Electric connection box

Abstract

To provide an electric connection box that can accurately store a circuit body with respect to a connection box body.SOLUTION: An electronic connection box 1 includes a circuit body 20, and a connection box body 10 having a housing space S for housing the circuit body 20. The connection box body 10 includes an upper case 30 having an opening capable of inserting the circuit body 20 thereinto and housing the circuit body 20, and a lower case 40 closing the opening. The upper case 30 is provided with a projecting pin 33 for position a position of the circuit body 20 with respect to the upper case 30. The connection box body 10 is provided with an extension part 37 and an inserted part 44 that restrict a position of the lower case 40 with respect to the upper case 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric junction box having an accommodation space for accommodating, for example, a circuit board. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Electrical connection boxes such as junction boxes and relay boxes mounted on vehicles, etc., house circuit boards on which electronic components and electronic control circuits are mounted inside a box-shaped connection box body at desired positions in the connection box body.

[0003] For example, in the electrical junction box disclosed in Patent Document 1, a positioning pin that stands upright from the bottom surface of a lower case having an opening toward the opening is inserted into an insertion hole provided in a circuit board. The tip of the positioning pin that has been inserted into the insertion hole is fitted and fixed into an upper case that closes the opening. In this way, the electrical junction box disclosed in Patent Document 1 positions the circuit board, the lower case, and the upper case with respect to the planar direction of the circuit board using the positioning pin, and it is said that the circuit board can be stored after being fixed at a desired position in the junction box body.

[0004] However, in the electrical junction box disclosed in Patent Document 1, the positioning pin extends from the lower case to the upper case, and therefore the positioning pin is prone to deformation, such as warping, which may reduce the positional accuracy of the circuit board relative to the upper case. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-114954 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an electric junction box capable of precisely accommodating a circuit body in a junction box body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention is an electrical junction box comprising a circuit body and a junction box main body having an accommodation space for accommodating the circuit body, wherein the junction box main body has an opening and comprises a first case in which the circuit body is arranged, and a second case assembled to the first case to cover the opening, wherein the first case is provided with a positioning portion for positioning the circuit body relative to the first case, and the junction box main body is provided with a case regulating portion for regulating the position of the second case relative to the first case.

[0008] The circuit body includes a printed circuit board or an insulating plate to which electronic components such as bus bars, relays, fuses, etc. are attached. The circuit body may be a single-layer board or a multi-layer board, and the number of layers and shape are not important. The circuit body also includes a circuit body having wiring and electronic components mounted on one or both sides thereof.

[0009] The junction box body may be made up of two parts, an upper case and a lower case, or it may be made up of three parts, an upper case, a center case, and a lower case. For example, when the junction box body is made up of two parts, the first case is one of the lower case and the upper case, and the second case is the other of the lower case and the upper case. When the junction box body is made up of three parts, the first case is one of the lower case and the upper case connected to the center case, and the second case is the other of the upper case and the lower case.

[0010] Further, the first case in which the above-mentioned circuit body is arranged includes an embodiment in which the circuit body is arranged at the end of the first case on the side of the second case, and an embodiment in which the circuit body is housed inside the first case.

[0011] The positioning portion positions the circuit body relative to the first case, and includes, for example, a protruding pin that protrudes from the bottom surface of the first case toward the opening and fits into a through hole or recess provided in the circuit body, or a protruding pin that clamps the circuit body at a predetermined position on the inner surface of the first case, or a protruding pin that protrudes from a predetermined position on the inner surface of the first case toward the opening and engages with the circuit body.

[0012] The case regulating portion regulates the relative in-plane position between the first case and the second case to a desired position, and includes, for example, a configuration in which, when the first case and the second case are assembled, an extension portion extending from one of the first case and the second case is inserted into an inserted portion provided on the other case, a configuration in which a part of the second case is aligned with the extension portion, and a configuration in which the end faces of the outer circumferential surfaces of the first case and the second case are engaged or fitted into each other in a concave-convex manner.

[0013] According to this invention, the circuit body can be housed in the junction box body with high precision. In detail, since the positioning portion can position the circuit body relative to the first case, the circuit body can be accurately positioned relative to the first case. Furthermore, since the position of the second case can be restricted relative to the first case via the case restricting portion, the position of the second case can be accurately restricted relative to the first case. In this way, by separately positioning the circuit body and the second case relative to the first case, each can be accurately positioned at a desired position. That is, the circuit body can be accurately positioned relative to the second case via the first case. Therefore, the circuit body can be accurately accommodated at a desired position in the connection box main body. As a result, for example, a terminal provided on the circuit body can be arranged at a desired position without interfering with the inner wall of the connection box main body, and in addition, the terminal can be reliably accommodated in a connector housing provided in the connection box main body, so that a connector can be connected to the terminal from the outside.

[0014] As an aspect of the invention, the circuit body may be provided with a through hole that penetrates in an assembly direction in which the first case and the second case are assembled, the first case may be provided with a bottom surface portion that faces the opening, and the positioning portion may be configured as a protruding pin that protrudes from the bottom surface portion toward the opening and fits into the through hole when the circuit body is accommodated in the accommodating space.

[0015] The protruding pin is not limited in shape as long as it can fit into the through hole, and includes cylindrical, conical, and truncated cone-shaped pins, and if there are multiple protruding pins, they may have different shapes and lengths. The protruding pin may be configured to be directly or indirectly fitted into the through hole when the circuit body is accommodated in the accommodation space. For example, the protruding pin may be configured to be fitted into the through hole when the circuit body is accommodated in the accommodation space, or a part of the protruding pin may be inserted into the through hole to lock the circuit body in a direction intersecting the plate thickness direction, or the protruding pin may be disposed opposite the through hole and fitted with another member such as a screw member to fit the circuit body and the protruding pin. The protruding pin may be configured to restrict the relative movement of the circuit body in the plate thickness direction in addition to the direction intersecting the plate thickness direction.

[0016] According to this invention, the circuit body can be positioned at a desired position in the first case with a simple structure in which the protruding pin protrudes from the bottom portion toward the opening and is fitted into the through hole provided in the circuit body. Furthermore, compared to when the protruding pin is used to position not only the first case and the circuit body but also the first case and the second case, the protruding pin can be made shorter. This makes it possible to suppress deformation such as warping of the protruding pin, and therefore the protruding pin can be inserted into the through hole with high precision. In other words, it is possible to suppress interference between the protruding pin and the circuit body. Therefore, the first case and the circuit body can be positioned more precisely and reliably.

[0017] Furthermore, since there is no need to thicken the protruding pins to suppress warping, the through holes in the circuit body do not need to be large in diameter, and therefore the first case and the circuit body can be accurately positioned without reducing the area of ​​the circuit body.

[0018] As a further aspect of the present invention, the protruding pin may protrude to a position where it is inserted into the through hole when the circuit body is accommodated in the accommodation space. The above-mentioned insertion position may be a position where the tip of the protruding pin protrudes slightly from the surface of the circuit body, a position where it is flush with the surface of the circuit body facing the second case, or a position where it remains inside the circuit body.

[0019] According to this invention, the circuit body can be easily positioned relative to the first case by simply inserting the protruding pin into the through hole. Also, since the length of the protruding pin can be restricted to be approximately equal to the distance between the bottom surface portion and the circuit body, deformation such as warping of the protruding pin can be further suppressed. This further improves the accuracy of positioning the circuit body relative to the first case.

[0020] In another aspect of the present invention, the circuit body is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed in a plane, and the through hole has a first through hole provided in a corner portion of the circuit body and a second through hole provided at a location along an outer edge of one of two sides other than the two sides forming the corner portion, and the protruding pin may be provided at a position corresponding to the first through hole and the second through hole when the circuit body is arranged in the first case.

[0021] The aforementioned rectangular shape means that as long as the outer edge is substantially rectangular, a notch may be provided or the corners may be chamfered. According to this invention, the protruding pins are provided so as to be fitted into the through holes spaced apart from each other. That is, the protruding pins are provided at a predetermined interval from each other. This improves the accuracy of positioning the circuit body relative to the first case.

[0022] As a further aspect of the present invention, the second through hole may be provided along a diagonal direction of the corner portion. According to this invention, the distance between the protruding pins can be set longer, and therefore the accuracy of positioning the circuit body relative to the first case can be further improved.

[0023] In another aspect of the invention, the case regulating portion is composed of an extending portion extending in an assembly direction in which the first case and the second case are assembled, and an inserted portion through which the extending portion is inserted, and the extending portion is provided extending from an outer peripheral surface of one of the first case and the second case toward the other, and the inserted portion is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the other.

[0024] According to this invention, the position of the second case relative to the first case can be regulated with a simple structure in which the extending portion extending in one direction is inserted into the inserted portion. Also, since the extending portion and the inserted portion are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the first case and the second case, the size of the accommodation space that accommodates the circuit body can be maintained.

[0025] In another aspect of the invention, the connection box main body is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed in a plane, and the extension portion has a first extension portion provided on the outer peripheral surface corresponding to one of the two sides forming a corner portion of the bottom surface, and a second extension portion corresponding to two sides other than the two sides forming the corner portion and provided on the outer peripheral surface along the diagonal direction of the corner portion, and the inserted portion may be provided at a position corresponding to the first extension portion and the second extension portion. According to this invention, the extending portions can be provided spaced apart by a predetermined distance, so that the positions of the first case and the second case can be regulated with high precision.

[0026] As a further aspect of the present invention, the extension may come into contact with an outer periphery of the circuit body. According to this invention, in a state in which the circuit body is disposed in the first case, the circuit body can be prevented from moving relative to the first case in a direction intersecting the assembly direction.

[0027] As a further aspect of the present invention, an inclined portion may be provided at an inner tip of the extension in the case body, the inclined portion being inclined outward as it approaches the assembly direction. According to this invention, the tip portion of the extension is disposed outside the outer edge of the circuit body when the circuit body is disposed in the first case, which prevents the tip portion of the extension from interfering with the main surface of the circuit body when the circuit body is disposed in the first case, thereby preventing damage to the circuit body.

[0028] As a further aspect of the present invention, the second extension portion may be provided on an outer circumferential surface in a direction intersecting the outer circumferential surface on which the first extension portion is provided. According to this invention, the position of the second case relative to the first case can be regulated from two directions, so that the positions of the first case and the second case can be regulated more reliably.

[0029] In another aspect of the present invention, the circuit body is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed in a plane, and the through hole has a first through hole provided in a corner portion of the circuit body and a second through hole provided on the outer edge of one of two sides other than the two sides forming the corner portion and at a location along the diagonal direction of the corner portion, and when the circuit body is arranged in the first case, the protruding pin is provided at a position corresponding to the first through hole and the second through hole, and the first extension portion is provided on an outer peripheral surface corresponding to an adjacent corner portion of the corner portions of the bottom surface portion adjacent to the corner where the first through hole is provided.

[0030] According to this invention, the protruding pins are provided in pairs at a predetermined interval along the diagonal direction, and the extending portions are provided in pairs at a predetermined interval along a direction intersecting the diagonal direction. This allows the positions of the circuit body and the second case to be restricted relative to the first case in directions intersecting each other. In other words, the position of the second case can be restricted relative to the first case at a point where the positional deviation of the circuit body relative to the first case is greatest, thereby reducing the deviation of the circuit body from a desired position relative to the second case. This further improves the accuracy of positioning the circuit body relative to the junction box body.

[0031] As a further aspect of the present invention, the extension portion may extend further toward the second case than the tip of the protruding pin. According to this invention, before the protruding pin provided on the first case is inserted into the through hole formed in the circuit body, the circuit body can be placed in the first case by aligning the outer edge of the circuit body with the extending portion. That is, the circuit body can be guided to a desired position in the accommodation space using the extending portion. This prevents interference between the circuit body and the protruding pin, and improves the efficiency of the work of placing the circuit body in the first case.

[0032] As a further aspect of the present invention, the extending portion may be provided with a reinforcing rib extending along the assembly direction. According to this invention, the rigidity of the extending portion can be improved, and therefore it is possible to prevent the extending portion from unintentionally interfering with and damaging the inserted portion or other members.

[0033] Furthermore, even when the outer edge of the circuit body is brought into contact with the extending portion in order to place the circuit body in the first case, damage to the extending portion can be suppressed. Therefore, the circuit body can be more reliably guided to the first case by the extending portion.

[0034] As a further aspect of the present invention, a guide portion may be provided for guiding the extending portion to the inserted portion. According to this invention, the extending portion can be guided to the inserted portion, so that the extending portion can be easily inserted into the inserted portion, thereby improving the efficiency of the work of assembling the first case and the second case.

[0035] In another aspect of the invention, the circuit body may be provided with a terminal that stands up toward the second case when housed in the connection box main body, and the second case may be provided with a terminal accommodating portion into which a portion of the terminal is inserted in the assembly direction when in an assembled state, and the tip of the terminal and the terminal accommodating portion may be positioned so as to be spaced a predetermined distance apart when the extension portion begins to be inserted into the inserted portion.

[0036] According to this invention, the terminal can be easily inserted into the terminal insertion opening. Specifically, when the first case and the second case are assembled, the relative positions of the first case and the second case in the planar direction are restricted at the stage where the extension portion of the first case starts to be inserted into the inserted portion of the second case. That is, the relative positions of the terminals of the first case and the terminal insertion openings of the second case in the planar direction are restricted. Therefore, by further assembling the first case and the second case, the terminals of the first case can be easily inserted into the terminal insertion openings of the second case.

[0037] The above-mentioned arrangement of the tip of the terminal and the terminal accommodating portion to be spaced a predetermined distance apart at the stage when the extending portion starts to be inserted into the inserted portion refers to, for example, when the tip of the extending portion in the first case protrudes toward the second case beyond the tip of the terminal, the tip position of the inserted portion on the first case side of the second case is located closer to the first case than the difference in position between the tip of the extending portion and the tip of the terminal in the assembly direction on the first case side relative to the terminal insertion opening or on the opposite side to the first case side. Conversely, when the tip of the terminal protrudes toward the second case beyond the tip of the extending portion, the tip position of the inserted portion on the first case side of the second case is located closer to the first case than the difference in position between the tip of the extending portion and the tip of the terminal in the assembly direction on the first case side relative to the terminal insertion opening. Effect of the Invention

[0038] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric junction box capable of precisely housing a circuit body in the junction box body. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an upper case in which a circuit body is arranged. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10]FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the process of assembling the upper case in which the circuit body is disposed and the lower case. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the electrical junction box 1, and Fig. 2 shows a schematic exploded perspective view of the electrical junction box 1. Fig. 3 shows an explanatory diagram of the circuit body 20, Figs. 4 and 5 show explanatory diagrams of the upper case 30, and Figs. 6 and 7 show explanatory diagrams of the lower case 40. Fig. 8 shows an explanatory diagram of the upper case 30 in which the circuit body 20 is disposed, Fig. 9 shows an explanatory diagram of the electrical junction box 1, and Fig. 10 shows an explanatory diagram of the upper case 30 in which the circuit body 20 is disposed and the lower case 40 in the middle of being assembled.

[0041] 3 to 10 will be described in detail. Fig. 3(a) shows a schematic plan view of the circuit body 20, Fig. 3(b) shows a schematic bottom view of the circuit body 20, and Fig. 3(c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Fig. 3(a). Figure 4(a) shows a schematic bottom view of upper case 30, Figure 4(b) shows a cross-sectional view along arrow BB in Figure 4(a), Figure 4(c) shows a schematic enlarged plan view of protruding pin 33, and Figure 4(d) shows a schematic enlarged front view of protruding pin 33.

[0042] Figure 5(a) shows a schematic side view of the upper case 30 as viewed from the left side Wl, Figure 5(b) shows a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view of the covering portion 36, Figure 5(c) shows a schematic enlarged front view of the extension portion 37, Figure 5(d) shows a schematic enlarged view of portion a in Figure 5(a), and Figure 5(e) shows a schematic enlarged bottom view of the extension portion 37.

[0043] FIG. 6(a) shows a schematic plan view of the lower case 40, and FIG. 6(b) shows a schematic bottom view of the lower case 40. As shown in FIG. Figure 7(a) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the CC arrow in Figure 6(a), Figure 7(b) shows a schematic side view of the lower case 40 as seen from the left side Wl, Figure 7(c) shows a schematic enlarged view of part b in Figure 7(b), and Figure 7(d) shows a schematic enlarged plan view of the inserted portion 44.

[0044] FIG. 8(a) shows a schematic bottom view of the circuit body 20 disposed in the upper case 30, and FIG. 8(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 8(a). Figure 9(a) shows a schematic side view of the electrical junction box 1 as viewed from the left side Wl with the circuit body 20 housed in the junction box main body 10, Figure 9(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow EE in Figure 9(a), and Figure 9(c) shows a schematic enlarged view of part c in Figure 9(b).

[0045] Figure 10(a) shows a schematic side view of the connection box main body 10 as viewed from the left side Wl at an intermediate stage of assembling the upper case 30 and the lower case 40, Figure 10(b) shows a schematic plan view of the connection box main body 10, and Figure 10(c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow FF in Figure 10(b).

[0046] For convenience, the up-down direction in Fig. 1 is defined as the height direction H, the direction along the short side of the generally rectangular electrical junction box 1 in plan view is defined as the short side direction W, and the direction along the long side of the electrical junction box 1 is defined as the longitudinal direction L. In Fig. 1, the upper side along the height direction H is defined as the upper side Hu, and the lower side is defined as the lower side Hd. Similarly, along the short side direction W, the left side is defined as the left side Wl, the right side is defined as the right side Wr, and along the longitudinal direction L, the right side is defined as the front side La, and the left side is defined as the rear side Lb. The directions defined in Fig. 1 are the same in Figs. 2 to 10.

[0047] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electrical junction box 1 is composed of a junction box main body 10 and a circuit body 20 housed in the junction box main body 10, and is configured to be electrically connected to an external electrical device by connecting a connector (not shown) provided at one end of a wire harness connected to the other end of the wire harness.

[0048] First, a description will be given of the circuit body 20. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the circuit body 20 is formed in a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, and is composed of an upper conductive layer 21, a lower conductive layer 22 disposed on the lower side Hd of the upper conductive layer 21, and an insulating layer 23 disposed between the upper conductive layer 21 and the lower conductive layer 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit body 20 is provided with two through holes 24 (24a, 24b) penetrating in the height direction H, and two fixing through holes 25 through which fixing screws 50 are inserted.

[0049] 3(a), the upper conductive layer 21 is formed in a generally rectangular plate shape in plan view having long sides along the longitudinal direction L and short sides along the lateral direction W, and has conductor wiring provided on its upper surface. The upper conductive layer 21 thus configured is provided with a plurality of upper terminals 26 protruding toward the upper side Hu. The upper terminal 26 is configured so that its lower end is electrically connected to the conductor wiring applied to the upper conductive layer 21, and its upper end is electrically connected to a connector that connects from the upper side Hu of the connection box main body 10.

[0050] 3(b), the lower conductive layer 22 is formed in a generally rectangular plate shape in plan view, with a length in the short direction W being approximately equal to the short sides of the upper conductive layer 21 and a length in the longitudinal direction L being shorter than the long sides of the upper conductive layer 21, and has conductor wiring provided on its underside. In this embodiment, the lower conductive layer 22 has a thickness approximately twice that of the upper conductive layer 21, but the thickness is not limited to this. The lower conductive layer 22 thus configured is provided with a plurality of lower terminals 27 protruding toward the lower side Hd.

[0051] The upper end of the lower terminal 27 is electrically connected to the conductor wiring applied to the lower conductive layer 22, and the lower end is configured to be electrically connected to a connector that is connected from the lower side Hd of the connection box main body 10. As shown in FIG. 8(b), when the circuit body 20 is disposed in the upper case 30, the lower terminal 27 is formed so as to protrude downward Hd from the tip of an extension portion 37, which will be described later.

[0052] As shown in Figure 3(c), the insulating layer 23 is a resin layer that connects and insulates the upper conductive layer 21 and the lower conductive layer 22, which are spaced a predetermined distance apart in the height direction H, and is formed in approximately the same planar shape as the lower conductive layer 22.

[0053] The upper conductive layer 21, lower conductive layer 22 and insulating layer 23 thus formed are stacked so that both end portions in the short direction W are aligned and both ends in the longitudinal direction L of the lower conductive layer 22 and the insulating layer 23 are located inside both ends in the longitudinal direction L of the upper conductive layer 21, as shown in Figure 3(b), to form the circuit body 20.

[0054] As described above, the circuit body 20 is provided with the two through holes 24 (24a, 24b) penetrating in the height direction H and the two fixing through holes 25. Of the two through holes 24, the through hole 24 provided at one corner of the lower conductive layer 22 is referred to as the first through hole 24a, and the through hole 24 provided at a corner different from the first through hole 24a is referred to as the second through hole 24b. The first through hole 24a and the second through hole 24b are formed in a substantially perfect circle shape in a plan view having different inner diameters. In this embodiment, both of the two through holes 24 are round holes, but one of them may be an elongated hole. For example, when the first through hole 24a is a round hole and the second through hole 24b is an elongated hole, a straight line perpendicular to the center of the elongated hole of the second through hole 24b in the width direction is provided so as to pass through the center of the first through hole 24a.

[0055] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the first through hole 24a is provided at one of the four corners of the lower conductive layer 22, which corresponds to the front side La and the right side Wr, so as to penetrate the circuit body 20. The second through hole 24b is provided in a corner diagonally opposite to the corner where the first through hole 24a is provided, so as to penetrate the circuit body 20. The second through hole 24b is provided along the outer edge of the left side Wl of the upper conductive layer 21.

[0056] The fixing through-holes 25 are holes that penetrate the circuit body 20 in the height direction H in a substantially circular shape in a plan view, and are formed so that fixing screws 50 can be inserted therethrough. The fixing through-holes 25 are provided in the lower conductive layer 22, one at each of two corners different from the corners in which the first through-hole 24a and the second through-hole 24b are provided, so as to penetrate the circuit body 20. The fixing screw 50 is a screw for fixing the circuit body 20 to an upper case 30 described below, and has a threaded portion with a diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the fixing through hole 25 .

[0057] Next, a description will be given of the junction box body 10 that houses the circuit body 20. The junction box body 10 is configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape by assembling in the height direction H an upper case 30 and a lower case 40 made of resin that fit together while facing each other, and forms an accommodation space S therein for accommodating the circuit body 20.

[0058] The upper case 30 is a box body having an inverted concave shape in cross section with an opening on the lower side Hd, and as shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), is integrally formed with an upper bottom surface portion 31 which is approximately rectangular in plan view, and an upper side wall portion 32 which stands upright from the outer edge of the upper bottom surface portion 31 toward the lower side Hd.

[0059] The upper bottom surface portion 31 is a plate-like body having a predetermined thickness, and is formed in substantially the same shape as the upper conductive layer 21 in a plan view. As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), on the lower side Hd of the upper bottom surface portion 31, two protruding pins 33 (33a, 33b) protruding toward the lower side Hd, two upper fixing portions 34 into which fixing screws 50 are screwed, and a plurality of upper accommodating portions 35 for accommodating upper terminals 26 are provided integrally with the upper bottom surface portion 31.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 4(c) and 4(d), the protruding pin 33 has a shape in which a large diameter columnar portion 331 and a small diameter columnar portion 332 are stacked concentrically in this order from the upper side Hu. The large diameter cylindrical portion 331 has an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the through hole 24 of the circuit body 20, and is a cylindrical body that protrudes downward Hd from the upper bottom surface portion 31 by a length equal to the length in the height direction H of the upper sidewall portion 32. The length of the upper bottom surface portion 31 in the height direction H is longer than the plate thickness of the circuit body 20.

[0061] The small diameter cylindrical portion 332 has an outer diameter slightly smaller than that of the large diameter cylindrical portion 331, and has a length in the height direction H that is approximately equal to the plate thickness of the circuit body 20. In addition, a taper is provided at the end portion on the lower side Hd of the small diameter cylindrical portion 332.

[0062] Of the protruding pins 33 thus configured, the protruding pin 33 having the outer diameter of the small diameter cylindrical portion 332 approximately equal to the inner diameter of the first through hole 24a is referred to as the first protruding pin 33a, and the protruding pin 33 having the outer diameter of the small diameter cylindrical portion 332 approximately equal to the inner diameter of the second through hole 24b is referred to as the second protruding pin 33b.

[0063] The first protruding pin 33a and the second protruding pin 33b are arranged at positions corresponding to the location where the first through hole 24a is provided in the circuit body 20 and the location where the second through hole 24b is provided in the circuit body 20, respectively, when the circuit body 20 is arranged in the upper case 30.

[0064] In addition, when the circuit body 20 is placed in the upper case 30, the first protruding pin 33a and the second protruding pin 33b are inserted and fitted into the first through hole 24a and the second through hole 24b, respectively, and function as positioning parts that determine the position of the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30.

[0065] The upper fixing portion 34 is a cylindrical body that stands in the height direction H, and is provided with a screw hole 341 that allows the fixing screw 50 to be screwed in the center of the lower end surface. The two upper fixing portions 34 are provided on the circuit body 20 at positions corresponding to the fixing through-holes 25 when the circuit body 20 is placed in the upper case 30.

[0066] The upper accommodating portion 35 is a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates the upper terminal 26 so that it can be connected to an external connector when the circuit body 20 is accommodated in the connection box main body 10, and is provided at a position corresponding to the location where the upper terminal 26 is arranged when the circuit body 20 is accommodated in the connection box main body 10.

[0067] In detail, the upper accommodating portion 35 is formed in the shape of a wall that penetrates the upper bottom surface portion 31 and protrudes toward the lower side Hd and upper side Hu of the upper bottom surface portion 31. The upper accommodating portion 35 is erected so as to have a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, and forms a space therein for accommodating the upper terminals 26. In addition, an end portion of the lower side Hd of the upper accommodating portion 35 is configured to be located on the upper side Hu relative to an end portion of the lower side Hd of the upper side wall portion 32.

[0068] The upper sidewall portion 32 is a sidewall that stands from the outer edge of the upper base surface portion 31 at a height approximately equal to the length of the large diameter cylindrical portion 331 in the height direction H, and is formed with a thickness approximately equal to the thickness of the upper base surface portion 31. The upper sidewall portion 32 has a planar shape that is slightly smaller than a lower sidewall portion 42 of the lower case 40, which will be described later.

[0069] 5(a), a band-shaped covering portion 36 is integrally formed over substantially the entire periphery of the upper sidewall portion 32 at the center portion in the height direction H of the outer circumferential surface of the upper sidewall portion 32. The covering portion 36 is a portion that covers an end portion of the upper side Hu of the lower case 40 when the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled together.

[0070] As shown in Figure 5 (b), the covering portion 36 is integrally formed of an erect piece 361 that erects from the outer peripheral surface of the upper side wall portion 32 toward the outside of the case, and an extension piece 362 that extends from the tip of the erect piece 361 toward the downward side Hd.

[0071] The standing piece 361 has a protruding length approximately equal to the thickness of the upper sidewall portion 32 , and is formed with a thickness approximately equal to the thickness of the upper sidewall portion 32 . The extension piece 362 has a height along the height direction H that is approximately equal to one-fourth the height of the upper sidewall portion 32, and a thickness that is approximately equal to the thickness of the upper sidewall portion 32. The extension piece 362 has a planar shape that is slightly larger than the lower sidewall portion 42 of the lower case 40, which will be described later.

[0072] 5(b), the extension piece 362 configured in this manner is disposed at a distance from the upper sidewall portion 32 equal to the plate thickness of the upper sidewall portion 32. The space between the upper sidewall portion 32 and the extension piece 362 serves as a storage portion 363.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the covering portion 36 is provided with two extending portions 37 (37a, 37b) extending toward the downward side Hd, and a plurality of locking frames 38 that lock with the locking protrusions 45 described later. The extension portion 37 extends downward Hd from the tip of the standing piece 361 in place of the extension piece 362 at a predetermined location on the covering portion 36 .

[0074] In detail, as shown in Figure 5 (c), the extension portion 37 is composed of an approximately rectangular upper rectangular piece 371 extending downwardly Hd from the tip of the standing piece 361, an approximately rectangular lower rectangular piece 372 extending downwardly Hd from the lower end of the upper rectangular piece 371, a reinforcing rib 373 provided on the outer surfaces of the upper rectangular piece 371 and the lower rectangular piece 372, and an inner rib 374 provided on the inner surfaces of the upper rectangular piece 371 and the lower rectangular piece 372.

[0075] The upper rectangular piece 371 is a generally rectangular plate-like body having a long side along the height direction H, and extends from the standing piece 361 by a length generally equal to the length of the upper sidewall portion 32 in the height direction H. The upper rectangular piece 371 has a thickness generally equal to the thickness of the upper sidewall portion 32.

[0076] The lower rectangular piece 372 is a generally rectangular plate-like body having a long side in the height direction H and a narrower width than the upper rectangular piece 371, and extends further downward Hd from the lower end of the upper rectangular piece 371 by about half the length in the height direction H of the upper rectangular piece 371. In other words, the extending portion 37 extends further downward Hd than the end of the protruding pin 33 on the lower side Hd (see FIG. 5(a)). As shown in FIG. 5(d), the tip portion of the lower rectangular piece 372 is inclined so as to approach the upper sidewall portion 32 as it approaches the lower side Hd.

[0077] In addition, the reinforcing rib 373 is a rib that protrudes outward by a length approximately equal to the thickness of the upper rectangular piece 371, and is provided at the center of the width of the outer surfaces of the upper rectangular piece 371 and the lower rectangular piece 372, extending from the upper end of the upper rectangular piece 371 to the lower end of the lower rectangular piece 372.

[0078] The inner rib 374 is a rib that protrudes toward the upper side wall portion 32 from positions on the side surfaces of the upper rectangular piece 371 and the lower rectangular piece 372 of the upper side wall portion 32 corresponding to both ends and the center of the width of the lower rectangular piece 372, and protrudes a length equal to the plate thickness of the upper side wall portion 32.

[0079] 5(d), an inclined portion 375 is provided at the end of the lower side Hd of the inner rib 374, inclined so as to move away from the upper sidewall portion 32 as it approaches the lower side Hd. In other words, the tip portion of the extension portion 37 has a tapered shape in cross section. A part of the tip portion of the inner rib 374 is connected to the outer circumferential surface of the upper side wall portion 32 .

[0080] The two extensions 37 are provided at different positions on the covering portion 36. The extension 37 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper sidewall portion 32 corresponding to the corner portion on the front side La of the long side of the left side Wl of the upper bottom surface portion 31 is defined as the first extension 37a, and the extension 37 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper sidewall portion 32 corresponding to the corner portion on the right side Wr of the short side of the rear side Lb of the upper bottom surface portion 31 is defined as the second extension 37b. In other words, the second extension 37b is provided on the upper sidewall portion 32 in a direction intersecting with the upper sidewall portion 32 on which the first extension 37a is provided (see FIG. 4(a)).

[0081] The locking frame 38, which engages with the locking protrusion 45 of the lower case 40 described later and functions as the locking fixing part 60, is a U-shaped frame body with an open upper side Hu when viewed from outside the case of the upper side wall portion 32, and extends toward the lower side Hd.

[0082] A total of six locking frames 38 are provided, two on each outer peripheral surface of the upper side wall portion 32 corresponding to the longitudinal direction L sides of the upper bottom surface portion 31, and one on each outer peripheral surface of the upper side wall portion 32 corresponding to the transverse direction W sides of the upper bottom surface portion 31.

[0083] The lower case 40, which constitutes the connection box main body 10 together with the above-mentioned upper case 30, is a box body having a concave cross-sectional shape with an opening on the upper side Hu, and is integrally formed with a bottom surface portion 41 and a lower side wall portion 42 that stands upright from the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 41 toward the upper side Hu, as shown in Figures 2 and 6(a).

[0084] The bottom surface portion 41 is a plate-like body formed to be slightly larger than the upper bottom surface portion 31 of the upper case 30. In addition, the bottom surface portion 41 is formed to have a thickness substantially equal to that of the upper bottom surface portion 31. More specifically, when viewed in a plan view, the bottom surface portion 41 is larger toward the outside of the case than the outer periphery of the upper bottom surface portion 31 by an amount approximately equal to the thickness of the upper side wall portion 32, and is smaller than the outer periphery of the covering portion 36 by an amount approximately equal to the thickness of the upper side wall portion 32.

[0085] On the upper side Hu of the bottom portion 41, i.e., the surface of the lower case 40 facing the upper case 30, a plurality of lower accommodating portions 43 for inserting electronic components such as connectors are provided integrally with the bottom portion 41.

[0086] The lower accommodating portion 43 is a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates the lower terminal 27 so that it can be connected to an external connector when the circuit body 20 is accommodated in the connection box main body 10, and is provided at a position corresponding to the location where the lower terminal 27 is arranged when the circuit body 20 is accommodated in the connection box main body 10 (see Figures 6(a) and 6(b)).

[0087] The lower accommodating portion 43 is formed in a wall shape penetrating the bottom surface portion 41 and protruding toward the lower side Hd and the upper side Hu of the bottom surface portion 41 (see FIG. 7(a)). The lower accommodating portion 43 is erected so as to have a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, and a space for accommodating the lower terminals 27 is formed inside the wall.

[0088] The height of the lower accommodating portion 43 from the bottom surface portion 41 toward the upper side Hu is approximately equal to the length in the height direction H of the lower terminal 27. Furthermore, the end of the upper side Hu of the lower accommodating portion 43 is provided so as to be spaced apart from the end of the upper side Hu of the inserted portion 44 described later by a distance greater than the difference in position in the height direction H between the tip of the extending portion 37 and the tip of the lower terminal 27.

[0089] As shown in Figures 6(a) and 7(b), two insertion portions 44 that pass through the extension portions 37 and a plurality of locking protrusions 45 that protrude toward the outside of the case are provided integrally with the lower side wall portion 42 on the outer circumferential surface of the lower side wall portion 42.

[0090] The inserted portion 44 is a hollow, generally rectangular columnar body having an opening on the upper side Hu and a bottom surface on the lower side Hd. In detail, as shown in Figures 7(c) and 7(d), the inserted portion 44 is composed of a pair of lower upright pieces 441 protruding from the lower side wall portion 42 toward the outside of the case, a lower connecting piece 442 connecting the tips of the pair of lower upright pieces 441 along the lower side wall portion 42, and a bottom portion 443 forming the bottom surface.

[0091] The lower standing piece 441 is a protruding piece that protrudes from the lower sidewall portion 42 by a length approximately equal to the plate thickness of the extending portion 37, and has a length along the height direction H obtained by subtracting the height direction H of the extending piece 362 from the length of the height direction H of the extending portion 37. In addition, the lower standing piece 441 has a thickness approximately equal to the thickness of the lower sidewall portion 42. The lower standing pieces 441 thus configured are provided in pairs at a distance substantially equal to the lateral width of the upper rectangular piece 371 .

[0092] The lower connecting piece 442 connects the tips of the paired lower standing pieces 441 from the end on the upper side Hu to the end on the lower side Hd along the height direction H. A protrusion 444 is provided in the center between the pair of lower standing pieces 441 in the lower connecting piece 442 configured in this manner, protruding toward the outside of the case.

[0093] The protruding portion 444 is provided at the center of the lower connecting piece 442 protruding toward the outside of the case, from the end of the upper side Hu to the end of the lower side Hd at the width center of the lower connecting piece 442. The protruding amount of the protruding portion 444 protruding from the lower connecting piece 442 to the outside of the case is approximately equal to the protruding amount of the reinforcing rib 373. That is, a recessed portion 445 that can be engaged with the reinforcing rib 373 when the extending portion 37 is inserted into the inserted portion 44 is formed on the inner surface of the lower connecting piece 442.

[0094] The inserted portion 44 thus configured is provided at a predetermined distance from the end of the upper side Hu of the lower sidewall portion 42, as shown in FIG. 7(c). Further, at a location on the lower side wall portion 42 corresponding to the inserted portion 44, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(c), a notch 46 is provided by cutting out the upper side Hu of the lower side wall portion 42 in the plate thickness direction.

[0095] When viewed from inside the case of the upper side wall portion 32, the notch 46 is a substantially rectangular notch with its long side in the height direction H, and has a width that is approximately equal to the width of the lower rectangular piece 372 and a depth that is approximately equal to the length in the height direction H of the extension portion 37.

[0096] In addition, the notch 46 is provided at the end of the upper side Hu of the lower side wall portion 42 in which the inserted portion 44 is arranged, and is arranged so that the widthwise center of the notch 46 and the widthwise center of the inserted portion 44 are on the same straight line in the height direction H. The lower side wall portion 42 provided with the above-described notches 46 protrudes further than the pair of lower standing pieces 441 on the inner side in the width direction of the lower standing pieces 441 .

[0097] The aforementioned inserted portions 44 are provided at positions corresponding to the first extending portion 37a and the second extending portion 37b when the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled. Here, the inserted portion 44 through which the first extending portion 37a is inserted is referred to as the first inserted portion 44a, and the inserted portion 44 through which the second extending portion 37b is inserted is referred to as the second inserted portion 44b.

[0098] The locking protrusion 45 is a convex portion that protrudes toward the outside of the case from a location on the lower side wall portion 42 corresponding to the locking frame 38 when the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled, and is formed so as to be able to lock with the locking frame 38.

[0099] Next, a procedure for assembling the above-mentioned electric junction box 1 will be briefly described. First, the surface of the upper side Hu of the circuit body 20, i.e., the upper conductive layer 21, is opposed to the surface of the lower side Hd of the upper bottom surface portion 31 of the upper case 30, and the circuit body 20 and the upper case 30 are moved close to each other.

[0100] Here, since the extension portion 37 protrudes further downward Hd than the protruding pin 33, before the protruding pin 33 provided on the upper case 30 is inserted into the through hole 24 formed in the circuit body 20, the outer edge of the circuit body 20 can be abutted against the inside of the case of the extension portion 37, i.e., the inner rib 374, and the circuit body 20 can be moved closer to the upper case 30.

[0101] Furthermore, an inclined portion 375 is provided at an end portion on the lower side Hd of the inner rib 374, inclined so as to move away from the upper sidewall portion 32 as it approaches the lower side Hd. That is, the end portion on the lower side Hd of the inner rib 374 is disposed slightly outside the outer circumferential surface of the upper sidewall portion 32. For this reason, when the circuit body 20 is disposed in the upper case 30 along the height direction H, it is possible to guide the circuit body 20 into the upper case 30 while preventing the inner rib 374 from hitting the main surface of the circuit body 20.

[0102] Next, the circuit body 20 and the upper case 30 are further moved until the first protruding pin 33a and the second protruding pin 33b are inserted and fitted into the first through hole 24a and the second through hole 24b. Here, the first protruding pin 33a and the second protruding pin 33b are located at diagonally corresponding positions to each other on the surface of the lower side Hd of the upper bottom surface portion 31, and are arranged along the outer edge of the upper bottom surface portion 31. Therefore, by inserting and fitting the first protruding pin 33a and the second protruding pin 33b, which are spaced apart from each other, into the first through hole 24a and the second through hole 24b, it is possible to position the circuit body 20 at a desired position relative to the upper case 30. Therefore, the circuit body 20 can be positioned with high precision relative to the upper case 30.

[0103] With the circuit body 20 positioned relative to the upper case 30 in this manner, the fixing screw 50 is screwed into the fixing through hole 25. At this time, the screw-engagement hole 341 of the upper case 30 and the fixing through hole 25 of the circuit body 20 are in communication with each other, so that they can be fixed to each other by the fixing screw 50 (see FIG. 8(b)). The circuit body 20 fixed to the upper case 30 in this manner is disposed at the lower end of the upper sidewall portion 32.

[0104] Next, the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are moved closer to each other so as to close the opening of the upper case 30 in which the circuit body 20 is arranged, and the extending portion 37 is inserted into the inserted portion 44 . Here, since the notch 46 is provided on the case inner side of the inserted portion 44 in the lower side wall portion 42, the extending portion 37 can be easily inserted into the inserted portion 44.

[0105] More specifically, a notch 46 is provided on the case inside of the inserted portion 44, cut out from an end of the upper side Hu of the lower sidewall portion 42 along the height direction H. Therefore, it is not necessary to insert the lower rectangular piece 372 into a closed space in a plan view, and the lower rectangular piece 372 can be easily inserted into the inserted portion 44.

[0106] In addition, the lower rectangular piece 372 can be inserted into the insertion portion 44 while pressing the outer surface thereof against the inner wall of the lower connecting piece 442. This allows the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 to be easily moved along the height direction H.

[0107] Furthermore, notches 46 are provided in each of the lower side wall portions 42 corresponding to two perpendicular sides of the bottom surface portion 41, and guide the insertion of the extension portion 37 into the inserted portion 44 from two directions, that is, along the short direction W and along the long direction L, making insertion easier.

[0108] More specifically, the upper case 30 is moved downward Hd while pressing the outer surface of the lower rectangular piece 372 to the left side Wl and rear side Lb against the inner wall of the lower connecting piece 442, thereby allowing the extending portion 37 to be inserted into the inserted portion 44. This allows the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 to be moved easily and reliably along the height direction H.

[0109] Next, upper case 30 and lower case 40 are moved closer to each other along height direction H. As a result, upper rectangular piece 371 is inserted into insertion portion 44, and upper rectangular piece 371 and insertion portion 44 are fitted together, and locking frame 38 and locking protrusion 45 are locked together, allowing upper case 30 and lower case 40 to be assembled.

[0110] Specifically, the end faces of the lower side wall portion 42 located at both ends of the width of the notch 46 fit into the corners formed by both ends of the upper rectangular piece 371 and the inner rib 374. This allows the extension portion 37 to be easily inserted into the insertion portion 44 (see FIG. 9(c)).

[0111] 9(c), the reinforcing rib 373 fits into the recess 445. Since the outer surface of the extension 37 and the inner surface of the lower sidewall 42 fit together in a complex shape, the lower case 40 can be prevented from moving relative to the upper case 30.

[0112] The two pairs of extending portions 37 and inserted portions 44 that fit together in this manner are provided on each pair of side surfaces of the junction box body 10 corresponding to two perpendicular sides in a plan view. In other words, because they fit together in two directions, that is, along the short side direction W and along the long side direction L, movement of the lower case 40 relative to the upper case 30 can be reliably prevented.

[0113] Furthermore, the protruding pins 33 and the extending portions 37 are disposed at locations corresponding to different corners in a plan view, and are disposed so that an imaginary line L1 connecting the protruding pins 33 and an imaginary line L2 connecting the extending portions 37 intersect (see FIG. 8(a)). This makes it possible to restrict the positions of the lower case 40 and the upper case 30 at the location where the error from the desired position of the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30 is the largest, thereby making it possible to position the circuit body 20 at a desired position relative to the lower case 40.

[0114] 10(c), at the stage when extension portion 37 begins to be inserted into insertion portion 44, an end portion on the lower side Hd of lower terminal 27 and an end portion on the upper side Hu of insertion portion 44 are separated by distance d. That is, since lower terminal 27 is accommodated in lower accommodating portion 43 after circuit body 20 is positioned relative to lower case 40, interference between lower terminal 27 and insertion portion 44 can be prevented at the assembly stage.

[0115] More specifically, distance d becomes 0 at the stage when lower rectangular piece 372 starts to be inserted into inserted portion 44. As described above, until lower side wall portion 42 fits into a part of extending portion 37 and is securely positioned, interference between lower terminal 27 and inserted portion 44 can be prevented by separating them by distance d, even if an error occurs in the in-plane direction.

[0116] By assembling in the above-mentioned procedure, the protruding pin 33 can determine the position of the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30, and the position of the lower case 40 can be regulated relative to the upper case 30 via the extending portion 37 and the inserted portion 44. In other words, the position of the circuit body 20 can be regulated relative to the lower case 40 via the upper case 30. Therefore, the electrical junction box 1 can be assembled in which the circuit body 20 is precisely accommodated in the desired position in the accommodation space S of the junction box body 10.

[0117] In other words, the electrical junction box 1 is configured by assembling the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 along the height direction H, and accommodates the circuit body 20 in an accommodation space S formed inside the upper case 30 and the lower case 40. The movement of the circuit body 20 arranged in the upper case 30 in the longitudinal direction L and the lateral direction W is restricted by a protruding pin 33 erected from the upper bottom surface portion 31 toward the lower case 40. In addition, the movement of the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 in the longitudinal direction L and the lateral direction W is restricted by an extending portion 37 and an inserted portion 44.

[0118] In addition, since the notches 46 are provided at locations corresponding to the inner ribs 374 when the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled together, erroneous assembly of the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 can be prevented. More specifically, when the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled together, the inner rib 374 fits into the notch 46, allowing the extending portion 37 to be inserted into the inserted portion 44. Meanwhile, a case will be described in which the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled together after the lower case 40 has been rotated 180° relative to the upper case 30 about an axis along the height direction H. In this case, since the notch 46 is not provided at a position corresponding to the inner rib 374 in the upper case 30 rotated 180°, the inner rib 374 interferes with the lower side wall portion 42. This makes it possible to prevent erroneous assembly of the upper case 30 and the lower case 40.

[0119] When the electrical connection box 1 configured in this manner is to connect, for example, a female terminal of a mating connector as an electrical component to the lower terminal 27 provided on the lower conductive layer 22, the female terminal can be inserted into the lower accommodating portion 43 from the lower side Hd, and the female terminal is aligned relative to the lower terminal 27, so that electrical connection can be made with external electrical equipment (not shown).

[0120] The electrical junction box 1 thus configured includes a circuit body 20 and a junction box body 10 having an accommodation space S for accommodating the circuit body 20. The junction box body 10 includes an upper case 30 having an opening and in which the circuit body 20 is disposed, and a lower case 40 that is assembled to the upper case 30 and closes the opening. The upper case 30 is provided with a protruding pin 33 that determines the position of the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30, and the junction box body 10 is provided with an extending portion 37 and an inserted portion 44 that regulate the position of the lower case 40 relative to the upper case 30.

[0121] This allows the circuit body 20 to be accommodated in the junction box body 10 with high precision. More specifically, the protruding pin 33 can determine the position of the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30, so that the circuit body 20 can be accurately positioned relative to the upper case 30. In addition, the position of the lower case 40 can be regulated relative to the upper case 30 via the extending portion 37 and the inserted portion 44, so that the position of the lower case 40 can be regulated relative to the upper case 30 with high accuracy.

[0122] In this way, by separately positioning the circuit body 20 and the lower case 40 relative to the upper case 30, each can be accurately disposed at a desired position. That is, the circuit body 20 can be accurately positioned relative to the lower case 40 via the upper case 30. Therefore, the circuit body 20 can be accurately accommodated at a desired position in the junction box body 10. As a result, for example, the lower terminals 27 provided on the circuit body 20 can be accommodated at a desired position without interfering with the lower accommodating portion 43, and when a connector is connected to the lower terminals 27 from the outside, the lower terminals 27 can be electrically connected to the connector without interfering with each other.

[0123] The circuit body 20 is provided with a through hole 24 that penetrates in the height direction H in which the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled. The upper case 30 is provided with an upper bottom surface portion 31 that faces the opening. The protruding pin 33 protrudes from the upper bottom surface portion 31 toward the opening, and when the circuit body 20 is accommodated in the accommodation space S, it fits into the through hole 24 to position the circuit body 20.

[0124] This makes it possible to position the circuit body 20 at a desired position in the upper case 30 with a simple structure in which the protruding pin 33 protrudes from the upper bottom surface portion 31 toward the opening and is fitted into the through hole 24 provided in the circuit body 20.

[0125] Furthermore, the protruding pin 33 can be made shorter than when not only the upper case 30 and the circuit body 20 but also the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are positioned via the protruding pin 33. This makes it possible to suppress deformation such as warping of the protruding pin 33, and makes the protruding pin 33 less likely to break even if it interferes with the circuit body 20 when being inserted into the through hole 24. This allows the upper case 30 and the circuit body 20 to be positioned more accurately and reliably.

[0126] Furthermore, instead of increasing the outer diameter of the long protruding pin 33 to prevent damage, the length of the protruding pin 33 can be shortened without changing the outer diameter. Therefore, the upper case 30 and the circuit body 20 can be positioned with high accuracy without reducing the internal area of ​​the circuit body 20.

[0127] Moreover, when the circuit body 20 is accommodated in the accommodation space S, the protruding pin 33 protrudes to a position where it is inserted into the through hole 24 . As a result, the circuit body 20 can be easily positioned relative to the upper case 30 simply by inserting the protruding pin 33 into the through hole 24. In addition, since the length of the protruding pin 33 can be restricted to approximately the same as the distance between the upper bottom surface portion 31 and the circuit body 20, deformation such as warping of the protruding pin 33 can be further suppressed. As a result, the accuracy of positioning the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30 can be further improved.

[0128] In addition, the circuit body 20 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the through hole 24 has a first through hole 24a provided in a corner portion of the circuit body 20 and a second through hole 24b provided at a location along the outer edge of one of the two sides other than the two sides forming the corner portion, and the protruding pins 33 are provided at positions corresponding to the first through hole 24a and the second through hole 24b when the circuit body 20 is arranged in the upper case 30.

[0129] As a result, the protruding pins 33 are provided so as to fit into the through holes 24 that are spaced apart from each other. That is, the protruding pins 33 are provided at a predetermined interval from each other. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of positioning the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30.

[0130] In addition, since the second through holes 24b are provided along the diagonal direction of the corner portion, it is possible to set a longer interval between the protruding pins 33. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of positioning the circuit body 20 with respect to the upper case 30.

[0131] In addition, the extension portion 37 extends in the height direction H in which the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled, and is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper side wall portion 32, and the insertion portion 44, through which the extension portion 37 is inserted, is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 42.

[0132] This makes it possible to regulate the position of the lower case 40 relative to the upper case 30 with a simple structure in which the extending portion 37 extending in one direction is inserted into the inserted portion 44. In addition, since the extending portion 37 and the inserted portion 44 are provided on the outer circumferential surface of the junction box body 10, the size of the accommodation space S that accommodates the circuit body 20 can be maintained.

[0133] In addition, the connection box main body 10 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed in a plane, and the extension portion 37 has a first extension portion 37a provided on the upper side wall portion 32 corresponding to one of the two sides forming a corner portion of the upper bottom surface portion 31, and a second extension portion 37b provided on the upper side wall portion 32 corresponding to two sides other than the two sides forming the corner portion and along the diagonal direction of the corner portion, and the inserted portion 44 is provided at a position corresponding to the first extension portion 37a and the second extension portion 37b. This allows the extending portions 37 to be spaced apart at a predetermined distance, so that the positions of the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 can be regulated with high precision.

[0134] Further, the extending portion 37 abuts against the outer peripheral edge of the circuit body 20 . This makes it possible to prevent the circuit body 20 from moving in a planar direction relative to the upper case 30 when the circuit body 20 is disposed in the upper case 30 .

[0135] Further, an inclined portion 375 is provided at the inner end of the extension portion 37 in the main body of the upper case 30, the inclined portion 375 being inclined outward as it approaches the lower side Hd. As a result, the tip portion of the extending portion 37 is disposed outside the outer edge of the circuit body 20 when the circuit body 20 is disposed in the upper case 30. Therefore, when disposing the circuit body 20 in the upper case 30, it is possible to prevent the tip portion of the extending portion 37 from interfering with the main surface of the circuit body 20, and it is possible to prevent the circuit body 20 from being damaged.

[0136] The second extending portion 37b is provided on the upper sidewall portion 32 in a direction intersecting with the upper sidewall portion 32 on which the first extending portion 37a is provided. This makes it possible to regulate the position of the lower case 40 relative to the upper case 30 from two directions, so that the positions of the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 can be more reliably regulated.

[0137] In addition, the circuit body 20 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the through hole 24 has a first through hole 24a provided in a corner portion of the circuit body 20 and a second through hole 24b provided on the outer edge of one of the two sides other than the two sides forming the corner portion and at a location along the diagonal direction of the corner portion.When the circuit body 20 is arranged in the upper case 30, the protruding pin 33 is provided at a position corresponding to the first through hole 24a and the second through hole 24b, and the first extension portion 37a is provided in the upper side wall portion 32 corresponding to an adjacent corner portion of the corner portion of the upper bottom surface portion 31 adjacent to the corner where the first through hole 24a is provided.

[0138] As a result, the protruding pins 33 are provided in pairs at a predetermined interval along the diagonal direction, and the extending portions 37 are provided in pairs at a predetermined interval along a direction intersecting the diagonal direction. This makes it possible to regulate the positions of the circuit body 20 and the lower case 40 relative to the upper case 30 in directions intersecting each other. In other words, the position of the lower case 40 can be regulated relative to the upper case 30 at a location where the error of the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30 is the largest, thereby reducing deviation of the circuit body 20 from a desired position relative to the lower case 40. This makes it possible to further improve the accuracy of positioning the circuit body 20 relative to the junction box body 10.

[0139] Further, the extending portion 37 extends further toward the lower case 40 side than the tip of the protruding pin 33 . As a result, before the protruding pin 33 provided on the upper case 30 is inserted into the through hole 24 formed in the circuit body 20, the circuit body 20 can be disposed in the upper case 30 by aligning the outer edge of the circuit body 20 with the extending portion 37. That is, the circuit body 20 can be guided to a desired position in the accommodation space S by using the extending portion 37. Therefore, interference between the circuit body 20 and the protruding pin 33 can be prevented, and the efficiency of the operation of disposing the circuit body 20 in the upper case 30 can be improved.

[0140] Further, the extending portion 37 is provided with a reinforcing rib 373 along the height direction H. This can improve the rigidity of the extending portion 37, and therefore can prevent the extending portion 37 from unintentionally interfering with and damaging the inserted portion 44 or other members.

[0141] Furthermore, even when the outer edge of the circuit body 20 is brought into contact with the extending portion 37 in order to place the circuit body 20 in the upper case 30, damage to the extending portion 37 can be suppressed. Therefore, the circuit body 20 can be more reliably guided to the upper case 30 by the extending portion 37.

[0142] Also, notches 46 are provided to guide extending portion 37 to inserted portion 44. This allows extending portion 37 to be guided to inserted portion 44, making it easy to insert extending portion 37 into inserted portion 44. This improves the efficiency of the work of assembling upper case 30 and lower case 40.

[0143] In addition, when the circuit body 20 is accommodated in the connection box main body 10, the circuit body 20 is provided with a lower terminal 27 that stands upright toward the lower case 40, and the lower case 40 is provided with a lower accommodating portion 43 that accommodates the lower terminal 27 inside, and the lower terminal 27 is arranged so as to have a predetermined distance d between the end of the lower accommodating portion 43 on the circuit body 20 side when the extension portion 37 is inserted into the insertion portion 44.

[0144] As a result, when the lower case 40 is assembled to the upper case 30, the extending portion 37 is inserted into the inserted portion 44 before the lower terminal 27 is accommodated inside the lower accommodating portion 43. In other words, since the lower case 40 and the circuit body 20 can be positioned before the lower terminal 27 is accommodated inside the lower accommodating portion 43, it is possible to prevent the lower terminal 27 from interfering with the lower accommodating portion 43.

[0145] In the configuration of the present invention and the correspondence with the above-mentioned embodiment, The electrical junction box of the present invention corresponds to the electrical junction box 1 of the embodiment, Similarly, The circuit body corresponds to the circuit body 20, The storage space corresponds to storage space S, The junction box body corresponds to the junction box body 10, The first case corresponds to the upper case 30, The second case corresponds to the lower case 40, The positioning portion corresponds to the protruding pin 33, The case restriction portion corresponds to the extension portion 37 and the insertion portion 44, The installation direction corresponds to the height direction H, The through hole corresponds to the through hole 24, The bottom surface portion corresponds to the upper bottom surface portion 31, The protruding pin corresponds to the protruding pin 33, The first through hole corresponds to the first through hole 24a, The second through hole corresponds to the second through hole 24b, The extension corresponds to the extension 37. The inserted portion corresponds to the inserted portion 44, The outer peripheral surface of the first case corresponds to the upper side wall portion 32, The outer peripheral surface of the second case corresponds to the lower side wall portion 42, The first extending portion corresponds to the first extending portion 37a, The second extending portion corresponds to the second extending portion 37b, The inclined portion corresponds to the inclined portion 375, The reinforcing rib corresponds to the reinforcing rib 373. The guide corresponds to the notch 46. The terminal corresponds to the lower terminal 27, The terminal insertion opening corresponds to the lower housing portion 43, The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and many other embodiments can be obtained.

[0146] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the circuit body 20 is configured as a laminated substrate, but it may be configured by laminating insulating plates sandwiched between bus bars, or may be a double-sided substrate. Moreover, although the circuit body 20 has been formed in a rectangular shape, it may be a rectangular body with a part cut out, or a rectangular body with chamfered corners.

[0147] In addition, in the junction box body 10, the first case is the upper case 30 and the second case is the lower case 40, but the first case may be the lower case 40 and the second case may be the upper case 30. In this case, the protruding pin 33 is provided on the lower case 40, and the circuit body 20 is placed in the lower case 40, and then the upper case 30 and the lower case 40 are assembled. In this case, the extending portion 37 may be provided on the lower side wall portion 42, and the inserted portion 44 may be provided on the upper side wall portion 32.

[0148] Furthermore, although the junction box body 10 is configured as two parts, the upper case 30 and the lower case 40, it may be configured as three parts, the upper case 30, the center case, and the lower case 40. For example, the first case may be the upper case 30 connected to the center case, and the second case may be the lower case 40 that closes the opening of the upper case 30 connected to the center case.

[0149] Furthermore, although the circuit body 20 is configured to be disposed at the lower end of the upper sidewall portion 32 of the upper case 30, it may be configured to be housed inside the upper case 30. In this case, the inner surface of the extension portion 37, i.e., the tip of the inner rib 374 and the inner surface of the upper sidewall portion 32 may be provided so as to be flush with each other, and the circuit body 20 may be placed in the upper case 30 with the outer edge of the circuit body 20 abutting against the tip of the inner rib 374. In other words, the inserted portion 44 can be used to guide the circuit body 20 to a desired position in the housing space S.

[0150] In addition, the protruding pin 33 protrudes from the upper bottom surface portion 31 toward the opening and engages with the through hole 24 provided in the circuit body 20 to position the circuit body 20 relative to the upper case 30, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the protruding pin 33 may be engaged with a recess provided in the circuit body 20 to regulate the position.

[0151] In addition, the shape of the protruding pin 33 is cylindrical, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be a conical or truncated conical pin, and when there are multiple protruding pins 33, they may have different shapes and lengths.

[0152] Furthermore, the protruding pin 33 is configured such that the diameter of the small diameter columnar portion 332 is approximately equal to the diameter of the through hole 24, but is not limited thereto. For example, the protruding pin 33 may be configured to be directly or indirectly fitted into the through hole 24, and includes a configuration in which the protruding pin 33 is fitted into the through hole 24 when the circuit body 20 is accommodated in the accommodation space S, a configuration in which a part of the protruding pin 33 is inserted to lock the circuit body 20 in a direction intersecting the plate thickness direction, and a configuration in which the protruding pin 33 is disposed opposite the through hole 24 and another member such as a screw member is fitted into the circuit body 20 to fit into the protruding pin 33.

[0153] In addition, the protruding pin 33 may be configured to restrict relative movement of the circuit body 20 in the height direction H with respect to the upper case 30, in addition to in the directions intersecting the height direction H (the longitudinal direction L and the lateral direction W). For example, in order to lock the circuit body 20 in the height direction H with respect to the protruding pin 33, the tip of the protruding pin 33 may be provided with a screw member that screws into the tip of the through hole 24, a locking claw that locks onto the edge of the through hole 24, or the like.

[0154] In addition, the tip of the protruding pin 33 is configured to be flush with the main surface of the lower side Hd of the circuit body 20, but this is not limited thereto. The tip of the protruding pin 33 may be configured to have a length that causes it to protrude slightly from the main surface of the lower side Hd of the circuit body 20, or to remain inside the circuit body 20. However, in order to suppress deformation such as warping, it is preferable that the protruding pin 33 does not protrude too far from the main surface of the lower side Hd of the circuit body 20.

[0155] In addition, although the upper case 30 is provided with the protruding pin 33 and the circuit body 20 is arranged on the upper case 30 before the lower case 40 is assembled, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lower case 40 may be provided with the protruding pin 33 and the upper case 30 may be assembled after the circuit body 20 is arranged on the lower case 40. In this case, the lower sidewall 42 may be provided with the extending portion 37 and the upper sidewall 32 may be provided with the inserted portion 44.

[0156] In addition, the case restricting portion is configured such that the extending portion 37 is inserted into the inserted portion 44, but is not limited thereto. For example, the case restricting portion may be configured such that the end faces of the outer circumferential surface of the upper case 30 and the outer circumferential surface of the lower case 40 are engaged with each other or fitted together in a concave-convex manner.

[0157] In addition, while the extending portion 37 is provided on the upper case 30 in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the extending portion 37 may be provided on the lower case 40 and the inserted portion 44 may be provided on the upper case 30, or the extending portion 37 may be provided on both the upper case 30 and the lower case 40. In the former case, the protruding pin 33 may be provided on the lower case 40, and the upper case 30 may be assembled after the circuit body 20 is placed on the lower case 40. In the latter case, the protruding pin 33 may be provided on either the upper case 30 or the lower case 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 1...Electrical junction box 10…Connection box body 20...Circuit body 24...Through hole 24a...first through hole 24b…Second through hole 27…Lower terminal 30…Upper case 31...Top bottom part 32...Upper side wall 33…Protruding pin 37...Extending part 373…Reinforcing rib 375…Slope part 37a...first extension part 37b...Second extension part 40…Lower case 42...Lower side wall 43…Lower storage section 44…Penetrated part 46…Notch S: Storage space H: Height direction

Claims

1. An electric connection box including a circuit body and a connection box body having an accommodation space for accommodating the circuit body, the connection box body has an opening, and includes a first case in which the circuit body is disposed, and a second case that is assembled to the first case to close the opening, a positioning portion that determines a position of the circuit body relative to the first case is provided on the first case, The connection box body is provided with a case restriction portion that restricts the position of the second case relative to the first case. Electrical junction box.

2. the circuit body is provided with a through hole penetrating in an assembly direction in which the first case and the second case are assembled, The first case has a bottom surface facing the opening, The positioning portion is configured by a protruding pin that protrudes from the bottom surface portion toward the opening and fits into the through hole.

2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1.

3. The protruding pin protrudes to a position where it is inserted into the through hole when the circuit body is accommodated in the accommodation space.

3. The electrical junction box according to claim 2.

4. The circuit body is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, the through hole includes a first through hole provided at a corner portion of the circuit body, and a second through hole provided at a location along an outer edge of one of two sides other than the two sides that form the corner portion, The protruding pin is provided at a position corresponding to the first through hole and the second through hole in a state in which the circuit body is disposed in the first case.

3. The electrical junction box according to claim 2.

5. The second through hole is provided along a diagonal direction of the corner portion.

5. The electrical junction box according to claim 4.

6. The case regulation portion is an extension portion extending in an assembly direction in which the first case and the second case are assembled; and an insertion portion through which the extension portion is inserted, The extension portion is provided to extend from an outer circumferential surface of one of the first case and the second case toward the other, The inserted portion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the other of the two.

2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1.

7. The case regulation portion is An extension portion extending in the assembly direction; and an insertion portion through which the extension portion is inserted, The extension portion is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the first case, The insertion portion is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the second case.

3. The electrical junction box according to claim 2.

8. The connection box body is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, The extension portion includes a first extension portion provided on an outer peripheral surface corresponding to one of two sides forming a corner portion of the bottom surface portion; a second extension portion provided on an outer peripheral surface along a diagonal direction of the corner portion, the second extension portion corresponding to two sides different from the two sides forming the corner portion; The inserted portion is provided at a position corresponding to the first extending portion and the second extending portion.

8. The electrical junction box according to claim 7.

9. The extension portion abuts against an outer periphery of the circuit body.

9. The electrical junction box according to claim 8.

10. The extending portion has an inclined portion at an inner end of the case body, the inclined portion being inclined outward as it approaches the assembly direction.

10. The electrical junction box according to claim 9.

11. The second extension portion is provided on an outer peripheral surface in a direction intersecting the outer peripheral surface on which the first extension portion is provided.

9. The electrical junction box according to claim 8.

12. The circuit body is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, the through hole includes a first through hole provided in a corner portion of the circuit body, and a second through hole provided in an outer edge of one of two sides other than the two sides that form the corner portion and at a location along a diagonal direction of the corner portion, In a state where the circuit body is disposed in the first case, The protruding pin is provided at a position corresponding to the first through hole and the second through hole, The first extension portion is provided on an outer peripheral surface corresponding to an adjacent corner portion of the bottom surface portion adjacent to the corner where the first through hole is provided.

12. The electrical junction box according to claim 8.

13. The extension portion extends toward the second case side beyond the tip of the protruding pin.

11. The electrical junction box according to claim 9 or 10.

14. The extension portion is provided with a reinforcing rib along the assembly direction.

8. The electrical junction box according to claim 7.

15. A guide portion is provided to guide the extending portion to the inserted portion.

8. The electrical junction box according to claim 7.

16. The circuit body is provided with a terminal that stands toward the second case when the circuit body is housed in the connection box body, the second case is provided with a terminal insertion hole through which a part of the terminal is inserted in the assembly direction in an assembled state, The tip of the terminal and the terminal insertion hole are disposed at a predetermined distance from each other in the assembly direction at a stage when the extension portion starts to be inserted into the inserted portion.

8. The electrical junction box according to claim 7.

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