Wire harness and method for manufacturing wire harness

Abstract

To provide a wire harness or the like whose assembly workability is satisfactory, and assembly automation is also easy, and which can be easily installed to an automobile or the like.SOLUTION: A wire harness 1 is sectioned into a trunk line part 3 and a branch line part 5 connected to the trunk line part 3. In the trunk line part 3, cables 7 are severally disposed on an exterior member 9 of a plurality of layers; tips of the cables 7 are drawn out to the exterior member 9; and a connector 11 is connected to end parts of the cables 7. Thus, each layer is constituted of the substantially sheet-like or substantially plate-like exterior member 9, the plurality of cables 7 arranged on the exterior member 9, and the connector 11 which houses terminals connected to the end parts of the cables 7. This eliminates a need of using an assembly drawing board of the wire harness, and even a complicated wiring can be manufactured while dividing it into each layer. Therefore, manufacturability is satisfactory.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness or the like that is arranged in, for example, an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a wire harness used in an automobile or the like is arranged by bundling a large number of electric wires with terminals of a predetermined length, and each terminal is connected to a connector of an electrical device, etc. In this case, the wire harness has a complex branched structure since it is wired to various electrical devices.

[0003] Such a wire harness is formed into a predetermined shape, for example, by using a wire harness assembly board (assembly jig). For example, an assembly board has been proposed in which the wire guide punch is movable up and down to adjust the height position of the wire guide member, and a support member for supporting the wire guide punch is movable up and down (Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, with the wire guide member in the wire guide position, the wires are wired in sequence through the wire guide member to form a wire bundle.

[0004] Also, a method has been proposed in which a plurality of electric wires (linear transmission members) are arranged and fixed on a sheet-like member (Patent Document 2). In Patent Document 2, a second layer is partially arranged on a sheet-like first layer, and the linear transmission members arranged on the first and second layers are fixed to the first layer via the second layer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-105758 [Patent Document 2] JP 2023-17928 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a wire harness 100. The wire harness 100 is formed by bundling a plurality of cables 101, and each cable 101 is bundled or branched in a predetermined direction. A connector 103 for connecting to an electrical component is connected to the tip of each cable 101.

[0007] In the illustrated example, the wire harness 100 has, for example, a portion (part A in the figure) arranged on the reinforcement of an automobile, a portion (part B in the figure) arranged on the cowl side, and a portion (part C in the figure) arranged on the center brace. Cables 101 (connectors 103) arranged in each portion are connected to electrical components arranged in each portion.

[0008] However, in recent years, the number of cables 101 has increased due to an increase in the number of electrical components installed in automobiles, and the structure of the wire harness has become more complex. As a result, the assembly board for the wire harness has become larger, and the wiring of the cables has become more complex.

[0009] Furthermore, even for the same vehicle model, the arrangement of the connectors 103 (the number and arrangement of the cables 101) arranged on the cowl side or center bridge may differ depending on the grade and the presence or absence of options. In this case, it is necessary to form a different wire harness for each part number according to the grade and the presence or absence of options of each target vehicle. For this reason, even for wire harnesses 100 of the same vehicle model, the worker needs to change the arrangement and number of the cables 101 each time, which makes the work less efficient and difficult to automate.

[0010] In addition, for example, in the area where the cables are fixed to the reinforcement, many cables are bundled together, making them like a single extremely thick cable, which makes it difficult to bend and arrange them freely, and requires space for installing and maintaining the cables. If the cables are arranged on a sheet-like member as in Patent Document 2, the sheet-like member becomes large, making it difficult to secure the installation space.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a wire harness etc. which has good assembly workability, can be easily automated, and can be easily installed in an automobile etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first invention is a wire harness having a plurality of cables and a connector, wherein at least a portion of the wire harness is constructed by stacking a plurality of layers, each of the layers including a substantially sheet-shaped or plate-shaped exterior member, a plurality of cables arranged on the exterior member, and a connector that houses terminals connected to the ends of the cables.

[0013] The electrical wiring board may have a trunk portion and a branch portion connected to the trunk portion, the trunk portion having a layered structure having the exterior member and the connector, and the connector of the trunk portion may be connected to a branch portion connector provided on the branch portion.

[0014] The terminals may be connected to the cables by pressure welding, and the connectors in which the terminals are housed may be stacked and connected in each of the layers.

[0015] According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least a part of the wire harness (e.g., a trunk portion) is configured by laminating multiple layers of exterior members in which multiple cables are arranged. In this manner, the cables are wired on each exterior member, and these exterior members are laminated, so that even for complicated cable wiring, the cable wiring can be simplified on each exterior member. This provides good manufacturability and is easy to adapt to automation.

[0016] In addition, even if a large number of cables are installed, the cables can be installed separately in individual exterior members, making the device compact. In addition, since the exterior member is in a sheet or plate shape, it is easy to deform in the direction of its surface. Therefore, it is possible to install it along the curved surface of the part of the vehicle where it is to be installed.

[0017] Furthermore, by making it possible to connect the trunk and branch wires via a connector and giving the branch wires a conventional wire harness structure, only the branch wires, which differ for each vehicle model and option, are formed by conventional methods, and the trunk wires to which these are connected are manufactured as a laminated structure, which makes it easy to automate at least the trunk wires as a common part, and only the branch wires, which have various shapes that are difficult to automate, need to be formed individually, thereby making the manufacturing process efficient.

[0018] Furthermore, if the terminals connected to the cables are insulation displacement terminals, the cables and terminals can be connected by insulation displacement, so that, for example, it is possible to connect multiple cables together with multiple terminals arranged side by side. This makes automation easy. Furthermore, if it is possible to stack and connect connectors that house terminals in each layer, the same process can be repeated for each layer, and ultimately the connector can be used as an integrated connector in multiple rows and columns. This makes it easy to connect, for example, to other branch wires.

[0019] A second invention is a method for manufacturing a wire harness, comprising the steps of arranging a plurality of cables on a substantially sheet-shaped or plate-shaped exterior member and connecting terminals to the ends of the cables to form a layer in which the terminals are housed in a connector, and stacking another exterior member on the layer, arranging a plurality of cables on the exterior member and connecting terminals to the ends of the cables to form a layer in which the terminals are housed in a connector, and stacking another layer on the layer in which the plurality of cables are arranged on the exterior member and connecting terminals to the ends of the cables to form a layer in which the terminals are housed in a connector.

[0020] The terminal may be a pressure-displacement terminal, and with the pressure-displacement terminal disposed in the connector, wiring of the cable onto the exterior member and connection of the cable to the pressure-displacement terminal may be performed simultaneously.

[0021] According to the second aspect of the present invention, by forming a layer in which cables are arranged on an exterior member and a connector is connected, and by stacking a plurality of such layers to form at least a part of a wire harness, it is possible to simplify the wiring on each exterior member in each layer, even for complicated cable wiring, which makes it easy to manufacture and to be automated.

[0022] In addition, by using a pressure-displacement terminal to connect the cable and the terminal by pressure disposition, wiring of the cable onto the exterior member and connection of the cable to the pressure-displacement terminal can be performed simultaneously, which facilitates automation. Effect of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wire harness etc. which has good assembly workability, can be easily automated, and can be easily installed in an automobile etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a wire harness 1. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a manufacturing process of the wire harness 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a manufacturing process of the wire harness 1. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1A and 1B are conceptual diagrams showing the layered structure of connectors 11a and 11b. [Figure 6] 4 is a diagram showing a process of connecting the trunk line portion 3 and the branch line portion 5. FIG. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional wire harness 100. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a wire harness 1, and corresponds to Fig. 7. The wire harness 1 according to this embodiment has a plurality of cables and a plurality of connectors, similar to the conventional wire harness 100, but differs from the conventional wire harness 100 in that it is divided into a trunk portion 3 and branch portions 5 connected to the trunk portion 3. The trunk portion 3 of the wire harness 1 is configured by disposing a cable 7 on an exterior member 9.

[0026] In the wire harness 1, the cables 7 are disposed on multiple layers of exterior members 9, and the ends of the cables 7 are pulled out into the exterior members 9. Connectors 11 are connected to the ends of the cables 7 pulled out from the exterior members 9. The structure of the trunk portion 3 will be described in detail later, but the trunk portion 3 is made up of multiple layers, and the exterior members 9a, 9b, etc. constituting each layer are collectively referred to as the exterior member 9, and similarly, the cables 7a, 7b, etc. constituting each layer are collectively referred to as the cables 7, and the connectors 11a, 11b, etc. constituting each layer are collectively referred to as the connectors 11.

[0027] Branch line portion 5 has a configuration similar to that of a conventional wire harness, for example, in which multiple cables 15 are bundled together, and connectors 13, 17 are connected to both ends of each cable 15. Connector 13 (branch line portion connector) can be connected to connector 11 (trunk line portion connector) in trunk line portion 3, and connector 17 can be connected to other electrical equipment. Either of connectors 11, 13 may be a male terminal, and either may be a female terminal.

[0028] In this embodiment, the wire harness 1 is constructed as an integrated unit by connecting the connector 11 of the trunk portion 3 and the connector 13 of the branch portion 5. However, for example, only the trunk portion 3 and only each of the branch portions 5 when the connectors 11 and 13 are not connected may also be called a wire harness.

[0029] Furthermore, the number, arrangement, and shape of the cables constituting the wire harness 1 are not limited to those shown in the illustrated example. For example, the illustrated example is composed of a wire harness constituting one trunk portion 3 and a wire harness constituting three branch portions 5, but the number of branch portions 5 may be more than three, or may be just one. Also, in the illustrated example, each wire harness constituting the branch portion 5 is shown with three or four cables 15 for simplicity, but it may be composed of more than these cables 15.

[0030] Next, a method for manufacturing the wire harness 1 will be described. Fig. 2(a) is a diagram showing an exterior member 9a and a connector 11a. First, the exterior member 9a and the connector 11a are arranged at predetermined positions. The exterior member 9a is a substantially sheet-like or plate-like member, and the material is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a deformable member such as a resin or metal, or may be a foamed resin sheet. Note that the exterior member 9 does not have to be completely flat, and may have, for example, a predetermined uneven shape on the surface.

[0031] Next, as shown in Fig. 2(b), a plurality of cables 7a are arranged on the exterior member 9a, and the ends of the cables 7a are connected to terminals that are housed in the connector 11a beforehand. The cables 7a are fixed on the exterior member 9a by tape, adhesive, fusion, or the like, as necessary. The product in this state is referred to as the first layer 10a.

[0032] The step of placing the cable 7a on the exterior member 9a and the step of connecting the terminal (connector 11a) to the end of the cable 7a may be performed simultaneously or at different timings. For example, the cable 7a may be placed on the exterior member 9a first, and then the terminal (connector 11a) may be connected to the end of the cable 7a, or the terminal (connector 11a) may be connected to the end of the cable 7a first, and then the cable 7a with the terminal (connector 11a) may be placed on the exterior member 9a.

[0033] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of connector 11a. Connector 11a is provided with a plurality of terminal accommodating sections, and insulation displacement terminals 19 are disposed in each of the terminal accommodating sections. That is, the terminals connected to the ends of cable 7a are connected to cable 7a by insulation displacement. If the terminals are insulation displacement terminals 19 in this manner, cable 7a can be wired onto exterior member 9a and connected to insulation displacement terminals 19 simultaneously, with insulation displacement terminals 19 disposed in connector 11a beforehand. This process can also be easily automated.

[0034] It is not necessary to place the insulation displacement terminals 19 in all the terminal accommodating portions of the connector 11a, but they may be placed only in the portions to which the cables 7a are connected. In other words, the cables 7a do not have to be placed in all the terminal accommodating portions of the connector 11a. The structure of the connector 11a will be described in detail later.

[0035] Next, as shown in Fig. 4(a), another exterior member 9b is layered on the exterior member 9a of the first layer 10a. Also, another connector 11b is layered on the connector 11a of the first layer 10a. From this state, as shown in Fig. 4(b), similarly to the first layer 10a, multiple cables 7b are placed on the exterior member 9b, and pressure-displacement terminals 19 are connected to the ends of the cables 7b to form a second layer 10b in which the pressure-displacement terminals 19 are housed in the connectors 11b. That is, a second layer 10b having a similar structure is layered on top of the first layer 10a.

[0036] The exterior member 9b of the second layer 10b and the exterior member 9a of the first layer 10a may be joined by adhesion, fusion, etc. Also, the cable 7a of the first layer 10a and the exterior member 9b may be joined by adhesion, fusion, etc. on the back side of the exterior member 9b of the second layer 10b.

[0037] Fig. 5(a) is an exploded side view showing the stacked structure of connectors 11a, 11b (11), and Fig. 5(b) is an assembled side view. Connectors 11a, 11b have the same structure, and are provided with connecting portions 21a, 21b, respectively, in the stacking direction. For example, one of connecting portions 21a, 21b is an engagement portion, and the other is a locking claw that can engage with the engagement portion.

[0038] As described above, the connector 11 is open at the top, and the cable 7 is inserted from above to be crimped into the internal crimp terminal 19. As shown in Fig. 4(a), when the connector 11b is placed on the connector 11a, the connecting portion 21a of the upper connector 11b engages with the connecting portion 21a of the lower connector 11a, and the connectors 11a and 11b are connected. That is, in the step shown in Fig. 4(b), the cable 7b can be disposed and fixed to the exterior member 9b fixed on the exterior member 9a and the connector 11b fixed on the connector 11a.

[0039] Since the connector 11 is open at the top, a cover 23 is placed on the top as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b). The cover 23 has a connecting portion 21a, and is joined to the connector 11 placed at the top, so that the top of the connector 11 can be closed.

[0040] 6 is a diagram showing a process of connecting the branch line 5 to the trunk line 3 thus formed. The trunk line 3 is made up of multiple layers, and in order to protect the cable 7b on the uppermost exterior member 9b, another exterior member 9c may be placed and fixed on the exterior member 9b. In this way, it is possible to prevent the cable 7 from being exposed to the outside.

[0041] As described above, the branch line portion 5 can be manufactured by a conventional method. In this case, if the connector 13 has the same stacked connection structure as the connector 11, the connector 13 can be stacked in accordance with the number of stacked connectors 11. In other words, the connector 13 can be configured to have connection portions at the top and bottom in the stacking direction, and can also have a cover at the top as necessary.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the wire harness 1 is described as being composed of the first layer 10a and the second layer 10b, but the number of layers may be the third layer, the fourth layer, etc., and is not particularly limited. The number and arrangement of the connectors 11 connected to the branch line portion 5 are also not particularly limited. For example, instead of arranging all the connectors 11 on one side of the rectangular exterior member 9 as shown in the figure, some of the connectors 11 may be arranged to face in a different direction from the other connectors 11.

[0043] Moreover, the exterior member 9 does not have to be rectangular. For example, it may have another shape according to the shape of the arrangement of the automobile. Furthermore, holes or the like may be provided at predetermined positions of the exterior member 9 as a fixing portion to the automobile.

[0044] As described above, according to this embodiment, each of the first layer 10a and the second layer 10b is composed of a substantially sheet-like or plate-like exterior member 9, a plurality of cables 7 arranged on the exterior member 9, and a connector 11 that houses terminals connected to the ends of the cables 7. Therefore, there is no need to use an assembly board for the wire harness, and even complicated wiring can be manufactured separately for each layer. This results in good manufacturability.

[0045] In particular, by making the trunk portion 3 have a layered structure having an exterior member 9 and a connector 11, it is possible to thin the portion that would conventionally be the thickest. Also, since the connector 13 provided on the branch portion 5 is connected to the connector 11 of the trunk portion 3, even when the grade or options are different, for example, the trunk portion 3 can be used as a common portion by manufacturing and connecting only the branch portion 5 separately. Therefore, it is not necessary to manufacture the entire wire harness separately for each part number. Also, if only the branch portion 5 is used, it is possible to handle even a small assembly drawing board, which is efficient.

[0046] Furthermore, since the cables 7 can be arranged in each layer, even if an intersection of the cables 7 (a portion where the cables 7 overlap) is required depending on the arrangement of the connectors 11, the cables 7 can be laid out so that there are no intersections on each layer by arranging the intersecting cables 7 in different layers.

[0047] In addition, by doing so, each layer can be made to have a substantially uniform thickness, and therefore the laminated wire harness (main wire portion 3) can also have a substantially uniform thickness. Therefore, the main wire portion 3 can be easily bent for use.

[0048] For example, in the example shown in Fig. 1, the top and bottom or left and right ends of the trunk section 3 can be bent in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. In this case, the cables 7 do not cross, so there is no risk of breaking due to force being applied to the crossing points. Therefore, the cable can be easily deformed to fit the shape of the installation location in the car.

[0049] Furthermore, by using the pressure-displacement terminals 19, a plurality of cables 7 can be collectively connected to the respective pressure-displacement terminals 19. This results in good manufacturability and facilitates automation.

[0050] In addition, the connectors 11 that house the insulation displacement terminals 19 are stacked and connected in each layer. In this way, since the connectors 11 can be stacked and connected, the connectors 11 used to configure each layer can be integrated. This makes it easy to connect the branch wire portion 5 to the connector 13.

[0051] In this case, by arranging and fixing a cover 23 on the top of the connector 11, it is possible to prevent the connection portion between the cable 7 and the insulation displacement terminal 19 from being exposed to the outside.

[0052] Moreover, by disposing another exterior member 9 so as to cover the uppermost layer, it is possible to prevent the cable 7 in the uppermost layer from being exposed.

[0053] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0054] For example, although the branch wire portion 5 has been described as having a conventional structure (i.e., a structure in which a plurality of cables 15 are bundled together, rather than a laminated structure using an exterior member as in the trunk wire portion 3), the branch wire portion 5 may also have a laminated structure like the trunk wire portion 3. That is, as long as at least a portion of the wire harness is configured by laminating a plurality of layers, the configuration of the branch wire portion 5 is not particularly limited. Also, the trunk wire portion 3 itself may be divided into a plurality of portions, and the divided trunk wire portions 3 may be connected to each other by a connector.

[0055] Also, although an example has been described in which the terminal connected to the cable 7 is the insulation displacement terminal 19, the terminal may be a conventional crimp terminal. In this case, it becomes difficult to automate the connection between the terminal and the cable 7, but the cable 7 to which the terminal has been crimped in advance may be disposed on the exterior member 9, and the terminal may then be accommodated in the connector. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1...Wire harness 3. Main line 5……Branch line part 7, 7a, 7b………Cable 9, 9a, 9b, 9c... Exterior members 10a……1st layer 10b……Second layer 11, 11a, 11b………Connector 13...Connector 15………Cable 17………Connector 19………Crimp terminal 21a, 21b……Connection part 23………Cover 100………Wire harness 101………Cable 103………Connector

Claims

1. A wire harness having a plurality of cables and connectors, A wire harness, at least a portion of which is constructed by stacking a plurality of layers, each of which includes a substantially sheet-shaped or plate-shaped exterior member, a plurality of cables arranged on the exterior member, and a connector that houses terminals connected to the ends of the cables.

2. A wire includes a trunk portion and a branch portion connected to the trunk portion, the trunk portion has a layered structure including the exterior member and the connector, 2. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the connector of the trunk portion is connected to a branch portion connector provided on the branch portion.

3. 3. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the terminals are connected to the cables by crimping, and the connectors in which the terminals are housed are stacked and connected in each of the layers.

4. A method for manufacturing a wire harness, comprising: A step of arranging a plurality of cables on a substantially sheet-like or substantially plate-like exterior member and connecting terminals to ends of the cables to form a layer in which the terminals are housed in connectors; A method for manufacturing a wire harness, comprising stacking another exterior member on the layer, arranging a plurality of cables on the exterior member, and stacking another layer on the layer in which terminals are connected to the ends of the cables and the terminals are housed in a connector.

5. 5. The method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 4, wherein the terminal is an insulation displacement terminal, and with the insulation displacement terminal placed in the connector, wiring of the cable onto the exterior member and connection of the cable to the insulation displacement terminal are performed simultaneously.

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