Patent Publication Number: US-2023142638-A1

Title: Electric connection box

Description:
This Non-provisional application claims priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-184099 filed on November, 11, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a vehicular electric connection box provided with a bus bar. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the related art, a vehicle is equipped with an electric connection box having a circuit using a bus bar so that a relatively large current is conducted. In addition, nowadays, the values of currents flowing through bus bars are also increasing along with vehicular functional expansion. 
     Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-181908 discloses an electric connection box in which a housing with an openable and closable lid portion is provided, a bus bar can be attached to the inside of the housing by opening the lid portion, and the lid portion can be closed after the bus bar attachment. 
     In many electric connection boxes, a terminal is exposed to the outside via a through hole penetrating a housing, and a bus bar or the like can be connected to the terminal from the outside of the housing. 
     In addition, a cover covering the terminal is provided so that the occurrence of problems attributable to terminal exposure is suppressed. 
     Meanwhile, when a worker intends to perform the assembly work of connecting a bus bar to the terminal with the cover closed, the cover needs to be opened prior to such assembly work, which is troublesome. 
     In addition, in a case where the bus bar needs to be removed from the terminal for some reason, the worker opens the cover to perform the removal work and may forget to close the cover after the removal work. In this case, the terminal remains exposed to the outside, which may result in electric shock, electric leakage, short circuit, and the like. 
     However, as for the electric equipment according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2020-181908, nothing is considered as to a case where a terminal is exposed via a through hole in a housing, nothing is considered as to such problems, and such problems cannot be solved. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an electric connection box with which the workability of assembly work can be enhanced and the occurrence of problems attributable to forgetting to close a cover can be prevented. 
     A vehicular electric connection box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a housing having a connecting portion including a terminal connected to an external conductive tool; and a cover member opening and closing the connecting portion, in which the cover member has a lid portion exposing or shielding the terminal with the cover member closed. 
     Provided according to the present disclosure is an electric connection box with which the workability of assembly work can be enhanced and the occurrence of problems attributable to forgetting to close a cover can be prevented. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an electric connection box according to the present embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    is an enlarged view illustrating a connecting portion and the vicinity of the connecting portion in the electric connection box of the present embodiment; 
         FIG.  3    is a diagram exemplifying a state where a cover member covers the connecting portion in the electric connection box of the present embodiment; 
         FIG.  4    is side, front, and bottom views of the cover member of the electric connection box of the present embodiment; 
         FIG.  5 A  is a plan view illustrating a state where the cover member is fully open in the electric connection box of the present embodiment; 
         FIG.  5 B  is a cross-sectional view of  FIG.  5 A  taken along line B-B of  FIG.  5 A ; 
         FIG.  6    is a diagram illustrating a case where the cover member is closed in the electric connection box of the present embodiment; 
         FIG.  7 A  is a longitudinal sectional view of  FIG.  6    taken along line VIIA-VIIA of  FIG.  6   ; 
         FIG.  7 B  is a longitudinal sectional view of  FIG.  6    taken along line VIIB-VIIB of  FIG.  6   ; and 
         FIG.  8    is a diagram illustrating a case where only a lid portion is open when the cover member is closed in the electric connection box of the present embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     First, an aspect of implementation of the present disclosure will be listed and described. In addition, at least a part of the embodiment described below may be combined in any manner. 
     First Aspect 
     A vehicular electric connection box according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: a housing having a connecting portion including a terminal connected to an external conductive tool; and a cover member opening and closing the connecting portion, in which the cover member has a lid portion exposing or shielding the terminal with the cover member closed. 
     In the first aspect, the cover member has the lid portion and, even with the cover member closed, the lid portion is capable of exposing or shielding the terminal. Accordingly, in, for example, connecting or removing an external conductive tool to or from the terminal, the cover member does not have to be opened, only the lid portion needs to be opened, and thus workability can be enhanced. 
     Second Aspect 
     In the electric connection box according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the cover member is provided with a hinge holding the lid portion, and the hinge biases the lid portion so as to shield the terminal. 
     In the second aspect, the hinge biases the lid portion so as to shield the terminal. Even in a case where, for example, a worker forgets to close the lid portion after connecting or removing an external conductive tool to or from the terminal, the restoring force of the hinge generated when the hinge bends acts as a force to bias the lid portion such that the terminal is shielded, and thus the lid portion covers the terminal and the terminal can be prevented from being exposed. 
     Third Aspect 
     In the electric connection box according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the hinge has a rectangular plate shape and is connected to the lid portion on a side of one long side, and a groove is formed in one main surface of the hinge and a thickness of the hinge decreases toward a middle portion in a width direction. 
     In the third aspect, the hinge has a rectangular plate shape, the groove is formed in one main surface, and the thickness of the hinge decreases toward the middle portion in the width direction. Accordingly, it is easy to open the lid portion in order to reach the open state and, when the lid portion is in the open state, the restoring force biasing the lid portion such that the terminal is shielded is generated at the hinge. 
     Fourth Aspect 
     In the electric connection box according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the hinge is two in number and the two hinges are arranged side by side in a length direction at an interval. 
     In the fourth aspect, the lid portion is held by the two hinges. Even in a case where one of the hinges is broken, the other hinge continues to hold the lid portion, and thus problems can be prevented from occurring. 
     Fifth Aspect 
     The electric connection box according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure further includes an opening maintaining mechanism maintaining an open state of the cover member. 
     In the fifth aspect, the open state of the cover member is maintained by the opening maintaining mechanism. For example, such an electric connection box can be transported with the cover member remaining open for convenience in assembly work. 
     Sixth Aspect 
     In the electric connection box according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the opening maintaining mechanism includes: a notch formed in a holding portion holding the hinge from a vicinity of the other long side of the hinge; and an opening maintaining portion provided in the housing to engage with the notch and maintain the open state in a case where the cover member is in the open state. 
     In the sixth aspect, in a case where the cover member is open, the notch formed in the holding portion holding the hinge and the opening maintaining portion provided in the housing are engaged to maintain the open state of the cover member. Accordingly, such an electric connection box can be transported with the cover member remaining open for convenience in assembly work. 
     An electric connection box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplifications. The present disclosure is defined by the scope of the claims and is intended to include every modification within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims. 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an electric connection box  100  according to the present embodiment. The electric connection box  100  is a so-called vehicular junction box where various electronic components are mounted. 
     In the present embodiment, for convenience, the “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “upper”, and “lower” sides of the electric connection box  100  are defined by the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions illustrated in the drawings. The front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions defined in this manner will be used in the following description. 
     The electric connection box  100  is attached to the outside of, for example, an electric vehicle (EV) battery pack. The electric connection box  100  includes a housing  50  where an electrical component such as a relay  400  is mounted. 
     The housing  50  is made of, for example, resin or metal and extends in the left-right direction. The housing  50  includes a lower case  52  close to the battery pack and an upper case  51  covering the lower case  52 . The housing  50  is attached to the battery pack with, for example, a bottom plate  525  of the lower case  52  in contact with the battery pack. 
     The outside surface of the ceiling plate of the upper case  51  is provided with one mounting portion  511  for mounting the relay  400  and a connecting portion  30  where connection to an external bus bar, a connector, or the like (conductive tool) is performed. In addition, a cover member  10  opening and closing the connecting portion  30  is rotatably provided on the upper case  51 . 
       FIG.  2    is an enlarged view illustrating the connecting portion  30  and the vicinity of the connecting portion  30  in the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment.  FIG.  2    illustrates the dashed-line part in  FIG.  1    in an enlarged manner and illustrates a state where the connecting portion  30  is open. The cover member  10  is rotatably held by a support mechanism  70  and covers or opens the connecting portion  30  by rotating. 
       FIG.  3    is a diagram exemplifying a state where the cover member  10  covers the connecting portion  30  in the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment. For convenience,  FIG.  3    illustrates a state where an external bus bar  60  is connected to the connecting portion  30 . The cover member  10  covers the entire connecting portion  30  including the connecting part of the bus bar  60  connected to the connecting portion  30 . 
     In the electric connection box  100 , in a case where the cover member  10  covers the connecting portion  30 , a closing maintaining portion  14  (described later) and an engaged portion  72  (described later) are engaged with each other and such a state is maintained. In addition, the electric connection box  100  has an opening maintaining mechanism for maintaining a state where the cover member  10  does not cover the connecting portion  30  and the connecting portion  30  is open. The opening maintaining mechanism will be described in detail later. 
     Hereinafter, a state where the cover member  10  covers the connecting portion  30  or a state where the closing maintaining portion  14  and the engaged portion  72  are engaged will be referred to as the closed state of the cover member  10  and a state where the closing maintaining portion  14  and the engaged portion  72  are not engaged and the cover member  10  does not cover the connecting portion  30  will be referred to as the open state of the cover member  10 . Whether the cover member  10  is in the closed state or the open state is irrelevant to whether a lid portion  11  (described later) is closed or open. 
     The cover member  10  has the lid portion  11  that can be opened and closed in the closed state of the cover member  10 , and the lid portion  11  exposes or shields a terminal  31  (described later) of the connecting portion  30 . Hereinafter, a state where the terminal  31  of the connecting portion  30  is exposed to the outside will be referred to as the open state of the lid portion  11  and a state where the terminal  31  is shielded by the lid portion  11  will be referred to as the closed state of the lid portion  11 . The cover member  10  is provided with a lock portion  16  for maintaining the closed state of the lid portion  11 . An engaging portion  80  engaging with the lock portion  16  is provided in the vicinity of the connecting portion  30 . 
       FIG.  4    is side, front, and bottom views of the cover member  10  of the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment. Of the four drawings in  FIG.  4   , that in the middle is the front view, that to the left of the front view is the left side view, that to the right of the front view is the right side view, and that below the front view is the bottom view. 
     The lid portion  11  has a substantially rectangular flat plate  111  and side walls rising obliquely outward from the respective edges of the flat plate  111  except for one short side and is substantially dish-shaped. A flange portion  17  extends in parallel with the flat plate  111  at the tip of the side wall that is related to the long side on the front side among the side walls of the lid portion  11 . The flange portion  17  is substantially strip-shaped. 
     Two hinges  12  holding the lid portion  11  are continuously provided on the one short side of the flat plate  111 . The two hinges  12  have the same shape and are provided on the one short side of the flat plate  111  at a predetermined interval. Each hinge  12  has a rectangular plate shape and one long side is connected to the flat plate  111 . In other words, the two hinges  12  are arranged side by side in the length direction at a predetermined interval. The hinge  12  is configured from an elastic material such as resin. 
     In addition, in each hinge  12 , a groove  121  is formed in one of both main surfaces that faces upward in the closed state of the lid portion  11 . The groove  121  is V-shaped in a longitudinal sectional view (see  FIG.  3   ). In other words, the thickness of each hinge  12  decreases toward the middle portion in the width direction. 
     The other long side of each hinge  12  is connected to a holding portion  13  extending in the front-rear direction. In other words, the holding portion  13  holds the two hinges  12  from the vicinity of the other long sides of the two hinges  12 . The holding portion  13  has a square rod shape with a length substantially equal to the width of the flat plate  111  and is connected to a rotating shaft portion  15  rotating the cover member  10 . A rectangular notch  131  is formed in the middle portion on the front-rear direction in the holding portion  13  (see  FIG.  3   ). In the holding portion  13 , the notch  131  is formed on the side opposite to the hinge  12 . 
     The lid portion  11  is held by the hinge  12  in this manner, and thus the lid portion  11  can be opened and closed in the closed state of the cover member  10 . In addition, the groove  121  is provided in one main surface of the upper side of the hinge  12 , and thus the hinge  12  can bend such that the lid portion  11  is opened and the terminal  31  of the connecting portion  30  is exposed. In addition, in a case where the hinge  12  is bent, that is, in a case where the lid portion  11  is in the open state, the restoring force of the hinge  12  acts as a force to close the lid portion  11 . In other words, in a case where the lid portion  11  is open and the terminal  31  of the connecting portion  30  is exposed, the hinge  12  biases the lid portion  11  such that the terminal  31  is shielded. 
     In the lid portion  11 , the lock portion  16  is provided on the other short side facing the one short side of the flat plate  111 . The lock portion  16  is provided in the middle portion of the side wall related to the other short side. The lock portion  16  has a rectangular plate portion  164  vertically extending from the other short side of the flat plate  111  and a pair of facing plate portions  161  extending from both ends of the rectangular plate portion  164  to the outside of the lid portion  11 . An engaging knob  162  is provided between the pair of facing plate portions  161 . The engaging knob  162  is made of an elastic and rectangular plate material, one end portion thereof is bent and continuously provided at the tip of the rectangular plate portion  164 , and a stepped step is formed in the other end portion thereof. A rectangular engaging hole  163  engaging with an engaging protrusion  82  (described later) of the engaging portion  80  is formed in the middle portion of the engaging knob  162 . 
     Between the holding portion  13  and the lid portion  11  (flat plate  111 ) and outside the two hinges  12  in the front-rear direction, the closing maintaining portions  14  for maintaining the closed state of the cover member  10  are respectively provided. The closing maintaining portion  14  has a square tube shape. The closing maintaining portion  14  is long in the up-down direction when the cover member  10  is in the closed state (see  FIGS.  2  and  3   ). As for each of the closing maintaining portions  14 , of the two side walls facing each other in the front-rear direction, the outer side wall is longer than the other side wall. A tapered engaging hook  141  is formed on the outside surface of an end portion of such an outer side wall. 
     As described above, the holding portion  13  holding the hinge  12  is connected to the rotating shaft portion  15  rotating the cover member  10 . 
     The rotating shaft portion  15  has a connection portion  153  connected to the holding portion  13 . The connection portion  153  is made of a substantially band-shaped plate material and extends in the front-rear direction. The connection portion  153  is bent toward the lid portion  11  while being widened in both end portions and is connected to the holding portion  13  in both end portions (see  FIG.  4   ). 
     A pair of holding brackets  152  for holding rotating shafts  151  (described later) are provided on both end sides of the connection portion  153 , namely in both end portions of the holding portion  13 . Each holding bracket  152  has a substantially L-shaped plate shape, and the two holding brackets  152  are disposed so as to face each other in the front-rear direction. The holding brackets  152  are respectively connected to both end portions of the holding portion  13 , and each holding bracket  152  is provided with the rotating shaft  151 . 
     The rotating shafts  151  protrude on the surfaces on the sides opposite to the facing surfaces of the holding brackets  152 . The rotating shaft  151  has a columnar shape and has a tip portion obliquely notched in the circumferential direction. Horizontal portions  154  are provided between the respective holding brackets  152  and both end portions of the connection portion  153 , and the holding brackets  152  and both end portions of the connection portion  153  are connected via the horizontal portions  154 . 
     The rotating shaft  151  of the cover member  10  is rotatably held by the support mechanism  70 . The support mechanism  70  has a pair of fitting plates  71  with which the rotating shafts  151  are fitted. The pair of fitting plates  71  are provided in the vicinity of the connecting portion  30  on the left side of the connecting portion  30  (see  FIGS.  2  and  3   ). Each fitting plate  71  has a rectangular plate shape and extends in the up-down direction. The two fitting plates  71  are disposed so as to face each other in the front-rear direction. The tip of each fitting plate  71  is chamfered, a notch is formed in the upper end portion of the surface of one fitting plate  71  that faces the other fitting plate  71 , and a recess that is long in the up-down direction is formed also in the surface on the side opposite to the facing surface. In addition, as for each fitting plate  71 , a circular through hole  711  penetrating the fitting plate  71  in the thickness direction is formed in the bottom of the upper end portion of the recess. The rotating shafts  151  of the cover member  10  are respectively fitted in the through holes  711 . 
     On the right long side portions of the respective fitting plates  71 , the engaged portions  72  engaging with the closing maintaining portions  14  of the cover member  10  to maintain the closed state of the cover member  10  are provided respectively and continuously. Each engaged portion  72  has a rectangular plate shape and is provided between the fitting plate  71  and the connecting portion  30 . Each engaged portion  72  is provided in front of or behind the fitting plate  71 , and the left end portion thereof is bent toward the fitting plate  71 . The two engaged portions  72  face each other in the front-rear direction. An engaged protrusion  73  engaging with the engaging hook  141  of the closing maintaining portion  14  protrudes from the inside surface of each engaged portion  72  (see  FIGS.  2  and  3   ). 
     The connecting portion  30 , which is opened and closed by the cover member  10 , has a rectangular exposure hole  32  exposing the terminal  31 , which is one end portion of the bus bar mounted in the housing  50 . The exposure hole  32  is surrounded by side walls  33 ,  34 , and  35  except for one side on the front side. The side wall  34  is erected on the left side of the exposure hole  32 , the side wall  33  is erected on the rear side of the exposure hole  32 , and the side wall  35  is erected on the right side of the exposure hole  32 . The side wall  34  is higher than the side walls  33  and  35  in the up-down direction. In a case where the lid portion  11  (cover member  10 ) is in the closed state, the upper end of the side wall  35  abuts against the flat plate  111  (see  FIG.  7 A ). In addition, the middle portion of the side wall  35  is provided with an abutting portion  351  protruding inward. In a case where the lid portion  11  (cover member  10 ) is in the closed state, the engaging knob  162  of the lock portion  16  abuts against the upper surface of the abutting portion  351 . 
     Further, the side wall  35  is provided with the engaging portion  80  at a position corresponding to the abutting portion  351  and on the outer side. 
     The engaging portion  80  has a square tube-shaped support portion  81  with an open left side. A rectangular notch  83  is formed in the middle portion of the right side wall among the three side walls of the support portion  81 . In addition, the engaging protrusion  82  is provided on the right side wall of the support portion  81  so as to straddle both edges of the notch  83  facing each other in the front-rear direction. The engaging protrusion  82  is substantially T-shaped in a plan view and protrudes to the inside of the support portion  81 . In a case where the lid portion  11  (cover member  10 ) is in the closed state, the tip portion of the engaging protrusion  82  is inserted into and engaged with the engaging hole  163  of the engaging knob  162 . 
     It should be noted that a through hole  311  used for screwing with the external bus bar  60  is formed in the middle portion of the terminal  31 . 
     Further, in the housing  50 , a support portion  91  is provided to the left of the support mechanism  70  to abut against the flat plate  111  of the lid portion  11  and support the cover member  10  in a case where the cover member  10  is fully open (see  FIG.  2   ). In other words, in a case where the cover member  10  is open by rotating approximately 180 degrees around the rotating shaft  151  from the closed state, the flat plate  111  abuts against the support portion  91  and further rotation is prevented. The support portion  91  has a rectangular plate portion with an upper end abutting against the flat plate  111  of the cover member  10  and a triangular rib provided on the left side surface of such a rectangular plate portion. 
     The electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment includes the opening maintaining mechanism for maintaining the fully open state where the cover member  10  rotates 180 degrees. The opening maintaining mechanism includes an opening maintaining portion  90  and the notch  131 . 
     The opening maintaining portion  90  is provided between the support portion  91  and the fitting plate  71 . Specifically, the opening maintaining portion  90  is provided at a position corresponding to the position of the notch  131  of the holding portion  13  in a case where the cover member  10  rotates approximately 180 degrees (till fully open state) around the rotating shaft  151  from the closed state (see  FIGS.  5 B and  7 A ). The opening maintaining portion  90  has a rod shape long in the up-down direction, and the upper end portion of the opening maintaining portion  90  has a hook shape and protrudes to the side opposite to the connecting portion  30 , that is, the left side. 
       FIGS.  5 A and  5 B  are diagrams illustrating a state where the cover member  10  is fully open in the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment.  FIG.  5 A  is a plan view, and  FIG.  5 B  is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of  FIG.  5 A .  FIG.  6    is a diagram illustrating a case where the cover member  10  is closed in the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment.  FIGS.  7 A and  7 B  are longitudinal sectional views of the cover member  10  of the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment.  FIG.  7 A  is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line VIIA-VIIA of  FIG.  6   .  FIG.  7 B  is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line VIIB-VIIB of  FIG.  6   . 
     In a case where the cover member  10  is in the fully open state by rotating approximately 180 degrees around the rotating shaft  151 , as described above, the flat plate  111  of the lid portion  11  abuts against the support portion  91  and the support portion  91  supports the cover member  10  from below (see  FIG.  5 B ). At this time, the open state of the cover member  10  is maintained by the opening maintaining mechanism. 
     In other words, when the cover member  10  is in the fully open state, the position of the notch  131  of the holding portion  13  is substantially the same as the position of the opening maintaining portion  90 . 
     Further, the notch  131  is open to the left side in the closed state of the cover member  10  (see  FIG.  6   ) but is open to the right side in the fully open state of the cover member  10  wherein the cover member  10  rotates 180 degrees (see  FIG.  5 A ). Accordingly, the notch  131  engages with the upper end portion of the hook-shaped opening maintaining portion  90  protruding to the left side (see  FIG.  5 B ). 
     The notch  131  engages with the opening maintaining portion  90  in this manner, and thus the cover member  10  cannot be rotated and cannot be returned to the closed state and the open state is maintained. Accordingly, the electric connection box  100  can be transported with the cover member  10  remaining fully open. Accordingly, in a case where, for example, the external bus bar  60  is screwed to the connecting portion  30  (terminal  31 ) in the next work process, the operation of opening the cover member  10  can be omitted and workability can be enhanced. 
     In addition, the notch  131  engages with the opening maintaining portion  90 , the cover member  10  is supported from below by the support portion  91 , and thus it is possible to prevent rattling from causing noise or damage even if the electric connection box  100  is transported and vibrates with the cover member  10  fully open. 
     For example, in a case where the work of screwing the external bus bar  60  to the connecting portion  30  (terminal  31 ) is completed, the worker releases the engagement between the notch  131  and the opening maintaining portion  90  and closes the cover member  10  (lid portion  11 ) to make the cover member  10  (lid portion  11 ) the closed state. In this case, each closing maintaining portion  14  of the cover member  10  is disposed inside the corresponding engaged portion  72 , and the engaging hook  141  of the closing maintaining portion  14  engages with the engaged protrusion  73  of the engaged portion  72  (see  FIG.  7 B ). In addition, the engaging knob  162  of the lock portion  16  abuts against the upper surface of the abutting portion  351  of the connecting portion  30 , and the tip portion of the engaging protrusion  82  is inserted into and engaged with the engaging hole  163  of the engaging knob  162  (see  FIG.  7 A ). In the closed state, the cover member  10  (lid portion  11 ) covers the connecting portion  30  up to the outside of the terminal  31  and the side walls  33  and  34 . 
     Accordingly, the closed state of the cover member  10  (lid portion  11 ) can be maintained, and it is possible to prevent the cover member  10  (lid portion  11 ) from opening. Accordingly, it is possible to forestall an electric shock accident attributable to the connecting portion  30  being exposed and touched by a person. 
     For some reason, the external bus bar  60  may be removed during the subsequent use of the electric connection box  100 . In this case, the worker has only to open the lid portion  11  with the cover member  10  remaining closed.  FIG.  8    is a diagram illustrating a case where only the lid portion  11  is open when the cover member  10  is closed in the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment. 
     The worker pushes the engaging knob  162  of the lock portion  16  to the left side to release the engagement between the engaging hole  163  of the engaging knob  162  and the engaging protrusion  82 . When the lid portion  11  is opened after the releasing the engagement, the lid portion  11  rotates about the hinge  12  as a rotation axis and is opened (see  FIG.  8   ). At this time, the engaging hook  141  of the closing maintaining portion  14  continues to engage with the engaged protrusion  73  of the engaged portion  72  and the cover member  10  remains closed. 
     After removing the external bus bar  60  by loosening a bolt  200  and a washer  300 , the worker closes the lid portion  11  by pushing down the upper surface of the lid portion  11  (flat plate  111 ). At this time, the engaging knob  162  of the lock portion  16  abuts against the upper surface of the abutting portion  351  of the connecting portion  30 , and the tip portion of the engaging protrusion  82  is inserted into and engaged with the engaging hole  163  of the engaging knob  162  again. 
     In this manner, in the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment, when removing the external bus bar  60 , the cover member  10  itself does not have to be opened and only the lid portion  11  needs to be opened, and thus workability can be enhanced. 
     Meanwhile, a case is conceivable where the worker forgets to close the lid portion  11  after the work of removing the external bus bar  60 . In this case, the connecting portion  30  (terminal  31 ) is exposed, and thus an electric shock accident may occur by a person touching the terminal  31 . 
     The electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment is capable of coping with this. As described above, in a case where the lid portion  11  is open with the cover member  10  remaining closed, the restoring force of the hinge  12  that is generated by the bending of hinge  12  acts on the lid portion  11 , the lid portion  11  is biased such that the terminal  31  is shielded, and thus the lid portion  11  covers and does not expose the terminal  31 . Accordingly, the terminal  31  can be prevented from being exposed even in a case where the worker forgets to close the lid portion  11 . 
     In addition, in the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment, the lid portion  11  is provided with the flange portion  17 , and thus it is possible to prevent as much as possible a connecting portion with peeled insulation coating of the external bus bar  60  from being exposed to the outside. 
     Further, in the electric connection box  100  of the present embodiment, the two hinges  12  hold the lid portion  11 . Accordingly, even in a case where one of the hinges  12  is broken in the groove  121  due to fatigue attributable to repeated opening and closing of the lid portion  11 , it is possible to continue to hold the lid portion  11  by the other hinge  12 . 
     Described above as an example is a case where the opening maintaining mechanism maintains the cover member  10  in the fully open state with a rotation angle of 180 degrees. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. By increasing the height of the opening maintaining portion  90 , it is also possible to maintain the cover member  10  in an open state with a rotation angle of less than 180 degrees. 
     The embodiment disclosed this time is an exemplification in every respect and should be considered not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is defined not by the meaning described above but by the scope of the claims and is intended to include every modification within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims. 
     It is to be noted that, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
     It is to be noted that the disclosed embodiment is illustrative and not restrictive in all aspects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds thereof are therefore intended to be embraced by the claims.