Box-shaped body

Abstract

To provide a box-shaped body capable of improving the waterproofness thereof.SOLUTION: A box-shaped body 1 includes: a case 30 having an opening surrounded by a peripheral wall 31; a cover 20 attached to the case 30 so as to cover the opening; and a sealing material 40 sandwiched between the case 30 and the cover 20. The case 30 has: a recessed part 33 provided on an end surface, of the peripheral wall 31, on the opening side; an inner end surface 34a inside the recessed part 33; and an outer end surface 35a outside the recessed part 33. The cover 20 has: a protruding part 24 extending along an edge 23 of the cover; an inner edge 25 inside the protruding part 24; and an outer edge 26 outside the protruding part 24. The sealing material 40 is sealed into a gap between the recessed part 33 and the protruding part 24. At least one of the inner end surface 34a and the inner edge 25 has a communication groove 27 communicating an inner space of the recessed part 33 with an inner space of the case 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a box-shaped body comprising a case having an opening surrounded by a peripheral wall, a cover attached to the case so as to cover the opening, and a sealing material sandwiched between the case and the cover. [Background technology]

[0002] Electrical junction boxes to be mounted on vehicles, etc. have been proposed in the past. For example, one conventional electrical junction box houses electronic components, bus bars, etc. in an internal space defined by a case and a cover, and protects these electronic components, etc. (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-240217 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when a vehicle or the like equipped with an electrical junction box is subjected to high-pressure water cleaning, the electrical junction box may be exposed to water. The conventional electrical junction box described above attempts to prevent water from reaching the electronic components or the like by accommodating the electronic components or the like in an internal space, even if the electrical junction box is exposed to water. From the viewpoint of further improving the waterproofness of the electrical junction box, it is desirable to prevent water from entering the internal space through the gap between the cover and the case. As can be understood from the above description, it is desirable to improve the waterproofness not only of electrical junction boxes but also of box-shaped structures having a cover and a case.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide a box-shaped body that can improve waterproofing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the box-shaped body according to the present invention has the following features.

[0007] A box-shaped body comprising: a case having an opening surrounded by a peripheral wall; a cover attached to the case so as to cover the opening; and a sealing material sandwiched between the case and the cover, The case is a groove portion provided on an end surface of the peripheral wall on the opening side and extending along the peripheral wall; an inner end surface which is the end surface located inside the case with respect to the groove portion in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall; and an outer end surface which is the end surface located outside the case with respect to the groove portion in the thickness direction, The cover is a convex portion extending along an edge of the cover and fitted into the concave portion, an inner edge portion located more inward than the convex portion in the thickness direction, and an outer edge portion located more outward than the convex portion in the thickness direction, the inner end surface of the case and the inner edge portion of the cover are in contact with each other, and the outer end surface of the case and the outer edge portion of the cover are in contact with each other, and the sealing material is sealed in a gap between the recessed streak portion and the protruding streak portion, At least one of the inner end surface and the inner edge portion is a communication groove that communicates the inner space of the groove portion with the inner space of the case; It is box-shaped. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the box-shaped body of the present invention, the end face of the opening side of the peripheral wall of the case is provided with a groove extending along the peripheral wall, an inner end face located inside the groove in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall, and an outer end face located outside the groove. The cover is provided with a protrusion extending along the edge of the cover and fitted into the groove, an inner edge located inside the protrusion in the thickness direction, and an outer edge located outside the protrusion in the thickness direction. When the cover is attached to the case, the inner end face of the case and the inner edge of the cover come into contact, and the outer end face of the case and the outer edge of the cover come into contact, and a sealant is sealed in the gap between the groove and the protrusion. As a result, even if water penetrates the gap between the case and the cover, not only is the water prevented from advancing by the sealant, but to reach the interior of the case, the water must travel along the gap between the groove and the protrusion, bypassing the protrusion. Therefore, compared to simply sandwiching a sealant between the end face of the peripheral wall of the case and the edge of the cover, the creepage distance from the outside to the inside of the box-shaped body is longer, improving waterproofing. In other words, even if the peripheral wall of the case is made thinner, sufficient creepage distance can be ensured to improve waterproofing, allowing for a smaller and lighter box-shaped body. Furthermore, when the sealant is pre-injected into the grooves and the ridges are fitted into the grooves, the sealant displaced by the ridges flows into the communicating grooves on at least one of the inner end face and inner edge. This allows the gap between the grooves and ridges to be sufficiently filled with sealant while preventing the sealant from leaking outside the box-shaped body and damaging its appearance. In this way, the box-shaped body of this configuration can improve waterproofing.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description of the invention below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a box-shaped body according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the box-shaped body shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing the process of attaching the cover to the case. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a view showing the upper end surface of the peripheral wall in the state shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing a state in which the cover has been attached to the case. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 6 in the state shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 and shows a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a box-shaped body 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The box-shaped body 1 accommodates various electronic components such as relays and fuses inside, and therefore can also be called an electronic component unit or an electrical junction box.

[0012] 1 and 2, the box-shaped body 1 includes a circuit board 10, and a cover 20 and a case 30 that are arranged to sandwich the circuit board 10 from above and below and define an internal storage space for storing the circuit board 10. The box-shaped body 1 is typically attached to a dash panel that separates the engine room and passenger compartment (cabin) of a vehicle, and is used with the cover 20 exposed to the engine room of the vehicle. The case 30 corresponds to the "case" of the present invention, and the cover 20 corresponds to the "cover" of the present invention.

[0013] For ease of explanation, the direction corresponding to the vertical direction of the vehicle in the box-shaped body 1 when mounted on the vehicle is defined as the "vertical direction," the circumferential direction of a peripheral wall 31 of the case 30 (described later) as the "circumferential direction," and the thickness direction of the peripheral wall 31 as the "inner-outer direction." The "vertical direction," "circumferential direction," and "inner-outer direction" are perpendicular to each other (see FIG. 3, etc.). The "inner" and "outer" in the "inner-outer direction" correspond to the inner side and outer side of the box-shaped body 1, respectively. Note that the "vertical direction" is defined merely for ease of explanation and does not necessarily correspond to the vertical direction of the vehicle when the box-shaped body 1 is mounted on the vehicle, etc. Each component constituting the box-shaped body 1 will be described below.

[0014] First, we will explain the circuit board 10. The circuit board 10 is a printed circuit board (PCB) on which various electronic components (not shown), such as relays and fuses, are mounted, and in this example, has a rectangular flat plate shape as shown in FIG.

[0015] Next, the case 30 will be described. The case 30 is made of metal (more specifically, aluminum die-cast), and also functions as a so-called heat sink, absorbing heat generated from various electronic components mounted on the circuit board 10 and releasing it to the outside. In this example, as shown in Fig. 2, the case 30 has a generally rectangular box-like shape with an open upper end, and integrally includes a generally rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall 31 extending in the vertical direction and a generally rectangular flat bottom wall portion 32 that closes the lower end opening of the peripheral wall 31.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3 , a generally rectangular annular groove 33 is formed in the central portion of the generally rectangular frame-shaped upper end surface (the end surface on the opening side) of the peripheral wall 31 in the inward / outward direction. The groove 33 is recessed downward and extends circumferentially around the entire circumference of the peripheral wall 31. As will be described later, a liquid gasket 40g (a so-called formed-in-place gasket, i.e., FIPG) is poured into the groove 33. The vertical position of an upper end surface (flat surface) 34a (see FIG. 4 ) of a portion of the peripheral wall 31 located inside the groove 33 (hereinafter referred to as the "inner peripheral wall 34") coincides with the vertical position of an upper end surface (flat surface) 35a (see FIG. 4 ) of a portion of the peripheral wall 31 located outside the groove 33 (hereinafter referred to as the "outer peripheral wall 35"). That is, the upper end surface 34a and the upper end surface 35a are located on a common plane extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. Communication grooves 27 that communicate between the inner space of the groove portion 33 and the inner space of the case 30 are provided at one or more locations in the circumferential direction of the upper end face 34a (see FIGS. 4 to 7). The shape of the communication grooves 27 in a cross section perpendicular to the inner / outer direction is substantially the same at every location in the inner / outer direction, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the interior of the communication grooves 27 in that cross section is also substantially the same at every location in the inner / outer direction (see FIGS. 6 and 7). The communication grooves 27 are arranged on the upper end face 34a at locations on the inner circumferential wall 34 where electronic components mounted on the circuit board 10 are not adjacent.

[0017] Next, the cover 20 will be described. The cover 20 is a resin molded body, and as shown in FIG. 2, integrally includes a substantially rectangular flat-plate-shaped base portion 21, a substantially rectangular cylindrical peripheral wall 22 rising upward from the entire periphery of the base portion 21, and a peripheral edge portion 23 extending outward from the upper end of the peripheral wall 22 along the entire periphery. A connector portion 28 having a cylindrical portion extending upward (toward the outside of the box-shaped body 1) is provided at each of a plurality of locations on the upper surface of the base portion 21 (the surface exposed to the outside of the box-shaped body 1). Each connector portion 28 houses a metal terminal (not shown) electrically connected to a corresponding electronic component mounted on the circuit board 10. A mating connector (not shown) connected to an end of an electric wire extending from a device (not shown) external to the box-shaped body 1 is fitted into each connector portion 28. As a result, each connector portion 28 functions to electrically connect electronic components mounted on the circuit board 10 inside the box-shaped body 1 with devices outside the box-shaped body 1. Each connector portion 28 can be mated with a mating connector in a watertight manner, and has a waterproof function that can prevent water from entering from the outside when mated with the mating connector.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, a convex rib portion 24 is formed in the approximate center of the peripheral edge portion 23 of the cover 20 in the inward / outward direction, corresponding to the concave rib portion 33 of the case 30. The convex rib portion 24 protrudes downward and extends circumferentially around the entire circumference of the peripheral edge portion 23. The convex rib portion 24 has a shape that allows it to fit into the concave rib portion 33 when the cover 20 is assembled to the case 30. The width (thickness in the inward / outward direction) of the convex rib portion 24 is narrower than the width (groove width in the inward / outward direction) of the concave rib portion 33. The vertical position of a lower end surface (flat surface) 25a (see FIG. 4) of a portion of the peripheral edge 23 located inside the convex rib portion 24 (hereinafter referred to as the "inner edge portion 25") coincides with the vertical position of a lower end surface (flat surface) 26a (see FIG. 4) of a portion of the peripheral edge 23 located outside the convex rib portion 24 (hereinafter referred to as the "outer edge portion 26") That is, the bottom end surface 25a and the bottom end surface 26a are located on a common plane extending in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. Each of the components that make up the box-shaped body 1 has been described below.

[0019] Next, we will explain the procedure for assembling the box-shaped body 1. To assemble the box-shaped body 1, as shown in Fig. 3, first, the circuit board 10 is placed on the bottom wall 32 of the case 30 and fixed by fastening or the like, and at the same time, a liquid gasket 40g in a liquid state is poured into the grooves 33 provided on the upper end surface of the peripheral wall 31 of the case 30. The order of these two steps does not matter.

[0020] Next, the cover 20 is assembled to the case 30. Specifically, from a state in which the cover 20 is positioned above the case 30 as shown in FIG. 5, the cover 20 and the case 30 are brought relatively closer to each other in the vertical direction. As a result, the convex streak portion 24 of the cover 20 is fitted into the concave streak portion 33 of the case 30 as shown in FIG. 8. At this time, the liquid gasket 40g deforms to fill the gap between the concave streak portion 33 and the convex streak portion 24, and the liquid gasket 40g that does not fit into the gap flows into the communicating groove 27 as shown in FIG. 9. In this example, the liquid gasket 40g remains within the communicating groove 27, but the liquid gasket 40g may also flow into the internal space of the case 30 from the inner opening of the communicating groove 27. As described above, the communication groove 27 is located on the upper end surface 34a of the inner peripheral wall 34 at a location where electronic components mounted on the circuit board 10 are not adjacent. Therefore, even if the liquid gasket 40g flows into the internal space of the case 30 and reaches the circuit board 10, it will not come into contact with the electronic component. Therefore, even if the liquid gasket 40g has the property of expanding as it hardens, such expansion will not cause the electronic component to become dislodged. The cover 20 is then assembled to the case 30 so that the circuit board 10 is sandwiched between the base portion 21 of the cover 20 and the bottom wall portion 32 of the case 30, and so that the cover 20 closes the upper opening of the case 30. The cover 20 and the case 30 are then fixed to each other by fastening or the like. Once the assembly of the cover 20 to the case 30 is complete, the assembly of the box-shaped body 1 is complete.

[0021] When the cover 20 is fully assembled to the case 30, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the ridges 24 of the cover 20 are fitted into the grooves 33 of the case 30 along the entire circumferential direction, the lower end surface 25a of the cover 20 contacts the upper end surface 34a of the case 30, and the lower end surface 26a of the cover 20 contacts the upper end surface 35a of the case 30. A liquid gasket 40g is filled in the gap between the grooves 33 and the ridges 24 along the entire circumferential direction. The liquid gasket 40g filled in the gap between the grooves 33 and the ridges 24 gradually hardens over time at room temperature, and after a predetermined time has passed, it becomes a hardened sealant 40. The sealant 40 seals the gap between the grooves 33 and the ridges 24 (i.e., the gap between the cover 20 and the case 30, which are fixed to each other) to prevent water from entering the box-shaped body 1 from the outside to the inside. In this example, a sealing material 40 is sealed in the gap between the recessed rib portion 33 and the protruding rib portion 24, which are fitted together, so the creeping distance from the outside to the inside of the box-shaped body 1 is longer than when a sealing material is simply sandwiched between two flat surfaces.

[0022] In the box-shaped body 1 in the assembled state, even without providing a dedicated waterproof cover, the above-mentioned waterproof function of each connector portion 28 and the sealant 40 that seals the gap between the cover 20 and the case 30 that are fixed to each other can prevent water from entering from the outside to the inside of the box-shaped body 1, for example, when high-pressure washing is performed on the engine room of a vehicle where the cover 20 is exposed. Furthermore, since a waterproof cover is not required, the box-shaped body 1 can be made smaller.

[0023] <Actions and Effects> As described above, according to the box-shaped body 1 of this embodiment, a recessed rib portion 33 extending along the peripheral wall 31 is provided on the upper end surface on the opening side of the peripheral wall 31 of the case 30. An upper end surface 34a located inside the recessed rib portion 33 in the thickness direction (inner-outer direction) of the peripheral wall 31 and an upper end surface 35a located outside the recessed rib portion 33 are formed. The cover 20 is provided with a protruding rib portion 24 extending along the peripheral edge portion 23 of the cover 20 and fitted into the recessed rib portion 33. The peripheral edge portion 23 is formed with an inner edge portion 25 located inside the protruding rib portion 24 in the thickness direction (inner-outer direction) and an outer edge portion 26 located outside the protruding rib portion 24 in the thickness direction (inner-outer direction). When the cover 20 is attached to the case 30, the upper end surface 34a of the case 30 comes into contact with the inner edge 25 of the cover 20, and the upper end surface 35a of the case 30 comes into contact with the outer edge 26 of the cover 20, and the sealant 40 is sealed in the gap between the grooves 33 and the protrusions 24. This increases the creeping distance from the outside to the inside of the box-shaped body 1 compared to when the sealant is simply sandwiched between the end face of the peripheral wall of the case 30 and the edge of the cover 20. Furthermore, when the liquid gasket 40g is poured into the grooves 33 beforehand and the protrusions 24 are fitted into the grooves 33, the liquid gasket 40g pushed aside by the protrusions 24 flows into the communicating grooves 27 provided in the upper end surface 34a. This allows the liquid gasket 40g to be sufficiently filled in the gap between the groove portion 33 and the protrusion portion 24, while preventing the liquid gasket 40g from leaking out of the box-shaped body and damaging its appearance. Therefore, the box-shaped body 1 according to this embodiment can have improved waterproofing.

[0024] <Other aspects> It should be noted 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 modifications, improvements, etc. are possible as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited thereto.

[0025] For example, in the above embodiment, the communicating groove 27 is provided in the upper end surface 34a of the inner peripheral wall 34 of the case 30. However, as in a modified example shown in Fig. 10, the communicating groove 27 may be provided in the lower end surface 25a of the inner edge portion 25 of the cover 20. Furthermore, the communicating groove 27 may be provided in both the upper end surface 34a of the inner peripheral wall 34 and the lower end surface 25a of the inner edge portion 25.

[0026] Here, the features of the above-described embodiment of the box-shaped body 1 according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].

[0027] [1] A box-shaped body (1) comprising: a case (30) having an opening surrounded by a peripheral wall (31); a cover (20) attached to the case (30) so as to cover the opening; and a seal material (40) sandwiched between the case (30) and the cover (20), The case (30) is a groove portion (33) provided on an end surface on the opening side of the peripheral wall (31) and extending along the peripheral wall (31); an inner end surface (34a) which is the end surface located more inward of the case (30) than the groove portion (33) in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall (31); and an outer end surface (35a) which is the end surface located more outward of the case (30) than the groove portion (33) in the thickness direction, The cover (20) is The cover (20) has a protruding portion (24) extending along the edge portion (23) of the cover (20) and fitted into the recessed portion (33), an inner edge portion (25) located inside the protruding portion (24) in the thickness direction, and an outer edge portion (26) located outside the protruding portion (24) in the thickness direction, the inner end surface (34a) of the case (30) and the inner edge portion (25) of the cover (20) are in contact with each other, and the outer end surface (35a) of the case (30) and the outer edge portion (26) of the cover (20) are in contact with each other, and the sealing material (40) is sealed in the gap between the recessed streak portion (33) and the protruding streak portion (24), At least one of the inner end surface (34a) and the inner edge portion (25) A communication groove (27) is provided to communicate the inner space of the groove portion (33) with the inner space of the case (30). Box (1).

[0028] According to the box-shaped body having the configuration [1] above, the end face of the peripheral wall of the case on the opening side is provided with a groove extending along the peripheral wall, an inner end face located inside the groove in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall, and an outer end face located outside the groove. The cover is provided with a protrusion extending along the edge of the cover and fitted into the groove, an inner edge located inside the protrusion in the thickness direction, and an outer edge located outside the protrusion in the thickness direction. When the cover is attached to the case, the inner end face of the case and the inner edge of the cover come into contact, and the outer end face of the case and the outer edge of the cover come into contact, and a sealant is sealed in the gap between the groove and the protrusion. As a result, even if water penetrates the gap between the case and the cover, not only is the water prevented from advancing by the sealant, but to reach the interior of the case, the water must travel along the gap between the groove and the protrusion, bypassing the protrusion. Therefore, compared to simply sandwiching a sealant between the end face of the peripheral wall of the case and the edge of the cover, the creepage distance from the outside to the inside of the box-shaped body is longer, improving waterproofing. In other words, even if the peripheral wall of the case is made thinner, sufficient creepage distance can be ensured to improve waterproofing, allowing for a smaller and lighter box-shaped body. Furthermore, when the sealant is pre-injected into the grooves and the ridges are fitted into the grooves, the sealant displaced by the ridges flows into the communicating grooves on at least one of the inner end face and inner edge. This allows the gap between the grooves and ridges to be sufficiently filled with sealant while preventing the sealant from leaking outside the box-shaped body and damaging its appearance. In this way, the box-shaped body of this configuration can improve waterproofing.

[0029] [2] In the box-shaped body (1) described in [1] above, The sealing material (40) is The liquid gasket (40g) is hardened. Box (1).

[0030] According to the box-shaped body having the configuration [2] above, a liquid gasket (so-called Formed-In-Place Gasket, FIPG) is used as the sealing material. This allows the gap between the grooves and protrusions to be sealed as much as possible with the sealing material, thereby further improving the waterproofness of the box-shaped body.

[0031] [3] The box-shaped body (1) described in [1] above, A circuit board (10) on which electronic components are mounted is further provided in the inner space of the case (30), The communication groove (27) is The electronic component is disposed on at least one of the inner end surface (34a) of the peripheral wall (31) at a location where the electronic component is not adjacent and the inner edge portion (25) facing the inner end surface (34a). Box (1).

[0032] According to the box-shaped body having the configuration [3] above, when the sealant flows into the internal space of the case from the inner opening of the communication groove, even if the sealant reaches the circuit board, it will not come into contact with the electronic components. Therefore, even if the sealant has the property of expanding when hardening, that expansion will not cause the electronic components to become dislodged. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 Box-shaped body 10 Circuit Board 20 Cover 23 Periphery (edge) 24 Convex portion 25 inner edge 26 Outer edge 27 Communication groove 30 cases 31 Peripheral wall 33 Concave section 34a Upper end surface (inner end surface) 35a Upper end surface (outer end surface) 40 Sealing material 40g liquid gasket

Claims

1. A box-shaped body comprising: a case having an opening surrounded by a peripheral wall; a cover attached to the case so as to cover the opening; and a sealing material sandwiched between the case and the cover, The case is a groove portion provided on an end surface of the peripheral wall on the opening side and extending along the peripheral wall; an inner end surface which is the end surface located inside the case with respect to the groove portion in the thickness direction of the peripheral wall; and an outer end surface which is the end surface located outside the case with respect to the groove portion in the thickness direction, The cover is a convex portion extending along an edge of the cover and fitted into the concave portion, an inner edge portion located more inward than the convex portion in the thickness direction, and an outer edge portion located more outward than the convex portion in the thickness direction, the inner end surface of the case and the inner edge portion of the cover are in contact with each other, and the outer end surface of the case and the outer edge portion of the cover are in contact with each other, and the sealing material is sealed in a gap between the recessed streak portion and the protruding streak portion, At least one of the inner end surface and the inner edge portion is a communication groove that communicates the inner space of the groove portion with the inner space of the case; Box-shaped body.

2. The box-shaped body according to claim 1, The sealing material is The liquid gasket is a hardened body. Box-shaped body.

3. The box-shaped body according to claim 1, a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted is further provided in the inner space of the case; The communicating groove is the electronic component is disposed on at least one of the inner end surface of the peripheral wall at a location where the electronic component is not adjacent and the inner edge portion facing the inner end surface; Box-shaped body.

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