JP2024101655A - Electrical Junction Box - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electrical junction box capable of appropriately realizing a mechanism that prevents fitting in an incorrect fitting posture.SOLUTION: In an electrical junction box 1, a pair of L-shaped ribs 32A protrude from one side of a housing in a width direction Y, and are capable of engaging with an object. Connector interference parts 33A protrude from the other side of the housing in the width direction Y. A connector accommodation part 41 has an accommodation part interference rib 411 that protrudes from one side of the connector accommodation part 41 in the width direction Y. In the connector accommodation part 41, when a male connector 30A is fit to the connector accommodation part 41 in a normal fitting posture in which the L-shaped ribs 32A position on the accommodation part interference rib 411 side, the accommodation part interference rib 411 positions between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A and when the male connector 30A is fit to the connector accommodation part 41 in an incorrect fitting posture in which the connector interference parts 33A position on the accommodation part interference rib 411 side, the accommodation part interference rib 411 interferes with the connector interference parts 33A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical connection box.

As a conventional electrical connection box, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a junction box that prevents erroneous fitting of a connector into a connector housing. In this junction box, rib fitting recesses for preventing erroneous fitting of the connectors are provided at different positions on the side walls of each of the multiple connector housings, and ribs provided on the outer surface of the connector that fits into the connector housing are fitted into the rib fitting recesses.

JP 2003-070131 A

Incidentally, the junction box described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 prevents the connector from being mated in an incorrect mating position by fitting the ribs of the connector into the rib mating recesses of the connector housing, but the configuration for preventing the connector from being mated in an incorrect mating position tends to be complicated.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an electrical connection box that can properly implement a mechanism that prevents mating in an incorrect mating position.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the electrical connection box according to the present invention comprises a connector having terminals and a housing for accommodating the terminals, which is fitted with a mating connector along a fitting direction, and a connector accommodating portion for accommodating the connector, the connector having a pair of L-shaped L-shaped ribs protruding from one side of the housing along a width direction intersecting the fitting direction and capable of engaging with an object, and a connector interference portion protruding from the other side of the housing in the width direction, the connector accommodating portion having an accommodating portion interference rib protruding from one side of the connector accommodating portion in the width direction, the accommodating portion interference rib being located between the pair of L-shaped ribs, and the accommodating portion interference rib interfering with the connector when the connector is fitted into the connector accommodating portion in a normal fitting position in which the L-shaped ribs are located on the accommodating portion interference rib side, when the connector is fitted into the connector accommodating portion in an incorrect fitting position in which the connector interference portion is located on the accommodating portion interference rib side.

The electrical connection box of the present invention uses a pair of L-shaped ribs that also function to engage with an object, making it possible to realize a configuration that prevents the connector from being mated in an incorrect mating position into the connector housing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of an electrical junction box according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an example of the configuration of the electrical junction box according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of a connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of a connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of a connection of the connector according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a configuration example of a connector receiving portion according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example in which the connector according to the embodiment is accommodated in a normal mating position. FIG. 8 is a front view showing an example in which the connector according to the embodiment is accommodated in an incorrect mating position. FIG. 9 is a front view showing an example of a connection of the connector according to the embodiment.

The following describes in detail the form (embodiment) for carrying out the present invention with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiment. The components described below include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be combined as appropriate. Various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configuration can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The electric connection box 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, of the first, second, and third directions that intersect with each other in each drawing, the first direction is referred to as the "mating direction X", the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y", and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z". The mating direction X, width direction Y, and height direction Z intersect with each other and are typically perpendicular to each other. The mating direction X is the direction in which the male connector 30A and the female connector 30B are mated. The width direction Y is the direction along the width of the male connector 30A. The height direction Z is the direction in which the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A are aligned. Unless otherwise specified, each direction used in the following description will be described as the direction in which each part is assembled with the electric connection box 1 mounted on the vehicle.

The electrical connection box 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile and incorporated into a wire harness. The wire harness is, for example, a bundle of wiring materials used for power supply and signal communication to connect each device mounted on a vehicle, and is configured to connect the wiring materials to each device using connectors or the like. The wire harness includes a conductive wiring material and an electrical connection box 1 electrically connected to the wiring material. The wiring material is, for example, composed of a metal rod, an electric wire, a bundle of electric wires, etc. The metal rod is a conductive rod-shaped member with an outer surface covered with an insulating coating. The electric wire is a conductor portion (core wire) made of a plurality of conductive metal wires with an insulating coating on the outer surface. The electric wire bundle is a bundle of the electric wires. The wire harness is a bundle of a plurality of wiring materials W bundled together, and the electrical connection box 1 is electrically connected via a connector or the like provided at the terminal of the bundled wiring material. The wire harness may also include protectors, exterior materials, fasteners, etc.

The electrical connection box 1 is, for example, a connector box that aggregates and connects multiple connectors provided at the terminals of the wiring material of a wire harness to connectors of each device of a vehicle. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electrical connection box 1 includes a grommet 10, an electronic component 20, a mating connector 30, and a housing box 40.

The grommet 10 is a member that fits into the insertion opening of the storage box 40 to make the insertion opening waterproof, and through which the wiring material connected to the electronic components 20 stored inside the storage box 40 is inserted. The grommet 10 is formed as an elastic body from an insulating elastic resin material that has low rigidity and high flexibility, such as rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer (e.g., ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM)).

The electronic components 20 perform electrical processing related to the vehicle, and are various electronic components such as fuses, relays, branching parts, and electronic control units. The electronic components 20 are housed in an electronic component housing section provided in the housing box 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mating connector 30 includes a male connector 30A and a female connector 30B.

The female connector 30B has a conductive female terminal, a housing 31b, and a cavity 31B. The housing 31b is molded from an insulating synthetic resin, and the cavity 31B is formed therein. The cavity 31B accommodates multiple terminals. The cavity 31B has an accommodating space formed along the mating direction X, and is divided so that each terminal can be individually accommodated.

The male connector 30A has a conductive male terminal, a housing 31a, a cavity 31A, a pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A, a pair of connector interference portions 33A, 33A, a pair of L-shaped ribs 32B, 32B, and a pair of locking ribs 33B, 33B. The housing 31a is molded from an insulating synthetic resin, and the cavity 31A is formed. The cavity 31A accommodates multiple terminals. The cavity 31A has an accommodating space formed along the mating direction X, and is divided so that each terminal can be individually accommodated.

The pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A are protrusions formed in an L shape when viewed from the mating direction X, and can engage with an object. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A are formed protruding from one side of the housing 31a along the width direction Y, extend along the mating direction X, and are arranged side by side along the height direction Z. The L-shaped rib 32A has a first extension portion extending along the width direction Y and a second extension portion extending from the tip of the first extension portion along the height direction Z. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A are arranged with the tips of the second extension portions facing each other along the height direction Z. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A have abutting walls at one end in the mating direction X. This wall portion is butted against the tip of a pair of connector interference portions 33A, 33A of the mating male connector 30A when connecting male connectors 30A described below. A locking claw 321A that is locked to a locking arm 331A described below is provided between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A. As shown in FIG. 3, the locking claw 321A is a claw formed to protrude from one side of the housing 31a along the width direction Y.

The pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A are protrusions formed in an L-shape when viewed from the mating direction X. The pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A are formed protruding from the other side of the housing 31a along the width direction Y, extend along the mating direction X, and are arranged side by side along the height direction Z. The connector interference part 33A has a first extension part extending along the width direction Y and a second extension part extending from the tip of the first extension part along the height direction Z. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A are provided with the tips of the second extension parts facing in opposite directions to each other along the height direction Z. The pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A are provided with a wall part for abutment at the end on the other side of the mating direction X. When the male connectors 30A are connected to each other, the tip parts of the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A of the mating male connector 30A abut against this wall part. The pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A has a locking arm 331A. As shown in FIG. 4, the locking arm 331A is an arm that is provided on the other side of the width direction Y of the housing 31a in an elastically deformable manner. The locking arm 331A is provided between the pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A and extends along the mating direction X. The locking arm 331A has a tip end 332 and a base end fixed to the housing 31a in the mating direction X, and an intermediate portion between the tip end 332 and the base end is elastically deformable. The locking arm 331A has a claw formed in this intermediate portion that is locked by the locking claw 321A. When the male connector 30A is erroneously mated in the connector accommodation portion 41 in an incorrect mating position, the tip end 332 of the locking arm 331A interferes with the accommodation portion interference rib 411 described below.

The pair of L-shaped ribs 32B, 32B are protrusions formed in an L shape when viewed from the mating direction X, and can be engaged with an object. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32B, 32B are formed to protrude from one side of the housing 31a along the height direction Z, extend along the mating direction X, and are arranged side by side along the width direction Y. The L-shaped rib 32B has a first extension portion extending along the height direction Z and a second extension portion extending from the tip of the first extension portion along the width direction Y. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32B, 32B are arranged with the tips of the second extension portions facing each other along the width direction Y. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32B, 32B have abutting walls at one end of the mating direction X. When connecting male connectors 30A to each other, the tips of a pair of locking ribs 33B, 33B of the mating male connector 30A abut against this wall. A locking claw 321B that is locked to a locking arm 331B (described below) is provided between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32B, 32B. As shown in FIG. 5, the locking claw 321B is a claw formed to protrude from one side of the housing 31a along the height direction Z.

The pair of locking ribs 33B, 33B are protrusions formed in an L-shape when viewed from the mating direction X. The pair of locking ribs 33B, 33B are formed to protrude from the other side of the housing 31a along the height direction Z, extend along the mating direction X, and are arranged side by side along the width direction Y. The locking rib 33B has a first extension portion extending along the height direction Z and a second extension portion extending from the tip of the first extension portion along the width direction Y. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32B, 32B are arranged with the tips of the second extension portions facing in opposite directions to each other along the width direction Y. The pair of locking ribs 33B, 33B are provided with a wall portion for abutment at the end on the other side of the mating direction X. When the male connectors 30A are connected to each other, the tip portions of the pair of L-shaped ribs 32B, 32B of the mating male connector 30A abut against this wall portion. The pair of locking ribs 33B, 33B has a locking arm 331B. The locking arm 331B is an arm that is provided on the other side of the housing 31a in the height direction Z and is elastically deformable. The locking arm 331B is provided between the pair of locking ribs 33B, 33B and extends along the mating direction X. The tip and base ends of the locking arm 331B in the mating direction X are fixed to the housing 31a, and the intermediate portion between the tip and base ends is elastically deformable. The locking arm 331B has a claw formed in this intermediate portion that is engaged with the locking claw 321B.

As shown in FIG. 5, the male connectors 30A configured as described above can be connected to each other. For example, an operator can connect the male connectors 30A to each other by inserting the pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A into the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A along the mating direction X up to the abutting wall and engaging the locking arm 331A with the locking claw 321A. At this time, the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A insert the pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A inwardly and guide the pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A along the mating direction X. In addition, as a situation in which the male connectors 30A are connected to each other, for example, in an environment in which it is difficult to provide a storage box 40 that houses the male connectors 30A, it is possible to arrange the wiring in such a state in which the male connectors 30A are connected to each other.

The storage box 40 stores the male connector 30A. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the storage box 40 has a box body 40A. The box body 40A stores the mating connector 30, the electronic component 20, and a part of the wiring material connected to the electronic component 20. The box body 40A is formed in a box shape from an insulating synthetic resin or the like. The box body 40A has openings on the upper and lower sides, the upper opening is closed by an upper cover, and the lower opening is closed by a lower cover. Figs. 1 and 2 show the box body 40A in a state where the upper and lower sides are open. The box body 40A has multiple compartments inside, and is provided with a connector storage section 41 that stores the male connector 30A and an electronic component storage section that stores the electronic component 20.

As shown in FIG. 6, the connector housing 41 has a housing interference rib 411, positioning ribs 412A and 412B, crushing ribs 413A and 413B, a locking arm 414, and an abutment portion 415.

The abutment portion 415 is the portion against which the tip of the male connector 30A in the mating direction X abuts when the male connector 30A is mated with the connector housing portion 41.

The locking arm 414 locks the male connector 30A into the connector housing 41 when the male connector 30A is in contact with the abutment portion 415.

The positioning rib 412A determines the position of the male connector 30A in the width direction Y. The positioning rib 412A protrudes from the other side of the connector accommodation portion 41 in the width direction Y and abuts against the male connector 30A accommodated in the connector accommodation portion 41 from the width direction Y. A plurality of positioning ribs 412A are provided, extend along the mating direction X, and are positioned side by side along the height direction Z. The contact surface of the positioning rib 412A that abuts against the male connector 30A is formed into a shape that is difficult to deform, such as a flat surface or a curved surface.

The position determination rib 412B determines the position of the male connector 30A in the height direction Z. The position determination rib 412B protrudes from the other side of the connector accommodation portion 41 in the height direction Z and abuts against the male connector 30A accommodated in the connector accommodation portion 41 from the height direction Z. A plurality of position determination ribs 412B are provided, extend along the mating direction X, and are positioned side by side along the width direction Y. The contact surface of the position determination rib 412B that abuts against the male connector 30A is formed into a shape that is difficult to deform, such as a flat surface or a curved surface.

The crushing rib 413A suppresses rattling of the male connector 30A. The crushing rib 413A protrudes from one side in the width direction Y of the connector accommodating section 41, which is the same as the accommodating section interference rib 411. In other words, the crushing rib 413A is provided on the same wall surface of the connector accommodating section 41 as the accommodating section interference rib 411. A plurality of crushing ribs 413A are provided, extending along the mating direction X and positioned side by side along the height direction Z. The contact portion of the crushing rib 413A that contacts the male connector 30A is formed in a shape that is easily deformed, such as a triangular shape. The crushing rib 413A is crushed by the male connector 30A accommodated in the connector accommodating section 41.

The crushing rib 413B suppresses rattling of the male connector 30A. The crushing rib 413B protrudes from the other side of the connector accommodation portion 41 in the height direction Z. A plurality of crushing ribs 413B are provided, extending along the mating direction X and positioned side by side along the width direction Y. The contact portion of the crushing rib 413B that contacts the male connector 30A is formed in a shape that is easily deformed, such as a triangular shape. The crushing rib 413B is crushed by the male connector 30A accommodated in the connector accommodation portion 41.

The accommodation interference rib 411 interferes with the tip 322 of the pair of connector interference parts 33A, 33A when the male connector 30A is mistakenly fitted into the connector accommodation part 41 in an incorrect fitting position. The accommodation interference rib 411 is formed to protrude from one side of the connector accommodation part 41 in the width direction Y and extends along the fitting direction X. Here, the normal fitting position is the position of the male connector 30A when the male connector 30A is to be fitted into the connector accommodation part 41 in the correct position, and is the position in which the L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A are located on the accommodation interference rib 411 side. In other words, the normal fitting position is the position in which the accommodation interference rib 411 and the L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A are located on one side of the width direction Y. In other words, the normal fitting position is the position in which the accommodation interference rib 411 and the L-shaped ribs 32A, 32A are located side by side along the width direction Y. The incorrect mating position is the position of the male connector 30A when it is desired to incorrectly mate the male connector 30A with the connector accommodation portion 41, and is a position in which the connector interference portions 33A, 33A are located on the accommodation portion interference rib 411 side. In other words, the incorrect mating position is a position in which the accommodation portion interference rib 411 and the connector interference portions 33A, 33A are located on one side in the width direction Y. In other words, the incorrect mating position is a position in which the accommodation portion interference rib 411 and the connector interference portions 33A, 33A are located side by side in the width direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector housing 41 in the normal fitting position, the housing interference rib 411 is located between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A. Typically, when the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector housing 41 in the normal fitting position, the housing interference rib 411 is located in the center between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector housing 41 in the incorrect fitting position, the housing interference rib 411 interferes with the tip portions 332 of the pair of connector interference portions 33A, 33A. In other words, when the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector housing 41 in the incorrect fitting position, the housing interference rib 411 overlaps with the tip portions 332 of the pair of connector interference portions 33A, 33A, thereby interfering with the tip portions 332.

As described above, the electrical connection box 1 according to the embodiment includes a male connector 30A and a connector accommodating portion 41. The male connector 30A has a terminal and a housing 31a that accommodates the terminal, and is mated with the female connector 30B along the mating direction X. The connector accommodating portion 41 accommodates the male connector 30A. The male connector 30A has a pair of L-shaped L-shaped ribs 32A and a connector interference portion 33A. The pair of L-shaped ribs 32A protrude from one side of the housing 31a along the width direction Y that intersects with the mating direction X, and can engage with an object. The connector interference portion 33A protrudes from the other side of the housing 31a in the width direction Y. The connector accommodating portion 41 has an accommodating portion interference rib 411 that protrudes from one side of the connector accommodating portion 41 in the width direction Y. When the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector housing 41 in a normal fitting position where the L-shaped rib 32A is located on the housing interference rib 411 side, the housing interference rib 411 is located between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A, and when the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector housing 41 in an incorrect fitting position where the connector interference rib 411 is located on the housing interference rib 411 side, the housing interference rib 411 interferes with the connector interference rib 33A. With this configuration, the electrical connection box 1 can properly realize a configuration that prevents the male connector 30A from fitting into the connector housing 41 in an incorrect fitting position by using the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A that also function to engage with the object.

In the above-mentioned electrical connection box 1, the connector interference portion 33A and the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A extend along the mating direction X. The connector interference portion 33A has a locking arm 331A. The housing 31a has a locking claw 321A that is locked to the locking arm 331A between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A. When connecting male connectors 30A to each other, the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A guide the connector interference portion 33A along the mating direction X. The locking arm 331A locks to the locking claw 321A while the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A guide the connector interference portion 33A. With this configuration, the electrical connection box 1 can connect male connectors 30A to each other using the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A.

In the above-mentioned electrical connection box 1, the connector accommodation portion 41 has a position determination rib 412A and a crushing rib 413A. The position determination rib 412A protrudes from the other side of the connector accommodation portion 41 in the width direction Y and abuts against the male connector 30A. The crushing rib 413A protrudes from one side of the connector accommodation portion 41 in the width direction Y and is crushed by the male connector 30A. The connector accommodation portion 41 suppresses rattling of the male connector 30A by crushing the crushing rib 413A with the position determination rib 412A abutting against the male connector 30A, and ensures the amount of overlap between the accommodation portion interference rib 411 and the connector interference portion 33A when the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector accommodation portion 41 in an incorrect fitting position. With this configuration, when the male connector 30A is mated with the connector housing 41 in an incorrect mating position, the electrical connection box 1 can reliably cause the housing interference rib 411 to interfere with the connector interference portion 33A.

In the above-mentioned electrical connection box 1, the housing interference rib 411 is located in the center between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A when the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector housing 41 in the normal fitting position. With this configuration, the electrical connection box 1 can prevent the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A from interfering with the housing interference rib 411 even if the position of the male connector 30A is misaligned when the male connector 30A is fitted into the connector housing 41 in the normal fitting position.

In the above description, a pair of L-shaped ribs 32A are described as connecting male connectors 30A to each other, but this is not limited thereto, and the engaging object may be something other than the male connector 30A.

Although an example has been described in which the connector accommodating portion 41 has a positioning rib 412A and a crushing rib 413A, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the connector accommodating portion 41 does not necessarily have to have such a positioning rib 412A and a crushing rib 413A.

In the above example, the housing interference rib 411 is located in the center between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A when the male connector 30A is mated with the connector housing 41 in the normal mating position, but this is not limited thereto, and the housing interference rib 411 does not have to be located in the center between the pair of L-shaped ribs 32A.

As shown in FIG. 9, the mating connector 30 can also be connected along the height direction Z by a pair of L-shaped ribs 32B and a locking rib 33B.

1 Electrical junction box 30A Male connector (connector)
30B female connector (mating connector)
31a Housing 32A Pair of L-shaped ribs 321A Locking claw 33A Connector interference portion 41 Connector receiving portion 411 Receiving portion interference rib 412A Positioning rib 413A Squeezing rib 414 Locking arm X Fitting direction Y Width direction

Claims (4)

a connector having terminals and a housing for accommodating the terminals, the connector being adapted to be mated with a mating connector along a mating direction;
A connector accommodating portion that accommodates the connector,
the connector has a pair of L-shaped ribs protruding from one side of the housing along a width direction intersecting the fitting direction and capable of engaging with an object, and a connector interference portion protruding from the other side of the housing in the width direction,
the connector accommodating portion has an accommodating portion interference rib protruding from one side in the width direction of the connector accommodating portion, and when the connector is engaged with the connector accommodating portion in a normal mating position in which the L-shaped rib is positioned on the accommodating portion interference rib side, the accommodating portion interference rib is positioned between the pair of L-shaped ribs and the connector interference portion is positioned on the accommodating portion interference rib side, the accommodating portion interference rib interferes with the connector interference portion when the connector is engaged with the connector accommodating portion in an incorrect mating position in which the accommodating portion interference rib is positioned between the pair of L-shaped ribs. the connector interference portion and the pair of L-shaped ribs extend along the fitting direction,
The connector interference portion has a locking arm,
the housing has a locking claw between the pair of L-shaped ribs that is locked to the locking arm,
the pair of L-shaped ribs guide the connector interference portion along the fitting direction when the connectors are coupled to each other,
2. The electrical junction box according to claim 1, wherein the locking arm is locked to the locking claw while the connector interference portion is guided by the pair of L-shaped ribs. The electrical connection box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connector accommodation portion has a positioning rib that protrudes from the other side of the connector accommodation portion in the width direction and abuts against the connector, and a crushing rib that protrudes from one side of the connector accommodation portion in the width direction and is crushed by the connector, and the positioning rib is crushed when it abuts against the connector, thereby suppressing rattling of the connector, and when the connector is fitted into the connector accommodation portion in the incorrect fitting position, the amount of overlap between the accommodation portion interference rib and the connector interference portion is ensured. The electrical connection box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing interference rib is located in the center between the pair of L-shaped ribs when the connector is fitted to the connector housing in the normal fitting position.

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