Electrical junction box

Abstract

To provide an electric connection box capable of improving an operability of an operation for housing an electric wire with a terminal into an internal part of the electric connection box.SOLUTION: An electric connection box 1 comprises: an electric wire 40 with a terminal; and a case 10 that includes a bus bar 30 in an internal part, and includes an insertion hole 16 that inserts an electric wire 41 into an external part. In the case 10, the electric wire 41 extends in a direction that is near from an inner wall surface 13a of the case 10 from a terminal metal fitting 42 conducted and connected to the bus bar 30, and is curved toward an insertion hole 16 of the case 10. The terminal metal fitting 42 includes: a contact part 45 that is conducted and connected to the bus bar 30; a fastening part 46 that is fastened to a core wire 43 of the electric wire 41, and is arranged to a position separated from the inner wall surface 13a from the contact part 45; and a connecting part 47 that connects the contact part 45 with the fastening part 46. The bus bar 30 includes a terminal part 35 that can connect an external terminal 61 at a position that is separated from the fastening part 46 in a direction separated from the inner wall surface 13a in the case 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an electrical connection box (for example, a relay box) mounted on a vehicle or the like, a terminal fitting of a wire with a terminal is fastened to a bus bar or the like held in the case of the electrical connection box with a bolt to make a conductive connection, and the wire of the wire with a terminal is drawn out of the case and connected to an external power source or the like (for example, a battery) (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, since the wire connecting the above-described bus bar or the like and the external power source or the like generally has a large-diameter core wire, it is difficult to bend it with a small radius of curvature. Therefore, for example, when the space inside the case becomes narrow due to the demand for miniaturization and low profile of the electrical connection box, in order to bend the wire so as to fit in the space (for example, so as not to interfere with the lower cover of the electrical connection box), there are cases where an operator or the like is required to exert a large external force on the wire. In other words, it may be difficult to improve the workability of the work of storing the wire of the wire with a terminal inside the electrical connection box.

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection box capable of improving the workability of the work of storing the wire of the wire with a terminal inside the electrical connection box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the electrical junction box according to the present invention has the following features:

[0007] An electrical junction box comprising: a wire with terminals; a case having a busbar inside into which the terminal fittings of the wire with terminals are electrically connected, and a through hole for inserting the wire of the wire with terminals to the outside, The wire of the aforementioned wire with terminals is Inside the case, extending from the terminal fitting electrically connected to the busbar, toward the inner wall surface of the case, and curving toward the insertion hole of the case, The terminal fittings of the aforementioned wire with terminals are It has a contact portion that is electrically connected to the busbar, a crimping portion that is crimped onto the core of the electric wire, wherein the crimping portion is positioned further away from the inner wall surface than the contact portion, and a connecting portion that connects the contact portion and the crimping portion. The aforementioned bus bar is Inside the case, at a position away from the crimping portion of the terminal fitting and in a direction away from the inner wall surface of the case, there is a terminal portion to which an external terminal can be connected. It must be an electrical junction box. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the electrical connection box of the present invention, the wire of the wire with terminals extends from the terminal fitting toward the inner wall surface of the case (for example, toward the inner wall surface of the lower cover, i.e., downward) and curves toward the insertion hole of the case. On the other hand, inside the case, there is a terminal portion that can connect to an external terminal, located away from the terminal fitting toward the inner wall surface (for example, upward). Therefore, it is difficult to place the terminal fitting at a position far enough away from the inner wall surface (for example, an upward position) without restriction. Here, the terminal fitting of the wire with terminals has a contact portion that is electrically connected to the busbar, a crimping portion that is crimped onto the core wire of the wire, and a connecting portion that connects the contact portion and the crimping portion. The crimping portion is located further away from the inner wall surface than the contact portion (for example, upward). Therefore, compared to the case in which a general terminal fitting (for example, a so-called LA terminal) is used, the crimping portion can be placed further away from the inner wall surface (for example, upward). Furthermore, as the crimping portion moves away from the inner wall surface, the distance between the crimping portion and the inner wall surface increases. Therefore, the wire extending from the crimping portion can be directed towards the insertion hole without having to bend it with an excessively small radius of curvature. Consequently, this configuration of electrical junction box improves the work efficiency of housing the wires of terminal-equipped wires inside the electrical junction box.

[0009] The busbar used in the electrical junction box with the above configuration may be a single continuous busbar, or it may be a collection of busbars that are electrically connected.

[0010] The present invention has been briefly described above. Further details of the present invention will be clarified by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the procedure for fastening and securing the contact portion of the terminal fitting on a terminal-equipped electric wire to the fastening portion of the busbar held in the block shown in Figure 1 using bolts (however, the cover that covers the rescue terminal is not shown). [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a top view of the electrical junction box shown in Figure 1 with the upper cover removed (however, the cover covering the rescue terminal is not shown). [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the main part of the AA section in Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of BB in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating the procedure for connecting a pair of clips of a booster cable to the rescue terminals on the electrical junction box shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a diagram corresponding to the AA cross-section in Figure 3, showing the state in which a pair of clips of the booster cable are connected to the rescue terminals of the electrical junction box shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] <Embodiment> The following description will explain an electrical junction box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1, with reference to the drawings. The electrical junction box 1 is typically mounted in a vehicle and used as a branch box for power distribution. The electrical junction box 1 transmits power supplied from a battery (not shown) to a plurality of relays, fuses, etc., installed inside the electrical junction box 1, and also performs the function of distributing it to a plurality of external electronic devices (not shown). The electrical junction box 1 can be applied to vehicles that have an electric motor as a drive source, such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, and in which the drive power supply is mounted in a space other than the space under the hood (for example, the space under the rear seats).

[0013] Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, "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. Note that these directions are merely defined for the convenience of explanation and do not necessarily correspond to the front-rear direction, left-right direction and up-down direction of the vehicle when the electrical connection box 1 is mounted on the vehicle.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical connection box 1 includes a housing 10 having a plurality of electronic component accommodating portions 14 and 21 inside for accommodating electronic components such as relays. The housing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. In this example, it is composed of a substantially rectangular frame-shaped frame 11, an upper cover 12 assembled above the frame 11 so as to close the upper opening of the frame 11, and a lower cover 13 assembled below the frame 11 so as to close the lower opening of the frame 11. All of the three components constituting the electrical connection box 1 are resin molded bodies.

[0015] In the right region of the internal space of the frame 11, a plurality of types of electronic component accommodating portions 14 for accommodating electronic components such as relays are integrally provided (see FIG. 1 and the like). The left region of the internal space of the frame 11 functions as a block accommodating portion 15 (see FIG. 1). A resin block 20 separate from the frame 11 is accommodated in the block accommodating portion 15 from below.

[0016] In the block 20, a plurality of types of electronic component accommodating portions 21 for accommodating electronic components such as relays are integrally provided (see FIG. 2 etc.). In the block 20, a thin plate-shaped rescue terminal 35 (see FIG. 2 etc.), which is a part of the bus bar 30 to be described later, is provided so as to protrude upward from a part of the upper surface of the block 20. As shown in FIG. 6, in the electrical connection box 1 in a state where the block 20 is accommodated in the block accommodating portion 15 and the upper cover 12 is removed, by removing or rotationally moving in a hinge shape the cover 53 (see FIG. 1) of the rescue terminal 35, the rescue terminal 35 will be exposed to the outside. The rescue terminal 35 is, in this example, electrically connected to the electric wire 41 of the wired electric wire 40 (see FIG. 2) extending from the inside of the housing 10 to the outside through the wire insertion hole 16 provided in a part of the right side wall of the housing 10 (see FIGS. 1, 4, 6, and 7 etc.).

[0017] The electric wire 41 of the wired electric wire 40 is connected to a vehicle battery (not shown). Therefore, for example, by connecting the clip 61 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) of the booster cable 60 connected to another external power source (not shown) to the rescue terminal 35 provided in the electrical connection box 1, it is possible to supply power from the other external power source to the vehicle battery.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the wired electric wire 40 is composed of an electric wire 41 and a terminal fitting 42 connected to the terminal of the electric wire 41. The electric wire 41 is composed of a metal core wire 43 and a resin insulating coating 44 covering the outer periphery of the core wire 43 (see FIG. 4). At the terminal of the electric wire 41, the insulating coating 44 is removed and the core wire 43 is exposed.

[0019] The terminal fitting 42 is formed by pressing and bending a single metal plate. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal fitting 42 has an overall L-shape when viewed from the front-to-back direction, and is composed of a flat contact portion 45 extending in the left-to-right and front-to-back directions, a flat crimping portion 46 extending in the up-to-down and front-to-back directions, and a connecting portion 47 that connects the contact portion 45 and the crimping portion 46. The connecting portion 47 has an L-shape when viewed from the front-to-back direction, extending downward from the crimping portion 46 and bending to the left. Therefore, the crimping portion 46 is located above the contact portion 45. The contact portion 45 is the part that is fastened and fixed to the fastening portion 31, which is part of the busbar 30 described later (see Figure 4, etc.). For this reason, a bolt insertion hole 48 is formed in the contact portion 45 for inserting a bolt 51 (see Figures 2 and 4, etc.) (see Figure 2). A crimping mechanism 49 is integrally provided on the right side of the crimping portion 46 (the side opposite to the contact portion 45) (see Figure 2). The exposed core wire 43 of the electric wire 41 is crimped and fixed to the crimping portion 46 using the crimping mechanism 49, so that the electric wire 41 extends downward from its right side (the side opposite to the contact portion 45).

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, block 20 is a resin molded body having a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a metal plate-shaped busbar 30 is integrated into block 20 by insert molding or press-fitting. The busbar 30 may be a single continuous busbar, or it may be an assembly of multiple busbars electrically connected. While most of the busbar 30 is embedded within block 20, at least a portion thereof, consisting of a fastening portion 31, an upright portion 33, and a terminal portion 35 (i.e., the portion that functions as a rescue terminal 35; see Figure 2, etc.), is exposed to the outside. The fastening portion 31, the upright portion 33, and the terminal portion (rescue terminal) 35 are electrically connected to the rest of the busbar 30.

[0021] Block 20 has a recessed portion 22 on a part of its upper surface that is recessed downwards (see Figure 2). At the bottom of the recessed portion 22, as shown in Figure 4, a resin nut block 24 is arranged to accommodate a metal nut 23 in a non-rotatable manner. Furthermore, a fastening portion 31, which is part of the busbar 30, is positioned at the bottom of the recessed portion 22 so as to cover the upper surface of the nut 23, forming the bottom surface of the recessed portion 22 that is exposed to the outside. The fastening portion 31 has a flat plate shape that extends in the front-rear and left-right directions. The fastening portion 31 has a bolt insertion hole 32 for inserting a bolt 51 (Figures 2 and 4, etc.) formed coaxially with the bolt hole of the nut 23 and aligned above the bolt hole (see Figure 4).

[0022] On the right side of the concave portion 22, an upright portion 33, which is part of the busbar 30, is positioned to form the right side of the concave portion 22 that is exposed to the outside (see Figure 2, etc.). The upright portion 33 has a flat plate shape that extends in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. A through hole 34 is formed in the upright portion 33 at a position in the upright portion 33 corresponding to the bottom of the concave portion 22, penetrating through the plate thickness direction (left-right direction) of the upright portion 33 (see Figures 2 and 4, etc.). The contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 will be inserted into the through hole 34. At the upper end of the upright portion 33, a pair of front and rear cut-up pieces 36 (see Figure 5) are provided, facing each other with a gap between them in the front-rear direction and protruding to the right from the upright portion 33 (see also Figures 4 and 7). The distance between the pair of front and rear cut-up pieces 36 in the front-rear direction is slightly greater than the width (length in the front-rear direction) of the crimping portion 46 of the terminal fitting 42. The upper end of the crimping portion 46 of the terminal fitting 42 will be inserted between the pair of front and rear cut-up pieces 36.

[0023] On the upper surface of block 20, a pair of front and rear columnar sections 25 are integrally provided at front and rear positions that sandwich the upright section 33 in the front-rear direction when viewed from above, with the columns facing each other in the front-rear direction. The upper ends of the pair of front and rear columnar sections 25 are integrally connected by a substantially rectangular flat plate section 26 that extends in the front-rear and up-down directions. A terminal section 35, which is part of the busbar 30, is positioned on the plate section 26 so as to be supported on the left surface (plane) 26a (see Figure 4) of the plate section 26. The terminal section 35 has a thin, flat shape that extends in the front-rear and up-down directions. The terminal section 35 is located above the upright section 33 (the pair of front and rear cut-out pieces 36). The terminal section 35 functions as a rescue terminal 35 to which the clip 61 of the booster cable 60 (see Figures 6 and 7) can be connected. A projection 27 that protrudes to the right and extends in the front-rear direction is provided on the upper edge of the right surface of the plate section 26. The projection 27 serves to restrict the upward movement of the clip 61 of the booster cable 60 connected to the rescue terminal 35. If necessary, a resin cover 53 (see Figure 1) may be provided to cover the rescue terminal 35 and the plate-shaped portion 26 together.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 of the wire 40 with a terminal is fastened and fixed to the fastening portion 31 of the busbar 30 using a bolt 51 with a washer 52. In order to fasten and fix the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 to the fastening portion 31 of the busbar 30, first, the terminal fitting 42 connected to the end of the wire 41 is mounted on the block 20 from the right side such that the contact portion 45 is inserted into the through hole 34 of the busbar 30 and the upper end of the crimping portion 46 is inserted between the front and rear cut-up pieces 36. At this time, the front and rear cut-up pieces 36 serve to position the terminal fitting 42 in the front-rear direction and to guide the insertion of the contact portion 45 into the through hole 34. When the terminal fitting 42 is mounted on the block 20, the bolt insertion hole 48 of the contact portion 45 is positioned coaxially with the bolt insertion hole 32 of the fastening portion 31 of the busbar 30, and is aligned above the bolt insertion hole 32 (see Figure 4). Next, the bolt 51 with washer 52 is inserted from above through the bolt insertion hole 48 and the bolt insertion hole 32 in that order, and screwed into the bolt hole of the nut 23 with a predetermined torque. As a result, the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 is fastened and fixed to the fastening portion 31 of the busbar 30, and the terminal fitting 42 and the busbar 30 are electrically connected.

[0025] Here, the connecting portion 47 of the terminal fitting 42 has an L-shape that extends downward from the crimping portion 46 (towards the bottom inner surface 13a of the lower cover 13) and bends to the left (away from the electric wire 41) (see Figure 4). As a result, when fastening the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 to the fastening portion 31 of the busbar 30 using a bolt 51, the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 is away from the electric wire 41, making the bolting work easier. In addition, the contact point between the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 and the fastening portion 31 of the busbar 30 is located in the recessed portion 22 of the block 20. Therefore, it is possible to prevent accidental contact of surrounding materials or the hands of workers with the contact portion 45 while it is energized.

[0026] When the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 is fastened and fixed to the fastening portion 31 of the busbar 30, and the block 20 is housed in the block housing portion 15 of the frame 11, as shown in Figure 4, the electric wire 41 extends downward (towards the bottom inner surface 13a of the lower cover 13) from the right side of the crimping portion 46 of the terminal fitting 42 (opposite to the contact portion 45), and curves to the right toward the electric wire insertion hole 16 of the housing 10. Here, in the terminal fitting 42, the crimping portion 46 is located above the contact portion 45 (away from the bottom inner surface 13a) (see Figure 4). Therefore, compared to when a general terminal fitting (for example, a so-called LA terminal) is used, the vertical distance between the crimping portion 46 and the bottom inner surface 13a is larger because the crimping portion 46 can be positioned higher (away from the bottom inner surface 13a). Therefore, the electric wire 41 extending from the crimping portion 46 can be directed towards the electric wire insertion hole 16 without bending it with an excessively small radius of curvature, or without the electric wire 41 coming into contact with the bottom inner surface 13a, or even if the electric wire 41 comes into contact with the bottom inner surface 13a, without the electric wire 41 being pressed against the bottom inner surface 13a with excessive force.

[0027] When using the rescue terminal 35, with the upper cover 12 of the electrical connection box 1 removed and the rescue terminal 35 exposed to the outside, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, one of the pair of clips 61 of the booster cable 60 connected to another external power source is made to contact the rescue terminal 35, and the other clip 61 is made to contact the right side of the plate-shaped portion 26 of the block 20, so that the rescue terminal 35 and the plate-shaped portion 26 are clamped together by the pair of clips 61. As a result, one of the clips 61 (left side) is electrically connected to the rescue terminal 35, and current flows in the order of clip 61, rescue terminal 35, busbar 30, terminal fitting 42, and electric wire 41, allowing power to be supplied to the vehicle's battery from another external power source (for example, charging). At this time, the projection 27 on the plate-shaped portion 26 of the block 20 engages with the clip 61 on the other side (right side), restricting the clip 61 from moving upward (away from the bottom inner surface 13a). Therefore, the movement of the clip 61 can be restricted without providing any projections or irregularities on the rescue terminal 35 of the busbar 30.

[0028] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the electrical connection box 1 of this embodiment, the wire 41 of the terminal-equipped wire 40 extends downward from the terminal fitting 42 toward the bottom inner surface 13a of the lower cover 13 of the housing 10 and curves toward the wire insertion hole 16 of the housing 10. On the other hand, inside the housing 10, there is a terminal portion (rescue terminal) 35 to which the clip 61 of the booster cable 60 can be connected, located away from the bottom inner surface 13a of the lower cover 13 (upwards) and away from the crimping portion 46 of the terminal fitting 42. Therefore, it is difficult to place the terminal fitting 42 in a position away from the bottom inner surface 13a (upwards) without restriction. Here, the terminal fitting 42 of the terminal-equipped wire 40 has a contact portion 45 that is electrically connected to the busbar 30, a crimping portion 46 that is crimped onto the core wire 43 of the wire 41, and a connecting portion 47 that connects the contact portion 45 and the crimping portion 46. The crimping portion 46 is positioned further away from the bottom inner surface 13a (above) than the contact portion 45. Therefore, compared to the case where a general terminal fitting (for example, a so-called LA terminal) is used, the crimping portion 46 can be positioned further away from the bottom inner surface 13a (above). As a result, the vertical distance between the crimping portion 46 and the bottom inner surface 13a increases by the amount that the crimping portion 46 is further away from the bottom inner surface 13a. Therefore, the electric wire 41 extending from the crimping portion 46 can be directed towards the electric wire insertion hole 16 without having to bend it with an excessively small radius of curvature. Accordingly, in the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment, the workability of the work of housing the electric wire 41 of the terminal-equipped electric wire 40 inside the electrical junction box 1 can be improved.

[0029] Furthermore, the connecting portion 47 of the terminal fitting 42 has an L-shaped form that extends downward from the crimping portion 46 toward the bottom inner surface 13a and bends toward the left toward away from the electric wire 41. As a result, when fastening the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 to the busbar 30 using a bolt 51, the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 is separated from the electric wire 41, making the bolt tightening work easier. Therefore, the workability of connecting the terminal fitting 42 and the busbar 30 can be improved.

[0030] Furthermore, the block 20 that holds the busbar 30 has a recessed portion 22 that is recessed toward the contact point between the contact portion 45 of the terminal fitting 42 and the busbar 30. As a result, the contact point is positioned within the recessed portion 22, which prevents accidental contact of surrounding materials or the hands of workers with the contact portion 45 while it is energized.

[0031] Furthermore, the terminal portion 35 of the busbar 30 is a rescue terminal 35 to which the clip 61 of the booster cable 60 can be connected. Therefore, by connecting the clip 61 of the booster cable 60, which is connected to another external power source, to the rescue terminal 35, current flows in the order of clip 61, rescue terminal 35, busbar 30, terminal fitting 42, and wire 41, and power can be supplied to the vehicle's battery (for example, for charging).

[0032] Furthermore, the projection 27 on the plate-shaped portion 26 of the block 20 engages with the clip 61 of the booster cable 60, restricting the clip 61 from moving away from the bottom inner surface 13a (upward). Therefore, the movement of the clip 61 can be restricted without providing projections or irregularities on the terminal portion (rescue terminal) 35 of the busbar 30. This improves the design flexibility of the shape of the terminal portion 35 of the busbar 30.

[0033] Furthermore, the terminal portion (rescue terminal) 35 of the busbar 30 has a thin plate shape, and the block 20 has a plate-like portion 26 on one side (left side) 26a that supports the terminal portion 35 and a projection 27 on the other side (right side). This allows, for example, even if the strength of the terminal portion 35 itself is low because it is a thin plate, the plate-like portion 26 of the block 20 supports the terminal portion 35, allowing the clip 61 of the booster cable 60 to be connected to (i.e., clamped) the terminal portion 35. Moreover, by providing the projection 27 on the plate-like portion 26, the block 20 can be simplified compared to the case where separate projections are provided on other parts.

[0034] <Other forms> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0035] Here, the features of the embodiments of the electrical junction box 1 according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [6].

[0036] [1] An electrical junction box (1) comprises a wire with terminals (40), a case (10) having a busbar (30) inside which the terminal fitting (42) of the wire with terminals (40) is electrically connected, and a through hole (16) for inserting the wire (41) of the wire with terminals (40) to the outside, The wire (41) of the wire (40) with terminals is Inside the case (10), the terminal fitting (42) electrically connected to the busbar (30) extends toward the inner wall surface (13a) of the case (10) and curves toward the insertion hole (16) of the case (10), The terminal fitting (42) of the aforementioned wire with terminal (40) is The device has a contact portion (45) that is electrically connected to the busbar (30), a crimping portion (46) that is crimped onto the core wire (43) of the electric wire (41), the crimping portion (46) being positioned further away from the inner wall surface (13a) than the contact portion (45), and a connecting portion (47) that connects the contact portion (45) and the crimping portion (46). The aforementioned bus bar (30) is Inside the case (10), there is a terminal portion (35) on which an external terminal (61) can be connected, located away from the crimping portion (46) of the terminal fitting (42) in a direction away from the inner wall surface (13a) of the case (10), Electrical junction box (1).

[0037] In the electrical junction box with the configuration described in [1] above, the wire of the terminal-equipped wire extends from the terminal fitting toward the inner wall surface of the case (for example, toward the inner wall surface of the lower cover, i.e., downward) and curves toward the insertion hole of the case. On the other hand, inside the case, there is a terminal section to which an external terminal can be connected, located away from the terminal fitting toward the inner wall surface (for example, upward). Therefore, it is difficult to place the terminal fitting at a position far enough away from the inner wall surface (for example, an upward position) without restriction. Here, the terminal fitting of the terminal-equipped wire has a contact portion that is electrically connected to the busbar, a crimping portion that is crimped onto the core wire of the wire, and a connecting portion that connects the contact portion and the crimping portion. The crimping portion is located further away from the inner wall surface than the contact portion (for example, upward). Therefore, compared to the case in which a general terminal fitting (for example, a so-called LA terminal) is used, the crimping portion can be placed further away from the inner wall surface (for example, upward). Furthermore, as the crimping portion moves away from the inner wall surface, the distance between the crimping portion and the inner wall surface increases. Therefore, the wire extending from the crimping portion can be directed towards the insertion hole without having to bend it with an excessively small radius of curvature. Consequently, this configuration of electrical junction box improves the work efficiency of housing the wires of terminal-equipped wires inside the electrical junction box.

[0038] The busbar used in the electrical junction box with the above configuration may be a single continuous busbar, or it may be a collection of busbars that are electrically connected.

[0039] [2] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The connecting portion (47) of the terminal fitting (42) is The crimping portion (46) extends toward the inner wall surface (13a) and has an L-shaped form that bends toward away from the electric wire (41), Electrical junction box (1).

[0040] In the electrical junction box with the configuration described in [2] above, the connecting portion of the terminal fitting has an L-shape that extends from the crimping portion toward the inner wall surface and bends toward away from the electric wire. As a result, for example, when fastening the contact portion of the terminal fitting to the busbar using bolts, the bolting work becomes easier because the contact portion of the terminal fitting is away from the electric wire. Therefore, the workability of connecting the terminal fitting and the busbar can be improved.

[0041] [3] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [2] above, The aforementioned case (10) is, The case (10) has a housing (20) inside which it holds the busbar (30). The housing (20) is The terminal fitting (42) has a recessed portion (22) that is recessed toward the contact point between the contact portion (45) and the busbar (30), Electrical junction box (1).

[0042] In the electrical junction box configuration described in [3] above, the housing that holds the busbar (for example, by press-fitting or insert molding) has a recessed portion that is recessed toward the contact point between the terminal fitting and the busbar. As a result, the contact point is positioned within the recessed portion, which helps to prevent accidental contact of surrounding materials or the hands of workers with the energized contact point.

[0043] [4] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The terminal portion (35) of the busbar (30) is The aforementioned external terminal is a rescue terminal (35) to which a booster clip (61) can be connected. Electrical junction box (1).

[0044] According to the electrical junction box configuration described in [4] above, the busbar terminal is a rescue terminal to which a booster clip can be connected. When a wire with a terminal is connected to a battery, etc., a booster clip connected to another external power source is connected to the rescue terminal, and current flows in the order of booster clip, rescue terminal, busbar, terminal fitting, and wire, supplying power to the battery, etc. (for example, charging).

[0045] [5] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [4] above, The aforementioned case (10) is, The case (10) has a housing (20) inside which it holds the busbar (30). The housing (20) is The booster clip (61) has a projection (27) into which it can engage, and the projection (27) restricts the booster clip (61) from moving away from the inner wall surface (13a). Electrical junction box (1).

[0046] According to the electrical junction box configuration described in [5] above, the protrusions on the housing engage with the booster clips, preventing them from moving away from the inner wall surface. Therefore, the movement of the booster clips can be restricted without providing protrusions or indentations on the busbar terminals (i.e., the rescue terminals). This improves the design flexibility of the shape of the busbar terminals.

[0047] [6] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [5] above, The terminal portion (35) has a thin plate shape, The housing (20) has a plate-like portion (26) having a support surface for supporting the terminal portion (35) on one side surface (26a) and a projection (27) on the other side surface. Electrical junction box (1).

[0048] According to the electrical junction box configuration described in [6] above, the busbar terminal (i.e., rescue terminal) has a thin plate shape, and the housing has a plate-like portion on one side having a support surface for supporting the terminal and the aforementioned projection on the other side. This allows, for example, even if the terminal itself has low strength due to its thin plate shape, the booster clip can be connected to (i.e., clamped) the terminal by supporting it with the plate-like portion of the housing. Furthermore, by providing the aforementioned projection on the plate-like portion, the housing can be simplified compared to the case where separate projections are provided on other parts. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1. Electrical junction box 10 enclosures (cases) 13a Bottom inner surface (inner wall surface) 16. Wire insertion hole (insertion hole) 20 blocks (housing) 22 Concave part 26 Plate-shaped part 26a Left side (side) 27 Protrusion 30 Busba 35 Terminal section, relief terminal 40 wires with terminals 41 Electric wire 42 Terminal fittings 43 core wires 45 Contact point 46 Fastening part 47 Connecting part 61 Clips (Booster Clips)

Claims

1. An electrical junction box comprising: a wire with terminals; a case having a busbar inside into which the terminal fittings of the wire with terminals are electrically connected, and a through hole for inserting the wire of the wire with terminals to the outside, The wire of the aforementioned wire with terminals is Inside the case, extending from the terminal fitting electrically connected to the busbar, toward the inner wall surface of the case, and curving toward the insertion hole of the case, The terminal fittings of the aforementioned wire with terminals are It has a contact portion that is electrically connected to the busbar, a crimping portion that is crimped onto the core of the electric wire, wherein the crimping portion is positioned further away from the inner wall surface than the contact portion, and a connecting portion that connects the contact portion and the crimping portion. The aforementioned bus bar is Inside the case, at a position away from the crimping portion of the terminal fitting and in a direction away from the inner wall surface of the case, there is a terminal portion to which an external terminal can be connected. Electrical junction box.

2. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The connecting portion of the terminal fitting is It has an L-shaped form that extends from the crimping portion toward the inner wall surface and bends toward away from the electric wire. Electrical junction box.

3. In the electrical junction box according to claim 2, The aforementioned case is, The case has a housing inside which it holds the busbar, The aforementioned housing is The terminal fitting has a recessed portion that is recessed toward the contact point between the contact portion and the busbar, Electrical junction box.

4. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The terminal portion of the busbar is This is a rescue terminal to which a booster clip can be connected as an external terminal. Electrical junction box.

5. In the electrical junction box according to claim 4, The aforementioned case is, The case has a housing inside which it holds the busbar, The aforementioned housing is The booster clip has a projection that can engage with the booster clip and restricts the booster clip from moving away from the inner wall surface. Electrical junction box.

6. In the electrical junction box according to claim 5, The terminal portion has a thin plate shape, The housing has a plate-like portion having a support surface on one side for supporting the terminal portion and a projection on the other side. Electrical junction box.

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