Electrical junction box

Abstract

To provide an electric connection box which can prevent unintended detachment of a case cover from a case body.SOLUTION: An electric connection box 1 comprises: a case body 20 having a rotation shaft; and a case cover 10 which is detachably attached and rotatably assembled to the case body 20. The case body 20 has a locked protrusion 26. The case cover 10 has a bearing part 13 supported by the rotation shaft 23. The bearing part 13 has a locking protrusion 14 which interferes with the locked protrusion 26 if the case cover 10 is not opened at a predetermined angle or greater with respect to the case body 20 and also if the bearing part 13 is displaced in a manner being detached from the rotation shaft 23, when the case body 20 and the case cover 10 are assembled to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connection box.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an electrical connection box has been proposed that includes a case body with an open top surface and a case cover assembled to the case body so as to close the top surface opening of the case body. In one conventional electrical connection box, a bearing portion provided on the case cover is supported by a rotating shaft provided on the case body, so that the case cover is rotatably assembled to the case body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when opening the case cover of the above-described conventional electrical connection box, up to a predetermined angle (the angle refers to the opening angle of the case cover with respect to the case body), the bearing portion of the case cover is configured to be maintained in a state of being supported by the rotating shaft of the case body. However, when the angle exceeds the predetermined angle, there is a risk that the supported state will be released.

[0005] That is, in the conventional electrical connection box, for example, when performing work such as replacing electronic components housed in the case body and opening the case cover, there is a risk that the case cover will unintentionally detach from the case body due to the momentum of the rotation of the case cover. Such an unintentional detachment of the case cover from the case body made the work troublesome and was one of the causes of reducing the workability of various operations.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an electrical connection box that suppresses unintended detachment of the case cover from the case body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the electrical junction box according to the present invention is characterized by the following:

[0008] An electrical connection box comprising a case body having a pivot axis, and a case cover that is detachably and rotatably assembled to the case body, The case body has a locking projection, The aforementioned case cover is It has a bearing portion supported by the aforementioned pivot shaft, The bearing portion is The inner circumferential surface has a protruding portion that engages with the shaft portion of the pivot shaft, and the outer circumferential surface has a locking projection that protrudes along the outer circumferential surface, The aforementioned locking projection is, In the assembled state of the case body and the case cover, if the rotational force of the case cover releases the support of the pivot shaft to the bearing portion, the locking projection interferes to prevent the case cover from separating from the case body. It must be an electrical junction box. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The electrical junction box according to the present invention is described below. In this electrical junction box configuration, the case cover is rotatably mounted to the case body by supporting the bearing portion of the case cover on the pivot axis of the case body. When the case cover is assembled to the case body and the case cover is not opened beyond a predetermined angle relative to the case body, and the bearing portion is displaced in a way that causes it to detach from the pivot axis, the locking projection of the case cover interferes with the locked projection of the case body. Conversely, when the case cover is opened beyond a predetermined angle relative to the case body, the locking projection of the case cover does not interfere with the locked projection of the case body. In other words, when the case cover is not opened beyond a predetermined angle relative to the case body, detachment of the case cover from the case body is suppressed, and when the case cover is opened beyond a predetermined angle relative to the case body, the case cover can be detached from the case body (in other words, the case cover is detachably mounted to the case body). Thus, this electrical junction box configuration suppresses unintended detachment of the case cover from the case body.

[0010] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by referring to the attached drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments"). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an electrical junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the case cover in the closed position. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an electrical junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the case cover is in the first open position. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the case cover shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the case body shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of AA shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a diagram corresponding to Figure 5 of the electrical junction box shown in Figure 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 of the electrical connection box showing a mode in which the case cover is in the second open position. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the main part of the electrical connection box and corresponds to FIG. 5.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, referring to the drawings, the electrical connection box 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. The electrical connection box 1 is typically a relay box, a fuse box, etc. that is mounted on a vehicle and has an accommodation space S for accommodating electronic components (not shown) such as relays and fuses and other components (not shown).

[0013] Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up" and "down" are defined. The "front-rear direction", "left-right direction" and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. When the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on a vehicle, the "front-rear direction", "left-right direction" and "up-down direction" correspond to the front-rear direction, left-right direction and up-down direction of the vehicle, respectively. Further, the left-right direction corresponds to the "axial direction" of the present invention. Furthermore, the front-rear direction corresponds to the "projecting direction" of the present invention.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the electrical connection box 1 is composed of a case cover 10 having an opening at the upper end and a case body 20 to which the case cover 10 is assembled so as to close the upper end opening. The case cover 10 and the case body 20 constituting the electrical connection box 1 are resin molded bodies. Hereinafter, the case cover 10 and the case body 20 constituting the electrical connection box will be described in order.

[0015] First, the case cover 10 will be described. The case cover 10 is configured to be displaceable between a closed position (see FIGS. 1 and 5) that closes the upper end opening of the case body 20 and an open position (see FIGS. 2 and 6 to 8) that exposes the upper end opening. As the open position of the case cover 10, there are a first open position (see FIGS. 2 and 6) that suppresses the detachment of the case cover 10 from the case body 20 and a second open position (see FIGS. 7 to 8) where the case cover 10 is detachable from the case body 20.

[0016] A case where the opening angle of the case cover 10 with respect to the case body 20 is less than a predetermined angle is defined as the first open position, and a case where the opening angle of the case cover 10 with respect to the case body 20 is greater than or equal to the predetermined angle is defined as the second open position. Note that the predetermined angle shall be determined as appropriate.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIGS. 5 to 8, the case cover 10 integrally includes an annular side wall portion 11 that constitutes most of the appearance of the upper side surface of the electrical connection box 1, and an upper wall portion 12 that closes the annular upper end opening of the side wall portion 11 and constitutes most of the appearance of the upper surface of the electrical connection box 1. The annular lower edge portion of the side wall portion 11 has a shape corresponding to the annular upper edge portion of the side wall portion 21 of the case body 20 described later and is fitted to the annular upper edge portion of the side wall portion 21.

[0018] In a state where the case cover 10 is assembled to the case body 20 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an "assembled state"), when the case cover 10 is in the second open position, the side wall portion 11a located on the case body 20 side (front side in FIG. 3) is configured to have a smaller length in the vertical direction than the other side wall portions 11. Thereby, interference of the side wall portion 11 with the case body 20 during rotation of the case cover 10 is suppressed.

[0019] The case cover 10 is provided with a plurality (three in this example) of bearing portions 13 respectively supported by a plurality of rotation shafts 23 of the case body 20 described later on the side wall portion 11a. Taking the mode where the case cover 10 is in the second open position as an example, the bearing portion 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 7 to 8.

[0020] The bearing portion 13 has a substantially semi-cylindrical recess 15 that extends in the left-right direction, penetrates in the left-right direction, and opens downwards. A short locking projection 14 is provided on the front and upper outer circumferential surface of the recess 15. The locking projection 14 serves to prevent the case cover 10 from unintentionally detaching from the case body 20.

[0021] The front and lower inner circumferential surface of the recess 15 is provided with a short projection 16 that protrudes into the recess 15 and extends in the left-right direction. In the assembled state, the projection 16 engages with the shaft portion 25 of the pivot axis 23 of the case body 20, which will be described later. As a result, the case cover 10 is rotatably supported relative to the case body 20. The case cover 10 has now been described.

[0022] Next, the case body 20 will be described. As shown in Figures 1 to 2 and Figures 4 to 8, the case body 20 integrally comprises a roughly rectangular cylindrical side wall portion 21 extending in the vertical direction, and a bottom wall portion 22 that closes the lower end opening of the side wall portion 21 and constitutes most of the external appearance of the bottom surface of the electrical connection box 1. The side wall portion 21 constitutes most of the external appearance of the side surface of the electrical connection box 1.

[0023] The case body 20 has multiple (three in this example) pivot shafts 23 provided on the upper side of the outer circumferential surface of the rear side wall portion 21. Each pivot shaft 23 rotatably supports the corresponding bearing portion 13 of the case cover 10.

[0024] The bearing portion 13 is integrally constructed from a pair of frame portions 24 that protrude from the side wall portion 21 at a distance from each other in the left-right direction, and a shaft portion 25 positioned between the pair of frame portions 24. As a result, the shaft portion 25 is positioned at a distance from the side wall portion 21 in the front-rear direction. In the assembled state, the shaft portion 25 engages with the protruding portion 16 of the case cover 10.

[0025] The case body 20 has a locking projection 26 that protrudes a short distance to the rear from the outer circumferential surface of the rear side wall portion 21, and is located above the pivot shaft 23. The length of the locking projection 26 in the front-rear direction is shorter than the length of the frame portion 24 in the front-rear direction. In other words, when the case body 20 is viewed from above, the locking projection 26 is located within a roughly rectangular area defined by the side wall portion 21, the pair of frame portions 24, and the shaft portion 25. This suppresses the enlargement of the electrical connection box 1.

[0026] The locking projection 26, together with the locking projection 14 of the case cover 10, serves to prevent unintended detachment of the case cover 10 from the case body 20. The case body 20 has now been described.

[0027] The case cover 10 and case body 20 that constitute the electrical junction box 1 have been described above. In order to obtain the electrical junction box 1 consisting of the case cover 10 and the case body 20, it is necessary to assemble the case cover 10 onto the case body 20.

[0028] To assemble the case cover 10 to the case body 20, first position the case cover 10 and the case body 20 so that the opening of the bearing portion 13 (i.e., the recess 15) of the case cover 10 faces downwards, and the bearing portion 13 is located above the pivot axis 23 of the case body 20 (see Figure 8).

[0029] Then, by moving the case cover 10 and the case body 20 relative to each other so that the bearing portion 13 is closer to the pivot shaft 23, the shaft portion 25 of the pivot shaft 23 enters the recess 15 of the bearing portion 13. If the relative movement continues further, the shaft portion 25 will overcome the protrusion portion 16 in the recess 15, and then the shaft portion 25 will reach the bottom of the recess 15, and the protrusion portion 16 and the shaft portion 25 will engage. This completes the assembly of the case cover 10 to the case body 20 (see Figure 7).

[0030] In the assembled state of the case cover 10 and the case body 20, the case cover 10 is supported by the case body 20 so that it can rotate around the shaft portion 25 of the pivot shaft 23 as the pivot point. Here, the electrical junction box 1 is equipped with a detachment prevention mechanism to suppress unintended detachment of the case cover 10 from the case body 20. The detachment prevention mechanism of the electrical junction box 1 will be described below.

[0031] As shown in Figure 5, when the case cover 10 is in the closed position, the case cover 10 is placed over the case body 20, and furthermore, the protruding portion 16 and the shaft portion 25 are engaged, so that the detachment of the case cover 10 from the case body 20 is suppressed, similar to conventional electrical connection boxes.

[0032] However, in conventional electrical junction boxes, when the case cover is rotated, in the first open position shown in Figure 6, there was a risk that the bearing portion of the case cover would be displaced in such a way that it would detach from the pivot axis of the case body due to the momentum of the rotation (i.e., the support state of the pivot axis to the bearing portion would be released). In other words, in conventional electrical junction boxes, there was a risk that the case cover would unintentionally detach from the case body, especially when the case cover was rotated.

[0033] However, in the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment, when the case cover 10 is in the first open position (i.e., the opening angle of the case cover 10 is less than a predetermined angle), if the bearing portion 13 of the case cover 10 is displaced such that it separates from the pivot axis 23 of the case body 20 due to the momentum of rotation or the like (see arrow Y in Figure 6), the locking projection 26 of the case body 20 will interfere with the locking projection 14 of the case cover 10.

[0034] On the other hand, in the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment, when the case cover 10 is in the second open position (i.e., the opening angle of the case cover 10 is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle), the locking projection 26 is configured not to interfere with the locking projection 14 even if the bearing portion 13 is displaced in such a way that it separates from the pivot shaft 23 (see Figure 7).

[0035] In other words, by rotating the case cover 10 to the second open position, it is possible to remove (intentionally detach) the case cover from the case body 20. To put it another way, in the electrical junction box 1, the case cover 10 is assembled to the case body 20 in a way that allows it to be attached to and detached from the case body 20 and rotated.

[0036] In this way, the electrical junction box 1 is configured to suppress unintended detachment of the case cover 10 from the case body 20, while also allowing the case cover 10 to be removed from the case body 20 (intended detachment of the case cover 10 from the case body 20). The detachment suppression mechanism of the electrical junction box 1 has been explained above.

[0037] The mechanism for preventing the electrical connection box 1 from detaching consists of a locking projection 14 on the case cover 10 and a locking projection 26 on the case body 20.

[0038] <Other forms> Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc., as appropriate. In addition, 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.

[0039] Herein, the features of the embodiments of the electrical junction box according to the present invention described above are briefly listed below in [1] to [4]. [1] An electrical junction box (1) comprising a case body (20) having a pivot axis, and a case cover (10) that is detachably and rotatably assembled to the case body, The case body (20) has a locking projection (26), The case cover (10) is It has a bearing portion (13) supported by the aforementioned pivot shaft (23), The bearing portion (13) is In the assembled state of the case body (20) and the case cover (10), if the case cover (10) is not opened beyond a predetermined angle relative to the case body (20), and if the bearing portion (13) is displaced in such a way that it separates from the pivot shaft (23), the case cover (10) has a locking projection (14) that interferes with the locking projection (26). Electrical junction box (1). [2] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The locking projection (14) is It protrudes in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the aforementioned pivot shaft (23, shaft portion 25), Electrical junction box (1). [3] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] or [2] above, The aforementioned case body (20) is The case body has a pair of frame portions (24) that protrude outward from the wall portion (side wall portion 21) of the electrical connection box and support the pivot shaft (23, shaft portion 25), The locking projection (26) is, From the aforementioned wall portion (side wall portion 21), it protrudes along the direction in which the frame portion protrudes, The length of the locking projection (26) in the projection direction is shorter than the length of the frame (24) in the projection direction. Electrical junction box (1). [4] In the electrical junction box (1) described in any one of the above [1] to [3], The bearing portion (13) is It has a recess (15) provided with a protruding portion (16) that engages with the aforementioned pivot shaft (23, shaft portion 25), The locking projection (14) is Adjacent to the recess (15), and projecting in the direction of the opening of the recess (15) toward the opposite side of the opening of the recess (15), Electrical junction box (1).

[0040] In the electrical junction box 1 with the configuration described in [1] above, if the case cover 10 is not open to the case body 20 by more than a predetermined angle (i.e., less than a predetermined angle), and the bearing portion 13 is displaced in a way that causes it to detach from the pivot shaft 23, the locking projection 14 of the case cover 10 will interfere with the locked projection 26 of the case body 20. Conversely, if the case cover 10 is open to the case body 20 by more than a predetermined angle, the locking projection 14 of the case cover 10 will not interfere with the locked projection 26 of the case body 20. In other words, if the case cover 10 is not open to the case body 20 by more than a predetermined angle, the detachment of the case cover 10 from the case body 20 is suppressed, and if the case cover 10 is open to the case body 20 by more than a predetermined angle, the case cover 10 can detach from the case body 20. Thus, the electrical junction box 1 with this configuration suppresses unintended detachment of the case cover 10 from the case body 20.

[0041] In the electrical junction box 1 with the configuration described in [2] above, the locking projection 14 protrudes in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the pivot shaft 23 (i.e., the shaft portion 25). As a result, the manufacturing of the locking projection 14 is easier in the electrical junction box 1 with this configuration compared to the case where the locking projection 14 protrudes in the axial direction.

[0042] In the electrical junction box 1 with the configuration described in [3] above, the locking projection 26 protrudes from the wall portion (side wall portion 21) of the case body 20 along the direction in which the pair of frame portions 24 supporting the pivot shaft 23 (i.e., the shaft portion 25) protrude. The length of the locking projection 26 in the direction of protrusion is shorter than the length of the pair of frame portions 24 in the direction of protrusion. As a result, in the electrical junction box 1 with this configuration, the locking projection 26 does not interfere with the locking projection 14 when the case cover 10 rotates, and furthermore, the size of the electrical junction box 1 can be suppressed.

[0043] In the electrical junction box 1 with the configuration described in [4] above, the bearing portion 13 has a recess 15 provided with a projection 16 that engages with the pivot shaft 23 (i.e., the shaft portion 25). As a result, the bearing portion 13 is rotatably supported on the pivot shaft 23. Furthermore, in the electrical junction box 1 with this configuration, the locking projection 14 is adjacent to the recess 15 and protrudes along the direction of the opening of the recess 15, on the opposite side of the opening of the recess 15. As a result, for example, the case cover 10 can be easily demolded after manufacturing. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1. Electrical junction box 10 Case Covers 11 Side wall section 11a Side wall part 12 Upper wall 13 Bearing section 14 Locking projection 15 recesses 16 Projection part 20 Case body 21 Side wall section 22 Bottom wall section 23 Rotating shafts 24 Frame section 25 Shaft section 26 Locked protrusion S Containment space Y arrow

Claims

1. An electrical connection box comprising a case body having a pivot axis, and a case cover that is detachably and rotatably assembled to the case body, The case body has a locking projection, The aforementioned case cover is It has a bearing portion supported by the aforementioned pivot shaft, The bearing portion is The inner circumferential surface has a protruding portion that engages with the shaft portion of the pivot shaft, and the outer circumferential surface has a locking projection that protrudes along the outer circumferential surface, The aforementioned locking projection is, In the assembled state of the case body and the case cover, if the rotational force of the case cover releases the support of the pivot shaft to the bearing portion, the locking projection interferes to prevent the case cover from separating from the case body. Electrical junction box.

2. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The aforementioned locking projection is, It protrudes in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the aforementioned pivot axis, Electrical junction box.

3. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1 or claim 2, The aforementioned case body is It has a pair of frame portions that protrude from the wall of the case body toward the outside of the electrical connection box and support the pivot shaft, The aforementioned locking projection is, A projection extends from the wall portion along the direction in which the frame portion protrudes, The length of the locking projection in the direction of projection is shorter than the length of the frame in the direction of projection. Electrical junction box.

4. In an electrical junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The bearing portion is It has a recess with a protruding portion that engages with the aforementioned pivot shaft, The aforementioned locking projection is, Adjacent to the recess, and projecting in the direction of the opening of the recess, on the side opposite to the opening of the recess, Electrical junction box.

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