Electrical connection box

The electrical connection box includes a block and a frame which accommodates the block. The block is configured to include a terminal support section which supports a relief terminal section of a bus bar in a state in which the relief terminal section of a bus bar is protruded, and a first cover support section which is provided in the vicinity of the terminal support section. The frame is configured to include an insertion hole into which the relief terminal section is inserted when the block is accommodated, and a second cover support section which is provided in the vicinity of the insertion hole. A terminal cover is rotatably supported around a shaft section, with the shaft section being interposed between the first cover support section and the second cover support section in an accommodation state in which the block is accommodated in the frame.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electrical connection box mounted on a vehicle, and more particularly, to an electrical connection box including a bus bar with a relief terminal section.

BACKGROUND ART

An electrical connection box mounted on a vehicle has various structures according to a vehicle type. However, for example, an electrical connection box has a structure including a block on which electrical components are mounted, a frame which accommodates the block, and a cover such as an upper cover, a lower cover, or a side cover which covers the block and the frame. The block or the frame is generally a molded article made of an insulating resin. In addition to bus bars connected to an external power supply, electrical components, such as various relays, fuses and fusible links, are mounted on the block. A cavity for accommodating the block is formed in the frame. Also, a relief terminal may be provided in the bus bar so as to supply power from an external power supply by using a booster cable at the time of battery exhaustion. A structure of an electrical connection box including the relief terminal is suggested (e.g., refer to Patent Literatures 1 and 2).

The relief terminal described in Patent Literature 1 is provided in a type of (similar) power supply box of the electrical connection box. As illustrated inFIG. 8, the electrical connection box includes a base101, a main cover102, and a bus bar103mounted on the base101. The relief terminal104is provided in a bus bar103. Furthermore, an opening105exposing the relief terminal104to the outside is formed in the main cover102, and a sub cover106covering the opening105and the relief terminal104is attached. A hinge shaft107provided in the sub cover106and a bearing108made of an arc piece provided in the main cover102are mutually latched. Therefore, the sub cover106is rotatably supported to the main cover102over a position covering the relief terminal104and a position exposing the relief terminal104.

On the other hand, a relief terminal described in Patent Literature 2 is provided in an electrical connection box including a block and a frame as described above. As illustrated inFIG. 9, a bus bar112is mounted on a block111, and the relief terminal113is provided to protrude from a hole section114of the block111. Also, a terminal support plate115protruding from an edge portion of the hole section114is integrally formed in the block111, and the relief terminal113is provided along the terminal support plate115. The relief terminal113and the terminal support plate115are grasped together by a clamp of a booster cable, and it is configured to prevent the disengagement of the clamp. Also, the block constitutes a box body accommodated in a frame (not illustrated). A cavity accommodating the block and an opening passing through the relief terminal113and the terminal support plate115are formed in the frame.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

However, as in the electrical connection box of the related art, which is described in Patent Literature 1, the structure in which the bearing108made of the arc piece is formed in the main cover102and the hinge shaft107of the sub cover106is supported to the bearing108has a problem that the bearing108and the hinge shaft107considerably protrude from the box body, thereby increasing the size of the electrical connection box. Also, when the main cover102is manufactured by injection molding, the shape of the bearing108made of the arc piece is complicated. Therefore, in a manufacturing facility using a typical mold, a die cutting becomes difficult or the size of the manufacturing facility is increased due to the necessity of using a slide mold. For such reasons, it is disadvantageous in terms of manufacturing efficiency or manufacturing costs.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connection box that can be made small while improving manufacturing efficiency and preventing an increase in manufacturing costs.

Solution to Problem

In order to achieve the above object, an electrical connection box described in a first aspect includes: a bus bar which includes a relief terminal section; a block which is made of an insulating resin and on which the bus bar is mounted; a frame which is made of an insulating resin and accommodates the block; and a terminal cover which covers the relief terminal section, wherein the block is configured to include a terminal support section which supports the relief terminal section in a state in which the relief terminal section is protruded, and a first cover support section which is provided in the vicinity of the terminal support section, the frame is configured to include an insertion hole into which the relief terminal section is inserted when the block is accommodated, and a second cover support section which is provided in the vicinity of the insertion hole, and the terminal cover is rotatably supported around a shaft section of the terminal cover, with the shaft section being interposed between the first cover support section and the second cover support section in an accommodation state in which the block is accommodated in the frame.

The electrical connection box described in a second aspect is characterized in that, in the electrical connection box described in the first aspect, the second cover support section is configured to include a semicircular arc section which extends from an edge portion of the insertion hole, is bent to have a semicircular arc shape, and is opened at a side of the first cover support section, and the shaft section is fitted into the semicircular arc section to allow the terminal cover to be held in the frame.

The electrical connection box described in a third aspect is characterized in that, in the electrical connection box described in the first or second aspect, the terminal support section is formed to have a cantilever plate shape capable of supporting the relief terminal section along one surface of the protruded relief terminal section, and the first cover support section, which is swollen in an in-plane direction of the relief terminal section, is formed in a base end portion of the terminal support section.

The electrical connection box described in a fourth aspect is characterized in that, in the electrical connection box described in any one of the first to third aspects, a cover protection section is disposed in the vicinity of the relief terminal section and is disposed at a front edge side of the relief terminal section rather than the terminal cover which is rotated to a position exposing the relief terminal section.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the invention described in the first aspect, the first cover support section is formed in the block, and the second cover support section is formed in the frame. The terminal cover is rotatably supported around the shaft section, with the shaft section of the terminal cover being interposed between the first cover support section and the second cover support section. Therefore, the structure of each of the first cover support section and the second cover support section can be simplified. Also, the first cover support section and the second cover support section are configured to hold the shaft section from both sides of the accommodating direction of accommodating the block in the frame. By this configuration, the bearing section, which is configured by combining the first and second cover support sections, need not protrude to the outside of the electrical connection box. Therefore, the size of the electrical connection box can be reduced. That is, at the assembling of accommodating the block in the frame, the shaft section of the terminal cover is located at one of the first and second cover support sections and is interposed between one of the first and second cover support sections and the other thereof at the same time as the assembling. Therefore, since the terminal cover need not be mounted from the outside of the electrical connection box, the position of the bearing section can be set relatively freely. Furthermore, the first and second cover support sections are dividedly arranged in the block and the frame, respectively. Therefore, it is unnecessary to provide a circular arc piece having a complicated shape as in the bearing section of the related art. The die cutting is facilitated when the block and the frame are manufactured by injection molding. The structure of the mold can also be simplified. The simplification of the manufacturing facility or the reduction of the manufacturing costs can be achieved.

According to the invention described in the second aspect, since the second cover support section is formed to include the semicircular arc section opened at the side of the first cover support section, the semicircular arc section is opened along the accommodating direction of the block with respect to the frame. Therefore, when the frame is manufactured by injection molding, the frame including the semicircular arc section can be integrally formed without using a slide mold. Also, the shaft section is fitted into the semicircular arc section and the terminal cover is held in the frame. Thus, if the terminal cover is held at the time of the assembling of accommodating the block in the frame, an operator nee not press the terminal cover by hand or use other holder. Therefore, the assembling operation can be easily performed.

According to the invention described in the third aspect, the terminal support section is formed to have a cantilever plate shape along one surface of the relief terminal section, and the relief terminal section is supported to the terminal support section in the out-of-plane direction. Therefore, the deformation of the relief terminal can be prevented when the relief terminal section is grasped by the clamp of the booster cable. The grasping force of the clamp can be received by not only the terminal support section but also the relief terminal section, and the disengagement of the clamp can be prevented. Also, since the first cover support section is formed to be swollen from the base end portion of the terminal support section, the strength of the first cover support section can be increased as compared with the case where the first cover support section is formed as an independent protrusion or the like. The mold shape for forming the terminal support section and the first cover support section can be simplified.

According to the invention described in the fourth aspect, the cover protection section is provided in the frame, and the cover protection section is disposed at the front end side of the relief terminal section rather than the terminal cover which is rotated to the position exposing the relief terminal section. Therefore, when the relief terminal section is grasped by the clamp of the booster cable, the movement of the clamp toward the base end side of the relief terminal section can be restricted by the cover protection section, and the collision of the clamp and the damage to the terminal cover can be prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an electrical connection box according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference toFIGS. 1A to 7B. The electrical connection box according to the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle to supply power to and transmit a signal to electronic devices mounted on the vehicle. Also, in the present invention, a junction block (also called “junction box”), a fuse block (also called “fuse box”), and a relay block (also called “relay box”) are collectively referred to as an electrical connection box.

As illustrated inFIGS. 1A and 1B, an electrical connection box includes is configured to include a box body in which a frame1and a block2accommodated in the frame1are combined together. The electrical connection box is configured to further include a lower cover (not illustrated) covering a lower side of the box body, and an upper cover (not illustrated) covering an upper side of the box body. InFIG. 1B, among a plurality of blocks, a block (connection block)2is illustrated which includes an electrical connection section2A to which a power line from an external battery or the like is connected. Also, the frame1illustrated inFIG. 1Aand the block2illustrated inFIG. 1Bare illustrated with different scales. The block2ofFIG. 1Bis illustrated to be larger in scale than the frame1ofFIG. 1A.

The frame1is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed by a known injection molding. The frame1is configured to include a plurality of outer wall sections1A surrounding an outer periphery of the frame1, an inner wall section1B partitioning the inside of the frame1, and a plurality of cavities1C and1D partitioned by the inner wall section1B to accommodate the block2. Also, in the frame1, an upright wall1E is provided around the electrical connection section2A of the block2, and a terminal cover4is held to cover a relief terminal section3B of a bus bar3to be described below.

The block2is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed by a known injection molding. The block2is configured to include the electrical connection section2A and a component mounting section2B on which a plurality of electrical components (a relay, a fuse, or the like) is mounted. Also, in the block2, the bus bar3is provided over the electrical connection section2A and the component mounting section2B and is mounted to supply power to the plurality of electrical components. A bolt block (not illustrated) is attached to the electrical connection section2A. The power line and the bus bar3are connected together through a bolt5of the bolt block (seeFIGS. 3A,3B, and the like). Furthermore, a terminal support section2C is formed in the electrical connection section2A. The terminal support section2C protrudes upward from an upper surface section21of the electrical connection section2A in a cantilever plate shape, is provided along the relief terminal section3B of the bus bar3, and supports the relief terminal section3B.

The bus bar3is made of a conductive metal and is formed by a punching process or a bending process. The bus bar3is configured to include a main terminal section3A located in the electrical connection section2A of the block2and connected to the bolt5, a relief terminal section3B which connects another external power supply at the time of battery exhaustion, and a plurality of component terminal sections (not illustrated) which extends to the component mounting section2B and to which the plurality of electrical components is connected, respectively. The main terminal section3A is exposed to the electrical connection section2A and includes a bolt insertion hole3C into which the bolt5is inserted. The relief terminal section3B protrudes upward from the block2, and one side of the relief terminal section3B is provided along the terminal support section2C of the block2.

The above-described block2is assembled with the frame1in a direction from a lower side toward an upper side (that is, an accommodating direction X) ofFIGS. 1A and 1Ba in a state in which the bus bar3, the bolt block, or the electrical component is mounted. Therefore, the electrical connection section2A is accommodated in the cavity1C and the component mounting section2B is accommodated in the cavity1D. Also, by pressing the block2up to an accommodation position, a plurality of engagement sections2D provided around circumferential walls of the block2are engaged with lock pieces (not illustrated) provided in the outer wall section1A or the inner wall section1B of the frame1. In this way, the frame1and the block2are mutually fixed.

Next, a detailed configuration of the frame1, the block2, and the terminal cover4will be described with reference toFIGS. 2A to 5. In the frame1, an upper surface section11and side surface sections12and13are provided at positions adjacent to the upright wall1E. An upper side and a lateral side of the cavity1D are surrounded by the upper surface section11and the side surface sections12and13. An insertion hole14, into which the relief terminal section3B and the terminal support section2C are inserted, is formed in the upper surface section11. A rising wall15is formed at an edge portion of an upright wall1E side in the insertion hole14. Each of upper edge portions of the side surface section13and the rising wall15is formed to be inclined in a height direction along a length direction of the insertion hole14(a horizontal direction ofFIGS. 2A to 3B, an in-plane direction of the relief terminal section3B). A rising section16is formed in a side having a high inclination (a right side ofFIGS. 2A to 3B). The rising section16is formed to have a U-shaped cross-section continuous to the side surface section13and the rising wall15. In the rising section16, a locking piece16A is provided to lock the terminal cover4. A plurality of rib sections17(six rib sections17in the present embodiment) protruding upward is provided in the upper surface section11between the upright wall1E and the rising wall15.

Furthermore, in the frame1, a second cover support section18is formed in a side opposite to the rising section16(a left side ofFIGS. 2A to 3B), with the insertion hole14being interposed therebetween. The second cover support section18extends upward from an upper edge of the side surface section12that is an edge portion of the insertion hole14. The terminal cover4is supported, with a shaft section44thereof being interposed between the second cover support section18and a first cover support section25to be described below. The second cover support section18is configured to include a semicircular arc section18A which is bent from an upper end on a side of the rising section16and is opened downward (side of the first cover support section25). The second cover support section18, in which the semicircular arc section18A is formed to have a semicircular arc shape, is integrally formed with the frame1, including the semicircular arc section18A. As a molding mold of the second cover support section18, it is possible to use a molding mold which is opened in a vertical direction along the side surface sections12and13or the like. The frame1molded with respect to a mold (lower mold) of one side can be punched upward.

On the other words, in the electrical connection section2A of the block2, an upper surface section21and side surface sections22and23are formed at positions corresponding to the upper surface section11and the side surface sections12and13of the frame1, respectively. In a state in which the electrical connection section2A of the block2is accommodated in the cavity1D of the frame1, the upper surface section21and the side surface sections22and23are disposed along the inner surfaces of the upper surface section11and the side surface sections12and13of the frame1, respectively. The terminal support section2C of the block2is formed in a cantilever plate shape extending upward from the upper surface section21. A slit-shaped hole section24, into which the relief terminal section3B is inserted, is formed in a base end portion of the terminal support section2C. Furthermore, the first cover support section25is formed in the base end portion of the terminal support section2C. The first cover support section25is swollen in a direction intersecting with a protruding direction (up direction) of the relief terminal section3B inserted into the hole section24and in an in-plane direction of the relief terminal section3B (horizontal direction ofFIGS. 2A to 3B). The first cover support section25is integrally formed with the terminal support section2C and extends in a vertical direction that is a protruding direction of the terminal support section2C. A concave section25A is formed in an upper end portion of the first cover support section25. The concave section25A faces the semicircular arc section18A of the second cover support section18and constitutes a cylindrical bearing section together with an inner peripheral surface of the semicircular arc section18A.

As illustrated inFIG. 3A to 5, the terminal cover4is configured to include a top surface section41and left and right side surface sections42and43and thus has a substantially U-shaped cross-section as a whole. The side surface section42of one side (upright wall1E side) is configured to cover the relief terminal section3B along the terminal support section2C, and the side surface section43of the other side is configured to cover the relief terminal section3B along the relief terminal section3B. Also, front edges of the side surface sections42and43(edges opposite to the top surface section41) are formed to have an inclination corresponding to upper edges of the side surface section13and the rising wall15of the frame1. Furthermore, a shaft section44is formed in the terminal cover4. The shaft section44is extended by connecting one end portion of the front edge side of the side surface section42and one end portion of the front edge side of the side surface section43. A locking protrusion45, which is locked to the locking piece16A of the frame1, is formed in the vicinity of the top surface section41of the side opposite to the shaft section44. The terminal cover4is rotatably supported, with the shaft section44being interposed between the concave section25A of the first cover support section25and the semicircular arc section18A of the second cover support section18. The terminal cover4is configured to be openable or closable over a cover position covering the relief terminal section3B as illustrated inFIG. 3Aand a non-cover position exposing the relief terminal section3B as illustrated inFIG. 3B.

Also, as illustrated inFIGS. 1A and 1B, the terminal cover4is in a temporarily attached state of being temporarily held in the frame1by fitting the shaft section44into the semicircular arc section18A of the second cover support section18before the assembling of the frame1and the block2. By assembling the block2with the frame1and facing the concave section25A of the first cover support section25below the semicircular arc section18A, the shaft section44is interposed between the semicircular arc section18A and the concave section25A. Therefore, the terminal cover4is in a mainly attached state of being non-detachably supported. In the mainly attached state, the locking protrusion45is locked to the locking piece16A of the frame1by the rotation to the cover position. The front edge of the side surface section42abuts against the upper edge of the rising wall15. The front edge of the side surface section43abuts against the upper edge of the side surface section13. Therefore, the relief terminal section3B and the relief terminal section3B are covered.

In the above-described electrical connection box, in a case where power is supplied from another external power supply to the bus bar3at the time of battery exhaustion, as illustrated inFIG. 6, the relief terminal section3B is exposed by rotating the terminal cover4to the non-cover position, and the relief terminal section3B is grasped by the clamp C of the buster cable B. At this time, since the terminal support section2C also is grasped together with the relief terminal section3B by the clamp C, it is possible to prevent the disengagement of the clamp C. Furthermore, since the plurality of rib sections17is provided at the positions adjacent to the terminal support section2C in the frame1, the front end of the clamp C abuts against the rib section17. Therefore, the downward movement is restricted, and the clamp C does not interfere with the terminal cover4opened at the non-cover position. Specifically, as illustrated inFIG. 7A, the inclination is formed at the front edges of the side surface sections42and43of the terminal cover4. As illustrated inFIG. 7B, when the terminal cover4is opened, the front edges of the side surface sections42and43are substantially horizontal. The terminal cover4is located at a height below the front end of the rib section17indicated by a dashed line in the drawing. Therefore, the interference with the clamp C is prevented. That is, a cover protection section is configured by the plurality of rib sections17. Since the interference with the clamp C is prevented, a damage to the terminal cover4can be prevented.

According to the present embodiment, the assembling is performed in such a manner that the second cover support section18is provided in the frame1, the first cover support section25is provided in the block2, and the block2is accommodated in the frame1. Thus, the terminal cover4is rotatably supported, with the shaft section44being interposed between the semicircular arc section18A of the second cover support section18and the concave section25A of the first cover support section25. Therefore, the first cover support section25and the second cover support section18may be provided at the position at which the shaft section44can be interposed between the semicircular arc section18A and the concave section25A in the accommodating direction (X direction illustrated inFIGS. 1A to 2B) of the block2with respect to the frame1. It is unnecessary to provide the bearing section by protruding to the outside such as the side of the electrical connection box. Therefore, the size of the electrical connection box can be reduced. Also, since each of the cover support sections18and25may be formed to have the semicircular arc section18A and the concave section25A, instead of the complicated shape as in the bearing section of the related art, the frame1and the block2can be manufactured by injection molding using a mold with a relatively simple structure.

The above-described embodiments are merely the representative form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, there is provided the example of the electrical connection box configured such that the electrical connection section2A and the component mounting section2B are provided in the block2and the plurality of electrical components is mounted on the component mounting section2B. However, in the electrical connection box of the present invention, the electrical connection section2A or the component mounting section2B may not be provided in the block. Therefore, the main terminal section3A or the plurality of component terminal sections may not be provided in the bus bar3mounted on the block. That is, the bus bar including the relief terminal section constituting the present may be formed separately from another bus bar including the main terminal section3A or the component terminal section and may be appropriately connected to such another bus bar through a connection member.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, the relief terminal section3B of the bus bar3is provided in the electrical connection section2A of the block2which is adjacent to the main terminal section3A, but the installation position or the protruding direction of the relief terminal section can be arbitrarily set. Also, the first and second cover support sections, which rotatably support the terminal cover, are not limited to the positions of the above-described embodiment, and may be provided at any one of other three sides in the edge portion of the insertion hole14. That is, the support position or the rotating direction of the terminal cover may be arbitrarily set according to the installation location or the installation direction of the electrical connection box and may be appropriately set considering user convenience.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST