JP2023183820A - Component coupling structure and wire harness - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a component coupling structure capable of coupling a first component and a second component without biting electric wires, and a wiring harness having this component coupling structure.SOLUTION: A connector holder 1 has a first component 10 and a second component 30. The first component 10 has a frame member 11, partition walls 111, 112, and a wall portion 14 as a main body portion, and includes a side wall 13 protruding downward from the main body portion, and a rib 15 which is provided across the main body portion and the side wall 13 and includes a slope surface 15a extending in a direction intersecting a vertical direction. The second component 30 includes an insertion portion 32 which has an upper end portion 32a, and defines an insertion space S which is opened to the upper end portion 32a, extends downward, and can accommodate the side wall 13, and a slit 33 which is provided in the insertion portion 32, and configured so that the rib 15 can be inserted into the slit. The rib 15 is formed such that the distance between the slope surface 15a and the side wall 13 increases as it approaches the main body portion side from the tip side of the side wall 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a component coupling structure and a wire harness.

A wire harness including electric wires and connectors is installed in a vehicle to supply power and signals to various electronic devices. A connector holder is used to fix the wire harness to the vehicle body (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the connector holder described in Patent Document 1, a pair of connector mounting parts that allow the connector to be attached and detached are arranged in opposite directions along a virtual reference line. In this connector holder, even if the connector holder main body has an asymmetrical shape, the connectors are attached in the same direction, thereby achieving common parts.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-99358

By the way, for example, some connector holders have a structure in which two parts each hold a connector attached to an electric wire end, and the two parts can be connected with the electric wire interposed between these parts. In such a structure, there is a concern that the electric wire may be caught in the gap between the parts when the two parts are joined together. Therefore, the operator had to join the two parts while being careful not to get the wires caught.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a component joining structure that allows components to be joined without biting electric wires, and a wire harness equipped with this component joining structure. It is in.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the component coupling structure according to the present invention has the following features.
A component coupling structure in which a first component and a second component are coupled in close proximity to each other in a first direction with an electric wire interposed between the first component and the second component,
The first part is
The main body and
a protrusion that protrudes from the main body along the first direction;
a rib provided across the main body portion and the protrusion portion and including a slope extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
The second part is
an insertion portion having an end, opening at the end, extending in the first direction, and defining a space capable of accommodating the protrusion;
a slit provided in the insertion portion and configured to allow insertion of the rib;
The rib is formed such that the distance between the slope and the protrusion increases as it approaches the main body from the tip side of the protrusion.
Parts combination structure.

Moreover, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the wire harness according to the present invention has the following features.
A connector holder having the above component coupling structure;
The electric wire;
a connector attached to the electric wire and held by the first part or the second part;
Wire harness with.

According to the component coupling structure and wire harness according to the present invention, components can be coupled to each other without biting electric wires.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness including a connector holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first component shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the second component shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first part and the second part before they are combined. FIG. 5 is a side view of the first part and the second part in the middle of being joined. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of portion A in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of the first part and the second part after being combined.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to each figure. An example in which the component coupling structure of the present invention is applied to a connector holder will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness including a connector holder 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first component 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the second component 30 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the first part 10 and the second part 30 before being combined. FIG. 5 is a side view of the first part 10 and the second part 30 in the middle of being joined. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of portion A in FIG. FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of the first part 10 and the second part 30 after being combined, and corresponds to the partial enlarged view A shown in FIG. 6. For convenience of explanation, as shown in Figs. Define "vertical direction". The "front-back direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other.

<Wire harness>
The wire harness shown in FIG. 1 includes a wire bundle Wa and a wire bundle Wb each including a plurality of wires, a plurality of connectors 2a and 2b attached to the terminals of the wires, and a connector holder 1 holding the connectors 2a and 2b. Equipped with. The electric wire has a conductive core wire and an insulating coating that covers the outer periphery of the core wire. Each of the wire bundles Wa and Wb is constructed by bundling a plurality of wire bundles, each of which is a bundle of a plurality of wires. However, in FIG. 1, each wire is not shown and an example of the arrangement of the wire bundles Wa and Wb is schematically shown. It shows. Moreover, in FIG. 1, a part of the electric wire bundle Wb is shown transparently.

The plurality of connectors 2a are fixed and held on the first component 10. The connector 2a includes a terminal fitting attached to the end of each electric wire constituting the wire bundle Wa, and a connector housing that accommodates the terminal fitting. The terminal fitting is made of a conductive metal plate, and is electrically connected to the core wire by crimping or the like. This connector housing is made of insulating resin and is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The plurality of connectors 2b are fixed to and held by the second component 30. The connector 2b includes a terminal fitting attached to an end of each electric wire constituting the wire bundle Wb, and a connector housing that accommodates the terminal fitting. The terminal fitting is made of a conductive metal plate, and is electrically connected to the core wire by crimping or the like. This connector housing is made of insulating resin and is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

<Connector holder 1>
The connector holder 1 is made of insulating resin, is attached to the body of a vehicle, and fixes connectors 2a and 2b of a wire harness wired to the vehicle. The connector holder 1 is arranged, for example, at a lower position of an instrument panel, that is, at the feet of a driver's seat and a passenger's seat. The connector holder 1 includes a first component 10 shown in FIG. 2 and a second component 30 shown in FIG. 3. The connector holder 1 holds the first component 10 and the second component 30 in the vertical direction, which is an example of the first direction, with the wire bundle Wb interposed between the first component 10 and the second component 30. It has a component joining structure in which the components are fitted in close proximity to each other. As described later, the first component 10 and the second component 30 fit together when the side wall 13, which is an example of a protrusion, is accommodated in the insertion space S of the insertion portion 32.

<First part 10>
As shown in FIG. 2, the first component 10 mainly includes a frame member 11, a partition wall 111, a plurality of partition walls 112, a plurality of wall portions 14, and a plurality of ribs 15.

The frame member 11 is mainly composed of a rectangular frame that is long in the front-rear direction when viewed from above in a plan view. The partition wall 111 extends in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and divides the internal space of the frame member 11 into two in the left-right direction. The plurality of partition walls 112 connect the left and right side walls of the frame member 11 and the partition walls 111, respectively, and define an accommodation space that accommodates the connector 2a. In each accommodation space, locking portions 113 are provided on the right side wall of the frame member 11 and the left side of the partition wall 111, and each connector 2a is locked and held by each locking portion 113. The wall portion 14 is connected to the partition wall 112, extends forward or backward from the lower end of the partition wall 112, and comes into contact with a corner of the lower surface of the connector 2a. The frame member 11 , the partition wall 111 , the plurality of partition walls 112 , and the plurality of wall sections 14 constitute a main body section of the first component 10 .

The frame member 11 is provided with a rectangular flat side wall 12 that projects downward from the lower edge of the left side wall, and a rectangular flat side wall 13 that projects downward from the lower end of the right side wall. The side wall 12 is provided on the left side wall of the frame member 11 over approximately ⅔ of the length in the front-back direction from the rear end. The side wall 13 is provided over substantially the entire length of the right side wall of the frame member 11 in the front-rear direction from the rear end of the flange that projects rearward of the frame member 11 . On the right side of the side wall 13, locking portions that lock onto locked portions provided in the insertion space S of the second component 30 are provided on both front and rear sides.

The rib 15 has a triangular shape when viewed from above in the front-rear direction, and is erected on the left side surface of the side wall 13 . The rib 15 is provided in each of the plurality of linear ribs 16 from approximately the center of the rib 16 in the vertical direction to the upper end side. The upper edge of the rib 15 connects to the wall portion 14 . The rib 15 has a slope 15a (see FIG. 6) corresponding to the hypotenuse of the triangle. The slope 15 a extends obliquely upward from the lower end position in contact with the rib 16 and connects to the lower surface of the wall portion 14 . In other words, the rib 15 is formed such that the distance between the slope 15a and the side wall 13 increases as it approaches the main body from the tip side of the side wall 13, that is, on the upper side than the lower side. The plurality of ribs 15 are provided along the front-rear direction of the side wall 13 so as to be spaced apart from each other. By providing a plurality of ribs 15 across the side wall 13 and the wall portion 14, the side wall 13 can be reinforced. Further, according to the rib 15, as will be described later, even when an electric wire is present in the gap between the first component 10 and the second component 30 when the first component 10 and the second component 30 are connected, Since the electric wire is pushed out along the slope 15a, it is possible to prevent the electric wire from being caught.

<Second part 30>
The second component 30 mainly includes a frame member 31, a partition wall 311, a plurality of partition walls 312, and an insertion portion 32, as shown in FIG.

The frame member 31 is mainly composed of a rectangular frame that is long in the front-rear direction when viewed from above in a plan view. The partition wall 311 extends in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction, and divides the internal space of the frame member 31 into two in the left-right direction. The plurality of partition walls 312 connect the left and right side walls of the frame member 31 and the partition walls 311, respectively, and define an accommodation space for accommodating the connector 2b. In each accommodation space, locking portions 313 are provided on the right side wall of the frame member 31 and the left side of the partition wall 311, and each connector 2b is locked and held by each locking portion 313.

The insertion portion 32 includes plate members 321 and 322 that are substantially rectangular flat plates with the right side wall of the frame member 31 extending upward, and connection members 323 and 323 that connect the plate members 321 and 322. The plate members 321 and 322 extend in the front-back direction and the up-down direction. The plate member 321 is arranged on the right side of the plate member 321 and separated from the plate member 321. Connecting members 323, 323 are connected to the front and rear edges of the plate members 321, 322. The plate members 321 and 322 and the connecting members 323 and 323 define an insertion space S in which the side wall 13 of the first component 10 can be accommodated. The insertion space S opens at the upper end of the insertion portion 32, that is, at the upper end 32a of the plate members 321, 322 and the connecting members 323, 323, and extends downward. The lower end of the insertion space S is defined by a partition wall provided at positions corresponding to the upper ends of the front and rear walls and left side wall of the frame member 31, and the lower end surface of the side wall 13 inserted into the insertion space S comes into contact with the partition wall. It is said that access is possible. In the insertion space S, the plate member 322 has a locked portion to which a locking portion provided on the side wall 13 of the first component 10 is locked. When the side wall 13 of the first component 10 is accommodated in the insertion portion 32 and locked to the plate member 322, the coupling between the first component 10 and the second component 30 is completed.

A plurality of slits 33 are provided in the plate member 321 of the insertion portion 32 so as to be spaced apart from each other along the front-rear direction. The slit 33 is provided at a position corresponding to the rib 15 of the first component 10, has a straight portion extending downward from the upper edge of the plate member 321, and is configured such that the rib 15 can be inserted therein. Since the opening end of the slit 33 is wider than the front-back width of the straight portion and the outer shape has a substantially Y-shape when viewed in the left-right direction, the rib 15 can be guided smoothly.

<Wire harness manufacturing process>
As an example, a wire harness including the connector holder 1 configured as described above is manufactured as follows. First, each connector 2a attached to the end of the wire bundle Wa is held by each locking part 113 of the first component 10, and each connector 2b attached to the end of the wire bundle Wb is held in the second part 10. Each of the locking portions 313 of the component 30 is locked and held. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the first component 10 and the second component 30 are arranged vertically so that the insertion part 32 is located directly below the side wall 13. At this time, although the connectors 2a, 2b and the wire bundles Wa, Wb are not shown in FIG. 4, the wire bundles Wa, Wb are arranged so as to extend upward on the front side of the connector holder 1, as shown in FIG. Ru.

From the state shown in FIG. 4, the first component 10 and the second component 30 are brought close to each other in the vertical direction, and the lower end of the side wall 13 is inserted into the insertion space S of the insertion portion 32. At this time, the electric wires located between the first component 10 and the second component 30, that is, the electric wires forming the wire bundle Wb, are accommodated between the frame member 11 and the frame member 31. Therefore, during the connection between the first component 10 and the second component 30, the gap between the lower end surface 10a of the main body of the first component 10, for example, the lower surface of the wall portion 14 or the partition wall 112, and the upper end portion 32a of the insertion portion 32. There is a risk of getting caught in the electric wire (see Figure 6).

Therefore, in this embodiment, the ribs 15 are provided on the first component 10 and the slits 33 are provided on the second component 30 to prevent the electric wires from getting caught. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the side wall 13 of the first component 10 is inserted into the insertion portion 32 (see arrow B in FIG. 6), and the rib 15 is inserted into the slit 33. . Then, as the side wall 13 advances in the direction of the arrow B, the electric wire Wb1 on the upper end 32a of the insertion portion 32 is pushed out in the direction of the arrow C along the slope 15a of the rib 15 and separates from the upper end 32a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, in a state where the first component 10 and the second component 30 are completely coupled, the lower end surface 10a of the main body of the first component 10 is aligned with the upper end of the insertion portion 32 without biting the electric wire Wb1. It comes into contact with the portion 32a. In this way, the wire harness shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured.

<Advantages of embodiment>
As explained above, in the connector holder 1 of this embodiment, the first component 10 has the rib 15 including the slope 15a, and the second component 30 has the slit 33. With this configuration, when the first part 10 and the second part 30 are close to each other and each rib 15 enters each slit 33, the gap between the main body part of the first part 10 and the upper end part 32a of the second part 30 is The existing electric wire Wb1 is pushed out along the slope 15a of the rib 15 in a direction away from the upper end 32a. Therefore, the first component 10 and the second component 30 can be coupled without the electric wire Wb1 being caught. Therefore, when a worker who manufactures the wire harness joins the first part 10 and the second part 30, it is possible to eliminate the need for careful work.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. In addition, the material, shape, size, numerical value, form, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited. For example, in the above embodiment, the rib 15 has a triangular shape and the slope 15a is a flat surface, but the slope of the rib may be a curved surface. Further, although the above embodiment has shown an example of the connector holder 1 having a component coupling structure, the present invention is not limited to the connector holder 1. Applicable to bonded structures.

Here, the features of the above-described embodiments of the component coupling structure and wire harness according to the present invention will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].

[1] The first component (10) and the second component (30) are moved in a first direction (vertical direction) with an electric wire (wire bundle Wb) interposed between the first component and the second component. ) is a component joining structure in which parts are joined in close proximity to each other,
The first part (10) is
A main body portion (frame member 11, partition walls 111, 112, wall portion 14),
a protrusion (side wall 13) protruding from the main body along the first direction;
a rib (rib 15) including a slope (15a) provided across the main body portion and the protrusion portion and extending in a second direction (direction of arrow C) intersecting the first direction;
The second part (30) is
an insertion part (32) having an end (upper end 32a), opening at the end, extending in the first direction, and defining a space (insertion space S) capable of accommodating the protrusion;
a slit (33) provided in the insertion portion and configured to allow insertion of the rib (15);
The rib is formed such that the distance between the slope and the protrusion increases as it approaches the main body from the tip side of the protrusion.
Parts combination structure.

According to the component joining structure having the configuration [1] above, the first component has a rib including a slope, and the second component has a slit. With this configuration, even if there is an electric wire in the gap between the main body of the first component and the end of the second component, the electric wire will move along the slope of the rib as the first and second components approach each other. and is pushed away from the end of the second part. Therefore, the first part and the second part can be connected without getting caught in the electric wires. Therefore, when the operator joins the first part and the second part, it is possible to eliminate the need for careful work.

[2] The first component has a plurality of the ribs,
the second component has a plurality of the slits,
The plurality of ribs are provided spaced apart from each other in the first component along a third direction (front-back direction) that intersects the first direction and the second direction,
The slits are provided spaced apart from each other along the third direction in the second component,
The component joining structure according to [1] above.

According to the component joining structure having the configuration [2] above, it is possible to prevent the electric wire from being caught in the third direction.

[3] A connector holder (1) having the component coupling structure according to [1] or [2] above;
The electric wire (wire bundle Wb),
a connector (2b) attached to the electric wire and held by the first part or the second part;
Wire harness with.

In the wire harness having the configuration (3) above, the connector holder has the component joining structure having the configuration (1) above. With this configuration, even if there is an electric wire in the gap between the main body of the first component and the end of the second component, the electric wire will move along the slope of the rib as the first and second components approach each other. and is pushed away from the end of the second part. Therefore, the first part and the second part can be connected without getting caught in the electric wires. Therefore, when a worker manufacturing the wire harness joins the first part and the second part, it is possible to eliminate the need for careful work.

1 Connector holder 2a, 2b Connector 10 First part 10a Main body lower end surface 11, 31 Frame member 12, 13 Side wall 14 Wall part 15, 16 Rib 15a Slope 30 Second part 32 Insertion part 32a Upper end part 33 Slits 111, 112, 311 , 312 Partition walls 113, 313 Locking parts 321, 322 Plate member 323 Connection members Wa, Wb Wire bundle Wb1 Electric wire

Claims (3)

A component coupling structure in which a first component and a second component are coupled in close proximity to each other in a first direction with an electric wire interposed between the first component and the second component,
The first part is
The main body and
a protrusion that protrudes from the main body along the first direction;
a rib provided across the main body portion and the protrusion portion and including a slope extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction;
The second part is
an insertion portion having an end, opening at the end, extending in the first direction, and defining a space capable of accommodating the protrusion;
a slit provided in the insertion portion and configured to allow insertion of the rib;
The rib is formed such that the distance between the slope and the protrusion increases as it approaches the main body from the tip side of the protrusion.
Parts combination structure. The first part has a plurality of the ribs,
the second component has a plurality of the slits,
The plurality of ribs are provided spaced apart from each other in the first component along a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction,
The slits are provided spaced apart from each other along the third direction in the second component,
The component joining structure according to claim 1. A connector holder having the component coupling structure according to claim 1 or 2;
The electric wire;
a connector attached to the electric wire and held by the first part;
Wire harness with.