Electrical junction box

Abstract

To provide an electrical connection box in which an electric wire with a terminal to be electrically connected to a bus bar can be easily accommodated in the internal space of a housing.SOLUTION: An electrical connection box 1 comprises a housing 10 having a cavity 16 in which electronic components are stored, a bus bar 20 provided in the housing 10, and an electric wire 30 with a terminal electrically connected to the bus bar 20. The bus bar 20 has a shape in which a contact portion 22 that extends from the inside of the housing 10 to the outside, is disposed within the cavity 16, and is to be connected to the electronic components and a flat plate portion 21 arranged inside the housing 10 and extends in a direction intersecting the direction in which the contact portion 22 extends are connected. The electric wire 30 has a terminal 40 that is electrically connected to the plate surface of the plate portion 21 of the bus bar 20, and an electric wire 50 that is connected to the terminal 40 and extends toward the outside of the housing 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connection box including a housing in which electronic components are to be stored, a bus bar held in the housing, and a wire with a terminal electrically connected to the bus bar.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an electrical connection box (for example, a relay box) mounted on a vehicle, a bus bar made of a metal plate is built into a housing, and a wire with a terminal connected to an external power source is conductively connected to the bus bar, so that power is supplied to electronic components stored in the housing via the bus bar. An electrical connection box configured as such is known (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] In the type of electrical junction box described above, the terminals of the wires connected to the external power supply and the busbars are generally connected electrically by fastening them together with bolts and nuts (hereinafter referred to as "bolting"). Due to the bolting process, the connection point between the terminals and the busbars is usually positioned to be exposed on the outside of the housing. The wires connected to the terminals then pass through the internal space of the housing (for example, the space between the frame housing the electronic components and the lower cover) and are pulled out to the outside through an opening in the housing. Depending on the positional relationship between the connection point between the terminals and the busbars and the opening in the housing, the wires may be significantly bent between the connection point and the opening. In particular, when the wire diameter is large, such as with so-called thick electric wires, or when the internal space is narrow due to the miniaturization or thinning of the housing, it is not easy to bend the wire to fit into the internal space, and the wire may come into contact with the inner wall of the housing (for example, the inner bottom surface of the lower cover), making it difficult to fit the wire into the internal space of the housing (for example, it may become difficult to assemble the frame and the lower cover).

[0005] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box that can easily house terminal-equipped wires connected electrically to a busbar within the internal space of the housing. [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 housing having a cavity in which electronic components will be housed, a busbar held in the housing, and a terminal wire electrically connected to the busbar, The aforementioned bus bar is The housing has a shape in which a contact portion extending from the inside of the housing toward the cavity and connected to the electronic component and a flat plate-like portion positioned inside the housing and extending in a direction intersecting the direction in which the contact portion extends are connected, The aforementioned wire with terminals is The busbar comprises a terminal electrically connected to the plate surface of the plate-shaped portion, and an electric wire connected to the terminal and extending toward the outside of the housing. It must be an electrical junction box. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the electrical junction box of the present invention, the flat plate-shaped portion of the busbar is placed inside the housing, and the terminals of the wire with terminals are electrically connected to the plate surface of this flat portion inside the housing. Therefore, compared to conventional electrical junction boxes where the connection point between the two is exposed outside the housing, it is not necessary to pull the wire from the exposed connection point into the internal space of the housing, thus reducing the degree of bending of the wire within the internal space of the housing. Thus, even when the wire diameter is large, such as with so-called thick wires, or when the internal space is narrow due to miniaturization or thinning of the housing, the wire can be easily housed inside the housing. Consequently, with this configuration, it is possible to easily house the wire with terminals that is electrically connected to the busbar inside the internal space of the housing.

[0009] Furthermore, another benefit is that, with the above configuration, the connection point between the terminal-equipped wire and the busbar does not need to be exposed outside the housing. Therefore, the space that would have been used for that connection point can be used to house electronic components. Thus, the number of electronic components that can be housed can be increased without increasing the size of the electrical junction box. In other words, the storage space for electronic components can be expanded without compromising the original function of the electrical junction box.

[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 a perspective view showing the upper cover of an electrical junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention in a separated state. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main components housed in the frame shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a bottom view showing the electrical junction box shown in Figure 1 with the lower cover removed. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating how the terminals of a wire with terminals are connected to the busbar mounted on the block shown in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, an electrical junction box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. The electrical junction box 1 is typically a relay box mounted on a vehicle and housing electronic components such as relays. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the electrical junction box 1 comprises a housing 10 having a cavity 16 (see Figures 1 and 2) in which electronic components will be stored, a busbar 20 held in the housing 10, and a wire 30 with terminals electrically connected to the busbar 20.

[0013] For the sake of clarity, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" are defined as shown in Figures 1 to 4. The "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other. When the electrical junction box 1 is mounted in a vehicle, the "up-down direction" corresponds to the vehicle's up-down direction. The components constituting the electrical junction box 1 will be described in order below.

[0014] First, let's describe the housing 10. As shown in Figure 1, the housing 10 consists of a roughly rectangular cylindrical frame 11 extending vertically, an upper cover 12 assembled to the top of the frame 11 so as to cover the upper end opening of the frame 11, and a lower cover 13 assembled to the bottom of the frame 11 so as to cover the lower end opening of the frame 11. All three of the above components that make up the housing 10 are made of molded resin. When the lower cover 13 is assembled to the frame 11, an opening 14 (see Figure 1) is defined at the front right corner of the annular joint between the two. The wire 50 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 is pulled out from the inside to the outside of the housing 10 through the opening 14 (see Figure 1).

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, a plurality of blocks 15 are assembled in the frame 11 so as to fill the hollow portion of the frame 11. Each block 15 is a resin molded body and has a block-like shape that extends vertically and has a predetermined shape when viewed from above. Each block 15 is provided with a plurality of cavities 16 in which multiple types of electronic components (not shown), such as relays, are housed.

[0016] The following discussion focuses on block 15A (see Figures 1 and 2), which is one of the multiple blocks 15. As shown in Figure 2, block 15A has a shape that is elongated in the front-to-back direction when viewed from the top-to-bottom direction. Block 15A is assembled to the frame 11 from below so as to extend in the front-to-back direction at a position to the right of the center in the left-to-right direction within the hollow portion of the frame 11. Multiple cavities 16 are provided in block 15A in two locations (two rows) on the left and right sides, arranged in the front-to-back direction. The area (plane) on the lower surface of block 15A that extends in the front-to-back direction, where the multiple cavities 16 arranged in two rows on the left and right sides in the front-to-back direction are located, functions as a busbar mounting surface 17 (see Figures 3 and 4) to which the plate-shaped portion 21 (see Figure 2, etc.) of the busbar 20, described later, is attached. Multiple protrusions 18 that project downward are provided at multiple locations (two locations in this example) in the front-to-back direction on the busbar mounting surface 17.

[0017] Next, the bus bar 20 will be described. The bus bar 20 is formed by performing pressing and bending operations on a single metal plate. As shown in FIG. 2, the bus bar 20 integrally includes a flat plate-shaped portion 21 whose thickness direction coincides with the vertical direction and extends in the front-rear direction, and a pair of flat plate-shaped contact portions 22 that protrude upward from both left and right edges of the plate-shaped portion 21, whose thickness direction coincides with the left-right direction, and extend in the front-rear direction. The plate-shaped portion 21 has a shape corresponding to the bus bar mounting surface 17 of the housing 10 (block 15A).

[0018] At the protruding end portions (upper end portions) of each contact portion 22, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of tab-shaped terminals, tuning fork terminals, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "contact terminals 23") that protrude upward are provided so as to be arranged in the front-rear direction. As a result, a plurality of contact terminals 23 arranged in two left and right rows in the front-rear direction are disposed on the bus bar 20 corresponding to the plurality of cavities 16 arranged in two left and right rows in the front-rear direction of the block 15A. Through holes 24 penetrating in the thickness direction (vertical direction) are provided at a plurality of locations (in this example, two locations) in the front-rear direction of the plate-shaped portion 21 corresponding to the protrusions 18 of the housing 10 (block 15A) (see FIG. 4). In the manufacturing process of the bus bar 20, the through holes 24 are used as positioning holes for the bus bar 20 when performing the above pressing and bending operations.

[0019] The bus bar 20 is mounted on the block 15A in a state before being assembled to the frame 11, as shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, the bus bar 20 is mounted on the block 15A from below such that a plurality of contact terminals 23 are respectively inserted into the plurality of cavities 16, a plurality of protrusions 18 are respectively inserted into the plurality of through holes 24, and the plate-shaped portion 21 is in surface contact with the bus bar mounting surface 17 (see also FIGS. 3 and 4). In the state where the bus bar 20 is completely mounted on the block 15A, as shown in FIG. 4, the protrusions 18 passing through the through holes 24 provided in the plate-shaped portion 21 protrude downward from the lower surface of the plate-shaped portion 21. Each contact terminal 23 of the bus bar 20 is disposed in the corresponding cavity 16 and is connected to an electronic component stored in the cavity 16.

[0020] Next, the wire 30 with a terminal will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the wire 30 with a terminal is composed of a terminal 40 and a wire 50 whose terminal portion is connected to the terminal 40. The terminal 40 is formed by performing pressing, bending, and other processes on a single metal plate. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the terminal 40 is a so-called LA terminal that integrally has a terminal contact portion 41 having a through hole 43, and a caulking portion 42 that is located on the front side of the terminal contact portion 41 and caulks the terminal portion of the wire 50. The terminal contact portion 41 has a flat plate shape in which the plate thickness direction coincides with the vertical direction, and a through hole 43 is formed in the central portion thereof. The wire 50 is composed of a conductor and a resin coating that covers the outer periphery of the conductor. At the terminal portion of the wire 50, the coating is removed and the conductor is exposed. The exposed conductor and the terminal portion of the coating at the terminal portion of the wire 50 are caulked and fixed to the caulking portion 42 of the terminal 40.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal 40 of the wire 30 with a terminal is connected to a bus bar 20 mounted on the block 15A. Specifically, the terminal contact portion 41 of the terminal 40 is placed and conductively connected so that one selected from a plurality of protrusions 18 that have passed through the through hole 24 of the plate-like portion 21 of the bus bar 20 is inserted into the through hole 43 from below onto the lower surface (flat surface) of the plate-like portion 21 of the bus bar 20 (see also FIG. 3). As the protrusion 18 inserted into the through hole 43, it is preferable that the protrusion 18 having the smallest degree of curvature of the portion (the portion located in the internal space of the housing 10) from the terminal 40 to the opening 14 of the wire 50 (see FIG. 1) is selected. In the state where the through hole 43 of the terminal 40 is inserted into the protrusion 18 in this way, the terminal 40 is conductively connected to the bus bar 20, which facilitates the alignment of the terminal 40 with the bus bar 20.

[0022] The electrical connection of the terminal contact portion 41 (terminal 40) to the plate-shaped portion 21 of the busbar 20 is specifically performed by metallurgical joining (e.g., thermocompression bonding, pressure welding, fusion welding, and brazing) or chemical joining (e.g., bonding with a conductive adhesive). This eliminates the need for space to place bolts, nuts, etc., compared to bolting the terminal 40 and the busbar 20 together. However, if space for bolts, nuts, etc. can be easily secured, the electrical connection may be performed by mechanical joining such as bolt joining.

[0023] As described above, block 15A, with the busbar 20 to which the terminals 40 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 are connected, is assembled to the frame 11 from below. In this state, each contact terminal 23 of the busbar 20 extends upward from the inside to the outside of the housing 10 (frame 11) and is located in the corresponding cavity 16 of block 15A. The plate-shaped portion 21 of the busbar 20, which extends in the front-rear direction, is located inside the housing 10 (frame 11). The wire 50 extending forward from the terminals 40 connected to the plate-shaped portion 21 of the busbar 20 is pulled out to the outside through the opening 14 via the internal space of the housing 10 (see Figures 1 and 3). In this way, the terminals 40 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 are electrically connected to the plate-shaped portion 21 of the busbar 20, which is located inside the housing 10. Therefore, compared to conventional electrical junction boxes where the connection point between the two is exposed on the outside of the housing, it is not necessary to pull the electric wire 50 from the exposed connection point into the internal space of the housing 10, thus reducing the degree of curvature of the electric wire 50 within the internal space of the housing 10.

[0024] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the electrical junction box 1 of this embodiment, the flat plate-shaped portion 21 of the busbar 20 is arranged inside the housing 10, and the terminal 40 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 is electrically connected to the plate surface of this plate-shaped portion 21. Therefore, compared to conventional electrical junction boxes where the connection point between the two is exposed outside the housing, it is not necessary to pull the wire 50 from the connection point exposed outside into the internal space of the housing 10, thus reducing the degree of curvature of the wire 50 in the internal space of the housing 10. Accordingly, the electrical junction box 1 of this embodiment makes it possible to easily house the terminal-equipped wire 30 electrically connected to the busbar 20 inside the internal space of the housing 10.

[0025] Furthermore, as another benefit, since the connection point between the terminal-equipped wire 30 and the busbar 20 does not need to be exposed outside the housing 10, the space that would conventionally be used for that connection point can be used to store electronic components. Therefore, the number of electronic components that can be stored can be increased without increasing the size of the electrical junction box 1. In other words, the storage space for electronic components can be expanded without compromising the original function of the electrical junction box 1.

[0026] Furthermore, the projection 18 of the housing 10 is inserted through the through hole 24 of the busbar 20, and with the through hole (hole portion) 43 of the terminal 40 inserted into the projection 18, the terminal 40 is electrically connected to the busbar 20. This makes it easier to align the terminal 40 with the busbar 20. Moreover, when mass-producing the electrical junction box 1, the variation in the connection position of the terminal 40 to the busbar 20 is reduced, which also reduces the variation in the length of the electric wire 50 drawn out from the electrical junction box 1 (so-called variation in excess length). As a result, when actually installing the electrical junction box 1 in an automobile or the like, it is possible to avoid tasks such as adjusting the routing route of the electric wire 50 according to the length of the excess length of the electric wire 50, thus making the routing of the electric wire 50 easier.

[0027] Furthermore, the terminal 40 of the terminal-equipped electric wire 30 is joined to the plate surface of the plate-shaped portion 21 of the busbar 20 by metallurgical or chemical bonding. This eliminates the need for space to place bolts, nuts, etc., compared to the case where the terminal 40 and the busbar 20 are bolted together. Therefore, even if the connection point between the terminal 40 and the busbar 20 is located inside the housing 10, the internal space of the housing 10 does not become excessively narrow. Thus, the original function of the internal space of the housing 10 (for example, the function of housing various other electric wires connected to the output side of electronic components) is not easily impaired.

[0028] <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.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the electrical junction box 1 is a relay box housing multiple electronic components, but the electrical junction box 1 may be a structure having a function other than that of a relay box.

[0030] Herein, the features of the embodiments of the electrical junction box 1 according to the present invention described above are briefly listed below in [1] to [3].

[0031] [1] An electrical junction box (1) comprising a housing (10) having a cavity (16) in which electronic components will be housed, a busbar (20) held in the housing (10), and a terminal wire (30) electrically connected to the busbar (20), The aforementioned bus bar (20) is, The housing (10) has a shape in which contact portions (22, 23) extending from the inside of the housing (10) toward the cavity (16) and connected to the electronic component, and a flat plate-like portion (21) positioned inside the housing (10) and extending in a direction intersecting the direction in which the contact portions (22, 23) extend is connected. The aforementioned wire with terminals (30) The busbar (20) has a terminal (40) electrically connected to the plate surface of the plate-shaped portion (21), and an electric wire (50) connected to the terminal (40) and extending toward the outside of the housing (10), Electrical junction box (1).

[0032] In the electrical junction box with the configuration described in [1] above, the flat plate-like portion of the busbar is placed inside the housing, and the terminals of the wire with terminals are electrically connected to the plate surface of this flat portion inside the housing. Therefore, compared to conventional electrical junction boxes where the connection point between the two is exposed outside the housing, it is not necessary to pull the wire from the exposed connection point into the internal space of the housing, thus reducing the degree of curvature of the wire inside the housing. Thus, even when the wire diameter is large, such as with so-called thick wires, or when the internal space is narrow due to miniaturization or thinning of the housing, the wire can be easily housed inside the housing. Consequently, the electrical junction box with this configuration makes it possible to easily house the wire with terminals that is electrically connected to the busbar inside the housing.

[0033] Furthermore, another benefit is that, with the above configuration, the connection point between the terminal-equipped wire and the busbar does not need to be exposed outside the housing. Therefore, the space that would have been used for that connection point can be used to house electronic components. Thus, the number of electronic components that can be housed can be increased without increasing the size of the electrical junction box. In other words, the storage space for electronic components can be expanded without compromising the original function of the electrical junction box.

[0034] [2] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The aforementioned bus bar (20) is, The plate-like portion (21) has a through hole (24) that penetrates in the thickness direction, The housing (10) is It has a projection (18) that protrudes so as to be inserted into the through hole (24), The terminal (40) of the aforementioned wire with terminal (30) is The busbar (20) has a hole (43) into which the projection (18) that has passed through the through hole (24) is inserted, and in the state in which the projection (18) is inserted into the hole (43), it is electrically connected to the plate surface of the plate-shaped part (21). Electrical junction box (1).

[0035] In the electrical junction box configuration described in [2] above, the projection of the housing is inserted through the through-hole of the busbar, and the terminal hole is inserted into the projection that has been inserted in this manner, thereby making an electrical connection to the busbar. This makes it easier to align the terminal to the busbar. Furthermore, when mass-producing electrical junction boxes, the variation in the connection position of the terminal to the busbar is reduced, which in turn reduces the variation in the length of the wires drawn out from the electrical junction box (so-called variation in excess length). As a result, when actually installing the electrical junction box in a car or the like, it is possible to avoid tasks such as adjusting the wire routing route according to the length of the excess wire, thus making the wire routing work easier.

[0036] [3] In the electrical junction box (1) described in [1] above, The terminal (40) of the aforementioned wire with terminal (30) is An electrical junction box (1) is metallurgically or chemically bonded to the plate surface of the plate-shaped portion (21) of the busbar (20).

[0037] In the electrical junction box configuration described in [3] above, the terminals of the wires with terminals are joined to the plate surface of the plate-shaped part of the busbar by metallurgical bonding (e.g., thermocompression bonding, pressure bonding, fusion bonding, and brazing) or chemical bonding (e.g., bonding with a conductive adhesive). This eliminates the need for space to place bolts and nuts compared to bolting the terminals and busbars together, so that even if the connection point between the terminals and busbars is located inside the housing, the internal space of the housing does not become excessively narrow. Therefore, the original function of the internal space of the housing (e.g., the function of housing various other wires connected to the output side of electronic components) is not easily impaired. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 1. Electrical junction box 10 Housing 16 Cavity 18 Protrusion 20 Busba 21 Plate-shaped part 22 Contact point 23 Contact terminals (contact parts) 24 Through holes 30 wires with terminals 40 terminals 43 Through hole (hole) 50 Electric wire

Claims

1. An electrical junction box comprising a housing having a cavity in which electronic components will be housed, a busbar held in the housing, and a terminal wire electrically connected to the busbar, The aforementioned bus bar is The device has a shape in which a contact portion extending from the inside of the housing toward the cavity and connected to the electronic component and a flat plate-like portion positioned inside the housing and extending in a direction intersecting the direction in which the contact portion extends are connected, The aforementioned wire with terminals is The busbar has a terminal electrically connected to the plate surface of the plate-shaped portion, and an electric wire connected to the terminal and extending toward the outside of the housing, The terminal of the aforementioned wire with terminals is The plate surface of the plate-shaped portion of the busbar is joined metallurgically or chemically. Electrical junction box.

2. In the electrical junction box according to claim 1, The aforementioned bus bar is The plate-like portion has through holes that penetrate in the thickness direction, The aforementioned housing is It has a projection that protrudes so as to be inserted through the through hole, The terminal of the aforementioned wire with terminals is The busbar has a hole into which the projection that has passed through the through hole is inserted, and in the state in which the projection is inserted into the hole, it is electrically connected to the plate surface of the plate-shaped part. Electrical junction box.

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