Trunk line of wire harness and wire harness

Abstract

To provide a trunk line of a wire harness which improves expandability while coping with increase in size.SOLUTION: A trunk line 10 of a wire harness 1 includes a flexible printed wiring board 11 having a linear shape, and a plurality of connectors 12 installed on a first side end portion 11a and a second side end portion 11b of the flexible printed wiring board 11 with one or more connectors spaced apart from each other, respectively. Each of the plurality of connectors 12 has a structure that engages with an external connector attached to an external electric wire.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a main line of a wire harness and a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are wire harnesses installed in vehicles to supply power and transmit communication signals. Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to a flat harness that combines a flat cable (Flexible Flat Cable; FFC) and a flexible printed circuit (Flexible Printed Circuit; FPC). This flat harness can be used for both large current circuits and small current circuits by combining two types of wiring, FFC and FPC. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-203431 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The flat harness disclosed in Patent Document 1 is structurally difficult to enlarge, and the FFC and FPC are integrated with each other, resulting in low expandability.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems inherent in the conventional art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a main line of a wire harness and a wire harness that can accommodate larger sizes and have improved expandability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The main line of a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a linear flexible printed wiring board and a plurality of connectors, one or more of which are installed at intervals on each side end of the flexible printed wiring board, and each of the plurality of connectors is structured to engage with an external connector attached to a branch line made up of an external electric wire.

[0007] A wire harness according to another aspect of the present invention includes a main wire and a plurality of branch wires electrically connected to the main wire, the main wire being the main wire of the above-described wire harness, and the plurality of branch wires each being composed of an electric wire having an external connector attached to one end thereof that engages with a connector provided on the main wire. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a main line of a wire harness and a wire harness that can accommodate an increase in size and improve expandability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of installation of a wire harness according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wire harness according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a main line of a wire harness according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wire harness according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a wire harness according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the main line of the wire harness and the wire harness according to each embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0011] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of arrangement of a wire harness 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the configuration of the wire harness 1. The wire harness 1 is a wiring component that is arranged in a vehicle such as an automobile and provides electrical continuity between a plurality of on-board devices.

[0012] In this embodiment, the wire harness 1 is attached to a cross car beam 111 installed inside an instrument panel 100 of an automobile, as an example. The instrument panel 100 is an interior panel arranged at the front of the vehicle interior along the width direction of the vehicle so as to face the driver's seat and the passenger seat. In FIG. 1, the instrument panel 100 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The cross car beam 111 is made of a hollow metal pipe and is a reinforcing member installed along the width direction of the vehicle. Flanges 112 are joined to both ends of the cross car beam 111. One flange 112 is fastened to the left front pillar of the automobile with a bolt, and the other flange 112 is fastened to the right front pillar with a bolt. In FIG. 1, the front pillars are not shown.

[0013] The wire harness 1 includes a main line 10 and a plurality of branch lines such as a first branch line 13.

[0014] 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the backbone 10. The backbone 10 includes an FPC 11 and a plurality of connectors 12. Here, FPC is an abbreviation for Flexible Printed Circuits.

[0015] The FPC 11 is a thin, highly flexible printed circuit board. The FPC 11 includes a base film 11f, a pattern layer 11g, and a coverlay 11h. The base film 11f is a highly flexible substrate that defines the overall shape of the FPC 11. The base film 11f is formed, for example, from a polyimide resin that is highly heat-resistant. The pattern layer 11g is laminated on a portion of at least one main surface of the base film 11f and forms a plurality of conductor circuits. The pattern layer 11g is formed, for example, from copper foil. The coverlay 11h is laminated on the entire surface of the base film 11f, i.e., on the base film 11f or the pattern layer 11g, via an adhesive (not shown), and is a protective layer that protects the pattern layer 11g and the like.

[0016] The FPC 11 has a linear shape with a defined planar shape and a length L and width W. Here, the length L corresponds to the length of the FPC 11 in the longitudinal direction. The FPC 11 has two side edges, a first side edge 11a and a second side edge 11b, each extending along the longitudinal direction. The second side edge 11b is located on the opposite side of the first side edge 11a in the width direction. The length L is in the range of 500 mm to 1500 mm. The width W is in the range of 40 mm to 100 mm.

[0017] The plurality of connectors 12 are provided at least one each at the first end 11a and the second end 11b of the FPC 11. The trunk line 10 includes, for example, twelve connectors 12. The first connector 12a, the second connector 12b, the third connector 12c, and the fourth connector 12d are provided at intervals from one another at the first end 11a. Meanwhile, the fifth connector 12e, the sixth connector 12f, the seventh connector 12g, the eighth connector 12h, the ninth connector 12i, the tenth connector 12j, the eleventh connector 12k, and the twelfth connector 12m are provided at intervals from one another at the second end 11b. Each of these connectors 12 is configured to engage with one of the external connectors attached to each of the plurality of branch lines. The specifications of each connector 12, such as the number of poles, or the arrangement of each connector 12 on the FPC 11, can be appropriately changed to suit the installation position of the wire harness 1 in a vehicle, etc.

[0018] Each connector 12 is electrically connected to the pattern layer 11g of the FPC 11. The multiple conductor circuits formed by the pattern layer 11g can each function as a signal circuit, a signal GND circuit, a power earth circuit, or the like. The signal circuit transmits communication signals between on-board devices. The signal GND circuit is associated with the signal circuit, provides electrical continuity between on-board devices, and matches the reference potential for circuit operation between the on-board devices. The power earth circuit grounds the power supply system of the on-board device.

[0019] Each of the multiple branch lines is an electric wire having one end connected to one of multiple connectors 12 provided on trunk line 10 and the other end connected to each electronic device, etc. In this embodiment, as an example, there are nine branch lines: first branch line 13, second branch line 14, third branch line 15, fourth branch line 16, fifth branch line 17, sixth branch line 18, seventh branch line 19, eighth branch line 20, and ninth branch line 21.

[0020] Each branch line includes an external connector that engages with one of the connectors 12 of the trunk line 10, a branch end portion that is connected to each electronic device, etc., and an electric wire that connects the external connector and the branch end portion. The electric wire in this embodiment is a metallic linear member that conducts electricity and is not an FPC. Furthermore, the branch end portion in this embodiment can be selected according to the type or number of electric wires, and may be, for example, a joint connector such as a multi-core connector, or a crimp terminal. Furthermore, the branch end portion in this embodiment may be a junction block, a relay block, etc.

[0021] For example, the first branch line 13 includes a first electric wire 13a, a first external connector 13b, and a first branch end 13c. The first electric wires 13a are plural, corresponding to the two first branch ends 13c having different shapes. These first electric wires 13a may be power lines, signal lines, power earth lines, or the like. The first electric wires 13a may be protected by an exterior protective member such as a vinyl tube or adhesive tape. Alternatively, the first electric wires 13a may be bundled together using a cable tie (not shown). The first external connector 13b is configured to engage with the first connector 12a of the trunk line 10.

[0022] On the other hand, for example, the eighth branch line 20 connected to the trunk line 10 via the tenth connector 12j provided at the second side end 11b may also include an eighth electric wire 20a, an eighth external connector 20b, and an eighth branch end portion 20c, similar to the configuration of the first branch line 13. The eighth external connector 20b has a structure that engages with the tenth connector 12j of the trunk line 10.

[0023] Furthermore, the configuration of each branch line is not limited to the example of the first branch line 13, but may be, for example, the second branch line 14, the fifth branch line 17, or the seventh branch line 19.

[0024] The second branch line 14 includes a second electric wire 14a, a second external connector 14b, and a second branch end portion 14c. Each of the two second branch end portions 14c may have a simpler configuration than the first branch end portion 13c. The second external connector 14b has a structure for engaging with the second connector 12b of the trunk line 10. However, the engaging structure between the second connector 12b and the second external connector 14b may be smaller than the engaging structure between the first connector 12a and the first external connector 13b.

[0025] Meanwhile, for example, the third branch wire 15 connected to the trunk line 10 via the third connector 12c may also include a third electric wire 15a, a third external connector 15b, and a third branch end 15c, similar to the configuration of the second branch wire 14. The third external connector 15b has a structure that engages with the third connector 12c of the trunk line 10. Similarly to the configuration of the second branch wire 14, the fourth branch wire 16 may also include a fourth electric wire 16a, a fourth external connector 16b that engages with the fourth connector 12d of the trunk line 10, and a fourth branch end 16c. Furthermore, similar to the configuration of the second branch wire 14, the sixth branch wire 18 may also include a sixth electric wire 18a, a sixth external connector 18b that engages with the seventh connector 12g of the trunk line 10, and a sixth branch end 18c.

[0026] The fifth branch wire 17 includes a fifth wire 17a, a fifth external connector 17b, and a fifth branch end portion 17c. In the fifth branch wire 17, the number of fifth branch end portions 17c is greater than the number of first branch end portions 13c of the first branch wire 13. In addition, in the fifth branch wire 17, the number of fifth external connectors 17b is greater than the number of first external connectors 13b of the first branch wire 13. In the example of the fifth branch wire 17, there are two fifth external connectors 17b. In this case, one fifth external connector 17b is structured to engage with the fifth connector 12e, and the other fifth external connector 17b is structured to engage with the sixth connector 12f adjacent to the fifth connector 12e.

[0027] Meanwhile, for example, the ninth branch line 21 connected to the trunk line 10 via the eleventh connector 12k and the twelfth connector 12m may also include a ninth electric wire 21a, two ninth external connectors 21b, and three ninth branch end portions 21c, similar to the configuration of the fifth branch line 17. In this case, one ninth external connector 21b has a structure for engaging with the eleventh connector 12k, and the other ninth external connector 21b has a structure for engaging with the twelfth connector 12m adjacent to the eleventh connector 12k.

[0028] The seventh branch wire 19 includes seventh electric wires 19a, a seventh external connector 19b, and a seventh branch end portion 19c. In the seventh branch wire 19, the number of seventh electric wires 19a is greater than the number of first electric wires 13a of the first branch wire 13. In addition, in the seventh branch wire 19, the number of seventh external connectors 19b is greater than the number of first external connectors 13b of the first branch wire 13. In the example of the seventh branch wire 19, there are two seventh external connectors 19b. In this case, one seventh external connector 19b has a structure to engage with the eighth connector 12h, and the other seventh external connector 19b has a structure to engage with the ninth connector 12i adjacent to the eighth connector 12h.

[0029] Here, the first branch wire 13, the second branch wire 14, the third branch wire 15, or the fourth branch wire 16 routed from the first side end portion 11a of the FPC 11 to the driver's seat side or the passenger seat side may be connected to an electrical component such as a meter panel or an air conditioner attached to the instrument panel 100. Meanwhile, the fifth branch wire 17, the sixth branch wire 18, the seventh branch wire 19, the eighth branch wire 20, or the ninth branch wire 21 routed from the second side end portion 11b of the FPC 11 to the engine compartment side may be connected to a main battery, various control boxes, or the like.

[0030] Next, the effects of the main line 10 of the wire harness 1 and the wire harness 1 including the main line 10 will be described.

[0031] The trunk 10 of the wire harness 1 according to this embodiment includes a linear FPC 11 and a plurality of connectors 12, one or more of which are installed at each of a first side end 11a and a second side end 11b, which are both side ends of the FPC 11. Each of the plurality of connectors 12 has a structure for engaging with an external connector attached to an external electric wire.

[0032] Here, the external electric wires correspond to the branch wires such as the first branch wire 13 illustrated above that are provided in the wire harness 1. The external connectors correspond to the first external connectors 13b illustrated above that are attached to the respective branch wires.

[0033] The wire harness 1 according to this embodiment includes a main line 10 and a plurality of branch lines, such as a first branch line 13, which are electrically connected to the main line 10. Each of the plurality of branch lines is formed of an electric wire having an external connector attached to one end thereof, which is adapted to engage with a connector 12 provided on the main line 10.

[0034] First, in this embodiment, the trunk 10 of the wire harness 1 is configured not by an electric wire but by an FPC 11. Therefore, the trunk 10 configured by the FPC 11 is lighter than a trunk made of a general bundle of various electric wires. Here, when the wire harness 1 is installed in a vehicle as in the above example, it is assumed that the length L of the trunk 10 will be approximately 1000 mm. Here, if a trunk of such a length were configured entirely by electric wires, the weight of the trunk 10 itself and, ultimately, the entire wire harness would increase significantly. In contrast, according to the trunk 10 or the wire harness 1, the longer the length L is set, the greater the degree of weight reduction of the trunk 10 or the entire wire harness 1. Therefore, it is possible to easily accommodate an increase in the size of the wire harness 1 while suppressing an increase in weight.

[0035] For example, as illustrated above, assume that the wire harness 1 is mounted inside the instrument panel 100. Generally, a large wire harness mounted inside the instrument panel 100 in this manner includes many branch wires corresponding to various devices such as meters, air conditioners, and audio equipment, and is therefore heavier than wire harnesses mounted in other locations of the vehicle. Furthermore, in such a large wire harness, some branch wires may include connectors, such as joint connectors, that are not actually used. In contrast, the wire harness 1 according to the present embodiment can connect appropriate branch wires that include only necessary connectors, thereby eliminating the need for branch wires that include spare connectors that are not actually used. Therefore, the wire harness 1 according to the present embodiment can be approximately 30% lighter in weight than a typical wire harness that includes a trunk wire formed by bundling various electric wires.

[0036] Generally, in a large wire harness having a trunk in which various electric wires are bundled, it may be structurally difficult to use thin electric wires with an allowable current value of about several mA as branch wires. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the trunk 10 is thin overall and is formed by the FPC 11 including the fine pattern layer 11g, so it is easy to adopt a structure for connecting branch wires made of thin electric wires that fall within the above current range.

[0037] Generally, wire harnesses having a trunk line in which various electric wires are bundled are manually manufactured by workers. In contrast, the FPC 11 can be manufactured automatically. Therefore, by configuring the trunk line 10 with the FPC 11, the number of steps required to manufacture the trunk line 10 can be reduced, and therefore the number of steps required to manufacture the wire harness 1 can also be reduced.

[0038] In addition, in this embodiment, external electric wires, i.e., branch wires, are connected to the trunk wire 10 via the connector 12, and therefore can be freely attached and detached to and from the trunk wire 10. Therefore, in the final process of manufacturing the wire harness 1, a worker simply connects multiple branch wires prepared in advance to the trunk wire 10. For example, a worker can assemble the entire wire harness 1 by first attaching the trunk wire 10, before the branch wires are connected, to the cross car beam 111, and then connecting each branch wire to the trunk wire 10. This can contribute to reducing the design man-hours for the wire harness 1 and facilitating the manufacturing process of a vehicle employing the wire harness 1. Furthermore, the trunk wire 10 and the wire harness 1 allow only the branch wires to be replaced for one trunk wire 10. Therefore, if one branch wire is damaged, only the damaged branch wire can be easily replaced. On the other hand, by using a common trunk wire 10 and appropriately changing only the desired branch wires, various wire harnesses 1 each employing different types or lengths of branch wires can be easily constructed. Furthermore, it is possible to provide an expansion function as a so-called add-on, which adds a new function after assembly that was not set in the wire harness 1 when it was assembled into the vehicle. When the trunk line 10 made up of the FPC 11 is attached to the cross car beam 111, it may be attached via a protector that covers and protects the entire trunk line 10.

[0039] Furthermore, the ability to freely attach and detach branch wires to and from the trunk wire 10 offers the following advantages. First, the wire harness 1 allows the trunk wire 10 and multiple branch wires to be managed with their own unique product numbers. For example, as a comparative example, consider a case in which multiple general wire harnesses exist, each differing from the other only in the length of a certain branch wire. In this case, the multiple wire harnesses 1 are managed with different product numbers. In contrast, the wire harness 1 allows each branch wire of a different length to be assigned a product number, while the common trunk wire 10 is managed with a single product number. This makes it possible to easily increase the variety of branch wire changes and contributes to simplifying the management of labor hours required for changing the configuration of the wire harness 1. Second, large wire harnesses having trunk wires in which various types of electric wires are bundled generally have difficulties in transportation due to their weight. In contrast, with the wire harness 1, the trunk 10 and the branch wires can be transported separately, which has the advantage of, for example, shortening the number of days required to manufacture the wire harness 1 itself or the vehicle using the wire harness 1, or making it less likely that the manufacturing location will be limited. Thirdly, with the wire harness 1, the branch wires can be manufactured independently of the trunk 10, so they may be manufactured by an automatic machine rather than by manual labor by a worker. In other words, with the wire harness 1, both the trunk 10 made up of the FPC 11 and the branch wires made up of electric wires, i.e., the entire wire harness 1, can be manufactured by an automatic machine, which is advantageous for reducing costs, for example.

[0040] In the present embodiment, the FPC 11 has a linear shape, which makes it easy to adapt the trunk line 10 and the wire harness 1 to various attachment portions inside a vehicle. Furthermore, since the FPC 11 has a linear shape, even if the FPC 11 is long, such as having a length L of about 1000 mm, it can be more easily manufactured by an FPC manufacturing device.

[0041] In this embodiment, one or more of the connectors 12 are provided at each of the first side end 11a and the second side end 11b, so that the trunk 10 can connect the branch wires from opposite sides to each other. Therefore, when the wire harness 1 is installed in a vehicle as in the above example, the trunk 10 can increase the number of branch wires that can be connected and can increase the variety of configurations of the wire harness 1.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each of the multiple connectors 12 has a structure that engages with an external connector attached to an external electric wire. In other words, the external electric wire, i.e., the branch wire, itself maintains a structure similar to that of the branch wire of a general wire harness, so that the wire harness 1 can be easily used as a substitute for a general wire harness that is composed entirely of electric wires.

[0043] As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the trunk 10 of the wire harness 1 and the wire harness 1 that can accommodate an increase in size and improve expandability.

[0044] In addition, in the backbone 10, the length L of the FPC 11 may be in the range of 500 mm to 1500 mm, and the width W of the FPC 11 may be in the range of 40 mm to 100 mm.

[0045] This trunk line 10 is particularly suitable for installing the wire harness 1 inside a vehicle as in the above example. Furthermore, the wire harness 1 including the trunk line 10 can be more widely used as a substitute for a general wire harness that is made up entirely of electric wires, since the length L and width W of the FPC 11 can be set within the above ranges.

[0046] (Second embodiment) In the wire harness 1 according to the first embodiment, only a trunk line 10 constituted by an FPC 11 is used as the trunk line. In contrast, in the wire harness 2 according to the second embodiment, in addition to the FPC 11, an auxiliary wiring 22 that can further function as a part of the trunk line is used.

[0047] Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration example of the wire harness 2. Fig. 4 is drawn corresponding to Fig. 2 showing the configuration example of the wire harness 1 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, among the components of the wire harness 2, the same components as those of the wire harness 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0048] The wire harness 2 includes auxiliary wiring 22 configured by an electric wire. The position where the auxiliary wiring 22 is arranged in the wire harness 2 is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as an example, the auxiliary wiring 22 is arranged between the fifth branch wire 17 and the sixth branch wire 18. The auxiliary wiring 22 includes one auxiliary electric wire 22a, a first wiring terminal 22b attached to one end of the auxiliary electric wire 22a, and a second wiring terminal 22c attached to the other end of the auxiliary electric wire 22a. The auxiliary wiring 22 may be bundled with another adjacent branch wire, such as the sixth branch wire 18. Here, a portion of the auxiliary wiring 22 is arranged along at least a portion of the longitudinal direction of the main wire 10. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , in the parallel section P, the main wire 10 and a portion of the auxiliary wiring 22 are arranged parallel to each other. That is, the portion of the auxiliary wiring 22 in the parallel section P, together with the main wire 10, can be considered as a portion of the main wire of the wire harness 2.

[0049] In this way, the wire harness 2 may include the auxiliary wiring 22 formed of an electric wire. In addition, a portion of the auxiliary wiring 22 may be arranged along at least a portion of the main line 10 in the longitudinal direction.

[0050] Here, the trunk 10 is formed by the FPC 11, but when a relatively large current is to be conducted from one branch to another via the trunk 10, it may be difficult to conduct the current through the conductor circuit included in the pattern layer 11g of the FPC 11. In contrast, with the wire harness 2, when it becomes necessary to pass such a large current through the trunk, this can be achieved by passing the current through the auxiliary wiring 22 formed by an electric wire, rather than through the trunk 10 formed by the FPC 11. In this case, the auxiliary electric wire 22a is selected in advance to have a line width suitable for conducting the desired current.

[0051] (Third embodiment) In the wire harness 2 according to the second embodiment, a portion of the auxiliary wiring 22 that can function as an additional trunk line is located in parallel to the trunk line 10 formed by the FPC 11. In contrast, in the wire harness 3 according to the third embodiment, an auxiliary trunk line 40 that is a trunk line that is continuous in series with the FPC 31 is employed.

[0052] Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration example of the wire harness 3. Fig. 5 is drawn corresponding to Fig. 2 showing the configuration example of the wire harness 1 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, among the components of the wire harness 3, the same components as those of the wire harness 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0053] First, the wire harness 3 includes a trunk line 30 instead of the trunk line 10 in the wire harness 1. The trunk line 30 includes an FPC 31, a second connector 32b, a third connector 32c, a fourth connector 32d, a seventh connector 32g, an eighth connector 32h, a ninth connector 32i, a tenth connector 32j, an eleventh connector 32k, and a twelfth connector 32m. The FPC 31 has approximately the same structure as the FPC 11 included in the trunk line 10, except that the region of the trunk line 10 that connects the first branch line 13 and the fifth branch line 17 is replaced with an auxiliary trunk line 40 in this embodiment. The above-mentioned connectors included in the trunk line 30 correspond to the connectors of the same names included in the trunk line 10, respectively.

[0054] Similarly to the FPC 11, the FPC 31 has a first side end 31a and a second side end 31b, and in this embodiment defines a tip end 31c along a width W perpendicular to both the first side end 31a and the second side end 31b. An auxiliary connector 32n is provided at the tip end 31c. Similar to the second connector 32b, the auxiliary connector 32n is electrically connected to a pattern layer (not shown) included in the FPC 31.

[0055] The wire harness 3 also includes an auxiliary trunk line 40 made up of electric wires. An auxiliary external connector 40a that is connected to the auxiliary connector 32n is attached to one end of the auxiliary trunk line 40. That is, the auxiliary connector 32n of the FPC 31 has a structure that engages with the auxiliary external connector 40a. Meanwhile, an end connector 40b that can be connected to other electronic devices or the like may be attached to the other end of the auxiliary trunk line 40.

[0056] At least one branch line branches off from the auxiliary trunk line 40. In the example shown in Fig. 4, a tenth branch line 41, which replaces the first branch line 13 of the trunk line 10, and an eleventh branch line 42, which replaces the fifth branch line 17 of the trunk line 10, branch off from the auxiliary trunk line 40. The tenth branch line 41 has a tenth electric wire 41a and a tenth branch end 41b. The eleventh branch line 42 has an eleventh electric wire 42a and an eleventh branch end 42b.

[0057] In this manner, the wire harness 3 may include an auxiliary trunk line 40 formed of an electric wire. The trunk line 30 may include an auxiliary connector 32n installed at one end portion 31c of the FPC 31. The auxiliary connector 32n may have a structure that engages with an auxiliary external connector 40a attached to the auxiliary trunk line 40.

[0058] In this wire harness 3, the entire trunk is not made of an FPC, but rather an FPC portion corresponding to FPC 31 and an electric wire portion corresponding to auxiliary trunk 40 are connected in series to form a trunk. Such auxiliary trunk 40 may be used, for example, as an airbag or antenna circuit. In this case, auxiliary trunk 40 may include an important circuit such as a power line or a conditional circuit. Therefore, wire harness 3 can further enhance expandability.

[0059] In the above description, the wire harness 1 is attached to the inside of the instrument panel 100 of the automobile. However, the attachment position of the wire harness 1 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, under the floor or inside the roof of the automobile.

[0060] Although one embodiment has been described above, the embodiment is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1,2,3 Wire harness 10,30 main line 11,31 Flexible printed wiring boards 11a, 31a 1st side end 11b, 31b 2nd side end 12,32 connector 13 First Branch Line 13b First external connector 14 Second Branch 14b Second external connector 15 Third Branch 15b 3rd external connector 16 4th Branch Line 16b 4th external connector 17 5th Branch Line 17b 5th external connector 18 6th Branch Line 18b 6th external connector 19 Branch 7 19b 7th external connector 20 Branch 8 20b 8th external connector 21 Branch 9 21b 9th external connector 22 Auxiliary wiring 31c Tip 32n Auxiliary Connector 40 Auxiliary trunk line 40a Auxiliary External Connector

Claims

1. a linear flexible printed wiring board; and a plurality of connectors, one or more of which are installed at intervals on both side edges of the flexible printed wiring board, The main wire of the wire harness has a structure in which each of the plurality of connectors is engaged with an external connector attached to an external electric wire.

2. The length of the flexible printed wiring board is in the range of 500 mm to 1500 mm, 2. The main wire of the wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the width of the flexible printed wiring board is in the range of 40 mm to 100 mm.

3. The main line and a plurality of branch lines electrically connected to the trunk line, The trunk line is the trunk line of the wire harness according to claim 1 or 2, a plurality of branch lines each including the electric wire having the external connector attached to one end thereof, the external connector being adapted to engage with the connector provided on the trunk line;

4. The auxiliary wiring is made up of electric wires. The wire harness according to claim 3 , wherein a portion of the auxiliary wiring is arranged along at least a portion of the main line in a longitudinal direction.

5. It is equipped with an auxiliary trunk line consisting of electric wires, the trunk line includes an auxiliary connector installed at one end of the flexible printed wiring board, The wire harness according to claim 3 , wherein the auxiliary connector has a structure for engaging with an auxiliary external connector attached to the auxiliary trunk line.

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