Wiring harness

Abstract

To provide a wiring harness capable of improving the workability of fixing a terminal portion while suppressing buckling of the terminal portion.SOLUTION: A wiring harness 11 includes a solid core conductor 15 and a terminal portion 16 provided at the end of the solid core conductor 15. The terminal portion 16 is made of a second metallic material harder than a first metallic material constituting the solid core conductor 15, and is connected to the solid core conductor 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a wire harness that includes a solid core conductor that connects a vehicle's charging inlet connector and a battery (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This wire harness includes a terminal portion provided at an end of the solid core conductor. The terminal portion is forged from the solid core conductor. The terminal portion has a flat portion and a bolt fastening hole that passes through the flat portion, and is fastened to a connection target by a bolt that passes through the bolt fastening hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2023-517714 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described wire harness, the solid-core conductor itself must be made of a hard metal material to prevent the bolt-fastened terminal from buckling. Furthermore, particularly when the solid-core conductor connects a vehicle's charging inlet connector to a battery, the tolerances tend to increase as the solid-core conductor becomes longer. Furthermore, the long distance between the vehicle's charging inlet connector and the battery makes the relative positions of the connector and the battery prone to misalignment. For these reasons, the terminal must be fastened with a bolt while significantly bending the solid-core conductor made of a hard metal material with a large force. This resulted in poor workability in fastening the terminal.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a wire harness that can improve the workability of fixing the terminal portions while suppressing buckling of the terminal portions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The wire harness of the present disclosure is a wire harness comprising a solid core conductor and a terminal portion provided at an end of the solid core conductor, wherein the terminal portion is made of a second metal material harder than a first metal material constituting the solid core conductor and is connected to the solid core conductor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the wire harness of the present disclosure, the workability of fixing the terminal portions can be improved while suppressing buckling of the terminal portions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a wire harness, a charging inlet connector, and a battery in one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the wire harness according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. The wire harness of the present disclosure includes: [1] A wire harness comprising a solid core conductor and a terminal portion provided at an end of the solid core conductor, wherein the terminal portion is made of a second metal material harder than a first metal material constituting the solid core conductor and is connected to the solid core conductor.

[0010] According to this configuration, the terminal portion is made of a second metal material that is harder than the first metal material that makes up the solid-core conductor, which reduces buckling when fastened with a bolt, for example. And, the solid-core conductor is made of a first metal material that is softer than the second metal material that makes up the terminal portion, so it can be easily bent, which makes it easier to fasten the terminal with a bolt, for example.

[0011] [2] In the above [1], the first metallic material and the second metallic material may have the same main component. According to this configuration, the first metal material and the second metal material have the same main component, so that galvanic corrosion can be suppressed.

[0012] [3] In the above [1] or [2], the first metallic material may be 1000 series aluminum. According to this configuration, the first metal material is 1000 series aluminum, which is soft and can be made lighter than, for example, a metal whose main component is copper, and can also have high electrical conductivity.

[0013] [4] In any one of the above [1] to [3], the second metallic material may be a 6000 series aluminum alloy. According to this configuration, the second metal material is a 6000 series aluminum alloy, which is hard and can be made lighter than, for example, a metal whose main component is copper.

[0014] [5] In any one of the above [1] to [4], the terminal portion may have a bolt fastening hole. According to this configuration, the terminal portion has a bolt fastening hole, so that a bolt can be inserted into the bolt fastening hole, which in turn makes the bolt fastening operation easier.

[0015] [6] In any one of [1] to [5] above, the solid core conductor may connect a charging inlet connector of a vehicle to a battery. With this configuration, the solid-core conductor connects the vehicle's charging inlet connector and the battery, so it tends to be long and have large tolerances. Furthermore, the relative positions of the vehicle's charging inlet connector and the battery are easily misaligned. For these reasons, the solid-core conductor tends to bend significantly when the terminal is bolted. However, because the solid-core conductor is made of a soft first metal material, it can be easily bent, making it easier to bolt the terminal.

[0016] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the sensor member of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, for the sake of convenience, some of the configuration may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of each part may differ between drawings. In this specification, "parallel," "orthogonal," and "circular" do not only refer to strictly parallel, orthogonal, or circular, but also include approximately parallel, orthogonal, or circular within the scope of the effects of this embodiment. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0017] (Configuration of wire harness 11) 1, wire harness 11 is used to connect a vehicle's charging inlet connector 12 to a battery 13. An external charging cable (not shown) is connected to charging inlet connector 12. Wire harness 11 includes two shielded bus bars 14.

[0018] (Configuration of shield bus bar 14) As shown in FIG. 2, the shield bus bar 14 includes a solid core conductor 15, a terminal portion 16, an insulating layer 17, and a shield layer 18.

[0019] (Configuration of solid core conductor 15) The solid core conductor 15 is a single-core wire. The solid core conductor 15 is formed in an elongated shape with a circular cross section. Note that Fig. 2 shows only a first end portion in the longitudinal direction of the shield bus bar 14, and the second end portion opposite the first end portion is not shown because it has the same configuration as the first end portion.

[0020] (Configuration of terminal section 16) The terminal portion 16 is provided at an end of the solid-core conductor 15. The terminal portion 16 has a cylindrical joint portion 16a having an end face with the same shape as the end face of the solid-core conductor 15, a flat portion 16b extending from the joint portion 16a, and a bolt fastening hole 16c passing through the flat portion 16b. The terminal portion 16 is connected to the solid-core conductor 15 by joining the end face of the joint portion 16a to the end face of the solid-core conductor 15. The joint portion 16a is joined to the solid-core conductor 15 by, for example, friction stir welding (FSW) or electromagnetic pulse welding. The flat portion 16b of the terminal portion 16 is placed on a connection target (not shown), and the terminal portion 16 is bolted to the connection target by a bolt (not shown) inserted through the bolt fastening hole 16c. In this embodiment, the connection target is a connection terminal provided on the charging inlet connector 12 or the battery 13.

[0021] (Configuration of insulating layer 17) The insulating layer 17 covers the entire outer periphery of the solid core conductor 15. The insulating layer 17 covers almost the entire longitudinal length of the solid core conductor 15. The insulating layer 17 is made of an insulating resin material.

[0022] (Configuration of shield layer 18) The shield layer 18 covers the entire outer periphery of the insulating layer 17. The shield layer 18 covers the entire longitudinal portion of the insulating layer 17. The shield layer 18 is made of a metal material that has an electromagnetic shielding effect. For example, the shield layer 18 is made of a metal pipe, a braided wire, or the like.

[0023] Shield bus bar 14 is bent according to the shape of the vehicle body, etc., to connect charging inlet connector 12 and battery 13. Note that, while Fig. 1 schematically illustrates shield bus bar 14 as having a simple shape bent at a right angle in only one location, this is not limited thereto, and shield bus bar 14 may be bent in multiple locations or at different angles. Then, solid core conductor 15 connects charging inlet connector 12 and battery 13 by fastening terminal portion 16 to a connection target with a bolt.

[0024] Here, the terminal portion 16 is made of a second metal material that is harder than the first metal material that constitutes the solid-core conductor 15. In other words, the terminal portion 16 is made of a second metal material that has greater strength than the first metal material that constitutes the solid-core conductor 15. Note that the "strength" here refers to a value that indicates the amount of force that can be withstood per unit area without deformation. The material and shape of the terminal portion 16 are set so that it does not buckle when fastened with a bolt. Conversely, the solid-core conductor 15 is made of a first metal material that is softer than the second metal material that constitutes the terminal portion 16. In other words, the solid-core conductor 15 is made of a first metal material that has less strength than the second metal material that constitutes the terminal portion 16.

[0025] In this embodiment, the first metal material constituting the solid core conductor 15 and the second metal material constituting the terminal portion 16 have the same main component. Specifically, the first metal material constituting the solid core conductor 15 and the second metal material constituting the terminal portion 16 are both mainly composed of aluminum. More specifically, the first metal material is 1000 series aluminum, and the second metal material is a 6000 series aluminum alloy.

[0026] Next, the operation of the wire harness 11 configured as above will be described. For example, when bolting terminal portion 16 to a connection target, it may be necessary to bend solid core conductor 15 while bolting terminal portion 16 due to tolerances in solid core conductor 15 or misalignment between charging inlet connector 12 and battery 13. In this case, if the first metal material constituting solid core conductor 15 is hard, terminal portion 16 would be bent with a large force while bolting, but because solid core conductor 15 is made of a soft first metal material, it can be easily bent, making the bolting operation easier.

[0027] Next, the effects of the above embodiment will be described below. (1) Because the terminal portion 16 is made of a second metal material that is harder than the first metal material that constitutes the solid-core conductor 15, buckling is suppressed, for example, when the terminal portion 16 is fastened with a bolt. Furthermore, because the solid-core conductor 15 is made of a first metal material that is softer than the second metal material that constitutes the terminal portion 16, it can be easily flexed, making it easier to fasten the terminal portion 16 with a bolt. Furthermore, because the solid-core conductor 15 is made of a soft first metal material, the stress applied to the terminal portion 16 when the terminal portion 16 is fastened with a bolt can be kept small.

[0028] (2) The first metal material constituting the solid core conductor 15 and the second metal material constituting the terminal portion 16 have the same main component (aluminum), which makes it possible to suppress galvanic corrosion.

[0029] (3) The first metal material constituting the solid core conductor 15 is 1000 series aluminum, which is soft and can be made lighter than, for example, a metal whose main component is copper. In addition, the electrical conductivity can be increased.

[0030] (4) The second metal material constituting the terminal portion 16 is a 6000 series aluminum alloy, which is hard and can be made lighter than, for example, a metal whose main component is copper.

[0031] (5) The terminal portion 16 has the bolt fastening hole 16c, so that a bolt can be inserted into the bolt fastening hole 16c, which in turn makes the bolt fastening operation easier. (6) Because solid core conductor 15 connects charging inlet connector 12 and battery 13, it is prone to becoming longer and to larger tolerances. Furthermore, the relative positions of charging inlet connector 12 and battery 13 are also prone to shifting. For these reasons, solid core conductor 15 is likely to bend significantly when bolting terminal 16. However, because solid core conductor 15 is made of a soft first metal material, it can be easily bent, making it easier to bolt terminal 16.

[0032] This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility. In the above embodiment, the first metal material constituting the solid core conductor 15 and the second metal material constituting the terminal portion 16 have the same main component (aluminum), but this is not limited thereto and the main components may be different. For example, the main component of the first metal material may be aluminum, while the main component of the second metal material may be copper.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the first metal material constituting the solid core conductor 15 is 1000 series aluminum, but this is not limited to this and may be changed to another first metal material that is softer than the second metal material constituting the terminal portion 16.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the second metal material constituting the terminal portion 16 is a 6000 series aluminum alloy, but this is not limited to this and may be changed to another second metal material that is harder than the first metal material constituting the solid core conductor 15.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the terminal portion 16 has a flat portion 16b and a bolt fastening hole 16c, but this is not limited to this. For example, the terminal portion 16 may have a different shape and not have a bolt fastening hole 16c.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the solid core conductor 15 is used to connect the charging inlet connector 12 and the battery 13, but this is not limited to this, and the solid core conductor 15 may also be used to connect other electrical devices.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the wire harness 11 includes two shield bus bars 14 each having a solid core conductor 15, a terminal portion 16, an insulating layer 17, and a shield layer 18. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the wire harness 11 may not include the shield layer 18. Alternatively, for example, the wire harness 11 may include an outer insulating layer that further covers the outer periphery of the shield layer 18.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the first end and the second end in the longitudinal direction of the shield bus bar 14 have the same configuration, but this is not limited to this, and the first end and the second end may have different configurations.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the solid core conductor 15 has a circular cross-sectional shape. However, this is not limited to this, and the cross-sectional shape may be, for example, a square or elliptical shape, as long as it is a single-core wire.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the joint portion 16a is joined to the solid core conductor 15 by, for example, FSW or electromagnetic pulse joining, but this is not limited to this and the joint portion 16a may be connected to the solid core conductor 15 by other structures or methods, such as crimping or welding. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 11 Wire harness 12 Charging inlet connector 13 Battery 14 Shielded busbar 15 solid core conductor 16 Terminal section 16a Joint 16b Flat part 16c Bolt fastening hole 17 Insulating layer 18 Shielding Layer

Claims

1. A solid core conductor; A terminal portion provided at an end of the solid core conductor; A wire harness comprising: The terminal portion is made of a second metal material harder than a first metal material constituting the solid core conductor, and is connected to the solid core conductor. Wire harness.

2. The first metal material and the second metal material have the same main component. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

3. The first metallic material is 1000 series aluminum. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

4. The second metallic material is a 6000 series aluminum alloy. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

5. The terminal portion has a bolt fastening hole. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

6. The solid core conductor connects a vehicle's charging inlet connector to a battery. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

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