JP7256076B2 - electric junction box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electrical junction boxes.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electric connection box such as a relay box that is mounted on a vehicle and accommodates electronic components such as relays is widely known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such an electric connection box is generally constructed such that the first housing and the second housing are joined together so that the first housing's annular side wall and the second housing's annular second side wall are aligned. configured to be assembled. In this structure, an elastic locking piece that can be elastically deformed is provided on the first side wall portion, and a locked portion that locks the locking portion of the elastic locking piece is provided on the second side wall portion. Separation of the first housing and the second housing is prevented by locking the locking portion of the stop piece to the locked portion.

JP 2018-129931 A

By the way, in a state in which the locking portion of the elastic locking piece is locked to the locked portion, the locking is released by elastically deforming the elastic locking piece in a direction toward the outer wall of the first side wall portion. Assuming the mode to be In this aspect, when the elastic locking piece is elastically deformed in a direction approaching the first side wall portion for unlocking, the elastic locking piece may be pressed against the outer wall of the second side wall portion depending on the shape of the elastic locking piece. may be In this case, there arises a problem that the first housing and the second housing become difficult to separate from each other due to an increase in frictional frictional resistance at the contact portion between the elastic locking piece and the outer wall of the second side wall. obtain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and an object of the present invention is to prevent a first housing and a second housing from being separated from each other due to deformation of elastic locking pieces for unlocking. To provide an electric connection box in which a difficult situation hardly occurs.

In order to achieve the above object, an electric connection box according to the present invention is characterized by the following [1] to [ 4 ].
[1]
a first housing having an annular first side wall;
A second housing having an annular second sidewall, assembled to the first housing so that the annular edge of the second sidewall and the annular edge of the first sidewall are aligned. a second housing,
a first locking portion provided on the outer wall of the first side wall portion and having an elastic locking piece that is elastically deformable;
An engaged portion is provided on the outer wall of the second side wall portion and prevents separation of the first housing and the second housing by engaging the engaging portion of the elastic locking piece. a second locking portion;
An electrical junction box containing at least one electronic component in at least one of the first housing and the second housing,
The first locking portion and the second locking portion are arranged such that the elastic locking piece is engaged with the first locking portion in a state where the locking portion of the elastic locking piece is locked to the locked portion. The lock is released by elastically deforming the first side wall portion provided with the stop portion in a direction along the outer wall ,
The elastic locking piece has a cantilever shape with a free end positioned further away from the second housing than the fixed end,
By moving the free end of the elastic locking piece along the outer wall of the first side wall portion in a lateral direction perpendicular to the direction of assembling the first housing and the second housing, configured to be unblocked,
Must be an electric connection box.
[ 2 ]
In the electrical connection box described in [ 1 ] above,
The first engaging portion connects a pair of first side plate portions that are spaced apart in the lateral direction and protrude outward from the outer wall of the first side wall portion, and projecting side end portions of the pair of first side plate portions. a first connecting portion extending in the lateral direction so as to
the free end of the elastic locking piece is positioned within a space defined by the outer wall of the first side wall portion, the pair of first side plate portions, and the first connecting portion;
Must be an electric connection box.
[ 3 ]
In the electrical connection box described in [ 2 ] above,
The first engaging portion includes a first extending portion extending from the first connecting portion toward the second housing, and the edge portion of the first side wall portion so as to face the first extending portion. a second extending portion extending from the second housing side,
The fixed end of the elastic locking piece is clamped and fixed between the first extending portion and the second extending portion,
Must be an electric connection box.
[ 4 ]
In the electrical junction box described in [ 3 ] above,
The second engaging portion connects a pair of second side plate portions which are spaced apart in the lateral direction and protrude outward from the outer wall of the second side wall portion, and projecting side end portions of the pair of second side plate portions. a second connecting portion extending in the lateral direction so as to
In a state in which the locking portion of the elastic locking piece is locked to the locked portion, the first extending portion and the second extending portion are connected to the outer wall of the second side wall portion and the outer wall of the second side wall portion. entering a space defined by a pair of second side plate portions and the second connecting portion;
The locked portion is provided on an inner wall surface of one of the pair of second side plate portions,
Must be an electric connection box.

According to the electrical connection box having the configuration [1] above, the elastic locking piece moves in the direction along the outer wall of the first side wall (which is also the direction along the outer wall of the second side wall) for unlocking. be elastically deformed. Therefore, the elastic locking piece is not pressed against the outer wall of the second side wall due to elastic deformation of the elastic locking piece for unlocking. As a result, there arises a problem that the first housing and the second housing become difficult to separate from each other due to an increase in frictional resistance between the elastic locking piece and the outer wall of the second side wall. it gets harder.

Furthermore, according to the electric junction box having the configuration [ 1 ], the lock can be released by a simple operation of laterally moving the free end of the cantilever-like elastic locking piece.

According to the electrical connection box having the configuration [ 2 ], the free end of the elastic locking piece is surrounded by the outer wall of the first side wall, the pair of first side plates, and the first connecting portion. For this reason, it is difficult for surrounding objects to unintentionally come into contact with the free end to release the lock.

According to the electric connection box having the configuration [ 3 ], the fixed end of the elastic locking piece can be sandwiched between the first extending portion and the second extending portion and can be firmly fixed. Therefore, it is less likely that a surrounding object will unintentionally come into contact with the fixed end and the lock will be released.

According to the electrical connection box having the configuration [ 4 ], the locked portion is provided on the inner wall surface of one of the pair of second side plate portions. Therefore, it is less likely that a surrounding object will unintentionally come into contact with the locked portion to release the lock.

As described above, according to the present invention, the electrical junction box is unlikely to cause a situation in which the first housing and the second housing become difficult to separate from each other due to deformation of the elastic locking pieces for unlocking. can provide

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the detailed description below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric connection box according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the periphery of the first locking portion of the first housing shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the periphery of the second locking portion of the second housing shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an electric connection box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. The electrical connection box 1 is typically a relay box that is mounted on a vehicle and houses electronic components such as relays. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, "vertical direction", "top" and "bottom" in FIG. 1 are defined as "vertical direction", "top" and "bottom", respectively. When the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on the vehicle, the "vertical direction" corresponds to the vertical direction of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical connection box 1 includes a resin housing 10 that accommodates a plurality of electronic components (not shown). In this example, the housing 10 includes an upper first housing 11 having a rectangular ring-shaped first side wall portion 13 and a lower side second housing 12 having a rectangular ring-shaped second side wall portion 14. . The first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are arranged such that the rectangular ring-shaped lower edge of the first side wall 13 and the rectangular ring-shaped upper edge of the second side wall 14 are aligned over the entire circumferential direction. are vertically assembled to obtain the housing 10 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the first housing 11 has a first locking member provided on the outer wall at the center of each of two predetermined sides of the rectangular annular first side wall 13 facing each other in the circumferential direction. A section 20 is provided respectively. Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the second housing 12 has two opposite sides of the rectangular annular second side wall portion 14 corresponding to the predetermined two sides of the first side wall portion 13 . A second locking portion 30 is provided on the outer wall at the center in the circumferential direction of each of the sides.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are assembled in the vertical direction (completed assembly state), the first locking portion 20 and the second locking portion 30 are separated from each other. By being locked, separation in the vertical direction between the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 is prevented. Hereinafter, configurations of the first locking portion 20 and the second locking portion 30 will be described in order.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the direction along the outer wall of the first side wall portion 13 provided with the first locking portion 20 and the assembly direction of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 (vertical direction in FIG. 4) is referred to as a "horizontal direction" (horizontal direction in FIG. 4). The “horizontal direction” is also a direction along the outer wall of the second side wall portion 14 provided with the second locking portion 30 and perpendicular to the assembly direction of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the first locking portions 20 include a pair of first side plate portions 21 that are laterally separated from each other and protrude outward from the outer wall of the first side wall portion 13 and extend in the vertical direction, and a pair of A first connecting portion 22 extending in the lateral direction so as to connect the projecting side end portions of the first side plate portions 21 is provided. As a result, the outer wall of the first side wall portion 13, the pair of first side plate portions 21, and the first connecting portion 22 define a rectangular first space S1 penetrating in the vertical direction (see FIG. 2). ).

The first locking portion 20 further faces a first extension portion 23 that extends like a tongue from the first connection portion 22 downward (toward the second housing 12 side) and the first extension portion 23 . and a second extending portion 24 extending downward (to the second housing 12 side) in a tongue shape from the lower edge portion of the first side wall portion 13 .

The first engaging portion 20 further has a fixed end 26 sandwiched and fixed between the first extending portion 23 and the second extending portion 24, and a cantilever-like elastic member extending upward from the fixed end 26. A locking piece 25 is provided. A free end 27, which is an extended end of the elastic locking piece 25, is positioned within the first space S1.

The elastic locking piece 25 is a locking portion protruding to one side in the horizontal direction at a position exposed to one side in the horizontal direction (right side in FIG. 4) from between the first extending portion 23 and the second extending portion 24. 28 are provided. The elastic locking piece 25 is elastically deformable such that the free end 27 moves laterally.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second locking portion 30 includes a pair of second side plate portions 31 that are laterally separated from each other and protrude outward from the outer wall of the second side wall portion 14 and extend in the vertical direction, and a pair of and a second connecting portion 32 extending in the lateral direction so as to connect the projecting side end portions of the second side plate portions 31 . As a result, the outer wall of the second side wall portion 14, the pair of second side plate portions 31, and the second connecting portion 32 define a rectangular second space S2 penetrating in the vertical direction (see FIG. 3). ).

On the inner wall surface (side surface facing the second space S2) of the second side plate portion 31 on one side in the lateral direction of the pair of second side plate portions 31, a cover projecting to the other side in the lateral direction (left side in FIG. 4) is provided. A locking portion 33 (see FIG. 4) is provided. The locked portion 33 locks the locking portion 28 of the elastic locking piece 25 in the assembled state of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 .

In order to assemble the first housing 11 and the second housing 12, the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 are brought closer to each other in the vertical direction, and the first locking portion 20 extends to the first extension. The portion 23 and the second extending portion 24 are inserted into the second space S2 of the second locking portion 30 .

As the insertion of the first extending portion 23 and the second extending portion 24 into the second space S2 progresses, the locking portion 28 of the elastic locking piece 25 of the first locking portion 20 moves toward the second locking portion 30 . abuts on the engaged portion 33 of the . As the insertion progresses further, the locking portion 28 is pressed against the locked portion 33 , the elastic locking piece 25 is elastically deformed to the other side in the horizontal direction, and the locking portion 28 rides on the locked portion 33 .

As the insertion progresses further, the locking portion 28 climbs over the locked portion 33, so that the elastic locking piece 25 elastically returns to the other side in the lateral direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the engaging portion 28 is engaged with the engaged portion 33, thereby preventing separation of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 in the vertical direction. This completes the assembly of the housing 10 .

As shown in FIG. 4, in the state where the locking portion 28 is locked to the locked portion 33 (completed assembly state), the free end 27 of the elastic locking piece 25 must be pushed to release the locking. , to the other side in the horizontal direction (left side in FIG. 4) to elastically deform the elastic locking piece 25 to the other side in the horizontal direction. As a result, the locking between the locking portion 28 and the locked portion 33 is released, and the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 can be separated in the vertical direction.

<Action/effect>
As described above, according to the electric connection box 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the elastic locking piece 25 is elastically deformed in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 4) for unlocking. Therefore, the elastic locking piece 25 is not pressed against the outer wall of the second side wall portion 14 due to the elastic deformation of the elastic locking piece 25 for unlocking. For this reason, due to an increase in frictional frictional resistance between the elastic locking piece 25 and the outer wall of the second side wall portion 14, the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 become difficult to separate from each other. problems are less likely to occur.

Furthermore, according to the electrical connection box 1, the locking can be released by a simple operation of laterally moving the free end of the cantilever-like elastic locking piece 25. As shown in FIG.

Furthermore, according to the electric connection box 1 , the free end 27 of the elastic locking piece 25 is surrounded by the outer wall of the first side wall portion 13 , the pair of first side plate portions 21 and the first connecting portion 22 . Therefore, it is difficult for surrounding objects to unintentionally contact the free end 27 to release the lock.

Furthermore, according to the electrical junction box 1, the fixed end 26 of the elastic locking piece 25 can be sandwiched between the first extension 23 and the second extension 24 and can be firmly fixed. Therefore, it is difficult for surrounding objects to unintentionally come into contact with the fixed end 26 to release the lock.

Furthermore, according to the electrical connection box 1, the locked portion 33 is provided on the inner wall surface of the second side plate portion 31 on one lateral side of the pair of second side plate portions 31. As shown in FIG. Therefore, it is difficult for surrounding objects to unintentionally come into contact with the locked portion 33 to release the lock.

<Other forms>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

In the above embodiment, the locking is released by elastically deforming the elastic locking piece 25 in the lateral direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 4). On the other hand, as long as the direction is along the outer wall of the first side wall portion 13 provided with the first locking portion 20, for example, the assembly direction of the first housing 11 and the second housing 12 (Fig. 4 , the locking may be released by elastically deforming the elastic locking piece 25 in any direction, such as the vertical direction.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the free end 27 of the elastic locking piece 25 is surrounded by the outer wall of the first side wall portion 13, the pair of first side plate portions 21, and the first connecting portion 22. The free end 27 of the stop piece 25 does not have to be surrounded by part of the first locking portion 20 .

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the elastic locking piece 25 has a shape of a cantilever beam, but the elastic locking piece 25 may have a shape of a double-supported beam.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a rib may be formed on one of the contact surfaces of the engaging portion 28 and the engaged portion 33 so as to protrude toward the other contact surface. As a result, rattling between contact surfaces of the locking portion 28 and the locked portion 33 can be suppressed.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the free end of the elastic locking piece 25 at the original position (the position shown in FIG. 2 where it is not elastically deformed) at the upper end of the first connecting part 22 of the first locking part 20 A mark may be provided at the same lateral position as the lateral position of 27 to indicate that the elastic locking piece 25 is in the original position. Thereby, it is possible to confirm at a glance that the elastic locking piece 25 is in the original position.

Here, the features of the embodiment of the electrical connection box 1 according to the present invention described above are summarized and listed briefly in [1] to [5] below.
[1]
a first housing (11) having an annular first side wall (13);
A second housing (12) having an annular second sidewall (14), the annular edge of said second sidewall (14) and the annular edge of said first sidewall (13) a second housing (12) assembled to the first housing (11) such that
a first locking portion (20) provided on the outer wall of the first side wall portion (13) and having an elastic locking piece (25) that is elastically deformable;
By locking the locking portion (28) of the elastic locking piece (25) provided on the outer wall of the second side wall (14), the first housing (11) and the second housing (11) are engaged. 12), a second locking portion (30) having a locked portion (33) that prevents separation from the second locking portion (30);
In an electric junction box (1) containing at least one electronic component in at least one of the first housing (11) and the second housing (12),
In the first locking portion (20) and the second locking portion (30), the locking portion (28) of the elastic locking piece (25) is locked to the locked portion (33). In this state, the elastic locking piece (25) is elastically deformed in a direction along the outer wall of the first side wall (13) provided with the first locking portion (20), thereby configured to be unblocked,
Electrical Junction Box (1).
[2]
In the electrical connection box (1) described in [1] above,
The elastic locking piece (25) has a cantilever shape with a free end (27) positioned farther from the second housing (12) than the fixed end (26),
The free end (27) of the elastic locking piece (25) is positioned along the outer wall of the first side wall (13) and between the first housing (11) and the second housing (12). configured to be unlocked by moving in a lateral direction orthogonal to the assembly direction,
Electrical Junction Box (1).
[3]
In the electrical connection box (1) described in [2] above,
The first locking portions (20) are composed of a pair of first side plate portions (21) projecting outward from the outer wall of the first side wall portion (13) apart in the lateral direction, and the pair of first side plate portions (21). a first connecting portion (22) extending in the lateral direction so as to connect the protruding side ends of the portion (21);
The free end (27) of the elastic locking piece (25) is connected to the outer wall of the first side wall portion (13), the pair of first side plate portions (21), and the first connecting portion (22). located in the space (S1) defined by
Electrical Junction Box (1).
[4]
In the electrical connection box (1) described in [3] above,
The first locking portion (20) includes a first extending portion (23) extending from the first connecting portion (22) toward the second housing (12), and the first extending portion ( 23), and a second extension (24) extending from the edge of the first side wall (13) toward the second housing (12),
The fixed end (26) of the elastic locking piece (25) is clamped and fixed between the first extension (23) and the second extension (24),
Electrical Junction Box (1).
[5]
In the electrical connection box (1) described in [4] above,
The second locking portions (30) are composed of a pair of second side plate portions (31) projecting outward from the outer wall of the second side wall portion (14) apart from each other in the lateral direction, and the pair of second side plate portions (31). a second connecting portion (32) extending in the lateral direction so as to connect the protruding side ends of the portion (31);
With the locking portion (28) of the elastic locking piece (25) locked to the locked portion (33), the first extending portion (23) and the second extending portion (24) enters the space (S2) defined by the outer wall of the second side wall (14), the pair of second side plate portions (31), and the second connecting portion (32). death,
The locked portion (33) is provided on the inner wall surface of one of the pair of second side plate portions (31),
Electrical Junction Box (1).

1 electrical junction box 11 first casing 12 second casing 13 first side wall portion 14 second side wall portion 20 first locking portion 21 first side plate portion 22 first connecting portion 23 first extending portion 24 second extending portion Protruding portion 25 Elastic locking piece 26 Fixed end 27 Free end 28 Locking portion 30 Second locking portion 31 Second side plate portion 32 Second connecting portion 33 Locked portion S1 First space (space)
S2 Second space (space)

Claims (4)

a first housing having an annular first side wall;
A second housing having an annular second sidewall, assembled to the first housing so that the annular edge of the second sidewall and the annular edge of the first sidewall are aligned. a second housing,
a first locking portion provided on the outer wall of the first side wall portion and having an elastic locking piece that is elastically deformable;
An engaged portion is provided on the outer wall of the second side wall portion and prevents separation of the first housing and the second housing by engaging the engaging portion of the elastic locking piece. a second locking portion;
An electrical junction box containing at least one electronic component in at least one of the first housing and the second housing,
The first locking portion and the second locking portion are arranged such that the elastic locking piece is engaged with the first locking portion in a state where the locking portion of the elastic locking piece is locked to the locked portion. The lock is released by elastically deforming the first side wall portion provided with the stop portion in a direction along the outer wall ,
The elastic locking piece has a cantilever shape with a free end positioned further away from the second housing than the fixed end,
By moving the free end of the elastic locking piece along the outer wall of the first side wall portion in a lateral direction perpendicular to the direction of assembling the first housing and the second housing, configured to be unblocked,
electrical connection box. In the electrical connection box according to claim 1 ,
The first engaging portion connects a pair of first side plate portions that are spaced apart in the lateral direction and protrude outward from the outer wall of the first side wall portion, and projecting side end portions of the pair of first side plate portions. a first connecting portion extending in the lateral direction so as to
the free end of the elastic locking piece is positioned within a space defined by the outer wall of the first side wall portion, the pair of first side plate portions, and the first connecting portion;
electrical connection box. In the electrical connection box according to claim 2 ,
The first engaging portion includes a first extending portion extending from the first connecting portion toward the second housing, and the edge portion of the first side wall portion so as to face the first extending portion. a second extending portion extending from the second housing side,
The fixed end of the elastic locking piece is clamped and fixed between the first extending portion and the second extending portion,
electrical connection box. In the electrical connection box according to claim 3 ,
The second engaging portion connects a pair of second side plate portions which are spaced apart in the lateral direction and protrude outward from the outer wall of the second side wall portion, and projecting side end portions of the pair of second side plate portions. a second connecting portion extending in the lateral direction so as to
In a state in which the locking portion of the elastic locking piece is locked to the locked portion, the first extending portion and the second extending portion are connected to the outer wall of the second side wall portion and the outer wall of the second side wall portion. entering a space defined by a pair of second side plate portions and the second connecting portion;
The locked portion is provided on an inner wall surface of one of the pair of second side plate portions,
electrical connection box.

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