Electric connection box

Abstract

To provide an electric connection box in which a cover can be easily attached to and detached from a frame.SOLUTION: An electric connection box comprises: a frame 30 in which an upper end opening is formed; an upper cover 10 which covers the upper end opening; an engagement protrusion 71 provided on one of a peripheral wall part 34 of the frame 30; an engagement frame 12 provided on one of a peripheral wall part 13 of the upper cover 10 and hooked to the engagement protrusion 71; a locked part 15 provided on the other of the peripheral wall part 13 of the upper cover 10 which is rotated toward the frame 30 about an engaged part between the engagement protrusion 71 and the engagement frame 12 as a center of rotation; a lock part 77 provided on the other of the peripheral wall part 34 of the frame 30 and engaged to the locked part 15; and a positioning protrusion 75 protruded on the peripheral wall part 34 of the frame 30 so that an engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12 is positioned at a position facing the engagement protrusion 71 by loading a lower end part 13a of the peripheral wall part 13 of the upper cover 10 on an upper face.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical junction box. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrical connection boxes such as relay boxes, fuse boxes, and junction boxes have been used in the electrical systems of automobiles. By concentrating a large number of electronic components such as relays and fuses in these electrical connection boxes, the efficiency of electrical wiring and ease of maintenance, such as replacement, have been improved.

[0003] Such an electrical junction box has a case body (frame) that houses an internal circuit made up of electrical components such as fuses and relays, current-carrying members such as bus bars, etc. The upper opening of the case body is covered by a cover (upper cover) that is removably attached and fixed to the box body via a locking mechanism.

[0004] In the electrical junction box disclosed in Patent Document 1, the cover is rotated toward the case body around the engaging portion between the engaging protrusion and the engaging frame as the center of rotation while maintaining an engaged state in which an engaging protrusion formed on one end of the case body is inserted into an engaging hole in an engaging frame formed on one end of the cover. A locking arm (locked portion) formed on the other end of the rotated cover is fitted into a locking arm receiving portion (locking portion) formed on the other end of the case body, thereby providing a locking mechanism for detachably attaching and fixing the cover to the case body.

[0005] With this type of locking mechanism, when removing the cover from the case body during maintenance, etc., it is only necessary to disengage the lock arm formed at the other end of the cover from the lock arm receiving portion formed at the other end of the case body, making the work easier. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-592 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the electrical junction box disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the engaging protrusions on the case body are hidden due to vehicle installation conditions, it is difficult to insert the engaging protrusions into the engaging holes to hook the engaging frames of the cover onto the engaging protrusions, which makes it difficult to attach the cover. Furthermore, because the engaging portion between the engaging protrusions on the case body and the engaging frames of the cover cannot be visually observed, there is a possibility that the cover will not fit properly into the case body.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box in which the cover can be easily attached to and detached from the frame. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration. an engaging frame provided on one of the peripheral walls of the cover and hooked onto the engaging protrusion; a locked portion provided on the other peripheral wall of the cover which rotates towards the frame around an engagement portion between the engaging protrusion and the engaging frame as a rotation center; a locking portion provided on the other peripheral wall of the frame and engages with the locked portion; and a positioning protrusion protruding from the peripheral wall of the frame so that an engaging hole of the engaging frame is positioned opposite the engaging protrusion when a lower end of the peripheral wall of the cover is placed on an upper surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the electrical junction box of the present invention, the cover can be easily attached to and detached from the frame.

[0011] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical junction box according to one embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 1 as seen from behind, before a side cover is attached to the frame. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 1 before the cover is attached, as seen from the rear. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the cover shown in FIG. 2 in the middle of being closed. [Figure 5] 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 4 taken along the front-rear direction. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the cover shown in FIG. 5 when closed. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross section of the electrical junction box according to the reference example, showing the cover in the middle of closing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical junction box 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box 1 shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from the rear, before a side cover 60 is attached to the frame 30. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box 1 shown in Fig. 1, as viewed from the rear, before an upper cover 10 is attached. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the front-rear, up-down, left-right directions of the electrical junction box 1 in this specification are indicated by the arrows shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

[0014] The electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle, for example, and is interposed between the vehicle's power supply (secondary battery, not shown) and electronic equipment to adjust the power supplied from the power supply to the electronic equipment. This electrical junction box 1 may also be called a relay box, fuse box, junction box, etc.

[0015] 1 and 2, the electrical connection box 1 according to this embodiment accommodates a plurality of electronic components 3 in a case body 20 including frames 30 made of insulating resin, connectors 50 inserted from lower openings of the frame 30 and fitted and held in fitting holding portions 31 of the frame 30, and a lower cover 40 covering the lower end opening of the frame 30, and the upper end opening of the frame 30 is covered with an upper cover (cover) 10. The electronic components 3 accommodated in the case body 20 are, for example, relays, fuses, fusible links, etc.

[0016] 2, the frame 30 according to this embodiment includes a frame-shaped case body 33, partition walls 35 that define a plurality of fitting and holding portions 31 and electronic component accommodating chambers 32 within the case body 33, and reinforcing beams 37. A plurality of electronic components 3 are housed and arranged in the electronic component accommodating chambers 32 so as to be exposed at an upper opening of the frame 30.

[0017] The reinforcing beam portion 37 is a reinforcing portion that is provided to bridge between the case main body 33 and the partition wall 35 to ensure the rigidity of the frame 30 when there is a risk that the rigidity of the frame 30 will decrease due to the increase in the opening area of ​​the fitting retaining portion 31, and is formed with a U-shaped cross section.

[0018] The fitting and holding portion 31 is defined by the case body 33 and the partition wall 35 so as to have an opening shape corresponding to the outer shape of the connector 50 to be fitted and held. The connecting body 50 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing portion at the top thereof, and a plurality of electronic component accommodating portions 54 for accommodating the electronic components 3 are provided therein. A locking structure (not shown) is provided between the connecting body 50 and the frame 30 to lock the connecting body 50, which is inserted from the lower opening of the frame 30, into the fitting holding portion 31.

[0019] 2 and 3, a pair of engagement protrusions 71, 71 are provided on both the left and right sides of the upper end of the rear (one side) peripheral wall 34 of the case body 33 of the frame 30. These engagement protrusions 71 are adapted to hook onto an engagement frame 12 of the upper cover 10, which will be described later, thereby locking the upper end opening of the frame 30 in a state in which it is covered by the upper cover 10.

[0020] 1, a locking portion 77 is provided protruding near the upper opening on the front (other) peripheral wall portion 34 of the case body 33 of the frame 30. This locking portion 77 is adapted to fit into a locked portion 15 of the upper cover 10, which will be described later, so that the upper opening of the frame 30 can be locked in a state in which it is covered by the upper cover 10.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the upper cover 10 has a box shape that opens downward, and has an upper wall 11 that has approximately the same shape as the upper end opening of the frame 30 in a plan view, and a peripheral wall portion 13 that protrudes vertically downward from the peripheral edge of the upper wall 11 around the entire circumference.

[0022] The rear peripheral wall 13 of the upper cover 10 is provided with a pair of engagement frames 12, 12 on both left and right sides of a lower end 13a of the peripheral wall 13, which are hooked onto a pair of engagement protrusions 71, 71 of the frame 30.

[0023] 1, a locked portion 15 that fits into a locking portion 77 of the frame 30 is protruded from the front peripheral wall portion 13 of the upper cover 10 near the lower opening of the peripheral wall portion 13. Note that the locking portion 77 and the locked portion 15 are not limited to the configuration of this embodiment, and may have various known configurations.

[0024] 2 and 3, a plurality of positioning protrusions 75 are provided on the rear peripheral wall 34 of the case body 33 of the frame 30. These positioning protrusions 75 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction of the rear peripheral wall 34 so as to be at the same vertical position.

[0025] The vertical positions at which these positioning protrusions 75 are arranged are set so that when the lower end portion 13a of the peripheral wall portion 13 of the upper cover 10 is placed on the upper surface of the positioning protrusions 75, the engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12 is positioned opposite the engagement protrusions 71.

[0026] A side cover 60 is attached to the rear of the frame 30 at the center in the left-right direction. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the side cover 60 integrally comprises a main body 61 that forms part of the rear peripheral wall 34 of the case main body 33 of the frame 30, and a pair of engaging portions 63, 63 and a positioning protrusion 65 provided on the outer surface of the main body 61.

[0027] A terminal holding portion 64 for holding the terminal of the terminal-fitted electric wire 5 is provided on the inner surface side of the main body portion 61, and the side cover 60 is attached to the end of the terminal-fitted electric wire 5 so as to cover the terminal. The side cover 60 is attached to the rear of the frame 30 by the pair of latched portions 63, 63 being latched by a pair of latching claws 78, 78 protruding from the rear peripheral wall portion 34 of the case body 33.

[0028] Furthermore, a positioning protrusion 65 similar to the positioning protrusion 75 described above is protruded from the outer surface of the main body 61, which forms part of the rear peripheral wall 34 of the case main body 33 and is configured to be approximately flush with the outer surface of the peripheral wall 34.

[0029] When the side cover 60 is attached to the frame 30 in the correct position, the positioning protrusion 65 is configured to be positioned in the same vertical position as the positioning protrusion 75 protruding from the peripheral wall portion 34 of the case main body 33.

[0030] Next, a procedure for attaching the upper cover 10 to the upper opening of the frame 30 of the electrical junction box 1 will be described. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the upper cover 10 shown in Fig. 2 in the middle of being closed. Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the front-rear direction of the electrical junction box 1 shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the upper cover 10 shown in Fig. 5 when closed.

[0031] First, in order to hook the pair of engagement frames 12, 12 of the upper cover 10 onto the pair of engagement projections 71, 71 of the frame 30, the upper cover 10 is placed over the upper end opening of the frame 30 with the rear peripheral wall portion 13 side lowered.

[0032] 4, the lower end 13a of the peripheral wall portion 13 of the upper cover 10 is placed on the upper surfaces of the positioning protrusions 75, 65, and the engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12 is positioned to face the engagement protrusion 71. Then, by moving the upper cover 10 forward while sliding the lower end 13a of the peripheral wall portion 13 against the upper surfaces of the positioning protrusions 75, 65, the engagement protrusions 71 can be inserted into the engagement holes 14 of the engagement frame 12, thereby achieving an engaged state.

[0033] In other words, even if the engagement protrusion 71 of the case body 33 in the frame 30 cannot be directly seen, the positioning protrusions 75, 65 position the engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12 in a position opposite the engagement protrusion 71, making it easy to insert the engagement protrusion 71 into the engagement hole 14 in order to hook the engagement frame 12 of the upper cover 10 onto the engagement protrusion 71.

[0034] Then, while maintaining this engaged state, by rotating the upper cover 10 toward the case body 33 of the frame 30 around the engaging portion between the engaging protrusion 71 and the engaging frame 12 as the rotation center, the locked portion 15 of the upper cover 10 fits into the locking portion 77 of the frame 30, as shown in Figure 6. Thus, the upper cover 10 is locked in an attached state to the upper end opening of the frame 30.

[0035] Here, an electric junction box 501 according to a reference example will be described. The electric junction box 501 of the reference example differs from the electric junction box 1 of the above embodiment in that the positioning protrusions 75 are not provided on the peripheral wall portion 34 of the case body 533. Therefore, the same parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a vertical cross section of an electrical junction box 501 according to a reference example, showing the upper cover 10 in the middle of closing. In the electric junction box 501 according to the reference example, as shown in FIG. 7, the positioning projections 75 are not provided on the peripheral wall portion 34 of the case main body 533.

[0037] Therefore, since a pair of engagement frames 12, 12 of the upper cover 10 are hooked onto a pair of engagement protrusions 71, 71 of the frame 30, when the upper cover 10 is placed over the upper end opening of the frame 30 with the rear peripheral wall portion 13 side lowered, the engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12 cannot be positioned and guided to a position opposite the engagement protrusions 71.

[0038] Therefore, if the engaging protrusion 71 of the case body 33 in the frame 30 is hidden due to mounting conditions on the vehicle, it is difficult to insert the engaging protrusion 71 into the engaging hole 14 of the engaging frame 12 and achieve an engaged state, as shown in Figure 7, and the installation workability of the upper cover 10 is poor.

[0039] In contrast, in the electrical connection box 1 of the above embodiment, even if the engagement protrusion 71 of the case body 33 in the frame 30 is hidden due to mounting conditions on the vehicle, etc., the positioning protrusions 75, 65 position the engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12 in a position opposite the engagement protrusion 71, making it easy for the worker to hook the engagement frame 12 of the upper cover 10 onto the engagement protrusion 71, improving the ease of installation of the upper cover 10. As a result, the occurrence of partial fitting of the upper cover 10 with the case body 33 of the frame 30 can be suppressed.

[0040] The electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment also includes a side cover 60 that constitutes a part of the peripheral wall portion 34 of the frame 30, and a positioning protrusion 65 that protrudes from the outer surface of the side cover 60.

[0041] When the side cover 60 is attached to the frame 30 in the correct position, the positioning protrusion 65 is configured to be located in the same vertical position as the positioning protrusion 75 protruding from the peripheral wall portion 34 of the case main body 33. Therefore, when the upper cover 10 is placed over the upper end opening of the frame 30, the lower end portion 13a of the peripheral wall portion 13 of the upper cover 10 rests on the upper surface of the positioning protrusion 65. In other words, like the positioning protrusion 75, the positioning protrusion 65 can position the engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12 to face the engagement protrusion 71.

[0042] However, when the side cover 60 is not attached to the frame 30 in the correct position, the positioning protrusion 65 is positioned higher in the vertical direction than the positioning protrusion 75. Therefore, when the upper cover 10 is placed over the upper opening of the frame 30, the lower end 13a of the peripheral wall portion 13 of the upper cover 10 rests on the upper surface of the positioning protrusion 65, making it impossible to position the engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12 in a position facing the engagement protrusion 71. Furthermore, the positioning protrusion 65 interferes with the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 13 of the upper cover 10, making it impossible to insert the engagement protrusion 71 into the engagement hole 14 of the engagement frame 12.

[0043] Therefore, the worker can notice that the side cover 60 is not correctly attached to the frame 30 in the correct position because the upper cover 10 cannot be attached to the upper end opening of the frame 30.

[0044] Therefore, according to the electrical junction box 1 of the present embodiment described above, the upper cover 10 can be easily attached to and detached from the frame 30.

[0045] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0046] Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the electrical junction box according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] and [2]. [1] A frame (30) having an upper end opening; a cover (upper cover 10) that covers the upper end opening; an engaging projection (71) provided on one side of the peripheral wall portion (34) of the frame (30); an engagement frame (12) provided on one side of the peripheral wall portion (13) of the cover (upper cover 10) and hooked onto the engagement protrusion (71); a locked portion (15) provided on the other side of the peripheral wall portion (13) of the cover (upper cover 10) that rotates toward the frame (30) around an engagement portion between the engagement projection (71) and the engagement frame (12) as a rotation center; a locking portion (77) provided on the other side of the peripheral wall portion (34) of the frame (30) and adapted to engage with the locked portion (15); positioning projections (75, 65) protruding from the peripheral wall portion (34) of the frame (30) so that the engagement hole (14) of the engagement frame (12) is positioned opposite the engagement projection (71) when a lower end portion (13a) of the peripheral wall portion (13) of the cover (upper cover 10) is placed on the upper surface; An electrical junction box (1) equipped with:

[0047] According to the electrical connection box (1) described in [1] above, when the upper cover (10) is attached to the upper end opening of the frame (30), the lower end (13a) of the peripheral wall portion (13) of the cover (upper cover 10) is placed on the upper surface of the positioning protrusions (75, 65), and the engagement hole (14) of the engagement frame (12) is positioned opposite the engagement protrusion (71). Therefore, by moving the cover (upper cover 10) to the other side while sliding the lower end (13a) of the peripheral wall portion (13) against the upper surface of the positioning protrusion (75, 65), the engaging protrusion (71) can be inserted into the engaging hole (14) of the engaging frame (12) and engaged. Therefore, even if the engaging protrusion (71) on the frame (30) is hidden due to mounting conditions on the vehicle, the worker can easily hook the engaging frame (12) of the cover (upper cover 10) onto the engaging protrusion (71), improving the workability of installing the cover (upper cover 10).

[0048] [2] A side cover (60) that forms a part of the peripheral wall portion (34) of the frame (30); the positioning protrusion (65) protruding from the outer surface of the side cover (60); The electrical connection box (1) according to the above [1],

[0049] According to the electrical junction box (1) described in [2] above, when the side cover (60) is not attached to the frame (30) in the correct position, the positioning protrusion (65) is positioned higher in the vertical direction than the positioning protrusion (75). Therefore, when the cover (upper cover 10) is placed over the upper opening of the frame (30), the lower end (13a) of the peripheral wall portion (13) of the cover (upper cover 10) rests on the upper surface of the positioning protrusion (65), making it impossible to position the engagement hole (14) of the engagement frame (12) facing the engagement protrusion (71). Furthermore, the positioning protrusion (65) interferes with the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion (13) of the cover (upper cover 10), making it impossible to insert the engagement protrusion (71) into the engagement hole (14) of the engagement frame (12). Therefore, the worker can notice that the side cover (60) is not correctly attached to the frame (30) in the correct position because the cover (upper cover 10) cannot be attached to the upper end opening of the frame (30). [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1...Electrical junction box 10...Upper cover (cover) 12...Engagement frame 13...Peripheral wall part 13a...lower end 14...Engagement hole 15...Locked part 30...frame 34...Peripheral wall part 71…Engagement protrusion 75...Positioning protrusion 77...Rock Club

Claims

1. a frame having an upper end opening; a cover that covers the upper end opening; an engaging protrusion provided on one of the peripheral walls of the frame; an engagement frame provided on one of the peripheral wall portions of the cover and hooked onto the engagement protrusion; a locked portion provided on the other peripheral wall portion of the cover that rotates toward the frame around an engagement portion between the engagement protrusion and the engagement frame as a rotation center; a locking portion provided on the other peripheral wall portion of the frame and engaged with the locked portion; a positioning protrusion provided on the peripheral wall portion of the frame so that an engagement hole of the engagement frame is positioned opposite the engagement protrusion when a lower end of the peripheral wall portion of the cover is placed on an upper surface of the frame; An electrical junction box comprising:

2. a side cover that constitutes a part of the peripheral wall of the frame; the positioning protrusion protruding from the outer surface of the side cover; 2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, comprising:

Images