Electrical Junction Box

Abstract

To keep a stable assembled state.SOLUTION: An electric connection box A includes a base member 10 having a component storage chamber 12 having an opened side surface, and a side wall member 11 which is a member separate from the base member 10 and is assembled to the base member 10 so as to cover the side surface of the component storage chamber 12. The base member 10 is provided with a groove portion 35, a fitting concave portion 37, a plate-shaped restricting portion 27, and a hook portion 24 as a separation restricting unit for restricting side separation of the side wall member 11 from the base member 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure in which a cutoff element is attached in a cutoff element accommodating section formed in a junction box body. The cutoff element accommodating section is a space that is open on the upper surface of the junction box body, and the cutoff element is fitted into the cutoff element accommodating section from above the junction box body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-002441 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above structure, the peripheral wall of the interrupting element housing surrounds the electrical component from the front, back, left and right. Therefore, when the interrupting element is picked up with the fingers to be attached to the interrupting element housing, the fingers may interfere with the peripheral wall. To address this issue, it is possible to mold the side wall of the connection box body that covers the side of the interrupting element housing as a separate part. In this way, the side wall member can be attached to the base member after the interrupting element is housed in the interrupting element housing, thereby preventing the worker's fingers from interfering with the side wall member.

[0005] One possible structure for holding the sidewall member and the base member in an assembled state is to have an elastic locking piece formed on one of the sidewall member and the base member elastically lock with a locking portion formed on the other. However, in a structure in which the elastic locking piece is elastically locked, there is a risk that the sidewall member will be displaced away from the base member.

[0006] The electrical junction box of the present disclosure has been completed based on the above circumstances, and has an object to be maintained in a stably assembled state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The electrical connection box of the present disclosure comprises: a base member having a component storage chamber with an open side; a sidewall member which is a separate member from the base member and is attached to the base member so as to cover a side surface of the component housing chamber, The base member is provided with a separation restriction portion that restricts the sidewall member from separating laterally from the base member. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a stable assembled state can be maintained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical junction box according to a first embodiment, as viewed obliquely from above and from the front. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical junction box as viewed obliquely from above and behind. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the base member as viewed obliquely from above and from the front. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base member as viewed obliquely from above and behind. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the side wall member as viewed obliquely from above and from the front. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the side wall member as viewed obliquely from above and behind. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the side wall member is separated into a side wall main body and a bus bar. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a front cross-sectional view showing the front fitting portion and the front fitting portion in a fitted state. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which the groove of the front fitting portion and the front fitting portion are fitted together. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a state in which the fitting recess of the front fitting portion and the fitting protrusion of the front fitting portion are fitted together. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which the expansion of the side wall member is restricted by the overhanging portion. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the electrical junction box. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a state in which the base member and the pair of side wall members are separated from each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The electrical connection box of the present disclosure comprises: (1) A component housing having a base member with an open side surface, and a sidewall member that is a separate member from the base member and is assembled to the base member so as to cover the side surface of the component housing, the base member being provided with a separation restriction portion that restricts the sidewall member from separating laterally from the base member. According to the configuration of the present disclosure, the sidewall member is restricted from separating from the base member by the separation restriction portion, so that the base member and the sidewall member can be maintained in a stable assembled state.

[0011] (2) It is preferable that a recessed region is formed on the outer surface of the sidewall member by partially recessing a part of the outer surface in the width direction, and the separation restriction portion abuts against the recessed region. With this configuration, the separation restriction portion is disposed so as to overlap with the outer surface of the sidewall member, but it is possible to prevent the width dimension of the sidewall member from increasing due to the presence of the separation restriction portion.

[0012] (3) In (2), the separation restriction portion is preferably disposed only inside an outermost region of the outer surface of the sidewall member. With this configuration, even if the separation restriction portion is disposed so as to overlap the outer surface of the sidewall member, the width dimension of the sidewall member does not increase.

[0013] (4) It is preferable that the base member has an elastic locking portion that holds the sidewall member in an assembled state by locking with the locking portion of the sidewall member, and the separation restriction portion is connected to the elastic locking portion. According to this configuration, the sidewall member is restricted from moving away from the base member by the separation restriction portion, so that the locking portion can be prevented from coming off the elastic locking portion.

[0014] In the above-mentioned configurations (5) and (4), it is preferable that the separation restriction portion protrudes at a right angle from a side edge of the elastic locking portion. With this configuration, the separation restriction portion increases the bending rigidity of the elastic locking portion, thereby improving the reliability of the locking function between the elastic locking portion and the locking portion.

[0015] (6) It is preferable that the sidewall member has a busbar accommodating chamber that accommodates a busbar, the busbar accommodating chamber being defined by an outer wall portion constituting the outer surface of the sidewall member and an inner wall portion located between the outer wall portion and the base member, and the separation restricting portion has a hook portion that hooks onto the inner wall portion from the outside. With this configuration, the hook portion hooks onto the inner wall portion rather than the outer wall portion, and therefore does not protrude significantly outward from the sidewall portion. This makes it possible to avoid an increase in the size of the sidewall member in the width direction.

[0016] In the above configurations (7) and (6), it is preferable that the separation prevention portion is disposed at a position that prevents the busbar from being removed from the busbar accommodating chamber. With this configuration, the separation prevention portion also has a function of preventing the busbar from being removed, and therefore the shape of the base member can be simplified compared to the case where a dedicated portion is formed for preventing the busbar from being removed.

[0017] (8) In the configuration (6) or (7), it is preferable that the side wall member has a busbar attachment opening that connects the busbar accommodating chamber to the outside, and the separation restriction portion covers only a portion of the busbar attachment opening. With this configuration, heat generated by the busbar can be released from the busbar attachment opening.

[0018] (9) In any of (6) to (8), the separation restriction portion is preferably formed with a communication hole that connects the inside of the busbar accommodating chamber to the outside of the sidewall member. With this configuration, heat generated by the busbar can be dissipated to the outside of the sidewall member through the communication hole.

[0019] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] [Example 1] A first embodiment of the electrical junction box of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 13. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In this first embodiment, the front and rear directions of the electrical junction box A are defined as the diagonally lower left in Figs. 1, 3, 5, and 7, the diagonally upper left in Figs. 2, 4, and 6, and the left in Figs. 9, 10, 12, and 13. The up and down directions are defined as the upward and downward directions as they appear in Figs. 1 to 8, and 11. The left and right directions are defined as the left and right directions as they appear in Figs. 8 and 11.

[0020] <Outline of Electrical Junction Box A> 1 and 2, the electrical junction box A of the first embodiment includes a base member 10 and a pair of symmetrical side wall members 11 which are separate members from the base member 10. The pair of side wall members 11 are assembled to the base member 10 so as to sandwich the base member 10 from the left and right. The electrical junction box A has a component housing chamber 12 defined by the base member 10 and the pair of side wall members 11. The component housing chamber 12 is open to the top surface of the electrical junction box A. As shown in FIG. 11, the component housing chamber 12 is adapted to house a plurality of electrical components 64 such as fusible links.

[0021] A pair of left and right front fitting portions 13 are formed at the front end of the base member 10, and a pair of left and right rear fitting portions 14 are formed at the rear end of the base member 10. A pair of left and right front fitting portions 15 are formed at the front end of the sidewall member 11, and a pair of left and right rear fitting portions 16 are formed at the rear end of the sidewall member 11. The base member 10 and the sidewall member 11 are held in an assembled state by the fitting of the front fitting portions 13 with the front fitting portions 15 and the fitting of the rear fitting portions 14 with the rear fitting portions 16.

[0022] <Base member 10> The base member 10 includes a synthetic resin holding member 17, a synthetic resin terminal block 18 which is a separate part from the holding member 17, and a pair of symmetrical metal plates 19. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the holding member 17 is a single part having a rectangular body portion 20 with its long sides facing the front-rear direction, a front plate portion 21 which extends upward from the front edge of the body portion 20, and a rear plate portion 22 which extends upward from the rear edge of the body portion 20. A space surrounded by the upper surface of the body portion 20, the rear surface of the front plate portion 21, and the front surface of the rear plate portion 22 functions as a component storage chamber 12. When the sidewall member 11 is not attached to the base member 10, the component storage chamber 12 is open to the outside of the base member 10 at the upper surface of the base member 10 and both the left and right side surfaces of the base member 10.

[0023] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 11 to 13, a pair of symmetrical overhanging portions 23 are formed at the rear end of the main body 20. The overhanging portions 23 protrude outward in the left-right direction from the lower end edge of the outer surface of the main body 20. As shown in Figures 3, 4, 11, and 13, a rib-shaped hook portion 24 that protrudes upward is formed at the protruding end edge in the front-rear direction of the overhanging portion 23. As shown in Figures 11 and 13, a plurality of communication holes 25 spaced apart in the front-rear direction are formed in the overhanging portion 23 between the main body 20 and the hook portion 24.

[0024] A pair of symmetrical rear fitting parts 14 are formed on both left and right ends of the rear plate part 22. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the rear fitting part 14 has a plate-shaped elastic locking part 26 whose plate thickness direction faces the front-rear direction, and a plate-shaped regulating part 27 whose plate thickness direction faces the left-right direction. A locking hole 28 is formed on the rear surface of the elastic locking part 26. As shown in Fig. 13, the side edge of the elastic locking part 26 and the rear edge of the plate-shaped regulating part 27 are connected at a right angle. The lower edge of the elastic locking part 26 and the lower edge of the plate-shaped regulating part 27 are connected to the outer surface of the lower end of the main body part 20 via a reinforcing part 29. The space surrounded by the main body part 20, the elastic locking part 26, and the plate-shaped regulating part 27 functions as a guide groove 30 that is open forward and upward.

[0025] As shown in Figs. 1, 3, 8, and 12, the terminal block 18 is a single component having a support plate portion 31 whose thickness direction faces the front-rear direction and a receiving plate portion 32 whose thickness direction faces the up-down direction. As shown in Fig. 12, a bolt hole 33 is formed in the receiving plate portion 32, which penetrates from top to bottom. The terminal block 18 is attached to the holding member 17 in a state where it covers the front surface of the front plate portion 21. As shown in Figs. 3, 4, 9, and 10, a pair of left and right storage spaces 34 are formed between the front plate portion 21 of the holding member 17 and the support plate portion 31 of the terminal block 18. The upper end of the storage space 34 is opened in the form of a slit in the left-right direction toward the front of the base member 10.

[0026] A pair of symmetrical front fitting parts 13 are formed on both the left and right ends of the terminal block 18. As shown in Figs. 4, 8, 9, and 13, a vertical groove 35 is formed on the rear surface of the front fitting part 13. The upper end of the groove 35 is open to the upper surface of the terminal block 18. A tapered guide part 36 is formed on the upper end of the groove 35. As shown in Figs. 8 and 10, a fitting recess 37 is formed in the front fitting part 13, the four sides of which are front, rear, left and right. The upper end of the fitting recess 37 is connected to the lower end of the groove 35. As shown in Figs. 8 and 12, a window hole 38 is formed on the lower end of the front fitting part 13, which connects the fitting recess 37 and the lower end surface of the front fitting part 13 in the vertical direction.

[0027] The plate 19 is a single component formed by bending a long and narrow metal plate. The plate 19 has a plate-shaped power supply portion 39 (see Figs. 3, 4, 9, and 10) and a plate-shaped mounting portion 40 (see Figs. 1 to 3, 8, and 13) that are connected at right angles to each other. The plate-shaped power supply portion 39 is flat with its thickness direction facing the front-rear direction. The plate-shaped power supply portion 39 has a power supply connection hole 41 (see Fig. 8) that penetrates in the front-rear direction. The plate-shaped mounting portion 40 is flat with its thickness direction facing the up-down direction, and extends forward from the upper edge of the plate-shaped power supply portion 39. As shown in Fig. 3, the plate-shaped mounting portion 40 has a mounting hole 68 that penetrates in the up-down direction.

[0028] Plate 19 is assembled to base member 10 with plate-shaped power supply portion 39 accommodated within accommodation space 34 and plate-shaped mounting portion 40 exposed to the outside of accommodation space 34 and placed on receiving plate portion 32. The edge of power supply connection hole 41 of plate-shaped power supply portion 39 is exposed at a cutout portion formed in support plate portion 31. A power supply terminal (not shown) connected to a battery (not shown) is connected to plate-shaped power supply portion 39 via power supply connection hole 41.

[0029] <Side wall member 11> The sidewall member 11 is configured by assembling a sidewall main body 42 made of synthetic resin and a bus bar 43 made of metal. As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, the sidewall main body 42 is a single part that is elongated in the front-rear direction in a plan view and has a wall thickness direction oriented in the left-right direction. As shown in Figs. 9 to 12, the sidewall main body 42 has an outer wall portion 44 whose wall thickness direction is oriented in the left-right direction and an inner wall portion 45 whose wall thickness direction is oriented in the left-right direction. The lower end portion of the front edge portion of the sidewall main body 42 functions as the front fitting portion 15. As shown in Figs. 5 to 8, a fitting protrusion 46 that protrudes downward is formed at the lower end portion of the front fitting portion 15. As shown in Figs. 1, 5, 7, and 8, a stopper 47 that protrudes forward and sideways in a stepped shape is formed at the upper end portion of the front fitting portion 15. The lower end portion of the rear edge portion of the sidewall main body 42 functions as the rear fitting portion 16. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a protruding locking projection 48 is formed on the rear end surface of the side wall main body 42.

[0030] As shown in Figures 9 to 12, a single busbar accommodating chamber 49 is formed inside sidewall main body 42, sandwiched between outer wall portion 44 and inner wall portion 45. Busbar accommodating chamber 49 is a narrow space whose left-right dimension is smaller than its front-rear and up-down dimensions. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, a busbar attachment opening 50 is formed in the lower surface of sidewall main body 42, opening in the shape of a slit in the front-rear direction. Busbar attachment opening 50 is an opening for attaching busbar 43 to busbar accommodating chamber 49.

[0031] The busbar 43 is a single component formed by bending a metal plate punched into a predetermined shape. As shown in FIG. 7, the busbar 43 has one flat board portion 51 with its thickness direction facing the left-right direction, one flat heat sink portion 52, multiple tabs 53, and one flat connection plate portion 54. In a side view of the busbar 43 seen from the left-right direction, the board portion 51 and the heat sink portion 52 form a rectangle. The heat sink portion 52 extends from the lower edge of the board portion 51 so as to overlap with the inner surface of the board portion 51. The multiple tabs 53 protrude upward from the upper edge of the board portion 51 and are arranged in a line at intervals in the front-rear direction.

[0032] The connecting plate portion 54 protrudes horizontally inward from the upper end edge of the support portion 55 at the front end portion of the base plate portion 51. A through hole 56 that penetrates in the up-down direction is formed in the connecting plate portion 54. The bus bar 43 is attached to the side wall main body 42 with the base plate portion 51, the heat sink portion 52 and the tab 53 housed in the bus bar accommodating chamber 49. The connecting plate portion 54 is exposed to the outside of the side wall main body 42 and protrudes inward in the left-right direction from the side wall main body 42, i.e., toward the base member 10.

[0033] As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5, 12, and 13, a wide widened portion 57 is formed at the upper end of the side wall main body 42. In the widened portion 57, a plurality of fuse accommodating chambers 58 that open to the upper surface of the side wall main body 42 are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction. The lower ends of the plurality of fuse accommodating chambers 58 communicate with the bus bar accommodating chamber 49. A fuse 59 (see Fig. 5) is attached to the fuse accommodating chamber 58 from above the side wall member 11. One lead 60 of the fuse 59 is connected to the tab 53 of the bus bar 43. In the lower end region of the widened portion 57, a plurality of cavities 61 that open to the lower surface of the side wall main body 42 are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction (see Fig. 12). The upper ends of the plurality of cavities 61 communicate individually with the lower ends of the plurality of fuse accommodating chambers 58. In each cavity 61, a harness terminal 63 that is individually connected to a plurality of electric wires 62 that constitute a wire harness is accommodated. The harness terminal 63 is connected to the other lead 60 of the fuse 59 .

[0034] <Electrical junction box A assembly procedure> When assembling the electrical junction box A, the holding member 17 and the terminal block 18 are left in a separated state. In this state, the plate-shaped mounting portion 40 is placed on the receiving plate portion 32, and the plate 19 is temporarily held to the terminal block 18 with the plate-shaped power supply portion 39 overlapping the rear surface of the terminal block 18. Next, the terminal block 18 and the plate 19 are assembled by pressing them into the holding member 17 from below. By assembling the terminal block 18 to the holding member 17, the accommodation space 34 is formed, and the plate-shaped power supply portion 39 of the plate 19 is accommodated in the accommodation space 34, completing the assembly of the base member 10.

[0035] After the base member 10 is assembled, the electric component 64 is attached to the holding member 17 so as to be accommodated in the component accommodation chamber 12 from above the base member 10. Since the component accommodation chamber 12 is open on both the left and right sides of the base member 10, if an operator picks up the electric component 64 from the left and right, the fingers holding the electric component 64 will not interfere with the base member 10. This improves workability when installing the electrical section. Even when the electric component 64 is installed by an automatic machine, if the electric component 64 is held by the fingers of the automatic machine so as to pinch it from the left and right, the fingers will not interfere with the base member 10.

[0036] Next, the pair of side wall members 11 are assembled to the base member 10. During assembly, the front fitting portion 15 is fitted into the front fitting portion 13 by inserting it from above, and the rear fitting portion 16 is fitted into the rear fitting portion 14 by inserting it from above. In detail, the front fitting portion 15 is fitted into the groove portion 35, and the rear fitting portion 16 is fitted into the guide groove 30. Even if the front fitting portion 15 is misaligned in the left-right direction with respect to the front fitting portion 13, the misalignment is corrected by the guide portion 36.

[0037] When the sidewall member 11 reaches a predetermined assembled state with respect to the base member 10, the stopper 47 abuts against the upper end of the front fitting portion 13, and the rear fitting portion 16 abuts against the reinforcing portion 29. At the same time, the fitting protrusion 46 fits into the fitting recess 37, and the locking protrusion 48 locks into the locking hole 28. The front fitting portion 15 fits into the front fitting portion 13, thereby positioning the sidewall member 11 in the front-rear and left-right directions with respect to the base member 10. The locking protrusion 48 locks into the locking hole 28, thereby restricting the sidewall member 11 from coming off upwardly with respect to the base member 10.

[0038] When the side wall member 11 is attached to the base member 10, the component housing chamber 12 is covered from both the left and right sides by the side wall member 11, completing the assembly of the electrical junction box A. The component housing chamber 12 is surrounded all around from the front-rear and left-right directions.

[0039] When the sidewall member 11 is attached to the base member 10, the connection plate portion 54 of the busbar 43 is placed on the upper surface of the plate-shaped mounting portion 40 of the plate 19. In other words, the direction in which the sidewall member 11 is attached to the base member 10 and the direction in which the connection plate portion 54 is attached to the plate-shaped mounting portion 40 are the same. When the connection plate portion 54 is placed on the plate-shaped mounting portion 40, a bolt 70 is inserted through the through hole 56, the mounting hole 68, and the bolt hole 33. The bolt 70 is screwed into a nut 71 provided on the lower surface of the receiving plate portion 32 and tightened, thereby fixing the plate 19 and the busbar 43 to the terminal block 18. By fixing the connection plate portion 54 to the receiving plate portion 32, the front end portion of the sidewall member 11 is fixed to the front end portion of the base member 10.

[0040] <Actions and Effects of the Examples> The electrical connection box A of this embodiment includes a base member 10 having a component receiving chamber 12 with an open side, and a sidewall member 11 that is a separate member from the base member 10 and is assembled to the base member 10 so as to cover the side of the component receiving chamber 12. A front fitting portion 15 and a rear fitting portion 16 are formed in the sidewall member 11. A front fitting portion 13 and a rear fitting portion 14 are formed in the base member 10. In the process of assembling the sidewall member 11 to the base member 10, the front fitting portion 13 fits into the front fitting portion 15 while sliding, and the rear fitting portion 14 fits into the rear fitting portion 16 while sliding. Since the sidewall member 11 is fitted into the base member 10 while sliding, the sidewall member 11 and the base member 10 can be maintained in a stable assembled state.

[0041] The base member 10 has a guide portion 36 for guiding the front fitting portion 15 into the groove portion 35 of the front fitting portion 13, so that the workability when assembling the side wall member 11 to the base member 10 is excellent. The front fitting portion 13 has a groove portion 35 for sliding the front fitting portion 15 in a housed state. The front fitting portion 13 has a window hole 38 for communicating the groove portion 35 with the outside lower portion of the front fitting portion 13 via a fitting recess 37. The window hole 38 is disposed at the inner end of the front fitting portion 15 in the fitting direction in the groove portion 35, that is, at the lower end of the front fitting portion 13. According to this configuration, by looking into the window hole 38 from below the front fitting portion 13, the fitting state of the front fitting portion 15 in the groove portion 35, that is, whether or not the fitting protrusion 46 of the front fitting portion 15 has reached the fitting recess 37 at the inner end of the groove portion 35, can be visually confirmed.

[0042] The base member 10 has a plate 19 on which a plate-shaped mounting portion 40 is formed. The sidewall member 11 has a bus bar 43 on which a connecting plate portion 54 is formed. The connecting plate portion 54 is stacked on the plate-shaped mounting portion 40 in the same direction as the assembly direction of the sidewall member 11 to the base member 10. With this configuration, the plate-shaped mounting portion 40 and the connecting plate portion 54 can be connected by assembling the sidewall member 11 to the base member 10. The connecting plate portion 54 is disposed close to the front fitting portion 15 in the left-right direction. With this configuration, the connecting plate portion 54 can be positioned with high accuracy with respect to the plate-shaped mounting portion 40 by fitting the front fitting portion 15 into the front fitting portion 13.

[0043] The front fitting portion 13 and the plate-like mounting portion 40 of the plate 19 are disposed at the front end of the base member 10. The plate-like mounting portion 40 and the connection plate portion 54 of the bus bar 43 are fixed by bolts 70 and nuts 71, which are fastening members. The rear end of the base member 10 is formed with an elastic locking portion 26 that elastically locks to the side wall member 11 to hold the side wall member 11 in an assembled state. According to this configuration, the side wall member 11 is held by the base member 10 at two locations, the front and rear ends of the base member 10, so that the assembled state of the base member 10 and the side wall member 11 is stable. The fastening operation using the bolts 70 and nuts 71 only needs to be performed at the front end of the base member 10, so that the workability is better than when fastening members are fastened at the front and rear ends.

[0044] A front fitting portion 13 having a groove portion 35 and a fitting recess 37 is formed at the front end of the base member 10. The groove portion 35 and the fitting recess 37 function as a separation restriction portion that restricts the sidewall member 11 from being separated laterally from the base member 10 by fitting the front fitting portion 15 and the fitting protrusion 46. A rear fitting portion 14 having a plate-shaped restriction portion 27 is formed at the rear end of the base member 10. The plate-shaped restriction portion 27 functions as a separation restriction portion that restricts the sidewall member 11 from being separated laterally from the base member 10 by abutting the rear fitting portion 16. A protruding portion 23 having a hook portion 24 that functions as a separation restriction portion is formed at the lower end of the base member 10. The hook portion 24 functions as a separation restriction portion that restricts the sidewall member 11 from being separated laterally from the base member 10 by engaging with the inner wall portion 45 of the sidewall member 11. Since the sidewall member 11 is restricted from moving away from the base member 10 by these separation restriction portions, the base member 10 and the sidewall member 11 can be maintained in a stable assembled state.

[0045] As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 11, a recessed area 66 is formed on the outer surface of the sidewall member 11, in a shape in which a part of the outer surface is partially recessed in the width direction. The recessed area 66 is an area of ​​the side surface of the sidewall member 11 below the widening portion 57. The recessed area 66 includes the front fitting portion 15 and the rear fitting portion 16. The front fitting portion 13 and the rear fitting portion 14, which serve as separation restriction portions, abut against the recessed area 66. According to this configuration, the front fitting portion 13 and the rear fitting portion 14 are arranged so as to overlap on the outer surface of the sidewall member 11, but it is possible to prevent the width dimension of the sidewall member 11 from becoming large due to the presence of the front fitting portion 13 and the rear fitting portion 14.

[0046] The region of the outer surface of the sidewall member 11 where the widened portion 57 is formed is defined as an outermost region 67 that is located outermost in the left-right direction of the outer surface of the sidewall member 11. The front fitting portion 13 and the rear fitting portion 14 are disposed only inside the outermost region 67 in the left-right direction. With this configuration, even if the front fitting portion 13 and the rear fitting portion 14 are disposed so as to overlap on the outer surface of the sidewall member 11, the width dimension of the sidewall member 11 does not increase.

[0047] The base member 10 has an elastic locking portion 26 that holds the side wall member 11 in an assembled state by locking with the locking projection 48 of the side wall member 11. The plate-shaped restricting portion 27 is continuous with the side edge of the elastic locking portion 26. The side wall member 11 is restricted from moving away from the base member 10 by the plate-shaped restricting portion 27, so that the locking projection 48 can be prevented from coming off the elastic locking portion 26. The plate-shaped restricting portion 27 protrudes at a right angle from the side edge of the elastic locking portion 26, so that the flexural rigidity of the elastic locking portion 26 is increased by the plate-shaped restricting portion 27. This improves the reliability of the locking function between the elastic locking portion 26 and the locking projection 48.

[0048] The sidewall member 11 has a busbar accommodating chamber 49 that accommodates the busbar 43. The busbar accommodating chamber 49 is defined by an outer wall portion 44 that constitutes the outer surface of the sidewall member 11, and an inner wall portion 45 that is located between the outer wall portion 44 and the base member 10. The protruding portion 23 has a hook portion 24 that hooks onto the inner wall portion 45 from the outside. Since the hook portion 24 hooks onto the inner wall portion 45 rather than the outer wall portion 44, it does not protrude significantly outward from the sidewall portion. This makes it possible to avoid an increase in size of the sidewall member 11 in the width direction.

[0049] Overhanging portion 23 is disposed at a position that prevents busbar 43 from coming out of busbar accommodating chamber 49. Overhanging portion 23 has the function of preventing sidewall member 11 from moving away from base member 10, as well as the function of preventing busbar 43 from coming out. Compared to the case where a dedicated portion for preventing busbar 43 from coming out is formed separately from overhanging portion 23, the shape of base member 10 can be simplified.

[0050] Sidewall member 11 has a busbar attachment opening 50 that connects busbar accommodating chamber 49 to the outside. Protruding portion 23 is arranged so as to cover only a portion of busbar attachment opening 50, i.e., only the rear end portion. With this configuration, heat generated by busbar 43 can be effectively released from busbar attachment opening 50. Protruding portion 23 is formed with communication hole 25 that connects busbar accommodating chamber 49 to the outside of sidewall member 11. With this configuration, heat generated by busbar 43 can be released to the outside of sidewall member 11 through communication hole 25.

[0051] [Other Examples] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, but is indicated by the claims. The present invention includes the equivalent meaning of the claims and all modifications within the scope of the claims, and is intended to include the following embodiments. In the above embodiment, the separation restriction portion protrudes at a right angle from the side edge of the elastic engagement portion, but the separation restriction portion may extend flush with the elastic engagement portion. In the above embodiment, the separation restriction portion is connected to the elastic locking portion, but the separation restriction portion may be disposed at a location separate from the elastic locking portion. In the above embodiment, the separation restriction portion also functions to restrict the bus bar from coming off. However, the base member may be formed with a portion dedicated to restricting the bus bar from coming off. In the above embodiment, the separation restriction portion covers only a portion of the bus bar attachment opening, but the separation restriction portion may cover the entire flow area of ​​the bus bar attachment opening. In the above embodiment, the protruding portion has a communication hole, but the protruding portion may have a shape that does not have a communication hole. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] A…Electrical junction box 10...Base member 11...Side wall member 12... Parts storage room 13…Front side fitting part 14...Rear side fitting part 15…Front fitting part 16…Rear fitting part 17...Retaining member 18...Terminal block 19…Plate 20…Main body 21...Front plate part 22...Rear plate part 23...Protruding part 24...Hook section (separation control section) 25...Communication hole 26...Elastic locking part 27...Plate-shaped regulation portion (separation regulation portion) 28…Latching hole 29…Reinforcement 30...Guide groove 31...Support plate part 32…Receiving plate section 33…Bolt hole 34…Containment space 35...Groove portion (separation control portion) 36…Guiding part 37...Mating recess (separation control portion) 38…Window hole 39…Plate-shaped power supply section 40…Plate-shaped mounting part 41...Power supply connection hole 42…Side wall body 43…Busbar 44...Outer wall part 45…Inner wall 46…Mating projection 47…Stopper 48…Latching protrusion (locking part) 49…Busbar Containment Room 50...Busbar mounting port 51... Circuit board 52...Heat sink section 53…Tab 54...Connection plate section 55...Support part 56…Through hole 57…Wide section 58…Hughes Containment Room 59…Fuse 60…Lead 61…Cavity 62...Electric wire 63...Harness terminal 64…Electrical components 66…Recessed area 67...Outermost area 68…Mounting hole 70…Volts 71...Nut

Claims

1. a base member having a component storage chamber with an open side; a sidewall member which is a separate member from the base member and is attached to the base member so as to cover a side surface of the component housing chamber, the base member is provided with a separation restriction portion that restricts the sidewall member from separating laterally from the base member, A recessed area is formed on an outer surface of the sidewall member by partially recessing a portion of the outer surface in a width direction, The electrical connection box has the separation restriction portion abutting against the recessed area.

2. An electrical connection box as described in Claim 1, wherein the distance control portion is arranged only inside the outermost region located on the outer surface of the side wall member.

3. A base member having a component storage chamber with an open side; a sidewall member that is a separate member from the base member and is attached to the base member so as to cover a side surface of the component housing chamber, the base member is provided with a separation restriction portion that restricts the sidewall member from separating laterally from the base member, the base member has an elastic locking portion that locks to the locking portion of the side wall member to hold the side wall member in an assembled state, The separation restriction portion is connected to the elastic engagement portion.

4. An electrical connection box as described in Claim 3, wherein the separation control portion protrudes at a right angle from the side edge of the elastic locking portion.

5. A base member having a component storage chamber with an open side; a sidewall member which is a separate member from the base member and is attached to the base member so as to cover a side surface of the component housing chamber, the base member is provided with a separation restriction portion that restricts the sidewall member from separating laterally from the base member, the side wall member has a bus bar accommodating chamber that accommodates a bus bar, the bus bar accommodating chamber is defined by an outer wall portion constituting an outer surface of the side wall member and an inner wall portion located between the outer wall portion and the base member, The base member has a hook portion that functions as the separation restriction portion by hooking from the outside onto the inner wall portion.

6. An electrical connection box as described in Claim 5, wherein the separation control portion is positioned at a position that controls the bus bar from detaching from the bus bar accommodating chamber.

7. The side wall member has a bus bar attachment port that connects the bus bar accommodating chamber to the outside, 7. The electrical junction box according to claim 5, wherein the separation restriction portion covers only a portion of the bus bar attachment port.

8. An electrical connection box as described in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the separation control portion has a communication hole formed therein that connects the interior of the busbar accommodating chamber to the outside of the side wall member.

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