Electrical junction box and retaining parts

Abstract

To provide an electrical junction box that can achieve both improved workability in the process of assembling terminal-equipped wires to the side cover and reduced misalignment of terminals. [Solution] The electrical junction box 1 comprises a main body 10 having a peripheral wall 11 that defines the internal space, a side cover 20 that constitutes a part of the peripheral wall 11, and a wire with terminals 30 that is assembled to the side cover 20. The wire with terminals 30 has a terminal 50 having a plate-shaped terminal portion 51 with a bent portion 54, and a wire 40 that is connected to the terminal 50. The side cover 20 comprises a first component 60 having a first holding surface 65 that faces one surface 54a of the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 and a wire holding portion 62a that holds the wire 40, and a second component 70 to which the first component 60 is assembled and which has a second holding surface 76 that faces the other surface 54b of the bent portion 54.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connection box including a main body portion having a peripheral wall that defines an internal space, a holding component that forms part of the peripheral wall, and a wire with a terminal that is assembled to the holding component.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an electrical connection box (for example, a relay box) mounted on a vehicle has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this type of electrical connection box, an opening may be provided in the frame so as to communicate the inside and outside of the case-shaped frame, and a side cover may be assembled so as to close the opening. Such an opening is generally used when introducing an electric wire connected to an external device (for example, an engine, a converter, a battery, etc.) from the outside to the inside of the frame.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, various energizing components (for example, a wire with a terminal) may be held by the above-described side cover. For example, when holding a wire with a terminal having a bent terminal in the side cover, an annular holding portion may be provided on the inner wall surface of the side cover, and the terminal may be held in the holding portion by passing the bent portion of the terminal through the inside of the ring of the holding portion. However, in this case, due to the shape of the bent portion, when passing the terminal through the inside of the ring of the holding portion, an operation of rotating the terminal around the bent portion is required. Such an operation is complicated, and providing a gap (so-called clearance) between the holding portion and the side cover to allow rotation of the terminal may cause displacement (so-called misalignment) of the terminal after assembly.

[0005] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box and a retaining component that offer excellent productivity and superior retention performance for wires with terminals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the electrical connection box and retaining component according to the present invention are characterized by the following:

[0007] An electrical junction box comprising a main body having a peripheral wall defining an internal space, a retaining component constituting a part of the peripheral wall, and a wire with terminals assembled to the retaining component, The aforementioned wire with terminals is It has a terminal having a plate-shaped terminal portion with a bent portion, and an electric wire connected to the terminal, The aforementioned retaining component is A first component having a first retaining surface facing one side of the terminal portion of the terminal, and a wire retaining portion for holding the electric wire, The first part is assembled to a second part which has a second retaining surface facing the other side of the terminal portion, It must be an electrical junction box.

[0008] A retaining component that holds a terminal having a plate-shaped terminal portion having a terminal portion, A first component having a first retaining surface that faces one side of the terminal portion of the terminal, The first part is assembled to a second part which has a second retaining surface that faces the other side of the terminal portion, It is a retaining component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the electrical junction box of the present invention, the holding component comprises a first component and a second component. When the first component is assembled to the second component, the terminal portion of the wire with a terminal is sandwiched between the first holding surface of the first component and the second holding surface of the second component. When assembling the terminal to the first component, if a sufficiently large clearance is provided between the first component and the terminal, the terminal can be easily assembled to the first component. Furthermore, if the first component and the second component are designed such that when the first component is assembled to the second component, the first holding surface of the first component contacts (or is positioned in close proximity to) the terminal, and the second holding surface of the second component also contacts (or is positioned in close proximity to) the terminal, then the displacement of the terminal can be reduced when assembling the first component to the second component. Furthermore, by reducing the displacement of the terminal portion, the workability when connecting the terminal portion of the wire with a terminal to terminals arranged in the internal space of the electrical junction box is also improved. Therefore, the electrical junction box of the present invention is excellent in productivity and excellent in the holding performance of wires with terminals.

[0010] The holding component of the present invention comprises a first component and a second component. When the first component is assembled to the second component, the terminal portion of the terminal is sandwiched between the first holding surface of the first component and the second holding surface of the second component. When assembling the terminal to the first component, if a sufficiently large clearance is provided between the first component and the terminal, the terminal can be easily assembled to the first component. Furthermore, if the first component and the second component are designed such that when the first component is assembled to the second component, the first holding surface of the first component contacts (or is positioned in close proximity to) the terminal, and the second holding surface of the second component also contacts (or is positioned in close proximity to) the terminal, then the displacement of the terminal can be reduced when assembling the first component to the second component. Furthermore, by reducing the displacement of the terminal portion, the workability when connecting the terminal portion of the terminal to a mating terminal or the like is also improved. Therefore, the holding component of the present invention offers excellent productivity and excellent terminal holding performance.

[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] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in manufacturing an electrical connection box according to an embodiment of the present invention by assembling a side cover with a terminal wire assembled thereto to a main body part. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the side cover with the terminal wire shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the inside. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a first component and a second component constituting the side cover shown in FIG. 2 are separated from each other. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining a procedure when assembling the terminal wire to the first component. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a side view for explaining the first half of a procedure when assembling the first component with the terminal wire assembled thereto to the second component. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the second half of a procedure when assembling the first component with the terminal wire assembled thereto to the second component. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A - A of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C - C of FIG. 7. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D - D of FIG. 9.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] <Embodiment> The following description will refer to the drawings and explain an electrical junction box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1. The electrical junction box 1 is typically a relay box mounted in a vehicle and housing electronic components such as relays. As shown in Figure 1, the electrical junction box 1 comprises a main body 10 having a peripheral wall 11 that defines the internal space, a side cover 20 that constitutes a part of the peripheral wall 11, and an electric wire 30 with terminals that is assembled to the side cover 20. Although not shown in the drawings, the electrical junction box 1 also comprises an upper cover that is assembled above the main body 10 to close the upper end opening of the main body 10, and a lower cover that is assembled below the main body 10 to close the lower end opening of the main body 10. The main body 10, side cover 20, upper cover, and lower cover that constitute the electrical junction box 1 are all made of molded resin. The side cover 20 corresponds to the "holding part" of the present invention.

[0014] For the sake of clarity, as shown in Figure 1 and other diagrams, the terms "inside-outside direction," "front-rear direction," "up-down direction," "inside," "outside," "front," "rear," "up," and "down" are defined below. The "inside-outside direction," "front-rear direction," and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. The "inside" side and the "outside" side correspond to the interior and exterior sides of the electrical connection box 1 (main body 10), respectively. The "front-rear direction" corresponds to the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 11 where the side cover 20 is assembled on the main body 10. The "up-down direction" corresponds to the up-down direction of the vehicle when the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on the vehicle. The configuration of each component constituting the electrical connection box 1 will be described in order below.

[0015] First, the wire 30 with a terminal will be described. As shown in FIG. 7 and the like, the wire 30 with a terminal is composed of a wire 40 in which a conductor core wire is covered with an insulating coating, and a metal terminal 50 fixed to the end of the wire 40 and electrically connected to the conductor core wire of the wire 40. The terminal 50 includes a plate-like terminal portion 51 that is bent and extends in a substantially L shape when viewed from the inside and outside directions. Specifically, the plate-like terminal portion 51 is composed of a base portion 52 that extends flat in the vertical direction, a tip portion 53 that extends flat in the front-rear direction, and a bent portion 54 that extends while being bent in an arc shape and connects the upper end portion of the base portion 52 and the rear end portion of the tip portion 53. A through hole 55 that penetrates in the plate thickness direction (vertical direction) is formed in the tip portion 53 (see also FIGS. 1 and 2, etc.).

[0016] Next, the main body portion 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the peripheral wall 11 that defines the internal space of the main body portion 10 has a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape that extends in the vertical direction. Various electronic components (not shown), such as a relay, are accommodated in the internal space of the main body portion 10. A notch portion 12 in which the peripheral wall 11 is cut out so as to divide the peripheral wall 11 in the circumferential direction is formed in a part of the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall 11. The notch portion 12 constitutes a rectangular opening. A plate-like portion 71, which will be described later, of the side cover 20 is to be assembled to the notch portion 12.

[0017] Inside the main body portion 10 (peripheral wall 11), as shown in FIG. 1, a holding member 13 is fixedly arranged at a location adjacent to the front side of the notch portion 12. A metal stud bolt 14 projects upward from the upper end of the holding member 13 and extends in the vertical direction. The stud bolt 14 is to be inserted into the through hole 55 of the terminal 50 (see FIG. 1).

[0018] Next, the side cover 20 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the like, the side cover 20 is composed of a first component 60 and a second component 70. The wire 30 with a terminal will be assembled to the first component 60 (see FIG. 4), and the first component 60 to which the wire 30 with a terminal is assembled will be assembled to the second component 70 (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0019] First, let's describe the first component 60. As shown in Figure 4, the first component 60 consists of a pair of side wall portions 61 that are spaced apart and facing each other in the inward and outward directions, and a connecting wall portion 62 that connects the rear edges of the pair of side wall portions 61 in the inward and outward directions and extends in the vertical direction. Overall, it has a roughly rectangular box shape that opens forward and upward and extends in the vertical direction. The electric wire 30 with terminals will be housed in the internal space of the first component 60.

[0020] The upper regions of the front edges of a pair of side wall portions 61 are connected in the inward and outward directions by a flat connecting plate portion 63 that extends in a band-like manner in the inward and outward directions. Above the connecting plate portion 63, a bent plate portion 64 is provided, which extends while bending in a quarter-circle shape so that the direction of extension gradually changes from upward to forward (see also Figure 7, etc.). Both inward and outward edges of the bent plate portion 64 are connected to a pair of extension portions 61a that extend from the upper front corners of the pair of side wall portions 61. When the terminal-equipped electric wire 30 is assembled to the first component 60, the pair of extension portions 61a are positioned to sandwich the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 in the inward and outward directions (see Figure 3), and the outer surface of the bent plate portion 64 faces the inner surface 54a of the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 (see Figure 8). Hereinafter, the outer surface of the bent plate portion 64 will be referred to as the "holding surface 65". Here, the retaining surface 65 corresponds to the "first retaining surface" of the present invention.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, etc., the upper end of the first part 60 has a roughly rectangular recess 66 that is recessed downward, surrounded by the upper edges of a pair of side wall portions 61, the upper edge of the connecting wall portion 62, and the bent plate portion 64. As shown in Figure 4, etc., a stepped portion 67 with a downward-facing stepped surface is formed at the lower end of the front edge of the outer side wall portion 61 of the first part 60. As shown in Figure 10, a stepped portion 68 with an upward-facing stepped surface is formed in the lower region of the connecting wall portion 62 of the first part 60. As shown in Figures 7 and 9, a recess 69 that is recessed toward the front side (towards the internal space of the first part 60) is formed in the upper region of the connecting wall portion 62 of the first part 60. When the first part 60 is assembled to the second part 70, the protrusion 75 of the second part 70, described later, is fitted into the recess 66 of the first part 60 (see Figure 7, etc.), the stepped portion 67 of the first part 60 engages with the stepped portion 77 of the second part 70, described later, engages with the stepped portion 68 of the first part 60 engages with the stepped portion 78 of the second part 70, described later, (see Figure 10), and the locking piece 79 of the second part 70, described later, engages with the outer opening edge 69a of the recess 69 of the first part 60 (see Figure 9).

[0022] To assemble the terminal-equipped wire 30 to the first component 60 described above, as shown by the white arrow in Figure 4, first, while maintaining the orientation of the terminal 50 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 so that the tip 53 protrudes upward, the tip 53 is moved from below into the internal space of the first component 60 through the lower end opening or front end opening of the roughly rectangular box-shaped first component 60, and moved to a position adjacent to the rear side of the bent plate portion 64 and protruding upward from the upper end opening of the first component 60. Next, the terminal 50 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise when viewed from the inside in the inward-outward direction. In this example, there are no interference points between the first component 60 and the terminal 50 that would hinder such rotation of the terminal 50, so the terminal 50 can be easily rotated relative to the first component 60. As a result, as shown in Figures 3, 7, and 8, the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 is sandwiched inward and outward by a pair of extended portions 61a of the first component 60, the inner surface 54a of the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 faces the holding surface 65 of the first component 60, the tip portion 53 of the terminal 50 is exposed to the outside so as to protrude forward from the upper end of the first component 60, the base portion 52 of the terminal 50 is located within the internal space of the first component 60, and the wire 40 of the terminal-attached wire 30 extends outward downward from the lower end opening of the first component 60. The wire 40 extending downward from the lower end opening of the first component 60 and the extended piece 62a extending further downward from the lower end of the connecting wall portion 62 of the first component 60 are wrapped together with the tape 80 (see Figures 2 and 3, etc.). This fixes the electric wire 40 (i.e., the electric wire 30 with terminals) to the extension piece 62a (i.e., the first component 60), completing the assembly of the electric wire 30 with terminals to the first component 60.

[0023] Next, the second component 70 will be described. As shown in Figure 3, the second component 70 has a plate-shaped portion 71. The plate-shaped portion 71 will be assembled into the notch 12 of the peripheral wall 11 of the main body 10 (see Figure 1). For this reason, the plate-shaped portion 71 has a rectangular flat plate shape that corresponds to the opening shape of the notch 12 of the peripheral wall 11. The first component 60, to which the terminal-equipped electric wire 30 is assembled, will be assembled to the inner surface of the plate-shaped portion 71. For this reason, the inner surface of the plate-shaped portion 71 is provided with a first component housing portion 72 for housing the first component 60. As shown in Figure 3, the first component housing section 72 is composed of a pair of side wall sections 73 that protrude from the inner surface of the plate-shaped section 71 and are spaced apart and facing each other in the front-rear direction, and an upper wall section 74 that protrudes from the inner surface of the plate-shaped section 71 and connects the upper edges of the pair of side wall sections 73. Overall, it has a roughly rectangular box shape that opens inward and downward and extends in the vertical direction.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the protrusion height of the front side wall portion 73 of the pair of side wall portions 73 from the plate-like portion 71 gradually decreases from the lower end of the front side wall portion 73 upwards. Therefore, the protruding end surface of the front side wall portion 73 generally constitutes an inclined surface 73a that slopes outwards as it moves upwards. As will be described later, the inclined surface 73a serves to guide the first part 60 when assembling the first part 60 to the second part 70 (see Figure 5). The lower surface of the upper wall portion 74 is provided with a roughly rectangular protrusion 75 that protrudes downwards (into the interior of the first part housing portion 72) corresponding to the recess 66 of the first part 60. In addition, the upper wall portion 74 is provided with an extended plate portion 74a that extends further forward from the front edge of the upper wall portion 74. When the first component 60, to which the terminal-equipped electric wire 30 is assembled, is housed in the first component housing 72, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the front wall surface of the protrusion 75 (a plane extending in the vertical and inward / outward directions) and the lower surface of the extension plate portion 74a (a plane extending in the front-rear and inward / outward directions) face the outer surface 54b of the bent portion 54. Hereinafter, the front wall surface of the protrusion 75 and the lower surface of the extension plate portion 74a will be referred to as the "holding surface 76". Hereinafter, the holding surface 76 corresponds to the "second holding surface" of the present invention.

[0025] On the rear side surface (the inner surface of the first component housing 72) of the front side wall portion 73 of the second component 70, a stepped portion 77 is formed, corresponding to the stepped portion 67 of the first component 60, as shown in Figures 7 and 10, having an upward-facing stepped surface. On the front side surface (the inner surface of the first component housing 72) of the rear side wall portion 73 of the second component 70, a stepped portion 78 is formed, corresponding to the stepped portion 68 of the first component 60, as shown in Figures 3 and 10, having a downward-facing stepped surface. On the rear side wall portion 73 of the second component 70, a cantilever-shaped locking piece 79 is cut out, corresponding to the recess 69 of the first component 60, as shown in Figures 3, 5, 7 and 9, so as to extend inward and outward from the inner base end to the outer free end. The locking piece 79 is elastically deformable in the front-rear direction.

[0026] In order to assemble the first part 60, to which the terminal-equipped wire 30 is attached, onto the second part 70 as described above, first, as shown by the white arrow in Figure 5, the first part 60 is tilted from below along the inclined surface 73a of the second part 70, and while being guided along the inclined surface 73a, it is moved towards the inside of the first part housing 72, and the recess 66 of the first part 60 is engaged (hooked) onto the protrusion 75 of the second part 70. Next, as shown by the white arrow in Figure 6, using the engagement point between the recess 66 and the protrusion 75 as a pivot point, the first part 60 is rotated clockwise relative to the second part 70 when viewed from the front in the front-rear direction, and the first part 60 is housed in the first part housing 72. As the first part 60 is rotated, as can be seen from Figure 9, in the process that the outer side wall portion 61 of the first part 60 approaches the plate-shaped portion 71 of the second part 70, the locking piece 79 of the second part 70 elastically deforms backward so as to be pushed aside by the outer opening edge portion 69a of the recess 69 of the first part 60. After the opening edge portion 69a overcomes the locking piece 79, the locking piece 79 elastically returns to its original position and engages with the opening edge portion 69a. In this way, as the rotation of the first part 60 progresses, the locking piece 79 engages with the opening edge portion 69a of the recess 69, completing the housing of the first part 60 into the first part housing portion 72, as shown in Figure 2. As a result, the assembly of the first part 60 with the attached wire 30 to the second part 70 is completed, and the assembly of the side cover 20 (= first part 60 + second part 70) is completed (see Figure 2).

[0027] When the side cover 20 (= first part 60 + second part 70) is assembled, as shown in Figure 7, the protrusion 75 of the second part 70 is fitted into the recess 66 of the first part 60, and the outer surface of the protrusion 75 faces the inner surface of the groove of the recess 66, thereby restricting the relative movement of the first part 60 and the second part 70. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 is sandwiched between the holding surface 65 of the first part 60 and the holding surface 76 of the second part 70. More specifically, the holding surface 65 of the first part 60 is in contact with (or positioned in close proximity to) the inner surface 54a of the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50, and the holding surface 76 of the second part 70 is in contact with (or positioned in close proximity to) the outer surface 54b of the bent portion 54 of the terminal 50. This reduces displacement of the terminal 50. The tip 53 of the terminal 50 is exposed to the outside so as to protrude forward from the gap between the bent plate portion 64 of the first component 60 and the extended plate portion 74a of the second component 70 (see Figures 2 and 7). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the downward-facing stepped surface of the stepped portion 67 of the first component 60 and the upward-facing stepped surface of the stepped portion 77 of the second component 70 engage with each other. This restricts the relative downward movement of the first component 60 relative to the second component 70. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the upward-facing stepped surface of the stepped portion 68 of the first component 60 and the downward-facing stepped surface of the stepped portion 78 of the second component 70 engage with each other, and the upper edge of the outer side wall portion 61 of the first component 60 engages with the upper wall portion 74 of the second component 70. This restricts the relative upward movement of the first component 60 relative to the second component 70. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, the locking piece 79 of the second part 70 engages with the opening edge 69a of the recess 69 of the first part 60. This restricts the relative rotation of the first part 60 toward the second part 70 (relative rotation in the opposite direction to the rotation direction indicated by the white arrow in Figure 6), with the engagement point between the recess 66 and the protrusion 75 as the pivot point.

[0028] Once the assembly of the side cover 20 (= first part 60 + second part 70) is complete, the side cover 20 with the terminal-equipped wire 30 attached is then assembled to the main body 10. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the plate-shaped part 71 of the side cover 20 with the terminal-equipped wire 30 attached is assembled to the main body 10 so that it slides downward from the top towards the notch 12 of the peripheral wall 11 of the main body 10 (see the white arrow in Figure 1), and so that the stud bolt 14 protruding upward from the retaining member 13 fixed to the peripheral wall 11 is inserted through the through hole 55 provided in the tip 53 of the terminal 50. When the stud bolt 14 is inserted through the through hole 55 of the terminal 50, the misalignment of the terminal 50 relative to the side cover 20 is reduced as described above, making it easy to insert the stud bolt 14 through the through hole 55. In this way, by assembling the plate-shaped portion 71 of the side cover 20 into the notch 12, the notch 12 of the peripheral wall 11 is completed, and the side cover 20 constitutes a part of the peripheral wall 11. After the assembly of the side cover 20 to the main body 10 is completed, the assembly of the electrical connection box 1 is completed after assembling the upper cover and lower cover to the main body 10, etc.

[0029] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the electrical connection box 1 of this embodiment, the side cover 20 comprises a first component 60 and a second component 70. When the first component 60 is assembled to the second component 70, the terminal portion 51 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 is sandwiched between the first retaining surface (retaining surface 65) of the first component 60 and the second retaining surface (retaining surface 76) of the second component 70. When assembling the terminal 50 to the first component 60, if a sufficiently large clearance is provided between the first component 60 and the terminal 50, the terminal 50 can be easily assembled to the first component 60. Furthermore, if the first and second parts 60 and 70 are designed such that when the first part 60 is assembled to the second part 70, the first retaining surface 65 of the first part 60 contacts (or is positioned close to) the terminal 50, and the second retaining surface 76 of the second part 70 contacts (or is positioned close to) the terminal 50, then the displacement of the terminal 50 can be reduced by assembling the first part 60 to the second part 70. This also improves the workability when connecting the terminal portion 51 of the wire with terminal 30 to the terminals (stud bolts 14) located in the internal space of the electrical connection box 1. Therefore, the electrical connection box 1 according to this embodiment can achieve both improved workability when assembling the wire with terminal 30 to the side cover 20 and reduced displacement of the terminal 50.

[0030] Furthermore, according to the electrical connection box 1 of this embodiment, a protrusion 75 on one of the first component 60 and the second component 70 is fitted into a recess 66 on the other, and the outer surface of the protrusion 75 faces the inner surface of the groove of the recess 66, thereby restricting the relative movement of the first component 60 and the second component 70. This interlocking structure allows the first component 60 to be easily assembled onto the second component 70, and also effectively suppresses misalignment between the first component 60 and the second component 70.

[0031] Furthermore, according to the electrical connection box 1 of this embodiment, the rod-shaped terminal (stud bolt 14) of the main body 10 is inserted through the through hole 55 of the terminal portion 51 of the terminal-equipped wire 30. Since the misalignment of the terminal portion 51 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 is reduced, the work of inserting the rod-shaped terminal 14 into the through hole 55 can be easily performed.

[0032] <Other forms> 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.

[0033] In the above embodiment, a protrusion 75 provided on the second part 70 is fitted into a recess 66 provided on the first part 60, thereby forming a recessed-protrusion fitting structure that restricts relative movement between the first part 60 and the second part 70. Alternatively, a recessed-protrusion fitting structure that restricts relative movement between the first part 60 and the second part 70 may be formed by fitting a protrusion provided on the first part 60 into a recess provided on the second part 70.

[0034] Herein, the features of the embodiments of the electrical connection box 1 and retaining component (side cover 20) according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [5].

[0035] [1] An electrical junction box (1) comprising a main body (10) having a peripheral wall (11) defining an internal space, a retaining part (20) constituting a part of the peripheral wall (11), and a terminal-equipped electric wire (30) assembled to the retaining part (20), The aforementioned wire with terminals (30) It has a terminal (50) having a plate-shaped terminal portion (51) having a terminal portion (51), and an electric wire (40) connected to the terminal (50), The aforementioned retaining part (20) is The first component (60) has a first retaining surface (65) facing one side (54a) of the terminal portion (51) of the terminal (50), and a wire retaining portion (62a) for holding the electric wire (40), The first part (60) is assembled to a second part (70) which has a second retaining surface (76) facing the other surface (54b) of the terminal portion (51), Electrical junction box (1).

[0036] According to the electrical junction box configuration described in [1] above, the retaining component comprises a first component and a second component. When the first component is assembled to the second component, the terminal portion of the wire with terminals is sandwiched between the first retaining surface of the first component and the second retaining surface of the second component. When assembling the terminal to the first component, if a sufficiently large clearance is provided between the first component and the terminal, the terminal can be easily assembled to the first component. Furthermore, if the first and second components are designed such that when the first component is assembled to the second component, the first retaining surface of the first component contacts (or is positioned close to) the terminal, and the second retaining surface of the second component contacts (or is positioned close to) the terminal, then the displacement of the terminal can be reduced when assembling the first component to the second component. Furthermore, by reducing the displacement of the terminal portion, the workability when connecting the terminal portion of the wire with terminals to terminals located in the internal space of the electrical junction box is also improved. Therefore, the electrical junction box configuration described above offers excellent productivity and superior wire retention performance.

[0037] [2] In the electrical junction box described in [1] above, The first retaining surface (65) is The terminal portion (51) faces the one surface (54a) of the bent portion (54), The second retaining surface is The other surface (54b) of the bent portion (54) of the terminal portion (51) Electrical junction box.

[0038] According to the electrical junction box described in [2] above, the bending portion of the terminal can be held by the first retaining surface and the second retaining surface, thereby further reducing misalignment of the terminal portion after assembly.

[0039] [3] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The first part (60) and the second part (70) are, The first part (60) and the second part (70) have a protrusion (75) which fits into a recess (66) which fits into the other, and the outer surface of the protrusion (75) faces the inner surface of the groove of the recess (66), thereby restricting the relative movement of the first part (60) and the second part (70), having a recess-recessed interlocking structure. Electrical junction box (1).

[0040] In the electrical junction box with the configuration described in [3] above, a protrusion on one of the first and second parts is fitted into a recess on the other, and the outer surface of the protrusion faces the inner surface of the groove of the recess, thereby restricting relative movement between the first and second parts. This interlocking structure allows the first part to be easily assembled onto the second part, and also effectively suppresses misalignment between the first and second parts.

[0041] [4] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The main body (10) is The internal space has a rod-shaped terminal (14), The terminal portion (51) of the aforementioned wire with terminal (30) is Having a through hole (55) through which the rod-shaped terminal (14) is inserted, Electrical junction box (1).

[0042] In the electrical junction box configuration described in [4] above, a rod-shaped terminal (e.g., a stud bolt) of the main body is inserted through the through-hole of the terminal portion of the terminal-equipped wire. Since the misalignment of the terminals of the terminal-equipped wire is reduced, the work of inserting the rod-shaped terminal into the through-hole can be easily performed.

[0043] [5] A retaining component (20) that will hold a terminal (50) having a plate-shaped terminal portion (51) having a bent portion (54), A first component (60) having a first retaining surface (65) that faces one side (54a) of the terminal portion (51) of the terminal (50), The first part (60) is assembled to a second part (70) which has a second retaining surface (76) facing the other surface (54b) of the terminal portion (51), Retaining part (20).

[0044] According to the retaining component of the configuration described in [5] above, the retaining component comprises a first component and a second component. When the first component is assembled to the second component, the terminal portion of the terminal is sandwiched between the first retaining surface of the first component and the second retaining surface of the second component. When assembling the terminal to the first component, if a sufficiently large clearance is provided between the first component and the terminal, the terminal can be easily assembled to the first component. Furthermore, if the first component and the second component are designed such that when the first component is assembled to the second component, the first retaining surface of the first component contacts (or is positioned in close proximity to) the terminal, and the second retaining surface of the second component contacts (or is positioned in close proximity to) the terminal, then the displacement of the terminal can be reduced when assembling the first component to the second component. Furthermore, by reducing the displacement of the terminal portion, the workability when connecting the terminal portion of the terminal to a mating terminal or the like is also improved. Therefore, the retaining component of the present invention is excellent in productivity and terminal holding performance. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 1. Electrical junction box 10 Main body 11 Peripheral wall 14 Stud bolts (rod-shaped terminals) 20 Side cover (retaining part) 30 wires with terminals 40 Electric wire 50 terminals 51 Terminal section 54. Bending section 54a Inner surface (one side) 54b Outer surface (the other surface) 55 Through hole 60 Part 1 62a Extension piece (wire holding part) 65 Holding surface (1st holding surface) 66 recesses 70 Part 2 75 Convex part 76. Holding surface (second holding surface)

Claims

1. An electrical junction box comprising a main body having a peripheral wall defining an internal space, a retaining component constituting a part of the peripheral wall, and a wire with terminals assembled to the retaining component, The aforementioned wire with terminals is It has a terminal having a plate-shaped terminal portion with a bent portion, and an electric wire connected to the terminal, The aforementioned retaining component is A first component having a first retaining surface facing one side of the terminal portion of the terminal, and a wire retaining portion for holding the electric wire, The first part is assembled to a second part which has a second retaining surface facing the other side of the terminal portion, Electrical junction box.

2. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The first retaining surface is Facing one of the surfaces of the bent portion of the terminal portion, The second retaining surface is The other side of the bent portion of the terminal portion, Electrical junction box.

3. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The first and second parts are, The first and second parts have a recessed interlocking structure in which a protrusion on one of the parts fits into a recess on the other, and the outer surface of the protrusion faces the inner surface of the groove of the recess, thereby restricting the relative movement between the first and second parts. Electrical junction box.

4. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The main body is, It has a rod-shaped terminal arranged in the internal space, The terminal portion of the aforementioned wire with terminals is Having a through hole through which the aforementioned rod-shaped terminal is inserted, Electrical junction box.

5. A retaining component that holds a terminal having a plate-shaped terminal portion with a bent portion, A first component having a first retaining surface that faces one side of the terminal portion of the terminal, The first part is assembled to a second part which has a second retaining surface that faces the other side of the terminal portion, Retaining part.

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