JP3695322B2 - Junction box - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a junction box connected to an automotive wire harness, and more specifically, to reduce the outer dimensions of a modular junction box.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recently, with the rapid increase in the number of electrical components mounted on automobiles, etc., the number of circuits that can be accommodated inside the junction box has also increased, and a high-density branch circuit is formed with a limited volume inside the box. Therefore, it takes time and effort for assembly.
[0003]
In order to reduce the thickness of the junction box so that it can easily cope with circuit changes and reduce the number of assembly steps, the applicant previously proposed the junction box 1 shown in FIG. 9 in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-112691. ing.
[0004]
The junction box 1 is divided into a connector connection circuit portion (base circuit portion), a fuse connection circuit portion, and a relay connection circuit portion, and is separately provided as a connector module 2, a fuse module 3, and a relay module 4. 3 and 4 are incorporated in a case composed of a lower case 6 and an upper case 5. Each of the modules 2, 3, and 4 has a structure in which bus bars 2b, 3b, and 4b are fixed on the substrates 2a, 3a, and 4a, and connection tabs 2c, 3c, and 4b provided at ends of the bus bars 2b, 3b, and 4b, respectively. A large number of 4c is projected from the peripheral edges of the substrates 2a, 3a, 4a. Of these connection tabs 2c, 3c, and 4c, those to be connected are overlapped with each other and resistance-welded, and each module is joined to form a required internal circuit by mutual conduction of the module circuits.
[0005]
When the junction box is divided into the connector module, the fuse module, and the relay module as described above, the connector connection portion, the fuse connection circuit, and the relay connection circuit are divided, so that the tab position of the bus bar does not overlap. Therefore, the junction box can be made thinner. Further, if there is a specification change in each connector circuit, fuse circuit, and relay circuit, only the module circuit corresponding to the changed portion needs to be changed, and it is possible to easily cope with a circuit change accompanying the specification change.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, if the circuit inside the junction box is divided into the connector connection circuit, the fuse connection circuit, and the relay connection circuit, and each is modularized, there is a great advantage as described above.
However, in the modular junction box, each module is connected by overlapping and welding the connection tabs protruding from the peripheral edge of the circuit board. Therefore, the outer dimensions of the junction box are the same as the protruding amount of the connection tabs. There is a growing problem.
[0007]
For example, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the connector module 2 and the fuse module 3 are connected by overlapping the substrate 2a of the connector module 2 and the substrate 3a of the fuse module 3 by overlapping the edge of the substrate 2a. The protruding connection tab 2c and the connection tab 3c of the fuse module 3 are overlapped. In this state, the welding connection is made by energizing the electrodes while applying pressure with the electrodes D1 and D2 of the resistance welding machine. Therefore, the lower case 5 and the upper case 6 of the junction box 1 are dimensioned by the protruding amount of the connection tabs 2c, 3c, etc. in order to accommodate each module so as to cover the welded connection tabs 2c, 3c. It needs to be bigger.
[0008]
As the outer dimensions of the junction box increase in this way, it is difficult to secure the mounting space on the vehicle body due to the fact that the mounting space on the vehicle body of the junction box is often limited due to the rapid increase in electrical components in recent years. There is also a problem. In addition, it is necessary to prepare a large mold for molding the lower case 6 and the upper case 5, and the resin material and bus bar material of the case also increase, which increases the cost of the junction box. Furthermore, since each module is connected by welding, it cannot be easily performed in a short time, and there is a problem that a large facility such as a welding machine is required.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a first problem is to suppress an increase in the size of the junction box due to tab connection accompanying modularization. In addition, a second problem is to reduce the labor required for connecting the modules.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention divides the connector connection circuit portion and the fuse connection circuit portion provided in the junction box and separately provides them as a connector module and a fuse module, and the connector module fixes the bus bar to the insulating plate. The fuse module has a structure in which the bus bar that is press-contacted to each terminal of the fuse is fixed to the insulating plate, and the fuse module is orthogonal to the connector module on one side of the laminated edge of the connector module. Place it on the side of the junction box ,
The connector module, while to project into the fuse module side tabs for the module connection formed at the tip of the bus bar from the end portion of the fuse module side is refracted from the busbar securing surface,
The fuse module is provided with a plurality of adjacent rows formed by arranging a large number of fuse accommodating portions in the housing, and the bus bars of the fuse module are provided corresponding to the rows of the fuse accommodating portions. A tab for connection with the tab of the connector module is provided, and the fuse terminal is refracted and disposed in the fuse accommodating portion, and the tab is refracted to the connector module side and corresponds to each row of the fuse accommodating portion. Protruding in position,
A junction box is provided in which the tabs of the connector module and the fuse module are in pressure contact with each other in an orthogonal arrangement state of the modules.
[0011]
In this way, the tabs provided on the connector module are not projected from the periphery of the edge, but are erected from the upper and lower surfaces that serve as the bus bar fixing surface and project toward the fuse module. By projecting the tabs in correspondence, it is possible to eliminate the configuration in which the tabs for each connection are arranged around. As a result, the outer dimensions of the junction box can be reduced by the amount of protrusion of the surrounding tabs, the required amount of various materials can be reduced, and the cost of the junction box can be reduced.
Further, if the tabs of the fuse module are arranged between the rows provided with fuse connection fuse terminals, the space between the rows of the fuse accommodating portions, which becomes a dead space, can be effectively used. That is, it is not necessary to newly provide a space for the module connection tab, which can greatly contribute to the size reduction of the junction box. Also, the bus bar of the fuse module is formed in an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of the fuse housing portions of the housing, so that a tab can be provided in a portion corresponding to a row that becomes a dead space, and the yield of the bus bar material is improved. it can.
[0012]
Furthermore, the tab shape of each module described above is that if the connector module is made into a male tab and the fuse module is made into a female tab shape, the modules can be joined by press-connecting the tabs, and a conventional welding machine is not necessary, The connection itself is only the pressure contact between the male tab and the female tab, and can be connected easily and with a single touch, greatly reducing the labor and time required for the connection. The combination of the tabs may be a female tab for the connector module and a male tab for the fuse module.
[0015]
Further, the plurality of rows of the fuse accommodating portions are arranged such that one adjacent row is shifted by a half pitch of the fuse accommodating portion, and the fuse accommodating portion in the other row adjacent to the fuse accommodating portion in one row is arranged. It is arranged. By arranging the fuse accommodating portions of the adjacent rows in this way, the space width between the rows that become the dead space can be reduced, the size of the fuse module itself can be reduced, and the size of the junction box itself can be reduced accordingly. be able to.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a junction box 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The junction 10 is a so-called module type in which an internal circuit accommodated in an upper case 11 and a lower case 12 is divided into a connector connection circuit portion and a fuse connection circuit portion. It is a junction box. The connector connection circuit section is provided as a connector module 13, and the connector module 13 is configured by laminating a circuit board 13a having a bus bar 13c fixed on an insulating board 13b to constitute a required circuit. On the other hand, the fuse connection circuit portion is provided as a fuse module 14, and a bus bar having a fuse terminal connected to each terminal of a fuse to be attached is fixed to an insulating plate to form a required circuit.
[0017]
The connector module 13 is disposed in the horizontal direction inside the upper case 11 and the lower case 12, and the fuse module 14 is disposed in a state where the fuse module 14 stands vertically to the side inner portions 11 a and 12 a of the upper case 11 and the lower case 12. Therefore, in the assembled state of each module, the fuse module 14 is in a positional relationship orthogonal to one end edge 13e of the circuit board 13a on which the connector module 13 is laminated.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit board 13a of the connector module 13 has a large number of male tabs 13d at the ends of the bus bars 13c located above and below. The male tab 13d is once erected in the vertical direction from the upper surface or the lower surface to which the bus bar 13c of the circuit board 13a is fixed, and then refracted toward the one end edge 13e on the connection side of the circuit board 13a. At this time, since the tip of the male tab 13d does not protrude from the outer periphery of the circuit board 13a, the external dimension from the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit board 13a itself does not increase even if the male tab 13d is protruded.
[0019]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3A, the fuse module 14 is formed with a resin housing 14a on the outer periphery, and a large number of fuse accommodating portions 14c are provided on the outer surface 14b when assembled, and the other surface on the back side. 14d is provided with two rows of connector portions 14f provided with a large number of insertion holes 14e for the male tabs 13d of the connector module 13. Note that the protruding position of the connector portion 14f is provided at a location that is opposite to and coincides with the space between the upper and lower rows of the fuse housing portion 14c, which will be described later. Is effectively utilized.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3B, the fuse accommodating portion 14c forms a row by arranging a large number of fuse accommodating portions 14c in the horizontal direction, and the rows are vertically arranged in the first row 15a, the second row 15b, and the third row. A total of three columns 15c are provided. Among these rows, the fuse accommodating portions 14c in the second row 15b are arranged at positions where the center positions of the fuse accommodating portions 14c are shifted by a half pitch with respect to the first row 15a and the third row 15c adjacent in the vertical direction. Then, the inter-column width h1 of the first column 15a and the second column 15b and the inter-column width h2 of the second column 15b and the third column 15c are respectively reduced as compared with the case where they are not shifted by a half pitch. The size of the vertical dimension of itself is reduced.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 3C, bus bars 17 and 18 formed by punching conductive plates on the upper and lower surfaces of the insulating plate 16 are fixed in the housing 14a. The bus bar 17 located below the insulating plate 16 is for the power supply side circuit, and the bus bar 18 located above is for the load side circuit.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 4A, the bus bar 17 is formed by punching a single conductive plate. In this embodiment, the bus bar 17 is conductive in an arrangement corresponding to the number of rows of the fuse accommodating portions 14c of the housing 14. The board is punched out. Each bus bar 17 is strip-shaped and has a large number of fuse terminals 17a projecting in a direction perpendicular to the bus bar base portion 17c extending in the horizontal direction, and a female tab 17b is provided in the same direction as the bus bar base portion 17c. Since each bus bar 17 is for a power supply circuit, a large number of fuse terminals 17a project from the bus bar base portion 17c for a circuit having the same current value.
[0023]
In these bus bars 17, the fuse terminal 17a of the bus bar 17 at the upper position is refracted and inserted into the fuse accommodating portion 14c of the first row 15a in the housing 14a. Hereinafter, the middle fuse terminal 17a is the second fuse terminal 17a. The lower fuse terminals 17a are inserted and arranged in the fuse accommodating portions 14c in the third row 15c, respectively, in the fuse accommodating portions 14c in the row 15b. Therefore, the middle fuse terminals 17a are formed at positions shifted by a half pitch with the conductive plates punched out from the positions of the upper and lower fuse terminals 17a so that they can be smoothly arranged as they are in the fuse housing portions 14c of each row. Thus, the wasteful portion of the conductive plate is reduced.
[0024]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, the bus bar 18 is formed by punching one conductive plate in the same manner as the bus bar 17. Since each bus bar 18 is for a load side circuit, it is independent for each load circuit, and has a shape in which a fuse terminal 18a for connecting a fuse is protruded in a vertical direction in a small bus bar base portion 18c. In addition, a female tab 18b for connection to the connector module 13 is formed in a direction orthogonal to the fuse terminal 18a. The fuse terminals 18a of the bus bars 18 punched out as the upper, middle, and lower stages are refracted and inserted into the fuse accommodating portions 14c in the first row 15a, the second row 15b, and the third row 15c. In order to make this possible, the positions of the middle fuse terminals 18a are arranged in a state shifted by a half pitch with respect to the upper and lower fuse terminals 18a, and the female tabs 18b of each stage are positioned between the rows of the fuse accommodating portions 14c. Are arranged to be.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 5A, the bus bar 17 for the power supply side circuit refracts the fuse terminal 17a downward from the bus bar base portion 17c, and the female tab 17b is fixed from the lower surface side of the insulating plate 16 while being refracted upward. The female tab 17b passes through the insertion hole 16a of the insulating plate 16 and protrudes upward. The bus bar 18 for the load side circuit refracts the fuse terminal 18a downward from the bus bar base portion 18c, and the female tab 18b is fixed from the upper surface side of the insulating plate 16 in a state of being refracted upward to insulate the fuse terminal 18a. It passes through the terminal insertion hole 16b of the plate 16. In this state, the insulating plate 16 and the bus bars 17 and 18 are covered with the housing 14a, the female tabs 17b and 18b are accommodated in the connector portion 14f, and the fuse terminals 17a and 18a are positioned in the fuse accommodating portions 14c of the respective rows. As a result, the fuse module 14 is completed.
[0026]
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the connector module 13 and the fuse module 14 are connected by bringing the connector module 13 closer to the other surface 14d side of the fuse module 14 in an orthogonal posture from one end edge 13e. The male tab 13 d of the module 13 is inserted into the insertion hole 14 e of the connector portion 14 f of the fuse module 14. By this insertion, as shown in FIG. 7, the male tab 13d is press-connected to the female tabs 17b and 18b of the fuse module 14, and the fuse connecting circuit portion is electrically connected to the connector connecting circuit portion to form a required internal circuit.
[0027]
In the connection state shown in FIG. 6B, the connection tab of each module does not protrude from the periphery of each module. Therefore, the vertical dimension T3 of the connection state is the same module arrangement as that of the present embodiment shown in the virtual diagram of FIG. 8, and the connection tab which is the same module connection form as the conventional case protrudes around the circuit board. Compared to the junction box 10 ', the upper and lower protrusions T2 are reduced.
[0028]
Note that the junction box of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and depending on the circuit form, the module connection tab protrudes from either the upper or lower surface of the circuit body on which the connector modules are stacked. In addition, the tabs for connecting the fuse modules may be protruded only in rows corresponding to the tabs. The tab shape of the connector module and the fuse module may be reversed from the above-described form, and the connector module may be formed into a female tab and the fuse module may be formed into a male tab to be in pressure contact connection.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, the junction box of the present invention is connected to each other with connection tabs that do not protrude from the periphery of each module, so the outer dimensions such as the width of the junction box are reduced. can do. With this reduction in dimensions, the amount of various materials used for the case and bus bar required by the junction box is reduced, and the fuse module bus bar uses dead space to provide connection tabs. The yield can be improved and the cost can be reduced. In addition, a space for mounting the junction box on the vehicle body can be easily secured.
[0030]
Further, according to the present invention, since each module is connected by male and female tabs, it is not necessary to prepare a conventional resistance welding machine or the like, and each module can be easily and quickly connected with one touch. This can greatly reduce the number of manufacturing steps and the manufacturing cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part in the vicinity of an edge of the connector module.
3A is a perspective view from the back surface direction, FIG. 3B is a plan view from the fuse housing portion direction, and FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view from the side surface direction.
FIG. 4 is a bus bar in which a conductive plate of a fuse module is punched out, (A) is a plan view of a bus bar for a power supply side circuit, and (B) is a plan view of a part of a bus bar for a load side circuit. is there.
5A is a schematic diagram of a combined state of bus bars of a fuse module, and FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of a combined state.
6A is a schematic view showing a process of attaching a connector module and a fuse module, and FIG. 6B is a schematic view of the attached state.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a pressure contact between a male tab and a female tab.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a virtual junction box that protrudes around a connection tab.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional module type junction box.
FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing conventional problems. FIGS.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Junction box 11 Upper case 12 Lower case 13 Connector module 13a Circuit body 13d Male tab 13e Edge 14 Fuse module 14a Housing 14c Fuse accommodating part 14f Connector part 17, 18 Bus bar 17a, 18a Fuse terminal 17b, 18b Female tab

Claims (2)

Dividing the connector connection circuit portion and the fuse connection circuit portion provided in the junction box and providing them separately as a connector module and a fuse module, the connector module is configured by laminating a circuit board having a bus bar fixed to an insulating plate, The fuse module has a configuration in which a bus bar that is press-contacted to each terminal of the fuse is fixed to an insulating plate, and the fuse module is arranged on one side of the laminated edge of the connector module so as to be orthogonal to the connector module and on the side of the junction box .
The connector module, while to project into the fuse module side tabs for the module connection formed at the tip of the bus bar from the end portion of the fuse module side is refracted from the busbar securing surface,
The fuse module is provided with a plurality of adjacent rows formed by arranging a large number of fuse accommodating portions in the housing, and the bus bars of the fuse module are provided corresponding to the rows of the fuse accommodating portions. A tab for connection with the tab of the connector module is provided, and the fuse terminal is refracted and disposed in the fuse accommodating portion, and the tab is refracted to the connector module side and corresponds to each row of the fuse accommodating portion. Protruding in position,
A junction box, wherein the respective tabs of the connector module and the fuse module are in pressure contact with each other in an orthogonal arrangement state of the respective modules. The plurality of rows of the fuse accommodating portions are arranged such that one adjacent row is shifted by a half pitch of the fuse accommodating portion, and the fuse accommodating portion in the other row is arranged between the fuse accommodating portions in one row. The junction box according to claim 1 .

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