JP2005235512A - Excess wire portion absorbing connector and excess wire portion absorbing structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an excess wire portion absorbing connector and an excess wire portion absorbing structure allowing standardization of a wire harness for automobiles by absorbing an excess portion of a wire. <P>SOLUTION: The excess wire portion absorbing connector comprises: an outer housing 13 having a housing engagement portion 14 on the front side and a wire leading-out port 15 on the rear side; an inner housing 30 engaged with the housing engagement portion 14; and an wire stopper 35 for fixing a wire 42 inserted from a groove 22 formed in a wall 21 of the outer housing 30 and led out from the inner housing 30 in a state in which the wire 42 sags inside the outer housing 13. The outer housing 13 is provided with a flexible locking piece 17 having a locking projection. The inner housing 30 is provided with a plurality of engaging grooves 34 continuing along the direction of engagement at predetermined pitches. Any one of the engaging grooves 34 is engaged with the locking projection, so that the inner housing 30 is held by the outer housing 13 to be movable forward and backward. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is, for example, used in a vehicle such as an automobile, and is provided at an end of an electric wire that is routed without slack along a vehicle body, and an extra wire length absorbing connector that absorbs loosening of an electric wire caused by a vehicle type or a grade, and The present invention relates to an extra wire length absorption structure.

  A conventional example related to this type of extra wire length absorption structure is shown in FIG. 6 (Patent Document 1).

  In the conventional example shown in FIG. 6, a connection box 51 such as a junction box, a relay box, or a fuse box is connected to each other by an electric wire 55, and the length of the electric wire 55 is shortened depending on the vehicle type or grade, and the extra length portion (slack) 55a. When this occurs, the surplus length portion 55a is routed along the dedicated pad 52, so that the surplus length portion 55a is absorbed and the wire 55 is always routed in a tensioned state. Yes (Patent Document 1).

  In this conventional example, two connection boxes (only one is shown) 51 arranged in a vehicle, an electric wire 55 interconnecting the two connection boxes 51, and a locking pin 54 provided between the two connection boxes 51. A dedicated pad 52 that is detachably attached to the dedicated pad 52. The dedicated pad 52 has a substantially triangular plate shape, and the electric wire 55 is routed so as to be hooked along a part of the outer peripheral surface of the dedicated pad 52. The extra length portion 55a is absorbed.

  The first connection box 51 and the second connection box are fixed to both sides of the dashboard, for example, and a dedicated pad 52 is disposed between the boxes 51. The distance between the first connection box 51 and the second connection box is different for each vehicle type and grade, but the length of the electric wire is determined based on the longest distance between the connection boxes 51. It has been. When the distance between the connection boxes 51 is shortened depending on the vehicle type and grade, the extra length portion 55a is absorbed by using the dedicated pad 52, and even if the vehicle type changes, the electric wire 55 is not replaced, and the electric wire 55 is used in common. It has come to be.

  A plurality of pads having different sizes are prepared for the dedicated pad 52, which are selectively used according to the degree of looseness of the electric wire 55, or used in combination, whereby the extra length portion 55a is absorbed and vibration during vehicle running is obtained. It is possible to prevent the electric wire 55 from fluttering due to a shock or the like, and the loose electric wire 55 to be damaged or broken by being caught in a door or the like.

  As another conventional example, an extra length portion of a flat electric wire interconnecting a fixed-side vehicle body and a movable-side vehicle door is retractably stored in the vehicle door without causing damage or disconnection. (Patent Document 2).

In this conventional example, a protector case is provided between the door inner panel and the door trim, and the protector case is provided with a guide groove for preventing mutual interference of the loop portion of the flat electric wire, from the other end of the harness protector. The derived flat electric wire is bent in a loop shape in a harness housing portion in the protector case and accommodated in the protector case, and the loop portion of the wire harness is made expandable and contractible in the protector case.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-84619 (page 2-4, FIG. 2) JP-A-11-263178 (page 6-8)

  However, the above conventional example has the following problems to be solved. In the first conventional example, a space for fixing the dedicated pad 52 to the vehicle body 50a is required, and a notch 53 is newly added to the vehicle body 50a to assemble the dedicated pad 52. There was a problem that the cycle time of the automobile assembly line was extended and the production cost was increased. In addition, a dedicated pad 52 for absorbing the extra length portion 55a of the electric wire 55 must be prepared for each vehicle type and grade, which complicates parts management and increases the number of parts and costs. was there.

  Furthermore, in order to reduce the number of parts and improve assembly workability and achieve low-cost production in automobile assembly lines, standardization of wire harnesses and standardization of electrical connection parts including wire harnesses is being made. However, the method of absorbing the extra length portion 55a of the electric wire 55 using the dedicated pad 52 has a problem that standardization cannot be achieved completely.

  The second conventional example is a configuration that is effective in absorbing the extra length of the wire that is routed between the fixed-side vehicle body and the movable-side door and moves relatively, but is fixed to the vehicle body. However, there is a problem that it cannot be applied to electric wires that do not move relative to each other.

  In view of the above points, the present invention can standardize an automobile wire harness by absorbing a surplus portion of an electric wire, and an electric wire surplus length absorbing connector and an electric wire that can flexibly cope with a vehicle type change or a grade change. An object is to provide a surplus length absorption structure.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is directed to an outer housing having a housing fitting portion on one side and a wire outlet port on the other side, and an inner housing fitted to the housing fitting portion. The outer housing is provided with a locking portion, and the inner housing is provided with a plurality of engaging portions that are continuous at a predetermined pitch in the housing fitting direction. The inner housing is held by the outer housing so as to be able to advance and retract by engaging the portions.

  According to the above configuration, the inner housing is fitted into the housing fitting portion of the outer housing, and the electric wire drawn out from the inner housing is drawn out from the outlet port of the outer housing. By connecting the external connector on the other side to the inner housing, power is supplied and signals are exchanged between various automobile parts.

  Further, since the outer housing is provided with a locking portion, and the inner housing is provided with a plurality of engaging portions that engage with the locking portion, the inner housing is locked at an arbitrary position with respect to the outer housing. Therefore, the protruding amount of the inner housing with respect to the outer housing can be adjusted to an arbitrary length.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric wire surplus length absorbing connector according to the first aspect, an electric wire inserted from a groove formed in a wall portion of the outer housing and pulled out from the inner housing is connected to the outer housing. It is characterized by having an electric wire stopper that is fixed in a loosened state.

  According to the above configuration, when the inner housing is locked so that the protruding amount is long, the electric wire drawn out from the inner housing is in a straight state, and conversely, the protruding amount of the inner housing is short. When locked in such a manner, the electric wire drawn out from the inner housing is loosened in a loop shape inside the outer housing.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the wire surplus length absorbing connector according to the first or second aspect, the locking portion is a flexible locking piece having a locking protrusion, and the engaging portion is engaged. It is a groove.

  According to the above configuration, when the inner housing fitted to the outer housing is slid in the outward direction, the groove wall of the engaging groove rides on the locking protrusion of the flexible locking piece, thereby When the stopper piece bends in the unlocking direction and the inner housing is further slid, the groove wall gets over the locking protrusion, so that the flexible locking piece is elastically restored, and the locking protrusion is engaged with the engaging groove. Match. Although the locking protrusion and the engaging groove have a simple configuration, the two housings are reliably locked.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electric wire surplus length absorbing connector according to the second or third aspect, the electric wire stopper presses the electric wire against an inner wall of the outer housing.

  According to the above configuration, by inserting the electric wire stopper into the groove of the outer housing, the electric wire is sandwiched and fixed between the inner wall of the outer housing and the lower end of the electric wire stopper, and the extra length portion of the electric wire is absorbed inside the outer housing. The

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the wire extra length absorbing connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is provided at an end portion of the wire.

  According to the above configuration, for example, the length of electric wires connected to automobile parts such as instruments, lamps, power window motors, door lock units, switch units, and automatic door opening / closing units can be freely expanded and contracted. Even if the vehicle type or grade changes, there is no need to replace the wires with different lengths.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the outer housing is provided with the locking portion, and the inner housing is provided with the plurality of engaging portions that engage with the locking portion. With respect to the inner housing, the inner housing can be locked at an arbitrary position, whereby the protruding amount of the inner housing with respect to the outer housing can be adjusted to an arbitrary length. Therefore, the difference in the wire length depending on the vehicle type and grade can be absorbed by the connector, and the standardization of the automotive wire harness can be achieved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to absorb the extra length of the electric wire in the connector when the total length of the connector is shortened. Therefore, even if the vehicle type or grade is changed, a common electric wire can be used, and standardization of the automobile wire harness can be achieved.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, since the locking portion is a flexible locking piece having a locking projection, when the inner housing is slid, the groove wall of the engaging groove is flexible locking piece. The flexible locking piece bends in the unlocking direction by climbing on the locking projection of the inner wall, and when the inner housing is further slid, the groove wall gets over the locking projection and the flexible locking piece is elastic. It restores, and the latching protrusion engages with the engaging groove. Therefore, the inner housing can be smoothly slid with a light force, and the connector length can be easily finely adjusted.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by inserting the wire stopper into the groove of the outer housing, the electric wire is sandwiched and fixed between the inner wall of the outer housing and the lower end portion of the electric wire stopper, and the extra length portion of the electric wire is Absorbed inside the outer housing. Therefore, the electric wire stopper can be easily assembled and the electric wire can be securely fixed.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, it is possible to standardize the electric wire, and the electric wire cost can be greatly reduced. Moreover, the management of the electric wires becomes easy and the handling of the electric wires is improved.

  Specific examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1-5 shows one Embodiment of the wire surplus length absorption connector which concerns on this invention.

  The wire surplus length absorbing connector 10 does not absorb the surplus length portion of the relatively moving wire routed between the fixed-side vehicle body and the movable-side door (second conventional example), It is a connector that is applied to a standardized electric wire 42 that can cope with a vehicle type change or a grade change, and absorbs an extra length portion 42a of the electric wire 42 caused by a vehicle type difference or a grade difference. The standardized electric wire 42 in this specification is a standardized electric wire that does not need to be replaced even if the vehicle type or grade is changed. The standardized electric wire 42 is determined based on the longest cable, and is commonly used regardless of the vehicle type or grade. It shall mean an electric wire that can be made.

  The wire surplus length absorbing connector 10 of the present embodiment can standardize an automobile wire harness by absorbing the surplus length portion 42a of the wire 42, and can flexibly cope with vehicle type changes and grade changes, An outer housing 13 having a housing fitting portion 14 on the front side (one side) and a wire outlet port (outlet port) 15 for drawing the electric wire 42 to the outside on the rear side (the other side), and slidable in the housing fitting portion 14 The inner housing 30 to be fitted and the wire 42 inserted from the slot-like groove 22 formed in the top wall (wall portion) 21 of the outer housing 12 and drawn out from the inner housing 30 are looped into the outer housing 13. A flexible locking piece (locking portion) 1 having a locking protrusion 17c on the outer housing 13 and an electric wire stopper 35 fixed in a slackened state. The inner housing 30 is provided with a plurality of engaging grooves (engaging portions) 34 that are continuous at a predetermined pitch in the housing fitting direction, and any one of the engaging grooves 34 is engaged with the locking projection 17c. As a result, the inner housing 30 is held by the outer housing 13 so as to be able to advance and retreat.

  Below, the main structural part of the electric wire surplus length absorption connector 10 and its effect | action are demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the wire surplus length absorbing connector 10 includes a connector housing 12, a terminal 40 (FIG. 2) accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 31 of the inner housing 30, and an electric wire stopper 35 assembled to the outer housing 13. It is what is called a male connector comprised from these.

  The terminal 40 is formed by punching from a conductive substrate by a press machine and bending the punched substrate in a developed state, and has an electrical contact portion 40a on one side and a wire crimping portion 40b on the other side. It is a normal female terminal. The electrical contact portion 40a has a box shape and has an elastic contact piece (not shown) on the inside, and a male tab of a male terminal (not shown) of the mating connector 45 is sandwiched between the elastic contact piece and the wall. Thus, electrical connection is made. The electric wire crimping part 40b has at least a pair of crimping pieces, and the cored part of the electric wire 42 is crimped and connected by crimping the crimping pieces.

  The electric wire 42 is a normally used covered electric wire in which the periphery of the core wire portion is covered with the covering portion. The core wire portion is formed of copper having excellent electrical conductivity as a constituent material, and the covering portion is formed of a resin material having excellent flexibility such as polyvinyl chloride and nylon as the constituent material.

  The connector housing 12 is composed of two bodies, an outer housing 13 and an inner housing 30, and is formed by resin molding. The outer housing 13 has a box shape, and an outer wall is formed from a bottom wall 20, a top wall 21, and side walls 23, 23 on both sides. The front wall 25 and the rear wall 26 are each formed with an opening. A front half portion of the outer housing 13 is a housing fitting portion 14, and a rear half portion of the outer housing 13 is a wire surplus length absorption space that absorbs a surplus length portion 42 a of the wire 42 drawn out from the inner housing 30.

  The opening of the rear wall 26 is an electric wire outlet 15. From the electric wire outlet 15, the electric wire 42 drawn out from the inner housing 30 is inserted through the outer housing 13 and led out. A waterproof grommet (not shown) is attached to the electric wire outlet 15 so that water does not enter the electric wire extra length absorbing connector 10 from the outside.

  Flexible locking pieces 17 for the guide grooves 33 of the inner housing 30 are provided on both side wall portions of the housing fitting portion 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the flexible locking piece 17 includes a base portion 17a and a free end portion 17b having an inward locking protrusion 17c, and bends outward with the base portion 17a as a fulcrum. Thus, the inner housing 30 can be smoothly slid in the direction of going out of the outer housing 13. The engaging projection 17c engages with any one of the engaging grooves 34 provided in the guide groove 33 of the inner housing 30, whereby the inner housing 30 is locked to the outer housing 13 and the connector length is determined. It has come to be.

  A slot-like groove 22 into which a plate-like wire stopper 35 is inserted is formed in the width direction on the rear side of the top wall 21. The groove width is formed to be slightly wider than the plate thickness of the wire stopper 35 so that the wire stopper 35 can be inserted smoothly. By inserting the wire stopper 35 from the rear side of the outer housing 13, the extra length portion 42 a of the wire 42 absorbed between the wire stopper 35 and the rear wall of the inner housing 30 can be made longer. (FIG. 2).

  Locking holes 24 for locking pieces 38 formed on both sides of the flange 37 of the wire stopper 35 are formed in the side walls 23, 23 on both sides. A locking claw 38 a protrudes inwardly at the tip of the locking piece 38, and the wire stopper 35 is locked to the outer housing 13 by engaging the locking claw 38 a with the locking hole 24. It has come to be.

  The inner housing 30 has a rectangular box shape, and a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 31 are formed inside. A flexible housing lance (not shown) is formed on the wall section that defines the terminal accommodating chamber 31. The terminal 40 is locked to the housing lance to prevent rearward removal. Yes. The mating connector 45 is fitted into the inner housing 30 so that terminal connection is performed (FIG. 2). The inner housing 30 and the mating connector 45 are locked by known locking means.

On the side walls 32, 32 on both sides of the inner housing 30, a guide groove 33 for the flexible locking piece 17 and an engagement groove that engages with the locking protrusion 17 c of the flexible locking piece 17 inside the guide groove 33. 34 is provided. The guide groove 33 is formed to extend in the fitting direction of the inner housing 30. A plurality of engagement grooves 34 are provided in the guide groove 33, and the plurality of engagement grooves 34 are continuous at a predetermined pitch. The pitch of the adjacent engaging grooves 34 is arbitrary, but by forming the pitch narrow, the protruding amount L (FIG. 1) of the inner housing 30 can be finely adjusted, and the connector length can be finely adjusted. ing. The maximum protrusion amount L _max of the wire surplus length absorbing connector 10 is the difference between the total length L _{1 of the} connector 10 shown in FIG. 3 and the total length L ₂ of the connector 10 shown in FIG.

  The front groove wall surface of the engagement groove 34 is formed on the vertical surface 34b, and the rear groove wall surface is formed on the inclined surface 34a (FIG. 5). The vertical surface 34b functions as a locking surface for the locking projection 17c of the flexible locking piece 17, and the inclined surface 34a functions as a sliding surface on which the locking projection 17c rides. As a result, the inner housing 30 can be smoothly moved in the direction of exiting from the outer housing 13, and the inner housing 30 can be locked in the direction of entering the outer housing 13. The inclined surface 34a of the engaging groove 34 abuts against the inclined surface of the locking projection 17c, so that the inner housing 30 is prevented from coming off, but the inner housing 30 is more reliably prevented from coming off. For this reason, it is also possible to apply means for preventing removal such as a set screw.

  The wire stopper 35 is a wire pressing spacer resin-molded separately from the outer housing 13, and has a plate-shaped wire pressing portion 36 and a flange portion that is orthogonal to the upper edge of the wire pressing portion 36. 37. On both sides of the flange portion 37, locking pieces 38 for the locking holes 24 formed in the both side walls 23, 23 of the outer housing 13 protrude downward. Since the locking piece 38 has flexibility, the electric wire stopper 35 can be easily attached / detached.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the electric wire stopper 35 is inserted into the groove 22 of the outer housing 13, the electric wire 42 is sandwiched between the lower end of the electric wire holding portion 36 and the inner wall of the outer housing 13. The loosened electric wire 42 is prevented from extending to the outside, and the extra length portion 42 a is absorbed inside the outer housing 13. That is, the outer electric wire portion of the outer housing 13 is a portion whose length does not depend on the vehicle type and grade, and the inner electric wire portion of the outer housing 13 is a portion whose length changes depending on the vehicle type and grade. Become. For this reason, it becomes possible to apply the standardized electric wire 42 independent of the vehicle type or grade to the vehicle by increasing or decreasing the connector length for each vehicle type or grade.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the inner housing 30 can be locked at an arbitrary position with respect to the outer housing 13, so that the difference in the wire length depending on the vehicle type and grade is absorbed by the wire surplus length absorbing connector 10. It is possible to standardize the automobile wire harness. Since the flexible locking piece 17 is provided in the outer housing 13, the inner housing 30 can be smoothly slid with a light force, and the connector length can be easily finely adjusted.

  Next, an embodiment of the wire surplus length absorption structure of the present embodiment will be described. The wire surplus length absorbing structure is provided with the above-described wire surplus length absorbing connector 10 at the end of the wire 42, and is suitably used for, for example, automobile wiring.

  In the wire surplus length absorption structure, one connector connected to the end of the wire 42 is connected to the junction box located between the battery and the instrument panel, and the other wire surplus length is absorbed by the instrument in the instrument panel. The connector 10 is connected, and the wire length that varies depending on the vehicle type and grade is absorbed by the wire surplus length absorbing connector 10. This makes it possible to use a common automotive wire harness that does not depend on the vehicle type or grade, and can greatly reduce the cost of electric wires. Moreover, the management of the electric wire 42 is facilitated, and the handleability of the electric wire 42 can be improved.

In addition, this invention is not limited to one Embodiment of the said wire surplus length absorption connector 10, It can deform | transform and implement as follows.
(1) Instead of providing the outer housing 13 with the flexible locking piece 17 and providing the inner housing 30 with the engaging groove 34, the outer housing 13 is provided with an engaging groove, and the inner housing 30 has a plurality of flexible locking pieces. It is also possible to provide. Even with such a configuration, an effect equivalent to that of the invention of claim 3 can be obtained, and the connector length can be adjusted to an arbitrary length.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of the electric wire surplus length absorption connector of this invention. It is a side view of the electric wire surplus length absorption connector shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which the inner housing has come out. It is a side view which shows the state in which the inner housing is contained. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which the flexible locking piece of an outer housing and the engaging groove of an inner housing are engaging. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the conventional wire surplus length absorption structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric wire surplus length absorption connector 13 Outer housing 14 Housing fitting part 17 Flexible locking piece (locking part)
17c Locking projection 21 Top wall (wall)
22 groove 30 inner housing 34 engagement groove (engagement part)
35 Electric wire stopper 42 Electric wire

Claims (5)

  An outer housing having a housing fitting portion on one side and an outlet for an electric wire on the other side, and an inner housing fitted to the housing fitting portion are provided, and a locking portion is provided on the outer housing. The housing is provided with a plurality of engaging portions that are continuous at a predetermined pitch in the housing fitting direction, and any one of the engaging portions engages with the engaging portion, so that the inner housing can be moved forward and backward. An electric wire surplus length absorbing connector which is held by an outer housing.   The electric wire stopper which fixes the electric wire inserted from the groove | channel formed in the wall part of the said outer housing and withdraw | derived from the said inner housing in the loosened state in this outer housing is provided. Wire extra length absorbing connector.   The electric wire surplus length absorbing connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking portion is a flexible locking piece having a locking protrusion, and the engaging portion is an engaging groove.   4. The electric wire surplus length absorbing connector according to claim 2, wherein the electric wire stopper presses the electric wire against an inner wall of the outer housing.   A wire surplus length absorption structure, wherein the wire surplus length absorption connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is provided at an end portion of the wire.

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