Circuit structure

Abstract

Disclosed is a circuit structure capable of providing a rotation prevention protrusion that prevents rotation of an electrical component during fastening with good space efficiency.　A circuit structure 10 comprises: a bus bar 14 that constitutes an energization path 12 and has a fastening portion 20; a case 16 that holds the bus bar 14; and an electrical component 22 that is provided with a terminal portion 24 superposed on and fastened to the fastening portion 20 of the bus bar 14. The bus bar 14 integrally includes a rotation prevention protrusion 26 that protrudes from the fastening portion 20 toward the terminal portion 24 side to face the electrical component 20, and comes into contact with the electrical component 22 to prevent rotation of the electrical component 22 when the terminal portion 24 is fastened to the fastening portion 20.

Description

Circuit structure

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a circuit structure.

[0002] Conventionally, in a current-carrying path such as an automobile, as described in Patent Document 1, a bus bar constituting the current-carrying path is held in a case, and various electrical components such as relays, fuses, and wire harnesses are fastened to the bus bar by, for example, bolts, and a circuit structure is provided. When the terminal portion of the electrical component is bolted to the bus bar, it is necessary to prevent the terminal portion of the electrical component from rotating together with the rotation of the bolt and to securely perform the bolt fastening. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, protrusions are provided on both sides in the rotational direction of the terminal portion of the electrical component (wire harness) on the case, and a structure is adopted to prevent the rotation of the terminal portion by blocking the displacement of the terminal portion that is rotated in the rotational direction of the bolt.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-18613

[0004] However, in the conventional circuit structure, it is necessary to separately provide on the case a rotation prevention protrusion or the like for the terminal portion of the electrical component. In recent years, due to the increase in in-vehicle electrical components, there may be cases where space for providing the rotation prevention protrusion cannot be secured in the case. Therefore, further improvement that can cope with the recent space saving has been demanded.

[0005] Therefore, a circuit structure is disclosed that can efficiently provide a rotation prevention protrusion for preventing rotation during fastening of an electrical component.

[0006] The circuit structure of the present disclosure includes a bus bar that constitutes a current-carrying path and has a fastening portion, a case that holds the bus bar, and an electrical component having a terminal portion that is overlapped and fastened to the fastening portion of the bus bar. The bus bar protrudes from the fastening portion toward the terminal portion side and faces the electrical component, and when the terminal portion is fastened to the fastening portion, it integrally includes a rotation prevention protrusion that abuts against the electrical component and prevents the rotation of the electrical component.

[0007] According to the circuit structure of the present disclosure, a rotation prevention protrusion for preventing rotation during fastening of an electrical component can be provided efficiently in terms of space.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the circuit configuration according to Embodiment 1 from the front. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the circuit configuration shown in Figure 1 from the rear. Figure 3 is a plan view of the circuit configuration shown in Figure 1.

[0009] <Description of Embodiments of the Disclosure> First, embodiments of the Disclosure will be listed and described. The circuit configuration of the Disclosure comprises: (1) a busbar that constitutes an electrical path and has a fastening portion; a case that holds the busbar; and an electrical component having a terminal portion that is superimposed on and fastened to the fastening portion of the busbar, wherein the busbar is integrally provided with an anti-rotation projection that protrudes from the fastening portion toward the terminal portion and faces the electrical component, and which contacts the electrical component to prevent the rotation of the electrical component when the terminal portion is fastened to the fastening portion.

[0010] According to this embodiment, the busbar itself, to which the terminal portion of an electrical component is fastened with a bolt or the like, is integrally provided with an anti-rotation projection that prevents the rotation of the electrical component when the terminal portion is fastened. Therefore, unlike conventional structures, there is no need to provide a separate anti-rotation projection on the case. Moreover, since the anti-rotation projection provided on the busbar protrudes from the fastening portion where the terminal portions overlap toward the terminal portion, it can be provided using the area in which the busbar was originally located. Therefore, even if there is no space to provide an anti-rotation projection on the case, the anti-rotation projection can be provided in a space-efficient manner. Furthermore, since the busbar itself is held by the case, the displacement force of the terminal portion in the rotational direction transmitted to the anti-rotation projection provided integrally on the busbar can be stably received by the case via the busbar, and the rotation of the electrical component can be reliably prevented. As a result, a circuit configuration can be provided in which an anti-rotation projection that prevents rotation when an electrical component is fastened can be provided in a space-efficient manner.

[0011] In particular, since the anti-rotation projection of the busbar is provided to protrude from the fastening portion of the busbar toward the terminal portion of the electrical component, when placing the terminal portion of the electrical component onto the fastening portion of the busbar, the anti-rotation projection can be used as a guide and positioning part for the terminal portion to the fastening portion, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency.

[0012] Furthermore, electrical components include any components that have terminals that are fastened to the busbar fastening portion with bolts or the like, and may include various electrical components such as relays, fuses, and wire harnesses.

[0013] (2) In the above (1), it is preferable that a slit opening toward the terminal portion is provided on one end of the busbar, the fastening portion is formed by the portion of the busbar located toward the one end of the busbar relative to the slit, and the anti-rotation projection rising perpendicular to the fastening portion is formed by the portion of the busbar located toward the middle of the busbar relative to the slit. A slit is provided on one end of the busbar, the fastening portion is formed toward the one end of the busbar relative to the slit, and the anti-rotation projection is formed toward the middle of the busbar relative to the slit. This makes it possible to provide the fastening portion and the anti-rotation projection in relatively close proximity on one end of the busbar, and it is possible to miniaturize the busbar and, by extension, the circuit components compared to the case where the fastening portion and the anti-rotation projection are provided in relatively distant positions.

[0014] (3) In (1) or (2) above, it is preferable that the electrical component has a main body, the terminal portion is provided projecting outward from the main body in a first direction, and the anti-rotation projection overlaps the main body in the projection in the first direction when the terminal portion is fastened to the fastening portion of the busbar. The anti-rotation projection, which is integrally provided on the busbar, is provided so as to overlap the main body in the first direction in the projection in the first direction, which is the direction in which the terminal portion protrudes from the main body of the electrical component. Therefore, the anti-rotation projection can be arranged using the space that was originally required to mount the main body and fastening portion, and the anti-rotation projection can be provided in a space-efficient manner.

[0015] <Details of Embodiments of the Disclosure> Specific examples of the circuit configurations of the Disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the Disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the Claims as indicated by the Claims.

[0016] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, the circuit configuration 10 of Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. This circuit configuration 10 constitutes an electrical junction box that is disposed inside, for example, a battery pack in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle, and comprises a busbar 14 that constitutes a current passage 12 and a lower case 16 that holds the busbar 14. The circuit configuration 10 and the electrical junction box comprising the circuit configuration 10 can be arranged in any orientation, but in the following, the up and down, left and right, and front and back directions will be described as the up and down, left and right, and front and back directions shown in Figure 1. In addition, for multiple identical components, reference numerals may be assigned to only some of the components, and the reference numerals may be omitted for other components.

[0017] <Circuit Component 10> As described above, the circuit component 10 comprises a busbar 14 that constitutes the current supply path 12 and a case (lower case 16) that holds the busbar 14. The busbar 14 is fixed to the lower case 16 by bolts 18, and the busbar 14 has bolt fastening portions 20 (left bolt fastening portion 20a and right bolt fastening portion 20b, which will be described later) as fastening portions. Electrical components are also arranged on the current supply path 12, and the current supply path 12 is composed of these electrical components. In Embodiment 1, a fuse 22 is used as the electrical component. The electrical component (fuse 22) has terminal portions 24 (left terminal portion 24a and right terminal portion 24b, which will be described later) that are overlapped with the bolt fastening portions 20 on the busbar 14 and bolted together. The bolt fastening portions 20 on the busbar 14 and the terminal portions 24 on the fuse 22 are then fastened together with bolts 18 and fixed to the lower case 16.

[0018] <Bus bar 14> The bus bar 14 protrudes upward from the bolt fastening portion 20 toward the terminal portion 24 and faces the electrical component (fuse 22). It is integrally provided with an anti-rotation projection 26 that contacts the fuse 22 to prevent the fuse 22 from rotating when the terminal portion 24 is bolted to the bolt fastening portion 20. In Embodiment 1, the anti-rotation projection 26 protruding upward from the bolt fastening portion 20 faces the terminal portion 24 (particularly the left terminal portion 24a), and when the terminal portion 24 is bolted, the anti-rotation projection 26 contacts the terminal portion 24 (left terminal portion 24a) to prevent the terminal portion 24 (left terminal portion 24a) from rotating.

[0019] Specifically, the busbar 14 is formed by press-forming a metal sheet with excellent conductivity into a predetermined shape, and in Embodiment 1, it extends in the left-right direction as a whole. The intermediate portion 28 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) of the busbar 14 spreads out in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The longitudinal end side (left end side) of the busbar 14 spreads out in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, perpendicular to the intermediate portion 28, and constitutes the bolt fastening portion 20 (particularly the left bolt fastening portion 20a) described above. In particular, in Embodiment 1, the left end portion 30, which is continuous to the left from the intermediate portion 28, protrudes above the intermediate portion 28, and the left bolt fastening portion 20a is formed by bending and extending backward from the protruding end (upper end) of this left end portion 30. The left bolt fastening portion 20a has a bolt insertion hole 31 through which a bolt 18 is inserted, overlapping with the terminal portion 24 (left terminal portion 24a). The terminal portion 24 is overlapped with the left bolt fastening portion 20a from above.

[0020] On the other hand, the other end (right end) of the busbar 14 in the longitudinal direction extends perpendicular to the intermediate portion 28 and perpendicular to the vertical direction, forming the bolt fastening portion 20 (particularly the right bolt fastening portion 20b). In particular, in Embodiment 1, the right end portion 32, which is continuous to the right from the intermediate portion 28, protrudes downward from the intermediate portion 28, and the right bolt fastening portion 20b is formed by bending and extending backward from the protruding end (lower end) of this right end portion 32. The right bolt fastening portion 20b has a bolt insertion hole 34 through which a bolt (not shown) is inserted to fix the busbar 33 (shown as a dashed line in Figure 2), for example, inside the electrical junction box, to which the busbar 33 is superimposed.

[0021] Furthermore, a slit 35 that opens upward is provided on the left end of the busbar 14, which is one end of the busbar 14 and faces the terminal portion 24. This slit 35 is provided on the upper end portion of the left end portion 30, that is, at the connection point between the left end portion 30 and the left bolt fastening portion 20a, and it opens upward and penetrates the left end portion 30 in the thickness direction (front-to-back direction). Also, this slit 35 is located a predetermined amount to the left of the right end of the left end portion 30, so that the upper end portion of the left end portion 30 is independent of each other on both the left and right sides with the slit 35 in between. The left bolt fastening portion 20a is connected to the upper end portion of the left end portion 30 at a point located to the left of the slit 35, and the anti-rotation projection 26 is provided to the upper end portion of the left end portion 30 at a point located to the right of the slit 35. In short, the left end portion 30 of the busbar 14 protrudes upward from one end (the left end) of the busbar 14 beyond the slit 35 and bends backward in the middle portion to form the left bolt fastening portion 20a, which is one of the bolt fastening portions 20. Furthermore, at the left end portion 30, a rotation-preventing projection 26 is provided that protrudes upward from a portion located on the intermediate portion 28 side (right side) of the slit 35.

[0022] <Anti-rotation projection 26> As described above, the anti-rotation projection 26 is located at the upper end portion of the left end portion 30 of the busbar 14, on the side of the intermediate portion 28 (right side) from the slit 35, and protrudes upward. In Embodiment 1, the anti-rotation projection 26 has a rectangular cross-section and is roughly prism-shaped. This anti-rotation projection 26 protrudes above the terminal portion 24 and faces the terminal portion 24 in the front-rear direction. In particular, in Embodiment 1, the anti-rotation projection 26 is located to the left of the main body portion 44 of the fuse 22, which will be described later.

[0023] <Case (Lower Case 16)> In the figure, the main part of an electrical junction box having a circuit configuration 10 according to the present disclosure is shown, and only a part of the lower case 16 of the circuit configuration 10 is shown. The upper case that constitutes the electrical junction box is not shown, but it is assembled and fixed to the lower case from above. The lower case 16 is a substantially box shape that opens upward as a whole, and has a substantially flat bottom wall portion 36 and a circumferential wall portion 38 that protrudes upward from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom wall portion 36 and is continuous in the circumferential direction. The bottom wall portion 36 is provided with a plurality of bolt fixing portions 40 that protrude upward and to which the above-mentioned bolts 18 are fixed. That is, the lower case 16 is provided with a pair of bolt fixing portions 40, 40, and each bolt fixing portion 40 is spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. A nut (not shown) is placed substantially embedded at the upper end of each bolt fixing portion 40, and each bolt 18 that is inserted into each terminal portion 24 of the fuse 22 is fastened thereto.

[0024] Furthermore, the bottom wall portion 36 of the lower case 16 is provided with multiple partition walls 42 that protrude upward, for example, to partition the area where the busbar 14 is installed. As a result, the right end portion 32 of the busbar 14 and the right-side bolt fastening portion 20b extending rearward from the right end portion 32 are installed within the area partitioned by each partition wall portion 42. Consequently, even when a rotational force is generated around the central axis of the bolt 18 that extends vertically during bolt fastening, the right end portion 32 and the right-side bolt fastening portion 20b of the busbar 14 come into contact with each partition wall portion 42 and the peripheral wall portion 38, thereby preventing the rotational displacement. In short, the busbar 14 is assembled to the lower case 16 in such a way that rotational displacement around its vertically extending axis is impossible.

[0025] <Electrical component (fuse 22)> As a known type of fuse 22 can be used as an electrical component, a detailed explanation will be omitted, but it comprises a main body 44 and a pair of terminal portions 24, 24 (left terminal portion 24a and right terminal portion 24b) that protrude outward from the main body 44 in the left and right directions. That is, in Embodiment 1, the first direction in which each terminal portion 24a, 24b protrudes from the main body 44 is the left and right direction. Each terminal portion 24a, 24b has a bolt insertion hole (not shown) through which each bolt 18 is inserted. The right terminal portion 24b is superimposed on a bus bar 46 (shown as a dashed line in Figures 2 and 3) that extends from inside or outside the electrical connection box and fastened with a bolt 18. In Embodiment 1, the right terminal portion 24b is superimposed on from above the bus bar 46.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, when each terminal portion 24a, 24b is bolted and fixed to each bolt fastening portion 20a, 20b of the busbar 14, the anti-rotation projection 26 on the busbar 14 overlaps the main body portion 44 in the projection in the first direction (left-right direction) (side view from the left-right direction).

[0027] <Assembly Method of Circuit Component 10> In the first embodiment, the circuit component 10 is assembled by placing and fixing the busbars 14 and 46 in predetermined positions on the lower case 16, and then overlapping the left bolt fastening portion 20a of the busbar 14 and the terminal portions 24a and 24b of the fuse 22 from above onto the busbar 46. First, a bolt 18 is inserted through the overlapping portion of the left bolt fastening portion 20a and the left terminal portion 24a and fastened to the nut on the bolt fixing portion 40. Next, a bolt 18 is inserted through the overlapping portion of the busbar 46 and the right terminal portion 24b and fastened to the nut on the bolt fixing portion 40. This completes the circuit component 10 of the first embodiment. Note that the busbar 33 can be bolted to the right bolt fastening portion 20b at any time.

[0028] In the circuit configuration 10 of Embodiment 1, which has the shape described above, when the left terminal portion 24a is superimposed on the left bolt fastening portion 20a of the busbar 14 and fastened with the bolt 18, the bolt 18 is rotated in the direction of the white arrow in Figure 3 (clockwise with respect to the central axis extending in the vertical direction) to tighten it. At that time, the rotational force around the axis of the bolt 18 is exerted on the left terminal portion 24a, and an external force is exerted on the fuse 22 through the left terminal portion 24a in the same direction as the tightening force applied to the bolt 18 (in the direction of the white arrow). Therefore, an external force in the rotational direction is also exerted on the fuse 22 with respect to the left terminal portion 24a (bolt 18), but since the left terminal portion 24a and the anti-rotation projection 26 face each other in the front-rear direction, even if the fuse 22 is rotated, the left terminal portion 24a and the anti-rotation projection 26 come into contact with each other, suppressing further rotational displacement. As a result, the subsequent fastening of the right bolt 18 can also be performed stably, improving the work efficiency of the assembly work.

[0029] In particular, the busbar 14 having the left terminal portion 24a is fixed to the lower case 16 in a way that prevents rotation. As a result, rotational external forces acting on the fuse 22 are transmitted to the lower case 16 via the anti-rotation projection 26 (busbar 14), preventing the busbar 14 from rotating together with the fuse 22. Furthermore, since such anti-rotation projections 26 are provided on the busbar 14 that constitutes the current path 12 in the electrical junction box, it is not necessary to provide a separate component when adopting a mechanism to prevent rotation of the electrical component (fuse 22), thus avoiding problems such as an increase in the number of parts.

[0030] A slit 35 is provided at one end (left end) of the busbar 14. The left bolt fastening portion 20a is formed at the upper end of the left end 30, with the portion located on the left end side of the slit 35 with respect to the left side, and the anti-rotation projection 26 is formed at the portion located on the right side of the intermediate portion 28 with respect to the slit 35. In this way, by providing a slit 35 at the upper end of the left end 30 and dividing both the left and right sides of the slit 35, both the left bolt fastening portion 20a and the anti-rotation projection 26 can be provided at the upper end of the left end 30. As a result, the shape of the busbar 14 does not become too complex, and the busbar 14 can be formed by press working on a metal sheet.

[0031] The anti-rotation projection 26 overlaps the main body 44 of the fuse 22 in the projection in the first direction (left-right direction). This allows the anti-rotation projection 26 to be provided in a portion close to the main body 44, which tends to be dead space, eliminating the need to secure additional space for the anti-rotation projection 26 and thus avoiding an increase in the size of the circuit component 10.

[0032] <Modifications> Although Embodiment 1 has been described in detail above as a specific example of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited by this specific description. Modifications, improvements, etc., to the extent that they can achieve the purpose of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, the following modifications of the embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0033] (1) In the above embodiment, when the bolt 18 is fastened, the fuse 22 rotates together with the bolt 18, and rotational displacement of the fuse 22 is prevented by the contact between the left terminal portion 24a and the anti-rotation projection 26. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. That is, the part that contacts the anti-rotation projection to prevent the rotation of the fuse may be the body of the fuse instead of, or in addition to, the left terminal portion.

[0034] (2) In the above embodiment, the anti-rotation projection 26 was provided on the left side of the main body 44, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the anti-rotation projection may be provided on the right side of the main body. In this case, when fastening the left and right bolts, the right bolt is fastened first. If anti-rotation projections are provided on both the left and right sides of the main body, either the left or right bolt may be fastened first.

[0035] (3) In the above embodiment, the terminals 24a and 24b of the fuse 22 were fastened with bolts 18, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment and may be fastened with screws or bolts. Also, in the above embodiment, the fuse 22 was described as an electrical component of the present disclosure, but the invention is not limited to this embodiment and may be any electrical component that has terminals that are superimposed on the fastening portion of a busbar and fastened with bolts or the like.

[0036] (4) In the above embodiment, the busbar 14 and fuse 22 were held in the lower case 16 which served as the case, but the busbar and electrical components may be held in the upper case which served as the case.

[0037] (5) In the above embodiment, the anti-rotation projection 26 was formed in a substantially rectangular prism shape, but it may also be in the shape of a plate having a predetermined length. In either case, whether the anti-rotation projection is rectangular prism or plate-shaped, the anti-rotation projection may be provided in front of the bolt fastening portion, or in addition to being provided in the rear, as long as it comes into contact with the electrical component (e.g., fuse 22) as it rotates with the rotation of the bolt, thereby preventing the rotation of the electrical component.

[0038] (6) In the above embodiment, the busbar 14 equipped with the anti-rotation projection 26 was provided with a left bolt fastening portion 20a and a right bolt fastening portion 20b at both ends, but the embodiment is not limited to this. That is, the busbar provided with the anti-rotation projection may be a separate busbar from the busbar 14 that is superimposed on the left bolt fastening portion 20a of the busbar 14 described in Embodiment 1. In other words, in Embodiment 1, a busbar separate from the busbar 14 may be provided between the left bolt fastening portion 20a and the left terminal portion 24a, and the anti-rotation projection may be provided on this busbar separate from the busbar 14. Even if the busbar is separate from the busbar 14, it will constitute the current path 12 by being superimposed on the left bolt fastening portion 20a. In this case, it is preferable that the busbar provided with the anti-rotation projection is assembled to the busbar 14 and / or lower case 16 so as not to rotate in the same direction as the tightening force applied to the bolt 18 (the direction of the white arrow in Figure 3).

[0039] 10 Circuit component 12 Power supply path 14 Bus bar 16 Lower case (case) 18 Bolt 20 Bolt fastening section (fastening section) 20a Left side bolt fastening section 20b Right side bolt fastening section 22 Fuse (electrical component) 24 Terminal section 24a Left side terminal section 24b Right side terminal section 26 Anti-rotation projection 28 Middle section 30 Left end section 31 Bolt insertion hole 32 Right end section 33 Bus bar 34 Bolt insertion hole 35 Slit 36 ​​Bottom wall section 38 Peripheral wall section 40 Bolt fixing section 42 Partition wall section 44 Main body section 46 Bus bar

Claims

1. A circuit configuration comprising: a busbar that constitutes an electrical path and has a fastening portion; a case that holds the busbar; and an electrical component having a terminal portion that is superimposed on and fastened to the fastening portion of the busbar, wherein the busbar is integrally provided with an anti-rotation projection that protrudes from the fastening portion toward the terminal portion and faces the electrical component, and which contacts the electrical component to prevent the rotation of the electrical component when the terminal portion is fastened to the fastening portion.

2. The circuit configuration according to claim 1, wherein a slit opening toward the terminal portion is provided on one end of the busbar, the fastening portion is formed by a portion of the busbar located toward the one end of the busbar relative to the slit, and the anti-rotation projection rising perpendicular to the fastening portion is formed by a portion of the busbar located toward the middle of the busbar relative to the slit.

3. The circuit configuration according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrical component has a main body, the terminal portion is provided protruding outward from the main body in a first direction, and the anti-rotation projection overlaps the main body in projection in the first direction when the terminal portion is fastened to the fastening portion of the busbar.

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