ELECTRICAL TERMINAL BOX

Abstract

The electrical junction box (1) comprises a pair of relays (20A, 20B), a busbar (40A, 40B), and a housing (10). Each of the two relays has a rectangular shape with one side face (21) facing a slot (S) and an opposite side face (22) facing away from the first side face when viewed from the direction in which the relays are inserted into the housing. The busbar (40A, 40B) has a shape such that the entire busbar lies within a region (H1) between a straight line (L1) obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face (22) of one (20A) relay and a straight line (L2) obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face (22) of the other (20B) relay when viewed from the direction in which it is inserted.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical junction box in which a relay is housed in a casing. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] An electrical junction box used in an automobile or similar in related technology is configured such that electronic components such as a relay and a fuse are attached to a housing made of resin or similar material and having a prescribed shape, and input and output terminal contacts of the electronic components are electrically connected to a busbar held in the housing, terminal contacts connected to external loads, and the like (see, for example, patent literature 1). BIBLIOGRAPHY PATENT LITERATURE

[0003] Patent Literature 1: JP2005-158479A SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAL PROBLEM

[0004] In the electrical junction box of the type described above, a busbar for supplying power to electronic components, such as a relay and a fuse, generally extends across the entire housing. However, from the perspective of miniaturizing the electrical junction box, it is assumed that the arrangement and design of the busbar and the electronic components can be improved.

[0005] One objective of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box that can have a reduced size. SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, an electrical junction box comprises: a pair of relays arranged with a slot between them; a busbar connected to each of the two relays; and a housing that accommodates the two relays and the busbar, wherein each of the two relays has a rectangular shape, having one side facing the slot and one opposite side facing away from the first side when viewed from one direction of receiving the relays into the housing, and wherein the busbar has a shape in which the entire busbar lies within an area that lies between a straight line obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face of one of the relays and a straight line obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face of another of the relays when viewed from the recording direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electrical junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the in Fig. 1 electrical junction box shown. Fig. Figure 3 is an enlarged view of part B in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the in Fig. 1 shown electrical connection box (only busbars and electronic components (relays and fuses) are shown). Fig. 5 is an enlarged bottom view of the in Fig. 4 relays shown, 20A. Fig. Figure 6 shows the internal circuits of the two in Fig. 4 relays shown: 20A, 20B. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXECUTION FORMS

[0007] An electrical junction box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the drawings. The electrical junction box 1 is typically a relay box mounted on a vehicle, e.g., a passenger car, and contains electronic components such as relays and fuses. As shown in the Fig. As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the electrical terminal box 1 comprises a housing 10, a multitude of electronic components (in particular relays 20 and fuses 30 (see Figures 1 to 6)). Fig. 4)), which are housed in the casing 10, and a multitude of busbars 40 (see Fig. 4), which are held by the housing 10.

[0008] For the sake of simplicity, the terms "front", "back", "left", "right", "top" and "bottom" are defined below as they are in Fig. Figure 1 and the like are shown. A front-back direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction are orthogonal to each other. An "up" and a "down" side each correspond to an "up" and a "down" side of the vehicle in a state where the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on the vehicle. The up-down direction corresponds to a "receiving direction" within the meaning of the present invention. These directions are defined only for the sake of simplicity and do not necessarily correspond to a front-back direction, a left-right direction, and an up-down direction of the vehicle when the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on the vehicle. The components of the electrical connection box 1 are described in turn below.

[0009] As in the Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the housing 10 is an essentially rectangular, parallelepiped plastic housing extending in the front-back, left-right, and top-bottom directions. The housing 10 can be formed from a single resin molded body or by combining several resin molded bodies. Within the housing 10, a part that needs to be insulated, such as a part holding the electronic components or the busbars 40, can be made of resin, and the other part (e.g., an outer part) can be made of metal.

[0010] As in the Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, a plurality of relays 20 are housed in a front area of ​​an upper part of the housing 10. Each of the multiple relays 20 is housed in a corresponding receiving section (cavity) of the upper part of the housing 10, from top to bottom. A rear area A (see Figure 2) Fig. 2) Adjacent to a rear side of the front area of ​​the upper part of the housing 10 is an area in which the electronic components such as the fuses 30 (see Fig. 4) are housed. The fuses 30 and the like are also housed in corresponding receiving sections (cavities) of the upper part of the housing 10 from top to bottom.

[0011] The housing 10 is provided with an electrical cable entry section 11 at a lower right end section of an end face thereof (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) From the cable entry section 11, electrical conductors 2, which are electrically connected to the busbars 40, and electrical conductors 2, which are electrically connected to the electronic components such as the relays 20 and the fuses 30, extend from the inside to the outside of the housing 10 (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).

[0012] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, each of the multiple busbars 40 held by the housing 10 is an elongated metal plate with a predetermined shape when viewed in the top-bottom direction. Each of the multiple busbars 40 is installed and held from bottom to top on a corresponding predetermined section of a lower section of the housing 10 such that one plate thickness direction coincides with a direction orthogonal to the top-bottom direction (so that one plate surface faces the direction orthogonal to the top-bottom direction).As a result, each of the multiple busbars 40 is electrically connected to an input terminal contact or an output terminal contact of one or more corresponding electronic components (relays 20, fuses 30 and the like), so that the multiple electronic components (relays 20, fuses 30 and the like) are electrically connected to the electrical lines 2 via the multiple busbars 40 (see . Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) are connected.

[0013] Below is a pair of relays 20A, 20B (see Fig. 1 to 5) from the multitude of relays 20 are examined in more detail. In this example, the pair of relays 20A, 20B are relays for a low-voltage circuit; however, depending on the design, they can also be relays for a high-voltage circuit. As in the Fig. As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the resin relay body of both relays 20A and 20B has a substantially rectangular, parallelepiped shape extending in the front-back, left-right, and top-bottom directions. The relay bodies of the two relays 20A and 20B are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, with a slot S (see Figure 1 to 5). Fig. 2 to 4) in the left-right direction. For this reason, the relay body of each of the two relays 20A, 20B has a rectangular shape, with one side surface 21 facing the slot S and an opposite side surface 22 facing away from one side surface 21 when viewed from the receiving direction (top-bottom direction) of the relay 20 into the housing 10. One side surface 21 of each of the two relays 20A, 20B is provided with a projecting section 23 that projects towards the slot S (see Fig. 3 to 5). In the present example, the projecting sections 23 of the two relays 20A, 20B are arranged such that their projecting ends are opposite each other with a slot between them in a left-right direction.

[0014] Each of the two relays 20A, 20B comprises a multitude of connection contacts 51 to 54 (see Fig. 4 to 6), which are equipped with an internal circuit 60 (see Fig. 6) are connected, which is provided in the relay body. Each of the multiple connection contacts 51 to 54 is a flat, plate-shaped (tab-shaped) metallic connection contact that projects downwards from a lower end face of the relay body of each of the two relays 20A, 20B. In the present example, as in the Fig. 4 and Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the two terminal contacts 51, 52 are located opposite each other in the left-right direction, in a region closer to one side surface 21, which is provided with the projecting section 23, than to the center of the relay body in the left-right direction. In other words, the projecting section 23 is located near the two terminal contacts 51, 52 of the plurality of terminal contacts 51 to 54. The two terminal contacts 53, 54 are located opposite each other in the front-back direction, in a region closer to the opposite side surface 22 than to the center of the relay body in the left-right direction.

[0015] The terminals 51 of relays 20A and 20B serve, for example, as input terminals. Specifically, busbar 40A is connected to terminal 51 of relay 20A via a connecting terminal 41, and busbar 40B is connected to terminal 51 of relay 20B via connecting terminal 41. Electrical lines (not shown) are connected to busbars 40A and 40B, which are connected to an external power supply (not shown). Conversely, terminals 52 of relays 20A and 20B serve, for example, as output terminals. Specifically, electrical lines (not shown) connected to an external load (not shown) are connected to terminal 52 of relay 20A and terminal 52 of relay 20B.Each of the 40A, 40B busbars has a shape in which a part is bent in a crank-like manner when viewed in the top-bottom direction and extends essentially in the front-back direction.

[0016] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the internal circuit 60 of each of the two relays 20A, 20B comprises a switching section 61. The switching section 61 includes a fixed contact 62 and a movable contact 63 and is connected to the terminal contacts 51, 52. The switching section 61 is provided with a biasing element, e.g., a spring (not shown), and the movable contact 63 is biased by the biasing element in a direction away from the fixed contact 62.

[0017] The internal circuit 60 comprises a coil section 64, which includes a coil, an iron core (not shown), and the like, and functions as an electromagnet. The coil section 64 is connected to the terminal contacts 53 and 54. The terminal contacts 53 and 54 serve as coil terminals. The coil section 64 generates a magnetic force when supplied with a control current via the terminal contacts 53 and 54, and attracts the movable contact 63 against a bias force of the biasing element by means of this magnetic force. When the coil section 64 is energized, the movable contact 63 in the switch section 61 comes into contact with the fixed contact 62, and the switch section 61 is in a closed (ON) state.Conversely, the movable contact 63 in the switch section 61 is separated from the fixed contact 62 when the coil section 64 is not energized, and the switch section 61 is in an open state (OFF).

[0018] The operation of relay pair 20A, 20B is controlled, for example, by an electronic control unit (ECU), which is not shown. When the control current is supplied from the ECU to the coil section 64 of relay 20A via terminals 53, 54, and the switch section 61 of relay 20A is in the closed position, current from an external power supply is supplied to an external load via relay 20A. When the control current is supplied to the coil section 64 of relay 20B via terminals 53, 54, and the switch section 61 of relay 20B is in the closed position, the external load is supplied with current from the external power supply via relay 20B.

[0019] In the electrical junction box 1 described above, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, each of the busbars 40A, which is connected to the terminal contact 51 of relay 20A, and 40B, which is connected to the terminal contact 51 of relay 20B, has a shape such that the entire busbars 40A, 40B are arranged within a range H1 in the left-right direction. This range is defined by a straight line L1 extending in the front-back direction, obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face 22 of relay 20A, and a straight line L2 extending in the front-back direction, obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face 22 of relay 20B, when viewed from the receiving direction (top-bottom direction) of the relays 20 into the housing 10. In other words, the busbars 40A, 40B lie within a minimum width (i.e.,within the area H1) in the left-right direction, which is required so that the housing 10 can accommodate the two relays 20A, 20B.

[0020] Arrangements of electronic components (fuses 30 or the like), which differ from relays 20, are designed based on the arrangements of busbars 40A, 40B within area H1. In the Fig. In the example shown, the arrangement of the two fuses 30 is designed such that the two fuses 30 are connected to the busbar 40A, based on the arrangement of the busbar 40A, which is connected to the terminal 51 of the relay 20A. Consequently, it is assumed that the electrical terminal box 1 can be slightly smaller overall compared to a case in which the busbars 40A and 40B are distributed throughout the entire housing 10.

[0021] Furthermore, the busbar 40A connected to relay 20A has a shape such that the entire busbar 40A lies within a region H2, which is located between the straight line L1 extending in the front-to-back direction and obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face 22 of relay 20A, and a straight line L3 extending in the front-to-back direction and obtained by virtually extending one side face 21 of relay 20B when viewed from the receiving direction (top-to-bottom direction) of relay 20A. In other words, the busbar 40A falls within region H2, which is narrower than region H1.

[0022] Similarly, the busbar 40B connected to relay 20B has a shape such that the entire busbar 40B lies within a region H3 that is situated between the straight line L2 extending in the front-to-back direction, obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face 22 of relay 20B, and a straight line L4 extending in the front-to-back direction, obtained by virtually extending one side face 21 of relay 20A, when viewed from the receiving direction (top-to-bottom direction) of relay 20. In other words, the busbar 40B lies within a region H3 that is narrower than the region H1.

[0023] In this way, it is assumed that the size of the electrical junction box 1 can be further reduced by further specifying the arrangements of the busbars 40A, 40B to fall within the areas H2 and H3.

[0024] Furthermore, the busbars 40A and 40B are connected to the power input terminals 51 of the relays 20A and 20B, respectively. Accordingly, the electrical junction box 1 can be of a reduced size, even when the large and thick busbars 40A and 40B are used to supply power to the relays 20A and 20B via the terminals 51.

[0025] Furthermore, the busbar 40A connected to relay 20A has a shape such that the entire busbar 40A lies within a region H2, which is located between the straight line L1 extending in the front-to-back direction and obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face 22 of relay 20A, and a straight line L3 extending in the front-to-back direction and obtained by virtually extending one side face 21 of relay 20B when viewed from the receiving direction (top-to-bottom direction) of relay 20A. In other words, the busbar 40A falls within region H2, which is narrower than region H1.Similarly, the busbar 40B connected to relay 20B has a shape such that the entire busbar 40B lies within a region H3 that is situated between the straight line L2 extending in the front-to-back direction, obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face 22 of relay 20B, and a straight line L4 extending in the front-to-back direction, obtained by virtually extending one side face 21 of relay 20A, when viewed from the receiving direction (top-to-bottom direction) of relay 20A. In other words, the busbar 40B lies within a region H3 that is narrower than the region H1. Accordingly, it is assumed that the size of the electrical junction box 1 can be further reduced by further specifying the arrangement of the busbars 40A and 40B.

[0026] From a different perspective than the reduced size described above, each of the two relays 20A, 20B housed in the casing 10 contains the projecting section 23, which extends towards the slot S between the relays 20A, 20B. The projecting sections 23 prevent the two relays 20A, 20B from being positioned too close together, and the corresponding slot S is located between them. Furthermore, the projecting section 23 is positioned near the two terminal contacts 51, 52 of each of the two relays 20A, 20B. Because of the slot S between the two relays 20A, 20B, the heat generated in the terminal contacts 51, 52 of the relays 20A, 20B is not concentrated in an excessively narrow area, and heat dissipation is facilitated by the airflow through the slot S. Therefore, the electrical junction box 1 has excellent heat dissipation from the relays 20A, 20B housed in the casing 10.Furthermore, in contrast to a case where the heat generated in each of the terminal contacts 51, 52 is dissipated to different areas, the heat generated in each of the terminal contacts 51, 52 is dissipated jointly to the slot S, which can also contribute to a smaller size of the electrical terminal box 1.

[0027] Furthermore, the two relays 20A and 20B are arranged such that the projection section 23 of relay 20A and the projection section 23 of relay 20B are not in contact with each other. Accordingly, the gap between the two relays 20A and 20B can be widened compared to a case where the projection sections 23 are in contact with each other.

[0028] Furthermore, the projection section 23 of relay 20A is not in contact with relay 20B, and the projection section 23 of relay 20B is not in contact with relay 20A. Accordingly, the gap S between the two relays 20A and 20B can be widened compared to a case in which each of the projection sections 23 is in contact with the mating relay 20.

[0029] Furthermore, the projecting section 23 is arranged near two terminal contacts 51, 52 of the plurality of terminal contacts 51 to 54. Accordingly, the Joule heat generated in the two terminal contacts 51, 52 of each of the relays 20A, 20B can be dissipated appropriately.

[0030] Furthermore, the projecting end (right end) of the projection section 23 of relay 20A is closer to relay 20B than to terminal contact 51 of relay 20A, and the projecting end (left end) of the projection section 23 of relay 20B is closer to relay 20A than to terminal contact 51 of relay 20B. Accordingly, terminal contact 51 of relay 20A can be reliably positioned away from relay 20B, and the projection section 51 of relay 20B can be reliably positioned away from relay 20A. Therefore, the Joule heat generated in terminal contacts 51 can be dissipated appropriately.

[0031] Furthermore, the projecting section 23 is provided on one side face 21 of the relay body of each of the relays 20A, 20B, which faces the slot S. Accordingly, the shape of the projecting section 23 can be simplified compared to a case in which the projecting section 23 projects from the other side face of the relay body towards the slot S. This reduces the manufacturing costs of the relay 20.

[0032] Furthermore, the electrical connection box 1 can be seen as shown by a dashed line in Fig. 4 indicated, be provided with a heat transfer element 70 that absorbs heat from at least one connection contact (connection contacts 51, 52 in Fig.4) the heat is released from the terminal contacts 51 to 54 of the two relays 20A, 20B, and the heat is transferred in one direction away from the terminal contact. The heat transfer element 70 consists, for example, of a metal plate and extends from the vicinity of the terminal contacts 51, 52 to the outside of the housing 10. The heat transfer element 70 is also referred to as a heat dissipation element. Accordingly, the heat dissipation from the relays 20A, 20B housed in the housing 10 can be further improved.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and modifications, improvements, and the like can be made in a suitable manner. Furthermore, materials, shapes, sizes, number, arrangement positions, and similar aspects of the components in the embodiment described above are freely selectable and not restricted, as long as the present invention can be implemented.

[0034] Here, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, an electrical junction box (1) comprises: a pair of relays (20A, 20B) arranged with a slot (S) between them; a busbar (40A, 40B) connected to each of the two relays (20A, 20B); and a housing (10) that accommodates both relays (20A, 20B) and the busbar (40A, 40B), each of the two relays (20A, 20B) having a rectangular shape, with one side face (21) facing the slot (S) and an opposite side face (22) facing away from the one side face (21) when viewed from a receiving direction of the relays (20A, 20B) into the housing (10), and the busbar (40A, 40B) has a shape in which the entire busbar (40A, 40B) lies within a region (H1) that lies between a straight line (L1) obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face (22) of one (20A) of the relays and a straight line (L2) obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face (22) of the other (20B) of the relays when viewed from the recording direction.

[0035] According to the electrical junction box with the configuration described above, each of the two relays has a rectangular shape with one side facing the slot between the relays and an opposite side facing away from the first side when viewed in the direction in which the relays are inserted into the housing (e.g., top-to-bottom). Furthermore, the busbar housed in the housing has a shape such that the entire busbar lies within a region between a straight line obtained by virtually extending the opposite side of one of the relays and a straight line obtained by virtually extending the opposite side of the other relay when viewed in the direction in which the relays are inserted. Accordingly, the busbar lies within a minimum width (i.e.,within the area described above), which is required for the enclosure to accommodate the two relays. The arrangement of other electronic components (e.g., fuses) is designed based on the busbar layout. Consequently, the electrical junction box is expected to have a slightly reduced overall size compared to a case where the busbar is distributed throughout the entire enclosure without restricting its arrangement, as in the present configuration. Therefore, the electrical junction box can be smaller with this configuration.

[0036] Furthermore, each of the two relays (20A, 20B) can have an input terminal contact (51) and an output terminal contact (52), and the busbar (40A, 40B) can be connected to at least one (51) of the input terminal contact (51) and the output terminal contact (52).

[0037] According to the electrical junction box with the configuration described above, the busbar is connected to at least one of the input and output contacts of the relay. Therefore, the size of the electrical junction box can be reduced, even when using a large and thick busbar, to accommodate these connection contacts for power input and output to and from the relay.

[0038] Furthermore, the busbar (40A (40B)) connected to the one relay (20A (20B)) can have a shape in which the entire busbar (40A (40B)) lies within a region (H2 (H3)) that lies between the straight line (L1) obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face (22) of one relay (20A (20B)) and a straight line (L3 (L4)) obtained by virtually extending one side face (21) of the other relay (20B (20A)), when viewed in the recording direction.

[0039] According to the electrical junction box with the configuration described above, the busbar connected to one relay has a shape such that the entire busbar lies within a region between the straight line obtained by virtually extending the opposite side face of one relay and the straight line obtained by virtually extending one side face of the other relay, when viewed in the relay's reception direction. Accordingly, the electrical junction box can be further reduced in size by more precisely defining the busbar arrangement within the region described above.

[0040] Furthermore, the electrical junction box (1) can contain an electronic component (30) that is connected to the busbar (40A) which is connected to the relay (20A).

[0041] Furthermore, the electronic component can be a fuse (30) different from the relay (20A, 20B).

[0042] According to the electrical junction box with the configuration described above, the electronic component (e.g., a fuse) connected to the busbar is attached to the electrical junction box. Accordingly, the present invention can be implemented in practice. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0043] The electrical junction box of the present invention can be of reduced size. The present invention with this effect can be used, for example, as a relay box in an automobile or similar vehicle. REFERENCE MARK LIST 1 electrical junction box 10 cases 20A relay 20B relay 21 side surface 22 opposite side surface 30 Fuse (electronic component) 40A busbar 40B busbar 51 Input terminal contact 52 Output terminal contact S slot QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2005-158479A

[0003]

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