JP4213618B2 - Electrical junction box and its harness lead-out structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical junction box provided with a harness lead-out protector in a junction box body, and a harness lead-out structure thereof.

  FIG. 5 shows one form of a conventional electrical junction box and its harness lead-out structure (see Patent Document 1).

  This electrical connection box 51 includes a synthetic resin main cover 52, an under cover 53, and an upper cover (not shown). The electrical connection box 51 includes relays, fuses, fusible links, and connection parts which are electrical parts on the main cover side. Each electric wire connected to various components such as a connector and a terminal block is led out from the opening 56 of the vertical side wall 55 of the under cover 53 as a wire harness 54.

  Two harness lead-out openings 56 are provided on substantially both sides of the under cover 53, and the wire harness 54 is bifurcated and led out from each opening 56. A vertical substrate 58 of a half-shaped protector 57 made of synthetic resin is slidably fitted into the opening 56, and the lead-out direction is defined while the wire harness 54 is guided along the protector 57.

The under cover 53 of this example is fixed to a vehicle body or the like with a bracket 59. For example, when the electrical junction box 51 is disposed in an engine room or the like, a waterproof mechanism is necessary, and the protector 57 is joined to a half-shaped protector (not shown) on the lower cover side to form a substantially cylindrical shape (for example, Patent Documents). 2).
JP-A-8-322128 (pages 3-4, FIG. 1) JP 2000-166058 A (3rd to 4th pages, FIG. 1)

  However, in the above-described conventional structure, the lower cover 53 is enlarged in the vertical direction so that the wire harness 54 is led out from each opening 56 while being routed horizontally along the bottom wall 60 of the lower cover 53, As a result, there is a problem that the entire junction box body is enlarged, and a space on the inner surface side of both side walls 55 of the lower cover 53 is occupied by the wire harness 54, and other parts cannot be arranged in the lower cover. there were.

  In addition, there is a problem that water droplets, dust, and the like easily enter the inside of the electrical connection box from the gap between the opening 56 of the vertical side wall 55 of the lower cover 53 and the outer periphery of the wire harness 54. In addition, since the lead-out direction of the wire harness 54 is defined by the position of the opening 56 in the side wall 55, when the lead-out direction of the wire harness 54 differs depending on the vehicle type or the like, another lower cover having the opening 56 is formed at a different position. There was a need.

  Further, when the wiring harness 54 led out from the opening 56 of the side wall 55 of the lower cover 53 is routed while being bent vertically upward rather than horizontally, the bending radius of the wire harness 54 is particularly large when the wire harness 54 is thick. As a result, the wiring harness 54 needs to have a large harness wiring space on the side surface of the junction box body, and the wire harness 54 may interfere with the vehicle body and other components when the large space is not available. In addition, when the wire harness 54 is routed while being bent upward, water droplets are likely to be transmitted from the upper side to the lower opening 56 along the wire harness 54, and there is a concern that the waterproof property is lowered.

  In view of the above points, the present invention can prevent the enlargement of the junction box body accompanying the lead-out of the wire harness, can improve the waterproof property, and further along the side of the junction box body. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical junction box and its harness lead-out structure that can reduce the space for wiring the wire harness and increase the degree of freedom in the lead-out direction of the wire harness.

In order to achieve the above object, an electrical junction box according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a junction box main body that houses electrical components such as a relay and a fuse, and a pipe portion that is coupled to the mouth of the junction box main body. And a harness lead-out protector that can be divided from the pipe portion, and an electrical connection box from which the wire harness is led out from the inside of the junction box body through the protector, and is provided on the bottom wall of the junction box body. The cylindrical mouth portion is formed to project, and a convex portion projecting in the radial direction of the mouth portion and a concave portion adjacent to the convex portion are provided along the circumferential direction of the mouth portion on the outer surface of the mouth portion . A convex portion protruding in the radial direction of the pipe portion and a concave portion adjacent to the convex portion are provided along the circumferential direction of the pipe portion on the inner surface of the pipe portion , and the pipe portion of the divided protector is the junction box body. recess of fitted from the outside in the radial direction in the mouth portion, a convex portion and the concave portion of the tube portion of the mouth portion And wherein the engaging radially and the convex portion and.

With the above configuration, the connection box main body is provided with a protector connection mouth without providing a conventional harness lead-out opening, and the wire harness is not routed in the connection box main body directly as in the prior art. By leading the wire harness to the protector side, the space in the junction box body is defined small, and the junction box body is reduced in size. Further, since the substantially tubular protector is connected to the mouth portion of the junction box body, the entry of water and dust from the mouth portion into the junction box body is prevented. In addition, since the wire harness is led out from the protector outside the junction box body instead of the conventional harness lead-out opening of the junction box body, the thick wire harness is bent at a large radius from the protector while the junction box body is bent. It is routed close to the outer wall (side wall), and the space (harness routing space) on the outer wall (side wall) side of the junction box body is defined to be small.
Moreover, the unevenness | corrugation of the outer periphery of a cylindrical opening part engages with the unevenness | corrugation of the inner periphery of the tube part of a protector. The concave portion of the mouth portion engages with the convex portion of the tube portion, and the convex portion of the mouth portion engages with the concave portion of the tube portion. By loosely fitting both the concave and convex portions, the protector can be rotated with respect to the junction box body. The protector is fixedly fixed in the axial direction of the pipe part by fitting both the concaves and convexes. Moreover, the invasion of water is prevented by the labyrinth formed by the unevenness of both.
In addition, with the protector deployed, the divided pipe part on the coupling side is put on the outer periphery of the cylindrical mouth part of the connection box body, and at the same time, the protector is closed, so that the protector can be connected to the connection box body. Easy to do.

An electrical junction box according to a second aspect is the electrical junction box according to the first aspect, wherein the opening is provided on a bottom wall of a lower cover of the junction box body.

  With the above configuration, the junction box body is composed of, for example, a main cover, a lower cover, and an upper cover, and a protector is connected to the mouth of the bottom of the lower cover, so that electrical components such as relays and fuses attached to the main cover side. And each wire following the connector is led directly into the protector from the bottom of the lower cover, eliminating the need for wiring harness wiring in the lower cover, making it possible to reduce the size of the lower cover and effectively use the space in the lower cover. Become. The wire harness led out through the protector from the bottom of the lower cover is bent with a large radius and routed close to the side wall of the connection box body, and the harness wiring space on the side of the connection box body is defined small.

  An electrical junction box according to a third aspect is the electrical junction box according to the first or second aspect, wherein the protector has a pipe portion that branches the wire harness in at least two directions.

  With the above configuration, the wire harness is branched from the protector outside the junction box body in a plurality of directions, not from the junction box body. The number and direction of branches can be set as appropriate. In particular, if it is branched in the 180 ° direction (front and rear two directions), a thick wire harness can be routed close to the front and rear ends of the junction box body while being bent at a large radius from the protector. Is defined to be small. The branching operation of the wire harness is easier to perform with the outer protector than within the conventional junction box body.

  An electrical junction box according to a fourth aspect is the electrical junction box according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the protector is rotatably connected to the mouth portion.

  With the above configuration, the lead-out direction of the wire harness can be arbitrarily changed by rotating the protector. Further, when a large bending force or torsional force acts on the wire harness, the protector rotates and absorbs the force, so that an unreasonable stress does not act on the wire harness.

Harness derivation structure of the electric connection box according to claim 5 is the harness lead structure in the electrical junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the opening portion of the bottom wall of the junction box body connecting the protector of generally tubular harness branch, characterized in that branches the wire harness in a plurality of directions through the protector from the connection box body.

  With the above configuration, the opening for connecting the protector is provided in the bottom wall of the junction box body without providing the conventional harness lead-out opening on the side wall of the junction box body, and the wire harness is arranged in the junction box body as in the past. By guiding the wire harness directly from the mouth portion to the lower protector side without searching, the space in the junction box body is defined small, and the junction box body is miniaturized. Moreover, the substantially tubular protector is connected to the bottom of the junction box body, thereby increasing the prevention of water and dust from entering the junction box body. In addition, the wire harness is led out from the protector outside the bottom of the junction box body instead of the harness lead-out opening on the side wall of the junction box body so that the thick wire harness is bent from the protector with a large radius. It is routed close to the side wall of the box body, and the space on the side wall of the connection box body (harness routing space) is defined small.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the wire harness is led out directly from the junction box body to the protector side, so that the space in the junction box body is defined small, and the junction box body, that is, the electrical junction box can be downsized. In addition, the space in the junction box body can be widely used, and other components such as an electronic unit can be mounted in the junction box body. Further, by connecting the substantially tubular protector to the mouth portion of the junction box body, water and dust can be prevented from entering from the mouth portion into the junction box body, and the waterproof and dustproof properties are improved. In addition, a thick wire harness can be routed close to the outer wall of the junction box body while bending from the protector with a large radius. The electric junction box and its wire harness can be easily assembled.
In addition, because the concavities and convexities on the junction box body side and the protector side are fitted to each other, the protector is firmly fixed in the axial direction of the pipe part, and the protector is prevented from coming off due to the strong tension of the wire harness, etc. Intrusion of water is reliably prevented by the unevenness of both, and the waterproofness of the electrical junction box is improved.
Moreover, the pipe part on the connection side of the split protector can be easily connected to the cylindrical mouth part of the connection box body, and the assembly workability of the electric connection box is improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the wiring harness is not required to be routed in the lower cover as in the prior art, and it is possible to reduce the size of the lower cover, thereby reducing the size of the electrical connection box and effectively using the space in the lower cover. . In addition, since the thick wire harness led out from the protector on the bottom side of the lower cover is bent with a large radius and routed close to the side wall of the junction box body, the harness routing space on the side of the junction box body is small. As a result, the assembly of the electrical junction box and the wire harness is improved.

  According to the invention of claim 3, by branching the wire harness from the outside protector instead of from the junction box body, the branching operation can be performed more easily than in the junction box body, and the direction of the branch The number can be easily changed (set) according to the circuit specifications.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, since the direction in which the wire harness is led out can be arbitrarily changed by rotating the protector, for example, it is necessary to prepare several types of junction box main bodies as in the past depending on the vehicle type. The cost of the electrical junction box is reduced. Even if a large bending force or torsional force is applied to the wire harness, the protector rotates and absorbs the force, so that excessive stress is not applied to the wire harness and the wiring harness is routed. The workability is improved, and the life of the wire harness and the reliability of power supply are improved.

According to the invention described in claim 5, the wire harness is led out directly from the bottom of the junction box body to the protector side, so that the space in the junction box body is defined small, and the junction box body, that is, the electrical junction box can be downsized. In addition, the space in the junction box body can be widely used, and other components such as an electronic unit can be mounted in the junction box body. Further, since the substantially tubular protector is coupled on the bottom side of the junction box body, water and dust can be prevented from entering the junction box body, and the waterproof and dustproof properties are improved. In addition, since a thick wire harness can be routed close to the side wall of the junction box body while being bent at a large radius from the protector, the space on the side wall of the junction box body is defined to be small, so that it can be used in a narrow space such as a vehicle. The electric junction box and its wire harness can be easily assembled.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an electrical junction box and its harness lead-out structure according to the present invention.

  The electrical junction box 1 includes a synthetic resin main cover 2, a lower cover 3, an upper cover 4, and a synthetic resin protector 5 provided at the bottom of the lower cover 3. Each electric wire (wire harness 6) derived from an electrical component, a connector or the like is led to the outside through the protector 5.

  The main cover 2 includes a rectangular cylindrical outer peripheral wall 8 formed of front, rear, left and right side walls and a frame-shaped component mounting wall (not shown) orthogonal to the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall 8. A locking portion (flexible locking piece having a claw portion on the inside) 10 is provided for the joint portion 9, and an electrical component such as a relay or fusible link is directly mounted on the inner component mounting wall, or a synthetic resin It is mounted indirectly via a relay block, a fuse block, etc., or a plurality of connectors are mounted via a connector block.

  Wires with terminals are connected to the terminals of components such as relays and fusible links, and the wires are connected to the terminals of the connector by crimping or the like. And is led out from the protector 5 in two horizontal directions as a wire harness 6 at the center portion of the lower cover 3.

  The protector 5 of this example has a pair of front and rear harness outlets 11 (FIG. 2) and branches the wire harness 6 back and forth (longitudinal direction of the electrical junction box). The harness outlet 11 is provided in the horizontal short pipe parts (cylinder parts) 12 and 13, and each pipe part 12 and 13 continues perpendicularly to the vertical short pipe part 14. The total length of the horizontal pipe portions 12 and 13 is set to be shorter than the longitudinal length of the junction box main body 15. Here, the junction box body 15 includes the main cover 2, the lower cover 3, and the upper cover 4.

  The wire harness 6 led out horizontally from the protector 5 is routed vertically upward along the side surface 16 of the junction box body 15, and is again routed horizontally in the upper cover 4 side. In FIG. 1, the wire harness 6 is bent upward with a relatively small radius at a position passing through the front and rear side surfaces 16 of the lower cover 3, but actually the horizontal pipe portions 12, 13 of the protector 5 as indicated by chain lines 6 ′. The wire harness 6 ′ can be routed upward in a small space close to the side surface of the junction box main body 15.

  In FIG. 1, the wire harness indicated by the chain line 18 is optionally led out from the side wall 19 of the lower cover 3. According to this embodiment, the wire harnesses 6 and 18 can be branched from three locations. In this case, a harness lead-out opening 20 similar to the conventional one is provided on one side wall 19 of the lower cover 3.

  The position of the opening 20 is offset in the left-right (width) direction of the connection box body 15 with respect to the extension line of the one tube portion 13 of the lower protector 5, and the wire harness 6 ′ from the protector 5 and the wire from the opening 20 are It is preferable that the harness 18 is arranged in parallel on the left and right (the wire harness 6 ′ from the protector 5 bends with a large radius near the protector and approaches the side surface 16 of the junction box main body 15). The wire harness 18 from the opening 20 is preferably thinner than the wire harness 6 from the protector 5 and bent with a small radius.

  The main cover 2 and the upper cover 4 are locked by a flexible arm 45 and a protrusion 21. The electrical junction box 1 is fixed to the vehicle body or the like by the bracket 22 of the main cover 2. The main cover 2 and the upper cover 4 may be referred to as a junction box body. Further, a short main cover (not shown) may be completely covered with a deep upper cover (not shown). The forms of the main cover 2 and the upper cover 4 can be appropriately set as necessary.

  Unless the chain wire harness 18 is routed in the lower cover, the wires (wire harnesses) in the lower cover are converged in a funnel shape below the main cover 2 as described above. It can be set even lower than 1. Further, the space in the lower cover is expanded, and parts such as an electronic unit can be arranged on both the front and rear sides in the lower cover. Even when the wire harness 18 of the chain line in FIG. 1 is provided, a space for arranging other components and the like is provided on one side of the lower cover 3 (the side opposite to the wire harness 18).

  Since the protector 5 is disposed at the bottom of the lower cover 3, it is difficult for the water from the top to be applied thereto, and the harness outlet 11 of the pipe portions 12 and 13 is circular and is in close contact with the wire harness 6. Intrusion of water from 11 is difficult to occur. Even if water enters the protector, the water drops (discharges) from the small hole 23 provided at the bottom of the protector, and water and dust can be reliably prevented from entering the upper connection box body 15. The

  2 to 3 show an embodiment of the protector 5.

  The protector 5 can be divided into left and right parts, and is connected through a thin hinge 24 at the center of the bottom so as to be freely opened and closed. The left and right split protectors 25, 26 are formed substantially symmetrically, and are locked by the locking claw 27 of one split protector 25 and the engagement frame piece 28 of the other split protector 26. These locking means 27 and 28 are arranged on the distal end side of each of the pipe portions 12 to 14, that is, on the fixing side with the wire harness 6 (FIG. 1) and the connecting side with the lower cover 3, and firmly fix the wire harness 6 and the lower cover 3. Is possible.

  The shape of the protector 5 is such that the large-diameter bottomed tube portion 14 and the small-diameter cylindrical tube portions 12 and 13 are orthogonal to each other, and the lower cover 3 (see FIG. 1) are connected, and the wire harness 6 is fixed to the tip of the small-diameter pipe portion 13. Three ribs (convex parts) 29 are provided in the circumferential direction on the inner surface of the open end of the large-diameter pipe part 14, and three ribs 31 are provided in the circumferential direction on the inner side of the distal end of the small-diameter pipe part 13. Yes. The ribs 29 and 31 are not limited to three, but may be one, two or three or more. In the case of a plurality of ribs, it is preferable that the ribs 29 and 31 are provided at an equal pitch or an integer multiple pitch. Concave grooves (concave portions) 30 and 32 are formed between the ribs 29 and 31.

  The rib 31 of the horizontal pipe part 13 engages with the concave groove of the corrugated tube which is a protective tube on the outer periphery of the wire harness to fix the corrugated tube at least in the axial direction. The corrugated tube is made of a synthetic resin material, and has a circumferential groove at an equal pitch to enhance the flexibility of the wire harness 6. The rib 31 is unnecessary when using a net-like protective tube other than the corrugated tube or a vinyl tape for converging the harness.

  FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the lower cover 3.

  The lower cover 3 is divided into two parts in the front-rear direction, and the rib 36 at the split end of one split cover 34 enters and engages the concave groove 37 at the split end of the other split cover 35, so that both split covers 34, 35. Are joined together. On the bottom wall 38 of each of the divided covers 34, 35, a substantially half-divided annular (cylindrical) divided port portion 39, 40 is formed at the divided end, and both the divided port portions 39, 40 are combined to form an annular mouth portion. 41 (FIG. 1) is configured. The central tube portion 14 of the protector 5 (FIG. 2) is fitted and connected to the annular mouth portion 41.

  That is, ribs (convex portions) 42 are provided in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the annular mouth portion 41, and the inner periphery of the tube portion 14 of the protector 5 (FIG. 2) is provided in the concave grooves (recess portions) 43 between the ribs 42. The ribs (convex parts) 29 of the mouth part 41 are engaged, and the ribs (convex parts) 42 on the outer periphery of the mouth part 41 are engaged with the concave grooves (recess parts) 30 between the ribs 29 of the pipe part 14. Further, the tube portion 14 is held so as to be axially immovable and rotatable in the circumferential direction. The protector 5 is mounted so that the tube portion 14 covers the mouth portion 41 of the lower cover 3 from the opened state after unlocking.

  Since the protector 5 is connected to the lower cover 3 so as to be able to rotate 360 °, the direction of the tube portion 14 of the protector 5 can be easily changed even when the direction of the wire harness 6 is changed depending on the vehicle type, for example. It is possible to change, and it is possible to easily cope with the change of the derivation direction.

  It should be noted that the lower cover 3 is merely an example, and a lower cover having an annular mouth portion 41 can be integrally formed on the bottom wall 38. Also in the case of an integrated lower cover, the protector 5 is once opened and closed, and at the same time, the pipe portion 14 is connected to the outer periphery of the mouth portion 41.

In the case of the split type lower cover 3 of FIG. 4, circumferential ribs are provided on the inner circumference, not the outer circumference of the annular mouth portion 41, and the circumferential ribs are provided on the outer circumference, not the inner circumference, of the tube portion 14 of the protector 5. It is also possible to engage the pipe part 14 of the protector 5 inside the mouth part 41 at the same time as providing the split cover. In this case, the protector 5 may be an integral type instead of a division type .

  In addition, the bottom wall 38 of the lower cover 3 is provided with a hole-like mouth portion (hole portion) instead of the annular mouth portion (tubular portion) 41 so that the lower cover 3 is joined from the divided state, and at the same time, a protector is provided at the periphery of the hole portion. It is also possible to engage circumferential ribs or grooves on the outer periphery of the five pipe portions 14.

  4, the upper end side of the left and right side walls 33 of the lower cover 3 has a recess 9a for engaging the protrusion of the locking portion 10 as the engaging portion 9 for the locking portion 10 of the main cover 2 of FIG. The combined arm is formed to protrude. As described above, one of the front and rear side walls 19 may optionally be provided with a semicircular or U-shaped harness lead-out opening 20. The upper wire harness 18 in FIG. 1 is led out from the opening 20.

  In the above embodiment, the harness lead-out pipe portions 12 and 13 of the protector 5 are provided in two directions (180 ° direction). However, the pipe portions are not limited to two directions, and may be one direction, three directions, or four directions. Also, it is possible to provide in two directions as appropriate, such as 90 ° direction instead of 180 ° direction. In the case of one direction, for example, it is a substantially L-shaped protector.

  In addition, the electrical junction box includes the upper cover 4, the main cover 2, and the lower cover 3. For example, in the case where the main cover 2 and the lower cover 3 are integrally molded with resin (referred to as a junction box body), It is also possible to provide an annular mouth portion 41 for connecting the protector integrally or separately on the bottom wall. In this case, the upper cover 4 may be referred to as a junction box body.

  In the above embodiment, the protector 5 is coupled to the horizontal bottom wall 38 of the junction box body. However, the protector 5 is not necessarily limited to the bottom wall 38. For example, the front, rear, left and right vertical side walls 19, 44 of the lower cover 3. It is also possible to connect the protector 5 to any of the above.

It is a front view which shows one Embodiment of the electrical-connection box which concerns on this invention, and its harness derivation | leading-out structure. It is a perspective view which shows one form of the protector for harness derivation | leading-out of an electrical junction box. It is a top view which similarly shows the expansion | deployment state of a protector. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows one form of the lower cover of an electrical junction box. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows one form of the conventional electrical junction box and its harness derivation structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrical connection box 3 Lower cover 5 Protector 6 Wire harness 12, 13 Pipe part 14 Connection side pipe part 15 Connection box main body 29, 42 Rib (convex part)
30, 43 concave groove (concave)
41 mouth

Claims (5)

A connection box main body that houses electrical components such as relays and fuses, and a harness lead-out protector that has a pipe portion connected to the mouth of the connection box main body and can be divided from the pipe portion, the connection An electrical connection box from which the wire harness is led out from the inside of the box through the protector,
The cylindrical mouth portion is formed to project on the bottom wall of the junction box body, and a convex portion projecting in the radial direction of the mouth portion and a concave portion adjacent to the convex portion are formed in the circumferential direction of the mouth portion on the outer surface of the mouth portion. along provided, on the inner surface of the tube portion of the protector, and a recess adjacent to the convex portion and the convex portion protruding in the tube portion radially disposed along the tube portion circumferentially divided in the protector tube portion is fitted from the outside in the radial direction to the mouth portion of the connection box body, a convex portion and the concave portion of the tube section engages radially and concave portion and the convex portion of the mouth portion An electrical junction box characterized by that.   The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the mouth portion is provided on a bottom wall of a lower cover of the junction box body.   The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the protector has a pipe portion that branches the wire harness in at least two directions.   The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the protector is rotatably connected to the mouth portion.   The harness connection structure in the electrical junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the substantially tubular protector for harness branching is connected to the mouth portion of the bottom wall of the junction box body, A harness lead-out structure for an electrical junction box, wherein a wire harness is branched in a plurality of directions from the inside of the junction box through the protector.

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