Wire harness wiring structure

Abstract

To provide a wire harness wiring structure capable of improving the assemblability to a vehicle.SOLUTION: A wiring structure 1 of wire harness includes a flat type wiring material 10 which has flexibility and extends along a vehicle width direction Y, a sheet-like cover member 20 containing a back surface 21a to which the flat-type wiring material 10 is fixed and a surface 21b of the opposite side to the back surface 21a. Therein, the cover member 20 is fixed to an automotive body panel 110 so as to hold the flat type wiring material 10 between the automotive body panel 110 of a vehicle 100 and the cover member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wiring structure of a wire harness.

Background Art

[0002] As a technique related to a conventional wiring structure of a wire harness, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wiring structure of a wire harness including a flexible flat wiring material, a protector for protecting the flat wiring material, and a fixing member for fixing the protector to a mounting portion of a vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the wiring structure of the wire harness described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, for example, there is room for further improvement in terms of improving the assemblability to a vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a wiring structure of a wire harness capable of improving the assemblability to a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, a wiring structure of a wire harness according to the present invention includes a flexible flat wiring material and a cover member to which the flat wiring material is fixed, and the cover member is fixed to the vehicle body panel so as to sandwich the flat wiring material between the cover member and the vehicle body panel.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] In the wiring structure of the wire harness according to the present invention, a cover member to which a flat wiring material is fixed is fixed to the vehicle body panel with the flat wiring material sandwiched between the cover member and the vehicle body panel, whereby the flat wiring material constituting the wire harness can be assembled to the vehicle. As a result, the wiring structure of the wire harness has an effect of improving the assemblability to the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments. In addition, the constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be replaced by those skilled in the art and are easy to replace, or those that are substantially the same. In this specification, ordinal numbers are used only for distinguishing parts, members, parts, positions, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0010] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 100 to which a wiring structure 1 of a wire harness according to an embodiment is applied. The wiring structure 1 of the wire harness of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is applied to the vehicle 100 and is used to connect between the respective devices mounted on the vehicle 100 and for power supply and signal communication. The wiring structure 1 of the wire harness of the present embodiment is provided, for example, on a vehicle body panel 110 that constitutes at least a part of the dashboard 120. The dashboard 120 is a partition wall that separates the engine room 130 of the vehicle 100 from the interior of the vehicle (cabin) and constitutes a structural member (skeletal member) of the vehicle 100.

[0011] Here, in the present embodiment, the dashboard 120 is integrally formed, for example, with the peripheral panel 115 of the engine room 130 or the like. Thereby, the rigidity and strength of the dashboard 120 can be increased, and as a result, the vehicle body panel 110 can be constituted by a resin molded product. That is, in the present embodiment, the vehicle body panel 110 is constituted by a separate part from the metal dashboard 120. The vehicle body panel 110 is installed, for example, in a recess 121 formed in the dashboard 120 and is disposed inside the instrument panel of the vehicle 100.

[0012] In the following description, among the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction that intersect each other, the first direction is referred to as the "vehicle longitudinal direction X", the second direction is referred to as the "vehicle width direction Y", and the third direction is referred to as the "vehicle height direction Z". Here, the vehicle longitudinal direction X, the vehicle width direction Y, and the vehicle height direction Z are substantially orthogonal to each other. The vehicle longitudinal direction X typically corresponds to the entire length direction of the vehicle 100, the stacking direction of the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness, and the like. The vehicle width direction Y typically corresponds to the entire width direction of the vehicle 100, the longitudinal direction (extending direction) of the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness, and the like. The vehicle height direction Z typically corresponds to the vehicle height direction of the vehicle 100, the lateral direction of the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness, and the like. Note that each direction used in the following description will be described as the direction in the state where the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness is assembled to the vehicle 100 unless otherwise specified.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness in a state where the flat wiring material 10 and the cover member 20 are removed from the vehicle body panel 110. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness of the present embodiment includes, for example, a groove portion 111 formed in the vehicle body panel 110, a flat wiring material 10, and a cover member 20.

[0014] The groove portion 111 is a recess formed in the vehicle body panel 110 described above and extends along the vehicle width direction Y. The groove portion 111 is recessed from the inner surface of the vehicle body panel 110 toward the front side in the vehicle longitudinal direction X and is open toward the rear side in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. The groove portion 111 has a shape along the outer diameter shape of the flat wiring material 10, and the flat wiring material 10 is accommodated and routed along the vehicle width direction Y so as to crawl on the groove portion 111. In the present embodiment, a slight gap is provided between the groove portion 111 and the flat wiring material 10 in a state where the flat wiring material 10 is accommodated in the groove portion 111.

[0015] The groove portion 111 extends integrally along the vehicle width direction Y so as to span between the first ECU 40A (see FIG. 1) of the control device 40 provided at one end in the vehicle width direction Y and the second ECU 40E of the control device 40 provided at the other end in the vehicle width direction Y. In the present embodiment, the flat cable member 10 is provided with connectors 30 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) at both end portions 10a in the vehicle width direction Y. Then, the flat cable member 10 is connected to the first ECU 40A of the control device 40 via one connector 30, and is connected to the second ECU 40E of the control device 40 via the other connector 30.

[0016] Here, the first ECU 40A and the second ECU 40E are typically zone ECUs that comprehensively control devices in the peripheral region (zone) of the vehicle body panel 110, but are not limited thereto. In addition, other ECUs 40B to 40D of the control device 40 may be provided between the first ECU 40A and the second ECU 40E. In FIG. 1, for convenience, the cover member 20 is not shown.

[0017] The cover member 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) fixes the flat cable member 10 and covers the periphery of the flat cable member 10. The cover member 20 includes, for example, a cover body 21 and through holes 22 (see FIG. 6) provided at both end portions in the vehicle width direction Y of the cover body 21, which will be described later. The cover body 21 is formed in a rectangular sheet shape (thin plate shape) that is horizontally long in the vehicle width direction Y. The length of the cover body 21 along the vehicle width direction Y is substantially the same as the length of the groove portion 111 and the flat cable member 10 along the vehicle width direction Y, for example.

[0018] The cover body 21 has a back surface 21a facing the groove portion 111 of the vehicle body panel 110, and a front surface 21b facing the side opposite to the back surface 21a in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. On the back surface 21a, for example, the flat cable member 10 is fixed via an adhesive layer such as an adhesive or a double-sided tape. The width of the back surface 21a (cover body 21) along the vehicle height direction Z is set to be larger than the width of the groove portion 111 and the flat cable member 10 along the vehicle height direction Z. That is, the back surface 21a is configured to include a portion that overlaps with the peripheral edge portion of the groove portion 111 in the vehicle body panel 110 in the vehicle longitudinal direction X.

[0019] Further, the cover body 21 is constituted by, for example, a silencer 20A. The silencer 20A is a sound-absorbing material formed of, for example, a felt body (non-woven fabric) or the like, and has a sound insulation function of suppressing the sound in the engine room 130 outside the vehicle body panel 110 from entering the vehicle interior. The cover member 20 as the silencer 20A is fixed to the vehicle body panel 110 so as to sandwich the flat cable member 10 between the cover member 20 and the vehicle body panel 110.

[0020] At this time, in the present embodiment, the flat cable member 10 is housed in the groove portion 111 formed in the vehicle body panel 110 in a state of being fixed to the cover member 20. The cover member 20 is fixed to the inner surface of the vehicle body panel 110 via, for example, an adhesive layer such as an adhesive or a double-sided tape, or a fastening member or the like. Thus, in the present embodiment, the flat cable member 10 is not directly fixed to the vehicle body panel 110, but is fixed to the vehicle body panel 110 via the cover member 20.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the flat cable member 10 of the cable routing structure 1 of the wire harness. As shown in FIG. 4, the flat cable member 10 is a cable member that constitutes the wire harness, and is composed of, for example, FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits), FFC (Flexible Flat Cable), or the like. The flat cable member 10 is a thin and flexible flat cable member. The flat cable member 10 is formed in a rectangular shape that is horizontally long in the vehicle width direction Y as a whole. The flat cable member 10 includes, for example, a base film 11 (see FIG. 5), a wiring pattern 12, and a coverlay 13.

[0022] The base film 11 is a base material that is excellent in flexibility and defines the overall shape of the flat cable member 10. The base film 11 is formed of, for example, a polyimide resin or the like that is excellent in heat resistance. The wiring pattern 12 is laminated, for example, on the surface (mounting surface) of the base film 11 to form a plurality of conductor circuit portions (pattern layers). The wiring pattern 12 is formed of a conductive material such as copper foil and is printed as a printed circuit body on the surface of the base film 11. The coverlay 13 is laminated on the entire surface of the base film 11 via an adhesive (not shown) and functions as a protective layer that protects the conductor circuit portions of the wiring pattern 12 and the like.

[0023] In addition, the plurality of conductor circuit portions constituted by the wiring pattern 12 can function as any one of a signal circuit, a signal GND circuit, a power ground circuit, and the like, for example. The signal circuit is a circuit that transmits communication signals, for example, between the control device 40 and various in-vehicle devices such as various electronic devices in the vehicle 100. The signal GND circuit is electrically connected between the in-vehicle devices along with the signal circuit and adjusts the potential that serves as a reference for the circuit operation between the in-vehicle devices. The power ground circuit is a circuit that grounds the power supply system of the in-vehicle device.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the connection structure between the connector 30 of the wire harness routing structure 1 and the control device 40, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the connection structure between the connector 30 of the wire harness routing structure 1 and the control device 40. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the present embodiment, the flat cable member 10 has connectors 30 at both end portions 10a in the vehicle width direction Y. The cover member 20 is provided with through holes 22 (see FIG. 6) for exposing the connectors 30 at both end portions in the vehicle width direction Y.

[0025] The through hole 22 is an opening penetrating the cover member 20 along the vehicle longitudinal direction X and has a shape along the outer shape of the connector 30. The connector 30 is attached in a state of penetrating the through hole 22 with respect to the cover member 20 and protrudes toward the rear side (control device 40 side) in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. The connector 30 can be connected to, for example, the control device side connector 40a of the control device 40.

[0026] Here, in the present embodiment, the connector 30 and the control device side connector 40a are fitted in response to the fastening of the control device 40 to the vehicle body panel 110 by the fastening member 50. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the fastening member 50 includes a bolt 51 and a nut 52, and the control device 40 is provided with a flange 41 in which a through hole through which the bolt 51 is inserted along the vehicle longitudinal direction X is formed. The bolt 51 is, for example, attached in a state where the head portion 51a is locked to the outer surface of the vehicle body panel 110 (the surface opposite to the groove portion 111) and the shaft portion 51b penetrates the vehicle body panel 110 and the cover member 20.

[0027] Then, the bolt 51 protrudes from the vehicle body panel 110 toward the rear side (the control device 40 side) in the vehicle longitudinal direction X, and is fastened to the nut 52 while being inserted into a through hole formed in the flange 41 of the control device 40. Thereby, the bolt 51 functions as an assist bolt when the connector 30 and the control device side connector 40a are fitted, and thus the fitting operation between the connector 30 and the control device side connector 40a can be performed more easily or more smoothly. The fastening member 50 and the flange 41 are provided in a pair on both sides in the vehicle height direction Z so as to sandwich the connector 30 and the control device side connector 40a therebetween.

[0028] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the flat wiring material 10 of the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness. As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the flat wiring material 10 has a shape that is point-symmetrical to each other in a state where a pair thereof faces each other. That is, the flat wiring material 10 of the present embodiment (hereinafter, may be referred to as the flat wiring material 10A) is manufactured simultaneously with another flat wiring material 10B at the manufacturing stage, and these pair of flat wiring materials 10A and 10B are respectively mounted on different vehicles 100.

[0029] The pair of flat wiring materials 10A and 10B each have a first convex portion 10b and a second convex portion 10c at the ends in the vehicle height direction Z, for example. The protruding amount of the first convex portion 10b along the vehicle height direction Z is substantially the same as the protruding amount of the second convex portion 10c along the vehicle height direction Z. Further, the lateral width of the first convex portion 10b along the vehicle width direction Y is larger than the lateral width of the second convex portion 10c along the vehicle width direction Y. The first convex portion 10b and the second convex portion 10c function as connection portions to devices such as the above-described ECUs 40B to 40D, for example.

[0030] And when the pair of flat cable materials 10A and 10B are rotated 180° about the symmetry point C with respect to each other, the first convex portions 10b and the second convex portions 10c of the flat cable material 10A overlap with the first convex portions 10b and the second convex portions 10c of the flat cable material 10B. With this configuration, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness can, for example, improve the yield during the manufacture of the flat cable material 10, and thus reduce the labor and cost required for manufacturing the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness.

[0031] As described above, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness according to the present embodiment is configured to include the flat cable material 10. Therefore, a wire harness configured by the flat cable material 10 is lighter in weight compared to a wire harness in which various general electric wires are bundled. Here, when the above-described wiring structure 1 of the wire harness is installed in the vehicle 100, it is assumed that the length of the wire harness is about 1000 mm. If a wire harness of such a length is entirely composed of electric wires, the overall weight of the wire harness may increase. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, since the wire harness is configured to include the flat cable material 10, it is possible to cope with the enlargement of the wire harness while suppressing an increase in the overall weight of the wire harness.

[0032] Also, generally, a wire harness in which various electric wires are bundled is manufactured manually by an operator. On the other hand, since the flat cable material 10 can be manufactured by automation, the manufacturing man-hours of the wire harness can be reduced by configuring the wire harness with the flat cable material 10. Also, generally, in a large wire harness in which various electric wires are bundled, there are difficulties in transportation due to its weight. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, there are also advantages such as shortening the manufacturing days of, for example, the wire harness itself or the vehicle 100 using the wire harness, or making it less likely that the manufacturing location is limited, due to the flat cable material 10.

[0033] As described above, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness according to the present embodiment includes a flat wiring material 10 having flexibility and a cover member 20 to which the flat wiring material 10 is fixed. The cover member 20 is fixed to the vehicle body panel 110 of the vehicle 100 so as to sandwich the flat wiring material 10 therebetween. With this configuration, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness can assemble the flat wiring material 10 constituting the wire harness to the vehicle 100, for example, by fixing the cover member 20 to which the flat wiring material 10 is fixed to the vehicle body panel 110 so as to sandwich the flat wiring material 10 therebetween. As a result, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness can improve the assemblability to the vehicle 100.

[0034] Further, in the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness according to the present embodiment, the cover member 20 is constituted by a silencer 20A that suppresses the sound in the engine room 130 outside the vehicle body panel 110 from entering the vehicle interior. With this configuration, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness can obtain the desired soundproofing effect by the silencer 20A, for example, and can suppress the wear caused by the interference between the silencer 20A and the flat wiring material 10. As a result, there is an advantage that the exterior material of the flat wiring material 10 can be made unnecessary.

[0035] Further, in the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness according to the present embodiment, connectors 30 are provided at both end portions 10a (end portions) of the flat wiring material 10, and through holes 22 for exposing the connectors 30 are provided in the cover member 20. With this configuration, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness can cover the central portion (main body portion) of the flat wiring material 10 with the cover member 20 to more reliably protect it, and can expose the connectors 30 provided at both end portions 10a from the through holes 22 and connect them to devices such as the control device 40.

[0036] Also, in the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness according to the present embodiment, the connector 30 can be connected to the control device side connector 40a of the control device 40, and the connector 30 and the control device side connector 40a are fitted in response to the fastening of the control device 40 to the vehicle body panel 110 by the fastening member 50. With this configuration, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness functions, for example, as an assist bolt when the fastening member 50 fits the connector 30 and the control device side connector 40a, and thus the fitting operation of the connector 30 and the control device side connector 40a can be performed more easily or more smoothly.

[0037] Also, in the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness according to the present embodiment, the flat wiring material 10 has a shape that is point-symmetrical to each other in a state where a pair faces each other. With this configuration, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness can improve, for example, the yield during the manufacture of the flat wiring material 10, and thus can reduce the labor and cost required for the manufacture of the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness.

[0038] Also, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness according to the present embodiment includes a groove portion 111 formed in the vehicle body panel 110 for accommodating the flat wiring material 10. With this configuration, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness can further improve the assemblability of the flat wiring material 10 to the vehicle 100, for example, by covering the groove portion 111 with the cover member 20 in a state where the flat wiring material 10 is accommodated in the groove portion 111. Also, for example, the groove portion 111 can be formed relatively easily by the resin vehicle body panel 110, and wear caused by interference between the vehicle body panel 110 and the flat wiring material 10 can be suppressed. As a result, there is an advantage that the exterior material of the flat wiring material 10 can be made unnecessary.

[0039] In the present embodiment, an example is illustrated in which the groove portion 111 for accommodating the flat wiring material 10 is formed in the vehicle body panel 110. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the groove portion 111 for accommodating the flat wiring material 10 may not be provided in the vehicle body panel 110. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is illustrated in which the cover member 20 is constituted by the silencer 20A having a soundproofing function. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the cover member 20 may be constituted by a cover member 20 not having a soundproofing function.

[0040] Further, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness may be configured such that, for example, the vehicle body panel 110 having the groove portion 111 itself constitutes a part of the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness. That is, the wiring structure 1 of the wire harness may include, in addition to the flat wiring material 10 and the cover member 20, the vehicle body panel 110 (the vehicle body panel 110 installed in the recess 121 formed in the dash panel 120 of the vehicle 100) itself.

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated above, the above embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, combinations, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Further, each configuration, shape, etc. of the specifications (structure, type, direction, form, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, etc.) can be appropriately changed and implemented.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0042] 1 Wiring structure of wire harness 10 Flat wiring material 10a Both ends (ends) 20 Cover member 22 Through hole 20A Silencer 30 Connector 40 Control device 40a Control device side connector 50 Fastening member 100 Vehicle 110 Vehicle body panel 111 groove part 130 engine room

Claims

1. A flexible flat wiring material; A cover member to which the flat wiring material is fixed, The cover member is fixed to the vehicle body panel of the vehicle so as to sandwich the flat wiring material between the cover member and the vehicle body panel. Wire harness routing structure.

2. The cover member is configured as a silencer that suppresses sound from an engine compartment outside the vehicle body panel from entering the vehicle interior. The wiring harness arrangement structure according to claim 1 .

3. A connector is provided at an end of the flat wiring material, The cover member is provided with a through hole for exposing the connector.

3. The wiring harness arrangement structure according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The connector is connectable to a control device side connector of a control device, the connector and the control device side connector are fitted together in response to fastening of the control device to the vehicle body panel by a fastening member; The wiring harness arrangement structure according to claim 3.

5. The flat wiring materials have shapes that are point symmetrical with each other when a pair of them are faced to each other, 3. The wiring harness arrangement structure according to claim 1 or 2.

6. A groove portion is formed in the vehicle body panel and accommodates the flat wiring material.

3. The wiring harness arrangement structure according to claim 1 or 2.

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