JP6904988B2 - Electrical junction box - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical junction box.

In an electric junction box installed in an external environment such as an engine room in a vehicle such as an automobile, a waterproof structure is provided in a case in which various electronic components such as relays, fuses, electronic control units and connectors are mounted (for example). , Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2018-107948

By the way, when wiring a wire harness to an electric junction box mounted on a vehicle, the wire harness must be pulled in from the lead-in port provided in the case and wired, and the lead-in port must be sealed with a sealing member or the like, which is costly. It is bulky and requires time and effort for sealing work.

In this case, if a connector is provided on the outside of the case and the wire harness is connected to the connector, the cost for sealing and the labor required for the sealing work can be suppressed by eliminating the inlet. However, in this case, a waterproof structure is required at the component mounting portion of the connector.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric junction box having a waterproof structure on a component mounting portion provided on the outside of a case while suppressing costs.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the electric junction box according to the present invention is characterized by the following (1) to (3).
(1) An electrical junction box on which electronic components are mounted.
A case where the electronic component is mounted in a sealed accommodation space, and
An external mounting unit provided outside the case and having a component mounting unit on which electronic components can be mounted outside the case.
A cover that is mounted over the external mounting portion and covers only the component mounting portion.
With
The cover is formed in a bottomed tubular shape having a peripheral wall portion formed in a tubular shape and an upper wall portion provided at the upper end of the peripheral wall portion.
By mounting the cover on the external mounting portion, the lower end of the peripheral wall portion of the cover is arranged below the component mounting portion .
The case has a lid attached to the top.
The lid body is an electrical connection box including a holding portion that holds an upper portion of the cover mounted on the external mounting portion.
(2) The component mounting portion of the external mounting portion is a connector to which a connector provided on the wire harness can be connected, and the wire harness is pulled out from the lower edge of the cover mounted on the external mounting portion. The electrical connector according to (1).
( 3 ) The case includes a case body having the external mounting portion and a lower case assembled on the lower side of the case body.
The electrical connection box according to (1) or ( 2 ), wherein the lower end portion of the cover is locked and fixed to the lower case.

According to the electrical connection box having the configuration of (1) above, the electronic component can be mounted on the component mounting portion of the external mounting portion provided outside the case separately from the sealed accommodation space. Further, by mounting the external mounting portion with a cover, the component mounting portion is covered with the cover. As a result, the cover can prevent water from splashing on the component mounting portion. Moreover, since the lower end of the peripheral wall portion of the cover is arranged below the component mounting portion, it is possible to suppress the rise in the water level inside the cover due to the pressure of the air filled in the cover even when the cover is submerged. It is possible to prevent water from reaching the component mounting portion and being submerged. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a waterproof structure to the component mounting portion provided on the outside of the case while suppressing the cost, as compared with the structure of sealing using a sealing member or the like. Further, according to the electrical connection box having the configuration of (1) above, the upper portion of the cover attached to the external mounting portion of the case is held by the holding portion of the lid body attached to the case. As a result, the cover can be maintained in a state of being attached to the external mounting portion of the case, and the floating of the cover due to buoyancy when submerged in water can be suppressed.
According to the electrical junction box having the configuration of (2) above, the connector of the wire harness can be connected to the connector which is the component mounting portion and can be easily wired. In addition, by attaching a cover to the external mounting part, it is possible to prevent water from splashing on the connection point by the wire harness connector, and even when submerged, water reaches the connection point by the wire harness connector and is submerged. Can be suppressed.
According to the electrical connection box having the configuration of ( 3 ) above, by attaching the cover to the external mounting part of the case body and locking it to the lower case, the cover can be securely fixed while being attached to the external mounting part. can.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric junction box having a waterproof structure on a component mounting portion provided on the outside of a case while suppressing costs.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the embodiments described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. ..

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment as viewed from below. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the external mounting portion in the case. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the external mounting portion in the case. 7A and 7B are views showing a cover mounted on the external mounting portion, FIG. 7A is a perspective view seen from the front side, and FIG. 7B is a perspective view seen from the back side. FIG. 8 is a perspective view seen from the lower side of the cover mounted on the external mounting portion. FIG. 9 is a side view of the electric junction box showing the state of the vehicle provided with the electrical junction box when submerged.

Hereinafter, examples of embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the present embodiment as viewed from below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the electrical connection box 10 according to the present embodiment includes a case 11, a lid 12, and a cover 13. The case 11, the lid 12, and the cover 13 are each integrally molded from an insulating synthetic resin.

The electric junction box 10 is installed in an external environment such as an engine room in a vehicle such as an automobile. In the electrical junction box 10, various electronic components such as relays, fuses, electronic control units, and connectors are accommodated in the accommodation space inside the case 11. The electric junction box 10 is connected between a power source such as a battery or an alternator and various auxiliary machines mounted on the vehicle, and the electric power supplied from the power source is transferred to the auxiliary machine or the like via various electronic parts or the like. Distribute.

The case 11 has a case main body 20 and a lower case 30. The case 11 has an external mounting portion 50 as a part around the case 11. The cover 13 is assembled to the external mounting portion 50 of the case 11.

The case body 20 is formed in a box shape having a peripheral wall 21 whose upper and lower portions are open. On the peripheral wall 21 of the case body 20, a ridge portion 22 is formed on the upper edge portion thereof over the entire circumference. Further, the case body 20 is formed with a fixing portion 24 having a mounting hole 23 on the peripheral wall 21 thereof. The fixing portion 24 is fixed to the body by screwing a bolt (not shown) inserted through the mounting hole 23 into a screw hole of a stay provided in the body of the vehicle and fastening the fixing portion 24. As a result, the electrical junction box 10 is supported by the body of the vehicle.

A component mounting unit 25 is provided inside the case body 20, and various electronic components (not shown) such as relays, fuses, electronic control units, and connectors are assembled to the component mounting unit 25 from above. And implemented. A bus bar for wiring (not shown) is incorporated in the component mounting unit 25, and terminals of electronic components mounted on the component mounting unit 25 are electrically connected to the bus bar. Further, the wire harness W1 is pulled into the case body 20 from the lower side thereof and connected to the bus bar of the component mounting portion 25.

The lower case 30 is attached to the case body 20 from the lower side thereof. As a result, the lower case 30 covers the lower side of the component mounting portion 25 of the case body 20. A locking piece 31 is formed on the upper edge of the lower case 30, and by assembling to the case body 20, the locking piece 31 engages with the locking portion 26 formed on the lower edge of the case body 20. It will be stopped. As a result, the lower case 30 is fixed to the lower part of the case body 20. The lower case 30 is formed with a fixing portion 34 having a mounting hole 33 at the lower portion thereof. The fixing portion 34 is fixed to the body by screwing a bolt (not shown) inserted through the mounting hole 33 into a screw hole of a stay provided in the body of the vehicle and fastening the fixing portion 34.

The case 11 has a harness introduction port 35 at a joint between the case body 20 and the lower case 30, and the wire harness W1 drawn into the case body 20 is drawn from the harness introduction port 35. The harness introduction port 35 is formed by abutting the half-cylinder portions 35a and 35b formed in the case main body 20 and the lower case 30, respectively, and is formed in a tubular shape through which the wire harness W1 is inserted. Further, in the case 11, the wire harness W2 is pulled out from the upper edge of the case body 20. The drawer portion of the wire harness W2 in the case body 20 is sealed by a seal member 37 attached to the wire harness W2.

The lid body 12 has a plate-shaped upper plate portion 41 that covers the upper portion of the case main body 20 of the case 11, and a side edge portion 42 that projects from the upper plate portion 41 to the mounting side of the case main body 20. The side edge portion 42 is formed in the same shape as the upper edge portion of the peripheral wall 21 of the case body 20 in a plan view. A seal groove 43 is formed in the side edge portion 42, and an annular seal member (not shown) formed of an elastic resin material such as rubber is fitted and mounted in the seal groove 43. Will be done.

Further, a locking piece 44 is formed on the side edge portion 42 of the lid body 12, and by assembling to the case main body 20, the locking piece 44 is formed on the upper edge portion of the case main body 20. Locked to 27. As a result, the lid body 12 assembled to the upper part of the case body 20 is fixed to the upper part of the case body 20. By assembling the lid body 12 to the upper part of the case body 20, the seal member fitted in the seal groove 43 of the lid body 12 comes into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ridge portion 22 of the case body 20. As a result, the case body 20 of the case 11 and the lid body 12 are sealed, and the component mounting portion 25 inside the case 11 is waterproofed.

Further, the lid body 12 is formed with a holding portion 45 in a part around the lid body 12. The holding portion 45 is formed in a concave shape in which the mounting side to the case body 20 is recessed. The holding portion 45 has an upper surface portion 46 and a side plate portion 47 provided around the upper surface portion 46.

Next, the external mounting portion 50 provided in the case 11 of the electrical connection box 10 and the cover 13 mounted on the external mounting portion 50 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the external mounting portion in the case. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the external mounting portion in the case.

The external mounting portion 50 is provided in the recessed portion 51 formed in the peripheral wall 21 of the case main body 20 constituting the case 11.

The external mounting unit 50 has a plurality of connectors (component mounting units) 52. The lower end of the external mounting portion 50 is continuously provided on the peripheral wall 21 of the case main body 20, and is projected upward with a gap from the peripheral wall 21 of the case main body 20. Further, in the recessed portion 51 of the peripheral wall 21, a locking wall 54 is formed at the edge thereof along the vertical direction.

In the lower case 30 assembled to the lower part of the case body 20 of the case 11, a harness introduction groove 56 is formed in the lower part of the external mounting portion 50. The harness introduction groove 56 is inclined downward toward the outside. Further, the lower case 30 is formed with a cover locking piece 57.

The wire harness W3 is pulled into the external mounting portion 50. Then, the connector 53 provided at the end of the wire harness W3 is fitted and connected to the connector 52 of the external mounting portion 50 from above. Note that, in FIGS. 5 and 6, only the connector 53 of the wire harness W3 is shown.

7A and 7B are views showing a cover mounted on the external mounting portion, FIG. 7A is a perspective view seen from the front side, and FIG. 7B is a perspective view seen from the back side. FIG. 8 is a perspective view seen from the lower side of the cover mounted on the external mounting portion.

As shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b) and 8, the cover 13 is formed in a box shape having a bottomed cylinder having a closed upper portion. Specifically, the cover 13 has a peripheral wall portion 60 formed in a square tubular shape, and an upper wall portion 61 that covers the upper portion of the peripheral wall portion 60. The peripheral wall portion 60 of the cover 13 has a portion that is arranged on the outer surface of the cover 13 in a state of being mounted on the external mounting portion 50 as an outer surface plate portion 60a. On the outer surface plate portion 60a, an extension piece 62 extending upward is formed on the upper edge portion, and a sealing piece 63 is formed on the side edge portion along the vertical direction. Further, a locking groove portion 64 is formed inside the sealing piece 63 along the vertical direction. Further, the cover 13 is formed with a locking portion 65 at the lower end portion of the outer surface plate portion 60a.

Next, a case where the cover 13 is attached to the external mounting portion 50 of the case 11 will be described.
First, the connector 53 of the wire harness W3 is fitted and connected to the connector 52 of the external mounting portion 50 of the case 11 from above, and the wire harness W3 is aligned with the harness introduction groove 56 of the lower case 30 (see FIG. 3). ..

Next, the external mounting portion 50 of the case 11 is covered with the cover 13 from above and mounted. Specifically, the cover 13 is brought closer to the external mounting portion 50 with the opening side of the cover 13 facing downward and the outer surface plate portion 60a of the peripheral wall portion 60 of the cover 13 facing outward. Then, the locking wall 54 of the peripheral wall 21 of the case body 20 is engaged with the locking groove portion 64 of the cover 13.

In this state, the cover 13 is pushed downward to allow the external mounting portion 50 to enter the cover 13. Then, the cover 13 is guided downward by the locking wall 54 engaged with the locking groove portion 64.

The cover 13 is further pushed downward, and the cover locking piece 57 of the lower case 30 is locked to the locking portion 65 of the cover 13. In this way, the cover 13 is mounted on the recessed portion 51 of the case 11 in a state of covering the connectors 52 and 53 of the external mounting portions 50 that are fitted and connected to each other. As a result, in the external mounting portion 50, the connectors 52 and 53 fitted and connected to each other are covered with the cover 13, and the wire harness W3 along the harness introduction groove 56 is transmitted from the lower edge of the peripheral wall portion 60 of the cover 13. It is pulled out (see FIG. 1). By mounting the cover 13 on the external mounting portion 50 in this way, the lower ends of the peripheral wall portion 60 of the cover 13 are arranged below the connectors 52 and 53 that are fitted and connected to each other.

After that, the lid body 12 is assembled on the upper part of the case 11. Then, the upper portion of the cover 13 is fitted into the concavely formed holding portion 45 of the lid body 12, and the extending piece 62 of the cover 13 enters the inside of the side plate portion 47 of the holding portion 45 (see FIG. 1). As a result, the upper portion of the cover 13 is held by the holding portion 45 of the lid body 12.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 9, when the vehicle is submerged, the case 11 may also be submerged. In such a case, in the case 11, the inside of the case body 20 sealed by assembling the lid body 12 on the upper portion is airtight and filled with air. Therefore, even if the water level WL rises, the water does not reach the component mounting portion 25 in the case body 20. As a result, the component mounting portion 25 on which the electronic component is mounted is not submerged.

Further, also in the external mounting portion 50, since the covers 13 are covered on the connectors 52 and 53, the water level in the cover 13 is the position of the bottom of the cover 13 due to the pressure of the air filling the inside (in FIG. 9). It is suppressed to the position of WLA shown by the dotted line). As a result, the ingress of water into the cover 13 is suppressed and the connectors 52 and 53 are not submerged.

Moreover, even when the vehicle is washed by the high pressure washer, it is possible to prevent the water jetted from the high pressure washer from being applied to the electronic parts of the case 11 and the connectors 52 and 53 in the cover 13.

As described above, according to the electrical connection box 10 according to the present embodiment, the wire is connected to the connector 52, which is a component mounting portion of the external mounting portion 50 provided outside the case 11 separately from the sealed accommodation space. The connector 53 of the harness W3 can be connected and mounted. Further, the external mounting portion 50 is mounted by covering the cover 13, so that the connectors 52 and 53 are covered with the cover 13. As a result, the cover 13 can prevent water from splashing on the connectors 52 and 53. Moreover, since the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 60 of the cover 13 is arranged below the connectors 52 and 53, the water level WLA inside the cover 13 rises due to the pressure of the air filled in the cover 13 even when submerged. It can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent water from reaching the connectors 52 and 53 and being submerged. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the component mounting portions of the connectors 52 and 53 provided outside the case 11 can be provided with a waterproof structure while suppressing the cost as compared with the structure of sealing using a sealing member or the like. ..

Further, as a component mounting portion of the external mounting portion 50, a connector 52 to which the connector 52 of the wire harness W3 can be connected is provided. Therefore, the connector 53 of the wire harness W3 can be connected to the connector 52 for easy wiring.

Moreover, the upper portion of the cover 13 mounted on the external mounting portion 50 of the case 11 is held by the holding portion 45 of the lid 12 mounted on the case 11. As a result, the cover 13 can be maintained in a state of being mounted on the external mounting portion 50 of the case 11, and the cover 13 can be suppressed from being lifted by buoyancy when submerged in water.

Further, by attaching the cover 13 to the external mounting portion 50 of the case body 20 and locking the cover 13 to the lower case 30, the cover 13 can be securely fixed in the state of being attached to the external mounting portion 50.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, and the like. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the connector 52 is provided in the external mounting portion 50 and the connector 53 of the wire harness W3 is connected to the connector 52 is illustrated. A terminal block may be provided on the external mounting unit 50, and electronic components such as relays, fuses, and electronic control units may be mounted on the terminal block.

Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the electrical junction box according to the present invention are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4], respectively.
[1] An electrical junction box (10) on which electronic components are mounted.
A case (11) in which the electronic component is mounted in a sealed accommodation space, and
An external mounting portion (50) provided outside the case (11) and having a component mounting portion (connector 52) on which an electronic component (connector 53) can be mounted outside the case (11).
A cover (13) that is mounted over the external mounting portion (50) and covers the component mounting portion (connector 52).
With
The cover (13) is formed in a bottomed tubular shape having a peripheral wall portion (60) formed in a tubular shape and an upper wall portion (61) provided at the upper end of the peripheral wall portion (60).
By mounting the cover (13) on the external mounting portion (50), the lower end of the peripheral wall portion (60) of the cover (13) is arranged below the component mounting portion (connector 52). An electrical connector box characterized by being mounted.
[2] The component mounting portion of the external mounting portion (50) is a connector (52) to which a connector (53) provided on the wire harness (W3) can be connected, and the wire harness (W3) is the said. The electrical connector according to [1], wherein the electric connector box is pulled out from the lower edge of the cover (13) mounted on the external mounting portion (50).
[3] The case (11) has a lid (12) attached to the upper part thereof.
[1] or [2], wherein the lid (12) includes a holding portion (45) that holds an upper portion of the cover (13) mounted on the external mounting portion (50). Electrical junction box.
[4] The case (11) includes a case body (20) having the external mounting portion (50) and a lower case (30) assembled to the lower side of the case body (20).
The electrical connection box according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the cover (13) has a lower end portion locked and fixed to the lower case (30).

10: Electrical connection box 11: Case 12: Lid 13: Cover 30: Lower case 45: Holding part 50: External mounting part 52: Connector (parts mounting part)
53: Connector (electronic component)
60: Peripheral wall 61: Upper wall W3: Wire harness

Claims (3)

An electrical junction box that mounts electronic components
A case where the electronic component is mounted in a sealed accommodation space, and
An external mounting unit provided outside the case and having a component mounting unit on which electronic components can be mounted outside the case.
A cover that is mounted over the external mounting portion and covers only the component mounting portion.
With
The cover is formed in a bottomed tubular shape having a peripheral wall portion formed in a tubular shape and an upper wall portion provided at the upper end of the peripheral wall portion.
By mounting the cover on the external mounting portion, the lower end of the peripheral wall portion of the cover is arranged below the component mounting portion .
The case has a lid attached to the top.
The lid body is an electrical connection box including a holding portion that holds an upper portion of the cover mounted on the external mounting portion. The component mounting portion of the external mounting portion is a connector to which a connector provided on the wire harness can be connected, and the wire harness is pulled out from the lower edge of the cover mounted on the external mounting portion. The electrical connector according to claim 1. The case includes a case body having the external mounting portion and a lower case assembled on the lower side of the case body.
The electrical connection box according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the lower end portion of the cover is locked and fixed to the lower case.

Images