Wiring harness

Abstract

To improve assembly workability.SOLUTION: There are provided a harness body 10; connectors 21, 22, 23, 24 connected to respective mating connectors 511, 512, 513, 514 that are directly or indirectly fixed to brackets 521, 522, 523 at a lower end of a seat part 500 in a seat inside a cabin, that are provided to the harness body 10; and a plate member 30 assembled to the brackets 521, 522, 523 by delivering and fixing the harness body 10 to which the connectors 21, 22, 23, 24 are connected. The plate member 30 comprises through-holes 531 capable of performing a connecting operation to the mating connectors 511, 512, 513, 514 for the connectors 21, 22, 23, 24 at an assembly completion position with respect to the brackets 521, 522, 523, at which the connectors 21, 22, 23, 24 are arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, vehicles such as automobiles are provided with a wire harness for supplying power to electrical devices such as seat heater units in seats. In the seat, the electrical devices are attached to a seat frame or bracket at the lower end of the seat, and therefore the wire harness is routed below the seat. This type of wire harness is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 listed below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-224114 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional wire harnesses are exposed below the seat, and the harness body is protected by an exterior member such as a corrugated tube and then secured to the seat frame or brackets with clips or the like. Therefore, conventional wire harnesses require not only routing work below the seat, but also assembly work of the exterior member, clips, etc. Therefore, conventional wire harnesses have room for improvement in terms of assembly workability.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wire harness that can improve the ease of assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention comprises a harness main body, a connector provided on the harness main body and connected to a mating connector fixed directly or indirectly to a bracket at the lower end of a seat in a vehicle cabin, and a plate member for routing and fixing the harness main body to which the connector is connected and for assembling it to the bracket, wherein the plate member has a through hole in which the connector is arranged and which enables the connector to be connected to the mating connector when the connector is fully assembled to the bracket. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the wire harness according to the present invention, the harness main body is routed and fixed to a plate member, and the connector is disposed in the through hole of the plate member. Then, in this wire harness, the plate member is assembled to a bracket. In this state, in the wire harness, the mating connector is exposed from the through hole in which the connector is disposed. Therefore, in this wire harness, the connector is mated and connected to the mating connector using the through hole. In this way, the wire harness according to the present invention can improve the ease of assembly below the seat portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a wire harness according to an embodiment, showing a state in which assembly is completed under the seat portion. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the mating connector below the seat portion. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the harness fixing portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a wire harness according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0010] [Embodiment] One embodiment of a wire harness according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

[0011] 1 indicates a wire harness of this embodiment. This wire harness 1 is for supplying power to electrical devices installed in a seat of a vehicle such as an automobile, and is routed under a seat portion 500 of the seat.

[0012] The electrical equipment may be, for example, a seat heater unit that warms the seat surface of a seat in the vehicle cabin, or a control unit that moves the seat back and forth using the driving force of a motor. Under the seat in the vehicle cabin, for example, a mating connector is fixed directly or indirectly to a bracket fixed to the seat frame at the lower end of seat portion 500. In this example, a first mating connector 511 of a harness connected to the seat heater unit is fixed to a first bracket 521 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Also, in this example, a control unit 501 is fixed to a second bracket 522 (FIGS. 1 and 2). This control unit 501 is provided with a second mating connector 512 and a third mating connector 513. Also, in this example, a fourth mating connector 514 of a harness routed from the vehicle body side is fixed to a third bracket 523 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0013] The first mating connector 511 is fixed to the first bracket 521 on the floor side of the vehicle body. The control unit 501 (second mating connector 512, third mating connector 513) is fixed to the second bracket 522 on the floor side of the vehicle body. The fourth mating connector 514 is fixed to the third bracket 523 on the floor side of the vehicle body.

[0014] The wire harness 1 includes a harness body 10 (FIGS. 1 and 3). The wire harness 1 also includes a connector that is provided on the harness body 10 and that is connected to a mating connector under a seat in the vehicle interior.

[0015] The harness main body 10 is a bundle of multiple electric wires, such as power lines and communication lines. The harness main body 10 shown here has a trunk line 11 and multiple branch lines that branch off from the trunk line 11 and have connectors connected to their ends (FIGS. 1 and 3). The harness main body 10 has a first branch line 12 having a first connector 21 at its end that is mated with a first mating connector 511, a second branch line 13 having a second connector 22 at its end that is mated with a second mating connector 512, a third branch line 14 having a third connector 23 at its end that is mated with a third mating connector 513, and a fourth branch line 15 having a fourth connector 24 at its end that is mated with a fourth mating connector 514 (FIGS. 1 and 3). In the harness main body 10 shown here, the first branch line 12 and the fourth branch line 15 branch off from the main line 11 at the same branch point, and the second branch line 13 and the third branch line 14 branch off from the main line 11 at the same branch point.

[0016] The wire harness 1 also includes a plate member 30 for routing and fixing the harness main body 10 to which the connectors (first connector 21, second connector 22, third connector 23, fourth connector 24) are connected (FIGS. 1 and 3). After the harness main body 10 has been routed and fixed, the plate member 30 is assembled to a bracket (at least one of the first bracket 521, second bracket 522, and third bracket 523).

[0017] The plate member 30 is formed into a flat plate shape using an insulating material such as synthetic resin. One flat surface of the plate member 30 is used as a routing surface 30a (hereinafter referred to as the "harness routing surface") on which the harness main body 10 is routed (FIGS. 1 and 3). The plate member 30 is assembled to a bracket (at least one of a first bracket 521, a second bracket 522, and a third bracket 523) with the harness routing surface 30a facing the first mating connector 511, the control unit 501 (the second mating connector 512, the third mating connector 513), and the fourth mating connector 514. For example, the plate member 30 is assembled to the bracket as follows.

[0018] In this example, a through hole 531 is provided in a bracket (at least one of the first bracket 521, the second bracket 522, and the third bracket 523), and an anchor-shaped clip portion 31 is provided on the plate member 30, and the clip portion 31 is fitted into the through hole 531 to assemble the plate member 30 to the bracket (FIGS. 1 to 3). In the plate member 30, the clip portion 31 is provided in a protruding state on the harness routing surface 30a.

[0019] Here, plate member 30 is assembled to each of first bracket 521, second bracket 522, and third bracket 523. Therefore, first bracket 521, second bracket 522, and third bracket 523 are provided with flat plate portions 521a, 522a, and 523a, respectively, that are arranged on the same plane (FIGS. 1 and 2). In this example, two through holes 531 are formed in flat plate portion 521a, and one through hole 531 is formed in each of flat plate portions 522a and 523a. Next, clip portions 31 are provided in plate member 30 at locations corresponding to the respective through holes 531 when plate member 30 is in the completed assembly position with respect to the brackets (first bracket 521, second bracket 522, and third bracket 523).

[0020] Furthermore, the plate member 30 and the bracket (at least one of the first bracket 521, the second bracket 522, and the third bracket 523) may be fixed to each other by other types of fixing structures, such as screws, instead of the fixing structure using such a through hole 531 and clip portion 31.

[0021] The plate member 30 has through holes in which connectors (first connector 21, second connector 22, third connector 23, fourth connector 24) are arranged and which enable the connectors to be connected to their mating connectors (first mating connector 511, second mating connector 512, third mating connector 513, fourth mating connector 514) when the connectors are fully assembled to the brackets (first bracket 521, second bracket 522, third bracket 523).

[0022] This plate member 30 may be provided with a through hole for each of the multiple connectors (first connector 21, second connector 22, third connector 23, fourth connector 24), or may be provided with through holes according to the locations where the multiple connectors are arranged. The plate member 30 shown here is provided with a first through hole 32A in which the first connector 21 is arranged, a second through hole 32B in which the second connector 22 and the third connector 23 are arranged, and a third through hole 32C in which the fourth connector 24 is arranged (FIGS. 1 and 3).

[0023] Furthermore, the plate member 30 is formed in a cantilever shape that is flexible and has a fixed end on the harness routing surface 30a side, and has a pair of harness fixing parts 33 on the routing path of the harness main body 10, with free ends 33a in contact with or abutting each other, which fix the harness main body 10 by passing it through the space inside (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4). The pair of harness fixing parts 33 fix the harness main body 10 in the harness insertion path formed by the space by applying a reaction force associated with the flexible deformation to the harness main body 10.

[0024] The pair of harness fixing portions 33 are each formed in an arc shape extending from the fixed end along the free end 33a so that the free ends 33a contact each other to form a semi-arc shape (FIG. 4). As a result, the pair of harness fixing portions 33 form a harness insertion passage having a semi-arc-shaped outer periphery. For example, the harness routing surface 30a of the plate member 30 shown here has a semi-arc-shaped groove 34 formed along the routing path of the harness main body 10 (FIG. 4). The pair of harness fixing portions 33 shown here are formed so that the free ends 33a contact each other to form a semi-arc shape, and together with the semi-arc-shaped groove 34, form a circular harness insertion passage (FIG. 4). The harness main body 10 is inserted into the harness insertion passage through a gap between the free ends 33a formed by flexing and deforming the harness fixing portions 33.

[0025] In the plate member 30 shown here, a pair of harness fixing portions 33 is provided at the branch point of the first branch line 12 from the main line 11 and on the periphery of the first through hole 32A in the first branch line 12 ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ). In addition, in the plate member 30 shown here, a pair of harness fixing portions 33 is provided before and after the branch point of the second branch line 13 and the third branch line 14 in the main line 11 and on the periphery of the second through hole 32B ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ). In addition, in the plate member 30 shown here, a pair of harness fixing portions 33 is provided at the branch point of the fourth branch line 15 from the main line 11 and on the periphery of the third through hole 32C ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ). In the plate member 30 shown here, pairs of harness fixing portions 33 are further provided at multiple locations on the routing path of the main line 11 ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ).

[0026] Here, it is desirable that the free ends 33a of the pair of harness fixing portions 33 contact each other while the harness main body 10 is fixed, in order to prevent the harness main body 10 from slipping out of the harness insertion passage.

[0027] Furthermore, in order to improve the ease of removing the harness main body 10 from the harness insertion passage during maintenance or other operations, it is desirable that at least the portion 33b of each free end 33a of the pair of harness fixing portions 33, which is closer to the harness insertion passage than the contact point, be formed as an arcuate or spherical surface as shown below. The arcuate or spherical surface is continuous with the inner peripheral surface of the harness fixing portion 33 on the harness insertion passage side, and is designed to be less likely to intrude into the harness insertion passage than the semi-arcuate outer peripheral portion (semicircular arc outer peripheral portion in this example) ( FIG. 4 ). This prevents the pair of harness fixing portions 33 from getting caught at the free ends 33a when removing the harness main body 10, thereby improving the ease of removing the harness main body 10. In this example, each free end 33a is formed spherically.

[0028] In the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment shown above, the harness main body 10 is routed on the harness routing surface 30a of the plate member 30, and then the harness main body 10 is fixed by a pair of harness fixing portions 33 at each location. In this plate member 30, the first connector 21 is arranged in the first through hole 32A, the second connector 22 and the third connector 23 are arranged in the second through hole 32B, and the fourth connector 24 is arranged in the third through hole 32C.

[0029] Next, in the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, the plate member 30 is assembled to the brackets (first bracket 521, second bracket 522, third bracket 523) with the harness routing surface 30a facing the first mating connector 511, the control unit 501 (second mating connector 512, third mating connector 513), and the fourth mating connector 514.

[0030] In this state, in the wire harness 1, the first mating connector 511 is exposed from the first through hole 32A in which the first connector 21 is arranged, the second mating connector 512 and the third mating connector 513 are exposed from the second through hole 32B in which the second connector 22 and the third connector 23 are arranged, and the fourth mating connector 514 is exposed from the third through hole 32C in which the fourth connector 24 is arranged. Therefore, in this wire harness 1, the first connector 21 is mated and connected to the first mating connector 511 using the first through hole 32A, the second connector 22 is mated and connected to the second mating connector 512 and the third connector 23 is mated and connected to the third mating connector 513 using the second through hole 32B, and the fourth connector 24 is mated and connected to the fourth mating connector 514 using the third through hole 32C.

[0031] In this way, the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment can improve the ease of assembly work below the seat portion 500.

[0032] Furthermore, in the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, the harness main body 10 is covered by the plate member 30 below the seat portion 500, so the harness main body 10 can be protected without providing an exterior member such as a corrugated tube or protective tape on the harness main body 10. Furthermore, in the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, the pair of harness fixing portions 33 are integrally molded as part of the plate member 30, eliminating the need for band clips as separate components as in the past. Therefore, the wire harness 1 of this embodiment can improve assembly workability by reducing the number of components. For example, in the past, band clips were attached to a seat frame or bracket at the lower end of the seat portion 500, and the harness main body was fixed to the seat frame or bracket with these band clips. The wire harness 1 of this embodiment does not require such work.

[0033] Furthermore, as described above, the wire harness 1 of this embodiment can prevent the harness main body 10 from slipping out of the harness insertion passage by the pair of harness fixing portions 33, while also improving the workability when removing the harness main body 10 from the pair of harness fixing portions 33 during maintenance work, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1 Wire harness 10 Harness body 11 Main line 12 First Branch Line 13 Second Branch Line 14 Third Branch Line 15 Fourth Branch Line 21 First connector 22 Second connector 23 Third Connector 24 4th Connector 30 Plate members 30a Harness routing surface 33 Harness fixing part 33a free end 33b Harness insertion passage side 500 seat 511 First mating connector 512 Second mating connector 513 Third mating connector 514 4th mating connector 521 First Bracket 522 Second Bracket 523 Third Bracket 531 Through hole

Claims

1. A harness body, a connector provided on the harness body and connected to a mating connector fixed directly or indirectly to a bracket at a lower end of a seat portion of a vehicle seat; a plate member for routing and fixing the harness main body to which the connector is connected and for assembling the harness main body to the bracket; Equipped with The plate member has a through hole in which the connector is disposed and which allows the connector to be connected to the mating connector when the connector is in a position where assembly to the bracket is complete.

2. The plate member is formed in a cantilever shape that is flexible and deformable with the wiring surface side of the harness main body as a fixed end, and has a pair of harness fixing portions on the wiring path of the harness main body, the free ends of which are in contact with or abut against each other and which pass through and fix the harness main body in an inner space, 2. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the pair of harness fixing portions exert a reaction force, which is generated by a deflection deformation within the harness insertion passage defined by the space, on the harness main body.

3. The wire harness according to claim 2, wherein the pair of harness fixing portions are configured to bring the free ends into contact with each other in a state in which the harness body is fixed.

4. The pair of harness fixing portions are each formed in an arc shape from the fixed end along the free end so as to form a semi-arc shape with the free ends in contact with each other, thereby forming the harness insertion passage having the semi-arc shaped outer periphery, 3. The wire harness according to claim 2, wherein the free ends of the pair of harness fixing portions are formed as an arc-shaped surface or a spherical surface such that at least the portion of the free ends of the pair of harness fixing portions closer to the harness insertion passage than the contact points of each other is connected to the inner surface of the harness insertion passage side of the harness fixing portion and is prevented from penetrating further inward than the semi-arc-shaped outer periphery of the harness insertion passage.

5. 5. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the harness body includes a main line and a plurality of branch lines branching from the main line and having the connectors connected to their terminals.

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