Wire harness

Abstract

The objective is to provide a wire harness that can improve the work efficiency of connection work. [Solution] The wire harness WH comprises a flexible flat cable guide 10, a connector 20 mounted on the surface 10a of the flat cable guide 10 and mated with an electronic device 50 along a mating direction Z intersecting the surface 10a, a terminal 31 housed in the housing 21 of the connector 20 and electrically connected to the electronic device 50, and a wire 32 having one end electrically connected to the terminal 31 and the other end electrically connected to the flat cable guide 10, with the terminal-equipped wire 30 interposed between the flat cable guide 10 and the connector 20.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] As a technology related to a conventional wire harness, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wire harness including a flexible flat cable material and a connector mounted on the surface of the flat cable material and fitted and connected to an electronic device along a fitting direction intersecting the surface.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the wire harness described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, for example, the connector is fixed on the surface of the flat cable material, and there is room for further improvement in terms of improving the workability of the connection work between the connector and the electronic device.

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

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the wire harness according to the present invention comprises a flexible flat wire harness, a connector mounted on the surface of the flat wire harness and mated to an electronic device along a mating direction intersecting the surface, a terminal housed in the housing of the connector and electrically connected to the electronic device, and a wire with a terminal interposed between the flat wire harness and the connector, with one end electrically connected to the terminal and the other end electrically connected to the flat wire harness. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the wire harness according to the present invention, the terminal-equipped wire has a terminal housed in the connector housing and electrically connected to the electronic device, and a wire with one end electrically connected to the terminal and the other end electrically connected to the flat wiring material, and is interposed between the flat wiring material and the connector. With this configuration, the wire harness can, for example, allow displacement of the terminal-equipped wire along a direction intersecting the mating direction of the connector to the flat wiring material, and thereby absorb positional deviations (tolerances) along a direction intersecting the mating direction of the connector to the electronic device. As a result, the wire harness has the effect of improving the workability of connection work. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an illustrative plan view of a wire harness according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an illustrative cross-sectional view of a wire harness according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exemplary and schematic perspective view (partially a cross-sectional view) of a wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a wire harness according to an embodiment, showing the state before connection where the connector is misaligned to one end in the width direction relative to the electronic device. [Figure 5]Figure 5 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a wire harness according to an embodiment, showing the state after connection where the misalignment of the connector relative to the electronic device has been absorbed. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a wire harness according to an embodiment, showing the state before connection where the connector is misaligned to the other end in the width direction relative to the electronic device. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a wire harness according to an embodiment, showing the state after connection where the misalignment of the connector relative to the electronic device has been absorbed. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is an illustrative perspective view of a modified wire harness. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is an illustrative exploded perspective view of a modified wire harness. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is an illustrative cross-sectional view of a modified wire harness. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments and modifications of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and modifications described below. Furthermore, the components in the embodiments and modifications described below include those that are easily substituted or substantially identical to those that are easily substituted by those skilled in the art.

[0010] Furthermore, the embodiments and modifications disclosed below include similar components. Therefore, in the following, these similar components are given common reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In this specification, ordinal numbers are used solely to distinguish parts, components, parts, positions, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0011] [Embodiment] Figure 1 is a plan view of a wire harness WH according to an embodiment. The wire harness WH of this embodiment shown in Figure 1 is applied to a vehicle and is used to connect various devices mounted on the vehicle for power supply and signal communication. The wire harness WH of this embodiment comprises, for example, a flat wiring member 10, a connector 20, and a wire with terminals 30. The wire harness WH is provided, for example, on a mounting panel 100 of the vehicle and routed along the mounting panel 100. The mounting panel 100 is a dash panel or the like that separates the engine room and the passenger compartment (cabin) of the vehicle and constitutes a structural member (skeleton member) of the vehicle. In addition, the wire harness WH may also include various other components such as fasteners, protectors, and grommets.

[0012] In the following explanation, of the three intersecting directions, the first direction will be referred to as the "extension direction X," the second direction as the "width direction Y," and the third direction as the "fitting direction Z." Here, the extension direction X, the width direction Y, and the fitting direction Z are approximately orthogonal to each other. The extension direction X typically corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the wire harness WH and the flat cable member 10. The width direction Y typically corresponds to the width direction (short direction) of the wire harness WH and the flat cable member 10. The fitting direction Z typically corresponds to the vertical direction (thickness direction) of the wire harness WH and the flat cable member 10, or the fitting direction (connection direction) between the connector 20 and the electronic device 50 (see Figure 4). In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, each direction used refers to the direction when the wire harness WH is assembled to the vehicle.

[0013] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness WH, and Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view (partial cross-sectional view) of the wire harness WH. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the flat cable members 10 are cable members that constitute the wire harness WH, and are made of, for example, FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits) or FFC (Flexible Flat Cable). The flat cable members 10 as a whole are formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular plate shape along the extending direction X. The flat cable members 10 are thin and flexible (bendable) flat cable members along the fitting direction Z.

[0014] The flat cable guide 10 is composed of, for example, a base film, a wiring pattern, and a coverlay. The base film is a substrate that is highly flexible and defines the overall shape of the flat cable guide 10. The base film is formed of, for example, a polyimide resin with excellent heat resistance. The wiring pattern is laminated on the surface of the base film and constitutes a plurality of conductive circuit parts (pattern layers). The wiring pattern is formed of, for example, a conductive material such as copper foil and printed on the surface of the base film as a printed circuit body. The coverlay is laminated on the surface of the base film via an adhesive and functions as a protective layer that protects the conductive circuit parts of the wiring pattern. In this embodiment, for example, at least a portion of the wiring pattern is exposed from the coverlay on the surface 10a of the flat cable guide 10, and the exposed portion is electrically connected to the terminal wire 30 via a solder joint 12.

[0015] The connector 20 is mounted on the surface 10a of the flat cable material 10 and is mated and connected to the mating connector 53 (see Figure 4) of the electronic device 50 along the mating direction Z. The connector 20 has, for example, a housing 21 and a plurality of terminals 31 (see Figure 2) housed in the housing 21. The housing 21 is formed, for example, in a flat rectangular cylindrical shape along the extending direction X. The housing 21 is provided with a plurality of cavities 22 into which the plurality of terminals 31 are inserted along the mating direction Z. The plurality of cavities 22 are provided in the housing 21 at intervals from each other along the extending direction X and the width direction Y.

[0016] The connector 20 is electrically connected to the wiring pattern of the flat cable 10 via the wire 30 with a terminal. The plurality of conductor circuit portions constituted by the wiring pattern can function as any one of, for example, a signal circuit, a signal GND circuit, a power ground circuit, etc. The signal circuit is, for example, a circuit that transmits communication signals between in-vehicle devices such as an electronic device 50 and various in-vehicle electronic devices in a vehicle. The signal GND circuit is electrically connected between in-vehicle devices accompanying the signal circuit, and is a circuit that makes the potentials that are the reference for the circuit operation the same between the in-vehicle devices. The power ground circuit is a circuit that grounds the power supply system of the in-vehicle device.

[0017] The wire 30 with a terminal constitutes the terminal 31 of the connector 20, and electrically connects the terminal 31 and the flat cable 10. In the present embodiment, a plurality of wires 30 with terminals are provided corresponding to the plurality of cavities 22 of the connector 20. The plurality of wires 30 with terminals each include a terminal 31 and a wire 32. The terminal 31 is, for example, a male terminal fitting made of a conductive metal material, and is electrically connected to the mating terminal of the mating connector 53. The terminal 31 includes, for example, an electrical connection portion that is electrically connected to the mating terminal, and a wire crimping portion that is electrically connected to one end (conductor portion 32a) of the wire 32.

[0018] The wire 32 includes a linear conductor portion 32a having conductivity and an insulating coating portion 32b having insulation that covers the outside of the conductor portion 32a. The wire 32 is an insulated wire in which the conductor portion 32a is covered with the insulating coating portion 32b. Note that the conductor portion 32a in the present embodiment is a core wire formed by bundling a plurality of conductive metal strands, but it may be a stranded core wire in which the plurality of metal strands are twisted. The insulating coating portion 32b is a wire coating that covers the outer peripheral side of the conductor portion 32a. The insulating coating portion 32b is formed, for example, by extrusion molding an insulating resin material or the like.

[0019] Each electric wire 32 extends linearly along the mating direction Z and is formed to extend with approximately the same diameter as the mating direction Z (extension direction). Each electric wire 32 has, for example, a substantially circular cross-sectional shape of the conductor portion 32a (the cross-sectional shape intersecting the mating direction Z) and a substantially annular cross-sectional shape of the insulating coating portion 32b, resulting in an overall substantially circular cross-sectional shape. At both ends of each electric wire 32 in the mating direction Z, the insulating coating portion 32b is stripped off, exposing the conductor portion 32a from the insulating coating portion 32b. The conductor portion 32a exposed at one end of the electric wire 32 is electrically connected to the terminal 31, and the conductor portion 32a exposed at the other end of the electric wire 32 is electrically connected to the flat cable material 10 via the solder joint 12.

[0020] In this embodiment, the flat cable guide 10 and the housing 21 of the connector 20 are spaced apart from each other along the mating direction Z, and a terminaled wire 30 is interposed between the flat cable guide 10 and the connector 20. The wire 32 of the terminaled wire 30 is deformable (bent) along the direction intersecting the mating direction Z, i.e., the extending direction X and the width direction Y, allowing displacement of the connector 20 along the extending direction X and the width direction Y relative to the flat cable guide 10. In other words, the terminaled wire 30 is configured to follow the movement of the connector 20 by deforming (bending) the wire 32 when the connector 20 is mated with the electronic device 50 (see Figures 4 and 5), which will be described later. The connector 20 is positioned in a waiting state on the surface 10a of the flat cable guide 10 relative to the electronic device 50.

[0021] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness WH, showing the pre-connection state where the connector 20 is misaligned to one end in the width direction Y relative to the electronic device 50. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness WH, showing the post-connection state where the misalignment of the connector 20 relative to the electronic device 50 has been absorbed. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness WH, showing the pre-connection state where the connector 20 is misaligned to the other end in the width direction Y relative to the electronic device 50. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness WH, showing the post-connection state where the misalignment of the connector 20 relative to the electronic device 50 has been absorbed.

[0022] As shown in Figures 4-7, the electronic device 50 is composed of, for example, a housing 51, a flange 52, a mating connector 53, and a tapered surface 54. The flange 52 is provided at both ends of the housing 51 in the width direction Y, and protrudes from both ends toward sides away from each other along the width direction Y. The flange 52 is provided with through holes through which fastening members 60, such as bolts, which fasten the vehicle mounting panel 100 and the electronic device 50, are inserted along the fitting direction Z. The fastening members 60 are fastened with fastening members 70, such as nuts, while inserted through the through holes in the flange 52.

[0023] The mating connector 53 is formed in a recessed shape in the bottom wall of the housing 51, for example. The mating connector 53 includes a mating terminal that is electrically connected to the terminal 31 of the connector 20. The mating terminal is made of a female terminal fitting made of a conductive metal material, for example. A tapered surface 54 is provided at the open end of the mating connector 53. The tapered surface 54 is inclined toward both sides in the width direction Y and both sides in the extension direction X as it moves toward the connector 20 along the mating direction Z. In this embodiment, the insertion of the connector 20 into the mating connector 53 is improved by the tapered surface 54 of this shape.

[0024] In this embodiment, the connector 20 is fitted together with the mating connector 53 on the electronic device 50 side along the mating direction Z when the electronic device 50 is fastened to the mounting panel 100 of the vehicle by the fastening members 60 and 70. Specifically, in this embodiment, the fastening member 60 is provided in a state that protrudes from the mounting panel 100 toward the electronic device 50 side along the mating direction Z, and is fastened with the fastening member 70 while being inserted through a through hole formed in the flange 52 described above. As a result, the fastening members 60 and 70 function as assist bolts when fitting the connector 20 and the mating connector 53 on the electronic device 50 side, and consequently the fitting work between the connector 20 and the mating connector 53 can be performed more easily or more smoothly.

[0025] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wire 32 of the terminal-equipped wire 30 interposed between the flat cable material 10 and the connector 20 allows for displacement along the width direction Y and the extension direction X, which intersect with the mating direction Z of the connector 20 relative to the flat cable material 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the connector 20 and the mating connector 53 are mated, the relative movement of the connector 20 with respect to the flat cable material 10 can absorb the positional misalignment between the connector 20 and the mating connector 53 along the width direction Y and the extension direction X.

[0026] As described above, in the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the terminal-equipped wire 30 has a terminal 31 housed in the housing 21 of the connector 20 and electrically connected to the electronic device 50, and a wire 32 with one end electrically connected to the terminal 31 and the other end electrically connected to the flat wiring member 10, and is interposed between the flat wiring member 10 and the connector 20. With this configuration, the wire harness WH can, for example, allow displacement along the extending direction X and width direction Y that intersect the mating direction Z of the connector 20 with respect to the flat wiring member 10 by the wire 32 of the terminal-equipped wire 30, and thereby can absorb positional deviation (tolerance) of the connector 20 along the extending direction X and width direction Y with respect to the electronic device 50. As a result, the wire harness WH can improve the workability of connection work.

[0027] Furthermore, in the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the flat wiring member 10 is routed along the mounting panel 100 of the vehicle, and the connector 20 is fitted along the mating direction Z with the mating connector 53 on the electronic device 50 side when the electronic device 50 is fastened to the mounting panel 100 by the fastening members 60 and 70. With this configuration, the wire harness WH can absorb positional misalignment (tolerance) of the connector 20 along the extending direction X and width direction Y relative to the electronic device 50 by the wire 32 of the terminal wire 30 when the electronic device 50 is fastened and fixed to the mounting panel 100 of the vehicle by the fastening members 60 and 70. As a result, the wire harness WH can further improve the workability of connection work.

[0028] [Differentiation] Figure 8 is a perspective view of a modified wire harness WH1. The wire harness WH1 shown in Figure 8 has the same configuration as the wire harness WH of the above embodiment. Therefore, the wire harness WH1 can obtain the same operation and effects as the above embodiment based on the same configuration.

[0029] However, this modified example differs from the above embodiment in that a protective member 40 is provided to cover the connector 20 and the terminal-equipped wire 30, as shown in Figure 8. The protective member 40 covers and protects the connector 20 and the terminal-equipped wire 30 from both sides in the extending direction X and both sides in the width direction Y. The protective member 40 is provided with an opening 41 into which the connector 20 and the terminal-equipped wire 30 are inserted along the mating direction Z. The protective member 40 is formed, for example, in a rectangular cylindrical shape along the outer circumferential surface of the housing 21 of the connector 20. The protective member 40 is mounted on the surface 10a of the flat cable guide 10 and fixed to the flat cable guide 10 via a solder joint 12 (see Figure 10) or the like.

[0030] Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view of the wire harness WH1, and Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness WH1. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, in this modified example, a gap G is provided between the inner surface 41a of the opening 41 and the connector 20, allowing relative movement of the connector 20 with respect to the protective member 40 along the extending direction X and the width direction Y. The gap G is, for example, formed by a rectangular opening that is along the outer circumferential surface of the housing 21 of the connector 20 and is slightly larger than the outer circumferential surface.

[0031] Furthermore, the outer circumferential surface of the housing 21 is provided with locking portions 23 that engage with the protective member 40. In this modified example, the locking portions 23 are provided at both ends of the housing 21 in the extending direction X and protrude in a cantilever spring-like manner from the outer circumferential surface of the housing 21 toward the protective member 40. Each pair of locking portions 23 is composed of an arm portion 23a and a claw portion 23b, and is elastically deformable to engage with the inner surface 41a of the opening 41 along the extending direction X.

[0032] The pair of arm portions 23a are formed, for example, at positions facing each other with the housing 21 in between in the extending direction X. The pair of arm portions 23a are formed in an arm shape (umbrella shape) that protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of the housing 21 along the fitting direction Z and gradually widens toward both sides in the extending direction X as it moves toward the protective member 40 along the fitting direction Z. That is, one end of the pair of arm portions 23a is connected to the outer circumferential surface of the housing 21 in the fitting direction Z, while the other end in the fitting direction Z is configured as a free end that can be elastically deformed along the extending direction X.

[0033] The pair of claw portions 23b are provided, for example, at the tips of the pair of arm portions 23a and are formed in a claw shape that engages with the inner surface 41a of the opening 41 and the upper surface of the protective member 40. The pair of claw portions 23b have, for example, a substantially L-shaped cross-section that opens toward the peripheral edge of the opening 41. In this modified example, the pair of claw portions 23b and the inner surface 41a of the opening 41 are elastically deformable and engaged along the extending direction X, thereby allowing relative movement of the connector 20 with respect to the protective member 40 along the extending direction X.

[0034] As described above, the wire harness WH1 of this modified example includes a protective member 40 with an opening 41 into which the connector 20 and the wire with terminals 30 are inserted along the mating direction Z, and a gap G is provided between the inner surface 41a of the opening 41 and the connector 20 that allows relative movement of the connector 20 along the extending direction X and the width direction Y, which intersect the mating direction Z with respect to the protective member 40. With this configuration, the wire harness WH1 can protect the connector 20 and the wire with terminals 30 while absorbing, for example, positional misalignment (tolerance) of the connector 20 along the extending direction X and the width direction Y relative to the electronic device 50 by the gap G of the protective member 40.

[0035] Furthermore, in the modified wire harness WH1, the connector 20 has a locking portion 23 that protrudes in a cantilever spring-like manner toward the protective member 40 and is elastically deformable to engage with the inner surface 41a of the opening 41 along the extending direction X. With this configuration, the wire harness WH1 can, for example, allow relative movement of the connector 20 with respect to the protective member 40 along the extending direction X by the locking portion 23, while suppressing interference between the housing 21 of the connector 20 and the protective member 40 due to such relative movement.

[0036] In this modified example, the locking portion 23 is provided at both ends of the connector 20 in the extending direction X, but the invention is not limited to this example, and may be provided at both ends of the connector 20 in the width direction Y. In this case, the locking portion 23 can be elastically deformably locked to the inner surface 41a of the opening 41 along the width direction Y. The locking portion 23 may also be provided at both ends of the connector 20 in the extending direction X and at both ends of the connector 20 in the width direction Y. Furthermore, the connector 20 does not necessarily have to be fitted with the mating connector 53 on the electronic device 50 side when fastening the electronic device 50 to the mounting panel 100 by the fastening members 60 and 70.

[0037] Although embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been illustrated above, these embodiments and modifications are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments and modifications can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, each configuration, shape, and other specifications (structure, type, direction, form, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, etc.) can be modified as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] 10 Flat wiring material 10a surface 20 connectors 21 Housing 23 Locking part 30 wires with terminals 31 terminals 32 Electric wire 40 Protective component 41 Opening 41a Inner surface 50 Electronic equipment 53. Other connector 60, 70 fastening members 100 Mounting Panel WH, WH1 Wire Harness X extension direction (intersecting direction) Y width direction (intersecting direction) Z mating direction

Claims

1. A flexible, flat cable material, A connector mounted on the surface of the flat cable material and mating to an electronic device along a mating direction intersecting the surface, The connector has a terminal housed in the connector housing and electrically connected to the electronic device, and a wire having one end electrically connected to the terminal and the other end electrically connected to the flat wiring material, with the terminal-equipped wire interposed between the flat wiring material and the connector. A wire harness equipped with [features / equipment].

2. The aforementioned flat cable routing material is routed along the mounting panel of the vehicle. The connector is fitted together with the mating connector on the electronic device side along the mating direction when fastened to the mounting panel by the fastening member of the electronic device. The wire harness according to claim 1.

3. The protective member is provided with an opening into which the connector and the wire with terminals are inserted along the mating direction, A gap is provided between the inner surface of the opening and the connector that allows relative movement of the connector along a direction intersecting the fitting direction of the protective member. The wire harness according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The connector has a cantilevered spring-like projection toward the protective member and a locking portion that is elastically deformable and engages with the inner surface of the opening along the intersecting direction. The wire harness according to claim 3.

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