Terminal device

Abstract

The invention provides a terminal device which can be easily connected with a vehicle control device. A terminal device is provided with: a terminal part that is inserted into a port of a connector provided to a control device of a vehicle and that is connected to the control device of the vehicle; and a connection unit that is connected to a plurality of electric wires for in-vehicle communication and electrically connects the plurality of electric wires to the terminal unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device for connecting multiple wires used for vehicle communication to a vehicle control device. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a connector assembly for forming a wire harness comprising a high-voltage side wire and a low-voltage side wire in a CAN communication line, wherein the wire harness is wrapped with bundling tape around a bundle body. The connector assembly includes: a high-voltage side connector for connecting high-voltage side wires from multiple electrical devices to each other; a low-voltage side connector for connecting low-voltage side wires from multiple electrical devices to each other; and a retainer that detachably holds a terminating resistor connected between the high-voltage side connector and the low-voltage side connector in the two connectors.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-102952 Summary of the Invention

[0004] In the case of an electrical device described in Patent Document 1 that connects multiple CAN communication lines including high-voltage side wires and low-voltage side wires, if the multiple high-voltage side wires and multiple low-voltage side wires are individually connected to the connector of the electrical device, it is necessary to spend time installing and removing these wires.

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a terminal device that can be easily connected to a vehicle control device.

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, a terminal device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a terminal portion that is inserted into a port of a connector provided in a vehicle control device and connected to the vehicle control device; and a connecting portion that is connected to a plurality of wires for vehicle communication and electrically connects the plurality of wires to the terminal portion.

[0007] Invention Effects

[0008] According to the present invention, a terminal device that can be easily connected to a vehicle control device can be provided. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the state in which the terminal device of the embodiment is connected to the control device.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the terminal device of an embodiment cut along the longitudinal direction.

[0011] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The terminal device shown is a sectional view of line segment AA.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a front view of the terminal block with wires installed. Detailed Implementation

[0013] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the connection between the terminal device 10 and the control device 12 in the embodiment. The control device 12 is an electronic control unit (ECU) mounted in the vehicle. The control device 12 is connected to the vehicle communication network (CAN) via a controller area network. The control device 12 can also be connected to the vehicle communication network via Ethernet.

[0014] Connector 14 is disposed on control device 12 and has multiple ports 14a for connecting various wires to control device 12. Terminal device 10 connects first wire 22, second wire 24, third wire 26 and fourth wire 28 (hereinafter referred to as "wires" without distinction) to control device 12 via connector 14.

[0015] Terminal assembly 10 combines multiple wires 22, 24, 26, and 28 into a single unit and connects it to connector 14. This facilitates easy installation and removal of connector 14. First wire 22 and second wire 24 are a pair of twisted wires used for vehicle communication. Similarly, third wire 26 and fourth wire 28 are also a pair of twisted wires used for vehicle communication. For example, first wire 22 and second wire 24 can be connected to a vehicle communication bus, and third wire 26 and fourth wire 28 can be connected to other ECUs.

[0016] The first wire 22 and the third wire 26 are high-voltage side wires, and the second wire 24 and the fourth wire 28 are low-voltage side wires. However, this is not a limitation; the first wire 22 and the third wire 26 can also be low-voltage side wires, and the second wire 24 and the fourth wire 28 can also be high-voltage side wires.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the terminal device 10 in an embodiment cut along the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The terminal device 10 shown is a cross-sectional view along line segment AA. The terminal device 10 includes a frame portion 20, a housing 30, a first connecting portion 32a, a second connecting portion 32b, a first terminal portion 40a, and a second terminal portion 40b.

[0018] The frame portion 20 is box-shaped and accommodates the connection parts for each wire. For example... Figure 2As shown, the first wire 22 inserted into the frame portion 20 exposes the first conductor 22a of its terminal by peeling off the coating, the second wire 24 exposes the second conductor 24a, and the third wire 26 exposes the third conductor. Figure 3 The fourth wire 28 shown exposes the fourth conductor 28a.

[0019] The first connecting portion 32a is connected to the first wire 22, and the second connecting portion 32b is connected to the second wire 24. The first connecting portion 32a has a first crimping portion 34a and a first extension portion 36a. The first crimping portion 34a is crimped to the first conductor 22a by riveting or the like. The first extension portion 36a is formed in the shape of a flat plate and extends from the first conductor 22a and the first crimping portion 34a toward the first terminal portion 40a.

[0020] The second connecting portion 32b has a second crimping portion 34b and a second extension portion 36b. The second crimping portion 34b is crimped onto the second conductor 24a. The second extension portion 36b is formed in the shape of a flat plate and extends from the second conductor 24a and the second crimping portion 34b toward the second terminal portion 40b.

[0021] The first extension 36a and the second extension 36b are respectively arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction and extend parallel to each other, separated by the connected first wire 22 and second wire 24. The vertical direction is the direction orthogonal to the plane of the first extension 36a and the second extension 36b. By arranging the first wire 22 and the second wire 24 between the first extension 36a and the second extension 36b, it is possible to arrange the first extension 36a or the second extension 36b close to the first wire 22 and the second wire 24 without arranging the first extension 36a or the second extension 36b between the first wire 22 and the second wire 24. As a result, the first wire 22 and the second wire 24 constituting the stranded wire can be brought close together, thereby suppressing the generation of noise.

[0022] The frame portion 20 surrounds the connecting portion 32 and the connection portions of multiple wires. The first connecting portion 32a and the second connecting portion 32b (hereinafter referred to as "connecting portion 32" without distinction) are insulated by a resin material not shown. That is, the first connecting portion 32a and the second connecting portion 32b are separated by a resin material between them on the inside of the frame portion 20. After being crimped onto the wires, the pair of connecting portions 32 are fixed in a state of insulation by the resin material filled inside the frame portion 20.

[0023] The first terminal portion 40a and the second terminal portion 40b (hereinafter referred to as "terminal portion 40") are arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction. The high-voltage side wire of the first wire 22 and the second wire 24, which form a stranded wire, is connected to the first terminal portion 40a. The low-voltage side wire of the first wire 22 and the second wire 24, which form a stranded wire, is connected to the second terminal portion 40b. Thus, the high-voltage side wire and the low-voltage side wire can be connected separately to the terminal portion 40.

[0024] The first terminal portion 40a and the second terminal portion 40b are surrounded by the housing 30. The housing 30 can accommodate the first terminal portion 40a and the second terminal portion 40b and be configured to be inserted into one port, or it can be configured to be inserted into two ports by forming a pair of separate first terminal portions 40a and second terminal portions 40b. In either case, the terminal portion 40 is inserted into port 14a and connected to the vehicle control device 12.

[0025] like Figure 3 As shown, the second connecting part 32b is connected to the second wire 24 and the fourth wire 28, and electrically connects the second wire 24 and the fourth wire 28 to the second terminal part 40b. The first connecting part 32a is also connected to the first wire 22 and the third wire 26, and electrically connects the first wire 22 and the third wire 26 to the first terminal part 40a.

[0026] The second crimping part 34b is crimped onto both the second conductor 24a and the fourth conductor 28a. Thus, the two low-voltage side wires are connected to a second terminal part 40b.

[0027] First wire 22 and third wire 26, serving as high-voltage side wires, are connected to the first connecting portion 32a, and second wire 24 and fourth wire 28, serving as low-voltage side wires, are connected to the second connecting portion 32b. Thus, multiple high-voltage side wires or multiple low-voltage side wires are respectively connected to a common terminal portion 40, and the terminal device 10 forms a branch circuit outside the control device 12. Compared to forming a branch circuit inside the ECU, the control device 12 does not require a change to the substrate, thus shortening the delivery time. Furthermore, since the branch circuits within the control device 12 can be shortened, noise generation can be suppressed even with increased communication load. Moreover, multiple high-voltage side wires and multiple low-voltage side wires can be easily combined and connected to the connector 14.

[0028] like Figure 3 As shown, the first terminal portion 40a and the second terminal portion 40b are arranged near one side 20a of the frame portion 20, and are arranged closer to one side 20a than the other side 20b. The frame portion 20 and the housing 30 can be uniformly formed such that one side is flat. Figure 1 As shown, since the terminal portion 40 is offset relative to the housing 30, it is possible to configure the housing 30 so that it does not block other ports 14a when connected to the connector 14.

[0029] Figure 4This is a front view of the terminal assembly 10 with wires installed. The first wire 22 and the second wire 24, forming stranded wires, are arranged side-by-side in the longitudinal direction, as are the third wire 26 and the fourth wire 28. The first wire 22 and the third wire 26, which are high-voltage side wires, are offset in the longitudinal direction, as are the second wire 24 and the fourth wire 28, which are low-voltage side wires. Furthermore, the longitudinal direction represents the orientation of the first terminal portion 40a and the second terminal portion 40b.

[0030] By arranging the strands by offsetting each other in the longitudinal direction, they can be arranged in a manner close to the lateral direction, thereby reducing the width of the frame portion 20.

[0031] The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes and modifications can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0032] In the embodiment, a method is shown in which the first wire 22 and the third wire 26 are connected to the first terminal portion 40a, and the second wire 24 and the fourth wire 28 are connected to the second terminal portion 40b. However, this method is not limited to this one, and more than three wires may be connected to the first terminal portion 40a and the second terminal portion 40b respectively.

[0033] Symbol Explanation

[0034] 10 - Terminal device, 12 - Control device, 14 - Connector, 14a - Port, 20 - Frame, 22 - First wire, 24 - Second wire, 26 - Third wire, 28 - Fourth wire, 30 - Housing, 32a - First connection, 32b - Second connection, 34a - First crimp, 34b - Second crimp, 36a - First extension, 36b - Second extension, 40a - First terminal, 40b - Second terminal.

Claims

1. A terminal device, characterized in that, have: A terminal portion, which is inserted into a port of a connector provided in a vehicle control device and connected to the vehicle control device; and A connecting part, which connects to a plurality of wires for vehicle communication and electrically connects the plurality of wires to the terminal part.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal portion has a first terminal portion and a second terminal portion arranged side by side. The connecting part has: A first connecting portion, which is connected to the first terminal portion; and The second connecting part is connected to the second terminal part. Multiple wires are connected to the first connecting part. The other plurality of wires are connected to the second connection portion.

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, characterized in that, have: The frame portion surrounds the connecting portion and the connection portions of the plurality of wires. The first connecting part and the second connecting part are separated by a resin material between the inner sides of the frame part.

4. The terminal device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first connecting portion has a first extension portion extending from the connected wire toward the first terminal portion. The second connecting portion has a second extension portion extending from the connected wire toward the second terminal portion. The first extension and the second extension are respectively positioned opposite each other across the pair of connected wires.

5. The terminal device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, A high-voltage side wire of a pair of stranded wires is connected to the first terminal portion. The low-voltage side wire of a pair of wires forming a strand is connected to the second terminal portion.

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