrating the packing with the lid or the case, the embodiment of the present invention can be used regardless of whether the mounting surface is a flat surface, a sloped surface, or a curved surface.

6 and 7 show a packing in which the hard material and the soft material of the present invention are heat-welded and integrated by insert molding (injection molding) as shown in claim 4, and the existing packing groove is formed as shown in FIG. It can also be used in the case where it is used. A hard material 11 (materials used include metals such as iron and thermoplastic resins such as PBT and PPS) as a core is manufactured, and soft control 12 (material used is TPE) is insert-molded (injection-molded). There are thermoplastic elastomers such as) by heat welding to integrate them. The soft material is provided with an annular protrusion 7 that matches the shape of the mounting partner opening, and the protrusion 7 is compressed during assembly to generate a repulsive force, which adheres to the case and lid to make it waterproof or airtight. Is increasing.

Further, since the core is made of a hard material 11, the shape that matches the packing groove is maintained, and the packing can be easily attached not only to a flat surface but also to a packing groove having an inclined or curved surface. can. Further, by providing the fixing hole 8 or the boss 10 to prevent the mounting position from shifting and falling off, it can be easily mounted according to the mounting shape of the mating part, and there is no misalignment or falling off. Therefore, even in the case of mounting downward or in a place hidden behind and invisible, it can be easily mounted without any assembly failure, and work efficiency can be improved.

Further, as in claim 5, by attaching the annular rib 6 that matches the opening to the packing as shown in FIG. 10, it can be brought into close contact with the corner of the opening or the side surface of the opening, and is more waterproof or airtight. You can improve your sex. Further, since it is not necessary to provide a packing groove on the outside of the opening according to the shape of the opening, the space to be sealed can be reduced and the housing can be miniaturized.

As described above, the present invention improves waterproofness or airtightness not only on a flat surface but also on an inclined surface or a curved surface by integrating the packing into the case or lid of the housing by insert molding (injection molding). It is possible to provide a housing such as an electrical box and an electrical connection box that can be assembled quickly and easily because no assembly trouble such as misalignment or dropping during mounting occurs.

1 Case 2 Closure 2a Closure (with packing)
3 Packing 3a Packing part 4 Packing groove 5 Bolt (or screw)
6 Packing rib (for bending)
7 Packing rib (for compression)
8 Tab with cross hole for mounting mating pin shape 9 Mounting mating pin shape 10 Boss with thread for mounting mating hole shape 11 Thermoplastic resin part for packing shape holding 12 Thermoplastic elastomer part for packing sealing

Claims (5)

An airtight and waterproof sealing material, which is a packing made of a thermoplastic elastomer resin, is heat-welded to one of the case or lid by insert molding (injection molding) and integrated, making assembly work quick and easy. The case or lid of the housing of the electrical box and electrical connection box, which is characterized by being able to do so. The case is characterized in that the packing is provided with ribs that are brought into close contact with the flat surface of the case and the lid and annular ribs that are brought into close contact with the opening angle and side surface of the case or the concave angle and the concave side surface of the lid to improve airtightness and waterproofness. Alternatively, the case or lid of the housing of the electrical box and the electrical connection box in which the packing is integrated on one side of the lid. By using engineering plastic for the core material and heat-welding and integrating the thermoplastic elastomer resin by insert molding (injection molding), the shape is stably maintained by the engineering plastic, and the elasticity of the thermoplastic elastomer resin makes it possible. Packing featuring a waterproof function. A packing characterized in that the packing of 3 is provided with a hole or a boss for positioning and prevention of falling off, so that workability during assembly can be made quickly and easily. The packing is characterized in that ribs are provided in an annular shape so as to be in close contact with the opening angle and the opening side surface of the sealing portion of the packing of the above 3, and the airtightness and waterproofness are improved not only on a flat surface but also on a slope or a curved surface.

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