JP2009087855A - Flexible flat harness, its manufacturing method, and power feed device of sliding door - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flexible flat harness in which the connector portion has a low-cost and positive waterproofing structure. <P>SOLUTION: The flexible flat harness is provided with a flexible flat cable (FFC) 14 having a plurality of flat lead wires 19, round cables 16, a connector 40, and a protection case 31 having a recessed part 51, and a cover 32 to cover the recessed part 51. The connector 40 has a first connection part formed by piercing into the flat lead wires 19 and a second connection part formed by crimping to the core wire of the round cable 16. The connector 40, the first connection part, and the second connection part are housed in the recessed part 51 of the protection case 31. The cover 32 has pushing projection parts 85 formed which project to the inner bottom side of the recessed part 51 and contact or approach closely the connector 40. A seal material 70 is filled in the recessed part 51 so as to cover at least the top end portion of the pushing projection parts 85, the connector 40, the first connection part, and the second connection part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a configuration of a flexible flat harness including a flexible flat cable.

  In recent years, there has been an increasing need for vehicles equipped with sliding doors such as one-box cars and wagon cars. In such a sliding door vehicle, various devices (for example, a sliding door automatic opening / closing device motor, a power window motor, a half door detection sensor, etc.) are provided in the sliding door to meet the needs such as comfort. , Speakers, etc.).

And in order to supply electric power from the vehicle body side to the various apparatuses of the said slide door irrespective of opening and closing of a slide door, the constant electric power feeder is proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a power supply device for a sliding door using a flexible flat cable that can significantly reduce an allowable bending radius as compared with a round wire harness. Patent Document 1 assumes that this configuration can provide a small-sized and long-term reliability power supply device for a sliding door.
JP 2006-21689 A

  Although the flexible flat cable has excellent flexibility as described above and is advantageous for downsizing of the device, it is difficult to waterproof the connector portion, and there remains room for improvement in this respect. That is, in the case of a wire harness using a round wire, the waterproof treatment can be easily performed by a method such as using a known waterproof connector provided with a silicon rubber wire seal. On the other hand, since the flexible flat cable is a thin ribbon-like wire, the silicon rubber is easily damaged at the sharp end. Therefore, waterproofing using a wire seal has many problems in terms of waterproof reliability. Although waterproofing using grease is also conceivable, it is also difficult to satisfy the requirements in terms of waterproofing reliability, durability, and the like.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to realize an inexpensive and reliable waterproof structure of a connector portion in a flexible flat harness.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

  According to the 1st viewpoint of this invention, the flexible flat harness of the following structures is provided. That is, the flexible flat harness includes a flexible flat cable having a plurality of flat conductors, a plurality of round cables having a substantially circular cross section, a connection terminal connected to the flat conductor and the round cables, and A first connecting portion between the flat conducting wire and the connecting terminal; a second connecting portion between the round cable and the connecting terminal; a protective case having a recess; and a cover covering the recess. And the said connection terminal, the said 1st connection part, and the said 2nd connection part are accommodated in the said recessed part of the said protective case. Further, the cover is formed with a pressing convex portion protruding toward the inner bottom surface of the concave portion, and the pressing convex portion is in contact with or close to the connection terminal. The concave portion is filled with a sealing material so as to cover at least the tip portion of the pressing convex portion, the connection terminal, the first connection portion, and the second connection portion.

  Thereby, a round cable can be connected to the edge part of a flexible flat cable by simple structure. Moreover, since the connection part of this flexible flat cable and a round cable is waterproofed by filling with a sealing material, it is possible to prevent a short circuit due to water entering the connection part. Furthermore, since the connection terminal is disposed in the recess of the protective case and the recess is filled with the sealing material, the entire periphery of the connection terminal can be easily covered even if the amount of the sealing material is small. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and the material cost of the sealing material while maintaining the waterproof performance of the connection portion. In addition, the cover presser convex part restricts the movement of the connection terminal and is sealed with a sealing material so as to cover the tip part of the presser convex part. Sealing can be performed and waterproof reliability can be improved. In addition, since the protective case and the cover (pressing convex part) are joined via a sealing material, the cover that covers the connection structure is prevented from coming off the protective case, and the connection structure inside the protective case is improved. Can be protected.

  The flexible flat harness preferably includes a waterproof connector attached to the round cable.

  With this configuration, a waterproof connector can be disposed on the round cable, and this can be used as a harness connector. Therefore, the flexible flat harness which implement | achieved waterproofing of the connector part by simple structure can be provided.

  The flexible flat harness preferably has the following configuration. That is, a bent portion is formed in the flexible flat cable and the round cable in the vicinity of the connection terminal, and the bent portion is accommodated in the recess of the protective case. The concave portion is filled with a sealing material so as to cover the bent portion.

  With this configuration, the flexible flat cable and the round cable are placed in a bent state in the protective case, so even if a tensile force is applied to the flexible flat cable and the round cable, it is difficult to come out of the protective case. Excellent in properties.

  The flexible flat harness preferably has the following configuration. That is, in the first connection portion, the connection terminal is pierced to the flat conductor. In the second connection portion, the connection terminal is crimped to the core of the round cable.

  With this configuration, the flat conductor and the core of the round cable can be reliably connected via the connection terminal, and the manufacturing cost and the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced.

  In the flexible flat harness, it is preferable that the presser convex portion is in contact with or close to a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the connection terminal.

  With this configuration, the connection terminal can be sealed with the sealing material in a state where the movement is surely restricted by the pressing convex portion without tilting the connection terminal.

  The flexible flat harness preferably has the following configuration. That is, a fixing protrusion is formed on the inner bottom surface of the recess of the protective case. A positioning hole through which the fixing protrusion can be inserted is formed in the connection terminal. The presser convex portion restricts the movement of the connection terminal in the direction in which the positioning hole is removed from the fixing protrusion.

  With this configuration, the connection terminal can be positioned so as not to move by the fixing protrusion and the positioning hole, and can be sealed with the sealing material. Further, even if the connection terminal attempts to move away from the fixing protrusion, the movement is restricted by the pressing protrusion, so that the positioning can be reliably performed. Therefore, waterproofing can be reliably performed, and a short circuit due to contact between the connection terminals can be prevented.

  According to the 2nd viewpoint of this invention, the manufacturing method of the flexible flat harness containing the following processes is provided. That is, in the first step, the connection terminal is connected to the plurality of flat conductors of the flexible flat cable to form the first connection portion, and the connection terminal is connected to the round cable having a substantially circular cross section. 2 connections are formed. In the second step, the connection terminal, the first connection portion, and the second connection portion are accommodated in a protective case having a recess. In the third step, the recess is filled with a sealing material. In the fourth step, before the sealing material is solidified, the concave portion of the protective case is covered with a cover, and the pressing convex portion formed on the cover is submerged in the sealing material to contact or face the connection terminal. .

  By this method, a round cable can be connected to the end of the flexible flat cable. Therefore, by disposing a waterproof connector on the round cable, it is possible to provide a flexible flat harness that realizes waterproofing of the connector portion with a simple configuration. Moreover, the waterproof part by filling with a sealing material is performed to the connection part of this flexible flat cable and a round cable, and the short circuit by water invading the said connection part can be prevented. Furthermore, since the connection terminal is disposed in the recess of the protective case and the recess is filled with the sealing material, the entire periphery of the connection terminal can be easily covered even if the amount of the sealing material is small. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and the material cost of the sealing material while maintaining the waterproof performance of the connection portion. Further, before the sealing material is solidified, the cover pressing convex portion restricts the movement of the connection terminal and is sealed with the sealing material so as to cover the tip of the pressing convex portion, so that the connection terminal is not exposed. Thus, the whole can be reliably sealed, and the waterproof reliability can be improved. In addition, since the protective case and the cover (pressing convex part) are joined via a sealing material, the cover that covers the connection structure is prevented from coming off the protective case, and the connection structure inside the protective case is improved. Can be protected.

  According to the 3rd viewpoint of this invention, the manufacturing method of the flexible flat harness containing the following processes is provided. That is, in the first step, the connection terminal is connected to the plurality of flat conductors of the flexible flat cable to form the first connection portion, and the connection terminal is connected to the round cable having a substantially circular cross section. 2 connections are formed. In the second step, the connection terminal, the first connection portion, and the second connection portion are accommodated in a protective case having a recess. In a third step, the concave portion of the protective case is covered with a cover, and a pressing convex portion formed on the cover is inserted into the concave portion to contact or face the connection terminal. In the fourth step, the concave portion is filled with a sealing material so as to cover at least the distal end portion of the pressing convex portion and the connection terminal.

  This method can also connect a round cable to the end of the flexible flat cable. Therefore, by disposing a waterproof connector on the round cable, it is possible to provide a flexible flat harness that realizes waterproofing of the connector portion with a simple configuration. Moreover, the waterproof part by filling with a sealing material is performed to the connection part of this flexible flat cable and a round cable, and the short circuit by water invading the said connection part can be prevented. Furthermore, since the connection terminal is disposed in the recess of the protective case and the recess is filled with the sealing material, the entire periphery of the connection terminal can be easily covered even if the amount of the sealing material is small. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and the material cost of the sealing material while maintaining the waterproof performance of the connection portion. In addition, with the presser convex part of the cover restricting the movement of the connection terminal, the concave part is filled with a sealing material so as to cover at least the tip part of the presser convex part. Can be sealed, and waterproof reliability can be improved. In addition, since the protective case and the cover (pressing convex part) are joined via a sealing material, the cover that covers the connection structure is prevented from coming off the protective case, and the connection structure inside the protective case is improved. Can be protected.

  In the flexible flat harness manufacturing method, in the fourth step, the sealing material is preferably filled from the flexible flat cable side in the recess.

  By this method, even when, for example, a partition wall that separates the connection terminals is provided in the recess, the sealing material can be evenly distributed and filled from the flexible flat cable side to each connection terminal. Therefore, all the connection terminals can be sealed without unevenness.

  According to the 4th viewpoint of this invention, the flexible flat harness manufactured by the said manufacturing method is provided. Moreover, according to the 5th viewpoint of this invention, the electric power feeder of a sliding door provided with the said flexible flat harness is provided.

  Next, embodiments of the invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a sliding door power supply apparatus including a flexible flat harness.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the slide door power feeding device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a door side member 11 attached to the slide door side of the automobile, a vehicle body side member 12 attached to the vehicle body side, and from the vehicle body side to the slide door side. And a flexible flat harness 13 for supplying electric power.

  The flexible flat harness 13 includes a plurality of flexible flat cables (FFC) 14. This flexible flat cable 14 is configured by disposing an insulator on the outside of a plurality of conductors arranged side by side at a predetermined interval in the width direction.

  The conducting wire of the flexible flat cable 14 is configured as a so-called flat conducting wire (flat conducting wire) having a flat thin cross-sectional shape. This flat conductive wire can be formed, for example, by molding copper, aluminum, or an alloy material thereof. The insulator of the flexible flat cable 14 is made of a synthetic resin such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, or polyimide. The flexible flat cable 14 can be formed by forming the insulator in a film and laminating the flat conductor so as to cover the flat conductor or by extrusion-coating a resin on the flat conductor.

  The door side member 11 is formed with a mounting hole 21 for accommodating the flexible flat cable 14. On the other hand, the vehicle body side member 12 is formed with an attachment groove 22 for accommodating the flexible flat cable 14. With this configuration, a plurality of the flexible flat cables 14 are stacked in the thickness direction, and are fixed to the door side member 11 and the vehicle body side member 12 with the width direction thereof being directed in the vertical direction.

  The flexible flat harness 13 includes a protective member 15 formed in a corrugated shape by a flexible material. The protection member 15 is disposed between the door side member 11 and the vehicle body side member 12 and is configured to cover and protect the outer side of the multiple flexible flat cables 14 stacked.

  One end of the round cable 16 is connected to the end of the flexible flat cable 14 on the vehicle body side via a waterproof joint portion 17. The round cable 16 is a general-purpose cable having a circular cross section, and has a configuration in which a single wire or a stranded wire is covered with an insulating coating.

  Each flat wire of the flexible flat cable 14 is electrically connected to the round cable 16 through a connection structure provided in the waterproof joint portion 17. In addition, the detailed structure of the waterproof joint part 17 is mentioned later.

  A waterproof connector 18 is disposed at the other end of the round cable 16. The waterproof connector 18 is a so-called private room waterproof type, and is waterproofed by a wire seal made of silicon rubber (not shown).

  With the above configuration, the door-side member 11 moves in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. The sliding door power supply device 1 follows the movement and deforms the flexible flat cable 14 to maintain the electrical connection between the vehicle body side and the sliding door side, thereby realizing the constant power supply to the sliding door side. ing.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the waterproof joint portion 17 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a waterproof joint part of the flexible flat harness. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the flexible flat cable and the round cable are attached to the protective case of the waterproof joint portion, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the state in which the cover is fixed to the protective case injected with the sealing material.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the waterproof joint portion 17 includes a box-shaped protective case 31 that is open on one side, and a cover 32 that closes the open side of the protective case 31.

  As shown in FIG. 1, one waterproof joint portion 17 is provided for each of the plurality of flexible flat cables 14. In addition, the same number of round cables 16 as the number of the rectangular conductive wires 19 included in the flexible flat cable 14 are connected to each waterproof joint portion 17. In the example of FIG. 2, the flexible flat cable 14 includes four flat conductors 19, and the number of round cables 16 connected to the waterproof joint portion 17 is also four.

  One end of the flexible flat cable 14 and one end of the round cable 16 are accommodated in the protective case 31.

  FIG. 3 shows a process for manufacturing the waterproof joint portion 17. As shown in FIG. 3, the flat conducting wire 19 included in the flexible flat cable 14 and the core wire of the round cable 16 are electrically connected via a connection terminal 40. The connection terminal 40 may be referred to as a WF terminal after the initial of “Wire to Flexible-Flat-Cable”.

  The connection terminal 40 is disposed in the protective case 31 so as to correspond to each of the rectangular conductive wires 19 provided in the flexible flat cable 14. The connection terminal 40 is formed by punching a conductive metal plate into an appropriate shape and bending it into an elongated shape, and is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is parallel to the rectangular conductor wire 19.

  The connection terminal 40 includes a rectangular tube-shaped base portion 41 disposed at the center in the longitudinal direction, a piercing portion 42 extending from one end of the base portion 41, a barrel portion 43 extending from the other end of the base portion 41, It has.

  The piercing part 42 is fixed to the flexible flat cable 14 by penetrating the flat conducting wire 19 and the insulating film of the flexible flat cable 14 in the thickness direction. By this piercing, the first connection portion 46 is formed, and the connection terminal 40 and the flat wire 19 are electrically connected by the first connection portion 46.

  The barrel portion 43 is crimped and crimped to a portion (core wire) from which the covering of the round cable 16 has been removed. The second connection portion 47 is formed by this crimping, and the connection terminal 40 is fixed to the round cable 16 by the second connection portion 47 and the core wire of the round cable 16 and the connection terminal 40 are electrically connected. Connected.

  The protective case 31 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a wide box shape having a shallow concave portion 51 with one side open. The protective case 31 has a slightly elongated shape along the longitudinal direction of the flexible flat cable 14 and the round cable 16. On the inner bottom surface of the protective case 31, a plurality of elongated partition walls 52 are formed in a convex shape along the longitudinal direction of the protective case 31. The partition walls 52 are arranged at equal intervals and are formed so as to separate the connection terminals 40.

  Further, a fixing projection 53 is formed in a convex shape on the inner bottom surface of the protective case 31 at a position between the adjacent partition walls 52 and a position between the partition wall 52 and the side wall of the protective case 31 (inner wall of the recess 51). Has been. On the other hand, a positioning hole 45 through which the fixing projection 53 can be inserted is formed in the base 41 of the connection terminal 40.

  In the vicinity of the connection terminal 40, the flexible flat cable 14 is bent substantially vertically to form a bent portion 61. Similarly, the round cable 16 is bent substantially vertically at a position near the connection terminal 40 to form a bent portion 62. The bent portions 61 and 62 are formed so that the flexible flat cable 14 and the round cable 16 are along the inner surface of the recess 51 of the protective case 31 when the connection terminal 40 is disposed in the protective case 31. .

  In order to assemble the waterproof joint portion 17 with the above configuration, first, the protective case 31 is brought into a state where the open side faces upward as shown in FIG. Next, the flexible flat cable 14 is set in the protective case 31 from the upper side in a state where the round cable 16 is connected to the respective flat rectangular conductors 19 via the connection terminals 40. Thereby, the connection terminal 40 and the bent portions 61 and 62 are accommodated in the recess 51 of the protective case 31.

  At this time, the connection terminal 40 is disposed between the partition wall 52 and the partition wall 52 (or between the partition wall 52 and the inner wall of the recess 51), and the positioning hole 45 formed in the base portion 41 includes the protective case 31. It fits into the fixed projection 53 on the inner bottom surface. Therefore, even when an external force is applied to the flexible flat cable 14 or the round cable 16 during the assembly operation, the displacement of the connection terminal 40 is prevented.

  Next, the sealing material is filled into the recess 51 of the protective case 31. Various sealing materials are conceivable. For example, a resin having an insulating property such as urethane or silicon can be used. When a predetermined amount of the sealing material is injected, the entire connecting terminal 40 and the bent portions 61 and 62 accommodated in the protective case 31 are buried in the sealing material 70 as shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, before the sealing material 70 is cured, the cover 32 is immediately attached to the protective case 31 and the recess 51 of the protective case 31 is closed. Similar to the protective case 31, the cover 32 is formed to be slightly elongated along the flexible flat cable 14 and the round cable 16. A snap fit portion 81 is integrally formed on the cover 32, and a locking projection 54 that can be engaged with the snap fit portion 81 is integrally formed on the side surface of the protective case 31. Therefore, the cover 32 can be fixed to the protective case 31 by engaging the snap fit portion 81 with the locking projection 54.

  Further, a pressing convex portion 85 projects toward the inner bottom surface of the concave portion 51 on the surface of the cover 32 facing the protective case 31 side. The pressing projections 85 are formed one by one corresponding to the connection terminals 40 and are arranged at equal intervals.

  With the above configuration, when the cover 32 is attached to the protective case 31, the tip of the pressing convex portion 85 of the cover 32 is inserted into the concave portion 51 and sinks to the liquid surface of the sealing material 70, and the tip surface thereof is the base portion of the connection terminal 40. 41 or contact. Thus, even if the connection terminal 40 tries to move in the direction in which it floats from the bottom of the recess 51 (the direction in which the positioning hole 45 comes out of the fixing projection 53), the movement is restricted by the tip surface of the presser protrusion 85. Accordingly, the periphery of the connection terminal 40 can be sealed with the sealing material 70 in a state where the connection terminal 40 is positioned at a predetermined position while preventing the connection terminal 40 from floating. Thereby, waterproof reliability can be improved.

  When the sealing material 70 is solidified after the cover 32 is closed, the waterproof joint portion 17 shown in FIG. 2 is completed. With the waterproof joint portion 17, each of the flat conductive wires 19 included in the flexible flat cable 14 can be connected (converted) to the round cable 16 inside the waterproof structure. Then, if the round cable 16 is connected to a known waterproof connector 18, the waterproof connector structure of the flexible flat cable 14 can be realized at low cost.

  As described above, the flexible flat harness 13 of the present embodiment includes the flexible flat cable 14 having a plurality of flat conductors 19, the plurality of round cables 16 having a circular cross section, the flat conductors 19, and the round conductors. A connection terminal 40 connected to the cable 16, a first connection part 46 between the flat wire 19 and the connection terminal 40, a second connection part 47 between the round cable 16 and the connection terminal 40, A protective case 31 having a recess 51 and a cover 32 covering the recess 51 are provided. The connection terminal 40, the first connection portion 46, and the second connection portion 47 are accommodated in the recess 51 of the protective case 31. The cover 32 is formed with a pressing convex portion 85 that protrudes toward the inner bottom surface of the concave portion 51, and the pressing convex portion 85 is in contact with or close to the connection terminal 40. The concave portion 51 is filled with a sealing material so as to cover at least the distal end portion of the pressing convex portion 85, the connection terminal 40, the first connection portion 46, and the second connection portion 47.

  Thereby, the round cable 16 can be connected to the end of the flexible flat cable 14 with a simple configuration. Further, since the connecting portion between the flexible flat cable 14 and the round cable 16 is waterproofed by filling with the sealing material 70 (waterproof joint portion 17), a short circuit caused by water entering the connecting portion is prevented. Can be prevented. Furthermore, since the connection terminal 40 is disposed in the recess 51 of the protective case 31 and the recess 51 is filled with the sealing material 70, the entire periphery of the plurality of connection terminals 40 (first connection) even if the amount of the sealing material 70 is small. The entire portion including the portion 46 and the second connection portion 47) can be easily covered together. Therefore, the waterproof joint part 17 can be reduced in size and waterproof performance, and the material cost of the sealing material 70 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the presser convex portion 85 of the cover 32 restricts the movement of the connection terminal 40 and is sealed with the sealing material 70 so as to cover the tip portion of the presser convex portion 85, the connection terminal 40 is not exposed. Thus, the whole can be reliably sealed, and the waterproof reliability can be improved. Further, since the protective case 31 and the cover 32 (pressing convex portion 85) are coupled via the sealing material 70, the cover 32 is prevented from being detached from the protective case 31, and the connection structure in the protective case 31 is provided. Can be well protected.

  The flexible flat harness 13 includes a waterproof connector 18 attached to the round cable 16.

  With this configuration, the waterproof connector 18 can be disposed on the round cable 16 and can be used as a harness connector. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the flexible flat harness 13 that realizes waterproofing of the connector portion with a simple configuration.

  Further, bent portions 61 and 62 are formed in the flexible flat cable 14 and the round cable 16 in the vicinity of the connection terminal 40, and the bent portions 61 and 62 are accommodated in the recess 51 of the protective case 31. Yes. The concave portion 51 is filled with a sealing material 70 so as to cover the bent portions 61 and 62.

  With this configuration, since the flexible flat harness 13 and the round cable 16 are bent in the protective case 31, the protective case can be applied even if a tensile force is applied to the flexible flat harness 13 and the round cable 16. It is hard to come off 31 and has excellent durability.

  In the present embodiment, the connection terminal 40 is pierced to the flat wire 19 in the first connection portion 46, and the connection terminal 40 is crimped to the core of the round cable 16 in the second connection portion 47. Has been.

  With this configuration, the flat conductor wire 19 and the core wire of the round cable 16 can be reliably connected via the connection terminal 40, and the manufacturing cost and manufacturing man-hour can be reduced.

  Further, the pressing convex portion 85 is in contact with or close to the longitudinal center portion (the base portion 41) of the connection terminal 40.

  With this configuration, the connection terminal 40 can be sealed with the sealing material 70 in a state where the movement is reliably regulated by the pressing convex portion 85 without tilting the connection terminal 40.

  Further, in the flexible flat harness 13 of the present embodiment, a fixing projection 53 is formed on the inner bottom surface of the recess 51 of the protective case 31. The connection terminal 40 is formed with a positioning hole 45 through which the fixing protrusion 53 can be inserted. The pressing projection 85 restricts the movement of the connection terminal 40 in the direction in which the positioning hole 45 is removed from the fixing projection 53.

  With this configuration, the connection terminal 40 can be positioned so as not to move by the fixing protrusion 53 and the positioning hole 45 and sealed with the sealing material 70. Further, since the movement of the connection terminal 40 is restricted by the pressing projection 85 so that the positioning hole 45 does not come off from the fixing protrusion 53, the positioning of the connection terminal 40 by the fixing protrusion 53 is performed reliably. Therefore, the waterproof treatment by the sealing material 70 can be performed reliably, and a short circuit due to contact between the connection terminals 40 can be prevented.

  Moreover, the flexible flat harness 13 of this embodiment is manufactured in the following processes. That is, in the first step, the connection terminals 40 are pierced to the plurality of flat conductors 19 of the flexible flat cable 14 to form the first connection portions 46, and the connection terminals 40 are connected to the round cables 16 having a circular cross section. The second connecting portion 47 is formed by pressure bonding. In the second step (FIG. 3), the connection terminal 40, the first connection portion 46, and the second connection portion 47 are accommodated in a protective case 31 having a recess 51. In the third step, the concave portion 51 is filled with the sealing material 70. In the fourth step (FIG. 4), before the sealing material 70 is solidified, the cover 32 is attached to the protective case 31 so as to cover the concave portion 51, and the presser convex portion 85 formed on the cover 32 is It is sunk in the sealing material 70 to contact or face the connection terminal 40.

  In this method, in the fourth step (FIG. 4), the presser convex portion 85 of the cover 32 restricts the movement of the connection terminal 40 before the sealing material 70 is solidified, and the tip portion of the presser convex portion 85 is included. It is sealed with a sealing material 70 so as to cover it. Therefore, the whole can be reliably sealed so that the connection terminal 40 is not exposed, and the waterproof reliability can be improved.

  In addition, the said waterproof joint part 17 can also be manufactured with the following method. That is, initially, as shown in FIG. 3, the bent portions 61 and 62 formed in the flexible flat cable 14 and the round cable 16 and the connection terminal 40 are accommodated in a protective case 31 having a recess 51. To do. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5, the cover 32 is attached to the protective case 31 before the sealing material is filled, and the recess 51 is closed. At this time, the pressing convex portion 85 formed on the cover 32 is inserted into the concave portion 51 and brought into contact with or facing the connection terminal 40 to restrict the movement of the connection terminal 40.

  Next, the protective case 31 is filled with a sealing material through the injection hole 58 formed in the bottom surface of the protective case 31. The filling amount of the sealing material is set so as to cover at least the distal end portion of the pressing convex portion 85, the connection terminal 40, and the bent portions 61 and 62.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the injection hole 58 for injecting the sealing material is disposed at a position near the flexible flat cable 14 of the protective case 31, and the sealing material injected from the injection hole 58 is a flexible flat. The cable 14 is filled first, and then flows to the round cable 16 and filled. Thus, by filling the sealing material from the side of the flexible flat cable 14 without the partition wall 52 that separates the connection terminals 40, the sealing material can be evenly distributed to the connection terminals 40. 40 can be sealed without unevenness. After the injection, the waterproof joint portion 17 shown in FIG. 2 can be completed by solidifying the sealing material.

  As explained above, in FIG. 5, the flexible flat harness 13 is manufactured by the following method instead of the above-mentioned 3rd process and 4th process. That is, the concave portion 51 of the protective case 31 is covered with the cover 32, and the pressing convex portion 85 formed on the cover 32 is inserted into the concave portion 51 to contact or face the connection terminal 40. Then, the concave portion 51 is filled with a sealing material so as to cover at least the tip end portion of the pressing convex portion 85 and the connection terminal 40.

  In this method, the sealing material is filled in the concave portion 51 so as to cover at least the tip end portion of the pressing convex portion 85 in a state where the pressing convex portion 85 of the cover 32 restricts the movement of the connecting terminal 40. As a result, it is possible to reliably seal the whole so as not to be exposed, and to improve waterproof reliability.

  In the above method, the sealing material is filled from the flexible flat cable 14 side through the injection hole 58 formed on the flexible flat cable 14 side of the protective case 31.

  Thereby, the sealing material can be evenly spread and filled from the flexible flat cable 14 side to each connection terminal 40 separated by the partition wall 52. Accordingly, all the connection terminals 40 can be sealed without unevenness.

  Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above configuration can be changed as follows, for example.

  In the above-described embodiment, one pressing convex portion 85 is provided so as to be in contact with or close to the central portion of the connection terminal 40 in the longitudinal direction. However, it is also possible to form two presser convex portions on the cover 32 so as to regulate the pierce portion 42 and the barrel portion 43 located at both longitudinal ends of the connection terminal 40, respectively.

  For example, in FIG. 5, the sealing material 70 can be filled not in part of the recess 51 closed by the cover 32. In this case, not only the front end portion of the presser convex portion 85 but the whole is covered with the sealing material 70. Further, the injection hole 58 in FIG. 5 can be formed not on the protective case 31 but on the cover 32 side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the flexible flat cable 14 is bent in a crank shape at two places in total within the waterproof joint portion 17, the bending portion 61 and another portion, as shown in FIG. 3. However, instead of this, for example, it can be changed to a configuration in which the bending portion 61 is bent at only one place. Similarly, the round cable 16 can also be changed to a configuration in which it is bent at only one place of the bent portion 62.

  The cover 32 can be changed so as to be formed integrally with the protective case 31. For example, a configuration in which the cover 32 and the protective case 31 are integrally formed into a shape connected by a thin hinge and the cover 32 is closed to be fixed to the protective case 31 is conceivable.

  For example, a plurality of the flexible flat cables 14 can be arranged in the width direction and arranged so as to be connected to one common protective case 31.

  The number of flat conducting wires 19 included in the flexible flat cable 14 can be changed as appropriate according to the configuration and application of the sliding door power feeding device. Also, the shape of the waterproof connector 18 can be variously changed according to the specification of the vehicle having the sliding door. Furthermore, the waterproof structure provided in the waterproof connector 18 can employ various waterproof structures such as a collective waterproof type, for example.

  The waterproof joint portion 17 and the waterproof connector 18 can be modified to be provided on the other side (door side) instead of being provided on one side of the flexible flat harness 13 (the vehicle body side in the sliding door power feeding device 1). Moreover, it can change so that a waterproof joint part and a waterproof connector may be provided in the both ends side (both vehicle body side and door side) of the flexible flat harness 13. FIG.

  The flexible flat harness of this invention can be used for electric power feeders other than the sliding door electric power feeder 1 of a vehicle. It can also be used for products other than vehicles. However, the flexible flat harness of the present invention is particularly suitable when used in a portion requiring waterproofing, such as a module located in a vehicle door or an engine room. Moreover, it can also use for the harness for transmitting a signal not only to electric power feeding.

The top view which shows the whole structure of a sliding door electric power feeder provided with the flexible flat harness which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view which shows the waterproof joint part of a flexible flat harness. The disassembled perspective view which shows a mode that a flexible flat cable and a round cable are attached to the protective case of a waterproof joint part. The perspective view which shows the process of fixing a cover to the said protective case before hardening of the sealing material inject | poured into the protective case. The perspective view which shows the process of the modification which attaches a cover before injection | pouring of a sealing material.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sliding door electric power feeder 11 Door side member 12 Car body side member 13 Flexible flat harness 14 Flexible flat cable 16 Round cable 17 Waterproof joint part 18 Waterproof connector 19 Flat conductor (flat conductor)
31 Protective Case 32 Cover 40 Connection Terminal 45 Positioning Hole 46 First Connection Part 47 Second Connection Part 51 Protective Case Concave 52 Bulkhead 53 Fixing Projection 58 Injection Hole 61, 62 Bending Part 70 Sealing Material 85 Pressing Convex Part

Claims (11)

A flexible flat cable having a plurality of flat conductors;
A plurality of round cables having a substantially circular cross section; and
Connection terminals connected to the flat conducting wire and the round cable, respectively.
A first connection portion between the flat conducting wire and the connection terminal;
A second connection portion between the round cable and the connection terminal;
A protective case having a recess;
A cover covering the recess;
With
The connection terminal, the first connection portion, and the second connection portion are accommodated in the recess of the protective case,
The cover is formed with a pressing convex portion that protrudes toward the inner bottom surface of the concave portion, and the pressing convex portion is in contact with or close to the connection terminal,
A flexible flat harness, wherein the concave portion is filled with a sealing material so as to cover at least a tip portion of the pressing convex portion, the connection terminal, the first connection portion, and the second connection portion. The flexible flat harness according to claim 1,
A flexible flat harness comprising a waterproof connector attached to the round cable. The flexible flat harness according to claim 1 or 2,
A bent portion is formed in the flexible flat cable and the round cable in the vicinity of the connection terminal, and the bent portion is accommodated in the recess of the protective case,
A flexible flat harness, wherein the concave portion is filled with a sealing material so as to cover the bent portion. The flexible flat harness according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the first connection portion, the connection terminal is pierced to the flat conductor,
In the second connection portion, the connection terminal is crimped to a core wire of the round cable. The flexible flat harness according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The flexible flat harness according to claim 1, wherein the pressing convex portion is in contact with or close to a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the connection terminal. The flexible flat harness according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A fixing protrusion is formed on the inner bottom surface of the recess of the protective case,
The connection terminal is formed with a positioning hole through which the fixing protrusion can be inserted,
The flexible flat harness is characterized in that the pressing convex portion restricts movement of the connection terminal in a direction in which the positioning hole is removed from the fixing protrusion. A first connecting portion is formed by connecting a connecting terminal to a plurality of flat conducting wires of the flexible flat cable, and a second connecting portion is formed by connecting the connecting terminal to a round cable having a substantially circular cross section. 1 process,
A second step of accommodating the connection terminal, the first connection portion, and the second connection portion in a protective case having a recess;
A third step of filling the recess with a sealing material;
Before the sealing material is solidified, a fourth step of covering the concave portion of the protective case with a cover, sinking a pressing convex portion formed on the cover into the sealing material, and contacting or facing the connection terminal;
The manufacturing method of the flexible flat harness characterized by including. A connection terminal is connected to a plurality of flat conductors of the flexible flat cable to form a first connection portion, and the connection terminal is connected to a core wire of a round cable having a substantially circular cross section to connect the second connection portion. A first step of forming;
A second step of accommodating the connection terminal, the first connection portion, and the second connection portion in a protective case having a recess;
A third step of covering the concave portion of the protective case with a cover, inserting a pressing convex portion formed on the cover into the concave portion, and contacting or facing the connection terminal;
A fourth step of filling the concave portion with a sealing material so as to cover at least the tip portion of the pressing convex portion and the connection terminal;
The manufacturing method of the flexible flat harness characterized by including. It is a manufacturing method of the flexible flat harness according to claim 8,
Said 4th process WHEREIN: The said sealing material is filled from the flexible flat cable side in the said recessed part, The manufacturing method of the flexible flat harness characterized by the above-mentioned.   A flexible flat harness manufactured by the method for manufacturing a flexible flat harness according to any one of claims 7 to 9.   A power supply apparatus for a sliding door, comprising the flexible flat harness according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or claim 10.

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