Connector holding structure

Abstract

The spiral cable member has an annular main body portion that houses the spiral cable. The connector holder includes: a fixed portion fixed to a vehicle; and a connector holding unit that holds a connector connected to a predetermined device. When the spiral cable member has a specification corresponding to a predetermined device, the connector holder is disposed such that a connector fitting portion into which the connector is fitted is located in front of the connector holding portion in the insertion direction of the connector. The connector is prevented from being combined with the connector holding part through the connector embedding part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a connector holding structure. Background Art

[0002] A plurality of wire harnesses formed by bundling a plurality of wires are arranged inside a vehicle such as a car, and protectors for protecting the wires are installed on these wire harnesses, and a component retaining portion is sometimes used to fix an optional connector to the protector (see JP2019-47606A). The optional connector is a connector provided at the end of the branch line portion of the wire harness. In Patent Document 1, when an optional component is used, the protective cover is removed from the optional connector, and the object side connector connected to the optional component is connected to the optional connector. Summary of the invention

[0003] Technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0004] In the above-described structure, regardless of whether the optional component (prescribed device) is used, the connector can be coupled to the component holding portion (connector holder) provided on the protector side, so that the connector to be coupled to the prescribed device may not be coupled.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a connector holding structure capable of preventing a connector that should be coupled to a predetermined device from not being coupled.

[0006] Technical solutions to the problem

[0007] The connector holding structure involved in the present invention comprises: a spiral cable component, the spiral cable component has an annular main body, the annular main body accommodates the spiral cable; and a connector bracket, the connector bracket has: a fixing portion fixed to a vehicle; and a connector holding portion for holding a connector connected to a specified device, the connector bracket is constructed as follows: when the spiral cable component is of a specification corresponding to the specified device, a connector fitting portion provided on the spiral cable component for the connector to be fitted is located closer to the front of the connector holding portion in the insertion direction of the connector, and the connector is prevented from being coupled to the connector holding portion by the connector fitting portion.

[0008] Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a connector holding structure capable of preventing a connector to be connected to a predetermined device from not being connected. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing an example of the connector holder according to the present embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2This is a perspective view showing a state where the connector bracket is mounted on the wire harness.

[0012] Figure 3 This is an enlarged front view of the main part showing a state where the connector bracket is mounted to the wire harness when the spiral cable component is not of the steering wheel heater specification.

[0013] Figure 4 This is an enlarged perspective view of the main part showing a state where the connector bracket is mounted on the wire harness when the spiral cable component is not of the steering wheel heater specification.

[0014] Figure 5 This is an enlarged perspective view of the main part showing a state where the connector bracket is mounted on the wire harness when the spiral cable component is of steering wheel heater specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Hereinafter, the connector holding structure according to the present embodiment will be described in detail using the drawings. In addition, for the sake of convenience of description, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0016] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the connector holder 1 according to the present embodiment includes a holder body 11. The connector holder 1 (holder body 11) is formed of, for example, a resin material.

[0017] The bracket body 11 has: a connector retaining portion 12, which can be combined with a female connector (connector 2) of a specified device (a steering wheel heater in this embodiment); a fixing piece 13, which can fix the wiring harness 3 using a strap 4; and a fixing portion 14, which can fix the connector bracket 1 to the vehicle.

[0018] The connector holding portion 12 holds the connector 2 connected to the steering wheel heater. The connector holding portion 12 includes a cylindrical housing 12a into which the connector 2 is inserted. An opening on one end of the housing 12a serves as a connector insertion port for the connector 2. On the other hand, a beam portion 12b is provided across the opening on the other end of the housing 12a, so that the connector 2 cannot be inserted from the opening on the other end of the housing 12a.

[0019] The wire harness 3 is fixed to the fixing piece 13. In addition, a recess 13a for holding the wire harness 3 is formed in the fixing piece 13. In the present embodiment, a binding band (binding band 4) is used as a fixing member for fixing the wire harness 3, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other fixing members such as a fixing band may also be used.

[0020] The fixing portion 14 is fixed to the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the fixing portion 14 is a locking member that is locked with a hole by a so-called snap, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other locking members that are locked by bolts or the like may be used.

[0021] The fixing piece 13 and the fixing part 14 are connected by the connection part 15. That is, the connection part 15 is formed between the fixing piece 13 and the fixing part 14.

[0022] In the present embodiment, the wire harness 3 is configured to include a trunk line 3 a and branch lines 3 b branching from the trunk line 3 a .

[0023] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the predetermined device to be connected to the connector 2 is a steering wheel heater, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the predetermined device may be another device other than the steering wheel heater mounted on the vehicle.

[0024] Figure 3 and Figure 4 FIG. 2 shows a state where the connector bracket 1 is mounted on the wire harness 3 when the spiral cable component 20 is not of a specification corresponding to the prescribed device (steering wheel heater). Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the figure, the connector 2 is assembled to the connector bracket 1.

[0025] The coiled cable component 20 is a cable winding device and is configured to include at least an annular main body portion 21 for accommodating a coiled cable.

[0026] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the state shown, the connector 2 becomes a so-called discarded connector that is not actually used. In addition, the pair of side wall portions 2a, 2a of the connector 2 held by the connector holding portion 12 of the connector holder 1 are arranged in a direction parallel to the tangent direction of the annular main body portion 21 of the spiral cable member 20. Therefore, a space portion S is formed adjacent to each of the pair of side wall portions 2a, 2a of the connector 2, and the space portion S is used for the fingers of the operator to hold the connector 2 (see Figure 3 ).

[0027] Figure 5 1 shows a state where the connector bracket 1 is mounted on the wire harness 3 when the spiral cable component 30 is of a specification corresponding to a predetermined device (steering wheel heater). Figure 5 In FIG. 1 , the connector 2 is assembled to the coil cable member 30 .

[0028] The coil cable member 30 is a cable winding device and is configured to include at least an annular main body portion 31 for storing the coil cable and a connector fitting portion 32 for fitting the connector 2 .

[0029] exist Figure 5 In the state shown, the connector holder 1 is arranged so that the connector fitting portion 32 provided in the spiral cable member 30 and into which the connector 2 is fitted is located at a position closer to the front side than the connector holding portion 12 of the connector holder 1 in the insertion direction of the connector 2. Therefore, the connector 2 interferes (contacts) with the connector fitting portion 32 of the spiral cable member 30, and the connector 2 cannot be coupled to the connector holding portion 12 of the connector holder 1. Therefore, the connector 2 is coupled to the connector fitting portion 32 of the spiral cable member 30, and it is possible to suppress the connector 2 that should be coupled to the spiral cable member 30 from not being coupled.

[0030] That is, the connector 2 comes into contact with the spiral cable member 30 of a specification corresponding to the steering wheel heater, and cannot be connected to the connector bracket 1 (see Figure 5 On the other hand, the connector 2 does not come into contact with the spiral cable component 20 which is not a steering wheel heater specification, and can be combined with the connector bracket 1 (refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The connector bracket 1 is arranged at such a position in the vehicle, and the connector bracket 1 is fixed to both the vehicle and the wire harness 3 (see Figures 3 to 5 ).

[0031] In this way, the connector holding structure of the form of the present embodiment includes a spiral cable component 30 and a connector bracket 1. The spiral cable component 30 has an annular main body 31 for storing the spiral cable. The connector bracket 1 has: a fixing portion 14 fixed to the vehicle; and a connector holding portion 12 for holding the connector 2 connected to the specified device (steering wheel heater). The connector bracket 1 is configured such that a connector fitting portion 32 provided in the spiral cable component 30 of the specification of the specified device and for the connector 2 to be fitted is located at a position closer to the front of the connector holding portion 12 in the insertion direction of the connector 2. The connection of the connector 2 to the connector holding portion 12 is blocked by the connector fitting portion 32.

[0032] When the spiral cable member 30 is a steering wheel heater specification (see Figure 5 ), the connector fitting portion 32 of the spiral cable component 30 is located closer to the front of the connector holding portion 12 in the insertion direction of the connector 2, and the connector 2 interferes with (contacts) the connector fitting portion 32. Therefore, the connector 2 cannot be coupled to the connector holding portion 12 of the connector holder 1, and the connector 2 that should be coupled to the spiral cable component 30 can be prevented from being uncoupled.

[0033] In addition, when the spiral cable member 20 is not a steering wheel heater specification (see Figure 3 as well as Figure 4), the connector 2 becomes a so-called discarded connector that is not actually used, but the connector 2 is completely fixed relative to the connector bracket 1. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress abnormal noise caused by vibration of the vehicle.

[0034] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a connector holding structure capable of suppressing the connector 2 (connector for a steering wheel heater) to be connected to a predetermined device (steering wheel heater) from being disconnected.

[0035] In the connector holding structure, when the connector 2 is held in the connector holding portion 12, the pair of side wall portions 2a, 2a of the connector 2 can be arranged in a direction parallel to the tangential direction of the annular main body portion 21 of the spiral cable member 20. Space portions S for gripping the connector 2 with fingers can be formed adjacent to the pair of side wall portions 2a, 2a of the connector 2, respectively.

[0036] According to the present embodiment, the space S can be ensured around the connector holder 1 so that the connector 2 can be coupled to the connector holding portion 12 .

[0037] In the connector holding structure, the connector holder 1 may further include a fixing piece 13 for fixing the wire harness 3 , and the connector 2 may be attached to an end of a branch line 3 b of the wire harness 3 .

[0038] Since the connector bracket 1 is fixed to the vehicle and the wire harness 3 , it is possible to effectively suppress abnormal noise caused by vibration of the vehicle or the like.

[0039] In the connector retention arrangement, the specified device may be a steering wheel heater.

[0040] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a connector holding structure capable of suppressing the connector 2 (connector for a steering wheel heater) to be connected to the steering wheel heater from not being connected.

[0041] Several embodiments of the present invention are described above, but these embodiments are given as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the subject matter of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and subject matter of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A connector holding structure, characterized in that: have: a spiral cable component having an annular main body portion, wherein the annular main body portion accommodates a spiral cable; and A connector bracket, the connector bracket comprising: a fixing portion fixed to a vehicle; and a connector holding portion for holding a connector connected to a predetermined device, The connector bracket is constructed as follows: when the spiral cable component is of a specification corresponding to the specified device, a connector fitting portion provided on the spiral cable component for the connector to be fitted is located closer to the front of the connector retaining portion in the insertion direction of the connector, and the connector fitting portion is used to prevent the connector from being coupled to the connector retaining portion.

2. The connector holding structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the connector is held by the connector holding portion, the pair of side wall portions of the connector are arranged in a direction parallel to a tangential direction of the annular main body portion of the spiral cable member. Space portions for holding the connector with fingers are formed adjacent to each of the pair of side wall portions of the connector.

3. The connector holding structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The connector bracket also has a fixing piece portion, and the fixing piece portion fixes the wiring harness. The connector is mounted on an end of a branch line of the wire harness.

4. The connector holding structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The prescribed device is a steering wheel heater.

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