Electric connection box

Abstract

To provide an electric connection box capable of improving workability of a work for storing a block in a case.SOLUTION: An electric connection box 1 has a block 10 on which an electronic component can be mounted, and a case 20 for storing the block 10. The case 20 has: a side wall 21 and a bottom wall 22 which define a space where the block 10 is stored and have cylindrical shapes; an engagement part 43 which is arranged on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 21 and engages the block 10; and a protrusive part 44 which is arranged so as to be adjacent to the engagement part 43, and has such a shape as to protrude in a direction at which the engagement part 43 protrudes toward the inside of the space. The protrusive part 44 is arranged so that the protrusion height to the direction of the protrusion part 44 is equal to or higher than the protrusion height to the direction of the engagement part 43, and it surrounds the engagement part 43 except for a front side away from the bottom wall 22 in the storage direction at which the block 10 is stored in the space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connection box including a block to which an electronic component can be attached and a case that houses the block.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been proposed an electrical connection box configured by assembling a plurality of components with each other, such as an electrical connection box (for example, a relay box) mounted on a vehicle. For example, one of the conventional electrical connection boxes has a block that holds an electronic component or the like and a box-shaped case that houses the block inside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described electrical connection box, the block is moved downward and housed inside the case body from the housing opening above the case body, and the lock portion provided on the block is engaged with the locked portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the case, so that the block is fixed to the case. At this time, since the locked portion of the case protrudes toward the inside of the case, an electric wire connected to the electronic component of the block (particularly, a loop-shaped electric wire connecting one terminal and another terminal in the block) may be caught by the locked portion. The electric wire caught by the locked portion may prevent the block from being properly fixed to the case, and the operator has to visually check the electric wire and the locked portion to avoid such catching of the electric wire while housing the block in the case. For these reasons, in the conventional electrical connection box, it is difficult to improve the workability of the operation of housing the block in the case.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection box capable of improving the workability of the operation of housing a block in a case.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the electrical connection box according to the present invention is characterized as follows.

[0007] An electrical connection box including a block to which an electronic component can be attached and a case that houses the block, wherein the case has a cylindrical side wall and a bottom wall that define a space for housing the block, a locking portion disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall for locking the block, and a protruding portion disposed adjacent to the locking portion and having a shape that is convex in a direction in which the locking portion protrudes toward the inside of the space. The protruding portion is configured such that the protruding height of the protruding portion in the direction of protrusion is equal to or greater than the protruding height of the locking portion in the direction of protrusion, and the protruding portion is disposed so as to surround the locking portion except on the front side, which is the side away from the bottom wall in the housing direction of housing the block in the space. It is an electrical connection box.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the electrical connection box of the present invention, a locking portion for locking a block is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall of the case, and a protruding portion having a convex shape in a direction protruding toward the inside of the case is disposed adjacent to the locking portion. Further, the protruding height of the protruding portion is equal to or greater than the protruding height of the locking portion, and the protruding portion is disposed so as to surround the locking portion except for the front side in the accommodation direction of the block. Thereby, when the block is accommodated in the case, the protruding portion does not prevent the engagement between the locking portion and the block, and even if the electric wire connected to the electronic component approaches the locking portion, the electric wire is guided along the protruding portion to the back side of the case, so that the electric wire is prevented from being caught by the locking portion. Therefore, the electrical connection box of this configuration can improve the workability of the operation of accommodating the block in the case.

[0009] As described above, the present invention has been briefly described. Further, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the electrical connection box 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The electrical connection box 1 is typically a relay box that is attached to a vehicle frame or the like and houses electronic components such as relays.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electrical connection box 1 is a box-shaped body including a block 10 to which electronic components (and other components) such as relays are to be attached, and a case 20 that houses the block 10. The case 20 is configured by assembling a side cover 50 to a case body 30. Each of the block 10, the case body 30, and the side cover 50 is a resin molded product.

[0013] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up", and "down" are defined. The "front-rear direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. The "up-down direction" corresponds to the up-down direction of the vehicle in a state where the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on the vehicle. The "front-rear direction" and the "left-right direction" do not necessarily correspond to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the vehicle in a state where the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on the vehicle. Hereinafter, the configurations of the respective members constituting the electrical connection box 1 will be described in order.

[0014] First, the block 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the block 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the front-rear direction. Inside the block 10, a plurality of accommodation portions 11 for accommodating electronic components (and other components) such as relays are provided. As the electric wires connected to the electronic components accommodated in the accommodation portion 11, for example, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, an electric wire w1 having only one end side connected to the electronic component and hanging down from the block 10, and an electric wire w2 having one end side connected to one electronic component and the other end side connected to another electronic component and hanging down from the block 10 in a loop shape are assumed.

[0015] On the outer surface of the side wall of block 10, locking portions 12 are respectively provided at a plurality of locations (nine locations in this example) in the circumferential direction of block 10 (orthogonal to the vertical direction and along the outer surface of the side wall of block 10) (see also Fig. 4(a)). In the state where block 10 is completely assembled to case body 30 (see Fig. 1), the plurality of locking portions 12 will respectively engage with a plurality of locked portions 43 (see Figs. 2 and 4(b)) provided on case body 30, which will be described later.

[0016] Next, case 20 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, case 20 has a substantially rectangular cylindrical side wall 21 extending in the vertical direction, a bottom wall 22 closing the lower end opening of side wall 21, and an outlet 23 communicating the inside and outside of case 20. Side wall 21 has a shape corresponding to the outer shape of block 10 and defines an internal space for accommodating block 10. Block 10 will be accommodated in the internal space of side wall 21 through the upper end opening of case 20 from above. In this example, outlet 23 has a substantially cylindrical shape extending outward obliquely downward to the right from a position in front of the center in the front-rear direction among the front-rear direction corners where the right side wall extending in the front-rear direction of side wall 21 and bottom wall 22 intersect. An electric wire bundle W (see Fig. 1), which is a collection of a plurality of electric wires w1 (see Fig. 2) extending so as to hang down from block 10, is inserted through outlet 23 and will be drawn out from the inside of case 20 to the outside. Each of side wall 21, bottom wall 22, and outlet 23 of case 20 described above is constituted by assembling side cover 50 to case body 30 (details will be described later).

[0017] Next, the case body 30 that forms part of the case 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the case body 30 has a substantially rectangular cylindrical side wall 31 extending in the vertical direction and a bottom wall 32 closing the lower end opening of the side wall 31, and is a box-shaped body with an open upper end. In the substantially rectangular cylindrical side wall 31, an opening 33 extending vertically and penetrating in the vertical direction is formed such that a "substantially L-shaped portion" as viewed in the vertical direction, including the entire front and right corner portions extending in the vertical direction, is cut out (see also FIG. 4(b)). Further, in the bottom wall 32, an opening 34 continuous with the opening 33 and extending rearward is formed such that a "substantially rectangular portion" as viewed in the vertical direction, which is continuous with the opening 33 and extends rearward, is cut out (see also FIG. 4(b)). The side wall 31 is a portion of the side wall 21 of the case 20 excluding the above-mentioned "substantially L-shaped portion" and constitutes a part of the side wall 21 of the case 20. The bottom wall 32 is a portion of the bottom wall 22 of the case 20 excluding the above-mentioned "substantially rectangular portion" and constitutes a part of the bottom wall 22 of the case 20. By assembling the side cover 50 to the case body 30, the above-mentioned "substantially L-shaped portion" in the side wall 31 of the case body 30 is complemented by a side wall 51 (see FIGS. 2 and 3, etc.) of the side cover 50 to close the opening 33, and the above-mentioned "substantially rectangular portion" in the bottom wall 32 of the case body 30 is complemented by a bottom wall 52 (see FIGS. 2 and 3, etc.) of the side cover 50 to close the opening 34.

[0018] On a pair of side edges 35 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) extending in the vertical direction of the opening 33, an uneven shape (not shown) that is recessed or protruded in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and extends in the vertical direction is formed. By assembling the side cover 50 to the case body 30, the uneven shape of the pair of side edges 35 will be fitted with the uneven shape (not shown) of a pair of side edges 54 (see FIG. 3) of the side cover 50 described later.

[0019] On the side edge 36 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that extends in a substantially L-shape when viewed from the vertical direction of the opening 34, there is formed an uneven shape (not shown) that is recessed or protruded in the vertical direction and extends in a substantially L-shape when viewed from the vertical direction. By assembling the side cover 50 to the case body 30, the uneven shape of the side edge 36 will be fitted with the uneven shape (not shown) of the side edge 55 (see FIG. 3) of the side cover 50 described later.

[0020] At the lower end portion (the position adjacent to the rear side of the side edge 35 on the right rear side of the opening 33) of the right side wall extending in the front-rear direction of the side wall 31, which is in front of the center in the front-rear direction, there is formed an upper lead-out port portion 37 that extends so as to protrude outward obliquely downward to the right. Most of the upper lead-out port portion 37 has a semi-cylindrical shape that protrudes upward. The upper lead-out port portion 37 is the portion excluding the "semi-cylindrical portion protruding downward" at the lead-out port 23 of the case 20 and constitutes a part of the lead-out port 23 of the case 20. By assembling the side cover 50 to the case body 30, the above-mentioned "semi-cylindrical portion protruding downward" will be complemented by the lower lead-out port portion 53 (see FIG. 3 etc.) of the side cover 50.

[0021] A pair of locked portions 38 are provided at positions near the upper end portions of the pair of side edges 35 of the opening 33 on the side wall 31 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). By assembling the side cover 50 to the case body 30, the locked portions 38 will engage with the pair of locking portions 56 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the side cover 50.

[0022] On the outer surface of the side wall 31, mounting portions 39, 41, and 42 are respectively provided at a plurality of locations (in this example, three locations) in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31 (orthogonal to the vertical direction and along the outer surface of the side wall 31) (see FIGS. 1 and 2 etc.). When the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on a vehicle, by fixing the mounting portions 39, 41, and 42 to the vehicle frame or the like by means such as fastening or engagement, the electrical connection box 1 will be fixed to the vehicle frame or the like.

[0023] On the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31, corresponding to a plurality of locking portions 12 (nine locations in this example) of the block 10, locked portions 43 are respectively provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31 (six locations in this example), and locked portions 46 are respectively provided at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31 (two locations in this example) (see FIGS. 2 and 4(b)). Each of the locked portions 43, 46 protrudes in the thickness direction of the side wall 31 from the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31 toward the internal space of the side wall 31. By assembling the side cover 50 to the case body 30, eight of the nine locking portions 12 provided on the block 10, excluding the locking portion 12a (see FIGS. 2 and 4(a)), are respectively engaged with the locked portions 43, 46 provided on the side wall 31, and the locking portion 12a will be engaged with a locked portion (not shown) provided on the side wall 51 of the side cover 50. Among the locked portions 43 provided on the side wall 31, the locked portion 43a (see FIG. 4(b)) is disposed at a position overlapping the upper outlet portion 37 in the vertical direction (the accommodation direction in which the block 10 is accommodated in the case body 30) on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31 (a position corresponding to the position where the upper outlet portion 37 is provided in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31).

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4(b), on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31, for each of the locked portions 43, the protruding portions 44 are arranged adjacent to the locked portions 43 and surrounding the locked portions 43 except for the upper side of the locked portions 43 (see also FIG. 6). Each of the protruding portions 44 protrudes in the thickness direction of the side wall 31 from the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31 toward the internal space of the side wall 31, similar to the locked portions 43. The function of providing the protruding portions 44 on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 31 will be described later. In this example, the protruding portions 44 corresponding to two adjacent locked portions 43 in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31 are continuous in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31, and the protruding portions 44 corresponding to each locked portion 43 extend to the lower end of the side wall 31.

[0025] The protruding height of the side wall 31 of the protruding portion 44 in the thickness direction is set to be equal to or greater than the protruding height of the side wall 31 of the locked portion 43 in the thickness direction (see Fig. 8). Fig. 8 shows a case where the protruding height of the side wall 31 of the protruding portion 44 in the thickness direction is equal to the protruding height of the side wall 31 of the locked portion 43 in the thickness direction. The locked portion 46 may also be configured to have the same protruding height as the other locked portions 43.

[0026] As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the upper end surface 45 of each protruding portion 44 (the upper surface facing upward. A flat surface.) is inclined downward as it moves away from the corresponding locked portion 43 on both sides in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31. In this example, due to the fact that the protruding portions 44 corresponding to each of the two locked portions 43 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31 are continuous in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31, between the two locked portions 43 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31, the upper end surfaces 45 of the protruding portions 44 corresponding to each of the two locked portions 43 are connected in a V shape when viewed from the thickness direction of the side wall 31. Further, as shown in Fig. 7, the upper end surface 45 of each protruding portion 44 is inclined downward as it moves away from the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 31 in the thickness direction of the side wall 31.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 8, at the location where the protruding portion 44 is disposed, the side wall 31 has an inner wall surface 31a that constitutes the protruding end surface of the protruding portion 44 and an outer wall surface 31b that constitutes the outer surface of the side wall 31, and the inner wall surface 31a and the outer wall surface 31b are connected in the thickness direction of the side wall 31 by a connecting wall 31c, having a double-wall structure. Thereby, by utilizing the space generated in the side wall 31 of the case body 30 due to the provision of the protruding portion 44, a double-wall structure for strengthening the side wall 31 can be provided.

[0028] Next, the side cover 50 constituting another part of the case 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the side cover 50 has a side wall 51, a lower outlet 53, and a bottom wall 52 connecting the side wall 51 and the lower outlet 53. The side wall 51 has a generally L-shaped configuration when viewed from the top-bottom direction and extends in the vertical direction, corresponding to the aforementioned “generally L-shaped portion” cut out in the side wall 31 of the case main body 30. The bottom wall 52 has a generally rectangular flat plate shape extending rearward from the lower end of the side wall 51, corresponding to the aforementioned “generally rectangular portion” cut out in the bottom wall 32 of the case main body 30. The lower outlet 53 has a downwardly protruding semicylindrical shape and extends obliquely downward to the right from the bottom wall 52, corresponding to the aforementioned “downwardly protruding semicylindrical portion” of the outlet 23 of the case 20. The side wall 51 is the portion of the side wall 21 of the case 20 excluding the portion occupied by the side wall 31 of the case body 30, and constitutes another portion of the side wall 21 of the case 20. The bottom wall 52 is the portion of the bottom wall 22 of the case 20 excluding the portion occupied by the bottom wall 32 of the case body 30, and constitutes another portion of the bottom wall 22 of the case 20. The lower outlet portion 53 is the portion of the outlet 23 of the case 20 excluding the portion occupied by the upper outlet portion 37 of the case body 30, and constitutes another portion of the outlet 23 of the case 20. As described above, the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 51 is provided with a locked portion (not shown) that engages with the lock portion 12a of the block 10 (see FIG. 4(a)).

[0029] In the side cover 50, due to the structure in which the side wall 51 and the lower outlet portion 53 are connected by the bottom wall 52, as in this example, the side wall 51 that forms another part of the side wall 21 of the case 20 and the lower outlet portion 53 that forms another part of the outlet 23 of the case 20 can be arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the case 20 (a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and along the outer surface of the side wall 21). Therefore, in the circumferential direction of the case 20, regardless of the position of the lower outlet portion 53 (i.e., the outlet 23), the side wall 51 can be arranged at any location that has no relation to the engagement between the block 10 and the case 20 (i.e., the location where the locking portion 12 of the block 10 is not provided), and at any location that is related to the engagement between the block 10 and the case 20 (i.e., the location where the locking portion 12 of the block 10 is provided). In this example, in the circumferential direction of the case 20, the side wall 51 is arranged at a location that is related to the engagement between the block 10 and the case 20 (specifically, the location where the locking portion 12a of the block 10 and the locked portion of the side cover 50 are provided).

[0030] On a pair of side edges 54 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that extend in the vertical direction of the side wall 51, an uneven shape (not shown) that depresses or protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and extends in the vertical direction is formed corresponding to the uneven shape of a pair of side edges 35 of the case body 30. On a side edge 55 (see FIG. 3) that extends in a substantially L shape when viewed from the vertical direction of the bottom wall 52, an uneven shape (not shown) that depresses or protrudes in the vertical direction and extends in a substantially L shape when viewed from the vertical direction is formed corresponding to the uneven shape of the side edge 36 of the case body 30. At the upper end portions of the pair of side edges 54 in the side wall 51, a pair of locking portions 56 are provided corresponding to a pair of locked portions 38 of the case body 30 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The configurations of the respective members constituting the electrical connection box 1 have been described above.

[0031] Next, the assembly procedure of the electrical connection box 1 will be described. To assemble the electrical connection box 1, first, the block 10 is assembled to the case body 30, and then the side cover 50 is assembled to the case body 30.

[0032] To assemble the block 10 to the case body 30, first, a plurality of electronic components (and other components) are accommodated in the plurality of accommodation sections 11 of the block 10, respectively, and corresponding electric wires are connected to the electronic components accommodated in the accommodation sections 11. This results in a state in which a plurality of electric wires w1 and a plurality of electric wires w2 hang down from the block 10, as shown in FIG. 2. Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the block 10 and the case body 30 are arranged so that the block 10 is located above the case body 30, and then the block 10 and the case body 30 are moved closer to each other in the vertical direction, thereby assembling the block 10 to the case body 30 so that the block 10 is accommodated in the internal space of the case body 30 and so that the plurality of electric wires w1 and the plurality of electric wires w2 hanging down from the block 10 are accommodated in the internal space of the case body 30. When the assembly of the block 10 to the case body 30 is complete, eight of the nine locking portions 12 provided on the block 10, excluding locking portion 12a (see FIGS. 2 and 4(a)), are engaged with eight locked portions 43 provided on the side walls 31 of the case body 30. The engagement between the locking portions 12 of the block 10 and the locked portions 43 of the case body 30 prevents the block 10 from falling off (separating) upward from the case body 30.

[0033] During assembly of the block 10 to the case body 30, as the block 10 moves downward relative to the case body 30, the locked portion 43 of the case body 30 protrudes from the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 31 in the thickness direction of the side wall 31. This causes a possibility that an electric wire hanging down from the block 10 (particularly an electric wire w2 hanging down in a loop shape) may get caught on the locked portion 43. An electric wire caught on the locked portion 43 may hinder proper fastening of the block 10 to the case body 30. To avoid such electric wire getting caught, the worker must visually check the electric wire and the locked portion 43 when inserting the block 10 into the case body 30. In this regard, in this example, the protruding portion 44 is disposed adjacent to the locked portion 43. Furthermore, the protruding height of the protruding portion 44 is equal to or greater than the protruding height of the locked portion 43, and the protruding portion 44 is disposed so as to surround the locked portion 43 except for the upper side of the locked portion 43. As a result, when the block 10 is stored in the case body 30, the protrusion 44 does not interfere with the engagement between the locked portion 43 of the case body 30 and the locking portion 12 of the block 10, and even if an electric wire hanging down from the block 10 (particularly the electric wire w2 hanging down in a loop) approaches the locked portion 43, the electric wire is guided along the protrusion 44 to the underside of the case body 30, thereby preventing the electric wire from getting caught on the locked portion 43.

[0034] Furthermore, the upper end surfaces 45 of the protruding portions 44 are inclined downward as they move away from the locked portion 43 on both sides of the side wall 31 in the circumferential direction, and are also inclined downward as they move away from the inner circumferential surface of the side wall 31 in the thickness direction of the side wall 31. This makes it possible to more efficiently guide the electric wire approaching the locked portion 43 to the underside of the locked portion 43.

[0035] When the assembly of the case body 30 of the block 10 is completed, the side cover 50 is then assembled to the case body 30. Specifically, first, a wire bundle W (see FIG. 1) formed by gathering a plurality of electric wires w1 hanging down from the block 10 is fixed to the upper outlet portion 37 by a tie band or the like so that the wire bundle W does not separate from the inner surface (lower surface) of the upper outlet portion 37 of the case body 30. Next, as shown in FIG. 2, from the state where the side cover 50 and the case body 30 are arranged such that the side cover 50 is positioned below the case body 30, the side cover 50 and the case body 30 are brought closer to each other in the vertical direction so that the concave-convex shapes of the pair of side edges 54 of the side cover 50 and the concave-convex shapes of the pair of side edges 35 of the case body 30 are fitted to each other, and the concave-convex shapes of the side edge 55 of the side cover 50 and the concave-convex shapes of the side edge 36 of the case body 30 are fitted to each other, and the side cover 50 is assembled to the case body 30.

[0036] When the assembly of the side cover 50 to the case body 30 is completed, the opening 33 and the opening 34 of the case body 30 are respectively blocked by the side wall 51 and the bottom wall 52 of the side cover 50, and the upper outlet portion 37 of the case body 30 and the lower outlet portion 53 of the side cover 50 are vertically aligned so as to sandwich the wire bundle W. As a result, the side wall 21, the bottom wall 22, and the outlet 23 of the case 20 are respectively configured, so that the case 20 is configured and the assembly of the electrical connection box 1 is completed.

[0037] In the completed state of assembling the electrical connection box 1, the wire bundle W is drawn out from the inside of the case 20 to the outside through the lead-out port 23 of the case 20 (see Fig. 1). The pair of locking portions 56 of the side cover 50 are engaged with the pair of locked portions 38 of the case body 30. By the engagement between the locking portion 56 and the locked portion 38, the downward drop (separation) of the side cover 50 from the case body 30 is prevented. The locking portion 12a provided on the block 10 (see Figs. 2 and 4(a)) is engaged with a locked portion (not shown) provided on the side wall 51 of the side cover 50. By the engagement between the locking portion 12a of the block 10 and the locked portion of the side cover 50, the upward drop (separation) of the block 10 from the side cover 50 (i.e., the case 20) is prevented. The concavo-convex shapes of the pair of side edges 54 of the side cover 50 and the concavo-convex shapes of the pair of side edges 35 of the case body 30 are fitted to each other, and the concavo-convex shapes of the side edge 55 of the side cover 50 and the concavo-convex shapes of the side edge 36 of the case body 30 are fitted to each other, so that the boundary portion between the side cover 50 and the case body 30 is fitted by the concavo-convex fitting structure. Thereby, the water tightness of the boundary portion between the side cover 50 and the case body 30 is improved.

[0038] <Function and Effect> According to the electrical connection box 1 of this embodiment, a locked portion 43 that locks the block 10 is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 21 of the case 20 (side wall 31 of the case body 30), and a protruding portion 44 having a convex shape in the direction in which the locked portion 43 protrudes into the case 20 is disposed adjacent to the locked portion 43. Furthermore, the protruding height of the protruding portion 44 is equal to or greater than the protruding height of the locked portion 43, and the protruding portion 44 is disposed so as to surround the locked portion 43 except for the front side (upper side) in the housing direction (vertical direction) of the block 10. As a result, when the block 10 is accommodated in the case 20 (case body 30), the protruding portion 44 does not prevent the locked portion 43 from engaging with the locking portion 12 of the block 10, and even if an electric wire connected to an electronic component approaches the locked portion 43, the electric wire is guided along the protruding portion 44 to the inner side (lower side) of the case 20 (case body 30), thereby preventing the electric wire from getting caught on the locked portion 43. Therefore, the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment can improve the workability of the operation of accommodating the block 10 in the case 20 (case body 30).

[0039] Furthermore, the upper end surface 45 on the front side (upper side) of the protruding portion 44 is inclined so as to approach the inner side (lower side) in the storage direction as it moves away from the locked portion 43. This makes it possible to more efficiently guide the electric wire approaching the locked portion 43 to the inner side of the case 20 (case main body 30).

[0040] Furthermore, the side wall 21 of the case 20 (the side wall 31 of the case main body 30) has a double-wall structure at the location where the protrusion 44 is disposed, with an inner wall surface 31a that forms the protruding end face of the protrusion 44 and an outer wall surface 31b that forms the outer surface of the side wall 31. This allows a double-wall structure to be provided to strengthen the side wall 31 by utilizing the space created in the side wall 21 of the case 20 (the side wall 31 of the case main body 30) by providing the protrusion 44. Therefore, the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment can improve both the ease of installing the block 10 in the case 20 (the case main body 30) and the strength of the case 20 (the case main body 30), while avoiding an increase in the size of the case 20 (the case main body 30).

[0041] <Other aspects> Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement position, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the protruding portions 44 corresponding to each of the two locked portions 43 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31 of the case body 30 are continuous in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31. On the other hand, the protruding portions 44 corresponding to each of the two locked portions 43 adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31 of the case body 30 may be separated from each other in the circumferential direction of the side wall 31 without being continuous.

[0043] Here, the features of the embodiments of the electrical connection box 1 according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed in [1] to [3] below, respectively.

[0044] [1] An electrical connection box (1) including a block (10) to which an electronic component can be attached and a case (20) that houses the block (10), wherein the case (20) has a cylindrical side wall (21) and a bottom wall (22) that define a space for housing the block (10), a locking portion (43) disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall (21) for locking the block (10), and a protruding portion (44) disposed adjacent to the locking portion (43) and having a shape that is convex in a direction in which the locking portion (43) protrudes toward the inside of the space, wherein the protruding portion (44) is configured such that the protruding height of the protruding portion (44) in the direction of protrusion is equal to or greater than the protruding height of the locking portion (43) in the direction of protrusion, and is disposed so as to surround the locking portion (43) except for the front side which is on the side away from the bottom wall (22) in the accommodation direction of housing the block (10) in the space. Electrical junction box (1).

[0045] According to the electrical junction box having the configuration [1] above, a locking portion for locking the block is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall of the case, and a protruding portion having a convex shape extending in the direction of the locking portion protruding into the case is disposed adjacent to the locking portion. Furthermore, the protruding height of the protruding portion is equal to or greater than the protruding height of the locking portion, and the protruding portion is disposed so as to surround the locking portion except for the front side in the insertion direction of the block. This prevents the protruding portion from interfering with the engagement between the locking portion and the block when inserting the block into the case. Even if an electric wire connected to an electronic component approaches the locking portion, the electric wire is guided along the protruding portion toward the rear of the case, preventing the electric wire from getting caught on the locking portion. Therefore, the electrical junction box having this configuration can improve the ease of inserting a block into the case.

[0046] [2] In the electrical connection box (1) described in [1] above, The protruding portion (44) The front surface (45) of the protrusion (44) is inclined so as to approach the rear side, which is the side that approaches the bottom wall (22) in the storage direction, as it moves away from the locking portion (43). Electrical junction box (1).

[0047] In the electrical junction box having the configuration [2] above, the front (e.g., upper) surface of the protrusion is inclined so that it approaches the rear side in the storage direction as it moves away from the locking portion, thereby more efficiently guiding the electric wires that approach the locking portion to the rear side of the case.

[0048] [3] In the electrical connection box (1) described in [1] above, The side wall (21) of the case (20) is At the location where the protrusion (44) is arranged, the wall has a double-wall structure including an inner wall surface (31a) that forms the protruding end face of the protrusion (44) and an outer wall surface (31b) that forms the outer surface of the side wall (21). Electrical connection box (1).

[0049] According to the electrical connection box having the configuration of [3] above, the side wall of the case has a double-wall structure having an inner wall surface constituting the protruding end surface of the protruding portion and an outer wall surface constituting the outer surface of the side wall at the location where the protruding portion is disposed. Thereby, by utilizing the space generated in the side wall of the case with the provision of the protruding portion, a double-wall structure for strengthening the side wall can be provided. Therefore, the electrical connection box of this configuration can improve both the workability of the operation of accommodating the block in the case and the strength of the case while avoiding an increase in the size of the case.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0050] 1 Electrical connection box 10 Block 20 Case 21 Side wall 22 Bottom wall 31a Inner wall surface 31b Outer wall surface 43 Blocked portion (locking portion) 44 Protruding portion 45 Upper end surface (front side surface)

Claims

1. An electrical connection box comprising a block to which an electronic component can be attached and a case for housing the block, wherein the case has a cylindrical side wall and a bottom wall that define a space for housing the block, a locking portion disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the side wall for locking the block, and a protruding portion disposed adjacent to the locking portion and having a shape that is convex in a direction in which the locking portion protrudes toward the inside of the space, wherein the protruding portion is configured such that a protruding height of the protruding portion in the direction of protrusion is equal to or greater than a protruding height of the locking portion in the direction of protrusion, and is disposed so as to surround the locking portion except for the front side, which is the side away from the bottom wall in the housing direction of housing the block in the space. Electrical connection box.

2. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is inclined such that a front surface of the protruding portion approaches the back side, which is the side closer to the bottom wall in the housing direction as the front surface moves away from the locking portion. Electrical connection box.

3. The electrical connection box according to claim 1, wherein the side wall of the case has a double-wall structure having an inner wall surface that constitutes a protruding end surface of the protruding portion and an outer wall surface that constitutes an outer surface of the side wall at a location where the protruding portion is disposed. Electrical connection box.

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