JP2000208211A - Joint connector housing protector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To fix connectors for mutually connecting a large number of wire harnesses, and to house the connectors by turning the electric wire connecting side of joint connectors installed in joint connector installing parts to the bottom wall side. SOLUTION: Connectors C1 to C3 are inserted into connector installing parts 11 to 13 from the bottom wall 15 side, a fitting surface with a mating connector is formed on the opening 16 side, and in joint connector installing parts 21, 22, joint connectors JC1, JC2 are inserted from the opening 16 side, and a fitting surface with a wire harness side mating connector is turned to the bottom wall 15 side. Thus, the connectors C1 to C3 respectively connected to terminals of a body side wire harness W1 and a mutually connected instrument panel harness W3 can be preinstalled in the connector installing parts 11 to 13. The joint connectors JC1, JC2 connected to terminals of branch lines W1-1, W1-2 of the wire harness W1 can be installed in the installing parts 21, 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a protector for inserting and protecting a wire harness of an automobile, in which a joint connector can be accommodated inside the protector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIGS.
A body panel P (more specifically, a pillar inner panel) of the automobile penetrates and protects the body-side wire harness W1 and the door-side wire harness W2, and accommodates a fitting connector C1 of a terminal of the wire harness W1 and W2. A protector hole P-1 for mounting the protector 1 is provided. In addition, the protector hole P-
A clip hole P-2, P-3 for locking a connector is formed in the body panel P on the side of the body 1; for example, an instrument panel harness (instrument harness) W3 and a floor harness W4 on the body side. Instrument panel harness W3
And connectors C2, C3,... Connected to each other of the roof harness W5 and fitted to each other and clipped to each other. That is, on the side of the mounting part of the protector 1,
Many connectors for connecting the wire harnesses are clipped.

In some cases, the joint connectors JC1 and JC2 connected to the branch line terminals branched from the wire harnesses W1 and W2 passing through the inside of the protector 1 are directly clipped to the body panel P in some cases. Alternatively, the joint connectors JC1 and JC2 may be fixed to the wire harness by tape winding on the outer peripheral surface.

[0004]

However, recently,
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the body panel P on the side of the mounting portion of the protector 1 includes an ECU (engine control unit) 3 and the like on the side of the mounting portion of the protector 1. Other devices are being installed. Therefore, the connectors C2, C3,... For connecting the wire harnesses described above cannot be directly fixed to the body panel P. Therefore, the joint connector connected to the branch terminal of the wire harness cannot be directly fixed to the body panel P.

Further, when a joint connector is tape-fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness and the joint connector is housed in the protector, the joint connectors are likely to come into contact with each other depending on the position of the wire harness, which may cause damage. There is a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and can fix and accommodate a connector for connecting a number of wire harnesses, can also accommodate a joint connector, and can connect a wire connected to these connectors. It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector accommodating protector that facilitates attachment of an electric wire of a harness.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a box-shaped protector having a one-sided opening, wherein a wire harness is provided with a through hole in a part of a bottom wall, and a joint is provided inside the through hole. A joint connector accommodating protector is provided, wherein a connector attachment portion is provided, and a joint connector attached to the joint connector attachment portion has a wire connection side facing the bottom wall side.

[0008] As described above, if the joint connector of the branch terminal branched from the wire harness into which the inside of the protector is inserted is attached to the joint connector attaching portion provided inside the protector, there is no need to provide the joint connector attaching portion outside. In addition, since the joint connector is housed inside the protector, the joint connector can be protected from external interference materials. In particular, since the electric wire connection surface of the joint connector faces the bottom wall side of the protector, no tensile force or the like acts on the electric wire connected to the joint connector, and the connection reliability with the joint connector can be improved. Further, it is possible to prevent contact between the joint connectors, which is likely to occur when the joint connector is fixed around the wire harness by tape winding.

[0009] A mounting portion for a connector connected to a wire harness terminal is provided inside the protector. One of the connectors for connecting the wire harnesses to the opening side of the protector has a mating surface in advance on the opening side. Installed facing.

In the above protector, a function capable of protecting the wire harness through penetration, a plurality of connectors for connecting the wire harnesses, and a joint connector connected to a branch line terminal branched from the wire harness can be mounted inside the protector. In addition, the space inside the protector can be effectively used, and the wire harness connection connector and the joint connector are housed inside the protector, so that these connectors can be protected. The connector for connecting the wire harnesses is
Since the fitting surface faces the opening side of the protector opposite to the joint connector, it can be easily fitted to the mating connector.

Specifically, for example, the protector is attached to a protector mounting hole provided in a pillar inner panel, and has a flange which is in contact with the panel on the outer periphery of the opening and a lock portion which is fixed to the panel. A connector connecting the body-side wire harness and the door-side wire harness through the through hole, and a partition wall is provided inside the protector so as to surround the through hole, and the connector mounting portion is provided on the partition wall. ,
On the inner surfaces of the partition wall and the outer peripheral wall of the protector, a connector mounting portion for connecting terminals of another wire harness and a mounting portion for the joint connector are provided.

As described above, the connector for connecting other wire harnesses can be directly fixed to the panel on the side panel of the protector at the portion connecting the body side wire harness and the door side wire harness. But EC
When another device such as U is disposed and the connector fixing portion is eliminated, the connector and the joint connector for connecting these wire harnesses can be fixed using the space inside the protector.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the ECU 3 is mounted on the side of the protector mounting hole P-1 which is opened in the body panel P composed of a pillar inner panel, so that the connector and the joint connector for connecting the wire harnesses are formed on the body panel P. It cannot be installed directly. Therefore, at a plurality of locations on the inner wall of the protector 10 (in this embodiment, 3
Connector mounting portions 11, 12, 13 and joint connector mounting portion 2 for connecting the wire harnesses to each other.
1, 22 are provided by integral molding. Connector C for connecting wire harnesses to the connector mounting portions 11 to 13
1, while the fitting surfaces of C2 and C3 are locked on the opening 16 side of the protector 10,
Reference numeral 22 indicates that the closing surfaces of the joint connectors JC1 and JC2 are locked toward the opening 16 side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protector 10 has an outer peripheral wall 14 having a shape corresponding to the protector mounting hole 2, a bottom wall 15, and a protrusion protruding outward from a distal end of the outer peripheral wall on the opening 16 side. A panel fixing flange 17 and a partition wall 18 for partitioning the inside of the protector are provided.

The partition wall 18 has an L-shaped cross section, and its both ends are connected to the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall 14. The bottom wall of the portion surrounded by the inner surface of the partition wall 18 and the inner surface of the outer peripheral wall 14 is formed as a through hole 19. And a space S for penetrating the connection between the body-side wire harness W1 and the door-side wire harness W2. Section L above
Connector mounting portions 11 and 12 are respectively provided on two outer surfaces of the partition wall 18 having a shape, and a connector mounting portion 13 is also provided on the inner surface of the other side 14 a of the outer peripheral wall 14.

Further, joint connector mounting portions 21 and 22 are provided in parallel on the inner surface of another side 14b of the outer peripheral wall 14 at intervals.

The connector mounting portions 11 to 13 have the shapes shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and have a substantially box-shaped fitting wall 11b with a rail groove 11a recessed in a projecting wall surface.
And a flexible piece 11b is provided at the tip of the upper side of the fitting wall 11b.
-1 and a lock hole 11b-2.
The other connector mounting portions 12 and 13 have the same shape.

The connectors mounted on the connector mounting portions 11 to 13 are female connectors C1a and C2, respectively.
a and C3a, on the bottom surfaces of the connector housings 20 are provided with projections 20a that can be formed in the rail grooves 11a, and with lock claws (not shown), and as shown in FIG. Are fitted and inserted into the rail groove 11a, the flexible piece 11b-1 is bent, and the lock claw is locked and locked in the lock hole 11b-2.

The joint connector mounting portions 21 and 22
Are the same as those of the connector mounting portions 11 to 13, but are formed in the opposite directions to the opening 16 side and the bottom wall 15 side of the protector. That is, the connectors C1a to C3a are inserted into the connector mounting portions 11 to 12 from the bottom wall 15 side, and the fitting surface with the mating connector is on the opening 16 side. Reference numeral 22 indicates that the joint connectors JC1 and JC2 are inserted from the opening 16 side, and the mating surface of the wire harness side with the mating connector faces the bottom wall 15 side.

As described above, the connector mounting portions 11 to 13
The female connectors fixed to the terminals of the wire harness are fixed in advance, and these connectors C1a to C3a are mounted such that the connector fitting surfaces face the opening 16 side. In this state, the protector 10 is
After being mounted on the body panel P, the mating male connectors C1b, C2b, and C3b fixed to the ends of the wire harness are fitted and connected as shown in FIGS. That is, the female connector C1a connected to the terminal of the body-side wire harness W1 is locked and fixed to the connector mounting portion 11, and the female connectors C2a and C3a connected to the branched terminal of the instrument panel harness W3 are connected to the connector mounting portion 12, respectively. 13 and fixed.

On the other hand, the joint connector JC1 connected to the terminals of the two branch lines W1-1 and W1-2 branched from the body-side wire harness W1 is inserted and fixed to the joint connector mounting portions 21 and 22 from the opening side. You.

As shown in FIG. 5, the protector 10 is attached to the body panel P with the opening 16 of the protector 10 facing the inside X of the body and the bottom wall 15 facing the outside Y on the door side. . The connector C1a of the body-side wire harness W1 connected to the door-side wire harness W2 is locked to the protector 10 at a connector mounting portion 11 which is inserted at a position where the bottom wall 15 is located and protrudes from the partition wall 18. Then, as described above, the connector fitting surface faces the opening 16 side. On the other hand, the door-side wire harness W2 is inserted through the through hole 19, and the terminal connector C1b is fitted and connected to the female connector C1a fixed to the protector 10 in advance.

In order to fix the protector 10 to the body panel P, a flange 17 is protruded from the end of the outer peripheral wall 14 on the opening 16 side as described above, and the flange 17 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the body panel P. ing. Further, a lock piece 23 is provided at a required position on the outer peripheral wall 14, and a lock claw 23a is protruded from the lock piece 23 so that a body panel is provided between the flange 17 and the lock claw 23a as shown in FIG. P is locked. As shown in FIGS. 4 (B), 5 (A), and 5 (B), two panels 2P, 3P are attached to the outside of the protector 10 to protect the protector 10, and these panels are protected. 2P, 3P also has a through hole 2P through the door-side wire harness W2.
1, 3P-1 are provided.

In the protector 10 having the above-described structure, the connector mounting portions 11 to 13 and the joint connector mounting portions 21 and 22 are provided inside the protector 10, and therefore, FIG.
As shown in (1), the connectors C1a to C3a respectively connected to the terminals of the body-side wire harness W1 and the body-side wire harness W3 that are connected to each other can be attached to the connector attachment portions 11 to 13 in advance.

Further, the joint connectors JC1 and JC2 connected to the ends of the branch lines W1-1 and W1-2 branched from the body-side wire harness W1 can be fixed and attached to the joint connector attaching portions 21 and 22. .

With the connector housed in this manner, the protector 10 is brought into contact with the flange 17 against the inner surface of the body panel P, and is fixed with the lock pieces 23. Then, FIG.
As shown in (B), the door-side wire harness W2 is inserted through the through hole 19 in the bottom wall of the protector 10, and the partition wall 18 is inserted.
And a body side wire harness W previously fixed to the connector mounting portion 11 through a space S surrounded by the outer peripheral wall 14.
The connector C1b of the terminal of the door-side wire harness W2 is fitted and fixed to the first connector C1a.

Further, the connector C2b of the terminal of the floor harness W4 is inserted through the opening 16 of the protector 10,
Connector C2 attached to connector attachment portion 12
a, and the instrument panel harness W3 and the floor harness W4 are connected by a connector. Similarly, the connector C3b of the terminal of the roof harness W5 is connected to the opening 1 of the protector 10.
6 and is fitted and fixed to the connector C3a attached to the connector attaching portion 12, and the instrument panel harness W3
And the roof harness W5 are connected by a connector.

In addition to the joint connector connected to the branch terminal branched from the body-side wire harness W1,
Other wire harnesses, for example, instrument panel harness W3,
It goes without saying that a joint connector connected to a branch line terminal branched from the floor harness W4 and the roof harness W5 may be fixed to a joint connector mounting portion provided inside the protector.

[0029]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the inside of the protector that penetrates and protects the wire harness can be effectively used as a joint connector mounting portion.
It is not necessary to provide the joint connector mounting portion directly on the panel of the vehicle. Also, since the connector is also mounted inside the protector, the joint connector can be protected from external interference materials. Furthermore, since the joint connector is positioned and held inside the protector, it is possible to prevent the joint connectors from contacting each other and causing mutual interference.

Also, since the joint connector mounting portion and the connector mounting portion for connecting the wire harnesses have opposite fitting portions, in the joint connector, the wire connection side faces the bottom wall of the protector and the external connection to the wire. While the pulling force can be prevented from acting, the wire harness connection connector faces the opening side of the protector, so that it can be easily fitted with the mating connector.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a protector according to an embodiment of the present invention and a mounting portion of the protector.

FIG. 2 shows the protector, (A) is a perspective view,
(B) is a front view.

FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective view showing a connector mounting portion provided inside the protector, and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a method of mounting a connector to the connector mounting portion.

FIG. 4 shows a state where the protector to which the connector is mounted is mounted on a body panel, (A) is a front view,
(B) is a sectional view taken along line AA of (A).

FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing a method of connecting a body-side wire harness and a door-side wire harness through the protector.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a state where a mating connector is connected to a connector attached to the protector.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing a conventional example.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W1 Body side wire harness W2 Door side wire harness W3 Instrument panel harness W4 Floor harness W5 Roof harness P Body panel P-1 Protector mounting hole C1-C3 Connector JC1-JC2 Joint connector 10 Protector 11, 12, 13 Connector mounting portion 14 Outer wall 15 Bottom wall 16 Opening 17 Flange 18 Partition wall 19 Through hole 21, 22 Joint connector mounting part 23 Lock piece

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A box-shaped protector having a one-sided opening, comprising a through hole for a wire harness in a part of a bottom wall, a joint connector attaching portion provided inside the through hole, and a joint connector attached to the joint connector attaching portion. A joint connector accommodating protector characterized in that an electric wire connection side faces the bottom wall side. 2. A connector mounting portion connected to a wire harness terminal is provided inside the protector, and one of the connectors for connecting the wire harnesses to the opening side of the protector has a fitting surface in advance. The joint connector housing protector according to claim 1, wherein the protector is mounted toward an opening side. 3. The protector is attached to a protector mounting hole provided in a pillar inner panel. The protector has a flange on an outer periphery of the opening, a lock portion fixed to the panel, and a through hole. The body-side wire harness and the door-side wire harness are configured to be connected by a connector, and a partition wall is provided inside the protector so as to surround the through hole, and the connector mounting portion is provided on the partition wall. The joint connector accommodating protector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a connector mounting portion for connecting terminals of another wire harness and a mounting portion for the joint connector are provided on an inner surface of an outer peripheral wall of the protector.