CN1885651A - Electric connection box - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connection box comprising: a circuit structure; a box housing the circuit structure; and a plurality of busbar terminals arranged in a wiring path that crosses the box in a horizontal direction and electrically connected to the circuit between the structure and the external connector; and a terminal support portion that supports from the lower side a horizontal portion that crosses the above-mentioned box body in the horizontal direction among the plurality of busbar terminals, wherein, in the above-mentioned terminal support portion and the above-mentioned horizontal portion On the surface opposite to the above-mentioned horizontal part, on each position corresponding to the above-mentioned horizontal part, the protrusion is provided with a first rib that can abut against the above-mentioned horizontal part from the lower side, and between the above-mentioned first ribs is a downwardly recessed first rib. a groove portion.

Description

Electrical connection box

technical field

The invention relates to an electrical connection box.

Background technique

A device described in JP-A-2004-40873 is known as an electrical connection box mounted on an automobile or the like. The electrical connection box has a circuit substrate joined with a bus bar and a box body for accommodating the circuit substrate. In addition, a plurality of fuse connection terminals and signal terminals are formed in the bus bar. The fuse connection terminal is arranged to extend from the upper end of the circuit board and along the upper end surface of the intermediate case provided in the case, and is formed so as to protrude upward at its tip. On the other hand, the signal terminals are arranged so as to extend from the lower end of the circuit board along the bottom surface of the intermediate case, and are formed so that their top ends protrude downward.

However, in the above configuration, when water drops enter the housing due to rain, washing, etc., the water droplets may wet the upper surface of the intermediate housing or the bottom surface of the intermediate housing. Thus, there is a risk of short-circuiting between a plurality of terminals arranged on the upper surface or the bottom surface. In particular, the plurality of terminals are often arranged with the intervals between the terminals as small as possible due to the size of the space. In this case, the above-mentioned problem becomes more prominent.

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to prevent short-circuiting of bus bar terminals arranged in a box of an electrical junction box mounted on an automobile or the like due to water droplets.

The first invention is an electrical connection box comprising: a circuit structure; a box housing the circuit structure; and a plurality of busbar terminals arranged in a wiring path that crosses the box in a horizontal direction, and Electrically connect between the above-mentioned circuit constitution body and the external connector; and a terminal supporting part that supports from the lower side a horizontal part that crosses the above-mentioned box in the horizontal direction among the above-mentioned plurality of busbar terminals, wherein in the above-mentioned terminal supporting part On the surface opposite to the above-mentioned horizontal part, at each position corresponding to the above-mentioned horizontal part, the protrusion is provided with first ribs that can abut against the above-mentioned horizontal part from the lower side, and the gaps between the above-mentioned first ribs The first recessed groove portion.

According to the first invention, the creepage distance between adjacent bus bar terminals can be increased, and the amount of the depressed portion of the first groove portion can be increased. Therefore, the moisture adhering to the horizontal portion of the bus terminal hardly reaches the horizontal portion of other adjacent bus terminals, thereby preventing a short circuit between the bus terminals.

In addition, in the first invention, "horizontal direction" means a direction substantially perpendicular to the circuit structure, and does not mean "horizontal" when the ground is used as a reference.

2nd invention is an electrical connection box in which the width of the contact surface which contacts the said horizontal part among the said 1st ribs is smaller than the width of the said horizontal part.

According to the second invention, it is possible to prevent moisture from accumulating in corners formed by the contact surfaces of the first ribs and the side surfaces of the horizontal portions of the bus bar terminals. This prevents short circuits between the busbar terminals.

The 3rd invention is an electrical connection box in which the slope part which descends along the longitudinal direction of the said 1st groove part is provided in the bottom surface of the said 1st groove part.

According to the third invention, the water that has reached the respective first groove portions is guided to the inclined portion provided on the bottom surface thereof and falls to be easily discharged from the terminal supporting portion. Moisture can thus be prevented from remaining on the terminal supporting portion. Thereby, the short circuit between the bus bar terminals can be prevented more reliably.

A fourth invention is an electrical connection box, wherein a displacement restricting portion for restricting the tilt displacement of the horizontal portion by pressing the horizontal portion from above is provided in the above-mentioned case, and in the displacement restricting portion and On the surface opposite to the above-mentioned horizontal part, at each position corresponding to the above-mentioned horizontal part, the protrusion is provided with a second rib that can abut against the above-mentioned horizontal part from the upper side, and the spaces between the above-mentioned second ribs are upwardly recessed the second groove part.

According to the fourth invention, the moisture adhering to the horizontal portion of the bus bar terminal escapes upward by an amount corresponding to the depth of the second groove portion. Thereby, the horizontal diffusion of the moisture adhering to the horizontal portion can be suppressed, so that a short circuit between adjacent bus bar terminals can be prevented.

The 5th invention is an electrical connection box in which the narrow part which width is narrower than other regions is provided in the said horizontal part.

According to the fifth invention, since the narrow portion is provided on the horizontal portion of the bus bar terminal, the distance between the horizontal portions of adjacent bus bar terminals can be increased. In this case, the moisture adhering to the horizontal portion is less likely to reach other adjacent horizontal portions, so that a short circuit between the bus bar terminals can be avoided.

On the other hand, in order to increase the distance between the horizontal parts, it is conceivable to reduce the width of the entire bus bar terminal. However, since a large current flows into the circuit configuration body, correspondingly, a large current also flows into the bus bar terminal connected to the circuit configuration body. Therefore, if the width of the entire bus bar terminal is reduced, there is a danger that the necessary amount of current cannot be secured. In addition, when the entire bus bar terminal becomes thinner, there is a risk of excessive deformation and breakage during connection with an external connector. Therefore, in this fifth invention, only the narrow portion is provided on the horizontal portion. By doing so, it is possible to prevent a short circuit between the bus bar terminals while ensuring the rigidity and electric power of the bus bar terminals to a certain extent.

The sixth invention is an electrical connection box, wherein the plurality of busbar terminals are connected at the intersection of the horizontal portion from an end portion on the side opposite to the side connected to the circuit structure in the horizontal portion. direction, and a connecting portion that can be connected to the above-mentioned external connector is provided on the extended portion.

According to the sixth invention, the connecting portion of the bus terminal acts on the connection portion of the bus terminal with a pressing force or tensile force accompanying attachment and detachment of the external connector, and a narrow portion is provided on the horizontal portion of the bus terminal, and the bus terminal is easily bent in this narrow portion. . Therefore, even when the bus bar terminal is subjected to extrusion force or tension force, the extrusion force or tension force can be absorbed. Thereby, breakage (bending) of the bus bar terminal in the connecting portion between the bus bar terminal and the circuit constituent can be prevented.

7th invention is an electric connection box in which the said narrow part is provided leaving both end parts in the wiring direction of the said horizontal part.

According to the seventh invention, since both end portions of the horizontal portion of the bus terminal maintain the original width of the bus terminal, the horizontal portion of the bus terminal has sufficient strength. Therefore, even when the narrow portion is provided on the bus terminal, breakage of the bus terminal at the connection portion between the bus terminal and the circuit structure can be prevented.

The eighth invention is an electrical connection box wherein a tapered portion gradually narrowing in width from the both ends toward the narrow portion is provided between the narrow portion and the both ends.

According to the eighth invention, when the bus bar terminal is bent, excessive stress can be prevented from being concentrated at the connection between both end portions in the horizontal portion of the bus bar terminal and the narrow portion. Thereby, breakage of the bus bar terminal can be prevented.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electrical junction box according to a first embodiment.

2 is a perspective view showing a state before a housing and a lower connector are assembled to a circuit structure in the electrical connection box according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the frame.

Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the electrical connection box according to the first embodiment.

5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a horizontal portion of a lower bus bar terminal is sandwiched between a first rib and a second rib in the electrical connection box according to the first embodiment.

6 is a perspective view showing a state before a housing and a lower connector are assembled to a circuit structure in an electrical connection box according to a second embodiment.

7 is a side sectional view showing an electrical junction box according to a second embodiment.

8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the horizontal portion of the lower bus bar terminal is sandwiched between the first rib and the second rib in the electrical junction box according to the second embodiment.

9 is a side sectional view of an electrical junction box according to a third embodiment.

Detailed ways

(first embodiment)

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 .

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electrical connection box 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state before the frame body 21 and the lower connection body 40 are assembled on the circuit configuration body 10 .

Hereinafter, regarding the direction of each component constituting the electrical connection box 1, the left front side (cover 30 side) in FIG. , The bottom side is the bottom, the right side is the right side, and the left side is the left side.

Electrical junction box 1, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, will have the circuit structure body 10 of circuit board 11 and bus bar (bus-bar) 12, vertically place and accommodate in the box body 20 that is made of frame body 21 and radiator plate 22 and cover the front side of the box body 20 with a cover 30 .

The circuit board 11 constituting the circuit assembly 10 has a rectangular plate shape as a whole as shown in FIG. Conductor patterns (not shown) constituting a control circuit are formed on the front surface of the circuit board 11 . Further, switch components 13 such as relays are mounted on the front surface of the circuit board 11 .

A bus bar 12 is bonded to the back surface of the circuit board 11 . The bus bar 12 is formed by penetrating a metal plate having excellent conductivity, and forms a predetermined conductive circuit as a power supply circuit. The bus bar 12 is formed in an outer shape substantially matching that of the circuit board 11, and a plurality of bus bar terminals 14, 15, 16 serving as terminals for connecting external circuits are arranged on the upper and lower edges thereof.

Among the upper bus bar terminals 14 , 15 , the upper bus bar terminal 14 , except for one right end bus bar terminal 15 arranged on the right end thereof, stands on the front side at a substantially right angle with respect to the circuit board 11 . That is, upper bus bar terminal 14 is composed of horizontal portion 14A extending horizontally from circuit board 11 , and connecting portion 14B extending upward from the extended end of horizontal portion 14A substantially parallel to circuit board 11 . In addition, a slit for inserting a fuse is formed at the tip of the connecting portion 14B. The right-end bus terminal 15 is composed of the following parts: a horizontal portion 15A extending horizontally from the circuit board 11; extending upward from the extended end of the horizontal portion 15A substantially parallel to the circuit board 11, then to the right, and then to the front A transition portion 15B bent on one side; and a connection portion 15C protruding downward from an end edge on the front side of the transition portion 15B.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the "horizontal direction" means a direction substantially perpendicular to the circuit structure 10, and is not necessarily horizontal to the ground.

On the other hand, on the lower edge of the circuit board 11, a plurality of lower bus bar terminals 16 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction in a region to the right of the inclined edge portion 11S, that is, in a region substantially parallel to the upper edge. The lower side bus bar terminal 16 is composed of the following parts: a horizontal portion 16A extending horizontally from the circuit board 11; The connecting portion 16B extends substantially parallel to the circuit board 11 below (in a direction intersecting with the horizontal portion 16A). In addition, the plurality of upper bus bar terminals 14 and lower side bus bar terminals 16 are arranged at intervals as small as possible due to spatial relations and the like.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the frame body 21 . As mentioned above, the case 20 which accommodates the circuit structure 10 has the frame body 21 and the heat sink 22 (refer FIG. 1, FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 3 , the frame body 21 is formed of an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The frame body 21 is generally formed in a "U" shape along the lower edge and the left and right edges of the periphery of the circuit board 11 . Specifically, the frame body 21 has: an inclined frame portion 21S along the inclined edge portion 11S of the circuit board 11; a lower frame portion 21B along the right side area of the inclined edge portion 11S in the lower edge of the circuit board 11; and the right frame portion 21R along the right edge portion of the circuit board 11 . A connecting portion 23 for connecting the left frame portion 21L and the right frame portion 21R is provided on the upper portion of the frame body 21 (see also FIG. 2 ). The connecting portion 23 connects the left frame portion 21L and the right frame portion 21R to each other at a position slightly lower than the upper ends of the left frame portion 21L and the right frame portion 21R. The connecting portion 23 is formed substantially in the shape of a square column. The upper surface of the connecting portion 23 is in contact with a portion of the lower surface of the horizontal portion 14A of the upper bus bar terminal 14 that is close to the circuit board 11 . The connecting portion 23 supports the horizontal portion 14A from the lower surface side (see also FIG. 4 ). Furthermore, a flange 24 is provided on the front surface (the surface opposite to the circuit board 11 ) of the connection portion 23 . This flange 24 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the connection part 23 at a substantially central position in the vertical direction of the front surface of the connection part 23 . The flange 24 is provided so as to protrude toward the front side. In addition, a plurality of plate-shaped reinforcing portions 25 are formed on the front surface of the connection portion 23 , and the direction of the plate surface is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the connection portion 23 . The reinforcing portions 25 are provided at respective positions corresponding to the horizontal portions 14A of the upper bus bar terminals 14 on the front surface of the connection portion 23 . In addition, the upper surface of each reinforcement part 25 is flush with the upper surface of the connection part 23 . In addition, the plate thickness of the reinforcing portion 25 is formed to be smaller than the width of the horizontal portion 14A of the upper bus bar terminal 14 .

A cooling plate 22 is installed in the frame body 21 . The heat sink 22 is made of metal with high thermal conductivity, and is formed slightly larger than the circuit board 11 (see also FIG. 2 ). The radiator plate 22 is assembled to the frame body 21 so as to close the opening on the back side of the frame body 21 . The radiator plate 22 is attached to the back surface of the bus bar 12 with an insulating adhesive. Furthermore, a mounting piece 26 extending stepwise upward from the upper edge of the heat sink plate 22 is formed on the back side. The electrical junction box 1 is mounted on a vehicle panel via the mounting piece 26 in a longitudinal direction such that a lower connector 40 described below faces downward.

The cover 30 is made of synthetic resin and attached so as to cover the opening on the front side of the case 20 (see FIG. 1 ). The cover 30 is formed in the shape of a shallow dish opened to the back side, and has: a cover part 31 having substantially the same shape as the circuit board 11 as a whole; The side wall portion 32. The cover portion 31 is formed in a plate shape that covers the front side of the circuit board 11 . The upper surface and the lower surface of the cover 30 are opened. A fuse box (not shown) is attached to the opening on the upper surface side of the cover 30 . The connecting portion 14B of the upper side bus bar terminal 14 is inserted into the fuse box from below. Also, a lower connector 40 is attached to an opening on the lower surface side of the cover 30 .

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the electrical junction box 1 in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4 , a lower connector 40 is assembled under the cover 30 . The lower connector 40 has a laterally long synthetic resin case 41 that is opened on the lower side, and the external connector is fitted into the case 41 from below.

The lower connector 40 is assembled below the horizontal portion 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 , and the top 42 of the housing 41 constituting the lower connector 40 supports the horizontal portion 16A from below. That is, the top portion 42 corresponds to the “terminal supporting portion” of the present invention. The upper surface 44 of the top part 42 becomes an "opposing surface" which opposes the horizontal part 16A.

First ribs 45 are provided at respective positions corresponding to the horizontal portions 16A on the upper surface 44 of the top portion 42 (see FIG. 2 ). The first rib 45 can abut against the horizontal portion 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 from the lower side.

The top 42 of the case 41 is provided with a through hole 43 penetrating in the vertical direction. The through holes 43 are provided at respective positions corresponding to the connection portions 16B of the lower bus bar terminals 16 . The connecting portion 16B passes through the through hole 43 and is accommodated in the housing 41 . The connecting portion 16B has a tapered tip and is inserted into an opposite-side terminal (not shown) mounted on the external connector. In addition, mounting portions 46 for fixing the lower connector 40 to the housing 21 are provided on both left and right side surfaces of the lower connector 40 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , a waterproof wall 50 is provided above the lower connector 40 . The waterproof wall 50 is substantially parallel to the lower frame portion 21B of the frame body 21 and has a plate-like shape. Connection portions 51 for connecting the waterproof wall 50 and the frame body 21 are provided on both left and right sides of the waterproof wall 50 . Specifically, the connection portion 51 connects a position close to the lower end of the right frame portion 21R of the frame body 21 and the right end of the waterproof wall 50 . Similarly, the connecting portion 51 connects the substantially central position of the inclined frame portion 21S and the left end of the waterproof wall 50 .

The width of waterproof wall 50 is slightly larger than the area of horizontal portion 16A where a plurality of lower bus bar terminals 16 are provided and the width of lower connector 40 . The end edge of the waterproof wall 50 on the cover 30 side reaches the vicinity of the back surface of the cover plate portion 31 . On the other hand, the end edge of the waterproof wall 50 on the side of the circuit structure 10 is embedded in a sealing material (not shown) covering the front surface of the circuit board 11 .

The upper surface of the waterproof wall 50 is a tapered surface 52 inclined downward toward the left and right end sides with the substantially central position in the left and right direction as the apex. Waterproof side wall portions 53 are provided downward at both left and right ends of the waterproof wall 50 . The lower end portion of the waterproof side wall portion 53 reaches the top portion 42 of the lower connector 40 . The waterproof side wall portion 53 covers the side of the outermost horizontal portion 16A among the horizontal portions 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 . And, at the end edge of the water-proof wall 50 on the cover 30 side, a water-stop wall 54 is provided upward. The water stop wall 54 protrudes to a position substantially reaching the lower surface of the guide piece 33 provided on the rear surface of the cover 30 . The waterproof wall 54 is formed over the entire left and right width of the waterproof wall 50 .

A displacement restricting portion 55 is integrally provided on the lower portion of the waterproof wall 50 (see FIG. 3 ). The displacement restricting portion 55 restricts the upward displacement of the horizontal portion 16A by pressing the horizontal portion 16A from above. That is, the horizontal portion 16A is pushed upward by fitting into the external connector of the housing 41 . However, in the present embodiment, since the upper side of the horizontal portion 16A is pressed by the displacement restricting portion 55, the upward displacement of the horizontal portion 16A is restricted.

The displacement restricting portion 55 is formed over the range where the horizontal portion 16A is provided. A bridging portion 56 is provided between a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of the displacement restricting portion 55 and the lower frame portion 21B of the frame body 21 . Second ribs 58 are provided at respective positions corresponding to the respective horizontal portions 16A on the lower surface 57 of the displacement restricting portion 55 (the surface facing the horizontal portion 16A). The lower surface of the second rib 58 can abut against each horizontal portion 16A from the upper side. The second ribs 58 will be described in detail later together with the first ribs 45 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , a guide piece 33 is provided on the back of the cover 30 . The guide piece 33 is provided above the water stop wall 54 and protrudes from the back side of the cover plate portion 31 of the cover 30 . Then, the guide piece 33 reaches a position slightly above the water stop wall 54 in the rear side direction. The upper surface of the guide piece 33 is a guide surface 34 inclined downward toward the protruding end.

Next, the above-mentioned first rib 45 and second rib 58 will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the horizontal portion 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 is sandwiched between the first rib 45 and the second rib 58 . In addition, in FIG. 5 , for the sake of convenience, a state in which a gap exists between the first rib 45 , the second rib 58 and the horizontal portion 16A is shown. However, in general, they are in a state of abutting against each other (contact state).

The first rib 45 is provided on the upper surface 44 of the housing 41 constituting the lower connector 40 . In FIG. 5 , the left-right width of each first rib 45 is smaller than the left-right width of each horizontal portion 16A (the "left-right direction" here is the direction in which a plurality of first ribs 45 are arranged). In this way, in each of the first ribs 45 , the width of the contact surface 47 that contacts the horizontal portion 16A is smaller than the width of each of the horizontal portions 16A.

In addition, between the first ribs 45 is a first groove 48 that is recessed downward from the contact surface 47 by the protruding height of the first ribs 45 . The bottom surface 49 of the first groove portion 48 is provided with an inclined portion 49A inclined along the longitudinal direction of each first groove portion 48 , in other words, along the longitudinal direction of each first rib 45 (see FIGS. 2 and 4 ). This inclined portion 49A descends toward the circuit board 11 side.

On the other hand, the second rib 58 is provided so as to protrude downward from the lower surface 57 of the displacement restricting portion 55 . The second rib 58 is in contact with each horizontal portion 16A from above. The second rib 58 has an elongated shape along the horizontal portion 16A, as shown in FIG. 3 . Furthermore, the width in the left-right direction of the second ribs 58 is larger than the width in the left-right direction of each horizontal portion 16A (the "left-right direction" here refers to the direction in which the plurality of second ribs 58 are arranged). Further, between the second ribs 58 is a second groove 59 that is recessed upward from the lower surface of the second ribs 58 by the protruding height of the second ribs 58 .

Next, the functions and effects of the electrical connection box 1 configured as above will be described.

When water drops enter the electrical junction box 1 due to rain, vehicle washing, etc., the water drops sometimes reach the upper surface 44 of the lower connector 40 and adhere to the periphery of the horizontal portion 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 . At this time, the water droplets adhering to the periphery of the horizontal portion 16A reach the upper surface of the lower connector 40 and flow to the other adjacent horizontal portion 16A. Therefore, when the first groove portion 48 does not exist between the horizontal portions 16A, the water droplets attached to the periphery of the horizontal portion 16A spread in the horizontal direction in the upper surface 44 of the top portion 42, thereby reaching other adjacent horizontal portions. 16A is very likely. In particular, the space between the lower busbar terminals 16 is designed to be as small as possible due to the space relationship, etc., and the creepage distance between the horizontal parts 16A cannot be sufficiently ensured. , There is also a possibility of a short circuit between adjacent lower busbar terminals 16 .

However, according to the electrical connection box 1 of the present embodiment, since the first groove portion 48 exists between the respective first ribs 45 , a long creepage distance between adjacent horizontal portions 16A can be ensured. Therefore, the moisture adhering to the periphery of the horizontal portion 16A is less likely to reach the other adjacent horizontal portion 16A, and a short circuit of the lower bus bar terminal 16 can be prevented.

Furthermore, when the width of the first rib 45 is formed larger than that of the horizontal portion 16A, the contact surface 47 protrudes outward in the width direction from the horizontal portion 16A. At this time, a corner portion is formed by the contact surface 47 and the side surface of the horizontal portion 16A (the surface perpendicular to the contact surface 47 ), and the corner portion retains moisture. However, in this embodiment, the lateral width of the abutting surface 47 of the first rib 45 is smaller than the lateral width of the horizontal portion 16A (see FIG. 5 ), and no corners are formed around the horizontal portion 16A. Avoid the above problems.

Furthermore, the water droplets that have fallen on the first groove portion 48 move on the slope portion 49A provided on the bottom surface 49 and are guided to the edge portion of the first groove portion 48 on the side of the circuit board 11 , that is, the lower connector. The edge portion on the back side of the upper surface 44 of the lower connector 40 , and drips from there to the back side of the lower connector 40 . In this way, water droplets are easily discharged from the bottom surface 49 of the first groove portion 48, so water droplets will not remain in the first groove portion 48, that is, between the adjacent horizontal portions 16A, and the lower side bus terminal can be prevented more reliably. Short circuit between 16.

Further, second ribs 58 are provided on the lower surface 57 of the displacement restricting portion 55 , and between the second ribs 58 are second grooves 59 that are recessed upward. Wherein, when the second groove portion 59 is not provided on the lower surface 57 of the displacement restricting portion 55 and the lower surface 57 is flat, the lower surface 57 of the displacement restricting portion 55 and the upper surface of the horizontal portion 16A are in full contact with each other. catch. In this case, the water drop attached to the horizontal portion 16A is squeezed between the lower surface 57 of the displacement restricting portion 55 and the bottom surface 49 of the first groove portion 48 while spreading the narrow gap therebetween in the horizontal direction. . However, according to the present embodiment, the water droplets adhering to the periphery of the horizontal portion 16A can escape upward to the depth of the second groove portion 59 , so that the water droplets can be suppressed from spreading in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent water droplets from traveling between adjacent horizontal portions 16A and short-circuiting between lower bus bar terminals 16 .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the upper surface 44 of the top portion 42 of the lower connector 40 , at each position corresponding to the horizontal portion 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 , the protrusions are arranged to abut against the respective horizontal portions from the lower side. The first rib 45 of 16A. In addition, between the first ribs 45 are first grooves 48 that are recessed downward. In this way, the creepage distance between the horizontal portions 16A of the adjacent lower bus bar terminals 16 can be extended by the amount of the depth of the first groove portion 48 . Therefore, the water droplets adhering to the horizontal portion 16A are less likely to reach the other adjacent horizontal portion 16A, and a short circuit between the lower bus bar terminals 16 is avoided.

Further, on the bottom surface 49 of the first groove portion 48 , an inclined portion 49A descending in the longitudinal direction of each first groove portion 48 is provided. In this way, the water droplets reaching the respective first groove portions 48 are guided to the inclined portion 49A provided on the bottom surface 49 to fall, and are easily discharged from the top portion 42 of the lower connector 40 . Therefore, it is avoided that moisture remains on the top portion 42, and a short circuit between the lower bus bar terminals 16 is reliably prevented.

Also, at respective positions corresponding to the horizontal portions 16A in the lower surface 57 of the displacement restricting portion 55 , second ribs 58 abutting on the respective horizontal portions 16A from the upper side are protrudingly provided. Also, between the second ribs 58 is a second groove portion 59 that is depressed upward. In this way, the water droplets adhering to the horizontal portion 16A are not squeezed in the narrow gap between the lower surface 57 of the displacement restricting portion 55 and the bottom surface 49 of the first groove portion 48, and can escape upward from the second groove. The amount of the depth of the groove portion 59 can suppress the diffusion in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water droplets from traveling between adjacent horizontal portions 16A and short-circuiting between lower bus bar terminals 16 .

(second embodiment)

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 , 7 , and 8 .

6 is a perspective view showing a state before the frame body 21 and the lower connector 40 are assembled to the circuit structure 10 in the electrical connection box 60 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of an electrical connection box 60 according to the second embodiment. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which horizontal portion 16A of lower bus bar terminal 16 is sandwiched between first rib 45 and second rib 58 in electrical connection box 60 according to the second embodiment.

The electrical junction box 60 according to the second embodiment differs from the electrical junction box 1 according to the first embodiment in that the narrow portion 18 is provided on the horizontal portion 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 . The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, so they are assigned the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 , in the horizontal portion 16A of the lower side bus bar terminal 16 , notch portions 17 are formed on the left and right side edges thereof. In this way, a narrow portion 18 having a smaller width than other portions is formed in the horizontal portion 16A.

The two end portions 19 in the wiring direction (longitudinal direction) of the horizontal portion 16A are left, and the notch portion 17 is formed in a region on the center side of the two end portions 19 . Both end portions 19 of the horizontal portion 16A remain with the original width.

Furthermore, both end portions of the notch portion 17 are inclined portions 17A inclined inwardly (to the central side in the width direction) when facing the central side. In the horizontal portion 16A, the portion where the inclined portion 17A is formed is a tapered portion 18A whose width gradually increases toward both ends in the wiring direction.

When water drops enter electrical junction box 60 due to rain, vehicle washing, etc., the water drops may reach upper surface 44 of lower connector 40 and adhere to the periphery of horizontal portion 16A of lower bus bar terminal 16 . At this time, the water droplets adhering to the periphery of the horizontal portion 16A travel to the upper surface of the lower connector 40 and flow to the other adjacent horizontal portion 16A.

However, in this embodiment, since the narrow part 18 is provided in each horizontal part 16A, the distance between adjacent horizontal part 16A becomes large. In this way, the moisture adhering to the horizontal portion 16A is less likely to reach the other adjacent horizontal portion 16A, thereby avoiding a short circuit between the lower bus bar terminals 16 .

In addition, in recent years, with the rapid increase of electronic products mounted on automobiles, the amount of current flowing through the circuit structure 10 has also increased. Accordingly, the lower bus bar terminal 16 also needs to be able to withstand a certain degree of pressure. Design for large current flow. Therefore, in the present embodiment, instead of reducing the width over the entire length of the lower bus bar terminal 16, the narrow portion 18 is provided on the horizontal portion 16A in contact with the top portion 42 where water droplets tend to collect. In this way, the amount of current can be ensured, and at the same time, a short circuit between the lower bus bar terminals 16 can be avoided.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the narrow portion 18 is provided on the horizontal portion 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 . In this way, the distance between the horizontal portions 16A of the adjacent lower bus bar terminals 16 increases, increasing the amount of width reduction. Therefore, it is difficult for the moisture adhering to the horizontal portion 16A to reach the other adjacent horizontal portion 16A, and a short circuit between the lower bus bar terminals 16 can be avoided. Furthermore, since the narrow portion 18 is provided only on the horizontal portion 16A, the amount of current that can be passed to the lower bus bar terminals 16 can be ensured to a certain extent, and a short circuit between the lower bus bar terminals 16 can be avoided.

(third embodiment)

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 9 .

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of an electrical connection box 70 according to the third embodiment.

The electrical junction box 70 according to the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment or the second embodiment in that the displacement restricting portion 55 is not provided at the lower portion of the waterproof wall 50 . That is, in the third embodiment, the displacement restricting portion 55 that restricts the upward displacement of the horizontal portion 16A by pressing the horizontal portion 16A of the lower bus bar terminal 16 from above is not provided. In addition, the other configurations are the same as those of the first or second embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

When the lower connector 40 of the electrical junction box 70 is fitted with an external connector, an upward pressing force acts on the connecting portion 16B by friction between the connecting portion 16B of the lower bus bar terminal 16 and the terminal on the opposite side. Among them, in this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the horizontal portion 16A is not pressed from the upper side by the displacement restricting portion 55, so the upward pressing force applied to the connecting portion 16B acts on the bus bar via the horizontal portion 16A. 12 and the joint between the radiator plate 22, so there is a risk of damage such as peeling of the joint. However, in this embodiment, since the narrow portion 18 is provided on the horizontal portion 16A, the horizontal portion 16A is easily elastically bent, and the upward pressing force acting on the connection portion 16B is not deformed due to the bending of the horizontal portion 16A. absorb. In this way, at the root portion of the horizontal portion 16A, damage such as peeling off of the connecting portion between the bus bar 12 and the heat dissipation plate 22 can be avoided. In this way, when the pressing force and the frictional force acting on the lower bus bar terminal 16 due to attachment and detachment of the external connector are large, it is preferable to provide the narrow portion 18 on the horizontal portion 16A. In this way, not only can the short circuit between the lower bus bar terminals 16 be avoided as much as possible, but also the pressing force and frictional force acting on the lower side bus bar terminals 16 can be absorbed.

In addition, in order to make the lower bus bar terminal 16 easy to bend, it is conceivable to make the width of the lower bus bar terminal 16 thinner over the entire length, but in this case, the lower bus bar terminal 16 may be excessively deformed or even broken. . However, in this embodiment, since only the horizontal portion 16A is provided with the narrow portion 18, the overall strength of the lower bus bar terminal 16 can be ensured to a certain extent, and the lower bus bar terminal 16 can be easily bent.

Furthermore, both end portions 19 of horizontal portion 16A are portions where a particularly large force acts upon fitting of the external connectors. Therefore, if the strength of these portions is insufficient, lower bus bar terminal 16 may be broken. However, in the present embodiment, both end portions 19 of the horizontal portion 16A maintain the original width of the lower bus bar terminal 16 and have sufficient strength. Therefore, when the external connector is fitted to the lower connector 40, the lower bus bar terminal 16 can be prevented from being broken.

Further, between the both end portions 19 and the narrow portion 18 , there is provided a tapered portion 18A whose width gradually decreases from the both end portions 19 to the narrow portion 18 . Therefore, since the rigidity is gradually changed in the tapered portion 18A, it is possible to avoid excessive stress concentration at the joint between the two end portions 19 and the narrow portion 18 when the horizontal portion 16A is bent and deformed, and to avoid the stress on the lower side of the joint. The bus terminal 16 is broken.

(Other implementations)

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and the accompanying drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist. and implement.

(1) In the above embodiment, the case where the first rib 45 and the second rib 58 are provided at positions abutting against the lower bus bar terminals 16 arranged in parallel on the lower end edge of the bus bar 12 is exemplified. limited to this. For example, the first rib and the second rib may be provided at positions abutting against the upper bus bar terminals 14 arranged in parallel on the upper edge of the bus bar 12 . As long as the busbar terminals take a wiring path that crosses the box in the horizontal direction, they can be arranged side by side on any part of the busbar.

(2) In the above embodiment, the case where the first rib 45 is provided on the top portion 42 of the lower connector 40 and the second rib 58 is provided on the displacement restricting portion 55 has been exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first rib and the second rib are not limited to the lower connector or the displacement restricting part, and any member may be used as long as it can contact the horizontal part of the bus bar terminal from the lower side or the upper side.

(3) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the width in the left-right direction of the first rib 45 is smaller than the width in the left-right direction of the horizontal portion 16A was exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The width of the contact surface 47 of the first rib 45 which contacts the horizontal portion 16A is smaller than the width in the left-right direction of each horizontal portion 16A. For example, the first rib may have a shape in which the width in the left-right direction gradually increases toward the lower end. In this case, the lower end portion of the first rib may be wider than the width in the left-right direction of the horizontal portion 16A.

(4) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the narrow portion 18 is provided on the lower busbar terminals 16 arranged in parallel at the lower end edges of the busbars 12 has been exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the narrow portion 18 may be provided on the upper side bus bar terminals 14 arranged side by side on the upper edge of the bus bar 12 . At this time, short-circuiting between adjacent bus bar terminals can also be prevented by providing the narrow portion 18 .

(5) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the notch part 17 is formed in the left and right side edges of each horizontal part 16A was illustrated, but it is not limited to this. For example, when the notch 17 is formed only on either side of the left and right edges of the horizontal portion 16A, the narrow portion 18 may be formed with a smaller width than the other portions.

(6) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the lower side bus bar terminal 16 is bent toward the front side with a part of the bus bar 12 was exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The bus bar terminal is not limited to the bent bus bar, and for example, a metal piece serving as a terminal may be joined to the bus bar by soldering.

(7) In the above embodiment, the connection portion 16B of the lower bus bar terminal 16 extends downward substantially parallel to the circuit board 11 from the extended end of the horizontal portion 16A, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The connecting portion of the lower side bus bar terminal only needs to extend in a direction intersecting the horizontal portion. For example, the connecting portion of the lower bus bar terminal may extend upward from the extending end of the horizontal portion in a direction oblique to the circuit board.

Claims (20)

1. An electrical connection box, having: circuit constituents; A box housing the above-mentioned circuit structure therein; a plurality of busbar terminals arranged by horizontally crossing the wiring path inside the box, and electrically connected between the circuit constituent body and the external connector; and The terminal support part supports from the lower side a horizontal part of the plurality of busbar terminals that crosses the inside of the box in the horizontal direction, Wherein, in the surface of the terminal supporting part that is opposite to the horizontal part, at each position corresponding to the horizontal part, the protrusion is provided with a first rib that can contact the horizontal part from the lower side, Between each of the first ribs is a downwardly recessed first groove portion. 2. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein, A width of a contact surface of the first rib that contacts the horizontal portion is smaller than a width of the horizontal portion. 3. The electrical junction box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, An inclined portion descending in a longitudinal direction of the first groove portion is provided on a bottom surface of the first groove portion. 4. The electrical junction box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, A displacement restricting part is provided in the above-mentioned case, which restricts the oblique displacement of the above-mentioned horizontal part by pressing the above-mentioned horizontal part from the upper side, In the surface of the displacement restricting part that is opposed to the horizontal part, at each position corresponding to the horizontal part, the protrusion is provided with a second rib that can come into contact with the horizontal part from the upper side, Between each of the above-mentioned second ribs is an upwardly recessed second groove portion. 5. The electrical connection box according to claim 3, wherein, A displacement restricting part is provided in the above-mentioned case, which restricts the oblique displacement of the above-mentioned horizontal part by pressing the above-mentioned horizontal part from the upper side, In the surface of the displacement restricting part that is opposed to the horizontal part, at each position corresponding to the horizontal part, the protrusion is provided with a second rib that can come into contact with the horizontal part from the upper side, Between each of the above-mentioned second ribs is an upwardly recessed second groove portion. 6. The electrical junction box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, A narrow portion narrower than other regions is provided on the horizontal portion. 7. The electrical connection box according to claim 3, wherein, A narrow portion narrower than other regions is provided on the horizontal portion. 8. The electrical connection box according to claim 4, wherein, A narrow portion narrower than other regions is provided on the horizontal portion. 9. The electrical connection box according to claim 5, wherein, A narrow portion narrower than other regions is provided on the horizontal portion. 10. The electrical connection box according to claim 6, wherein, The plurality of bus bar terminals extend in a crossing direction of the horizontal portion from an end portion on the side opposite to the side connected to the circuit structure in the horizontal portion, and are provided on the extended portion A connecting part that can be connected to the above-mentioned external connector. 11. The electrical connection box according to claim 7, wherein, The plurality of bus bar terminals extend in a crossing direction of the horizontal portion from an end portion on the side opposite to the side connected to the circuit structure in the horizontal portion, and are provided on the extended portion A connecting part that can be connected to the above-mentioned external connector. 12. The electrical connection box according to claim 8, wherein, The plurality of bus bar terminals extend in a crossing direction of the horizontal portion from an end portion on the side opposite to the side connected to the circuit structure in the horizontal portion, and are provided on the extended portion A connecting part that can be connected to the above-mentioned external connector. 13. The electrical connection box according to claim 9, wherein, The plurality of bus bar terminals extend in a crossing direction of the horizontal portion from an end portion on the side opposite to the side connected to the circuit structure in the horizontal portion, and are provided on the extended portion A connecting part that can be connected to the above-mentioned external connector. 14. The electrical connection box according to claim 6, wherein, The narrow portion is provided while leaving both end portions in the wiring direction of the horizontal portion. 15. The electrical connection box according to claim 7, wherein, The narrow portion is provided while leaving both end portions in the wiring direction of the horizontal portion. 16. The electrical connection box according to claim 8, wherein, The narrow portion is provided while leaving both end portions in the wiring direction of the horizontal portion. 17. The electrical junction box according to claim 9, wherein, The narrow portion is provided while leaving both end portions in the wiring direction of the horizontal portion. 18. The electrical junction box of claim 14, wherein: A tapered portion gradually narrowing in width from the two end portions toward the narrow portion is provided between the narrow portion and the both end portions. 19. The electrical junction box of claim 15, wherein: A tapered portion gradually narrowing in width from the two end portions toward the narrow portion is provided between the narrow portion and the both end portions. 20. The electrical junction box of claim 16, wherein: A tapered portion gradually narrowing in width from the two end portions toward the narrow portion is provided between the narrow portion and the both end portions.

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