JP7777005B2 - Housings for in-vehicle electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a housing for an in-vehicle electronic device.

The housing for an in-vehicle electronic device is, for example, the housing for an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), and houses a printed wiring board on which electronic components are mounted, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a housing for an in-vehicle electronic device to which a bracket that is fixed to the vehicle body can be attached.

The housing disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a guide portion into which a bracket having a locking hole is inserted, and a locking claw that locks the locking hole of the bracket inserted into the guide portion.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-308106

The housing disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows the bracket to be attached or removed by engaging or unlocking the locking claws on the housing with the locking holes on the bracket. However, the housing disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not allow for easy bracket removal, leaving room for improvement.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a housing for an in-vehicle electronic device that allows for easy removal of a bracket fixed to the vehicle body.

In order to solve the above problem, the housing for an in-vehicle electronic device according to the present invention is a housing for an in-vehicle electronic device having a wall to which a bracket can be attached and detached, the wall having a guide portion that guides the bracket so that it can move in the attachment direction along the wall portion, an elastic deformation region that elastically deforms toward the inside of the housing when pressed, a locking portion that protrudes from the elastic deformation region toward the outside of the housing and locks the bracket guided by the guide portion, and a pressed portion that protrudes from the elastic deformation region toward the outside of the housing at a position further ahead of the locking portion in the attachment direction and is pressed toward the inside of the housing when the bracket is removed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a housing for an in-vehicle electronic device from which a bracket fixed to a vehicle body can be easily removed.
Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a housing of the in-vehicle electronic device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a bracket attached to the housing shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the housing as viewed from a different direction than in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the housing as viewed from a direction different from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 . 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a wall portion of the housing taken along line BB shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first modified example of the housing. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second modified example of the housing.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that components with the same reference numerals in each embodiment have the same functions in each embodiment unless otherwise specified, and their description will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the housing 1 of an in-vehicle electronic device according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the state in which a bracket 6 is attached to the housing 1 shown in Figure 1.

The housing 1 of the in-vehicle electronic device is, for example, the housing of an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and houses a printed wiring board on which electronic components are mounted, etc. The housing 1 is molded using a resin material. A bracket 6 is fixed to the vehicle body of the housing 1, and is attached and detached by a worker or the like. In this embodiment, the attachment direction of the bracket 6 to the housing 1 is indicated by arrow A.

The housing 1 is formed in a roughly rectangular box shape defined by walls 12 that form the outer hull of the housing 1. One side of the roughly rectangular box-shaped housing 1 has an opening 13 for accommodating a printed wiring board or the like in the internal space of the housing 1. The opening 13 is closed by a lid (not shown). The walls 12 of the housing 1 define the internal space of the housing 1. The walls 12 of the housing 1 have a mounting surface 11, which is the outer surface of the wall 12, to which the bracket 6 is attached and detached. The mounting direction A of the bracket 6 is a direction along the mounting surface 11. In other words, the mounting direction A is a direction along the wall 12 that has the mounting surface 11.

The wall portion 12 having the mounting surface 11 has a pair of rails 2, a locking portion 3, a pressure-receiving portion 4, and an elastic deformation area portion 5.

The bracket 6 is made of pressed sheet metal. A locking portion 61 that locks onto the locking portion 3 of the housing 1 is formed at the tip of the bracket 6. The locking portion 61 is formed, for example, as a through hole into which the locking portion 3 can be inserted. The through hole, which is an example of a locking portion 61, is formed in a rectangular shape with a larger dimension in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the mounting direction A and parallel to the mounting surface 11) than in the depth direction (direction along the mounting direction A). A pair of protrusions 62 that protrude laterally are provided on both side portions 63 of the tip of the bracket 6.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the housing 1 viewed from a different direction than Figure 1. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the housing 1 viewed from a different direction than Figures 1 and 3. Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the wall portion 12 of the housing 1 taken along line B-B shown in Figure 1.

The pair of rails 2 are guides that movably guide the bracket 6 in the mounting direction A of the bracket 6. The pair of rails 2 are formed to extend along the mounting direction A of the bracket 6. The pair of rails 2 extend parallel to each other to match the shape of both side portions 63 at the tip of the bracket 6. Grooves 21 are formed on the opposing surfaces of the pair of rails 2. One end of the groove 21 is formed with an open end 23 into which the both side portions 63 at the tip of the bracket 6 are inserted. The other end of the groove 21 is formed with a closed end 24 against which the tip surfaces of the both side portions 63 inserted from the open end 23 abut. The lower surface 22 of the groove 21, which is adjacent to the mounting surface 11, is formed in a tapered shape that slopes slightly downward from the closed end 24 toward the open end 23 so as to approach the mounting surface 11. The lower surface 22 of the open end 23 is an inclined surface that slopes downward so as to approach the mounting surface 11 as it moves in the opposite direction to the mounting direction A of the bracket 6.

The locking portion 3 locks onto the locked portion 61 of the bracket 6, which is guided by the pair of rails 2. The locking portion 3 protrudes from the elastic deformation area 5 toward the outside of the housing 1. The locking portion 3 is positioned between the pair of rails 2. The locking portion 3 protrudes from the mounting surface 11 toward the outside of the housing 1 and is formed as a convex portion that can be inserted into the through-hole that is the locked portion 61 of the bracket 6. The locking portion 3 is formed in the shape of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped with chamfered side edges. The locking portion 3 locks onto the locked portion 61 of the bracket 6, thereby attaching the bracket 6 to the housing 1.

The pressed portion 4 is pressed toward the inside of the housing 1 by an operator or the like when the bracket 6 is removed. The pressed portion 4 is located further forward in the mounting direction A than the locking portion 3, protruding from the elastic deformation region 5 toward the outside of the housing 1. The pressed portion 4 is located further forward in the mounting direction A than the pair of rails 2. In other words, the pressed portion 4 is located away from the pair of rails 2. The locking portion 3 and the pressed portion 4 are spaced apart from each other along the mounting direction A of the bracket 6, and are arranged in the order of locking portion 3 and pressed portion 4. The pressed portion 4 is formed as a convex portion that protrudes from the mounting surface 11 toward the outside of the housing 1. The pressed portion 4 is formed in a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape with a larger height dimension (normal to the mounting surface 11), a smaller depth dimension, and a larger width dimension than the locking portion 3.

The elastic deformation region 5 is part of the wall 12 having the mounting surface 11. The elastic deformation region 5 elastically deforms toward the inside of the housing 1 when pressed. The elastic deformation region 5 is formed in an area extending between the pair of rails 2 and beyond the pair of rails 2 in the mounting direction A. A locking portion 3 and a pressed portion 4 are provided in the elastic deformation region 5. The elastic deformation region 5 elastically deforms toward the inside of the housing 1 when pressed against the pressed portion 4. As a result, the protrusion that is the locking portion 3 disengages from the through-hole that is the locked portion 61, and the locked state between the locking portion 3 and the locked portion 61 is released.

The elastic deformation region 5 is formed as a thin-walled portion that is thinner than other portions different from the elastic deformation region 5. The elastic deformation region 5 is positioned further inside the housing 1 than other portions different from the elastic deformation region 5 of the wall 12 having the mounting surface 11. In other words, the outer surface of the wall 12 having the mounting surface 11 is recessed toward the inside of the housing 1 in the area where the elastic deformation region 5 is provided. On the other hand, the inner surface 14 of the wall 12 having the mounting surface 11 is flat.

Next, a procedure for attaching the bracket 6 to the housing 1 will be described.
The worker or the like inserts both side portions 63 of the tip of the bracket 6 into the groove 21 while being guided along the underside 22 of the open end 23 of the groove 21 of the pair of rails 2. The tip surface 64 of the bracket 6 then abuts against the locking portion 3. When the bracket 6 is further inserted, the locking portion 3 is pressed against the tip surface 64 of the bracket 6, and the elastic deformation region 5 near the locking portion 3 elastically deforms toward the inside of the housing 1. When the bracket 6 is further inserted, the position of the locked portion 61 coincides with the position of the locking portion 3, and the elastically deformed elastic deformation region 5 returns to its original state. The locking portion 3 is inserted into the locked portion 61 of the bracket 6 and locks the locked portion 61. At the same time, the pair of protrusions 62 of the bracket 6 abut against the open end 23 of the pair of rails 2. The bracket 6 is thus attached to the housing 1.

Next, a procedure for removing the bracket 6 from the housing 1 will be described.
The worker or the like presses the pressed portion 4 toward the inside of the housing 1. This causes the elastic deformation area 5 to elastically deform toward the inside of the housing 1. This causes the locking portion 3 to move toward the inside of the housing 1, and the locked state between the locked portion 61 of the bracket 6 and the locking portion 3 is released. Then, both side portions 63 of the tip of the bracket 6 are pulled out from within the grooves 21 of the pair of rails 2. This causes the bracket 6 to be removed from the housing 1.

As described above, the housing 1 is a housing for an in-vehicle electronic device having a wall 12 to which the bracket 6 is attached and detached. The wall 12 has a guide portion (a pair of rails 2) that guides the bracket 6 so that it can move along the wall 12 in the mounting direction A. The wall 12 has an elastic deformation region 5 that elastically deforms toward the inside of the housing 1 when pressed. The wall 12 protrudes from the elastic deformation region 5 toward the outside of the housing 1 and has a locking portion 3 that locks the bracket 6 guided by the guide portion. The wall 12 protrudes from the elastic deformation region 5 toward the outside of the housing 1 at a position further ahead of the locking portion 3 in the mounting direction A and has a pressed portion 4 that is pressed toward the inside of the housing 1 when the bracket 6 is removed.

As a result, when the pressed portion 4 is pressed, the elastic deformation area 5 of the housing 1 elastically deforms toward the inside of the housing 1, allowing the locking portion 3 to move toward the inside of the housing 1. Furthermore, because the pressed portion 4 is positioned away from the locking portion 3, the amount of deformation of the elastic deformation area 5 near the locking portion 3, which elastically deforms when the pressed portion 4 is pressed, can be increased. Therefore, the locked state between the locking portion 3 and the locked portion 61 of the housing 1 can be released simply by pressing the pressed portion 4, allowing the bracket 6 to be easily removed.

Furthermore, the guide portion that guides the bracket 6 movably in the mounting direction A is formed as a pair of rails 2 extending along the mounting direction A. The locking portion 3 is disposed between the pair of rails 2. The pressed portion 4 is disposed further forward in the mounting direction A than the pair of rails 2. The elastic deformation region 5 is formed in an area that extends between the pair of rails 2 and further forward in the mounting direction A than the pair of rails 2.

As a result, the housing 1 has a pair of rails 2, just like existing housings, making it easy to attach to an existing bracket. Furthermore, the housing 1 has a structure that makes it easier to press the pressed portion 4, since the pressed portion 4 is not covered by the bracket 6. Therefore, the housing 1 makes it even easier to release the locked state between the locking portion 3 and the locked portion 61, making it even easier to remove the bracket 6.

Furthermore, the elastic deformation region 5 is formed as a thin-walled portion.

As a result, even if the housing 1 is molded using a single resin material, the elastic deformation area 5 can be formed on the wall 12 having the mounting surface 11. Therefore, the housing 1 can easily provide a housing from which the bracket 6 can be easily removed.

Furthermore, the bracket 6 has a locking portion 61 that locks onto the locking portion 3. The locking portion 61 is formed as a through-hole into which the locking portion 3 can be inserted.

This allows the locking portion 3 to be visually confirmed when the bracket 6 is attached to the housing 1, making it easy to check the locking state between the locking portion 3 and the locked portion 61. Furthermore, since the locking structure between the locking portion 3 and the locked portion 61 of the housing 1 can be made relatively simple, it is easy to provide a housing from which the bracket 6 can be easily removed.

Furthermore, the mounting surface 11, which is the outer surface of the wall portion 12, is recessed toward the inside of the housing 1 in the area where the elastic deformation region 5 is provided. The inner surface 14 of the wall portion 12, which includes the mounting surface 11, is flat.

As a result, the housing 1 does not require recessing the inner surface 14 of the wall portion 12 to provide the elastic deformation area 5, and therefore does not require the inner surface 14 to have an undercut shape during resin molding. The housing 1 can be easily molded from resin. Therefore, the housing 1 can easily provide a housing from which the bracket 6 can be easily removed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can include various modifications. For example, the elastic deformation area 5 may be molded from a flexible resin material that elastically deforms toward the inside of the housing 1 as pressure is applied to the pressed portion 4. In this way, by selecting the resin material, the housing 1 can flexibly adjust the amount of deformation of the elastic deformation area 5 and the pressing force on the pressed portion 4 required to release the locking portion 3 from the locked portion 61. Another method for flexibly adjusting the amount of deformation and pressing force is to devise a method of adjusting the shape and thickness of the elastic deformation area 5, as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a first modified example of the elastic deformation region 5. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a second modified example of the elastic deformation region 5. Figures 6 and 7 correspond to Figure 5.

6, the elastic deformation region 5 may be formed so as to gradually become thinner as the mounting direction A of the bracket 6 progresses. That is, the elastic deformation region 5 may be formed so that the thickness of the portion 52 where the pressed portion 4 is provided is thinner than the thickness of the portion 51 where the locking portion 3 is provided.

As a result, the elastic deformation region 5 shown in Fig. 6 can be easily elastically deformed at the portion 52 where the pressed portion 4 is provided. Therefore, the housing 1 shown in Fig. 6 can reduce the pressing force on the pressed portion 4 required to release the engagement between the locking portion 3 and the locked portion 61. Therefore, the housing 1 shown in Fig. 6 can make it even easier to remove the bracket 6.

Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the elastic deformation region 5 may be positioned further inside the housing 1 than another portion of the wall 12 having the mounting surface 11 that is different from the elastic deformation region 5. The connection portion 15 between the elastic deformation region 5 and the other portion may be inclined from the center of the wall 12 having the mounting surface 11 toward the periphery as it moves from the inside to the outside of the housing 1.

As a result, the elastic deformation area 5 shown in Figure 7 can more easily deform at the connection portion 15 in response to the pressing force on the pressed portion 4 toward the inside of the housing 1, thereby increasing the amount of deformation of the elastic deformation area 5. Therefore, the housing 1 shown in Figure 7 makes it even easier to remove the bracket 6.

The present invention can also include modifications other than the elastic deformation region 5. For example, the housing 1 can have the locking portion 3 shaped like a triangular prism or a cylinder to match the shape of the bracket 6, or can have multiple locking portions 3. The housing 1 can have the pressed portion 4 shaped like a triangular prism or a cylinder to match the shape of the bracket 6, or can have multiple pressed portions 4.

The above embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

1...Housing, 11...Mounting surface (outer surface), 12...Wall portion, 14...Inner surface, 15...Connection portion, 2...Pair of rails (guide portion), 3...Latching portion, 4...Pressure-receiving portion, 5...Elastic deformation area portion, 51...Portion where the latching portion is provided, 52...Portion where the pressure-receiving portion is provided, 6...Bracket, 61...Latching portion, A...Mounting direction

Claims (5)

A housing for an in-vehicle electronic device having a wall portion to which a bracket is attached and detached,
The wall portion is
a guide portion that guides the bracket movably in an attachment direction along the wall portion;
an elastic deformation region that is elastically deformed toward the inside of the housing when pressed;
a locking portion that protrudes from the elastic deformation region toward the outside of the housing and locks the bracket that is guided by the guide portion;
a pressed portion that is provided at a position further forward than the locking portion in the mounting direction and that protrudes from the elastic deformation region toward the outside of the housing, and that is pressed toward the inside of the housing when the bracket is removed ,
The thickness of the elastically deformable region where the pressed portion is provided is thinner than the thickness of the region where the locking portion is provided.
A housing for an in-vehicle electronic device. the guide portion is formed as a pair of rails extending along the mounting direction,
the locking portion is disposed between the pair of rails,
the pressed portion is disposed forward of the pair of rails in the mounting direction,
The housing for an in-vehicle electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic deformation region is formed in a region extending from between the pair of rails to a position beyond the pair of rails in the mounting direction. The housing for an in-vehicle electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic deformation region is formed as a thin-walled portion. the bracket has a locked portion that is locked to the locking portion,
The housing for the in-vehicle electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the locked portion is formed as a through hole into which the locking portion can be inserted. the outer surface of the wall portion is recessed toward the inside of the housing in a region where the elastic deformation region is provided;
The housing for an in-vehicle electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the wall portion is flat.