JP7820169B2 - Electrical junction box and manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical junction box and a manufacturing method.

Electrical junction boxes that house blocks capable of holding electronic components and are mounted on vehicles have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such electrical junction boxes may need to have their circuits expanded depending on the model and grade of the vehicle in which they are mounted (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-7425 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-87943

However, some of the conventional electrical junction boxes mentioned above are connected to various power supply systems in a vehicle. In such electrical junction boxes, spare compartments for circuit expansion are provided for each of the various power supply systems, which increases the number of parts in the electrical junction box and tends to make the electrical junction box larger. In other words, there is room for improvement in conventional electrical junction boxes.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an electrical junction box and manufacturing method that can reduce manufacturing costs and enable miniaturization.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the electrical junction box of the present invention has the following features:

An electrical connection box having an internal space for accommodating electronic components,
power supply bus bars connected to corresponding power supply systems among the plurality of power supply systems;
a spare bus bar that is pre-assembled in the internal space in a state where it is not connected to the power supply system ,
The plurality of power supply bus bars and the spare bus bar include:
configured to be connectable to each other via connecting parts;
It must be an electrical junction box.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the manufacturing method of the present invention is characterized as follows:

A method for manufacturing an electrical connection box including the above-mentioned electrical connection box and the connection component,
connecting at least one of the plurality of power supply bus bars to the spare bus bar using the connection component,
It is a manufacturing method.

A method for manufacturing an electrical junction box according to the present invention will now be described.
Conventional electrical junction boxes have spare spaces (i.e., compartments) for each of multiple power supply systems to accommodate circuit expansion. In the electrical junction box of the present configuration, multiple power supply bus bars define compartments for each power supply system, and spare bus bars similarly define spare compartments (i.e., for circuit expansion). In other words, one spare compartment (i.e., spare bus bar) is required for each of the compartments for multiple power supply systems (i.e., power supply bus bars). Thus, the electrical junction box of the present configuration can reduce the spare compartments (i.e., the number of spare bus bar components) compared to conventional electrical junction boxes, while only requiring one spare compartment (i.e., the space for one spare bus bar). In other words, the electrical junction box of the present configuration can reduce manufacturing costs and be made smaller.
As a further advantage, the electrical junction box of this configuration can connect the power bus bar and the spare bus bar using the connecting parts, making the connection work easier.

The manufacturing method of the present invention can also achieve the same functions and effects as the electrical junction box.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical junction box according to an embodiment of the present invention (an upper cover is not shown). FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. 1 (the upper cover is not shown). FIG. 3 is a top view of the electrical junction box shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 with fuses removed, and is a schematic diagram for explaining the partitions and spare partitions of the various power supply systems. FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 and is a schematic diagram for explaining the power supply bus bar and the spare bus bar.

<Embodiment>
For ease of explanation, the following definitions are used for "front,""rear,""left,""right,""upper," and "lower" as shown in Figures 1 to 5. The "front-rear direction,""left-rightdirection," and "upper-lower direction" are perpendicular to one another. When the electrical junction box 1 is mounted on a vehicle, the "front-rear direction,""left-rightdirection," and "upper-lower direction" correspond to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and upper-lower direction of the vehicle, respectively. Furthermore, the side of the electrical junction box 1 facing the interior is referred to as the "inner" side, and the side of the electrical junction box 1 facing the exterior is referred to as the "outer" side.

First, an overview of the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The electrical junction box 1 is typically mounted on a vehicle and houses a block B (see Figures 3 to 5) that holds a fuse F and a shorting pin P (see Figures 2 and 3). The electrical junction box 1 is composed of a frame 11, a lower cover 12 attached to the bottom of the frame 11 to close the bottom opening of the frame 11, and an upper cover (not shown) attached to the top of the frame 11 to close the top opening of the frame 11. All three of the above components that make up the electrical junction box 1 are molded resin bodies. Below, the frame 11, lower cover 12, and upper cover that make up the electrical junction box 1 will be described in order.

First, the frame 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the frame 11 has a side wall 111 that is a generally rectangular cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction. The side wall 111 constitutes the majority of the exterior side of the electrical junction box 1. Locking portions 112, each including a through-hole extending in the vertical direction, are integrally formed on the outer surface of the lower end of the side wall 111 at multiple locations (four locations in this example) around the circumference. The locking portions 112 function to assemble the lower cover 12 to the frame 11. Additionally, a locking portion (not shown) that functions to assemble the upper cover to the frame 11 is provided on the outer surface of the upper end of the side wall 111.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, a block B that holds fuses F and shorting pins P is attached to the frame 11. Block B is provided with connection sections 21 to 24 that connect to each power supply system, and also has power supply bus bars 31 to 34 and a spare bus bar 35 attached to it.

Specifically, the power supply bus bar 31 is connected to the connection portion 21, and is also connected to, for example, an alternator (not shown) mounted on the vehicle. This allows the power supply bus bar 31 to function as a conductive part of the alternator system (see Figure 5). In other words, the right-hand region of block B in the left-right direction is used as section S1 of the alternator system (see Figure 4).

Similarly, a power supply bus bar 32 is connected to the connection portion 22, and is also connected to, for example, a battery (not shown) installed in the vehicle. This allows the power supply bus bar 32 to function as a conductive part of the battery system (see Figure 5). In other words, the approximately central region in the left-right direction and the front region in the front-to-rear direction of block B are used as section S2 of the battery system (see Figure 4).

Similarly, power supply bus bars 33 and 34 are connected to connection portions 23 and 24, respectively, and are also connected to power supply systems other than the alternator and battery (hereinafter referred to as "other power supply systems"). This causes power supply bus bars 33 and 34 to function as conductive parts for the other power supply systems (see Figure 5). In other words, the left-hand region of block B in the horizontal direction is utilized as section S3 for the other power supply systems (see Figure 4). The "other power supply systems" are appropriately selected from among the power supply systems other than the alternator and battery installed in the vehicle.

The spare bus bar 35 is positioned between the power supply bus bars 31-34 (see Figure 5). In other words, the roughly central region of block B in the left-right direction and the rear region in the front-to-rear direction are used as a spare section S4 that is not connected to the connectors 21-24 (i.e., the power supply systems) (see Figure 4). In other words, the spare section S4 is located adjacent to the sections S1-S3 of the power supply systems.

Block B also has multiple fuse insertion sections 25 into which fuses F can be inserted (see Figure 5). Block B also has pin insertion sections 26-28 into which shorting pins P can be inserted (see Figure 5). When circuit expansion is required for a given power supply system, shorting pins P are inserted into the corresponding pin insertion sections 26-28 to connect the corresponding power supply bus bars 31-34 to the spare bus bar 35 (this is described in more detail below).

Next, the lower cover 12 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2 , the lower cover 12 integrally comprises an annular side wall 121 that forms most of the exterior of the lower side of the electrical junction box 1, and a bottom wall 122 that closes the annular lower opening of the side wall 121 and forms most of the exterior of the bottom of the electrical junction box 1. The annular upper edge of the side wall 121 has a shape that corresponds to the annular lower edge of the side wall 111 of the frame 11, and is capable of fitting with the annular lower edge of the side wall 111. Locking pieces 123 that extend upward are integrally formed on the outer surface of the upper end of the side wall 121 at multiple locations (four locations in this example) around the circumference, corresponding to the multiple locking portions 112 of the frame 11.

Next, the upper cover will be described. The upper cover integrally comprises, for example, an annular side wall portion that makes up most of the appearance of the upper side surface of the electrical junction box 1, and an upper wall portion that closes the annular upper end opening of the side wall portion and makes up most of the appearance of the top surface of the electrical junction box 1. The annular lower edge portion of the side wall portion has a shape that corresponds to the annular upper edge portion of the side wall portion 111 of the frame 11, and is able to fit with the annular upper edge portion of the side wall portion 111. Locking portions are provided on the circumferential outer surface of the side wall portion, each corresponding to a plurality of lockable portions of the frame 11.

The frame 11, lower cover 12, and upper cover that make up the electrical junction box 1 have been described above. Next, we will explain a method for manufacturing the electrical junction box 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

To manufacture an electrical junction box, it is necessary to "assemble the lower cover 12 to the frame 11" and "assemble the block B to the frame 11 and insert the fuse F (shorting pin P) into the block B." The order of "assembling the lower cover 12 to the frame 11" and "assembling the block B to the frame 11 and inserting the fuse F (shorting pin P) into the block B" does not matter.

First, we will explain how to assemble the lower cover 12 to the frame 11. To assemble the lower cover 12 to the frame 11, first, the multiple locking pieces 123 (see Figure 2) of the lower cover 12 are inserted from below into the through holes of the locked portions 112 (see Figure 2) of the frame 11. From this state, the annular upper edge of the side wall portion 121 of the lower cover 12 is fitted into the annular lower edge of the side wall portion 111 of the frame 11, and the multiple locking pieces 123 are engaged with the multiple locked portions 112. This completes the assembly of the lower cover 12 to the frame 11.

Next, we will explain how to attach block B to frame 11 and how to accommodate fuse F (short pin P) in block B. To attach block B to frame 11, for example, a locking portion (not shown) on block B is engaged with a locking portion (not shown) on the inner surface of side wall portion 111 of frame 11. Then, fuse F is inserted and accommodated in the fuse insertion portion 25 of each power supply system compartment S1 to S3 according to the vehicle in which the electrical junction box 1 will be installed. Note that frame 11 and block B may be formed as a single unit; if so, the process of attaching block B to frame 11 can be omitted.

Depending on the vehicle in which the electrical junction box 1 is installed, it may be necessary to expand the specified power supply system. In such cases, in order to use the spare section S4, it is necessary to connect the specified power supply bus bars 31-34 to the spare bus bar 35. That is, short pins P are inserted and accommodated in the corresponding pin insertion portions 26-28. In other words, the specified power supply bus bars 31-34 and the spare bus bar 35 are connected by the short pins P.

Specifically, for example, if the power supply system requiring expansion is an alternator system, inserting and receiving a short pin P into the pin insertion portion 26 connects the power supply bus bar 31 and the spare bus bar 35. Similarly, if the power supply system requiring expansion is a battery system, inserting and receiving a short pin P into the pin insertion portion 27 connects the power supply bus bar 32 and the spare bus bar 35. Similarly, if the power supply system requiring expansion is another power supply system, inserting and receiving a short pin P into the pin insertion portion 28 connects the power supply bus bars 33 and 34 and the spare bus bar 35. In this way, the specified power supply system requiring expansion is expanded.

If power supply system expansion is not required, the short pins P are not inserted into or accommodated in the pin insertion sections 26-28. In this example, short pins P are used as connecting components, but this is not limited to this; for example, electrical wires may also be used as connecting components.

Next, we will explain how to assemble the upper cover to the frame 11. To do this, the annular lower edge of the side wall of the upper cover is fitted into the annular upper edge of the side wall 111 of the frame 11, and the multiple locking portions of the upper cover are locked to the multiple locking portions 112 of the frame 11. This completes the assembly of the upper cover to the frame 11 (not shown).

When the electrical junction box 1 is fully assembled, the engagement between the multiple locking pieces 123 and the multiple locked portions 112 prevents the lower cover 12 from separating downward from the frame 11. Similarly, the engagement between the multiple locking portions of the upper cover and the multiple locked portions of the frame 11 prevents the upper cover from separating upward from the frame 11.

<Actions and Effects>
The electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment will be described below. Conventional electrical junction boxes provide spare spaces (i.e., compartments) for each of multiple power supply systems to accommodate circuit expansion. In the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment, power supply bus bars 31-34 define the sections S1-S3 for each power supply system, and a spare bus bar 35 similarly defines a spare (i.e., circuit expansion) section S4. In other words, it is sufficient to provide one spare section S4 (i.e., spare bus bar 35) for each of the sections S1-S3 for the multiple power supply systems (i.e., power supply bus bars 31-34). Thus, compared to conventional electrical junction boxes, the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment can reduce the spare section S4 (i.e., reduce the number of spare bus bar 35 components) while only requiring one spare section S4 (i.e., the space for one spare bus bar 35). In other words, the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment can reduce manufacturing costs and achieve a more compact design.
As a further effect, the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment allows the power supply bus bars 31 to 34 and the spare bus bar 35 to be connected by the short pin P, which makes the connection work easier.

Furthermore, with the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment, the spare bus bar 35 is positioned between the multiple power supply bus bars 31-34. As a result, when connecting the power supply bus bars 31-34 to the spare bus bar 35, the electrical junction box 1 according to this embodiment makes it easy to connect the power supply bus bars 31-34 to the spare bus bar 35, facilitating the connection work.

Furthermore, with the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, if expansion is required for at least one power supply system (e.g., an alternator, battery, etc.), the corresponding power supply bus bars 31-34 can be connected to the spare bus bar 35 using the short pin P. In this way, the electrical junction box 1 manufactured using the manufacturing method according to this embodiment can reduce the spare section S4 (i.e., the number of spare bus bar 35 parts) compared to conventional electrical junction boxes, and only one spare section S4 (i.e., the space for the spare bus bar 35) needs to be secured. In other words, the manufacturing method according to this embodiment reduces the manufacturing cost of the electrical junction box 1 and enables it to be made more compact.

<Other forms>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

Here, the features of the embodiments of the electrical junction box and manufacturing method according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].
[1]
An electrical connection box (1) having an internal space for accommodating an electronic component (fuse F),
power supply bus bars (31 to 34) each connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of power supply systems;
a spare bus bar (35) that is not connected to the power supply system,
The plurality of power supply bus bars (31 to 34) and the spare bus bar (35) are
The components are connectable to each other via a connecting part (short pin P).
Electrical junction box (1).
[2]
In the electrical connection box (1) described in [1] above,
The spare bus bar (35)
arranged between the plurality of power supply bus bars (31 to 34),
Electrical junction box (1).
[3]
A manufacturing method of an electrical connection box (1) comprising the electrical connection box (1) described in [1] or [2] above and the connection part (short pin P),
The method includes a step of connecting at least one of the plurality of power supply bus bars (31 to 34) to the spare bus bar (35) by the connection part (short pin P),
Manufacturing method.

The electrical junction box having the configuration [1] above will be described below. Conventional electrical junction boxes have spare spaces (i.e., compartments) for each of multiple power supply systems to accommodate circuit expansion. In the electrical junction box of the present configuration, multiple power supply bus bars define compartments for each power supply system, and spare bus bars similarly define spare compartments (i.e., for circuit expansion). In other words, one spare compartment (i.e., spare bus bar) is sufficient for multiple power supply system compartments (i.e., power supply bus bars). Thus, compared to conventional electrical junction boxes, the electrical junction box of the present configuration can reduce the spare compartments (i.e., the number of spare bus bar components) while only requiring one spare compartment (i.e., the space for one spare bus bar). In other words, the electrical junction box of the present configuration can reduce manufacturing costs and be made smaller.
As a further advantage, the electrical junction box of this configuration can connect the power bus bar and the spare bus bar using the connecting parts, making the connection work easier.

In the electrical junction box configured as described above in [2], the spare bus bar is positioned between multiple power supply bus bars. This makes it easy to connect any power supply bus bar to any spare bus bar when connecting a power supply bus bar to a spare bus bar, simplifying the connection process.

According to the manufacturing method [3] above, if at least one power supply system requires expansion, for example, the corresponding power supply bus bar can be connected to a spare bus bar using a connecting component. In this way, an electrical junction box manufactured using this manufacturing method can reduce the spare compartment (i.e., the number of spare bus bar components) compared to conventional electrical junction boxes, and only one spare compartment (i.e., the space for the spare bus bar) needs to be secured. In other words, this manufacturing method reduces the manufacturing cost of electrical junction boxes and allows for smaller sizes.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electrical junction box 11 Frame 12 Lower cover 21, 22, 23, 24 Connection portion 25 Fuse insertion portion 26, 27, 28 Pin insertion portion 31, 32, 33, 34 Power supply bus bar 35 Spare bus bar 111, 121 Side wall portion 112 Locked portion 122 Bottom wall portion 123 Locking piece B Block F Fuse P Short pin S1, S2, S3, S4 Section

Claims (3)

An electrical connection box having an internal space for accommodating electronic components,
power supply bus bars connected to corresponding power supply systems among the plurality of power supply systems;
a spare bus bar that is pre-assembled in the internal space in a state where it is not connected to the power supply system ,
The plurality of power supply bus bars and the spare bus bar include:
configured to be connectable to each other via connecting parts;
Electrical junction box. 2. The electrical connection box according to claim 1,
The spare bus bar is
disposed between the plurality of power supply bus bars,
Electrical junction box. 3. A method for manufacturing an electrical connection box including the electrical connection box according to claim 1 or 2 and the connection component, comprising :
connecting at least one of the plurality of power supply bus bars to the spare bus bar using the connection component,
Manufacturing method.