Electric connection box

Abstract

To realize an electric connection box having good heat dissipation.SOLUTION: An electric connection box includes an upper cover and a bus bar that is attached to the upper cover. The upper cover includes a fixing part that is fixed to a power supply component and an electronic component arrangement part that arranges an electronic component. In the electric connection box, the bus bar is attached to the upper cover so that a connection part with the electronic component is located on an opposite side to a power supply component side with respect to a main body part of the electronic component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This specification discloses a technique relating to an electrical junction box. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connection box for connecting a power supply component and an electronic component. In the electrical connection box of Patent Document 1, a bus bar is disposed via an end plate (lower cover), and an upper cover is provided on the opposite side of the bus bar from the end plate. In addition, an electronic component is fixed to the upper cover, and the bus bar and the electronic component are connected on the opposite side of the bus bar from the end plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-246941 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the electrical junction box of Patent Document 1, the end plate, the bus bar, and the electronic components are arranged in this order from the power supply component side, and the connection portion between the bus bar and the electronic components is not exposed to the outside due to the main body of the electronic components (or the upper cover). In other words, the bus bar is not exposed to the outside. Therefore, the electrical junction box of Patent Document 1 can insulate the bus bar from the outside. However, since many components (end plate, upper cover, electronic components) are present around the bus bar, the bus bar has poor heat dissipation. A large current flows through the bus bar. Therefore, if the bus bar has poor heat dissipation, the temperature of the power supply components, electronic components, etc. will rise. Therefore, an electronic junction box with a bus bar having good heat dissipation is required. The present specification aims to realize an electrical junction box having good heat dissipation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A first technique disclosed in this specification is an electrical junction box, which may include an upper cover and a bus bar attached to the upper cover. The upper cover may have a fixing portion that is fixed to a power supply component and an electronic component placement portion for placing an electronic component. In this electrical junction box, the bus bar may be attached to the upper cover such that a connection portion with the electronic component is located on the opposite side to the power supply component side with respect to a main body portion of the electronic component.

[0006] A second technology disclosed in this specification is an electrical junction box of the first technology, which may be provided with an inner cover for pressing the bus bar against a connection terminal of the power supply component when the upper cover is fixed to the power supply component, thereby maintaining the connection between the power supply component and the bus bar.

[0007] A third technique disclosed in this specification is the electric junction box according to the first or second technique, wherein a through hole may be provided at a mounting position of the upper cover to which the bus bar is attached.

[0008] A fourth technique disclosed in this specification is the electrical junction box according to the third technique, wherein the through hole may be provided at an attachment position of the bus bar that is connected to a negative electrode of the power supply component.

[0009] A fifth technique disclosed in this specification is an electrical junction box according to any one of the first to fourth techniques, wherein the electrical junction box may be attached to the power supply component which is a secondary battery. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the first technique, since the busbar is located at the end of the electrical junction box, the heat dissipation of the busbar can be improved. In other words, the busbar is prevented from being surrounded by power supply components, electronic components, etc., and the busbar is easily cooled. In addition, by removing the electrical junction box from the power supply components, the power supply components can be separated from other components (the electrical junction box, the electronic components). Therefore, the electronic components can be attached to the electrical junction box at a location separate from the power supply components. In addition, the electronic components are positioned by attaching them to the upper cover. As a result, the busbar is positioned relative to the upper cover, and the busbar can be prevented from coming off the upper cover.

[0011] According to the second technique, the connection terminal of the bus bar and the connection terminal of the power supply component can be easily connected. Also, the connection between the connection terminal of the bus bar and the connection terminal of the power supply component can be strengthened. In other words, it is possible to prevent the connection terminal of the bus bar and the connection terminal of the power supply component from coming off.

[0012] According to the third technique, the heat dissipation property of the busbar can be further improved, that is, the busbar can be air-cooled.

[0013] According to the fourth technology, the bus bar connected to the positive electrode of the power supply component is prevented from being exposed, thereby making it possible to prevent electric shock.

[0014] According to the fifth technique, it is possible to improve the heat dissipation properties of the busbar in a secondary battery that is prone to become hot due to charging and discharging. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a power supply component and an electronic component are connected using an electrical junction box. [Diagram 2] 2 shows an electrical junction box as viewed in the direction of arrow II in FIG. [Diagram 3] The figure shows how electronic components are attached to an electrical junction box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] (Features of Electrical Junction Box 10) The electric junction box 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The electric junction box 10 includes an upper cover 12 and a bus bar 30 attached to the upper cover 12. The upper cover 12 includes an opening 20. The upper cover 12 includes an electronic component placement section 16 for placing electronic components 40, an inner cover 22 for maintaining the connection between the secondary battery 50 and the bus bar 30, and a fixing section 18 fixed to the secondary battery 50. The secondary battery 50 is an example of a power supply component. The upper cover 12, the electronic component placement section 16, and the inner cover 22 are integrally molded. The fixing section 18 is provided at an end of the upper cover 12 on the opening 20 side. The fixing section 18 is a clasp (hook) that engages with a protrusion (not shown) provided on the secondary battery 50. The electric junction box 10 (upper cover 12) and the secondary battery 50 can be attached and detached by attaching and detaching the fixing section 18 to and from the protrusion of the secondary battery 50.

[0017] The upper cover 12 is open on the opening 20 side, and electronic components 40 such as relays, registers, fuses, resistors, etc. can be arranged from the opening 20 side. The electronic components 40 are detachable from the upper cover 12 (electronic component arrangement section 16). The inner cover 22 extends toward the opening 20 side. When the electrical junction box 10 is fixed to the secondary battery 50, the inner cover 22 presses the connection terminals 32 of the busbars 30 toward the connection terminals 52 of the secondary battery 50. In other words, the connection terminals 32 of the busbars 30 are located between the end face of the inner cover 22 and the connection terminals 52 of the secondary battery 50.

[0018] The bus bar 30 is attached to the inside of the upper cover 12 at an end opposite to the opening 20 side (the position farthest from the opening 20). More specifically, the bus bar 30 is attached to the upper cover 12 such that the connection terminal 42 of the electronic component 40 and the connection terminal (not shown) of the bus bar 30 are located on the opposite side to the secondary battery 50 side (the opening 20 side) with respect to the main body portion of the electronic component 40. In other words, the bus bar 30 is attached to the upper cover 12 such that the electronic component 40 is located on the secondary battery 50 side with respect to the bus bar 30. The bus bar 30 and the connection terminal 32 are connected by an electrical extension portion 34. An insulating wall 14 is provided between the bus bar 30 and the electronic component arrangement portion 16. The insulating wall 14 prevents the bus bar 30 and the main body portion of the electronic component 40 from contacting each other.

[0019] Fig. 2 shows an end face of the upper cover 12 observed from the outside of the upper cover 12. As shown in Fig. 2, a bus bar 30a connected to the positive electrode of the secondary battery 50 and a bus bar 30b connected to the negative electrode of the secondary battery 50 are disposed at the end (inner end) of the upper cover 12. A plurality of through holes 24 are provided at the end face of the upper cover 12. Each through hole 24 is circular, and is not provided at the position where the bus bar 30a is attached, but is provided at the position where the bus bar 30b is attached. Therefore, a part of the bus bar 30b is exposed to the outside of the electrical junction box 10 (upper cover 12).

[0020] A method of attaching the secondary battery 50 and the electronic component 40 to the electric junction box 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 3. Note that the electronic component 40 is not shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the electronic component 40 is inserted into the electric junction box 10 (upper cover 12) from the opening 20 and attached to the electronic component placement section 16. By attaching the electronic component 40 to the electronic component placement section 16, the electronic component 40 is positioned relative to the electric junction box 10, and the connection terminals 42 of the electronic component 40 are connected to the connection terminals of the bus bar 30. Thereafter, the fixing section 18 is fixed to the secondary battery 50 (see Fig. 1). When the fixing section 18 is fixed to the secondary battery 50, the connection terminals 32 of the bus bar 30 are connected to the connection terminals 52 of the secondary battery 50 by the inner cover 22.

[0021] When removing the secondary battery 50 and the electronic component 40 from the electrical junction box 10, first, the secondary battery 50 is removed from the electrical junction box 10. In the state in which the secondary battery 50 has been removed from the electrical junction box 10, the electronic component 40 remains attached to the electrical junction box 10. Then, the electronic component 40 is removed from the electrical junction box 10.

[0022] (Advantages of Electrical Junction Box 10) In the electrical junction box 10, the bus bar 30 is disposed at a position (at an end of the electrical junction box 10) away from the secondary battery 50. Furthermore, the electronic components 40 are disposed on the secondary battery 50 side with respect to the bus bar 30. Therefore, the periphery of the bus bar 30 is not surrounded by the secondary battery 50 and the electronic components 40. As a result, the heat dissipation of the bus bar 30 is improved, and the bus bar 30 can be prevented from becoming too hot. Furthermore, by providing a plurality of through holes 24 on the end surface of the upper cover 12, a part of the bus bar 30b is exposed to the outside, and the heat dissipation of the bus bar 30 can be further improved. In the electrical junction box 10, the bus bar 30a connected to the positive electrode of the secondary battery 50 is not exposed, and the bus bar 30b connected to the negative electrode of the secondary battery 50 is exposed. This can also prevent electric shock caused by the exposure of the bus bar 30a.

[0023] Furthermore, in the case of the electric junction box 10, the electronic component 40 is attached to the electric junction box 10 in a state in which the electric junction box 10 is detached from the secondary battery 50. Therefore, for example, even if the secondary battery 50 is incorporated in a device installed outdoors or in a vehicle parked outdoors, the electronic component 40 and the electric junction box 10 can be assembled indoors. That is, the electronic component 40 can be assembled to the electric junction box 10 in a location separate from the secondary battery 50. Therefore, the electronic component 40 and the electric junction box 10 can be easily assembled to the secondary battery 50.

[0024] In addition, since the electronic component 40 can be assembled to the electric junction box 10 at a location separate from the secondary battery 50, the electronic component 40 can be easily assembled to or removed from the electric junction box 10. In other words, the electronic component 40 can be easily replaced.

[0025] Furthermore, when the electrical junction box 10 is fixed to the secondary battery 50, the inner cover 22 can connect the connection terminals 32 of the bus bars 30 to the connection terminals 52 of the secondary battery 50. This facilitates the assembly of the electrical junction box 10 to the secondary battery 50 (the connection of the connection terminals 32 to the connection terminals 52). After the electrical junction box 10 is fixed to the secondary battery 50, the inner cover 22 presses the bus bars 30 (connection terminals 32) against the secondary battery 50 (connection terminals 52). This improves the connection strength between the connection terminals 32 and 52.

[0026] Furthermore, when the electrical junction box 10 is fixed to the secondary battery 50, the busbars 30 and the electronic components 40 are located inside the upper cover 12 (inside the space surrounded by the upper cover 12 and the secondary battery 50). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the busbars 30 and the electronic components 40 from becoming misaligned or being damaged.

[0027] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the inner cover 22 is provided. However, the inner cover 22 is not an essential component in the technology disclosed in this specification, and may be omitted.

[0028] In the above embodiment, the circular through-hole 24 is provided at the position where the bus bar 30b of the upper cover 12 is attached. However, the shape of the through-hole is arbitrary, and may be, for example, a long and narrow rectangular slit. The through-hole may be provided at the position where the bus bar 30a of the upper cover 12 is attached. Alternatively, the upper cover 12 does not need to have a through-hole. As described above, the periphery of the bus bar 30 is not surrounded by the secondary battery 50 and the electronic components 40, and therefore the heat dissipation of the bus bar 30 is sufficiently ensured even without providing a through-hole.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the electrical junction box 10 is attached to the secondary battery 50. However, the electrical junction box 10 can also be used for power supply components other than the secondary battery 50 (for example, a primary battery).

[0030] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes to the specific examples exemplified above. Furthermore, the technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings achieves multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of the objectives itself has technical utility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 10: Electrical junction box 12: Upper cover 16: Electronic component placement section 18: Fixed part 30: Busbar 40: Electronic Components 50: Power supply components

Claims

1. Upper cover and a bus bar attached to the upper cover, the upper cover has a fixing portion that is fixed to a power supply component and an electronic component placement portion on which an electronic component is placed, the bus bar is attached to the upper cover such that a connection portion with the electronic component is located on the opposite side to the power supply component with respect to a main body portion of the electronic component.

2. 2. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, an inner cover is provided for pressing the bus bar against a connection terminal of the power supply component when the upper cover is fixed to the power supply component, thereby maintaining a connection between the power supply component and the bus bar.

3. 2. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, the upper cover has a through hole at a position where the bus bar is attached, the electrical junction box.

4. 4. The electrical connection box according to claim 3, The through hole is provided at an attachment position of the bus bar that connects to the negative electrode of the power supply component.

5. 5. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, The electrical junction box is attached to the power supply component which is a secondary battery.

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