Wire harness arrangement structure

Abstract

A wire harness arrangement structure includes: a wire harness having a wire group and a pair of connectors; and a fixing member on which the wire harness is arranged. The pair of connectors at least comprises a pair of first connectors and a pair of second connectors; the electric wire group comprises a first electric wire group and a second electric wire group, the first electric wire group comprises a plurality of first electric wires, and the second electric wire group comprises a plurality of second electric wires; a first electric wire group having a first sheath for binding the plurality of first electric wires and covering an outer periphery of the plurality of first electric wires, and disposed on the fixing member via the first sheath; and the second electric wire group has a second sheath for binding the plurality of second electric wires and covering the outer peripheries of the plurality of second electric wires, and the second electric wire group is arranged on the fixing member via the second sheath.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a wire harness arrangement structure. Background Art

[0002] Patent document JPH08205356A discloses technology related to a wiring harness arrangement structure. Traditionally, a wiring harness arrangement structure includes a wiring harness having a wire group, and the wire group includes a plurality of wires and a plurality of pairs of connectors electrically connected to both ends of the wire group. Another known wiring harness arrangement structure includes a vehicle body as a fixed component, and the wiring harness is arranged on the fixed component (see JPH08205356A). The wire group of the wiring harness includes a trunk line and a plurality of branch lines branching from the trunk line. The first side ends of the trunk line and the plurality of branch lines are electrically connected to a plurality of first connectors. The second side ends of the plurality of branch lines are electrically connected to a plurality of second connectors. In the wiring harness arrangement structure, the trunk line is fixed to a plurality of protectors, thereby maintaining the arrangement form of the trunk line relative to the vehicle body. A plurality of branch lines are drawn out from the protectors and arranged between adjacent protectors. Summary of the invention

[0003] In such a wiring harness arrangement structure described in JPH08205356A, a plurality of branch lines are branched from a trunk line, wherein the arrangement form relative to a fixed component is fixed based on the trunk line. Therefore, the arrangement form of the branch line relative to the fixed component is determined by the trunk line, and there is no degree of freedom in the arrangement form of the branch line relative to the fixed component. If there is no degree of freedom in the arrangement form of the branch line, it is necessary to unnecessarily increase the length of the wire relative to a pair of connectors whose arrangement positions have been determined, thereby increasing costs.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of these problems of the conventional technology. An object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness arranging structure capable of imparting a degree of freedom to the arrangement form of an electric wire group and reducing costs.

[0005] According to the present invention, the wiring harness arrangement structure includes: a wiring harness having a wire group and multiple pairs of connectors, the wire group including multiple wires, and the multiple pairs of connectors are electrically connected to both ends of the wire group; and a fixed component, the wiring harness is arranged on the fixed component, wherein the multiple pairs of connectors have at least a pair of first connectors and a pair of second connectors; the wire group has a first wire group and a second wire group, the first wire group includes multiple first wires, the multiple first wires are electrically connected to the pair of first connectors at both ends, and the second wire group includes multiple second wires, the multiple second wires are electrically connected to the pair of second connectors at both ends; the first wire group has a first sheath, the first sheath is used to bundle the multiple first wires and cover the outer periphery of the multiple first wires, and the first wire group is arranged on the fixed component via the first sheath; and the second wire group has a second sheath, the second sheath is used to bundle the multiple second wires and cover the outer periphery of the multiple second wires, and the second wire group is arranged on the fixed component via the second sheath.

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wire harness arranging structure capable of providing a degree of freedom in the arrangement form of an electric wire group and reducing costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wiring harness arrangement structure according to the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a connector and a wire group in a wire harness arrangement structure according to the present invention.

[0009] Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of a first electric wire group in the wire harness arranging structure according to the present invention.

[0010] Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing another example of the electric wire group in the wire harness arranging structure according to the present invention.

[0011] Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing another example of the electric wire group in the wire harness arranging structure according to the present invention.

[0012] Figure 6 It is an enlarged side view of a main portion when a first terminal is attached to a first electric wire in the wire harness arranging structure according to the present invention.

[0013] Figure 7 1 is a perspective view of a first housing of a first connector in a wire harness arranging structure according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 8It is an enlarged front view of a main part when the wire assembly is connected to the fixing portion of the wire harness arranging structure according to the present invention.

[0015] Fig. 9 It is an enlarged front view of a main part when electric wires are attached to the fixing portion of the wire harness arranging structure according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Hereinafter, the wiring harness arrangement structure according to the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the wiring harness arrangement structure 1 according to the present invention is applied to a wiring harness 3 for electrically connecting electrical components (not shown) between a power source and a device or between devices installed on a vehicle. The wiring harness 3 is arranged in a predetermined arrangement form relative to a fixed component 5 such as a vehicle body or panel.

[0018] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, the wire harness arrangement structure 1 includes a wire harness 3 and a fixing member 5 .

[0019] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the wiring harness 3 includes a wire group 7 and a connector 9 .

[0020] The wire group 7 includes a plurality of wires 11. A plurality of (here, 4) wire groups 7 are provided as the wire group 7, corresponding to the electrical components to be electrically connected. Here, the wire group 7 includes a first wire group 7A, a second wire group 7B, a third wire group 7C, and a fourth wire group 7D. Since the basic configurations of the plurality of wire groups 7 are similar, the first wire group 7A will be mainly described below, and the other wire groups 7 will not be described in detail.

[0021] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the first electric wire group 7A includes a plurality of first electric wires 11A and a first sheath 13A.

[0022] The first electric wire 11A includes, for example, a covered electric wire in which the outer periphery of a core wire 15 made of a conductive material is covered with an insulating coating 17 made of an insulating material. Depending on the circuit of the electric component to be applied, a plurality of (here, four) first electric wires 11A are used having different types of signal wires and power wires, different sizes of wire diameters, etc. Both ends of the first electric wire 11A are electrically connected to two electric components, thereby electrically connecting the two electric components.

[0023] The first sheath 13A is made of an insulating material such as vinyl chloride or polyethylene. The first sheath 13A covers the outer periphery of the plurality of first electric wires 11A in a state where the plurality of first electric wires 11A are bundled together. The plurality of first electric wires 11A are bundled and covered by the first sheath 13A so that the first electric wire group 7A can be handled as one electric wire. In addition, the plurality of first electric wires 11A can be protected. The first electric wire group 7A in which the plurality of first electric wires 11A are bundled together by the first sheath 13A is also called a rubber-covered cable.

[0024] The plurality of wire groups 7 may have any number of wires 11 in each wire group 7. For example, Figure 4 As shown, the number of wires 11 may be six, and the outer periphery of the six wires 11 bundled together may be covered by the sheath 13 to form one of the wire groups 7. Alternatively, as Figure 5 As shown, the number of the electric wires 11 may be eight, and the outer circumference of the eight electric wires 11 bundled together may be covered by the sheath 13 to form one electric wire group 7 .

[0025] The connectors 9 are provided at both ends of the plurality of electric wire groups 7, and a pair of connectors 9 is used for each electric wire group 7. For this purpose, four pairs of connectors 9 corresponding to the four electric wire groups 7 are used, namely, a pair of first connectors 9A and 9A, a pair of second connectors 9B and 9B, a pair of third connectors 9C and 9C, and a pair of fourth connectors 9D and 9D. Since the basic configurations of the plurality of connectors 9 are similar, the first connector 9A will be mainly described below, and detailed descriptions of the other connectors 9 will be omitted.

[0026] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the first connector 9A includes a plurality of first terminals 19A and a first housing 21A.

[0027] A plurality of (here 8) first terminals 19A are used, corresponding to both ends of a plurality of (here 4) first electric wires 11A. The first terminal 19A is made of a conductive material and includes, for example, a wire connection portion 23 and an electrical connection portion 25. The wire connection portion 23 has a coating fixing portion 27 and a core wire fixing portion 29. The coating fixing portion 27 has a pair of buckling pieces, and the first terminal 19A is fixed to the first electric wire 11A by buckling the pair of buckling pieces relative to the outer periphery of the insulating coating 17 of the first electric wire 11A. The core wire fixing portion 29 has a pair of crimping pieces, and the first terminal 19A and the first electric wire 11A are electrically connected by buckling and crimping the pair of crimping pieces relative to the outer periphery of the core wire 15 exposed from the insulating coating 17 of the first electric wire 11A. The electrical connection portion 25 is a component that is continuous with the wire connection portion 23 and is formed in a convex shape. The electrical connection portion 25 comes into contact with a mating terminal (not shown) of a mating connector (not shown) provided on the electrical component, thereby electrically connecting the first terminal 19A with the mating terminal.

[0028] A pair of first housings 21A are used, corresponding to both ends of the first electric wire group 7A. The first housing 21A is made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, for example, and is formed as a housing capable of mating with a mating housing (not shown) of a mating connector provided on an electrical component. Corresponding to a plurality of (here, 4) first terminals 19A provided on one end of the first electric wire group 7A, the first housing 21A is provided with a plurality of (here, 4) terminal accommodation chambers 31 capable of accommodating the first terminals 19A. By accommodating the plurality of first terminals 19A in the plurality of terminal accommodation chambers 31, the ends of the plurality of (here, 4) first electric wires 11A are bundled in the first connector 9A. A locking arm 35 having a locking portion 33 is provided at the upper portion of the first housing 21A. The locking arm 35 is elastically deformable and can be engaged with a locked portion (not shown) provided on the mating housing. The locking portion 33 of the locking arm 35 is engaged with the locked portion, thereby maintaining the mating state between the first housing 21A and the mating housing. The engagement between the locking portion 33 and the locked portion is released by pressing the operating portion 37 of the locking arm 35 to elastically deform the locking arm 35, thereby releasing the engagement between the first housing 21A and the mating housing. When the first housing 21A and the mating housing are engaged, the first terminals 19A are electrically connected to the mating terminals.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the wire harness 3 as described above is arranged on a fixing component 5 such as a vehicle body or a panel. The wire harness 3 arranged on the fixing component 5 needs to be fixed in an arranged form relative to the fixing component 5, for example, to avoid interference with surrounding components or to improve the appearance. Therefore, the fixing component 5 is provided with a fixing portion 39.

[0030] like Figure 1 , Figure 8 and Fig. 9As shown, the fixing portion 39 is provided integrally with the fixing member 5, and has a pair of clamping portions 41, 41 opened on opposite sides of the fixing member 5. When the sheath 13 of the electric wire group 7 is inserted through the opening, the pair of clamping portions 41, 41 holds the electric wire group 7 by clamping the outer periphery of the sheath 13 like a clamp or a clip, and fixes the electric wire group 7 to the fixing member 5. The fixing member 5A is provided with a plurality of (here, 6) fixing portions 39. The fixing member 5 is provided with a plurality of fixing portions 39 so that at least one fixing portion 39 corresponds to one electric wire group 7. Here, the first electric wire group 7A is provided with two fixing portions 39, and the first sheath 13A for bundling and covering the plurality of first electric wires 11A is fixed to the fixing portion 39. The second electric wire group 7B is provided with two fixing portions 39, and the second sheath 13B for bundling and covering the plurality of second electric wires 11B is fixed to the fixing portion 39. The third electric wire group 7C is provided with a fixing portion 39, and a third sheath 13C for bundling and covering a plurality of third electric wires 11C is fixed to the fixing portion 39. The fourth electric wire group 7D is provided with a fixing portion 39, and a fourth sheath 13D for bundling and covering a plurality of fourth electric wires 11D is fixed to the fixing portion 39.

[0031] In a conventional wiring harness arrangement structure, the wire group 7 of the wiring harness 3 has a trunk line and a branch line branching from the trunk line. For example, in a conventional wiring harness arrangement structure, it is assumed that the trunk line has the arrangement form of the first wire group 7A in the wiring harness arrangement structure 1. In this case, for example, the second wire group 7B as a branch line needs to bypass the arrangement path of the first wire group 7A, and the shortest arrangement form cannot be obtained. Therefore, in the conventional wiring harness arrangement structure, the arrangement form of the wire group 7 has no degree of freedom, and the length of the wire 11 needs to be increased unnecessarily, which increases the cost. In addition, in the conventional wiring harness arrangement structure, a bundling component for bundling a plurality of wires 11, a fixing component for fixing the plurality of wires to the fixing component 5, a protective component such as a protector, etc. are assembled in the trunk line and the branch line, which increases the number of components and the cost.

[0032] On the other hand, in the wiring harness 3 of the wiring harness arrangement structure 1, each wire group 7 including the wires 11 is electrically connected to a pair of connectors 9, 9 at both ends, and the outer periphery of the wires 11 is bundled and covered by the sheath 13. By bundling a plurality of wires and covering the outer periphery of the plurality of wires 11 with the sheath 13, each wire group 7 can be handled as a single wire. Therefore, it is possible to give freedom to the arrangement form of each wire group 7, and each wire group 7 can be arranged in the shortest path relative to the fixing component 5. In addition, there is no need to unnecessarily increase the length of the wire 11, and the cost can be reduced. Further, the fixing component 5 is provided with a fixing portion 39 for fixing the sheath 13, so that by fixing the sheath 13 to the fixing portion 39, each wire group 7 can be fixed to the fixing component 5, and the arrangement form of each wire group 7 relative to the fixing component 5 can be maintained. Therefore, it is not necessary to assemble a bundling component, a fixing component, a protective component, etc. for a plurality of wire groups 7, thereby reducing the number of parts and assembly operations, and reducing costs.

[0033] The wiring harness arrangement structure 1 includes: a wiring harness 3 having a wire group 7 including a plurality of wires 11 and a plurality of pairs of connectors 9, 9 electrically connected to both ends of the wire group 7; and a fixing member 5, where the wiring harness 3 is arranged. The plurality of pairs of connectors 9, 9 at least have a pair of first connectors 9A, 9A and a pair of second connectors 9B, 9B. In addition, the wire group 7 has a first wire group 7A and a second wire group 7B, the first wire group 7A including a plurality of first wires 11A electrically connected to a pair of first connectors 9A, 9A at both ends, and the second wire group 7B including a plurality of second wires 11B electrically connected to a pair of second connectors 9B, 9B at both ends. The first wire group 7A has a first sheath 13A for bundling the plurality of first wires 11A and covering the outer periphery of the plurality of first wires 11A, and the first wire group 7A is arranged on the fixing member 5 via the first sheath 13A. The second electric wire group 7B has a second sheath 13B for bundling the plurality of second electric wires 11B and covering the outer periphery of the plurality of second electric wires 11B, and is arranged to the fixing member 5 via the second sheath 13B.

[0034] In each electric wire group 7, each electric wire group 7 can be handled as one electric wire by bundling and covering the plurality of electric wires 11 with the sheath 13. Therefore, it is possible to give freedom to the arrangement form of each electric wire group 7, and each electric wire group 7 can be arranged in the shortest path relative to the fixing member 5. In addition, there is no need to unnecessarily increase the length of the electric wire 11, and the cost can be reduced.

[0035] Therefore, in the wire harness arranging structure 1, the degree of freedom can be given to the arrangement form of the electric wire group 7, and the cost can be reduced.

[0036] Further, the fixing member 5 is provided with fixing portions 39 for fixing the first sheath 13A and the second sheath 13B respectively.

[0037] Therefore, by fixing the sheath 13 to the fixing portion 39, each electric wire group 7 can be fixed to the fixing member 5, and the arrangement form of each electric wire group 7 relative to the fixing member 5 can be maintained. Therefore, it is not necessary to install a bundling member, a fixing member, a protective member, etc. on the plurality of electric wire groups 7, so that the number of parts and assembly operations can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

[0038] Although the present invention is described above, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be variously modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0039] For example, in the wiring harness arrangement structure according to the present invention, the number of connector pairs is four pairs, but the arrangement is not limited thereto, and the number of connector pairs may be three pairs or less, or five pairs or more. According to the arrangement, the number of wire groups may correspond to the number of connector pairs.

[0040] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these, and the configuration of components can be replaced with any configuration having a similar function as long as it is within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A wiring harness arrangement structure, comprising: a wiring harness having a wire group and a plurality of pairs of connectors, the wire group including a plurality of wires, and the plurality of pairs of connectors being electrically connected to both ends of the wire group; as well as a fixing component, the wiring harness is arranged on the fixing component, in, The plurality of pairs of connectors at least have a pair of first connectors and a pair of second connectors; The electric wire group has a first electric wire group and a second electric wire group, the first electric wire group includes a plurality of first electric wires electrically connected to the pair of first connectors at both ends, and the second electric wire group includes a plurality of second electric wires electrically connected to the pair of second connectors at both ends; The first electric wire group has a first sheath for bundling the plurality of first electric wires and covering the outer periphery of the plurality of first electric wires, and the first electric wire group is arranged on the fixing member via the first sheath; and The second electric wire group has a second sheath for bundling the plurality of second electric wires and covering the outer periphery of the plurality of second electric wires, and the second electric wire group is arranged on the fixing member via the second sheath.

2. The wire harness arrangement structure according to claim 1, wherein: The fixing member is provided with fixing portions for fixing the first sheath and the second sheath respectively.

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