Abstract:
The objectives of the present invention is to provide an electrical junction box that can sufficiently prevent the transmission of noises or vibrations emitted from an electrical component disposed inside of the electrical junction box. The electrical junction box includes: a relay having terminals; electrical wires connected to the terminals on the relay; and a casing body made of insulating resin containing the relay. The casing body is formed to have an accommodation portion that surrounds and contains the relay without contacting the same and a lead-out portion by which the electrical wires are led out of the accommodation portion. At least one of the following supporters is provided with: a first supporter for supporting the relay by an inner mold interposed between the relay and the inner face of the accommodation portion of the casing body; and a second supporter for supporting the relay via the electrical wires.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to electrical junction box mounted on vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0002]    The electrical junction box mounted on vehicles typically includes electrical components such as relays, fuses, fusible links or the like, a box body (casing body) made of insulation resin accommodating such electrical components, and external terminals electrically connecting the electrical components and external apparatuses. Further, an affixing portion provided in the box body is affixed on a vehicle panel by bolts. It is likely that when such an electrical junction box accommodates electrical components (i.e., relay) which generate noises or vibrations, the emitted noises or vibrations is transmitted to the vehicle body as solid-borne noises via the box body so as to make passengers feel uncomfortable. Under such a circumstance, the electrical junction box in which noise insulating properties are taken into account has been proposed (refer to PTL 1). 
         [0003]    The electrical junction box described in PTL 1 is configured to include a relay, an electrical circuit substrate and an apparatus body (casing body), and the relay is mounted on the electrical circuit substrate via a cushion material by which the transmission of noises or vibrations are prevented. 
       CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
       [0000]    
       
         PTL 1: JP 2000-164097 A 
       
     
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
       [0005]    However, according to the conventional electrical junction box as described in PTL 1, noises or vibrations of the relays are transmitted to the electrical circuit substrate via bus bars which electrically connect the relay terminals and the electrical circuit substrates, and since the electrical circuit substrates are affixed to the apparatus body (casing body) with bolts in a contact condition, such a problem is caused as that the noises or vibrations transmitted to the electrical circuit substrates are directly transmitted to the casing body. 
         [0006]    Under such a situation, the present invention aims to provide an electrical junction box which can effectively suppress the transmission of noises or vibrations generated at embedded electrical components. 
       Solution to Problem 
       [0007]    To attain the above described objectives, the electrical junction box set forth in one aspect of the present invention includes: an electrical component equipped with a terminal; an electrical connection member connected to the terminal of the electrical component; a casing body made of insulation resin and accommodating the electrical components; and at least one of a first supporter supporting the electrical component by a first support member interposed between the electrical component and an inner face of an accommodation portion, and a second supporter supporting the electrical component via the electrical connection member, wherein the casing body is formed to include the accommodation portion which contactlessly accommodates the electrical component in a manner surrounding the electrical component, and a lead-out portion leading the electrical connection member out from the accommodation portion. 
         [0008]    The electrical junction box in a first preferred aspect of the present invention is the electrical junction box according to the one aspect of the present invention, wherein the first support member is made of elastic material having vibration-free property and surrounds the electrical component with no gaps therebetween, and the electrical junction box is provided in close contact with the inner face of the accommodation portion, and wherein the first support member is provided with an insertion portion having the electrical connection member insert thereinto. 
         [0009]    The electrical junction box in a second preferred aspect of the present invention is the electrical junction box according to the one aspect or the first preferred aspect of the present invention, wherein the second supporter is formed to include a second support member made of elastic material having vibration-free property, the second support member interposed between the electrical connection member and the lead-out portion, and wherein the second support member surrounds the electrical connection member with no gaps therebetween and is provided in close contact with an inner periphery of the lead-out portion. 
         [0010]    The electrical junction box in a third preferred aspect of the present invention is the electrical junction box according to any one of the one aspect to the second preferred aspect of the present invention, wherein the accommodation portion is composed of a hole having an opening that opens toward one side, and a cover portion for covering the opening of the hole, and wherein the first support member is configured to include an innermost-side member provided at an innermost-side of the hole and an opening-side member provided at the opening-side of the hole as well as at the cover portion side. 
       Advantageous Effects of Invention 
       [0011]    According to the invention in the one aspect of the present invention, since the electrical component is supported by at least one of the first supporter supporting the electrical component by the first support member interposed between the electrical component and the inner face of the accommodation portion, and the second supporter supporting the electrical component via the electrical connection member, the electrical component is contactlessly supported with respect to the accommodation portion, and the electrical component is accommodated in the accommodation portion in a manner surrounded by the accommodation portion. Thereby, even when noises or vibrations are generated at the electrical component, the noises or vibrations are prevented from being directly transmitted to the accommodation portion. 
         [0012]    According to the invention in the first preferred aspect of the present invention, since the first support member is made of an elastic material having vibration-free property, noises or vibrations transmitted from the electrical component to the inner face of the accommodation portion via the first support member are attenuated. Thereby, noise insulating property and vibration-free property thereof can be further enhanced. Further, since the first support member surrounds the electrical component and the first support member is provided with the inner face of the accommodation portion in close contact thereto, noises generated at the electrical component can be prevented from leaking out. Further, since the insertion portion is formed in the first support member and the electrical connection member is led out through the insertion portion, noises and vibrations leaked out by their propagation on the electrical wire can also be suppressed. 
         [0013]    According to the invention recited in the second preferred aspect of the present invention, since the second supporter is configured to include the second support member made of elastic material having vibration-free property, the second support member interposed between the electrical connection member and the lead-out portion, noises or vibrations transmitted from electrical component to the lead-out portion via the electrical connection member and the second support member are attenuated. Thereby, noise insulating property and vibration-free property thereof can further be enhanced. Further, since the second support member surrounds the electrical connection member with no gaps therebetween and the second support member is provided in close contact with the inner periphery of the lead-out portion, noises generated at the electrical component and propagating via the electrical wire can be prevented from leaking out to the outside of the accommodation portion. 
         [0014]    According to the invention recited in the third preferred aspect of the present invention, since the accommodation portion is composed of the hole and the cover portion, and the first support member is configured to include the innermost-side member and the opening-side member, that is, first support member is divided into two pieces by the innermost-side and opening-side of the hole. Thereby, the assembly procedures when accommodating the electrical component and the first support member in the accommodation portion can be optimized. Specifically, the innermost-side member is firstly set in the accommodation portion, subsequently, the electrical component are made supported therein. Next, the opening member is set in the accommodation portion in a state where the opening member is in close contact with the innermost-side member and the electrical component. Subsequently, the accommodation portion is closed by the cover portion. Thereby, the electrical component and the first support member can be securely assembled to the accommodation portion. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the electrical junction box according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the electrical junction box. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the electrical component accommodated in the casing body. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is an upper facial view of the casing body. 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a right side facial view of the casing body. 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a view of a bottom face of the casing body. 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view indicated by arrow A line in  FIG. 6 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view indicated by arrow B line in  FIG. 6 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  is a view explaining assembly procedures of an electrical junction box. 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  is a view explaining assembly procedures of an electrical junction box. 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  is a view showing a first support member in an electrical junction box according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     First Embodiment 
       [0026]    The electrical junction box according to a first embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 10 . 
         [0027]    An electrical junction box  1 A is mounted, for example, on a vehicle having idling stop function, and in normal driving mode of the vehicle, as for a plurality of large-capacity batteries, the electrical junction box  1 A supplies electrical power to many types of electrical components from all of the batteries, while in idling mode of the same, the electrical junction box  1 A implements current-applying control by which supplying electrical power from the batteries is stopped, reserving a part of the electrical power for charging. The electrical junction box  1 A includes a relay  11  having a large capacity as an electrical component, an electrical wire  12  for electrification connected to a terminal  112  of the relay  11 , and a casing body  13  in which the relay  11  is accommodated.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the electrical junction box  1 A, and  FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the electrical junction box  1 A. Further,  FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the relay  11  accommodated in the casing body  13 . Further,  FIGS. 4-8  are views explaining a casing body  131  constituting the casing body  13 , and  FIGS. 9 and 10  are views explaining assembly procedures of the electrical junction box  1 A. 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the relay  11  includes a relay body  111 , a pair of the terminals  112  to which electrical wire  12  is connected, and a control connector  114  connected to the relay body  111  via a control electrical wire  113 . The control connector  114  is, as shown in  FIG. 1 , exposed to the outside of the electrical junction box  1 A in appearance. The control connector  114  is connected to a connector of an external control electrical wire which is not shown. Then, control signals are transmitted to the relay  11  via the control connector  114 , the control electrical wire  113 , and the external control electrical wire so as to open and close the inner contact of the relay  11 , and opening and closing operations of the inner contact of the relay  11  are performed in response to the control signal. 
         [0029]    In the electrical wire  12 , first end round terminals  127  are connected to the terminals  112  of the relay  11  by nuts  121 , and second end round terminals  128  are connected to external connection terminals  131   a  by nuts  122 . The electrical junction box  1 A is provided with a pair of the electrical wires  12 . 
         [0030]    The casing body  13  is configured with the casing body  131  made of synthetic resin, a cover member  132  made of synthetic resin partially covering the lower end portion of the casing body  131  and affixed to the casing body  131  by engagement of engaging claws, and a cover portion  133   b  covering a hole  133   a  that opens to a remaining part of the lower end portion of the casing body  131  and affixed to the casing body  131  by screws  133   c . The hole  133   a  will be described later. The casing body  13  is formed to include an accommodation portion  133  which contactlessly accommodates the relay  11  in a manner surrounding the relay  11 , and lead-out portions  134  through which electrical wires  12  are led out from the accommodation portion  133 . 
         [0031]    Hereinafter, the casing body  131  is described with reference to  FIGS. 4 to 8 .  FIG. 4  is a view of the upper face of the casing body  131 ,  FIG. 5  is a right side facial view of the casing body  131 ,  FIG. 6  is a view of the bottom face of the casing body  131 ,  FIG. 7  is a sectional view indicated by arrow A line in  FIG. 6 , and  FIG. 8  is a sectional view indicated by arrow B line in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0032]    The casing body  131  includes a lower periphery projection part  131   b  which is formed by the lower periphery located at the cover member  132  side and projecting forward. At each of the right and left end sides of the lower periphery projection part  131   b , there is provided the external connection terminal  131   a . The cover member  132  is affixed thereto with covering the lower face of the lower periphery projection part  131   b . Further, the casing body  131  includes an upper periphery projection part  131   c  projecting in the rearward direction that is the opposite direction to the lower periphery projection part  131   b . At the right and left end sides of the upper periphery projection part  131   c , there are provided collar including penetration holes  137 ,  138  through which bolts for affixing the electrical junction box  1 A to a predetermined attachment location are to pass. In this embodiment, among the two right and left penetration holes  137 ,  138 , the penetration hole  138  which is shown in the upper area in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , is formed in an elongated-hole shape. A dimensional tolerance at the positions of the penetration holes  137 ,  138  is absorbed by this elongated-hole shape. Further, on the upper face of the casing body  131 , there is provided a connector retaining portion  131   d  in which the control connector  114  shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  is fitted and is retained thereby. 
         [0033]    The accommodation portion  133  provided in the casing body  13 , is configured with the hole  133   a  which is provided at the casing body  131  and opens downwardly, and the cover portion  133   b  which closes the opening of the hole  133   a  as shown in  FIGS. 6 to 8 . The relay  11  is received within the hole  133   a  which corresponds to the accommodation portion  133 , in a posture that the terminals  112  thereof are opposing to the cover portion  133   b.    
         [0034]    The lead-out portion  134  is a cylindrical cut-out portion provided at both of the side walls of the hole  133   a . The electrical wire  12  in which the first end round terminal  127  is connected to the terminals  112  of the relay  11 , is led out to the outside of the hole  133   a  through the lead-out portion  134 . Further, in a rear face of the lower periphery projection part  131   b , the rear face covered by the cover member  132 , there is provided a pair of right and left routing grooves  131   d  which introduces each of the right and left electrical wires  12  to the external connection terminal  131   a . The electrical wire  12  is firstly led out from the lead-out portion  134 , and subsequently, the electrical wire  12  is introduced toward the external connection terminal  131   a  by passing through the inside of the routing groove  131   d . At the location where the electrical wire  12  is introduced, a second end round terminal  128  is connected to the external connection terminal  131   a . Electrical wires led out from the above-described batteries and not shown various electrical equipment are connected to the external connection terminal  131   a.    
         [0035]    Further, a first control lead-out portion  135  and a second control lead-out portion  136  are provided in a vicinity of the lead-out portion  134  shown in  FIG. 8  among the right and left lead-out portions  134 . The first control lead-out portion  135  is a member which takes out the control electrical wire  113  shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3  from the hole  133   a . The first control lead-out portion  135  is formed to be a cut-out portion which is deeper than the lead-out portion  134 , the first control lead-out portion  135  being continued to the lead-out portion  134 . The second control lead-out portion  136  is a member which takes out the control electrical wire  113  down to a route extending to the control connector  114  that is retained by the connector retaining portion  131   d  via the outside of the casing body  131 . The second control lead-out portion  136  is formed to be a cut-out portion adjacent to the first control lead-out portion  135 . The control electrical wire  113  is led out to the outside of the casing body  131  via the first control lead-out portion  135  and the second control lead-out portion  136 , and the control connector  114  at the tip thereof is retained by the connector retaining portion  131   d.    
         [0036]    Here, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the electrical junction box  1 A is configured to include an inner mold  14  (first support member) in which the first supporter that supports the relay  11  is interposed between the relay  11  and the inner face of the accommodation portion  133 . Further, the second supporter is configured to include a soft tape  15  (second support member) that is interposed between the electrical wire  12  and the lead-out portion  134 . The second supporter supports the relay  11  via the electrical wire  12  and is wound by the electrical wire  12 . 
         [0037]    In this embodiment, the inner mold  14  is configured to include an innermost-side member  141  provided at the innermost-side of the hole  133   a  in the accommodation portion  133 , and an opening-side member  142  provided at opening-side of the hole  133   a  and at the cover portion  133   b  side. Each of the members is made of urethane foam as elastic material and has a vibration-free property. In each of the members, there is provided a concave in which the relay  11  is fitted. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the relay  11  is clamped from up and down by these two members and is accommodated in the accommodation portion  133  in a state where the relay  11  is surrounded by the inner mold  14  with no gaps therebetween. Further, when the relay  11  is being accommodated, the inner mold  14  is in close contact with the inner face of the accommodation portion  133 . Further, at the right and left side faces of the opening-side member  142  which serves as the inner mold  14 , an insertion portion  143  into which the electrical wire  12  is inserted, is formed in a cylindrical cut-out portion-like shape. 
         [0038]    The soft tape  15  is a resilient member and is wound around a vicinity of the first end of the electrical wire  12  that is connected to the terminals  112  of the relay  11 . Then, the soft tape  15  is fitted into a space that is formed by the insertion portion  143  of the opening-side member  142  in the inner mold  14  and by the lead-out portion  134  in the casing body  13 . 
         [0039]    According to the electrical junction box  1 A of this embodiment, the relay  11  are contactlessly supported with respect to the accommodation portion  133  by the two support members consisted of the inner mold  14  and the soft tape  15  that are elastic materials, each of which has vibration-free property. Further, the relay  11  is accommodated in the accommodation portion  133  in a manner surrounded by the accommodation portion  133 . Thereby, even when noises or vibrations are generated at the relay  11 , the noises or vibrations are prevented from being directly transmitted to the accommodation portion  133 , that is, the casing body  13 . Furthermore, since the two support members are made of elastic materials having vibration-free property, noises or vibrations transmitted to the inner face of the accommodation portion  133  from the relay  11  via the inner mold  14  are attenuated, and noises or vibrations transmitted to the lead-out portion  134  from the relay  11  via the electrical wire  12  or the soft tape  15  are attenuated. Thereby, noise insulating property and vibration-free property thereof can be further enhanced. 
         [0040]    Further, according to the electrical junction box  1 A of this embodiment, noises generated at the relay  11  can be prevented from leaking out by the inner mold  14  surrounding the relay  11  without creating any gaps therebetween, and by the inner mold  14  being provided with the inner face of the accommodation portion  133  in close contact thereto. Further, since the insertion portion  143  is formed in the inner mold  14  and the electrical wire  12  is led out through the insertion portion  143 , noises and vibrations leaked out by their propagation on the electrical wire  12  can also be suppressed. 
         [0041]    Further, according to the electrical junction box  1 A of this embodiment, noises generated at the relay  11  and propagating via the electrical wire  12  can be prevented from leaking out to the outside of the accommodation portion  133  by letting the soft tape  15  surround the relay  11  without creating any gaps therebetween and by providing the soft tape  15  with the inner periphery of the lead-out portion  134  in close contact thereto. 
         [0042]    Further, according to the electrical junction box  1 A of this embodiment, the accommodation portion  133  is composed of the hole  133   a  of the casing body  131  and the cover portion  133   b , and the inner mold  14  is configured to include the innermost-side member  141  and the opening-side member  142 . That is, the inner mold  14  is at least divided into two pieces by the innermost-side and the opening-side of the hole  133   a . Thereby, the assembly procedures when accommodating the relay  11  and the inner mold  14  in the accommodation portion  133  can be optimized. Specifically, the innermost-side member  142  is firstly set in the hole  133   a  of the casing body  131  as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . Subsequently, the relay  11  is fitted in the innermost-side member  142  and is supported therein. Next, the opening-side member  142  is set in the hole  133   a  in a state where the opening-side member  142  is in close contact with the innermost-side member  142  and the relay  11 . Subsequently, the hole  133   a  is closed by the cover portion  133   b  (refer to  FIG. 2 ), thereby, the relay  11  and the inner mold  14  can be securely and easily assembled to the accommodation portion  133 . 
       Second Embodiment 
       [0043]    Next, the electrical junction box according to a second embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to  FIG. 11 . Incidentally, the electrical junction box according to this second embodiment is equivalent to the electrical junction box  1 A of the first embodiment except for the inner mold as the first support member which supports the relay  11 . Hereinafter, the electrical junction box according to the second embodiment is described focusing on the inner mold which is a difference from the electrical junction box  1 A of the first embodiment. Further, as for the components shown in  FIG. 11  that are the equivalent to the components of the electrical junction box  1 A shown in  FIGS. 1 to 10  in accordance with the first embodiment, the same reference numbers as those are assigned to the components shown in  FIG. 11 . Hence, the duplicate descriptions of the same components will be omitted hereinafter. 
         [0044]    In the electrical junction box according to the second embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 11 , an inner mold  21  is configured to include a first member  211  and a second member  212  which clamp the relay  11  from the right and left sides thereof. Also in this embodiment, each of these members is made of urethane foam as elastic material and possesses vibration-free property. Each member is provided with a concave in which the relay  11  is set, and the relay  11  is clamped from the right and left sides thereof and is accommodated in the accommodation portion  133  (refer to  FIG. 2 ) in a state surrounded by the inner mold  21  without creating any gaps therebetween. In this embodiment, the electrical junction box is assembled in the procedure in which the relay  11  is firstly clamped from the right and left sides thereof by the first member  211  and the second member  212 , subsequently, the clamped stuff is set in the hole  133   a  of the accommodation portion  133 , and in final, the hole  133   a  is covered by the cover portion  133   b.    
         [0045]    Further, in each of the first member  211  and the second member  212 , the control electrical wire  113  extending to the control connector  114  and slits  211   a ,  212   a  through which the electrical wire  12  (refer to  FIG. 2 ) connected to the terminals  112  are passed, is provided on an opposing surface opposed to the cover portion  133   b , the opposing surface facing upward when the above-described assembly procedures are implemented. When assembling, the control electrical wire  113  and the electrical wire  12  can be easily routed by pushing them toward the slits  211   a ,  212   a  from upward. Further, since the control electrical wire  113  is supported in a state being sandwiched between the slits  211   a ,  212   a , the generation of gaps at a passing part of the control electrical wire  113  is suppressed, and noises generated at the passing part and leaking out therefrom are also suppressed. 
         [0046]    In the electrical junction box according to the above-described second embodiment, vibrations generated at the relay  11  are absorbed by the inner mold  21  and the soft tape  15  (refer to  FIG. 2 ), and the propagations of the vibrations toward the casing body  13  are suppressed. Thereby, strange noises caused by the vibrations generated at the relay  11  are suppressed. 
         [0047]    The above-described embodiments are to merely show representative exemplifications of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. That is, the present invention can be implemented by various modifications without departing from the gist thereof. 
         [0048]    For example, although in each of the embodiments, the electrical wire  12  has been exemplified as an electrical connection member which connects the terminals  112  and the external connection terminal  131   a , the electrical connection member is not limited to an electrical wire, the electrical connection member may also be a bus bar, for example. 
         [0049]    Further although in each of the embodiments, an aspect in which the relay  11  is supported by the two supporters consisted of the first supporter having the inner mold  21  and the second supporter having the soft tape  15  is exemplified, the supporter which supports the relay  11  may be solely consisted of the one of the supporter. Further, as for the support consisted of the second supporter solely, the resilient member such as the soft tape  15  may not be provided, and the electrical wire  12  may be affixed at a vicinity of the lead-out portion  134 . In this case, the relay  11  may be supported solely by elasticity of the electrical wire  12  with respect to the casing body  13  in a contactless manner. 
         [0050]    Further, although in each of the embodiments, the inner mold  14  made of urethane foam is exemplified as the first support member interposed between the relay  11  and the inner face of the accommodation portion  133 , the first support member is not limited to be made of urethane foam. The first support member may be made of rubber or resin, or may be made by blowing polyurethane onto the relay  11 , or may be made of/by the like. 
         [0051]    Further, although in each of the embodiments, the electrical junction boxes  1 A,  1 B accommodating one relay have been exemplified for the electrical junction box, the electrical junction box may be the one which accommodates multiple relays, or may be the one which accommodates more than one relay, a fuse, and an electrical circuit substrate or the like. The electrical junction box may be the one which accommodates electrical components other than the relay. 
       REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       [0000]    
       
           1 A electrical junction box 
           11  relay 
           12  electrical wire 
           13  casing body 
           14 ,  21  inner mold 
           15  soft tape 
           112  terminal 
           131  casing body 
           131   a  external connection terminal 
           133  accommodation portion 
           133   a  hole 
           133   b  cover portion 
           134  lead-out portion 
           141  innermost-side member 
           142  opening-side member 
           211  first member 
           212  second member