JP2010080114A - Joint connector, and wire harness equipped therewith and manufacturing method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a joint connector easy to handle and highly reliable for suppressing the bulk of a wire harness while forming a short-circuit, and to provide the wire harness equipped therewith and its manufacturing method using simple processes. <P>SOLUTION: The joint connector JC includes: a short-circuit metal plate composed of a single metal plate and including a plurality of fitting parts to fit wire-side terminals provided at the terminals of branch wires, respectively, for short-circuiting the branch wires with each other in their fitting conditions; and an insulating housing, having a flat outer shape in the thickness direction of the short-circuit metal plate, for holding the short-circuit metal plate. The outer face of one wall part in the thickness direction of the insulating housing is provided with a groove 49 or a protruded strip which can engage with uneven parts 60, 61 formed on the surface of a trunk line 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is provided in a vehicle such as an automobile, and includes a plurality of electric wires and a wire harness including a short circuit that short-circuits the specific electric wires, a method for manufacturing the wire harness, and the wire harness. The present invention relates to a joint connector for short-circuiting specific electric wires.

Conventionally, as a wire harness including the short circuit as described above, one using a joint connector for short-circuiting the electric wire is known. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a joint connector that is provided at the end of a branch wire that branches off from a trunk line of a wire harness, and the ends of the branch wire that are short-circuited by the joint connector. More specifically, a main line tape is wound around the electric wire constituting the main line, and the branch electric wire is led out of the main line tape. Then, in a state where a common joint connector is connected to the ends of these branch electric wires, a branch line tape different from the main line tape is also wound around these branch electric wires.
JP 2003-297451 A

  In the wire harness described in Patent Document 1, since the branch wire is further branched from the main wire around which the main wire tape is wound, handling thereof is troublesome. Specifically, it is necessary to wind a tape different from the main line tape around the branch wire, and separate from the main line tape to fix the branch wire along the main line. It is necessary to use a tape or the like.

  In addition, since the branch wire is led out of the main line of the wire harness, care must be taken in handling the wire harness so that the branch wire and the joint connector of the terminal are not caught by other members. . In addition, even if the branch wire is fixed along the main line as described above, the portion where the joint connector is fixed on the main line is bulky, so the wire harness is handled so that the portion does not get caught in other members. You must keep in mind. Such trouble becomes more prominent as the branch wire becomes longer. In particular, when a large tension acts on the branch wire due to the catch or the like, the connection between the branch wire and the joint connector may be disconnected, which may affect the reliability of the connection.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention suppresses the bulkiness of the wire harness while forming a short circuit in the wire harness, a joint connector that is easy to handle and highly reliable, a wire harness including the joint connector, and this It aims at providing the method which can manufacture a wire harness by a simple process.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention is used for a wire harness having a trunk line in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, and among the electric wires included in the trunk line, a plurality of branch electric wires drawn from the main line are used. A joint connector for short-circuiting each other, comprising a single metal plate, including a plurality of fitting portions respectively fitted to the wire-side terminals provided at the ends of the branch wires, and in the fitted state A short-circuiting metal plate that short-circuits the branch wires, and an insulating housing that has a flat outer shape in a thickness direction of the short-circuiting metal plate and holds the short-circuiting metal plate. A groove or ridge that can be engaged with the unevenness formed on the surface of the main line by the electric wire is provided on the one side wall so that the outer surface of the wall is included.

  Further, the present invention is a wire harness including a short circuit, a trunk line in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, and a trunk line tape that is wound around the electric wires constituting the trunk line and maintains the binding state thereof. A joint connector for mutually short-circuiting these branch wires by being connected to each of the terminals of the plurality of branch wires drawn from the trunk line among the wires included in the trunk line, A short-circuiting metal plate and the insulating housing are provided, and a groove or a ridge that can be engaged with irregularities formed on the surface of the main line by the electric wire is formed on the wall on one side in the thickness direction of the insulating housing. A joint connector provided so as to be included in the outer surface of the part is used, and the one side wall part provided with the groove or the ridge is directed to the surface of the main line and for the short circuit A genus plate is installed on the main line in a posture substantially orthogonal to the radial direction of the main line, and the main line tape spans the joint connector and the main line at the position where the main line joint connector is installed. It is characterized by being wound together.

  In this wire harness, since the joint connector is fixed on the main line, the bulge length of the branch wire from the main line is reduced. Moreover, since the trunk tape is used for fixing the joint connector, the tape winding operation for manufacturing the wire harness is simplified, and the joint connector is in direct contact with other members. Prevented by tape.

  Further, when the joint connector is installed on the main line with the one side wall facing the main line surface, the grooves or protrusions provided on the outer surface of the insulating housing engage with the irregularities on the main line surface. The trunk line tape is wound around the trunk line and the joint connector installed on the trunk line all around the trunk line, whereby the movement of the joint connector in the circumferential direction with respect to the trunk line is suppressed.

  Specifically, the structure of the wire harness and the simplification of the manufacturing process are achieved by using the tape for the trunk line also for holding the bundled state of the wires constituting the trunk line and fixing the joint connector on the trunk line. On the other hand, the joint connector is easily displaced in the circumferential direction with respect to the main line inside the wound main line tape. However, in the present invention, the groove or the ridge is provided on the wall portion on the one side of the insulating housing, and the groove or the ridge straddles the joint connector and the main line in a state where the groove or the protrusion is engaged with the unevenness on the surface of the main line. The joint tape is pressed around the main line side and the engaged state is maintained by winding the main line tape around the circumference of the circumference, and thereby the joint connector is connected to the main line of the joint connector inside the wound main line tape. The movement in the circumferential direction is reliably suppressed.

  In detail, since the unevenness | corrugation of the trunk line surface is formed of the electric wire which comprises the said trunk line, it is extended along the said trunk line. Then, when the joint connector is installed on the main line, the protrusion on the surface of the main line extending along the main line is fitted in the groove of the insulating housing, or the protrusion of the insulating housing is inserted in the recess on the surface of the main line. State (engaged state). In this state, the main line tape is wound around the joint connector and the main line in a lump around the joint connector, so that the engagement state is reliably maintained, and the direction in which the unevenness extends inside the main line tape The movement of the joint connector in the direction intersecting with the main line, that is, in the circumferential direction of the main line with respect to the main line is suppressed.

  Further, by using the joint connector in the wire harness, it is possible to suppress the bulk of the wire harness in a portion where the joint connector is fixed on the main line. That is, since the joint connector has a flat outer shape in the thickness direction of the short-circuiting metal plate, the short-circuiting metal plate is fixed on the main line in a posture substantially orthogonal to the radial direction of the main line, so The projecting dimension of the joint connector is kept small, and the wire harness as a whole is made thinner.

  In the joint connector according to the present invention, it is preferable that the insulating housing is provided with a non-slip process in a region where the groove or the ridge is provided on the outer surface of the one side wall. When anti-slip processing is performed in this way, when the joint connector is used on the wire harness and fixed on the trunk line, the coefficient of friction between the joint connector and the trunk line increases, and the joint connector Movement of the trunk line in the circumferential direction with respect to the trunk line is further suppressed.

  The insulating housing has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers into which the electric wire side terminals can be inserted in order to be fitted to the fitting portion, and the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are connected to the terminal accommodating chambers on the electric wire side. Arranged in positions corresponding to each fitting portion along the short-circuit metal plate so that the insertion directions of the terminals are parallel to each other, the groove or the protrusion is the insertion direction of the electric wire side terminal into the terminal accommodating chamber Are preferably provided in parallel with each other.

  By using this joint connector for the wire harness described above, when the joint connector is fixed on the trunk line, the sharp bending of the branch wire near the insertion port of the wire side terminal in the terminal accommodating chamber is prevented. Disconnection due to sharp bending can be prevented.

  That is, when the joint connector is installed on the main line so that the groove or the protrusion engages with the irregularities on the surface of the main line, the insertion direction of the electric wire side terminal into the terminal accommodating chamber becomes the direction along the main line. At this time, it is not necessary to sharply bend and install the branch wire near the insertion opening.

  Further, when the electric wire side terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber in a portion corresponding to each terminal accommodating chamber, on the wall portion defining the terminal accommodating chamber and the outside on the other side in the thickness direction of the insulating housing To the outside of the outer surface of the insulating housing to allow passage of the electric wire side terminal, return to a normal position after the passage, and lock the electric wire side terminal to a position where the electric wire side terminal is fitted to the fitting portion. It is preferable that the terminal latching | locking part is formed, respectively.

  The terminal locking portion is normally formed in the insulating housing, but in the present invention, the outer shape of the insulating housing can be made flatter and thinner by forming the terminal locking portion on the outer wall.

  In the wire harness according to the present invention, the joint connector includes a joint connector in which a plurality of terminal locking portions are formed on the other wall portion in the thickness direction of the insulating housing, It is preferable that the tape is wound so as to pass through all portions where the plurality of terminal locking portions are formed.

  According to such a configuration, the amount of protrusion from the wire harness can be reduced by using the joint connector in which the outer shape of the insulating housing is flat and thin by forming the terminal locking portion on the outer wall.

  In addition, the locked state is more reliably maintained by restricting the bending of the terminal locking portion to the outside using the main line tape. That is, the terminal locking portion can lock each electric wire side terminal even if the outward bending is not restricted by the main tape, but each electric wire side terminal can be obtained by using the main tape. The fitting state with the fitting portion is more reliably maintained, and the disconnection of the wire side terminal from the joint connector is surely prevented.

  Further, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a method for manufacturing a wire harness including a short circuit, the step of forming a trunk by bundling a plurality of electric wires, and the plurality of branches from the trunk The step of short-circuiting the branch wires by pulling out the wires and connecting any one of the joint connectors to the ends of these branch wires, and the one wall portion provided with the groove or the ridge of the insulating housing Facing the surface of the main line and the step of installing the joint connector on the main line in a posture in which the metal plate for short-circuiting is substantially orthogonal to the radial direction of the main line, and for the main line around the wires constituting the main line A tape is wound around to hold the binding state, and the joint connector is installed at the position where the joint connector and the trunk line are straddled. Characterized in that it comprises a the steps wound collectively the trunk tape.

  In this method, winding of the main line tape around the main line of the wire harness and fixing of the joint connector to the main line are efficiently performed collectively. In addition, by using a joint connector having a groove or a protrusion on the outer surface of the one side wall of the insulating housing, the joint connector is connected to the main line with the wall portion provided with the groove or the protrusion facing the main line surface. The joint connector fixed on the trunk line is placed in the circumferential direction of the trunk line by a simple winding operation such as wrapping the tape for trunk line around the joint connector and the trunk line in a state of being installed on the trunk line. A wire harness that is difficult to move to can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the wire harness, it is possible to provide a joint connector that can suppress the bulk of the wire harness while forming a short circuit and is easy to handle and highly reliable. By constructing a short circuit with the electric wire and wrapping the trunk tape around the joint connector and the trunk line, a wire harness that is easy to handle and has high connection reliability can be provided. Can be provided by a simple process.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 6 show a joint connector JC according to this embodiment. This joint connector JC is used for the wire harness 100 shown in FIGS. The wire harness 100 includes a trunk line 12 in which a plurality of electric wires 10 are bundled, a trunk tape 18 wound around the trunk line 12 in order to maintain the bundled state, and a joint connector JC.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the joint connector JC, in the wire harness 100, a plurality of electric wires 10 among the electric wires 10 constituting the main wire 12 are drawn out from the main wire 12 as branch wires 14. Are short-circuited with each other. Further, the joint connector JC is fixed on the main line 12 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 by using the main line tape 18 together with the branch wire 14.

  Hereinafter, the joint connector JC will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

  The joint connector JC according to this embodiment includes a single short-circuit conductor 30 and an insulating housing 40 for holding the short-circuit conductor 30. The short-circuiting conductor 30 is made of a conductive material, and is short-circuited between the wire-side terminals 20, that is, the branch wires 14 by being commonly connected to the wire-side terminals 20 provided at the ends of the branch wires 14. Let The insulating housing 40 is integrally formed of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and can be held in a state where the shorting conductor 30 is stored. Specifically, the insulating housing 40 is flat in the thickness direction of the shorting conductor 30. Have a different shape.

  The short-circuiting conductor 30 according to this embodiment is formed of a short-circuiting metal plate formed by punching a single metal plate into an appropriate shape, and a plurality of electrical contact portions 32 and the short-circuiting portion 34 are integrated. Have. Each electric contact portion 32 is a male (tab) fitting portion that can be fitted into the female electric contact portion 22 of each electric wire side terminal 20, and these electric contact portions 32 are parallel to the width direction thereof. Is arranged. The short-circuit portion 34 extends in the arrangement direction of the electrical contact portions 32, and the proximal end of each electrical contact portion 32 is connected to the short-circuit portion 34.

  The insulating housing 40 includes a pair of side walls 44 that connect the flat top wall 41 and the bottom wall 42 that are parallel to each other, and both end portions in the width direction of the walls 41 and 42 (that is, the left end portions and the right end portions). And integrally. These walls 41, 42, 44 constitute the outer wall of the insulating housing 40.

  The rear end portion (the left end portion in FIGS. 3 to 6) of the outer wall constitutes a conductor holding portion 43. The short-circuiting portion 34 of the short-circuiting conductor 30 is press-fitted into the conductor holding portion 43 from the opening 43 a provided at the rear end of the insulating housing 40, whereby the short-circuiting portion 34 is held by the conductor holding portion 43. .

  The conductor holding portion 43 has a shape that holds the short-circuit portion 34 of the short-circuiting conductor 30. Specifically, the short circuit 34 has an outer shape that is slightly larger than the short circuit part 34 and extends in the arrangement direction of the electrical contact parts 32 of the short circuit conductor 30, and the short circuit part 34 can be inserted from the rear (left side in FIG. 3). The metal plate insertion opening 43a is enclosed. The short-circuit portion 34 is press-fitted into the conductor holding portion 43 from the insertion port 43a in a posture in which each electrical contact portion 32 faces forward. More specifically, protrusions 34 a as shown in FIG. 5 are formed at both ends in the width direction of the short-circuit portion 34, and these protrusions 34 a bit into the inner side surface of the conductor holding portion 43 to short-circuit the conductor holding portion 43. The part 34 is fixed.

  A plurality (three in FIG. 5) of partition walls 45 parallel to the side walls 44 are arranged in the connector width direction at a portion in front of the conductor holding portion 43. Each partition wall 45 defines a terminal accommodating chamber 47 between another partition wall 45 or the side wall 44 adjacent to the partition wall 45. Each terminal accommodating chamber 47 has a shape that opens forward and allows the electric wire side terminal 20 to be inserted through the opening. Each electrical contact portion 32 of the short-circuiting conductor 30 protrudes from the rear in each terminal accommodating chamber 47, and the electrical contact portion 22 of the electric wire side terminal 20 inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 47 is connected to the electrical contact portion 32. The electric wire side terminal 20 and the short-circuiting conductor 30 are electrically connected by fitting.

  A lance (terminal locking portion) 46 is formed on the top wall 41 at a position corresponding to each terminal accommodating chamber 47. Each lance 46 is surrounded by a substantially U-shaped slit 41a (see FIG. 6) formed in the top wall 41, and can be bent and deformed in the thickness direction with respect to the main body of the top wall 41. A free end portion is provided, and a claw-like locking portion is formed at the free end portion. As shown in FIG. 3, this locking portion is deformed by contact with the inserted electric wire side terminal 20 to allow passage of the electric wire side terminal 20 and elastically returns to a normal position after the passage. By doing so, the locked piece 28 of the electric wire side terminal 20 is restrained from the rear (see FIG. 4). That is, the electric wire side terminal 20 is locked at a position where the electric wire side terminal 20 is fitted to the electric contact portion 32.

  The bottom wall 42 is provided with a groove 49 that can be engaged with irregularities (see FIG. 10) 60 and 61 formed on the surface of the trunk line 12 by the electric wire 10 so as to be included in the outer surface of the bottom wall 42. A plurality of grooves 49 (three in FIG. 2) are provided on the bottom wall 42, and each groove 49 is provided in parallel with the insertion direction of the wire-side terminal 20 into the terminal accommodating chamber 47.

  Further, the region provided with the groove 49 on the outer surface of the bottom wall 42 is subjected to anti-slip processing such as embossing or knurling. This anti-slip process may be performed on the outer surface of the bottom wall 42 at least in a region where the groove 49 is provided.

  Note that the shape of the bottom wall 42 is not necessarily limited to the shape as in this embodiment. When the joint connector JC is installed on the trunk line 12, it engages with the irregularities 60 and 61 on the surface of the trunk line 12. Other shapes may be used as long as such irregularities are formed. For example, as shown to Fig.7 (a), the bottom wall 42 in which the protrusion 50 was provided at intervals may be sufficient. Even if it is such a shape, when the joint connector JC is installed on the trunk line 12, it can be engaged because a plurality of the electric wires 10 constituting the trunk line 12 enter between the protrusions 50. Moreover, as shown in FIG.7 (b), the bottom wall 42 in which the groove | channel 149 of a shape different from the shape along the surrounding surface of the electric wire 10 which comprises the trunk line 12 may be located may be sufficient. Even when the groove shape is different from the cross-sectional shape of the electric wire 10, the electric wire 10 constituting the main wire 12 enters the groove 149 when the joint connector JC is installed on the main wire 12, and thus can be engaged.

  Further, the flange 49a (see FIG. 2) formed between the groove 49 and the groove 49 is continuous along the insertion direction of the electric wire side terminal 20 in this embodiment, but may be intermittent. Moreover, the said protrusion 50 may be a protrusion continuous along the insertion direction of the electric wire side terminal 20 similarly to this collar part 49a, and may be an intermittent protrusion. Furthermore, the number of the grooves 49 or the protrusions 50 provided on the bottom wall 42 is not limited to a plurality as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and only one may be provided.

  Next, a process for manufacturing the wire harness 100 using the joint connector JC will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

1) Wiring of electric wires 10 A plurality of electric wires 10 are bundled to form a trunk line 12, and a plurality of electric wires 10 (four in this embodiment) are used as branch wires 14. Drawn from 12; For each electric wire 10, a so-called covered electric wire is used, and the electric wire 10 has a conductor and an insulating coating that covers the conductor.

  In this embodiment, in order to connect each branch wire 14 to the common joint connector JC, a wire-side terminal 20 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is attached in advance to the end of each branch wire 14. . The electric wire side terminal 20 has a female electrical contact portion 22 and an electric wire crimping portion 24 at the front and rear. The electrical contact portion 22 has a hollow rectangular tube-shaped main body and a contact spring piece 26 provided so as to be able to bend in the main body. From the top wall of the electrical contact portion 22, a locked piece 28 for locking to the joint connector JC protrudes outward.

  The terminal of each branch electric wire 14 is previously subjected to a treatment for removing the insulating coating and exposing the conductor, and the electric wire crimping portion 24 embraces the terminal of the conductor and the insulating coating in the vicinity thereof. By being bent, it is crimped to the end of the branch wire 14 and is electrically connected to the conductor.

2) Connection to the joint connector JC By connecting the electric wire side terminals 20 attached to the branch electric wires 14 to the joint connector JC as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the electric wire side terminals 20 are short-circuited. Is done. Specifically, in this joint connector JC, the wire-side terminal 20 at the end of each branch wire 14 is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 47 and fitted into the electrical contact portion 32 of the short-circuiting conductor 30. Short-circuiting between the electric wire side terminals 20 using the shorting conductor 30 as a medium is achieved.

3) Installation of joint connector JC The joint connector JC to which the branch wires 14 are connected as described above is installed on the trunk line 12 so that the branch wires 14 are folded. Specifically, in this embodiment, the joint connector JC is folded so that the intermediate portion 16 of each branch wire 14 swells in the direction along the trunk line 12, and the joint connector JC has a branch start point 15 of the branch wire 14 (see FIG. 8). It is installed in the vicinity of At this time, the joint connector JC is installed in such a posture that the bottom wall 42 of the insulating housing 40 provided with the groove 49 faces the surface of the trunk line 12.

  At this time, each groove 49 of the bottom wall 42 is provided in parallel with the insertion direction of the electric wire side terminal 20 into the terminal accommodating chamber 47, and the groove 49 is provided with irregularities 60 and 61 (see FIG. 10) on the surface of the trunk line 12. Since the joint connector JC is installed on the trunk line 12 so as to be engaged, the insertion direction of the electric wire side terminal 20 into the terminal accommodating chamber 47 is a direction along the trunk line 12, that is, the same direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to sharply bend the branch wire 14 near the insertion port of the wire-side terminal 20 in the terminal accommodating chamber 47 and install the joint connector JC on the main line 12, thereby causing the steep bend near the insertion port. Disconnection of the branch wire 14 can be prevented.

  This installation may be performed just before the next tape winding operation, for example, and the operator may simply press the joint connector JC with a finger or the like, or the joint connector JC may be temporarily fixed with an adhesive tape or the like. It may be broken.

  The length of the slack portion of the branch wire 14 folded in this way is shorter than the length of the original branch wire 14 (about half in this embodiment). The operation of winding the tape 18 is easy.

4) Tape winding work The trunk line tape 18 is spirally wound around the electric wires 10 constituting the trunk line 12 so as to maintain the bundled state. This winding may be performed so as to cover the entire surface of the main line 12 as shown in FIG. 9, or may be performed with a gap where a part of the main line 12 is exposed.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, at the site where the joint connector JC is installed, the trunk tape is collectively wrapped around the joint connector JC and the branch wire 14 and the trunk line 12 connected to the joint connector JC. 18 is wound. At this time, the main line tape 18 is wound so as to pass over all the lances 46 formed on the top wall 41 of the insulating housing 40 in the joint connector JC. Thus, using the trunk line tape 18, it is possible to efficiently hold the bundled state on the trunk line 12 and fix the joint connector JC on the trunk line 12.

  In the fixing by winding the main line tape 18 as described above, since the main line tape 18 is comprehensively wound over the main line 12 and the joint connector JC, the joint connector is usually provided inside the main line tape 18. JC is likely to be displaced in the circumferential direction with respect to the main line 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, in the state where the trunk line 12 of the wire harness 100 is routed on the surface of the vehicle body B, the groove 49 is provided in the bottom wall 42 as in this embodiment. In the case of the wire harness 100 using the joint connector JC1 having a smooth bottom wall outer surface instead of the joint connector JC, the joint connector JC1 is displaced in the circumferential direction with respect to the main line 12 due to the vibration of the vehicle, and the displacement causes the joint The connector JC1 may come into contact with another member 52 on the body side and cause noise or the like.

  However, in the case of the wire harness 100 using the joint connector JC according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 5B, the joint connector JC for the main line 12 is formed by the groove 49 provided in the bottom wall 42 of the joint connector JC. The deviation is suppressed. That is, the joint connector JC is installed on the main line 12 with the bottom wall 42 facing the surface of the main line 12, and in this state, the main line tape 18 is wound around the main line 12 and the joint connector JC in a lump. By being attached, the groove 49 provided in the bottom wall 42 and the irregularities 60 and 61 on the surface of the trunk line 12 are engaged, and the movement of the joint connector JC in the circumferential direction of the trunk line 12 with respect to the trunk line 12 is suppressed. .

  Specifically, the structure of the wire harness 100 and the manufacturing process of the wire harness 100 can be achieved by using the main line tape 18 for both holding the bundled state of the electric wires 10 constituting the main line 12 and fixing the joint connector JC on the main line 12. While the simplification is achieved, the joint connector JC is easily displaced (moved easily) in the circumferential direction with respect to the main line 12 inside the wound main line tape 18 as described above. However, when the joint connector JC of this embodiment in which the groove 49 is provided in the bottom wall 42 is used, the groove 49 of the bottom wall 42 engages with the irregularities 60 and 61 on the surface of the trunk line 12, and in this state, the joint connector The main line tape 18 is wound around the JC and the main line 12 in a lump, and the joint connector JC is pressed against the main line 12 to maintain the engaged state. Further, the shift in the circumferential direction of the joint connector JC with respect to the main line 12 inside the main line tape 18 is reliably suppressed.

  Specifically, the irregularities 60 and 61 on the surface of the trunk line 12 are formed by the surface (circumferential surface) of the electric wire 10 constituting the trunk line 12, and thus extend along the trunk line 12. When the joint connector JC is installed on the trunk line 12, the convex portion 61 on the surface of the trunk line 12 extending along the trunk line 12 fits into the groove 49 of the insulating housing 40. Further, in this embodiment, since a plurality of grooves 49 are provided in the bottom wall 42, a flange portion 49a is formed between the adjacent grooves 49, and the flange portion 49a fits into the recess 60 on the surface of the trunk line 12. It becomes a state of being crowded. In this way, the trunk line tape 18 is wound around the joint connector JC and the trunk line 12 in a lump in a state where the groove 49 and the flange portion 49a are engaged with the irregularities 60 and 61 on the surface of the trunk line 12. The joint connector is maintained in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the irregularities 60 and 61 on the surface of the main line 12 inside the main line tape 18, that is, in the circumferential direction of the main line 12 with respect to the main line 12. JC deviation is suppressed.

  In addition, since the bottom wall 42 of the joint connector JC according to this embodiment is subjected to anti-slip processing, the coefficient of friction between the joint connector JC and the surface of the trunk line 12 increases, and the trunk line of the joint connector JC 12 to the circumferential direction of the trunk line 12 with respect to 12 is further suppressed.

  As a result, in a state where the trunk line 12 of the wire harness 100 is routed on the surface of the body B of the vehicle, the displacement of the joint connector JC with respect to the trunk line 12 inside the trunk tape 18 based on the vibration of the vehicle is suppressed. In other words, the joint connector JC can be prevented from coming into contact with the other member 52.

  The main line tape 18 is wound so as to pass over all the lances 46 formed on the top wall 41 of the insulating housing 40. When the main line tape 18 is wound in this way, the main line tape 18 restricts the bending of all the lances 46 outward from the top wall 41. Thereby, the fitting state with the electric contact part 32 of the electric wire side terminal 20 is maintained reliably, and the drop-off | omission from the joint connector JC of the electric wire side terminal 20 is prevented.

  Specifically, in a conventional joint connector (not shown), the lance is usually provided inside the insulating housing. In this embodiment, by forming the lance 46 on the top wall 41, the outer shape of the insulating housing 40 can be made flat and thin, and the amount of protrusion from the wire harness 100 can be reduced.

  By forming the lance 46 on the outer wall (the top wall 41) in this way, it becomes possible to regulate the deflection of the lance 46 to the outside of the top wall 41 by using the trunk line tape 18. Thus, the locking of the electric wire side terminal 20 can be more reliably maintained. As a result, the fitting state of each electric wire side terminal 20 with the electrical contact portion 32 is reliably maintained. That is, the lance 46 can lock each electric wire side terminal 20 even when the outward bending is not restricted by the main line tape 18, but by using the main line tape 18, each electric wire side terminal 20 can be locked. Thus, the fitting state with the electrical contact portion 32 is more reliably maintained, and the disconnection of the electric wire side terminal 20 from the joint connector JC is reliably prevented.

  By winding the main line tape 18 as described above, the joint connector JC and the branch wire 14 fixed to the main line 12 are covered with the main line tape 18 from the outside. Therefore, the wire harness 100 can be handled easily.

  In the present invention, the specific shape and structure of the joint connector JC are not limited. However, the width dimension of the joint connector JC is preferably 0.8 times or less the diameter of the trunk line 12. Such a width dimension is a problem caused by the stable fixation of the joint connector JC on the main line 12 and the joint connector JC projecting from the main line 12 in the width direction so that the joint connector JC contacts other members. It is possible to achieve both of avoidance of the above.

  Further, if the outer shape of the joint connector JC is a flat shape as shown in the figure, the joint connector JC is fixed on the trunk line 12 in a posture in which the shorting conductor 30 is substantially orthogonal to the radial direction of the trunk line 12. The projecting dimension of the joint connector JC from the main line 12 is effectively suppressed, and the bulkiness of the wire harness 100 at the part can be suppressed. This reduction in the amount of protrusion contributes to the thinning of the entire wire harness 100.

It is the perspective view seen from the ceiling wall side of the joint connector concerning this embodiment. It is the perspective view seen from the bottom wall side of the joint connector. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows the state in the middle of being inserted in the said joint connector by the electric wire side terminal with which the terminal of the branch electric wire was mounted | worn. It is a cross-sectional side view which shows the state by which the electric wire side terminal with which the terminal of the said branch electric wire was mounted | worn was completely inserted in the said joint connector. It is a cross-sectional plan view of the joint connector. It is a bottom view of the joint connector. (A) And (b) is a transverse cross section for illustrating arrangement of a slot or a ridge provided in the bottom wall of an insulating housing. It is a perspective view which shows the state in which the common joint connector was connected to the terminal of several branch electric wires in the manufacture process of the wire harness which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the state which wound the tape for trunk lines around the installation position of the joint connector in the said trunk line. It is a transverse cross section showing the state where the joint connector was fixed on the main line using the main line tape. (A) is a figure which shows the state which wound the said joint connector and the trunk line collectively, and wound the 1st trunk line tape only, (b) was wound around the said joint connector and the trunk line collectively. It is a figure which shows the state by which the 2nd trunk line tape was further wound around the outer side of the 1st trunk line tape.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric wire 12 Trunk line 14 Branch electric wire 20 Electric wire side terminal 30 Short-circuiting conductor (metal plate for short-circuiting)
32 Electric contact part (fitting part)
40 Insulating housing 42 Bottom wall 49 Groove 50 Projection 100 Wire harness JC Joint connector

Claims (7)

It is used in a wire harness having a trunk line in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, and is a joint connector for short-circuiting a plurality of branch wires drawn from the trunk line among the electric wires included in the trunk line,
A short-circuiting metal plate that is made of a single metal plate and includes a plurality of fitting portions that are respectively fitted to the wire-side terminals provided at the ends of the branch wires, and short-circuits the branch wires in the fitted state. When,
It has a flat outer shape in the thickness direction of the short-circuiting metal plate, and includes an insulating housing that holds the short-circuiting metal plate,
A groove or a ridge that can be engaged with the unevenness formed on the surface of the main line by the electric wire is provided in the outer wall of the wall portion on the wall portion on one side in the thickness direction of the insulating housing. And joint connector. The joint connector according to claim 1, wherein
The insulating housing is a joint connector characterized in that an anti-slip process is applied to a region where the groove or protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the one side wall. The joint connector according to claim 1 or 2,
The insulating housing has a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers into which the electric wire side terminals can be inserted in order to be fitted to the fitting portion, and the plurality of terminal accommodating chambers are connected to the terminal accommodating chambers on the electric wire side. Arranged at positions corresponding to each fitting portion along the short-circuit metal plate so that the insertion directions of the terminals are parallel to each other,
The said groove | channel or protrusion is provided in parallel with the insertion direction of the said electric wire side terminal to the said terminal storage chamber, The joint connector characterized by the above-mentioned. The joint connector according to claim 3,
In the wall portion that defines each terminal accommodating chamber and the outside on the other side in the thickness direction of the insulating housing, the wire side terminal is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber at a site corresponding to each terminal accommodating chamber. A terminal mechanism that flexes outward from the outer surface of the insulating housing to allow passage of the wire-side terminal, returns to a normal position after the passage, and locks the wire-side terminal at a position where the wire-side terminal is fitted to the fitting portion. A joint connector, wherein stop portions are respectively formed. A wire harness including a short circuit,
A trunk line in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled,
A main line tape that is wound around the electric wire constituting the main line and maintains its bundling state;
A joint connector that short-circuits these branch wires to each other by being connected to each of the terminals of the plurality of branch wires drawn from the trunk line among the wires included in the trunk line,
The joint connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the one-side wall portion provided with the groove or the ridge faces the main line surface and the short-circuit metal. A plate is installed on the trunk line in a posture substantially orthogonal to the radial direction of the trunk line;
A wire harness including a short circuit, wherein the main line tape is wound around the joint connector and the main line in a lump at the installation position of the main line joint connector. In the wire harness including the short circuit according to claim 5,
The joint connector according to claim 4 is used for the joint connector.
The wire harness including a short circuit, wherein the main line tape is wound so as to pass through all portions where the plurality of terminal locking portions are formed. A method for manufacturing a wire harness including a short circuit,
Forming a trunk line by bundling a plurality of electric wires;
Pulling out the plurality of branch wires from the trunk line, and short-circuiting the branch wires by connecting the joint connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 to the ends of these branch wires;
The one wall portion provided with the groove or the protrusion of the insulating housing faces the surface of the main line, and the shorting metal plate is positioned substantially orthogonal to the radial direction of the main line so that the joint connector is placed on the main line. The process of installing in
The main line tape is wound around the electric wire constituting the main line to maintain the bundling state, and the main line tape is wrapped around the joint connector and the main line at the joint connector installation position. A process of wrapping together,
The manufacturing method of the wire harness containing the short circuit characterized by including this.

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