JPH11307954A - Electrical connection box cover lock structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate dead space by removing the cover of an electrical connection box at a small opening angle. SOLUTION: A lock on one side of an electrical connection box is unlocked to rotate a cover using the lock side of the other side as fulcrum. A contact 14 corresponding to a bending lock arm 10 of the connection box main body 2 is provided on the cover 3. When the cover is rotated, the contact allows the lock arm 10 to bend in the unlocking direction. The lock arm 10 has a locking protrusion 26 in the intermediate part. The contact 14 contacts the end side of the lock arm 10. In another possible structure, the connection box main body has a locking protrusion projecting inward, the cover has a lock arm, escape space to unlock is provided inside the locking protrusion. In this structure, the end of the lock arm 10 is cut into a taper. The lock arm is extended from the cover rotation fulcrum to the locking protrusion. A rotation fulcrum 23 for the cover 3 is formed on the connection box main body 2 inside the lock arm 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cover lock structure of an electric junction box which can be easily removed by turning a cover at a small angle with respect to a junction box body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS.
1 shows a cover lock structure of a conventional electric junction box described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 0-205. As shown in FIG.
Are a connection box body 71 made of synthetic resin, various functional components 73 (FIG. 10) mounted on the connection box body 71, a circuit board, etc., and a waterproof and dustproof cover 72 covering an upper opening of the connection box body 71. It is composed of

A locking frame 74 is provided on one side of the connection box main body 71.
Are provided, and a locking projection 75 is provided on the other side. On one side of the cover 72, a flexible lock arm 76 for a locking frame 74 is provided, and on the other side, an engaging frame 77 for a locking projection 75 is provided.

[0004] Functional components 7 mounted in the junction box body 71
3 (FIG. 10) includes a relay, a fuse, a fusible link, a circuit breaker, an electronic unit, a connector, and the like.

To mount the cover 72 on the connection box main body 71, the engaging frame 77 is engaged with the locking projection 75, and then the cover 72 is rotated to lock the lock arm 76 with the locking frame 74.
To be engaged.

In order to open (remove) the cover 72 for maintenance or the like from the cover closed state in FIG. 10, the engagement between the lock arm 76 and the engagement frame 74 is released, and the other locking projection 75 is The cover 72 is provided with the engagement frame 77 as a fulcrum.
Is largely rotated as shown by the arrow G. Closing (assembly) of the cover 72 is performed in a procedure reverse to the above.

[0007]

However, in the above-described conventional structure, when the cover 72 is opened and closed, a turning locus is drawn as shown by a broken line in an inner portion 78 on the turning front end side of the cover 72 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the functional component 73 such as a relay cannot be arranged in a portion outside the rotation locus (if it is arranged, the cover 72 cannot be opened and closed), and a large dead space 79 occurs in the cover. , Functional components 7
There was a problem that the arrangement efficiency of No. 3 deteriorated.

Further, since the cover 72 pivots greatly and the corner 80 of the cover protrudes greatly toward the pivot point of the cover 72, other parts 80 are provided outside the electric connection box 70 (in the range of the arrow mark). And the vehicle body and the like cannot be arranged (when they are arranged, the cover 72 interferes and cannot be opened), so that there is a problem that the space efficiency is deteriorated even outside the electric connection box 70. Further, one lock portion (75,
Since the cover 72 has to be largely rotated with the fulcrum 77) as a fulcrum, there is a problem that the work of attaching and detaching the cover 72 is troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, the present invention minimizes the occurrence of dead space in the electric connection box due to the opening and closing of the cover and the reduction of the arrangement space outside the electric connection box. Provided is a cover lock structure for an electric junction box that enables an increase in the number of functional components in the electric junction box, an improvement in the degree of freedom in layout, and an improvement in space efficiency outside the electric junction box. The purpose is to do.

[0010]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a lock box on both sides of a connection box body and a cover, releases the lock on one side, and locks the lock on the other side. In the cover lock structure of the electric connection box that rotates the cover with the side as a fulcrum, a lock portion on the other side of the connection box body is a flexible lock arm, and the cover has an abutting portion with the lock arm. And a first structure is employed in which the corresponding contact portion bends the lock arm in the unlocking direction when the cover is rotated (claim 1). The lock arm has a locking projection at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction, the lock portion of the cover is an engagement projection with respect to the locking projection, and the contact portion is abutted on the distal end side of the lock arm. Contacting is also effective (claim 2). Further, in a cover lock structure of an electric connection box, a lock portion is provided on both sides of the connection box main body and the cover, the lock portion on one side is released, and the cover is rotated around the lock portion side on the other side as a fulcrum, The lock arm on the other side of the connection box main body has an inward locking protrusion, and the lock on the other side of the cover is a lock arm having an engagement portion with the locking protrusion. A second structure having a relief space for releasing the lock with respect to the engaging portion is also employed inside the stopper portion (claim 3). It is also effective that the distal end of the lock arm including the engaging portion is cut out in a tapered shape. It is also effective that the lock arm is formed so as to be long and extended from the rotation fulcrum of the connection box main body to the cover to the locking projection. In each of the above structures, it is also effective that the connection box main body is provided with a rotation fulcrum with respect to the cover inside the lock portion on the other side (claim 6).

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show a first embodiment of a cover lock structure for an electric junction box according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is an electric connection box, 2 is a connection box body made of synthetic resin, 3 is a cover made of synthetic resin,
4 is a functional component such as a relay mounted on the junction box main body 2,
Reference numeral 5 denotes a bracket for fixing the connection box main body 2, and reference numeral 6 denotes a bracket on the assembly side.

On one side wall 7 of the connection box main body 2, a locking frame portion 8 as a lock portion is provided, and on the other side wall 9,
A long flexible lock arm 10 as a lock portion is provided upright (vertically). On one side wall 11 of the cover 3, a flexible lock arm 12 as a lock portion for the locking frame 8 is provided downward, and on the other side wall 13, a contact wall portion for the lock arm 10 is provided. (Abutting portion) 14 and an engagement projection (engagement projection) 1 as a lock portion
5 are provided. The skirt 16 of the cover 3 projects outward with a step, and is engaged with the upper end of the connection box body 2. A waterproof packing 17 is provided inside the skirt 16.

As shown in FIG. 2 showing an enlarged cross section of a portion A in FIG. 1, a locking claw 18 is provided in the locking frame portion 8 of the connection box body 2 in an inward direction. Locking claw 1
8 are provided with engagement projections 20. The cover 3 is in contact with a step (reference surface) 22 of the side wall 7 of the connection box body 2 at a step 21 inside the skirt 16. The unlocking of the lock arm 12 is easily performed by pressing the lock arm 12 inward.

As shown in FIG. 3 which is an enlarged sectional view of the portion B in FIG. 1, the step 24 of the skirt 16 of the cover 3 comes into contact with the step 23 of the other side wall 9 of the connection box body 2 and the outside of the step 24. Engaging projection 1
5 are provided. The engagement protrusion 15 is provided on the lock arm 10.
, And the tip of the engaging projection 15 is engaged with a locking projection (locking projection) 26 of the lock arm 10.

FIGS. 3 and 4 (front view of lock arm 10)
The lock arm 1 is provided outside the side wall 9 of the connection box body 2 as shown in FIG.
0 rising part (lower half) 27 is located in parallel. The rising portion 27 is cantilevered by support walls 28 on both sides protruding from the side wall 9, and can be bent above the support wall 28.
From the rising part 27 to the main part of the lock arm 10 (upper half)
29 is extended upward.

The locking projection 26 is provided at the lower end of the outer wall (portion 29) of the main body 29 of the lock arm 10,
The locking hole 15 is provided between the locking projection 26 and the inner rising portion 27.
Is provided. The engaging projection 15 is in shallow contact with the lower locking surface 26 a of the locking projection 26. The locking surface 26a is formed horizontally or slightly inclined and continues to the upper tapered guide surface 26b. The guide surface 26b covers the cover 3
The guide 15 guides the engaging projections 15 into the locking holes 25 when mounting.

On both sides of the main body 29 of the lock arm 10, a rib-shaped receiving wall 30 is formed toward the side wall 13 of the cover 3, and the front end face 30 a of the receiving wall 30 is formed on the contact wall 14 of the cover 3. It is in contact with the outer side surface 14a. Contact wall 14
Protrudes outward from the side wall 13 of the cover 3, and an outer surface (abutting surface) 14 a extends to the vicinity of the base of the locking projection 15 below. The upper end of the contact wall 14 is located at substantially the same height as the tip of the lock arm 10. Also, the support walls 2 on both sides
8 is extended outwardly from the rising portion 27,
7 and continues to the deflection prevention wall 31 outside. Deflection prevention wall 3
1 prevents excessive bending of the lock arm 10.

In FIG. 1, by releasing the lock of the lock arm 12 of the portion A and turning the cover 3 at a small angle θ as shown by the arrow A, as shown in FIG. The lock arm 10 of the connection box body 2 is pressed against the receiving wall 30 of the main body 29 of the lock arm 10 to flex the lock arm 10 outward as indicated by the arrow B. The contact wall portion 14 contacts the distal end portion of the lock arm 10 on the outer surface of the upper end portion. The cover 3 rotates about a step (rotation fulcrum) 23 of the connection box body 2 as a fulcrum. As a result, the locking projection 26 of the lock arm 10 is separated from the engagement projection 15 of the cover 3 by the dimension L, and the locking is released. At this point, the cover 3 is lifted upward as indicated by an arrow C in FIG.

As described above, the cover 3 can be easily detached at a small opening angle θ without rotating the cover 3 largely. Similarly, at the time of assembling the cover 3, the cover 3 can be easily assembled to the connection box body 2 with a small opening angle θ.

As a result, the generation of the dead space 32 due to the opening and closing of the cover 3 is extremely small.
Many functional components 4 can be arranged by effectively utilizing a large space in the interior, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the functional components 4 is also improved. Of course, interference between the functional component 4 and the cover 3 does not occur. In addition, since the corner 13a of the cover 3 on the fulcrum side does not protrude significantly outward, interference with a vehicle body and other external parts (not shown) is also prevented, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the vehicle body and other external parts is reduced. improves. Also, the connection box main body 2 (step portion 2) on the lock portion side, not the lock portion (lock arm 10, locking projection 15).
Since 3) is a pivot point for the cover 3, the lock can be reliably released at an early stage.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show a second embodiment of the cover lock structure of the electric junction box according to the present invention. FIG.
In the figure, 35 is an electrical junction box, 36 is a junction box body made of synthetic resin, 37 is a cover made of synthetic resin, 38 is a functional component such as a relay mounted on the junction box body 36, and 39 is a functional part of the junction box body 36. 3 shows a fixing bracket.

On one side wall 40 of the connection box main body 36, a locking frame portion 41 as a lock portion is provided, and the other side wall 4 is provided.
2 is provided with a substantially similar locking frame 43 as a lock. On one side wall 44 of the cover 37, a flexible lock arm 45 as a lock portion for the locking frame portion 41 is provided downward, and on the other side wall 46, a locking portion for the locking frame portion 43 is provided. A frame-shaped lock arm 47 is formed to hang down. The skirt 48 of the cover 37 that engages with the upper end of the connection box main body 36 projects outward with a step. A waterproof packing 49 is provided inside the skirt 48.

Since one locking frame 41 of the connection box main body 36 and the lock arm 45 of the cover 37 at the portion C in FIG. 6 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, refer to FIG. The description will be made using the same reference numerals. That is, the locking frame 4
1 is provided with a locking claw 18 (FIG. 2) facing inward, and the lock arm 45 is provided with an engagement protrusion 20 (FIG. 2) for the locking claw 18. The cover 37 is in contact with the step (reference surface) 22 (FIG. 2) of the side wall 40 of the connection box body 36 at the step 21 (FIG. 2) inside the skirt 48. Lock arm 45
Can be easily released by pushing the lock arm 45 inward.

As shown in FIG. 7 which is a sectional view of a main part of a portion D in FIG. 6, the other locking frame 43 of the connection box main body 36 has a support wall 50 projecting horizontally from the side wall 42 of the connection box main body 36.
And the outer wall 51 vertically raised from the support wall 50
And a locking claw (locking projection) 52 projecting inward and slightly obliquely downward from the upper end of the outer wall 51. A large gap (space) 53 is formed between the outer side wall 51 or the locking claw 52 and the side wall 42 '.

A skirt 48 of the cover 37 is located facing a step (rotation fulcrum) 54 on the upper side of the side wall 42 of the connection box body 36, and a root 55 of the lock arm 47 extends outward from the skirt 48. The arm main body 56 extends downward (in the vertical direction) so as to protrude and extend longer below the rotation fulcrum 54. The lock arm 47 is formed in a vertically elongated substantially concave shape when viewed from the front, has a slit-shaped space 57 between a pair of left and right arm main portions 56, and connects the pair of arm main portions 56 to the arm tip. , And a horizontal engaging side portion (engaging portion) 58 for the locking claw 52. Arm main body 5
6 is formed to be considerably thinner than the gap 53 in the locking frame portion 43. Engagement side 58 of lock arm 47
Is engaged with the locking claw 52, there is an escape space 53a for releasing the locking between the lock arm 47 and the side wall 42 'of the connection box main body 36.

The front end of the lock arm 47 is tapered on both front and rear sides, and its tapered notches 59 and 60 are formed.
The engagement side portion 58 is formed in a substantially inverted triangular longitudinal section. In this example, the outer tapered notch 59 is cut out at a larger angle than the inner tapered notch 60.
The inner tapered notch 60 increases the movement distance of the lock arm 47 in the unlocking direction (the direction of the arrow D), and the outer tapered notch 59 acts as a release and insertion guide for the locking claw 52. .

The upper end surface (engagement surface) 58a of the engagement side portion 58 is slightly inclined at the same angle as the inclination of the lower end surface (engagement surface) 52a of the engagement claw 52, and secures locking with a small contact area. And The longer the lock arm 47 is extended and the position of the engagement side portion 58 from the rotation fulcrum 54 with respect to the cover 37 is set further downward, the smaller the rotation angle of the cover 37 becomes. In the closed state of the cover in FIG. 7, the lock arm 47 is separated from the side wall 42 ′ and located near the outer wall 51 of the locking frame 43. The locking claw 52 is the engagement side 5
8 is engaged.

In FIG. 6, the lock of the lock arm 45 of the portion C is released, and the cover 37 is set at a small angle θ as shown by an arrow E in FIG. 6 with the upper step 54 of the connection box main body 36 in FIG. By rotating the cover 37, as shown in FIG.
The lock arm 47 moves in the lock release direction as indicated by the arrow d. That is, the lock arm 47 is connected to the connection box main body 36.
Of the engaging frame portion 43, the starting end 60a of the tapered notch portion 60 abuts on the side wall 42 ', and the engaging surface 58a of the engaging side portion 58 There spaced by a dimension L ₂ in the horizontal direction than the tip 52b of the locking claw 52. As a result, the engagement between the locking frame 43 and the lock arm 47 is released. The longer the length of the lock arm 47 from the rotation fulcrum 54, the smaller the rotation angle of the lock arm 47, that is, the rotation angle θ of the cover 37. Cover 3
It goes without saying that the dead space 61 in the cover 37 is reduced by reducing the opening angle of the cover 7.

In the unlocked state shown in FIG. 8, the cover 37 is removed from the connection box body 36 by lifting the cover 37 upward as indicated by the arrow in FIG. In this manner, the cover 37 can be easily detached at a small opening angle θ without rotating largely. Similarly, when assembling the cover 37, the cover 37 can be easily and reliably assembled to the connection box main body 36 with a small opening angle θ. The effects of the present example are the same as those of the previous example, and will not be described. Even if the locking frame 43 and the lock arm 47 do not have flexibility, the above-described configuration allows the lock to be released and locked easily and reliably.

[0031]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the cover is rotated, the contact portion presses the lock arm in the unlocking direction to bend, so that the lock is released early, that is, the cover is released. Is performed at a stage where the opening angle is small, and the cover can be easily and reliably detached by lifting the cover at the same time as unlocking. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the cover is slightly rotated,
Since the lock arm is moved to the escape space and the lock is released, the cover can be easily and reliably detached by lifting the cover simultaneously with the release of the lock.

As described above, according to the first or third aspect of the present invention, since the cover only needs to be opened at a small angle, the dead space in the cover is reduced, and the cover is provided inside the cover at the tip end of the rotation of the cover. Even if you place components close together,
No interference with the cover. Therefore, many functional components can be arranged in the electrical junction box, and the degree of freedom in the layout of the functional components increases. Alternatively, conversely, the cover can be downsized by the reduced dead space. Also,
Even if external parts or a part of the vehicle body are arranged close to the outside of the electrical junction box on the pivot point of the cover, interference with the cover does not occur, so the space outside the electrical junction box can be efficiently used. Can be used. It is also possible to reduce the space outside the electrical junction box. Further, since it is not necessary to open the cover widely, the cover can be easily attached and detached, and the cover can be securely attached and detached by the operation of lifting or covering the cover in the unlocked state.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the contact portion is pressed against the distal end portion of the lock arm, so that the lock arm can be easily and surely bent with a small force based on the principle of leverage. In addition, the cover can be easily attached and detached, and the locking projection at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the lock arm can exert a reliable locking force. According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the lock arm moves to the escape space, the amount of movement of the lock arm can be increased by the tapered notch at the tip of the lock arm, and the unlocking and locking operations can be performed. It can be performed reliably. Also,
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the longer the lock arm is from the rotation fulcrum to the locking projection, the shorter the movement distance of the lock arm in the unlocking direction and the smaller the rotation angle of the cover. Thereby, the effect of the third aspect is more remarkably exhibited. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the pivot point is located inside the lock portion,
The operation of bending the lock arm and the operation of rotating the lock arm in the unlocking direction are reliably performed centering on the rotation fulcrum, and the unlocking is performed accurately early and the locking operation when the cover is attached Is performed exactly in the reverse order.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional side view showing a first embodiment of a cover lock structure of an electric junction box according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a portion A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a portion B in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the lock arm of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an unlocked state of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a partially sectional side view showing a second embodiment of the cover lock structure of the electric junction box according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing a D part of FIG. 6;

8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing an unlocked state of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a partially sectional side view showing a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,35 Electrical connection box 2,36 Connection box main body 3,37 Cover 10,47 Lock arm 14 Contact wall (contact portion) 15 Engagement protrusion (engagement protrusion) 23,54 Step (rotation fulcrum) 26) Locking projection (locking projection) 52 Locking claw (locking projection) 53a Escape space 58 Engagement side (engagement) 59, 60 Tapered notch

Claims (6)

[Claims] A cover is provided on each side of a connection box main body and a cover, a lock on one side is released, and the cover is rotated about the lock on the other side as a fulcrum. In the structure, the lock portion on the other side of the connection box main body is a flexible lock arm, and the cover has a contact portion with the lock arm, and the contact portion is turned when the cover is rotated. A cover lock structure for an electric junction box, wherein the arm is bent in the unlocking direction. 2. The lock arm has a locking projection at an intermediate portion in a longitudinal direction, and the locking portion of the cover is an engagement projection with respect to the locking projection. 2. A cover lock structure for an electric junction box according to claim 1, wherein the contact portions come into contact with each other. 3. A cover lock for an electric connection box, wherein lock portions are provided on both sides of the connection box main body and the cover, one side of the lock portion is released, and the cover is rotated about the other side of the lock portion as a fulcrum. In the structure, the lock portion on the other side of the connection box main body has an inward locking protrusion, and the lock portion on the other side of the cover is a lock arm having an engagement portion with the locking protrusion. A cover lock structure for an electric connection box, characterized in that there is an escape space for unlocking the engaging portion inside the locking projection. 4. The lock arm including the engaging portion has a tapered notch at a tip end thereof.
The cover lock structure of the electrical junction box described in the above. 5. The lock arm according to claim 3, wherein the lock arm is formed so as to extend from the rotation fulcrum of the connection box body to the cover to the locking projection.
The cover lock structure of the electrical junction box described in the above. 6. A cover for an electric connection box according to claim 1, wherein a rotation fulcrum for the cover is formed in the connection box body inside the lock portion on the other side. Lock structure.