Electrical junction box

Abstract

To provide an electrical junction box excellent in heat dissipation from a relay housed in a case of the electrical junction box.SOLUTION: An electrical junction box 1 comprises: a pair of relays 20A and 20B disposed with a gap S therebetween; a case 10 for housing the pair of relays 20A and 20B; and a heat transfer member 70 disposed in the case 10. Each of the pair of relays 20A and 20B has a plurality of terminals 51 to 54 connected to an inner circuit 60 of the relay, and a protrusion 23 having a shape protruding toward the gap S in the vicinity of at least one 51 or 52 of the plurality of terminals 51 to 54. The heat transfer member 70 absorbs heat emitted from the at least one terminal 51 or 52 to transfer the heat toward a direction away from the at least one terminal 51 or 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric junction box in which a relay is housed in a case. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electrical connection boxes used in automobiles and the like are configured to mount electronic components such as relays and fuses in a case of a predetermined shape made of resin or the like, and to electrically connect the input / output terminals of these electronic components to bus bars held in the case or terminals connected to an external load (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-158479 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described type of electrical junction box, when an electronic component (particularly a relay or fuse) is activated, Joule heat is generated at current-carrying points such as the input / output terminals of the electronic component. In particular, Joule heat can be generated at contact points between the input / output terminals of the electronic component and bus bars or the like connected to the input / output terminals due to the high contact resistance. Since the heat generated at such contact points is also transmitted to the internal mechanisms of the electronic component via the input / output terminals, it is desirable to efficiently dissipate the heat generated at the contact points to the outside of the electronic component in order to ensure proper operation of the electronic component over a long period of time.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box that is excellent in heat dissipation from a relay housed in a case of the electrical junction box. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0007] a pair of relays spaced apart from each other; a case that houses the pair of relays; a heat transfer member disposed within the case; An electrical connection box comprising: Each of the pair of relays a plurality of terminals connected to an internal circuit of the relay; and a protrusion having a shape that protrudes toward the gap in the vicinity of at least one of the plurality of terminals, The heat transfer member is configured to absorb heat emitted from the at least one terminal and transfer the heat in a direction away from the at least one terminal; It must be an electrical junction box. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the electrical junction box of the present invention, each of a pair of relays housed in a case has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the gap between the relays. These protruding portions prevent the pair of relays from being placed too close together, creating an appropriate gap between the pair of relays. Furthermore, the protruding portion is located near at least one terminal of the relay. The presence of a gap between the pair of relays prevents Joule heat generated at each relay terminal from concentrating in an excessively small area, and air flow through the gap promotes heat dissipation. Furthermore, a heat transfer member that absorbs heat emitted from at least one terminal and transfers it away from that terminal further improves heat dissipation from the relay housed in the case. Therefore, the electrical junction box of this configuration has excellent heat dissipation properties from the relay housed in the case. In addition, compared to dissipating heat generated from each terminal to different locations, dissipating heat generated from each terminal collectively through the above-mentioned gap contributes to the miniaturization of the electrical junction box.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the invention set forth below, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 1 (however, only the bus bars and electronic components (relays and fuses) are shown). [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged bottom view of the relay shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the internal circuit of the pair of relays shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An electric junction box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The electric junction box 1 is typically a relay box mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile and housing electronic components such as relays and fuses. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the electric junction box 1 includes a case 10, a plurality of electronic components housed in the case 10 (specifically, relays 20 and fuses 30 (see FIG. 4)), and a plurality of bus bars 40 held in the case 10 (see FIG. 4).

[0012] For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower," as shown in FIG. 1 and elsewhere. The front-to-rear direction, left-to-right direction, and upper-to-lower direction are perpendicular to one another. The "upper" and "lower" sides correspond to the "upper" and "lower" sides of the vehicle when the electrical junction box 1 is mounted on the vehicle. Note that these directions are defined merely for ease of explanation, and do not necessarily correspond to the front-to-rear direction, left-to-right direction, and upper-to-lower direction of the vehicle when the electrical junction box 1 is mounted on the vehicle. Each component constituting the electrical junction box 1 will be described below in order.

[0013] 1 and 2, case 10 is a resin housing having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. Case 10 may be formed from a single resin molded body, or may be formed by combining multiple resin molded bodies. Furthermore, case 10 may be formed such that portions that require insulation, such as portions that hold electronic components and bus bars 40, are made of resin, and other portions (for example, the exterior portion) are made of metal.

[0014] 1 and 2, a plurality of relays 20 are housed in the front region of the upper part of the case 10. Each of the plurality of relays 20 is housed in a corresponding housing portion (cavity) in the upper part of the case 10 from top to bottom. A rear region A (see FIG. 2) adjacent to the rear side of the front region of the upper part of the case 10 is a region where electronic components such as fuses 30 (see FIG. 4) are housed. The fuses 30 and the like are also housed in corresponding housing portions (cavities) in the upper part of the case 10 from top to bottom.

[0015] An electric wire insertion portion 11 is provided at the lower right end of the front surface of the case 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). From the electric wire insertion portion 11, electric wires 2 electrically connected to the bus bar 40 and electric wires 2 electrically connected to electronic components such as the relay 20 and the fuse 30 extend forward from the inside of the case 10 to the outside (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0016] 4, each of the multiple bus bars 40 held in the case 10 is an elongated metal plate having a predetermined shape when viewed in the vertical direction. Each of the multiple bus bars 40 is attached and held in a corresponding predetermined location on the lower part of the case 10 from bottom to top, with the plate thickness direction aligned with the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (with the plate surface facing the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction). As a result, each of the multiple bus bars 40 is electrically connected to the input terminal or output terminal of one or more corresponding electronic components (such as the relay 20 or the fuse 30), and the multiple electronic components (such as the relay 20 or the fuse 30) are electrically connected to the electric wire 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) via the multiple bus bars 40.

[0017] Hereinafter, attention will be focused on a pair of relays 20A and 20B (see FIGS. 1 to 5 ) among the multiple relays 20. In this example, the pair of relays 20A and 20B are relays for low-voltage circuits, but in some embodiments, they may be relays for high-voltage circuits. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 , the resin relay body of each of the pair of relays 20A and 20B has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape extending in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The relay bodies of the pair of relays 20A and 20B are arranged side by side in the left-right direction with a gap S (see FIGS. 2 to 4 ) between them. Therefore, when viewed from the direction in which the relay 20 is housed in the case 10 (the up-down direction), each relay body of the pair of relays 20A and 20B has a rectangular shape having one side 21 facing the gap S and an opposite side 22 opposite the one side 21. The one side 21 of each of the pair of relays 20A and 20B is provided with a protrusion 23 that protrudes toward the gap S (see FIGS. 3 to 5 ). In this example, the protruding portions 23 of the pair of relays 20A and 20B are arranged so that the protruding ends face each other with a gap in the left-right direction.

[0018] Each of the pair of relays 20A, 20B has a plurality of terminals 51-54 (see FIGS. 4-6) connected to an internal circuit 60 (see FIG. 6) built into the relay body. Each of the plurality of terminals 51-54 is a metal flat (tab-shaped) terminal provided so as to protrude downward from the lower end surface of the relay body of each of the pair of relays 20A, 20B. In this example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the two terminals 51, 52 are arranged opposite each other with a gap in the left-right direction in an area closer to the one side surface 21 on which the protrusion 23 is provided than the left-right center of the relay body. In other words, the protrusion 23 is arranged near two of the plurality of terminals 51-54, the terminals 51, 52. The two terminals 53, 54 are arranged opposite each other with a gap in the front-rear direction in an area closer to the opposite side surface 22 than the left-right center of the relay body.

[0019] Terminals 51 of relays 20A and 20B function as, for example, input-side contact terminals. Specifically, bus bar 40A is connected to terminal 51 of relay 20A via connection terminal 41, and bus bar 40B is connected to terminal 51 of relay 20B via connection terminal 41. Electric wires (not shown) connected to an external power supply (not shown) are connected to bus bars 40A and 40B. On the other hand, terminals 52 of relays 20A and 20B function as, for example, output-side contact terminals. Specifically, electric wires (not shown) connected to an external load (not shown) are connected to terminals 52 of relay 20A and 20B. Each of bus bars 40A and 40B has a shape that extends generally in the front-rear direction when viewed from the top-bottom direction, although it includes a crank-shaped bent portion in part.

[0020] 6, the internal circuit 60 of each of the pair of relays 20A, 20B has a switch unit 61. The switch unit 61 has a fixed contact 62 and a movable contact 63, and is connected to the terminals 51, 52. The switch unit 61 is provided with a biasing member such as a spring (not shown), and the biasing member biases the movable contact 63 in a direction away from the fixed contact 62.

[0021] The internal circuit 60 has a coil portion 64 that is composed of a coil and an iron core (not shown) and functions as an electromagnet. The coil portion 64 is connected to terminals 53 and 54. The terminals 53 and 54 function as coil terminals. When a control current is supplied to the coil portion 64 via the terminals 53 and 54, the coil portion 64 generates a magnetic force, which attracts the movable contact 63 against the biasing force of the biasing member. As a result, when the coil portion 64 is energized, the movable contact 63 of the switch portion 61 contacts the fixed contact 62, and the switch portion 61 is in a closed state (ON). Conversely, when the coil portion 64 is not energized, the movable contact 63 of the switch portion 61 is separated from the fixed contact 62, and the switch portion 61 is in an open state (OFF).

[0022] The operation of the pair of relays 20A, 20B is controlled, for example, by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), not shown. When a control current is supplied from the ECU to the coil portion 64 of the relay 20A via the terminals 53, 54 and the switch portion 61 of the relay 20A is closed, power from an external power source is supplied to an external load via the relay 20A. When a control current is supplied to the coil portion 64 of the relay 20B via the terminals 53, 54 and the switch portion 61 of the relay 20B is closed, power from the external power source is supplied to an external load via the relay 20B.

[0023] In the electrical junction box 1 described above, each of the pair of relays 20A, 20B housed in the case 10 has a protrusion 23 that protrudes toward the gap S between the relays 20A, 20B. These protrusions 23 prevent the pair of relays 20A, 20B from being disposed excessively close to each other, and an appropriate gap S exists between the pair of relays 20A, 20B. Furthermore, the protrusions 23 are disposed near the two terminals 51, 52 of each of the pair of relays 20A, 20B. The presence of the gap S between the pair of relays 20A, 20B prevents Joule heat generated at each of the terminals 51, 52 of the relays 20A, 20B from concentrating in an excessively small area, and air flow through the gap S promotes heat dissipation. Therefore, the electrical junction box 1 has excellent heat dissipation properties from the relays 20A, 20B housed in the case 10. In addition, compared to dissipating the heat generated from each of the terminals 51 and 52 to different locations, dissipating the heat generated from each of the terminals 51 and 52 together in the gap S described above also contributes to making the electrical connection box 1 smaller.

[0024] Furthermore, the pair of relays 20A and 20B are arranged so that the protrusion 23 of the relay 20A and the protrusion 23 of the relay 20B do not come into contact with each other. This makes it possible to widen the gap between the pair of relays 20A and 20B compared to when the protrusions 23 come into contact with each other.

[0025] Furthermore, the protrusion 23 of the relay 20A does not contact the relay 20B, and the protrusion 23 of the relay 20B does not contact the relay 20A. This allows the gap S between the pair of relays 20A and 20B to be wider than when each protrusion 23 contacts the other relay 20.

[0026] Furthermore, protrusion 23 is disposed near two terminals 51 and 52 of multiple terminals 51 to 54. This allows Joule heat generated at each of two terminals 51 and 52 of relays 20A and 20B to be properly dissipated.

[0027] Furthermore, the protruding end (right end) of the protruding portion 23 of the relay 20A is closer to the relay 20B than the terminal 51 of the relay 20A, and the protruding end (left end) of the protruding portion 23 of the relay 20B is closer to the relay 20A than the terminal 51 of the relay 20B. This allows the terminal 51 of the relay 20A to be reliably disposed at a position away from the relay 20B, and the terminal 51 of the relay 20B to be reliably disposed at a position away from the relay 20A. This allows the Joule heat generated at the terminal 51 to be properly dissipated.

[0028] Furthermore, a protrusion 23 is provided on one side surface 21 of the relay body of each of relays 20A and 20B facing the gap S. This allows the shape of protrusion 23 to be simpler than when protrusion 23 protrudes from another side surface of the relay body toward the gap S. This allows the manufacturing cost of relay 20 to be reduced.

[0029] Furthermore, as indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 4, a heat transfer member 70 may be provided in the electrical junction box 1 to absorb heat emitted from at least one terminal (terminals 51 and 52 in Fig. 4) of the terminals 51 to 54 of each of the pair of relays 20A and 20B and transfer the heat in a direction away from the terminal. The heat transfer member 70 is made of, for example, a metal plate and is configured to extend from the vicinity of the terminals 51 and 52 toward the outside of the case 10. The heat transfer member 70 is also referred to as a heat-dissipating component. This can further improve the heat dissipation from the relays 20A and 20B housed in the case 10.

[0030] 4, when viewed from the direction in which relay 20 is housed in case 10 (the up-down direction), bus bar 40A connected to terminal 51 of relay 20A and bus bar 40B connected to terminal 51 of relay 20B each have a shape such that bus bars 40A, 40B are entirely located within a left-right range H1 sandwiched between a straight line L1 extending in the front-rear direction as an imaginary extension of reverse side surface 22 of relay 20A and a straight line L2 extending in the front-rear direction as an imaginary extension of reverse side surface 22 of relay 20B. In other words, bus bars 40A, 40B are arranged so as to fit within the minimum left-right width (i.e., inside range H1) required for case 10 to house a pair of relays 20A, 20B.

[0031] Then, the layout of electronic components other than relay 20 (such as fuse 30) is designed based on the layout of bus bars 40A, 40B so that they fit within range H1. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the layout of two fuses 30 is designed so that two fuses 30 are connected to bus bar 40A based on the layout of bus bar 40A connected to terminal 51 of relay 20A. As a result, it is considered that the overall size of electrical junction box 1 can be more easily reduced than when bus bars 40A, 40B are spread over the entire case 10.

[0032] Furthermore, when viewed from the housing direction (vertical direction) of the relay 20, the bus bar 40A connected to the relay 20A has a shape such that the entire bus bar 40A is located within a range H2 sandwiched between a line L1 extending in the front-rear direction as an imaginary extension of the opposite side surface 22 of the relay 20A and a line L3 extending in the front-rear direction as an imaginary extension of one side surface 21 of the relay 20B. In other words, the bus bar 40A is arranged so as to fit within a range H2 narrower than the above-mentioned range H1.

[0033] Similarly, bus bar 40B connected to relay 20B has a shape such that, when viewed from the direction (vertical direction) in which relay 20 is housed, bus bar 40B is entirely located within range H3 sandwiched between line L2 extending in the front-rear direction as an imaginary extension of reverse side surface 22 of relay 20B and line L4 extending in the front-rear direction as an imaginary extension of one side surface 21 of relay 20A. In other words, bus bar 40B is arranged so as to fit within range H3 which is narrower than range H1 described above.

[0034] In this way, it is believed that the electrical junction box 1 can be further miniaturized by further specifying the arrangement of the bus bars 40A, 40B so that they fall within the above-mentioned ranges H2 and H3.

[0035] Furthermore, bus bars 40A and 40B are connected to terminals 51 for inputting power to relays 20A and 20B, respectively. This allows the size of electrical junction box 1 to be reduced even when large, thick bus bars 40A and 40B are used to input power to relays 20A and 20B using these terminals 51.

[0036] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. are possible as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited thereto.

[0037] Here, the features of the embodiment of the electrical junction box 1 according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [6].

[0038] [1] a pair of relays (20A, 20B) arranged with a gap (S) therebetween; a case (10) that houses the pair of relays (20A, 20B); a heat transfer member (70) disposed within the case (10); An electrical connection box (1) comprising: Each of the pair of relays (20A, 20B) a plurality of terminals (51-54) connected to an internal circuit (60) of the relay; and a protrusion (23) having a shape that protrudes toward the gap (S) near at least one (51, 52) of the plurality of terminals (51-54), The heat transfer member (70) The heat absorbing unit is configured to absorb heat emitted from the at least one terminal (51, 52) and transfer the heat in a direction away from the at least one terminal (51, 52). Electrical junction box (1).

[0039] According to the electrical junction box of the above configuration [1], each of the pair of relays housed in the case has a protrusion that protrudes toward the gap between the relays. These protrusions prevent the pair of relays from being placed too close together, creating an appropriate gap between the pair of relays. Furthermore, the protrusion is located near at least one terminal of the relay. The gap between the pair of relays prevents Joule heat generated at each relay terminal from concentrating in an excessively small area, and air flow through the gap promotes heat dissipation. Furthermore, the heat transfer member that absorbs heat emitted from at least one terminal and transfers it away from that terminal further improves heat dissipation from the relay housed in the case. Therefore, the electrical junction box of this configuration has excellent heat dissipation properties from the relay housed in the case. In addition, compared to dissipating heat from each terminal to different locations, dissipating heat from each terminal collectively through the above-mentioned gap contributes to the miniaturization of the electrical junction box.

[0040] [2] In the electrical connection box (1) described in [1] above, The pair of relays (20A, 20B) The protrusion (23) of one of the relays (20A) and the protrusion (23) of the other of the relays (20B) are arranged so as not to come into contact with each other. Electrical junction box (1).

[0041] According to the electrical junction box having the configuration [2] above, the pair of relays are arranged so that the protruding portion of one relay does not come into contact with the protruding portion of the other relay, which makes it possible to widen the gap between the pair of relays compared to when the protruding portions come into contact with each other.

[0042] [3] In the electrical connection box (1) described in [1] or [2] above, The protrusion (23) of one of the relays (20A) does not come into contact with the other of the relays (20B), The protrusion (23) of the other relay (20B) does not come into contact with the one relay (20A). Electrical junction box (1).

[0043] According to the electrical junction box having the configuration [3] above, the protrusion of one relay does not contact the other relay, and the protrusion of the other relay does not contact the first relay, which makes it possible to widen the gap between the pair of relays compared to when each protrusion contacts the other relay.

[0044] [4] In the electrical connection box (1) described in any one of the above [1] to [3], The protrusion (23) is It is arranged near two of the terminals (51, 52) among the plurality of terminals (51 to 54). Electrical junction box (1).

[0045] According to the electrical junction box having the configuration [4] above, the protrusions are disposed near two of the plurality of terminals, thereby allowing the Joule heat generated at the two terminals of the relay to be properly dissipated.

[0046] [5] In the electrical connection box (1) described in any one of [1] to [4] above, a protruding end of the protruding portion (23) of one of the relays (20A) is closer to the other of the relays (20B) than the at least one terminal (51) of the one of the relays (20A); a protruding end of the protruding portion (23) of the other relay (20B) is closer to the one relay (20A) than the at least one terminal (51) of the other relay (20B); Electrical junction box (1).

[0047] According to the electrical junction box having the configuration [5] above, the protruding end of the protruding portion of one relay is closer to the other relay than at least one terminal of the other relay. The same is true for the protruding portion of the other relay. This allows the terminals of one relay to be reliably positioned away from the other relay, and the terminals of the other relay to be reliably positioned away from the one relay. This allows Joule heat generated at each terminal to be properly dissipated.

[0048] [6] In the electrical connection box (1) described in any one of [1] to [5] above, The protrusion (23) is provided on a side surface (21) of each of the pair of relays (20A, 20B) facing the gap (S) in the vicinity of the at least one terminal (51, 52); Electrical junction box (1).

[0049] According to the electrical junction box having the configuration [6] above, a protrusion is provided on the side of each relay facing the gap between the pair of relays. This allows the shape of the protrusion to be simpler than when the protrusion protrudes from another side toward the gap. This allows for a reduction in the manufacturing cost of the relays. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Electrical junction box 10 cases 20A relay 20B relay 21 One side (side) 23 Protrusion Terminals 51 to 54 60 Internal circuit 70 Heat transfer material S Gap

Claims

1. a pair of relays spaced apart from each other; a case that houses the pair of relays; a heat transfer member disposed within the case; An electrical connection box comprising: Each of the pair of relays a plurality of terminals connected to an internal circuit of the relay; and a protrusion having a shape that protrudes toward the gap in the vicinity of at least one of the plurality of terminals, The heat transfer member is configured to absorb heat emitted from the at least one terminal and transfer the heat in a direction away from the at least one terminal; Electrical junction box.

2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, The pair of relays the protrusion of one of the relays and the protrusion of the other of the relays are arranged so as not to come into contact with each other; Electrical junction box.

3. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, the protrusion of one of the relays does not contact the other of the relays, the protrusion of the other relay does not contact the one relay; Electrical junction box.

4. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, The protrusion is disposed near two of the plurality of terminals; Electrical junction box.

5. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, a protruding end of the protruding portion of one of the relays is closer to the other of the relays than the at least one terminal of the other of the relays; a protruding end of the protruding portion of the other relay is closer to one of the relays than the at least one terminal of the other relay; Electrical junction box.

6. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, The protrusion is a relay terminal provided on a side surface of each of the pair of relays facing the gap, in the vicinity of the at least one terminal; Electrical junction box.

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