Electrical connection box

Abstract

To disclose an electrical connection box that eliminates the need of redesign of a protective cover and a lock part even when an insertion direction of an external conduction member connected to a terminal part is different, can reduce manufacturing costs by reducing the product numbers of the protective covers.SOLUTION: An electrical connection box 10 comprises: a case 16; a terminal part 12 to which an external conductive member 14 is connected; and a protective cover 20 that is rotatable between an open position O where it exposes an opening 18 and a closed position C where it covers the opening 18. The protective cover 20 has a plurality of lock parts 86 provided at a plurality of places. The case 16 has a conduction member insertion part 40 that is provided at a portion where at least one of the plurality of lock parts 86 of the protective cover 20 at the closed position C is arranged, and parts to be locked 48, 138, 140 that are provided at a portion where another one of the plurality of lock parts 86 is arranged and with which the lock part 86 is engaged. The engagement of the lock part 86 with the parts to be locked 48, 138, 140 holds the protective cover 20 at the closed position C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electrical junction box. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical junction box mounted on a vehicle, which includes a terminal portion to which an external conductive member exposed at an opening of the case is connected, and a protective cover that covers the terminal portion. During vehicle maintenance, the terminal portion exposed outside the case of the electrical junction box may become a live part, so by providing a protective cover that covers the terminal portion, safety during work can be ensured. Moreover, the electrical junction box of Patent Document 1 includes a mechanism in which the protective cover has a locking portion and is engaged with a locked portion provided around the opening of the case to hold the protective cover in a closed state. This reliably prevents the terminal portion from being exposed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-71368 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the electrical connection box disclosed in Patent Document 1, the external conductive member connected to the terminal portion is overlapped with the terminal portion through a conductive member insertion portion provided on the side where the locking portion and the locked portion are not provided. Therefore, if the insertion direction of the conductive member overlapped with the terminal portion differs depending on the electrical connection box, it is necessary to redesign the protective cover and locking portion so that they correspond to the locked portion and conductive member insertion portion on the case side for each individual electrical connection box. Moreover, since a separate protective cover is required for each electrical connection box, the number of protective cover product numbers increases, making management complicated.

[0005] Therefore, we disclose an electrical connection box that does not require redesign of the protective cover or locking portion even when the insertion direction of the external conductive member connected to the terminal portion is different, and that can also reduce manufacturing costs by reducing the part number of the protective cover. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electrical connection box of the present disclosure comprises a case, a terminal portion exposed from an opening of the case to which an external conductive member is connected, and a protective cover held by the case so as to be rotatable between an open position in which it is separated from the opening to expose the opening, and a closed position in which it is overlapped on the opening to cover the opening, wherein the protective cover has a plurality of locking portions provided at a plurality of locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and the case has a conductive member insertion portion provided at a position where at least one of the plurality of locking portions of the protective cover in the closed position is located, and a locked portion provided at a position where at least one other of the plurality of locking portions is located and with which the locking portion engages, and the protective cover is held in the closed position by the locking portion engaging with the locked portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the electrical connection box disclosed herein, it is possible to provide an electrical connection box having excellent versatility, which does not require redesign of the protective cover or locking portion even if the insertion direction of the external conductive member connected to the terminal portion is different. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an electrical junction box according to a first embodiment with protective covers in a closed position. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 1 with the protective covers in an open position. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a portion where an external conductive member is laterally superimposed on a terminal portion in the electrical junction box shown in FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a plan view of a main part of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 3, showing a state in which the protective cover is in an open position in an initial state. [Figure 7] 7 is a perspective view of the main part of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 6, seen from another direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a main part of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which an external conductive member is connected from the side to a terminal portion in a main portion of the electric junction box shown in FIG. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a protective cover is midway through rotation from an open position to a closed position in a main part of the electrical junction box shown in Figure 10, and shows a state in which an engagement protrusion is elastically deformed by an engagement wall portion. [Figure 12] 12 is a front view of a main part of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a protective cover in a main part of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 3 has been rotated from a closed position to an open position. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the electric junction box shown in FIG. 13 and corresponds to FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is a perspective view showing a portion of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 1 where an external conductive member is superimposed on a terminal portion from the front. [Figure 16] 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which a protective cover is in a closed position in a main portion of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part taken along the line XVII-XVII in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure> First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The electrical connection box of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A device comprising: a case; a terminal portion exposed from an opening of the case and to which an external conductive member is connected; and a protective cover held by the case so as to be rotatable between an open position in which the terminal portion is spaced away from the opening to expose the opening, and a closed position in which the terminal portion is overlapped on the opening to cover the opening, wherein the protective cover has a plurality of locking portions provided at a plurality of locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and the case has a conductive member insertion portion provided in a portion where at least one of the plurality of locking portions of the protective cover in the closed position is located, and a locked portion provided in a portion where at least one other of the plurality of locking portions is located and with which the locking portion engages, and the protective cover is held in the closed position by the locking portion engaging with the locked portion.

[0010] According to the electric connection box of this aspect, the protective cover covering the opening of the case where the terminal portion is exposed has a plurality of locking portions provided at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction. On the case side, the conductive member insertion portion is provided at a position where at least one locking portion is provided on the protective cover arranged in the closed position, and the locked portion is provided at a position where at least one other locking portion is provided. That is, by having the protective cover have a plurality of locking portions provided at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction, for example, it is possible to arrange the locking portion of the protective cover arranged at a position where the conductive member insertion portion of the case is provided in a certain electric connection box at a position where the locked portion of the case is provided in another electric connection box and engage with the locked portion. Therefore, even if the positions of the locked portion and the conductive member insertion portion set on the case of the electric connection box are different, the protective cover assembled to the case can be made common, and redesign of the protective cover and the locking portion is not necessary, and the management is made easier by reducing the product number of the protective cover, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0011] (2) In the above (1), it is preferable that the protective cover has an upper wall portion that is rectangular in a plan view, and a peripheral wall that protrudes from the peripheral edge of the upper wall portion toward the opening, the peripheral wall including a front wall portion and a rear wall portion that are arranged opposite each other in the front-to-rear direction, and a left wall portion and a right wall portion that are arranged opposite each other in the left-to-right direction, a rotating shaft protruding from the rear wall portion and being held by a bearing that protrudes from the case, a first locking portion is provided on the front wall portion side, a second locking portion is provided on the left wall portion side, and a third locking portion is provided on the right wall portion side, and the multiple locking portions include the first locking portion, the second locking portion, and the third locking portion.

[0012] Since the protective cover has a rectangular upper wall portion in a plan view and front, rear and left / right wall portions protruding from the peripheral edge of the upper wall portion toward the opening side, the rigidity of the protective cover can be advantageously ensured. In addition, a rotating shaft is provided protruding from the rear wall portion constituting the peripheral wall portion of the protective cover and held by a bearing on the case side, so that the protective cover can be rotatably assembled to the case. In addition, a first locking portion, a second locking portion and a third locking portion constituting a plurality of locking portions arranged in different directions can be provided on the front wall side, the left wall side and the right wall side, which are the remaining peripheral wall portions of the protective cover. This advantageously configures a protective cover that can be assembled even when the insertion direction of the conductive member into the opening of the case is different.

[0013] (3) In the above (1) or (2), it is preferable to have an open position side locking mechanism that detachably holds the protective cover in the open position. This is because the open position side locking mechanism can stably hold the protective cover in the open position in the initial state where the opening is exposed, thereby improving the ease of assembly when mounting the electric junction box on the vehicle.

[0014] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, it is preferable that the protective cover is provided with an engaging protrusion provided on one of the case and the protective cover, and an engaging wall portion provided on the other of the case and the protective cover, and the protective cover is initially positioned in the open position where it is separated from the opening to expose the opening, and the protective cover is allowed to rotate from the open position to the closed position where it is overlapped on the opening to cover the opening by the engaging protrusion elastically deforming and climbing over the engaging wall portion, and the engaging protrusion that has climbed over the engaging wall portion and elastically returned to its original position abuts against the engaging wall portion, limiting the rotation range of the protective cover toward the open position to a range where the protective cover rotates to the closed position due to its own weight.

[0015] Since the protective cover covering the opening of the case where the terminal portion is exposed is initially positioned in an open position exposing the opening, when the vehicle is assembled, a wide working space can be secured to easily connect an external conductive member such as a wire harness to the terminal portion. When the connection work of the external conductive member to the terminal portion is completed, the protective cover is rotated toward a closed position covering the opening, so that the engaging protrusions provided on one of the case and the protective cover are elastically deformed and can overcome the engaging wall portion provided on the other, and the opening can be covered with the protective cover. Then, when the protective cover is opened during subsequent vehicle maintenance, the engaging protrusions that have overcome the engaging wall portion and elastically returned to their original state come into contact with the engaging wall portion, so that the rotating range of the protective cover toward the open position side is limited to the range in which the protective cover rotates to the closed position due to its own weight. As a result, the protective cover that has been rotated toward the open position side for maintenance or other work is always rotated toward the closed position due to its own weight after the work, so that forgetting to close the protective cover is reliably prevented. In addition, the rotation range of the protective cover to the open position is limited by the engagement protrusions and engagement walls provided on one and the other of the case and the protective cover, and within this limited rotation range, the protective cover rotates to the closed position due to its own weight, so durability is improved compared to the conventional structure in which a hinge made of thin resin was used to bias the protective cover to the closed position. Therefore, it is possible to provide an electrical junction box that can stably suppress exposure of the terminals.

[0016] (5) In the above (4), it is preferable that the rotating shaft of the protective cover is held by a bearing provided in the case, and a gap is provided between the rotating shaft and the bearing. Since the rotating shaft of the protective cover is held by a bearing on the case side across a gap, friction between the rotating shaft and the bearing when the protective cover rotates is suppressed. As a result, the protective cover automatically moves to the closed position when the worker releases it after work, making it possible to more reliably prevent forgetting to close it.

[0017] (6) In any one of (1) to (5) above, it is preferable that the protective cover abuts against the upper surface of the peripheral wall of the opening when the protective cover is in the closed position. In the closed position of the protective cover, the protective cover abuts against the upper surface of the peripheral wall of the opening where the terminal portion is exposed, so that the exposure of the terminal portion, which may become a live portion during maintenance work, is more advantageously prevented. This makes it possible to more advantageously prevent or reduce the risk of electric shock to the worker, and improve work safety.

[0018] <Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure> Specific examples of the electrical junction box of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0019] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, an electric connection box 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17. The electric connection box 10 is mounted inside a battery pack in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, for example, and an external conductive member is connected to the electric connection box 10. In the first embodiment, the electric connection box 10 includes a plurality of terminals 12, and a bus bar 14 as an example of a conductive member is connected to each of the terminals 12. In particular, in the first embodiment, the electric connection box 10 includes both a portion (main portion A) where the bus bar 14 is connected to the terminals 12 by overlapping from the side, and a portion (main portion B) where the bus bar 14 is connected to the terminals 12 by overlapping from the front. Note that the electric connection box 10 can be disposed in any direction in the vehicle, but in the following description of FIGS. 3 to 14, the upper side refers to the upper side in FIG. 5, the lower side refers to the lower side in FIG. 5, the left side refers to the lower side in FIG. 4, the right side refers to the upper side in FIG. 4, the front side refers to the right side in FIG. 4, and the rear side refers to the left side in FIG. 4. 15 to 17, the up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-rear direction will be described as the directions shown in the drawings. Furthermore, for multiple identical members, only some of the members may be labeled with reference numerals, and the reference numerals may be omitted for the other members.

[0020] <Electrical junction box 10> As a structure common to the main parts A and B in the electric junction box 10, the electric junction box 10 includes a case 16 and terminal parts 12 exposed from an upper opening 18 as an opening of the case 16 and to which an external conductive member (bus bar 14) is connected. The electric junction box 10 also includes a protective cover 20 held by the case 16 to be rotatable between an open position O (see FIG. 2 etc.) where the protective cover 20 is separated from the upper opening 18 to expose the upper opening 18 and a closed position C (see FIG. 1 etc.) where the protective cover 20 is overlapped with the upper opening 18 to cover it. In the first embodiment, a bolt insertion hole 22 is formed in the bus bar 14 at a portion overlapping the terminal part 12.

[0021] <Case 16> Case 16 constituting electrical junction box 10 can be constructed, for example, by assembling upper case 24 and a lower case (not shown) in the vertical direction, but in embodiment 1, the characteristic parts are provided in upper case 24 and the shape of the lower case is not limited, so a description of the lower case will be omitted. Also, the shape of upper case 24 shown in the figures is merely an example and is not limited, and in particular Figures 3 to 17 show the characteristic parts (main parts A and B) of the present disclosure.

[0022] <Main part A> Hereinafter, the main part A will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 14. In Figs. 3 to 14, the upper case 24 is generally shown to have a box shape that opens downward (having a lower opening 26) and is made of synthetic resin having insulating properties. The upper case 24 has an upper bottom wall 28 that is generally rectangular in plan view and an upper peripheral wall 30 that protrudes downward from the outer periphery of the upper bottom wall 28. That is, the upper peripheral wall 30 is configured to include four walls: a case front part 32a located in the front, a case rear part 32b located in the rear, and a case left part 32c and a case right part 32d located on both the left and right sides. The upper bottom wall 28 has a larger front-rear dimension than a left-right dimension.

[0023] Here, in the front part of the internal space of the upper case 24, an accommodation space 36 is formed in which the terminal portion 12 and the nut 34 to which the bolt 76 described later is fastened are accommodated. The accommodation space 36 is substantially rectangular in plan view and penetrates the upper case 24 in the up-down direction. That is, the accommodation space 36 is configured by an area surrounded by the case front portion 32a and the front portions of the case left portion 32c and the case right portion 32d. The nut accommodation portion 38 is disposed in the accommodation space 36, and the nut 34 is assembled to the nut accommodation portion 38, so that the nut 34 is accommodated in the accommodation space 36. The nut accommodation portion 38 may be formed, for example, separately from the upper case 24, and may be inserted from below through the lower opening 26 into the accommodation space 36, and may be fixedly attached to at least one wall portion of the case front portion 32a, the case rear portion 32b, the case left portion 32c, and the case right portion 32d that constitute the accommodation space 36, for example, by a locking mechanism (not shown).

[0024] Further, the aforementioned upper opening 18 penetrating in the thickness direction (vertical direction) is formed in the front portion of the upper bottom wall portion 28, and the aforementioned storage space 36 opens upward through the upper opening 18. This upper opening 18 is substantially rectangular in plan view, similar to the storage space 36. Furthermore, the vertical dimension of the front portion of the case right portion 32d constituting the storage space 36 is smaller than other portions (for example, the rear portion), and a right opening 40 opening to the right is formed in the upper end portion of the storage space 36.

[0025] As described later, the terminal portion 12 is disposed above the nut 34 in the accommodation space 36 in a superposed state, and the terminal portion 12 is exposed upward through the upper opening 18 and also exposed laterally (to the right) through the right opening 40. In the main portion A, the bus bar 14 is inserted into the accommodation space 36 from the side (right) and superposed on the terminal portion 12, so that the right opening 40 constitutes a conductive member insertion portion in the case 16 (upper case 24) through which the conductive member (bus bar 14) is inserted. In particular, as described later, the protective cover 20 has a plurality of locking portions 86 provided at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and the conductive member insertion portion (right opening 40) in the case 16 (upper case 24) is provided at a position corresponding to a portion in which at least one of the plurality of locking portions 86 is disposed. Specifically, in main part A, the conductive member insertion portion (right opening 40) is provided on the right side of the peripheral wall 42 in correspondence with the third locking portion 98 which constitutes multiple locking portions 86 and is provided on the right side (right wall portion 82d) of the protective cover 20.

[0026] Therefore, the peripheral wall 42 constituting the upper opening 18 at the upper end of the storage space 36 is composed of three walls excluding the right one. In short, the peripheral wall 42 is composed of an upper part of the case front part 32a, an upper part of the front part of the case left part 32c, and an intermediate wall part 44 located behind the upper opening 18 (i.e., the middle part in the front-rear direction of the upper case 24). This intermediate wall part 44 is formed over the entire length in the left-right direction at the upper end part of the case 16 (upper case 24), and the right end part of the intermediate wall part 44 is connected to the case right part 32d, and the right opening 40 described above is formed at the right end part of this intermediate wall part 44. The upper surface 46 of the peripheral wall 42 thus configured is located at approximately the same position in the vertical direction and is located on the same plane extending in the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the vertical direction).

[0027] The upper surface 46 of the peripheral wall 42 is located lower than the upper surface of the upper bottom wall portion 28 in a portion (e.g., a rear portion) in which the storage space 36 is not provided in the upper case 24. This makes it possible to prevent the vertical dimension of the front portion of the main part A from becoming too large when the protective cover 20 rotates from the open position O to the closed position C and abuts against the upper surface 46 of the peripheral wall 42, as described below.

[0028] <Locked portion (first locked portion 48)> In addition, the upper case 24 is provided with a locked portion with which the locking portion 86 engages at a position corresponding to a portion where a locking portion 86 different from the locking portion 86 provided at a position corresponding to the conductive member insertion portion (right opening 40) is provided among the multiple locking portions 86 in the protective cover 20. In the main portion A, a first locked portion 48 is provided as a locked portion constituting an A-side locking mechanism 94 described later in a front portion of the upper surface 46 of the peripheral wall 42 (in other words, the upper surface of the case front portion 32a). This first locked portion 48 is provided in a central portion in the left-right direction on the upper surface of the case front portion 32a and protrudes upward. A locked claw 50 protruding rearward is provided at the protruding tip portion (upper end portion) of the first locked portion 48. Specifically, in the main portion A, the first locked portion 48 is provided in front of the peripheral wall 42 in correspondence with the first locking portion 88 that constitutes the multiple locking portions 86 described later and is provided in front of the protective cover 20 (front wall portion 82a side).

[0029] <Bearing 52> A pair of bearings 52 are integrally formed on both the left and right sides of the upper bottom wall 28 of the upper case 24 at a portion rearward of the intermediate wall 44, and are adapted to hold a rotating shaft 116 (described later) of the protective cover 20. Each of these bearings 52 is substantially plate-shaped with a predetermined thickness dimension (left-right dimension), and protrudes upward from the upper bottom wall 28. A circular insertion hole 54 is formed at the upper end portion of each bearing 52, penetrating in the thickness direction. In particular, a notch 56 is formed on the inner surface (inner surface in the left-right direction) of each bearing 52, which opens upward and communicates with each insertion hole 54, and each rotating shaft 116 can be easily inserted into each insertion hole 54 through each notch 56. An inclined surface is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the upper end portion of each bearing 52 at the portion where each notch 56 is formed, and this inclined surface constitutes a guide surface 58 that guides the insertion of each rotating shaft 116.

[0030] <Engagement wall part 60> Furthermore, between the opposing bearings 52 in the left-right direction, an engagement wall 60 is provided in the left-right center of the upper bottom wall 28 to engage with an engagement protrusion 122 (described later) of the protective cover 20. As shown in Figs. 5 and 12, the engagement wall 60 is a generally plate-shaped portion that protrudes upward with a predetermined protrusion dimension. The engagement wall 60 has a generally hexagonal shape in the front view shown in Fig. 12, and its rear end surface is an inclined surface 62 that gradually inclines toward the tip as it goes upward. In addition, the left and right end surfaces of the engagement wall 60 are flat surfaces 64, 64 that extend in the vertical direction, and the upper end of each flat surface 64 is connected to an inclined surface 66, 66 that gradually inclines inward in the left-right direction as it goes upward. When the protective cover 20 shown in Figures 6 to 8 is in the open position O, the inclined surfaces 128 of each engagement protrusion 122 described later are located above each inclined surface 66, and each inclined surface 66 of the engagement wall portion 60 and the inclined surface 128 of each engagement protrusion 122 face each other with a slight space therebetween in an oblique direction.

[0031] Then, behind each bearing 52 in the upper bottom wall portion 28, on both left and right sides, there are provided open position locked portions 68 which constitute an open position locking mechanism 112, which will be described later. Each of these open position locked portions 68 protrudes upward, and a locked claw 70 which protrudes inward in the left and right direction is provided at the protruding tip end (upper end) of each open position locked portion 68.

[0032] <Terminal part 12> Bus bars 72 constituting the terminal portion 12 are accommodated inside the upper case 24 in the main portion A, and two bus bars 72 (a first bus bar 72a and a second bus bar 72b) are provided in the main portion A. Each of these bus bars 72a, 72b extends in the front-rear direction inside the upper case 24 as a whole, and is formed, for example, by bending a metal plate of a conductive metal into a predetermined shape. The front ends of each of these bus bars 72a, 72b are overlapped with each other in the up-down direction and positioned in the accommodation space 36 in the upper case 24, and are opposed to each other at a predetermined distance behind the accommodation space 36. The bus bar 72 located at the top in the accommodation space 36 is the first bus bar 72a, and the bus bar 72 overlapped below the first bus bar 72a is the second bus bar 72b. As shown in FIG. 9, the rear portions of each of these bus bars 72a, 72b are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction in the right portion of the internal space of the upper case 24, and each of these bus bars 72a, 72b is exposed from the case rear portion 32b of the upper case 24 while being spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

[0033] Here, the front ends of the bus bars 72a, 72b are overlapped with each other to form the terminal portion 12 disposed in the accommodation space 36. The front ends of the bus bars 72a, 72b are formed with bolt insertion holes 74, 74, respectively, and the bus bars 72a, 72b are overlapped such that the bolt insertion holes 74 communicate with each other in the up-down direction. Furthermore, the terminal portion 12 is overlapped on the upper surface of the nut 34 such that the bolt insertion holes 74 of the bus bars 72a, 72b are aligned with the inner holes of the nuts 34 accommodated in the accommodation space 36.

[0034] When the terminal portion 12 and the bus bar 14 are electrically connected, one end of the bus bar 14 is overlapped with the terminal portion 12 through the upper opening 18 and the right opening 40, and each of the bolt insertion holes 22, 74, 74 is aligned with the inner hole of the nut 34. The terminal portion 12 and the bus bar 14 are electrically connected by inserting a bolt 76 into each of the bolt insertion holes 22, 74, 74 and fastening it to the nut 34. For example, power input through the bus bar 14 can be output in two mutually different directions from the rear end of the main portion A (upper case 24) via each of the bus bars 72a, 72b.

[0035] <Protective cover 20> 3 to 5, in a state where the protective cover 20 is placed over the upper opening 18 and in a closed position C covering the upper opening 18, the protective cover 20 has a generally box-like shape that opens downward as a whole, and includes an upper wall portion 78 and a peripheral wall 80 that protrudes downward from the peripheral edge of the upper wall portion 78 toward the upper opening 18. The upper wall portion 78 is generally rectangular in plan view, and is formed to have approximately the same size as the peripheral wall 42 in the front portion of the upper case 24. The peripheral wall 80 includes a front wall portion 82a and a rear wall portion 82b that are arranged opposite each other in the front-rear direction, and a left wall portion 82c and a right wall portion 82d that are arranged opposite each other in the left-right direction.

[0036] 3 to 5, when the protective cover 20 is in the closed position C, the upper opening 18 provided in the front of the upper case 24 is covered from above by the protective cover 20. In the main part A, the upper surface 46 of the peripheral wall 42 constituting the upper opening 18 is located on the same plane, so that when the protective cover 20 is arranged in the closed position C, the protective cover 20 abuts against substantially the entire surface of the upper surface 46 of the peripheral wall 42. Furthermore, when the protective cover 20 is in the closed position C, an accommodating recess 84 for accommodating the head of the bolt 76 is formed in the left-right central part of the upper wall part 78, with the recessed shape opening downward.

[0037] <Multiple Locking Portions 86 (First Locking Portion 88, Second Locking Portion 96, and Third Locking Portion 98)> The protective cover 20 has a plurality of locking portions 86 provided at a plurality of positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction. Specifically, a first locking portion 88 constituting the plurality of locking portions 86 is provided in the left-right central portion of the protective cover 20, forward of the receiving recess 84 in the protective cover 20. In the first embodiment, the first locking portion 88 protrudes upward from the upper wall portion 78, then bends back downward, and protrudes downward from the upper wall portion 78 through a through hole 90 provided in the front end portion of the upper wall portion 78. As a result, the first locking portion 88 is elastically deformable in the front-rear direction inside the through hole 90, and a locking claw 92 protruding forward is provided at the lower end of the first locking portion 88. Therefore, in the peripheral wall 80 of the protective cover 20, the first locking portion 88 is provided on the front wall portion 82a side. As a result, when the protective cover 20 is in the closed position C, the locking claw 92 of the first locking portion 88 engages with the locked claw 50 of the first locked portion 48, thereby holding the protective cover 20 in the closed position C. As a result, in the main part A, an A-side locking mechanism 94 that detachably holds the protective cover 20 in the closed position C is formed by the first locked portion 48 and the first locking portion 88, particularly the locked claw 50 and the locking claw 92.

[0038] Furthermore, a second locking portion 96 constituting a plurality of locking portions 86 is provided on the left wall portion 82c side of the peripheral wall 80 of the protective cover 20, and a third locking portion 98 constituting a plurality of locking portions 86 is provided on the right wall portion 82d side. In the first embodiment, the second locking portion 96 is provided on the left wall portion 82c, and the third locking portion 98 is provided on the right wall portion 82d. These second and third locking portions 96, 98 protrude outward in the left-right direction from the respective outer peripheral surfaces of the left wall portion 82c and the right wall portion 82d. Note that these second and third locking portions 96, 98 do not perform a special function when the bus bar 14 is overlapped from the side (right side) as in the main portion A. A recess 100 opening outward in the left-right direction is formed in the middle portion in the front-rear direction on the outer peripheral surfaces of the left wall portion 82c and the right wall portion 82d, and the second and third locking portions 96, 98 protrude from the bottom surface of each recess 100. This keeps the outward protruding dimension of the second and third locking portions 96, 98 small, and in embodiment 1, the second and third locking portions 96, 98 do not protrude outward in the left-right direction beyond the outer peripheral surfaces of the left wall portion 82c and the right wall portion 82d.

[0039] An operating portion 102 that an operator can place his / her fingers on and operate is formed in the left-right central portion of the front wall portion 82a of the protective cover 20. Meanwhile, operating portions 104, 104 that an operator can place his / her fingers on and operate when the bus bar 14 is overlapped from the front as in main portion B described below are formed in the front end portions of the outer circumferential surfaces of the left wall portion 82c and the right wall portion 82d of the protective cover 20. These operating portions 104 do not perform any special function when the bus bar 14 is overlapped from the side (right) as in main portion A.

[0040] <Open position lock mechanism 112> Here, when the protective cover 20 is in the closed position C as shown in Figs. 3 to 5, a thick portion 106 formed to be thick in the vertical direction is provided at the rear end of the upper wall portion 78, continuing rearward from the accommodation recess 84. This thick portion 106 is also provided continuing from the rear wall portion 82b of the peripheral wall 80. The thick portion 106 has a larger horizontal dimension than the accommodation recess 84, and both left and right ends of the thick portion 106 are located on both left and right sides of the upper wall portion 78. At both left and right ends of the thick portion 106, an open position side locking portion 108 is formed, which protrudes downward from above and is elastically deformable in the horizontal direction. At the vertical middle portion of each open position side locking portion 108, a locking claw 110 protruding outward in the horizontal direction is provided. 6 to 9, when the protective cover 20 is in the open position O, the locking claw 110 of the open position locking part 108 engages with the locking claw 70 of the open position locked part 68, thereby holding the protective cover 20 in the open position O. As a result, in the first embodiment, the open position locking mechanism 112 that detachably holds the protective cover 20 in the open position O is composed of the open position locked part 68 and, in particular, the locking claw 70 and the locking claw 110 of the open position locking part 108.

[0041] <Rotation axis 116> Furthermore, when the protective cover 20 is in the closed position C, the elastic arms 114, 114 protrude rearward from both left and right ends of the thick portion 106, and the rotating shafts 116, 116 protrude outward in the left and right direction from the protruding tip end (rear end) of each elastic arm 114. That is, the rotating shafts 116 are provided protruding from the rear wall portion 82b of the peripheral wall 80 via the thick portion 106 and each elastic arm 114. Each elastic arm 114 is elastically deformable in the left and right direction, and when the protective cover 20 is assembled to the upper case 24, for example, each elastic arm 114 elastically deforms inward in the left and right direction, so that each rotating shaft 116 can be inserted into the insertion hole 54 of each bearing 52. The protective cover 20 is assembled to the upper case 24 in the orientation shown in Figures 6 to 9. In the state shown in Figures 6 to 9, an inclined surface 118 is provided on the lower portion of the outer circumferential surface of each rotating shaft 116, and the abutment of each inclined surface 118 and each bearing 52 makes it easier for each elastic arm portion 114 to elastically deform inwardly in the left-right direction.

[0042] The outer diameter of each of the rotating shafts 116 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of each of the insertion holes 54, and a small gap 120 (see FIG. 5) is formed between each of the rotating shafts 116 and each of the insertion holes 54 when each of the rotating shafts 116 is inserted into each of the insertion holes 54. This prevents each of the rotating shafts 116 from getting caught on the inner peripheral surface of each of the insertion holes 54 when the protective cover 20 is rotated, and allows smooth rotation. In particular, by forming such a gap 120, the rotation force of the protective cover 20 to rotate to the closed position C due to its own weight is made larger than the resistance force against the rotation force. As a result, during service such as maintenance, which will be described later, the resistance force that prevents the protective cover 20 from rotating due to a free fall to the closed position C due to its own weight after the worker releases the protective cover 20 from being held can be made very small. Therefore, the protective cover 20 whose holding has been released can be quickly rotated toward the closed position C.

[0043] <Engaging protrusion 122> Furthermore, when the protective cover 20 is in the closed position C, a pair of engagement protrusions 122, 122 are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction and protrude rearward inward in the left-right direction from each elastic arm portion 114 of the thick portion 106. Each engagement protrusion 122 is configured to include each elastic support portion 124 protruding rearward from the thick portion 106, and an inward protrusion 126 protruding inward in the left-right direction from the protruding tip end (rear end) of each elastic support portion 124. Each elastic support portion 124 is capable of elastic deformation in the left-right direction.

[0044] Each of the inner protrusions 126 has a predetermined shape and protruding dimension and protrudes inward in the left-right direction from each of the elastic support parts 124. That is, when the protective cover 20 is in the open position O as shown in Figs. 6 to 9, the lower end surface of each of the inner protrusions 126 is provided with an inclined surface 128 that gradually rises upward as it goes inward in the left-right direction. As described above, when the protective cover 20 is in the open position O, each of the inclined surfaces 128 faces each of the inclined surfaces 66 of the engagement wall part 60 at an angle and slightly spaced apart from each other. Furthermore, the protruding tip surface (the end surface on the inner side in the left-right direction) of each of the inner protrusions 126 is a vertical surface 130 that extends vertically, continuing from each inclined surface 128. Furthermore, the upper end surface of each of the inner protrusions 126 is a flat surface 132 that extends in the front-rear direction, continuing from each vertical surface 130. In the initial state shown in Figures 6 to 9, each inward protrusion 126 is located above the engagement wall portion 60 provided on the upper case 24, and is at a position approximately equal to the engagement wall portion 60 in the fore-and-aft direction, or slightly forward of the engagement wall portion 60.

[0045] <Main part B> Next, main part B of electrical junction box 10 will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 17. The basic structure of main part B is similar to that of main part A, but while in main part A bus bar 14, which is a conductive member, is superimposed on terminal part 12 from the side (right side) of terminal part 12, in main part B bus bar 14, which is a conductive member, is superimposed on terminal part 12 from the front of terminal part 12. In the following description, members and parts that are substantially the same as those in main part A are given the same reference numerals in the drawings, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0046] In the main part B, the upper case 24 is also provided with an upper opening 18 as an opening for exposing the terminal portion 12. In addition, in the main part B, the bus bar 14 is overlapped from the front, so that a front opening 136 is formed in the peripheral wall 134 of the upper opening 18. Therefore, in the main part B, a conductive member insertion portion that is provided in the upper case 24 and inserts the conductive member (bus bar 14) into the accommodation space 36 is configured by the front opening 136. The peripheral wall 134 of the upper opening 18 is configured to include an upper portion in the case left part 32c, an upper portion in the case right part 32d, and an intermediate wall portion 44 located behind the upper opening 18. Therefore, in the main part B, the conductive member insertion portion (front opening 136) is provided in front of the peripheral wall 134 in correspondence with the first locking portion 88 that constitutes the multiple locking portions 86 and is provided in front of the protective cover 20 (on the front wall portion 82a side).

[0047] <Locked portion (second locked portion 138 and third locked portion 140)> In main part B, a second locked part 138 is provided as a locked part that protrudes upward at the upper end of case left part 32c, and a third locked part 140 is provided as a locked part that protrudes upward at the upper end of case right part 32d. A locked claw 142 that protrudes inward in the left-right direction is formed at the protruding tip end (upper end) of each of these second and third locked parts 138, 140.

[0048] As described above, the second locking portion 96 and the third locking portion 98 protruding outward in the left-right direction are provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the left wall portion 82c and the right wall portion 82d of the protective cover 20, respectively. Therefore, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, when the protective cover 20 is in the closed position C, the second locking portion 96 and the third locking portion 98 are engaged with the locking claws 142 of the second locked portion 138 and the third locked portion 140, respectively, so that the protective cover 20 is held in the closed position C. In this manner, in the main portion B, the second and third locked portions 138, 140 are provided on the left and right sides of the peripheral wall 134 in correspondence with the second and third locking portions 96, 98 that constitute the multiple locking portions 86 and are provided on the left (left wall portion 82c) and right (right wall portion 82d) of the protective cover 20. Therefore, in the main part B, the B-side locking mechanism 144, which removably holds the protective cover 20 in the closed position C, is composed of the second locking portion 96 and the second locked portion 138, and the third locking portion 98 and the third locked portion 140, respectively.

[0049] <Assembly of the electrical junction box 10> A specific example of a method for assembling the electrical junction box 10 will be described below. However, the method for assembling the electrical junction box 10 is not limited to the embodiment described below. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electrical junction box 10 is configured by providing main parts A and B to a common upper case 24, but since each main part A and each main part B are basically assembled in the same manner, the assembly method for main part A will be described below.

[0050] First, the first and second bus bars 72a, 72b are inserted into the upper case 24 through the lower opening 26 of the upper case 24. Next, the nut accommodating portion 38 to which the nut 34 is attached is inserted from below into the accommodating space 36 in the upper case 24 and fixed by a locking mechanism (not shown). As a result, the bolt insertion holes 74, 74 in the bus bars 72a, 72b are aligned with the inner holes of the nuts 34, and the nuts 34 are pressed against the second bus bar 72b from below, so that the first and second bus bars 72a, 72b are sandwiched between the upper bottom wall portion 28 of the upper case 24 and the nuts 34 in the vertical direction.

[0051] Also, the protective cover 20 is assembled to the upper case 24 from above. Specifically, each of the rotating shafts 116 in the protective cover 20 is brought close to each of the bearings 52 in the upper case 24 from above in a direction in which the inclined surface 118 of each of the rotating shafts 116 is positioned downward (the direction shown in Figs. 6 to 9). As a result, the guide surface 58 provided on the inner surface of each of the bearings 52 comes into contact with the inclined surface 118 provided on each of the rotating shafts 116, and each of the bearings 52 and / or each of the elastic arm portions 114 is elastically deformed. As a result, the protective cover 20 can be pushed further downward, and when each of the rotating shafts 116 enters each of the insertion holes 54, each of the bearings 52 and / or each of the elastic arm portions 114 is elastically restored to its original state. Also, each of the locking claws 110 in each of the open position side locking portions 108 provided in the protective cover 20 is engaged with each of the locked claws 70 in each of the open position side locked portions 68 provided in the upper case 24. 6 to 9, in the initial state of the main part A, the protective cover 20 is held in the open position O. Similarly, in each main part B, the protective cover 20 is assembled to the upper case 24 and each protective cover 20 is held in the open position O. As a result, the electrical junction box 10 is completed in which each protective cover 20 is held in the open position O in each of the main parts A and B, as shown in FIG.

[0052] <How to use the electrical junction box 10> The following describes how to use the electrical junction box 10. However, since each of the main parts A and B is basically used in the same manner, the following describes how to use the main part A.

[0053] In the initial state of the electrical junction box 10 manufactured as described above, the protective cover 20 is disposed in an open position O away from the upper opening 18, and the upper opening 18 and the terminal portions 12 are exposed to the outside. With the terminal portions 12 thus exposed to the outside, for example, the bus bar 14, whose ends are bent horizontally, is placed on the terminal portions 12 through the upper opening 18 and the right opening 40, and each bolt insertion hole 74 is aligned with the bolt insertion hole 22 in the bus bar 14. Thereafter, the bolts 76 are inserted into each of the bolt insertion holes 74, 22 and fastened to the nuts 34, thereby connecting the terminal portions 12 and the bus bar 14 as shown in FIG.

[0054] In this manner, when the terminals 12 and the bus bars 14 are connected, the connection portions become live parts, and therefore it is preferable to cover the live parts with the protective cover 20 to prevent electric shock to the worker. Therefore, from the state in which the protective cover 20 is in the open position O shown in Fig. 10, the protective cover 20 is rotated around each rotation shaft 116 toward the closed position C. The states of the protective cover 20 in the middle of its rotation are shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

[0055] In the electric connection box 10 of the first embodiment, by rotating and displacing the protective cover 20 around the rotation shafts 116, first, the inclined surfaces 128 provided on the inner protrusions 126 of the engaging protrusions 122 come into contact with the inclined surfaces 66 provided on the engaging wall 60. By further rotating and displacing the protective cover 20 in the abutting state of the inclined surfaces 128, 66, the elastic support parts 124 of the engaging protrusions 122 are elastically deformed outward in the opposing direction (outward in the left-right direction) along the inclination direction of the inclined surfaces 128, 66. By rotating and displacing the protective cover 20 while the inclined surfaces 128, 66 are in contact with each other, the elastic support parts 124 are further elastically deformed outward in the left-right direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the vertical surfaces 130 of the inner protrusions 126 come into contact with the flat surfaces 64 of the engaging wall 60.

[0056] In this manner, while each vertical surface 130 and each flat surface 64 are in contact with each other, the protective cover 20 is further rotated and displaced, so that the inner protrusions 126 of each engaging protrusion 122 climb over the engaging wall portion 60. As a result, each elastic support portion 124 elastically restores and deforms, and each engaging protrusion 122 returns to its initial shape. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5, each inner protrusion 126 is located behind the engaging wall portion 60. Then, the protective cover 20 is further rotated toward the closed position C, and the upper surface 46 of the peripheral wall 42 at the upper opening 18 and the protective cover 20 are overlapped. As a result, the protective cover 20 is disposed in the closed position C. That is, the rotation from the open position O to the closed position C is permitted by each engaging protrusion 122 climbing over the engaging wall portion 60. Then, at the front end side of the upper case 24, the locking claw 92 of the first locking part 88 is engaged with the locking claw 50 of the first locked part 48, thereby holding the protective cover 20 in the closed position C as shown in Figures 3 to 5. In this state, the live parts are covered with the protective cover 20, preventing an operator from unintentionally coming into contact with them and receiving an electric shock. In each main part B, the second locking part 96 and the third locking part 98 are engaged with the locking claws 142 of the second and third locked parts 138 and 140, respectively, thereby holding the protective cover 20 in the closed position C as shown in Figures 16 and 17.

[0057] During service such as maintenance, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the first locked portion 48 and the first locking portion 88 are released from engagement, the protective cover 20 is displaced toward the open position O, the bolt 76 is released, and parts are replaced. That is, the protective cover 20 in the closed position C is rotated and displaced toward the open position O around each rotation shaft 116, but in the first embodiment, this rotational displacement toward the open position O is limited by the abutment of each engagement protrusion 122 with the engagement wall portion 60. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 14, the flat surfaces 132 of the inner protrusions 126 of each engagement protrusion 122 and the left and right ends of the rear end surface (inclined surface 62) of the engagement wall portion 60 abut against each other, thereby restricting further rotational displacement of the protective cover 20 toward the open position O. Here, it is preferable that the rotational region R of the protective cover 20 toward the open position O is limited to a range in which the protective cover 20 rotates toward the closed position C due to its own weight.

[0058] 13 and 14 show a state in which the protective cover 20 has been rotated to the open position O to the maximum, and the maximum central angle X (see FIG. 14) around each rotation shaft 116 in the rotation region R of the protective cover 20 is preferably set in the range of 75°≦X<90° around each rotation shaft 116 when the closed position C of the protective cover 20 is set to 0°. As described above, the rotational displacement of the protective cover 20 towards the open position O is limited by the contact between each flat surface 132 of each inward protrusion 126 and the inclined surface 62 of the engagement wall 60, and therefore the magnitude of the maximum central angle X around each rotation shaft 116 in the rotation region R of the protective cover 20 can be set, for example, by the inclination angle of the inclined surface 62.

[0059] In this manner, when each of the engaging projections 122 has overcome the engaging wall portion 60, the angle of the protective cover 20 does not exceed 90° even when the protective cover 20 is fully opened, and the protective cover 20 can be automatically rotated to the closed position C by its own weight. In particular, a small gap 120 is formed between each of the rotating shafts 116 and the insertion holes 54 through which the rotating shafts 116 are inserted. Although the protective cover 20 needs to be held in the open state during servicing, the protective cover 20 can be automatically rotated to the closed position C by releasing the open state. After the protective cover 20 reaches the closed position C, the first locking portion 88 is engaged with the first locked portion 48 to hold the protective cover 20 in the closed position C. The configuration of limiting the rotation region R of the protective cover 20 during servicing and automatically rotating the protective cover 20 to the closed position C after the work as described above can also be adopted for each of the main parts B.

[0060] According to the electric junction box 10 of the first embodiment having the above-described structure, the main part A in the upper case 24 is provided with the right opening 40 as a conductive member insertion part, and the main part B is provided with the front opening 136 as a conductive member insertion part. When the bus bar 14 is placed over the terminal part 12 through the right opening 40 as in the main part A, the protective cover 20 is held in the closed position C by the first locking part 88 engaging with the first locked part 48 provided in the front. When the bus bar 14 is placed over the terminal part 12 through the front opening 136 as in the main part B, the protective cover 20 is held in the closed position C by the second and third locking parts 96, 98 engaging with the second and third locked parts 138, 140 provided on both the left and right sides. With this configuration, the same shape of protective cover 20 can be used regardless of whether bus bar 14 is overlapped from the side or the front, and there is no need to manufacture separate protective covers for when bus bar 14 is overlapped from the side and when it is overlapped from the front, making parts management easier and reducing costs.

[0061] In particular, the protective cover 20 has an upper wall portion 78 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and a peripheral wall 80 protruding from the upper wall portion 78. This ensures a stable rigidity of the protective cover 20. In addition, the rotating shafts 116 are provided on the rear side of the protective cover 20, and a first locking portion 88 is provided on the front side of the protective cover 20, and second and third locking portions 96, 98 are provided on both the left and right sides. In other words, the first locking portion 88, the second locking portion 96, and the third locking portion 98 can be provided on the front wall portion 82a side, the left wall portion 82c side, and the right wall portion 82d side, which have relatively long dimensions, rather than on the four corners of the protective cover 20 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and the locking of the locking portions 88, 96, and 98 to the locked portions 48, 138, and 140 can be stably achieved.

[0062] The electrical junction box 10 has an open position lock mechanism 112 that detachably holds the protective cover 20 in the open position O. This can prevent the protective cover 20 in the open position O from being unintentionally displaced to the closed position C.

[0063] According to the electric connection box 10 of the first embodiment, in the initial state, the protective cover 20 is held in the open position O exposing the upper opening 18 and the terminal portion 12, so that the work of overlapping and connecting the bus bar 14, which is an external conductive member, with the terminal portion 12 can be easily performed. When the protective cover 20 is rotated and displaced from the open position O to the closed position C, each of the engagement protrusions 122 needs to elastically deform and overcome the engagement wall portion 60, so that the protective cover 20 is prevented from being unintentionally displaced from the open position O to the closed position C. The connection portion between the terminal portion 12 and the bus bar 14 becomes an active portion by connecting the terminal portion 12 and the bus bar 14, but the active portion is covered by the protective cover 20 by rotating and displacing the protective cover 20 to the closed position C, so that the risk of an operator receiving an electric shock can be reduced. Furthermore, after each engaging protrusion 122 overcomes the engaging wall portion 60, the protective cover 20 is automatically and quickly displaced to the closed position C due to its own weight, which more reliably prevents the connection portion between the terminal portion 12, which has become an active part, and the bus bar 14 from being exposed to the outside and also reduces the burden on the worker.

[0064] Furthermore, when the protective cover 20 is in the closed position C, the protective cover 20 is displaced toward the open position O during service such as maintenance. However, the rotation region R of the protective cover 20 toward the open position O is limited to a range in which the protective cover 20 rotates toward the closed position C due to its own weight by the abutment of the engaging protrusions 122 with the engaging wall portion 60. As a result, even when the protective cover 20 is opened during service work, the protective cover 20 is automatically displaced to the closed position C by releasing the external force that keeps the protective cover 20 in the open state after the work, so that the protective cover 20 can be prevented from being left closed. Also, once the protective cover 20 is rotated from the initial state (open position O) and the engaging protrusions 122 climb over the engaging wall portion 60, the rotational displacement toward the open position O is limited by the abutment of the engaging protrusions 122 with the engaging wall portion 60, so that it is difficult to restore the protective cover 20 to the initial state (open position O). Therefore, by checking whether protective cover 20 is in closed position C or open position O, it can be easily determined whether terminal portion 12 and bus bar 14 are connected or not.

[0065] In particular, since the structure for preventing the protective cover 20 from being left closed as described above does not use a hinge as in the conventional structure, there is no problem such as the hinge being damaged by exposure to a low temperature environment, and the live parts can be covered with the protective cover 20 quickly and reliably.

[0066] In the first embodiment, each rotating shaft 116 of the protective cover 20 is held by each bearing 52 provided in the upper case 24, and a gap 120 is provided between each rotating shaft 116 and each bearing 52. This makes the rotational force of the protective cover 20 rotating to the closed position C due to its own weight larger than the resistance force against the rotational force. As a result, the protective cover 20 in a state in which each engaging protrusion 122 has climbed over the engaging wall portion 60 can be automatically and quickly rotated to the closed position C. Note that such an embodiment can be realized, for example, by setting the outer diameter dimension of each rotating shaft 116 slightly smaller than the inner diameter dimension of the insertion hole 54 in each bearing 52, and setting a gap 120 between each rotating shaft 116 and each insertion hole 54.

[0067] When the protective cover 20 is disposed in the closed position C, the protective cover 20 abuts against an upper surface 46 of the peripheral wall 42 of the upper opening 18. In particular, in the first embodiment, the upper surface 46 is located on the same plane over substantially the entirety, and substantially the entirety of the protective cover 20 abuts against the upper surface 46, so that unintentional contact with a live part (a connection portion between the terminal portion 12 and the bus bar 14) through the upper opening 18 can be more reliably prevented.

[0068] For example, when the protective cover 20 is opened during servicing such as maintenance, the rotation angle of the protective cover 20 is set so that the maximum central angle X around the central axis of each rotation shaft 116 is in the range of 75°≦X<90°. Setting the protective cover 20 to open at an angle of 75° or more allows for stable servicing work. Setting the protective cover 20 to open at an angle smaller than 90° allows the protective cover 20 to be automatically displaced to the closed position C by releasing the external force in the direction in which the protective cover 20 is opened after the work.

[0069] <Modification> Although the first embodiment has been described above as a specific example of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited to this specific description. Modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope of achieving the object of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modified examples of the embodiment are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0070] (1) In the above embodiment, main part A where bus bar 14 is overlapped from the side (right side) with terminal part 12, and main part B where bus bar 14 is overlapped from the front with terminal part 12 are provided in the same case 16 (upper case 24), but this is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, the electric junction box including main part A and the electric junction box including main part B may be separate. Also, in the above embodiment, main part A and main part B are provided in multiple locations in electric junction box 10, but the electric junction box according to the present disclosure may be provided with, for example, one each of main part A and main part B.

[0071] (2) In the above embodiment, three locking portions 86 (first locking portion 88, second locking portion 96, and third locking portion 98) are provided in protective cover 20, and first locking portion 88 is locked to first locked portion 48 at main portion A where bus bar 14 is placed on terminal portion 12 from the right, and second and third locking portions 96, 98 are locked to second and third locked portions 138, 140 at main portion B where bus bar 14 is placed on terminal portion 12 from the front. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. That is, when the bus bar is placed on the terminal portion from the right, the first and second locking portions provided on the front and left may be locked, and when the bus bar is placed on the terminal portion from the left, the first and third locking portions provided on the front and right may be locked. The number of locking portions provided on the protective cover is not limited to three, and may be two, four or more.

[0072] (3) In the above embodiment, when the protective cover 20 is pivotally displaced from the open position O to the closed position C, the engaging protrusions 122 elastically deform to overcome the engaging wall portions 60, and the protective cover 20 that has reached the closed position C is not opened larger than a predetermined angle due to the abutment of the engaging protrusions 122 with the engaging wall portions 60 during service, for example, but such a configuration is not essential to the electrical connection box according to the present disclosure. Also, in the above embodiment, the protective cover 20 includes the rotating shafts 116, and the upper case 24 includes the bearings 52 having the insertion holes 54, and the protective cover 20 is pivotally displaced by the rotation of the rotating shafts 116 in the insertion holes 54, but the pivotal displacement of the protective cover may be achieved by a hinge as in the conventional structure.

[0073] (4) In the above embodiment, the engaging protrusions 122 are provided on the protective cover 20 and the engaging wall 60 is provided on the case 16 (upper case 24), but the engaging protrusions may be provided on the case and the engaging wall may be provided on the protective cover. Also, in the above embodiment, the rotating shafts 116 are provided on the protective cover 20 and the bearings 52 are provided on the case 16 (upper case 24), but the rotating shafts may be provided on the case and the bearings may be provided on the protective cover.

[0074] (5) In the main part A in the above embodiment, the bus bar 72 constituting the terminal portion 12 was composed of two bus bars, a first bus bar 72a and a second bus bar 72b, but the bus bar constituting the terminal portion may be a single bus bar as in the main part B.

[0075] (6) In the above embodiment, the nut 34 is housed in the case 16 (upper case 24), and the terminal portion 12 and the bus bar 14 are fixed by the bolt 76 inserted from above. However, the case may house a stud bolt that protrudes upward, and the terminal portion and the conductive member may be fixed by a nut that is fastened from above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 10 Electrical junction box 12 Terminal section 14 Busbar (conductive member) 16 cases 18 Upper opening (opening) 20 Protective cover 22 Bolt insertion hole 24 Upper Case 26 Lower opening 28 Upper bottom wall 30 Upper peripheral wall 32a Case front 32b Rear of case 32c Left side of case 32d Case right side 34 Nut 36 Containment Space 38 Nut receiving section 40 Right opening (conductive member insertion portion) 42 Peripheral wall 44 Intermediate wall 46 Top side 48 First locked part (locked part) 50 Locking claw 52 Bearings 54 Insertion hole 56 Notch 58 Guide Surface 60 Engagement wall part 62 Slope 64 Flat surface 66 Slope 68 Open position side locked part 70 Locking claw 72 Busbar 72a 1st busbar 72b 2nd bus bar 74 Bolt insertion hole 76 Volts 78 Upper wall 80 Peripheral wall 82a Front wall 82b Rear wall 82c Left wall section 82d Right wall 84 Recessed part 86 (multiple) locks 88 First Lock 90 Through hole 92 Locking Claw 94 A side locking mechanism 96 Second Lock Section 98 3rd Lock Section 100 Recess 102,104 Operation section 106 Thick wall part 108 Open position side lock part 110 Locking Claw 112 Open position lock mechanism 114 Elastic arm 116 Rotational Axis 118 Slope 120 Gap 122 Engagement protrusion 124 Elastic support part 126 Inner protrusion 128 Slope 130 Vertical Plane 132 Flat surface 134 Peripheral wall 136 Front opening (conductive member insertion portion) 138 Second locked part (locked part) 140 Third locked part (locked part) 142 Locking claw 144 B side locking mechanism A,B Main part C Closed position O open position R Rotation Area X maximum center angle

Claims

1. Case and a terminal portion exposed through an opening of the case and to which an external conductive member is connected; a protective cover held by the case so as to be rotatable between an open position in which the protective cover is separated from the opening and exposes the opening, and a closed position in which the protective cover is placed over the opening and covers the opening, The protective cover has a plurality of locking portions provided at a plurality of positions spaced apart in a circumferential direction, the case has a conductive member insertion portion provided at a portion where at least one of the locking portions of the protective cover in the closed position is disposed, and a locked portion provided at a portion where at least another one of the locking portions is disposed and engaged with the locking portion, The protective cover is held in the closed position by the locking portion engaging with the locked portion.

2. The protective cover has an upper wall portion having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and a peripheral wall protruding from a peripheral edge portion of the upper wall portion toward the opening, the peripheral wall including a front wall portion and a rear wall portion disposed opposite each other in a front-to-rear direction, and a left wall portion and a right wall portion disposed opposite each other in a left-to-right direction, A rotating shaft is provided on the rear wall and is supported by a bearing provided on the case.

2. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein a first locking portion is provided on the front wall side, a second locking portion is provided on the left wall side, and a third locking portion is provided on the right wall side, and the plurality of locking portions include the first locking portion, the second locking portion, and the third locking portion.

3. 3. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, further comprising an open position locking mechanism for detachably holding said protective cover in said open position.

4. an engagement protrusion provided on one of the case and the protective cover; an engagement wall portion provided on the other of the case and the protective cover, the protective cover is initially disposed at the open position away from the opening to expose the opening; the protective cover is allowed to rotate from the open position to the closed position where it is superimposed on the opening and covers the opening by the engaging protrusion elastically deforming and climbing over the engaging wall portion, 3. An electrical connection box as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the engaging protrusion, which has overcome the engaging wall portion and elastically returned to its original position, abuts against the engaging wall portion, thereby limiting the range of rotation of the protective cover toward the open position to a range in which the protective cover rotates toward the closed position due to its own weight.

5. 5. The electrical junction box according to claim 4, wherein a rotating shaft of said protective cover is held by a bearing provided in said case, and a gap is provided between said rotating shaft and said bearing.

6. 3. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover abuts against an upper surface of a peripheral wall of the opening when the protective cover is disposed at the closed position.

Images