Wiring harness

Abstract

To provide a wiring harness that can suppress misalignment of flat wiring material inside a case.SOLUTION: A wiring harness 1 includes a flat wiring material 3 and a case 4 having a groove-shaped passage 41 for accommodating the flat wiring material 3, the passage 41 having a support wall 41a facing one main surface 3a of the flat wiring material 3 and a protrusion 44 protruding from the support wall 41a, and the flat wiring material 3 has a through hole 33 and is accommodated in the passage 41 while being positioned by the protrusion 44 inserted into the through hole 33.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there is a wire harness having a flat wiring material. Patent Document 1 discloses a bus bar module including a plurality of bus bars, a flexible plate-shaped circuit body, and a case that houses the circuit body and the bus bars. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-173609 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a flat wiring material is housed in a case, it is desirable to be able to suppress displacement of the flat wiring material inside the case.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness that can suppress displacement of a flat wiring material inside a case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The wire harness of the present invention comprises a flat wiring material and a case having a groove-shaped passage for accommodating the flat wiring material, the passage having a support wall facing one main surface of the flat wiring material and a protrusion protruding from the support wall, and the flat wiring material having a through hole and being accommodated in the passage while being positioned by the protrusion inserted into the through hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the wire harness according to the present invention, the passage of the case has a support wall facing one main surface of the flat wiring material and a protrusion protruding from the support wall, and the flat wiring material has a through hole and is accommodated in the passage in a state where it is positioned by the protrusion inserted into the through hole. The wire harness according to the present invention has an effect of suppressing displacement of the flat wiring material inside the case. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a wire harness and a battery module according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the flat wiring material according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the case according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. Furthermore, components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] An embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. The embodiment relates to a wire harness. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the wire harness and battery module of the embodiment, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the wire harness according to the embodiment, Fig. 3 is a plan view of a flat wiring material according to the embodiment, Fig. 4 is a plan view of a case according to the embodiment, Fig. 5 is a plan view of the wire harness according to the embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness according to the embodiment. Fig. 6 shows a cross section taken along line VI-VI of Fig. 1.

[0011] The wire harness 1 of this embodiment is routed, for example, in a battery module 110 of a battery pack 100 as shown in Fig. 1. The battery pack 100 is mounted as a power source in a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle. As shown in Fig. 1, the battery module 110 has a plurality of battery cells 120 arranged side by side. In this specification, the direction in which the plurality of battery cells 120 are arranged is referred to as the arrangement direction AR. A monitoring device 130 is arranged at an end of the battery module 110 in the arrangement direction AR.

[0012] The wire harness 1 of this embodiment has a flat wiring material 3 and a case 4. The wire harness 1 is connected to a plurality of bus bars 10 to form a bus bar module 2. The bus bars 10 are conductors formed from conductive metal plates and are fixed to electrodes of battery cells 120. The bus bars 10 connect, for example, two adjacent battery cells 120 in series. The wire harness 1 connects the plurality of bus bars 10 to a monitoring device 130 of the battery pack 100. The wire harness 1 may connect thermistors arranged in the battery cells 120 to the monitoring device 130. The monitoring device 130 is a device that monitors the conditions of the battery cells 120, such as the voltage and temperature.

[0013] The flat wiring material 3 shown in Figure 2 etc. is a flexible, flat wiring material. The flat wiring material 3 is configured so that it can be routed in a bent state. The illustrated flat wiring material 3 is a flexible printed circuit board (FPC). The flat wiring material 3, which is a flexible printed circuit board, has a base film, a coverlay, and a conductive layer. The base film and coverlay are flexible, insulating resin layers. The conductive layer is sandwiched and protected between the base film and the coverlay. The conductive layer is, for example, a conductive metal foil and has a plurality of circuit patterns 34.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the flat wiring material 3 has two main surfaces 3a and 3b. The flat wiring material 3 is housed in the case 4 so that one main surface 3a faces the support wall 41a of the case 4. The flat wiring material 3 has a main line portion 30 and multiple branch portions 31. The main line portion 30 is a main body portion having multiple circuit patterns. The shape of the main line portion 30 in a planar view is approximately rectangular. In this specification, the longitudinal direction of the main line portion 30 is referred to as the "longitudinal direction X" and the width direction of the main line portion 30 is referred to as the "width direction Y". The width direction Y is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X.

[0015] A connection portion 32 is provided at an end of the trunk portion 30 in the longitudinal direction X, and is connected to the connector 5. The plurality of circuit patterns 34 are connected to terminals of the connector 5 at the connection portion 32. The connector 5 is fitted to the monitoring device 130, and connects the plurality of circuit patterns 34 to the monitoring device 130.

[0016] The flat wiring material 3 has a through hole 33. The through hole 33 penetrates the flat wiring material 3 along the thickness direction of the flat wiring material 3. As will be described below, the wire harness 1 of this embodiment suppresses misalignment of the flat wiring material 3 by a protrusion 44 provided on the case 4.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, the trunk portion 30 of the flat wiring material 3 has branching points 30b where the branching points 31 branch off. The branching points 31 extend from the branching points 30b of the trunk portion 30 in the width direction Y. The illustrated trunk portion 30 has a plurality of branching points 30b corresponding to the plurality of branching points 31. The flat wiring material 3 has through holes 33 arranged at the branching points 30b.

[0018] 3, the through hole 33 is disposed at the center in the width direction Y at the branch point 30b of the main line portion 30. The through hole 33 in this embodiment has a circular shape. The multiple through holes 33 are disposed at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction X.

[0019] The branch portions 31 extend from the trunk portion 30 in the width direction Y. In other words, the branch portions 31 extend laterally from the trunk portion 30. The circuit pattern 34 extends from the branch portions 31 via the trunk portion 30 to the connection portions 32, and is connected to the connector 5 at the connection portions 32. A chip fuse 6 is mounted on the tip of the branch portion 31. A reinforcing plate 7 surrounding the chip fuse 6 is disposed on the tip of the branch portion 31. The reinforcing plate 7 is formed of, for example, a conductive metal plate. The circuit pattern 34 is connected to the reinforcing plate 7 via the chip fuse 6. The busbar 10 is electrically connected to the reinforcing plate 7. Note that the reinforcing plate 7 may be a part of the busbar 10.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 4, the case 4 has a main body 40 having a passage 41 and a cover 42 that covers the passage 41. The case 4 is molded, for example, from an insulating synthetic resin. In the case 4 of this embodiment, the main body 40 and the cover 42 are molded as a single unit. However, the main body 40 and the cover 42 may be separate members.

[0021] The main body 40 of this embodiment has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The main body 40 has a passage 41 and a plurality of retaining portions 43. The passage 41 is a groove-shaped passage that accommodates the flat wiring material 3. The passage 41 has a main passage 41m and a plurality of branch passages 41s. The main passage 41m accommodates the trunk portion 30 of the flat wiring material 3. The main passage 41m extends in the longitudinal direction of the main body 40 and is provided from one end to the other end of the main body 40. The branch passages 41s branch off from the main passage 41m and accommodate the branch portions 31 of the flat wiring material 3.

[0022] The passage 41 has a support wall 41a and a pair of side walls 41b. The support wall 41a faces one main surface 3a of the flat wiring material 3 and is a wall portion that supports the flat wiring material 3. The pair of side walls 41b are erected from the support wall 41a and face each other with the support wall 41a between them. The support wall 41a and the pair of side walls 41b form a storage space having a rectangular cross section.

[0023] The holding portion 43 is a portion that houses and holds the bus bar 10. The multiple holding portions 43 are arranged adjacent to the main passage 41m and lined up along the main passage 41m. The holding portion 43 is formed in a frame shape and has a locking portion that locks the bus bar 10. The branch passage 41s extends between two adjacent holding portions 43.

[0024] The main body 40 has a plurality of protrusions 44 protruding from the support wall 41a. The protrusions 44 are arranged at branch points 41c where the branch passages 41s branch off from the main passage 41m. The shape of the protrusions 44 in this embodiment is columnar or cylindrical. That is, the cross-sectional shape of the protrusions 44 in this embodiment is circular.

[0025] The cover 42 is connected to the main body 40 via a flexible hinge portion 45. The cover 42 has a main cover 42m that covers the main passage 41m and multiple branch covers 42s that cover the branch passages 41s. The main cover 42m is arranged on the opposite side of the main passage 41m from the holding portion 43. The main cover 42m has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The branch covers 42s extend from the main cover 42m in the width direction of the main cover 42m. The branch covers 42s are formed so as to be able to cover the branch portions 31 and the reinforcing plate 7. An engagement portion 42e that engages with the main body 40 is provided at the tip of the branch cover 42s.

[0026] The cover 42 has a plurality of restricting portions 46 corresponding to the protrusions 44. The restricting portions 46 are arranged at branch points 42a where the branch covers 42s in the main cover 42m branch off. The restricting portions 46 are configured to restrict the protrusions 44 from coming out of the through holes 33 of the flat wiring material 3. More specifically, the restricting portions 46 are configured to support the flat wiring material 3 adjacent to the protrusions 44 when the cover 42 is in a closed state covering the passage 41.

[0027] The restricting portion 46 of the present embodiment has a tubular shape into which the protrusion 44 can be inserted. The restricting portion 46 has, for example, a cylindrical shape. The restricting portion 46 is arranged so that the protrusion 44 can fit into the restricting portion 46 when the cover 42 is closed.

[0028] FIG. 5 shows the flat wiring material 3 arranged in the case 4. The flat wiring material 3 is accommodated in the passage 41 so that the trunk portion 30 extends into the main passage 41m and the branch portion 31 extends into the branch passage 41s. The protrusion 44 of the case 4 is inserted into the through hole 33 of the flat wiring material 3 to position the flat wiring material 3. The protrusion 44 positions the flat wiring material 3 in both the longitudinal direction X and the width direction Y. The protrusion 44 penetrates the branch point 30b of the flat wiring material 3 to position the branch point 30b. Therefore, the protrusion 44 can restrict the positional deviation of the branch portion 31 relative to the branch passage 41s.

[0029] From the state shown in Fig. 5, the cover 42 of the case 4 is closed. The cover 42 rotates while deforming the hinge portion 45, and engages with the main body 40. The wire harness 1 with the cover 42 closed is assembled to the battery module 110 as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 shows a cross section taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 1.

[0030] The wire harness 1 of this embodiment is arranged on a side surface 110a of the battery module 110. The side surface 110a is a side surface of the battery module 110 that extends in the up-down direction Z. The electrodes of the battery cells 120 are arranged on the side surface 110a. The support wall 41a of the case 4 faces the side surface 110a of the battery module 110. The trunk portion 30 of the flat wiring material 3 is arranged with one main surface 3a facing the side surface 110a of the battery module 110. As shown in FIG. 1 , the trunk portion 30 extends in the arrangement direction AR inside the case 4.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 6 , the protrusion 44 of the case 4 is inserted into the through hole 33 of the flat wiring material 3. The protrusion 44 supports the flat wiring material 3 in the vertical direction Z and positions the flat wiring material 3. In this embodiment, the main wire portion 30 is located below the branch portion 31. In this case, a load is applied to the branch portion 31 due to gravity acting on the main wire portion 30. Furthermore, when the main wire portion 30 moves up and down due to vibrations when the vehicle is running, a load is likely to be applied to the branch portion 31. In the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, the protrusion 44 supports the main wire portion 30 and can reduce the load on the branch portion 31.

[0032] The restricting portion 46 is adjacent to the protrusion 44 in a closed state in which the cover 42 covers the passage 41. The restricting portion 46 is adjacent to and faces the side surface of the protrusion 44. For example, in the cross section of FIG. 6, the restricting portion 46 faces the side surface of the protrusion 44 in the vertical direction Z. In other words, the restricting portion 46 is configured to overlap the protrusion 44 when the protrusion 44 is viewed from the side.

[0033] The protrusion 44 faces the main portion 30 in the depth direction of the passage 41. The protrusion 44 supports the flat wiring material 3 and can prevent the protrusion 44 from coming out of the through hole 33. The restricting portion 46 can prevent the flat wiring material 3 from lifting up from the support wall 41a. Therefore, the restricting portion 46 can reduce the load on the branch portion 31.

[0034] As described above, the wire harness 1 of this embodiment has the flat wiring material 3 and the case 4. The case 4 has a groove-shaped passage 41 that accommodates the flat wiring material 3. The passage 41 has a support wall 41a that faces one main surface 3a of the flat wiring material 3, and a protrusion 44 that protrudes from the support wall 41a. The flat wiring material 3 has a through hole 33. The flat wiring material 3 is accommodated in the passage 41 while being positioned by the protrusion 44 inserted into the through hole 33. According to the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to suppress displacement of the flat wiring material 3 in the passage 41.

[0035] The case 4 of this embodiment has a main body 40 having a passage 41, and a cover 42 that covers the passage 41. The cover 42 has a restricting portion 46. The restricting portion 46 is formed to support the flat wiring material 3 adjacent to the protrusion 44 when the cover 42 is in a closed state covering the passage 41, and to restrict the protrusion 44 from coming out of the through hole 33. The case 4 having the restricting portion 46 can more reliably suppress displacement of the flat wiring material 3.

[0036] The restricting portion 46 may be formed so as to sandwich the flat wiring material 3 between the restricting portion 46 and the support wall 41a. In this case, the flat wiring material 3 is sandwiched between the tip of the restricting portion 46 and the support wall 41a. Such a restricting portion 46 can more reliably suppress the positional deviation of the flat wiring material 3.

[0037] The restricting portion 46 in this embodiment has a cylindrical shape. When the cover 42 is in a closed state covering the passage 41, the protrusion 44 is inserted into the restricting portion 46. This configuration prevents the relative positional deviation between the protrusion 44 and the restricting portion 46. The restricting portion 46, which fits into the protrusion 44, can more reliably prevent the flat wiring material 3 from shifting in position.

[0038] The flat wiring material 3 of this embodiment has a main wire portion 30 having a flat plate shape and a plurality of branch portions 31 extending laterally from the main wire portion 30. The through holes 33 penetrate the main wire portion 30. By suppressing misalignment of the main wire portion 30, the load on the branch portions 31 is reduced.

[0039] The case 4 of this embodiment is assembled to a battery module 110 having multiple battery cells 120. When the case 4 is assembled to the battery module 110, the support wall 41a faces a side surface 110a of the battery module 110 extending in the up-down direction Z. The trunk portion 30 extends in the arrangement direction of the multiple battery cells 120, with one main surface 3a facing the side surface 110a of the battery module 110. With this configuration, positional deviation of the trunk portion 30 is suppressed, thereby reducing the load on the branch portions 31.

[0040] The through-hole 33 of this embodiment is disposed at a branch point 30b where the branch portion 31 branches off in the trunk portion 30. By suppressing misalignment of the branch point 30b, the load on the branch portion 31 is effectively reduced.

[0041] The number and arrangement of the protrusions 44 in the passage 41 are not limited to the illustrated number and arrangement. For example, the protrusions 44 may be arranged at all branch points 30b. For example, the protrusions 44 may be arranged at locations other than the branch points 30b in the main passage 41m. The number and arrangement of the through holes 33 in the flat wiring material 3 are set according to the number and arrangement of the protrusions 44 in the case 4.

[0042] The shape of the restricting portion 46 is not limited to a cylindrical shape. The shape of the restricting portion 46 may be a tubular shape different from a cylindrical shape. The shape of the restricting portion 46 does not have to be a tubular shape. The restricting portion 46 may be a plate-shaped or rod-shaped rib.

[0043] The flat wiring material 3 is not limited to a flexible printed circuit board, but may be a flexible flat cable (FFC) or other plate-like wiring material.

[0044] The contents disclosed in the above embodiments can be implemented in appropriate combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1: Wire harness 2: Busbar module 3: Flat cable 4: Case 5: Connector 6: Chip fuse 7: Reinforcement plate 30: Main section, 30b: Branch point 31: Branch portion, 32: Connection portion, 33: Through hole, 34: Circuit pattern 40: Main body 41: Passageway 41a: supporting wall, 41b: side wall, 41c: branch point 41m: Main passage, 41s: Branch passage 42: Cover, 42m: Main cover, 42s: Branch cover 43: Holding portion, 44: Protrusion, 45: Hinge portion, 46: Restriction portion 100: battery pack, 110: battery module, 110a: side surface 120: Battery cell, 130: Monitoring device AR: Array direction, X: Longitudinal direction, Y: Width direction, Z: Height direction

Claims

1. Flat cable ties and A case having a groove-shaped passage for accommodating the flat wiring material; Equipped with The passage has a support wall facing one main surface of the flat wiring material and a protrusion protruding from the support wall, The flat wiring material has a through hole, and is accommodated in the passage while being positioned by the protrusion inserted into the through hole. A wire harness characterized by:

2. the case includes a body having the passage and a cover covering the passage; The cover has a restricting portion, The restricting portion is formed to support the flat wiring material adjacent to the protrusion when the cover is in a closed state covering the passage, and to restrict the protrusion from coming out of the through hole. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

3. The restricting portion is formed so as to sandwich the flat wiring material between the restricting portion and the support wall. The wire harness according to claim 2 .

4. The restricting portion has a cylindrical shape, In the closed state, the protrusion is inserted into the restriction portion. The wire harness according to claim 2 .

5. The flat wiring material has a trunk portion having a flat plate shape and a plurality of branch portions extending laterally from the trunk portion, The through hole penetrates the trunk portion. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

6. the case is assembled to a battery module having a plurality of battery cells; When the case is attached to the battery module, the support wall faces a side surface of the battery module that extends in the up-down direction, The trunk portion extends in an arrangement direction of the plurality of battery cells, with the one main surface facing the side surface of the battery module. The wire harness according to claim 5 .

7. The through-hole is disposed at a branch point of the trunk portion where the branch portion branches off. The wire harness according to claim 5 .

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