Wire harness routing structure and wiring harness routing method

Abstract

To provide a wiring method and the like of a wire harness capable of easily installing a power circuit to an additional facility.SOLUTION: On each part of a vehicle 31, a branch side wire harness 7b is arranged. On one end of the branch side wire harness 7b, an electrical device is coupled, and to the other end, a connector 33 which is not connected, is connected. On one end side of a main side wire harness 7a, an additional power source 3 is coupled. After the additional power source 3 and the main side wire harness 7a are installed on the vehicle 31, by only inserting the connector 33 of the branch side wire harness 7b which is installed in advance, into the branch box 9, each electrical device 5 can be connected to the branch box 9 connected to the additional power source 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a branch box or the like in an automobile, which branches off a main cable connected to a power source to various electrical devices or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, the equipment (electrical devices) that can be installed in a vehicle is designed by the person in charge of each part from the vehicle development stage onwards. In addition, the wiring harnesses that connect the equipment to the power source are also designed from the vehicle development stage, with the necessary circuits for each piece of equipment that can be installed. When a vehicle is sold, the user selects the equipment to be installed, and the appropriate parts are installed. At this time, depending on the installed equipment, it may be necessary to install an additional power supply.

[0003] 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional wire harness routing structure 100. A plurality of electrical devices 105 are arranged in various parts of a vehicle 101. The electrical devices 105 are connected to an additional power source 103 via a wire harness 107 and are operated by power distributed from the additional power source 103.

[0004] However, there are restrictions on the placement of the additional power source 103, so it cannot necessarily be placed near the electrical device 105, which causes a problem that the length of the wire harness 107 becomes long.

[0005] In response to this, a method has been proposed in which a plurality of power distributors are installed in a power supply system extending from a power supply box connected to a power source, and each electrical device is connected to the power distributor (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-137394 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the wiring structure described above, various devices and power supply boxes are usually arranged in a factory or the like, and even wiring and connection of the wire harness is performed. However, if a user requests new devices to be added after the vehicle is sold, the necessary parts / circuits must be added to the vehicle. In this case, work to add new circuits to the vehicle is required.

[0008] To perform this work at a dealership requires the removal of vehicle interior components, which requires an extremely large number of man-hours. Furthermore, depending on the location of the circuit, the number of man-hours required at the dealership increases, leading to increased costs and longer waiting times for the user. In particular, the power supply circuit requires connection to power supply boxes installed in several locations on the vehicle, resulting in longer wires and more interior materials to be removed, which increases the amount of work required by the dealership.

[0009] One solution to this problem is to install a power supply and wiring harness for the additional equipment in advance and use them when necessary, but this would incur unnecessary circuit costs for users who do not need to add the equipment.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a wiring harness routing method and the like that allows for easy installation of a power supply circuit to additional equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first invention is a wiring structure for an automobile wire harness, comprising: a main wire harness having one end connected to a power source and the other end and / or an intermediate end connected to a branch box; and an electric device connectable to the branch box. The connection position of the branch box corresponding to the electrical device to be connected is written in the middle of the main side wire harness. The wiring harness routing structure is characterized in that

[0012] A plurality of branch boxes may be connected to the main wire harness, and the branch boxes may have a description of the type of electrical equipment to be connected thereto.

[0014] A branched wire harness may be arranged that is not connected to the main wire harness but is connected to an electrical device.

[0015] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the main wire harness is connected to the power source and the branch box is directly disposed on the main wire harness, so that power can be easily supplied to the electrical equipment. In this case, the branch box is connected to the middle of the main wire harness without cutting the main wire harness, so there are few restrictions on installation and it is easy to add a branch box later.

[0016] Furthermore, when multiple branch boxes are connected to the main wiring harness, if the type of electrical device to be connected is written on each branch box, it is easy to know which branch box to use for each electrical device. Therefore, when performing work at a dealer or the like, there is no need to worry about the length or routing of the branch wire harness for each electrical device, and the need to redo work can be reduced.

[0017] For example, after installing a main wire harness and connecting one of the electrical devices to a branch box, when trying to connect a wire harness for another electrical device to another branch box, the branch wire harness may not be long enough. In this case, it is necessary to remove the wire harness for the electrical device that was connected first and change the connection position. However, if the branch box to be connected is clearly indicated in advance, there is no need to make a mistake about which branch wire harness to connect to which branch box.

[0018] Furthermore, even when all branch boxes are not arranged in advance on the main side wire harness but branch boxes are arranged by a dealer as needed, if the arrangement positions of the branch boxes to be connected are written on the main side wire harness, there is no risk of making a mistake in the connection positions.

[0019] Alternatively, a branch wire harness may be provided that is not connected to the main wire harness but is connected to an electrical device. For example, the branch wire harness that is connected to the electrical device may be installed in advance at a factory, and the electrical device may be connected to the main wire harness to be added as needed at a dealer, making it easy to add equipment.

[0020] In this case, if the equipment is not needed, it can be left as an unconnected branch wire harness without being connected to the main wire harness. Even in this case, if the equipment is needed later, it can be used immediately by connecting it to the main wire harness. Furthermore, since the branch wire harness only needs to be long enough to reach the main wire harness, even if it is unused and wasted, it can be kept to a minimum.

[0021] The second invention provides a vehicle in which a plurality of branched wire harnesses are arranged, each having one end connected to an electric device and the other end unconnected, The main wiring harness has a wiring diagram showing the location of the branch box that corresponds to the electrical equipment to be connected. One end is connected to an additional power source, and the other end and / or a branch box is connected in the middle The aforementioned The main wiring harness is installed, or a branch box is connected to the end and / or middle of the harness. The aforementioned This is a wiring harness routing method, characterized by installing a main side wiring harness, connecting one end of the main side wiring harness to an existing power source, and connecting at least a portion of the branch side wiring harness to the branch box.

[0022] A portion of the outer sheath of the main side wire harness may be removed midway to expose the conductor, a new branch box may be connected to the conductor, and the existing branch side wire harness connected to an electrical device may be connected to the newly connected branch box.

[0023] According to the second invention, multiple branch side wire harnesses, one end of which is connected to an electrical device and the other end of which is unconnected, are arranged in advance at a factory or the like, and a main side wire harness, one end of which is connected to a branch box and / or the middle of which is installed by a dealer, thereby making it possible to easily add equipment.

[0024] In this case, if a new branch box is added midway along the main wire harness, only a minimum number of branch boxes need to be placed when additional main wire harnesses are installed, and subsequent additional work can also be accommodated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wiring harness routing method and the like that allows a power supply circuit to be easily installed in additional equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a process of adding an additional power source 3 to the wire harness routing structure 1. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a wire harness routing structure 1a. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another process of adding an additional power source 3 to the internal structure of the branch box. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the branch box. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing a wire harness routing structure 100. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] 1 is a diagram showing a wiring harness routing method for installing an additional power source 3 and a main side wiring harness 7a in a wiring harness routing structure 1. In the wiring harness routing method shown in FIG.

[0028] The wire harness routing structure 1 is installed, for example, in a factory. A branched wire harness 7b is arranged in each part of a vehicle 31. One end of the branched wire harness 7b is connected to an electric device, and the other end is connected to an unconnected connector 33. The plurality of electric devices 5 are, for example, a door lock, an electric power steering, a brake, an electric shift, an advanced driving assistance system, etc.

[0029] A branch-side wire harness 7b is connected to each electric device 5. A connector 33 is connected to the tip of the branch-side wire harness 7b (on the opposite side to the connection portion of the electric device 5). As shown in the figure, in the wire harness routing structure 1, an unconnected electric device 5 and the branch-side wire harness 7b are arranged. Note that the electric device 5 may not be installed, and only the branch-side wire harness 7b to be connected to the electric device 5 may be arranged.

[0030] Meanwhile, an additional power source 3 is connected to one end of the main-side wire harness 7a. The additional power source 3 is capable of supplying power to the main-side wire harness 7a. A plurality of branch boxes 9 are arranged in the main-side wire harness 7a. The branch boxes 9 may be arranged, for example, at the other end of the main-side wire harness 7a (the opposite side from the additional power source 3), or may be arranged midway along the main-side wire harness 7a, or may be arranged at both ends. The configuration of the branch boxes 9 will be described in detail later.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an automotive wire harness routing structure 1a in which the additional power source 3 and the main-side wire harness 7a are installed in a vehicle 31. As described above, the electrical device 5 and the branch-side wire harness 7b are installed in a factory or the like, but the additional power source 3 and the main-side wire harness 7a are installed at a location different from the location where the branch-side wire harness 7b is installed, such as a dealership. The main-side wire harness 7a may be connected to an existing power source (a power source installed at the factory), in which case the additional power source 3 is not required. In this case, the main-side wire harness 7a, with the branch box 9 connected to its end and / or midpoint, is installed in the vehicle, and one end of the main-side wire harness 7a is connected to the existing power source. In the illustrated example, the main-side wire harness 7a is arranged straight in the fore-and-aft direction in approximately the center of the vehicle 31, but it may also be arranged on the side of the vehicle 31, etc., where installation is easier.

[0032] The connectors 33 of the branch-side wire harness 7b are connected to the respective branch boxes 9 of the main-side wire harness 7a. That is, after the additional power source 3 and the main-side wire harness 7a are installed in the vehicle 31, the branch boxes 9 connected to the additional power source 3 can be connected to the respective electrical devices 5 simply by inserting the connectors 33 of the branch-side wire harness 7b, which has been installed in advance, into the branch boxes 9.

[0033] It should be noted that the electric devices 5 that do not need to be connected do not need to be connected to the main side wire harness 7a. A branch side wire harness 7b that is not connected to the main side wire harness 7a but is connected to the electric devices 5 may be arranged. In other words, at least some of the multiple branch side wire harnesses 7b are connected to the branch box 9.

[0034] Here, the type of electrical device 5 to be connected is written on each branch box 9 arranged in the main-side wire harness 7a. Also, the type of connected electrical device 5 is written near the end of the branch-side wire harness 7b or on the connector 33. Therefore, after installing the main-side wire harness 7a, when connecting the branch-side wire harness 7b to the branch box 9, it is easy to know which branch box 9 and which branch-side wire harness 7b (electrical device 5) are to be connected.

[0035] It is not necessary to arrange all of the branch boxes 9 in the main-side wire harness 7a. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 3, a branch box 9 is arranged only in a part (one end) of the main-side wire harness 7a. In this method, only the branch box 9 to which the electric device 5 to be connected has been determined is arranged in the main-side wire harness 7a, and in this state, the additional power source 3 and the main-side wire harness 7a are installed in the vehicle 31.

[0036] Thereafter, only the electrical device 5 (branch-side wire harness 7b) to be connected is connected to the branch box 9. As a result, the electrical device 5 and the additional power source 3 are connected, and the electrical device 5 can be used.

[0037] On the other hand, if another electrical device 5 is to be added after the additional power source 3 and the main-side wire harness 7a have been installed in the vehicle 31, a new branch box 9 is installed in the main-side wire harness 7a. In this case, an electrical device connection position indicator 13 indicating the connection position of the branch box 9 corresponding to the electrical device 5 to be connected is provided midway along the main-side wire harness 7a, making it easy to know where in the main-side wire harness 7a the branch box 9 should be placed.

[0038] Next, an example of a method for installing the branch box 9 on the main-side wire harness 7a will be described. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a connecting conductor 11 used in the branch box 9. The connecting conductor 11 is made of metal and has a crimp terminal portion 19 and a first tuning fork terminal portion 21. The crimp terminal portion 19 can be crimped to the main-side wire harness 7a. The main-side wire harness 7a is, for example, an electric wire with a substantially circular cross section, and has an internal conductor 17 and an outer sheath 15 that covers the conductor 17 from the outside.

[0039] At a portion of the main-side wire harness 7a where the connecting conductor 11 is connected, a predetermined length of the outer jacket 15 is removed to expose the internal conductor 17. The crimp terminal portion 19 is made up of an open-barrel type conductor crimping portion that crimps the conductor 17, and open-barrel type jacket crimping portions that are disposed on both sides of the conductor crimping portion to crimp the outer jacket 15 on both sides.

[0040] First tuning fork terminal 21 is located at a position separated from crimp terminal 19. First tuning fork terminal 21 is the portion to which a fuse is connected, and has a clip shape into which a fuse can be inserted and connected. In the illustrated example, first tuning fork terminal 21 has two terminals, but the number of terminals on first tuning fork terminal 21 is not particularly limited.

[0041] The connecting conductor 11 is formed by separately forming the crimp terminal portion 19 and the first tuning fork terminal portion 21, which are joined by welding. For example, the portion up to the joint between the crimp terminal portion 19 and the first tuning fork terminal portion 21 and the first tuning fork terminal portion 21 are each formed by pressing or the like from separate plate-shaped materials, and then the two are welded together to form an integrated unit.

[0042] Therefore, the crimp terminal portion 19 and the first tuning fork terminal portion 21 can be configured with different thicknesses. For example, the crimp terminal portion 19 is the portion that is crimped onto the main-side wire harness 7a and is significantly deformed during crimping, and it is necessary to ensure the strength of the connection with the main-side wire harness 7a after crimping. Therefore, by making the plate thickness relatively thick, it is possible to ensure crimping workability and crimping strength. For example, the thickness of the crimp terminal portion 19 can be approximately 1.2 mm, depending on the size of the main-side wire harness 7a.

[0043] On the other hand, if the first tuning fork terminal 21 is too thick, it becomes difficult to form a fine shape for the fuse insertion portion. Furthermore, if the terminal portion of the fuse is too rigid when inserting it into the fuse insertion port, the fuse insertion becomes difficult. Therefore, by making the first tuning fork terminal 21 relatively thin, workability and fuse insertion can be improved. For example, the first tuning fork terminal 21 can be approximately 0.64 mm thick.

[0044] Furthermore, the crimp terminal portion 19 and the first tuning fork terminal portion 21 may be made of different materials. As described above, the crimp terminal portion 19 is crimped to the main-side wire harness 7a after crimping, and it is necessary to ensure the connection strength after crimping. Therefore, if a material with little elongation or low strength is selected, there is a risk that the crimp terminal portion 19 may crack during crimping, or that the connection strength after crimping may not be sufficiently ensured. For this reason, it is desirable to select a material with relatively high strength or large elongation; for example, a copper alloy with appropriate strength is applicable.

[0045] On the other hand, as mentioned above, if the strength (elastic modulus) of the first tuning fork terminal 21 is too high, the insertion of the fuse will be impaired. Furthermore, if the first tuning fork terminal 21 is easily plastically deformable, there is a risk that the tuning fork terminal will open during use. Therefore, it is desirable to select an appropriate material that has relatively high spring properties but not too high an elastic modulus, such as brass.

[0046] 5 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the branch box 9, and is a see-through view of the housing 35. The main-side wire harness 7a passes through the housing 35 without being cut, and the connecting conductor 11, the connector member 23, etc. are housed inside.

[0047] As described above, the crimp terminal portion 19 is crimped to the main-side wire harness 7a. At this time, the conductor 17 of the main-side wire harness 7a and the outer sheath 15 on both sides of the conductor 17 are crimped. That is, a portion of the outer sheath 15 of the main-side wire harness 7a connected to the power supply box is removed, and the crimp terminal portion 19 is crimped to the exposed conductor 17.

[0048] A connector member 23 connectable to a connector 33 of the branched wire harness 7b is disposed at a position facing the first tuning fork terminal portion 21 of the connecting conductor 11 and spaced apart from the crimp terminal portion 19. The connector member 23 has a second tuning fork terminal portion 25 and a connector portion 27. In the illustrated example, two connector members 23 are disposed corresponding to the two terminal portions of the first tuning fork terminal portion 21.

[0049] A second tuning fork terminal 25 is provided at one end of the connector member 23, to which a fuse 29 is connected. The second tuning fork terminal 25 has the same shape as the first tuning fork terminal 21, and is located at a position corresponding to the first tuning fork terminal 21, but spaced a predetermined distance apart.

[0050] Housing 35 has an insertion port for fuse 29 formed in a position corresponding to first tuning fork terminal 21 and second tuning fork terminal 25. When fuse 29 is inserted into the fuse insertion port of housing 35, fuse 29 connects across first tuning fork terminal 21 and second tuning fork terminal 25. Note that fuse 29 does not have to be an insertion type like a blade fuse.

[0051] A connector portion 27 is provided at the other end (opposite side to the second tuning fork terminal portion 25) of the connector member 23. The connector portion 27 is connected to a connector 33 of the branch side wire harness 7b.

[0052] 6 is a plan view showing a branching structure using a branching box 9. A connector insertion opening for inserting a connector 33 of a branching wire harness 7b to be connected to an electrical device is formed in a position corresponding to the connector portion 27 of the housing 35. The connector portion 27 is exposed on the inner surface of the connector insertion portion. Therefore, by inserting the connector 33 of the branching wire harness 7b into the housing 35, the branching wire harness 7b can be connected to the connector portion 27.

[0053] As described above, an electrical device 5 can be easily added by connecting a new branch box 9 to the conductor 17 and then connecting the connector 33 of the existing branch side wire harness 7b, which is connected to the electrical device 5, to the newly connected branch box 9.

[0054] As described above, according to this embodiment, only the branch-side wire harness 7b to be connected to the electric device 5 is laid out in advance, and the main-side wire harness 7a to which the additional power source 3 is connected is laid out as needed and connected to the branch-side wire harness 7b, so there is no need to lay additional branch-side wire harnesses 7b for all of the electric devices 5. This allows the dealer to add the electric devices 5 with a minimum number of work steps without having to remove all of the equipment.

[0055] Furthermore, if the type of the electrical device 5 to be connected is written on the branch box 9 arranged on the main-side wire harness 7a, it is possible to prevent connection to a wrong branch box 9. Therefore, the branch-side wire harness 7b may have a minimum necessary length.

[0056] It is also easy to add a new branch box 9 after the main-side wire harness 7a has been installed. In this case, by providing the main-side wire harness 7a with an electrical device connection position indicator 13 and clearly indicating the location of the branch box 9 to be connected for each type of electrical device 5, the installation location of the branch box 9 can be easily determined.

[0057] Furthermore, the crimp terminal portion 19 can be crimped to the conductors 17 and the outer sheath 15 of the main-side wire harness 7a, ensuring sufficient connection strength. Furthermore, the crimping can be performed by simply removing part of the outer sheath 15 of the main-side wire harness 7a without cutting the conductors 17 of the main-side wire harness 7a, making the installation work easy. This makes it easy to install the branch box 9.

[0058] Furthermore, since the crimp terminal portion 19 and the first tuning fork terminal portion 21 are integrally formed, assembly workability is also excellent. In this case, since the crimp terminal portion 19 and the first tuning fork terminal portion 21 are positioned apart, the first tuning fork terminal portion 21 does not get in the way, for example, when crimping the crimp terminal portion 19.

[0059] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It is clear that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1, 1a...Wire harness routing structure 3……Additional power supply 5. Electrical equipment 7a………Main side wire harness 7b...Branch side wire harness 9...Branch box 11...Connecting conductor 13...Indication of electrical equipment connection position 15……Outer cover 17...Conductor 19...Crimp terminal part 21...First tuning fork terminal 23...Connector member 25...Second tuning fork terminal 27...Connector part 29...Fuse 31...Vehicle 33...Connector 35...Housing 100...Wire harness routing structure 101...Vehicle 103……Additional power supply 105...Electrical equipment 107...Wire harness

Claims

1. A wiring structure for a wire harness for an automobile, a main wire harness having one end connected to a power source and the other end and / or a branch box connected thereto; an electrical device connectable to the branch box; Equipped with A wiring harness routing structure, characterized in that the connection positions of the branch boxes corresponding to the electrical devices to be connected are written in the middle of the main side wiring harness.

2. 2. The wiring harness routing structure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of branch boxes are connected to the main side wiring harness, and the branch boxes indicate the type of electrical equipment to be connected.

3. 3. The wiring harness routing structure according to claim 1, further comprising a branched wire harness that is not connected to the main wire harness but is connected to an electrical device.

4. For a vehicle in which a plurality of branched wire harnesses are arranged, one end of which is connected to an electrical device and the other end of which is not connected, The main wiring harness has a wiring diagram showing the location of the branch box that corresponds to the electrical equipment to be connected. Installing the main side wire harness with one end connected to an additional power source and the other end and / or a branch box connected to it, or installing the main side wire harness with the end and / or a branch box connected to it and connecting one end of the main side wire harness to an existing power source, A wiring harness routing method, comprising connecting at least a portion of the branched wire harness to the branch box.

5. A part of the outer covering of the main side wire harness is removed midway to expose the conductor, 5. The wiring harness routing method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of: connecting a new branch box to the conductor; and connecting the branched wire harness, which is already connected to an electrical device, to the newly connected branch box.

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