JP3506101B2 - Junction box internal circuit and relay connection structure - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connection structure for a relay and an internal circuit of a junction box connected to a wire harness for an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, with the rapid increase in electrical components mounted on automobiles, the number of circuits contained in automobile electrical junction boxes, especially junction boxes, has increased rapidly to form branch circuits with high density. Moreover, the number of parts is extremely large, and the number of assembling steps is also very large.

In the junction box 1 shown in FIG. 10 of the automobile electrical junction box, bus bars 5A to 5D are laminated between the upper case 2 and the lower case 3 with insulating plates 4A to 4E interposed therebetween. The upper case 2 is provided with a connector accommodating portion 2a, a relay accommodating portion 2b, and a fuse accommodating portion 2c, and a connector 6, a relay 7, and a fuse 8 are attached to these accommodating portions and project from these terminals and the bus bar. It is connected to the tab directly or via a relay terminal. Further, the lower case 3 is also provided with a connector accommodating portion 3a, and the tab 5a of the bus bar is projected and connected to the connector.

[0004]

In the above junction box 1, there is a problem that the area of the bus bar and the number of laminated layers increase as the number of circuits increases, and the size of the junction box increases. Further, when the connector housing, the relay housing, and the fuse housing are provided in both the upper case and the lower case and the connector, the relay, the fuse, and the internal circuit are connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the junction box, the upper case or It is possible to suppress an increase in the area of the junction box, as compared with the case where the junction box is provided only on one side.

However, if the connector accommodating portion and the relay accommodating portion or the fuse accommodating portion are provided at the vertically opposed positions, the tabs that are bent from the bus bar cannot be overlapped and cannot be expanded. This increases the number of layers. As described above, when the number of layers of the bus bar is increased, the height of the junction box becomes large and the size of the junction box becomes large.

Further, if the specifications of the connector connecting portion of the internal circuit of the junction box are changed,
Even if the specifications of the relay connection circuit were not changed, the entire internal circuit had to be changed, the entire bus bar had to be newly formed, and there was a problem that the circuit could not be easily changed.

Further, when connecting the bus bar and the relay, since both the tab of the bus bar and the terminal of the relay are male terminals, they are connected via the female-female relay terminal, and the number of parts is increased and the assembly is increased. There is a problem that it takes time.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is possible to suppress the increase in the number of layers of the busbars accommodated in the junction box, to make the junction box thinner, and to change the circuit. It is also an object to connect the internal circuit of the junction box and the relay without using a relay terminal.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention comprises a base circuit section, a relay module, and a fuse module, which are housed and assembled in a case. Bus bar for connector connection to be provided is vertically laminated via an insulating plate, and a welding portion projecting from the peripheral edge of the insulating plate is provided on the bus bar, while the relay module is for connecting the connector of the base circuit part on the substrate. The bus bar for relay connection that is divided from the bus bar is fixed, and one end of the bus bar is welded to the terminal of the relay and the other end is welded to the welded part of the bus bar for connecting the connector of the base circuit unit. It provides the connection structure of the internal circuit of the junction box and the relay.

As described above, since the base circuit bus bar laminated in the junction box and the relay connection circuit are divided, the tab provided on the base circuit bus bar and the tab provided on the relay connection bus bar overlap each other. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of busbars and reduce the thickness of the junction box. In addition, since the circuit arrangement of each busbar is also simplified, the area of each busbar can be reduced. As a result, even if the busbar is divided, the overall busbar area can be reduced and the increase in the area of the junction box can be suppressed. it can.

Further, since the relay connection bus bar is provided separately, if the connector connection circuit has a specification change and the relay connection circuit does not have a specification change, or vice versa, only one of the bus bars should be changed. It's good, and it's easy to respond to changes in specifications.

Furthermore, since the terminals of the relay are directly welded to the bus bar for relay connection, no relay terminal is required,
It is possible to reduce the number of parts and the space accordingly.

Specifically, in the relay module in which the relay connecting bus bar is fixed on the substrate, the relay is accommodated in the relay accommodating portion provided on the substrate, and the terminal of the relay is connected to the relay connecting bus bar. It is welded to one end. The relay module is assembled in a junction box, and its relay housing is exposed on the outer surface of the junction box.

Alternatively, the relay connection board having the relay connection bus bar fixed on the board is not provided with a relay accommodating portion, but is accommodated in a junction box, and the relay accommodating portion is provided in the upper case or the lower case of the junction box. A relay is housed, and a terminal of the relay is welded to one end of the relay-connecting bus bar housed in the junction box.

Alternatively, the relay connecting bus bar is fixed on the substrate, the relay is directly placed on the substrate of the relay module, and the terminals of the relay are projected from the holes formed in the substrate to connect the relay. It is welded to one end of the bus bar. That is, the relay housing is not provided on the relay module board or the junction box case, the relay is placed on the relay module board, and its terminals are passed through the holes of the board and welded to the bus bar, so that the relay is mounted on the board. It is fixed.

The relay connecting bus bar is provided with a bus bar which is connected to each terminal of the relay.
Further, the relay connecting bus bar has a welded portion by bending both ends of the horizontal portion. The welded portion of the relay connecting bus bar and the welded portion of the bus bar of the base circuit are joined and connected by ultrasonic welding, resistance welding or leather welding.
It is preferable that the welded portion is projected outward from the insulating plate and the substrate.

As described above, since the bus bar for the base circuit and the bus bar for relay connection are divided but welded, the reliability of electrical connection is not deteriorated.
Also, by arranging these welded portions in parallel, the ultrasonic welding, resistance welding or laser welding can be efficiently performed. Further, the welded portions which are brought into contact with each other and welded may be horizontally overlapped and welded, or may be vertically bent and vertically overlapped and welded.

Inside the upper case and the lower case, the bus bars for the base circuit and the insulating plates are alternately laminated, but an electronic control unit may be housed. In that case, it is preferable to use the dead space below the electronic control unit to connect the bus bar for the base circuit and the welded portion of the bus bar for relay connection. Further, if necessary, a circuit including an electric wire and a pressure contact terminal and / or a circuit body such as an FPC or PBC may be housed.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic exploded perspective view of parts constituting a junction box 10 connected to an automobile wire harness, and FIGS. 2 to 5 show a state in which each component is assembled.

In FIG. 1, 11 is a lower case, 12 is an upper case, 13 is a base circuit section, 14 is a fuse module, and 15 is a relay module. Although not shown in FIG. 1 in the junction box 10,
An electronic control unit 40 is also housed as shown in FIGS.

The lower case 11 has a connector accommodating portion 1
A large number of 1a are provided so as to project, and a relay opening 11b is provided at one side in the long side direction thereof. The upper case 12 has a fuse opening 12 on one side in the short side direction.
a is provided. The peripheral walls of the lower case 11 and the upper case 12 are fitted and locked together. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle body fixing bracket 12c is provided so as to project from the peripheral wall of the upper case 12 as shown in FIGS. Further, the upper case 12 has a notch 1 for fitting a connector on a part of its peripheral wall.
2b is provided.

In the base circuit portion 13, the connector bus bar 16 is vertically laminated via the insulating plate 17,
In this embodiment, the connector bus bar 16 has four layers. The base circuit portion 13 is set to a size that is not arranged at the position of the relay opening 11b inside the case formed by the lower case 11 and the upper case 12.

Each layer of the connector bus bar 16 of the base circuit portion 13 is formed by punching one conductive plate to form a circuit portion 16a having a required shape. A tab 16b is provided so as to project from the circuit portion 16a to the lower case 11 side so as to project from the terminal hole 11c of the connector accommodating portion 11a provided in the lower case 11. A connector (not shown) connected to the tip of the wire harness is fitted into the connector housing portion 11a so that the terminal in the connector is connected to the tab 16b.

Further, the required circuit portion 16a of the connector bus bar 16 is provided with welded portions 16c and 16d projecting from the peripheral edge of the insulating plate 17. The welded portion 16c is provided so as to project from the outer peripheral edge of one side of the insulating plate 17, and the welded portion 20 of the fuse bus bar 20 of the fuse module 14 is welded.
It is welded to a. That is, the welded portion 16c-1 is the welded portion 20a-1, and the welded portion 16c-2 is the welded portion 20a-2.
c-3 and 20a-3 are horizontally overlapped and welded. In addition, the welded portion 16d is an insulating plate 17
Of the relay module 15 is welded to the welded portion 31a of the relay connecting bus bar 31 of the relay module 15, and these welded portions 16d and 31a are L-shaped.
It is bent into a shape and overlapped in the vertical direction for welding. The welded parts 16c-1, 16c-2, 16
In c-3, a large number of welded portions are provided in parallel in a protruding manner.

The relay module 15 has a large number of relay-connecting bus bars 30 fixed to a substrate 31, and these relay-connecting bus bars 30 are also individually provided to connect to the respective terminals of the relays, so that the bus bars are separated. There is. A large number of relay accommodating portions 31a are provided on the lower surface side.
The relay accommodating portions 31a accommodate the resin-molded main body portion 35b of the relay 35, and the relay 3 is inserted from the terminal hole formed in the bottom surface of the relay accommodating portion 31a.
The terminal 35a of No. 5 is projected. When the relay module 15 is housed in the upper case 12 and the lower case 11, the relay housing portion 31a is provided in the lower case 1
It is set so as to be located at the first opening 11a and exposed to the outer surface.

As shown in FIG. 6, a large number of bus bars 30 of the relay module 15 are provided with welded portions 30a and 30c by bending both ends of a horizontal portion 30b fixed to the substrate 31. One of the welded portions 30c protrudes from the board 31 and protrudes from the terminal hole 31b of the relay 35 of the terminal 3c.
Welded with 5a. The other welded portion 30a projects from the peripheral edge of the substrate 31 to weld the bus bar 16 of the base circuit.

The fuse module 14 has a substrate 21.
A large number of the fuse bus bars 20 are arranged and fixed on the back surface (top surface in FIG. 1) of the fuse. These busbars 20 are individually provided with those connected to the respective terminals of the fuses, and are so-called disjoint busbars. On the front surface side, as shown in FIG. 2, a large number of fuse accommodating portions 21a are provided in a protruding manner. The fuse accommodating portion 21a is the fuse module 1
When 4 is housed in the upper case 12 and the lower case 11, it is set in the opening 12a of the upper case 12 and exposed to the outer surface.

As shown in FIG. 7, a large number of bus bars 20 of the fuse module 14 are formed by bending a terminal portion 20c at one end of a horizontal portion 20b fixed to the substrate 21 and projecting the terminal portion 20c. A pressure contact groove 20d into which the terminal 25a is fitted is provided. The other end of the bus bar 20 is the above-mentioned welded portion 20a, which is bent in a stepped shape so as to vertically overlap with the welded portion 16c of the connector bus bar 16.

When the junction box 10 is assembled from the above-mentioned components, first, the fuse module 14 is arranged on one side of the base circuit portion 13, and the welded portion 20a of the bus bar 20 is replaced with the welded portion 16c of the bus bar 16. Weld on top of each other. Further, the relay module 15 is arranged on one side of the base circuit portion 13, and the welded portion 30a of the bus bar 30 is joined to the welded portion 16d of the bus bar 16 of the base circuit portion 13 and welded. This welding is performed by ultrasonic welding, resistance welding, or leather welding.

After the fuse module 14 is mounted on one side of the short side of the base circuit section 13 and the relay module 15 is arranged on the side of the long side as described above, they are integrated. , These are housed in the lower case 11. At that time, the substrate 31 of the relay module 15 is exposed in the opening 11b of the lower case 11, and the relay housing portion 31a projects to the outside.

Next, the electronic control unit 40 is mounted on the base circuit portion 13 where the fuse module 14 is not mounted. The electronic control unit 40 is provided at one side thereof with a connector portion 44 that is formed by bending a conductive pin 43 that is connected to the conductor 42 fixed to the substrate 41 and projecting the conductive pin 43. The connector portion 44 is fitted into a connector fitting hole formed by a notch 12b in the peripheral wall of the lower case 11 and the upper case 12, and is exposed to the outside. Further, the conductor 42 of the electronic control unit 40 is connected to the tab 16f protruding from the bus bar 16 of the base circuit portion 13. A large number of electronic components 45 are mounted on the substrate 41 of the electronic control unit 40 and connected to the conductors 42. These electronic components 45
Are fixed to the substrate 41 so as to project downward.

After assembling the electronic control unit 40 as described above, the upper case 12 is assembled. At that time, the board 20 of the fuse module 14 is exposed in the opening 12a of the upper case 12, and the fuse housing 21a and the fusible link housing 21b provided on the board 20 project to the outside. The upper case 12 and the lower case 1
The lock connection with 1 completes the assembly of the junction box 10.

The dead space below the electronic control unit 40 may be used as the welding joining position of the bus bar and the relay connecting bus bar.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the relay module 15. The relay module is not provided with a relay accommodating portion, but the upper case 12 is provided with a relay accommodating portion 50, and the relay accommodating portion 50 accommodates the relay 35. The relay 35
The terminals 35a of the above are projected from the inner surface of the upper case 12. The substrate 31 of the relay module 15 has a substantially flat plate shape, and the bus bar 30 for relay connection is fixed to the substrate 31,
The welded portions 30a and 30c are bent at both ends. The relay 3 protruding from the upper case 12 to the welded portion 30c
The terminal 35a of No. 5 is welded.

FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the relay module 15, in which the relay housing is not provided and the relay module 1
The relay 35 is mounted directly on the board 31 of FIG. 4, the terminal 35a is projected from the hole 35c provided in the board 31, and the welded portion 3 of the relay connection bus bar 30 fixed to the back surface side of the board 31.
It is welded to 0c.

[0036]

As apparent from the above description, according to the junction box of the present invention, the bus bar for the base circuit and the bus bar for the relay connection are divided, so that the connector and the relay are connected. The tabs do not overlap each other and do not overlap each other, and as a result, it is not necessary to increase the number of stacked bus bars in order to provide the tabs.
As a result, the junction box can be made thinner. Also, since the relay connection bus bar is welded to the relay terminals, the relay terminals that were required in the past can be dispensed with, and the number of parts, the number of assembly steps, and the required space can be reduced. it can.

Further, since the relay connection tab is separated from the bus bar of the base circuit section as described above, the circuit arrangement of the bus bar of the base circuit section is simplified and the required area can be reduced. it can. As a result, even if the bus bars are divided and the end portions of these bus bars are welded and connected, the occupied area does not increase as a whole and the area of the junction box does not increase.

Further, if the specifications of the connector connection circuit or the relay connection circuit are changed, the bus bar of the base circuit unit or the bus bar of the relay module may be changed.
Since it is not necessary to change the entire bus bar, the upper case, and the lower case, it is possible to quickly and inexpensively respond to the specification change.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a junction box according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which a junction box is assembled.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of FIG.

4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG.

5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG.

6A and 6B are schematic diagrams showing a relay connection bus bar.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a fuse bus bar.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional junction box.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 junction box 11 lower case 11a connector housing 11b opening 12 upper case 12a opening 13 Base circuit section 14 Fuse module 15 relay module Bus bar for 16 connector connection 16c, 16d Welded part 17 Insulation plate 20 Bus bar for fuse 20a welded part 21 board 21a Fuse accommodating section 25 fuse 30 relay connection bus bar 30a, 30c Welded part 31 substrate 31a Relay accommodation section 35 relay 35a terminal 40 Electronic control unit

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Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A base circuit unit, a relay module, and a hu
Installed in the case.
And assembling Te, the bus bar connector connection provided in the base circuit part
The insulating plates are stacked on top of each other with an insulating plate in between, and the insulating plate is attached to the bus bar.
While the welded part that protrudes from the peripheral edge of the
Relay connection that is separate from the bus bar for connector connection
Internal circuit of the junction box, characterized in that the busbar for use is fixed, one end of which is welded to the terminal of the relay and the other end is welded to the welded portion of the busbar for connecting the connector of the base circuit unit. And relay connection structure. 2. A housing a relay to the relay housing portion provided on the upper substrate of the relay module, a junction box according to the terminal of the relay to claim 1 which is welded and connected to one end of the bus bar for the relay connection Connection structure of internal circuit and relay. 3. A housing the relay to the relay housing portion provided on the upper case or lower case of the upper Symbol junction box, the terminals of the relay, and welded and connected to one end of the relay connection bus bar accommodated in the junction box The connection structure between the internal circuit of the junction box and the relay according to claim 1. Placing the relay to the substrate surface according to claim 4] above SL relay module, is protruded from the hole formed a terminal of the relay board, the claims are welded and connected to one end of the relay connection bus bar Connection structure between the internal circuit of the junction box described in 1 and the relay. 5. The internal circuit of the junction box and the relay according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the relay-connecting bus bar is provided with a bus bar that is individually connected to each terminal of the relay. Connection structure. 6. The relay connecting bus bar is formed by welding both ends of a horizontal portion by bending.
The connection structure between the internal circuit of the junction box and the relay according to any one of 1.