JP2002315152A - Automotive junction box - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a branch connection circuit from damages caused by a load applied to wires protruding from a case and to improve a working efficiency for the formation of the connection circuit. SOLUTION: This automotive junction box 10 has a branch connection circuit (connector module 15) housed in a case comprising an upper case 11 and a lower case 16. Parts of wires 21 of a wiring harness 21 whose ends are connected to connectors 20, and conductors are wired with an insulation plate inbetween so as to cross each other in X-Y directions. The wires 21 and the conductors are connected with each other through holes drilled in the insulation plate at required cross points to form a branch connection circuit. The respective wires 21 of the wiring harness protruding from the case are inserted through fixing material 19 and fixed to the insides of the fixing materials 19. Engagement parts on the outer surfaces of the fixing materials 19 are coupled and engaged with engagement parts 11c of openings of side walls 11 of the upper case, and the fixing materials 19 are fixed to the side walls of the case.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a junction box for an automobile, and more particularly, to a junction connection circuit in which a part of a wire harness is inserted into the junction box without a connector to form a branch connection circuit. This is to prevent circuit damage and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the rapid increase of electrical components mounted on automobiles, the number of circuits accommodated in a junction box has rapidly increased.
The number of parts has become very large, and the number of assembling steps has also become very large.

[0003] A branch connection circuit inside a junction box as shown in FIG. 9 has been proposed to reduce the thickness of the junction box, easily cope with circuit changes, and reduce the number of assembly steps. ing.

In the branch connection circuit, the branch wire 1 is wired on the upper surface of the insulating sheet 3 so as to be in a direction orthogonal to the main wire 2 wired in parallel to the lower surface of the insulating sheet 3. The connection portion A is provided by connecting the upper and lower electric wires 1 and 2 with the perforated connection hole 3a. However, when an external force as shown by an arrow in FIG.
A load is directly applied to the connection portion A, and the branch connection circuit is easily damaged. Further, in the work of connecting the upper and lower electric wires 1 and 2 through the connection holes 3a, the branch wire 1 is separated, so that the connection work is difficult to perform, and the work efficiency is reduced.

Therefore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 7-153513 proposes a method for fixing the branch electric wire 1 as shown in FIGS. An electric wire holder 7 used for fixing the branch electric wire 1 includes an electric wire fixing plate 5 and an electric wire cover 4.
The wire fixing plate 5 and the wire cover 4 hold the branch wire 1 from above and below, and furthermore, the board part 5a of the wire fixing plate 5 and the sheet holding plate 8
, The branch wire 1 can be guided in parallel in advance, and even if an external force acts on the branch wire 1, the connection portion A is not affected.

[0006]

However, in each member of the electric wire holder 7, the sheet holding plate 6, the substrate portion 5a and the sheet holding plate 6 used for fixing to the insulating sheet 3 are provided separately from the portion for holding the branch electric wire 1. The locking projections 5b are required, and the fixing holes 3b need to be formed on the insulating sheet 3 side as well. Further, apart from the wire fixing work, a work of fixing the wire holder 7 to the insulating sheet 3 is also required, and the number of working steps increases.

When the electric wire holder 7 is accommodated in the junction box, the branch wire 1 inserted through the electric wire holder 7 and led out is damaged by friction with the side wall of the junction box case. Resulting in. Further, it is necessary to secure a space in the width direction for providing the fixing hole 3b in the insulating sheet 3, which increases the area of the branch connection circuit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and prevents damage to a branch connection portion when an external force is applied to an electric wire, improves the work efficiency of branch connection between upper and lower electric wires, and reduces the number of parts. Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of work steps, prevent damage to electric wires, and prevent the area of branch connection circuits from increasing.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a junction box for automobiles in which a conductor constituting a branch connection circuit is accommodated inside a case composed of an upper case and a lower case. A part of a wire harness connected to a connector or a connector of another wire harness connected to the terminal is inserted into the case and wired parallel to one surface of the insulating plate, while being perpendicular to the other surface of the insulating plate. In the above case, a conductive material is arranged in the direction, cross-wiring is performed in an XY direction via an insulating plate, and a connection is made through a hole formed in the insulating plate at a required crossing position to form a branch connection circuit. The wire group of the wire harness that projects further outward is positioned and fixed inside a fixing member made of a resin molded product and penetrated, and a concave portion or a convex portion is formed on the outer surface of the fixing member. While are provided Ranaru locking portion,
An opening through which the fixing material penetrates is provided at a joint portion between the side walls of the upper case and the lower case, and a locked portion comprising a protrusion or a recess fitted with the locking portion is provided on an inner surface of the opening; , Which is fixed to the case side wall in a penetrating state.

[0010] With the above structure, the fixing member for holding the wire group of the wire harness which projects outward from the case is fixed to the case, so that when an external force is applied to the wire group, the hole of the insulating plate is formed. The external force is not directly transmitted to a portion connected to the conductive material through the through hole, and damage to the branch connection circuit can be prevented. Further, since the fixing member comes into contact with the case, the wire group of the wire harness held inside the fixing member does not contact the case, thereby preventing the wire harness from being damaged by friction with the case. it can.

[0011] In the method of holding the fixing member, the engaging portion formed by a concave portion or a convex portion on the outer surface of the fixing member may be engaged with a locked portion formed by a convex portion or a concave portion provided at an opening of a side wall joining portion between the upper case and the lower case. Since it only fits in the part,
This can be done simultaneously with the work of fixing the upper case to the lower case, and does not require a separate work of holding the fixing material. Further, the fixing member does not secure and fix a special fixing portion to the insulating plate or the like of the branch connection circuit, but merely clamps the fixing member by the side wall of the upper case and the lower case using the locking structure. It is possible to prevent an increase in the area of the operation box.

Further, since the branch connection circuit in the junction box uses the electric wire group of the wire harness as it is, the circuit is flexible, and the design is free without being restricted by the connector position unlike the conventional internal circuit design. It becomes possible, and since the connection is made at a required intersection position to form a branch connection circuit, if a circuit change occurs, it is only necessary to change the connection position, and the branch circuit can be easily changed. it can.

[0013] It is preferable that the fixing member is buried without being exposed to the outer surface in a state where the electric wire groups of the wire harness are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval. When the wire group of the wire harness is buried in parallel with the fixing member at the same interval as when the wires are wired in parallel to the insulating plate, the wire group does not separate, and the wire group is passed through a hole in the insulating plate. The connection with the conductive material is easily performed, and the work efficiency is improved.

When the fixing member is formed by insert-molding a wire group of a wire harness, the fixing member has only one member and is integrated with the wire harness, so that an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed.

Alternatively, the fixing member is constituted by a pair of board parts which are locked to each other, an electric wire insertion groove is arranged in parallel with both or one of these board parts, and a wire group is penetrated. When the locking portion is provided on the outer surface of the wire harness, the wire harness can be shared because it is separate from the wire harness. In addition, if both of the pair of substrate portions are configured to be locked to each other as having the same shape having the wire insertion groove and the locking portion,
It is possible to halve the type of the fixing material component to one type.

The above-mentioned junction box for automobiles comprises:
A connector module to be connected to an external wire harness, a fuse module to be connected to a fuse, and a relay module to be connected to a relay are housed and assembled in a case, and wires of a wire harness to be inserted into the case as conductors of the connector module. Groups are used.

By modularizing the circuit in the junction box in this way, if there is a change in the specifications of the connector circuit, the fuse circuit, and the relay circuit, only the corresponding module needs to be changed. Can respond. Further, circuits do not overlap between modules, multilayering is suppressed, and the junction box can be made thin. Further, in a connector module to be connected to an external circuit, if the wire group of the wire harness is used as an internal branch circuit, the circuit of the connector module can be formed easily and easily.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a junction box 10 for an automobile, in which a connector module 15, a relay module 17, and a fuse module 18 are accommodated in an upper case 11 and a lower case 16, and an intermediate case 13 is provided above the connector module 15. The electronic control unit 12 is arranged and connected to the conductor of the connector module 15 via the relay terminal 14.

The above components are assembled by mounting a connector module 15, an intermediate case 13, and an electronic control unit 12 on a lower case 16 in sequence and covering the upper case 11. The relay module 17 is disposed above one side of the connector module 15 so that the relay 26 is exposed through an opening 11 b provided on the upper surface of the upper case 11.
5 and is exposed to the side opening 11a of the upper case 11.

FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of the lower part of the connector module 15, in which a connector 20 is connected to one end and four sets of wire harnesses W / H1 and W / H are cut to a required length at the other end. The cut sides of the electric wires 21 of H2, W / H3, and W / H4 are wired on one surface of the insulating plate 22 so as to be wired in parallel in the X direction. On the other surface of the insulating plate 22, an electric wire 23 dedicated to the connector module is wired in parallel in the Y direction.

As described above, the electric wires 21 and the electric wires 23 cross-wired in the XY directions with the insulating plate 22 interposed therebetween are shown in FIG.
(B) As shown in FIG.
The connection portion P is formed by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding through the hole 22a provided in the second portion 2 to form a required branch connection circuit.

The wire harnesses W / H1, W / H2,
The W / H3 and W / H4 wires 21 are insulated wires, the connector module dedicated wire 23 is a non-insulated single core wire, and the coated wire wire 21 and the single core wire 23 are ultrasonic waves. In the case of welding, the insulating coating of the electric wire 21 is automatically melted by the ultrasonic vibration, and the core wire of the electric wire 21 and the single-core electric wire 23 can be connected. In addition,
Even if the electric wire 23 is a coated electric wire, the core wires can be connected to each other by melting both insulating coatings by ultrasonic welding. When resistance welding is used, the insulating coating on the tip of the electric wire 21 is peeled in advance.

In FIG. 2, X-
Although only the wires 21 and 23 for wiring in the Y direction are disclosed,
In addition, X-
A circuit in which electric wires are cross-wired in the Y direction, required intersections of these electric wires are welded in the same manner as described above to form a required branch connection circuit, and the electric wires are cross-wired across the insulating plate. The required number of bodies are stacked to assemble the connector module. Also in these laminated circuit bodies, wire harnesses W / H1 and W / H1 shown in FIG.
Needless to say, the electric wires 21 of / H2, W / H3 and W / H4 may be used.

Wire harnesses W / H1, W / H2, W / H3, W hanging from both ends of connector module 15
/ H4 wire 21 is insert-molded inside a fixing member 19 provided to be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire 21. The fixing member 19 is made of a resin molded product.
As shown in (A), a concave portion serving as the locking portion 19a is provided in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface of the square bar, and the fixing material is provided at the same interval as when the electric wires 21 are wired in parallel with the insulating plate 22. 1
9 is molded in parallel. Therefore, even when the upper and lower electric wires 21 and 23 are welded through the holes 22a of the insulating plate 22, the electric wires 21 are not separated, and the working efficiency is improved.

The fixing member 19 is clamped and assembled between the upper case 11 and the lower case 16. Specifically, the edge of the opening provided on the side surface of the upper case 11 shown in FIG. 1 is regarded as a convex locked portion 11c, and as shown in FIG. By locking the locked portion 11c of the upper case 11 to the portion 19a, the fixing member 19 is fixed to the case. In this case, even if an external force is applied to the electric wire 21 or the connector 20 led out of the case, the external force is interrupted by the fixing member 19 and the portion of the electric wire 21 existing inside the case is not affected. P
Can be prevented from being damaged due to a load applied to the circuit. Further, since the electric wire 21 is protected by the fixing member 19 and does not contact the upper case 11 and the lower case 16, it is possible to prevent the wire harnesses W / H1, W / H2, W / H3, and W / H4 from being damaged.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the fuse module 18 has a press contact terminal 25b at one end of the bus bar 25 of the fuse module 18 press-connected to the electric wire 23 of the connector module 15, and a press contact terminal at the other end of the bus bar 25. 2
5a is press-connected to the terminal 24a of the fuse 24. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the press contact terminal 27a of the bus bar 27 of the relay module 17 is press contacted with the electric wire 23 of the connector module 15, and the terminal 26a of the relay 26 is connected to the bus bar 27 by soldering. . Note that a tab having a press-contact slot may be provided on the bus bar 27 so as to press-connect the terminal 26a of the relay 26 and the tab.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that an intermediate portion of the electric wire 21 'of the wire harness W / H1' and W / H2 'connecting the connector 20 at both ends is bridged over the insulating plate 22'. . FIG.
As shown in (B), wire harnesses W / H1 ', W / H1'
The electric wire 21 'of H2' is welded to the electric wire 23 through an opening 22a 'provided at a required position of the insulating plate 22' to form a connection portion P '. The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that the fixing member 19 'is provided with a convex portion serving as the locking portion 19b' on the rectangular bar-shaped lower surface in the longitudinal direction.

Wire harnesses W / H1, W / H2, W / H3, W hanging from both ends of connector module 15
/ H4 electric wire 21 is fixed to the fixing member 19 'in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
Insert mold inside. As shown in FIG. 6 (B), the convex locking portion 19b 'of the fixing member 19' is locked in the concave portion serving as the locked portion 16a 'provided at a required position of the lower case 16, and The fixing member 19 'is fixed to the case. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment or the second embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that the fixing member 30 is
And that it is separate.

The fixing member 30 is, as shown in FIG.
The first substrate portion 31 has an L-shaped cross section, and has a locking portion 31 on its upper surface.
The concave portion a is provided in the longitudinal direction. Second substrate part 32
Has an L-shaped cross-section to be fitted to the first substrate portion 31, and has a stepped upper surface in which the wire insertion groove 32b is cut out at a required interval in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. . Note that a lock frame 31b and a lock claw 32a for locking and coupling to each other are protruded at required positions on the side surfaces of the first substrate portion 31 and the second substrate portion 32.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the wire insertion groove 32
b, the first substrate portion 31 and the second substrate portion 32 are lock-coupled by guiding the electric wire 21 to the locked portion 1 of the upper case 11.
1c and the locking portion 31a of the first substrate portion 31 are locked and assembled. In this case, even if an external force is applied to a portion of the electric wire 21 that is exposed to the outside of the case, the external force is interrupted by the fixing member 30 and the portion of the electric wire 21 existing inside the case is not affected. Can be prevented. Further, since the fixing member 30 is provided separately from the electric wires 21, the wire harness can be shared. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment or the second embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8 shows a fifth embodiment. The difference from the fourth embodiment is that the first substrate portion 41 constituting the fixing member 40
And the second substrate portion 41 'have the same shape.

The first substrate portion 41 has an L-shaped cross section, and a concave portion serving as a locking portion 41a is provided on the upper surface thereof in the longitudinal direction.
An electric wire insertion groove 41d is provided on the stepped lower surface at a required interval.
Are cut out in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. A lock frame 41b is protruded at the required side surface position, and a lock claw 41c is protruded at the opposite required side surface position. Second
The same applies to the substrate section 41 '.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the wire insertion groove 41
The first substrate portion 41 and the second substrate portion 41 are lock-coupled by guiding the electric wire 21 to the locked portion 1 of the upper case 11.
1c and the locking portions 16a 'of the lower case 16' provided similarly to the upper case 11, locking the locking portions 41a, 41a 'of the first substrate portion 41 and the second substrate portion 41'. Assemble. With the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the number of types of members forming the fixing member 40 by half.

[0036]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the fixing member for holding the wire group of the wire harness is fixed to the case, so that when an external force is applied to the wire group, the branching is performed. The external force is not directly transmitted to the connection portion, so that the branch connection circuit can be prevented from being damaged, and the wire harness is not damaged due to friction with the case. In addition, at the same time as fixing the upper case to the lower case, the engaging portion of the fixing member is merely fitted to the case side wall.
Separately, there is no need to hold the fixing material, so that the number of working steps can be reduced, and it is not necessary to secure a special installation place for the fixing material, and it is possible to prevent the area of the junction box from increasing.

The electric wire group of the wire harness is laid in the fixing material in a state where the electric wire group is arranged in parallel with a required interval, so that the electric wire group is not separated, and the electric wire is branched through the hole of the insulating plate. Connection work becomes easier. When the fixing member is formed by insert-molding the wire group of the wire harness, the increase in the number of parts can be suppressed. On the other hand, when the fixing member is formed as a separate body and composed of a pair of board parts locked together, Sharing can be achieved. Furthermore, by modularizing the circuit in the junction box, if there is a change in the specifications of the connector circuit, fuse circuit, and relay circuit, only the corresponding module needs to be changed, and the circuit may overlap between modules. However, multilayering can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a junction box for a vehicle according to the present invention.

2A is a schematic perspective view of a lower part of the connector module, and FIG. 2B is a schematic sectional view.

FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a fixing member, and FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing fixing of the fixing member to a case.

4A is a diagram showing a connection mode between a connector module and a fuse module, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a connection mode between a connector module and a relay module.

FIG. 5A is a schematic lower perspective view of a connector module according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a schematic sectional view.

FIG. 6A is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a fixing member according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing fixing of the fixing member to a case.

FIG. 7A is a partially exploded perspective view of a fixing member of a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing fixing of the fixing member to a case.

FIG. 8A is a partially exploded perspective view of a fixing member of a fifth embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing fixing of the fixing member to a case.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a main part of a conventional branch connection circuit.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views of relevant parts showing another conventional branch connection circuit and an electric wire holder.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Junction box for vehicles 11 Upper case 11c Locked part 12 Electronic control unit 15 Connector module 16, 16 'Lower case 17 Relay module 18 Fuse module 19, 19', 30, 40 Fixing material 19a, 19b ', 31a, 41a, 41a 'Locking portion 20 Connector 21 Electric wire 22 Insulating plate 22a Hole 23 Electric wire (conductive material) 31, 41 First substrate portion 32, 41' Second substrate portion 32b, 41d, 41d 'Electric wire insertion groove P Connection portion W / H1 , W / H2, W / H3, W / H4 Wire harness

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Yuji Osaka 1-14 Nishisuehirocho, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie F-term in Sumitomo Wiring Systems Co., Ltd. (reference) 4E352 AA09 AA16 BB05 CC02 CC04 CC52 DD02 DD06 DD16 DR02 DR03 DR13 DR14 DR15 DR25 DR33 DR34 DR46 EE03 FF01 GG01 GG10 GG12 GG20 5G361 BA06 BB01 BB02 BB03 BC01

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A junction box for an automobile in which a conductor forming a branch connection circuit is accommodated inside a case including an upper case and a lower case, wherein a connector connected to a connector of a device or a connector of another wire harness is a terminal. A part of the wire harness connected to is inserted into the case and wired in parallel on one surface of the insulating plate, and a conductive material is arranged on the other surface of the insulating plate in a direction orthogonal to X- through the insulating plate. Cross-wiring in the Y direction and connecting through holes drilled in the insulating plate at the required intersections to form a branch connection circuit. The fixing member is positioned and fixed inside and penetrates the fixing member. An opening through which the fixing material penetrates is provided at a joint portion of the side wall of the lower case, and a locked portion comprising a convex portion or a concave portion which fits with the locking portion is provided on the inner surface of the opening; A junction box for an automobile, wherein the junction box is fixed in a penetrating state. 2. The junction box for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is buried in a state where the electric wire groups of the wire harness are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and the electric wire groups are not exposed to the outer surface. 3. The junction box for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is formed by insert-molding a wire group of a wire harness. 4. The fixing member comprises a pair of board parts locked to each other, and an electric wire insertion groove is arranged in parallel to both or one of these board parts so as to penetrate a group of electric wires. 3. The junction box for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion is provided on an outer surface of the substrate. 5. The automobile junction box is assembled by housing a connector module to be connected to an external wire harness, a fuse module to be connected to a fuse, and a relay module to be connected to a relay in a case. The automobile junction box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a wire group of a wire harness inserted into the case is used as the conductor.