Connector retainer and wiring harness

Abstract

One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a connector holder that can suppress interference between the wiring harness of the instrument panel and the vehicle body. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the connector holder (11) includes a latching portion (23), and the latching portion (23) has a protruding shape that can be latched with a cover assembly hole (6) formed on the instrument panel (1). The wiring harness (10) includes: a connector holding portion (21) for holding the connector (13) of the wiring harness (10); and a bolt covering portion (22) extending from the connector holding portion (21). The bolt covering portion (22) is configured to cover a bolt (B) fixed to the vehicle body (2) when the connector holding portion (21) is fixed to the vehicle body (2). The latching portion (23) is provided on the bolt covering portion (22).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector holder and a wiring harness. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle instrument panel and a wiring harness routed on the instrument panel. The instrument panel is assembled to a vehicle body after the wiring harness and various electrical devices are placed on the instrument panel.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-154703 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] The wiring harness provided on the instrument panel is fixed to the vehicle body after the instrument panel is assembled to the vehicle body. Such a wiring harness is drawn out from the instrument panel to the outside, so there is a possibility that the wiring harness may interfere with the vehicle body when the instrument panel is assembled to the vehicle body, thereby damaging the wiring harness.

[0008] Therefore, an object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a connector holder and a wire harness that can suppress interference between a wire harness of an instrument panel and a vehicle body.

[0009] Solutions to Problems

[0010] The connector retaining body of the present invention is installed on a wiring harness, and the wiring harness is assembled on the dashboard of a vehicle. The connector retaining body has a locking portion, and the locking portion has a protruding shape that can be locked with a cover assembly hole formed on the dashboard. The cover assembly hole is a hole for assembling a cover on the dashboard.

[0011] Furthermore, the wiring harness of the present disclosure includes: electric wires extending from an instrument panel; a connector provided at an end portion of the electric wires; and the above-mentioned connector holding body connected to the connector.

[0012] Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a connector holding body and a wire harness capable of suppressing interference between a wire harness of an instrument panel and a vehicle body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing an instrument panel and part of a vehicle including a wire harness according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing an instrument panel before vehicle assembly in this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3It is a plan view showing a state where the connector holding body is temporarily held.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing an enlarged main portion of the connector holding body.

[0018] Figure 5 This is an enlarged perspective view showing a main portion of a connector holding body in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]

[0020] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0021] The connector holding body of the present disclosure,

[0022] [1] Installed on a wiring harness, the wiring harness being assembled to an instrument panel of a vehicle, the connector retaining body having a latching portion having a protruding shape capable of latching with a cover assembly hole formed in the instrument panel, the cover assembly hole being a hole for assembling a cover to the instrument panel.

[0023] This configuration allows the wiring harness to be temporarily secured to the instrument panel before the instrument panel is assembled to the vehicle body by locking the connector retainer's latching portion into the instrument panel's cover assembly hole. This temporary retention prevents the wiring harness from freely hanging from the instrument panel, thus minimizing interference between the wiring harness and the vehicle body during assembly of the instrument panel to the vehicle body. Furthermore, by using the existing cover assembly hole for temporary retention of the connector retainer, this configuration eliminates the need for a separate retaining member for temporarily retaining the connector retainer, resulting in a configuration that minimizes the number of components.

[0024] [2] Preferably, the wiring harness includes: a connector holding portion for holding a connector of the wiring harness; and a bolt covering portion extending from the connector holding portion, wherein the bolt covering portion is configured to cover a bolt fixed to the vehicle body when the connector holding portion is fixed to the vehicle body, and the locking portion is provided on the bolt covering portion. According to this configuration, by providing the locking portion on the bolt covering portion extending from the connector holding portion, a suitable configuration can be provided in which the locking portion is easily locked with the cover mounting hole.

[0025] [3] Preferably, the bolt covering portion includes a main surface portion that faces the bolt in the direction in which the bolt protrudes from the surface of the vehicle body; and a side portion that protrudes from an edge of the main surface portion toward the vehicle body, wherein the locking portion protrudes from the side portion toward a side opposite to the main surface portion. With this configuration, the connector holder can be properly retained in the cover mounting hole by the side portion of the bolt covering portion and the locking portion protruding from the side portion.

[0026] [4] Preferably, the cover covers the electrical equipment mounted on the instrument panel. According to this configuration, the connector holder can be temporarily held in the cover mounting hole for the cover covering the electrical equipment mounted on the instrument panel.

[0027] [5] The wiring harness disclosed herein includes: electric wires extending from an instrument panel; a connector provided at an end portion of the electric wires; and the above-mentioned connector holding body connected to the connector.

[0028] According to this configuration, the wiring harness can be temporarily secured to the instrument panel before the instrument panel is assembled to the vehicle body by securing the latching portion of the connector holder to the instrument panel cover assembly hole. This temporary securing of the wiring harness prevents the wiring harness from freely hanging from the instrument panel, thereby preventing interference between the wiring harness and the vehicle body during assembly of the instrument panel to the vehicle body.

[0029] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure]

[0030] The following is a reference to the attached Figure 1 Specific examples of the connector holder and wiring harness disclosed herein will be described. The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, which are intended to encompass all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. Furthermore, the term "parallel" in this disclosure does not necessarily mean strictly parallel; rather, it refers to a range within which the effect can be achieved, provided that the term can be considered parallel.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the wire harness 10 of this embodiment is assembled to the instrument panel 1 of the vehicle. The wire harness 10 extends from the instrument panel 1, and the connector holding body 11 provided in the wire harness 10 is fixed to the vehicle body 2. Figure 1 The vehicle body 2 in FIG. 1 represents a portion of the vehicle body such as a pillar.

[0032] The instrument panel 1 includes a plurality of wire harnesses including a wire harness 10 and a plurality of electrical devices including an electrical device 3. The instrument panel 1 is assembled to the vehicle body 2 with the plurality of wire harnesses and the plurality of electrical devices assembled therein. An example of the electrical device 3 is a speaker.

[0033] The electrical device 3 is assembled to the device mounting portion 4, which is recessed in the upper surface of the instrument panel 1. A cover 5 covering the electrical device 3 is mounted on the device mounting portion 4. A cover assembly hole 6 is formed in the device mounting portion 4, and the cover assembly hole 6 is used to mount the cover 5 on the instrument panel 1, for example, the device mounting portion 4. By engaging a claw (not shown) of the cover 5 in the cover assembly hole 6, the cover 5 can be detachably mounted on the device mounting portion 4. In addition, the cover assembly hole 6 of this embodiment is rectangular when viewed from above. That is, the periphery of the cover assembly hole 6 has a corner portion 6a consisting of two sides that are orthogonal to each other.

[0034] (Harness 10)

[0035] The wire harness 10 includes electric wires 12 extending from the instrument panel 1 , a connector 13 provided at an end of the electric wires 12 , and the connector holding body 11 coupled to the connector 13 .

[0036] The electric wires 12 are led out from the lead-out portion 7 formed on the instrument panel 1 to the upper surface side of the instrument panel 1. At the end of the electric wires 12 led out from the lead-out portion 7, a connector 13 and a connector holding body 11 are provided.

[0037] The connector 13 is fixed to the vehicle body 2 via the connector holding body 11. In addition, the connector 13 is connected to a connector of another wiring harness (not shown), for example, in a state of being fixed to the vehicle body 2.

[0038] (Connector holding body 11)

[0039] The connector holder 11 is an injection-molded article made of, for example, a synthetic resin material. It protects a portion of the wires 12 and the connector 13, and serves as a bracket for securing the connector 13 to the vehicle body 2. The connector holder 11 includes a connector holding portion 21 for holding the connector 13, a bolt covering portion 22 extending from the connector holding portion 21, and a locking portion 23 having a protruding shape that engages with the cover mounting hole 6.

[0040] The connector holding portion 21 includes a main portion 24 connected to the connector 13 and a pair of side walls 25 extending from both widthwise edges of the main portion 24. The connector 13 is detachably connected to the main portion 24 of the connector holding portion 21 using a so-called snap-fit structure. The connector 13 is disposed between the pair of opposing side walls 25.

[0041] A fixing portion (not shown) for fixing to the vehicle body 2 is provided on the back side of the main portion 24 of the connector holding portion 21, that is, on the side opposite to the side provided with the connector 13. This fixing portion has a typical clip shape that can be locked and fixed to an assembly hole (not shown) of the vehicle body 2.

[0042] (Bolt covering portion 22)

[0043] The bolt covering portion 22 extends from the edge of the main portion 24 of the connector holding portion 21. In this embodiment, the bolt covering portion 22 extends from a portion of the edge of the main portion 24 where the side wall 25 is not formed. The bolt covering portion 22 is configured to cover the bolts B fixed to the vehicle body 2 when the fixing portion of the connector holding portion 21 is fixed to the vehicle body 2.

[0044] In detail, Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, the bolt covering portion 22 includes a main surface portion 31 extending in a protruding direction ( Figure 1 and a side portion 32, projecting from the edge of the main surface portion 31 toward the vehicle body 2 side.

[0045] The top portion of the main surface portion 31 of this embodiment is semicircular in plan view. The side portion 32 extends from both widthwise edges of the main surface portion 31 to the semicircular top portion. In other words, the side portion 32 has a curved surface portion 33 corresponding to the semicircular shape of the top portion of the main surface portion 31.

[0046] (Locking portion 23)

[0047] The locking portion 23 is formed in a manner protruding from the top end of the bolt covering portion 22. In the present embodiment, the locking portion 23 is formed in a shape protruding outward (i.e., on the side opposite to the main surface portion 31) from the curved surface portion 33 of the side portion 32. In addition, the locking portion 23 is formed in a portion of the curved surface portion 33 along the circumferential direction of the semicircle. The upper surface of the locking portion 23 is formed in a plane parallel to the main surface portion 31 of the bolt covering portion 22. In addition, it is preferred that the shape of the locking portion 23, in detail, the position and width of the locking portion 23 in the circumferential direction, etc. are appropriately set according to the positional relationship between the lead-out portion 7 and the cover assembly hole 6, the shape of the cover assembly hole 6, and the shape of the connector retaining body 11.

[0048] The operation of this embodiment will be described.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, before the instrument panel 1 is assembled to the vehicle body 2 , the connector holding body 11 of the wire harness 10 is temporarily held on the instrument panel 1 .

[0050] In detail, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, by latching the latching portion 23 of the connector retaining body 11 to the cover assembly hole 6 of the instrument panel 1, the connector retaining body 11 is temporarily held so as not to fall off the instrument panel 1. In this state, the latching portion 23 enters the inner side of the cover assembly hole 6 at the corner 6a of the cover assembly hole 6, and the upper surface of the latching portion 23 is hooked on the peripheral edge of the cover assembly hole 6. In addition, in this state, the curved surface portion 33 of the side portion 32 of the bolt covering portion 22 contacts both sides of the peripheral edge of the cover assembly hole 6 that forms the corner 6a. In addition, at this time, the connector retaining portion 21 of the connector retaining body 11 maintains an inclined posture relative to the device mounting portion 4 in a manner that does not contact the electrical device 3, and there is a gap between the connector retaining portion 21 and the electrical device 3.

[0051] Furthermore, while the connector holder 11 is temporarily held in the cover assembly hole 6 by the latching portion 23, the wire 12, which is drawn out from the lead-out portion 7 and connected to the connector 13, is bent. Consequently, the bending reaction force of the wire 12 (the force that tends to return it to its original position) is applied to the cover assembly hole 6 via the latching portion 23. In other words, this bending reaction force of the wire 12 prevents the latching portion 23 from being easily dislodged from the cover assembly hole 6. With the connector holder 11 temporarily held in the instrument panel 1 as described above, the instrument panel 1 is assembled to the vehicle body 2.

[0052] The effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0053] (1) The connector holder 11 has a latching portion 23 having a protruding shape that can latch with the cover assembly hole 6 formed in the instrument panel 1. According to this structure, the wiring harness 10 can be temporarily held on the instrument panel 1 in advance before the instrument panel 1 is assembled to the vehicle body 2 by latching the latching portion 23 of the connector holder 11 in the cover assembly hole 6 of the instrument panel 1. By temporarily holding the wiring harness 10, the wiring harness 10 does not become a free state hanging from the instrument panel 1, and interference between the wiring harness 10 and the vehicle body 2 when the instrument panel 1 is assembled to the vehicle body 2 can be suppressed. In addition, in this structure, by using the existing cover assembly hole 6 for temporary holding of the connector holder 11, it is unnecessary to provide a separate holding member for temporarily holding the connector holder 11, resulting in a structure that does not increase the number of components and does not require a change in the shape of the instrument panel 1. For example, if the temporary holding hole of the connector holding body 11 and the cover assembly hole 6 are formed independently, the number of holes formed in the instrument panel 1 increases, and the water resistance level may be deteriorated. However, with this structure, the water resistance level of the instrument panel 1 does not deteriorate.

[0054] (2) The wire harness 10 includes a connector holding portion 21 for holding the connector 13 of the wire harness 10, and a bolt covering portion 22 extending from the connector holding portion 21. The bolt covering portion 22 is configured to cover the bolt B fixed to the vehicle body 2 when the connector holding portion 21 is fixed to the vehicle body 2. Furthermore, a locking portion 23 is provided on the bolt covering portion 22. According to this configuration, by providing the locking portion 23 on the bolt covering portion 22 extending from the connector holding portion 21, it is possible to achieve an appropriate configuration that facilitates locking of the locking portion 23 with the cover assembly hole 6.

[0055] (3) The bolt covering portion 22 includes a main surface portion 31 that faces the bolt B in the direction in which the bolt B protrudes from the surface of the vehicle body 2, and a side portion 32 that protrudes from the edge of the main surface portion 31 toward the vehicle body 2. Furthermore, the locking portion 23 protrudes from the side portion 32 of the bolt covering portion 22 toward the side opposite to the main surface portion 31. With this configuration, the connector holder 11 can be properly retained in the cover mounting hole 6 by the side portion 32 of the bolt covering portion 22 and the locking portion 23 protruding from the side portion 32.

[0056] (4) Cover 5 covers electrical device 3 mounted on instrument panel 1. According to this configuration, connector holder 11 can be temporarily held in cover attachment hole 6 for cover 5 covering electrical device 3 mounted on instrument panel 1.

[0057] This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications: This embodiment and the following modifications can be implemented in combination with each other within a range that does not technically conflict.

[0058] ·like Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 2 , the side portion 32 of the bolt covering portion 22 may be cut in a direction parallel to the main surface portion 31 so that a portion of the side portion 32 may be formed as the locking portion 41. Figure 5 In the illustrated configuration, a cutout 42 extending parallel to the main surface 31 is formed in the curved surface 33 of the side portion 32, thereby forming a latching portion 41 extending parallel to the main surface 31. In other words, the latching portion 41 and the cutout 42 are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the main surface 31. In this configuration, the peripheral edge of the cover mounting hole 6 is inserted into the cutout 42, and the latching portion 41 is hooked on the inner side of the cover mounting hole 6, thereby temporarily holding the connector holder 11.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the locking portion 23 is provided on the bolt covering portion 22. However, the locking portion 23 may protrude from other locations within the connector holding body 11, such as the side wall 25 of the connector holding portion 21. Furthermore, the locking portion 23 is preferably provided at a location extending from the connector holding portion 21 in a direction parallel to the main portion 24. Furthermore, in the case where the bolt covering portion 22 is not provided with the locking portion 23, the connector holding body 11 may also be configured without the bolt covering portion 22.

[0060] In the above embodiment, a speaker is exemplified as the electrical device 3 covered by the cover 5. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may also cover electrical devices other than speakers. Furthermore, the cover 5 is not limited to a cover for covering electrical devices and may also cover components other than electrical devices as long as the cover is attached to the main body of the instrument panel 1.

[0061] The vehicle body 2 of the embodiment is sometimes referred to as a regular assembly position or a first assembly position where the connector holder 11 of the wiring harness 10 is not temporarily assembled. The connector holder 11 assembled to the vehicle body 2 may also be electrically connected to the counterpart connector assembled to the vehicle body 2 at the regular assembly position. The instrument panel 1 of the embodiment is sometimes referred to as a non-vehicle vehicle component different from the vehicle body 2. The cover assembly hole 6 of the embodiment is sometimes referred to as a temporary assembly position or a second assembly position where the connector holder 11 of the wiring harness 10 is temporarily assembled. The connector holder 11 temporarily assembled in the cover assembly hole 6 of the instrument panel 1 may not be electrically connected to the counterpart connector assembled to the vehicle body 2 at the temporary assembly position. The lead-out portion 7 of the embodiment is sometimes referred to as a wire passage configured to allow the wire 12 to pass through.

[0062] The combination of the instrument panel 1 and the wire harness 10 of the embodiment may be referred to as an instrument panel assembly. The combination of the vehicle body 2, the instrument panel 1, and the wire harness 10 of the embodiment may be referred to as a wire harness assembly structure.

[0063] The present disclosure includes the following embodiments. Reference numerals are provided for illustrating several components of the embodiments, not for limitation, but to aid understanding. Some of the items described in the following embodiments may be omitted, or several items described in the embodiments may be selected or extracted and combined.

[0064] [Supplementary Note 1] Several aspects of the present disclosure are applicable to a connector holding body (11) configured to hold a connector (13) provided at the top end of an electric wire (12) of a wiring harness (10),

[0065] The connector holding body (11) may also be configured to non-temporarily assemble the connector (13) at the first assembly position so that the connector (13) is connected to the other connector at the first assembly position of the vehicle body (2).

[0066] In order to temporarily assemble the connector holding body (11) at a second assembly position (6) of a non-body vehicle component (1) different from the body (2), the connector holding body (11) may also have a protrusion (23), and the protrusion (23) is configured to be removably engaged with the non-body vehicle component (1) at the second assembly position (6).

[0067] [Note 2] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the non-body vehicle component (1) may also be a vehicle dashboard, and the protrusion (23) of the connector retaining body (11) may also be configured to engage with the vehicle dashboard (1) at the second assembly position (6) so as to limit the free movement of the connector (13) relative to the vehicle dashboard (1).

[0068] [Note 3] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle dashboard (1) may also have a hole (6) for fixing a vehicle component (5) different from the wiring harness (10) to the vehicle dashboard (1), and the protrusion (23) of the connector retaining body (11) may also be configured to engage with the hole (6) in a concave-convex manner at the second assembly position (6).

[0069] [Supplementary Note 4] Several aspects of the present disclosure are suitable for a vehicle instrument panel assembly, wherein the vehicle instrument panel assembly may also include a wiring harness (10) and a vehicle instrument panel (1).

[0070] The wiring harness (10) comprises an electric wire (12), a connector (13) provided at the top end of the electric wire (12), and a connector holding body (11) configured to hold the connector (13).

[0071] A vehicle instrument panel (1) has an equipment mounting portion (4) for mounting an electrical device (3) of the vehicle.

[0072] The connector holding body (11) may also be configured to non-temporarily assemble the connector (13) at the first assembly position so that the connector (13) is connected to a counterpart connector at the first assembly position of the vehicle body (2) different from the vehicle instrument panel (1).

[0073] The connector retaining body (11) may also have a protrusion (23) in order to temporarily assemble the connector retaining body (11) at the second assembly position (6) of the vehicle instrument panel (1), and the protrusion (23) is configured to be removably engaged with the vehicle instrument panel (1) at the second assembly position (6).

[0074] [Supplementary Note 5] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle instrument panel (1) may also have a hole (6) for fixing a vehicle component (5) different from the wiring harness (10) to the vehicle instrument panel (1).

[0075] [Supplementary Note 6] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle instrument panel (1) may also have an electric wire passage opening (7) configured to allow the electric wire (12) to pass therethrough.

[0076] Description of Reference Numerals

[0077] 1 Dashboard

[0078] 2 Body

[0079] 3 Electrical equipment

[0080] 4 Equipment Installation Department

[0081] 5 Cover

[0082] 6 Cover mounting holes

[0083] 6a Corner

[0084] 7 Export

[0085] 10 Wiring Harness

[0086] 11 Connector retainer

[0087] 12 Wires

[0088] 13 Connectors

[0089] 21 Connector holding portion

[0090] 22 Bolt covering

[0091] 23 locking part

[0092] 24 Main Department

[0093] 25 sidewall

[0094] 31 Main face

[0095] 32 Side

[0096] 33 curved face

[0097] 41 locking part

[0098] 42 incision

[0099] B bolt

Claims

1. A connector holder mounted on a wiring harness assembled to an instrument panel of a vehicle having a cover mounting hole, the connector holder comprising: a connector holding portion for holding a connector of the wiring harness; a bolt covering portion extending from the connector holding portion; and The locking portion has a protruding shape capable of being locked with the cover assembly hole, wherein The bolt covering portion is configured to cover a bolt fixed to the vehicle body when the connector holding portion is fixed to the vehicle body. The locking portion is provided on the bolt covering portion.

2. The connector holder according to claim 1, wherein: The bolt covering portion includes: a main surface portion facing the bolt in a protruding direction of the bolt from the surface of the vehicle body; and a side portion protruding from an edge of the main surface portion toward the vehicle body side. The locking portion protrudes from the side portion toward a side opposite to the main surface portion.

3. A wiring harness comprising: electrical wires, which extend from the dashboard; a connector provided at an end of the electric wire; and The connector holding body according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the connector holding body is connected to the connector.

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