Electric connection box and harness arrangement structure

Abstract

To provide an electric connection box and a harness arrangement structure, capable of wiring a wire harness to an external part of a box and suppressing a pressure of an electric wire housed in the box.SOLUTION: An electric connection box 10 is constructed by a lower cover 30 and a center case 40 assembled in a box shape, and an upper cover 50 mounted to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40. In the lower cover 30, a bottom surface part 31 that faces a body panel P is provided when attached to the body panel P. A wiring path 33 is formed in the bottom surface part 31 so that a part thereof is recessed and enables a wire harness 20 to be routed. A projection body 37 and a leg body part 421 that regulate movement of the wire harness 20 routed in the wiring path 33 with respect to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 are provided. The wiring path 33 is provided along an outer edge of the bottom surface part 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, an electrical connection box mounted on a vehicle and a harness wiring structure.

Background Art

[0002] A wire harness that transmits electric power and control signals to electrical components mounted on a vehicle is routed by being curved two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally along a desired routing path. In recent years, for the improvement of safety and comfort, the number of electrical components mounted on vehicles has been increasing, and the living space has also been expanding. For this reason, the wiring space for routing the wire harness is limited, and the routing path is also complicated by being affected by other members arranged around it.

[0003] In response to such narrowing of the wiring space, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connection box having a concave harness wiring path that is recessed inward near the center of the bottom surface of a box-shaped case body. The electrical connection box disclosed in this Patent Document 1 can form a wiring path for routing a wire harness near the center of the bottom surface of the case body when mounted on a vehicle. Therefore, it is said that the wire harness that would originally have bypassed the electrical connection box can be routed along a short path without bypassing.

[0004] However, in the electrical connection box disclosed in Patent Document 1, the harness wiring path that is concave on the bottom surface protrudes inward inside the case body. Also, near the center of the bottom surface where this harness wiring path is provided, a large number of electric wires are concentrated inside the case body. For this reason, there is a risk that the electric wires may be compressed by the harness wiring path protruding inward, or that the compressed electric wires may interfere with each other unnecessarily, resulting in problems such as the generation of abnormal noises and damage to the electric wires.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection box and a harness wiring structure that can route a wire harness outside the box and suppress compression of the electric wires housed inside the box.

MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0007] The present invention is an electrical connection box composed of a box-shaped case body and a cover attached to the case body, wherein the case body is provided with an opposing surface that opposes the attachment member when attached to the attachment member, and the opposing surface is provided with a harness wiring path formed by partially recessing, through which a wire harness can be routed. The case body is provided with a restricting portion that restricts movement of the wire harness routed in the harness wiring path with respect to the case body, and the harness wiring path is provided along the outer edge of the opposing surface.

[0008] The present invention also has an electrical connection box composed of a box-shaped case body and a cover attached to the case body, and a wire harness. The case body is provided with an opposing surface that opposes the attachment member when attached to the attachment member, and the opposing surface is provided with a harness wiring path formed by partially recessing, through which a wire harness can be routed. The case body is provided with a restricting portion that restricts movement of the wire harness routed in the harness wiring path with respect to the case body, and the harness wiring path is provided along the outer edge of the opposing surface. A harness wiring structure in which the wire harness is routed in the harness wiring path is characterized.

[0009] The case body includes cases where it is composed of a plurality of assembled parts or where it is composed of a single part. For example, the case body may be configured by assembling a lower cover and a center case, or the lower cover and the center case may be integrally formed.

[0010] The attachment member is not particularly limited as long as it can attach the electrical connection box to the vehicle, and includes, for example, holding members such as stays and brackets provided on the vehicle, and body panels for attaching the electrical connection box.

[0011] The wire harness includes, in addition to covered electric wires and bundles of covered electric wires, communication cables such as optical fiber cables, bundles of communication cables, and bundles of covered electric wires and communication cables. The wire harness routed in the above-mentioned harness routing path includes the wire harness routed around the electrical connection box and the electric wires led out from the inside of the case body in a state where the connection box is attached to the attachment member.

[0012] The restricting portion is not particularly limited as long as it can restrict the movement of the wire harness in a direction away from the harness routing path. The restricting portion includes, for example, a configuration in which the wire harness routed in the harness routing path abuts against the restricting portion when moving in a separating direction, thereby restricting the movement of the wire harness, or a configuration in which the wire harness is fixed to the harness routing path.

[0013] In addition, the restricting portion includes a configuration in which the movement of the wire harness routed in the harness routing path relative to the case body is restricted by abutting or locking the wire harness against a part of the electrical connection box. Further, for example, a configuration in which an anchor provided on a band clamp is inserted into a through hole provided in the restricting portion, and by combining another member with the restricting portion, the movement of the wire harness routed in the harness routing path relative to the case body may be further restricted.

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the compression of the electric wire housed inside the box and to route the wire harness outside the box. Specifically, since the harness routing path is formed by recessing a part of the opposing surface along the outer edge of the opposing surface, a routing space for routing the wire harness can be formed in a part of the opposing surface. Thereby, even when the routing space is narrowed, the wire harness can be routed.

[0015] In addition, the vicinity of the outer edge of the opposing surface provided with the harness routing path is a location where the electric wires housed inside are less likely to be concentrated inside the case body. For this reason, inside the case body, it is possible to suppress the compression of the electric wires housed inside the box by the harness routing path protruding inward.

[0016] Also, the regulating portion can regulate the movement of the wire harness routed in the harness routing path in a direction of unintentionally separating from the harness routing path. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise due to interference between the wire harness routed in the harness routing path and other surrounding components, and damage to the wire harness.

[0017] Furthermore, since the harness routing path is provided along the outer edge of the opposing surface, it is possible to attach the electrical connection box to the mounting member after routing the wire harness in the harness routing path, or to route the wire harness in the harness routing path after attaching the electrical connection box to the mounting member.

[0018] As an aspect of the present invention, the opposing surface may be formed in a polygonal shape when viewed from the mounting direction in which the cover is mounted on the case body, and the harness routing path may be formed from one end of the outer edge to the other end on the opposing surface.

[0019] The polygonal shape includes cases where the corners where two sides intersect are formed at right angles when viewed from the mounting direction, or cases where the corners are chamfered or rounded.

[0020] According to the present invention, the wire harness can be routed from one end of the outer edge on one side of the opposing surface to the other end. Therefore, the length of the wire harness can be shortened compared to the case where the wire harness is routed around the outer edge of the case body.

[0021] As another aspect of the present invention, the width of the harness routing path may be longer than the outer diameter of the wire harness. According to the present invention, the wire harness can be accommodated in the harness routing path when viewed from the mounting direction. That is, a space can be formed outside the harness routing path. Thereby, the space can be effectively utilized, such as arranging other members outside the harness routing path. Also, since the wire harness can be accommodated in the harness routing path when viewed from the mounting direction, the wire harness routed in the harness routing path can be protected by the electrical connection box.

[0022] As another aspect of the present invention, the case body is formed in a polygonal shape when viewed from the mounting direction in which the cover is mounted on the case body, and a side wall portion standing up from the opposing surface is provided, and the harness routing path may be provided across a corner portion formed by the adjacent side wall portions in the case body.

[0023] According to the present invention, the wire harness can be routed along the harness routing path provided at the corner portion formed by the adjacent side wall portions. Therefore, when routing one end of the wire harness to the other side of the side wall portion forming the corner portion where the harness routing path is provided, the wire harness can be shortened compared to the case where the wire harness is routed around the corner portion. Also, compared to the case where the wire harness is routed around the corner portion, the wire harness can be gently curved. Therefore, the load applied to the wire harness can be reduced.

[0024] Furthermore, at the corners inside the case body, the harness routing path will project inward. However, since it is difficult to bundle the electric wires inside the corners, the harness routing path can suppress the compression of the electric wires housed inside the box.

[0025] Also, as an aspect of the present invention, the harness routing path may widen as it extends outward along the outer edge where the harness routing path of the facing surface is provided when viewed from the mounting direction. According to the present invention, since the portion corresponding to the corners where it is difficult to bundle the electric wires housed inside the case body in the harness routing path is widened, the wire harness can be routed more gently into the harness routing path without compressing the electric wires housed inside the case body. Therefore, the burden on the wire harness can be further reduced.

[0026] Also, as an aspect of the present invention, the direction in which the cover is attached to the case body is defined as the mounting direction. On one side of the case body in the direction intersecting the mounting direction, a lead-out port for leading out the electric wire from the inside of the case body is provided, and the harness routing path may be provided on the other side in the direction intersecting the mounting direction.

[0027] According to the present invention, the lead-out port for bundling and leading out the electric wires housed inside the case body is provided on the side opposite to the harness routing path. That is, the harness routing path that projects inward into the case body is provided at a location separated from the location where the electric wires are bundled. Thereby, it is possible to more reliably suppress the harness routing path from compressing the housed electric wires.

[0028] Also, as an aspect of the present invention, the restricting portion may project outward from the case body. According to the present invention, the restricting portion can be provided without affecting the inside of the case body. Therefore, the movement of the wire harness can be restricted without the restricting portion compressing the electric wires housed inside the box.

[0029] Also, for example, when fixing a wire harness to a desired position using a band clamp, a through hole for inserting the anchor of the band clamp can be provided in a restricting portion protruding outward. That is, since it is not necessary to provide a through hole in the case body, it is possible to suppress foreign matter from entering the inside of the case body. Further, since the anchor is not inserted into the inside of the case body, it is possible to prevent the internal space around the harness routing path from being further narrowed. Therefore, the wire harness can be fixed to a desired position and the compression of the internal electric wires can be suppressed.

[0030] As an aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the restricting portions may be provided along the harness routing path. According to the present invention, since the wire harness can be restricted at a plurality of locations along the harness routing path, the movement of the wire harness can be reliably restricted along the harness routing path.

[0031] As an aspect of the present invention, a fixing leg portion for fixing the case body to the attachment member is provided, and the fixing leg portion includes an extending leg portion extending from the case body toward the mounting direction of mounting the cover to the case body, and a fixing portion fixed to the attachment member at the tip side of the extending leg portion. The fixing portion is disposed outside the harness routing path, and the restricting portion may be the extending leg portion.

[0032] According to the present invention, since the fixing leg portion is disposed outside the outer edge of the opposing surface in the harness routing path, the fixing portion can be easily attached to the attachment member. Therefore, the electrical connection box can be firmly attached to the attachment member. Further, for example, in a mounted state where the electrical connection box is attached to the attachment member, since the fixing leg portion blocks the movement path of the wire harness outside the harness routing path, it is possible to restrict the wire harness from unintentionally moving outward. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise due to interference between the wire harness routed in the harness routing path and other surrounding components, and damage to the wire harness.

Effect of the Invention

[0033] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electrical connection box and a harness wiring structure capable of wiring a wire harness outside the box and suppressing compression of electric wires housed inside the box.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0034]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0035] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below together with FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a harness wiring structure 1 attached to a body panel P, FIG. 2 shows a schematic exploded perspective view of an electrical connection box 10, and FIGS. 3 to 5 show explanatory drawings of a lower cover 30. FIG. 6 shows an explanatory drawing of a center case 40. FIG. 7 shows a schematic perspective view of a harness wiring structure 1 attached to a body panel P, and FIGS. 8 and 9 show schematic cross-sectional views of a harness wiring structure 1 attached to a body panel P.

[0036] Details will be described in relation to FIGS. 3 to 9. FIG. 3(a) shows a schematic bottom view of the lower cover 30, FIG. 3(b) shows a schematic plan view of the lower cover 30, and FIG. 4 shows an enlarged schematic bottom view of the lower cover 30. FIG. 5(a) shows an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the A-A arrow in FIG. 3(a), and FIG. 5(b) shows a schematic enlarged view near the end of the left side Wl in FIG. 5(a). FIG. 6(a) shows a schematic front view of the center case 40, and FIG. 6(b) shows a schematic side view of the center case 40.

[0037] FIG. 7 shows a schematic perspective view of the harness wiring structure 1 viewed from below in a state where it is attached to the body panel P, and FIG. 8 shows an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the harness wiring structure 1 in a state where it is attached to the body panel P. FIG. 9(a) shows an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the harness wiring structure 1 when the fixing member 21 is not attached to the protruding body 37, and FIG. 9(b) shows a schematic enlarged view of the a portion in FIG. 9(a). In FIG. 7, in order to clarify the structure of the harness wiring structure 1, the body panel P is shown transparently. Also, FIGS. 8 and 9 show cross-sectional views corresponding to the A-A arrow view in FIG. 3(a).

[0038] Here, in FIG. 1, the direction along the long side of the electrical connection box 10 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view is defined as the longitudinal direction L, the vertical direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L is defined as the height direction H, and the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L and the height direction H is defined as the width direction W. Also, in FIG. 1, the left side along the longitudinal direction L is defined as the front La, and the right side is defined as the rear Lb. Then, the upper side along the height direction H is defined as the upper Hu, the lower side is defined as the lower Hd, the left side along the width direction W is defined as the left Wl, and the right side along the width direction W is defined as the right Wr.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, the harness wiring structure 1 is composed of an electrical connection box 10 attached to the body panel P in a vehicle and a wire harness 20 routed along the outer edge of the electrical connection box 10.

[0040] First, the wire harness 20 will be described. The wire harness 20 is a bundle of a plurality of coated electric wires and is a long body having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. Note that in the present embodiment, the wire harness 20 is a bundle of coated electric wires, but it is not limited thereto. For example, instead of the wire harness 20, a bundle of communication cables such as an optical fiber cable, or a bundle of a coated electric wire and a communication cable may be used.

[0041] In the wire harness 20 configured as described above, a fixing member 21 is assembled at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction. The fixing member 21 is a so-called band clamp and is integrally formed of an anchor portion (not shown) that can be inserted into a locking hole provided at a predetermined position and a band portion (not shown) that is wound around the wire harness 20 to hold the wire harness 20.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electrical connection box 10 includes a lower cover 30 disposed downward Hd, a center case 40 attached to the lower cover 30, an upper cover 50 attached to the center case 40, and a circuit board 60 housed inside.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 2, the lower cover 30 is a box-shaped body having a concave cross-section with an opening upward Hu, and is integrally formed of a bottom surface portion 31 having a substantially square shape in plan view and a lower side wall portion 32 standing upright from the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 31. The bottom surface portion 31 is a plate-like body having a stepped shape near the end on the left side Wl. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the bottom surface portion 31 is composed of a first bottom surface portion 311 having a substantially hexagonal shape in plan view with the left side Wl tapering, a standing portion 312 standing upright from the outer edge of the left side Wl of the first bottom surface portion 311, and a second bottom surface portion 313 extending from the standing portion 312 toward the left side Wl.

[0044] The first bottom surface portion 311 has a shape in which a trapezoid with equal legs that tapers toward the left Wl in a bottom view and a rectangle having a long side with the same length as the right side Wr in the trapezoid with equal legs are arranged in this order from the left Wl to the right Wr (see FIGS. 3(a) and 4). Note that the outer edge corresponding to the short side of the trapezoid with equal legs in the first bottom surface portion 311 is along the longitudinal direction L.

[0045] The standing portion 312 stands upward Hu from the outer edge on the left Wl of the first bottom surface portion 311. That is, the standing portion 312 has, in a bottom view, a surface along the longitudinal direction L and two surfaces that slope toward the right Wr as they go toward both ends of the longitudinal direction L. Note that the height of the standing portion 312 is slightly longer than the outer diameter of the wire harness 20.

[0046] The second bottom surface portion 313 extends from the upper end of the standing portion 312 in the upward Hu direction toward the left Wl by a length slightly longer than the outer diameter of the wire harness 20. The outer edge on the left Wl of the second bottom surface portion 313 configured in this way is linear along the longitudinal direction L. Also, the outer edges on both ends in the longitudinal direction L of the second bottom surface portion 313 are in the same straight line as the outer edge of the first bottom surface portion 311 along the width direction W in a bottom view.

[0047] As described above, since the standing portion 312 stands upward Hu from the left Wl end of the first bottom surface portion 311, the standing portion 312 and the second bottom surface portion 313 protrude upward Hu with respect to the first bottom surface portion 311. Thereby, the standing portion 312 and the second bottom surface portion 313 form a wiring path 33 in which the wire harness 20 can be routed below the second bottom surface portion 313 in the downward Hd direction.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 5(a), and 5(b), the wiring path 33 has a stepped shape provided along the outer edge on the left Wl of the bottom surface portion 31. The wiring path 33 is provided over the entire length in the longitudinal direction L of the bottom surface portion 31 and is provided so as to straddle the left Wl corners formed by the second bottom surface portion 313 respectively. That is, the wiring path 33 has a shape that widens in the width direction W as it goes toward both ends in the longitudinal direction L.

[0049] In addition, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the standing portion 312 and the second bottom portion 313 as described above are convex portions 34 that project in the longitudinal direction L and the height direction H inside the lower cover 30.

[0050] The lower side wall portion 32 is a wall that stands from the outer edge on the right side Wr of the first bottom portion 311, the outer edges at both ends in the longitudinal direction L of the first bottom portion 311 and the second bottom portion 313, and the outer edge on the left side Wl of the second bottom portion 313. The lower side wall portion 32 has a plurality of locking frames 36, a plurality of protruding bodies 37, and a lower opening 38 formed by being notched in a downward semi-circular shape.

[0051] The locking frame 36 is a frame-shaped body having a substantially gate shape when viewed from the outside, and is composed of a pair of columnar bodies protruding in the height direction H and a connecting portion connecting the upper ends of the columnar bodies. And the locking frame 36 is provided so that the upper end protrudes upward Hu from the upper end of the lower side wall portion 32 from the outer peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 32. That is, the locking frame 36 forms a space that is substantially rectangular when viewed from the outside between it and the lower side wall portion 32 in the height direction H.

[0052] The locking frame 36 configured as described above is provided at two locations each at locations spaced a predetermined interval in the width direction W in the lower side wall portion 32 facing in the longitudinal direction L, and at two locations each at locations spaced a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction L in the lower side wall portion 32 facing in the width direction W, for a total of eight locations (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)).

[0053] The protruding body 37 is a box shape with a concave cross-section having an opening upward Hu, and protrudes outward from the outer peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 32. The protruding body 37 has an oval-shaped long hole 371 penetrating in the height direction H along the longitudinal direction L at the central portion in plan view. A plurality of the protruding bodies 37 configured as described above are provided on the lower side wall portion 32.

[0054] Specifically, the protrusions 37 are provided at a total of three locations: one at the central portion in the longitudinal direction L of the lower side wall portion 32 on the left side Wl among the lower side wall portions 32 facing each other in the width direction W, and one at each of the locations corresponding to the right end portion Wr of the second bottom surface portion 313. That is, the protrusions 37 are provided along the cable routing path 33 on the side of the bottom surface portion 31 where the cable routing path 33 is provided (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)).

[0055] The lower opening 38 is composed of a lower notch portion 381 formed by notching a part of the lower side wall portion 32, and a lower extending portion 382 extending outward from the lower notch portion 381. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the lower notch portion 381 is formed by notching the vicinity of the right end portion Wr in a substantially semicircular shape downward Hd in each of the lower side wall portions 32 facing each other in the longitudinal direction L. That is, the lower notch portion 381 communicates the outside and the inside of the lower cover 30. The lower extending portion 382 is a plate-like body having a circular arc cross-section extending outward in the longitudinal direction L from the arc portion of the lower notch portion 381 (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)).

[0056] The center case 40 is a cylindrical body having substantially the same shape as the lower cover 30 in plan view, and is integrally formed by four intermediate side wall portions 41 facing each other in the longitudinal direction L and the width direction W, respectively (see FIG. 2). The intermediate side wall portion 41 is a substantially rectangular plate, and is provided with a plurality of fixing legs 42 for fixing the electrical connection box 10 to the body panel P, a plurality of locking connection portions 43 protruding outward, a plurality of locking claws 44 for locking with the locking frame 36, and an upper opening 45 formed by notching in an upward semi-circular shape.

[0057] As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the fixing leg 42 is integrally composed of a leg body 421 extending from the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate side wall portion 41, and a fixing portion 422 provided at the tip of the leg body 421. The leg body 421 extends downward Hd from the central portion in the height direction H on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate side wall portion 41 facing the width direction W so as to be spaced apart from the intermediate side wall portion 41. Note that the lower end of the leg body 421 protrudes from the lower end of the intermediate side wall portion 41 by a length longer than the height of the lower side wall portion 32 erected from the first bottom surface portion 311.

[0058] The fixing portion 422 is in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending from the tip portion of the leg body 421 toward both ends in the width direction W, and has a substantially circular through-hole 423 penetrating in the height direction H at the central portion in plan view. The fixed legs 42 configured as described above are provided at a total of four locations in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction L on each of the intermediate side wall portions 41 facing the width direction W.

[0059] The locking connection portion 43 is a locking frame for locking and fixing the center case 40 and the upper cover 50, and is provided in a plurality on the intermediate side wall portions 41 facing the width direction W. More specifically, the locking connection portion 43 is provided at a total of three locations, two locations at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction L between the fixed legs 42 on the left intermediate side wall portion 41 and one location at the central portion in the longitudinal direction L between the fixed legs 42 on the right intermediate side wall portion 41.

[0060] The locking claw 44 is a protrusion protruding outward from the vicinity of the lower end of the intermediate side wall portion 41, and the surface in the downward Hd direction is inclined so as to be spaced apart from the intermediate side wall portion 41 as it goes upward Hu. The locking claws 44 configured as described above are provided at a total of eight locations at positions facing the locking frame 36 in the height direction H in a state where the center case 40 and the lower cover 30 are assembled to the intermediate side wall portion 41.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 6(b), the upper opening 45 is composed of an upper notch portion 451 formed by cutting out a part of the intermediate side wall portion 41 and an upper extension portion 452 extending outward from the upper notch portion 451. The upper notch portion 451 is formed by notching in a substantially semicircular shape upward Hu near the right end Wr in each of the intermediate side wall portions 41 facing the longitudinal direction L. That is, the upper notch portion 451 communicates the outside and the inside of the center case 40. The upper extension portion 452 is a plate-like body having an arcuate cross-section extending outward from the arcuate portion of the upper notch portion 451 in the longitudinal direction L. The upper part 45 of the opening configured as described above is provided at a position facing the lower part 38 of the opening in the height direction H in a state where the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 are assembled.

[0062] The upper cover 50 is a box-shaped body having a concave cross-section with an opening downward Hd, and is integrally formed by a flat portion 51 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view that is substantially the same shape as the outer edge of the center case 40, and an upper side wall portion 52 erected from the outer edge of the flat portion 51 (see FIG. 2). And the upper side wall portion 52 has a plurality of locking insertion portions 53 protruding outward. The locking insertion portion 53 is a locking piece for locking and fixing the center case 40 and the upper cover 50 in cooperation with the locking connection portion 43.

[0063] The circuit board 60 is composed of a plate-like board body 61, a circuit component 62 such as a relay or a fuse mounted on the upper Hu surface of the board body 61, and a plurality of electric wires 63 extending from the lower Hd surface of the board body 61 (see FIG. 2).

[0064] In this embodiment, the circuit board 60 is housed inside the electrical connection box 10. However, instead of the circuit board 60, an electrical block equipped with electronic components such as a relay or a fuse may be housed, or both the circuit board 60 and the electrical block may be housed. Note that an electric wire 63 electrically connected to the internal electronic components may extend from the electrical block.

[0065] By housing the circuit board 60 inside the center case 40 configured as described above and assembling the lower cover 30 and the upper cover 50, the electrical connection box 10 can be manufactured. Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of the electrical connection box 10 and a manufacturing method of the harness routing structure 1 in which the wire harness 20 is routed in the electrical connection box 10 will be briefly described.

[0066] First, the circuit board 60 is housed in the center case 40, and the electric wires 63 are led out from the upper opening 45. Specifically, after arranging the opening at the lower part Hd of the center case 40, which is a cylindrical body, and the surface of the circuit board 60 on the side where the circuit component 62 is provided so as to face each other in the height direction H, the circuit board 60 is moved upward Hu, and the circuit board 60 is housed inside the center case 40. Then, in a state where the circuit board 60 is housed, a plurality of electric wires 63 extending from the bottom surface of the board body 61 are aggregated and led out as a bundle from two upper extension parts 452.

[0067] Next, the lower cover 30 is assembled to the center case 40 that houses the circuit board 60. Specifically, after arranging the upper extension part 452 and the lower extension part 382 so as to face each other in the height direction H, the center case 40 is moved downward Hd. Thereby, the locking claw 44 and the locking frame 36 are locked, and the lower cover 30 can be assembled to the center case 40. Note that when the center case 40 and the lower cover 30 are assembled, the upper opening 45 and the lower opening 38 are integrated, and a circular lead-out port 39 is formed. Then, the electric wires 63 are led out from the lead-out port 39.

[0068] Subsequently, the opening at the upper part Hu of the center case 40 and the opening of the upper cover 50 are arranged so as to face each other in the height direction H, and the locking connection part 43 and the locking insertion part 53 are arranged so as to face each other in the height direction H. Then, the upper cover 50 is moved downward Hd to lock the locking connection part 43 and the locking insertion part 53. Thereby, the upper cover 50 can be assembled to the center case 40.

[0069] As described above, the electrical connection box 10 can be manufactured by integrally assembling the lower cover 30 and the upper cover 50 to the center case 40 that houses the circuit board 60. In such an electrical connection box 10, the lead-out port 39 is provided on the side opposite to the side where the wiring path 33 is provided in the width direction W. For this reason, the plurality of electric wires 63 extending from the substrate body 61 are aggregated in a direction away from the wiring path 33. That is, the electric wires 63 are not aggregated around the convex portion 34 formed inside the electrical connection box 10 (see FIG. 8).

[0070] Further, the lower cover 30 of the electrical connection box 10 is provided with a wiring path 33 in which the bottom surface portion 31 is recessed upward by Hu so that the wire harness 20 can be wired. Then, in a state where the wire harness 20 is wired in the wiring path 33, the harness wiring structure 1 can be manufactured by attaching the fixing members 21 to the long holes 371 of the plurality of protruding bodies 37, respectively.

[0071] In the harness wiring structure 1 configured as described above, the concave wiring path 33 is provided over the entire length of the outer edge portion of the lower cover 30 in the longitudinal direction L and is formed so as to straddle the corner portion on the left side Wl at the end in the longitudinal direction L.

[0072] Thereby, the wire harness 20 can be accommodated in the wiring path 33 over the entire length of the longitudinal direction L of the lower cover 30, and the wire harness 20 can be bent along the wiring path 33 at both ends in the longitudinal direction L of the lower cover 30.

[0073] For this reason, for example, even when other components are arranged behind Lb and to the left Wl of the electrical connection box 10, the wire harness 20 can be bent to the right Wr, so that contact between the wire harness 20 and other components can be prevented.

[0074] Therefore, the harness routing structure 1 can arrange the electrical connection box 10 even in a space narrowed by other surrounding components, etc., and can route the wire harness 20 in the routing path 33 while suppressing compression of the electric wire 63 inside the electrical connection box 10.

[0075] As described above, after routing the wire harness 20 in the routing path 33 of the electrical connection box 10, the harness routing structure 1 can be manufactured by attaching the fixing member 21 to the protruding body 37.

[0076] And the harness routing structure 1 can be attached to the body panel P by inserting both the bolt hole (not shown) provided in the vehicle body panel P and the through hole 423 of the fixed leg portion 42 with a bolt (not shown) (see FIG. 7).

[0077] In the harness routing structure 1, in the vicinity of the routing path 33, the protruding body 37 protrudes outward from the lower cover 30. For this reason, in a state where the harness routing structure 1 is attached to the body panel P, even if the wire harness 20 accommodated in the routing path 33 moves unintentionally to the outside in the width direction W, the protruding body 37 can restrict the movement of the wire harness 20 upward to the upper side Hu (see FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b)). Thus, even when the fixing member 21 is not attached to the protruding body 37, the protruding body 37 can restrict the wire harness 20 from moving in a direction of unintentionally separating from the routing path 33.

[0078] Also, when the fixing member 21 is not attached to the protruding body 37 as described above, the wire harness 20 routed in the routing path 33 is sandwiched in the width direction W by the standing portion 312 and the leg body 421. That is, the leg body 421 is erected so as to block the outside of the routing path 33. For this reason, the leg body 421 can restrict the unintentional movement of the wire harness 20 to the outside in the width direction W. Therefore, the leg body 421 can restrict the wire harness 20 from moving in a direction of unintentionally separating from the routing path 33 (see FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b)).

[0079] As described above, the electrical connection box 10 is composed of a lower cover 30 and a center case 40 assembled in a box shape, and an upper cover 50 attached to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40. And, in a state where it is attached to the body panel P, a bottom surface portion 31 facing the body panel P is provided on the lower cover 30 assembled to the center case 40, and a wiring path 33 that is formed by partially recessing the bottom surface portion 31 and through which the wire harness 20 can be routed is provided. Further, on the lower cover 30 assembled to the center case 40, a protrusion 37 and a leg body 421 that restrict the movement of the wire harness 20 routed in the wiring path 33 with respect to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 are provided, and the wiring path 33 is provided along the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 31.

[0080] Further, the harness routing structure 1 has the above-described electrical connection box 10 and wire harness 20, and the wire harness 20 is routed in the wiring path 33 of the lower cover 30. According to this, it is possible to suppress the compression of the electric wire 63 accommodated inside the electrical connection box 10, and the wire harness 20 can be routed.

[0081] Such an electrical connection box 10 and harness routing structure 1 can route the wire harness 20 outside the electrical connection box 10 and suppress the compression of the electric wire 63 accommodated inside the electrical connection box 10.

[0082] Specifically, since the wiring path 33 is formed by partially recessing a part of the bottom surface portion 31 along the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 31, it is possible to form a wiring space for routing the wire harness 20 in a part of the bottom surface portion 31. Thereby, even in a narrowed portion, the wire harness 20 can be routed.

[0083] In addition, near the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 31 where the wiring path 33 is provided, inside the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, it is a location where the wires 63 housed inside are difficult to be aggregated. Therefore, inside the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, compression of the wires 63 housed inside the electrical connection box 10 by the wiring path 33 (protrusion 34) protruding inward can be suppressed.

[0084] In addition, the protruding body 37 and the leg body 421 can regulate the movement of the wire harness 20 routed in the wiring path 33 in a direction of unintentionally separating from the wiring path 33. Therefore, generation of abnormal noise due to interference between the wire harness 20 routed in the wiring path 33 and other surrounding components, and damage to the wire harness 20 can be suppressed.

[0085] In addition, the bottom surface portion 31 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the mounting direction (the direction from the upper side Hu to the lower side Hd) of mounting the upper cover 50 to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, and the wiring path 33 is formed across from the front end La to the rear end Lb in the bottom surface portion 31.

[0086] Thereby, the wire harness 20 can be routed across from the front end La to the rear end Lb in the bottom surface portion 31. Therefore, compared with the case of routing the wire harness 20 around the outer edges of the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, the length of the wire harness 20 can be shortened.

[0087] In addition, the width of the wiring path 33 (the length along the width direction W) is longer than the outer diameter of the wire harness 20. Thereby, when viewed from the mounting direction (the direction from the upper side Hu to the lower side Hd), the wire harness 20 can be housed in the wiring path 33. That is, a space can be formed outside the wiring path 33. Thereby, the space can be effectively utilized, such as by arranging other members outside the wiring path 33. Also, since the wire harness 20 can be housed in the wiring path 33 when viewed from the mounting direction (the direction from the upper side Hu to the lower side Hd), the wire harness 20 routed in the wiring path 33 can be protected by the electrical connection box 10.

[0088] Further, the lower cover 30 is formed in a square shape when viewed from the mounting direction (the direction from the upper side Hu to the lower side Hd) for mounting the upper cover 50 to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, and a lower side wall portion 32 standing upright from the bottom surface portion 31 is provided. And a wiring path 33 is provided across the corner portion formed by the adjacent lower side wall portions 32 in the lower cover 30.

[0089] Thereby, the wire harness 20 can be routed along the wiring path 33 provided at the corner portion (the corner portion on the left side Wl) formed by the adjacent lower side wall portions 32. For this reason, when routing one end of the wire harness 20 to the other side (the right side Wr) of the lower side wall portion 32 forming the corner portion where the wiring path 33 is provided, compared with the case of routing the wire harness 20 so as to bypass the corner portion, the wire harness 20 can be shortened. Also, compared with the case of routing the wire harness 20 so as to bypass the corner portion, the wire harness 20 can be gently curved. Therefore, the load applied to the wire harness 20 can be reduced.

[0090] Furthermore, at the corner portion inside the lower cover 30, the wiring path 33 becomes a convex portion 34 protruding inward, but since it is difficult to gather the electric wires 63 inside the corner portion, the wiring path 33 (convex portion 34) can suppress the compression of the electric wires 63 housed inside the electrical connection box 10.

[0091] Also, the wiring path 33 widens as it goes outward along the outer edge where the wiring path 33 of the bottom surface portion 31 is provided when viewed from the mounting direction (the direction from the upper side Hu to the lower side Hd). According to this, since the portion corresponding to the corner portion where it is difficult to gather the electric wires 63 housed inside the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 in the wiring path 33 is widened, the wire harness 20 can be routed more gently to the wiring path 33 without compressing the electric wires 63 housed inside the lower cover 30 and the center case 40. Therefore, the burden applied to the wire harness 20 can be further reduced.

[0092] Also, the direction in which the upper cover 50 is attached to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 is defined as the attachment direction (the direction from the upper Hu to the lower Hd), and a lead-out port 39 for leading out the electric wire 63 from the inside of the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 is provided on the right side Wr in the direction (width direction W) intersecting the attachment direction in the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, and the wiring path 33 is provided on the left side Wl in the direction (width direction W) intersecting the lower Hd.

[0093] According to this, a lead-out port 39 for aggregating and leading out the electric wire 63 housed inside the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 is provided on the side opposite to the wiring path 33. That is, the wiring path 33 (protrusion 34) protruding toward the inside of the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 is provided at a location separated from the location where the electric wire 63 is aggregated. Thereby, it is possible to more reliably prevent the wiring path 33 (protrusion 34) from pressing the electric wire 63 housed therein.

[0094] Also, the protrusion 37 protrudes outward from the lower cover 30 of the case body. That is, the protrusion 37 can be provided without affecting the inside of the lower cover 30. Therefore, the movement of the wire harness 20 can be restricted without the electric wire 63 housed inside the electric connection box 10 being pressed by the protrusion 37.

[0095] Also, a long hole 371 for fixing the wire harness 20 to a desired position using the fixing member 21 is provided in the protrusion 37 protruding outward. That is, since it is not necessary to provide through holes in the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, it is possible to suppress foreign matter from entering the inside of the lower cover 30 and the center case 40. Further, since the anchor portion is not inserted into the inside of the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, it is possible to prevent the internal space around the wiring path 33 from being further narrowed. Therefore, the wire harness 20 can be fixed to a desired position, and the compression of the internal electric wire 63 can be suppressed.

[0096] In addition, a plurality of protruding bodies 37 are provided along the wiring path 33. Thereby, since the wire harness 20 can be regulated at a plurality of locations along the wiring path 33, the movement of the wire harness 20 can be reliably regulated.

[0097] In addition, a fixing leg portion 42 for fixing the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 to the body panel P is provided. The fixing leg portion 42 includes a leg body portion 421 extending from the center case 40 of the case body in the mounting direction (the direction from the upper Hu to the lower Hd) for mounting the upper cover 50 to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, and a fixing portion 422 fixed to the body panel P at the tip side of the leg body portion 421. The fixing portion 422 is disposed outside the wiring path 33.

[0098] According to this, since the fixing leg portion 42 is disposed outside the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 31 in the wiring path 33, the fixing portion 422 can be easily attached to the body panel P. Therefore, the electrical connection box 10 can be firmly attached to the body panel P. Further, for example, in the attached state where the electrical connection box 10 is attached to the body panel P, since the fixing leg portion 42 blocks the movement path of the wire harness 20 outside the harness wiring path, the wire harness 20 can be regulated from moving outward unintentionally. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise due to interference between the wire harness 20 routed in the wiring path 33 and other surrounding components, and damage to the wire harness 20.

[0099] In the correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the above-described embodiment, The case body of this invention corresponds to the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 of the embodiment. Similarly hereinafter, The cover corresponds to the upper cover 50, The electrical connection box corresponds to the electrical connection box 10, The attachment member corresponds to the body panel P, The opposing surface corresponds to the bottom surface portion 31, The harness wiring path corresponds to the wiring path 33, The regulating part corresponds to the protruding body 37 and the leg body 421, The side wall part corresponds to the lower side wall part 32 and the middle side wall part 41, The electric wire corresponds to the electric wire 63, The lead-out port corresponds to the lead-out port 39, The fixed leg corresponds to the fixed leg 42, The extending leg corresponds to the leg body 421, The fixing part corresponds to the fixing part 422, The harness wiring structure corresponds to the harness wiring structure 1, but This invention is not limited only to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

[0100] For example, the case body constituting the electrical connection box 10 is composed of the lower cover 30 and the center case 40, but is not limited thereto. For example, the lower cover 30 and the center case 40 may be integrally formed, and the upper cover 50 may be attached to the center case 40 integrally formed with the lower cover 30.

[0101] Also, although the harness wiring structure 1 is directly attached to the vehicle body panel P, the attachment location of the harness wiring structure 1 is not limited to the body panel P, and may be, for example, a holding member such as a stay or a bracket provided on the vehicle.

[0102] Also, the wire harness 20 is made of a bundle of covered electric wires, but may be a communication cable such as an optical fiber cable, a bundle of communication cables, or a bundle of a covered electric wire and a communication cable. Also, the wire harness 20 routed in the wiring path 33 is routed around the electrical connection box 10, but as shown in FIG. 10, the electric wire 63 led out from the inside of the electrical connection box 10 may be routed in the wiring path 33.

[0103] Further, the protruding body 37 is not particularly limited in shape as long as it can restrict the movement of the wire harness 20 in the direction away from the wiring path 33. For example, a protruding piece protruding downward toward Hd may be provided at the tip of the protruding body 37, or the protruding body 37 may be inclined and protruded downward toward Hd as it separates from the lower cover 30. Furthermore, in the above description, the protruding body 37 is provided on the lower cover 30, but the protruding body 37 may be provided on the center case 40.

[0104] Also, since the wiring path 33 is provided along the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 31, when the fixed leg portion 42 is not provided on the left side Wl, after the electrical connection box 10 is attached to the body panel P, the wire harness 20 can also be routed through the wiring path 33.

[0105] Furthermore, the wiring path 33 is formed so as to cover the entire length of the longitudinal direction L of the bottom surface portion 31 and the corner portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction L. However, the wiring path 33 only needs to be provided along the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 31, and may be formed in a straight line along the longitudinal direction L that does not cross the corner portions of the bottom surface portion 31, or the wiring path 33 may be provided only at the corner portions of the bottom surface portion 31. Furthermore, the wiring path 33 may be formed on the outer edge along the width direction W and the outer edge along the longitudinal direction L, and each may be formed so as to straddle the corner portions that intersect each other.

[0106] Also, the bottom surface portion 31 is rectangular in plan view with right-angled corners, but it does not necessarily have to be rectangular in plan view and may be polygonal. Also, although the corner portions of the bottom surface portion 31 are formed at right angles, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, chamfering may be performed by cutting off the corner portions of the bottom surface portion 31.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0107] 1…Harness Wiring Structure 10…Electrical Connection Box 20…Wire Harness 30…Lower Cover 31…Bottom Surface Portion 32…Lower Side Wall Portion 33…Wiring Path 37…Protrusion 39…Outlet 40…Center case 41…Intermediate side wall portion 42…Fixed leg 50…Upper cover 63…Electric wire 421…Leg body 422…Fixing part H…Height direction H P…Body panel

Claims

1. An electrical connection box including a box-shaped case body and a cover attached to the case body, The case body includes: An opposing surface is provided that faces the mounting member when the mounting member is attached to the mounting member, On the opposing surface, A harness wiring path is provided in the vehicle body, the harness wiring path being formed by partially recessing the vehicle body, and a wire harness can be wired through the harness wiring path. The case body includes: a restricting portion that restricts movement of the wire harness routed in the harness routing path relative to the case main body, The harness routing path is provided along the outer edge of the opposing surface. Electrical junction box.

2. The facing surface is formed in a polygonal shape when viewed from a mounting direction of the cover to the case body, The harness routing path is formed from one end of the outer edge of the facing surface to the other end of the outer edge.

2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1.

3. The width of the harness wiring path is greater than the outer diameter of the wire harness.

3. The electrical junction box according to claim 2.

4. The case body is formed in a polygonal shape when viewed from a mounting direction in which the cover is mounted to the case body, and a side wall portion is provided upright on the opposing surface, The harness routing path is provided across a corner portion formed by the adjacent side wall portions in the case body.

4. The electrical junction box according to claim 2 or 3.

5. When viewed from the mounting direction, the harness routing path widens outward along an outer edge of the opposing surface on which the harness routing path is provided.

5. The electrical junction box according to claim 4.

6. a direction in which the cover is attached to the case body is defined as an attachment direction; An outlet for leading an electric wire out from inside the case body is provided on one side of the case body in a direction intersecting with the mounting direction, The harness routing path is provided on the other side of the direction intersecting the mounting direction.

2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1.

7. The restricting portion protrudes outward from the case body.

2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1.

8. The regulating portion is A plurality of wires are provided along the harness wiring path.

8. The electrical junction box according to claim 7.

9. A fixing leg portion is provided to fix the case body to the mounting member, The fixed leg is an extension leg portion extending from the case body in a mounting direction in which the cover is mounted to the case body; A fixing portion is provided at the tip side of the extension leg portion to be fixed to the mounting member, The fixing portion is disposed outside the harness routing path, and the restricting portion is the extending leg portion.

2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1.

10. an electrical connection box including a box-shaped case body and a cover attached to the case body; A wire harness is provided. The case body includes: An opposing surface is provided that faces the mounting member when the mounting member is attached to the mounting member, On the opposing surface, a harness wiring path is provided, the harness wiring path being formed by partially recessing the harness, and through which the wire harness can be wired; The case body includes: a restricting portion that restricts movement of the wire harness routed in the harness routing path relative to the case main body, The harness routing path is provided along an outer edge of the opposing surface, The wire harness is routed in the harness route. Harness routing structure.

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