Connectors and wire harnesses

Abstract

The objective is to provide connectors and wire harnesses that enable more proper connection work with flat-type wiring materials. [Solution] The connector 1 comprises a plurality of terminals 10 and a housing 20. Each of the plurality of terminals 10 includes a first connection portion 11 that is electrically connected to the mating terminal of the mating connector, a second connection portion 12 that is electrically connected to the conductor portion 51 of the flat wiring material 50, and a conversion portion 13 interposed between the first connection portion 11 and the second connection portion 12. Each first connection portion 11 is stacked along the plate thickness direction Z with respect to each second connection portion 12 which is arranged along the width direction Y (intersecting direction) via the conversion portion 13 and is housed in the cavity 21 of the housing 20.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] As a technology related to conventional connectors, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a connector including a plurality of terminals electrically connected to a plurality of conductor portions provided in a flat cable material, and a housing provided with a plurality of cavities in which the plurality of terminals are aligned and accommodated along the plate thickness direction of the flat cable material and in a direction intersecting the plate thickness direction.

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 connector described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, for example, a flat cable material and a plurality of terminals connected to the flat cable material are laminated along the plate thickness direction, and there is room for further improvement in performing the connection work with the flat cable material more appropriately.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a connector and a wire harness capable of more appropriately performing the connection work with a flat cable material.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the connector according to the present invention comprises a plurality of terminals electrically connected to a plurality of conductor portions provided on a flat cable material, and a housing provided with a plurality of cavities in which the plurality of terminals are housed, aligned along the thickness direction of the flat cable material and a direction intersecting the thickness direction, wherein each of the plurality of terminals is configured to include a first connection portion electrically connected to a mating terminal of a mating connector, a second connection portion electrically connected to the conductor portion of the flat cable material, and a conversion portion interposed between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, and each of the first connection portions is housed in the cavity in a state where they are stacked along the thickness direction with respect to each of the second connection portions aligned along the intersecting direction via the conversion portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the connector and wire harness according to the present invention, multiple terminals are housed in a cavity with each first connection portion stacked along the thickness direction via a conversion portion to each second connection portion, which is arranged along the intersecting direction. With this configuration, the connector and wire harness can be converted into a multi-stage connector in which the first connection portions are stacked along the thickness direction by the conversion portion, for example, when the second connection portion is connected to a single-layer flat wiring material. As a result, the connector and wire harness have the effect of enabling more proper connection work with flat wiring materials. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an illustrative perspective view of a wire harness to which a connector according to the embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an illustrative cross-sectional view of a connector according to the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an illustrative plan view of a connector according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an illustrative perspective view of the terminals of a modified connector. [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 perspective view of a wire harness WH to which a connector 1 according to an embodiment is applied. The connector 1 of this embodiment shown in Figure 1 is incorporated into a wire harness WH routed in a vehicle such as an automobile. Here, the wire harness WH is configured such that, for example, flat wiring members 50 used for power supply and signal communication are routed along the mounting panel of the vehicle for connecting various devices mounted on the vehicle, and the flat wiring members 50 are connected to each device with a connector 1 or the like. The wire harness WH of this embodiment comprises a conductive and flexible flat wiring member 50 and a connector 1 provided at the end of the flat wiring member 50. In addition, the wire harness WH may also be configured to 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 "plate thickness direction Z." Here, the extension direction X, the width direction Y, and the plate thickness 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 material 50, or the mating direction (connection direction) between connector 1 and a mating connector (not shown). The width direction Y typically corresponds to the width direction (short direction) of the wire harness WH and the flat cable material 50. The plate thickness direction Z typically corresponds to the plate thickness direction (up and down direction) of the wire harness WH and the flat cable material 50. 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] As shown in Figure 1, the flat wiring member 50 is a wiring member that constitutes the wire harness WH, and is made of, for example, FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits) or FFC (Flexible Flat Cable). The flat wiring member 50 is formed as a whole in a horizontally elongated rectangular plate shape along the extending direction X. The flat wiring member 50 is a flat wiring member that is thin along the plate thickness direction Z and has flexibility (bendability). Note that the flat wiring member 50 is not limited to this example, and may be made of, for example, multiple piece members arranged according to the power distribution route. The piece member is made up of an insulating base sheet formed into a flat plate shape and a conductor part 51 joined to the base sheet by laser welding or the like.

[0014] The flat wiring material 50 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 wiring material 50. 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 conductor 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 or the like and functions as a protective layer that protects the conductor circuit parts of the wiring pattern.

[0015] In this embodiment, the flat cable guide 50 is provided with a plurality of conductor portions 51 that protrude from the flat cable guide 50 along the extending direction X. The plurality of conductor portions 51 are arranged at intervals from each other along the width direction Y at one end of the flat cable guide 50 in the extending direction X. Each of the plurality of conductor portions 51 is electrically connected to a wiring pattern provided on the flat cable guide 50. In this embodiment, the flat cable guide 50 is made of a single layer along the thickness direction Z.

[0016] Connector 1 is provided at the end of a flat cable guide 50 and is mated and connected to a mating connector (not shown) along the extending direction X. Connector 1 comprises, for example, a plurality of terminals 10, a housing 20, and a cover 30. The plurality of terminals 10 are, for example, male terminal fittings made of a conductive metal material and are electrically connected to the mating terminals of the mating connector. Each terminal 10 is configured to include, for example, a first connection portion 11 that is electrically connected to the mating terminal of the mating connector, a second connection portion 12 that is electrically connected to the conductor portion 51 of the flat cable guide 50, and a conversion portion 13 interposed between the first connection portion 11 and the second connection portion 12.

[0017] The housing 20 houses and holds a plurality of terminals 10 therein. The housing 20 includes, for example, a narrow portion 22 located on one end side (the mating connector side) in the extending direction X, and a wide portion 23 located on the other end side (the flat cable member 50 side) in the extending direction X with respect to the narrow portion 22. The narrow portion 22 is provided with a plurality of cavities 21 into which the first connection portions 11 of the plurality of terminals 10 are inserted along the extending direction X. The plurality of cavities 21 are provided in the narrow portion 22 so as to be aligned with each other along the plate thickness direction Z and the width direction Y. Further, the plurality of cavities 21 are partitioned from each other along the plate thickness direction Z and the width direction Y.

[0018] The wide portion 23 is formed with a wider lateral width along the width direction Y than the narrow portion 22. The wide portion 23 is provided with an accommodation space portion 24 that communicates with the plurality of cavities 21 of the narrow portion 22 along the extending direction X. The accommodation space portion 24 houses the second connection portions 12 and the conversion portions 13 of the plurality of terminals 10. The accommodation space portion 24 opens toward one end side (upper side) in the plate thickness direction Z and is closed by a cover 30 described later. Further, the accommodation space portion 24 opens toward the other end side (the flat cable member 50 side) in the extending direction X, and at least the conductor portion 51 of the flat cable member 50 is inserted along the extending direction X. Also, the wide portion 23 is provided with partition walls 25 that partition the respective second connection portions 12 of the plurality of terminals 10 from each other along the width direction Y.

[0019] The cover 30 is formed separately from the housing 20 and is assembled to the housing 20 along the plate thickness direction Z. The cover 30 has, for example, a top wall portion and a pair of side wall portions, and is formed in a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens toward the accommodation space portion 24 side along the plate thickness direction Z. The cover​​​The connector 1 is electrically connected to the wiring pattern of the flat cable 50 through the connection parts between the plurality of second connection parts 12 and the plurality of conductor parts 51. The plurality of conductor circuit parts constituted by the wiring pattern can function as any circuit such as 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 various 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 matches the potential serving as the reference for circuit operation between the in-vehicle devices. The power ground circuit is a circuit that grounds the power supply system of the in-vehicle device.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the connector 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first connection part 11 is located on one end side (the mating connector side) in the extending direction X among the plurality of terminals 10 and is a part accommodated in the cavity 21 of the housing 20. The first connection part 11 extends along the extending direction X and can be connected to the mating terminal of the mating connector. In the present embodiment, the first connection parts 11 laminated along the plate thickness direction Z via the conversion parts 13 are accommodated in the cavity 21 of the housing 20. In the present embodiment, for example, the first connection parts 11 arranged in three rows along the plate thickness direction Z are aligned and arranged in a plurality of rows along the width direction Y, thereby constituting a multi-stage connector (multi-stage conversion connector).

[0022] The second connection part 12 is located on the other end side (the flat cable 50 side) in the extending direction X among the plurality of terminals 10 and is a part accommodated in the accommodation space part 24 of the housing 20. The second connection part 12 extends along the extending direction X and can be connected to the conductor part 51 of the flat cable 50. In the present embodiment, the second connection parts 12 arranged in three rows along the width direction Y are accommodated in the accommodation space part 24 of the housing 20. The second connection part 12 is joined to the conductor part 51 by, for example, crimping, heat welding, laser welding, etc.

[0023] The conversion section 13 is located in the middle of the extension direction X among the multiple terminals 10, that is, between the first connection section 11 and the second connection section 12, and is housed in the cavity 21 of the housing 20. The conversion section 13 offsets the first connection section 11 relative to the second connection section 12 in at least one of the thickness direction Z and the width direction Y. Specifically, in this embodiment, two of the three conversion sections 13 (see Figure 2) arranged along the thickness direction Z offset the position of the first connection section 11 relative to the second connection section 12 to one end side (upper side) of the thickness direction Z and to one end side of the width direction Y. When viewed from the width direction Y (see Figure 2), these two conversion sections 13 extend along the inclination direction between the extension direction X and the thickness direction Z, and when viewed from the thickness direction Z (see Figure 3), they extend along the inclination direction between the extension direction X and the width direction Y.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, of the three conversion sections 13 (see Figure 2) arranged along the plate thickness direction Z, the remaining one offsets the position of the first connection section 11 relative to the second connection section 12 only to one end in the width direction Y. This conversion section 13 extends along the extension direction X when viewed from the width direction Y (see Figure 2), and extends along the inclined direction between the extension direction X and the width direction Y when viewed from the plate thickness direction Z (see Figure 3). In this way, in this embodiment, the multiple terminals 10 are formed in a three-dimensional shape by the interconnected first connection section 11, second connection section 12, and conversion section 13.

[0025] As described above, in the connector 1 and wire harness WH of this embodiment, the multiple terminals 10 are housed in the cavity 21 of the housing 20 with each first connection part 11 stacked along the plate thickness direction Z via a conversion part 13 to each second connection part 12 which is arranged along the width direction Y (intersecting direction). With this configuration, the connector 1 and wire harness WH can be converted into a multi-stage connector in which the first connection parts 11 are stacked along the plate thickness direction Z by the conversion part 13, for example, with the second connection part 12 connected to a single-layer flat wiring material 50. As a result, the connector 1 and wire harness WH can perform connection work with the flat wiring material 50 more properly, and consequently, the connection work between the second connection part 12 and the conductor part 51 in the multi-stage connector can be performed more easily, and the height of the part where the second connection part 12 and the conductor part 51 are connected can be reduced.

[0026] Furthermore, in the connector 1 and wire harness WH of this embodiment, the conversion unit 13 offsets the first connection portion 11 relative to the second connection portion 12 in at least one of the plate thickness direction Z and the width direction Y. With this configuration, the connector 1 and wire harness WH can, for example, change the position of the first connection portion 11 relative to the second connection portion 12 by the conversion unit 13, and thereby relatively easily form a multi-stage connector (multi-stage conversion connector) in which multiple first connection portions 11 are stacked along the plate thickness direction Z.

[0027] Furthermore, the connector 1 and wire harness WH of this embodiment are equipped with a cover 30 that is assembled to the housing 20 along the thickness direction Z and covers the second connection portion 12 of the multiple terminals 10 housed in the housing space 24 of the housing 20. With this configuration, the connector 1 and wire harness WH can protect the portion where the second connection portion 12 and the conductor portion 51 are connected by the cover 30, for example, while improving the ease of assembly of the multiple terminals 10 to the housing 20.

[0028] [Differentiation] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the terminal 10 of the connector 1 according to a modified example. The connector 1 and wire harness WH shown in Figure 4 have the same configuration as the connector 1 and wire harness WH of the above embodiment. Therefore, the connector 1 and wire harness WH 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, as shown in Figure 4, the conversion section 13 does not have an inclined portion. In this modified example, the central of the three conversion sections 13 arranged along the plate thickness direction Z offsets the position of the first connection section 11 relative to the second connection section 12 to one end side (upper side) of the plate thickness direction Z, and also to one end side of the width direction Y. This conversion section 13 is composed of a first portion 13a extending along the plate thickness direction Z, a second portion 13b extending along the width direction Y, and a pair of third portions 13c extending along the extension direction X.

[0030] Furthermore, in this modified example, the upper of the three conversion sections 13 arranged along the plate thickness direction Z offsets the position of the first connection section 11 relative to the second connection section 12 only towards one end (upper side) of the plate thickness direction Z. This conversion section 13 is composed of a first portion 13a extending from the second connection section 12 along the plate thickness direction Z, and a third portion 13c extending from the first portion 13a along the extending direction X toward the first connection section 11.

[0031] Furthermore, in this modified example, the lower of the three conversion sections 13 arranged along the plate thickness direction Z offsets the position of the first connection section 11 relative to the second connection section 12 only towards one end in the width direction Y. This conversion section 13 is composed of a second section 13b extending from the first connection section 11 along the width direction Y, and a third section 13c extending from the second section 13b along the extension direction X toward the second connection section 12. In this way, in this modified example as well, the multiple terminals 10 are formed in a three-dimensional shape by the interconnected first connection section 11, second connection section 12, and conversion section 13.

[0032] As described above, in the modified connector 1 and wire harness WH, the conversion unit 13 offsets the first connection portion 11 relative to the second connection portion 12 in at least one of the plate thickness direction Z and the width direction Y. With this configuration, the connector 1 and wire harness WH can, for example, change the position of the first connection portion 11 relative to the second connection portion 12 by the conversion unit 13, and thereby relatively easily form a multi-stage connector (multi-stage conversion connector) in which multiple first connection portions 11 are stacked along the plate thickness direction Z.

[0033] In this modified example and the above embodiment, the second connection portion 12 of the multiple terminals 10 and the conductor portion 51 of the flat cable material 50 are shown arranged in a line along the width direction Y, but the invention is not limited to this example, and for example they may be arranged in a line along the extension direction X. Also, in this modified example and the above embodiment, the multiple terminals 10 are shown as having their respective first connection portion 11 arranged in three stages along the plate thickness direction Z, but the invention is not limited to this example, and for example they may be arranged in two stages along the plate thickness direction Z, or in four or more stages.

[0034] 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]

[0035] 1 Connector 10 terminals 11. First connection section 12. Second connection section 13 Conversion section 20 Housing 21 Cavity 22 Narrow part 23 Wide section 24. Storage space 25 Partition Wall 30 Cover 50 Flat wiring material 51 Conductor section WH Wire Harness X extension direction (intersecting direction) Y width direction (intersecting direction) Z Thickness direction

Claims

1. Multiple conductors provided on a flat cable guide and multiple terminals electrically connected to them, The housing comprises a plurality of cavities arranged along the thickness direction of the flat cable member and in a direction intersecting the thickness direction, which accommodate the plurality of terminals. Each of the aforementioned plurality of terminals is configured to include a first connection portion electrically connected to the mating terminal of a mating connector, a second connection portion electrically connected to the conductor portion of the flat cable material, and a conversion portion interposed between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, and each of the first connection portions is housed in the cavity in a state where they are stacked along the thickness direction of the plate via the conversion portion for each of the second connection portions which are arranged along the intersecting direction. connector.

2. The conversion unit offsets the first connection portion relative to the second connection portion in at least one of the plate thickness direction and the intersecting direction. The connector according to claim 1.

3. The housing is assembled along the thickness direction and includes a cover that covers the second connection portion of the plurality of terminals housed in the housing space of the housing, The connector according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A flexible, flat cable material, The flat cable material includes a connector, The aforementioned connector is Multiple terminals electrically connected to multiple conductor portions provided on the flat cable material, The housing comprises a plurality of cavities arranged along the thickness direction of the flat cable member and in a direction intersecting the thickness direction, which accommodate the plurality of terminals. Each of the aforementioned plurality of terminals is configured to include a first connection portion electrically connected to the mating terminal of a mating connector, a second connection portion electrically connected to the conductor portion of the flat cable material, and a conversion portion interposed between the first connection portion and the second connection portion, and each of the first connection portions is housed in the cavity in a state where they are stacked along the thickness direction of the plate via the conversion portion for each of the second connection portions which are arranged along the intersecting direction. Wire harness.

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