JP5511330B2 - Flat cable and wire harness - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flat cable having a plurality of electric wires arranged in various electric machines and a wire harness provided with the flat cable.

  In various electric machines such as automobiles as moving bodies, wire harnesses are routed in order to electrically connect various electronic devices. In this wire harness, a plurality of conductors having the same diameter are arranged in parallel at equal intervals, and these conductors are respectively covered with a covering portion made of an insulator, and each adjacent covering portion is covered with an insulator. A flat cable integrally formed at the configured connecting portion, formed into a flat shape, a connector attached to the end of the conductor of the flat cable, a corrugated tube, a protector, etc. that accommodates the flat cable and protects the flat cable May be configured.

  The above-described wire harness is routed to the above-described electric machine, for example, by fitting the connector to a connector provided in various electronic devices. The wire harness supplies signals necessary for the various electronic devices of the electric machine described above.

  The conventional wire harness described above includes a corrugated tube and a protector in order to accommodate the flat cable and protect the flat cable. Thus, the conventional wire harness is provided with a corrugated tube and protector separate from the flat cable, so the number of parts increases and the corrugated tube and protector described above are increased in size to accommodate the flat cable. It was a tendency to.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a flat cable that can reduce the number of parts and can be reduced in size, and a wire harness including the flat cable.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the flat cable of the present invention according to claim 1 includes a plurality of parallel electric wires in which terminal fittings are attached to terminals, orthogonal to the plurality of electric wires and these An elongate portion provided with an intersecting portion that is arranged up and down according to a certain rule with respect to a plurality of electric wires, and a parallel portion that is connected to the intersecting portion and is superimposed on an electric wire located at an end of the plurality of electric wires. The plurality of electric wires and the weft yarns are closely knitted so that the weft yarns are restricted from moving relative to the electric wires along the longitudinal direction of the electric wires. It is characterized by having.

  A flat cable according to a second aspect of the present invention is the flat cable according to the first aspect, characterized in that at least two of the plurality of electric wires have different outer diameters.

  A flat cable according to a third aspect of the present invention is the flat cable according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a warp provided between the plurality of electric wires in parallel with the plurality of electric wires. It is said.

  The wire harness of the present invention according to claim 4 is a wire harness comprising a flat cable having a plurality of electric wires parallel to each other and a connector attached to a terminal of the flat cable. A flat cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is provided.

  According to the flat cable of the present invention described in claim 1, since the weft is knitted on the electric wire so as not to move relative to the electric wire, the weft covers around the plurality of electric wires. It becomes.

  In addition, since a plurality of electric wires and long weft yarns are interwoven and woven according to a certain rule, the outer diameter and number of electric wires woven with weft yarns can be easily changed.

  According to the flat cable of the present invention described in claim 2, since the outer diameters of at least two of the plurality of electric wires are different from each other, an electric wire having a necessary wire diameter can be appropriately used.

  According to the flat cable of the present invention described in claim 3, since the warp is provided between the plurality of electric wires, the tensile stress and the bending stress acting on the flat cable can be supported by the warp.

  According to the wire harness of the present invention described in claim 4, since the flat cable described above is provided, the periphery of the plurality of electric wires can be covered with the weft at the end of the flat cable.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the weft covers around the plurality of electric wires, the weft protects the electric wires. For this reason, a flat cable can protect a some electric wire, ie, a flat cable, without using the corrugated tube and protector separate from the said flat cable. Therefore, the number of parts of the wire harness can be reduced, and further, since the weft is tightly knitted on the electric wire in a state where movement is restricted, the weft is in close contact with the electric wire. Therefore, the flat cable, that is, the wire harness provided with the flat cable can be reduced in size.

  In addition, since a plurality of electric wires and long weft yarns are interwoven and woven according to a certain rule, the outer diameter and number of electric wires woven with weft yarns can be easily changed. Therefore, conductors of various shapes can be integrated without increasing the manufacturing cost.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, an electric wire having a necessary wire diameter can be used as appropriate, so that conductors of various shapes can be reliably integrated without increasing the manufacturing cost.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the tensile stress and bending stress acting on the flat cable can be supported by the warp, the mechanical strength of the flat cable itself can be improved.

  Since the present invention according to claim 4 includes the flat cable described above, the number of parts can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

It is a perspective view of the wire harness concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the connector of the wire harness shown by FIG. It is a top view which shows the flat cable of the wire harness shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line in FIG. It is a top view which shows the modification of the flat cable shown by FIG. It is a top view which shows the other modification of the flat cable shown by FIG.

  A wire harness and a flat cable according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  A wire harness 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged in an automobile as an electric machine and electrically connects various electronic devices mounted on the automobile. As shown in FIG. 2, a connector 2 and a flat cable 3 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the connector 2 includes a connector housing 4 and a plurality of female terminal fittings (hereinafter simply referred to as female terminals, only one is shown in FIG. 2 and the others are omitted). I have. In FIG. 1, the longitudinal direction of the below-described electric wire 14 and terminal accommodating chamber 6 is referred to as a depth direction, and is indicated by an arrow Y. A direction orthogonal to the depth direction Y and in which a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 6 to be described later are arranged is called a width direction and is indicated by an arrow X. A direction orthogonal to both the depth direction Y and the width direction X is called a thickness direction and is indicated by an arrow Z.

  The connector housing 4 is made of an insulating synthetic resin and is formed in a cylindrical shape (box shape). The connector housing 4 is provided with a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 6 on the inner side and a lock arm 7 on the outer surface thereof. The terminal accommodating chamber 6 is a space (hole) extending linearly. The longitudinal direction of the terminal accommodating chamber 6 is parallel to the depth direction Y described above. The plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 6 are arranged in parallel to each other. Both ends of the terminal accommodating chamber 6 are open to the outer surface of the connector housing 4. The lock arm 7 is fitted to the connector housing of the mating connector.

  The female terminal 5 is accommodated in the terminal accommodating chamber 6 with the electric wire 14 attached to the electric wire connecting portion 8 described later. The female terminal 5 is electrically connected to the core wire 17 of the electric wire 14, that is, the electric wire 14.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the female terminal 5 is made of a conductive sheet metal, and integrally includes an electric wire connection portion 8 and an electrical contact portion 9. The electric wire connecting portion 8 is integrally provided with a flat bottom plate 10, a pair of core wire 17 caulking pieces 11, and a pair of covering caulking pieces 12. The bottom plate 10 has a rectangular planar shape. The pair of core wires 17 and the caulking pieces 11 are provided in the center portion of the bottom plate 10 in the longitudinal direction. The core wire 17 caulking piece 11 is erected from both edges in the width direction of the bottom plate 10. The core wire 17 caulking piece 11 is bent so that the edge on the side away from the bottom plate 10 approaches the bottom plate 10, and the core wire 17 is clamped between the core wire 17 and the bottom plate 10.

  The covering crimping piece 12 is provided at one end of the bottom plate 10 in the longitudinal direction. The covering caulking pieces 12 are erected from both edges in the width direction of the bottom plate 10. The covering caulking piece 12 is bent so that the edge on the side away from the bottom plate 10 approaches the bottom plate 10, and the covering portion 18, that is, the electric wire 14 is sandwiched between the bottom plate 10 and the electric wire 14 is caulked.

  The electric wire connecting portion 8 is electrically and mechanically connected to the electric wire 14 by the caulking piece 11 caulking the core wire 17 and the caulking caulking piece 12 caulking the covering portion 18. The longitudinal direction of the wire connecting portion 8 and the longitudinal direction of the wire 14 connected to the wire connecting portion 8 are parallel.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electrical contact portion 9 is integrally provided with a cylindrical cylindrical portion 13 and a spring piece (not shown) provided in the cylindrical portion 13. The tubular portion 13 is continuous with the bottom plate 10 of the wire connecting portion 8. The spring piece is formed by sandwiching a tab of a male terminal fitting (hereinafter referred to as a male terminal) of the other party that has entered the cylindrical portion 13 between the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 13 and the female terminal 5 and the male terminal. And electrically connect.

  The connector 2 described above is assembled by accommodating the female terminal 5 attached to the end of the electric wire 14 in the terminal accommodating chamber 6 of the connector housing 4. Then, the connector 2 is fitted with the mating connector. In the illustrated example, only the connector 2 attached to one terminal of the flat cable 3 is shown. However, in the present invention, the connector 2 is appropriately attached to a required portion such as the other terminal.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the flat cable 3 includes a plurality of electric wires 14 that are spaced apart from each other in parallel and a long weft 15. That is, the adjacent electric wires 14 among the plurality of electric wires 14 are arranged with a space therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the electric wire 14 includes a conductive core wire 17 and an insulating covering portion 18. The core wire 17 is configured by bundling a plurality of strands. The strand is made of a metal such as copper. The covering portion 18 is made of, for example, an insulating synthetic resin such as polyvinyl chloride or polyolefin resin, and covers the core wire 17. In the present embodiment, the plurality of electric wires 14 have the same outer diameter.

  The weft yarn 15 is formed in a deformable long filament. As the material of the weft 15, one or more materials may be appropriately selected and used from materials conventionally used for constituting fibers of woven fabrics (knitting) such as polyester, polyamide resin, polypropylene, cotton, carbon, and metal. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the weft thread 15 floats and sinks alternately from the lowermost end of the plurality of wires 14 in FIG. 3 (hereinafter denoted by reference numeral 14 a) at the ends of the plurality of wires 14. After the crossing portion 15a is formed, a parallel portion 15b is formed which is overlapped with the electric wire 14 (hereinafter denoted by reference numeral 14b) located at the uppermost end in FIG. A second crossing portion 15c (corresponding to the crossing portion) that is alternately raised and lowered with respect to the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a is formed, and a second parallel portion 15d (corresponding to the parallel portion) superimposed on the electric wire 14a is formed. After the formation, the third parallel portion 15e (corresponding to the parallel portion) is formed again by being hooked on the crossing portion 15a and overlaid on the electric wire 14a, and the crossing portion that floats and sinks alternately from the electric wire 14a. 15a is shape It is. The weft 15 is formed by repeating the crossing portion 15a, the parallel portion 15b, the second crossing portion 15c, the second parallel portion 15d, the third parallel portion 15e, and the crossing portion 15a, and the second parallel portion 15d is crossed. It is hooked by the 2nd crossing part 15c with the part 15a, and it crosses and weaves according to a fixed rule with respect to the several electric wires 14, 14a, 14b mentioned above.

  As described above, the crossing portions 15a and 15c are alternately lifted and lowered by the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a and 14b, and are thus raised and lowered by an integral rule. Further, the adjacent crossing portions 15a and 15c are arranged with a space therebetween, and in each crossing portion 15a and 15c, the weft 15 is orthogonal (crossed) to the longitudinal direction of the electric wires 14, 14a and 14b. ing. The weft 15 is woven as described above with respect to only the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b, so that the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b are arranged in parallel at intervals on the same plane. Are fixed to each other.

  The electric wires 14, 14a, 14b described above are spaced apart from each other and the intersecting portions 15a, 15c are arranged spaced apart from each other. The electric wires 14, 14a, 14b and the weft 15 described above are tightly knitted so as to be restricted from moving relative to the electric wires 14, 14a, 14b. In the present invention, the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b and the weft thread 15 are closely knitted to each other means that the weft thread 15 is relatively relative to the electric wires 14, 14a, 14b. , 14b is restricted from moving along the longitudinal direction.

  The wire harness 1 described above is assembled as follows. First, the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b having a predetermined length are arranged in parallel to each other, and the weft 15 is arranged with the above-described crossing portion 15a, parallel portion 15b, second crossing portion 15c, second parallel portion 15d, and third. The plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b described above are densely woven so that the parallel portion 15e and the crossing portion 15a are repeatedly formed in order. In this way, the flat cable 3 is obtained as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the female terminals 5 are attached to the ends of the electric wires 14, 14 a and 14 b of the flat cable 3, and the female terminals 5 are inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber 6 of the connector housing 4. Thus, the wire harness 1 described above is obtained. The thus configured wire harness 1 is routed to the automobile by fitting the connector 2 to a counterpart connector provided in an electronic device mounted on the automobile.

  According to the present embodiment, since the weft 15 knitted on the electric wires 14, 14a, 14b is provided so as not to move relative to the electric wires 14, 14a, 14b, as shown in FIG. The weft 15 covers around the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b. For this reason, the weft 15 protects the electric wires 14, 14a, 14b. For this reason, the weft 15 can protect the plurality of electric wires 14, 14 a, 14 b, that is, the flat cable 3 without using the corrugated tube or the protector separate from the flat cable 3. Therefore, the number of parts of the wire harness 1 can be reduced, and further, since the weft 15 is tightly knitted on the wires 14, 14a, 14b in a state where movement is restricted, the weft 15 is connected to the wires 14, 14a. , 14b are in close contact with each other. For this reason, the flat cable 3, that is, the wire harness 1 provided with the flat cable 3 can be reduced in size.

  In addition, since the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b and the long weft yarns 15 are woven and formed in a certain rule, the outer diameter and the number of the electric wires 14, 14a, 14b woven with the weft yarns 15 are determined. It can be easily changed. Therefore, conductors of various shapes can be integrated without increasing the manufacturing cost.

  Moreover, since the 2nd parallel part 15d is hooked by the crossing parts 15a and 15c, it can prevent that the weft 15 isolate | separates from the some electric wires 14, 14a, and 14b.

  Since the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment includes the flat cable 3 described above, the number of components can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

  Although the flat cable 3 described above includes a plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b having the same outer diameter, as shown in FIG. 5, as the electric wires 14, 14a, 14b constituting the flat cable 3, Of course, the electric wires 14, 14a and 14b having different outer diameters may be appropriately selected and used. In FIG. 5, the outer diameter of one electric wire 14b located at the uppermost position in the drawing is larger than the outer diameters of the other electric wires 14, 14a, and the outer diameters of the other electric wires 14, 14a are equal to each other. Shows the case. That is, in the case shown in FIG. 5, the outer diameters of at least two of the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b are different from each other. In FIG. 5, the same parts as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the case shown in FIG. 5, since the outer diameters of at least two of the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b are different from each other, the electric wires 14, 14a, 14b having a necessary wire diameter can be used as appropriate. . Therefore, conductors of various shapes can be reliably integrated without increasing the manufacturing cost.

  Moreover, in the flat cable 3 of embodiment mentioned above, although only the some electric wire 14, 14a, 14b is shown as the object which the weft 15 weaves, in this invention, as shown in FIG. You may provide the warp 16 between 14a and 14b. In the case shown in FIG. 6, the warp yarn 16 may have the same configuration as or different from the weft yarn 15. Further, the material of the warp 16 may be the same as or different from the material of the weft 15. In addition, as the material of the warp yarn 16, one or more materials are appropriately selected and used from materials conventionally used for composing woven (knitted) fibers such as polyester, polyamide-based resin, polypropylene, cotton, carbon, and metal. be able to. In the case shown in FIG. 6, the crossing portions 15 a and 15 c are alternately raised and lowered by the plurality of electric wires 14, 14 a and 14 b and the warp 16. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Furthermore, a plurality of warp yarns 16 may be provided between the adjacent electric wires 14, 14a, 14b.

  In the case shown in FIG. 6, since the warp 16 is provided between the plurality of electric wires 14, 14 a, 14 b, the tensile stress and bending stress acting on the flat cable 3 can be supported by the warp 16. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the flat cable 3 itself can be improved.

  In the embodiment described above, the wire harness 1 that is routed in the automobile is shown. However, in the present invention, the wire harness 1 is not limited to the automobile, but various electronic devices such as portable computers and portable small terminals, and electric machines. It may be used.

  Further, in the present invention, the weft 15 is not limited to the weaving method shown in the above-described embodiment, and the weft 15 may be a plurality of electric wires by various weaving methods such as plain weaving, twill weaving (oblique writing), satin weaving, and other weaving methods. It may be woven into 14, 14a, 14b. Furthermore, even in the case of the weaving method shown in the above-described embodiment, in the crossing portions 15a and 15c, the weft yarn 15 is set as a constant rule for each of the plurality of electric wires 14, 14a, 14b and the warp yarn 16 for each number. You may weave so that it may float up and down alternately.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above only showed the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Wire harness 2 Connector 3 Flat cable 5 Female terminal (terminal fitting)
14, 14a, 14b Electric wire 15 Weft 15a Crossing part 15b Parallel part 15c Second crossing part (crossing part)
15d 2nd parallel part (parallel part)
15e 3rd parallel part (parallel part)
16 warp

Claims (4)

A plurality of parallel electric wires with terminal fittings attached to the terminal;
A crossing portion that is orthogonal to the plurality of electric wires and is arranged so as to be lifted and lowered according to a certain rule with respect to the plurality of electric wires, and the electric wires that are connected to the crossing portion and are positioned at the end of the plurality of electric wires. A long weft with a parallel part;
With
The plurality of electric wires and the weft yarn are tightly knitted so that the weft yarn is restricted from moving relative to the electric wire along the longitudinal direction of the electric wire. Flat cable.   The flat cable according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of electric wires have different outer diameters.   The flat cable according to claim 1, further comprising a warp provided in parallel with the plurality of electric wires between the plurality of electric wires. A flat cable having a plurality of electric wires parallel to each other;
In a wire harness comprising a connector attached to a terminal of the flat cable,
A wire harness comprising the flat cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3 as the flat cable.

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