Wire Harness

Abstract

To provide a wire harness that can reliably accommodate and fix a joint connector in an electrical junction box.SOLUTION: In a wire harness WH, a frame has partition walls 31. A partition wall 31 has a mating part 33 for engaging a joint connector 10 which is housed in a compartment space part 3aa from an opening part 3b on the lower side. In a state where an electronic component block 6 is fixed to a frame 3 by means of a fixing part 32, the mating part 33 is located on the lower side than the electronic component block 6. When the frame 3 is viewed from the opening part 3b on the lower side, the mating part 33 is separated from the electronic component block 6 in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to an insertion direction (first height direction Z1) of the electronic component block 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In an electrical junction box, electronic components (circuit protection components such as fuses and fusible links, relays, etc.) are housed in a housing, and these electronic components are electrically connected to other electronic components and electric wires via relay bus bars in the housing. As disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, such an electrical junction box houses a joint connector in a cover of the electrical junction box, thereby preventing foreign matter such as water from entering the joint connector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-7370 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-39044 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a joint connector is accommodated and fixed in an electric junction box, the fixing position must be set taking into consideration interference with a bundle of electric wires, electronic components, and a relay block accommodated together with the joint connector.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness in which a joint connector can be securely accommodated and fixed in an electric junction box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a wire harness according to the present invention includes a conductive electric wire and an electric junction box connected to the electric wire, the electric junction box including a frame formed in a cylindrical shape with openings on upper and lower sides when installed and having an accommodation space for accommodating electronic components therein, an upper cover closing the upper opening of the frame, and a lower cover closing the lower opening of the frame, the frame including at least one partition wall dividing the accommodation space into electronic component blocks to which the electronic components are assembled, and a lower cover closing the partitioned space divided by the partition wall. and a fixing portion for fixing the electronic component block received through the lower opening, the partition wall having a locking portion for locking a joint connector received in the partitioned space through the lower opening and electrically connecting the plurality of electric wires to each other, the locking portion being located below the electronic component block when the electronic component block is fixed to the frame by the fixing portion and being spaced apart from the electronic component block in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the electronic component block when the frame is viewed from the lower opening. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The wire harness according to the present invention has an advantage that the joint connector can be reliably accommodated and fixed in the electric junction box. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a wire harness according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view that typically shows a locking structure of a joint connector in the electric junction box of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a typical locking portion of a joint connector provided on a partition wall of the electric junction box. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a schematic view of a locking portion of a joint connector provided on a partition wall of an electric junction box. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of joint connectors housed in an electric junction box. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the arrangement of joint connectors housed in an electric junction box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are replaceable and easy for a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments can be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention.

[0010] [Embodiment] A wire harness WH and an electric junction box 1 according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a wire harness according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a locking structure of a joint connector in the electric junction box of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a locking portion of a joint connector provided on a partition wall of the electric junction box. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a locking portion of a joint connector provided on a partition wall of the electric junction box. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of arrangement of a joint connector housed in an electric junction box. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another example of arrangement of a joint connector housed in an electric junction box. In addition, in FIG. 2, the branch wire W2 and the sub-harness W3 assembled to the joint connectors 10 and 20 are omitted.

[0011] In the following description, the illustrated X direction is the first width direction of the electric junction box in this embodiment for convenience. The illustrated Y direction is the second width direction of the electric junction box in this embodiment for convenience, and is a direction perpendicular to the first width direction. The illustrated Z direction is the height direction of the electric junction box in this embodiment for convenience, and is a direction perpendicular to the first width direction and the second width direction. In particular, among the Z directions, the Z1 direction is the first height direction, and the Z2 direction is the second height direction. Moreover, the above directions are respectively expressed as the "first width direction X", the "second width direction Y", the "height direction Z", the "first height direction Z1", and the "second height direction Z2".

[0012] In order to facilitate understanding of the description of each part, the electric junction box 1 is shown upside down in Figs. 1 to 6. When the electric junction box 1 is actually mounted on a vehicle, the first height direction Z1 side where the upper cover 4 is provided is the vertically upper side, and the second height direction Z2 side where the lower cover 5 is provided is the vertically lower side. The first width direction X corresponds to the short side direction of a housing described later, and the second width direction Y corresponds to the long side direction of the housing. Unless otherwise specified, each direction used in the following description is the direction in the state where the parts of the electric junction box are assembled together and the electric junction box is mounted on a vehicle.

[0013] The wire harness WH in this embodiment is, for example, a collective component in which a plurality of electric wires W used for power supply and signal communication are bundled together to connect each device mounted on a vehicle, and the plurality of electric wires W are connected to each device using a connector or the like (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness WH includes an electric wire bundle WT including a trunk line W1 and a branch line W2 branching off from the trunk line W1, and an electric junction box 1 connected to the electric wire bundle WT. The wire harness WH is electrically connected to the electric junction box 1 via a connection terminal P (see FIG. 2) provided at the end of the electric wire W. The wire harness WH may be configured to include a grommet, a protector, a fixing device, etc., which are not shown.

[0014] The trunk line W1 is formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires W. The electric wires W include, for example, a conductive conductor portion (core wire) and an insulating coating portion that covers the outside of the conductor portion. The core wire may be a stranded wire formed by twisting together a plurality of metal wires, or may be a solid wire made of metal.

[0015] The branch wire W2 is provided with a connection terminal P at an end of each electric wire W. The connection terminal P is a metal fitting provided at the end of the electric wire W, and is made of a conductive metal material. The connection terminal P is a so-called female terminal, and is inserted and held in, for example, a joint connector 20 or an electronic component block 6, which will be described later.

[0016] The joint connector 20 electrically connects a plurality of electric wires W together by fitting with the joint connector 10 described below. As shown in Fig. 2, the joint connector 20 is molded into a rectangular housing shape from an insulating synthetic resin material or the like, and accommodates therein a connection terminal P provided at the end of the electric wire W that constitutes the branch line W2. The joint connector 20 is a so-called female connector, and fits into the joint connector 10, which is a male connector.

[0017] 2, the joint connector 10 is molded into a rectangular housing from an insulating synthetic resin material or the like, and accommodates therein a connection terminal Q provided at an end of an electric wire W constituting the sub-harness W3. The connection terminal Q is a metal fitting provided at the end of the electric wire W, and is made of a conductive metal material. The connection terminal Q is a so-called male terminal that corresponds to the connection terminal P.

[0018] The joint connector 10 has a locked portion 10a that is locked to a locking portion 33 (described later) provided on the electric junction box 1. The locked portion 10a is provided on a side wall in a direction perpendicular to the locking direction (first height direction Z1) of the joint connector 10 to the locking portion 33 of the electric junction box 1. The locked portion 10a has a shape and structure common to the multiple types of joint connectors 10. The joint connector 10 is fixed to the electric junction box 1 by locking the locked portion 10a to the locking portion 33.

[0019] The sub-harness W3 is composed of, for example, a plurality of electric wires W, a connection terminal P provided at one end of each electric wire W, a connection terminal Q provided at the other end of the electric wire W, and a joint connector 10. In the sub-harness W3, for example, the connection terminal Q provided at the other end of the electric wire W is accommodated in the joint connector 10, and the connection terminal P provided at one end of the electric wire W is accommodated in the electronic component block 6. The sub-harness W3 is intended to improve the ease of assembly of each part by assembling the electronic component block 6 constituting the electric junction box 1 and the sub-harness W3 to each other so as to have a one-to-one relationship with the electronic component block 6.

[0020] The electrical junction box 1 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) such as an automobile, and distributes power supplied from a power source such as a battery to various electronic devices mounted on the vehicle via various electronic components 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the electrical junction box 1 is incorporated into a wire harness WH, and internally houses electronic components 100 such as connectors, fuses, relays, branches, and electronic control units that constitute connection processing components for an electric wire W, which is a wiring material. When the electronic component 100 is mounted on the electrical junction box 1, a terminal 101 protruding from a main body of the electronic component 100 is electrically connected to a connection terminal P. In other words, the electronic component 100 is electrically connected to the electric wire W via the terminal 101 and the connection terminal P.

[0021] The electrical connection box 1 is installed in a location exposed to the external environment, such as an engine room of a vehicle, and is connected between a power source such as a battery and various electronic devices mounted in the vehicle. The electrical connection box 1 may also be called a junction box, a fuse box, a relay box, etc., but in this embodiment, these are collectively called an electrical connection box. As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical connection box 1 includes a housing 2 composed of a plurality of housing members. In this embodiment, the electrical connection box 1 is installed in a vehicle by bringing a vehicle mounting portion provided on the outside of the housing 2 into contact with a mounting panel or the like (not shown) on the vehicle side, and fastening the vehicle mounting portion to the mounting panel on the vehicle side with fastening members such as bolts.

[0022] 1, the housing 2 is formed in a box shape from an insulating synthetic resin material or the like, and accommodates the electronic component 100 and a part of the electric wire bundle WT in an accommodation space 2a formed inside. The housing 2 includes a frame 3, an upper cover 4, and a lower cover 5, and has a structure in which a plurality of layers (three layers) are laminated in the order of the lower cover 5, the frame 3, and the upper cover 4 from the second height direction Z2 side, i.e., a structure divided into a plurality of housing members.

[0023] The frame 3 is a part of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 3 has an outer peripheral shape that is substantially rectangular when viewed from the height direction Z in an installation state in which the electric connection box 1 is installed in a vehicle. The frame 3 has a storage space 3a. The storage space 3a is a part of the storage space 2a of the housing 2. In the above installation state, the frame 3 has an opening 3b at the end on the second height direction Z2 side and an opening 3c at the end on the first height direction Z1 side. The frame 3 is formed in a hollow shape in which the opening 3b and the opening 3c communicate with each other via the storage space 3a in the height direction Z. The storage space 3a of the frame 3 is divided into a plurality of compartments, and the electronic component block 6 in which the electronic components 100 are stored and the electronic components 100 are inserted and held in the compartmented storage space 3a. The frame 3 has a frame-side side wall 30, a partition wall 31, and a fixing portion 32.

[0024] The frame-side sidewall 30 is formed along the opening 3b so as to surround the accommodation space 3a. The frame-side sidewall 30 constitutes, for example, a double wall having an outer wall and an inner wall. The outer wall and the inner wall are formed so as to sandwich the lower cover-side sidewall constituting the lower cover 5 in a closed state in which the lower cover 5 closes the opening 3b.

[0025] The partition wall 31 divides the accommodation space 3a into electronic component blocks 6 in which electronic components 100 are assembled. The partition wall 31 is connected, for example, at both ends in the extending direction in a direction intersecting with the frame-side side wall 30, and divides the accommodation space 3a into a plurality of partitioned spaces 3aa. An electronic component block 6 is accommodated in each partitioned space 3aa. In one of the partitioned spaces 3aa, the electronic component block 6 and the joint connectors 10, 20 are accommodated (see Figs. 5 and 6). The partition wall 31 has a locking portion 33.

[0026] 4, the fixing portion 32 is for locking and fixing the electronic component block 6. For example, the fixing portion 32 is formed to protrude from the partition wall 31 toward the partitioned space portion 3aa. The fixing portion 32 is disposed apart from the locking portion 33 in the height direction Z.

[0027] The locking portion 33 locks the joint connector 10 housed in the partitioned space 3aa from the lower opening 3b. The locking portion 33 is formed so as to be able to lock with the locked portion 10a common to a plurality of types of joint connectors 10. As shown in Fig. 5, the locking portion 33 is formed on one of the plurality of partition walls 31 between two adjacent partitioned spaces 3aa in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction (first height direction Z1) of the electronic component block 6. The locking portion 33 is formed, for example, from the partition wall 31 toward the partitioned space 3aa.

[0028] The locking portion 33 is located below the electronic component block 6 in a fixed state in which the electronic component block 6 is fixed to the partition wall 31 by the fixing portion 32, and is provided at a position where the joint connector 10 locked to the locking portion 33 does not interfere with the electronic component block 6. The locking portion 33 is spaced apart in the second height direction Z2 from the electronic component block 6 in the fixed state. The locking portion 33 is provided on the partition wall surface 31a of the partition wall 31 and on the bottom surface 31c of the recess 31b. In other words, the locking portion 33 is formed to protrude from the bottom surface 31c of the recess 31b of the partition wall 31 toward the partitioned space portion 3aa. As shown in FIG. 4, the thickness of the recess 31b in the second width direction Y is thinner by a thickness M than the thickness of the partition wall 31 other than the recess 31b in the second width direction Y. In other words, the bottom surface 31c is lower in the second width direction Y than the partition wall surface 31a by M.

[0029] When the frame 3 is viewed from the opening 3b on the lower side, the locking portion 33 is spaced from the electronic component block 6 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction (first height direction Z1) of the electronic component block 6. The locking portion 33 has an end portion on the electronic component block 6 side in the second width direction Y separated by a width (length) L. The locking portion 33 has a locking projection 33a and a pair of locking ribs 33b. The locking projection 33a is disposed between the pair of locking ribs 33b along the bottom surface 31c of the recess 31b and protrudes toward the partitioned space portion 3aa. When viewed from the second height direction Z2, each of the pair of locking ribs 33b is formed in an L-shape.

[0030] The upper cover 4 is a part of the housing. In the above-mentioned installed state, the upper cover 4 is located on the first height direction Z1 side of the frame 3 and closes the opening 3c of the frame 3. When viewed from the height direction Z, the upper cover 4 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape whose outer peripheral shape is the same (including substantially the same) as the outer peripheral shape of the frame 3. The upper cover 4 has a storage space 4a. The storage space 4a is a part of the storage space 2a of the housing 2. Therefore, the storage space 2a of the housing 2 is composed of the storage space 3a of the frame 3, the storage space 4a of the upper cover 4, and the storage space 5a of the lower cover 5. The upper cover 4 has an opening 4b formed at the end on the second height direction Z2 side. The upper cover 4 is formed in a lid shape in which the storage space 4a and the opening 4b communicate with each other. When the upper cover 4 is assembled to the frame 3, the opening 4b faces the opening 3c of the frame 3 in the height direction Z, and is engaged with the frame 3 by a locking mechanism (not shown) provided on the side of the upper cover 4.

[0031] The lower cover 5 is a part of the housing 2. In the above-mentioned installed state, the lower cover 5 is located on the second height direction Z2 side of the frame 3 and closes the opening 3b of the frame 3. When viewed from the height direction Z, the lower cover 5 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape whose outer peripheral shape is the same (including substantially the same) as the outer peripheral shape of the frame 3. The lower cover 5 has a storage space 5a. The storage space 5a is a part of the storage space 2a of the housing 2. The lower cover 5 has an opening 5b formed at an end on the first height direction Z1 side. The lower cover 5 is formed in a tray shape in which the storage space 5a and the opening 5b communicate with each other. When the lower cover 5 is assembled to the frame 3, the opening 5b is engaged with the frame 3 with the opening 5b facing the opening 3b of the frame 3 in the height direction Z.

[0032] Next, a procedure for assembling the wire harness WH according to this embodiment will be described. First, a worker assembles the connection terminals P of the electric wires W to the electronic component blocks 6 to prepare the branch wires W2. The worker also prepares the necessary sub-harnesses W3.

[0033] Next, the worker inserts the electronic component block 6 together with the branch wire W2 from the second height direction Z2 side of the frame 3 into a predetermined partitioned space 3aa, and fixes the electronic component block 6 to the fixing portion 32. Next, the worker accommodates the joint connector 10 of the sub-harness W3 in the predetermined partitioned space 3aa, and fixes the joint connector 10 to the frame 3 side by engaging the locked portion 10a with the locking portion 33 of the partition wall 31. Then, the worker wires the sub-harness W3 in the frame 3, and fits the joint connector 20, which holds the connection terminal P provided at the end of the branch wire W2, into the joint connector 10. Next, the worker attaches the electronic components 100 to each electronic component block 6 from the first height direction Z1 side of the frame 3 fixed to the frame 3 side, and electrically connects the electronic components 100 and the electric wires W.

[0034] Next, the worker positions the lower cover 5 on the second height direction Z2 side of the frame 3, and inserts the lower cover 5 from the second height direction Z2 side toward the first height direction Z1 side of the frame 3. When the worker continues to insert the lower cover 5 toward the first height direction Z1 side into the frame 3 and cannot move the lower cover 5 any further toward the first height direction Z1 side, the assembly of the lower cover 5 to the frame 3 is completed.

[0035] Next, the worker positions the upper cover 4 on the first height direction Z1 side of the frame 3, and inserts the upper cover 4 from the first height direction Z1 side toward the second height direction Z2 side of the frame 3. When the worker continues to insert the upper cover 4 toward the second height direction side of the frame 3 and cannot move the upper cover 4 any further toward the second height direction side, the attachment of the upper cover 4 to the frame 3 is completed, and the assembly of the electrical junction box 1 is also completed.

[0036] As described above, in the wire harness WH according to this embodiment, the frame has the partition wall 31. The partition wall 31 has the locking portion 33 that locks the joint connector 10 accommodated in the partitioned space portion 3aa from the lower opening 3b. When the electronic component block 6 is fixed to the frame 3 by the fixing portion 32, the locking portion 33 is located below the electronic component block 6 and is spaced apart from the electronic component block 6 in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the electronic component block 6 (first height direction Z1) when the frame 3 is viewed from the lower opening 3b.

[0037] With the above configuration, in the partitioned space 3aa of the wire harness WH, the joint connector 10 and the electronic component block 6 are spaced apart from each other in the height direction Z and in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the height direction Z, so that the joint connector can be reliably accommodated and fixed in the electric junction box without interfering with each other. In this manner, since the fixing structure for fixing the joint connector 10 and the like is provided on the frame 3, the wire harness WH according to this embodiment does not require additional parts for fixing the joint connector 10 and the like to the frame 3 side, and therefore it is possible to suppress an increase in costs.

[0038] Moreover, in the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, the locking portion 33 is formed so as to be able to be locked to the locked portion 10a common to a plurality of types of joint connectors 10. This makes it possible to use a general-purpose joint connector instead of a joint connector dedicated to the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, thereby suppressing an increase in parts costs.

[0039] In the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, the locking portion 33 is formed on the partition wall 31 between two adjacent partition spaces 3aa in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, among the multiple partition walls 31. As a result, in the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, the locking portion 33 is provided on the partition wall 31 instead of the frame-side side wall 30, so that the length of the electric wires W used between the joint connector 10 and the electronic component block 6 can be relatively shortened, for example, as shown in FIG. 5. In addition, in the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, the locking portion 33 is provided on the partition wall 31 instead of the frame-side side wall 30, so that the length of the electric wires W used between the joint connector 10 and the electronic component block 6 can be relatively shortened, for example, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the joint connector 10 is fixed to the frame 3 by the locked portion 10a of the joint connector 10 being locked to the locking portion 33 of the partition wall 31, but this is not limited to this. For example, the locked portion of the joint connector 20 may be locked to the locking portion 33 of the partition wall 31. In this case, the joint connector 20 is fixed to the frame 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 Electrical junction box 2. Chassis 3 Frame 3a Storage space 3b opening 3c opening 6 Electronic component blocks 10,20 Joint Connector 10a Locked part 30 Frame side wall 31 Partition Wall 31a Partition wall 31b Recess 32 Fixed part 33 Locking part 33a Locking protrusion 33b Locking rib 100 Electronic Components W electric wire W1 Main Line W2 Branch line W3 Sub-harness WT wire bundle WH Wire harness

Claims

1. A conductive wire; an electric connection box connected to the electric wire, The electrical connection box includes: a frame that is formed in a cylindrical shape with openings on the upper and lower sides when installed and has an accommodation space therein for accommodating electronic components; an upper cover that closes the upper opening of the frame; a lower cover that closes the lower opening of the frame, The frame is at least one partition wall that divides the accommodation space into electronic component blocks to which the electronic components are assembled; a fixing portion that fixes the electronic component block accommodated through the lower opening to a partitioned space defined by the partition wall, The partition wall is a locking portion that locks a joint connector that is received in the partitioned space from the lower opening and electrically connects the plurality of electric wires to each other, The locking portion is When the electronic component block is fixed to the frame by the fixing portion, the fixing portion is located below the electronic component block, and When the frame is viewed from the lower opening, the frame is spaced apart from the electronic component block in a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the electronic component block. A wire harness comprising:

2. The locking portion is The joint connector is formed so as to be engaged with a common engaged portion in a plurality of types of the joint connectors. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

3. The locking portion is Among the plurality of partition walls, a partition wall between two of the partition spaces adjacent to each other in the perpendicular direction is formed. The wire harness according to claim 1 or 2.

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