Junction box

Abstract

Disclosed is a junction box comprising: a busbar housing formed so as to surround a busbar, expose an external terminal of the busbar at a lower end of the busbar housing, and expose a melting portion of the busbar at a side wall of the busbar housing; and a junction box housing having a busbar housing seating part in which the busbar housing is seated. The busbar housing seating part comprises: a bottom plate formed so that the external terminal passes therethrough; and a housing support rib protruding upward from the bottom plate so as to surround the busbar housing, wherein the housing support rib comprises an exposure portion for exposing the melting portion to the outside. Thus, since one end of an external fuse may be directly coupled to the busbar having the melting portion formed, and not to a separate busbar, the present invention has the advantages in which the structure may be simplified, the overall manufacturing costs may be reduced, and whether the melting portion of the busbar is melted may be easily checked even from the outside.

Description

junction box

[0001] The present invention relates to a junction box, and more specifically, to a junction box used in automobiles and the like, and including a fuse and the like.

[0002] Unless otherwise indicated herein, the matters described in this identifier are not prior art to the claims of this application, and their description in this identifier is not intended to be deemed prior art.

[0003] A fuse is a component used to protect a circuit when an overcurrent occurs in an electric circuit. It blocks the flow of current and protects the connected electrical load by melting the fuse part due to the heat generated by the overcurrent.

[0004] A fuse according to the prior art (Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-10768) comprises an input terminal, an external terminal, a fuse formed between the two terminals, and a busbar including the fuse, and is provided in a form combined with a housing that covers the entire busbar. In addition, in order to attach an external fuse, components such as a fuse connection terminal and an external terminal on the fuse side were required separately from the busbar. This structure had the limitation that if the rating or arrangement of the fuse needed to be changed, the arrangement location of the external fuse had to be redesigned, and in this process, both the busbar structure and the components for attaching the fuse had to be redesigned. Consequently, there were problems such as lower manufacturing efficiency and increased costs.

[0005] In the automotive industry in particular, the types and characteristics of electrical loads vary widely depending on the vehicle model and usage environment, creating a structural need for flexible changes in fuse ratings and layout. However, conventional structures failed to adequately address these needs, necessitating new mold production and complex design changes. This problem increased the complexity of the manufacturing process and led to increased costs.

[0006] Accordingly, there is a need for a fuse and a manufacturing method thereof that can reduce costs by simplifying the structure for attaching an external fuse, facilitating design changes in the placement location, and simplifying the manufacturing process.

[0007] Additionally, there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to easily check from the outside whether the busbar's rug is fused.

[0008] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a junction box that simplifies the structure to reduce the overall manufacturing cost, allows easy external confirmation of whether a rug formed on a bus bar is rugged, and increases space efficiency.

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention provides a junction box comprising: a busbar housing formed to surround a busbar, with an external terminal of the busbar exposed at a lower end, and a ridge portion of the busbar exposed at a side wall; and a busbar housing mounting portion formed to mount the busbar housing; wherein the busbar housing mounting portion comprises a bottom plate formed to allow the external terminal to pass through; and a housing support rib protruding upward from the bottom plate and surrounding the busbar housing; wherein the housing support rib comprises an exposure portion to allow the ridge portion to be exposed externally.

[0010] It is preferable to further include an auxiliary support protrusion that protrudes from the housing support rib toward the exposed portion and supports the busbar housing.

[0011] It is effective to further include an input terminal exposure portion, in which the input terminal of the bus bar protrudes, at a position adjacent to the auxiliary support protrusion.

[0012] It is preferable to further include a busbar housing detachment prevention bump formed on the outer surface of the busbar housing; and a junction box housing detachment prevention bump formed on the outer surface of the junction box housing and interlocked with the busbar housing detachment prevention bump.

[0013] The busbar housing detachment prevention bump is formed on the outer surface of the busbar housing; and the junction box housing detachment prevention bump is formed on the outer surface of the junction box housing and engages with the busbar housing detachment prevention bump; and it is effective that the busbar housing detachment prevention bump and the junction box housing detachment prevention bump are formed on a surface spaced apart from the input terminal exposure portion.

[0014] Based on the above-mentioned exposed portion, it is preferable that the busbar housing detachment prevention bump and the junction box housing detachment prevention bump are located on opposite sides from the input terminal exposed portion.

[0015] It is effective that the above junction box housing detachment prevention bump is formed on an elastic pressure piece that is connected at one end to the junction box housing and is formed to apply elastic pressure toward the bus bar housing detachment prevention bump.

[0016] It is preferable that the junction box housing further includes a terminal insertion guide portion formed on the bottom surface of the junction box housing to communicate with the terminal insertion portion and guide the inserted terminal, wherein the terminal insertion guide portion is formed to allow the external fuse to be detachably mounted on the top of the bus bar housing, and the terminal insertion guide portion is formed to guide the inserted terminal.

[0017] It is effective to further include a rear cover mounted on the rear of the terminal insertion guide portion, and the rear cover includes a pressing projection formed to support the rear end of the inserted terminal so that the terminal is stably mounted on the external fuse.

[0018] The above bus bar includes an input terminal connected to the external terminal; and an external fuse insertion portion in which one end of an external fuse is mounted; wherein the fuse portion is formed between the external terminal and the input terminal, and it is preferable that the external fuse insertion portion is formed with an open edge on the opposite side of the external terminal.

[0019] According to the problem-solving means of the present invention as discussed above, various effects, including the following, can be expected. However, the present invention is not established only if it exhibits all of the following effects.

[0020] The junction box of the present invention has a simplified structure and can reduce overall manufacturing costs because one end of an external fuse can be directly connected to a bus bar having a fuse formed therein, rather than a separate bus bar.

[0021] Additionally, it has the advantage of being able to easily check from the outside whether the carpet formed on the bus bar is carpeted.

[0022] And, even though the exposed portion is formed so that the entire carpet portion is exposed to the outside, the busbar housing can be structurally supported stably.

[0023] In addition, by simplifying the structure, the terminal can be stably connected to an external fuse even when the space for assembling the terminal is narrow.

[0024] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a junction box of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the junction box housing of Figure 1.

[0026] Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the junction box housing as seen from the rear of Figure 2.

[0027] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the rear cover of Figure 1.

[0028] Figure 5 is a left perspective view of the busbar housing with the busbar of Figure 1 combined.

[0029] Figure 6 is a right perspective view of the busbar housing as seen from the right side of Figure 5.

[0030] Figure 7 is a bottom perspective view of Figure 5, and Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 5.

[0031] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the cutting line IX-IX of Figure 1.

[0032] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the junction box housing of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the junction box housing as seen from the rear of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rear cover of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a left perspective view of the busbar housing with the busbar coupled to it of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a right perspective view of the busbar housing as seen from the right side of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of FIG. 5, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 5, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along the line IX-IX of FIG. 1.

[0034] As shown in these drawings, a junction box of one embodiment of the present invention includes a busbar housing (200) formed to surround a busbar (100), expose an external terminal (110) of the busbar (100) at the bottom, and expose a tapered portion (120) of the busbar at the side wall, and a junction box housing (1000) formed with a busbar housing mounting portion (1100) on which the busbar housing (200) is mounted.

[0035] The bus bar (100) is a basic electrical connection component of the present invention, and includes an external terminal (110) and an input terminal (130). The external terminal (110) serves to transmit an electrical signal to the outside, and the input terminal (130) serves to receive an electrical signal input from the outside. In addition, the bus bar (100) is provided with a fuse portion (120) formed between the external terminal (110) and the input terminal (130). The fuse portion (120) is designed to maintain electrical connection stability, and is provided in an exposed form within the structure of the bus bar (100).

[0036] Another major component of the busbar (100) is an external fuse insertion portion (140) into which one end of an external fuse (300) is mounted. The external fuse insertion portion (140) is formed with an open edge (141) located on the opposite side of the external terminal (110), and is designed to enable easy installation and replacement of the external fuse (300).

[0037] Looking more specifically at the shape of the bus bar (100), as illustrated in Fig. 8, the metal plate is formed by bending, and the body part (150) of the bus bar is formed by bending in a shape that is open toward the bottom. One end of the end part (120) is connected to the end of the body part (150), and an external terminal (110) is formed at the other end of the end part (120). The external terminal (110) is formed toward the bottom.

[0038] An input terminal (130) is formed by protruding from the other end of the body (150), and a bolt fastening hole (131) is formed by penetrating through the input terminal (130).

[0039] An external fuse insertion portion (140) is formed at the bent corner of the body portion (150). That is, a plurality of external fuse insertion portions (140) are formed by removing the bent corner, and an external fuse (300) is inserted into the corner (141) that is open toward the upper side.

[0040] These bus bars (100) are wrapped and protected by a bus bar housing (200). The bus bar housing (200) has an external terminal (110) formed at the bottom, and an open front exposure portion (240) provided on the side wall so that the end portion (120) of the bus bar (100) can be exposed to the outside.

[0041] In addition, a detachment prevention bump (210) is formed on the outer surface of the busbar housing (200). The detachment prevention bump (210) is interlocked with the junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) formed on the junction box housing (1000), thereby providing structural stability to prevent the busbar housing (200) from detaching from the junction box housing (1000).

[0042] An external fuse mounting portion (220) is formed on the upper side of the busbar housing (200) so that an external fuse (300) can be detachably mounted. The external fuse mounting portion (220) is designed so that the external fuse (300) can be stably mounted, and a terminal insertion portion (230) is formed on the lower side so that a terminal can be inserted into the external fuse, so that the external fuse (300) can be electrically connected.

[0043] Overall, the busbar housing (200) is formed so that the thickness increases stepwise from the bottom to the top, and an external terminal (110) is exposed at the lowest end, and a terminal insertion portion (230) is formed at the bottom of the middle step. An external fuse mounting portion (220) is formed at the top end.

[0044] The external fuse (300) has a fuse section formed inside, and two connection slots (311, 312) formed at the bottom to be connected to the fuse section. Among the connection slots (311, 312), the first connection slot (311) is fitted with an open edge (141) of the external fuse insertion section (140), and the second connection slot (1311) is connected by inserting a terminal (410).

[0045] As described above, the junction box of the present invention can be directly connected to a bus bar having a fuse portion formed thereon rather than a separate bus bar, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing the overall manufacturing cost.

[0046] The junction box housing (1000) is structured to accommodate a busbar housing (200), and has a busbar housing mounting portion (1100) formed therein. The busbar housing mounting portion (1100) includes a bottom plate (1200) formed to allow an external terminal (110) to pass through, and a housing support rib (1300) that protrudes upward from the bottom plate (1200) and surrounds the busbar housing (200). The housing support rib (1300) additionally includes an exposed portion (1310) designed to expose the above-mentioned ridge portion (120) to the outside.

[0047] That is, the junction box housing (1000) is formed with a busbar housing mounting portion (1100) that becomes wider toward the top in accordance with the shape of the busbar housing (200), and the bottom plate (1200) is also formed in steps in accordance with the shape of the busbar housing (200).

[0048] In addition, an auxiliary support protrusion (1320) may be added to the housing support rib (1300) to more stably fix the busbar housing (200). The auxiliary support protrusion (1320) protrudes from the housing support rib (1300) toward the exposed portion (1310) and serves to additionally support the busbar housing (200). An input terminal exposed portion (1330) from which an input terminal (130) protrudes is formed at a position adjacent to the auxiliary support protrusion (1320). That is, as can be seen in FIG. 2, due to the exposed portion (1310), most of one side of the housing support rib (1300) is open, and furthermore, due to the input terminal exposed portion (1330), there is a problem that the left front side of FIG. 2 has no structure capable of supporting the busbar housing (200).

[0049] To resolve this, an auxiliary support protrusion (1320) protrudes upward near the input terminal exposure portion (1330) to support the bus bar housing (200).

[0050] The junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) is interlocked with the housing detachment prevention bump (210) and is formed on an elastic pressure piece (1342) so as to be connected to one end of the junction box housing (1000) and stably fix the busbar housing (200) through elastic pressure. This provides a function of further strengthening the connection between the junction box housing (1000) and the busbar housing (200).

[0051] The above bus bar housing detachment prevention bump (210) and the junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) are formed on a surface spaced apart from the input terminal exposed portion (1330). That is, the bus bar housing detachment prevention bump (210) and the junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) are located on opposite sides of the input terminal exposed portion (1330) with respect to the exposed portion (1310).

[0052] By forming in this manner, one side of the busbar housing (200) is fixed by bolting the input terminal (130) to the junction box housing (1000), and the other end is prevented from being detached by interlocking the busbar housing detachment prevention bump (210) and the junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341), thereby preventing the busbar housing (200) from being detached from the junction box housing (1000).

[0053] In addition, even though most of the front area is formed by the exposed portion (1310), it can be prevented from coming off by supporting it from the front by the auxiliary support protrusion (1320).

[0054] A terminal insertion guide portion (1400) is formed on the bottom surface of the junction box housing (1000) to communicate with the terminal insertion portion (230) and guide the terminal to be inserted. A plurality of rear cover fixing protrusions (1410) capable of fixing the rear cover (1500) are formed to protrude on the outer surface of the terminal insertion guide portion (1400).

[0055] A rear cover (1500) is mounted on the rear side of the terminal insertion guide portion (1400) to support the rear end of the terminal (410), thereby providing a pressing projection (1510) so that the terminal (410) can be stably mounted on the external fuse (300). That is, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the rear cover (1500) includes a rear cover body (1520) formed to surround the end of the terminal insertion guide portion (1400), a pressing projection (1510) formed to be inserted from the rear cover body (1520) toward the terminal insertion portion (230) and pressurize the rear end of the terminal (410), and a rear cover fastening portion (1530) protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the rear cover body (1520) and fastened to the rear cover fixing projection (1410).

[0056] Due to the narrow space, there is a concern that when a worker inserts a wire equipped with a terminal (410) into the rear of the terminal insertion guide part (1400), the terminal (410) may not be stably installed in the external fuse (300). Therefore, when a rear cover (1500) equipped with a pressing protrusion (1510) is installed, the pressing protrusion (1510) presses the rear ends of all inserted terminals (410), thereby ensuring that all terminals (410) are seated in the correct positions.

[0057] Therefore, the terminal (410) can be stably connected even in a narrow space.

[0058] As described above, the junction box of one embodiment of the present invention can have one end of an external fuse directly connected to a bus bar having a fuse portion formed thereon, rather than a separate bus bar, so that the structure is simplified and the overall manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0059] Additionally, it has the advantage of being able to easily check from the outside whether the carpet formed on the bus bar is carpeted.

[0060] And, even though the exposed portion is formed so that the entire carpet portion is exposed to the outside, the busbar housing can be structurally supported stably.

[0061] In addition, by simplifying the structure, the terminal can be stably connected to an external fuse even when the space for assembling the terminal is narrow.

[0062] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above as examples, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and may be appropriately modified within the scope described in the claims.

Claims

1. A busbar housing (200) formed to surround a busbar (100), with the external terminal (110) of the busbar (100) exposed at the bottom, and the tapered portion (120) of the busbar exposed at the side wall; and A junction box housing (1000) having a busbar housing mounting portion (1100) formed on which the above busbar housing (200) is mounted; Including, The above bus bar housing mounting portion (1100) is A bottom plate (1200) formed so that the external terminal (110) penetrates therethrough; and A housing support rib (1300) protruding upward from the above floor plate (1200) and surrounding the bus bar housing (200); Including, The above housing support rib (1300) has an exposed portion (1310) so that the carpet portion (120) is exposed from the outside; A junction box characterized by including:

2. In paragraph 1, An auxiliary support protrusion (1320) that protrudes from the housing support rib (1300) toward the exposed portion (1310) and supports the bus bar housing (200); A junction box characterized by further including:

3. In paragraph 2, An input terminal exposure portion (1330) in which the input terminal (130) of the bus bar (100) protrudes at a position adjacent to the auxiliary support protrusion (1320); A junction box characterized by further including:

4. In paragraph 1, A busbar housing detachment prevention bump (210) formed on the outer surface of the above busbar housing (200); and A junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) formed on the outer surface of the junction box housing (1000) and interlocked with the bus bar housing detachment prevention bump (210); A junction box characterized by further including:

5. In paragraph 3, A busbar housing detachment prevention bump (210) formed on the outer surface of the above busbar housing (200); and A junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) formed on the outer surface of the junction box housing (1000) and interlocked with the bus bar housing detachment prevention bump (210); Including more, A junction box characterized in that the above bus bar housing detachment prevention bump (210) and the above junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) are formed on a surface spaced apart from the input terminal exposure portion (1330).

6. In paragraph 5, A junction box characterized in that the busbar housing detachment prevention bump (210) and the junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) are located on opposite sides of the input terminal exposed portion (1330) based on the exposed portion (1310).

7. In paragraph 4, A junction box characterized in that the above junction box housing detachment prevention bump (1341) is formed on an elastic pressure piece (1342) formed so as to be able to apply elastic pressure toward the bus bar housing detachment prevention bump (210) by having one end connected to the junction box housing (1000).

8. In paragraph 1, An external fuse mounting portion (220) is formed on the top of the above bus bar housing (200) so that an external fuse can be detachably installed. A terminal insertion portion (230) is formed at the bottom of the above bus bar housing (200) so that it can be inserted into the external fuse. The above junction box housing (1000) is A terminal insertion guide portion (1400) formed on the bottom surface of the junction box housing (1000) to communicate with the terminal insertion portion (230) and guide the terminal being inserted; A junction box characterized by further including:

9. In paragraph 8, A rear cover (1500) mounted on the rear of the terminal insertion guide portion (1400); Including more, The above rear cover (1500) is A pressing projection (1510) formed to support the rear end of the inserted terminal (410) so that the terminal (410) is stably mounted on the external fuse (300); A junction box characterized by including:

10. In paragraph 1, The above bus bar (100) is An input terminal (130) connected to the external terminal (110); and An external fuse insert (140) into which one end of an external fuse (300) is mounted; Including, The above-mentioned rug portion (120) is formed between the external terminal (110) and the input terminal (130), A junction box characterized in that the external fuse insertion portion (140) is formed with an open corner on the opposite side from the external terminal (110).

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