JP3651357B2 - Wire harness joint structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a joint structure of a wire harness, and in particular, enables flexible connection between terminals according to various circuit connection forms.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A joint connector may be used to connect wires used in a common circuit system such as a conventional earth line. FIG. 5 shows the joint connector 1, and the connection bus bar 2 corresponding to the connection form is inserted into the joint connector case 1a, while each electric wire D to be connected is inserted into the connector C with the terminal 3 attached to the terminal. And each electric wire D is connected by fitting this connector C to the joint connector case 1a.
[0003]
However, the joint connector 1 has a large number of components, and it is necessary to prepare various connection bus bars 2 and joint connector cases 1a according to the type of connection circuit. It was difficult to adapt. Corresponding to these contents, JP-A-8-306451 discloses a joint connector 1 ′ shown in FIG. The joint connector 1 ′ is configured by inserting a connection terminal 3 ′ shown in FIG. 6 (B) into a terminal accommodating chamber 1b ′ of the connector housing 1a ′.
[0004]
The connector housing 1a ′ has a terminal housing chamber 1b ′ that is integrated into a plurality of stages (four stages in the drawing), and has an opening at the top and bottom of each terminal housing chamber 1b ′. Are provided with an insertion port 1d ′ in accordance with the terminal accommodating chamber 1b ′. On the other hand, the connection terminal 3 ′ has a first elastic contact piece 3 a ′ protruding at the upper part, a second elastic contact piece 3 b ′ inside, and a connection part 3 c ′ provided at the lower part.
[0005]
In the accommodated state of the connection terminal 3 ′ in the connector housing 1a ′, the first elastic piece 3a ′ of the lower connection terminal 3 ′ comes into contact with the connection portion 3c ′ of the upper connection terminal 3 ′. The connection terminals 3 ′ positioned above and below are connected without using the conventional connection bus bar 2. Further, by inserting the male terminal 4 from the insertion port 1d ′ of the connector housing front surface 1c ′, the male terminal 4 is brought into contact with and connected to the second elastic contact piece 3b ′ of the connection terminal 3 ′. I am doing so.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the joint connector 1 ′ can reduce the number of components compared to that shown in FIG. 5, but not only between the adjacent terminals arranged but also between the terminals arranged with a space therebetween. It was difficult to cope with complicated joint configurations such as connection.
[0007]
When the wire harness is assembled, first, as shown in FIG. 7, the sub-harnesses (temporary binding harnesses) K-1 to K-3 are temporarily bundled. At this time, the wire terminals connected to other temporary binding harnesses Terminals T-1 to T-3 are not inserted into the connector, and are so-called post-insertion terminals. These temporary binding harnesses are finally bound on the assembly drawing board, and at this time, the post-insertion terminal is inserted into a connector of another temporary binding harness. Therefore, since the terminal insertion process is essential at the time of this binding, there is a problem that the efficiency of assembly cannot be achieved. Further, since the assembly of the temporary binding harness and the wire harness W / H of the main binding is mostly performed at different locations, the uninserted terminals to be inserted after the temporary binding harnesses K-1 to K-3. T-1 to T-3 are likely to be deformed or damaged at the time of transportation. If the T-1 to T-3 are damaged, the insertion into the connector becomes difficult and the terminal may not be reliably inserted.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to secure a degree of freedom of joint configuration between terminals, and to eliminate a terminal terminal in a temporary bundling harness and to be a complete joint structure of a wire harness. It is an issue to provide.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention selectively attaches required terminals among a plurality of terminals which are attached to the terminals of a plurality of electric wires constituting a wire harness and inserted and locked in a connector housing. A wire harness joint structure designed to be connected,
The front end of the terminal protrudes from the front surface of the connector housing, and a press-contact portion capable of press-contacting the electric wire is formed on the protruding portion, and the joint electric wire is press-contacted to the press-contact portion of the required terminal to be connected, A wire harness joint structure is provided in which the terminals are connected to each other via a joint electric wire.
[0010]
According to the above configuration, since the press contact portion at the tip of the terminal protrudes from the front surface of the connector housing, the joint wire can be press-contacted to the press contact portion and the required terminals can be connected by the joint wire. Since the joint electric wire is flexible, terminals required for joint design can be arbitrarily connected.
[0011]
Specifically, the press contact portion is constituted by a V-shaped press contact blade that accepts the joint electric wire and simultaneously cuts the insulating coating and can be connected to the core wire portion.
[0012]
The connector housing may be formed of a single member in which a plurality of the terminals are arranged in parallel in the lateral direction, and the terminals in the single connector housing may be connected to each other by press-contacting the joint wire to the press-contact portion. . Specifically, during the assembly process of the temporary binding of the wire harness, the electric wires to be jointed in each temporary binding are inserted into the connector housing in which the terminals are arranged in parallel, and the joint electric wires are press-contacted to the press contact portions of the respective terminals. Like to do. In this way, the joint-treated temporary binding harness can be easily assembled.
[0013]
The connector housing is composed of a single member in which a plurality of the terminals are arranged in parallel in the lateral direction, and the connector housings are joined in a state where they are stacked in a plurality of stages, and the joint wires are connected to the pressure contact portions of the terminals of the upper and lower connector housings. The terminals between the upper and lower connector housings may be connected by intervening pressure contact. More specifically, the connector housing corresponds to each temporary binding harness, and a terminal to be jointed is inserted into each connector housing during the assembly process of the temporary binding harness. Then, in the present binding process for combining the temporary binding harnesses, the connector housings of the temporary binding harnesses are stacked and joined, and the joint housing is pressed between the press contact portions protruding from the respective connector housings, thereby connecting the connector housings straddling vertically. Can be easily connected. As a result, after-insertion terminals to be inserted and joined to the connector housing of other temporary binding harnesses can be inserted into each connector housing at the time of temporary binding, so that the post-insertion terminals that are exposed until the final binding Can be eliminated.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a joint structure at an electric wire end of a wire harness, and a terminal 11 attached to the end of an electric wire W to be jointed with other electric wires is connected to each cavity of the connector housing 12 in the temporary binding harness of the wire harness. It is inserted into 12a and locked.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 1A, the terminal 11 has a pressure contact portion 11a formed of a pressure contact blade formed with a V-shaped cut at the tip. The terminal 11 is positioned such that the pressure contact portion 11a at the tip protrudes from the front surface portion 12c of the connector housing 12 in a state where the terminal 11 is inserted into the cavity 12a and locked from the rear surface portion 12b of the connector housing 12. The rear end portion of the terminal 11 includes a core wire barrel portion 11b for crimping the peeled core wire Wa and a covering barrel portion 11c for fixing the insulating coating Wb, similarly to a normal terminal.
[0016]
The terminal 11 can also be connected to an intermediate portion of the joint wire Wj. In this case, the intermediate portion to which the joint wire Wj is to be connected is peeled off in advance as shown in FIG. A portion Wc may be formed and the intermediate peeled portion Wc may be pressure-bonded to the core wire barrel 11b.
[0017]
FIG. 2C shows a modified example of the terminal 11A particularly suitable for connection to the intermediate portion of the joint electric wire Wj, in order to cut and press-contact the insulation coating Wb at the intermediate portion of the joint electric wire Wj. A press contact blade 11Aa erected upward and a covering barrel portion 11Ab for fixing the electric wire W are provided. When this terminal 11A is used, it is not necessary to previously form the intermediate peeled portion Wc on the joint wire Wj, and the assembly workability can be improved.
[0018]
Next, the assembly process of the joint structure of the wire harness according to the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, as a reference for joints with other electric wires W among the plurality of electric wires W constituting the temporary binding harness H-1. This is a joint electric wire Wj, and the terminal 11 is connected to an intermediate portion of the joint electric wire Wj. And the terminal 11 is connected to each terminal part to the other electric wire W. Then, the terminals 11 connected to the electric wires W and the joint electric wires Wj are inserted into the corresponding cavities 12a of the connector housing 12, and are fixedly locked. At this time, the joint portion Wj-1 at the tip of the joint wire Wj is projected together with the pressure contact portion 11a of the terminal 11 projecting from the front surface portion 12c of the connector housing. And the joint circuit between the some electric wires W is pressed by pressing the protruding joint part Wj-1 into the press-contact part 11a of the terminal 11 inserted in the other cavity 12a by a pressing jig (not shown). To make up.
[0019]
The above example enables joints between the plurality of electric wires W for each temporary binding H-1..., But FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the temporary bindings H-1 to H-3 assembled individually. This shows an example in which joint processing is performed in this bundling process when it is necessary to perform jointing over the two. In other words, the connector housings 12-1 to 12-3 into which the terminals 11 are individually inserted in the assembly process of the temporary binding H-1 to H-3 are stacked in a plurality of stages in the main binding process in a state where they are stacked in a plurality of stages. Connect by. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, a case is shown in which two joint circuits are set between the connector housings 12-1 to 12-3, which are inserted into the cavity 12 a located at the right end and the center of the upper connector housing 12-1. The joint terminals Wj are connected to the terminals 11 as separate systems, and are protruded from the front surface portion. And these joint electric wires Wj are press-contacted with the press-contact part 11a which protrudes from the cavity 12a of the required position in the other connector housings 12-2 and 12-3, and it is made to comprise a two-system joint circuit.
[0020]
In addition, as a connection path | route of the joint electric wire Wj, it can set arbitrarily over the electric wires W which should comprise a joint circuit, for example, the connection of the terminals 11 in the same connector housing 12 like FIG. 1, and the different connector of FIG. Connections extending between the housings 12-1 to 12-3 may be combined. Moreover, it is preferable to cover the front surface portion 12c of the connector housing 12 with an appropriate cover after connecting the joint wire Wj to the pressure contact portion 11a.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the joint structure of the wire harness of the present invention, it is only necessary to press the joint electric wire protruding from the front surface portion of the connector housing to the pressure contact portion of the terminal protruding similarly. The joint circuit can be easily obtained. In addition, since the connection between the pressure contact portions by the joint wire can be performed between different connector housings, it is possible to eliminate the later insertion terminal that has occurred in the temporary binding harness, which is conventionally required for the later insertion terminal. The labor and time can be reduced, and an efficient wire harness assembly can be performed. Furthermore, damage to the terminals during transport of the temporary binding harness can be eliminated at the same time, and the quality and reliability of the wire harness can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a joint structure of a wire harness according to the present invention.
2A is a perspective view of a state in which an electric wire is connected to a terminal, FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a state in which the terminal is connected to a joint electric wire, and FIG. 2C is a modification of the terminal to which the joint electric wire is connected. It is a perspective view shown.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which an electric wire is inserted and locked into a connector housing.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a joint structure in a state where a plurality of connector housings are stacked.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional joint connector.
6A and 6B show another conventional joint connector, in which FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 6B is a perspective view of a terminal used in the joint connector.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the assembly of a conventional temporary binding harness and a wire harness of the main binding.
[Explanation of symbols]
W Electric wire Wj Joint electric wire Wj-1 Joint portion 11, 11A Terminal 11a Pressure contact portion 12, 12-1, 12-2, 12-3 Connector housing 12c Front portion

Claims (3)

A wire harness joint structure that is attached to terminals of a plurality of electric wires constituting a wire harness and selectively connects desired terminals among a plurality of terminals inserted and locked in a connector housing. There,
The front end of the terminal protrudes from the front surface of the connector housing, and a press-contact portion capable of press-contacting the electric wire is formed on the protruding portion, and the joint electric wire is press-contacted to the press-contact portion of the required terminal to be connected, A joint structure for a wire harness, wherein the terminals are connected to each other via a joint wire. The connector housing is composed of a single member in which a plurality of the terminals are arranged in parallel in the lateral direction, and the terminals in the single connector housing are connected to each other by press-contacting the joint wire to the press-contact portion. Item 10. A wire harness joint structure according to Item 1. The connector housing is composed of a single member in which a plurality of the terminals are arranged in parallel in the lateral direction, and the connector housings are joined in a state where they are stacked in a plurality of stages, and the joint wires are connected to the pressure contact portions of the terminals of the upper and lower connector housings. The joint structure of the wire harness according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminals between the upper and lower connector housings are connected by intervening pressure contact.

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