Vehicle wiring harness structure and additional connecting element

Abstract

Vehicle wiring harness structure, which includes: a wiring harness (11) designed to connect a variety of main devices (19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 30, 330A, 330B) to be installed on general-purpose vehicles (17); at least one additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I), one end of which is branched to connect to a communication line (25) and / or a signal line (28) of the wiring harness (11), and the other end of which is configured to connect to at least one optional additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) to be retrofitted to the destination vehicles (17); and a control function section (15, 16) that is present in the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) to control the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B), wherein the at least one additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) comprises a first additional connecting element (13) configured to be connected to a first additional device (29), and a second additional connecting element (13I) configured to be connected to a second additional device (29C); characterized by the fact that The control function section (15, 16) present in the second additional connecting element (13I) includes a signal conversion section configured to receive information from the second additional device (29C) to generate a control signal for controlling a function of the first additional device (29) and converts the information into the control signal.

Description

Field of invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle wiring harness structure and an additional connecting element. Related technology

[0002] A large number of diverse electronic devices, such as lights and motors, as well as switches and sensors for operating them, are installed on a vehicle and distributed throughout the vehicle. These various electronic devices are connected by a wiring harness for supplying electrical power, provided by a battery or similar source, and for providing a control signal or similar signal to operate these electronic devices. The wiring harness contains a multitude of wires and connectors. Each wire contains an electrically conductive core wire and an insulating sheath that surrounds the core wire.Each connector contains a metal terminal fitting that is attached to a terminal end or the like of a wire in such a way that it is connected to the core wire, and a connector housing made of insulating plastic that accommodates the metal terminal fitting.

[0003] When installing a wiring harness in a vehicle, the presence or absence of a function resulting from a different vehicle specification must be taken into account. With a wiring harness installed using conventional techniques, this is achieved in such cases by retrofitting a functional component. This retrofitting is carried out by a method in which a wiring harness is added for each function, a method in which a wiring harness is used for a function that is highly likely to be installed, or similar methods.

[0004] More recently, a multiplex communication system or vehicle network system has been used as a communication system for controlling a large number of electronic devices installed in a vehicle. In this system, a large number of electronic control units for controlling the respective electronic devices are individually connected to a common multiplex communication line, and a multiplexed signal is exchanged over the multiplex communication line, so that the function of the individual electronic devices is controlled based on this signal (see, for example, JP 2002 - 260 747 A and JP 2004 - 268 630 A).

[0005] If the electronic devices 501, 505, which serve as functional components, are to be added and connected to a wiring harness that includes the aforementioned communication system, as described in Fig. Figures 30A to 30C show that, in general, the electronic devices 501, 505 are connected via a cable harness arrangement 503, 507, 509 of various designs to an electronic control unit (ECU) 511 for carrying out electronic control of the electronic devices 501, 505.

[0006] For example, as in Fig. Figure 30A shows the wiring harness assembly 503, which is connected to an electronic device 501, a connector 515 on the side of the ECU, and a connector 517 on the side of the device, which are attached to both ends of wires 513. The electronic device 501 is connected to the ECU 511.

[0007] Furthermore, as in Fig. Figure 30B shows the wiring harness assembly 507, which is connected to two electronic devices 501 and 505, via a connector 517 on the side of the device and a connector 521 on the side of the device, both of which are wired to a connector 519 on the side of the ECU. The two electronic devices 501 and 505 are connected to the ECU 511.

[0008] Furthermore, as in Fig. Figure 30C shows, regardless of whether or not a connection to the electronic device 505 is present, the wiring harness 509, which is connected to the electronic device 501, which is most likely to be installed, has a connector 517 on the side of the device and a connector 521, both of which are wired to a connector 519 on the side of the ECU. The electronic device 501 is connected to the ECU 511.

[0009] Furthermore, when a cable harness that includes a communication system is to be connected to standard electronic devices 601 and electronic extension devices 605, which serve as functional components, as described in Fig. Figure 31 shows the standard electronic devices 601 and the extension electronic devices 605 generally connected via a cable harness arrangement 603, 607, 609 of various designs to a junction box 620 which contains an electronic control unit (ECU) 611 for performing electronic control of the standard electronic devices 601 and the extension electronic devices 605.

[0010] For example, as in Fig. Figure 31A shows the wiring harness assembly 603, which is to be connected to two standard electronic devices 601, a connector 615 on the side of the ECU, and connectors 617 on the side of standard auxiliary devices attached to both ends of the wire 613. The two standard electronic devices 601 are connected to the ECU 611 of the junction box 620.

[0011] Furthermore, as in Fig. Figure 31B shows the wiring harness assembly 607, which is to be connected to two standard electronic devices 601 and two expansion electronic devices 605, connector 617 on the side of the standard devices and connector 621 on the side of the expansion devices, both of which are wired to a connector 619 on the side of the ECU. The two standard electronic devices 601 and the expansion electronic devices 605 are connected separately to the ECU 611 of the junction box 620.

[0012] Furthermore, as in Fig. Figure 31C shows, regardless of whether or not a connection is present with the electronic expansion devices 605, the wiring harness 609, which is to be connected to two standard electronic devices 601 that are highly likely to be installed, connector 617 on the side of standard expansion devices and connector 621 on the side of expansion devices, both of which are wired to a connector 619 on the side of the ECU. The two standard electronic devices 601 are connected to the ECU 611 of the junction box 620.

[0013] However, as with the wiring harness arrangements 603, 507, 603, 607, which are described above Fig. Figures 30A to 31B illustrate that when a wiring harness assembly is added for each device to be added and connected, the number of wiring harness types increases. As the number of wiring harness types to be assembled increases, the assembly process on the wiring harness assembly line becomes more complex, thus decreasing the efficiency of the wiring harness assembly process. This reduces the mass productivity of the wiring harness, and consequently, the cost of each individual component or the wiring harness itself becomes more expensive.

[0014] However, in the case of the Fig. 30°C and Fig. The wiring harness arrangements 509, 609 shown in Figure 31C present a situation (referred to as a “redundant installation”) in which the connectors 521, 621 are routed to the side of the devices and the wires 513, 613 are routed inside the vehicle but are not used. This leads to an increasing uselessness of the wiring harness and also results in an increase in the cost of the wiring harness.

[0015] Furthermore, a wiring harness installed in a vehicle generally consists of numerous sub-harnesses for individual circuits, created, for example, by subdividing each system circuit. These sub-harnesses are combined to form the complete wiring harness. The circuits include, for example, standard circuits for electronic devices such as headlights and windshield wipers, which are essential in a motor vehicle, as well as optional circuits for electronic devices such as safety systems and rear fog lights, selected according to the vehicle model, trim level, and other specifications. When such a wiring harness is to be manufactured for a motor vehicle, the configuration of the entire harness is determined, taking into account the arrangement of connectors, the types of terminals, the wires, and other relevant components.

[0016] The wiring harness installed in a vehicle is manufactured by combining different sub-harnesses according to the various electronic devices installed in the vehicle. This increases the number of wires that make up the entire wiring harness, and also makes the structure more complex.

[0017] Furthermore, if the vehicle model, version, target market, or similar aspects of the vehicle are changed, this will result in the presence or absence of various optional electronic devices, a difference in their installation location, a difference in the type of optional electronic device to be installed, and so on. Accordingly, the wiring harness configuration must be modified. That is, the presence or absence of each sub-harness, the position of each sub-harness, the length of the wires comprising each sub-harness, the diameter of the wires, the type of connectors used to attach the wire ends, and so forth must be changed to reflect the optional electronic devices that are actually installed.

[0018] Thus, various vehicles, differing in model, version, target market, and other characteristics, must be manufactured. Based on these differences, different (differently constructed) wiring harnesses are produced in advance, and corresponding part numbers are assigned to each harness type. When installing the wiring harness on a vehicle, a harness with the appropriate part number is selected and attached to the vehicle body, according to the vehicle model, version, target market, and other factors.

[0019] However, if the optional electronic devices installed on a vehicle vary depending on the model, trim level, target market, or other factors, the required wiring harness configuration will also vary, increasing the number of different wiring harness types (individual part numbers). As the number of wiring harness types increases, the assembly process on the wiring harness assembly line becomes more complex, reducing its efficiency. This, in turn, lowers the mass production productivity of the wiring harness and consequently increases the cost of each individual component within the harness.

[0020] For example, a 700-piece wiring harness consists of, according to the [document / reference], [parts]. Fig. 32A shows a conventional technique consisting of three partial cable harnesses A, B, C. In each cable harness A, B, C, the base end (the left end in the figure) is provided with a connector a1, b1 or c1 on the side connected to a control unit (not shown), and the branch end (the right end in the figure) is provided with a connector a2, b2, c2 on the side of an auxiliary device, which is connected to a connection target connector located in a device to be controlled (an electronic device) which serves as an object that is controlled by the control unit.

[0021] If an optional controllable device is to be added to the 700 wiring harness, for example, as shown in Fig. Figure 32B shows a cable harness 710 manufactured which includes a partial cable harness D, the branch of which is connected to a connector c3 on the side of an auxiliary device which is connected to a connection target connector of the optional device to be controlled.

[0022] Nevertheless, as with the 700 and 710 wiring harnesses described above, Fig. 32A and Fig. Figure 32B shows that, in the case of a partial cable harness D, where a connector c3 is added to the side of an auxiliary device for each optionally added and connected device to be controlled, the number of cable harness types is determined.

[0023] In contrast, to reduce the number of wiring harness types, it is possible to pre-integrate partial wiring harnesses corresponding to the optional electronic devices into all standard-configuration wiring harnesses. However, if the optional electronic devices are not actually installed in the vehicle, the partial wiring harnesses added to the standard harness for the options remain unused; that is, a state of "redundant installation" exists. This increases their uselessness. This also leads to an increase in the cost of the wiring harness. For example, if the Fig. Since the cable harness 710 shown in 32B is used regardless of the presence or absence of the optional device to be controlled, thus reducing the number of cable harness types, the connector c3 is “unnecessarily attached” to the side of the additional device.

[0024] Furthermore, power from a battery or similar source, which serves as the vehicle's main power supply, must be supplied to the individual downstream electronic devices. Therefore, in many cases, a junction box or electrical distribution box is located between the main power supply and the wiring harness. In such a junction box or electrical distribution box, the required electrical current is supplied according to the number of electronic devices connected in the current direction of the wiring harness. Additionally, if the load current in any output system becomes too high, a fuse blows, thus interrupting the supply of electrical power and protecting each circuit.

[0025] Therefore, if optional equipment installed on a vehicle differs due to variations in model, trim level, target market, or similar factors, the internal layout of the electrical distribution box must also be modified, in addition to the wiring harness configuration. In some cases, if a large number of optional electronic devices can be connected, the currents of these devices must be routed individually. Consequently, sufficient space within the electrical distribution box must be provided to accommodate a large number of fuses. If the optional electronic devices are not actually connected to the vehicle, the space provided in the electrical distribution box becomes useless, meaning the box occupies more space than necessary.

[0026] Further state of the art is known from the prior art documents US 2002 / 0 180 271 A1, US 2012 / 0 221 201 A1, JP 2013 - 10 462 A and JP H09 - 66 780 A. Summary

[0027] The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wiring harness structure and an additional connecting element with which the number of parts of wiring harnesses can be reduced and unnecessary attachment in a wiring harness can be avoided.

[0028] According to an illustrative aspect of the present invention, a vehicle wiring harness structure incorporates the features of claim 1.

[0029] According to a further illustrative aspect of the present invention, an additional connecting element comprises the features of claim 18.

[0030] Further aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, the drawings and the patent claims. Brief description of the drawings Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 2A is a partially cut-out perspective view of a cable harness branch connection mechanism used in a vehicle cable harness structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2B is a top view of a situation in which an upper panel of a Fig. The cable harness branch connection mechanism shown in Figure 2A is open; Fig. 2C is a front view of a Fig. 2A shown cable harness branching connection mechanism, and Fig. 2D is a sectional view of a Fig. 2A shows the cable harness branching connection mechanism along line II-II. Fig. 3A to 3C are top views, each showing an additional connecting element containing a cable harness branch connection mechanism equipped with a control function section; Fig. 3A shows an additional connecting element in which one end on the side of a base wiring harness and one end on the side of an accessory device of an additional wiring harness are each connected to a connector on the side of a base wiring harness and a connector on the side of an accessory device; Fig. Figure 3B shows an additional connecting element in which one end is directly connected to a harness branching connection mechanism on the side of a base harness of an additional harness; and Fig. Figure 3C shows an additional connecting element in which one end on the side of a base wiring harness and one end on the side of an additional device of an additional wiring harness are directly connected to a wiring harness branching connection mechanism and an additional device. Fig. 4A to 4C are top views, each showing an additional connecting element in which one end is provided with a control function section on the side of an additional device; Fig. 4A shows an additional connecting element in which one end is directly connected to a harness branching connection mechanism on the side of a base harness of an additional harness; Fig. 4B shows an additional connecting element connected to an auxiliary device which is provided with a control function section; and Fig. Figure 4C shows an additional connecting element in which one end is directly connected to an additional device on the side of an additional device of an additional cable harness. Fig. Figure 5 is a top view of an additional connecting element in which a branch connector is connected to a position leading to an additional device. Fig. Figure 6 is a top view of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 7 is a top view of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 8 is a top view of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 9 is a schematic representation of a wiring harness in which a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention is used. Fig. Figure 10 is a schematic representation showing a main cable harness and a branch cable harness in a Fig. Figure 9 shows the wiring harness in a disassembled state. Fig. 11A is a partially cropped perspective view of a cable harness branch connection mechanism located in a Fig. The vehicle wiring harness structure shown in section 9 is used; Fig. 11B is a top view of a Fig. Cable harness branching connection mechanism shown in 11A; Fig. 11C is a front view of a Fig. Cable harness branching connection mechanism shown in 11A; and Fig. 11D is a sectional view of a [structure / project] in Fig. 11A cable harness branching connection mechanism shown along line XI-XI-. Fig. 12A to 12C are top views, each showing a branch cable harness; Fig. Figure 12A shows a branch wiring harness in which one end on the side of a main wiring harness and one end on the side of an electronic device are connected by wires to a connector on the side of a main wiring harness and a connector on the side of an auxiliary device, respectively; Fig. Figure 12B shows a branch wiring harness in which one end is directly connected to a harness branching connection mechanism on the side of a main wiring harness; and Fig. Figure 12C shows a branch wiring harness in which one end on the side of a main wiring harness and one end on the side of an electronic device are directly connected by wires to a harness branching connection mechanism and an electronic device. Fig. Figure 13 is a top view of a branch line cable harness in which a branch connector is connected to a position leading to an electronic device. Fig. Figure 14 is a schematic representation of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 15 is a schematic representation showing an extension cable harness and an additional connecting element in a Fig. Figure 14 shows the vehicle wiring harness structure in a disassembled state. Fig. 16A is a partially cropped perspective view of a cable harness branch connection mechanism found in a Fig. The vehicle wiring harness structure shown in section 14 is used; Fig. 16B is a top view of a Fig. Cable harness branching connection mechanism shown in 16A; Fig. 16C is a front view of a Fig. Cable harness branching connection mechanism shown in 16A; and Fig. 16D is a sectional view of a [structure / project] in [location] Fig. Cable harness branching connection mechanism shown in 16A along line XVI-XVI. Fig. 17A to 17C are top views, each showing an additional connecting element linked to an extension cable harness; Fig. Figure 17A shows an additional connecting element in which one end on the side of an extension cable harness and one end of wires on the side of an electronic extension device are connected to a connector on the side of the extension cable harness and a connector on the side of the extension device, respectively; Fig. Figure 17B shows an additional connecting element in which one end of wires on the side of an extension wiring harness is directly connected to a wiring harness branching connection mechanism; and Fig. Figure 17C shows an additional connecting element in which one end of wires on one side of an extension cable harness and one end on one side of an electronic extension device are directly connected to a cable harness branching connection mechanism and an electronic extension device. Fig. Figure 18 is a schematic representation of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 19 is a schematic representation of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 20 is a block diagram of a vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 21 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of a power distribution box of an expansion system. Fig. Figure 22 is a schematic representation showing an example of an overcurrent threshold table. Fig. Figure 23 is a flowchart showing a functional example in a diagnostic mode. Fig. Figure 24 is a block diagram of a vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 25 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of a power distribution box. Fig. Figure 26 is a block diagram showing the construction of a first modification of an in-vehicle connection system for electronic devices. Fig. Figure 27 is a block diagram showing the construction of a second variation of an in-vehicle connection system for electronic devices. Fig. Figure 28 is a block diagram showing the construction of a third variation of an in-vehicle connection system for electronic devices. Fig. Figure 29 is a block diagram showing the construction of a fourth variation of an in-vehicle interconnection system for electronic devices. Fig. Figures 30A to 30C are top views showing different wiring harness arrangements in a vehicle wiring harness structure according to conventional techniques. Fig. 31A and Fig. Figure 31B are top views showing different wiring harness arrangements in a vehicle wiring harness structure according to conventional techniques. Fig. 32A is a schematic representation showing an example of a wiring harness according to conventional techniques, and Fig. Figure 32B is a schematic representation showing another example of a wiring harness according to conventional techniques. Detailed description

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the drawings.

[0032] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle wiring harness structure comprises a base wiring harness connecting a plurality of main devices generally attached to destination vehicles, an additional connecting element branching at one end to a communication line and / or a signal line of the base wiring harness and at the other end to an auxiliary device that is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicles, and a control function section contained in the additional connecting element to control the auxiliary device.

[0033] In the present patent description, the scope of the term "basic wiring harness" includes one type of basic wiring harness corresponding to one type of destination vehicle, several types of basic wiring harnesses corresponding to different versions or the like of a model of a destination vehicle, and one type of basic wiring harness corresponding to several models of destination vehicles.

[0034] In the vehicle wiring harness structure, the basic wiring harness, which is generally installed on the intended vehicles, is standardized. Simultaneously, an additional device, selectively attached to the intended vehicle, is retrofitted via an additional connector, one end of which is branched and connected to the communication line and / or the signal line of the basic wiring harness. This avoids the unnecessary addition of a component to the basic wiring harness.

[0035] Furthermore, the additional connector allows for the addition of an optional accessory, which can be retrofitted to the intended vehicle, and its connection to an optional position on the base wiring harness. This retrofit using the additional connector can be performed on the vehicle wiring harness at the time of manufacture, as well as on the base wiring harness already installed in a finished vehicle. This means that, depending on the user's (a vehicle buyer's) desired addition of an accessory (an optional device), a wiring harness can be easily produced that is compatible with a wide variety of vehicle types. Again, this avoids the unnecessary installation of any component (circuit element or the like).

[0036] Furthermore, the additional connecting elements are branched off and connected to the basic wiring harness in a number corresponding to the number of auxiliary devices fitted to the intended vehicle. This ensures that no component is superfluously attached to the entire vehicle wiring harness structure.

[0037] Furthermore, in conventional vehicle wiring harness design, as the number of electronic devices (additional devices) increases, so does the number of possible mounting combinations for these devices, thus increasing the total number of wiring harness types. In contrast, the vehicle wiring harness design described above requires only the additional connectors to be manufactured in the number of types corresponding to the additional devices. This simplifies parts management and reduces the manufacturing costs of the wiring harness.

[0038] Furthermore, if the additional connecting element includes a control function section, the function of the additional device can be easily improved even if the additional device subsequently installed on the base wiring harness does not contain the control function section.

[0039] For example, if a backup function is integrated as the aforementioned control function section, a direct connection to the base wiring harness or the simultaneous installation of multiple add-on devices is permissible. This allows for the subsequent addition (so-called "instant attachment") of a function or a reduction in the number of systems in the base wiring harness, as well as in the communication or signal lines.

[0040] Furthermore, if a microcomputer is integrated as the aforementioned control function section, control of switch input, sensor input, pulse width modulation output, or similar functions of the auxiliary device can be easily implemented. Such control of the auxiliary device is performed by the microcomputer. In this way, changes to the specifications or similar can be easily implemented via software.

[0041] The control function section can include a signal generation section configured to receive a signal via the communication line and generate a control signal to control the function of the auxiliary device. In this configuration, the function of the auxiliary device retrofitted to the base wiring harness via the additional connecting element can be controlled.

[0042] The at least one additional connecting element can include a first additional connecting element configured to be connected to a first additional device, and a second additional connecting element configured to be connected to a second additional device, as well as a control function section present in the second additional connecting element and containing a signal conversion section configured to receive information (e.g., a sensor signal or a switching operation) from the second additional device in order to generate a control signal for controlling the function of the first additional device, and to convert the information into the control signal.In this setup, for example, if a sensor or a mechanical switch is used as the second auxiliary device, a sensor mechanism or a switch mechanism for actuating the first auxiliary device can be added and connected to an optional position of the base wiring harness.

[0043] The vehicle wiring harness structure can further include a pressure contact element that is connected to the conductor of the additional connector and is connected to the conductor of the base wiring harness by pressure. In this case, the pressure contact element and the control function section form a wiring harness branch connection mechanism configured to connect the base wiring harness and the additional connector. In this configuration, the additional connector for connecting the base wiring harness to the auxiliary device contains a wiring harness branch connection mechanism, which includes a control function section, in the connection section leading to the base wiring harness.When the wiring harness branch connection mechanism is attached to the base wiring harness, the pressure contact part cuts through the insulating sheath surrounding the conductor of the communication line and / or the signal line of the base wiring harness, thus connecting the pressure contact part to the conductor. In this way, when the wiring harness branch connection mechanism is attached to the base wiring harness, the connection between the base wiring harness and the auxiliary device is easily established.

[0044] The power line of the additional wiring harness of the additional connector can have one end that is branched to connect to a power line of a different wiring harness than the base harness, and another end configured to connect to the additional device. With this configuration, if the base harness routed in the immediate vicinity of the retrofitted additional device contains only a communication line or a signal line, or alternatively, if the current capacity of the power line in the base harness is insufficient, the power supply for the additional device can be easily provided by branching the power line of the additional connector to connect to the power line of the other wiring harness routed near the additional device.This means that no new power line needs to be run from the main wiring harness for the additional device. This allows for a reduction in the number of systems in the power line.

[0045] According to the embodiment of the present invention, the additional connecting element has one end comprising a wiring harness branching connection mechanism configured to connect one end to a communication line and / or a signal line of a base wiring harness for connecting a plurality of main devices that are jointly installed on destination vehicles, and the other end comprising an auxiliary device connection mechanism configured to connect the other end to an auxiliary device that is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicle. A control function section configured to control the auxiliary device is located in the wiring harness branching connection mechanism and / or the auxiliary device connection mechanism.

[0046] In this configuration, an additional device, selectively attached to the target vehicle, can be retrofitted to the base wiring harness. One end of the additional connector is connected to the base wiring harness via the wiring harness branch connection mechanism, and the other end is connected to the additional device via the additional device connection mechanism. Furthermore, the number of additional connectors corresponding to the number of additional devices attached to the target vehicle is branched and connected to the base wiring harness. This prevents any unnecessary components from being installed in the overall vehicle wiring harness structure.

[0047] With the additional connecting element, since the cable harness branch connection mechanism and / or the auxiliary device connection section contains the control function section, the function of the auxiliary device can be easily improved even if the auxiliary device subsequently installed on the base cable harness does not contain the control function section.

[0048] For example, if a backup function is integrated as the control function section, a direct connection to the base wiring harness or the simultaneous installation of multiple add-on devices is permissible. This allows for the subsequent addition (so-called "instant addition") of a function or a reduction in the number of systems in the base wiring harness, as well as in the communication or signal lines.

[0049] Furthermore, if a microcomputer is integrated as the control function section, control of switch input, sensor input, PWM output, or similar functions of the auxiliary device can be easily implemented. Such control of the auxiliary device is carried out by the microcomputer. In this way, changes to the specifications or similar can be easily implemented via software.

[0050] The additional connector can further include a pressure contact part, which is connected to the conductor of the additional connector and then press-fitted to the conductor of the base wiring harness. In this case, the pressure contact part and the control function section form a harness branch connection mechanism. With this configuration, when the harness branch connection mechanism is attached to the base wiring harness, the pressure contact part cuts through the insulating sheath surrounding the conductor of the communication line and / or the signal line of the base wiring harness, thus connecting the pressure contact part to the conductor. In this way, simply attaching the harness branch connection mechanism to the base wiring harness establishes a simple connection between the additional connector and the base wiring harness.Furthermore, the control function section of the additional connector is integrated into the wiring harness branch connection mechanism. This allows for simple installation of the additional device by simply attaching the additional connector to the base wiring harness. This enables the subsequent (immediate) addition of an additional device function or a reduction in the number of systems in the base wiring harness, as well as in the communication or signal lines.

[0051] The additional connector can include an additional wiring harness, a connector on the side of the base wiring harness that connects to the harness branching connection mechanism at one end of the additional harness on one side of the base harness, and a connector on the side of the additional device that connects to the additional device at the other end of the additional harness on one side of the additional device. In this configuration, the connector on the side of the base wiring harness is joined and connected to the mating connector located in the harness branching connection mechanism. This means the additional connector can connect the additional device to the base wiring harness via an additional wiring harness of a desired length. This allows for installation according to the position of the additional device.This additional connecting element allows for easy adaptation to a different vehicle model, a different target market, and a different specification (thus enabling unrestricted installation).

[0052] Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment comprises a basic wiring harness 11, an additional connecting element 13, and a control function section 15 (see Figure 1). Fig. 3A to 3C).

[0053] The basic wiring harness 11 is, as in Fig. Figure 1 shows a wiring harness with which a variety of main devices (e.g., a junction box 19, an air conditioning unit 20, an engine control unit 21, an electric window regulator unit 22, a combination taillight unit 24, and an electric seat adjustment unit 30) are interconnected, which are generally installed on destination vehicles 17. The one shown in Fig. The basic wiring harness 11 shown in Figures 2A to 2D is a bundle of wires that essentially contains three types of wires, i.e., a power line 23, a communication line 25, and an earth or ground line 27. The basic wiring harness may also contain one additional wire, such as a signal line 28, in addition to the three types, i.e., the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27.

[0054] Furthermore, the basic wiring harness is not limited to one type of basic wiring harness 11, which includes several types of the in Fig. 1 corresponds to the destination vehicles shown, and can be one type of basic wiring harness corresponding to one type of destination vehicle, or alternatively, it can consist of several types of basic wiring harness corresponding to different versions or the like (e.g., a different target market and a different specification) of a model of the destination vehicle.

[0055] An additional device 29 (e.g., a central locking unit 29a or a seat heating unit 29b), which is subsequently installed on the destination vehicle 17, is mounted to the basic wiring harness 11 via the additional connecting element 13. The additional connecting element 13 contains, as shown in Fig. Figure 3A shows one end of the auxiliary device 29 branched via the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31 and connected to the base cable harness 11 via the auxiliary device connection mechanism 61. The method for retrofitting the auxiliary device 29 to the base cable harness 11 via the additional connecting element 13 can optionally consist of, for example, "pressure contact", "bonding", or "welding", provided that the method allows for a branch connection with the communication line 25 and / or the signal line 28 of the base cable harness 11.The present embodiment is described below for an example in which the additional connecting element 13 is branched via a cable harness branching connection mechanism 31 described below to the power line 23, the communication line 25 and the ground line 27 of the base cable harness 11.

[0056] The additional connecting element 13 is provided with the control function section 15 described above. In the present embodiment, the control function section 15, which includes a signal generation section configured to receive a signal via the communication line 25 and generate a control signal to control the function of the additional device 29, is an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to electronically control the additional device 29. The control function section 15 is present in the additional connecting element 13 to control the function of the additional device 29. That is to say, the control function section 15 is configured such that a "microcomputer," a "semiconductor fuse," and a "communication transceiver" are installed on a printed circuit board, a circuit element consisting of a busbar, or the like.

[0057] One end of the additional connecting element 13 is, as in Fig. As shown in Figures 2A to 2D, the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31 branches out and is connected to the base cable harness 11 at an optional position. The cable harness branch connection mechanism 31 includes a pressure contact part 33, which is connected to the conductor of the additional connector 13 and is connected to the conductor of the base cable harness 11 by means of a press. The pressure contact part 33 is, for example, configured such that a plurality of pairs of pressure contact tongues 35 extend upwards and is connected to a circuit on the printed circuit board 37. The printed circuit board 37 is housed in a casing consisting of an upper casing 39 and a lower casing 41, which are made of insulating plastic. The upper casing 39 and the lower casing 41 are connected to each other, for example, by a thin hinge (not shown), to allow unrestricted opening and closing.

[0058] In the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31, the upper cover 39 and the lower cover 41 crimp the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the base wiring harness 11 such that the pressure contact tongues 35 cut through the insulating sheath of each line, so that the pressure contact part 33 is crimped to the conductor of each line. The wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31, which crimps the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the base wiring harness 11, is fixed at an optional position on the base wiring harness 11 when the upper cover 39 and the lower cover 41 are locked together.This means that, in the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment, the connection between the base wiring harness 11 and the auxiliary device 29 is established simply by attaching the wiring harness branching connection mechanism 31 at an optional position on the base wiring harness 11. If the ground wire of the auxiliary device 29 is grounded to the vehicle body, the ground wire 27 of the base wiring harness 11 does not need to be branched and connected via the additional connecting element 13.

[0059] The circuit board 37 of the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31 is connected to the aforementioned control function section 15. The circuit of the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31, which is connected to the base cable harness 11 or the control function section 15, is connected to the outside via a connector 43 mounted on the circuit board, which is located on the circuit board 37.

[0060] Furthermore, the additional connecting element 13 includes one end having the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31, which is configured to branch one end to connect the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the base cable harness 11, and the other end having an auxiliary device connection mechanism 61, which is configured to connect the other end to an auxiliary device 29 that is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicle. That is to say, the additional connecting element 13 contains, as shown in Fig. Figure 3A shows an additional wiring harness 55, a connector 47 on the side of the base wiring harness (a connector on the side of the wiring harness) which is connected to the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31 at the end of the additional wiring harness 55 on the side of the wiring harness, and a connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device which is configured to be connected to the auxiliary device 29 at the other end of the additional wiring harness 55 on the side of the auxiliary device. The additional connecting element 13 is connected to the auxiliary device connection mechanism 61, which includes a connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device and a connector 63 of the auxiliary device 29. The connector 47 on the side of the base wiring harness is connected to a connector 43 of the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31 mounted on the circuit board.This means that the additional connecting element 13 of the present embodiment can connect the auxiliary device 29 to the base cable harness 11 via the additional cable harness 55, which has a simple design and a desired length. This allows for installation according to the position of the auxiliary device 29, thus improving compatibility.

[0061] The additional connecting element according to the present invention is not limited to the additional connecting element 13 mentioned above and can have various forms.

[0062] For example, in a Fig. 3B shows the additional connecting element 13A connecting the end of the additional cable harness 55 on the side of the base cable harness directly to the control function section 15 of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31, and the connector on the side of the additional device is coupled via connectors to the connector 63 of the additional device 29.

[0063] Furthermore, in the case of a Fig. The additional connecting element 13B shown in Figure 3C connects the end of the additional cable harness 55 on the side of the base cable harness directly to the control function section 15 of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31, and the other end of the additional cable harness 55 on the side of the auxiliary device is directly connected to the circuit of the auxiliary device 29, thus achieving integration with the auxiliary device 29. The connector 47 on the side of the base cable harness, located at the end of the additional cable harness 55 on the side of the base cable harness, can be configured to connect to a connector 43 on the circuit board of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31 (see Figure 3C). Fig. 3A).

[0064] Furthermore, as with the ones in Fig. The additional connecting elements 13C, 13D and 13E shown in Figures 4A to 4C include a control function section 15A, configured to control the function of the auxiliary device 29, located at the end of the additional wiring harness 55 on the side of the auxiliary device. Fig. 4A shows an additional connecting element 13C. The end of the additional cable harness 55 on the side of the base cable harness is connected by crimping to the pressure contact tongues 35 of the pressure contact part 33 of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31A, and the connector 51A on the side of the additional device is wired to the connector 63 of the additional device 29. The connector 51A on the side of the additional device is connected to the control function section 15A.

[0065] The additional connecting element, 13, 13A, 13B, 13C, contains, as described above, the control function section 15, 15A. Thus, the function of the control function section 15, 15A can easily be added to the auxiliary device 29, which does not contain the control function section. For example, even in a case where the auxiliary device 29 is the simple seat heating unit 29b, precise temperature control of the seat heating can be achieved by adding the control function section 15, 15A.

[0066] At the in Fig. The additional connecting element 13D shown in Figure 4B connects the end of the additional cable harness 55 on the side of the base cable harness to the pressure contact tongues 35 of the pressure contact part 33 of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31A by means of a press fit, and the connector 51A on the side of the additional device is coupled to the connector 63 of the additional device 29A, which contains a control function section 15B. The connector 51A on the side of the additional device is connected to the control function section 15A. With the additional connecting element 13D, if the connector 51A on the side of the auxiliary device containing the control function section 15A is connected to the auxiliary device 29A containing the control function section 15B, the function of the control function section 15A can be added in addition to the function of the control function section 15B.This significantly improves the function of the additional device 29A.

[0067] At the in Fig. In the additional connecting element 13E shown in Figure 4C, the end of the additional cable harness 55 on the side of the base cable harness is connected by pressing to the pressure contact tongues 35 of the pressure contact part 33 of the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31A, and the control function section 15A, located at the end of the additional cable harness 55 on the side of the additional device, is directly connected to the additional device 29, thus achieving integration with the additional device 29. The connector 47 on the side of the base cable harness, located at the end of the additional cable harness 55 of the additional connecting element 13C to 13E described above, can be configured to connect to a connector 43 on the circuit board of the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31 (see Figure 4C). Fig. 3A).

[0068] At the in Fig. In the additional connecting element 13F shown in Figure 5, a branch connector 79 is connected to a position that leads to the auxiliary device 29. In the additional connecting element 13F, the branch connector 79 is connected to the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device. The branch connector 79 is provided with a plurality (four in the example shown in the figure) of connecting parts. The first connecting part 83 of the branch connector 79 is connected to the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device of the additional cable harness 55. The second connecting part 85 of the branch connector 79 is connected to the connector 63 of the auxiliary device 29. One of the third connecting parts 87 of the branch connector 79 is connected to the connector 86 of another additional cable harness 89.In addition to the auxiliary device 29, a further auxiliary device 29 can be branched and connected to the branch connector 79 via the connector 88 of the further auxiliary cable harness 89. The auxiliary cable harness 55 of the additional connecting element 13F described above can be configured such that the end on the side of the base cable harness is directly connected to the control function section 15 of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31, and the end on the side of the auxiliary device is directly connected to the circuit of the branch connector 79. Furthermore, the control function section 15 can be located in the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device or in the branch connector 79, which is located at the end of the auxiliary cable harness 55 on the side of the auxiliary device.

[0069] In the case of the additional wiring harness 55 of each of the additional connecting elements 13, 13A to 13F described above, the functions of the wires vary depending on the type of additional device 29 (depending on whether the control function section is present or the like). For example, if, as in Fig. As shown in Figures 3A to 3C, the control function section 15 is located at the end of the additional wiring harness 55 on the side of the base wiring harness. The additional wiring harness 55 contains the power line 23A and the ground line 27A. When the control function section 15A is located, as shown in Figure 3A, the control function section 15A is located at the end of the additional wiring harness 55 on the side of the base wiring harness. Fig. As shown in Figures 4A to 4C, where the end of the additional wiring harness 55 is located on the side of the auxiliary device, the additional wiring harness 55 contains the power line 23A, the communication line 25A and the ground line 27A.

[0070] An additional connecting element 13G of the vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention comprises, as shown in Fig. Figure 6 shows an additional wiring harness 55A with a power line 23A, a ground line 27A, and a signal line 28A; a connector 51 on the side of the additional device, which is connected to the end of the additional wiring harness 55A on the side of the additional device; and a wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31, which is connected to the end of the signal line 28A on the side of the base wiring harness. The connector 51 on the side of the additional device of the additional wiring harness 55A is coupled via connectors to a connector 63 of an additional device 29B, which contains a switching function section 65 configured to receive an ON / OFF signal for performing switching operations. One end of signal line 28A of the additional cable harness 55A is branched via the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31 to the signal line 28 of the base cable harness 11.One end of the 23A power line is branched via a crimp connection 40 to the 23A power line of a different wiring harness 91 than the base wiring harness 11. Furthermore, one end of the 27A ground line of the additional 55A wiring harness is grounded to the vehicle body.

[0071] Furthermore, the in Fig. Figure 7 shows an additional connecting element 13H, an additional wiring harness 55B with a power line 23A, a communication line 25A, and a ground line 27A, a connector 51A on the side of the auxiliary device, which is connected to the end of the additional wiring harness 55B on the side of the auxiliary device, and a wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31A, which is connected to the end of the communication line 25A on the side of the base wiring harness. The connector 51A on the side of the auxiliary device, which is coupled to the auxiliary device 29 via connectors, contains the control function section 15A. One end of the communication line 25A of the additional wiring harness 55B is branched via the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31A to the communication line 25 of the base wiring harness 11.One end of the power line 23A is branched via a pressure contact connection 40 to the power line 23 of the wiring harness 91, which is different from the basic wiring harness 11. Furthermore, one end of the ground line 27A of the additional wiring harness 55B is grounded to the vehicle body.

[0072] That is to say, in a case where the basic wiring harness 11, which is routed in the immediate vicinity of the auxiliary device 29B or the auxiliary device 29, is subsequently fitted, as in Fig. 6 and Fig. Figure 7 shows that the base wiring harness 11 contains only the signal line 28 or the communication line, or alternatively, if the current capacity of the power line 23 in the base wiring harness 11 is insufficient, in some cases no power can be supplied to the auxiliary device 29B or the auxiliary device 29 via the base wiring harness 11. In this case, if the power line 23A is branched via the additional connector 13G or the additional connector 13H and connected to the power line 23 of the other wiring harness 91, which is routed near the auxiliary device 29B or the auxiliary device 29, power can be easily supplied to the auxiliary device 29B or the auxiliary device 29. For example, if the auxiliary device 29B or the auxiliary device 29 is a central locking unit 29A, the wiring harness 91 can be a wiring harness connected to the electric window regulator unit 22.

[0073] In a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the invention, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the auxiliary device 29 (the first auxiliary device) and the auxiliary device 29C (the second auxiliary device) are subsequently attached to the base wiring harness 11 via the auxiliary connecting element 13 (the first auxiliary connecting element) and the auxiliary connecting element 13I (the second auxiliary connecting element), respectively. To generate a control signal for controlling the function of the auxiliary device 29 connected to the auxiliary connecting element 13, the control function section 16 of the auxiliary connecting element 13I includes a signal conversion section configured to receive information (an ON / OFF signal generated by a switch actuation) from the auxiliary device 29C (e.g., a mechanical switch) connected to the auxiliary connecting element 13I and convert the information into the control signal.Thus, if a mechanical switch is used as the auxiliary device 29C, a switching mechanism for actuating the auxiliary device 29 subsequently installed on the wiring harness 11 can be added and connected to an optional position of the base wiring harness 11 (e.g. near a dashboard).

[0074] The following describes the functional effects of the vehicle wiring harness structure with the setup explained above.

[0075] In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment, as described above, the basic wiring harness 11, which is generally installed on destination vehicles 17, is uniform, and simultaneously the additional device 29 (29A, 29B, 29C), which is selectively attached to the destination vehicle 17, is subsequently installed via the additional connecting element 13 (13A to 13I), one end of which is branched and connected to the communication line 25 and / or the signal line 28 of the basic wiring harness 11. Thus, no unnecessary component is added to the basic wiring harness 11.

[0076] Furthermore, an additional device 29 (29A to 29C), which is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicle 17, can be added to the additional connecting element 13 (13A to 13I) and connected to an optional position on the base wiring harness 11. The retrofit installation of the additional device 29 (29A to 29C) using the additional connecting element 13 (13A to 13I) can be carried out on the wiring harness at the time of manufacture as well as on the wiring harness 11 of the vehicle wiring harness that is installed in a finished vehicle. That is, depending on the addition of an additional device 29 (29A to 29C) desired by the user (the purchaser of the vehicle), a wiring harness that corresponds to a variety of vehicle configurations can be easily produced. Again, no component is added unnecessarily.

[0077] Furthermore, the additional connecting elements 13 (13A to 13I) are branched and connected to the basic wiring harness 11 in a number corresponding to the number of additional devices 29 (29A to 29C) attached to the destination vehicle 17. This ensures that no component is superfluously attached to the entire vehicle wiring harness structure.

[0078] Furthermore, in conventional vehicle wiring harness designs, as the number of electronic devices (additional devices) increases, so does the number of possible mounting combinations for these devices, thus increasing the total number of wiring harness types. In contrast, in the vehicle wiring harness design of the present embodiment, it is sufficient to manufacture the additional connecting elements 13 (13A to 13I) in the number of types corresponding to the additional device 29 (29A to 29C). This simplifies parts management for manufacturing and thus reduces the manufacturing costs of the wiring harness.

[0079] Furthermore, if the additional connecting element 13 (13A to 13H) contains the control function section 15 (15A), the function of the additional device 29 can be easily improved even if the additional device 29 subsequently installed on the basic cable harness 11 does not contain the control function section 15B.

[0080] Furthermore, since the control function section 15 (15A) contains the signal generation section, which is configured to receive a signal via the communication line 25 and to control the function of the auxiliary device 29 (29A), the function of the auxiliary device 29 (29A) subsequently installed on the base cable harness 11 via the additional connecting element 13 (13A to 13H) can be controlled.

[0081] At the in Fig. In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment shown in Figures 3A to 3C, the base wiring harness 11 and the auxiliary device 29 are connected to each other via the additional connecting element 13 (13A, 13B). In the additional connecting element 13 (13A, 13B), the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31, which contains the control function section 15, is located in the connection part that leads to the base wiring harness 11. When the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31 is attached to the base wiring harness 11, the pressure contact part 33 cuts through the insulating sheath that surrounds the conductors of the power conductor 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the base wiring harness 11, and the pressure contact part 33 is connected to each conductor. Thus, when the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31 is attached to the base cable harness 11, the connection between the base cable harness 11 and the additional device 29 is easily established.

[0082] At the in Fig. In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment shown in Figure 3A, the additional connecting element 13 includes the additional wiring harness 55, one end of which is provided with the connector 47 on the side of the base wiring harness and the other end of which is provided with the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device. The connector 47 on the side of the base wiring harness is coupled and connected to the connector 43 on the circuit board, which serves as a mating connector present in the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31. That is, the additional connecting element 13 can connect the auxiliary device 29 to the base wiring harness 11 via the additional wiring harness 55, which has a desired length. This allows for installation according to the position of the auxiliary device 29.The additional connecting element 13 for connecting the basic wiring harness 11 with the additional device 29 allows easy adaptation to a different vehicle model, a different target market and a different specification (thus enabling unrestricted installation).

[0083] If a safety function is integrated as the control function section 15, a direct connection to the wiring harness 11 or simultaneous installation of a variety of additional devices 29 is possible. This allows for the subsequent addition (immediate addition) of a function or a reduction in the number of system components on the basic wiring harness 11 and the communication line 25.

[0084] Furthermore, if a microcomputer is integrated as the aforementioned control function section 1, control of switch input, sensor input, PWM output, or the like of the auxiliary device 29 can be easily implemented. Such control of the auxiliary device 29 is carried out by the microcomputer. In this way, changes to the specifications or the like can be easily implemented via software.

[0085] At the in Fig. 6 and Fig. According to the vehicle wiring harness structure shown in Figure 7 of the present invention, if the base wiring harness 11, which is routed in the immediate vicinity of the accessory device 29B or the accessory device 29 to be retrofitted, contains only the signal line 28 or the communication line 25, or alternatively, in a case where the current capacity of the power line 23 in the base wiring harness 11 is insufficient, if the power line 23A of the additional connecting element 13G or the additional connecting element 13H is branched and connected to the power line 23 of the other wiring harness 91, which is routed near the accessory device 29B or the accessory device 29, power can be supplied to the accessory device 29B or the accessory device 29 in a simple manner. This eliminates the need to route a new power line for the accessory device 29B or the accessory device 29.This reduces the number of systems in the power line.

[0086] At the in Fig. In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment shown in Figure 8, the control function section 16 of the additional connector 13I includes, among the additional connectors 13 and 13I, the signal conversion section, which is configured to receive information (e.g., a sensor signal or switch actuation) from the auxiliary device 29 connected to the additional connector 13I and convert the information into the control signal. Thus, if a sensor or a mechanical switch is used as the auxiliary device 29C, a sensor mechanism or a switching mechanism for actuating the auxiliary device 29 connected to the other additional connector can be added and connected to the base wiring harness at an optional position.

[0087] Furthermore, in the additional connecting element 13 (13A, 13C, 13D) of the present embodiment, the auxiliary device 29 (29A), which is to be attached to the destination vehicle 17, can be subsequently installed on the base wiring harness 11. One end of the additional connecting element 13 (13A, 13C, 13D) is connected to the base wiring harness via the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31 (31A), and its other end is connected to the auxiliary device 29 (29A) via the auxiliary device connection mechanism 61. Furthermore, the additional connecting elements 13 (13A, 13C, 13D) are branched and connected to the base wiring harness 11 in a number corresponding to the number of auxiliary devices 29 (29A) to be attached to the destination vehicle 17. This prevents any unnecessary component from being installed in the entire vehicle wiring harness structure.

[0088] Furthermore, with the additional connecting elements 13 (13A to 13C), since the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31 and / or the auxiliary device connection mechanism 61 contains the control function section 15, the function of the auxiliary device 29 can be easily improved even if the auxiliary device 29 subsequently installed on the basic cable harness 11 does not include the control function.

[0089] Furthermore, in the additional connecting element 13 (13A, 13B) of the present embodiment, when the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31 is attached to the base cable harness 11, the pressure contact part 33 cuts through the insulating sheath that encloses the conductor of the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the base cable harness 11, so that the pressure contact part 33 is connected to each conductor. Thus, when the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31 is attached to the base cable harness 11, the connection of the additional connecting element 13 (13A, 13B) to the base cable harness 11 is easily established.Furthermore, in the additional connecting element 13 (13A, 13B) of the present embodiment, since the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31 is provided with the control function section 15, the additional device 29 can be easily installed simply by attaching it to the base cable harness 11. This allows for the subsequent addition (immediate addition) of the function of the additional device 29 or a reduction in the number of systems in the base cable harness 11 and the communication line 25.

[0090] Furthermore, in the additional connecting element 13, one end of the additional wiring harness 55 contains the connector 47 on the side of the base wiring harness, and the other end contains the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device. The connector 47 on the side of the base wiring harness is coupled and connected to the connector 43 on the circuit board, which serves as a mating connector in the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31. This means that the additional connecting element 13 can connect the auxiliary device 29 to the base wiring harness 11 via the additional wiring harness 55, which is of a desired length. This allows for installation according to the position of the auxiliary device 29. Thus, the additional connecting element 13 allows for easy adaptation to a different vehicle model, a different target market, and a different specification (and therefore enables unrestricted installation).

[0091] In the vehicle wiring harness structure and the additional connecting element 13 (13A to 13I) of the above-mentioned embodiment, the number of parts of the wiring harnesses is reduced, and unnecessary attachment to the wiring harness is avoided.

[0092] The following describes the characteristics of the in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6, Fig. 7 to Fig. The 8 embodiments shown are briefly summarized.

[0093] The vehicle wiring harness structure includes a basic wiring harness (11) configured to connect a variety of main devices (e.g., the junction box 19, the climate control unit 20, the engine control unit 21, the power window unit 22, the rear light assembly unit 24, and the electric seat adjustment unit 30) that are generally installed on destination vehicles (17), an additional connecting element (13, 13A to 13G) of which one end is branched to a communication line (25) and / or a signal line (28) of the basic wiring harness (11) and of which the other end is connected to at least one additional device (29) that is optionally retrofitted to a destination vehicle (17), and a control function section (15, 15A, 16) which is located in the additional connecting element (13, 13A to 13I). is available to control the additional device (29).

[0094] The control function section (15, 15A) can include a signal generation section configured to receive a signal via the communication line (25) and generate a control signal to control the function of the communication line (29).

[0095] The at least one additional connecting element (13, 13I) can include a first additional connecting element (13) configured to be connected to a first additional device (29), and a second additional connecting element (13I) configured to be connected to a second additional device (29C), and the control function section (16) present in the second additional connecting element (13I) can include a signal conversion section configured to receive information from the second additional device (29) in order to generate a signal to actuate the first additional device (29) and to convert the information into the signal.

[0096] The vehicle wiring harness structure can further include a pressure contact part (33) which is connected to the conductor of the additional connecting element (13, 13A, 13B) and is connected to the conductor of the base wiring harness 11 by means of crimping. The pressure contact part (33) and the control function section (15) form the wiring harness branch connection mechanism (31), which is configured to connect the base wiring harness (11) and the additional connecting elements (13, 13A, 13B).

[0097] The power line (23A) of the additional wiring harness (55A) of the additional connecting element (13G) may include one end that branches to a power line (23) of a wiring harness (91) other than the base wiring harness (11), and another end that is connected to the additional device (29).

[0098] The additional connecting element (13, 13A, 13C, 13D) includes one end having the cable harness branching connection mechanism (31) which is configured to branch one end to connect to a communication line (25) and / or a signal line (28) of a base cable harness (11) which connects a plurality of main devices (e.g.the distribution box 19, the climate control unit 20, the engine control unit 21, the electric window lift unit 22, the combination rear light unit 24 and the electric seat adjustment unit 30) which are generally installed in destination vehicles 17, and the other end which has an accessory device connection mechanism (61) which is configured to connect the other end to an accessory device (29) optimally retrofitted to a destination vehicle (17), wherein a control function section (15) which is configured to control the accessory device (29) is provided in the wiring harness branch connection mechanism (31) and / or the accessory device connection mechanism (61).

[0099] The additional connecting element (13) can further include a pressure contact part (33) which is connected to the conductor of the additional connecting element (13) and is connected to the conductor of the base cable harness (11) by means of pressing, wherein the pressure contact part (33) and the control function section (15) form the cable harness branch connection mechanism (31).

[0100] The additional connecting element (13) can include an additional wiring harness (55), a connector (47) on the side of the base wiring harness which is connected to the wiring harness branch connection mechanism (31) at one end of the additional wiring harness (55) on one side of the base wiring harness, and a connector (51) on the side of the auxiliary device which is configured to connect to the auxiliary device (29) at another end of the additional wiring harness (55) on one side of the auxiliary device.

[0101] In the following, a further embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to Fig. 9, Fig. 10, Fig. 11, Fig. 12 to Fig. 13 described.

[0102] In this embodiment, a vehicle wiring harness structure includes a main wiring harness, which is generally installed on destination vehicles, and a branch wiring harness, one end of which is subsequently branched to connect to the communication line, the power line, the signal line and / or the ground line of the main wiring harness, and the other end of which is connected to at least one electronic device that is installed on the destination vehicle.

[0103] In the present patent description, the scope of meaning of "main line wiring harness" includes one type of main line wiring harness corresponding to one type of destination vehicle, several types of main line wiring harnesses corresponding to different versions or the like of a model of the destination vehicle, and one type of main line wiring harness corresponding to several models of destination vehicles.

[0104] In this design or configuration, identical main wiring harnesses are generally installed on the destination vehicles, and any electronic device to be attached to the destination vehicle is subsequently connected via the branch wiring harness, one end of which is connected to the communication line, power line, signal line, and / or ground line of the main wiring harness. This avoids the unnecessary attachment of a component to the main wiring harness.

[0105] Furthermore, the branch wiring harnesses are connected to the main wiring harness in a number corresponding to the number of electronic devices installed on the vehicle. This prevents any unnecessary components from being installed in the overall vehicle wiring harness structure.

[0106] Furthermore, in conventional vehicle wiring harness designs, as the number of optional electronic devices increases, so does the number of possible mounting combinations for these devices, thus increasing the total number of wiring harness types. In contrast, the vehicle wiring harness design described above requires only branch wiring harnesses of the types corresponding to the optional electronic devices. This simplifies parts management and reduces the overall manufacturing costs of the wiring harness.

[0107] At one end of the branch wiring harness, a harness branch connection mechanism may be provided for connecting to the conductor of the communication line, power line, signal line, and / or ground line via a pressure contact. In this configuration, the branch connection mechanism is located in the connecting section of the branch wiring harness that leads to the main wiring harness. When the branch connection mechanism is attached to the main wiring harness, the pressure contact cuts through the insulating sheath surrounding the conductor of the communication line, power line, signal line, and ground line of the main wiring harness, thus connecting the pressure contact to the conductor.Thus, when the cable harness branching connection mechanism is attached to the main wiring harness, the connection between the main wiring harness and the electronic device is easily established.

[0108] The branch wiring harness can include a connector on the side of the main wiring harness, which connects to a harness branch connection mechanism at one end of the branch wiring harness on one side of the main wiring harness, and a connector on the side of an auxiliary device, which is configured to connect to an electronic device at the other end of the branch wiring harness on the side of the electronic device. In this configuration, the connector on the side of the branch wiring harness is coupled and connected to a mating connector present in the harness branch connection mechanism. This means the branch wiring harness has a desired length and can connect the main wiring harness to the electronic device. This allows for installation according to the position of the electronic device.The branch wiring harness for connecting the main wiring harness to the electronic device allows for easy adaptation to a different vehicle model, a different target market, and a different specification (thus enabling unrestricted installation).

[0109] The connector on the auxiliary device side of the branch wiring harness can be connected to a branch connector to which the connector of an electronic device is connected. In this configuration, the branch connector is connected in place of the electronic device that was originally intended to connect to the connector on the auxiliary device side of the branch wiring harness, which is connected to the main wiring harness. The branch connector is provided with a variety of connection parts, each of which can be connected to the connector on the auxiliary device side of a branch wiring harness or to the connector of an electronic device. Each connection part can also be connected to the connector on the main wiring harness side of an auxiliary harness, an electronic auxiliary device, or a branch connector.This allows the branch cable harness to be connected to a variety of electronic devices.

[0110] Fig. 9 and Fig. Figures 10 are schematic representations of a wiring harness 1 in which a vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment is used. The wiring harness 1 comprises a main wiring harness 11 and a plurality of branch wiring harnesses 13J (additional connecting elements).

[0111] The in Fig. The main line wiring harness 11 shown in Figures 11A to 11D is a bundle of wires commonly installed on destination vehicles and essentially comprises four types of wires: a power line 23, a communication line 25, a ground line 27, and a signal line 28. The main line wiring harness 11 is connected to a variety of electronic devices (e.g., main devices such as an engine control unit 17 and a junction box 19) or a connector 18. Other wires may also be added to the main line wiring harness 11. A multiplexed signal is transmitted in the main line wiring harness 11 via the communication line 25. Furthermore, a separate signal is transmitted in the main line wiring harness 11 via the signal line 28. The construction of the main line wiring harness is not limited to the form of a single bundle of wires as shown in Figures 11A to 11D. Fig. The main line wiring harness shown in Figures 11A to 11D is limited and can take the form of a wire bundle in which a multitude of branch lines are located within the main line. Furthermore, the main line wiring harness is not limited to a single type that corresponds to several models of the intended vehicles, as shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 is shown, and can be one type of main line wiring harness corresponding to a model of the destination vehicle, or alternatively, consist of several types of main line wiring harnesses corresponding to different versions or the like (e.g., different target markets and different specifications) of a model of the destination vehicle.

[0112] One end of each of the numerous branch line cable harnesses 13J is, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 10, branch wiring harnesses 13J are connected to the main wiring harness 11 by means of subsequent attachment to the power line 23, the communication line 25, the ground line 27, and the signal line 23. In the example shown in the figure, four branch wiring harnesses 13J are connected to the main wiring harness 11. In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment, the wiring harness 1 is constructed such that the plurality of branch wiring harnesses 13 are connected to optional positions of the main wiring harness 11. Each of the branch wiring harnesses 13 connects the main wiring harness 11 to an electronic device 29, 29A (an auxiliary device).

[0113] The other end of each of the branch cable harnesses 13 is connected to at least one electronic device 29, 29A, which is subsequently installed on the destination vehicle. The method for subsequently attaching the electronic device 29, 29A above the branch cable harness 13J to the main cable harness 11 can optionally consist of the use of a pressure contact, bonding, or welding, provided that a connection to the main cable harness 11 can be established. The present embodiment is described below for an example in which the branch cable harness 13J is connected to the power line 23, the communication line 25, the ground line 27, and the signal line 28 of the main cable harness 11 via a cable harness branching connection mechanism 31B described below.

[0114] In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment, as described in Fig. Figures 11A to 11D show one end of the branch cable harness 13J branching off at an optional position and connected to the main cable harness 11 via the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31B. The cable harness branching connection mechanism 31B includes a pressure contact part 33, which is connected to the conductor of the branch cable harness 13 by means of a crimp connection to the conductor of the main cable harness 11. The pressure contact part 33 is, for example, configured such that a plurality of pairs of pressure contact tongues 35 extend upwards and is connected to a circuit on the printed circuit board 37. The printed circuit board 37 is housed in a casing consisting of an upper casing 39 and a lower casing 41, both made of insulating plastic.The upper panel 39 and the lower panel 41 are connected to each other, for example, by a thin hinge (not shown) in such a way that unrestricted opening and closing is possible.

[0115] In the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31B, the upper cover 39 and the lower cover 41 crimp the power line 23, the communication line 25, the ground line 27, and the signal line 28 of the main wiring harness 11 such that the pressure contact tongues 35 cut through the insulating sheath of each line, so that the pressure contact part 33 is crimped to the conductor of each line. The wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31, which crimps the power line 23, the communication line 25, the ground line 27, and the signal line 28 of the main wiring harness 11, is fixed at an optional position on the main wiring harness 11 when the upper cover 39 and the lower cover 41 are locked together.This means that, in the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present invention, a connection between the main wiring harness 11 and the electronic device 29 is established in a simple manner by simply attaching the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31B at an optional position on the main wiring harness 11. If the ground wire of the electronic device 29 is grounded to the vehicle body, the ground wire 27 of the main wiring harness 11 does not need to be branched and connected via the branch wiring harness 137.

[0116] Furthermore, the branch line wiring harness 13J of the present embodiment includes one end having a wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31B, which is configured such that one end is branched to connect to the power line 23, the communication line 25, the ground line 27, and the signal line 28 of the main wiring harness 11, and the other end having an auxiliary device connection mechanism 61, which is configured to connect the other end to an electronic device 29 subsequently installed on the destination vehicle. That is to say, the branch line wiring harness 13J contains, as shown in Fig. Figure 12A shows wires 55 (an additional wiring harness), a connector 47 on the side of the main wiring harness (a connector on the side of the wiring harness) which is connected to the harness branch connection mechanism 31B at the end of the wires 55 on the side of the main wiring harness, and a connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device which is connected to the electronic device 29 at the end of the additional wiring harness 55 on the side of the electronic device. The branch wiring harness 13J is connected to the auxiliary device connection mechanism 61, which includes a connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device and a connector 63 of the electronic device 29. The connector 47 on the side of the main wiring harness is connected to a connector 53 of the harness branch connection mechanism 31B mounted on the circuit board.This means that the branch line cable harness 13J of the present embodiment can connect the electronic device 29 to the main line cable harness 11 via the wires 55, which have a desired length. This allows installation according to the position of the electronic device 29, and thus improves compatibility.

[0117] The branch cable harness according to the present invention is not limited to the branch cable harness 13J of the embodiment listed above and can have different forms.

[0118] For example, in the Fig. In the branch line cable harness 13K shown in 12B, the ends of the wires 55 on one side of the main line cable harness are directly connected to the pressure contact part 33 of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31B, and the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device is coupled via connectors to the connector 63 of the electronic device 29.

[0119] At the in Fig. In the branch line wiring harness 13L shown in Figure 12C, the ends of the wires 55 on the side of the main line wiring harness are directly connected to the pressure contact part 33 of the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31B. The ends of the wires 55 on the side of the electronic device are directly connected to the circuit of the electronic device 29, thus achieving integration with the electronic device 29. The connector 57 on the side of the main line wiring harness, located at the end of the wires 55 on the side of the main line wiring harness, can be connected to the connector 43 on the circuit board of the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31B (see Figure 12C). Fig. 12A).

[0120] At the in Fig. In the branch line cable harness 13M shown in Figure 13, a branch connector 79 is connected to a position leading to an electronic device 29. In the branch line cable harness 13M, the branch connector 79 is connected to the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device. The branch connector 79 is provided with a plurality (4 in the example shown in the figure). The first connecting part 83 of the branch connector 79 is connected to the auxiliary device connector 51 of the wires 55. The second connecting part 85 of the branch connector 79 is connected to the connector 63 of the electronic device 29. The third connecting part 87 of the branch connector 79 is connected to the connector 86 of the auxiliary cable harness 89.In addition to the electronic device 29, a further electronic device 29 can be branched and connected to the branch connector 79 via the connector 88 of the additional cable harness 89. The wires 55 of the branch cable harness 13M described above can be arranged such that the end on the side of the main cable harness is directly connected to the pressure contact part 33 of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31B, and the end on the side of the electronic device is directly connected to the circuit of the branch connector 79.

[0121] In the case of the wires 55 of each of the branch cable harnesses 13J to 13M described above, the functions of the wires vary depending on the type of electronic device 29 (depending on whether an electronic control unit is present or the like). For example, as in Fig. 12 and Fig. Figure 13 shows that when the electronic device 29, which includes an electronic control unit (not shown), is located at the end of the wires 55 on one side of the electronic device, the wires 55 comprise a power line 23A, a communication line 25A, and a ground line 27A. Furthermore, when the electronic device 29, which includes an electronic control unit and a switching unit, is located at the end of the wires 55 on one side of the electronic device, the wires 55 comprise a power line 23A and a ground line 27A. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. Figure 10 shows an electronic device 29A which operates in response to an ON / OFF signal, at the end of the wires 55 on the side of the electronic device and is grounded via the body, and the wires 55 include a signal line 28A.

[0122] The following describes the functional effects of cable harness 1, in which the vehicle cable harness structure with the above-mentioned design is used.

[0123] In the wiring harness 1 of the present embodiment, the main wiring harness 11 can be installed on any of the destination vehicles, and an electronic device 29 or 29A, which is to be attached to the destination vehicle, is subsequently attached via the branch wiring harness 13J to 13M, one end of which is branched and connected to the power line 23, the communication line 25, the signal line 28 and the ground line 27 of the main wiring harness 11. Thus, no unnecessary component is attached to the main wiring harness 11.

[0124] Furthermore, the branch wiring harnesses 13J are connected to the main wiring harness 11 in a number corresponding to the number of electronic devices 19, 29A attached to the destination vehicle. This ensures that no component is added unnecessarily to the entire vehicle wiring harness structure.

[0125] Furthermore, in conventional vehicle wiring harness designs, as the number of optional electronic devices increases, so does the number of possible mounting combinations for these devices, thus increasing the total number of wiring harness types. In contrast, the vehicle wiring harness design of the present embodiment requires only branch wiring harnesses 13J to 13M of the types corresponding to the optional electronic devices 29 and 29A. This simplifies parts management and reduces the manufacturing costs of the wiring harness.

[0126] Furthermore, the following is located at the Fig. Figure 12 shows the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment. In the branch line wiring harness 13J for connecting the main wiring harness 11 to the electronic device 29, the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31B is located in the connection part leading to the main wiring harness 11. When the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31B is attached to the main wiring harness 11, the pressure contact part 33 cuts through the insulating sheath that surrounds the conductor of the power line 23, the communication line 25, the signal line 28, and / or the ground line 27 of the main wiring harness 11, so that the pressure contact part 33 is connected to the conductor. Thus, when the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31B is attached to the main line cable harness 11, the connection between the main line cable harness 11 and the electronic device 29 is easily established.

[0127] Furthermore, the following concludes at the in Fig. In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment shown in Figure 12A, the branch wiring harness 13J includes wires 55, one end of which is connected to connector 47 on the side of the main wiring harness and the other end of which is connected to connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device. Connector 47 on the side of the main wiring harness is coupled and connected to connector 43 on the circuit board, which serves as a mating connector and is located in the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31B.

[0128] This means that the branch wiring harness 13J can connect the electronic device 29 to the main wiring harness 11 via the wires 55, which are of a desired length. This allows installation to be carried out according to the position of the electronic device 29. Therefore, the branch wiring harness 13J for connecting the main wiring harness 11 to the electronic device 29 allows for easy adaptation to a different vehicle model, a different target market, and a different specification (thus enabling unrestricted installation).

[0129] Furthermore, in the Fig. In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment shown in Figure 13, instead of the electronic device 29, which is originally connected to the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device of the branch wiring harness 13J connected to the main wiring harness 11, the branch connector 79 is connected. The branch connector 79 is provided with a plurality, i.e., a first to third connection part 83, 85, 87, each of which enables connection to the connector 51 on the side of the auxiliary device of a branch wiring harness 13J or to the connector 63 of an electronic device 29. Each third connection part 87 can further be connected to the connector 86 of an auxiliary wiring harness 89, an electronic device 29, or a branch connector 79. Thus, the branch wiring harness 13J can be flexibly connected (in many variations) to a plurality of the electronic devices 29.

[0130] In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment, the number of wiring harness parts is reduced, and unnecessary attachment to the wiring harness 1 can be avoided.

[0131] The following describes the characteristics of the in Fig. 9, Fig. 10, Fig. 11, Fig. 12 to Fig. The 13 embodiments shown are briefly summarized.

[0132] The vehicle wiring harness structure includes a main wiring harness (11) designed to be generally installed on destination vehicles, and a branch wiring harness (13J to 13M) of which one end is subsequently branched to the communication line (25), the power line (23), the signal line (28) and / or the ground line (27) of the main wiring harness (11) and of which the other end is connected to at least one electronic device (29, 29D) installed on the destination vehicle.

[0133] At one end of the branch cable harness (13J to 13M) a cable harness branch connection mechanism (31B) may be provided for connection to the conductor of the communication line (25), the power line (23), the signal line (28) and / or the ground line (27) by means of a pressure contact.

[0134] The branch line wiring harness (13J) can include a connector (47) on the side of the main line wiring harness, which is connected to the wiring harness branch connection mechanism (31B) at the end of the branch line wiring harness (13J) on the side of the main line wiring harness, and a connector (51) on the side of the auxiliary device, which is connected to the electronic device (29) at the end of the branch line wiring harness on the side of the electronic device.

[0135] The connector (51) on the side of the auxiliary device of the branch line cable harness (13M) can be connected to a branch connector (97) to which the connector (63) of an electronic device (29) is connected.

[0136] In the following, a further embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to Fig. 14, Fig. 15, Fig. 16, Fig. 17, Fig. 18 to Fig. 19 described.

[0137] According to the present invention, a vehicle wiring harness structure comprises a standard control section configured to control a standard electronic device commonly installed on destination vehicles, a junction box having an extension control section configured to control an extension electronic device optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicles, a standard connector part present on the junction box for connecting the junction box to one end of the standard wiring harness connected to the standard electronic device, and an extension connector part present on the junction box for connecting the junction box to an extension wiring harness that includes the communication line and / or the power line.with which one end of an additional connecting element is branched and connected by means of subsequent attachment, wherein the additional connecting element has a further end which is configured to be connected to an electronic extension device.

[0138] In this vehicle wiring harness configuration, the standard wiring harness used to connect the standard electronic device commonly installed on destination vehicles to the junction box is standardized. If an electronic expansion device is selectively fitted to a destination vehicle, this connection is made by retrofitting an additional connector. One end of this connector branches to the communication line and / or power line of an expansion wiring harness, which is connected to the expansion connector portion of the junction box. Furthermore, if no electronic expansion device is fitted to the destination vehicle, the expansion wiring harness can be omitted from the junction box's expansion connector portion.This prevents unnecessary connection of a component in the standard wiring harness and the extension wiring harness.

[0139] Furthermore, the optional electronic expansion device, which can be retrofitted to the intended vehicle, can be added via the additional connecting element and connected to the expansion wiring harness at an optional location. This retrofitting of the electronic expansion device to the expansion wiring harness can be carried out on the vehicle wiring harness during manufacturing, as well as on the expansion wiring harness for the vehicle wiring harness that is installed in a finished vehicle.

[0140] Furthermore, when the expansion wiring harness is used, an electronic expansion device can be easily retrofitted without requiring any additional modifications to the standard wiring harness. This means that with the expansion wiring harness, the specification of the communication line or the power line can be easily changed according to the number or type of electronic expansion devices.

[0141] Furthermore, in conventional vehicle wiring harness designs, as the number of electronic expansion devices increases, the number of parts for the entire harness also increases, corresponding to the increasing number of possible mounting combinations for these devices. In contrast, the vehicle wiring harness design described above integrates each expansion harness into the standard harness in such a way that the number of parts required for additional connectors, which are subsequently branched and connected to the expansion harness, corresponds to the number of electronic expansion devices. This simplifies parts management for manufacturing and thus reduces the overall production cost of the wiring harness.

[0142] The junction box can contain a standard socket with a standard control section and an expansion socket with an expansion control section. The expansion socket can be attached to and detached from the standard socket. With this configuration, a single expansion socket connected to the expansion wiring harness can be connected to multiple types of standard sockets. Alternatively, different types of expansion sockets can be selectively connected to a single standard socket, thus improving compatibility.

[0143] A cable harness branching connection mechanism, located at one end of the additional connector, can be crimped to the communication line and / or power line of the extension cable harness. In this configuration, when an additional connector is used to connect the extension cable harness to the electronic expansion device, the cable harness branching connection mechanism is located in the connector section leading to the extension cable harness. When the cable harness branching connection mechanism is attached to the extension cable harness, the crimping contact section cuts through the insulating sheath surrounding the communication line and / or power line of the extension cable harness, thus connecting the crimping contact section to the conductor.This allows the connection between the extension cable harness and the electronic extension device to be easily established when attaching the cable harness branching connection mechanism to the extension cable harness.

[0144] The vehicle wiring harness structure includes a gateway device connected to a junction box, which has a standard control section configured to control a standard electronic device commonly installed on destination vehicles, wherein the gateway device is configured to relay data to be sent and received between in-vehicle networks, and a communication extension wiring harness that includes a communication line connected to the gateway device, wherein one end of an additional connector contains a control function section configured to control the electronic extension device, which is branched off to the communication line by means of a retrofit.and the other end of the additional connecting element is connected to at least one electronic extension device, which is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicles.

[0145] In this configuration, if an electronic expansion device is to be selectively attached to the target vehicle, the device is subsequently attached via an additional connecting element. One end of this element is branched and connected to the communication line of a communication expansion wiring harness, which is connected to the transition device. Furthermore, if no electronic expansion device is to be attached to the target vehicle, the communication expansion wiring harness can be omitted and not connected to the transition device. This avoids the unnecessary attachment of a component to both the transition device and the communication expansion wiring harness.

[0146] Furthermore, the optional electronic expansion device, which can be retrofitted to the intended vehicle, can be added via the additional connector, which contains a control function section, and connected to the communication expansion wiring harness at an optional location. This retrofitting of the electronic expansion device to the communication expansion wiring harness can be carried out on the vehicle wiring harness during manufacturing, as well as on the communication expansion wiring harness for the vehicle wiring harness that is installed in a finished vehicle.

[0147] Furthermore, when the communication expansion cable harness is used, an electronic expansion device can be easily retrofitted without requiring any additional modifications to the cable harness to connect the adapter to the junction box. This means that with the communication expansion cable harness, the communication line specifications can be easily changed according to the number or type of electronic expansion devices.

[0148] Thus, if an electronic expansion device, which only needs to be connected to the communication line, is to be selectively installed on the destination vehicle, the electronic expansion device is subsequently attached to the communication expansion wiring harness connected to the transition device via the additional connecting element, which contains a control function section. This means that the electronic expansion device does not need to be connected via a junction box.

[0149] The cable harness branching connection mechanism, located at one end of the additional connector, can be crimped to the communication line conductor of the communication expansion cable harness. In this configuration, the cable harness branching connection mechanism is located in the connector section of the additional connector used to connect the communication expansion cable harness to the electronic expansion device. When the cable harness branching connection mechanism is attached to the communication expansion cable harness, the crimping contact section cuts through the insulating sheath surrounding the communication line conductor within the communication expansion cable harness, thus connecting the crimping contact section to the conductor.Thus, when attaching the cable harness branch connection mechanism to the communication extension cable harness, the connection between the communication extension cable harness and the electronic extension device is easily established.

[0150] Fig. Figure 14 is a schematic representation of a vehicle wiring harness structure of the present invention. The vehicle wiring harness structure comprises a junction box 120, a standard connector part 120a (a first connector part) present on the junction box 120 for connecting one end of a standard wiring harness 11 (a first wiring harness) to the junction box 120, and an extension connector part 120b (a second connector part) present on the junction box 120 for connecting an extension wiring harness 12 (a second wiring harness) to the junction box 120.

[0151] The junction box 120 contains a standard control section 119 (a first control section) configured to control a standard electronic device 118 (a main device, such as an air conditioning unit and a power window unit) commonly installed on destination vehicles, and an extension control section 121 (a second control section) configured to control an electronic extension device 29 (an accessory device) optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicles. A transition device 140, configured to relay data to be sent and received between the vehicle's internal networks, and a battery power supply are connected to a live side of the junction box 120.

[0152] The standard connector part 120a is provided at the junction box 120 for connecting one end of the standard cable harness 11, which is connected to the standard electronic device 118. The extension connector part 120b is provided at the junction box 120 for connecting the extension cable harness 12, to which one end of the additional connecting element 13N is branched by means of subsequent attachment, the other end of the additional connecting element 13N being connected to the electronic extension device 29.

[0153] The standard wiring harness 11 connects each standard electronic device 118, which is commonly installed on destination vehicles, to the junction box 120, which contains the standard control section 119 for controlling the standard electronic device 118. The standard wiring harness 11 is a bundle of wires consisting essentially of a variety of wires, such as a communication line, a power line, a ground line, and a signal line, which are connected to the standard control section 119. The standard wiring harness 11 includes a connector 122 on the side of the junction box, which is connected to the standard connector part 120a of the junction box 120, and a connector 126 on the side of the standard auxiliary device, which is connected to the standard electronic device 118.

[0154] In the present patent description, the “standard wiring harness” for connecting the standard electronic device generally fitted to intended vehicles does not refer to a wiring harness common to all vehicle models, but rather to a wiring harness that is indispensable for each vehicle model, target market and version (specification).

[0155] The extension wiring harness 12 is a wiring harness consisting essentially of three types of wires, such as a communication line 25, a power line 23, and a ground line 27, which is connected to the extension control section 121 of the junction box 120. The extension wiring harness 12 is arranged parallel to the standard wiring harness 11 or, alternatively, routed independently of the standard wiring harness 11 so that it extends to the vicinity of the electronic extension device 29 in the destination vehicle. Accordingly, the extension wiring harness 12 may also contain other wires, such as a signal line (not shown). Alternatively, the ground line 27 may be omitted. A multiplexed signal is transmitted via the communication line 25 in the extension wiring harness 12.Furthermore, a separate signal is transmitted via the signal line in the extension cable harness 12.

[0156] Furthermore, one end of the extension cable harness is provided with a connector 124 on the side of the junction box, which is connected to the extension connector part 120b of the junction box 120, and the other end is connected to a termination device 130.

[0157] An electronic extension device 29 (e.g. a central locking unit or a seat heating unit), which is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicle, is attached to the extension wiring harness 12 via the additional connecting element 13N.

[0158] The additional connecting element 13N is used, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 17A, one end is connected to the extension cable harness 12 via the auxiliary device connection mechanism 31C at an optional position, and the other end is connected to the electronic extension device 29 via the auxiliary device connection mechanism 61. The retrofit method used to retrofit the electronic extension device 29 to the extension cable harness 12 via the auxiliary connection element 13N can optionally consist of "pressure contact", "bonding", or "welding", provided that the method allows for a branch connection with the communication line 25 and / or the power line 23 of the extension cable harness 12.In the present embodiment, the additional connecting element 13 is branched via the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31C described below and connected to the power line 23, the communication line 25 and the ground line 27 of the extension cable harness 12.

[0159] The standard control section 119 and the expansion control section 121 of the junction box 120 are each a master ECU for performing electronic control of the standard electronic device 118 or the expansion electronic device 29. That is, the standard control section 119 and the expansion control section 121 are each configured such that a microcomputer, a semiconductor fuse, and a communication transceiver are installed on a circuit board or electronic component. The configuration of the standard control section 119 and the expansion control section 121 of the junction box 120 is not limited to their separate integration as described above; it is possible for the expansion control section to be pre-integrated into the standard control section.

[0160] The additional connecting element 13N is equipped with the control function section 15. The control function section 15, which contains a signal generation section configured to receive a signal via the communication line 25 and generate a control signal to control the function of the electronic expansion device 29, is a slave ECU configured to control the function of the electronic expansion device 29. The control function section 15 is present in the additional connecting element 13N to control the function of the electronic expansion device 29. That is to say, the control function section 15 is configured such that a "microcomputer," a "semiconductor fuse," and a "communication transceiver" are installed on a printed circuit board, a circuit element consisting of a busbar, or the like.The electronic extension device 29 can itself contain the control function section in advance.

[0161] In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. Figures 16A to 16D show one end of the additional connecting element 13N branching off at an optional position via the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31C to the extension cable harness 12.

[0162] The cable harness branching connection mechanism 31C includes a pressure contact part 33, which is connected to the conductor of the additional connecting element 13N and is connected to the conductor of the extension cable harness 12 by means of a crimp. The pressure contact part 33 is, for example, configured such that a plurality of pairs of pressure contact tongues 35 extend upwards and are connected to a circuit on the printed circuit board 37. The printed circuit board 37 is housed in a casing consisting of an upper casing 39 and a lower casing 41, which are made of insulating plastic. The upper casing 39 and the lower casing 41 are connected to each other, for example, by a thin hinge (not shown), to allow unrestricted opening and closing.

[0163] In the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31C, the upper cover 39 and the lower cover 41 crimp the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the extension wiring harness 12 such that the pressure contact tongues 35 cut through the insulating sheath of each line, and the pressure contact part 33 is connected to the conductor of each line by crimping. The wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31C, which crimps the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the extension wiring harness 12, is fixed at an optional position on the extension wiring harness 12 when the upper cover 39 and the lower cover 41 are locked together.This means that, in the vehicle wiring harness structure according to the present embodiment, the connection between the extension wiring harness 12 and the electronic extension device 29 is easily established by simply attaching the wiring harness branching connection mechanism 31C to the extension wiring harness 12 at an optional position. If the ground wire of the electronic extension device 29 is grounded to the vehicle body, the ground wire 27 of the extension wiring harness 12 does not need to be branched and connected via the additional connecting element 13N.

[0164] Furthermore, the additional connecting element 13N includes one end having the wiring harness branching connection mechanism 31C, which is configured to branch one end to connect the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the extension wiring harness 12, and the other end having an auxiliary device connection mechanism 61, which is configured to connect the other end to an electronic extension device 29 that is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicle. That is to say, the additional connecting element 13N contains, as shown in Fig. Figure 17A shows wires 55 (an additional wiring harness); a connector 47 on the side of the extension wiring harness (a connector on the side of the wiring harness) which is connected to the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31C at the end of the wires 55 on the side of the extension wiring harness; and a connector 51 on the side of the accessory device which is connected to the electronic extension device 29 at the end of the wires 55 on the side of the electronic extension device. The additional connecting element 13N is connected to the accessory device connection mechanism 61, which includes a connector 51 on the side of the accessory device and a connector 63 of the electronic extension device 29. The connector 47 on the side of the extension wiring harness 47 is connected to a connector 43 of the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31 mounted on the circuit board.This means that the additional connecting element 13N of the present embodiment can connect the electronic expansion device 29 to the expansion cable harness 12 via wires of a desired length. This allows for installation according to the position of the electronic expansion device 29, thus improving compatibility.

[0165] The additional connecting element according to the present invention is not limited to the additional connecting element 13N mentioned above and can have various forms.

[0166] For example, in the Fig. The additional connecting element 13P shown in 17B connects the ends of the wires 55 on the side of the extension cable harness directly to the pressure contact part 33 of the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31C, and the connector 51 on the side of the additional device is coupled via connectors to the connector 63 of the electronic extension device 29.

[0167] At the in Fig. In the additional connecting element 13Q shown in Figure 17C, the ends of the wires 55 on the side of the extension cable harness are directly connected to the pressure contact part 33 of the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31C. The ends of the wires 55 on the side of the electronic device are directly connected to the circuit of the electronic extension device 29, thus achieving integration with the electronic extension device 29. The connector 47 on the side of the extension cable harness, located at the end of the wires 55 on the side of the extension cable harness, can be connected to the connector 43 of the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31C mounted on the circuit board (see Figure 17C). Fig. 17A).

[0168] Furthermore, if a branch connector (not shown) is connected to the connector 51 on the side of the additional device of the additional connecting element 13N, a branch connection can be made with a plurality of electronic expansion devices 29.

[0169] In the case of the wires 55 in the additional connecting element 13N, 13A or 13B described above, the functions of the wires vary depending on the type of electronic expansion device 29 (depending on whether an electronic control unit or the like is present). For example, as in Fig. Figures 17A to 17C show that when the control function section 15 for controlling the function of the electronic extension device 29 is present at the end of the wires 55 on the side of the electronic device, the wires 55 include a power line 23A, a communication line 25A, and a ground line 27A. When the control function section 15 is present in the wiring harness branch connection mechanism 31C or at the end of the wires 55 on the side of the extension wiring harness, the wires 55 include a power line 23A, a ground line 27A, a communication line 25A, a signal line, and the like, which are selected according to the control content of the control function section 15. Furthermore, if the electronic control device 29 only requires power supply from the extension cable harness 12, the wire 55 includes a power line 23A.

[0170] Fig. Figure 18 is a schematic representation of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Components identical to those of the vehicle wiring harness structure according to the embodiments listed above are identified by the same reference numerals, and their detailed description is omitted.

[0171] The junction box 170 in the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment contains, as shown in Fig. Figure 18 shows a standard can part 171 (a first can part) which includes a standard control section 119, and an extension can part 173 (a second can part) which includes an extension control section 121 and can be attached to and removed from the standard can part 171.

[0172] When a connector 174 and a connector 176 fit together in the standard box part 171 and the extension box part 173, the standard control section 119 and the extension control section 121 are connected and integrated into the junction box 170.

[0173] The standard box part 171 is provided with a standard connector part 170a for connection to the connector 122 of the standard cable harness 11 on the side of the junction box, which is connected to the standard electronic device 118, and the extension box part 173 is provided with an extension connector part 170 for connection to the connector 124 of the extension cable harness 12 on the side of the junction box.

[0174] For example, the uniform expansion socket 173, which is connected to the expansion cable harness 12, can be connected to several types of standard socket 171, to which the standard electronic device 118 of a different specification is connected, or to which the standard control section 119 of a different specification is installed. Furthermore, different types of expansion socket 173, to which an expansion cable harness 12 of a different wire specification is connected, or to which an expansion control section 121 of a different specification is installed, can be selectively connected to the uniform expansion socket 171.

[0175] Thus, if the junction box 170 consists of the standard box part 171 and the extension box part 173, which can be attached to and separated from each other, a vehicle wiring harness structure with improved compatibility can be created.

[0176] Fig. Figure 19 is a schematic representation of a vehicle wiring harness structure according to a further embodiment of the present invention. Components identical to those of the vehicle wiring harness structure according to the embodiments listed above are identified by the same reference numerals, and their detailed description is omitted.

[0177] The vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment contains, as shown in Fig. Figure 19 shows a transition device 140A connected to a junction box 120, which includes a standard control section 119 configured to control the standard electronic device 118, the transition device 140A being configured to forward data to be sent and received between vehicle-internal networks, and a communication extension cable harness 14 connected to the transition device 140A. In the transition device 140A of the present invention, the junction box to be connected is not the one shown in Figure 19. Fig. The junction box 120 shown in Figure 19 is limited, and various types of known junction boxes may be used. The communication extension cable harness 14 is a cable harness consisting of the communication line 25, which is connected to the transition device 140A. The communication extension cable harness 14 is arranged parallel to the standard cable harness 11 or the extension cable harness 12, or alternatively, routed separately from these, such that it runs near the electronic extension device 29E in the destination vehicle. Furthermore, one end of the communication extension cable harness 14 is provided with a connector 132, which is coupled to the transition device 140A via connectors, and the other end of which is provided with a termination device 130.

[0178] The electronic expansion device 29E, which is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicle, is then attached to the communication expansion wiring harness 14 via the additional connecting element 13R. At the additional connecting element 13R, one end of the communication line 25A is branched via the wiring harness junction connection mechanism 31C and connected to the communication line 25 of the communication expansion wiring harness 14. Furthermore, one end of the power line 23A is connected to the power supply via another wiring harness, and one end of the ground line 27A is grounded to the vehicle body.

[0179] The additional connecting element 13R is equipped with the control function section 15A. The control function section 15A, which contains a signal generation section configured to receive a signal from the transition device 140A and generate a control signal to control the function of the electronic expansion device 29E, is an ECU configured to control the function of the electronic expansion device 29E. The control function section 15A is present in the additional connecting element 13R to control the function of the electronic expansion device 29E.

[0180] Similar to the additional connecting element 13N of an embodiment described above, in the additional connecting element 13R of the present embodiment, one end of the communication line 25A is branched at an optional position via the cable harness branching connection mechanism 31C and connected to the communication extension cable harness 14, and the other end is connected to the electronic extension device 29E. The retrofit method used to retrofit the electronic extension device 29E to the communication extension cable harness 14 via the additional connecting element 13R can optionally consist of "pressure contact", "bonding", or "welding", provided that the method allows for a branch connection with the communication line 25 in the communication extension cable harness 14.

[0181] If the electronic extension device 29E is directly connected to the power supply via another wiring harness and is simultaneously directly grounded via the body, the additional connecting element, which is branched to connect to the communication extension wiring harness 14, only includes the communication line 25A.

[0182] The following describes the functional effects of the vehicle wiring harness structure with the setup shown above.

[0183] In the vehicle wiring harness structure of the embodiment of the present invention described above, the standard wiring harness 11, which is used to connect the standard electronic device 118, which is generally installed on the destination vehicles, and the junction box 120, is standardized. If an electronic expansion device 29 is to be selectively attached to the destination vehicle, this connection is made by retrofitting an additional connecting element 13N (13A, 13B), one end of which is branched and connected to the communication line 25, the power line 23, and the ground line 27 of the expansion wiring harness 12, which is connected to the expansion connector part 120b of the junction box 120.Furthermore, if no electronic expansion device 29 is installed on the destination vehicle, it is possible not to connect the expansion wiring harness 12 to the expansion connector part 120b of the junction box 120 and thus omit it. This avoids an unnecessary connection of a component between the standard wiring harness 11 and the expansion wiring harness 12.

[0184] Furthermore, the optional electronic expansion device 29, which can be retrofitted to the destination vehicle, can be added via the additional connecting element 13N and connected to the expansion wiring harness 12 at an optional position. This retrofitting of the electronic expansion device 29 to the expansion wiring harness 12 can be carried out on the vehicle wiring harness during manufacturing as well as on the expansion wiring harness 12 for the vehicle wiring harness that is installed in a finished vehicle.

[0185] Furthermore, when the expansion cable harness 12 is used, an electronic expansion device 29 can be easily retrofitted without requiring any additional modification to the standard cable harness 11. That is, with the expansion cable harness 12, the specification of the communication line 25 or the power line 23 can be easily changed according to the number or type of electronic expansion devices 29.

[0186] Furthermore, in conventional vehicle wiring harness structures, as the number of electronic expansion devices 29 increases, the number of parts for the entire wiring harness increases in proportion to the number of possible combinations for attaching the electronic expansion devices. In contrast, in the vehicle wiring harness structure of the present embodiment, where the expansion wiring harness 12 is attached to the standard wiring harness 11, the additional connecting elements 13N (13A, 13B), which are retrofitted to the expansion wiring harness 12, are present in a number corresponding to the number of electronic expansion devices 29. This simplifies parts management for manufacturing and thus reduces the manufacturing costs of the wiring harness.

[0187] Furthermore, in the Fig. In the vehicle wiring harness structure shown in Figures 16A to 16D, the additional connecting element 13N (13A, 13B) for connecting the extension wiring harness 12 to the electronic extension device 29 is branched via the wiring harness branching connection mechanism 31C and connected to a connecting part that leads to the extension wiring harness 12. When the wiring harness branching connection mechanism 31C is attached to the extension wiring harness 12, the pressure contact part 33 cuts through the insulating sheath that surrounds the conductor of the power line 23, the communication line 25, and the ground line 27 of the extension wiring harness 12, so that the pressure contact part 33 is connected to each conductor. Thus, when the cable harness branch connection mechanism 31C is attached to the extension cable harness 12, the connection between the extension cable harness 12 and the electronic extension device 29 is easily established.

[0188] If a backup function is integrated as the expansion control section 121 in the electronic expansion device 29, a direct connection to the expansion cable harness 12 can be established, or alternatively, multiple units can be installed simultaneously. This allows for the subsequent addition (immediate addition) of a function or a reduction in the number of systems in the expansion cable harness 12 and the communication line.

[0189] Furthermore, if a microcomputer is integrated as the extension control section 121, control of switch input, sensor input, PWM output, or the like of the electronic auxiliary device 29 can be easily implemented. Such control of the electronic auxiliary device 29 is carried out by the microcomputer. In this way, changes to the specifications or the like can be easily implemented via software.

[0190] Furthermore, in the Fig. In the vehicle wiring harness structure shown in Figure 18, the uniform expansion socket 173, connected to the extension wiring harness 12, can be connected to different types of the standard socket 171, or alternatively, different types of the uniform standard socket 173 can be selectively connected to the uniform standard socket 171. This improves compatibility.

[0191] Furthermore, in the Fig. In the vehicle wiring harness structure shown in Figure 19, if the electronic expansion device 29E is to be selectively attached to the destination vehicle, the electronic expansion device 29E is subsequently attached via the additional connecting element 13R, in which only one end of the communication line 25A is branched and connected to the communication line 25 of the communication expansion wiring harness 14, which is connected to the transition device 140A. Furthermore, if no electronic expansion device 29E is to be attached to the destination vehicle, it is possible to omit the communication expansion wiring harness 14 and not connect it to the transition device 140A. This avoids the unnecessary attachment of a component at the transition device 140A and the communication expansion wiring harness 14.

[0192] Furthermore, the optional electronic expansion device 29E, which can be retrofitted to the destination vehicle, can be added via the additional connecting element 13R, which contains a control function section 15A, and connected to the communication expansion wiring harness 14 at an optional location. This retrofitting of the electronic expansion device 29E to the communication expansion wiring harness 14 can be carried out on the vehicle wiring harness during manufacturing as well as on the communication expansion wiring harness 14 for the vehicle wiring harness that is installed in a finished vehicle.

[0193] Furthermore, when the communication expansion cable harness 14 is used, an electronic expansion device 29E can be easily retrofitted without requiring any additional modification to the cable harness to connect the transition device 140A to the junction box 120. That is, with the communication expansion cable harness 14, the specification of the communication line 25 can be easily changed according to the number or type of electronic expansion devices 29E.Thus, if an electronic expansion device 29E, which only needs to be connected to the communication line 29, is to be selectively attached to the destination vehicle, it is sufficient if the electronic expansion device 29E is subsequently installed on the communication expansion wiring harness 14, which is connected to the transition device 140A via the additional connecting element 13R, which includes a control function section 15A. That is, the electronic expansion device 29E does not need to be connected via a junction box 120.

[0194] Therefore, in the vehicle wiring harness structure of each embodiment listed above, the number of parts of the wiring harness 1 can be reduced, and unnecessary attachment to the wiring harness 1 can be avoided.

[0195] The following describes the characteristics of the in Fig. 14, Fig. 15, Fig. 16, Fig. 17, Fig. 18 to Fig. The 19 embodiments shown are briefly summarized.

[0196] The vehicle wiring harness structure includes a standard control section (119) configured to control a standard electronic device (118) commonly installed on destination vehicles, a junction box (120) comprising an extension control section (121) configured to control an extension electronic device (29) optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicles, a standard connector part (120a) present on the junction box (120) to connect the junction box to one end of the standard wiring harness (11) connected to the standard electronic device (118), and an extension connector part (120b) present on the junction box (120) to connect the junction box to an extension wiring harness (12) that includes the communication line (25) and / or the power line (23).with which one end of an additional connecting element (13N, 13P, 13Q) is branched and connected by means of subsequent attachment, wherein the additional connecting element (13N, 13P, 13Q) has a further end which is configured to be connected to an electronic extension device (29).

[0197] The junction box (170) can contain a standard box part (171) with the standard control section (119) and an extension box part (173) with the extension control section (121), wherein the extension box part (173) can be attached to and detached from the standard box part (171).

[0198] A cable harness branch connection mechanism (31C) located at one end of the additional connection element (13N, 13P, 13Q) can be connected to the conductor of the communication line (25) and / or the power line (33) of the extension cable harness (12) by means of crimping.

[0199] The vehicle wiring harness structure includes a transition device (140A) connected to a junction box (120) having a standard control section (119) configured to control a standard electronic device (118) commonly installed on destination vehicles, the transition device (140A) being configured to relay data to be sent and received between in-vehicle networks, and a communication extension wiring harness (14) including a communication line (25) connected to the transition device (140A), wherein one end of an additional connecting element (13R) includes a control function section (15A) configured to control the electronic extension device (29E) which is branched off to the communication line (25) by means of a retrofit.and the other end of the additional connecting element (13R) is connected to at least one electronic extension device (29E), which is optionally retrofitted to the destination vehicles.

[0200] The cable harness branch connection mechanism (31C), which is located at one end of the additional connecting element (13R), can be connected to the conductor of the communication line (25) of the communication extension cable harness (14) by means of pressing.

[0201] Another embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to Fig. 20, Fig. 21, Fig. 22 to Fig. 23 described.

[0202] The present embodiment relates to a vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices, in which a plurality of electronic devices, each containing a load, a switch and / or a sensor, are connected to an electrical system of a vehicle via a predetermined cable harness in such a way that each electronic device is supplied with power at least from the vehicle side.

[0203] The present embodiment provides an in-vehicle connection system for electronic devices in which, even when an optional electronic device is connected, the configuration of the wiring harness is simplified in such a way as to reduce the number of wiring harness types and at the same time provide adequate protection against excessive load current in each system by means of a protective device arranged in a relatively small space.

[0204] The vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices is designed such that a multitude of electronic devices are connected to the vehicle's electrical system via the wiring harness, and such that each electronic device receives power from at least the vehicle side. The vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices includes a power distribution section for the standard system, configured to distribute power from the vehicle's electrical system to supply power to a multitude of main lines of the standard wiring harness, and a power distribution section for the extension system, configured to distribute power from the electrical system to supply power to each of a multitude of main lines of the extension wiring harness.This design allows the number of wires that make up the wiring harness to be reduced, even when a large number of optional electronic devices are connected.

[0205] The power distribution section for the expansion system can include a switching section, which is present for each of the multiple main lines of the expansion system's wiring harness. Multiple electronic devices of the expansion system can be connected to the switching section via these main lines. In this configuration, multiple electronic devices of the expansion system can be connected to a single main line. Thus, when a large number of electronic devices of the expansion system need to be connected, the number of power lines forming the main line can be reduced.This allows the number of cable harness types to be manufactured in advance, corresponding to different vehicle models, different versions, different target markets or the like, to be reduced, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and achieving cost savings.

[0206] Power lines of the electronic devices within the expansion system can be retrofitted to a main line of the expansion system, thus wiring the electronic device to the main line. A first electronic device can be directly connected to a main line, while a second device can be connected to the main line by retrofitting its power line to the main line. This configuration facilitates the subsequent addition of various functions, thereby increasing the vehicle's value.

[0207] The vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices may include an electronic fuse located in the power distribution section for the expansion system. This fuse is configured to interrupt the current flowing through any of the multiple main lines of the wiring harness's expansion system when the current exceeds an interruption threshold. It may also include a memory section that stores the interruption threshold data used by the electronic device. In this configuration, the interruption threshold of the electronic fuse can be changed.Thus, even if the number of electronic devices or the specification of the electronic device connected downstream of the power distribution section for the expansion system is to be changed, the interruption threshold can be changed accordingly without having to replace a component or the like.

[0208] In the vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices of the present embodiment, a large number of electronic devices can be connected via a common power line. This simplifies the wiring harness design, even when a large number of optional electronic devices are connected, thus reducing the number of different harness types. Furthermore, the use of the common power line and the electronic device provides adequate overcurrent protection, while simultaneously significantly reducing the physical space required for the power distribution section of the expansion system.

[0209] Fig. Figure 20 shows an in-vehicle connection system for electronic devices of the present embodiment. In reality, a remarkably large number of electronic devices are installed in a vehicle. However, to simplify understanding, Figure 20 shows a vehicle with a connection system for electronic devices of the present embodiment. Fig. 20 only the structure of a main part. Furthermore, in Fig. 20 control systems and communication lines for controlling the individual electronic devices are not shown and are omitted.

[0210] At the in Fig. In the configuration shown in Figure 20, the electronic devices 241 and 242 of the standard system (main devices) are installed on the vehicle as standard electronic devices. Furthermore, various electronic devices 251 to 256 of an extension system (additional devices) can be optionally installed on the vehicle.

[0211] Specific examples of electronic devices 241 and 242 of the standard system include electronic devices such as headlights, windscreen wipers, taillights, and turn signals, which are installed as standard on all vehicles. Electronic devices 251 to 256 of the extension system are electronic devices that are installed selectively depending on the vehicle model, trim level, target market (domestic, foreign, etc.), or similar factors. Typical examples include fog lights, power windows, power seats, and a safety device.

[0212] These various electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system are divided into groups in advance according to their different installation position or class within the system. In the case of the Fig. The 20 examples shown are an electronic device 251 of the extension system belonging to the engine system, an electronic device 252 of the extension system located near the dashboard, an electronic device 253 of the extension system located near the roof of the vehicle body, an electronic device 254 of the extension system located near a door of the vehicle, and other electronic devices 255 and 256 of the extension system.

[0213] Each of the electronic devices 241 and 242 of the standard system and the electronic devices 251 to 256 of the extension system includes a load, a switch, a sensor, and / or the like. Furthermore, each of these devices includes a control device for controlling the current supply to the load and a signal processing circuit for processing a signal output by the switch or sensor.

[0214] A specific example of a load could be a light fixture, an electric motor, a relay, or similar device. When current is supplied, the load is operated. The control device for controlling the load contains a switching element, such as a transistor, and can therefore supply current to switch the load ON / OFF or cycle the current supply in response to a control signal.

[0215] The electronic devices 241, 242 of the standard system are each connected to the ends of power lines 231a, 231b of a partial wiring harness 231 (a first wiring harness) of the standard system of a wiring harness 230. The partial wiring harness 231 of the standard system is connected to the downstream end of a power distribution box 220S of the standard system (a first power distribution section).

[0216] The input side of the standard system's power distribution box 220S is connected via a main fuse MF1 and a power line 211 to an internal vehicle main power supply 210. The internal vehicle main power supply 210 consists of a battery, a generator (an AC generator), or the like, installed in the vehicle.

[0217] The power distribution box 220S of the standard system distributes power (e.g., +12 V) to each output system. This power is supplied from the vehicle's main power supply 210 via power line 211 to supply power to lines 231a and 231b. A number of fuses, although not shown in the figure, are located inside the power distribution box 220S of the standard system. If, due to a short circuit in the circuit or the like, an excessive current flows through power lines 231a and 231b, the current can be interrupted on the upstream side.

[0218] At the in Fig. In the example shown, the ground wire 213 of each electrical circuit is not included in the wiring harness 230. Thus, each circuit is connected via the vehicle body, which is made of metal. The ground wire 213 can be included as part of the wiring harness 230.

[0219] At the in Fig. The configuration shown in Figure 20 includes a power distribution box 220E of the expansion system (a second power distribution section), which provides a connection between the vehicle's internal system and the electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system. A partial wiring harness 232 of the expansion system (a second wiring harness) of the wiring harness 230 is connected downstream of the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system.

[0220] The configuration of sub-cable harness 232 of the expansion system can be modified as needed. In the case of the Fig. In the example shown in Figure 20, the partial wiring harness 232 of the expansion system contains six wires, i.e., a main wire 232a of the expansion system, a main wire 232b of a dashboard expansion system, a main wire 232c of a roof expansion system, a main wire 232d of a door expansion system, a main wire 232e of a first auxiliary expansion system, and a main wire 232f of a second auxiliary expansion system.

[0221] Each of the main lines 232a to 232f consists of a power line for supplying power (for example, a voltage of +12 V) and meets a specification such that a large number of electronic devices can be connected to a single power line. In the Fig. In the configuration shown in Figure 20, two electronic devices 251(1), 251(2) of the expansion system are connected to the power line of the main line 232a of the engine expansion system. Furthermore, three electronic devices 252(1), 252(2), 252(3) of the expansion system are connected to the power line of the main line 232b of the dashboard expansion system.Likewise, two electronic devices 253(1), 253(2) of the extension system are connected to the power line of the main line 232c of the roof extension system, two electronic devices 254(1), 254(2) of the extension system are connected to the power line of the main line 232d of the door extension system, one electronic device 255(1) of the extension system is connected to the power line of the main line 232e of the first additional extension system, and one electronic device 256(1) of the extension system is connected to the power line of the main line 232f of the second additional extension system.

[0222] Modes that can be used to establish a connection between each of the main lines 232a to 232f and each of the electronic devices 251(1) to 256(1) of the expansion system include a mode in which the wires are connected together (W to W), a mode of connection via short wires (a connecting line W / H), a mode of direct attachment of the electronic devices to the main line wiring harness 70, and a mode of connection via the additional connecting elements 13 to 13N according to the embodiments described above. In such a connection method, the optional electronic devices 251(1) to 256(1) of the expansion system can be retrofitted to the main lines 232a to 232f. Furthermore, the mode of connection to the main line 232a to 232f can be different for each electronic device of the expansion system. For example, as described in Fig. Figure 20 shows that the electronic device 251(2) of the extension system (a first electronic device of the extension system) can be directly connected to the main line 232a of the motor extension system, and the electronic device 251(1) of the extension system can be wired such that the power line of the electronic device 251(1) of the extension system (a second electronic device of the extension system) is subsequently installed on the main line 232a of the extension system.

[0223] The input side of the expansion system's power distribution box 220E is connected to the vehicle's main power supply 210 via a main fuse MF2 and a power line 212. The expansion system's power distribution box 220E distributes the power supplied by the main power supply 210 via power line 212 to supply power to each of the main lines 232a to 232f of the downstream section of the expansion system's wiring harness 232. The expansion system's power distribution box 220E incorporates the function of an electronic fuse. This allows the system to detect and immediately interrupt the current if an abnormally high current flows through any of the main lines 232a to 232f.

[0224] The outer surface of each of the power conductors of the main lines 232a to 232f is encased in an electrically insulating sheath to prevent any situation in which the power conductors come into electrical contact with each other or with the environment. Furthermore, any connection method, such as pressure contact, bonding, or welding, can be used for the electrical connection between each main line 232a to 232f and each electronic device 251 to 256 of the expansion system.

[0225] One or more of the electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system can be connected to the respective main lines 232a to 232f. This allows the number of wires forming the sub-wiring harness 232 of the expansion system to be significantly reduced compared to the total number of electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system connected downstream of the sub-wiring harness 232 of the expansion system. That is, regardless of the number of electronic devices 251 of the expansion system connected to the main line 232a of the motor expansion system, the main line 232a of the motor expansion system contains only one power line, and the sub-wiring harness 232 of the expansion system, consisting of the main lines 232a to 232f, contains six wires.This allows the number of cable harness types 230 (to be identified by the number of parts that need to be manufactured in advance according to different vehicle models, versions and target markets or the like) to be significantly reduced, thus achieving cost savings.

[0226] Fig. Figure 21 shows the internal structure of the 220E electrical distribution box of the expansion system. The in Fig. The power distribution box 220E of the expansion system shown contains a microcomputer (CPU) 221, a voltage matching circuit 222, a non-volatile memory 223, intelligent power devices (IPD) 224(1) to 224(6), an input side power line 225 and a connector 226.

[0227] The current (e.g., +12 V) supplied by the vehicle's main power supply 210 is fed via a main fuse MF2 to the input-side power line 225 in the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system. The output of the input-side power line 225 is branched to a number of systems. One system is connected via IPD 224(1) to the power line of the main line 223a of the engine expansion system. Another system is connected via IPD 224(2) to the power line of the main line 232b of the instrument panel expansion system. Similarly, the outputs of IPD 224(3), 224(4), 224(5), and 224(6) are each connected to the power lines of the main lines 232c to 232f.

[0228] The current supplied to the input-side current line 225 is distributed to the multiple output systems and then output via IPD 224(1) to 224(6) to the main lines 232a to 232f. Furthermore, a portion of the current from the input-side current line 225 is also supplied to the input of the voltage matching circuit 222.

[0229] Each of the six IPD 224(1) to 224(6) serves as a switching section for switching the current supply to the load. In addition to the switching element (a power MOSFET), each of the six IPD 224(1) to 224(6) contains peripheral circuitry, such as an output current sensing function, a gate drive, and a protection circuit of various designs.

[0230] The microcomputer 221 operates based on the current supplied by the voltage matching circuit 222 and thus executes a pre-defined program to implement a control function required for the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system. This control function also includes the function of an electronic fuse.

[0231] The microcomputer 221 is, as in Fig. Figure 1 shows the IPDs 224(1) to 224(6) connected to the non-volatile memory 223. The microcomputer 221 performs ON / OFF switching of the control signal or control of the duty cycle for the pulse output to each of the IPDs 224(1) to 224(6) in order to control the switching element of each IPD 224(1) to 224(6), and can thus control the current flowing to the side of the electronic device via the partial wiring harness 232 of the expansion system.

[0232] Furthermore, the microcomputer 221 continuously monitors the current flowing to the load side of each output system. If an overcurrent is detected, the microcomputer 221 opens the corresponding switching element to interrupt the current. In other words, the microcomputer 221 acts as an electronic fuse. The threshold used to determine whether the monitored current is an overcurrent is written to the non-volatile memory 223 as overwritable data. The microcomputer 221 compares the value of the current detected by each of the IPDs 224(1) to 224(6) with the threshold stored in the non-volatile memory 223 to determine whether the detected current is an overcurrent.

[0233] The non-volatile memory 223 consists, for example, of an electrically erasable, programmable read-only memory (an EEPROM) and can retain the written data independently, even without a supply current. Furthermore, the non-volatile memory 223 can also electrically erase the written data and overwrite it with new data. The non-volatile memory 223 of the present embodiment stores, as described below, data including the threshold for the electronic backup function.

[0234] That is, the non-volatile memory 223 stores the threshold value used to determine whether the magnitude of the load current flowing from the IPD 224(1) to the power line of the main line 232a of the motor extension system is that of an overcurrent, as well as the threshold value used to determine whether the magnitude of the load current flowing from the IPD 224(2) to the power line of the main line 232b of the dashboard extension system is that of an overcurrent.

[0235] The threshold data stored in the non-volatile memory 223 are updated manually or automatically according to the current consumed in the specific configuration. For example, the overcurrent threshold, which serves as the condition for switching off the IPD 224(1), is adjusted according to the current level and the current consumed by the electronic devices 251(1), 251(2) that are actually connected to the power supply of the main line 232a of the engine extension system. Furthermore, the overcurrent threshold, which serves as the condition for switching off the IPD 224(2), is adjusted according to the current level and the current consumed by the electronic devices 252(1), 252(2), 252(3) that are actually connected to the power supply of the main line 232b of the instrument panel extension system.

[0236] From the supply voltage 220E supplied via the input side current line 225, the voltage matching circuit 222 generates electrical energy of stable DC voltage (e.g. +5 V) which is required for the circuits, such as the microcomputer 221.

[0237] In the specific electrical distribution box 220E of the expansion system, the number of installed IPDs 224(1) to 224(6) is changed according to the presence or absence of the electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system installed on the vehicle. In an environment where the Fig. Since the electronic devices 255(1) and 256(1) of the extension system shown in Figure 20 are not installed on the vehicle, for example the main line 232e of the first extension auxiliary system and the main line 232f of the second extension auxiliary system are not required, and therefore the IPDs 224(5) and 224(6) for controlling the currents for these are also unnecessary.

[0238] Fig. Figure 22 shows an example of an overcurrent threshold table TBL1. That is, as data that includes the current-break threshold used by the electronic fuse, the non-volatile memory 223 of the present embodiment stores the overcurrent threshold table TBL1, as shown in Fig. Figure 22 is shown. The content of the overcurrent threshold table TBL1 is updated as needed.

[0239] The in Fig. The overcurrent threshold table TBL1 shown in Figure 22 can store an individual current reference value CurX, a total current reference value CurXref, an actual shutdown threshold value CurX_TH, and fault information for each output system (X) corresponding to each main line 232a to 232f. Furthermore, since a variety of electronic devices can be connected to each output system, individual current reference values ​​CurX can be stored for a variety of devices.

[0240] For example, the single current reference value CurA1 shows in the Fig. The overcurrent threshold table TBL1 shown in Figure 22 indicates a measured value of the supply current consumed under normal conditions when the first electronic device 251(1) of the expansion system, connected to the main line 232a of the motor expansion system, is operating separately. Furthermore, the single current reference value CurA2 indicates a measured value of the supply current consumed under normal conditions when the second electronic device 251(2) of the expansion system, connected to the main line 232a of the motor expansion system, is operating separately.

[0241] Furthermore, the total current reference value CurXref shows in the Fig. The overcurrent threshold table TBL1 shown in Figure 22 indicates a measured value of the supply current consumed in a normal state with simultaneous operation of all electronic devices 251(1) and 251(2) connected to the main line 232a of the motor extension system.

[0242] Furthermore, the power cutoff threshold CurX_TH is in the Fig. The overcurrent threshold table TBL1 shown in Figure 22 defines a threshold value determined based on the total current reference value CurAref or the individual current reference values ​​CurA1 and CurA2. If the magnitude of the load current flowing to any output system exceeds the current-off threshold value CurX_TH, the electronic fuse located in the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system controls the IPD 224 to cut off the power. The fault information in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1 is used to determine whether a problem has occurred in the system.

[0243] Fig. Figure 23 shows an example of operation in a diagnostic mode. That is, the microcomputer 221 in which Fig. The power distribution box of the expansion system shown in section 21 carries out the operation in the area shown in Fig. 23 shown diagnostic mode off, to automatically read the contents of the Fig. 22 Overcurrent threshold table TBL1 shown to be updated according to the electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system that have actually been connected, so that a suitable current cut-off threshold can be determined automatically.

[0244] Conditions necessary for the operation of the facility in Fig. The diagnostic mode shown in Figure 23 includes a point in time immediately after the vehicle's ignition switch is turned on, as well as a point in time when any button is pressed. The diagnostic mode shown in Figure 23 includes a point in time immediately after the vehicle's ignition switch is turned on, as well as a point in time when any button is pressed. Fig. The operating procedure shown in section 23 is described below.

[0245] In step S11, for each output system of the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system of the microcomputer 221, the individual current reference value CurX of the first electronic device connected downstream is measured and the measured value is stored in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1.

[0246] For example, if diagnostics are performed on the output system of the main line 232a of the motor auxiliary system, in a state in which the electronic device 251(1) of the first auxiliary system is operated in a normal state and the other electronic device 251(2) of the extension system is held without current (switched off), the value of the load current detected by the IPD 224(1) is sampled so that the single current reference value CurA1 can be determined.

[0247] The individual control of the multitude of electronic devices 251(1), 251(2) of the expansion system is realized when an upper-level electronic control unit (ECU) (not shown) communicates with the microcomputer 221.

[0248] In step S12, the microcomputer 221 measures the individual current reference value CurX of the next electronic device (after the first) connected downstream for each output system of the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system and stores the measured value in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1.

[0249] For example, if the single current reference value CurA2 of the second electronic device 251(2) of the extension system, which is connected to the main line 232a of the motor extension system, is to be measured in a state in which the first electronic device 251(1) of the first extension system is switched to a de-energized state and the second electronic device 251(2) of the extension system is operated in a normal state, the current of the load value detected by the IPD 224(1) is sampled so that the single current reference value CurA2 is determined.

[0250] The microcomputer 221 repeats the execution of the processing in step S12 for all electronic devices of the expansion system in each output system. When the processing is complete for all electronic devices of the expansion system, the process moves from S13 to S14.

[0251] In step S14, the microcomputer 221 measures the magnitude of the load current for each output system of the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system as the sum current reference value CurXref in a state in which all downstream connected electronic devices are operating in a normal state, and stores the measured value in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1.

[0252] For example, if the total current reference value CurAref of the main line 232a of the motor auxiliary system is to be measured in a state in which both electronic devices 251(1), 251(2) of the extension system, which have been connected, are switched to a normal operating state, the value of the load current detected by the IPD 224(1) is sampled so that this value is used as the total current reference value CurAref.

[0253] In step S15, the microcomputer 221 compares the total ΣCurX of the individual current reference values ​​for each output system with the sum of the current reference values ​​CurXref in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1. If ΣCurX and CurXref are nearly equal, the process proceeds from S15 to S16. If they do not match, the process proceeds to S17.

[0254] In the output system of the main line 232a of the motor extension system, for example, since the two electronic devices 251(1), 251(2) of the extension system are connected, the result obtained by adding the two individual current reference values ​​CurA1 and CurA2 in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1 is used as the total sum ΣCurA.

[0255] If the current values ​​determined by measurements in S11 and S12 are stable and the current measurement process was completed normally, ΣCurX will approximately match CurXref. The process then proceeds to S16. However, if the current values ​​determined by measurements in S11 and S12 exhibit strong fluctuations, or if an abnormality occurred during the current measurement process, a relatively large difference between ΣCurX and CurXref is very likely. The process then proceeds to step S17.

[0256] In step S16, the microcomputer 221 automatically calculates a corresponding current cutoff threshold value CurX_TH for each output system based on the sum current reference value CurXref in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1 and stores the value in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1. The calculation is performed in a specific example using the following formula. CurX_TH=CurXref+K1_X+K2_X, where K1_X denotes a constant indicating an expected maximum of normal current change, and K2_X denotes a constant that corresponds to a tolerance.

[0257] In step S17, the microcomputer 221 performs fault processing, which is explained below. For example, when the fault information is written to the overcurrent threshold table TBL1, the microcomputer 221 writes information indicating the occurrence of a fault. Furthermore, the microcomputer 221 indicates a situation in which the system is in an abnormal operating state, using a function to display abnormalities in the vehicle, to inform the driver of the fault, or similar.

[0258] When the processing of S14 to S16 is repeated so that the update of the data in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1 has been completed for all electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system that are connected downstream of the partial wiring harness 2232 of the expansion system, the Fig. 23. Processing shown is complete.

[0259] After the data in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1 was updated in the Fig. Once the processing shown in Figure 23 is complete, the microcomputer 221 continuously monitors the magnitude of the load current flowing through each main line 232a to 232f and compares each detected current value with the current-off threshold CurX_TH in the overcurrent threshold table TBL1. If the current value exceeds the current-off threshold CurX_TH, the IPD 224, which controls the current of each corresponding main line, is switched to a non-conducting state, thus switching off the output current. That is, the microcomputer 221 acts as an electronic fuse.

[0260] The vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices listed above has the following advantages.

[0261] Without needing to modify the configuration of the expansion system's partial wiring harness 232, which is connected downstream of the expansion system's power distribution box 220E, one or more of the expansion system's electronic devices 251 to 256 can be connected to the main line 232a to 232f of each system. Furthermore, an additional electronic device of the expansion system can be added later, for example, according to the user's requirements.

[0262] In the main line 232a to 232f of each system of sub-wiring harness 232 of the expansion system, a variety of electronic devices of the expansion system can be connected to a single power line. Thus, if a large number of electronic devices of the expansion system are to be connected, the number of power lines that make up sub-wiring harness 232 of the expansion system can be reduced. This also reduces the number of wiring harness types (identifiable by the number of parts) that need to be manufactured if different types of wiring harnesses are to be produced in advance according to different vehicle models, different versions, different target markets, or the like. This simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces costs.

[0263] The 220E electrical distribution box of the expansion system incorporates an electronic seal. Therefore, the space required can be reduced compared to a case where a physical seal is used. This allows for a smaller size of the 220E electrical distribution box of the expansion system.

[0264] The electronic fuse of the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system uses the current-off threshold stored in the non-volatile memory 223. Thus, the current-off threshold of the electronic fuse can be changed according to the specific configuration of the electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system, which are connected downstream of the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system.

[0265] If the in Fig. When the operation shown in Figure 23 is carried out, the current cut-off threshold of the electronic fuse can be automatically updated to a suitable value according to the actual current consumption characteristics of the electronic devices 251 to 256 of the expansion system, which are connected downstream of the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system.

[0266] The following describes the characteristics of the in Fig. 20, Fig. 21, Fig. 22 to Fig. The 23 embodiments shown are briefly summarized.

[0267] The vehicle's internal system for connecting electronic devices is designed such that a multitude of electronic devices are connected to the vehicle's electrical system via the wiring harness (230) and such that power is supplied to each individual electronic device at least from the vehicle side. The vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices includes a power distribution section for the standard system (e.g., the standard system's power distribution box 220S), which is configured to distribute power from the vehicle's internal power supply (e.g., the main power supply 210) to supply power to a multitude of main lines (e.g., the power lines 231a, 231b) of a standard system (e.g., as part of the standard system's wiring harness 231), as well as a power distribution section for the extension system (e.g.,the power distribution box 220E of the expansion system), which is configured to distribute power from the power supply to supply power to a number of main lines (e.g., main lines 232a to 232f) of an expansion system (e.g., sub-harness 232 of the expansion system) of the wiring harness. With this configuration, even when a large number of optional electronic devices are connected, the number of wires forming the wiring harness can be reduced.

[0268] The power distribution section for the expansion system may include a switching section (e.g., the IPD 224) that is present for each of the multiple main lines of the expansion system of the wiring harness, and multiple electronic devices of the expansion system may be connected to the switching section via multiple main lines of the expansion system.

[0269] The power line of the electronic devices of the expansion system can subsequently be connected to the main line of the expansion system, so that the electronic device of the expansion system is wired to the main line of the expansion system.

[0270] Many electronic devices in an expansion system can include a first electronic device and a second electronic device. The first electronic device can be directly connected to the main line of the expansion system, while the second electronic device can be connected to the main line by subsequently connecting its power supply to the main line.

[0271] The vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices may include an electronic fuse located in the power distribution section for the extension system, configured to interrupt the current flowing through each of the multiple main lines of the wiring harness's extension system when the current exceeds an interruption threshold, and a memory section (e.g., non-volatile memory) that stores the interruption threshold data used by the electronic device.

[0272] Another embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to Fig. 24, Fig. 25, Fig. 26, Fig. 27, Fig. 28 to Fig. 29 described.

[0273] The present embodiment relates to an in-vehicle connection system for electronic devices, by which an electronic device of the extension system, which includes a load, a switch and / or a sensor, is connected to the electrical system of a vehicle.

[0274] The vehicle's internal electrical connection system includes a standard system electronic device, an extension system electronic device, a power line capable of supplying power to the electronic devices, a standard system control ECU configured to control the standard system electronic device, and an extension system control ECU configured to control the extension system electronic device. The extension system electronic device is wired to the power line to receive power. The extension system electronic device and the extension system control ECU are configured to send and receive signals to and from each other via wireless communication.The expansion system's control ECU is configured to send a control signal via wireless communication to control the expansion system's electronic device.

[0275] In this configuration, a communication channel used to control the (optional) electronic device of the expansion system can be implemented wirelessly. This eliminates the need to add a separate communication line for the optional electronic device. This simplifies the design of the main wiring harness, and therefore, even if different types of optional electronic devices are manufactured, the number of main wiring harness types required is significantly reduced.

[0276] The vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices may also include a main wiring harness with a common power line that can supply power to a variety of electronic devices. In this case, the electronic device of the expansion system is wired by retrofitting its power line to the common power line of the standard system, which includes the standard system's electronic device, the standard system's control ECU, and the main wiring harness.

[0277] In this configuration, a variety of electronic devices are all connected to the common power line of the main wiring harness. Therefore, even if a new (optional) electronic device of the expansion system is to be connected to the main wiring harness, no additional power supply wire needs to be added. Furthermore, a communication channel used to control the (optional) electronic device of the expansion system can be implemented wirelessly. This eliminates the need to add a separate communication line to the main wiring harness. This simplifies the design of the main wiring harness and significantly reduces the number of different main wiring harness types, even when various types of optional electronic devices are manufactured.Furthermore, various types of optional electronic devices can be retrofitted to the main wiring harness of a standard system.

[0278] In the present embodiment, the design of the wiring harness is simplified, thus reducing the number of wiring harness types. Furthermore, the subsequent installation of optional electronic devices is facilitated without necessarily requiring the more frequent and unnecessary installation of partial wiring harnesses.

[0279] Fig. Figure 24 shows an in-vehicle connection system for electronic devices of the present embodiment. In reality, a very large number of electronic devices are installed in a vehicle. However, to simplify understanding, Figure 24 shows a vehicle with a very large number of electronic devices. Fig. 24 the construction of only one main part.

[0280] At the in Fig. Figure 24 of the vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices shows electronic devices 330A and 330B (main devices) of the standard system, which are installed as standard equipment on a vehicle. Additionally, electronic devices 340A and 340B (auxiliary devices) of the extension system are present as optional electronic devices.

[0281] For example, the standard system's electronic devices 330A and 330B include essential electronic devices such as headlights and windshield wipers. The extended system's electronic devices 340A and 340B include safety devices and rear fog lights. This means that the standard system's electronic devices 330A and 330B are installed on all vehicles, while the extended system's electronic devices 340A and 340B are installed or omitted depending on the specific vehicle model, version, and target market (domestic, international, etc.).

[0282] At the in Fig. In the configuration shown in Figure 24, the electronic devices 330A and 330B of the standard system and the electronic devices 340A and 340B of the expansion system are connected by a main line cable harness 370. The main line cable harness 370 primarily serves to supply power to each electronic device and to transmit an electrical signal for standard system control.

[0283] In a basic configuration, the in Fig. Figure 24 shows the main wiring harness 370, comprising two power lines 370a and 370b, and two communication lines 370c and 370d. The outer surface of each of the two power lines 370a and 370b, as well as the two communication lines 370c and 370d, is enclosed with an electrically insulating sheath, thus preventing the power lines from coming into electrical contact with each other or with the environment. Furthermore, in some cases, the main wiring harness 370 contains a sub-harness (not shown).

[0284] The vehicle's main power supply 210 consists of a battery, generator (an AC generator), or similar device installed in the vehicle. Power (e.g., +12 V) supplied by the vehicle's main power supply 210 is distributed to a variety of systems inside the power distribution box 220 and then fed to the main wiring harness 370, which is connected downstream of the power distribution box 220. That is, power is supplied to each of the power lines 370a and 370b. The supplied currents can be managed independently for each system on power lines 370a and 370b.

[0285] At the in Fig. In the configuration shown in Figure 24, a power line 330Aa of the electronic device 330A of the standard system is connected to the power line 370a, and a power line 330Ba of the electronic device 330B for the standard system is connected to the power line 370b. Furthermore, a power line 340Aa of the electronic device 340A of the extension system is connected to the power line 370a at a position near the connection part 372a, and a power line 340Ba of the electronic device 340B of the extension system is connected to a power line 370b at a position near the connection part 372b.

[0286] Furthermore, a communication line 330Ab of the electronic device 330A of the standard system is connected to the communication line 370d of the main wiring harness 370, and a communication line 330Bb of the electronic device 330B of the standard system is connected to the communication line 370c. That is, a control ECU 350 (a main device ECU) of the standard system for controlling the electronic devices 330A and 330B of the standard system is connected to the electronic devices 330A and 330B of the standard system via the communication lines 370c and 370d of the main wiring harness 370.

[0287] Each of the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system includes a wireless communication function. A control ECU 360 of the expansion system (a control ECU for an add-on device), which controls the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system, includes a wireless communication interface (I / F) 380. That is, the control ECU 360 of the expansion system provides a wireless communication channel to each of the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system and can thus perform bidirectional data transmission for control purposes.

[0288] Thus, if the electronic device 340A or 340B of the expansion system is installed on a vehicle, if these power lines (40Aa, 40Ba) are only connected to the main wiring harness 370, the control ECU 360 of the expansion system can control the electronic device 340A or 340B of the expansion system.

[0289] This includes a standard system, which is designed to contain the electronic device 330A of the standard system, the control ECU 350 of the standard system and the main line wiring harness 370, and an extension system, which is designed to contain the electronic device 340A of the extension system, the control ECU 360 of the extension system and the main line wiring harness 370.

[0290] Any connection method, such as pressure contact, bonding, or welding, can be used for the electrical connection between power line 340Aa and power line 370a in connection part 372a. This also applies to the electrical connection between power line 340Ba and power line 370b in connection part 372b.

[0291] Furthermore, modes that can be used to establish a connection between the main wiring harness 370 and each of the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system include a mode in which the wires are connected together (W to W), a mode of connection via short wires (one connecting wire W / H), a mode of direct attachment of the electronic devices to the main wiring harness 370, and a mode of connection via the additional connecting elements 13 to 13N according to the embodiments listed above. With such a connection method, the optional electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system can be retrofitted.

[0292] Regarding the wireless communication standard of the 380 wireless communication interface, various communication standards can be used. For example, a standard specified in IEEE 802.15.1, i.e., Bluetooth (registered trademark), can be used.

[0293] The power supply required for the standard system's control ECU 350, the expansion system's control ECU 360, the wireless communication interface 380, and the like, is supplied from the output of the power distribution box 220 via a partial wiring harness (not shown).

[0294] The electronic device 330A of the standard system includes a load 331, a switch 332, a sensor 333, a power supply section 334, a control device 335, a wired communication interface 336, and a signal processing circuit 337. The presence or absence, or the number, of the load 331, the switch 332, and the sensor 333 specifically integrated into the electronic device 330A of the standard system varies as required. The electronic device 330B of the standard system has a similar structure.

[0295] A lamp, an electric motor, a relay, or the like can be used as a concrete example for the load 331. When power is supplied, the load 331 is controlled or operated. The control device 335 serves to control the power supply to the load 331. The control device 335 includes a switching element, such as a transistor, and can thus switch the power supply to the load 331 ON / OFF or control the duty cycle of the power supply in response to a control signal.

[0296] This means that when the switching element of the control unit 335 switches ON, the supply current, which is fed via the power line 370a, is supplied to the load 331 via the power line 330Aa, the power supply section 334, and the control unit 335. A control signal for controlling the load 331 is output by the control ECU 350 of the standard system and is input into the control unit 335 via the communication line 370d, the communication line 330Ab, and the wire communication interface 336. This can be done as with a broken line in Fig. As indicated in Figure 24, the control signal received via the wire communication interface 336 is entered into the control device 345 via the signal processing circuit 337.

[0297] For example, switch 332 outputs an electrical signal in response to user activation, causing it to switch ON / OFF. Sensor 333 outputs an electrical signal indicating a measured value, status, or the like in various forms. Signal processing circuit 337, for example, periodically processes the electrical signals output by switch 332 and sensor 333 to generate information suitable for data transmission.

[0298] The wired communication interface 336 establishes a data transmission channel to the control ECU 350 of the standard system via the communication lines 370d and 330Ab. Furthermore, the wired communication interface 336 receives the control signal output by the control ECU 350 of the standard system and makes the received signal available to the control device 335. Additionally, the wired communication interface 336 transmits various pieces of information output by the signal processing circuit 337 to the control ECU 350 of the standard system via data transmission.

[0299] In the Fig. In the configuration shown in Figure 24, the main wiring harness 370 does not include a ground wire. For example, the metal vehicle body is used as the earth or ground. This means that the ground side of the power supply for the electronic device 330A of the standard system is connected to the earth or ground point on the vehicle body via the ground wire 371.

[0300] The electronic device 340A of the expansion system includes a load 341, a switch 342, a sensor 343, a power supply section 344, a control unit 345, a wireless communication interface 346, and a signal processing circuit 347. The presence or absence, or the number, of the load 341, the switch 342, and the sensor 343 specifically integrated into the electronic device 340A of the expansion system varies depending on requirements. The electronic device 340B of the standard system has a similar structure.

[0301] A lamp, an electric motor, a relay, or the like can be used as a concrete example for the load 341. When power is supplied, the load 341 is controlled or operated. The control device 345 serves to control the power supply to the load 341. The control device 345 includes a switching element, such as a transistor, and can thus switch the power supply to the load 341 ON / OFF or control the duty cycle of the power supply in response to a control signal.

[0302] This means that when the switching element of the control unit 345 switches ON, the supply current, which is fed via the power line 370a, is supplied to the load 341 via the power line 340Aa, the power supply section 344, and the control unit 345. A control signal for controlling the load 341 is output by the control ECU 360 of the expansion system and is input into the control unit 345 via the wireless communication interface 380, the antenna 380a, the antenna 346a, and the wireless communication interface 346. This can be done as with a broken line in Fig. 24 indicates that the control signal received via the antenna 346a is entered into the control device 345 via the wireless communication interface 346 and the signal processing circuit 347.

[0303] In order to ensure a wireless communication channel between the wireless communication interface 346 and the wireless communication interface 380, the wireless communication interface 346 is designed to conform to the communication standard of the wireless communication interface 380.

[0304] For example, switch 342 outputs an electrical signal in response to user activation, causing it to switch ON / OFF. Sensor 343 outputs an electrical signal indicating a measured value, status, or the like in various forms. Signal processing circuit 347, for example, periodically processes the electrical signals output by switch 342 and sensor 343 to generate information suitable for data transmission.

[0305] The wireless communication interface 346 provides a data transmission channel between the control ECU 360 of the expansion system and the electronic device 340A via the wireless communication channel. Furthermore, the wireless communication interface 346 receives the control signal output by the control ECU 360 of the expansion system and makes the received signal available to the control device 345. Additionally, the wireless communication interface 346 transmits various pieces of information output by the signal processing circuit 347 to the control ECU 360 of the expansion system via data transmission.

[0306] In the Fig. In the configuration shown in Figure 24, the main wiring harness 370 does not include a ground wire. For example, the metal vehicle body is used as the earth or ground. This means that the ground side of the power supply for the electronic device 340A of the standard system is connected to the earth or ground point on the vehicle body via the ground wire 371.

[0307] Fig. Figure 25 shows the internal structure of the power distribution box 220, which includes the function of an electronic fuse. The power distribution box 220 includes intelligent power devices (IPDs) 224A and 224B, a microcomputer (CPU) 221, non-volatile memory 223, a voltage matching circuit 222, an input-side power line 225, and a connector 326.

[0308] The current (e.g., +12 V) supplied by the vehicle's main power supply 210 is fed via a main fuse 27 to the input-side power line 225 in the power distribution box 220. The output of the input-side power line 225 is branched to a multitude of systems. One system is connected via IPD 224A to the power line 370a of the main wiring harness 370. Another system is connected via IPD 224B to the power line 370b of the main wiring harness 370. This means that the current supplied to the input-side power line 225 is distributed to the multiple output systems (370a, 370b) and then individually output. Furthermore, part of the current from the input side current line 225 is also supplied to the input of the voltage matching circuit 222.

[0309] In addition to the element (a power MOSFET) for switching the power supply to the load, each of the IPD 224A and 224B contains peripheral circuits, such as an output current sensing function, a gate drive device, and different types of protection circuits.

[0310] The microcomputer 221 operates based on the current supplied by the voltage matching circuit 222 and thus executes a pre-defined program to implement a control function required in the power distribution box 220E. This control function also includes the function of an electronic fuse.

[0311] The microcomputer 221 is, as in Fig. Figure 1 shows the IPDs 224A and 224B connected to the non-volatile memory 223. The microcomputer 221 performs ON / OFF switching of the control signal or control of the duty cycle for the pulse output to each of the IPDs 224A and 224B in order to control the switching element of each IPD 224A to 224B, and can thus control the current flowing to the load side.

[0312] Furthermore, the microcomputer 221 continuously monitors the current flowing to the load side of each output system. If an overcurrent is detected, the microcomputer 221 opens the corresponding switching element to interrupt the current. In other words, the microcomputer 221 acts as an electronic fuse. The threshold value used to determine whether the monitored current is an overcurrent is written to the non-volatile memory 223 as overwritable data. The microcomputer 221 compares the value of the current detected by each of the IPDs 224A and 224B with the threshold value stored in the non-volatile memory 223 to determine whether the detected current is an overcurrent.

[0313] The non-volatile memory 223 consists, for example, of an electrically erasable, programmable read-only memory (an EEPROM) and can retain the written data independently, even without a supply current. Furthermore, the non-volatile memory 223 can also electrically erase the written data and overwrite it with new data. The non-volatile memory 223 of the present embodiment stores data that expresses the threshold for the electronic backup function.

[0314] That is, the non-volatile memory 223 stores the threshold value used to determine whether the magnitude of the load current flowing from the IPD 224A to the power line 370a is an overcurrent, as well as the threshold value used to determine whether the magnitude of the load current flowing from the IPD 224B to the power line 370b is an overcurrent.

[0315] The threshold data stored in non-volatile memory 223 are updated manually or automatically according to the current consumed in the specific configuration. For example, the overcurrent threshold, which serves as the condition for shutting down IPD 224A, is adjusted according to the current level and the current consumed by electronic device 330A of the standard system and electronic device 340A of the expansion system, which are actually connected to power line 370a. Furthermore, the overcurrent threshold, which serves as the condition for shutting down IPD 224B, is adjusted according to the current level and the current consumed by electronic device 330A of the standard system and electronic device 340A of the expansion system, which are actually connected to the main power line 370b.

[0316] From the supply voltage 220E supplied via the input side power line 225, the voltage matching circuit 222 generates electrical energy of stable DC voltage (e.g. +5 V) which is required for the circuits, such as the microcomputer 221.

[0317] The following are advantages of the in Fig. 24 and Fig. 25 vehicle-internal connection systems for electronic devices are listed.

[0318] If the optional electronic devices 340A and 340B of the expansion system are to be retrofitted to a vehicle that only has the standard electronic devices 330A and 330B installed, the additional connection can be made using the intact main wiring harness 370 in its standard configuration. This simplifies the connection process during retrofitting. Furthermore, adding various functions later is easy, thus increasing the vehicle's value.

[0319] A large number of electronic devices can all be connected using the same wire 370a, 370b. This reduces the number of wires 370a to 370d in the main wiring harness 370 of the standard configuration. Consequently, the number of main wiring harness types 370 that need to be manufactured in advance (identifiable by the number of parts) can be significantly reduced, thus achieving cost savings.

[0320] The main wiring harness 370 does not contain any special wires for connecting the optional electronic devices 340A and 340B of the expansion system. Therefore, in a vehicle whose specifications state that the electronic devices 340A and 340B of the expansion system are not connected, there are no superfluous components (such as wires and connectors) on the main wiring harness 370 that are unnecessary to install, thus reducing costs.

[0321] With regard to the function of an electronic fuse present in the electrical distribution box 220, the overcurrent threshold of each output system can be modified according to the number and specifications of the standard system electronic devices 330A and 330B, as well as the expansion system electronic devices 340A and 340B, which are connected to the main wiring harness 370. Therefore, the hardware configuration inside the electrical distribution box 220 does not need to be changed, regardless of the presence or absence of the expansion system electronic devices 340A and 340B, or any changes to their specifications.

[0322] The expansion system's control ECU 360 is connected to each of the expansion system's electronic devices 340A and 340B via a wireless communication channel. This reduces the number of connecting parts between the expansion system's electronic devices 340A and 340B and the main wiring harness 370, thereby reducing the number of wires in the main wiring harness 370. Consequently, the number of main wiring harness types 370 (identifiable by the number of parts) that need to be manufactured in advance can also be significantly reduced, resulting in cost savings.

[0323] Fig. Figure 26 shows a first modification of the configuration of the vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices. In the vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices, a ground wire 370gnd is present in the main wiring harness 370B, which is connected downstream from the power distribution box 220, instead of the power wire 370b.

[0324] Thus, the electronic devices 330A, 330B of the standard system and the power supply sections 334, 344 of the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the extension system are individually connected to the power line 370a and the ground line 370gnd of the main line cable harness 370.

[0325] Fig. Figure 27 shows a second modification of the configuration of the vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices described above. In this vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices, it is assumed that each of the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system consists of only a simple electrical component, such as a load 341, a switch 342, and a sensor 343.

[0326] A special adapter 390A of the expansion system is used to connect the electronic device 340A of the expansion system to the main wiring harness 370 and the control ECU 360 of the expansion system. Furthermore, a special adapter 390B of the expansion system is used to connect the electronic device 340B of the expansion system to the main wiring harness 370.

[0327] Similar to the one in Fig. The electronic device 340A of the expansion system shown in Figure 24 includes the adapter 390A of the expansion system, comprising a power supply section 344, a control unit 345, a wireless communication interface 346, and a signal processing circuit 347. The structure of the adapter 390B of the expansion system is identical to that of the adapter 390A of the expansion system.

[0328] When the adapter 390A or 390B of the expansion system is inserted between the main line wiring harness 370 and the electronic device 340A of the expansion system, as shown in Fig. Figure 37 shows that various electronic devices can be added to the vehicle's internal system.

[0329] Fig. Figure 28 shows a third variation of the configuration of the vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices. In this configuration, the vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices is provided with a plurality of power distribution boxes (one power distribution box 220 and one power distribution box 220'). The power distribution box 220 supplies power to the electronic devices 330A and 330B of the standard system via power lines 370a and 370b, and the power distribution box 220' supplies power to the electronic devices 340A and 340B of the extension system via power lines 370a' and 370b'. In the configuration shown in Figure 28, the power distribution box 220 provides power to the electronic devices 340A and 340B of the extension system via power lines 370a' and 370b'. Fig. In the vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices shown in Figure 28, the power lines 370a', 370b' are subsequently installed at the power distribution box 220' when the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system are used as electronic devices for expansion (addition). Thus, in a system where no expansion with the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system is carried out, the power lines 370a', 370b' are not present. Therefore, in a vehicle whose specifications state that the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system are not connected, there are no superfluous components (such as wires and connectors) whose installation is unnecessary, thus reducing costs.

[0330] Furthermore, in the Fig. The vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices, shown in Figure 28, allows the 220' electrical distribution box to be installed as standard, regardless of whether or not the expansion system includes electronic devices 340A and 340B. Alternatively, the 220' electrical distribution box can be added if the system is expanded (added) with electronic devices 340A and 340B. In the latter case, a vehicle whose specifications do not include the 340A and 340B electronic devices of the expansion system will not have a redundant electrical distribution box, thus reducing costs.

[0331] Fig. Figure 29 shows a fourth modification of the configuration of the vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices. In the vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices, the main wiring harness 370 includes two power lines 370a and 370b, two communication lines 370c and 370d, and two power lines 370a' and 370b'. Power (for example, +12 V) supplied to the vehicle's main power supply 210 is supplied to power lines 370a and 370b, as well as to power lines 370a' and 370b'. In this system, the power line 330Aa of the electronic device 330A of the standard system is connected to the power line 370a, and the power line 330Ba of the electronic device 330B of the standard system is connected to the power line 370b.Furthermore, the power line 340Aa of the electronic device 340A of the expansion system is connected to the power line 370a', and the power line 340Ba of the electronic device 340B of the expansion system is connected to the power line 370b'.

[0332] At the in Fig. In the vehicle-internal connection system for electronic devices shown in Figure 29, the power lines 370a', 370b' are subsequently installed at the power distribution box 220 when the system is expanded (added) with the electronic devices 340A, 340B. Thus, in a system where no expansion with the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system takes place, the power lines 370a', 370b' are not present. Therefore, in a vehicle whose specifications state that the electronic devices 340A, 340B of the expansion system are not connected, there are no superfluous components (such as wires and connectors) in the main wiring harness 370 that are unnecessary to install, thus reducing costs.Furthermore, in a vehicle whose specifications state that the electronic devices 340A and 340B of the expansion system are not connected, the wires for the electronic devices of the expansion system are not present in the main wiring harness 370. This allows the diameter of the main wiring harness 370 to be reduced.

[0333] The following describes the characteristics of the in Fig. 24, Fig. 25, Fig. 26, Fig. 27, Fig. 28 to Fig. The 29 embodiments shown are briefly summarized.

[0334] The vehicle's internal electrical connection system includes a standard system electronic device (330A), an extension system electronic device (340A), a power line (340Aa) capable of supplying power to the electronic devices, a standard system control ECU (350) configured to control the standard system electronic device, and an extension system control ECU (360) configured to control the extension system electronic device. The extension system electronic device is wired to the power line to receive power. The extension system electronic device and the extension system control ECU are configured to send and receive signals to and from each other via wireless communication.The expansion system's control ECU is configured to send a control signal via wireless communication to control the expansion system's electronic device.

[0335] The vehicle's internal connection system for electronic devices further includes a main wiring harness with a common power line that can supply power to a variety of electronic devices. The electronic device of the expansion system is wired to the common power line of the standard system by means of a subsequent connection of the power line (340Aa) of the electronic device of the expansion system. This common power line includes the electronic device of the standard system, the control ECU of the standard system, and the main wiring harness.

[0336] The characteristics of the in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6, Fig. 7, Fig. 8, Fig. 9, Fig. 10, Fig. 11, Fig. 12, Fig. 13, Fig. 14, Fig. 15, Fig. 16, Fig. 17, Fig. 18, Fig. 19, Fig. 20, Fig. 21, Fig. 22, Fig. 23, Fig. 24, Fig. 25, Fig. 26, Fig. 27, Fig. 28 to Fig. The 29 embodiments shown can be combined with each other.

Claims

[1] Vehicle wiring harness structure, which includes: a wiring harness (11) designed to connect a variety of main devices (19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 30, 330A, 330B) to be installed on general-purpose vehicles (17); at least one additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I), one end of which is branched to connect to a communication line (25) and / or a signal line (28) of the wiring harness (11), and the other end of which is configured to connect to at least one optional additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) to be retrofitted to the destination vehicles (17); and a control function section (15, 16) that is present in the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) to control the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B), wherein the at least one additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) comprises a first additional connecting element (13) configured to be connected to a first additional device (29), and a second additional connecting element (13I) configured to be connected to a second additional device (29C); characterized by , that The control function section (15, 16) present in the second additional connecting element (13I) includes a signal conversion section configured to receive information from the second additional device (29C) to generate a control signal for controlling a function of the first additional device (29) and converts the information into the control signal. [2] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 1, wherein the control function section (15, 16) comprises a signal generation section configured to receive a signal via the communication line (25) and to generate a control signal for controlling a function of the at least one auxiliary device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B). [3] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to one of claims 1 or 2, which further comprises a pressure contact part (33) which is connected to a conductor of the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) and is connected to a conductor of the wiring harness (11) by means of pressing, wherein the pressure contact part (33) and the control function section (15, 16) form a wiring harness branch connection mechanism (31) which is arranged to connect the wiring harness (11) and the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) together. [4] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 3, wherein the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) comprises an additional wiring harness (55A), a connector (47) on the side of the wiring harness (11) which is connected to the wiring harness branch connection mechanism (31) at one end of the additional wiring harness (55A) on one side of the wiring harness (11), and a connector (51) on the side of the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) which is configured to connect to the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) at another end of the additional wiring harness (55A) on one side of the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B). 340B). [5] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 1, wherein the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) comprises an additional wiring harness (55A) having a power line (23), wherein one end of the power line (23) is branched to connect to a power line of a wiring harness other than the wiring harness (11) and another end is arranged to connect to the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B). [6] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 1, further comprising: a junction box (120) which includes a first control section (119) configured to control main devices (19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 30, 330A, 330B) and a second control section (121) configured to control the auxiliary device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B); a first connector part (120a) present at the junction box (120) to connect the junction box (120) to one end of a first cable harness of the cable harness (11) connected to the main devices (19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 30, 330A, 330B); and a second connector part (120b) that is present at the junction box (120) to connect the junction box (120) to a second cable harness (12) of the cable harness (11) which contains the communication line (25) and / or a power line (23) to which one end of the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) is branched and connected by subsequent attachment. [7] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 6, wherein the junction box (120) comprises a first box part (171) which includes the first control section (119) and a second box part (173) which includes the second control section (121), wherein the second box part (173) can be attached to and separated from the first box part (171). [8] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a wiring harness branch connection mechanism (31) located at one end of the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) is connected by means of presses to a conductor of the communication line (25) and / or the power line (23) of the second wiring harness (12). [9] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 1, further comprising a transition device (140A) connected to a junction box (120) containing a first control section (119) configured to control the main devices (19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 30, 330A, 330B) controls, wherein the transition device (140A) is configured to forward data to be sent and received between vehicle internal networks, and the cable harness (11) includes the communication line (25) which is connected to the transition device (140A), and one end of the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) is branched to the communication line (25) by means of subsequent attachment. [10] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 9, wherein a wiring harness branch connection mechanism (31) located at one end of the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) is connected to a conductor of the communication line (25) by means of presses. [11] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 1, further comprising: a first power distribution section (220S) configured to distribute power from an internal vehicle power supply (210) such that the power is supplied to a plurality of power lines (231a, 231b) of a first wiring harness of the wiring harness (11) to which the plurality of main devices (19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 30, 330A, 330B) is connected; and a second power distribution section (220E) which is configured to distribute the power from the power supply (210) so that the power is supplied to a plurality of power lines of the second wiring harness (12) of the wiring harness (11) to which at least one auxiliary device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) is connected. [12] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 11, wherein the second power distribution section (220E) comprises a switching section (224) which is provided for each of the plurality of power lines of the second wiring harness (12), and the at least one auxiliary device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) includes a plurality of auxiliary devices (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) which are connected to the switching section (224) via the plurality of power lines of the second wiring harness (12). [13] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 12, wherein power lines of the auxiliary devices (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) are subsequently connected to the plurality of power lines of the second wiring harness (12) such that the auxiliary devices (29) are wired to the power lines of the second wiring harness (12). [14] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of auxiliary devices (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) includes a first electronic device (251(1)) of the extension system and a second electronic device (251(2)) of the extension system, wherein the first electronic device (251(1)) of the extension system is directly connected to the power line of the second wiring harness (12), and the second electronic device (251(2)) of the expansion system is wired to the power line of the second wiring harness (12) by means of a subsequent connection of a power line of the second electronic device (251(2)) of the expansion system to the power line of the second wiring harness (12). [15] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising: an electronic fuse (221) arranged in the second power distribution section (220E) and configured to cut off the current flowing through each of the plurality of power lines of the second wiring harness (12) when the current exceeds a cut-off threshold; and a memory section that stores data of the shutdown threshold used by the electronic fuse (221). [16] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 1, further comprising: a power line (340Aa); a control ECU (350) of the main devices (330A, 330B) configured to control the main devices (330A, 330B); and a control ECU (360) of the auxiliary device (340A, 340B) which is configured to control the auxiliary device (340A, 340B), wherein the auxiliary device (340A, 340B) is wired to the power line (340Aa) to receive power, and the auxiliary device (340A, 340B) and the control ECU (360) of the auxiliary device (340A, 340B) are configured to send and receive signals to each other via wireless communication, and the control ECU (360) of the auxiliary device (340A, 340B) is configured to send a control signal via wireless communication to control the auxiliary device (340A, 340B). [17] Vehicle wiring harness structure according to claim 16, wherein the wiring harness (11) comprises a common power line for a system that includes the main devices (20), the control ECU (350) of the main devices (330A, 330B) and the wiring harness (11), and a power line (23) to be connected to the auxiliary device (340A, 340B) is subsequently installed on the common power line (23) so that the auxiliary device (340A, 340B) is wired to the common power line (23). [18] Additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) comprising: an end having a cable harness branching connection mechanism (31) configured to branch the end to connect a communication line (25) and / or a signal line (28) of a cable harness (11) to which a plurality of main devices (20) to be installed on general-purpose vehicles (17) are connected; and another end having an accessory connection mechanism (61) configured to connect the other end of an accessory device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) to an optional accessory device (29) to be retrofitted to the destination vehicle (17), wherein a control function section (15, 16) configured to control the auxiliary device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) on which the cable harness branch connection mechanism (31) and / or the auxiliary device connection mechanism (61) is present, wherein the at least one additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) comprises a first additional connecting element (13) configured to be connected to a first additional device (29), and a second additional connecting element (13I) configured to be connected to a second additional device (29C); characterized by , that The control function section (15, 16) present in the second additional connecting element (13I) includes a signal conversion section configured to receive information from the second additional device (29C) to generate a control signal for controlling a function of the first additional device (29) and converts the information into the control signal. [19] Additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) according to claim 18, which further comprises a pressure contact part (33) which is connected to a connector (47) of the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) and is connected to a conductor of the cable harness (11) by means of pressing, wherein the pressure contact part (33) and the control function section (15, 16) form a cable harness branch connection mechanism (31). [20] Additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) according to claim 19, wherein the additional connecting element (13, 13A-13I) comprises an additional cable harness (55), the connector (47) on the side of the cable harness (11) which is connected to the cable harness branching connection mechanism (31) at one end of the additional cable harness (55) on one side of the cable harness (11), and a connector (51) on the side of the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) which is configured to connect to the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B) at another end of the additional cable harness (55) on one side of the additional device (29, 29A-29C, 251-256, 340A, 340B).

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