JP2006134586A - Connector for wire harness and manufacturing method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector for wire harness capable of reducing the number of parts, without enlarging its size and stably fixing it on an outer peripheral face of the wire harness body. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of insulation housings 20 of unit connectors C1, C2, C3, and housing jointing parts 40 for jointing the insulation housings 20 to each other are formed integrally. Respective housing jointing parts 40 are formed into a shape, capable of being deformed and bent in a direction perpendicular to the arrayed direction thereof and the axial direction of connector terminals. It is made so that respective insulation housings 20 can be wound around the wire harness 50 in an attitude of being arrayed in peripheral direction, while accompanying bending deformation of the housing jointing parts 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire harness connector that is wound around and fixed to a wire harness routed in an automobile or the like.

  Conventionally, for a connector provided at an end of an electric wire included in a wire harness or a connector (for example, a joint connector) coupled to the wire harness side connector, an adhesive tape is wound around the connector and the main body portion of the wire harness. In many cases, the connector is fixed to the wire harness main body.

For example, in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1 below, in order to electrically connect a plurality of electric wires included in the wire harness, a joint connector provided at the end of the electric wire is tape-wrapped with the wire harness. The thing fixed to the main-body part is disclosed.
JP-A-8-79948 (pages 2 and 3, FIG. 6)

  When there are a plurality of connectors as described above, the operation of winding a tape for each connector is troublesome and inefficient. In addition, if a plurality of connectors are simply unified in order to reduce the number of such connectors, the size of the connector increases, making it difficult to tape around the wire harness body. Even if it is possible, the wire harness main body may protrude greatly in the radial direction and hinder wiring and the like.

  In FIGS. 1 to 4 of Patent Document 1, a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are arranged on the outer periphery of a band wound around a wire harness, and one electric wire side terminal can be inserted into each terminal accommodating chamber. In such a configuration, the number of electric wires that can be connected is limited, however, it is disclosed that the inserted terminals are electrically connected to each other through a conductive thin plate included in the band. In addition, the circuit design is significantly restricted. Moreover, since the terminal accommodating chamber is arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the band that is bent with the same curvature as the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness body, the terminal insertion operation into the terminal accommodating chamber is also a terminal to the normal connector housing. It becomes more difficult than insertion.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention can reduce the number of parts without increasing the size of the connector itself, and can be stably fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the body of the wire harness. An object is to provide a connector.

  As means for solving the above problems, the present invention comprises a plurality of unit connectors having a plurality of connector terminals and an insulating housing for holding these connector terminals, and at least some of the unit connectors among these unit connectors. Is a wire harness connector configured to be connectable to an electric wire included in a specific wire harness, and the insulating housing of each unit connector is arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axial direction of the connector terminal. In this state, a housing connecting portion that connects adjacent insulating housings is formed integrally with the insulating housing, and each housing connecting portion is orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the insulating housings and orthogonal to the axial direction of the connector terminals. It has a shape that can be bent and deformed in the direction. Want the one in which the insulating housing is in the wound can around the wire harness of the wire harness in a posture arranged in the circumferential direction of the body.

  According to this wire harness connector, since the insulating housings of each unit connector are connected and integrated by the housing connecting portion formed integrally with the insulating housing, each unit connector has a small structure and the whole. The number of parts can be reduced. In addition, the unit connector is stably attached to the wire harness body by winding the insulation housing of each unit connector around the wire harness body in a posture aligned in the circumferential direction of the wire harness body while bending the housing connecting portion. It can be fixed in the state.

  In the wire harness connector according to the present invention, at least a part of the unit connector is electrically connected to an electric wire of a specific wire harness (that is, the wire harness around which the wire harness connector according to the present invention is wound). Any of these unit connectors may include, for example, one connected to an electric wire led from another wire harness.

  In addition, “an attitude in which the wire harness body is arranged in the circumferential direction” means a wide attitude in which the insulating housings are arranged with their positions shifted in the circumferential direction, not only in the circumferential direction but also in the axial direction. The positions of the insulating housings may be shifted.

  The housing connecting portion has a hinge portion extending in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the connector terminal and having a smaller wall thickness than other portions, and bending deformation is promoted more than the other portions by this hinge portion. It is preferable to be configured as described above.

  According to this configuration, the presence of the hinge portion stabilizes the bending deformation portion of the housing connecting portion, and the bending operation can be performed more easily. Further, when the thickness of the hinge portion is set to be sufficiently small, it is possible to use the insulating housings separated from each other at the hinge portion.

  More preferably, the housing connecting part has a shape that promotes bending deformation more than other parts at a plurality of locations arranged in the arrangement direction of the insulating housing. According to such a configuration, the required bending angle required for the entire housing connecting portion is distributed to a plurality of bending deformation locations, so that bending at each bending deformation location can be performed as compared with the case where the bending deformation is performed only at one location. The angle can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the strength of each bending deformation location, and it is possible to suppress the dimension in which each bending deformation location protrudes outward in the radial direction of the wire harness body. It becomes possible to wrap without any inconvenience.

  Specifically, the housing connecting portion has hinge portions extending in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the connector terminal and having a smaller wall thickness than other portions at a plurality of locations arranged in the arrangement direction of the insulating housing. Those are preferred.

  Alternatively, the housing connecting portion has a bending suppressing portion having a wall thickness larger than that of other portions at an intermediate portion in the arrangement direction of the insulating housings, and bending deformation at both side portions of the bending suppressing portion is caused by the bending suppressing portion. It may be promoted more than the bending deformation.

  Further, in addition to the bending suppressing portion, the housing connecting portion extends to the positions on both sides of the bending suppressing portion so as to extend over the entire length in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the connector terminal, and is thicker than other portions. If it is set as the structure which has a hinge part with small thickness, it will become possible to disperse | distribute a bending deformation location to several places more reliably.

  In addition, for the wire harness connector in which the housing connecting portion has a bending suppressing portion, the thickness of the bending suppressing portion is utilized efficiently while suppressing the strength burden of the thin housing connecting portion. A housing integrated with the housing connecting portion and the insulating housing can be molded.

  That is, when a plurality of the insulating housings and a housing connecting portion that interconnects the insulating housings are integrally formed in a mold and then a molded product is extruded from the mold, for example, a specific insulating housing is pushed. If it is pushed out from the mold by pushing in, there is a possibility that a large shearing stress may be generated in the housing connecting portion that connects the insulating housing and the insulating housing adjacent to the insulating housing. If a bending suppression part is formed and the bending suppression part is pressed in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the insulating housings, the insulation from the mold can be suppressed while suppressing the shear stress generated in the housing connection part. It becomes possible to extrude the molded product of the housing and the housing connecting portion.

  As described above, according to the present invention, each unit connector has a small structure by connecting and insulating the insulating housings of each unit connector by the housing connecting portion formed integrally with the insulating housing. The total number of parts can be reduced, and the wire is wound around the wire harness body in such a manner that the insulating housing of each unit connector is aligned in the circumferential direction of the wire harness body by bending deformation of the housing connecting portion. There is an effect that each unit connector can be stably fixed to the harness body.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The wire harness connector shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is configured as a joint connector for electrically connecting wires included in the wire harness 50 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and has three units. Connectors C1, C2, and C3 are integrally connected and electrically connected to each other.

  Each of the unit connectors C1, C2, C3 includes a plurality of pin connectors 10 (in the example shown in FIG. 4, five), and an insulating housing 20 that holds these connector terminals 10. These insulating housings 20 are arranged in a direction (width direction) orthogonal to the axial direction of the connector terminal 10. The connector terminals 10 of the different unit connectors are electrically connected to each other via the flexible wiring member 30, and the insulating housings 20 of the adjacent unit connectors are integrally connected by the housing connecting portion 40. It has become.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the axially front portion of each connector terminal 10 (the left portion in FIG. 3A and the lower portion in FIG. 4) can be fitted into the electrical connection portion of the mating female terminal. An electrical connection tab 12, and an axial rear side portion (the right side portion in FIG. 3A and the upper side portion in FIG. 4) is a wiring material connection portion 14 connected to the flexible wiring material 30, A wide flange portion 16 is formed at a boundary portion between the electrical connection tab 12 and the wiring material connection portion 14. These connector terminals 10 are held by the insulating housing 20 in a state of being arranged in a direction (connector width direction) orthogonal to the axial direction.

  In addition, what is necessary is just to select the connector terminal contained in the connector which concerns on this invention suitably according to the use location irrespective of male and female.

  A front portion of each insulating housing 20 in the axial direction is a hood 22 into which the insulating housing of the mating connector can be inserted, and a rear portion in the axial direction is a plate-like wiring member holding portion 24 extending rearward from the rear wall of the hood 22. It has become. As shown in FIG. 3A, the electrical connection tab 12 of each connector terminal 10 projects into the hood 22, and the wiring material connection portion 14 is positioned immediately below the wiring material holding portion 24. Thus, the connector terminal 10 is held in a press-fitted state in a terminal holding portion 25 which is a boundary portion between the hood 22 and the wiring material holding portion 24.

  In the illustrated example, the flexible wiring member 30 is formed of a thin flat wiring member including a plurality of (in the illustrated example, six) conductors 32 and an insulating layer 34 covering these conductors 32. Each of the conductors 32 has a flat and thin shape (for example, a flat shape), and the conductors 32 are arranged in parallel to each other in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, and the insulating layer is covered so as to cover them. By molding 34, the whole is integrated and can be bent and deformed in the thickness direction.

  Furthermore, windows 34 a are formed on the front and back surfaces of the insulating layer 34 of the flexible wiring member 30 at positions where the conductors 32 intersect with the wiring member connecting portions 14 of the connector terminals 10 to be connected to the conductors 32. The conductor 32 is partially exposed to the outside of the insulating layer 34 through the window 34a.

  On the other hand, a gap is secured between the wiring material holding portion 24 and the wiring material connecting portion 14 so that the flexible wiring material 30 can be inserted in the width direction. By being inserted, the conductor 32 and the wiring member connecting portion 14 corresponding to the conductor 32 intersect each other at the position where the window 34a of the insulating layer 34 is formed. Furthermore, a through hole 24a extending in the width direction is formed in the wiring material holding portion 24 so as to open the intersecting portion upward, and the through long hole 24a and the flexible wiring material 30 are disposed above the flexible wiring material 30. One of the welding electrodes is applied to the conductor 32 through the window 34a, and the other of the welding electrodes is applied to the wiring member connecting portion 14 at the intersecting portion, whereby the conductor 32 and the wiring member connecting portion 14 are welded at the intersecting portion. Both can be electrically connected.

  Further, a cover 26 can be attached to the wiring material holding portion 24 from below, and the wiring material connecting portion 14 of the connector terminal 10 is interposed between the cover 26 and the wiring material holding portion 24. A connection portion with the flexible wiring member 30 is sandwiched from above and below.

  Specifically, the cover 26 is formed with a groove 26d into which the wiring member connecting portion 14 of each connector terminal 10 can be fitted, and the cover 26 and the wiring member holding portion 24 are respectively engaged with the other party at appropriate positions. Engageable engagement portions 26c and 24c are formed, and the cover 26 is locked to the wiring material holding portion 24 by the engagement.

  Further, both end portions in the width direction of the cover 26 (both end portions in the left-right direction in FIG. 3B) and both end portions in the connector front-rear direction (direction parallel to the axial direction of the connector terminal 10) (FIG. 3A). A total of four wiring material holding pins 26b protrude upward at both ends of the wiring material holding pin 26b, and pin insertion holes 24b into which the wiring material holding pins 26b can be fitted are provided in the wiring material holding portion 24. Of the conductors 32 of the flexible wiring member 30, the conductors 32 on both outer sides in the wiring member width direction are provided with through holes 36 (FIG. 4) through which the pin insertion holes 24b can be inserted. The relative position of the flexible wiring member 30 with respect to the wiring member holding portion 24 and the cover 26 is fixed by inserting the wiring member holding pin 26 b into the through hole 36, whereby the flexible wiring member 30 is tensioned. Even if this occurs, the tension is prevented from acting on the connecting portion between the conductor 32 and the wiring member connecting portion 14 of the connector terminal 10.

  The housing connecting portion 40 has a thin plate shape and is integrally formed with the insulating housing 20 so as to connect the two insulating housings 20 between the insulating housings 20 of adjacent unit connectors. In the illustrated example, the position is on the upper side of the flexible wiring member 30 (the outer side of the flexible wiring member 30 in the winding state to be described later) and on both sides of the connector in the longitudinal direction of the connector. A housing connecting portion 40 is formed.

  The housing connecting portion 40 can be bent and deformed in the thickness direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the insulating housings 20 and perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector terminals 10 (vertical direction in FIG. 1B). It has become.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the connector terminals are provided at a plurality of locations (in the illustrated example, on both sides of the intermediate position in the arrangement direction) arranged in the arrangement direction of the insulating housing 20 on the lower surface of the housing connecting portion 40. A notch extending in a direction parallel to the axial direction is formed, and a hinge portion 42 having a smaller thickness than other portions is formed by the notch. Therefore, in the housing connecting portion 40, bending deformation at the hinge portion 42 is promoted more than other portions.

  A reverse bending deformation restraining plate 28 that protrudes from each insulating housing 20 toward the insulating housing 20 adjacent to the insulating housing 20 is formed at a position between the housing connecting portions 40. These reverse-direction bending deformation restraining plates 28 are arranged so that the leading ends thereof collide with each other, whereby the flexible wiring member 30 is located on the outer side of the flexible wiring member 30 and the housing connecting portion 40 (in FIG. 1B). It functions to prevent the flexible wiring member 30 and the housing connecting portion 40 from being bent and deformed in a downward convex direction.

  Next, an example of the assembly procedure and usage procedure of this wire harness connector will be described.

  1) The three insulating housings 20 and the housing connecting portions 40 that connect these insulating housings 20 are integrally formed of an appropriate resin material.

  2) The connector terminal 10 is press-fitted and held in the terminal holding portion 25 of each insulating housing 20, thereby completing the unit connectors C1, C2, and C3.

  3) In the flexible wiring member 30, an appropriate portion of the insulating layer 34 is removed to form a window 34a.

  4) Insert the flexible wiring member 30 into the gap between the wiring member holding portion 24 of each insulating housing 20 and the wiring member connecting portion 14 of each connector terminal 10. The insertion position is a position where the conductor 32 of the flexible wiring member 30 and the wiring member connecting portion 14 to be connected to the conductor 32 intersect at the position where the window 34a is formed.

  5) An electrode is applied from above to the conductor 32 in the intersecting portion through the through long hole 24a and the upper window 34a of the wiring member holding portion 24, and the electrode paired with the electrode on the wiring member connecting portion 14 in the intersecting portion. Is applied from the lower side and a voltage is applied between the electrodes, so that the conductor 32 and the wiring member connecting portion 14 are welded and electrically connected at the intersection. In the present invention, the assembly procedure of the wire harness connector is not particularly limited. For example, the connector terminal and the flexible wiring member may be connected in advance and then the connector terminal may be set in the insulating housing.

  6) Insert the wiring material holding pins 26b of the cover 26 into the respective through holes 36 of the flexible wiring material 30 from below, and further insert the wiring material holding pins 26b into the pin insertion holes 24b of the wiring material holding portion 24. By attaching to the wiring material holding portion 24, the wire harness connector is completed. When the cover 26 is attached, an intersection portion, that is, a connection portion between the connector terminal 10 and the flexible wiring member 30 is sandwiched from above and below by the cover 26 and the wiring member holding portion 24, and the cover 26 and the flexible wiring member 30 are connected by the wiring member holding pin 26 b. The relative position of the flexible wiring member 30 with respect to the wiring member holding portion 24 is fixed.

  7) The wire harness connector is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the main body of the wire harness 50 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the unit connectors C1, C2, C3 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the body of the wire harness 50 while bending and deforming the flexible wiring member 30 and the housing connecting portion 40 in a direction in which the housing connecting portion 40 is radially outward. A wire harness connector is wrapped around the wire harness body in a lined posture. Then, for example, an adhesive tape 60 as shown in FIG. 6 is wound around the wire harness connector to fix the wire harness connector to the main body of the wire harness 50.

  8) As shown in FIG. 6, the corresponding connector 54 of the connectors 54 provided at the end of the electric wire 52 included in the wire harness 50 is coupled to each unit connector C1, C2, C3. As a result, appropriate wires among the wires 52 can be electrically connected to each other via a joint circuit constituted by the connector terminal 10 and the conductor 32 of the flexible wiring member 30.

  According to such a wire harness connector, the unit connectors C1, C2, and C3 are not enlarged, and the insulating housings 20 are integrally connected by the housing connecting portion 40, thereby reducing the total number of parts. it can. In addition, the unit connectors C1 to C3 can be stably fixed by winding the housing connecting portion 40 and the flexible wiring member 30 around the body of the wire harness 50 while bending the housing connecting portion 40 and the flexible wiring member 30.

  The housing connecting portion 40 may be bent around the entire body so as to be able to be wound around the wire harness 50. However, as shown in the drawing, each housing connecting portion 40 has a locally thin hinge portion. 42, and the hinge portion 42 promotes bending deformation more than other portions, the bending deformation portion of the housing connecting portion 40 is stabilized, and the bending work can be performed more easily. It becomes possible.

  The specific number of the hinge portions 42 is not limited. For example, the hinge portions 42 may be formed only at one intermediate position of the housing connecting portion 40, but they are arranged in the arrangement direction of the insulating housings 20 as illustrated. If the hinge portions 42 are provided at a plurality of locations, the required bending angle required for each housing connecting portion 40 corresponding to the diameter of the body of the wire harness 50 is distributed to the plurality of bending deformation locations, so that the bending deformation is achieved. The bending angle at each bending deformation point can be suppressed as compared with the case where the step is performed at only one point.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the main body diameter of the wire harness 50 is small and three unit connectors C1, C2, C3 are wound around the circumference thereof at approximately 60 ° intervals, the hinge portion 42 is provided at one location. As shown by a two-dot chain line 40 'in the same figure, the bending deformation angle of the housing connecting portion becomes large and protrudes outward at an acute angle (approximately 60 °), increasing its strength burden and the bending deformation portion. Will protrude greatly in the radial direction of the wire harness 50. If a plurality of hinge portions 42 are provided and the bending deformation portions are dispersed as described above, the bending deformation angle at each bending deformation portion is suppressed and the bending deformation portion is suppressed. While reducing a burden on strength, it is possible to suppress a dimension in which each bending deformation portion protrudes outward in the radial direction of the wire harness body.

  This effect can be obtained if the housing connecting portion 40 has a shape in which bending deformation is promoted more than other portions at a plurality of locations arranged in the arrangement direction of the insulating housing 20. The specific shape is not limited to the one having the hinge part 42. For example, the housing connecting portion 40 has a bending suppression portion having a wall thickness larger than that of other portions at an intermediate portion in the arrangement direction of the insulating housing 20, and bending deformation at both side portions of the bending suppression portion is caused by the bending. It may be promoted more than the bending deformation at the suppressing portion.

  Furthermore, by combining this bending suppressing portion and the hinge portion 42, it is possible to more reliably disperse the bending deformation locations at a plurality of locations. An example thereof is shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B as a second embodiment. The illustrated housing connecting portion 40 has a meat accumulation portion 44 as a bending suppressing portion at an intermediate portion in the arrangement direction of the insulating housings 20. The thickness portion 44 is thicker than other portions and has a shape extending in the connector axial direction (the depth direction in the figure). The thickness portion 44 is bent and deformed more than the other portions. It is difficult to do. In addition to the meat reservoir portion 44, the hinge portions 42 are formed at positions on both sides of the meat reservoir portion 44.

  In the housing connecting portion 40 having such a shape, the bending deformation portion is more reliably distributed to the left and right.

  In addition, in the wire harness connector having the meat reservoir portion 44, the housing connection can be efficiently performed using the thick shape of the wall reservoir portion 44 while suppressing the strength burden of the thin housing connector 40. A resin molded product in which the portion 40 and the insulating housing 20 are integrated can be manufactured.

  An example of the process is shown in FIGS. The illustrated mold includes a fixed mold 70 for molding a front side portion (hood 22 side portion) of the insulating housing 20, a rear side portion (wiring material holding portion 24 side portion) of the insulating housing 20, and a housing connecting portion 40. The pusher support plate 74 is attached to the back of the movable mold 72 so as to be movable toward and away from the movable mold 72. A rod-like pusher 76 extending toward the movable mold 72 extends from the pusher support plate 74 and is inserted into a pusher insertion hole 75 provided in the movable mold 72. The pusher 76 can extend and contract around the pusher 76. A cover 78 is provided. The pusher insertion hole 75 is formed in a straight line extending in the axial direction from the meat reservoir portion 44 of the housing connecting portion 40 formed in the movable mold 72.

  In this molding apparatus, as shown in FIG. 9A, a resin molded product in which the insulating housing 20 and the housing connecting portion 40 are integrated by closing both molds 70 and 72 and injecting a molten resin therein. After the molding, the movable mold 72 is separated from the fixed mold 70 as shown in FIG. 5B, and the pusher support plate 74 is moved closer to the movable mold 72 as shown in FIG. By pushing the pusher 76 into the cavity of the movable mold 72 and pressing the meat reservoir 44 in the axial direction by the pusher 76, the molded product can be easily extruded from the movable mold 72. be able to.

  Here, in the case where there is no meat reservoir 44, it may be possible to extrude from the movable mold 72 by pressing any one of the plurality of insulating housings 20 with the pusher 76. There is a possibility that a large shear stress may be generated in the housing connecting portion 40 that connects the insulating housing 20 and the insulating housing 20 adjacent thereto. On the other hand, if a thick-walled reservoir 44 is locally formed in the housing connecting part 40 and is pressed in the axial direction, this will occur in the housing connecting part 40. It becomes possible to extrude the molded product from the movable mold 72 while suppressing the shear stress.

  However, the specific method for manufacturing the wire harness connector according to the present invention is not particularly limited.

  In the present invention, the flexible wiring member 30 is not necessarily required. As shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C, the unit connectors C1, C2, and C3 are connected to the housing connecting portion 40 as shown in FIGS. Even if it is connected only through the above, the same effect as described above can be obtained. Further, when the hinge portion 42 is provided in each housing connecting portion 40, the insulating housing 20 is separated from each other by the hinge portion 42 as shown in FIG. It becomes possible.

  As described above, the wire harness connector that does not include the flexible wiring member 30, that is, the wire harness connector in which the connector terminals of the different unit connectors are not electrically connected to each other is, for example, a joint circuit (connector terminal) for each unit connector. By incorporating a circuit for connecting them together, it can be used as a wire harness joint connector as in the first embodiment.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11 as the fourth embodiment, the terminal of the electric wire 52 led out from the main body of the wire harness 50 is directly connected to the connector terminal of each unit connector C1, C2, C3, and each unit connector is connected. It is also possible to connect C1, C2, and C3 to mating connectors C1 ′, C2 ′, and C3 ′ fixed to the ends of the electric wires D led from the external circuit (that is, use them as wire-to-wire connectors). It is.

  Thus, the requirement that “at least a part of the unit connectors among the unit connectors is configured to be connectable to an electric wire included in a specific wire harness” according to claim 1 of the present application is fourth. As shown in the first embodiment, the connector terminal of each unit connector is directly connected to the wire harness side electric wire, or the wire harness 50 side electric wire 52 end as in the first embodiment. Regardless of whether it is fitted to the terminal of the connector 54 provided, all the unit connectors are connected to the electric wires 52 included in the specific wire harness (ie, the wire harness around which the wire harness connector is wound) 50 It is not limited to what is possible. For example, a unit connector that is electrically connected only to an electric wire led from a wire harness other than the specific wire harness 50 may be included.

  In addition, the “position in which the wire harness main body is arranged in the circumferential direction” in claim 1 broadly means an attitude in which the insulating housings are arranged with their positions shifted in the circumferential direction. Alternatively, the positions of the insulating housings may be shifted in the axial direction. For example, a plurality of unit connectors may be wound around the main body of the wire harness 50 in a state where the unit connectors are arranged in a spiral shape. The specific number of unit connectors can also be appropriately selected according to the specifications.

(A) is a top view of the connector for wire harnesses which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is the front view. It is a bottom view of the connector for wire harnesses. (A) is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG.1 (b), (b) is the sectional view on the BB line of (a). It is a top view which shows the positional relationship of the connector terminal contained in the said connector for wire harnesses, and the flexible wiring material connected to this. (A) is the cross-sectional front view which shows the state which wound the said connector for wire harnesses around the wire harness main body periphery, (b) is the side view. It is a side view which shows the state which fixed the wire harness connector wound around the said wire harness main body with the adhesive tape, and couple | bonded the wire harness side connector with the said connector. It is a cross-sectional front view which shows the state which wound the said wire harness connector around the small diameter wire harness main body. (A) is a front view of the connector for wire harnesses which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (b) is a front view which shows the state which wound the said connector around the wire harness main body. (A)-(c) is a cross-sectional top view which shows the manufacturing process of the connector for wire harnesses shown in FIG. (A) is a top view of the connector for wire harnesses which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (b) is the front view, (c) is a front view which shows the state which isolate | separated the connector with the hinge part. It is a side view which shows the use condition of the connector for wire harnesses which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

C1, C2, C3 Unit connector 10 Connector terminal 20 Insulating housing 40 Housing connection part 42 Hinge part 44 Meat accumulation part (bending suppression part)
50 Wire harness 52 Electric wire included in the wire harness 54 Wire harness side connector

Claims (7)

A plurality of unit connectors having a plurality of connector terminals and an insulating housing for holding these connector terminals are provided, and at least some of these unit connectors can be connected to electric wires included in a specific wire harness. A connector for a wire harness configured as follows:
A housing connecting portion for connecting adjacent insulating housings in a state where the insulating housings of the unit connectors are arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axial direction of the connector terminals is formed integrally with the insulating housing,
Each housing connecting portion has a shape that can be bent and deformed in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the insulating housings and perpendicular to the axial direction of the connector terminals,
A connector for a wire harness, characterized in that each of the insulating housings can be wound around the wire harness in a posture aligned with the circumferential direction of the body of the wire harness with bending deformation of the housing connecting portion.   2. The connector for a wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the housing connecting portion has a hinge portion extending in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the connector terminal and having a smaller wall thickness than other portions. A connector for a wire harness, characterized in that bending deformation is promoted more than that of the portion.   2. The wire harness connector according to claim 1, wherein the housing connecting portion has a shape in which bending deformation is promoted more than other portions at a plurality of locations arranged in the arrangement direction of the insulating housing. Connector.   4. The wire harness connector according to claim 3, wherein the housing connecting portion extends in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the connector terminal at a plurality of locations arranged in the arrangement direction of the insulating housing and is thicker than other portions. A wire harness connector having a small hinge portion.   4. The connector for a wire harness according to claim 3, wherein the housing connecting portion has a bending suppressing portion having a thickness larger than other portions at an intermediate portion in the arrangement direction of the insulating housing, and both side portions of the bending suppressing portion. The wire harness connector is characterized in that the bending deformation at is accelerated more than the bending deformation at the bending suppressing portion.   6. The connector for a wire harness according to claim 5, wherein the housing connecting portion extends to a position on both sides of the bending suppressing portion so as to extend in a full length in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the connector terminal. A wire harness connector comprising a hinge portion having a small wall thickness.   A method for manufacturing a connector for a wire harness according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a plurality of said insulating housings and a housing connecting portion for connecting these insulating housings are integrally formed in a mold, And a step of extruding a molded product of the insulating housing and the housing connecting portion from within the mold by pressing a bending suppressing portion of the housing connecting portion in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the insulating housings. Manufacturing method of connector for wire harness.

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