Electrical connection box

Abstract

Provided is an electrical connection box capable of implementing a countermeasure in advance by monitoring inflow of a liquid. The electrical connection box includes a housing in which an electronic component is installed, and the housing includes a detection portion (10) that detects inflow of a liquid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to electrical connection boxes. Background Technology

[0002] Traditionally, vehicles have electrical connection boxes that house electronic components such as relays. Vehicles equipped with these boxes may be swept away by floods or accidents, and liquids such as water or seawater may enter the electrical connection boxes. This influx of liquid can cause short circuits and malfunctions.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connection box that, by configuring the height of the partition wall separating the high-voltage circuit area and the low-voltage circuit area to be higher than the height of the peripheral wall of the housing having the high-voltage circuit area and the low-voltage circuit area, can prevent the two circuit areas from short-circuiting due to water even if the inflowing liquid remains in the housing.

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-042356 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] Once liquid flows into the electrical connection box, it takes a considerable amount of time for the liquid to completely recede, and during this period, there is still a risk of short circuits and malfunctions. Therefore, it is desirable to monitor the flow of liquid into the electrical connection box and take countermeasures in advance.

[0008] However, the electrical connection box in Patent Document 1 only focuses on the dangers after liquid inflow, without studying the monitoring and pre-emptive measures for liquid inflow, and therefore cannot solve the above problems.

[0009] The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide an electrical connection box that enables preventive measures by monitoring the inflow of liquid.

[0010] Technical solutions for solving the problem

[0011] The electrical connection box disclosed herein is an electrical connection box having a housing on which electronic components are installed, and the housing having a detection unit for detecting liquid inflow.

[0012] Invention Effects

[0013] According to this disclosure, preventative measures can be implemented by monitoring the inflow of liquid into the electrical connection box. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the electrical connection box involved in this embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a partial perspective view of the lower housing of the electrical connection box in this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a partial top view of the lower housing of the electrical connection box in this embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4 Based on Figure 3 A partial sectional view of the lower shell along line IV-IV.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the storage recess of the detection section.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the circuit structure that notifies the driver of the detection results of the incoming liquid from the detection unit. Detailed Implementation

[0020] [Description of Embodiments of the Invention]

[0021] First, embodiments of this disclosure will be described. Additionally, at least a portion of the embodiments described below may be combined in any way.

[0022] (1) The electrical connection box involved in the embodiments of this disclosure is an electrical connection box having a housing on which electronic components are installed, and the housing having a detection unit for detecting liquid inflow.

[0023] In this embodiment, because the detection unit is provided to detect the inflow of liquid, the inflow of liquid can be monitored, and countermeasures can be taken in advance or at an early stage to prevent the inflow of liquid into the housing.

[0024] (2) In the electrical connection box according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the detection unit has: a storage recess having an inlet for the liquid and storing the liquid flowing in from the inlet; and a detection needle disposed in the storage recess.

[0025] In this embodiment, in the detection unit, the liquid that flows into the storage recess through the inlet is stored in the storage recess and detected by the detection needle. Because the incoming liquid is stored and detected, even a small amount of liquid can be detected.

[0026] (3) In the electrical connection box according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the storage recess has a curved bottom surface that guides the liquid toward the inner sidewall facing the inlet, and the detection needle is disposed near the inner sidewall.

[0027] In this embodiment, the liquid flowing into the storage recess through the inlet is guided by the curved bottom surface to the inner wall where the detection needle is disposed and stored. Therefore, even a small amount of liquid can be detected.

[0028] (4) The electrical connection box according to the embodiments of this disclosure has a drain hole for the liquid on the inner side wall.

[0029] In this embodiment, liquid exceeding the amount required for detection by the detection needle is discharged to the outside of the housing through the drain hole. This prevents excess liquid from accumulating in the storage recess and flowing into the housing beyond it.

[0030] (5) In the electrical connection box according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the width of the inner side wall of the storage recess is narrower than the width of the inlet side.

[0031] In this embodiment, because the width of the inner wall side of the storage recess is narrower than the width of the inlet side, the liquid level near the inner wall where the detection needle is disposed rises faster. Therefore, the detection needle can detect the inflow of liquid at an earlier stage.

[0032] (6) In the electrical connection box according to the embodiments of this disclosure, the drain hole is located at a position 2 to 4 times the distance between the detection needle and the curved bottom surface.

[0033] In this embodiment, since the drain hole is located at a position 2 to 4 times the distance between the detection needle and the curved bottom surface, the detection based on the detection needle can be reliably performed, and the amount of liquid required for the detection can be discharged to the outside of the housing.

[0034] (7) In the electrical connection box according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is a bus bar connected to the above-mentioned electronic components, and the detection needle is integrally formed with the bus bar.

[0035] In this embodiment, since the detection probe and the busbar are integrally formed, the detection result of the detection probe can be obtained through the busbar, and the circuit structure related to the detection result of the detection probe becomes easier to construct.

[0036] [Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention]

[0037] Hereinafter, the electrical connection box according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to these illustrations, but is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning of the scope of the claims, as indicated by the scope of the claims.

[0038] The following description uses an electrical connection box for a vehicle equipped with electronic components as an example to illustrate this embodiment.

[0039] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the electrical connection box 100 involved in this embodiment.

[0040] The electrical connection box 100 is, for example, installed on the outside of the battery pack of an EV (Electric Vehicle). The electrical connection box 100 includes, for example, a housing 50 for mounting electronic components such as fuses and relays 400.

[0041] The housing 50 is made of, for example, resin, metal, etc., and consists of a lower housing 52 and an upper housing 51 covering the lower housing 52. The housing 50 is mounted on the battery pack, for example, with the bottom plate 521 of the lower housing 52 facing the battery pack. The bottom plate 521 has a concave-convex shape in the thickness direction.

[0042] The lower housing 52 is a flat, open-sided housing. Ribs are formed at multiple locations on the inner side of the lower housing 52, forming multiple pedestals. Busbars, electronic components (not shown), etc., are mounted on these pedestals.

[0043] In addition, the lower housing 52 is equipped with a detection unit 10 for detecting the inflow of liquids such as rainwater and seawater into the battery pack or electrical connection box 100.

[0044] Figure 2 This is a partial perspective view of the lower housing 52 of the electrical connection box 100 in this embodiment. Figure 3 This is a partial top view of the lower housing 52 of the electrical connection box 100 in this embodiment. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The detection section 10 on the lower housing 52 and the area around the detection section 10 are shown with the upper housing 51 removed.

[0045] The detection unit 10 has a storage recess 11 for storing liquid (hereinafter referred to as inflow liquid) flowing into the electrical connection box 100 from the outside and a pair of detection needles 121, 131 disposed in the storage recess 11.

[0046] The storage recess 11 is a recess located near one side wall of the lower housing 52, and the storage recess 11 communicates with the outside of the lower housing 52 through an inlet 15 provided on the aforementioned side wall. In other words, the storage recess 11 has an inlet 15 communicating with the outside of the lower housing 52. Thus, before the liquid begins to flow into the electrical connection box 100, the liquid first flows into the storage recess 11 through the inlet 15.

[0047] The storage recess 11, when viewed from above, is generally funnel-shaped and has three sidewalls erected on the inner side of the bottom plate 521 of the lower housing 52. The storage recess 11 has: an inner sidewall 112, disposed on the inner side away from the inlet 15 and facing the inlet 15; and a first sidewall 113 and a second sidewall 114, which are generally facing each other and connected on both sides of the inner sidewall 112. As described above, the inner ends of the first sidewall 113 and the second sidewall 114 are respectively connected to the inner sidewall 112, and the outer ends form the edge of the inlet 15.

[0048] The second sidewall 114 extends straight from the inner sidewall 112 to the aforementioned sidewall of the lower housing 52. In contrast, the end of the first sidewall 113 near the lower housing 52 bends outward, i.e., away from the second sidewall 114. Therefore, the gap between the first sidewall 113 and the second sidewall 114 becomes wider closer to the inlet 15. That is, in the storage recess 11, the width on the inner sidewall 112 side is narrower than the width on the inlet 15 side. In other words, the dimension of the storage recess 11 in the direction intersecting the inlet 15 and the inner sidewall 112 is shorter on the inner sidewall 112 side than on the inlet 15 side.

[0049] The bottom surface 111 (curved bottom surface) of the storage recess 11 is curved, which guides the inflow liquid flowing into the storage recess 11 through the inlet 15 toward the inner wall 112. Figure 4 Based on Figure 3 A partial sectional view of the lower housing 52 along line IV-IV.

[0050] Depend on Figure 4 As can be seen, when viewed from above, the end of the inner wall 112 side of the bottom surface 111 is flat, but the end of the inlet 15 side is curved upward. Therefore, the flow of the liquid flowing into the storage recess 11 through the inlet 15 can generate a flow potential, and the liquid flows easily towards the inner wall 112 side.

[0051] Additionally, the detection unit 10 has a drain hole 14, which is used to discharge liquid exceeding the amount required for detection by the detection needles 121 and 131 to the outside of the electrical connection box 100. The drain hole 14 is formed in the inner sidewall 112.

[0052] Figure 5 This is a partial cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the storage recess 11 of the detection section 10.

[0053] The inner sidewall 112 is composed of a lower inner sidewall 112a disposed near the bottom surface 111 and an upper inner sidewall 112b disposed further away from the bottom surface 111 than the lower inner sidewall 112a. The vertical dimension of the lower inner sidewall 112a is smaller than that of the upper inner sidewall 112b, and the lower inner sidewall 112a is connected to the bottom surface 111. The upper inner sidewall 112b is separated from the lower inner sidewall 112a in a direction away from the inlet 15 and is disposed above the upper end of the lower inner sidewall 112a.

[0054] Thus, the inner sidewall 112 is composed of a lower inner sidewall 112a and an upper inner sidewall 112b. In the opposing direction between the inlet 15 and the inner sidewall 112, the upper inner sidewall 112b deviates from the lower inner sidewall 112a, thus forming a generally rectangular gap between the lower inner sidewall 112a and the upper inner sidewall 112b. This gap corresponds to the drain hole 14. As described above, the drain hole 14 communicates with the outside of the electrical connection box 100.

[0055] Furthermore, to prevent an excessive volume of inflow liquid exceeding the amount required for detection from existing in the storage recess 11, as described above, the vertical dimension (hereinafter referred to as the vertical dimension) of the lower inner wall 112a is configured to be smaller than that of the upper inner wall 112b. Figure 4 In the figure, the upper and lower dimensions of the lower inner wall 112a are indicated by the reference numeral L.

[0056] In other words, the vertical dimension L of the lower inner sidewall 112a determines the liquid level of the liquid flowing into the storage recess 11. If the vertical dimension L of the lower inner sidewall 112a is too short, the liquid level of the flowing liquid is too low, and therefore the detection of the flowing liquid by the detection needles 121 and 131 is inaccurate. On the other hand, if the vertical dimension L of the lower inner sidewall 112a is too long, the liquid level of the flowing liquid is too high, and therefore the flowing liquid in the storage recess 11 may overflow the first sidewall 113 or the second sidewall 114 and flow into the lower housing 52.

[0057] In view of this problem, it is preferable that the vertical dimension L of the lower inner wall 112a is 2 to 4 times the distance G between the lower end of the detection pins 121 and 131 and the bottom surface 111 (refer to...). Figure 4 In other words, the drain hole 14 is located on the upper side of the bottom surface 111 at a distance of 2 to 4 times the distance G between the detection needles 121 and 131 and the bottom surface 111.

[0058] Detection pins 121 and 131 are disposed near the inner wall 112 within the storage recess 11. Detection pins 121 and 131 are disposed at an insulating distance from each other in the opposing directions of the inlet 15 and the inner wall 112. Detection pins 121 and 131 are generally elongated, extend vertically, and are parallel to each other (see reference). Figure 4The detection pins 121 and 131 have the same shape, with their width reduced at the lower end. As described above, the lower ends of the detection pins 121 and 131 are positioned at a distance G from the bottom surface 111.

[0059] In the lower housing 52, near the storage recess 11, busbars 12 and 13 are arranged to connect with electronic components installed in the electrical connection box 100. Detection needles 121 and 131 are integrally formed with busbars 12 and 13, respectively. Detection needle 121 is integrally formed with busbar 12, and detection needle 131 is integrally formed with busbar 13 (see reference). Figure 2 and Figure 3 Busbars 12 and 13 are, for example, made of conductive metal sheets.

[0060] In detail, the detection needles 121 and 131 are disposed away from the busbars 12 and 13 respectively, but the upper end of the detection needle 121 is connected to the busbar 12 through the elongated plate component 122, and the upper end of the detection needle 131 is connected to the busbar 13 through the elongated plate component 132.

[0061] The detection unit 10 with this structure detects the inflow of liquid into the electrical connection box 100. For example, when liquid flows into the electrical connection box 100, it flows into the storage recess 11 through the inlet 15 on the side wall of the lower housing 52 and accumulates in the storage recess 11. As the amount of liquid stored in the storage recess 11 increases, and the liquid level exceeds the distance G between the bottom surface 111 and the detection needles 121 and 131, the detection needles 121 and 131 are immersed in the liquid. At this time, the resistance value between the detection needles 121 and 131, i.e., the resistance value between the busbars 12 and 13, decreases. Therefore, the inflow of liquid into the electrical connection box 100 can be detected by monitoring the resistance value between the busbars 12 and 13.

[0062] That is, in the electrical connection box 100, the detection unit 10 monitors (detects) the liquid flowing into the electrical connection box 100, so that countermeasures against the inflow of liquid can be quickly taken based on the monitoring results of the detection unit 10.

[0063] It can also be configured to output the detection results of the detection unit 10 on the inflowing liquid to an external source, such as an ECU, and notify the driver of the vehicle equipped with the electrical connection box 100 of this embodiment.

[0064] Figure 6 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the circuit structure that notifies the driver of the detection results of the 10 pairs of inflowing liquids from the detection unit.

[0065] The ECU 200 is connected to the electrical connection box 100 (detection unit 10) and the instrument panel 300. For example, the instrument panel 300 is provided with a warning light to notify the flow of liquid into the electrical connection box 100 or the aforementioned battery pack. The ECU 200 monitors the change in resistance value between the busbars 12 and 13 (detection pins 121 and 131) based on the detection results output from the detection unit 10, and causes the aforementioned warning light on the instrument panel 300 to flash according to the monitoring results.

[0066] In detail, the ECU200 monitors the resistance value between the busbars 12 and 13, and when the resistance value decreases to below a predetermined threshold, it causes the aforementioned warning light on the instrument panel 300 to flash to notify the driver of the inflow of liquid.

[0067] In the electrical connection box 100 of this embodiment, as described above, since the detection unit 10 communicates with the outside through the inlet 15 formed on the side wall of the lower housing 52, the incoming liquid can easily flow into the storage recess 11 of the detection unit 10. As a result, the incoming liquid can be detected at an early stage before it flows into the electrical connection box 100.

[0068] Furthermore, as described above, the width of the inner wall 112 side of the electrical connection box 100 in the storage recess 11 is narrower than the width of the inlet 15 side. As a result, when liquid flows into the storage recess 11, the liquid level near the inner wall 112, i.e. near the detection needles 121 and 131, rises faster, and even a small amount of liquid can be quickly detected by the detection needles 121 and 131.

[0069] Moreover, as described above, because the bottom surface 111 of the storage recess 11 is curved, the liquid flowing into the storage recess 11 is guided towards the inner wall 112, so the liquid level near the detection needles 121 and 131 rises even faster.

[0070] Furthermore, in the electrical connection box 100, since the detection unit 10 has a drain hole 14, liquid exceeding the amount required for detection is discharged out of the electrical connection box 100 through the drain hole 14. Therefore, excessive liquid is not stored in the storage recess 11, preventing liquid from flowing over the first sidewall 113 or the second sidewall 114 and splashing into the lower housing 52, for example, when the electrical connection box 100 vibrates.

[0071] Furthermore, in the electrical connection box 100, since the detection pins 121 and 131 are integrally formed with the busbars 12 and 13 respectively, the change in resistance between the detection pins 121 and 131 can be confirmed by the change in resistance between the busbars 12 and 13. Therefore, the circuit structure for outputting the detection results of the detection unit 10 on the inflowing liquid is simple and straightforward.

[0072] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. The scope of the invention is not as described above, but is indicated by the scope of the claims and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electrical connection box comprising a housing in which an electronic component is installed, the housing comprising a detection portion that detects inflow of a liquid, the detection portion comprising: a storage recess that has an inflow port of the liquid and stores the liquid that has flowed in from the inflow port; and a detection needle that is disposed in the storage recess, the storage recess having a curved bottom surface that guides the liquid toward an inner side wall that faces the inflow port, an outflow hole being provided in the inner side wall to discharge the liquid that has flowed in to an amount necessary for the detection needle to detect the inflow liquid outside the electrical connection box, the inner side wall including a lower inner side wall and an upper inner side wall that are disposed offset from each other in a direction in which the inflow port and the inner side wall face each other, the outflow hole being a gap between the lower inner side wall and the upper inner side wall.

2. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein the detection needle is disposed in the vicinity of the inner side wall.

3. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein a width of the inner side wall on the side of the storage recess is narrower than a width on the side of the inflow port.

4. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein the outflow hole is provided at a position that is 2 to 4 times the interval between the detection needle and the curved bottom surface from the curved bottom surface.

5. The electrical connection box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the electrical connection box comprises a bus bar that is connected to the electronic component, the detection needle is integrally formed with the bus bar.

Images