Wire harness

The wire harness design with a bent and folded-back portion on the flexible printed circuit board allows cost-effective rearrangement of circuit patterns to match terminal orders in a mating connector, addressing the cost issue of multi-layering.

JP2026011111APending Publication Date: 2026-01-23YAZAKI CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024111431
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-07-11
Publication Date
2026-01-23

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Rearranging the order of circuit patterns in a wire harness with a flexible printed circuit board and connector to match the order of terminals in a mating connector increases manufacturing costs when multi-layering is employed.

Method used

A wire harness design with a flexible printed circuit board featuring a bent portion in the intermediate region and a folded-back portion in the second region, allowing the order of circuit patterns to be changed without increasing costs by forming a bent portion that intersects conductive paths and folding the second contact portion away from the device.

Benefits of technology

The design enables rearrangement of circuit patterns while maintaining cost-effectiveness by avoiding the need for multi-layering, ensuring efficient connection to a mating connector without interference.

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Abstract

To provide a wire harness capable of changing the arrangement order of circuit patterns while suppressing an increase in cost.SOLUTION: The wire harness includes the flexible printed circuit board 3 including the plurality of circuit patterns 60, and the connector, the flexible printed circuit board includes the first region 31 connected to the object, the second region 32 connected to the connector, and the intermediate region 33, and the plurality of circuit patterns include the first contact portion 61 disposed in the first region, the second contact portion 62 disposed in the second region, and the conductive path 63 disposed in the intermediate region. The intermediate region of the flexible printed circuit board is bent at the bending part 34 so that the direction D1 of the first extension part 35 and the direction D2 of the second extension part 36 intersect with each other, and the arrangement order of the plurality of conduction paths in the first extension part and the arrangement order of the plurality of conduction paths in the second extension part are the same in the rotation direction RD when the bending part is viewed in a plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6
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Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) have been used. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that makes it possible to cross branched wiring by making the FPC double-sided. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-099537 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a wire harness having a flexible printed circuit board and a connector, there is a need to rearrange the order of circuit patterns to accommodate the device to which the connector is connected. One reason for this rearrangement is to match the order of terminals in the mating connector. One possible way to rearrange the order of circuit patterns is to multi-layer the flexible printed circuit board, but this increases manufacturing costs.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness in which the order of circuit patterns can be changed while suppressing an increase in cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The wire harness of the present invention comprises a flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of circuit patterns on one conductive layer and to be wired to a device, and a connector having a plurality of terminals connected to a plurality of the circuit patterns, wherein the flexible printed circuit board has a first region to be connected to an object, a second region to be connected to the connector, and an intermediate region extending between the first region and the second region, and each of the plurality of circuit patterns has a first contact portion arranged in the first region, a second contact portion arranged in the second region, and a conductive path extending to the intermediate region, and the flexible printed circuit board has a bent portion formed in the intermediate region and a second contact portion arranged in the second region. The intermediate region is arranged with a folded portion formed in the intermediate region, the intermediate region has a first extending portion extending from the folded portion toward the first region and a second extending portion extending from the folded portion toward the second region, and is folded at the folded portion so that the direction of the first extending portion and the direction of the second extending portion intersect, and in one rotation direction around the folded portion when viewed in a plane, the order of the multiple conductive paths in the first extending portion and the order of the multiple conductive paths in the second extending portion are the same, and the folded portion is folded back so that the second contact portion faces away from the device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the wire harness according to the present invention, the flexible printed circuit board is routed with a bent portion formed in the intermediate region and a folded-back portion formed in the second region. In a plan view of the bent portion, the order of the multiple conductive paths in the first extension portion is the same as the order of the multiple conductive paths in the second extension portion in one rotation direction around the bent portion. The folded-back portion is folded back so that the second contact portion faces away from the device. The wire harness according to the present invention has the advantage of being able to change the order of the circuit patterns while suppressing an increase in cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness and a bus bar module according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the wire harness and the bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the wire harness and the bus bar module according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the flexible printed circuit board according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a flexible printed circuit board according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the flexible printed circuit board according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a flexible printed circuit board according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a wire harness of a reference example. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a plan view of another flexible printed circuit board according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view of another flexible printed circuit board according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a plan view of another wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a plan view of another 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 FIGS. 1 to 12. The embodiment relates to a wire harness. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness and a bus bar module according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the wire harness and the bus bar module according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view of the wire harness and the bus bar module according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a flexible printed circuit board according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the flexible printed circuit board according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the flexible printed circuit board according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the flexible printed circuit board according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a wire harness of a reference example. FIGS. 9 and 10 are plan views of another flexible printed circuit board according to an embodiment. FIGS. 11 and 12 are plan views of another wire harness according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a VV cross section of FIG. 4.

[0011] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the wire harness 1 of this embodiment is disposed in, for example, a battery module 110 of a battery pack 100. The battery pack 100 is mounted as a power source in, for example, a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid electric vehicle. As shown in Fig. 2, 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 disposed at an end of the battery module 110 in the arrangement direction AR.

[0012] The wire harness 1 of this embodiment has a flexible printed circuit board 3 and a connector 4. The wire harness 1 is connected to multiple 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 multiple 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 voltage, temperature, and other conditions of the battery cells 120.

[0013] The flexible printed circuit board 3 is a flexible flat wiring material that can be wired in a folded state. As shown in FIG. 5 , the flexible printed circuit board 3 of this embodiment has a base film 5, a coverlay 7, and one conductive layer 6. The base film 5 and the coverlay 7 are flexible insulating resin layers. The conductive layer 6 is sandwiched and protected by the base film 5 and the coverlay 7. The conductive layer 6 is, for example, a conductive metal foil and has a plurality of circuit patterns 60.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1 , the wire harness 1 of this embodiment is arranged in the battery module 110 with a bent portion 34 and a folded-back portion 37 formed on the flexible printed circuit board 3. The bent portion 34 is formed so as to reverse the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 between the bus bar 10 and the connector 4. The wire harness 1 of this embodiment has a single conductive layer 6, but can arrange multiple circuit patterns 60 crosswise. The folded-back portion 37 is folded back so that the contact portion connected to the terminal of the connector 4 faces away from the battery module 110.

[0015] FIG. 4 shows the flexible printed circuit board 3 before being folded. The flexible printed circuit board 3 has a longitudinal direction X and a width direction Y. The longitudinal direction X may be the longitudinal direction of a first region 31 described later, or may be the arrangement direction of a plurality of first contact portions 61. The width direction Y is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. In the following description, one side along the longitudinal direction X will be referred to as a first side X1, and the other side along the longitudinal direction X will be referred to as a second side X2.

[0016] The flexible printed circuit board 3 of this embodiment has a substantially L-shape. The flexible printed circuit board 3 has a first region 31, a second region 32, and an intermediate region 33. The illustrated first region 31, second region 32, and intermediate region 33 are each rectangular in shape.

[0017] The first region 31 includes an end portion of the flexible printed circuit board 3 on the first side X1. The second region 32 includes an end portion of the flexible printed circuit board 3 on the second side X2. The second region 32 is wider than the first region 31 and has a portion that protrudes in the width direction Y relative to the first region 31. The intermediate region 33 is a region between the first region 31 and the second region 32 and extends between the first region 31 and the second region 32. The intermediate region 33 illustrated in FIG. 4 extends in the longitudinal direction X from the first region 31 to the second region 32. The width of the intermediate region 33 is equal to the width of the first region 31. That is, the first region 31 and the intermediate region 33 form a single rectangular region.

[0018] 5, the flexible printed circuit board 3 has a first surface 3a and a second surface 3b. The first surface 3a is, for example, the surface on the side of the coverlay 7. The second surface 3b is, for example, the surface on the side of the base film 5. A first contact portion 61 and a second contact portion 62, which will be described later, are contact portions exposed on the side of the first surface 3a.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4 , the circuit pattern 60 has a first contact portion 61, a second contact portion 62, and a conductive path 63. The first contact portion 61 is a contact portion arranged in the first region 31 and is connected to a connection object such as a bus bar 10. The connection object may include a thermistor. The first contact portion 61 is electrically connected to the corresponding connection object. The first region 31 may have a branch portion extending in the width direction Y. In this case, the first contact portion 61 may be arranged on the branch portion. In the flexible printed circuit board 3 before the bent portion 34 is formed, the multiple first contact portions 61 are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction X.

[0020] The second contact portions 62 are contact portions arranged in the second region 32 and are connected to the terminals 41 of the connector 4. As shown in Fig. 4, in the flexible printed circuit board 3 before the bent portions 34 are formed, the plurality of second contact portions 62 are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction X. The positions of the second contact portions 62 in the width direction Y are, for example, positions protruding in the width direction Y from the first region 31.

[0021] The conductive paths 63 are arranged in the intermediate region 33 and connect one first contact portion 61 to a corresponding one second contact portion 62. In the flexible printed circuit board 3 before the bent portions 34 are formed, the conductive paths 63 extend in the longitudinal direction X in the intermediate region 33. In the intermediate region 33, the multiple conductive paths 63 are arranged side by side in the width direction Y.

[0022] The plurality of conductive paths 63 includes a first conductive path 63a and a second conductive path 63b. The first conductive path 63a and the second conductive path 63b are the conductive paths 63 that are arranged at the ends in the width direction Y among the plurality of conductive paths 63 connected to the busbar 10. The first conductive path 63a is located at the end on a first side Y1 in the width direction Y among the conductive paths 63 connected to the busbar 10. The second conductive path 63b is located at the end on a second side Y2 in the width direction Y among the plurality of conductive paths 63 connected to the busbar 10. The plurality of conductive paths 63 connected to the busbar 10 extend from the first conductive path 63a to the second conductive path 63b.

[0023] In the following description, the circuit pattern 60 having the first electrical conduction path 63a will be referred to as the first pattern 60a, and the circuit pattern 60 having the second electrical conduction path 63b will be referred to as the second pattern 60b. Of the multiple first contact portions 61 connected to the busbar 10, the first contact portions 61 of the first pattern 60a and the second pattern 60b are arranged at ends in the longitudinal direction X. That is, of the multiple first contact portions 61 connected to the busbar 10, the first contact portion 61a of the first pattern is located at the end on the first side X1. Of the multiple first contact portions 61 connected to the busbar 10, the first contact portion 61b of the second pattern 60b is located at the end on the second side X2. The multiple circuit patterns 60 may include a circuit pattern 60 connected to an object other than the busbar 10. The first contact portion 61 of this circuit pattern 60 may be located between the two first contact portions 61a, 61b, or may be located on the first side X1 or the second side X2 with respect to the two first contact portions 61a, 61b.

[0024] Of the multiple second contact portions 62 corresponding to the busbar 10, the second contact portions 62 of the first pattern 60a and the second pattern 60b are arranged at ends in the longitudinal direction X. That is, of the multiple second contact portions 62 corresponding to the busbar 10, the second contact portion 62a of the first pattern 60a is located at the end on the second side X2. Of the multiple second contact portions 62 corresponding to the busbar 10, the second contact portion 62b of the second pattern 60b is located at the end on the first side X1. The multiple circuit patterns 60 may include a circuit pattern 60 connected to an object other than the busbar 10. The second contact portion 62 of this circuit pattern 60 may be arranged between the two second contact portions 62a, 62b, or may be arranged on the first side X1 or the second side X2 with respect to the two second contact portions 62a, 62b.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, the connector 4 has a housing 40 and a plurality of terminals 41. The housing 40 has a mating portion 40a that fits into the monitoring device 130. The plurality of terminals 41 are held by the housing 40 and arranged side by side in the width direction of the housing 40. The plurality of terminals 41 are connected to corresponding circuit patterns 60. The monitoring device 130 has a mating connector 130a that matches the connector 4. By fitting the connector 4 into the mating connector 130a, the plurality of terminals 41 are connected to corresponding terminals of the mating connector 130a.

[0026] Here, which terminals 41 the multiple circuit patterns 60 corresponding to the bus bar 10 are connected to is determined by the configuration of the monitoring device 130. As shown in Fig. 3 , the multiple terminals 41 have two terminals 411, 412 connected to the bus bar 10 via the circuit patterns 60. The first terminal 411 is located above the second terminal 412 in the height direction Z of the battery module 110. The multiple terminals 41 connected to the bus bar 10 via the circuit patterns 60 are the terminals 41 between the first terminal 411 and the second terminal 412.

[0027] 3, among the multiple circuit patterns 60 connected to the bus bar 10, the first pattern 60a is located below the second pattern 60b in the height direction Z. In addition, the circuit pattern 60 connected to the bus bar 10 is disposed between the first pattern 60a and the second pattern 60b.

[0028] In order to accommodate the configuration of the monitoring device 130, it may be necessary to connect the first pattern 60a to the first terminal 411 and the second pattern 60b to the second terminal 412. In this case, it is necessary to reverse the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 in the second region 32 relative to the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 in the first region 31 of the flexible printed circuit board 3. One possible way to reverse the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 is to multiply the conductive layer 6 of the flexible printed circuit board 3, but this would increase manufacturing costs.

[0029] In the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment, as described below, the order of the circuit patterns 60 is reversed by forming a bent portion 34 in the flexible printed circuit board 3. This makes it possible to reverse the order of the circuit patterns 60 at low cost.

[0030] 6 shows the flexible printed circuit board 3 on which the bent portion 34 is formed. The bent portion 34 is formed in the intermediate region 33 of the flexible printed circuit board 3. In other words, the bent portion 34 is formed in the region between the plurality of first contact portions 61 and the plurality of second contact portions 62.

[0031] The intermediate region 33 in which the bent portion 34 is formed has a first extending portion 35 and a second extending portion 36. The bent portion 34 is formed so that the first surface 3a of the first extending portion 35 faces the first surface 3a of the second extending portion 36. The first extending portion 35 extends from the bent portion 34 toward the first region 31. The second extending portion 36 extends from the bent portion 34 toward the second region 32. The first extending portion 35 extends in a first direction D1, and the second extending portion 36 extends in a second direction D2. The bent portion 34 is formed, for example, so that the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are perpendicular to each other.

[0032] The formation of the bent portion 34 reverses the order of the circuit patterns 60 when the flexible printed circuit board 3 is viewed in a plane. As shown in Fig. 6, the intermediate region 33 is bent so that the first electrical conduction path 63a straddles the second electrical conduction path 63b. As a result, the first electrical conduction path 63a intersects with the second electrical conduction path 63b when viewed in a plane. The formation of the bent portion 34 reverses the order of the circuit patterns 60 when the flexible printed circuit board 3 is viewed in a plane.

[0033] 6 illustrates the arrangement order of the first and second patterns 60a and 60b. The arrow of the intermediate line CL indicates the wiring direction from the first region 31 to the second region 32. When the plurality of conductive paths 63 are viewed along the wiring direction, in the first extension portion 35, the first conductive path 63a is located on the right side of the intermediate line CL, and the second conductive path 63b is located on the left side of the intermediate line CL. Meanwhile, in the second extension portion 36, the first conductive path 63a is located on the left side of the intermediate line CL, and the second conductive path 63b is located on the right side of the intermediate line CL.

[0034] In this way, the bent portion 34 can reverse the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 in a plan view. By reversing the arrangement order of the multiple conductive paths 63, the arrangement order of the second contact portions 62 in the second region 32 becomes a desired order. Of the multiple second contact portions 62 corresponding to the busbar 10, the second contact portion 62a of the first pattern 60a is located at the end of the second side Y2 in the width direction Y. The second contact portion 62b of the second pattern 60b is located at the end of the first side Y1 in the width direction Y. As a result, the arrangement order of the second contact portions 62 in the second region 32 becomes an order that allows the first pattern 60a to be connected to the first terminal 411 in FIG. 3 and the second pattern 60b to be connected to the second terminal 412.

[0035] When the rotation direction around the bent portion 34 is used as a reference, the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 is the same before and after the bent portion 34. FIG. 6 shows one rotation direction RD around the bent portion 34. When looking at the arrangement order in the rotation direction RD, the arrangement order in the first extending portion 35 is the same as the arrangement order in the second extending portion 36. In both of the two extending portions 35, 36, the multiple conductive paths 63 from the first conductive path 63a to the second conductive path 63b are arranged in the same order along the rotation direction RD.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 7 , the second region 32 is folded back so that the second contact portions 62 face away from the battery module 110. A folded portion 37 is formed in the second region 32 so that the portion of the second region 32 where the second contact portions 62 are provided faces away from the battery module 110. The folding line of the folded portion 37 is aligned along the direction in which the multiple second contact portions 62 are arranged. The folded portion 37 is formed between the intermediate region 33 and the second contact portions 62. Note that the terminals 41 of the connector 4 may be connected to the second contact portions 62 after the folded portion 37 is formed, or may be connected to the second contact portions 62 before the folded portion 37 is formed.

[0037] 1 and 3, the connector 4 is connected to the second contact portion 62 so that the connector 4 faces the opposite direction to the circuit pattern 60. That is, the terminal 41 of the connector 4 is connected to the second contact portion 62 so that the mating portion 40a is located on the folded portion 37 side of the second contact portion 62. The folded portion 37 is formed in the vicinity of the second contact portion 62. Therefore, the mating portion 40a protrudes from the folded portion 37 toward the side opposite to the second contact portion 62. This makes it less likely that the second region 32 will interfere with the monitoring device 130 when the connector 4 is mated with the mating connector 130a.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the wire harness 1 has a bent portion 34 and a folded-back portion 37, and is assembled to the battery module 110 with the bus bar 10 connected. The flexible printed circuit board 3 is assembled to the battery module 110 so that the first surface 3a of the first region 31 faces away from the battery module 110. That is, the flexible printed circuit board 3 is routed to the battery module 110 so that the second surface 3b of the first region 31 faces the battery module 110. The flexible printed circuit board 3 is assembled so that the first region 31 is aligned with the arrangement direction AR. That is, the flexible printed circuit board 3 is assembled to the battery module 110 so that the multiple first contact portions 61 are aligned in the arrangement direction AR.

[0039] The flexible printed circuit board 3 is arranged so that the second region 32 faces the side surface of the battery module 110. The middle region 33 is bent so as to fit along the corner of the battery module 110. The bent portion 34 of the middle region 33 is disposed on the side surface of the battery module 110.

[0040] The flexible printed circuit board 3 is arranged by folding back the second region 32 so that the second contact portion 62 faces away from the battery module 110. As shown in Fig. 2 , the second region 32 has a folded-back portion 37 formed so that the portion of the second region 32 where the second contact portion 62 is provided faces away from the battery module 110. With this configuration, the second region 32 is accommodated between the connector 4 and the battery module 110.

[0041] The busbar module 2 may have a case that holds the flexible printed circuit board 3. In this case, the case may be fixed to the battery module 110. The case may be fixed to the battery module 110 while holding the busbar 10.

[0042] The bus bar 10 is connected to the connector 4 via the circuit pattern 60. As shown in Fig. 2, the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 in the first region 31 of the flexible printed circuit board 3 is reversed to the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 in the second region 32. According to the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment, the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 can be reversed at low cost.

[0043] The wire harness 1 may be routed without forming the folded portion 37 in the second region 32. In the wire harness 1 of the reference example shown in Fig. 8, the connector 4 is connected to the second region 32 that does not have the folded portion 37. In this case, the housing 40 of the connector 4 is disposed on the battery module 110 side of the second region 32.

[0044] In the flexible printed circuit board 3 before the bent portions 34 are formed, the arrangement direction of the plurality of second contact portions 62 in the second region 32 is not limited to the longitudinal direction X shown in Fig. 4. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the plurality of second contact portions 62 may be arranged in the width direction Y in the second region 32. In this case, of the plurality of second contact portions 62 corresponding to the busbar 10, the second contact portions 62 of the first pattern 60a and the second pattern 60b are arranged at the ends in the width direction Y.

[0045] Of the multiple second contact portions 62 corresponding to the busbar 10, the second contact portion 62a of the first pattern 60a is located at the end of the first side Y1. Of the multiple second contact portions 62 corresponding to the busbar 10, the second contact portion 62b of the second pattern 60b is located at the end of the second side Y2.

[0046] Fig. 10 shows a state in which a bent portion 34 is formed on the flexible printed circuit board 3 of Fig. 9. The flexible printed circuit board 3 shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is used, for example, when the connector 4 is fitted to the monitoring device 130 along the height direction Z of the battery module 110. Note that a folded portion 37 is formed in the second region 32 so that the second contact portion 62 faces away from the device such as the battery module 110. The folding line of the folded portion 37 is a line that follows the arrangement direction of the second contact portions 62.

[0047] Fig. 11 shows a state in which the connector 4 is connected to the flexible printed circuit board 3. In the flexible printed circuit board 3 of Fig. 11, a folded portion 37 is formed in the second region 32 so that the second contact portion 62 faces outward. In other words, the second region 32 is folded back so that the second contact portion 62 faces away from the battery module 110.

[0048] The multiple terminals 41 of the connector 4 are connected to the second contact portions 62. The second contact portions 62a of the first pattern 60a are connected to the first terminals 411 of the connector 4, and the second contact portions 62b of the second pattern 60b are connected to the second terminals 412 of the connector 4.

[0049] The bending shape of the bending portion 34 is not limited to a shape in which the first extending portion 35 and the second extending portion 36 are orthogonal to each other. For example, the bending portion 34 may be formed so that the second extending portion 36 is inclined with respect to the width direction Y. For example, it is possible to adjust the bending angle of the bending portion 34 depending on the position of the mating connector 130a. By appropriately setting the bending angle of the bending portion 34, it is possible to minimize the total extension of the flexible printed circuit board 3 relative to the position of the mating connector 130a.

[0050] The extending direction of the intermediate region 33 may be appropriately set depending on the position of the mating connector 130a, etc. FIG. 12 shows the intermediate region 33 extending in a direction perpendicular to the first region 31. The intermediate region 33 extends from an end of the first region 31 on the second side X2 toward the second side Y2 in the width direction Y. A bent portion 34 is formed in the intermediate region 33. The first extending portion 35 extends in the width direction Y, and the second extending portion 36 extends in the longitudinal direction X. That is, the bent portion 34 is bent so that the second extending portion 36 extends in the longitudinal direction X. The second extending portion 36 extends from the bent portion 34 toward the side opposite to the first region 31. By forming the bent portion 34, the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 in the second region 32 is reversed relative to the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60 in the first region 31. In the second region 32, a folded portion 37 is formed so that the second contact portion 62 faces away from the device side.

[0051] As described above, the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment includes the flexible printed circuit board 3, which has a plurality of circuit patterns 60 on one conductive layer 6 and is arranged in a device such as a battery module 110, and the connector 4, which has a plurality of terminals 41 connected to the plurality of circuit patterns 60. The flexible printed circuit board 3 has a first region 31, which is connected to an object such as a bus bar 10, a second region 32, which is connected to the connector 4, and an intermediate region 33. The intermediate region 33 extends between the first region 31 and the second region 32.

[0052] Each of the multiple circuit patterns 60 has a first contact portion 61 arranged in the first region 31, a second contact portion 62 arranged in the second region 32, and a conductive path 63 extending into the intermediate region 33. The flexible printed circuit board 3 is arranged with a bent portion 34 formed in the intermediate region 33 and a folded-back portion 37 formed in the second region 32. The intermediate region 33 is bent to have a first extending portion 35 extending from the bent portion 34 toward the first region 31 and a second extending portion 36 extending from the bent portion 34 toward the second region 32. The intermediate region 33 is bent at the bent portion 34 so that a first direction D1, which is the direction of the first extending portion 35, and a second direction D2, which is the direction of the second extending portion 36, intersect.

[0053] In a plan view of the bent portion 34, the arrangement order of the plurality of conductive paths 63 in the first extending portion 35 is the same as the arrangement order of the plurality of conductive paths 63 in the second extending portion 36 in one rotation direction RD centered on the bent portion 34. The folded portion 37 is folded back so that the second contact portion 62 faces away from the device. According to the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to change the arrangement order of the plurality of circuit patterns 60 between the first extending portion 35 and the second extending portion 36. By forming the bent portion 34 to change the arrangement order of the circuit patterns 60, costs can be reduced compared to changing the arrangement order by multi-layering the conductive layer 6.

[0054] In the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment, in the flexible printed circuit board 3 before the bent portions 34 are formed, the multiple first contact portions 61 are arranged side by side in the first region 31 along the longitudinal direction X of the flexible printed circuit board 3. Therefore, in a configuration in which the multiple first contact portions 61 are connected to multiple objects along the longitudinal direction X, the order of the circuit patterns 60 can be changed.

[0055] The flexible printed circuit board 3 of this embodiment has a first surface 3a and a second surface 3b opposite to the first surface 3a, and the first contact portion 61 and the second contact portion 62 are exposed on the first surface 3a. The connector 4 is configured to mate with a mating connector 130a of a device such as a battery module 110. The flexible printed circuit board 3 is routed with the second surface 3b of the first region 31 facing the device such as the battery module 110, and with the portion of the second region 32 where the second contact portion 62 is provided facing away from the device. This configuration makes it possible to route both the first contact portion 61 and the second contact portion 62 facing away from the device.

[0056] The connector 4 of this embodiment has a mating portion 40a that mates with a mating connector 130a of a device. The terminal 41 is connected to the second contact portion 62 so that the mating portion 40a is located on the folded portion 37 side of the second contact portion 62. With this configuration, for example, it is possible to make the mating portion 40a protrude toward the mating connector 130a.

[0057] In the flexible printed circuit board 3 before the bent portions 34 are formed, the second contact portions 62 may be arranged side by side in the second region 32 along the longitudinal direction X of the flexible printed circuit board 3. In this case, the formation of the bent portions 34 allows the second contact portions 62 to be arranged in the width direction Y.

[0058] The contents disclosed in the above embodiments can be implemented in appropriate combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1: Wire harness 2: Busbar module 3: flexible printed circuit board, 3a: first surface, 3b: second surface 4: Connector 5: base film, 6: conductive layer, 7: cover layer 31: First area, 32: Second area, 33: Intermediate area 34: Bent part, 35: First extending part, 36: Second extending part 37: Folded section 40: Housing, 40a: Fitting portion 41:Terminal, 411:First terminal, 412:Second terminal 60: circuit pattern, 60a: first pattern, 60b: second pattern 61: First contact part, 62: Second contact part 63: Conductive path, 63a: First conductive path, 63b: Second conductive path 100: Battery pack, 110: Battery module, 120: Battery cell 130: monitoring device, 130a: mating connector D1: First direction, D2: Second direction RD: Rotation direction X: Longitudinal direction, X1: First side, X2: Second side Y: width direction, Y1: first side, Y2: second side Z: Height

Claims

1. a flexible printed circuit board having a plurality of circuit patterns on one conductive layer and to be wired to a device; a connector having a plurality of terminals connected to a plurality of the circuit patterns; Equipped with the flexible printed circuit board has a first region connected to an object, a second region connected to the connector, and an intermediate region extending between the first region and the second region; Each of the plurality of circuit patterns has a first contact portion disposed in the first region, a second contact portion disposed in the second region, and a conductive path extending into the intermediate region, the flexible printed circuit board is routed with a bent portion formed in the intermediate region and a folded portion formed in the second region, the intermediate region has a first extending portion extending from the bent portion toward the first region and a second extending portion extending from the bent portion toward the second region, and is bent at the bent portion so that a direction of the first extending portion and a direction of the second extending portion intersect, an arrangement order of the plurality of conductive paths in the first extension portion and an arrangement order of the plurality of conductive paths in the second extension portion are the same in one rotation direction around the bent portion when the bent portion is seen in a plan view; The folded portion is folded back so that the second contact portion faces away from the device. A wire harness characterized by:

2. In the flexible printed circuit board before the bent portion is formed, the first contact portions are arranged in the first region along the longitudinal direction of the flexible printed circuit board. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

3. the flexible printed circuit board has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the first contact portion and the second contact portion are exposed on the first surface; The connector is configured to mate with a mating connector of the device, The flexible printed circuit board is routed such that the second surface of the first region faces the device, and the portion of the second region where the second contact portion is provided faces away from the device. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

4. the connector has a fitting portion that fits with a mating connector of the device, The terminal is connected to the second contact portion such that the fitting portion is located on the folded portion side of the second contact portion. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

5. In the flexible printed circuit board before the bent portion is formed, the second contact portions are arranged in the second region along the longitudinal direction of the flexible printed circuit board. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Flexible printed circuit board bonding method

    JP2014099537A