Holder and wiring harness

Abstract

To provide a holder and a wire harness that can improve workability.SOLUTION: A holder 1 includes: a holder cover 20 provided with a routing space part 25 in which a plurality of electric wires W are routed; a holder main body 10 that holds a joint connector 50 that connects connectors 2 provided at terminals of a plurality of branch line parts W2 that branch from a trunk line part W1 extending along an axial direction X among the plurality of electric wires W; and a hinge 30 that rotatably couples the holder cover 20 to the holder main body 10 between a joint work position P1 and a use position P2. When the holder cover 20 is at the joint working position P1, the wiring space part 25 is displaced in a width direction Y with respect to the joint connector 50. When the holder cover 20 is at the use position P2, it is positioned overlapping the joint connector 50 on one side in a height direction Z.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a holder and a wire harness.

Background Art

[0002] As a technology related to a holder of a conventional wire harness, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a holder cover provided with a wiring space portion in which a plurality of electric wires extending along the axial direction are wired, and a plurality of electric wires. A holder body that holds a joint connector connected to a connector provided at the terminal of a branch wire portion branched from a trunk line portion extending along the axial direction is disclosed.

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 holder described in Patent Document 1 described above, for example, there is room for further improvement in terms of improving the workability of the joint operation between the connector and the joint connector.

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

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the holder according to the present invention includes a holder cover provided with a wiring space portion in which a plurality of electric wires extending along the axial direction are wired, and a plurality of electric wires among the plurality of electric wires are branched from a trunk portion extending along the axial direction. A joint connector that connects connectors provided at the terminals of the branch wire portions, a holder body that holds the joint connector in a state where the connection port of the joint connector faces one side in the height direction intersecting the axial direction, and the holder body And a hinge that rotatably connects the holder cover between a joint working position and a use position, and the wiring space portion is in a state where the holder cover is in the joint working position. It is displaced in the width direction intersecting the axial direction and the height direction with respect to the joint connector, and when the holder cover is in the use position, it is positioned so as to overlap one side in the height direction with respect to the joint connector.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] In the holder and the wire harness according to the present invention, when the holder cover is in the joint working position, the wiring space portion is displaced in the width direction with respect to the joint connector, and when the holder cover is in the use position, the wiring space portion is displaced in the width direction. It can be arranged so as to overlap one side in the height direction with respect to the joint connector. As a result, the holder and the wire harness have an effect that the workability of the joint work between the connector and the joint connector can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments and modified examples according to 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 and modified examples. In addition, the components in the following embodiments and modified examples include those that can be replaced by those skilled in the art and are easy to replace, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] In addition, the embodiments and modified examples disclosed below include similar components. Therefore, hereinafter, those similar components will be given common reference numerals and duplicate descriptions will be omitted. Note that in this specification, ordinal numbers are used only for distinguishing parts, members, parts, positions, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0011] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness WH to which the holder 1 according to the embodiment is applied, and is a view of a state in which the holder cover 20 is in the joint working position P1. The holder 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is incorporated into a wire harness WH routed in a vehicle such as an automobile. Here, the wire harness WH is, for example, a collective component in which a plurality of electric wires W used for power supply and signal communication are bundled for connection between various devices mounted on the vehicle, and the plurality of electric wires W are connected to each device by a connector or the like. The wire harness WH of the present embodiment includes a plurality of conductive electric wires W and a holder 1 that holds the plurality of electric wires W. Note that the wire harness WH may further include various components such as grommets, electrical connection boxes, and fixtures.

[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 "axial direction X", the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y", and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z". Here, the axial direction X, the width direction Y, and the height direction Z are substantially orthogonal to each other. The axial direction X typically follows the extending direction of a plurality of electric wires W, the inserting direction of the plurality of electric wires W with respect to the holder 1, the longitudinal direction (extending direction) of the holder 1, etc. The width direction Y typically follows the width direction of the holder 1, the thickness direction of the joint connector 50 described later, etc. The height direction Z typically follows the height direction (vertical direction) of the holder 1 and the joint connector 50, etc. In addition, each direction used in the following description will be described as the direction in the state where the holder 1 is assembled to the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness WH includes, for example, a trunk line portion W1 extending along the axial direction X and a plurality of branch line portions W2 branching from the trunk line portion W1. The trunk line portion W1 is the main part of the wire harness WH and is formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires W. The trunk line portion W1 may include, for example, a portion where the most electric wires W in the wire harness WH are bundled, or a portion having the largest outer diameter in the wire harness WH. In FIGS. 1 to 3, for the sake of convenience, the illustration of the plurality of electric wires W constituting the trunk line portion W1 is simplified.

[0014] The branch line portion W2 is a sub-harness portion of the wire harness WH and is formed by a plurality of electric wires W branching from the trunk line portion W1. A connector 2 connected to the joint connector 50 is provided at each terminal of the branch line portion W2. The joint connector 50 is provided with a bus bar or the like for connecting the connectors 2 of the plurality of branch line portions W2, and the plurality of branch line portions W2 are electrically connected to each other via the joint connector 50. In FIG. 1, for the sake of convenience, the connector 2 is connected to two of the plurality of connection ports 51 of the joint connector 50, but actually, the connector 2 (branch line portion W2) is connected to each of the plurality (six) of connection ports 51.

[0015] A plurality of electric wires W are, for example, each linearly extending along the axial direction X and formed to extend with substantially the same diameter with respect to the axial direction X (extending direction). The electric wire W is configured to include a core wire and an insulating coating that covers the core wire. The electric wire W is, for example, formed such that the cross-sectional shape of the core wire (the cross-sectional shape intersecting the axial direction X) is substantially circular, and the cross-sectional shape of the insulating coating is substantially annular, and is formed into a substantially circular cross-sectional shape as a whole. In the present embodiment, the plurality of electric wires W are configured to have the same outer diameter as each other, but are not limited to this example. For example, the electric wire W constituting the branch wire portion W2 may be configured to have a different outer diameter from the plurality of electric wires W constituting the trunk wire portion W1.

[0016] The holder 1 is configured to include, for example, a holder main body 10, a holder cover 20, a hinge 30, and a lock portion 40. The holder main body 10 holds the joint connector 50. The holder main body 10 is provided with, for example, an internal space portion 16 that is open toward one side in the height direction Z and in which the joint connector 50 is held. The joint connector 50 is held in the internal space portion 16 with a plurality of connection ports 51 facing one side in the height direction Z. The connectors 2 provided at the terminals of the plurality of branch wire portions W2 described above are fitted and connected to the plurality of connection ports 51.

[0017] The holder cover 20 opens and closes the joint connector 50 (internal space portion 16) held by the holder main body 10 and is for routing a plurality of electric wires W along the axial direction X. The holder cover 20 has, for example, a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape and is provided with a wiring space portion 25 that extends along the axial direction X on the inside. The wiring space portion 25 is a space portion in which the trunk wire portion W1 having the plurality of electric wires W described above, the plurality of branch wire portions W2, and the like are routed. The holder cover 20 protects the plurality of electric wires W routed in the wiring space portion 25 and regulates the routing path of the plurality of electric wires W.

[0018] The hinge 30 rotatably connects the holder cover 20 to the holder body 10. The hinge 30 has, for example, a rotating shaft extending along the axial direction X. The holder cover 20 is rotated around the rotating shaft of the hinge 30 between a joint working position P1 (see FIG. 1) where the wiring space portion 25 is displaced to one side in the width direction Y with respect to the joint connector 50 and a use position P2 (see FIG. 2) where the wiring space portion 25 overlaps one side in the height direction Z with respect to the joint connector 50. The joint working position P1 is also referred to as an open position or the like, and the use position P2 is also referred to as a closed position or the like.

[0019] The locking portion 40 locks the holder cover 20 to the holder body 10 at the use position P2 (see FIG. 2). The locking portion 40 includes, for example, a locking portion 41 provided on the holder cover 20 and a locked portion 42 provided on the holder body 10. The locking portion 41 is formed in a claw shape at the end of the holder cover 20, and the locked portion 42 is formed in a locking hole shape provided at a position corresponding to the locking portion 41 of the holder body 10. The locking portion 41 has a locking surface 41a facing the locked portion 42 in the height direction Z. In a state where the holder cover 20 is at the use position P2, the locking surface 41a and the locked surface 42a of the locked portion 42 are locked in the height direction Z, whereby the holder cover 20 is locked to the holder body 10 at the use position P2.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wire harness WH to which the holder 1 according to the embodiment is applied, showing a state where the holder cover 20 is at the use position P2, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the holder 1 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holder body 10 includes, for example, a protruding portion 11, a pair of end wall portions 12, 14, a pair of side wall portions 13, 15, and a bottom wall portion 18 (see FIG. 3). The holder body 10 is integrally formed, for example, of synthetic resin or the like, with the protruding portion 11, the pair of end wall portions 12, 14, the pair of side wall portions 13, 15, and the bottom wall portion 18.

[0021] The protrusion 11, a pair of end wall portions 12, 14, a pair of side wall portions 13, 15, and the bottom wall portion 18 (see FIG. 3) are structures for partitioning the internal space portion 16 of the holder body 10. The internal space portion 16 is a space portion in which the above-described joint connector 50 is held. The protrusion 11 and the bottom wall portion 18 are located on the other side in the height direction Z of the internal space portion 16 and constitute the lower end portion of the holder body 10. The protrusion 11 protrudes, for example, from the bottom wall portion 18 toward the other side in the height direction Z and is formed to be narrower in the width direction Y with respect to the bottom wall portion 18. The other end portion in the height direction Z of the joint connector 50 is inserted into the protrusion 11, and the flange 52 (see FIG. 4) of the joint connector 50 is locked to the bottom wall portion 18.

[0022] A pair of end wall portions 12, 14 (see FIG. 2) are located on both sides in the axial direction X of the internal space portion 16. Both of the pair of end wall portions 12, 14 extend along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction X and are provided in parallel to each other with an interval in the axial direction X. The end wall portion 12 is provided at one end portion in the axial direction X of the protrusion 11 and the bottom wall portion 18 and constitutes the front end portion of the holder body 10. The end wall portion 14 is provided at the other end portion in the axial direction X of the protrusion 11 and the bottom wall portion 18 and constitutes the rear end portion of the holder body 10.

[0023] A pair of side wall portions 13, 15 (see FIG. 3) are located on both sides in the width direction Y of the internal space portion 16. Both of the pair of side wall portions 13, 15 extend along a direction orthogonal to the width direction Y and are provided in parallel to each other with an interval in the width direction Y. The side wall portion 13 is provided at one end portion in the width direction Y of the bottom wall portion 18 and constitutes the left end portion of the holder body 10. The side wall portion 15 is provided at the other end portion in the width direction Y of the bottom wall portion 18 and constitutes the right end portion of the holder body 10. The joint connector 50 is fixed to the side wall portion 13 via a clamp member 55 or the like.

[0024] The holder cover 20 is configured to include, for example, a top wall portion 21, a pair of side wall portions 22 and 23, and a pair of attachment piece portions 26 (see FIG. 2). The holder cover 20 is integrally formed, for example, of synthetic resin or the like, including the top wall portion 21, the pair of side wall portions 22 and 23, and the pair of attachment piece portions 26. The holder cover 20 has a substantially U-shaped cross section formed by the top wall portion 21 and the pair of side wall portions 22 and 23 that are connected to each other.

[0025] The top wall portion 21 and the pair of side wall portions 22 and 23 are structures for partitioning the wire routing space portion 25 of the holder cover 20. The wire routing space portion 25 is a space portion through which the plurality of electric wires W described above are inserted and routed. The top wall portion 21 is located on the other side in the height direction Z of the wire routing space portion 25 when the holder cover 20 is in the joint operation position P1 (see FIG. 1), and is located on one side in the height direction Z of the wire routing space portion 25 when the holder cover 20 is in the use position P2 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The top wall portion 21 is formed in a flat plate shape extending horizontally along the axial direction X.

[0026] Both of the pair of side wall portions 22 and 23 extend along a direction orthogonal to the width direction Y, and are provided in parallel to each other with a space therebetween in the width direction Y. The side wall portion 22 is located on one side in the width direction Y of the wire routing space portion 25 when the holder cover 20 is in the joint operation position P1, and is located on the other side in the width direction Y of the wire routing space portion 25 when the holder cover 20 is in the use position P2. Also, the side wall portion 23 is located on the other side in the width direction Y of the wire routing space portion 25 when the holder cover 20 is in the joint operation position P1, and is located on one side in the width direction Y of the wire routing space portion 25 when the holder cover 20 is in the use position P2.

[0027] The pair of mounting piece portions 26 are provided at both axial ends of the wire routing space portion 25 in the axial direction X. The pair of mounting piece portions 26 project from both axial ends of the top wall portion 21 and the side wall portion 22 in the axial direction X toward the sides that are spaced apart from each other along the axial direction X. The pair of mounting piece portions 26 have a substantially L-shaped cross section and cover a part of the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of electric wires W. The pair of mounting piece portions 26 function as a portion around which a bundling member 3 for bundling the plurality of electric wires W is wound. The bundling member 3 may be, for example, a bundling member such as a bundling band, a tape member such as an adhesive tape, or other members. The bundling member 3 fixes the plurality of electric wires W to the pair of mounting piece portions 26 by integrally bundling each of the plurality of electric wires W and the pair of mounting piece portions 26.

[0028] Here, in the present embodiment, in a state where the holder cover 20 is at the use position P2 (see FIG. 3), the wire routing space portion 25 is positioned overlapping one side in the height direction Z with respect to the joint connector 50 and is open toward the other side in the height direction Z and communicates with the internal space portion 16 of the holder main body 10. Further, in this state, a surplus length accommodation space portion 29 for accommodating a plurality of branch wire portions W2 branched from the above-described trunk line portion W1 and heading toward the joint connector 50 is provided between the wire routing space portion 25 and the joint connector 50.

[0029] The surplus length accommodation space portion 29 is a gap formed between the wire routing space portion 25 and the joint connector 50 and extending along the height direction Z. The surplus length accommodation space portion 29 is formed, for example, by a gap between the upper end portion on one side in the height direction Z of the holder main body 10 and the joint connector 50, a gap between the lower end portion on the other side in the height direction Z of the holder cover 20 and the trunk line portion W1 routed in the wire routing space portion 25, or the like. In the present embodiment, for example, the trunk line portion W1 is fixed closer to the top wall portion 21 side by the bundling member 3 wound around the pair of mounting piece portions 26 described above, thereby securing the surplus length accommodation space portion 29 between the wire routing space portion 25 and the joint connector 50. In the surplus length accommodation space portion 29, for example, a plurality of branch wire portions W2 having surplus lengths are accommodated in a bent form.

[0030] Also, in the present embodiment, when the holder cover 20 is in the joint working position P1 (see FIG. 1), the wiring space portion 25 is displaced in the width direction Y with respect to the joint connector 50 and is open toward one side in the same height direction Z as the connection port 51 of the joint connector 50. Thus, in the present embodiment, by rotatably connecting the holder cover 20 to the holder main body 10 between the joint working position P1 and the use position P2, the workability of the joint operation at the joint working position P1 is improved while the holder 1 used at the use position P2 is configured more compactly.

[0031] As described above, in the holder 1 and the wire harness WH of the present embodiment, when the holder cover 20 is in the joint working position P1, the wiring space portion 25 is arranged to be displaced in the width direction Y with respect to the joint connector 50, and when the holder cover 20 is in the use position P2, the wiring space portion 25 can be arranged to overlap with one side in the height direction Z with respect to the joint connector 50. As a result, the holder 1 and the wire harness WH can improve the workability of the joint operation between the connector 2 and the joint connector 50.

[0032] Also, in the holder 1 and the wire harness WH of the present embodiment, the wiring space portion 25 is open toward one side in the same height direction Z as the connection port 51 of the joint connector 50 when the holder cover 20 is in the joint working position P1. With this configuration, the holder 1 and the wire harness WH can, for example, also serve as a wire receiving jig for a plurality of electric wires W on a jig plate during the manufacturing process of the wire harness WH, and thus can further improve the workability of the joint operation.

[0033] Further, in the holder 1 and the wire harness WH of the present embodiment, in a state where the holder cover 20 is at the use position P2, there is a slack accommodation space 29 formed between the wiring space 25 and the joint connector 50. In a state where the holder cover 20 is at the use position P2, the main line portion W1 is wired in the wiring space 25, and a plurality of branch line portions W2 branching from the main line portion W1 and heading toward the joint connector 50 are accommodated in the slack accommodation space 29. With this configuration, the holder 1 and the wire harness WH can secure a space for accommodating the plurality of branch line portions W2 by, for example, the slack accommodation space 29. As a result, the plurality of branch line portions W2 can be more smoothly accommodated in the slack accommodation space 29 in a bent form with a slack.

[0034] Further, in the holder 1 and the wire harness WH of the present embodiment, the holder cover 20 is provided at both ends in the axial direction X of the wiring space 25 and has a pair of attachment piece portions 26 around which a bundling member 3 for bundling the plurality of electric wires W is wound. With this configuration, the holder 1 and the wire harness WH can relatively easily fix the plurality of electric wires W to the pair of attachment piece portions 26 by, for example, integrally bundling the plurality of electric wires W and each of the pair of attachment piece portions 26 with the bundling member 3.

[0035] [Modification Example] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wire harness WH to which the holder 1A according to the modification example is applied, and is a view in a state where the holder cover 20 is at the joint operation position P1. The holder 1A shown in FIG. 4 has the same configuration as the holder 1 of the above embodiment. Therefore, the holder 1A can obtain the same operations and effects as the above embodiment based on the same configuration.

[0036] However, in this modified example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is different from the above-described embodiment in that a pair of ribs 27 are provided on the holder cover 20. The pair of ribs 27 are provided, for example, at both ends in the axial direction X of the side wall portion 22 and project toward the wiring space portion 25 side. The pair of ribs 27 are provided at the upper end portion on one side in the height direction Z of the side wall portion 22 in a state where the holder cover 20 is at the joint working position P1, and suppress the lifting of the plurality of electric wires W.

[0037] Further, the pair of ribs 27 have, for example, a fitting detection function between the connector 2 (see FIG. 1) of the plurality of branch wire portions W2 and the joint connector 50. Specifically, in this modified example, when the connector 2 and the joint connector 50 are in a semi-fitted state, in a state where the holder cover 20 is at the above-described use position P2, the pair of ribs 27 are separated from the bottom wall portion 18 of the holder main body 10 on one side in the height direction Z, and the locking portion 41 and the locked portion 42 of the locking portion 40 are configured to be unable to be locked. The operator can detect the fitting state between the connector 2 and the joint connector 50 by checking the gap between the pair of ribs 27 and the bottom wall portion 18.

[0038] In this modified example, the claw-shaped locking portion 41 of the locking portion 40 is provided on the holder main body 10 side, and the locked portion 42 in the form of a locking hole of the locking portion 40 is provided on the holder cover 20 side. Further, in this modified example, the holder cover 20 is provided with a plurality of window portions 28 penetrating the side wall portion 22 in the width direction Y.

[0039] As described above, in the holder 1A of this modified example, the holder cover 20 projects toward the wiring space portion 25 side and has ribs 27 that suppress the lifting of the plurality of electric wires W. With this configuration, the holder 1A and the wire harness WH can suppress the lifting of the plurality of electric wires W by, for example, the ribs 27, and as a result, in a state where the holder cover 20 is at the use position P2, the plurality of electric wires W can be more appropriately wired in the wiring space portion 25.

[0040] In addition, in the above-described embodiment and modification, the case where a pair of attachment piece portions 26 are provided at both ends in the axial direction X of the holder cover 20 has been illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the attachment piece portion 26 may be provided only at one end in the axial direction X of the holder cover 20, or a pair of attachment piece portions 26 may not be provided at both ends in the axial direction X of the holder cover 20.

[0041] As described above, the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been illustrated. However, the above-described embodiments and modifications are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications 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, the specifications (structure, type, direction, form, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, etc.) of each component, shape, etc. can be appropriately changed and implemented.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0042] 1, 1A Holder 2 Connector 3 Binding Member 10 Holder Body 20 Holder Cover 25 Cable Arrangement Space Portion 26 Attachment Piece Portion 27 Rib 29 Excess Length Accommodation Space Portion 30 Hinge 50 Joint Connector 51 Connection Port P1 Joint Working Position P2 Use Position W Electric Wire W1 Trunk Line Portion W2 Branch Line Portion WH Wire Harness X Axial Direction Y Width Direction Z Height Direction

Claims

1. A holder cover provided with a wire routing space portion in which a plurality of electric wires extending along the axial direction are routed, A joint connector that connects connectors provided at the terminals of a plurality of branch wire portions branching from a trunk line portion extending along the axial direction among the plurality of electric wires, and a holder body that holds the joint connector in a state where the connection port of the joint connector faces one side in the height direction intersecting the axial direction, A hinge that rotatably connects the holder cover to the holder body between a joint working position and a use position, The wire routing space portion is positioned offset in the width direction intersecting the axial direction and the height direction with respect to the joint connector in a state where the holder cover is in the joint working position, and is positioned overlapping one side in the height direction with respect to the joint connector in a state where the holder cover is in the use position, Holder.

2. The wire routing space portion opens toward one side in the same height direction as the connection port of the joint connector in a state where the holder cover is in the joint working position, The holder according to claim 1.

3. In a state where the holder cover is in the use position, it has a slack accommodation space portion formed between the wire routing space portion and the joint connector, In a state where the holder cover is in the use position, the trunk line portion is routed in the wire routing space portion, and the plurality of branch wire portions branching from the trunk line portion and heading toward the joint connector are accommodated in the slack accommodation space portion, The holder according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The holder cover is provided at both axial ends of the wire routing space portion and has a pair of attachment piece portions around which a bundling member for bundling the plurality of electric wires is wound, The holder according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The holder cover has ribs that protrude toward the wire routing space portion side and suppress the lifting of the plurality of electric wires, The holder according to claim 1 or 2.

6. A plurality of electric wires extending along the axial direction, A holder for holding the plurality of electric wires, The holder is A holder cover provided with a wire routing space portion in which the plurality of electric wires are routed, A joint connector that connects connectors provided at the terminals of a plurality of branch wire portions branching from a trunk wire portion extending along the axial direction among the plurality of electric wires, and a holder body that holds the joint connector in a state where a connection port of the joint connector faces one side in the height direction intersecting the axial direction. A hinge that rotatably connects the holder cover to the holder body between a joint working position and a use position. The wiring space portion is displaced in the width direction intersecting the axial direction and the height direction with respect to the joint connector in a state where the holder cover is in the joint working position, and overlaps one side in the height direction with respect to the joint connector in a state where the holder cover is in the use position. Wire harness.

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