JP3114565B2 - Connector connection structure in instrument panel - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector connection structure in an instrument panel of an automobile, and more particularly to an instrument panel connector (hereinafter referred to as an instrument panel connector) connected to a wire harness routed inside the instrument panel. ) And a vehicle-side connector connected to a wire harness routed on the floor side or the engine room side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a wire harness routed inside an instrument panel of an automobile has a floor side and / or a wire harness.
Alternatively, to connect to the wire harness routed to the engine room side, first wire the wire harness inside the instrument panel, then lock the upper surface of the instrument panel with the hook of the vehicle body (dashboard panel). Then, the instrument panel and the vehicle body are fixed with bolts and nuts. Thereafter, the connector connected to the tip of the wire harness pulled out from both left and right sides of the instrument panel is fitted and connected to the connector connected to the wire harness on the vehicle body side.

[0003] The fitting operation of the connector is performed by groping in a narrow space below the instrument panel fixed to the vehicle body, so that the workability is very poor, and the connector may be in a half-fitted state. There was a problem that forgetting to fit easily occurs.

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a conventional method has been proposed.
At -142345, the device shown in FIG. 4 has been proposed. In this device, the connector 52 of the vehicle body-side wire harness 51 and the connector 55 of the panel-side wire harness 54 are connected to the dashboard D and the instrument panel P of the vehicle body.
Are fixed to brackets 53 and 56 provided on the instrument panel P, respectively.
By mounting the instrument panel P on the dashboard D along the groove 58 of the connector 5, the connector 5
2,55 are fitted.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus,
When assembling the instrument panel P to the dashboard D, a guide 57 and an insertion member 59 for positioning the instrument panel P are provided at positions separated from brackets 53 and 56 for fixing the connectors 52 and 55. I have. Therefore, if there is any deviation in the positional relationship between the bracket 53 and the guide 58 and between the bracket 56 and the insertion member 59, the connectors 52 and 55 cannot be fitted. Therefore, in order to absorb the displacement, springs are provided on the upper, lower, left and right sides of the connectors 52, 55 on the vehicle body side or the panel side,
One of the connectors is movable up, down, left and right so that the connectors 52 and 55 can be fitted.

However, the moving mechanism of the connector provided with the above-mentioned spring has a disadvantage that the structure is complicated, the parts cost is increased, and the assembling process is complicated. In addition, in order to fit the connectors 52 and 55 while making their axes coincide with each other, it is necessary to provide the guide 57 having the above-mentioned groove 58 and the insertion member 59, which also complicates the structure.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and has as its object to simplify the work of fitting a connector of a vehicle-side wire harness and a connector of an instrument panel-side wire harness with a simple configuration. .

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an instrument panel connector connected to a wire harness arranged inside an instrument panel of an automobile, and a floor side or an engine room side. A connection structure with a vehicle-side connector connected to a wire harness to be connected, wherein the instrument panel-side connector and the vehicle-body-side connector that are fitted and connected to each other are provided with through holes that communicate with each other in a fitted state. Bolt holes communicating with the through holes of the connector are provided in the instrument panel and the vehicle body while being interposed between the instrument panel and the fixed portion of the vehicle body, and the bolt insertion cylinders communicating with these bolt holes are projected. A locking projection for locking the instrument panel side connector and the vehicle body side connector is provided on the outer periphery of each of the bolt insertion cylinders. With the panel-side connector and vehicle-body-side connector pre-locked to the instrument panel and the vehicle body, respectively, tighten the bolts through the series of bolt holes and through holes and tighten them with nuts to secure the instrument panel to the vehicle body and bolt the connector at the same time. The present invention provides a connection structure of a connector in an instrument panel which is connected with a connector.

As described above, the fixing portions provided with the bolt holes of the vehicle body panel and the instrument panel are provided with:
Each of the vehicle body side connector and the instrument panel side connector is detachably fixed in advance.

In order to fix the connector to the vehicle body panel and the instrument panel in advance, a bolt insertion cylinder portion communicating with a bolt hole is protruded from a fixing portion of the instrument panel and the vehicle body. A locking projection is provided on the outer periphery of the portion, and a part of an arm-shaped elastic locking piece protruding inside the instrument panel-side connector and the vehicle body-side connector is locked with the locking projection, and The other part of the stop piece is locked to a wire connection terminal housed in the connector.

[0011]

According to the connector connection structure of the first aspect of the present invention, the connection between the vehicle body side connector and the instrument panel side connector is performed simultaneously with the work of attaching the instrument panel to the vehicle body. That is, the instrument panel mounting bolts are sequentially passed through, for example, the instrument panel bolt holes, the instrument panel side connector through holes, the vehicle body side connector through holes, and the vehicle body bolt holes. As the screw is screwed into the nut fixed to the connector, the two connectors are fitted and connected.

Also, the vehicle body side connector is provided at a fixed portion of the vehicle body,
The instrument panel connectors are fixed in advance to the instrument panel fixing portions, respectively, and the through holes of each connector are in communication with the bolt holes of the vehicle body side and the instrument panel side fixing portions. Therefore, there is no need to align the through hole of the connector with the bolt hole and pass the bolt through.
It can be more easily and securely connected by bolting. Further, since the connector is detachably fixed to a fixing portion of the vehicle body and the instrument panel, when it is necessary to remove the connector or the entire wire harness at the time of repairing an automobile, the connector is connected to the vehicle body and the instrument. It can be removed from the instrument panel.

[0013] To fix the connector to the fixed portion of the vehicle body and the instrument panel, a bolt insertion cylinder provided in the fixed portion is fitted into a through hole of the connector, and the locking projection is provided inside the connector. By simply engaging the elastic locking piece with the elastic locking piece, it can be easily performed with the axes of the bolt holes and the through holes aligned. In addition, the elastic locking piece uses an elastic locking piece that locks the electric wire connection terminal housed in the connector, and a part of the elastic locking piece is locked with the locking projection. Complexity can be prevented.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. In the connector connection structure of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the female connector 5 connected to the vehicle body side wire harness 3 routed along the floor of the vehicle body 1
The male connector 6 of the instrument panel-side wire harness 4 arranged inside the instrument panel 2 is connected to the male connector 6 by bolts 11 for fixing the instrument panel 2 to the vehicle body 1 (dashboard panel). By closing,
This is performed simultaneously with the fixing of the instrument panel 2.

A cylindrical portion 1 having a bolt insertion hole 1f communicating with the bolt hole 1c is provided in a fixing portion 1a provided with a bolt hole 1c for fixing the instrument panel 2 to the vehicle body 1.
b protrudes from the instrument panel 2 side. On the other hand, also on the instrument panel 2 side, similarly, a bolt portion 2c is provided in a fixing portion 2a extending from the left and right ends thereof, and a cylindrical portion having a bolt insertion hole 2f communicating with the bolt hole 2c. 2b is protruded from the fixed portion 2a to the vehicle body 1 side. Locking projections 1d and 2d for detachably locking the connector are formed on the outer surfaces of the cylindrical portions 1b and 2b, respectively. The diameter of the bolt hole 1c of the vehicle body 1 is increased on the side opposite to the instrument panel 2, and the nut 12 is fitted and welded.

Female connector 5 and male connector 6
Is a multi-pole connector. Male terminals 8 crimped to the ends of the electric wires 3a of the vehicle body-side wire harness 3 and instrument panel side in a large number of terminal accommodating chambers formed by partitioning walls inside the housings 7 and 9. The female terminal 10 crimped to the tip of the electric wire 4a of the wire harness 4 is housed. The housing 7 of the female connector 5 is provided with a fitting portion 7e having an enlarged fitting side with the male connector 6 so that the housing 9 of the male connector 6 is fitted inside.

Through holes 7a and 9a are formed in the center partition wall of the housings 7 and 9 on the terminal insertion side.
The dimensions of a and 9a are set so that the cylindrical portion 1b on the vehicle body 1 side and the cylindrical portion 2b on the instrument panel 2 side can penetrate. Further, a lance 7 composed of an elastic locking piece protruding in an arm shape from the peripheral edge of the through holes 7a, 9a of the central partition wall.
b, 9b are protrudingly provided. These lances 7b, 9b
The first locking portions 7c and 9c are provided on the base side of
b and 2b are locked with the locking projections 1d and 2d. Further, second locking portions 7d, 9d are provided on the distal ends of the lances 7b, 9b so as to be locked to the terminals 8, 10.

Next, the vehicle body 1 of the instrument panel 2
An operation of fitting the connectors 5 and 6 at the same time as the operation of fixing the connectors 5 and 6 will be described. When fixing the instrument panel 2 to the vehicle body 1, first, the vehicle body side connector 5 and the instrument panel side connector 6 are fixed to the fixing portions 1a and 2a of the vehicle body 1 and the instrument panel 2 respectively. This fixing is performed by inserting the bolt-inserting cylinders 1b, 2b into the through holes 7a, 9a of the connectors 5, 6, and locking the projections 1d, 2d of the cylinders 1b, 2b.
And the first locking portions 7c, 9c of the lances 7b, 9b.

Then, the bolt 11 is passed through the bolt hole 2f from the instrument panel 2 side, and is passed through the bolt insertion hole 2f of the cylindrical portion 2b located at the center on the connector 6 side.
Then, through the bolt insertion hole 1f of the cylindrical portion 1b located at the center of the connector 5 fixed to the vehicle body 1 side,
Then, the bolt 11 is screwed into the nut 12 fixed to the tip of the bolt hole 1c. As the bolt 11 is inserted and screwed, the male connector 6 is fitted into the fitting portion 7 e of the female connector 5, and the connectors 5, 6 are connected by tightening the bolt 11 and the nut 12. .

As described above, by tightening the bolts 11 and the nuts 12 for fixing the instrument panel 2 to the vehicle body 1, the connectors 5 and 6 are simultaneously connected and the connectors 5 and 6 are connected. When these connectors 5 and 6
The male terminal 8 and the female terminal 10 are connected at the same time.

FIG. 3 shows the connection structure of the connector according to the reference embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the fixing portions 1a and 2a of the vehicle body 1 and the instrument panel 2 are not provided with the tubular portions 1b and 2b for fixing the connectors 5 and 6 in advance. Therefore, when the instrument panel 2 is bolted to the vehicle body 1, the female connector 5 and the male connector 6 hang from the respective wire harnesses 3, 4.

When mounting the instrument panel 2, the bolt 11 is screwed into the bolt hole 2 c of the fixing portion 2 a on the instrument panel 2 side and the housing 9 of the male connector 6.
Through hole 9a provided in the housing 7 of the female connector 5
Through hole 7a provided in the vehicle body, bolt hole 1 in fixing portion 1a on the vehicle body 1 side
By sequentially inserting c and screwing it into the nut 12 in the bolt hole 1c, the instrument panel 2 is fixed to the vehicle body 1 and, at the same time, the female connector 5 and the male connector 6 are connected by bolting. .

[0023]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the connector connection structure of the first aspect of the present invention, the connector of the vehicle body side wire harness and the connector of the instrument panel side are fixed, and the instrument panel is fixed to the vehicle body. In this case, the bolts can be fitted and connected at the same time, and the working efficiency can be greatly improved. In addition, since one bolt is tightened by passing it through the instrument panel and the bolt hole of the vehicle body and the through hole of the connector, the fixed position between the instrument panel and the vehicle body and the fitting position of the connector are shifted. The connector is fully mated and does not go into a semi-mated state. Further, since the instrument panel is fixed to the vehicle body at the same time, forgetting of fitting of the connector cannot occur.

In particular, each connector is fixed in advance to a fixing portion of the vehicle body and the instrument panel, and a through hole of each connector communicates with a bolt hole of the instrument panel and the vehicle body. Therefore, when the instrument panel is bolted to the vehicle body, it is not necessary to align the through hole of the connector with the bolt hole of the instrument panel and the vehicle body, and the fixing operation can be performed more smoothly.

In the connector connection structure of the present invention, the connector can be easily attached to and detached from the vehicle body and the instrument panel, and the assembling work and the repair work of the automobile can be efficiently performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a connection state of the connector of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a reference example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body 1a, 2a Fixed part 1b, 2b Bolt-inserting cylinder part 1c, 2c Bolt hole 1d, 2d Locking projection 2 Instrument panel 3 Body-side wire harness 4 Instrument panel-side wire harness 5 Body-side female connector 6 Male connector on instrument panel side 7, 9 Housing 7a, 9a Through hole 7b, 9b Lance 8 Male side terminal 10 Female side terminal 11 Bolt 12 Nut

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Inside an instrument panel of an automobile
Instrument side connector connected to the wiring harness to be routed
To the floor or engine room
Connection structure with the vehicle body side connector connected to the
The instrument panel side connector and the vehicle body which are fitted and connected to each other
Provide a through hole with the connector on the side
Connect these connectors to the instrument panel
Between the fixed partsIn the through hole of the connector
Bolt holes in the instrument panel and body
In both cases, project the bolt insertion cylinders connected to these bolt holes.
On the outer periphery of these bolt insertion cylinders.
Locking projections that lock the connector and the vehicle body side connector.
Ke Each of the above-mentioned instrument panel connector and vehicle body connector
With the instrument panel and vehicle body locked in advance.
Above Pass the bolt through the bolt hole and through hole and tighten with the nut
At the same time as attaching the instrument panel to the vehicle body
Instrument that connects the connector to the
Connection structure of the connector in the top panel. 2. A lock provided on the outer periphery of the bolt insertion cylinder.
Projections inside the instrument panel connector and the vehicle body connector
Of the elastic locking piece that locks the wire connection terminal provided on the
Connector connection structure of the instrument panel according to claim 1 which is engaged with.