Electrical junction box and retaining parts

Abstract

To provide an electrical junction box that offers excellent productivity and superior holding performance for wires with terminals. [Solution] The electrical junction box 1 comprises a main body 10 having a peripheral wall 11 that defines the internal space, a side cover 20 that constitutes a part of the peripheral wall 11, and a wire with a terminal 30 that is assembled to the side cover 20. The wire with a terminal 30 comprises a terminal 50 having a plate-shaped terminal portion 51 having a terminal portion 51, and a wire 40 connected to the terminal 50. The side cover 20 has a holding surface 29 that faces one surface 54a of the terminal portion 51 of the terminal 50, and a pair of engaging portions 28 that are arranged to sandwich the edge of the terminal portion 51 and engage with the other surface 54b of the terminal portion 51 to hold the terminal portion 51 in such a way that the one surface 54a does not move away from the holding surface 29.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connection box including a main body portion having a peripheral wall that defines an internal space, a holding component that forms part of the peripheral wall, and a wire with terminals that is assembled to the holding component.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an electrical connection box (for example, a relay box) mounted on a vehicle has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this type of electrical connection box, an opening may be provided in the frame so as to communicate the inside and outside of the case-shaped frame, and a side cover may be assembled so as to close the opening. Such an opening is generally used when introducing a wire connected to an external device (for example, an engine, a converter, a battery, etc.) from the outside to the inside of the frame.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, various current-carrying components (for example, a wire with terminals) may be held by the above-described side cover. For example, when holding a wire with terminals having terminals with a bent shape by the side cover, an annular holding portion may be provided on the inner wall surface of the side cover, and the terminals may be held by the holding portion by passing the bent portion of the terminals through the inside of the ring of this holding portion. However, in this case, due to the shape of the bent portion, when passing the terminals through the inside of the ring of the holding portion, an operation of rotating the terminals around the bent portion is required. Such an operation is complicated, and providing a gap (so-called clearance) between the holding portion and the side cover to allow rotation of the terminals may cause displacement (so-called misalignment) of the terminals after assembly.

[0005] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box and a retaining component that offer excellent productivity and superior retention performance for wires with terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the electrical connection box and retaining component according to the present invention are characterized by the following:

[0007] An electrical connection box comprising a main body having a peripheral wall defining the internal space, a side cover constituting a part of the peripheral wall, and a wire with terminals attached to the side cover, The aforementioned wire with terminals is It has a terminal having a plate-shaped terminal portion with a bent portion, and an electric wire connected to the terminal, The aforementioned side cover is A retaining surface facing one side of the terminal portion of the terminal, The terminal portion is held by a pair of engaging portions, which are arranged to sandwich the edge of the terminal portion and engage with the other surface of the terminal portion, thereby restricting the displacement of the terminal portion so that the one surface moves away from the holding surface. It must be an electrical junction box.

[0008] A retaining component that holds a terminal having a plate-shaped terminal portion with a bent portion, A retaining surface that faces one side of the terminal portion of the terminal, The device has a pair of engaging portions that are positioned to sandwich the edge of the terminal portion and engage with the other surface of the terminal portion, thereby holding the terminal portion in a manner that restricts the displacement of the terminal portion so that the one surface moves away from the holding surface. It is a retaining component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the electrical junction box of the present invention, the terminal portion of a wire with a terminal can be assembled to a retaining component by passing it between a pair of engaging portions of the retaining component and pressing it against the retaining surface of the retaining component. This eliminates the need to rotate the terminal portion while assembling the wire with a terminal to the retaining component, as in the conventional method, and also increases the degree of freedom in the assembly direction of the wire with a terminal, thereby improving the work efficiency of assembling the wire with a terminal to the retaining component. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a gap between the terminal portion, the retaining surface, and the engaging portions to account for the rotation of the terminal portion, the displacement of the terminal portion after assembly can be reduced. Moreover, by reducing the displacement of the terminal portion, the work efficiency when connecting the terminal portion of the wire with a terminal to a mating terminal or the like located in the internal space of the electrical junction box is also improved. Therefore, the electrical junction box of the present invention offers excellent productivity and superior wire retention performance.

[0010] According to the holding component of the present invention, the terminal portion of a terminal can be assembled to the holding component by passing it between a pair of engaging portions of the holding component and pressing it against the holding surface of the holding component. This eliminates the need to rotate the terminal portion while assembling it to the holding component, as in the conventional method, and also increases the degree of freedom in the assembly direction of the wire with the terminal, thus improving the work efficiency of assembling the terminal to the holding component. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a gap between the terminal portion, the holding surface, and the engaging portions to account for the rotation of the terminal portion, the misalignment of the terminal portion after assembly can be reduced. Moreover, by reducing the misalignment of the terminal portion, the work efficiency when connecting the terminal portion of the terminal to a mating terminal or the like is also improved. Therefore, the holding component of the present invention offers excellent productivity and excellent terminal holding performance.

[0011] The present invention has been briefly described above. Further details of the present invention will be clarified by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the process of manufacturing an electrical connection box according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a side cover with terminal-equipped wires is assembled to the main body. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an inside perspective view of the side cover with the terminal-equipped wires shown in Figure 1 attached. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a side view from the front of the side cover to which the terminal-equipped wires shown in Figure 1 are assembled. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of AA in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an enlarged view of section B in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a diagram corresponding to Figure 4, illustrating the procedure for assembling the terminal-equipped wires to the side cover. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, an electrical junction box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. The electrical junction box 1 is typically a relay box mounted in a vehicle and housing electronic components such as relays. As shown in Figure 1, the electrical junction box 1 comprises a main body 10 having a peripheral wall 11 that defines the internal space, a side cover 20 that constitutes a part of the peripheral wall 11, and an electric wire 30 with terminals that is assembled to the side cover 20. Although not shown in the illustration, the electrical junction box 1 also comprises an upper cover that is assembled above the main body 10 so as to close the upper end opening of the main body 10, and a lower cover that is assembled below the main body 10 so as to close the lower end opening of the main body 10. The main body 10, side cover 20, upper cover, and lower cover that constitute the electrical junction box 1 are all made of resin.

[0014] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, "inner-outer direction", "front-rear direction", "up-down direction", "inner", "outer", "front", "rear", "up", and "down" are defined. The "inner-outer direction", "front-rear direction", and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. The "inner" side and the "outer" side respectively correspond to the inner side and the outer side of the electrical connection box 1 (main body part 10), and the "front-rear direction" corresponds to the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 11 at the location where the side cover 20 of the main body part 10 is assembled. The "up-down direction" corresponds to the up-down direction of the vehicle when the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on the vehicle. Hereinafter, the configurations of each component constituting the electrical connection box 1 will be described in order.

[0015] First, the wire 30 with terminals will be described. As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the wire 30 with terminals is composed of a wire 40 in which a conductor core wire is covered with an insulating coating, and a metal terminal 50 fixed to the end of the wire 40 and electrically connected to the conductor core wire of the wire 40. The terminal 50 includes a plate-shaped terminal part 51 that bends and extends in a substantially L shape when viewed from the inner-outer direction. Specifically, the plate-shaped terminal part 51 is composed of a base part 52 that extends flat in the up-down direction, a tip part 53 that extends flat in the front-rear direction, and a bent part 54 that extends while bending in an arc shape and connects the upper end part of the base part 52 and the rear end part of the tip part 53. A through hole 55 penetrating in the plate thickness direction (up-down direction) is formed in the tip part 53 (see also FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0016] Next, the main body part 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the peripheral wall 11 that defines the internal space of the main body part 10 has a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape that extends in the up-down direction. Various electronic components (not shown), such as relays, are accommodated in the internal space of the main body part 10. A notch part 12 in which the peripheral wall 11 is cut out so as to divide the peripheral wall 11 in the circumferential direction is formed in a part of the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 11. The notch part 12 constitutes a rectangular opening. The side cover 20 will be assembled to the notch part 12.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, inside the main body portion 10 (peripheral wall 11), a holding member 13 is fixedly arranged at a position adjacent to the front side of the notch portion 12. A stud bolt 14 made of metal projects upward from the upper end of the holding member 13 and extends in the vertical direction. The stud bolt 14 will be inserted into the through hole 55 of the terminal 50 (see Fig. 1).

[0018] Next, the side cover 20 will be described. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the side cover 20 has a rectangular flat plate shape corresponding to the opening shape of the notch portion 12 of the peripheral wall 11 of the main body portion 10. An electric wire 30 with a terminal will be assembled on the inner surface side of the side cover 20. For this reason, a connection location accommodating portion 21 for accommodating the peripheral portions of the connection locations of the electric wire 40 and the terminal 50 constituting the electric wire 30 with a terminal is provided on the inner surface side of the side cover 20. The connection location accommodating portion 21 is composed of a pair of side wall portions 22 arranged to face each other with a gap in the inner and outer directions, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and a connecting wall portion 23 that connects the rear edge portions and the upper edge portions of the pair of side wall portions 22 in the inner and outer directions, and has a box shape that opens forward and downward.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, above the connection location accommodating portion 21, a bent portion accommodating portion 24 for accommodating the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 constituting the electric wire 30 with a terminal is continuously provided. The bent portion accommodating portion 24 is composed of a pair of flat plate-shaped side wall portions 25 that respectively project upward from the front end portions of the upper edge portions of the pair of side wall portions 22, a flat plate-shaped vertical wall portion 26 that extends in the vertical direction so as to connect the rear edge portions of the pair of side wall portions 25 in the inner and outer directions and is continuous with the connecting wall portion 23, and a flat plate-shaped horizontal wall portion 27 that extends in the front and rear directions so as to connect the upper edge portions of the pair of side wall portions 25 in the inner and outer directions and is continuous with the vertical wall portion 26, and has a box shape that opens forward and downward. The internal space of the bent portion accommodating portion 24 and the internal space of the connection location accommodating portion 21 are in communication with each other.

[0020] When the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 is housed in the bent portion housing portion 24, as shown in Figures 2 to 5, a pair of side wall portions 25 are arranged to sandwich the bent portion 54 in an inward and outward direction, and the front surface of the vertical wall portion 26 and the lower surface of the horizontal wall portion 27 face the outer surface 54a of the bent portion 54 (see Figure 5). Hereinafter, the front surface of the vertical wall portion 26 and the lower surface of the horizontal wall portion 27 will be referred to as the "holding surface 29". Here, the holding surface 29 corresponds to the "holding surface" of the present invention.

[0021] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the front edges of the pair of side wall portions 25 are provided with a pair of engaging pieces 28 that protrude inward toward the inside of the bent portion housing portion 24 and extend in the vertical direction. The distance between the pair of engaging pieces 28 in the inward and outward direction is slightly smaller than the width (length in the inward and outward direction) of the plate-shaped bent portion 54 of the terminal 50. Therefore, when the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 is housed in the bent portion housing portion 24, the pair of engaging pieces 28 engage with both edges of the inner surface 54b (see Figure 5) of the bent portion 54, and perform the function of holding the bent portion 54 so that the outer surface 54a of the bent portion 54 abuts against the holding surface 29. The distance between the pair of engaging pieces 28 in the inward and outward direction can be slightly widened by elastically deforming the pair of side wall portions 25 in the inward and outward directions. The configuration of each component constituting the electrical connection box 1 has been described above.

[0022] Next, the assembly procedure for the electrical junction box 1 will be explained. In order to assemble the electrical junction box 1, first, the wire with terminals 30 is attached to the side cover 20. Specifically, as shown by the white arrows in Figure 6, the wire with terminals 30 is moved from either the front, bottom, or front-downward side toward the connection point housing 21 and the bend housing 24 without changing the orientation of the terminal 50, so that the area around the connection point of the wire 40 and terminal 50 is housed in the connection point housing 21, and the bend 54 of terminal 50 is housed in the bend housing 24. When the bent portion 54 is housed in the bent portion housing 24, the edges of the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 temporarily push aside the pair of engaging pieces 28 (slightly widening the distance between the pair of engaging pieces 28), allowing the bent portion 54 to pass between the pair of engaging pieces 28 and enter the internal space of the bent portion housing 24, and be pressed against the holding surface 29 of the bent portion housing 24. As a result, the pair of engaging pieces 28 engage with both edges of the inner surface 54b (see Figure 5) of the bent portion 54, so that the bent portion 54 is held in a state where it is sandwiched inward and outward by the pair of side wall portions 25, and the outer surface 54a of the bent portion 54 is in contact with the holding surface 29. The pair of engaging pieces 28 restrict the displacement of the terminal 50 in a direction away from the holding surface 29.

[0023] With the above steps completed, the assembly of the terminal-equipped wire 30 to the side cover 20 is finished. In the completed assembly state of the terminal-equipped wire 30 to the side cover 20, as shown in Figure 2, the tip 53 of the terminal 50 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 is exposed to the outside. In addition, the wire 40 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 extends downward to the outside from the connection point housing section 21. In this example, the wire 40 extending downward from the connection point housing section 21 and the extension piece 23a that extends further downward from the lower end of the connecting wall section 23 that constitutes the connection point housing section 21 are wrapped together with tape 60 (see Figures 2 to 4), thereby fixing the wire 40 to the extension piece 23a (i.e., the side cover 20).

[0024] As described above, in this example, when assembling the terminal-equipped wire 30 to the side cover 20, it is not necessary to rotate the terminal while assembling the terminal-equipped wire to the side cover, as in the conventional method. Furthermore, there is a greater degree of freedom in the direction in which the terminal-equipped wire 30 is assembled to the side cover 20. As a result, the work efficiency of assembling the terminal-equipped wire 30 to the side cover 20 is improved. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a gap between the terminal portion 51, the retaining surface 29, and the pair of engaging pieces 28 to account for the rotation of the terminal 50, the misalignment of the terminal 50 after assembly can be reduced.

[0025] Once the terminal-equipped wire 30 is assembled to the side cover 20, the side cover 20 with the terminal-equipped wire 30 assembled is then assembled to the main body 10. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the side cover 20 with the terminal-equipped wire 30 assembled is assembled to the main body 10 so that it slides downward from the top towards the notch 12 of the peripheral wall 11 of the main body 10 (see the white arrow in Figure 1), and so that the stud bolt 14 protruding upward from the retaining member 13 fixed to the peripheral wall 11 is inserted through the through hole 55 provided in the tip 53 of the terminal 50. When the stud bolt 14 is inserted through the through hole 55 of the terminal 50, the displacement of the terminal 50 relative to the side cover 20 is reduced as described above, so the work of inserting the stud bolt 14 through the through hole 55 can be easily performed. In this way, by assembling the side cover 20 into the notch 12, the notch 12 of the peripheral wall 11 is completed, and the side cover 20 constitutes a part of the peripheral wall 11. After the side cover 20 is assembled to the main body 10, the assembly of the electrical connection box 1 is completed after assembling the upper cover and lower cover to the main body 10, etc.

[0026] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the electrical junction box 1 of this embodiment, the terminal portion 51 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 can be assembled to the side cover 20 by passing it between a pair of engaging portions (engaging pieces 28) of the side cover 20 and pressing it against the holding surface 29 of the side cover 20. This eliminates the need to rotate the terminal portion while assembling the terminal-equipped wire to the side cover, as in the conventional method, thus improving the work efficiency of assembling the terminal-equipped wire 30 to the side cover 20. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a gap between the terminal portion 51, the holding surface 29, and the engaging portion 28 to account for the rotation of the terminal portion 51, the misalignment of the terminal portion 51 after assembly can be reduced. This also improves the work efficiency when connecting the terminal portion 51 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 to terminals (stud bolts 14) arranged in the internal space of the electrical junction box 1. Therefore, the electrical junction box 1 of this embodiment offers excellent productivity.

[0027] Furthermore, according to the electrical connection box 1 of this embodiment, the rod-shaped terminal (stud bolt 14) of the main body 10 is inserted through the through hole 55 of the terminal portion 51 of the terminal-equipped wire 30. Since the misalignment of the terminal portion 51 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 is reduced, the work of inserting the rod-shaped terminal 14 into the through hole 55 can be easily performed.

[0028] <Other forms> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0029] Herein, the features of the embodiments of the electrical connection box 1 and retaining component (side cover 20) according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4].

[0030] [1] An electrical junction box (1) comprising a main body (10) having a peripheral wall (11) defining an internal space, a retaining part (20) constituting a part of the peripheral wall (11), and a terminal-equipped electric wire (30) assembled to the retaining part (20), The aforementioned wire with terminals (30) It has a terminal (50) having a plate-shaped terminal portion (51) having a bent portion (54), and an electric wire (40) connected to the terminal (50), The aforementioned retaining part (20) is A retaining surface (29) facing one side (54a) of the terminal portion (51) of the terminal (50), The device has a pair of engaging portions (28) that are positioned to sandwich the edge of the terminal portion (51) and engage with the other surface (54b) of the terminal portion (51) to restrict the displacement of the terminal portion (51) so as to prevent the one surface (54a) from moving away from the holding surface (29), Electrical junction box (1).

[0031] With the electrical junction box configuration described in [1] above, the terminal portion of the wire with terminals can be assembled to the retaining component by passing it between a pair of engaging portions of the retaining component and pressing it against the retaining surface of the retaining component. This eliminates the need to rotate the terminal portion while assembling the wire with terminals to the retaining component, as in the conventional method, and also increases the degree of freedom in the assembly direction of the wire with terminals, thus improving the work efficiency of assembling the wire with terminals to the retaining component. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a gap between the terminal portion, the retaining surface, and the engaging portions to account for the rotation of the terminal portion, the displacement of the terminal portion after assembly can be reduced. Moreover, by reducing the displacement of the terminal portion, the work efficiency when connecting the terminal portion of the wire with terminals to the mating terminal etc. located in the internal space of the electrical junction box is also improved. Therefore, the electrical junction box configuration is excellent in productivity and has excellent holding performance for wires with terminals.

[0032] [2] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The retaining surface (29) is The terminal portion (51) faces the one surface (54a) of the bent portion (54), The pair of engaging portions are The terminal portion (51) is positioned to sandwich the edge portion of the bent portion (54), Electrical junction box (1).

[0033] According to the electrical junction box described in [2] above, the bent portion of the terminal is held by the retaining surface and a pair of engaging portions, which further reduces misalignment of the terminal portion after assembly.

[0034] [3] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The main body (10) is The internal space has a rod-shaped terminal (14), The terminal portion (51) of the aforementioned wire with terminal (30) is Having a through hole (55) through which the rod-shaped terminal (14) is inserted, Electrical junction box (1).

[0035] In the electrical junction box configuration described in [3] above, a rod-shaped terminal (e.g., a stud bolt) on the main body is inserted through the through-hole of the terminal portion of the wire with terminals. Since the misalignment of the terminal portion of the wire with terminals is reduced, the work of inserting the rod-shaped terminal into the through-hole can be easily performed.

[0036] [4] A retaining component (20) that will hold a terminal (50) having a plate-shaped terminal portion (51) having a bent portion (54), The holding surface (29) of the terminal portion (51) of the terminal (50) faces one side (54a), The device has a pair of engaging portions (28) that are positioned to sandwich the edge of the terminal portion (51) and engage with the other surface (54b) of the terminal portion (51) to hold the terminal portion (51) in such a way that the one surface (54a) moves away from the holding surface (29), Retaining part (20).

[0037] With the holding component configured as described in [4] above, the terminal portion of the terminal can be assembled to the holding component by passing it between a pair of engaging portions of the holding component and pressing it against the holding surface of the holding component. This eliminates the need to rotate the terminal portion while assembling the terminal to the holding component, as in the conventional method, and also increases the degree of freedom in the assembly direction of the wire with the terminal, thus improving the workability of assembling the terminal to the holding component. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a gap between the terminal portion, the holding surface, and the engaging portions to account for the rotation of the terminal portion, the displacement of the terminal portion after assembly can be reduced. Moreover, by reducing the displacement of the terminal portion, the workability when connecting the terminal portion of the terminal to the mating terminal, etc., is also improved. Therefore, the holding component of the present invention is excellent in terms of productivity and terminal holding performance. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 1. Electrical junction box 10 Main body 11 Surrounding wall 14 Stud bolts (rod-shaped terminals) 20 Side cover (retaining part) 28 Engaging piece (engaging part) 29 Holding surface 30 wires with terminals 40 Electric wire 50 terminals 51 Terminal section 54. Bending section 54a Outer surface (one side) 54b Inner surface (the other surface) 55 Through hole

Claims

1. An electrical junction box comprising a main body having a peripheral wall defining an internal space, a retaining component constituting a part of the peripheral wall, and a wire with terminals assembled to the retaining component, The aforementioned wire with terminals is It has a terminal having a plate-shaped terminal portion with a bent portion, and an electric wire connected to the terminal, The aforementioned retaining component is A retaining surface facing one side of the terminal portion of the terminal, The terminal portion is held by a pair of engaging portions, which are arranged to sandwich the edge of the terminal portion and engage with the other surface of the terminal portion, thereby restricting the displacement of the terminal portion so that the one surface moves away from the holding surface. Electrical junction box.

2. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The retaining surface is Facing one of the surfaces of the bent portion of the terminal portion, The pair of engaging portions are The terminal portion is positioned to sandwich the edge of the bent portion, Electrical junction box.

3. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The main body is, It has a rod-shaped terminal arranged in the internal space, The terminal portion of the aforementioned wire with terminals is Having a through hole through which the aforementioned rod-shaped terminal is inserted, Electrical junction box.

4. A retaining component that holds a terminal having a plate-shaped terminal portion with a bent portion, A retaining surface that faces one side of the terminal portion of the terminal, The device has a pair of engaging portions that are positioned to sandwich the edge of the terminal portion and engage with the other surface of the terminal portion, thereby holding the terminal portion in a manner that restricts the displacement of the terminal portion so that the one surface moves away from the holding surface. Retaining part.

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