Patent Grant
10305267
The present application claims priority to and incorporates by reference the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-173550 filed in Japan on Sep. 3, 2015.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connection box and a wire harness.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some cases, a conventional electrical connection box applied to a wire harness which is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile is installed in a place exposed to an external environment unlike a vehicle interior such as an engine room. Normally, the electrical connection box has a division structure in which a housing includes a plurality of housing members, and employs a waterproof structure that inhibits a liquid from entering the interior from outside between adjacent housing members. Normally, the waterproof structure inserts an insertion wall portion, which is formed along an outer circumference of a second housing member positioned at a lower side and protrudes upward, into a groove portion, which is formed along an outer circumference of a first housing member positioned at an upper side and is opened downward (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2002-369335, 2003-252356, and 2010-130705).
Incidentally, a gap is formed between a bottom portion corresponding to an upper end portion of the groove portion and a distal portion of the insertion wall portion. The gap is continuously formed along the outer circumference of the first housing. Normally, even when a liquid splashes onto the housing from outside, the possibility that the liquid will enter the gap is low. However, for example, when the engine room is cleaned by high-pressure washing, liquid strongly collides with the housing, and there is a possibility that a large amount of liquid enters the gap. When a large amount of liquid enters the gap, liquid may flow along an extending direction of the groove portion, and stay in a corner portion at the outer circumference of the first housing member. In this way, there is a possibility that liquid entering the gap may spout into the housing.
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connection box and a wire harness capable of inhibiting liquid entering between the first housing member and the second housing member from the outside of the housing from spouting into the housing.
In order to achieve the above mentioned object, an electrical connection box according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first housing member having an opening portion in an upper end portion at a time of installation; and a second housing member that is positioned at an upper side with respect to the first housing member, and blocks the opening portion at the time of installation, wherein the first housing member has an insertion wall portion continuously formed along an outer circumference of the first housing member in the upper end portion at the outer circumference of the first housing member, the second housing member has a groove portion continuously formed along an outer circumference of the second housing member in a lower end portion at the outer circumference of the second housing member, the insertion wall portion being inserted into the groove portion from a lower side when the opening portion of the first housing member is blocked, and at least one rib protruding downward from a bottom portion of the groove portion is formed in the groove portion.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in the electrical connection box, it is preferable that the groove portion has a plurality of sides, and corner portions connecting adjacent sides, and at least one rib is formed on each of the sides.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, in the electrical connection box, it is preferable that ribs are formed with the corner portions interposed therebetween on the respective sides.
In order to achieve the above mentioned object, a wire harness according to still another aspect of the present invention includes an electric wire; and an electrical connection box including a first housing member having an opening portion in an upper end portion at a time of installation, and a second housing member that is positioned at an upper side with respect to the first housing member, and blocks the opening portion at the time of installation, wherein the first housing member has an insertion wall portion continuously formed along an outer circumference of the first housing member in the upper end portion at the outer circumference of the first housing member, the second housing member has a groove portion continuously formed along an outer circumference of the second housing member in a lower end portion at the outer circumference of the second housing member, the insertion wall portion being inserted into the groove portion from a lower side when the opening portion of the first housing member is blocked, and at least one rib protruding downward from a bottom portion of the groove portion is formed in the groove portion.
The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of this invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of an embodiment of an electrical connection box and a wire harness according to the present invention based on drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not restricted by the embodiment. In addition, a component in the embodiment below includes a component that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art or substantially the same component. Further, a component in the embodiment below may be variously omitted, replaced, and modified within the scope not departing from a subject matter of the present invention.
First, a description will be given of an electrical connection box and a wire harness according to an embodiment.
An electrical connection box 1 in the present embodiment is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile to distribute power supplied from a power supply such as a battery to various electronic equipments installed in the vehicle through various electronic components or the like. Here, the electrical connection box 1 is incorporated in a wire harness 100 to integrate and accommodate electronic components such as a connector, a fuse, a relay, a junction, and an electronic control unit included in a connection processing component of an electric wire 101 or the like. The electrical connection box 1 in the present embodiment is installed in a place exposed to an external environment such as an engine room of the vehicle, and is connected between a power supply such as a battery and various electronic equipments installed in the vehicle. The electrical connection box 1 is referred to as a junction box, a fuse box, a relay box or the like in some cases. However, in the present embodiment, the electrical connection box is used as a general term. The electrical connection box 1 is installed in the vehicle such that the up-down direction (Z) is identical to a vertical direction or forms an arbitrary angle with the vertical direction. As illustrated in
The housing 2 is formed using an insulating synthetic resin, and accommodates an electronic component (not illustrated) in an internal space portion 2a formed therein. Here, the electric wire 101, which is inserted into the internal space portion 2a from an insertion hole 2b formed in the housing 2, is connected to at least a portion of the electronic component. The housing 2 includes a lower cover 21, a box main body 22, and an upper cover 23, and has a structure in which a plurality of layers (three layers) is stacked in an order of the lower cover 21, the box main body 22, and the upper cover 23 from a lower side, that is, a structure in which the housing 2 is divided into the plurality of housing components.
The lower cover 21 is a plate-shaped (tray-shaped) member, and blocks an opening portion (lower side opening portion) (not illustrated) formed in a lower end portion of the box main body 22. The lower cover 21 is locked at a lower side with respect to the box main body 22 by a plurality of locking mechanisms 24.
The box main body 22 is a first housing member, and an opening portion 22a is formed in an upper end portion thereof as illustrated in
The upper cover 23 is a second housing member which is positioned at an upper side with respect to the box main body 22 at the time of installation as illustrated in
As illustrated in
A rib 23g is formed in the groove portion 23c. As illustrated in
Next, a description will be given of a flow of liquid when liquid, for example, water splashes onto the electrical connection box 1 according to the present embodiment from outside. A waterproof structure is configured to inhibit liquid from entering the inside of the housing 2 from outside between the box main body 22 and the upper cover 23 when the insertion wall portion 22b is inserted into the groove portion 23c, the offset portion 23h is positioned lower side of the stepped portion 22e, and the stepped portion 22e touches the external wall portion 23d as illustrated in
When liquid more strongly collides with the housing 2, and thus a large amount of liquid enters the gap 23i, liquid flows in the extending direction of the groove portion 23c. Liquid, which enters a gap 23i of a portion corresponding to one of the sides S1 to S5 in the groove portion 23c and flows in an extending direction of the infiltrated side S1 to S5, flows toward an end portion of the sides S1 to S5 in an extending direction as indicated by an arrow B of
As described in the foregoing, in the electrical connection box 1 according to the present embodiment, at least one rib 23g is formed to protrude downward from the bottom portion 23f of the groove portion 23c. Thus, when liquid flowing toward the corner portions R1 and R2 through the sides S1 to S5 of the groove portion 23c collides with the rib 23g before arriving at the corner portions R1 to R6, a flow of liquid arriving at the corner portions R1 to R6 can be slow, and the amount of the liquid can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of liquid staying in the corner portions R1 to R6 when compared to a case in which liquid arrives at the corner portions R1 to R6 without colliding with the rib 23g. In this way, liquid entering between the box main body 22 and the upper cover 23 from the outside of the housing 2 can be inhibited from spouting into the housing 2.
In addition, the rib 23g is connected to the external wall portion 23d and the internal wall portion 23e. Thus, it is possible to suppress deformation or collapse of the external wall portion 23d and the internal wall portion 23e in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, in particular, in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove portion 23c when a depth of the groove portion 23c is deep, that is, when lengths of the external wall portion 23d and the internal wall portion 23e included in the groove portion 23c from the bottom portion 23f are long in the up-down direction. In this way, a gap between the external wall portion 23d and the internal wall portion 23e can be inhibited from becoming narrow. Thus, insertion of the insertion wall portion 22b into the groove portion 23c can be inhibited from becoming difficult, and assembly of the upper cover 23 with respect to the box main body 22 can be inhibited from being degraded.
In addition, in the electrical connection box 1 according to the present embodiment, at least one rib 23g is formed on each of the sides S1 to S5. Thus, even when liquid enters the gap 23i from any one of the sides S1 to S5 among the respective sides S1 to S5, the amount of liquid staying in the corner portions R1 to R6 can be reduced when compared to liquid arriving at the corner portions R1 to R6. In this way, liquid entering between the box main body 22 and the upper cover 23 from the outside of the housing 2 can be inhibited from spouting into the housing 2 irrespective of a position at which the liquid enters the gap 23i.
In addition, in the electrical connection box 1 according to the present embodiment, the rib 23g is formed on each of the sides S1 to S5 with the corner portions R1 to R6 interposed therebetween. Thus, even when liquid enters the gap 23i from any one of the sides S1 to S5 among the respective sides S1 to S5, and the liquid flows toward any one of the corner portions R1 to R6 connected to the infiltrated sides S1 to S5, the amount of liquid staying in the corner portions R1 to R6 can be reliably reduced when compared to liquid arriving at the corner portions R1 to R6. In this way, liquid entering between the box main body 22 and the upper cover 23 from the outside of the housing 2 can be inhibited from spouting into the housing 2 irrespective of a position at which the liquid enters the gap 23i.
Since the wire harness 100 described above includes the electrical connection box 1, liquid entering between the box main body 22 and the upper cover 23 from the outside of the housing 2 can be inhibited from spouting into the housing 2.
In addition, in the electrical connection box 1 according to the present embodiment, when a plurality of ribs 23g is formed on each of the sides S1 to S5, the ribs 23g are formed at equal intervals. However, the ribs 23g may be formed at unequal intervals.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the rib 23g is formed in the flat plate shape. However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the rib 23g may have a shape in which a side in the longitudinal direction widens toward a rear surface, for example, a triangle or a trapezoid when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the extending direction of the groove portion 23c. In this case, liquid attached to the rib 23g easily moves to a lower end portion of the rib 23g, and liquid separated from the rib 23g moves toward a lower side of the gap 23i. Thus, liquid can be inhibited from moving in the extending direction of the groove portion 23c.
In the electrical connection box and the wire harness according to the present embodiment, at least one rib protruding downward from the bottom portion of the groove portion is formed, and thus there is an effect that it is possible to inhibit liquid entering between the first housing member and the second housing member from the outside of the housing from spouting into the housing.
Although the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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| 2015-173550 | Sep 2015 | JP | national |
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| Entry |
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| Japanese Office Action for the related Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-173550 dated Jan. 9, 2018. |
| Japanese Office Action for the related Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-173550 dated Oct. 3, 2017. |
| Chinese Office Action for the related Chinese Patent Application No. 201610792546.4 dated Nov. 3, 2017. |
| Chinese Office Action for the related Chinese Patent Application No. 201610792546.4 dated Jun. 5, 2018. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170070040 A1 | Mar 2017 | US |
