JPH08268183A - Earth connecting structure of wire harness - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To connect a wire harness to an earth bolt surely in a single operation. CONSTITUTION: In this connecting structure of wire harness, the earth terminals 12 and 13 of a wire harness W/H are connected to an earth bolt provided projecting from the body of an automobile, and bus bars 11A to 11C which are contacted electrically when the earth terminals 12 and 13 are inserted are housed in a protective case 10, and a locking member locked on the periphery of the earth bolt, as well as contacted electrically to the periphery of the earth bolt is provided to the bolt inserting part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ground connection structure for a wire harness, and more specifically to a ground bolt of a wire harness that can be securely connected with a one-touch operation to a ground bolt projecting from the body of an automobile. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, as shown in FIG.
Front wire harness 2 and instrument panel wire harness 3
, 4 are wired, and it is necessary to connect a large number of ground terminals 4, ..., 4 branched from the wire harnesses 2, 3 to the body 1 respectively.

As a method of connecting the ground terminal 4, as shown in FIG. 9 (A), a ground bolt 5 dedicated to ground is inserted into the bolt hole 4a of the ground terminal 4 connected to the wire end, and the body 1 is connected. There is a method of tightening and fixing it to the weld nut 6 of 1. with the earth bolt 5.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, in the type in which the protector 7 made of synthetic resin is provided in the wire harnesses 2 and 3, the clip portion 7a of the protector 7 is attached to the body 1
When it is fixed by inserting it into the clip hole 1a, the bolt hole 4a of the ground terminal 4 and the flange portion 7b of the protector 7
There is a method of inserting a grounding bolt 5 dedicated to grounding into the bolt hole of and then tightening and fixing it to the weld nut 6 of the body 1 with the grounding bolt 5.

[0005]

However, each of the above methods requires the earth bolt 5 dedicated to earth. The earth bolt 5 dedicated to the earth is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A) and (B), the outer periphery of the male threaded portion 5a is multifaceted and each thread is sharpened so that it can be tightened while scraping off the coating of the female thread of the weld nut 6. It is expensive and more expensive than ordinary bolts, and its management is also necessary.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, when tightening the earth bolt 5, it is necessary for the operator to hold the impact wrench 8 with the right hand and the electric wire of the earth terminal 4 or the protector 7 with the left hand. . Furthermore, after tightening the ground bolt 5, it is necessary to check the tightening torque with a torque wrench.

On the other hand, in the type in which the protector 7 is provided, it can be used only in the wire harnesses 2 and 3 in which the protector 7 is provided, and the ground terminal 4 can be connected only at the position where the protector 7 is provided. Often, the optimum position on the circuit is not achieved, and only one set of ground terminals 4 can be connected to one place. Further, it is difficult to divert the protector 7, and it is necessary to set the connection position of the ground terminal 4 each time it is newly installed.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and does not require a dedicated earth bolt,
An object of the present invention is to provide a grounding structure for a wire harness, which can be securely connected to a bolt with one touch, and in which the connection position and the number of ground terminals can be arbitrarily set.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a structure in which a grounding terminal of a wire harness is connected to a grounding bolt projecting from a body of an automobile. A bus bar, which makes electrical contact when the ground terminal is inserted, is housed in the protective case, a bolt insertion portion for inserting the ground bolt is provided in the bus bar, and the ground bolt is provided in the bolt insertion portion. The present invention provides a ground connection structure for a wire harness, which is characterized in that it is provided with a locking portion that electrically contacts the outer circumference of the ground bolt and is locked to the outer circumference of the ground bolt.

The bus bar bolt insertion portion is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an edge for scraping off the coating on the outer periphery of the ground bolt is provided at the lower end at the time of insertion, and a locking portion that bites into the screw portion on the outer periphery of the ground bolt is provided. It is preferably provided on the inner circumference. (Claim 2) It is preferable that the bolt insertion portion of the bus bar is provided with a slit in the insertion direction. (Claim 3) It is preferable that the bus bar is provided with an insertion portion for inserting and connecting a plurality of ground terminals. (Claim 4) It is preferable that the insertion portion has a structure in which the ground terminal is inserted from both sides facing each other by refracting the bus bar. Further, it is preferable that the cylindrical bolt insertion portion is formed continuously under the insertion portion of the ground terminal. The protective case is preferably provided with a fixing portion for fixing the wire harness to the wire harness with a band or tape. (Claim 5)

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ground terminal of the wire harness is inserted into and electrically contacted with the bus bar housed in the protective case, while the bolt insertion portion of the bus bar is projectingly provided on the body of the automobile. When inserted into the ground bolt, the locking portion of the bolt insertion portion comes into electrical contact with the outer periphery of the ground bolt and is locked at the same time.

With this configuration, the ground terminal can be connected to the ground bolt with one touch only by inserting the ground terminal into the bus bar in the protective case and inserting the bolt insertion portion of the bus bar into the ground bolt. Since the grounding terminal and the bus bar and the bus bar and the grounding bolt make electrical contact by inserting and inserting, the electrical connection is ensured. The earth bolt may be a weld bolt in which a normal bolt is welded to the body, and the earth bolt dedicated to earth is not required, so management costs and expensive parts costs can be reduced.

The above connecting work does not require both-hand work with an impact wrench, can be performed with one touch by one-hand work, and does not require torque check. Further, there is no restriction on the connection position and the number of connections of the ground terminal as in the case of the type in which the protector is provided, and the wire length of the ground wire can be shortened, so that the cost is reduced and the productivity is also improved.

If an edge is provided at the lower end of the bolt insertion portion of the bus bar as in claim 2, the outer periphery of the ground bolt can be scraped off by the edge during insertion, so that electrical contact is ensured and at the same time, Providing a concavo-convex portion on the inner circumference cuts into the threaded portion on the outer circumference of the earth bolt, which makes electrical contact more reliable and at the same time a secure locking function.

If a slit is provided in the bolt insertion portion of the bus bar as in claim 3, the diameter is elastically expanded when the bus bar is inserted into the ground bolt, so that the insertion force can be low and the insertion workability is improved. Since the outer periphery of the earth bolt is elastically contacted, the electrical contact and locking function are improved.

When the bus bar is provided with the plurality of ground terminal insertion portions, it becomes possible to easily connect the plurality of ground terminals at one location.

If the protective case is provided with the fixing portion as in the fifth aspect, the wire harness can be fixed and integrated with a band or tape, and the ground connection and the wire harness fixing can be performed at the same time.

[0018]

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. It should be noted that parts having the same configurations and functions as those of the prior art shown in FIG. Figure 1
FIG. 4 shows the earth structure of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a rectangular box-shaped synthetic resin protective case 10 is provided, and a front surface 10a of the protective case 10 is formed with an insertion opening 10e on the entire surface.
A horizontally elongated rectangular insertion opening 10f is formed on the rear surface 10b, and a U-shaped cut 1 is formed on the upper surface 10c and the lower surface 10d.
0 g and 10 g are formed respectively. Lower surface 10d
In this, a wide flange portion 10h is formed.

A conductive first bus bar 11A is inserted and accommodated in the protective case 10 through the insertion opening 10e of the front surface 10a. The first bus bar 11A is
As shown in detail in FIG. 3 (A), the upper part is bent into a lateral W shape, and the lateral U-shaped intermediate portion 11a is sandwiched, and the first inserting portion 11b of the bent elastic piece is provided on the upper side. While being formed, the second insertion portion 11c of the bent elastic piece is formed on the lower side.

A second conductive bus bar 11B is inserted and accommodated in the protective case 10 through the insertion opening 10f in the rear surface 10b. The second bus bar 11B is
The first bus bar 11A is folded in a lateral U-shape that is opposite to the intermediate portion 11a, and is held by the bridge portion 10i of the protective case 10 so as to be positioned in the space of the intermediate portion 11a of the first bus bar 11A. There is. A third insertion portion 11d is formed between the upper piece portion 11f of the second bus bar 11B and the upper piece portion 11g of the first bus bar 11A, and the lower piece portion 11h of the second bus bar 11B and the first bus bar 11A. The fourth insertion portion 11e between the lower piece portion 11i and
Are formed.

From the insertion opening 10e of the front surface 10a, the first and second insertion portions 11 of the first bus bar 11A are inserted.
Combined with b and 11c, the ground terminals 12 and 12 are respectively inserted and electrically contacted. From the insertion opening 10f of the rear surface 10b, the first and second bus bars 11A,
Round earth terminals 13 and 13 are respectively inserted into the third and fourth insertion portions 11d and 11e of 11B to make electrical contact. In addition, the first and second insertion portions 11b and 11c
It is not limited to the combined ground terminal 12 to be inserted into, but a round ground terminal 12 may be used. On the contrary, what is inserted into the third and fourth insertion portions 11d and 11e is not limited to the round earth terminal 13 but may be the combined earth terminal 12.

The combination ground terminal 12 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (B), locking small holes 12b, 12b are provided at both front and back symmetrical positions, and as shown in FIG. 5 (C) at the first and second insertion portions 11b, 11c of the first bus bar 11A. The small hole 12b for locking the grounding terminal 12
Is provided with an embossment 11j. Protective case 1 above
As shown in FIGS. 1 (B) and 1 (C), the third and fourth insertion portions 1 are provided on the upper and lower portions of the insertion opening 10f of the rear surface 10b of the 0.
Lance portions 10j, ..., 10j for locking the neck portion of the round ground terminal 13 inserted in 1d, 11e are provided.

The lower part of the first bus bar 11A is shown in FIG.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (A), a cylindrical bolt insertion portion 11p to be inserted into the earth bolt 5 protruding from the body 1 of the automobile is provided. There is almost no gap t [see FIG. 4 (B)] between the inner circumference of the bolt insertion portion 11p and the outer circumference of the ground bolt 5 (t = 0 to 0.05).
mm) is preferably set to be inserted,
Since the insertion force becomes high, the bolt insertion portion 11p is provided with the vertical slit 11q. The slit 11q causes the bolt insertion portion 11p to expand in diameter when elastically inserted into the ground bolt 5, so that the insertion force may be low, the insertion workability is improved, and the elasticity of the outer periphery of the ground bolt 5 is improved. Therefore, the electrical contact and locking function described later become better.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the lower end of the bolt insertion portion 11p is bent slightly inward so that the lower end surface is inclined with respect to the inclination of the screw portion 5a of the earth bolt 5. The edge 11r is formed so as to be inclined at an angle θ of about 15 degrees. When the bolt insertion portion 11p is inserted into the ground bolt 5 by the edge 11r, the outer periphery of the ground bolt 5 is painted by the edge 11r (since the ground bolt 5 is pre-welded to the body 1, the body 1
Painted with. ) Can be removed, the electric contact of the bolt insertion portion 11p with the ground bolt 5 is ensured. Also, on the inner circumference of the bolt insertion portion 11p,
If the thickness of the tin 11s is about 1 mm, the tin 11s bites into the outer periphery of the earth bolt 5,
The electric contact becomes more reliable, and the biting of the tin 11s also ensures the locking function.

As shown in FIGS. 4 (C) and 4 (D), circumferential concave and convex portions 11t are provided on the inner circumference of the bolt insertion portion 11p in multiple stages in the vertical direction, and the concave portion is filled with tin 11s. Good electrical contact and locking function. As shown in FIG. 4 (E), even if the uneven portions 11u in the axial direction are provided at equal angular intervals on the inner circumference of the bolt insertion portion 11p, the electrical contact and locking functions are improved. As shown in FIG. 4 (F), a bulged portion 11v in the circumferential direction is provided on the inner circumference of the bolt insertion portion 11p.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4G, even if the claw portion 11w is provided in the inner circumference of the bolt insertion portion 11p in the circumferential direction, the electrical contact and locking functions are improved.

With the structure of the first embodiment, the ground terminal 1 is assembled from the insertion opening 10e of the front surface 10a of the protective case 10 to the first and second insertion portions 11b and 11c.
2 and 12 are inserted respectively, ground terminals 12 and 1
2 electrically contacts the first bus bar 11A. Further, when the round ground terminals 13, 13 are respectively inserted into the third and fourth insertion portions 11d, 11e from the insertion opening 10f of the rear surface 10b, the respective ground terminals 13, 13 are electrically connected to the first and second bus bars 11A, 11B. Contact each other.

Next, from the cut 11g in the lower surface 11d of the protective case 10, the first bus bar 11A in the protective case 10 is formed.
When the bolt insertion portion 11p of the bolt insertion portion 11p is inserted into the ground bolt 5 of the body 1, the locking portions (11r to 1r-1) of the bolt insertion portion 11p are inserted.
1w) makes electrical contact with the outer circumference of the ground bolt 5 and becomes locked at the same time. Earth bolt 5 above
Are bolt holes 12a and 13a of the ground terminals 12 and 13, respectively.
Since each of the ground terminals 12 and 13 is inadvertently inserted, the ground terminals 12 and 13 cannot be accidentally removed from the respective insertion portions 10e and 10f.

Therefore, by inserting the ground terminals 12 and 13 into the busbars 11A and 11B in the protective case 10 and inserting the bolt inserting portion 11p of the first busbar 11A into the earth bolt 5 together with the protective case 10.
The ground terminals 12 and 13 can be connected to the ground bolt 5 with one touch.

Since the ground bolt 5 is not a ground bolt dedicated to ground but a normal weld bolt, the cost is low. Further, the above connecting work does not require a torque wrench or a torque check as in the prior art, and the connecting work can be performed simply and quickly with one hand.

Furthermore, the number of connections of the ground terminals 12 and 13 can be increased (in the first embodiment, the combined ground terminal 12 is combined).
2 sets and 2 round ground terminals 13 for a total of 6), the connection position, that is, the position of the ground bolt 5 and each ground terminal 1
The positions of 2 and 13 can be set arbitrarily, and the degree of freedom in design and wiring is improved.

The upper surface 10c and the lower surface 1 of the protective case 10
By making cuts 10g and 10g in 0d respectively, the upper part of the ground bolt 5 can be visually confirmed.
You can check whether it is properly inserted. Further, the contact state of the ground terminals 12 and 13 can be visually confirmed.

FIG. 5 shows a modified example of the first embodiment. Compared to the first embodiment, the rear surface 10b of the protective case 10 has no insertion opening 10f, and the second bus bar 11B is not accommodated. This is a type without the third and fourth insertion portions 11d and 11e. With this structure, only the combined ground terminals 12, 12 can be inserted and connected from the insertion opening 10e of the front surface 10a of the protective case 10 to the first and second insertion portions 11b, 11c. The round ground terminals 13, 13 may be used.

FIG. 6 shows an earth structure of the second embodiment, which houses a third bus bar 11C instead of the first bus bar 11A of the first embodiment or the modification. The third bus bar 11
C is the first and second insertion portions 11 of the first bus bar 11A.
While b and 11b are bent elastic pieces, a total of four linear piece first and second insertion portions 11x and 11y are provided on each of the upper side and the lower side. The third bus bar 11
The box-shaped ground terminal 14 to be inserted into each of the insertion portions 11x and 11y of C has the above-mentioned insertion portions 11x and 11y on the tip side.
It has an insertion hole 14a to be inserted into.

Therefore, the front surface 1 of the protective case 10 is
4 of the third bus bar 11C from the insertion opening 10e of 0a
Four box-type ground terminals 14 can be inserted into the individual insertion portions 11x and 11y to make electrical contact.
The neck portions of the box-type ground terminals 14 are respectively locked by lance portions 10k, ..., 10k provided at the upper and lower portions of the insertion opening 10e.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7 (A), the protective case 10 can move freely with respect to the wire harness W / H, but as shown in FIG. 7 (B). A tape fixing portion 10l extending in the length direction of the wire harness W / H is integrally provided on the flange portion 10h of the protective case 10, and the tape fixing portion 10l is attached to the adhesive tape 1
It is also possible to fix the wire harness W / H at 5 and integrate it. As a result, the wire harness W / H can be fixed to the vehicle body and grounded at the same time.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7C, a band 10n extending in a direction orthogonal to the wire harness W / H is integrally provided on the side surface of the protective case 10, and the band 10n is connected to the wire harness. Wrap around W / H, locking part 10
By locking with m, the wire harness W / H can be fixed and integrated.

[0038]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the grounding structure of the wire harness of the present invention, the grounding terminal of the wire harness is inserted into the busbar in the protective case so as to make electrical contact with the busbar, and the bolt of the busbar is inserted. When the part is inserted into the ground bolt of the body, the locking part of the bolt insertion part will come into electrical contact with the outer periphery of the ground bolt and will be locked at the same time, so insert the ground terminal into the bus bar inside the protective case. By simply inserting the bus bar bolt insertion part into the ground bolt, the ground terminal can be connected to the ground bolt with one touch.

Further, since the ground terminal and the bus bar and the bus bar and the ground bolt come into electrical contact with each other when they are inserted and inserted, the electrical connection is ensured and the ground
The bolt can be a welded bolt in which a normal bolt is welded to the body, and a grounding bolt dedicated to grounding is not required, so management costs and expensive parts costs can be reduced.

In addition, the connection work does not require two-hand work with an impact wrench, one-touch work can be done with one touch, and torque check is not necessary, and the connection position and connection of the ground terminal like the type with a protector There is no restriction on the number, the number can be set arbitrarily, and the wire length of the ground wire can be shortened, which reduces costs and improves productivity.

On the other hand, if an edge is provided at the lower end of the bolt insertion portion of the busbar, the coating of the outer periphery of the ground bolt can be scraped off by the edge at the time of insertion, so that electrical contact is ensured and the inner periphery is locked. When the portion is provided, it engages with the threaded portion on the outer periphery of the earth bolt, and the electrical contact becomes more reliable, and at the same time, the locking function also becomes reliable.

Further, if a slit is provided in the bolt insertion portion of the bus bar, the diameter is expanded elastically when it is inserted into the ground bolt, so that the insertion force may be low, the insertion workability is good, and the ground bolt Since it makes elastic contact with the outer circumference,
Better electrical contact and locking function. Furthermore, if the bus bar is provided with a plurality of ground terminal insertion portions,
You can easily connect multiple ground terminals at one location. Furthermore, if the protective case is provided with a fixing portion, it can be fixed to the wire harness with a band or tape to be integrated, and the wire harness can be fixed to the vehicle body and grounded at the same time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a ground connection structure of a first embodiment of the present invention, (A) is a perspective view of a front side of a protective case, (B) is a perspective view of a rear side of the protective case, and (C) is a protective case. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a protective case.

3A is a perspective view of a first bus bar, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a second bus bar.

4A to 4G are cross-sectional views of modified examples of the bolt insertion portion.

5A is a perspective view of a protective case of a modified example of the first embodiment, FIG. 5B is a perspective view of a combined ground terminal, FIG.
(C) is a cross-sectional view of the locking structure of the combined ground terminal and the insertion portion.

FIG. 6 is a ground structure of the second embodiment, (A) is a sectional view of a protective case, (B) is a perspective view of a third bus bar,
(C) is a perspective view of a BOX type ground terminal.

7A and 7B are examples of attaching a protective case, where FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a standard example, FIG. 7B is a perspective view fixed to a wire harness with tape, and FIG. 7C is a perspective view fixed to a wire harness with a band. is there.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a ground point of a wire harness of an automobile.

9A and 9B show a conventional ground structure, in which FIG. 9A is a perspective view tightening with a ground bolt, and FIG. 9B is a perspective view tightening with a protector together with a ground bolt.

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a grounding bolt dedicated to grounding, and FIG. 10B is a bottom view of FIG. 10A.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of tightening the ground bolt with an impact wrench.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Body 5 Earth Bolt 10 Protective Case 10l Tape Fixing Part 10n Belt 11A to 11C Bus Bar 11b to 11e Inserting Part 11p Bolt Inserting Part 11q Slit 11r Edge 11s to 11w Locking Part 12 to 14 Ground Terminal W / H Wire Harness

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A structure in which a grounding terminal of a wire harness is connected to a grounding bolt projectingly provided on a body of an automobile, and a busbar electrically contacting when the grounding terminal is inserted into a protective case. The bus bar is provided with a bolt insertion portion to be inserted into the ground bolt,
A ground connection structure for a wire harness, wherein the bolt insertion portion is provided with a locking portion that is in electrical contact with the outer circumference of the ground bolt and that is locked with the outer circumference of the ground bolt. 2. A bolt insertion portion of the bus bar is formed in a cylindrical shape, an edge for scraping paint on the outer periphery of the ground bolt is provided at the lower end at the time of insertion, and a locking bite into the screw portion of the outer periphery of the ground bolt. The ground connection structure for a wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the portion is provided on the inner circumference. 3. The ground connection structure for a wire harness according to claim 2, wherein the bolt insertion portion of the bus bar is provided with a slit in the insertion direction. 4. The ground connection structure for a wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the bus bar is provided with insertion portions for inserting and connecting a plurality of ground terminals. 5. The ground connection structure for a wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the protective case is provided with a fixing portion for fixing the wire harness to the wire harness with a band or a tape. .