Wire harness

Abstract

To provide a wire harness that can be easily manufactured.SOLUTION: A wire harness WH is provided with: an electric wire module 5 that has a plurality of electric wires 51 and electric wire-side connectors 52 provided at end parts of the plurality of electric wires 51; and a substrate module 6 that has flexible substrates 61, first substrate-side connectors 62 provided at one end parts of the flexible substrates 61 and connected to the electric wire-side connectors 52, and second substrate-side connectors 63 provided at the other ends of the flexible substrates 61 and connected to connectors of a control unit 71. The flexible substrate 61 has a wiring part 611 having a plurality of wiring lines 611A electrically connected to the plurality of electric wire 51 respectively through the electric wire-side connector 52 and the first substrate-side connector 62. The wiring part 611 has a joint part 611B jointing at least two of the plurality of wiring lines 611A to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART As a conventional technique relating to a wire harness, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a wire harness to be mounted on a vehicle and configured by bundling coated electric wires is known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-117619 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Such a wire harness has room for improvement in terms of manufacturability. For example, the above-mentioned wire harness may include a joint portion that electrically connects the conductors of the covered electric wires. The automation of the manufacturing of this joint portion makes the wire harness difficult to manufacture.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness that is easy to manufacture. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] That is, the wire harness of the present invention comprises: an electric wire module having a plurality of electric wires and electric wire side connectors provided at ends of the plurality of electric wires; and a board module having a flexible substrate, a first board side connector provided at one end of the flexible substrate and connected to the electric wire side connector, and a second board side connector provided at the other end of the flexible substrate and connected to a connector of an electronic device, wherein the flexible substrate has a wiring portion having a plurality of wires electrically connected to each of the plurality of electric wires via the electric wire side connector and the first board side connector, and the wiring portion is configured to have a joint portion connecting at least two of the plurality of wires to each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the wire harness of the present invention, it is possible to facilitate manufacturing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the wire-side connector of the wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a flexible substrate of the wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an assembled state of the wire harness according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] This embodiment relates to a wire harness. In the following description, of a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction that intersect with each other, the first direction is referred to as the "extension direction X," the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y," and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z." Here, the extension direction X, the width direction Y, and the height direction Z are perpendicular to each other. The extension direction X corresponds to the extension direction of a trunk portion of the wire harness or the width direction of a vehicle. The width direction Y corresponds to the width direction of the trunk portion or the width direction in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The height direction Z corresponds to the height direction of the trunk portion or the height direction of the vehicle. The width direction Y and the height direction Z correspond to intersecting directions that intersect with the extension direction X. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, each direction used in the following description represents a direction in a state in which each portion is assembled to each other. Note that the term "orthogonal" used here includes "approximately perpendicular."

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness WH according to an embodiment, showing the state in which the wire harness WH is assembled to a vehicle 100. For example, the wire harness WH is installed and used inside an instrument panel 110 of the vehicle 100. The instrument panel 110 is an interior panel that is arranged at the front of the vehicle interior along the vehicle width direction so as to face the driver's seat and passenger seat of the vehicle 100. Note that in FIG. 1, the instrument panel 110 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The wire harness WH connects devices mounted on the vehicle 100 and is used for power supply and signal communication. A reinforcement 111 is provided inside the instrument panel 110. The reinforcement 111 is a structural member or reinforcing member that is installed inside the instrument panel 110 and is provided along the vehicle width direction (extension direction X). The reinforcement 111 is also called a reinforcement, a reinforce, or a reinforcement. The reinforcement 111 is formed, for example, by a hollow metal pipe, and has flanges 112 formed at both ends. One flange 112 is fixed to the left side of the body of the vehicle 100, and the other flange 112 is fixed to the right side of the body of the vehicle 100.

[0012] The wire harness WH includes a trunk portion 2 and multiple branch portions 3. The trunk portion 2 is a wiring module having multiple transmission lines or wirings extending in the same direction. The trunk portion 2 is routed along the reinforcement 111, and both ends are connected to a control unit 71. The control unit 71 is an electronic device with a control function, such as, but not limited to, a zone ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that comprehensively controls devices in a peripheral area (zone) of the instrument panel 110. The control unit 71 is installed, for example, at a position that is offset in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the reinforcement 111.

[0013] The branch line section 3 is provided by branching off from the trunk line section 2, and for example, an electronic device 4 is connected to an end of the branch line section 3. The branch line section 3 is configured, for example, by bundling a plurality of coated electric wires, and is connected to the electronic device 4 via a connector attached to the end.

[0014] The main line section 2 is configured to include an electric wire module 5 and a board module 6. The electric wire module 5 is configured by bundling multiple coated electric wires. A coated electric wire is an electric wire with an insulating coating provided around the outer periphery of a conductor. The electric wire module 5 is provided, for example, along the reinforcement 111 of the vehicle 100, and is routed toward the control unit 71 that is arranged in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the reinforcement 111. The board module 6 is a wiring module having a flexible board 61, and is provided, for example, between one end of the electric wire module 5 and the control unit 71. In other words, the board module 6 is provided at the end of the main line section 2, and is provided at the connection point of an electronic device such as the control unit 71.

[0015] The board module 6 is formed shorter than the electric wire module 5 in the extension direction of the main line portion 2. In the wire harness WH, by forming the board module 6, which is more expensive than the electric wire module 5, shorter, it is possible to prevent an increase in the cost of the wire harness WH. Furthermore, the main line portion 2 may have a special electric wire 30 in addition to the electric wire module 5 and the board module 6. The special electric wire 30 is an electric wire that transmits signals or power that are difficult to transmit properly using the electric wire module 5 and the board module 6, and is used, for example, to transmit high-speed communication signals or large-current power. The special electric wire 30 is routed, for example, along the reinforcement 111.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the electric wire module 5 is connected to the control unit 71 via the board module 6. The electric wire module 5 has electric wires 51 and electric wire-side connectors 52. The electric wires 51 are coated electric wires in which the outer periphery of the conductor is covered with an insulating coating, and are arranged in a bundled state and connected at their ends to the electric wire-side connectors 52. For example, the electric wires 51 are arranged horizontally and connected to the electric wire-side connectors 52, and a plurality of the electric wire-side connectors 52 are provided stacked vertically. By providing the electric wire module 5 with a plurality of electric wire-side connectors 52, a large number of transmission lines can be configured, enabling the transmission of a large number of signals and power.

[0017] The substrate module 6 includes a flexible substrate 61, a first substrate-side connector 62, and a second substrate-side connector 63. The flexible substrate 61 is a planar circuit body having a planar circuit configuration, and is called a flexible printed circuit board (FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits)), which is a flexible printed wiring board. Here, the planar shape includes a substantially planar shape. The flexible substrate 61 is formed, for example, by bonding a base film, a conductor foil, and a coverlay together via an adhesive layer. The conductor foil is the wiring pattern of the flexible substrate 61 and constitutes a wiring portion 611 (see FIG. 4 ) of the flexible substrate 61. The flexible substrate 61 is, for example, a double-sided substrate having wiring patterns on both sides of the base film. The flexible substrate 61 may be a multilayer substrate having three or more layers, or a single-sided substrate having a wiring pattern on only one side of the base film. The flexible substrate 61 may or may not have electrical components mounted on the wiring pattern.

[0018] The first board-side connector 62 is a connector attached to one end of the flexible board 61, and is mated and connected to the wire-side connector 52. The second board-side connector 63 is a connector attached to the other end of the flexible board 61, and is mated and connected to a connector 711 provided in the control unit 71.

[0019] In the board module 6, for example, a plurality of flexible boards 61 are provided and arranged in a stacked state. The second board-side connector 63 is configured to be attachable to the plurality of flexible boards 61 in a stacked state. For example, the second board-side connector 63 holds a plurality of terminals attached to each flexible board 61 and electrically connects them to the terminals of the connector 711. A first board-side connector 62 is attached to each of the plurality of flexible boards 61. The plurality of first board-side connectors 62 are fitted into and connected to the wire-side connector 52, respectively.

[0020] In this way, the board module 6 has multiple stacked flexible boards 61, allowing for a compact configuration of multiple transmission lines. If a wiring module made of bundled electric wires were used instead of the board module 6, the multiple transmission lines would be configured with multiple covered electric wires, resulting in a significantly thick wiring module. In contrast, in the wire harness WH according to this embodiment, the flexible boards 61 are stacked, allowing for a thin and small board module 6.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wire-side connector 52. Note that, in FIG. 3, a portion of the wire-side connector 52 is cut away for ease of explanation. As shown in FIG. 3, the wire-side connector 52 is a connector that is connected to an end of an electric wire 51 in the electric wire module 5. A connection terminal 511 is attached to the electric wire 51. The connection terminal 511 is, for example, a crimp terminal and is connected to the electric wire 51 by crimping. The connection terminal 511 is a tuning fork terminal with a pair of contact pieces extending in the mating direction and is accommodated side by side in an accommodating chamber 523 of the housing 521. The connection terminal 511 is electrically connected to the flexible board 61 by inserting the flexible board 61 and the first board-side connector 62 between the pair of contact pieces. That is, the connection terminal 511 is electrically connected to wiring 611A (see FIG. 4) provided on the flexible board 61. A locking portion 522 that can engage with the first board-side connector 62 is formed in the housing 521 of the wire-side connector 52. The locking portion 522 locks the first board-side connector 62 when the wire-side connector 52 and the first board-side connector 62 are fitted together. Although Fig. 3 shows an example of the wire-side connector 52, the wire-side connector 52 may have a structure other than that shown in Fig. 3.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the flexible substrate 11, showing the surface of the flexible substrate 11 as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible substrate 11 is provided with a wiring section 611 including a plurality of wirings 661A. The flexible substrate 11 has a large number of wirings 661A formed in its extension direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 4). The wirings 661A are conductors that serve as signal or power transmission lines. The plurality of wirings 661A are electrically connected to the plurality of electric wires 51 via the electric wire-side connector 52 and the first board-side connector 62. That is, when the board module 6 and the electric wire module 5 are connected, the plurality of wirings 611A are electrically connected to each of the plurality of electric wires 51. The wiring section 611 is, for example, a circuit part that constitutes an electronic circuit or an electric circuit, and functions as, for example, a wiring pattern for signals, power, or ground. The wiring section 611 has a joint section 611B that connects at least two of the plurality of wirings 611A to each other. The joint portion 611B is, for example, a portion where a plurality of wires 611A branch or merge in the wiring portion 611. The joint portion 611B connects at least two wires 611A located in the same layer among a plurality of wiring layers constituting the wiring portion 611 to each other. The wire harness WH according to the embodiment incorporates a joint function into the flexible substrate 11 by forming the joint portion 611B in the flexible substrate 11. Therefore, the wire harness WH according to the embodiment can avoid providing a joint portion for electrically connecting conductors to each other in the electric wire module 5. Therefore, the wire harness WH according to the embodiment is easy to manufacture and facilitates automation of the manufacturing process.

[0023] The wiring portion 611 may have a through-hole 611C that connects at least two of the multiple wirings 611A to each other. The through-hole 611C is, for example, a portion that connects the wiring 611A formed on the front side of the flexible substrate 11 to the wiring 611A formed on the back side. Furthermore, when the flexible substrate 11 is a multilayer substrate having three or more layers, the through-hole 611C may connect the wirings 611A of different wiring layers to each other. FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which a large number of through-holes 611C are formed in a portion of the wiring portion 611. By forming the through-holes 611C in the flexible substrate 11, the wire harness WH according to the embodiment can avoid providing a joint portion in the electric wire module 5 that electrically connects conductors to each other. This makes the wire harness WH easier to manufacture and facilitates automation of the manufacturing process.

[0024] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the assembly or routing of the wire harness WH according to the embodiment to a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 5, in the wire harness WH, as described above, the board module 6 is connected to the control unit 71 by fitting the second board-side connector 63 to the connector 711. In this case, the board module 6 may be provided by bending or curving the flexible board 61 in the thickness direction. That is, multiple stacked flexible boards 61 may be installed by bending or curving in the same direction relative to the thickness direction. Because the flexible board 61 is formed thin, it can be easily bent or curved, and can be bent with a small radius of curvature. Therefore, the wire harness WH can reduce the installation space for the board module 6.

[0025] As described above, the wire harness WH of this embodiment can connect the multiple wires 611A together by forming the joint portion 611B in the wiring portion 611 of the flexible substrate 61. Therefore, the wire harness WH of this embodiment can avoid providing a joint portion for connecting the multiple electric wires in the electric wire module 5, and can be easily manufactured.

[0026] Furthermore, the wire harness WH of this embodiment has a plurality of flexible substrates 61 in which the substrate modules 6 are stacked, and thus can be configured with a large number of transmission lines compactly assembled.

[0027] Furthermore, in the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the plurality of wires 611A can be connected to each other by forming through holes 611C in the wiring portion 611 of the flexible substrate 61. Therefore, the wire harness WH of this embodiment can avoid providing a joint portion for connecting the plurality of electric wires in the electric wire module 5, and can be easily manufactured.

[0028] Furthermore, in the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the electric wire module 5 is provided along the reinforcement 111 of the vehicle, and the board module 6 is provided between the electric wire module 5 and the control unit 71. Therefore, by using the board module 6 at the location where the wire harness WH of this embodiment is connected to the control unit 71, the board module 6 can be easily deformed, making it easy to perform the wiring work.

[0029] Furthermore, in the wire harness WH of this embodiment, even when the flexible substrate 61 is bent or curved for installation, the radius of curvature can be made small, and the installation space can be made small.

[0030] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0031] For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the wire harness WH is used in the vehicle 100 has been described, but the wire harness of the present invention may also be used in devices, equipment, etc. other than the vehicle 100. Even with such a wire harness, the manufacturing can be simplified, similarly to the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 5: Wire module 6: PCB module 51: Electric wire 52: Wire side connector 61: Flexible substrate 62: First board side connector 63: Second board connector 71: Control unit (electronic device) 100: Vehicle 110:Instrument panel 111: Reinforce 611: Wiring section 611A: Wiring 611B: Joint part 611C:Through hole WH: Wire harness

Claims

1. an electric wire module having a plurality of electric wires and electric wire-side connectors provided at ends of the plurality of electric wires; a substrate module including a flexible substrate, a first substrate-side connector provided at one end of the flexible substrate and connected to the wire-side connector, and a second substrate-side connector provided at the other end of the flexible substrate and connected to a connector of an electronic device; the substrate module includes a plurality of the flexible substrates stacked and attached to one of the second substrate-side connectors, and a plurality of the first substrate-side connectors attached to the plurality of flexible substrates, respectively; the electric wire module includes a plurality of the electric wire-side connectors connected to the plurality of first board-side connectors, respectively; the flexible substrate has a wiring portion having a plurality of wirings electrically connected to the plurality of electric wires via the electric wire-side connector and the first board-side connector, The wiring section has a joint section that connects at least two of the plurality of wirings to each other. Wire harness.

2. the wiring portion has a through hole connecting the wiring on the front surface side of the flexible substrate with the wiring on the back surface side of the flexible substrate; The wire harness according to claim 1 .

3. The electric wire module is provided along a reinforcement of a vehicle and is routed toward the electronic device arranged in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the reinforcement, The substrate module is provided between the electric wire module and the electronic device. The wire harness according to claim 1 .

4. The flexible substrate is bent or curved in the thickness direction. The wire harness according to claim 3 .

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