Abstract:
When an electrical connection box body is installed on a vehicle body, for a temporary pivotable mounting of the box body on the vehicle body, one of the box body and the vehicle body has a shaft and the other has a bracket to receive the shaft at a predetermined location, so as to allow pivoting of the box body about the shaft axis. Locating guide surfaces position the box body relative to the vehicle body during mounting, prior to receipt of the shaft at said predetermined location on the bracket. This makes the operation of installing the box easier and more precise and avoids looseness of the box body during assembly operations carried out on the box.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to an assembly comprising a vehicle body and an electrical connection box, particularly a body of the box, installed on the vehicle body. The invention is applicable, for example, to an automobile body. The invention also relates to a method of temporarily connecting the electrical connection box body to the vehicle body. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     It is known that the body of an electrical connection box is, through a shaft, rotatably mounted on a bracket fixed on a vehicle body such that the body of the box is rotatable on the shaft. In a vehicle manufacturing line, an operator performs an operation by rotating the body of the electrical connection box to an open position thereof and holding it at the open position. When the operator finishes one operation, he returns the body of the box to its closed position. In a subsequent operation, the operator again opens and closes the body of the box. When the operator terminates a final operation, he fastens the body of the box to the vehicle body. Accordingly, until the final operation is completed, the operator keeps the body of the box temporarily fixed to the vehicle body. 
     The conventional method of temporarily fixing the body of the box to the vehicle body is by screws and nuts, while the body of the box is mounted on the shaft inserted through the bracket. The body of the box is rotatable on the shaft. Thus, it is necessary to employ a large number of component parts and many operational steps, which causes the manufacturing cost of the box to be high. 
     To solve the problem, it is conceivable to give the front end of the bracket a hook shape and to fit the shaft, provided on the body of the box, into the hook-shaped portion to temporarily fix the body to the bracket. This construction may facilitate the connection between the body of the box and the bracket, thus avoiding the above-described disadvantage. However, when fixing the body of the box to the vehicle body temporarily, the shaft provided on the body of the box may not be placed in correct position with respect to the bracket. Thus, if the shaft is incorrectly located with respect to the hook-shaped portion when mounting the body of the box in a small space such as in an engine room, it is difficult to perform the operation of fixing the body of the box to the vehicle body precisely. 
     Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 1-114318 shows an electrical connection box pivotally mounted on a support at one end by a hollow shaft on the support which is embraced by a sleeve of the box. A bolt is employed to hold the assembly together. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to enable assembly of a vehicle body and an electrical connection box whose body can be easily temporarily fixed to the vehicle body in a predetermined position. 
     According to the present invention, there is provided an assembly including a vehicle body and an electrical connection box body installed on the vehicle body. For a temporary pivotable mounting of the box body on the vehicle body, one of the box body and the vehicle body has a shaft and the other has a bracket adapted to receive the shaft at a predetermined location so as to allow pivoting of the box body about the shaft axis. The assembly further has locating surfaces for positioning the box body relative to the vehicle body during the mounting prior to receipt of the shaft at the predetermined location on the bracket. The locating surfaces act to pre-position the box body so that correct assembly of the shaft and the bracket is easily achieved. 
     In the electrical connection box of the present invention, the locating surfaces are preferably surfaces of a guide groove into which the bracket can be fitted during the mounting of the shaft onto the bracket, and the width of the guide groove is substantially equal or slightly more than that of the bracket. 
     In the present invention, when mounting the shaft onto the bracket, the locating surfaces place the body of the electrical connection box in the correct position. In this state, the shaft is fitted into the bracket. Accordingly, it is possible to temporarily fix the body of the box to the vehicle body in the correct position of the body of the box with respect to the bracket. 
     For example, before the shaft is fitted into its final position on the bracket, the bracket is fitted into the guide groove. The width of the guide groove is set almost equal to the width of the bracket. Thus, when fitting the shaft onto the bracket, it is possible to hold the body of the electrical connection box in position without being loose. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the box body has a plurality of the shafts on a common axis, and has a plurality of projections arranged in a row and defining between them guide grooves whose opposed surfaces constitute the locating surfaces. The shafts respectively span across the guide grooves between the opposite surfaces thereof. The vehicle body has a plurality of the brackets which are respectively received in the guide grooves and have hook-shaped portions receiving the shafts. The projections may have end faces which constitute stop surfaces which abut the vehicle body to limit the degree of rotation of the box body about the axis of the shafts relative to the vehicle body. 
     The invention further provides a method of temporarily connecting an electrical connection box body to a vehicle body such that the temporarily connected box body is rotatable relative to the vehicle body. The method includes a step of inserting a shaft, provided on one of the box body and the vehicle body, into a pivoting location on a bracket, provided on the other thereof. During the inserting step, before the shaft reaches the pivoting location on the bracket, the bracket is first inserted between locating surfaces provided adjacent the shaft acting to constrain movement of the bracket relative to the shaft in a direction parallel to the rotational axis of the shaft. This locates the bracket at a desired position for the receipt of the shaft at the pivoting location. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a vehicle body and a body of an electrical connection box in an embodiment of the present invention, in which the box body is shown closed; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1, in which the box body of FIG. 1 is shown open; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1, in which the vehicle body and the box body are separated from each other; and 
     FIGS. 4 to  7  are diagrammatic sectional views partly showing a sequence of actions when the box body is temporarily fixed to the vehicle body. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a body  12  of an electrical connection box made of molded synthetic resin, for example, is mounted on a portion of a vehicle body  11 , for example in the engine room of an automobile. In practice the box body  12  may contain electrical components and fittings, not shown here. As shown in FIG. 3, an opening  11   a  formed in the vehicle body  11  can be opened and closed by the body  12 . The plane of the opening  11   a  is set vertical, as seen in FIG. 3, or in any other desired orientation. Two brackets  14  spaced at a predetermined interval project forwardly on the vehicle body  11  at positions close to one edge of the opening  11   a.  A fastening portion in the shape of a hook  14   a  is formed at the front end of each bracket  14 . 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of mounting brackets  15  project from upper and lower end faces of the body  12 . A bolt (not shown) or the like may be inserted into each bracket  15  to fasten the body  12  to the vehicle body  11  permanently, after completion of the assembly of components and the like in the box. A plurality (four in the embodiment) of projections  16  are formed integrally with a side face of the body  12 . This side face of the body  12  together with the two opposed upper projections  16  and the two opposed lower projections  16  defines upper and lower guide grooves  18 , respectively. 
     A shaft  19  (see FIG. 3) extending vertically is provided inside each guide groove  18  spanning across the groove between the opposed side faces thereof. The shafts  19  are on a common axis, and may be made of synthetic resin, for example, and may be formed integrally with the projections  16 . As shown in FIGS. 4-6, when temporarily fixing the body  12  of the box to the vehicle body  11 , the shafts  19  are inserted into the hooks  14   a  with the brackets  14  fitted into the guide grooves  18  such that the body  12  is rotatable about the axis of the shafts  19 . The width W 1  of the guide groove  18  is set almost equal to the width W 2  of the bracket  14 . This is to prevent a gap existing between the guide groove  18  and the bracket  14  when the bracket  14  is fitted into the guide groove  18 . 
     Stops  21  project from the front ends of the projections  16 . Referring to FIG. 7, when the body  12  is rotated on the shaft axis in order to open the opening  11   a  of the vehicle body  11 , the stops  21  contact the vehicle body  11  to limit the amount of rotation of the body  12 . Reinforcing ribs  22  may be integrally formed between the stops  21  and the projections  16 , to prevent the stops  21  from being deformed or damaged when they are brought into contact with the vehicle body  11 . 
     An exemplary method of temporarily fixing the electrical connection box  12  having the above-described construction to the vehicle body  11  is described as follows. 
     As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the box  12  is brought to the body  11  so that the brackets  14  fit into the guide grooves  18 . The shafts  19  are thus contacted with the brackets  14  (leftward movement in FIG.  4 ). In this state, both vertical ends of the bracket  14  are in contact with the opposed inner surfaces of the respective guide groove  18 . Thereby, the body  12  is prevented from being displaced along the shaft incorrectly with respect to the brackets  14 . Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the body  12  is moved to the front ends of the brackets  14  (see arrow in FIG. 5) to fit the shafts  19  into the hooks  14   a  of the brackets  14 . Thereby, the body  12  is temporarily fixed to the brackets  14  such that it is rotatable about the axis of the shafts  19  held in the hooks  14   a.  The operator or operators can carry out the necessary assembly operations with the box temporarily mounted, before finally securing it permanently as mentioned above. 
     The embodiment provides the following effects: 
     (1) Before the shafts  19  formed on the body  12  are fitted into the brackets  14  formed on the vehicle body  11 , the brackets  14  are received into the guide grooves  18 . Thus, the shafts  19  can be fitted into the hooks  14   a  of the brackets  14  with the body  12  already at the correct vertical position. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the body  12  from getting out of place and thereby to easily temporarily fix the body  12  correctly to the vehicle body  11  even in a small space, such as in an engine room. 
     (2) The width W 1  of the guide groove  18  formed on the body  12  is substantially equal to the width W 2  of the bracket  14 . Thus, when the shafts  19  are fitted into the hooks  14   a  of the brackets  14 , it is possible for the operator to hold the body  12  without looseness or shaking of the body  12  when carrying out an assembly operation. 
     (3) The projections  16  are formed on an outer surface of the body  12 . The stops  21  are formed at the front ends of the projections  16 . Therefore, when the body  12  is rotated by a predetermined amount in the direction to open the opening  11   a  of the vehicle body  11 , the stops  21  contact the vehicle body  11 , so that it is possible to prevent the body  12  from rotating more than a necessary amount. Consequently, excessive force is not applied to the brackets  14  or the shafts  19 . Thus, it is possible to minimize risk that the brackets  14  or the shafts  19  will be damaged or broken. 
     The reinforcing ribs  22  may be formed on the body  12  to reinforce the stops  21 , to minimize risk that the stops  21  will be deformed when they strike against the vehicle body  11  during the rotation of the body  12 . 
     Some possible modifications of this embodiment of the present invention are described below. 
     In the embodiment, the widths of the two guide grooves  18  are equal. However, the width of the upper bracket  14  may be different from that of the lower bracket  14  to allow an operator to recognize the mounting orientation of the body  12 . In the case where the width of the upper bracket  14  is different from that of the lower bracket  14 , the width of the upper guide groove  18  and that of lower guide groove  18  are altered according to the width of the upper bracket  14  and that of the lower brackets  14 , respectively. 
     In the embodiment, the number of each of the brackets  14  and the shafts  19  is two. However, the number thereof may be one or three or more. 
     In the embodiment, the bracket  14  is provided on the vehicle body  11 , and the shaft  19  is provided on the box body  12 . Instead, it is possible to provide the shaft  19  on the vehicle body  11  and the bracket  14  on the box body  12 . 
     A further advantage of the illustrated electrical connection box is that the shafts, the stops, and the reinforcing ribs may be formed integrally by molding on the body. This eliminates the need for mounting any one of the shaft, the stop, and the reinforcing rib on the body of the electrical connection box, thus allowing its production to be easy and its manufacturing cost to be low. 
     As described above in detail, by the present invention, the body of the electrical connection box can be easily temporarily fixed to the vehicle body with the box body placed in the correct position. 
     While the invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art when given this disclosure. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention set forth above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.