Electric connection box

Abstract

To provide an electric connection box in which a first circuit board and a second circuit board can be accommodated while spacing them at a predetermined interval in a simple configuration.SOLUTION: An electric connection box comprises a circuit body 90 consisting of a first board 20 and a second board 30 and a connection box main body 10 in which the circuit body 90 is accommodated. The connection box main body 10 includes an upper case 40 and a lower case 50 which are assembled with each other and also includes an erected part 44 holding the first board 20 and a clamp part 80 holding the second board 30. In the upper case 40, between the erected part 44 and the clamp part 80, the erected part 44 is provided and in an assembled state where the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 are assembled, the first board 20 and the second board 30 are accommodated so as to be opposed while being spaced at a predetermined interval in an assembly direction of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to, for example, an electrical connection box that houses a circuit board inside.

Background Art

[0002] Electrical connection boxes such as junction boxes and relay boxes mounted on vehicles and the like house a circuit board on which electronic components and electronic control circuits are mounted inside a box-shaped connection box body. In recent years, due to the increase in electrical components mounted on vehicles, it is sometimes necessary to mount a plurality of circuit boards on the connection box body.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connection box that houses a circuit body in which two circuit boards are stacked in the assembling direction of an upper case and a lower case in a connection box body that forms an accommodation space by assembling the upper case and the lower case.

[0004] Specifically, the circuit body is composed of a first circuit board, a second circuit board, and an insulating spacer provided between the first circuit board and the second circuit board. In the circuit body configured in this way, the first circuit board and the second circuit board are arranged at a predetermined interval in the assembling direction with the insulating spacer in between. Then, by inserting a fixing rod protruding from the upper case into a through hole penetrating the first circuit board, the second circuit board, and the spacer and fixing it with a screw, the circuit body can be fixed inside the connection box body.

[0005] However, in the electrical connection box disclosed in Patent Document 1, it was necessary to connect the two circuit boards at a predetermined interval with the insulating spacer before housing them in the electrical connection box. Therefore, there is a need for another electrical connection box that can accommodate at least two circuit boards at a predetermined interval.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection box having a simple structure and capable of accommodating a first circuit board and a second circuit board at a predetermined interval.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention includes a plurality of circuit boards and a connection box body for accommodating the circuit boards. The circuit boards include a first circuit board and a second circuit board. The connection box body includes a first case and a second case that are assembled to each other, and is provided with a first holding portion for holding the first circuit board and a second holding portion for holding the second circuit board. At least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion is provided in the first case. In an assembled state where the first case and the second case are assembled, the first circuit board and the second circuit board face each other at a predetermined interval in the assembling direction of the first case and the second case. It is characterized by being an electrical connection box.

[0009] The first case and the second case are configured to form an electrical connection box for accommodating the circuit board by being assembled to each other. For example, when the first case is one of a lower case and an upper case, and the second case is the other of the lower case and the upper case, or when the first case is one of the lower case and the upper case with a center case assembled thereto, and the second case is the other of the lower case and the upper case that can be assembled to the center case.

[0010] The statement that at least one of the first holding part and the second holding part is provided in the above-mentioned first case includes cases where both the first holding part and the second holding part are provided in the first case, cases where the first holding part is provided in the first case and the second holding part is provided in the second case, cases where the second holding part is provided in the first case and the first holding part is provided in the second case, and the like.

[0011] According to this invention, with a simple structure, the first circuit board and the second circuit board can be accommodated at a predetermined interval. Specifically, by holding the first circuit board in the first holding part and the second circuit board in the second holding part, and assembling the first case and the second case, the first circuit board and the second circuit board can be accommodated in the connection box body at a predetermined interval.

[0012] In addition, since each of the first circuit board and the second circuit board is held in the connection box body, the operation of connecting the first circuit board and the second circuit board can be omitted, and the efficiency of the manufacturing operation of the electrical connection box can be improved. Also, since interval holding components such as spacers for holding the first circuit board and the second circuit board at a predetermined interval can be reduced, the number of parts can be reduced.

[0013] As an aspect of this invention, the first holding part may be provided in the first case, and the second holding part may be provided in the second case. According to this invention, the first circuit board can be held in the first holding part provided in the first case, and the second circuit board can be held in the second holding part provided in the second case. Then, by assembling the first case and the second case, the first circuit board held in the first case and the second circuit board held in the second case can be accommodated in the connection box body at a predetermined interval. That is, without connecting the first circuit board and the second circuit board before accommodating them in the connection box body, just by assembling the first case and the second case, the first circuit board and the second circuit board can be accommodated in the connection box body at a predetermined interval.

[0014] In addition, in order to hold the first circuit board and the second circuit board in the first case and the second case respectively, it is not necessary to consider the assembly order of the first circuit board and the second circuit board. Furthermore, misassembly of the first circuit board and the second circuit board with respect to the first case and the second case can be prevented. Therefore, the burden of manufacturing work on the operator can be reduced.

[0015] As an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion has an erected portion that stands upright toward the other in the assembled state. The circuit board held by at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion having the erected portion is used as a held substrate, and a through hole penetrating in the assembling direction is provided in the held substrate. The erected portion may hold the held substrate by inserting at least a part thereof into the through hole.

[0016] The erected portion is configured to hold the held substrate by inserting at least a part thereof into the through hole. For example, the erected portion includes a structure that fits into the through hole to hold the held substrate, a structure that locks to the through hole to hold the held substrate, etc. Also, the erected portion is composed of two parts and includes a structure that holds the held substrate by screwing and fixing.

[0017] According to the present invention, with a simple structure in which at least a part of the erected portion is inserted into the through hole, at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion can hold the held substrate. Therefore, the working efficiency of the operation of holding the held substrate in at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion can be improved.

[0018] As an aspect of the present invention, the erected portion has a shaft portion that stands upright along the assembling direction and a screwing portion that screws in the assembling direction with respect to the shaft portion, and the screwing portion may be screwed with respect to the shaft portion to hold the held substrate.

[0019] According to the present invention, at a position corresponding to the through hole in the substrate to be held, at least one of the shaft portion and the screwed portion is inserted into the through hole, so that the substrate to be held can be sandwiched and held between the shaft portion and the screwed portion. Therefore, at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion can surely hold the substrate to be held and can regulate the substrate to be held from coming out of the first case or the second case having the standing portion.

[0020] As an aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the standing portions may be provided. According to the present invention, since the substrate to be held can be held by a plurality of standing portions, the substrate to be held can be stably held.

[0021] As an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first case and the second case having the standing portion is provided with a protruding fitting portion protruding along the assembling direction, the substrate to be held is provided with a fitting portion to be fitted with the protruding fitting portion, and the protruding fitting portion and the fitting portion to be fitted are fitted to regulate the movement of the substrate to be held in a crossing direction crossing the assembling direction.

[0022] The fitting of the protruding fitting portion and the fitting portion to be fitted includes, for example, a structure in which a protruding pin or a convex portion protruding in the assembling direction from the first case is fitted into a through hole or a concave portion provided in the substrate to be held.

[0023] According to the present invention, by fitting the protruding fitting portion and the fitting portion to be fitted, the movement of the substrate to be held in a crossing direction crossing the assembling direction can be regulated. Therefore, in cooperation with the standing portion, the substrate to be held can be accurately held at a predetermined position.

[0024] As an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion may be a sandwiching holding portion that sandwiches the circuit board in the assembling direction. The sandwiching holding portion is a structure that sandwiches the front and back surfaces of the substrate to be held in the assembling direction, and includes a case where it is integrally formed with at least one of the first case and the second case and a case where a part is separately formed.

[0025] According to the present invention, the circuit board can be held by at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion only by holding the circuit board with the clamping and holding portion. In this way, with a simple structure that simply clamps the circuit board in the assembling direction, the circuit board can be held at a desired position in the assembling direction. In addition, when clamping the outer edge of the circuit board, the circuit board can be held without performing a process of providing holes in the circuit board to be clamped.

[0026] As an aspect of the present invention, the clamping and holding portion may be provided in a pair in two directions in a predetermined direction in a direction intersecting the assembling direction. According to the present invention, since the circuit board can be held by the clamping and holding portions provided in a pair in two directions in a predetermined direction, the circuit board can be stably held.

[0027] As an aspect of the present invention, the clamping and holding portion may be provided with a protruding restricting portion that protrudes toward the circuit board clamped by the clamping and holding portion and restricts the movement of the circuit board in the assembling direction. According to the present invention, since the movement of the circuit board clamped by the clamping and holding portion in the assembling direction can be restricted by the protruding restricting portion, the displacement of the circuit board held by at least one of the first case and the second case in the assembling direction can be prevented.

[0028] In addition, even when an unintended external force such as vibration acts from the outside, the movement of the circuit board in the assembling direction with respect to at least one of the first case and the second case that holds the circuit board can be suppressed. Therefore, the generation of abnormal noise between at least one of the first case and the second case that holds the circuit board and the circuit board, and the unintended damage to the circuit board can be prevented.

[0029] As an aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion may be provided with an intersecting restricting portion that restricts the movement of the circuit board clamped by the clamping and holding portion in an intersecting direction intersecting the assembling direction.

[0030] According to the present invention, since the movement of the circuit board in the crossing direction can be restricted with respect to at least one of the first case and the second case, the circuit board can be fixed at a desired position with respect to at least one of the first case and the second case.

[0031] As an aspect of the present invention, the first circuit board has a through hole penetrating in the assembling direction, the first holding portion is erected toward the second case in the assembling direction, and an erected portion for holding the first circuit board is provided. The erected portion holds the first circuit board by inserting at least a part thereof into the through hole, and the second holding portion may have a sandwiching holding portion for sandwiching the second circuit board in the assembling direction.

[0032] According to the present invention, each of the first circuit board and the second circuit board can be held by holding portions having different structures. For example, when the first holding portion and the second holding portion have the same holding structure, there is a risk that assembly errors caused by the structure accumulate and become large. However, by holding with different structures, the circuit boards can be assembled and housed accurately without accumulating assembly errors caused by the structure.

[0033] As an aspect of the present invention, the erected portion has a shaft portion erected along the assembling direction and a screwing portion screwed in the assembling direction with respect to the shaft portion. The screwing portion is screwed with respect to the shaft portion to fixedly hold the first circuit board in the assembling direction, and the sandwiching holding portion may be provided with a protruding restricting portion protruding toward the second circuit board and restricting movement in the assembling direction.

[0034] According to the present invention, at a position corresponding to the through hole in the first circuit board, at least one of the shaft portion and the screwing portion is inserted into the through hole, and the first circuit board can be sandwiched and held by the shaft portion and the screwing portion. Therefore, the first circuit board can be reliably fixed and held by the first holding portion, and the movement of the first circuit board along the assembling direction can be restricted. Similarly, since the protruding restricting portion can restrict the movement of the second circuit board held by the clamping and holding portion along the assembling direction, the second circuit board can be fixed with respect to the assembling direction.

[0035] As described above, the electrical connection box having the above-described configuration can fix the first circuit board and the second circuit board to the first case and the second case, respectively, in the assembling direction. Therefore, the first circuit board and the second circuit board can be accommodated in the connection box body with a desired interval therebetween. Further, since it is possible to prevent the first circuit board and the second circuit board from approaching or separating due to vibration or the like, it is possible to suppress interference between electronic components such as terminals provided on at least one of the first circuit board and the second circuit board and the other.

[0036] As another aspect of the present invention, the first case is provided with a protruding fitting portion protruding along the assembling direction, the first circuit board is provided with a fitted portion that fits with the protruding fitting portion, and the protruding fitting portion and the fitted portion are fitted to each other, thereby restricting the movement of the first circuit board in a direction intersecting the assembling direction, and the second holding portion may be provided with an intersecting restricting portion that restricts the movement of the second circuit board in a direction intersecting the assembling direction.

[0037] According to the present invention, by fitting the protruding fitting portion and the fitted portion, it is possible to restrict the movement of the first circuit board held by the first case in a direction intersecting the assembling direction. Similarly, the movement of the second circuit board held by the second case in the intersecting direction can be restricted by the intersecting restricting portion. That is, in a state where it is accommodated in the connection box body, relative movement in the intersecting direction between the first circuit board and the second circuit board can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the first circuit board and the second circuit board in the intersecting direction due to vibration or the like, and it is possible to suppress damage caused by the positional deviation of the first circuit board and the second circuit board and an electronic component such as a terminal provided on at least one of them.

Advantages of the Invention

[0038] According to the present invention, an electrical connection box with a simple structure that can accommodate a first circuit board and a second circuit board at a predetermined interval can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0039]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0040] One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the electrical connection box 1, FIG. 2 shows a schematic exploded perspective view of the electrical connection box 1, and FIG. 3 shows an explanatory drawing of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30. FIGS. 4 and 5 show explanatory drawings of the upper case 40, and FIGS. 6 to 8 show explanatory drawings of the lower case 50. FIGS. 9 and 10 show explanatory drawings of the process of arranging the first substrate 20 in the upper case 40, FIG. 11 shows an explanatory drawing of the process of arranging the second substrate 30 in the lower case 50, and FIG. 12 shows an explanatory drawing of the process of assembling the upper case 40 and the lower case 50.

[0041] Details will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12. FIG. 3(a) shows a schematic side view of the first substrate 20, FIG. 3(b) shows a schematic side view of the second substrate 30, FIG. 4(a) shows a schematic bottom view of the upper case 40, and FIG. 4(b) shows a schematic side view of the upper case 40. FIG. 5(a) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 4(a), FIG. 5(b) shows a schematic enlarged view of part a in FIG. 5(a), and FIG. 5(c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 4(a).

[0042] FIG. 6(a) shows a schematic plan view of the lower case 50, FIG. 6(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C in FIG. 6(a), FIG. 6(c) shows a schematic enlarged view of part b in FIG. 6(b), FIG. 7(a) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D in FIG. 6(a), and FIG. 7(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line E-E in FIG. 6(a). FIG. 8(a) shows a schematic enlarged view of part c in FIG. 7(a), FIG. 8(b) shows a schematic enlarged view of part d in FIG. 7(b), and FIG. 8(c) shows a schematic enlarged view of part e in FIG. 6(a).

[0043] FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d) show cross-sectional views in the process of arranging the first substrate 20 on the upper case 40, and FIGS. 10(a) to 10(d) show cross-sectional views in the process of arranging the first substrate 20 on the upper case 40. Note that FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sections corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 4(a) and the cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 4(a).

[0044] FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) show cross-sectional views in the process of arranging the second substrate 30 on the lower case 50. FIG. 11(c) shows a schematic enlarged view of part f in FIG. 11(b), and FIG. 11(d) shows a schematic enlarged view of part g in FIG. 11(b). Note that FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b) are cross-sections corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the line F-F in FIG. 6(a). FIGS. 12(a) to 12(d) show cross-sectional views in the process of assembling the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, which are cross-sections corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 4(a).

[0045] Here, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the height direction H, 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. Among the directions orthogonal to the height direction H, one direction of the electrical connection box 1 formed along the diagonal from the lower right to the upper left is defined as the width direction W, and the other direction, that is, the direction along the diagonal from the lower left to the upper right is defined as the longitudinal direction L. Then, along the width 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. Note that the directions defined in FIG. 1 are the same in FIGS. 2 to 12.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrical connection box 1 is composed of a connection box main body 10, a first substrate 20 and a second substrate 30 housed in the connection box main body 10, and is configured to be electrically connected to an electrical component by connecting a connector (not shown) provided at the other end of a wire harness whose one end is connected to an external electrical component.

[0047] First, the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 will be described. The first substrate 20 is a so-called printed circuit board, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(a), it is composed of a plate-shaped first conductive layer 21 and a plurality of first terminals 22.

[0048] The first conductive layer 21 is a printed wiring board in which conductor wiring is provided on the upper side Hu surface of a resin substrate, and is formed in a substantially square shape in plan view. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, two fixing holes 23 are provided at two corner portions that are diagonal to each other among the four corners of the first conductive layer 21, and two first through holes 24 are provided at corner portions different from the diagonal corner portions where the fixing holes 23 are provided. In addition, a plurality of long holes 25 are provided along the longitudinal direction L in the vicinity of the corner portion where one of the first through holes 24 is provided.

[0049] The fixing hole 23 is a circular hole with a predetermined inner diameter in plan view, and penetrates in the height direction H. The fixing holes 23 are provided at two locations, namely, the corner portion on the front side La and the left side Wl and the corner portion on the rear side Lb and the right side Wr in the first conductive layer 21.

[0050] The first through-hole 24 is a circular hole in a plan view having an inner diameter larger than that of the fixing hole 23, and is provided at two locations, namely, the corner portion on the front side La and the right side Wr and the corner portion on the rear side Lb and the left side Wl in the first conductive layer 21.

[0051] The long hole 25 is a through-hole that extends long along the longitudinal direction L in the vicinity of the corner portion on the rear side Lb and the left side Wl, and is formed so as to allow insertion of a second terminal 32 described later. The long hole 25 includes a large long hole 25a provided at the corner portion on the rear side Lb and the left side Wl in the first conductive layer 21, and a small long hole 25b provided on the right side Wr of the large long hole 25a.

[0052] A plurality of the first terminals 22 are provided in the first conductive layer 21. More specifically, the first conductive layer 21 is provided with a first tab terminal 22a having a flat plate-like connection portion that protrudes upward from the upper surface Hu of the first conductive layer 21, and a first tuning fork terminal 22b having a bifurcated connection portion. The first tab terminal 22a is provided at the corner portion on the rear side Lb and the left side Wl in the first conductive layer 21, and the first tuning fork terminal 22b is provided on the right side Wr of the first tab terminal 22a.

[0053] The lower ends of the first tab terminal 22a and the first tuning fork terminal 22b are electrically connected to the conductor wiring applied to the first conductive layer 21, and their respective connection portions are configured to be electrically connected to a connector that connects from the upper side Hu of the connection box body 10.

[0054] The second substrate 30 is a so-called printed circuit board, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3(b), includes a plate-like second conductive layer 31, a plurality of second terminals 32 disposed on the upper side Hu of the second conductive layer 31, and a plurality of third terminals 33 disposed on the lower side Hd of the second conductive layer 31.

[0055] The second conductive layer 31 is a printed wiring board with conductor wirings provided on both the lower surface Hd and the upper surface Hu of a resin substrate, and is formed in the same shape as the first conductive layer 21 in a plan view. Further, two second through holes 34 penetrating in the height direction H are provided in the second conductive layer 31.

[0056] The second through holes 34 are formed in substantially the same shape as the first through holes 24 in a plan view, and are provided at two locations, namely, the corner portion on the front side La and the right side Wr and the corner portion on the rear side Lb and the left side Wl in the second conductive layer 31.

[0057] The second terminal 32 protrudes upward from the upper surface Hu of the second conductive layer 31, and is a terminal longer than the first terminal 22 in the height direction H. A plurality of the second terminals 32 configured as described above are provided in the second conductive layer 31. More specifically, the second conductive layer 31 is provided with a second tab terminal 32a having a flat plate-shaped connection portion and a second tuning fork terminal 32b having a bifurcated connection portion.

[0058] Note that the connection portions of the second tab terminal 32a and the second tuning fork terminal 32b are formed in substantially the same shape as the connection portions of the first tab terminal 22a and the first tuning fork terminal 22b, respectively. Also, the widths of the second tab terminal 32a and the second tuning fork terminal 32b are formed to be shorter than the lengths of the major long holes 25a and the minor long holes 25b in the longitudinal direction L, respectively.

[0059] The second tab terminal 32a formed in this way is provided at the corner portion on the rear side Lb and the left side Wl in the second conductive layer 31, and the second tuning fork terminal 32b is provided on the right side Wr of the second tab terminal 32a. Note that the second tab terminal 32a and the second tuning fork terminal 32b are configured such that their lower ends are electrically connected to the conductor wirings provided on the second conductive layer 31, and their respective connection portions are electrically connected to a connector connected from the upper side Hu of the connection box body 10.

[0060] The third terminal 33 protrudes downward from the surface of the lower side Hd of the second conductive layer 31 toward the lower side Hd and has a flat plate-shaped connection portion. A plurality of the third terminals 33 are provided along the width direction W at a position separated from the end of the front side La of the second conductive layer 31 by about 1 / 3 of the side length of the second conductive layer 31. Note that the upper end of the third terminal 33 is electrically connected to the conductor wiring provided on the second conductive layer 31, and the connection portion is configured to be electrically connected to a connector that connects from the lower side Hd of the connection box body 10.

[0061] Next, the connection box body 10 will be described. The connection box body 10 is composed of a resin upper case 40 and a lower case 50. The connection box body 10 forms a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing by assembling the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 so as to face each other in the height direction H.

[0062] The upper case 40 is a box body having a reverse concave shape in cross section where the first substrate 20 is disposed. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the upper case 40 is integrally formed by an upper surface portion 41 having a substantially square shape in plan view, an upper side wall portion 42 standing upright from the outer edge of the upper surface portion 41 toward the lower side Hd, and a covering portion 43 provided on the outer side in the circumferential direction from the outer edge of the upper surface portion 41.

[0063] The upper surface portion 41 is a plate-like body having a predetermined thickness and is formed in substantially the same shape as the first substrate 20 in plan view. As shown in FIG. 4(a), on the upper surface portion 41, two standing portions 44 (44a, 44b) and two protruding pins 45 (45a, 45b) directed toward the lower side Hd, and a plurality of upper accommodating portions 46 for accommodating the first terminal 22 and the second terminal 32 are provided integrally with the upper surface portion 41.

[0064] The standing portion 44 is composed of a shaft portion 441 standing upright along the height direction H and a fixing screw 442 screwed in the height direction H with respect to the shaft portion 441. The shaft portion 441 is a cylindrical body that stands upright from the upper surface portion 41 toward the lower side Hd and has a predetermined outer diameter. Further, the shaft portion 441 is formed to have a height substantially equal to the height of the upper side wall portion 42, and a screw hole 443 that allows the screwing of the fixing screw 442 is provided at the central portion of the lower end surface. Note that the screw hole 443 is a hole formed to have an inner diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the fixing hole 23, and a thread is provided on the inner peripheral surface.

[0065] The fixing screw 442 has a fixing screw head portion 444 that is substantially circular in plan view and a fixing screw shaft 445 that extends upward Hu from the fixing screw head portion 444 by a predetermined length. The fixing screw head portion 444 has a predetermined outer diameter and a height substantially equal to the thickness of the upper surface portion 41. Further, the fixing screw shaft 445 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the screw hole 443, and a thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface so as to be screwed into the thread provided in the screw hole 443.

[0066] The upright portion 44 formed in this way is provided at positions that are diagonal to each other among the corner portions of the upper surface portion 41 that is substantially square in plan view as shown in Fig. 4(a). Here, the upright portion 44 provided at the corner portion on the front side La and the left side Wl of the upper surface portion 41 is defined as the first upright portion 44a, and the upright portion 44 located diagonally to the first upright portion 44a is defined as the second upright portion 44b. Note that the outer diameter of the first upright portion 44a is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the fixing screw head portion 444 and is formed to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the second upright portion 44b.

[0067] The protruding pin 45 is a positioning pin that restricts the movement of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 accommodated in the electrical connection box 1 in a direction intersecting the height direction H. As shown in Fig. 4(b), the protruding pin 45 is a cylindrical body that protrudes by a length approximately twice the height of the upper side wall portion 42 and has an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameters of the first through hole 24 and the second through hole 34.

[0068] Further, a through hole 451 that is a hole formed with a predetermined inner diameter and has a thread provided on the inner peripheral surface is provided at the center of the protruding pin 45 in plan view. Note that the through hole 451 is configured to be able to be screwed with the screw 47.

[0069] The screw 47 has a screw head 471 that is substantially circular in plan view and a screw shaft portion 472 that extends upward Hu from the screw head 471 with a predetermined length. The screw head 471 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the protruding pin 45 and a height substantially equal to the thickness of the upper surface portion 41. Further, the screw shaft portion 472 has an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the insertion hole 451, and a thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface so as to be screwed into the thread provided in the insertion hole 451.

[0070] Regarding the protruding pin 45 formed in this way, as shown in Fig. 4(a), it is provided at a corner portion of the upper surface portion 41 that is substantially square in plan view and where the standing portion 44 is not provided. Here, the protruding pin 45 provided at the corner portion corresponding to the front side La and the right side Wr in the upper surface portion 41 is defined as the first protruding pin 45a, and the protruding pin 45 located diagonally to the first protruding pin 45a is defined as the second protruding pin 45b. A taper is provided at the tip portion of the second protruding pin 45b.

[0071] The upper accommodating portion 46 is a terminal accommodating portion that accommodates the first terminal 22 and the second terminal 32 so as to be connectable to an external connector in a state where the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 are accommodated in the connection box body 10, and is provided at a position corresponding to the location where the first terminal 22 and the second terminal 32 are disposed in a state where the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 are accommodated in the connection box body 10.

[0072] Specifically, the upper accommodating portion 46 is formed in a wall shape that penetrates the upper surface portion 41 and stands so as to protrude toward the lower side Hd and the upper side Hu of the upper surface portion 41. The upper accommodating portion 46 stands so as to be substantially rectangular in plan view, and forms a space for accommodating the first terminal 22 and the second terminal 32 inside.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 5(a), the end portion on the lower side Hd of the upper accommodating portion 46 configured in this way is configured to be disposed on the upper side Hu rather than the end portion on the lower side Hd of the upper side wall portion 42. Here, the upper accommodating portion 46 that accommodates the first tab terminal 22a and the second tab terminal 32a is defined as the tab accommodating portion 46a, and the upper accommodating portion 46 that accommodates the first tuning fork terminal 22b and the second tuning fork terminal 32b is defined as the tuning fork accommodating portion 46b.

[0074] The upper side wall portion 42 is a side wall erected from the outer edge of the upper surface portion 41 and is formed with a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the upper surface portion 41. On the outer peripheral surface of the upper side wall portion 42, locking claws 48 for locking and fixing the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 are provided in a state where the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 are assembled.

[0075] The locking claw 48 is a locking piece formed to be lockable with a locking frame 55 described later and protrudes toward the outside of the upper case 40. The locking claws 48 are arranged in total of eight, two on each surface, at a predetermined interval in a direction intersecting the height direction H on the outer peripheral surface of the upper side wall portion 42.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 5(b), the covering portion 43 is integrally constituted by a standing piece 431 that stands upright from the outer edge of the upper surface portion 41 toward the outside of the case, and an extending piece 432 that curves and extends downward Hd from the tip of the standing piece 431.

[0077] The standing piece 431 has a protruding length substantially equal to the thickness of the upper side wall portion 42 and has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the upper side wall portion 42. The extending piece 432 has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the upper side wall portion 42. Note that the length of the extending piece 432 along the height direction H is shorter than the length of the upper side wall portion 42 in the height direction H.

[0078] The covering portion 43 configured as described above is provided along the outer edge of the upper surface portion 41 except for the portion where the locking claws 48 protrude from the upper side wall portion 42. That is, except for the locations where the locking claws 48 protrude, a double wall is formed by the upper side wall portion 42 and the extending piece 432. Note that the upper side wall portion 42 and the extending piece 432 are arranged at an interval equal to the thickness of the upper side wall portion 42.

[0079] The lower case 50 that constitutes the connection box body 10 together with the upper case 40 described above is a box body having a concave cross-sectional shape with an opening on the upper side Hu. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the lower case 50 is integrally formed by a bottom surface portion 51 that forms the bottom surface of the connection box body 10 and a lower side wall portion 52 that stands upright from the outer edge of the bottom surface portion 51 toward the upper side Hu. A housing space S for housing the second substrate 30 is formed inside the lower case 50.

[0080] The bottom surface portion 51 is a plate-like body formed to be slightly larger than the upper surface portion 41 of the upper case 40. Specifically, in a plan view, the bottom surface portion 51 is larger than the upper surface portion 41 by the thickness of the upper side wall portion 42 and has a plate thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the upper surface portion 41.

[0081] The bottom surface portion 51 configured as described above is provided with a locked portion 53 for locking the protruding pin 45 and a lower housing portion 54 for housing the third terminal 33 provided on the second substrate 30 in an assembled state where the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 are assembled.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 6(c), the locked portion 53 is a concave portion formed by depressing a part of the bottom surface portion 51 upward toward the upper side Hu. An inwardly concave fitting portion 531 for fitting the protruding pin 45 is provided above the locked portion 53 configured as described above on the upper side Hu. Further, a concave portion 532 into which a screw 47 can be attached is provided below the locked portion 53 on the lower side Hd so as to face the fitting portion 531. The fitting portion 531 and the screw fitting portion 532 communicate with each other through a screw hole 533 through which the screw shaft portion 472 is inserted.

[0083] The locked portion 53 configured as described above is provided at two locations corresponding to the protruding pin 45 in the assembled state, that is, near the corners on the left side Wl and the rear side Lb and near the corners on the right side Wr and the front side La of the bottom surface portion 51 (see FIG. 6(a)).

[0084] The lower accommodation part 54 is a terminal accommodation part that accommodates the third terminal 33 in a state where the second substrate 30 is accommodated in the connection box main body 10 so as to be connectable to an external connector, and is provided at a position corresponding to the position where the third terminal 33 is disposed in a state where the second substrate 30 is accommodated in the connection box main body 10.

[0085] The lower side wall part 52 is a side wall erected from the outer edge of the bottom surface part 51 and has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the bottom surface part 51. And, as shown in FIG. 6(a), on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall part 52, a plurality of claw parts 60 (60a, 60b) protruding toward the accommodation space S and a plurality of receiving parts 70 (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d) for placing the second substrate 30 are provided. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the lower side wall part 52, a locking frame 55 that can be locked to the locking claw 48 is provided.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the claw part 60 is a protruding piece in which a cut surface obtained by cutting the center of the claw part 60 with a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L and the width direction W is formed in a substantially right trapezoidal shape. Note that the tip part of the claw part 60 is inclined downward Hd as it goes toward the accommodation space S.

[0087] The upper surface on the tip side of the claw part 60 configured as described above, that is, the surface inclined downward Hd as it goes toward the accommodation space S, is the inclined surface 61. Further, the surface on the lower side Hd of the claw part 60 is the locking surface 62.

[0088] Further, on the claw part 60, a triangular rib 63 protruding downward Hd from the locking surface 62 is provided. As shown in FIG. 8(a), the triangular rib 63 is a rib having a substantially right triangular cross section that tapers upward Hu as it goes toward the accommodation space S, formed between the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall part 52 and the locking surface 62. Note that the triangular rib 63 extends from the lower side wall part 52 to the center in the protruding direction of the claw part 60.

[0089] The claw portions 60 configured as described above are provided in three each on each surface of the lower side wall portion 52, with a predetermined interval therebetween in a direction intersecting the height direction H, for a total of twelve. Note that the claw portions 60 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 facing the longitudinal direction L are provided at positions facing each other along the longitudinal direction L.

[0090] Here, among the plurality of claw portions 60, the claw portions 60 protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 disposed on the front side La, rear side Lb, and right side Wr are defined as first claw portions 60a, and the claw portions 60 protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 disposed on the left side Wl are defined as second claw portions 60b. Note that the second claw portions 60b have the same shape as the first claw portions 60a, except that the base end portions protrude more toward the accommodation space S than the first claw portions 60a.

[0091] The plurality of receiving portions 70 for placing the second substrate 30 accommodated in the lower case 50 protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 toward the accommodation space S at locations different from the locations where the claw portions 60 are provided (see FIG. 6(a)). More specifically, the receiving portion 70 includes a pedestal portion 71 for placing the second substrate 30 and a standing rib 72 standing on the upper side Hu of the pedestal portion 71 on the outside of the pedestal portion 71.

[0092] The pedestal portion 71 is a pedestal having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view that protrudes into the accommodation space S by a predetermined length from the lower side wall portion 52, and is provided straddling the bottom surface portion 51 and the lower side wall portion 52. That is, it is integrally formed with the bottom surface portion 51 and the lower side wall portion 52. Further, the width of the pedestal portion 71 is formed to be substantially equal to the width of the claw portion 60.

[0093] The standing rib 72 is a rib that protrudes into the accommodation space S by a predetermined length from the lower side wall portion 52, and is provided straddling the upper surface of the pedestal portion 71 and the lower side wall portion 52. That is, the standing rib 72 extends upward toward the upper side Hu from the base end portion of the pedestal portion 71 connected to the lower side wall portion 52 to the same height as the upper surface of the claw portion 60. Note that the protruding amount of the standing rib 72 is sufficiently shorter than that of the pedestal portion 71. Here, the upper surface of the pedestal portion 71 protruding into the accommodation space S with respect to the standing rib 72 is defined as the placement surface 73. Note that the interval corresponding to the height direction H between the placement surface 73 and the locking surface 62 is substantially equal to the thickness of the second conductive layer 31.

[0094] The receiving portion 70 configured in this way is provided with two on each surface of the lower side wall portion 52 and one at each corner portion formed by adjacent lower side wall portions 52, with a predetermined interval in a direction intersecting the height direction H, for a total of 12.

[0095] Here, among the plurality of receiving portions 70, the receiving portion 70 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 arranged on the front side La is defined as the first receiving portion 70a, and the receiving portion 70 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 arranged on the left side Wl is defined as the second receiving portion 70b. Also, the receiving portion 70 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 arranged on the rear side Lb and the left side Wl is defined as the third receiving portion 70c. And the receiving portion 70 provided at the corner portion formed by adjacent lower side wall portions 52 is defined as the fourth receiving portion 70d.

[0096] The pedestal portion 71 in the first receiving portion 70a is longer than the extension length of the locking surface 62 and protrudes toward the accommodation space S. Also, the standing rib 72 in the first receiving portion 70a protrudes toward the accommodation space S by approximately the same length as the length from the lower side wall portion 52 to the base end of the inclined surface 61. The first receiving portion 70a configured in this way is provided with two at a predetermined interval between the claw portions 60 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 arranged on the front side La.

[0097] The second receiving portion 70b has the same shape as the first receiving portion 70a except that the protruding amounts of the pedestal portion 71 and the standing rib 72 are different. Specifically, the second receiving portion 70b protrudes more into the accommodation space S than the first receiving portion 70a. Note that the lengths of the placement surfaces 73 in the first receiving portion 70a and the second receiving portion 70b are the same. The second receiving portion 70b configured in this way is provided with two at a predetermined interval between the claw portions 60 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 arranged on the left side Wl.

[0098] The third receiving portion 70c has the same shape as the first receiving portion 70a, except that the standing rib 72 is replaced with a press-fitting rib 74. That is, the third receiving portion 70c is composed of a pedestal portion 71 and a press-fitting rib 74. As shown in FIG. 8(c), the press-fitting rib 74 is a rib having a triangular shape in plan view, and protrudes by a length substantially equal to that of the standing rib 72 toward the accommodation space S. Further, the end portion of the upper side Hu of the press-fitting rib 74 is inclined so as to approach the lower side wall portion 52 as it goes toward the upper side Hu.

[0099] The third receiving portions 70c configured as described above are provided in pairs with a predetermined interval therebetween between the claw portions 60 provided on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52 disposed on the rear side Lb and the right side Wr.

[0100] The fourth receiving portion 70d has the same shape as the first receiving portion 70a, except that the shape of the standing rib 72 is different. Specifically, the standing rib 72 of the fourth receiving portion 70d is a rib formed in a substantially L shape in plan view along each lower side wall portion 52 forming a corner portion, and the corner portion of the second substrate 30 housed in the connection box main body 10 can be placed thereon. Note that the length of the placement surface 73 in the fourth receiving portion 70d is substantially the same as the length of the placement surface 73 in the first receiving portion 70a.

[0101] The locking frame 55 is formed in a gate shape when viewed from the outside of the case of the lower side wall portion 52, and is configured to be lockable with the locking claw 48 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Such eight locking frames 55 are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52, two on each surface, at a predetermined interval in a direction intersecting the height direction H.

[0102] Next, a method of assembling the electrical connection box 1 configured with the above-described elements will be briefly described. First, as shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 10(a), the upper side Hu surface of the first substrate 20 is opposed to the lower side Hd surface of the upper surface portion 41 of the upper case 40, and the first substrate 20 and the upper case 40 are moved close to each other.

[0103] At this time, the protruding pin 45 that protrudes long downward from the upper case 40 to the lower side Hd is inserted into the first through hole 24 formed in the first substrate 20 (see FIG. 10(b)). As a result, the first substrate 20 can be moved along the protruding pin 45 so that the upper case 40 and the first substrate 20 are close to each other, and thus the first substrate 20 can be guided to a desired position with respect to the upper case 40.

[0104] Subsequently, by further moving the first substrate 20 and the upper case 40 closer to each other, the first substrate 20 can be brought into contact with the lower end of the upper side wall portion 42. At this time, since the protruding pin 45 is fitted into the first through hole 24, the movement of the first substrate 20 in the direction intersecting the height direction H can be restricted. As a result, the first substrate 20 is arranged at a desired position with respect to the upper case 40. Thereby, since the screw hole 443 and the fixing hole 23 are in a communicating state, the fixing screw 442, which is a part of the standing portion 44, can be easily and surely inserted into the fixing hole 23 and screwed into the screw hole 443. Therefore, the first substrate 20 can be reliably held at a desired position in the upper case 40.

[0105] In addition, in order to bring the first substrate 20 and the upper case 40 closer to each other with the position in the in-plane direction restricted by the protruding pin 45, the first tab terminal 22a and the first tuning fork terminal 22b of the first substrate 20 can be accommodated in the tab accommodation portion 46a and the tuning fork accommodation portion 46b without interfering with other components and the walls of the tab accommodation portion 46a and the tuning fork accommodation portion 46b, respectively.

[0106] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11(a), the lower surface of the lower side Hd of the second substrate 30 is opposed to the upper surface of the upper side Hu of the bottom surface portion 51 of the lower case 50, and the second substrate 30 is moved so as to be accommodated inside the lower case 50. As a result, the second substrate 30 comes into contact with the claw portion 60.

[0107] Here, since the inclined surface 61 is inclined toward the side of the accommodation space S as it goes toward the lower side Hd, the reaction force from the inclined surface 61 acting when the second substrate 30 is pushed in can be reduced. Therefore, the second substrate 30 can be pushed into the lower side Hd with a small force.

[0108] Also, by pushing the second substrate 30 into the lower side Hd, the second substrate 30 can be moved to the lower side Hd while aligning the outer edge of the second substrate 30 with the inclined surface 61. When the second substrate 30 exceeds the tip of the claw portion 60, the lower surface of the second substrate 30 can be placed on the placement surface 73, and the upper surface of the second substrate 30 can be locked by the locking surface 62. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 11(c) and 11(d), in a cross-sectional view, the second substrate 30 can be sandwiched between the locking surface 62 and the placement surface 73. In this way, the claw portion 60 and the receiving portion 70 that sandwich and hold the second substrate 30 in the height direction H constitute a sandwiching portion 80. Note that the sandwiching portion 80 is in a pair in the longitudinal direction L and the width direction W.

[0109] Also, as shown in FIG. 11(d), when the second substrate 30 fits between the locking surface 62 and the placement surface 73, the triangular rib 63 provided on the locking surface 62 is scraped by the second substrate 30. As a result, the triangular rib 63 can be surely brought into contact with the second substrate 30, so that the movement of the second substrate 30 in the height direction H can be restricted.

[0110] Furthermore, when the second substrate 30 is moved to the lower side Hd, the second substrate 30 comes into contact with the press-fitting rib 74 provided on the lower side wall portion 52 that forms the corner portion on the rear side Lb and the right side Wr, and scrapes the press-fitting rib 74. As a result, since the press-fitting rib 74 is in contact with the outer edge of the second substrate 30, the movement of the second substrate 30 in a direction intersecting the height direction H can be surely restricted.

[0111] Thus, since the triangular rib 63 and the press-fitting rib 74 can restrict the movement of the second substrate 30 in the direction intersecting the height direction H and in the height direction H, the second substrate 30 held by the holding portion 80 can be arranged at a desired position in the accommodation space S. As a result, in a plan view, the screw hole 533 and the second through hole 34 are in a state of communicating with each other in the height direction H.

[0112] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 are moved closer to each other so as to close the opening of the lower case 50 in which the second substrate 30 is arranged. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 12(b) and 12(c), after inserting the second terminal 32 into the long hole 25, the protruding pin 45 is inserted into the second through hole 34.

[0113] Here, since the width of the second terminal 32 is shorter than the length along the longitudinal direction L of the long hole 25, a gap is formed between the second terminal 32 inserted into the long hole 25 first and the inner edge of the long hole 25. In such a state, by moving the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 closer to each other with the second substrate 30 along the protruding pin 45, the protruding pin 45 is fitted into the second through hole 34, and the second substrate 30 is guided to a desired position in the upper case 40. That is, the second terminal 32 is guided and accommodated inside the upper accommodation portion 46 without interfering with the wall of the upper accommodation portion 46 or other components.

[0114] Furthermore, by moving the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 closer to each other, the tip of the protruding pin 45 can be fitted into the fitted portion 531. As a result, the screw hole 533 and the insertion hole 451 can be communicated with each other in the height direction H, so that the screw 47 can be easily screwed into the lower side Hd of the locked portion 53, that is, from the screw fitting portion 532.

[0115] In addition, the upper end of the lower side wall portion 52 of the lower case 50 enters the covering portion 43 of the upper case 40, and the locking claw 48 and the locking frame 55 are locked to each other, so that the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 can be assembled.

[0116] By assembling in the above-described manner, a circuit body 90 in which a first substrate 20 and a second substrate 30, which are a plurality of printed circuit boards, are arranged at a predetermined interval in the height direction H can be accommodated in the connection box main body 10. That is, the first substrate 20 arranged in the upper case 40 and the second substrate 30 arranged in the lower case 50 are accommodated in the accommodation space S of the connection box main body 10 formed by assembling the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 as if they are stacked in the height direction H as the circuit body 90.

[0117] The electrical connection box 1 configured in this way includes a circuit body 90 composed of a first substrate 20 and a second substrate 30, and a connection box main body 10 that accommodates the circuit body 90. The connection box main body 10 includes an upper case 40 and a lower case 50 that are assembled to each other, and a standing portion 44 that holds the first substrate 20 and a clamping portion 80 that holds the second substrate 30 are provided. In the upper case 40, the standing portion 44 among the standing portion 44 and the clamping portion 80 is provided. In the assembled state where the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 are assembled, the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 are accommodated so as to face each other with a predetermined interval in the assembling direction of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50.

[0118] Thereby, with a simple structure, the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 can be accommodated with a predetermined interval. More specifically, by holding the first substrate 20 by the standing portion 44, holding the second substrate 30 by the clamping portion 80, and assembling the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 can be accommodated in the connection box main body 10 with a predetermined interval.

[0119] In addition, since each of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 is held by the connection box main body 10, the operation of connecting the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 can be omitted, and the efficiency of the manufacturing operation of the electrical connection box 1 can be improved. Further, since a spacer or the like, an interval holding component that holds the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 at a predetermined interval can be reduced, the number of components can be reduced.

[0120] More specifically, an upright portion 44 is provided on the upper case 40, and a clamping portion 80 is provided on the lower case 50. Thereby, the first substrate 20 can be held on the upright portion 44 provided on the upper case 40, and the second substrate 30 can be held on the clamping portion 80 provided on the lower case 50. Then, by assembling the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, the first substrate 20 held on the upper case 40 and the second substrate 30 held on the lower case 50 can be accommodated in the connection box body 10 with a predetermined interval therebetween. That is, without connecting the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 before accommodating them in the connection box body 10, by simply assembling the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 can be accommodated in the connection box body 10 with a predetermined interval therebetween.

[0121] In addition, in order to hold the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 on the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 respectively, it is not necessary to consider the assembly order of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30. Furthermore, misassembly of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 with respect to the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 can be prevented. Therefore, the burden of the manufacturing work on the operator can be reduced.

[0122] Moreover, the first holding portion has an upright portion 44 that stands upright toward the other in the assembled state, a fixing hole 23 penetrating in the height direction H is provided in the first substrate 20, and the upright portion 44 holds the first substrate 20 by inserting a fixing screw 442, which is a part of the upright portion 44, into the fixing hole 23.

[0123] Thereby, with a simple structure that only requires inserting the upright portion 44 into the fixing hole 23, the upright portion 44 can hold the first substrate 20. Therefore, the upright portion 44 can improve the working efficiency of the operation of holding the first substrate 20.

[0124] In addition, the upright portion 44 has a shaft portion 441 that stands upright along the height direction H and a fixing screw 442 that is screwed in the height direction H with respect to the shaft portion 441, and the first substrate 20 is held by screwing the fixing screw 442 with respect to the shaft portion 441.

[0125] Thus, at a position corresponding to the fixing hole 23 in the first substrate 20, by inserting the fixing screw 442 through the fixing hole 23, the first substrate 20 can be sandwiched and held between the shaft portion 441 and the fixing screw 442. Therefore, the standing portion 44 can reliably hold the first substrate 20 and can regulate the first substrate 20 from coming out of the upper case 40 having the standing portion 44.

[0126] Also, a plurality of standing portions 44 are provided. Thereby, since the first substrate 20 can be held by the plurality of standing portions 44, the first substrate 20 can be stably held.

[0127] Further, the upper case 40 having the standing portion 44 is provided with a protruding pin 45 protruding along the height direction H, the first substrate 20 is provided with a first through hole 24 that fits with the protruding pin 45, and by fitting the protruding pin 45 and the first through hole 24, the movement of the first substrate 20 in the intersecting direction intersecting the height direction H is regulated.

[0128] Thereby, by fitting the protruding pin 45 and the first through hole 24, the movement of the first substrate 20 in the intersecting direction intersecting the height direction H can be regulated. Therefore, in cooperation with the standing portion 44, the first substrate 20 can be accurately held at a predetermined position.

[0129] Also, the second holding portion is a sandwiching portion 80 that sandwiches the second substrate 30 in the height direction H. Thereby, the second substrate 30 can be held by the sandwiching portion 80. In this way, with a simple structure that simply sandwiches the second substrate 30 in the height direction H, the second substrate 30 can be held at a desired position in the height direction H. Note that when sandwiching the outer edge of the second substrate 30, the second substrate 30 can be held without performing the process of providing holes in the second substrate 30 to be sandwiched.

[0130] Also, the sandwiching portion 80 is provided at a position corresponding to the width direction W and the longitudinal direction L on the inner peripheral surface of the lower side wall portion 52. As a result, the second substrate 30 can be held by the clamping portions 80 provided in pairs in two directions in a predetermined direction, so that the second substrate 30 can be stably held.

[0131] In addition, the clamping portion 80 is provided with a triangular rib 63 that protrudes toward the second substrate 30 clamped by the clamping portion 80 and restricts the movement of the second substrate 30 in the height direction H. As a result, the movement of the second substrate 30 clamped by the clamping portion 80 in the height direction H can be restricted by the triangular rib 63, so that the displacement of the second substrate 30 held by the lower case 50 in the height direction H can be prevented.

[0132] In addition, even if an unintended external force such as vibration acts from the outside, the movement of the second substrate 30 in the height direction H with respect to the lower case 50 that holds the second substrate 30 can be suppressed. For this reason, the generation of abnormal noise between the lower case 50 that holds the second substrate 30 and the second substrate 30, and the unintended damage to the second substrate 30 can be prevented.

[0133] In addition, the clamping portion 80 is provided with a press-fitting rib 74 that restricts the movement of the second substrate 30 clamped by the clamping portion 80 in the crossing direction that crosses the height direction H. As a result, the movement of the second substrate 30 in the crossing direction with respect to the lower case 50 can be restricted by the press-fitting rib 74, so that the second substrate 30 can be fixed at a desired position with respect to the lower case 50.

[0134] In addition, the first substrate 20 has a fixing hole 23 that penetrates in the height direction H, the first holding portion is provided with a standing portion 44 that stands toward the lower case 50 in the height direction H and holds the first substrate 20, and the standing portion 44 holds the first substrate 20 by inserting a fixing screw 442 through the fixing hole 23, and the second holding portion has a clamping portion 80 that clamps the second substrate 30 in the height direction H.

[0135] As a result, the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 can be held by holding portions having different structures from each other. For example, when the first holding portion and the second holding portion have the same holding structure, there is a risk that assembly errors caused by the structure accumulate and become large. However, by holding them with different structures, the circuit body 90 can be assembled and accommodated accurately without the accumulation of assembly errors caused by the structure.

[0136] Furthermore, since the standing portion 44 and the clamping portion 80 have different holding structures, misassembly can be prevented. Specifically, the first substrate 20 is provided with a fixing hole 23 for inserting the standing portion 44, while the second substrate 30 is not provided with the fixing hole 23. Therefore, at the time of assembly, it can be visually confirmed in advance, and even if an attempt is made to erroneously hold the second substrate 30 by the standing portion 44, misassembly can be prevented because the second substrate 30 and the standing portion 44 interfere with each other.

[0137] In addition, the standing portion 44 has a shaft portion 441 that stands along the height direction H and a fixing screw 442 that is screwed in the height direction H with respect to the shaft portion 441. The fixing screw 442 is screwed with respect to the shaft portion 441 to fixedly hold the first substrate 20 in the height direction H, and the clamping portion 80 is provided with a triangular rib 63 that protrudes toward the second substrate 30 and restricts movement in the height direction H.

[0138] As a result, at a position corresponding to the fixing hole 23 in the first substrate 20, the fixing screw 442 can be inserted into the fixing hole 23, and the first substrate 20 can be sandwiched and held by the shaft portion 441 and the fixing screw 442. Therefore, the first substrate 20 can be reliably fixed and held by the standing portion 44, and movement of the first substrate 20 along the height direction H can be restricted. Similarly, since movement of the second substrate 30 along the height direction H held by the clamping portion 80 can be restricted by the triangular rib 63, the second substrate 30 can be fixed with respect to the height direction H.

[0139] In this way, the electrical connection box 1 having the above-described configuration can fix the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 to the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 in the height direction H, respectively. Therefore, the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 can be accommodated in the connection box body 10 with a desired interval therebetween. Further, since it is possible to prevent the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 from approaching or separating due to vibration or the like, it is possible to suppress the interference between the electronic components such as the second terminal 32 provided on the second substrate 30 and the first substrate 20 unintentionally.

[0140] Further, the upper case 40 is provided with a protruding pin 45 protruding along the height direction H, the first substrate 20 is provided with a first through hole 24 that fits with the protruding pin 45, and by fitting the protruding pin 45 and the first through hole 24, the movement of the first substrate 20 in the intersecting direction intersecting the height direction H is restricted, and the sandwiching portion 80 may be provided with a press-fitting rib 74 that restricts the movement of the second substrate 30 in a direction intersecting the height direction H.

[0141] Thereby, by fitting the protruding pin 45 and the first through hole 24, it is possible to restrict the movement of the first substrate 20 held by the upper case 40 in the intersecting direction intersecting the height direction H. Similarly, the movement of the second substrate 30 held by the lower case 50 in the intersecting direction can be restricted by the press-fitting rib 74. That is, in a state where it is accommodated in the connection box body 10, the relative movement of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 in the intersecting direction can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 in the intersecting direction due to vibration or the like, and it is possible to suppress the unintentional damage caused by the positional deviation between the electronic components such as the second terminal 32 provided on the second substrate 30 and the first substrate 20.

[0142] In the correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the above-described embodiment, The circuit board of this invention corresponds to the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 of the embodiment, Similarly hereinafter, The connection box body corresponds to the connection box body 10, The first case corresponds to the upper case 40, The second case corresponds to the lower case 50, The first circuit board corresponds to the first board 20, The second circuit board corresponds to the second board 30, The first holding part corresponds to the standing part 44, The second holding part corresponds to the clamping part 80, The standing part corresponds to the standing part 44, The substrate to be held corresponds to the first board 20, The assembling direction corresponds to the height direction H, The through hole corresponds to the fixing hole 23, The shaft part corresponds to the shaft part 441, The screwing part corresponds to the fixing screw 442, The protruding fitting part corresponds to the protruding pin 45, The part to be fitted corresponds to the first through hole 24, The clamping and holding part corresponds to the clamping part 80, The protruding restricting part corresponds to the triangular rib 63, The intersecting restricting part corresponds to the press-fitting rib 74, The electrical connection box corresponds to the electrical connection box 1, but The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiments, and many embodiments can be obtained.

[0143] For example, in the above-described embodiments, the connection box body 10 has a two-part configuration of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, but is not limited thereto, and may have a three-part configuration including the upper case 40, the lower case 50, and a center case that is assembled with the upper case 40 and the lower case 50. Note that the one in which the center case is assembled to the upper case 40 may correspond to the first case, or the one in which the center case is assembled to the lower case 50 may correspond to the second case.

[0144] Also, in the above-described embodiments, the standing part 44 corresponding to the first holding part is provided on the upper case 40, and the clamping part 80 corresponding to the second holding part is provided on the lower case 50. However, the standing part 44 may correspond to the second holding part, and the clamping part 80 may correspond to the first holding part. Specifically, the standing part 44 may be provided on the lower case 50, and the clamping part 80 may be provided on the upper case 40.

[0145] Further, the standing part 44 may correspond to the first holding part and the second holding part, or the clamping part 80 may correspond to the first holding part and the second holding part. Specifically, standing parts 44 for holding the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 may be provided on both the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, or clamping parts 80 for holding the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 may be provided on both the upper case 40 and the lower case 50.

[0146] Also, a configuration may be adopted in which the standing part 44 and the clamping part 80 are provided on one of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, and the standing part 44 and the clamping part 80 are not provided on the other of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, or a configuration may be adopted in which one of the upper case 40 and the clamping part 80 is provided twice on one of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, and the standing part 44 and the clamping part 80 are not provided on the other of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50. Note that the standing part 44 and the clamping part 80 may be provided on both the upper case 40 and the lower case 50.

[0147] Also, when the standing part 44 and the clamping part 80 are provided on one of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, or when two standing parts 44 or clamping parts 80 are provided, the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 may be arranged on either the side with the opening.

[0148] Also, the standing part 44 is composed of two parts, namely a shaft part 441 and a fixing screw 442, and the first substrate 20 can be held by inserting the fixing screw 442 into the fixing hole 23 and screwing them together for fixation, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the standing part 44 includes a structure that fits into the fixing hole 23 to hold the first substrate 20, a structure that locks to the fixing hole 23 to hold the first substrate 20, and the like.

[0149] Furthermore, although the protruding pin 45 protruding in the height direction H from the upper case 40 is configured to fit into the first through hole 24 provided in the first substrate 20, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it includes a structure in which a convex portion protruding in the height direction H from the upper case 40 fits into a fitting portion such as a concave portion provided in the first substrate 20.

[0150] In addition, although the protruding length of the protruding pin 45 from the first substrate 20 is configured to be shorter than the protruding length of the second terminal 32, it may be formed longer. In this case, when assembling the upper case 40 on which the first substrate 20 is disposed and the lower case 50 on which the second substrate 30 is disposed, the protruding pin 45 is inserted into the second through hole 34 before the second terminal 32 is inserted into the long hole 25. Therefore, the second substrate 30 is guided to a desired position in the upper case 40. That is, the second terminal 32 can be easily inserted into the long hole 25 without interfering with the first substrate 20, and is guided and accommodated inside the upper accommodation portion 46.

[0151] When the standing portion 44 is provided on at least one of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, the protruding pin 45 can be provided on at least one of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 on which the standing portion 44 is provided. For example, when the standing portions 44 for holding the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 are provided on both the upper case 40 and the lower case 50, the protruding pin 45 can be provided on one or both of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50.

[0152] Also, although the sandwiching portion 80 is configured to sandwich the front and back surfaces of the second substrate 30 in the height direction H by the claw portion 60 and the receiving portion 70 integrally formed with the lower case 50, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured as a separate member from the lower case 50, and by assembling it to the lower side wall portion 52, the sandwiching portion 80 may be configured by the claw portion 60 and a structure that sandwiches the second substrate 30 together with the claw portion 60.

[0153] In addition, the respective components described in the above embodiments and each modification can be appropriately combined as long as they do not conflict with each other. For example, a protruding pin 45 is provided on one of the upper case 40 and the lower case 50 provided with the standing portion 44 and the clamping portion 80, and a first through hole 24 and a second through hole 34 for inserting and fitting the protruding pin 45 through each of the first substrate 20 and the second substrate 30 are provided. Or when triangular ribs 63 and press-fitting ribs 74 are provided on the claw portion 60 and the receiving portion 70 constituting the clamping portion 80, these components can be appropriately combined within the scope of achieving effects.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0154] 1…Electrical connection box 10…Connection box body 20…First substrate 23…Fixing hole 24…First through hole 30…Second substrate 40…Upper case 44…Standing portion 441…Shaft portion 442…Fixing screw 45…Protruding pin 50…Lower case 63…Triangular rib 74…Press-fitting rib 80…Clamping portion

Claims

1. A plurality of circuit boards and a connection box body for housing the circuit boards are provided. The circuit boards include a first circuit board and a second circuit board. The connection box body is provided with a first case and a second case that are assembled to each other, and is provided with a first holding portion for holding the first circuit board and a second holding portion for holding the second circuit board. At least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion is provided in the first case. In a assembled state where the first case and the second case are assembled, the first circuit board and the second circuit board face each other with a predetermined interval in the assembling direction of the first case and the second case. Electrical connection box.

2. The first holding portion is provided in the first case. The second holding portion is provided in the second case. The electrical connection box according to claim 1.

3. At least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion has a standing portion that stands upright toward the other in the assembled state. Using the circuit board held by at least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion having the standing portion as a held substrate. A through hole penetrating in the assembling direction is provided in the held substrate. The standing portion holds the held substrate by inserting at least a part thereof into the through hole. The electrical connection box according to claim 2.

4. The standing portion has a shaft portion that stands upright along the assembling direction and a screwing portion that screws in the assembling direction with respect to the shaft portion. The screwing portion is screwed with respect to the shaft portion to hold the held substrate. The electrical connection box according to claim 3.

5. A plurality of the standing portions are provided. The electrical connection box according to claim 3 or claim 4.

6. At least one of the first case and the second case having the standing portion is provided with a protruding fitting portion protruding along the assembling direction. The held substrate is provided with a fitted portion that fits with the protruding fitting portion. By fitting the protruding fitting portion and the fitted portion, movement of the held substrate in a crossing direction crossing the assembling direction is restricted. The electrical connection box according to claim 3 or claim 4.

7. At least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion is a clamping holding portion that clamps the circuit board in the assembling direction. The electrical connection box according to claim 2.

8. The clamping holding portion is provided in pairs in a predetermined direction in a direction crossing the assembling direction. The electrical connection box according to claim 7.

9. The clamping and holding portion is provided with a protruding restriction portion that protrudes toward the circuit board clamped by the clamping and holding portion and restricts movement in the assembling direction. The electrical connection box according to claim 7.

10. At least one of the first holding portion and the second holding portion is provided with an intersection restriction portion that restricts movement of the circuit board clamped by the clamping and holding portion in an intersection direction intersecting the assembling direction. The electrical connection box according to claim 7.

11. The first circuit board has a through hole penetrating in the assembling direction. The first holding portion is provided with a standing portion that stands upright toward the second case in the assembling direction and holds the first circuit board. The standing portion holds the first circuit board by inserting at least a part thereof into the through hole. The second holding portion has a clamping and holding portion that clamps the second circuit board in the assembling direction. The electrical connection box according to claim 2.

12. The standing portion has a shaft portion standing upright along the assembling direction and a screwing portion screwed in the assembling direction with respect to the shaft portion. By screwing the screwing portion with respect to the shaft portion, the first circuit board is fixedly held in the assembling direction. The clamping and holding portion is provided with a protruding restriction portion that protrudes toward the second circuit board and restricts movement in the assembling direction. The electrical connection box according to claim 11.

13. The first case is provided with a protruding fitting portion protruding along the assembling direction. The first circuit board is provided with a fitted portion that fits with the protruding fitting portion. By fitting the protruding fitting portion and the fitted portion, movement of the first circuit board in an intersection direction intersecting the assembling direction is restricted. The second holding portion is provided with an intersection restriction portion that restricts movement of the second circuit board in a direction intersecting the assembling direction. The electrical connection box according to claim 11 or claim 12.

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