JPH10243521A - Electric connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric connection box which can set up an upper case and a lower case surely in condition that there is no backlash. SOLUTION: An electric connection box 1 is made of synthetic resin, and it is composed of an upper case 101 and a lower case 2. A plurality of engaging projections 103 are made at the bottom of the periphery of the upper case 101, and a taper face 103a is made each at each engaging projection 103. A plurality of engaging parts 104 corresponding to each engaging projection 103 are made at the tip of the periphery of the lower case 2. A rib 11 is made at the top of the periphery of the lower case 2, and each projection 12 is made on the rib 11. Each projection 12 is made each in the farthest position from each engaging part 104 on the rib 11, that is, at roughly center between adjacent several engaging parts 104.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric junction box for housing an electric circuit and electronic parts.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electric connection box installed in an automobile has been used as a connection branch point of wirings such as a wire harness while accommodating various electric circuits and electronic parts for the automobile.

[0003] A conventional electric junction box will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a front view of the electric junction box 100. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part along line BB in FIG.

[0004] The electric junction box 100 is formed of a synthetic resin, and includes an upper case 101 and a lower case 102.
It is composed of At the lower end of the outer peripheral surface of the upper case 101, a plurality of engaging projections 103 are formed. Each engagement protrusion 103 has a tapered surface 103a that converges toward the lower end. Lower case 10
A plurality of engaging portions 104 corresponding to the respective engaging protrusions 103 are formed at the upper end of the outer peripheral surface in 2. Each engagement part 1
Reference numeral 04 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section, and each concave portion 104 a corresponding to the thickness of the upper case 101 is provided between each engaging portion 104 and the lower case 102.

[0005] The electric junction box 100 configured as described above.
After an electric circuit and electronic components are assembled inside, the upper case 101 and the lower case 102 are assembled. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper case 101 is attached to the lower case 102 from the direction of arrow D. Then, each engagement portion 104 is engaged with each engagement protrusion 103.
And is flexible in the direction of arrow T shown in FIG. And, as it is, the upper case 101
Is inserted into each concave portion 104a of each engaging portion 104, each engaging portion 104 is released from biasing by each engaging protrusion 103 and engages with each engaging protrusion 103.

In this manner, the upper case 101 and the lower case 102 are assembled inseparably.

[0007]

By the way, in the electric junction box 100 assembled as described above, a predetermined clearance C is set so that each of the engagement projections 103 and each of the engagement portions 104 are securely engaged. It is necessary to provide. For this reason, rattling of the clearance C occurs between the upper case 101 and the lower case 102. As a result, there is a problem that due to vibration during the running of the automobile, each of the engagement protrusions 103 and each of the engagement portions 104 rub against each other and generate noise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric connection box capable of securely assembling a first case and a second case without rattling. To provide.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a first case, a second case assembled to the first case, and the first case are provided.
A plurality of engaging portions provided on the case, a plurality of locking portions provided on the second case and corresponding to the respective engaging portions, and when assembling the first case and the second case, The clearance provided at a predetermined interval provided between the engagement portion and the locking portion, and the backlash of the second case caused by the clearance provided in one of the first case and the second case. The gist of the invention is to provide a backlash preventing means for preventing the first case and the second case from being detachably fixed by the engagement between the engaging portions and the locking portions.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the electrical junction box according to the first aspect, the rattling preventing means is a plurality of protrusions formed between the adjacent engaging portions, and the first case is provided. Alternatively, the second case abuts on each of the protrusions and bends with each of the protrusions as a fulcrum.
The gist is that the projection is engaged with the case or the first case, and the contact portion of the projection with the first case or the second case has a curved surface for guiding the bending of the second case or the first case. And

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electrical junction box according to the second aspect, each of the protrusions is formed at an interval corresponding to the clearance from each of the engagement portions.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electrical junction box according to the second aspect, each of the protrusions is formed at a position farthest in the horizontal direction from each of the engagement portions. .

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the second to third aspects are provided.
In the electrical junction box according to any one of the above, the gist is that each of the protrusions abuts on the first case or the second case in a point contact or a line contact state.

In the embodiments of the invention described below, the "first case" described in the claims or the means for solving the problem is constituted by an upper case 101, and the "second case" is also Similarly, the “locking portion” is constituted by the engagement projection 103, and the “rattle prevention means” is similarly constituted by the projection 12.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the same components as those of the conventional embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the electric junction box 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lower case 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part along line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a main part front view showing an assembling operation of the upper case 101 and the lower case 2.

The electrical junction box 1 of the present embodiment differs from the electrical junction box 100 of the prior art only in the configuration of the lower case 2. The lower case 2 includes, in addition to the configuration of the lower case 102 of the related art,
A ridge 11 and a plurality of protrusions 12 are formed. Ridge 11
Is formed at the upper end of the outer peripheral surface of the lower case 2 along the outer peripheral surface. Each hemispherical projection 12 is formed on the upper part of the ridge 11. Each projection 12 has a ridge 11
It is formed at the uppermost position farthest from each of the engaging portions 104, that is, substantially at the center between the adjacent engaging portions 104. Further, the height of each projection 12 is formed at a height corresponding to the clearance C shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Note that the clearance C is a clearance required for securely engaging each of the engagement protrusions 103 with each of the engagement portions 104. Further, the formation position (distance from each engagement portion) of each projection 12 is formed at an optimum position with respect to the dimension of the clearance C. In the present embodiment, the optimum position is set at each of the adjacent engagement portions. It is approximately the center between 104.

The electric connection box 1 thus configured is assembled with an electric circuit and electronic parts inside, as before, and then the upper case 101 and the lower case 2 are assembled. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, the upper case 101 is attached to the lower case 2 from the direction of arrow D. Then, each engaging portion 104 is guided by the tapered surface 103a of each engaging protrusion 103, and
In the direction of arrow T shown in FIG. When the upper case 101 is directly inserted into each of the recesses 104a of each of the engaging portions 104, the lower end surface of the upper case 101
Abut. Further, when the upper case 101 is pressed against the lower case 2, as shown in FIG.
The lower end surface of the upper case 101 bends downward with each projection 12 as a fulcrum. As a result, each engagement portion 104 is released from the bias by each engagement protrusion 103 and engages with each engagement protrusion 103. Then, when the pressing of the upper case 101 against the lower case 2 is released, the bending of the upper case 101 returns to its original state, and as shown in FIG.
1 is fixed to the lower case 2 while being locked by each projection 12 and each engagement portion 104.

Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described. When the upper case 101 and the lower case 2 are assembled, the lower end surface of the upper case 101 bends downward with the projections 12 of the lower case 2 as fulcrums, so that each of the engagement projections 103 and each of the engagement portions 104 are bent. Are securely engaged.
Moreover, in the assembled state, the upper case 10
1 is fixed by each engaging portion 14 and each projection 12.
Therefore, no rattling occurs between the upper case 101 and the lower case 2. As a result, each of the engagement protrusions 103 and each of the engagement portions 1
04 can be prevented from rubbing against each other to generate abnormal noise.

Since each projection 12 is formed in a hemispherical shape, when the upper case 101 bends downward with each projection 12 as a fulcrum, the lower end surface of the upper case 101 contacts the spherical surface of each projection 12. Touch Then, the upper case 101 bends smoothly along the spherical surface of each projection 12.
Therefore, the upper case 101 can be easily assembled to the lower case 2. Also, each protrusion 12
The protrusions 11 are formed at the positions farthest from the respective engaging portions 104, that is, substantially at the centers between the adjacent engaging portions 104. Therefore, the upper case 10
Point of force applied when pressing 1 (each engaging projection 103)
Are separated from the fulcrum (each projection 12), the upper case 10 can be applied only by applying a light force to the upper case.
1 can be assembled to the lower case 2.

Incidentally, there is an electric junction box disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-11384. The electric connection box disclosed in this publication includes a cover (corresponding to the “upper case 101” of the present embodiment) and a housing body (or a housing; corresponding to the “lower case 2” of the present embodiment). A plurality of engagement frames (or engagement portions, corresponding to the “engagement portion 104” of the present embodiment) are formed on the cover. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 in this publication, boss portions (or spacers, corresponding to the “projections 12” of the present embodiment) are formed near both sides of each engagement frame. A plurality of locking blocks (or locking portions, corresponding to the “engagement protrusions 103” of the present embodiment) are formed on the housing.

When the cover and the housing body are assembled, each boss contacts the housing to prevent rattling between the cover and the housing body.

However, in the electric connection box disclosed in this publication, since each boss is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape,
When the cover is bent, the lower end surface of the cover does not bend along each boss. Therefore, the cover does not flex smoothly.

Further, since there is no description that the respective bosses are disposed at positions other than the vicinity of both sides of each engagement frame, the cover is bent while the respective bosses are located near the both sides of each engagement frame. This requires a strong pressing force on the cover. Therefore, it is not easy to reliably engage each locking block with each engagement frame, and in some cases, the cover may be deformed or the engagement frame may be damaged.

Therefore, in the electric connection box of the publication,
The operation and effect of the present embodiment cannot be achieved at all. Moreover, in FIGS. 3 to 6 of this publication, the shape of each boss is merely shown as a rectangular parallelepiped, and other shapes are not described in the drawings and the specification. In addition, there is no suggestion about the function and effect of the shape of each boss. Further, the mounting position of each boss portion with respect to each engagement frame is only illustrated and described as being formed near both sides of each engagement frame, and other mounting positions are described in the drawings and the specification. Nothing is described. In addition, there is no suggestion about the function and effect of the mounting position of each boss with respect to each engagement frame.

Therefore, it is difficult for even a person skilled in the art to come up with the respective projections 12 of the present embodiment based on the gazette, and the above-described effects of the present embodiment cannot be predicted.

Only one protrusion 12 is formed between the adjacent engaging portions 104. Therefore, the number of projections 12 formed can be minimized. The protrusions 12 abut on the lower end surface of the upper case 101 in point contact. Therefore, the upper case 101
When assembling with the lower case 2, the frictional resistance at the contact portion between each projection 12 and the lower end surface of the upper case 101 can be reduced.

The above embodiment may be modified as follows, and the same operation and effect can be obtained in such a case. In the above embodiment, each protrusion 12 is formed in a hemispherical shape. However, the shape of each protrusion 12 is not limited to a hemispherical shape, and the contact portion between the protrusion 12 and the upper case 101 is in a point contact or line contact state. It only has to be in contact. For example, the shape of each projection 12 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape, and its curved surface is
To make contact with Also in this case, the upper case 101 can be smoothly bent along the curved surface of each projection, and the upper case 101 can be easily assembled to the lower case 2.

In the above embodiment, each projection 12 is formed substantially at the center between the engagement portions 104, one by one. This is changed to an optimum formation position and an optimum number of formation corresponding to the distance between the engagement portions 104 and the size of the clearance C. For example, when the interval between the adjacent engaging portions 104 is twice or more as long as the interval between the adjacent engaging portions 104 in the above embodiment, and the dimension of the clearance C is the same, Each projection 12 is formed one by one at the same interval as the interval between the engaging portion 104 and each projection 12. That is, two protrusions 12 are formed between the engaging portions 104. In this manner, it is possible to cope with a change in the distance between the adjacent engaging portions 104 and the dimension of the clearance C.

In the above embodiment, each projection 12 is formed on the lower case 2.
01 may be provided on the lower end surface. Although the embodiments have been described above, technical ideas other than the claims that can be grasped from the embodiments will be described below along with their effects.

(A) In the electrical junction box according to claim 1 or 2, the rattling preventing means is provided in the first connection box.
An electric connection box for facilitating easy engagement between the case and the second case. With this configuration, the first case and the second case can be easily assembled.

(B) The electrical connection box according to claim 5, wherein each of the protrusions is formed in a hemispherical or semi-cylindrical shape. With this configuration, the first case and the second case can be easily assembled.

[0033]

According to the invention as set forth in any one of the first to fifth aspects, there is provided an electric connection box in which the first case and the second case can be securely assembled without rattling. be able to.

According to the invention described in any one of claims 2 to 5, the first case or the second case can be smoothly bent along each projection. According to the third or fourth aspect of the present invention, the first case and the second case can be easily assembled.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first case and the second case can be easily assembled even in an electric junction box having various clearances.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the number of projections formed can be minimized.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, when assembling the first case and the respective projections of the second case, the frictional resistance at the contact portion between each projection and the first case or the second case is reduced. Can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a lower case.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an essential part taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an essential part front view showing the assembling operation of the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a conventional embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part taken along line BB of FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electric junction box, 2 ... Lower case as 2nd case, 12 ... Protrusion as anti-rattle means, 101 ... Upper case, 103 ... Engagement projection as a locking part, 10
4. Engagement part.

Claims (5)

[Claims] A first case, a second case assembled to the first case, a plurality of engagement portions provided on the first case, and the engagement portions provided on the second case. A plurality of locking portions corresponding to the first case and the clearance at a predetermined interval provided between the engaging portion and the locking portion when the first case and the second case are assembled; A rattling preventing means provided on one of the case and the second case to prevent rattling of the second case caused by the clearance, wherein the engagement between the engaging portions and the locking portions And an electrical connection box for detachably fixing the first case and the second case. 2. The electric connection box according to claim 1, wherein the rattling preventing means is a plurality of protrusions formed between the adjacent engaging portions, and the first case or the second case is the second case. By contacting with each projection and bending around the respective projection as a fulcrum, the second case or the first case is engaged. The contact portion of the projection with the first case or the second case, An electric junction box having a curved surface for guiding bending of the second case or the first case. 3. The electrical connection box according to claim 2, wherein each of the protrusions is formed at an interval corresponding to the clearance from each of the engagement portions. 4. The electric connection box according to claim 2, wherein each of the protrusions is formed at a position farthest in the horizontal direction from each of the engagement portions. 5. The electrical connection box according to claim 2, wherein each of the protrusions contacts the first case or the second case in a point contact or a line contact state. box.