WO2016063958A1

WO2016063958A1 - Electrical connection box

Info

Publication number: WO2016063958A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/079863
Authority: WO
Inventors: 関戸　利久; 崇人藤木; 野崎　武史
Original assignee: 住友電装株式会社
Priority date: 2014-10-24
Filing date: 2015-10-22
Publication date: 2016-04-28
Also published as: JP2016086513A

Abstract

An electrical connection box that has a case (1) that has a gripping surface that includes a step (20) that is between a protruding surface (21) and a recessed surface (22). A reinforcing rib (24) is provided to an inner surface (23) of the case (1). The reinforcing rib (24) is provided with a vertical rib (25) that protrudes to the inside from the inner surface (23) and with a horizontal rib (26) that extends from the vertical rib (25) in a direction that is different from the protrusion direction of the vertical rib.

Description

Electrical junction box

The present invention relates to an electrical junction box mounted on an automobile.

An electrical junction box installed in an automobile is interposed between a battery and various load devices, and supplies power supplied from the battery to various load devices via a relay or a fuse.

Some electrical junction boxes have a configuration in which multiple relays are housed in a case. In this electrical junction box, a plurality of relays mounted on a board are housed in a case, and by connecting a board connector connected to the board to a corresponding connector in the relay box, each relay is connected to a battery, a load device, Intervened between.

In assembling such an electrical connection box, the board connector of the electrical connection box is temporarily fixed to the board on which the relay is mounted, and in this state, the back surface of the board opposite to the relay is immersed in a solder bath, and the relay and board connector Is soldered to the board to fix the board to the board connector. Next, the board and the board connector are accommodated in the case, and fixed so that the board connector is exposed to the opening of the case.

And the electrical junction box comprised in this way is connected to the connector of the relay box which connects several electrical junction boxes.
When connecting the electrical junction box as described above to the connector of the relay box, an operator needs to hold the case of the electrical junction box and attach it to the connector of the relay box.

If the mechanical strength of this case is low, the gripping surface of the case will bend inward, and will push the relay etc. mounted on the board inside the case. As a result, inconveniences such as the soldering of the board and the relay coming off in the case may occur.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a relay module has been proposed in which lattice-like ribs 32 are formed on the outer surface of the case 31 to suppress the bending of the case 31. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a relay module in which a plurality of ridges and recesses are provided in parallel on the outer surface of a case.

JP 2011-19375 A

The case 31 shown in FIG. 5 has a problem in that the mold for forming the grid-like ribs 32 and the molding process are complicated, and the manufacturing cost increases.
In the case disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to suppress the bending of the case, when the height of the multiple ridges and recesses is sufficiently secured, the case is formed by the ridges and recesses exposed on the inner surface of the case. Since the volume of the relay is reduced, the required relay cannot be accommodated. Moreover, if the volume of a case is ensured, suppressing a case's bending by a protruding item | line and a recessed item | line, a case will enlarge.

Therefore, the space required for mounting the electrical junction box in the relay box becomes large, and there is a problem that the relay box becomes large.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box that can improve the mechanical strength of a case while suppressing an increase in the size and volume of the case.

An electrical junction box according to an aspect of the present invention includes a case that accommodates a board on which an electronic component is mounted and a board connector attached to the board, and a convex surface provided through a step on a gripping surface of the case, A reinforcing rib provided at a position corresponding to the gripping surface on the inner surface of the case on the opposite side of the gripping surface, a vertical rib projecting inwardly from the inner surface, and the vertical rib from the vertical rib The reinforcing rib includes a lateral rib extending in a direction different from the protruding direction of the rib.

With this configuration, the mechanical strength of the holding surface of the case is improved.
It is preferable that the convex surface is located at a central portion of the gripping surface, and the concave surface is located on both sides of the convex surface.

With this configuration, the mechanical strength of the gripping surface of the case is improved by the convex surface and the concave surface, and the accommodation volume of the case is ensured.
Preferably, the reinforcing rib extends in a direction along the step at a central portion of the inner surface.

With this configuration, the mechanical strength of the gripping surface of the case is improved by the convex and concave surfaces and the reinforcing rib.
The reinforcing rib preferably has a T-shaped cross section by the vertical rib and the horizontal rib.

With this configuration, the mechanical strength of the gripping surface of the case is improved by the reinforcing rib having a T-shaped cross section.
The reinforcing rib preferably has a π-shaped cross section by the vertical rib and the horizontal rib.

This configuration improves the mechanical strength of the gripping surface of the case with a reinforcing rib having a π-shaped cross section.

According to the electrical junction box of the present invention, it is possible to improve the mechanical strength of the case while suppressing the enlargement of the case and the reduction of the accommodation volume. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings which illustrate examples of the technical idea of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the electrical junction box of one Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the electrical junction box of one Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an electrical junction box. It is a perspective view which shows the case of an electrical junction box. It is a perspective view of the electrical junction box of a prior art example.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a relay module (electric connection box) will be described with reference to the drawings. The relay module shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is such that the base end of the board connector 2 is exposed at the opening of the rectangular parallelepiped case 1 made of synthetic resin, and is fitted to the connector of the relay box via the board connector 2. It is possible.

As shown in FIG. 3, the case 1 houses a board 4 on which a relay 3 as a plurality of electronic components is mounted, and a board connector 2 to which the board 4 is attached. In the board connector 2, the base end portions of a large number of connection pins 6 bent in an L shape are penetrated and held by a base portion 5 formed of synthetic resin. The connection pin 6 is made of a metal having conductivity.

The base portion 5 is a synthetic resin part integrally having a holding portion 7 formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that can be inserted into the opening of the case 1. The holding part 7 protrudes into the case 1 in a state where the base part 5 is fitted in the case 1. A large number of connection pins 6 arranged in two rows in the longitudinal direction of the base part 5 penetrate the holding part 7 and are held by the holding part 7.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outer surface of the base portion 5 exposed from the opening of the case 1 is provided with a fitting recess 8 that allows a relay box connector to be fitted therein. The base end portion of the pin 6 is exposed. Each connection pin 6 is formed in an L shape by bending its tip portion at right angles to the height direction of the case 1.

At both ends of the holding portion 7, a pair of shaft-like temporary fixing convex

portions

9 a and 9 b protruding in the same direction as the distal end portion of the connection pin 6 are formed at positions spaced from the base portion 5 by the same distance. ing.
As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of fitting holes 14 are formed in both corners of one edge of the substrate 4 so that the temporary fixing convex

portions

9a and 9b can be fitted therein. Then, when the temporary fixing convex

portions

9 a and 9 b are inserted into the fitting holes 14, the substrate 4 is temporarily fixed to the substrate connector 2.

Between the temporary fixing convex

portions

9a and 9b, the holding portion 7 is formed with an inclination preventing piece 15 protruding in the same direction as the temporary fixing convex

portions

9a and 9b. The tilt preventing piece 15 is engaged with the edge of the board 4 when the

temporary fixing protrusions

9 a and 9 b are fitted into the fitting holes 14 of the board 4 so that the board 4 does not tilt with respect to the board connector 2. It has a function to hold.

The substrate 4 has a large number of insertion holes 16 through which the tips of the connection pins 6 can be inserted, and a large number of insertion holes 17 through which the connection terminals of the relay 3 can be inserted. The insertion hole 16 is formed at a position where each connection pin 6 can be inserted when the temporary fixing convex

portions

9 a and 9 b are fitted into the fitting holes 14 of the substrate 4.

The base portion 5 of the board connector 2 is provided with a pair of locking projections 18 protruding upward and downward, and can be engaged with the locking projection 18 near the opening of the case 1. A locking hole 19 is provided.

Then, when the board connector 2 to which the board 4 is attached is inserted into the case 1 and the locking projection 18 is engaged with the locking hole 19, the board 4 and the board connector 2 are accommodated in the case 1. In this state, the base end portion of the connection pin 6 of the board connector 2 is exposed at the opening of the case 1 and can be connected to the connector of the relay box.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the gripping surfaces (upper outer surface and lower outer surface in FIGS. 2 and 4) extending in the long side of the opening portion of the case 1 extend in a direction orthogonal to the opening surface of the case 1. A convex surface 21 is formed at the center through a pair of steps 20, and concave surfaces 22 are formed on both sides of the convex surface 21. The convex surface 21 and the concave surface 22 may be referred to as an upper step surface and a lower step surface.

The width of the convex surface 21 and each concave surface 22 is set to approximately 2: 1. On the back side of the convex surface 21 and the concave surface 22, that is, the inner surface 23 of the case 1, a portion corresponding to the convex surface 21 is a concave surface, and a portion corresponding to the concave surface 22 is a convex surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, a reinforcing rib 24 extending in the same direction as the step 20 is formed at the center of the inner surface 23. The reinforcing rib 24 has a cross section T of a longitudinal rib 25 projecting inward from the inner surface 23, preferably in a direction orthogonal to the inner surface 23, and a lateral rib 26 extending in a direction along the inner surface 23 from the tip of the longitudinal rib 25. It is formed in a letter shape. The vertical ribs 25 and the horizontal ribs 26 may be flat, for example.

Next, the assembly procedure and operation of the above relay module will be described.
First, the relay 3 is attached to the surface (also referred to as an element mounting surface) of the substrate 4, and then the temporary fixing

convex portions

9 a and 9 b are fitted into the fitting holes 14 of the substrate 4. Then, the board 4 is positioned on the board connector 2, and the tips of the connection pins 6 of the board connector 2 are automatically fitted into the insertion holes 16 of the board 4.

In this state, the soldering process is performed by immersing the tip of the connection terminal of the relay 3 and the back surface (also referred to as a non-mounting surface) of the substrate 4 where the tip of the connection pin 6 is exposed in a solder bath. Then, the substrate 4 is fixed to the substrate connector 2 and the relay 3 on the substrate 4 is electrically connected to the connection pins 6.

Thereafter, the substrate 4 is inserted into the opening of the case 1 from the free end of the substrate 4. When the locking projection 18 of the board connector 2 is engaged with the locking hole 19 of the case 1, the assembly of the relay module is completed. This relay module is connected to the connector of the relay box.

When the relay module is connected to the connector of the relay box, even if the gripping surface of the case 1 is gripped, the convex surface 21 and the concave surface 22 formed on the gripping surface and the reinforcing rib 24 formed on the inner surface 23 The bending of the gripping surface is suppressed.

With the relay module as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The convex surface 21 and the concave surface 22 provided on the holding surface of the case 1 and the reinforcing rib 24 provided on the inner surface 23 can improve the mechanical strength of the holding surface. Therefore, when the relay module is attached to the relay box, even if the gripping surface of the case 1 is gripped, the bending of the gripping surface can be suppressed.

(2) Since the bending of the gripping surface of the case 1 can be suppressed, damage to components such as a relay accommodated in the case 1 can be prevented in advance.
(3) The convex surface 21, the concave surface 22, and the reinforcing rib 24 can be easily molded by a simple mold. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the bending of the gripping surface while suppressing the component cost of the case 1.

(4) Since the reinforcing rib 24 has a T-shaped cross section by the vertical rib 25 and the horizontal rib 26, the mechanical strength of the gripping surface of the case 1 can be sufficiently improved.
(5) Since the reinforcing rib 24 is provided only at the center of the inner surface 23 of the case 1, the volume of the case 1 is not greatly reduced. Therefore, it is possible to accommodate a board on which necessary components are mounted without enlarging the case 1.

(6) The convex surface 21 and the concave surface 22 of the case 1 are preferably flat surfaces. According to this structure, the metal mold | die for shape | molding case 1 can be simplified.
(7) As shown in FIG. 3, the gripping surface of the case 1 extends along the element mounting surface of the substrate 4 accommodated in the case 1, and each step 20 extends over the gripping surface of the case 1. A scale step is preferred. According to this configuration, the gripping surface of the case 1 is less likely to bend toward the element mounting surface of the substrate 4.

(8) As shown in FIG. 3, in each of the upper outer surface and lower outer surface of the case 1, each step 20 extends in a direction intersecting the opening surface of the case 1, preferably in a direction orthogonal to the case 1. Preferably, it is a stepped shape. Moreover, it is preferable that the concave surface 22 is defined outside the two steps 20 on each of the upper outer surface and the lower outer surface of the case 1. The concave surface 22 reduces the thickness of the case 1, that is, the distance between the upper outer surface and the lower outer surface, making it easier to grip the case 1, and the step 20 prevents or reduces the bending of the case 1.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
The reinforcing rib may have a shape having, for example, a π-shaped cross section other than the T shape as long as the reinforcing rib has a shape including a vertical rib and a horizontal rib.

The present invention is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the illustrated features should not be construed as essential to the invention, and the subject matter of the invention may reside in fewer features than all the features of the specific embodiments disclosed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Case, 2 ... Board connector, 3 ... Electronic component (relay), 4 ... Board, 20 ... Level difference, 21 ... Convex surface, 22 ... Concave surface, 23 ... Inner surface, 24 ... Reinforcement rib, 25 ... Vertical rib, 26 ... Horizontal rib.

Claims

In an electrical junction box comprising a case for housing a board on which electronic components are mounted and a board connector attached to the board,
A convex surface and a concave surface provided via a step on the gripping surface of the case;
Reinforcing ribs provided at a position corresponding to the gripping surface on the inner surface of the case opposite to the gripping surface, a vertical rib projecting inwardly from the inner surface, and a projection of the vertical rib from the vertical rib An electrical junction box comprising: the reinforcing rib including a lateral rib extending in a direction different from the direction.
The electrical junction box according to claim 1,
The electrical connection box, wherein the convex surface is located in a central portion of the gripping surface, and the concave surface is located on both sides of the convex surface.
In the electrical junction box according to claim 1 or 2,
The electrical connection box, wherein the reinforcing rib extends in a direction along the step at a central portion of the inner surface.
The electrical junction box according to claim 3,
The electrical connection box, wherein the reinforcing rib has a T-shaped cross section by the vertical rib and the horizontal rib.
In the electrical junction box according to claim 4,
The electrical connection box, wherein the reinforcing rib has a π-shaped cross section by the vertical rib and the horizontal rib.