JP5461961B2 - Lock structure and electrical junction box - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lock structure in which a fitting state is formed by catching, and an electric junction box as an example to which this lock structure is applied.

  An electrical junction box disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 includes an insulating block having a plurality of electrical component cavities on its upper surface, and a bus bar that is mounted in the insulating block and protrudes into the electrical component cavity. And a bolt for connecting an external terminal to the terminal connection portion of the bus bar, a nut for fixing the bolt to the insulating block, and a nut holder for fixing the nut to the insulating block. . The electric junction box is fixed to the vehicle body or the like via the mounting portion of the insulating block.

  The insulating block is formed with a nut holder accommodating portion for accommodating the nut holder from below. A flexible locking piece is formed on the inner surface of the nut holder accommodating portion. The locking piece is formed as a lock on the insulating block side. On the other hand, the nut holder accommodated in the nut holder accommodating portion is formed with a locking projection that is caught by the locking piece. The locking projection is formed as a lock on the nut holder side.

  When the nut is fixed to the nut holder and stored in the nut holder receiving portion from below the insulating block, the locking piece and the locking projection are caught in the process of storing, thereby forming a fitting state and the nut The holder is fixed. The locking piece has a slope portion, and when the slope portion of the locking projection comes into contact with this slope portion, the locking projection is bent and deformed while guiding the locking projection, and then the locking projection gets over the locking piece. It is designed to return elastically. As a result, the locking surfaces of the locking pieces and the locking projections are hooked with each other. When the locking surfaces are engaged with each other, an “rap” sound is generated and the operator can know that they are engaged.

JP 2009-89530 A

  By the way, in the electric junction box of the above-mentioned prior art, it is possible to judge by fitting sound and feeling without visually observing whether or not the fitting state is formed, but the following problems May occur. In other words, during work in the factory, if the surrounding noise is difficult to hear, there is a possibility that half-fitting will occur only with the feeling. In addition, there is a possibility that half-fitting will occur even when the locking pieces and the locking projections are small and difficult to judge by just feeling. As a method for confirming whether half-fitting has occurred, there is a primitive confirmation method such as pulling a nut holder against an insulating block.

  If the visual observation is performed reliably, the problem of the half-fitting will be solved. However, for example, when a fitting state is formed at a deep position of the nut holder accommodating portion, it is difficult to confirm whether or not the locking projection has passed over the locking piece, so there is also a problem with visual inspection. Has a point.

  This invention is made | formed in view of an above-described situation, and makes it a subject to provide the lock structure and electric junction box which can determine reliably whether it is a fitting state reliably.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the lock structure of the present invention according to claim 1 is a first locking surface of a first resin lock having a protruding shape, and a second piece having a flexible piece or arm shape. In the lock structure in which the engagement state is formed by being engaged with the second locking surface of the resin lock, either one of the first locking surface and the second locking surface, A groove-shaped through portion is formed.

  According to the present invention having such characteristics, the thickness of the formed portion is different from the others due to the formation of the through portion. As a result, the way of transmitting the impact at the time of fitting is different, and a higher fitting sound is produced as compared with the case where no through portion is formed. If the fitting sound becomes high, it becomes easy for the operator to hear. Moreover, according to this invention, a fitting sound comes to be transmitted through this penetration part by formation of a penetration part. The worker can hear the fitting sound somewhat louder.

  A lock structure according to a second aspect of the present invention is the lock structure according to the first aspect, wherein the penetrating portion is arranged and formed so as to face one of the first locking surface and the second locking surface. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, when the second resin lock is elastically restored from the bent state to be in the fitted state, any of the first locking surface and the second locking surface via the penetration portion You can face the other. If either one can face, it will be understood that it is a fitting state.

  A lock structure according to a third aspect of the present invention is the lock structure according to the first or second aspect, wherein the first resin lock and the second resin lock are molded in different colors. .

  According to the present invention having such a feature, it can be seen that it is in a fitted state if a color different from that of the penetrating part can be seen through the penetrating part.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electrical junction box according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is configured such that the lock structure according to any one of the first to third aspects is accommodated in the inner surface of the accommodating portion and the accommodating portion. It applies to the outer surface of a member to be accommodated.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, an electrical junction box that is unlikely to be half-fitted is obtained.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, by forming the penetrating portion, there is an effect that the fitting sound is high and can be easily heard. Moreover, the part which conveys a fitting sound is increased, As a result, there exists an effect that a fitting sound can be heard louder than before. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to more reliably and easily determine whether or not the fitting state is achieved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, by forming the through portion, there is an effect that the fitted state can be visualized through the through portion. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to more reliably and easily determine whether or not the fitting state is achieved.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the fitting state is further visualized through the through portion by making the formation of the through portion different from the colors of the first resin lock and the second resin lock. There is an effect that can be. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to more reliably and easily determine whether or not the fitting state is achieved.

  According to the present invention described in claim 4, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a better electrical junction box in which half-fitting hardly occurs.

It is a perspective view (including a fracture portion) showing a lock structure and an electric junction box of the present invention. It is a perspective view (a fracture part is included) of the 2nd resin lock. It is sectional drawing of the 1st resin lock and the 2nd resin lock which show a fitting state. It is a top view (a fracture part is included) of the 1st resin lock and the 2nd resin lock which show a fitting state.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a lock structure and an electrical junction box according to the present invention. 2 is a perspective view of the second resin lock, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are a sectional view and a plan view of the first resin lock and the second resin lock showing the fitted state. The arrows in FIG. 1 indicate up / down, left / right, and front / rear as examples of directions.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates an electrical junction box fixed to a predetermined position (for example, a body or the like) in a vehicle such as an automobile. The electrical junction box 1 includes an electrical junction box main body 2 and a case 3 that accommodates the electrical junction box main body 2. The electrical junction box main body 2 accommodated in the case 3 is formed in a fitting state by the lock structure of the present invention so that it does not fall off from the case 3. In the present invention, as will be understood from the following description, the above-mentioned fitting state is good, and half-fitting is much less likely to occur than in the past.

  The electrical junction box body 2 has a resin housing 4 having insulating properties, and a plurality of functional parts such as a plurality of electric circuit boards and bus bars are accommodated in the housing 4. The housing 4 is formed in a rectangular box shape in this embodiment. A plurality of cavities for electrical parts, connectors, and the like (not shown) are formed on the upper wall 5 of the housing 4. A pair of guide rails 7 are coupled to the side wall 6 of the housing 4. A first resin lock 8 constituting the lock structure of the present invention is coupled to one of the pair of guide rails 7. The first resin lock 8 and the pair of guide rails 7 are also formed on a side wall (not shown in the figure, which corresponds to a rear side wall when the side wall 6 is a front side wall) that is on the opposite side of the side wall 6. Yes.

  The pair of guide rails 7 includes a base portion 9 that protrudes short from the side wall 6 and a rail body 10 that extends straight down from the free end of the base portion 9 and is formed in a substantially L-shape. The pair of guide rails 7 is disposed and formed at an intermediate position of the side wall 6 with a predetermined interval.

  The first resin lock 8 is coupled to a side portion of the rail body 10 of one guide rail 7. The first resin lock 8 is disposed and formed so as to be positioned between the pair of guide rails 7. The first resin lock 8 is formed as a lock on the electrical junction box body 2 side. The shape of the first resin lock 8 is a shape having a substantially claw-shaped cross section, and is formed in a substantially bar shape that extends straight from the side portion of the rail body 10 in the left-right direction. The first resin lock 8 is disposed and formed in parallel to the side wall 6 so as to leave a predetermined interval with respect to the side wall 6.

  Such a first resin lock 8 includes a first locking surface 11, a mating lock guide surface 12 located on the opposite side of the first locking surface 11, and the first locking surface 11 and the mating lock guide. A lock side surface 13 that connects the surface 12 is formed. The first resin lock 8 is formed in a rigid shape that does not bend. The first resin lock 8 is formed in a shape that is not easily broken at the coupling portion with the rail body 10.

  The case 3 is a rectangular bottomed box member that is open on the upper side, and is formed so as to accommodate the electrical junction box body 2. That is, the case 3 has an accommodating portion 14 that is continuous with the opening. A pair of guide grooves 16 and a second resin lock 17 constituting the lock structure of the present invention are formed on the inner surface of the side wall 15 constituting the accommodating portion 14 (see FIG. 2). The pair of guide grooves 16 and the second resin lock 17 are also formed on the side wall on the opposite side of the side wall 15 although not particularly shown. In this embodiment, the case 3 is resin-molded using a master batch of a different color from the housing 4 of the electrical junction box body 2 (the same color may be used).

  In FIG. 2, the pair of guide grooves 16 are formed so as to be able to guide the pair of guide rails 7 (see FIG. 1) of the electrical junction box body 2. The pair of guide grooves 16 are formed so as to have a groove body 18 that is an insertion portion of the rail body 10 (see FIG. 1) and a stopper portion 19 that is an abutting portion of the base 9 (see FIG. 1). . The pair of guide grooves 16 are arranged and formed in accordance with the positions of the pair of guide rails 7.

  The second resin lock 17 is formed in a substantially arm shape having flexibility. The second resin lock 17 is disposed and formed so as to be positioned between the pair of guide grooves 16. The second resin lock 17 is formed as a lock on the case 3 side. The second resin lock 17 is formed to have a pair of arm portions 20 and a lock body 21 formed so as to connect the free ends of the pair of arm portions 20. In this embodiment, the second resin lock 17 has a different color from the first resin lock 8 because the case 3 and the housing 4 have different colors.

  Each base portion 22 of the pair of arm portions 20 is coupled to the inner surface of the side wall 15. The pair of arm portions 20 are formed to extend upward. The lock body 21 has a substantially claw-shaped cross section and a substantially rod-like shape that extends straight in the left-right direction. The lock main body 21 is disposed and formed in parallel to the side wall 15 so as to have a predetermined interval with respect to the side wall 15. The space between the side wall 15 is formed as a bending allowance space 23 that allows the second resin lock 17 to be bent.

  In FIG. 3, the lock body 21 includes a second locking surface 24, a lock top surface 25 located on the opposite side of the second locking surface 24, and a mating lock guide surface 26 continuous to the lock top surface 25. In addition, a lock side surface 27 that connects the counterpart lock guide surface 26 and the second locking surface 24 is formed. Further, the lock main body 21 is formed with a penetrating portion 28 that passes straight through the second locking surface 24 and the lock top surface 25 (passes in the same vertical direction as the fitting direction). In this embodiment, the penetrating portion 28 is formed so as to open to the lock main body back surface 29 that faces the bending allowable space 23 on the opposite side of the lock side surface 27. The lock body 21 is formed in a rigid shape that does not bend (the second resin lock 17 is formed so as to be bent by the pair of arm portions 20). A through portion 28 is formed in the lock body 21, and this formed portion is formed thinner than others.

  The penetrating portion 28 is disposed and formed at the left and right center position of the lock main body 21 (arrangement, number, and size in the figure are examples). The penetrating portion 28 is formed in a size and at a position where the first locking surface 11 of the first resin lock 8 can be faced from above when in the fitting state described later. The penetrating portion 28 is a part for transmitting a “slap” fitting sound generated by the engagement between the first locking surface 11 and the second locking surface 24 to the operator side, and also transmits an impact at the time of fitting. It is formed as a part that generates a high fitting sound by changing the direction (by forming the through part 28, the fitting sound is transmitted reliably and loudly through the through part 28. (If the fitting sound becomes high, it will be easy for the operator to hear. It will be understood that the through portion 28 has a useful function with respect to the fitting sound in addition to facing the first locking surface 11). Although the penetration part 28 of this form is a semicircular groove shape (slit shape), not only this but a hole shape shall be sufficient.

  In the above-described configuration and structure, when the electrical junction box body 2 is lowered straight from the upper side and fitted to the case 3, the mating lock guide surface 12 of the first resin lock 8 is fitted to the mating lock guide surface 26 of the second resin lock 17. The second resin lock 17 is bent and deformed toward the bending allowable space 23 while guiding the first resin lock 8, and then the first resin lock 8 is locked to the lock body 21 of the second resin lock 17. The second resin lock 17 is elastically returned to the original position. As a result, the first locking surface 11 and the second locking surface 24 of the first resin lock 8 and the second resin lock 17 are caught as shown in FIG. Is generated. This fitting sound is transmitted to the worker with a higher sound and a louder sound than in the conventional example.

  When the first locking surface 11 and the second locking surface 24 of the first resin lock 8 and the second resin lock 17 are hooked and the electrical junction box body 2 and the case 3 are in the fitted state, this fitted state The confirmation can be surely and easily performed by looking at the through portion 28 in addition to the fitting sound. That is, when the penetrating part 28 is viewed from above, if the first locking surface 11 can be seen in the back of the penetrating part 28, the engagement is surely generated, and as a result, a fitting state is formed. I understand.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, according to the lock structure of the present invention, by forming the through portion 28, it is possible to increase the fitting sound and make it easy to hear. Play. Moreover, by forming the penetration part 28, the part which conveys a fitting sound is increased, As a result, there exists an effect that a fitting sound can be heard louder than before. In addition, by forming the penetrating portion 28, it is possible to visualize the fitting state through the penetrating portion 28. Therefore, according to the lock structure of the present invention, it is possible to more reliably and easily determine whether or not it is in the fitted state.

  In addition, according to this invention, since the said lock structure is employ | adopted, there also exists an effect that the better electrical junction box 1 with which semi-fitting does not occur easily can be provided.

  It goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  In the above description, the first resin lock 8 is arranged and formed on the electric junction box body 2 side, and the second resin lock 17 is arranged and formed on the case 3 side. Be good. Moreover, in the said description, although the lock structure was applied to the electrical junction box 1, not only this but a lock structure, such as a protector which accommodates and protects a wire harness, shall be applied. Furthermore, the lock structure of the present invention can be applied to the nut holder accommodating portion and the nut holder mentioned in the conventional example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electrical junction box 2 ... Electrical junction box main body (accommodation object member)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Case 4 ... Housing 5 ... Upper wall 6 ... Side wall 7 ... Guide rail 8 ... 1st resin lock 9 ... Base part 10 ... Rail main body 11 ... 1st latching surface 12 ... Counterparty lock guide surface 13 ... Lock side surface 14 ... Accommodating Part 15: Side wall 16 ... Guide groove 17 ... Second resin lock 18 ... Groove body 19 ... Stopper part 20 ... Arm part 21 ... Lock body 22 ... Base part 23 ... Deflection allowable space 24 ... Second locking surface 25 ... Lock top surface 26 ... Counter lock guide surface 27 ... Lock side surface 28 ... Penetration part 29 ... Cover part

Claims (4)

Lock structure that forms a fitting state by engaging the first locking surface of the first resin lock that has a protruding shape and the second locking surface of the second resin lock that has a flexible piece or arm shape In
A lock structure comprising a hole or a groove-shaped through portion penetrating through one of the first locking surface and the second locking surface. The lock structure according to claim 1,
The penetration structure is arranged and formed so as to face either one of the first locking surface and the second locking surface. In the lock structure according to claim 1 or 2,
The first resin lock and the second resin lock are molded in different colors. An electric junction box for an automobile, wherein the lock structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is applied to an inner surface of a housing portion and an outer surface of a member to be housed housed in the housing portion.

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