Electrical junction box and relay connector

Abstract

To provide an electrical junction box that simplifies the circuits between electronic components housed within the electrical junction box. [Solution] The electrical connection box 1 comprises a main body 10 having a plurality of housing holes 12 capable of accommodating electronic components 20B, and a relay connector 30 that electrically relays connections between electronic components 20B. The relay connector 30 has a plurality of terminal portions 51, a connecting portion 52 that electrically connects the plurality of terminal portions 51, and a housing 40 that accommodates the connecting portion 52 and exposes the plurality of terminal portions 51, and is attached to the main body 10 so that each of the plurality of terminal portions 51 is inserted into the corresponding housing holes 12A, 12B. One terminal portion 51 is electrically connected to one electronic component 20B, and the other terminal portions 51 are electrically connected to other electronic components 20B.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connection box including a main body having a plurality of accommodation holes capable of accommodating a plurality of electronic components, and a relay connector used for the electrical connection box.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an electrical connection box that houses a plurality of electronic components such as relays and fuses inside, such as an electrical connection box (for example, a relay box) mounted on a vehicle, is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the electrical connection box of the above-described type, when distributing the power supplied from an external power source or the like to a plurality of fuses via a relay, generally, the electric wire connected to the output terminal of the relay is branched into a plurality of electric wires, and these plurality of electric wires are respectively connected to a plurality of fuses. In this case, at the branching point of the electric wires, for example, it is conceivable to electrically connect the electric wire extending from the relay and the electric wires connected to the respective fuses by welding using a welding machine (so-called bonder) or the like. However, when welding a plurality of electric wires in this way, due to the fact that the electric wires gather at the branching point, the branching point becomes larger, and due to the fact that the diameter of the branching point becomes larger, the flexibility of the branching point is impaired, there is a possibility that it becomes difficult to accommodate the branching point inside the electrical connection box (particularly, within the space defined by the lower cover). In other words, due to the complexity of the circuit between the electronic components housed in the electrical connection box, the workability when using the electrical connection box may be impaired.

[0005] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box and a relay connector that simplify the circuits between electronic components housed in the electrical junction box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the electrical junction box and relay connector of the present invention are characterized by the following:

[0007] An electrical connection box comprising a main body having multiple housing holes capable of housing multiple electronic components, and relay connectors for electrically connecting the electronic components, The aforementioned relay connector is The device comprises a plurality of terminal portions, a connecting portion for electrically connecting the plurality of terminal portions, and a housing that accommodates the connecting portion and exposes the plurality of terminal portions, wherein each of the plurality of terminal portions is attached to the main body so as to be inserted into the corresponding housing hole, and one terminal portion is connected to one of the electronic components and the other terminal portions are connected to other electronic components, thereby electrically relaying connections between the electronic components. It must be an electrical junction box.

[0008] A first busbar having a plurality of first terminal portions and a first connecting portion that electrically connects the plurality of first terminal portions, A second busbar having a plurality of second terminal sections and a second connecting section that electrically connects the plurality of second terminal sections, The device comprises a first case portion that houses the first connecting portion and exposes the plurality of first terminal portions, a second case portion that houses the second connecting portion and exposes the plurality of second terminal portions, and a case connecting portion that connects the first case portion and the second case portion. It is a relay connector, The case connecting portion has a groove extending in a predetermined direction, The first busbar and the second busbar are not electrically connected. It must be a relay connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the electrical junction box of the present invention, the multiple terminals of the relay connector are inserted into multiple housing holes (so-called cavities) of the main body of the electrical junction box, thereby attaching the relay connector to the main body. One electronic component is electrically connected to one terminal of the relay connector, and other electronic components are electrically connected to the other terminals of the relay connector. In other words, one electronic component and other electronic components are connected via the relay connector. For example, an electric wire can be used to connect the terminals of the relay connector to the electronic components. This allows, for example, when branching the output of one electronic component (e.g., a relay) to multiple other electronic components (e.g., multiple fuses), the branching described above can be achieved without using a welding machine or the like to connect multiple electric wires. Furthermore, as housing holes into which the terminals of the relay connector are inserted, housing holes that do not need to house electronic components (so-called empty cavities) can be used according to the specifications of the electrical junction box. Therefore, the electrical junction box of the present invention can simplify the circuits between electronic components housed in the electrical junction box compared to conventional designs.

[0010] In the relay connector of the present invention, a first case portion housing a first busbar and a second case portion housing a second busbar are connected by a case connecting portion. Furthermore, the first busbar and the second busbar are not electrically connected, and a groove portion extending in a predetermined direction is provided in the case connecting portion. As a result, depending on the specifications of the relay connector, the number of terminal portions extending from the relay connector (i.e., the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion) can be adjusted by separating the case connecting portion at the groove portion (for example, by breaking the case connecting portion). Therefore, a relay connector with excellent versatility can be provided.

[0011] The present invention has been briefly described above. Further details of the present invention will be clarified by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a perspective view showing how a joint connector according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the cavity of an electrical junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the joint connector shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the joint connector shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an electrical circuit, including a joint connector, relays, and multiple fuses, housed in the electrical junction box shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the joint connector shown in Figure 2, which has been divided into two parts by folding the case connection portion at the groove of the case connection portion. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] <Embodiment> The following description will explain an electrical junction box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, with reference to the drawings. The electrical junction box 1 is typically a relay box mounted on a vehicle and housing electronic components such as relays. For the sake of convenience, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" will be defined below, as shown in Figure 1. The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. When the electrical junction box 1 is mounted on a vehicle, the "up-down direction" corresponds to the up-down direction of the vehicle. The "front-rear direction" and "left-right direction" are defined solely for the sake of convenience and do not necessarily have to correspond to the front-rear direction and left-right direction of the vehicle when the electrical junction box 1 is mounted on the vehicle.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical connection box 1 includes a box-shaped housing 10. In this example, the housing 10 is composed of a cylindrical frame 11 extending in the vertical direction, an upper cover (not shown) assembled to the upper part of the frame 11 so as to cover the upper end opening of the frame, and a lower cover (not shown) assembled to the lower part of the frame 11 so as to cover the lower end opening of the frame 11. All three components constituting the housing 10 of the electrical connection box 1 are resin molded bodies.

[0015] Inside the frame 11 which constitutes a part of the housing 10 of the electrical connection box 1, a plurality of cavities 12 are provided. Each of the plurality of cavities 12 is a hole extending (penetrating) in the vertical direction. In each cavity 12, various electronic components 20 such as relays and fuses are inserted and accommodated from above. The various electronic components 20 accommodated in the cavity 12 are electrically connected to an electrical circuit (for example, a bus bar or a mating terminal not shown) inside the electrical connection box 1.

[0016] Among the plurality of cavities 12 provided in the frame 11 of the electrical connection box 1, as cavities that do not need to accommodate electronic components 20 (so-called empty cavities), there are a plurality (five) of first cavities 12A on the left side and a plurality (five) of second cavities 12B on the right side (see FIG. 1). The five first cavities 12A and the five second cavities 12B (a total of ten empty cavities) are arranged in a row in the left-right direction as a whole. Specifically, each of the first and second cavities 12A and 12B is an empty cavity for a fuse, and is provided assuming that fuses will be additionally accommodated when the number of circuits increases due to the grade of the vehicle on which the electrical connection box 1 is mounted or a minor change.

[0017] In this example, a joint connector 30 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the first and second cavities 12A and 12B. As shown in FIG. 4, the joint connector 30 is used to branch the downstream side (output side) of a relay 20A (a part of various electronic components 20) to a plurality of fuses 20B (a part of various electronic components 20). Hereinafter, first, the configuration of the joint connector 30 will be described.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the joint connector 30 includes a resin case 40, and first and second busbars 50A and 50B made of metal and integrated with the case 40. The case 40 is a resin molded body, and has, integrally, a first case portion 41A on the left side that extends in the left-right direction and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, a second case portion 41B on the right side that extends in the left-right direction and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a case connecting portion 42 that connects the first case portion 41A and the second case portion 41B in the left-right direction. In this example, the first case portion 41A and the second case portion 41B have the same shape. However, the first busbar 50A and the second busbar 50B may have different shapes from each other, or the first case portion 41A and the second case portion 41B may have different shapes from each other. The thickness (length in the front-rear direction) of the case connecting portion 42 is smaller than the thickness (length in the front-rear direction) of the first case portion 41A and the second case portion 41B. A groove portion 43 that extends in the up-down direction is provided over the entire up-down direction of the case connecting portion 42.

[0019] Each of the first busbar 50A and the second busbar 50B is formed by punching and bending a single metal sheet. The first busbar 50A and the second busbar 50B are identical in shape. Each of the first busbar 50A and the second busbar 50B consists of a plurality (5) of vertically extending terminal portions 51 arranged at intervals in the left-right direction, and a connecting portion 52 that extends in the left-right direction to connect the upper ends of the 5 terminal portions 51. The first busbar 50A is integrated with the first case portion 41A by insert molding or the like, such that the entire connecting portion 52 is embedded within the first case portion 41A and the 5 terminal portions 51 protrude from the lower end surface of the first case portion 41A and are exposed to the outside. The second busbar 50B is integrated with the second case portion 41B by insert molding or the like, such that the entire connecting portion 52 is embedded within the second case portion 41B and the five terminal portions 51 protrude from the lower end surface of the second case portion 41B and are exposed to the outside. The case connecting portion 42 that connects the first case portion 41A, into which the first busbar 50A is integrated, and the second case portion 41B, into which the second busbar 50B is integrated, does not have a portion for electrically connecting the first busbar 50A and the second busbar 50B. In other words, in the joint connector 30, the first busbar 50A and the second busbar 50B are not electrically connected and are insulated from each other.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the joint connector 30 having the above configuration is attached to the housing 10 (frame 11) from above such that each of the five terminal portions 51 of the first busbar 50A is inserted into the corresponding first cavity 12A among the five first cavities 12A, and each of the five terminal portions 51 of the second busbar 50B is inserted into the corresponding second cavity 12B among the five second cavities 12B. When the joint connector 30 is attached to the housing 10 (frame 11), the first case portion 41A is positioned to cover the upper end openings of the five first cavities 12A, and the second case portion 41B is positioned to cover the upper end openings of the five second cavities 12B. The tip of each terminal portion 51 of the first busbar 50A passes through the corresponding first cavity 12A and is exposed so as to protrude downward from the lower end opening of the first cavity 12A, and the tip of each terminal portion 51 of the second busbar 50B passes through the corresponding second cavity 12B and is exposed so as to protrude downward from the lower end opening of the second cavity 12B.

[0021] After the joint connector 30 is mounted to the housing 10 (frame 11), as shown in Figure 4, of the five terminal portions 51 of the first busbar 50A that protrude from the lower end openings of the five first cavities 12A, one terminal portion 51 is connected to a connector 62A provided at the extended end of a wire 61A extending from the downstream side (output side) of a relay 20A housed in one of the multiple cavities 12, and the remaining four terminal portions 51 are connected to four connectors 64 provided at the extended ends of four wires 63 extending from the upstream side (input side) of four fuses 20B housed in some of the multiple cavities 12. Similarly, of the five terminal portions 51 of the second busbar 50B protruding from the lower end openings of the five second cavities 12B, one terminal portion 51 is connected to a connector 62B provided at the extended end of a wire 61B extending from the downstream side (output side) of the relay 20A, and the remaining four terminal portions 51 are connected to four connectors 64 provided at the extended ends of four wires 63 extending from the upstream side (input side) of the four fuses 20B housed in the other part of the multiple cavities 12. The upstream side (input side) of the relay 20A is connected to the power supply side (not shown), and the downstream side (output side) of each of the multiple fuses 20B is connected to the corresponding electrical component side (not shown).

[0022] All of the above-mentioned wire connection work is performed on the underside of the frame 11. The wire 63 connecting one terminal 51 to one fuse 20B and the wire 63 connecting the other terminal 51 to the other fuse 20B are separate wires and are not welded to each other. As a result, the circuit complexity caused by welding wires together as in conventional designs is avoided, and the circuit housed in the electrical connection box 1 on the underside of the frame 11 can be simplified. Therefore, the assembly work of the lower cover to the frame 11 is less likely to be hindered.

[0023] As described above, as shown in Figure 4, the joint connector 30 branches the downstream side (output side) of the relay 20A to multiple fuses 20B, thereby creating an electrical connection between the relay 20A and the multiple fuses 20B via the joint connector 30. As a result, power from the power supply is supplied to each of the multiple electrical components in this order via the relay 20A, the joint connector 30, and the corresponding fuses 20B.

[0024] As shown in Figure 5, the joint connector 30 can be divided into two parts, a first case part 41A into which the first busbar 50A is integrated, and a second case part 41B into which the second busbar 50B is integrated, by folding the case connecting part 42 at the groove part 43 of the case connecting part 42, depending on its specifications. The number of terminal parts 51 extending from the joint connector 30 can also be adjusted by attaching only the first case part 41A to the frame 11 (first cavity 12A) and not attaching the second case part 41B to the frame 11, or by attaching only the second case part 41B to the frame 11 (second cavity 12B) and not attaching the first case part 41A to the frame 11.

[0025] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the electrical junction box 1 of this embodiment, the multiple terminal portions 51 of the relay connector (joint connector 30) are inserted into multiple housing holes (first cavity 12A and second cavity 12B) of the main body (housing 10) of the electrical junction box 1, thereby attaching the relay connector 30 to the main body 10. Then, one electronic component (fuse 20B) is connected to one terminal portion 51 of the relay connector 30, and other electronic components (fuses 20B) are connected to the other terminal portions 51 of the relay connector 30. In other words, one electronic component 20B and other electronic components 20B are connected via the relay connector 30. As a result, even when, for example, the output of a certain electronic component (relay 20A) is to be branched to multiple other electronic components (fuses 20B), welding with a bonder as in the conventional method is not required. Note that, according to the specifications of the electrical junction box 1, housing holes that do not need to house electronic components 20 (so-called empty cavities) can be used as housing holes into which the terminal portions 51 of the relay connector 30 are inserted. Therefore, the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment can simplify the circuits housed in the electrical junction box 1 compared to conventional designs.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the electrical junction box 1 of this embodiment, the wire 63 connecting one terminal 51 to one electronic component 20B and the wire 63 connecting the other terminal 51 to the other electronic component 20B are separate wires. As a result, the circuit complexity caused by welding the wires together as in the conventional method is avoided, and the circuit housed in the electrical junction box 1 can be simplified.

[0027] Furthermore, according to the relay connector 30 of this embodiment, the first case portion 41A housing the first busbar 50A and the second case portion 41B housing the second busbar 50B are connected by a case connecting portion 42. Moreover, the case connecting portion 42 does not have a portion for electrically connecting the first busbar 50A and the second busbar 50B, but is provided with a groove portion 43 extending in a predetermined direction. As a result, depending on the specifications of the relay connector 30, the number of terminal portions 51 (i.e., first terminal portion 51 and second terminal portion 51) extending from the relay connector 30 can be adjusted by separating the case connecting portion 42 at the groove portion 43 (for example, by breaking the case connecting portion 42). Therefore, a relay connector 30 with excellent versatility can be provided.

[0028] <Other embodiments> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the electrical junction box 1 is a relay box housing multiple electronic components, but the electrical junction box 1 may be a structure having a function other than that of a relay box.

[0030] Herein, the features of the embodiments of the electrical junction box 1 and relay connector 30 according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].

[0031] [1] An electrical connection box (1) comprising a main body (10) having multiple housing holes (12) capable of housing multiple electronic components (20A, 20B), and a relay connector (30) for electrically relaying connections between the electronic components (20A, 20B), The aforementioned relay connector (30) is The device comprises a plurality of terminal portions (51), a connecting portion (52) that electrically connects the plurality of terminal portions (51), and a housing (40) that houses the connecting portion (52) and exposes the plurality of terminal portions (51), wherein each of the plurality of terminal portions (51) is attached to the main body (10) so as to be inserted into the corresponding housing holes (12A, 12B), and one of the terminal portions (51) is electrically connected to one of the electronic components (20A) and the other terminal portions (51) are electrically connected to the other electronic components (20B), thereby electrically relaying the connection between the electronic components (20A, 20B). Electrical junction box (1).

[0032] In the electrical junction box with the configuration described in [1] above, the multiple terminals of the intermediate connector are inserted into multiple housing holes (so-called cavities) in the main body of the electrical junction box, thereby attaching the intermediate connector to the main body. One electronic component is electrically connected to one terminal of the intermediate connector, and other electronic components are electrically connected to the other terminals of the intermediate connector. In other words, one electronic component and other electronic components are connected via the intermediate connector. For example, wires can be used to connect the terminals of the intermediate connector to the electronic components. This allows, for example, when branching the output of one electronic component (e.g., a relay) to multiple other electronic components (e.g., multiple fuses), the branching described above can be achieved without using a welding machine or the like to connect multiple wires. Furthermore, as housing holes into which the terminals of the intermediate connector are inserted, housing holes that do not need to house electronic components (so-called empty cavities) can be used according to the specifications of the electrical junction box. Therefore, compared to conventional designs, the electrical junction box with this configuration can simplify the circuits between electronic components housed in the electrical junction box.

[0033] [2] The electrical junction box (1) described above [1], The system further includes a wire (63) connecting one terminal portion (51) and one electronic component (20B), and a wire (63) connecting the other terminal portion (51) and the other electronic component (20B), each being a separate and independent wire. Electrical junction box (1).

[0034] In the electrical junction box configuration described in [2] above, the wire connecting one terminal to one electronic component and the wire connecting the other terminal to the other electronic component are separate wires. This eliminates the complexity of the circuit caused by welding the wires together as in conventional designs, thus simplifying the circuit housed in the electrical junction box.

[0035] [3] A first busbar (50A) having a plurality of first terminal portions (51) and a first connecting portion (52) that electrically connects the plurality of first terminal portions (51), A second busbar (50B) having a plurality of second terminal portions (51) and a second connecting portion (52) that electrically connects the plurality of second terminal portions (51), The device comprises a first case portion (41A) that houses the first connecting portion (52) and exposes the plurality of first terminal portions (51), a second case portion (41B) that houses the second connecting portion (52) and exposes the plurality of second terminal portions (51), and a case connecting portion (42) that connects the first case portion (41A) and the second case portion (41B). A relay connector (30), The case connecting portion (42) has a groove portion (43) extending in a predetermined direction, The first busbar (50A) and the second busbar (50B) are not electrically connected. Relay connector (30).

[0036] In the relay connector with the configuration described in [3] above, a first case section housing a first busbar and a second case section housing a second busbar are connected by a case connecting section. Furthermore, the first busbar and the second busbar are not electrically connected, and a groove extending in a predetermined direction is provided in the case connecting section. This allows the number of terminal sections (i.e., first terminal section and second terminal section) extending from the relay connector to be adjusted by separating the case connecting section at the groove (for example, by breaking the case connecting section) according to the specifications of the relay connector. Therefore, a relay connector with excellent versatility can be provided. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0037] 1. Electrical junction box 10. Enclosure (main unit) 12 Cavities (retaining holes) 12A First cavity (accommodating hole) 12B Second cavity (accommodation hole) 20B Fuse (Electronic Component) 30 Joint Connectors (Relay Connectors) 40 cases (housings) 41A Case Section 1 41B Case Section 2 42 Case connection section 43 Groove 50A No. 1 Bus Bar 50B No. 2 Bus Bar 51 Terminal section (1st terminal section, 2nd terminal section) 52 Connecting part (1st connecting part, 2nd connecting part) 63 Electric wire

Claims

1. An electrical connection box comprising a main body having multiple housing holes capable of housing multiple electronic components, and relay connectors for electrically connecting the electronic components, The aforementioned relay connector is The device comprises a plurality of terminal portions, a connecting portion for electrically connecting the plurality of terminal portions, and a housing that accommodates the connecting portion and exposes the plurality of terminal portions, wherein each of the plurality of terminal portions is attached to the main body so as to be inserted into the corresponding housing hole, and one terminal portion is electrically connected to one of the electronic components and the other terminal portions are electrically connected to other electronic components, thereby electrically relaying connections between the electronic components. Electrical junction box.

2. An electrical junction box according to claim 1, The following are further provided as separate, independent wires: a wire connecting one of the terminal portions and the first of the electronic components, and a wire connecting the other terminal portion and the other of the electronic components. Electrical junction box.

3. A first busbar having a plurality of first terminal portions and a first connecting portion that electrically connects the plurality of first terminal portions, A second busbar having a plurality of second terminal portions and a second connecting portion that electrically connects the plurality of second terminal portions, The device comprises a first case portion that houses the first connecting portion and exposes the plurality of first terminal portions, a second case portion that houses the second connecting portion and exposes the plurality of second terminal portions, and a case connecting portion that connects the first case portion and the second case portion. It is a relay connector, The case connecting portion has a groove extending in a predetermined direction, The first busbar and the second busbar are not electrically connected. Relay connector.

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