Wire harness assembly

Abstract

A wire harness assembly includes: a wire harness including an electric wire and a connector electrically connected to an end of the electric wire; and an assembly member in which the wire harness is disposed. The connector is arranged to be exposed to the outside of the assembly part. The assembly member has a lead-out portion configured to lead out an electric wire disposed inside the assembly member to an outside of the assembly member to change an arrangement position of the connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness assembly. Background Art

[0002] Patent document JP2015-67071A describes a wire harness assembly including a wire harness and an assembly piece as an assembly component. The wire harness is disposed within the assembly piece, and the wire harness includes electric wires and connectors electrically connected to ends of the electric wires. In this wire harness assembly, the connectors of the wire harness are arranged to be exposed outside the assembly piece. In a state where the wire harness assembly is assembled to a target component, such as a door trim of a vehicle, the connectors are mated with mating connectors arranged in the target component. By mating the connectors with the mating connectors, electrical components mounted on the vehicle are electrically connected to each other through the wire harness. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In the above wire harness assembly, the arrangement position of the connectors relative to the assembly component is determined according to the mating connectors of specific target components. Therefore, if the wire harness assembly is assembled to other target components, the connectors may not be mated with the mating connectors because the mating connectors are arranged at different positions. Therefore, it is necessary to manufacture wire harness assemblies having connectors arranged at different positions for each target component to be assembled, and the versatility of such wire harness assemblies is low.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness assembly with improved versatility.

[0005] The wire harness assembly according to the present invention includes: a wire harness including electric wires and connectors electrically connected to ends of the electric wires; and an assembly component within which the wire harness is disposed. The connectors are arranged to be exposed outside the assembly component. The assembly component has a lead-out portion configured to lead out the electric wires arranged inside the assembly component to the outside of the assembly component to change the arrangement position of the connectors.

[0006] According to the above configuration, the versatility of the wire harness assembly can be improved. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness assembly according to an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 is a plan view of the wire harness assembly according to the present embodiment.

[0009] Figure 3 is a plan view of a cover of the wire harness assembly according to the present embodiment.

[0010] Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of a separation portion and a restriction portion of the wire harness assembly according to the present embodiment.

[0011] Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing another example of a separation portion and a restriction portion of a wire harness assembly according to the present embodiment. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, a wire harness assembly according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for ease of explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0013] As Figure 1 shown, a wire harness assembly 1 according to the present embodiment is applied to, for example, a wire harness 3 that electrically connects electrical components (not shown) such as a power source mounted on a vehicle to a device or between devices. The wire harness 3 is arranged in a predetermined shape inside an assembly member 5 that is integrally assembled therewith. The wire harness assembly 1 is assembled to a target member (not shown), such as a door trim of a vehicle.

[0014] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, the wire harness assembly 1 includes a wire harness 3 and an assembly member 5.

[0015] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the wire harness 3 includes electric wires 7 and connectors 9.

[0016] The electric wires 7 include, for example, coated electric wires in which the outer periphery of a core wire made of a conductive material is coated with an insulating sheath, and a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) electric wires 7 are used. The electric wires 7 may be flat cables in which the outer peripheries of a plurality of core wires are coated with an insulating sheath in a state where the plurality of core wires are arranged in parallel. The plurality of electric wires 7 are arranged such that the end portions on both sides thereof protrude from the assembly member 5. The plurality of electric wires 7 are arranged such that the end portions on one end side are gathered at one position and the end portions on the other end side branch.

[0017] The connectors 9 include, for example, a housing (not shown) made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and terminals (not shown) made of a conductive material. The housing can be fitted to a mating housing (not shown) of a mating connector (not shown) that is electrically connected to an electrical component mounted on a vehicle. The terminals are electrically connected to the end portions of the electric wires 7 and are accommodated in the housing. By fitting the housing to the mating housing, the terminals are electrically connected to mating terminals (not shown) accommodated in the mating housing. A plurality of (five in the present embodiment) connectors 9 are used to correspond to the end portions of the plurality of electric wires 7 that protrude from the assembly member 5.

[0018] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, the assembly member 5 includes a base material 11 and a cover member 13.

[0019] The base material 11 is made of a foam such as polyurethane or a non-woven fabric such as polypropylene fiber, polyethylene terephthalate fiber, or polyester-based fiber, and has sound insulation and heat insulation properties. The base material 11 is formed in a sheet shape, and its size is set such that the base material 11 is disposed within the range of the target component, and is assembled to the target component by a fixing method such as press-fitting (not shown). On one surface side of the base material 11, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) electric wires 7 of the wire harness 3 are arranged in a predetermined shape. The ends of the plurality of electric wires 7 protrude from the outer edge of the base material 11 by a predetermined length, each electric wire 7 is disposed on the base material 11, and the connector 9 is disposed outside the base material 11.

[0020] The covering member 13 is made of a film such as vinyl chloride or polyethylene, or a closed-cell foam or open-cell foam such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, or an elastomer, and has sound insulation and heat insulation properties. The covering member 13 is formed in a sheet shape, and its size is set to be equal to the size of the base material 11 such that the covering member 13 is disposed within the range of the target component, and its thickness is set to be smaller than the thickness of the base material 11. An adhesive is applied to the surface of the covering member 13 facing the base material 11. The covering member 13 is attached to one surface side of the base material 11 in such a manner that the plurality of electric wires 7 are sandwiched between the covering member 13 and the base material 11. In a state where the covering member 13 is integrally attached to the base material 11, the plurality of electric wires 7 arranged in a predetermined shape are held between the base material 11 and the covering member 13. Therefore, the assembled component 5 can protect the electric wires 7 of the wire harness 3 and maintain the arranged shape of the electric wires 7.

[0021] In a state where the wire harness assembly 1 is assembled to the target component, the connector 9 exposed from the assembled component 5 is fitted to the mating connector. At this time, since the electric wire 7 protrudes from the outer edge of the assembled component 5 by a predetermined length, the connector 9 can move freely, so that it is easy to fit the connector 9 to the mating connector. By fitting the connector 9 to the mating connector, the electrical components are electrically connected to each other.

[0022] Here, in a conventional wire harness assembly, the arrangement position of the connector relative to the assembled component is determined according to the mating connector of a specific target component. Therefore, if the conventional wire harness assembly is assembled to other target components, the connector may not be able to be fitted to the mating connector because the mating connector is arranged at a different position. The conventional wire harness assembly needs to manufacture connectors arranged at different positions for each target component to be assembled, which results in low versatility.

[0023] On the other hand, in the wire harness assembly 1 according to this embodiment, the assembled component 5 has a lead-out portion 15 that can lead out the electric wire 7 disposed inside the assembled component 5 to the outside of the assembled component 5 to change the arrangement position of the connector 9 relative to the assembled component 5. In the following description, it is assumed that the lead-out portion 15 is provided in the covering member 13, but the lead-out portion 15 can also be provided in the base material 11.

[0024] The lead-out portion 15 is provided in the covering member 13 along the arrangement shape of the electric wire 7. The lead-out portion 15 is formed, for example, as a separating portion 17 capable of tearing the covering member 13 by forming a cut (notch) in the covering member 13. By moving the electric wire 7 disposed inside the assembled component 5 toward the outside of the assembled component 5, the separating portion 17 is torn by contacting the electric wire 7. The electric wire 7 whose separating portion 17 has been torn is led out to the outside of the assembled component 5, and the position of the end portion of the electric wire 7 exposed to the outside from the assembled component 5 is changed. When the position of the end portion of the electric wire 7 exposed from the assembled component 5 is changed, the length of the electric wire 7 led out to the outside of the assembled component 5 increases. When the length of the electric wire 7 led out by the lead-out portion 15 increases, the movable range of the connector 9 disposed outside the assembled component 5 increases, so that the arrangement position of the connector 9 relative to the assembled component 5 can be changed. Therefore, when the wire harness assembly 1 is assembled to the target component, even if the positions of the mating connectors are different, the connector 9 can be mated with the mating connector by changing the arrangement position of the connector 9. Therefore, the difference in the arrangement positions between the mating connectors of the target component can be absorbed, and the versatility of the wire harness assembly 1 can be improved. By forming the lead-out portion 15 as the separating portion 17 capable of being torn by contacting the electric wire 7, the structure of the lead-out portion 15 can be simplified, and the arrangement position of the connector 9 can be easily changed by moving the electric wire 7. In addition, by arranging the separating portion 17 along the electric wire 7, the movement of the electric wire 7 can be stably transmitted to the separating portion 17, and the electric wire 7 can be stably led out by tearing the separating portion 17.

[0025] As Figure 4 shown, the separating portion 17 includes a restricting portion 19 that restricts the tearing of the separating portion 17 by avoiding contact with the electric wire 7. The restricting portion 19 is formed, for example, in a circular shape, and its diameter is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the electric wire 7, and the restricting portion 19 is a hole formed through the covering member 13. A plurality of restricting portions 19 are provided at intervals along the separating portion 17. For example, when the electric wire 7 is led out in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 4 to tear the separating portion 17, the electric wire 7 is arranged in the restricting portion 19 in a state where the separating portion 17 does not contact the electric wire 7. When the electric wire 7 is arranged in the restricting portion 19, the separating portion 17 does not contact the electric wire 7, so that the tearing of the separating portion 17 can be terminated in the restricting portion 19. By providing the restricting portion 19 in the separating portion 17, the restricting portion 19 can be used as a guide for tearing the separating portion 17, and the assemblability can be improved. When the separating portion 17 is further torn, by further leading out the electric wire 7 from the state where the electric wire 7 is arranged in the restricting portion 19, the separating portion 17 can be torn to the next restricting portion 19. As Figure 5As shown, for example, the cutout (notch) of the separation portion 17 may have a triangular shape to serve as the restricting portion 19. In the separation portion 17, the vertex of the cutout faces the lead-out direction of the electric wire 7, which is Figure 5 the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 5 , and the base of the cutout is set to be longer than the outer diameter of the electric wire 7. Thus, the base of the triangle serves as the restricting portion 19. By setting the separation portion 17 and the restricting portion 19 in this way, the number of the restricting portions 19 can be increased, and the arrangement position of the connector 9 relative to the assembly member 5 can be finely adjusted.

[0026] The wiring harness assembly 1 according to the present embodiment includes a wiring harness 3 and an assembly member 5. The wiring harness 3 includes an electric wire 7 and a connector 9 electrically connected to an end portion of the electric wire 7, and the wiring harness 3 is disposed within the assembly member 5. The connector 9 is disposed to be exposed outside the assembly member 5. The assembly member 5 has a lead-out portion 15 that can lead out the electric wire 7 disposed inside the assembly member 5 to the outside of the assembly member 5 to change the arrangement position of the connector 9.

[0027] In the electric wire 7 led out to the outside of the assembly member 5 by the lead-out portion 15, the length of the portion led out to the outside of the assembly member 5 increases. When the length of the electric wire 7 led out by the lead-out portion 15 increases, the movable range of the connector 9 disposed outside the assembly member 5 increases, so that the arrangement position of the connector 9 relative to the assembly member 5 can be changed. Therefore, when the wiring harness assembly 1 is assembled to a target member, even if the positions of the mating connectors are different, the connector 9 can be mated with the mating connector by changing the arrangement position of the connector 9.

[0028] Therefore, in the wiring harness assembly 1, the difference in the arrangement positions between the mating connectors of the target member can be absorbed, and the versatility can be improved.

[0029] The lead-out portion 15 is a separation portion 17 that is torn by coming into contact with the electric wire 7 by moving the electric wire 7 disposed inside the assembly member 5 toward the outside of the assembly member 5.

[0030] Therefore, the structure of the lead-out portion 15 can be simplified, and the arrangement position of the connector 9 can be easily changed by moving the electric wire 7.

[0031] The separation portion 17 is disposed along the electric wire 7 disposed inside the assembly member 5.

[0032] Therefore, the movement of the electric wire 7 can be stably transmitted to the separation portion 17, and the electric wire 7 can be stably led out by tearing the separation portion 17.

[0033] The separation portion 17 includes a restricting portion 19 that restricts the tearing of the separation portion 17 by avoiding contact with the electric wire 7.

[0034] Therefore, the restricting portion 19 can be used as a guide for the tearing and separating portion 17, and the assemblability can be improved.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, the lead-out portion 15 is the separating portion 17 that is torn by contacting the electric wire 7, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the portion of the assembled component 5 where the end portion of the electric wire 7 is led out to the outside, the base material 11 and the covering member 13 are formed in a bag shape instead of being bonded to each other. The extra length portion of the electric wire 7 that is preset to be long is accommodated in the bag-shaped portion, so that the electric wire 7 can be led out to the outside. Such a bag-shaped portion can be used as the lead-out portion 15.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the number of electric wires 7 in the wire harness 3 is four, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the number of electric wires 7 can be three or less or five or more. In the above-described embodiment, one end side of the plurality of electric wires 7 is gathered into one connector 9, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the connector 9 can be provided on each end side of the plurality of electric wires 7. The lead-out portion 15 can be provided in the assembled component 5 according to such electric wires 7.

[0037] Although specific embodiments have been described, these embodiments are disclosed only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein can be implemented in various other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the forms of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wiring harness assembly, comprising: a wiring harness including electric wires and connectors electrically connected to ends of the electric wires; as well as An assembly component, wherein the wiring harness is arranged in the assembly component, wherein The connector is arranged to be exposed outside the assembly component, and The assembly component has a lead-out portion configured to lead the electric wires arranged inside the assembly component to the outside of the assembly component to change an arrangement position of the connector.

2. The wire harness assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The lead-out portion is a separation portion that comes into contact with the electric wire and is torn by moving the electric wire disposed inside the assembly component to the outside of the assembly component.

3. The wire harness assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The separation portion is arranged along the electric wire arranged inside the assembly component.

4. The wire harness assembly according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The separation portion includes a restriction portion configured to restrict tearing of the separation portion by avoiding contact with the electric wire.

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