JP7502203B2 - Branch connector, harness with branch connector, harness wiring structure, and harness wiring structure with additional circuit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a branch connector that branches off a power source from a power line, a harness with a branch connector, a harness wiring structure, and a harness wiring structure with an additional circuit.

In general, wire harnesses installed in vehicles and the like are composed of a power supply line installed as standard and sub-wires connected to optional devices. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wiring harness arrangement structure in which power supply lines are routed along the width and front-rear directions of the vehicle to connect multiple junction boxes arranged in predetermined positions on the vehicle, and sub-wires connected to optional devices are extended from the junction boxes.

In this way, by routing the power lines along the width and front-to-rear directions of the vehicle to connect to junction boxes placed at designated positions on the vehicle, it is possible to simplify the routing path of the wire harness and shorten the length of the electric wires.

However, in the wire harness arrangement structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, the sub-electrical wires of each optional device are connected via a junction box, so adding an optional device requires the work of connecting the sub-electrical wires to the junction box. This creates a problem in that the workability when adding optional devices is poor, making it difficult to add them.

JP 2019-137394 A

In consideration of the above problems, this invention aims to provide a branch connector, a harness with a branch connector, a harness wiring structure, and a harness wiring structure with an additional circuit that allow for easy addition of optional equipment at a desired position in a power line.

The present invention relates to
A branch connection body that branches off a power line having a main conductor that conducts power and is covered with an insulating coating by connecting a sub-conductor to be connected, the branch connection body includes a housing, a main-side connecting conductor, and a sub-side connecting conductor, the housing includes a main mounting portion that mounts a conductor exposed portion in which a portion of the insulating coating in the longitudinal direction of the power line is stripped to expose the main conductor, a fuse mounting portion that mounts a fuse having two electrodes, and a sub mounting portion that mounts and connects the sub-conductor, the main mounting portion has a main mounting portion conductor having a main conductor abutting portion that abuts against the main conductor, and the fuse mounting portion has a first fuse device having a first fuse connection portion that is connected to one electrode of the mounted fuse. a first fuse mounting portion conductor and a second fuse mounting portion conductor having a second fuse connection portion connected to the other electrode, a sub-mounting portion conductor having a sub-conductor connection portion connected to the sub-conductor is arranged in the sub-mounting portion, the main side connecting conductor has the main mounting portion conductor and the first fuse mounting portion conductor, the sub-side connecting conductor has the second fuse mounting portion conductor and the sub-mounting portion conductor, the main mounting portion and the fuse mounting portion are integrally constructed while the sub-mounting portion is constructed separately, the main mounting portion is provided with a detachable portion for attaching and detaching the sub-mounting portion, and the sub-side connecting conductor is provided with a conductive connection portion for conductively connecting the second fuse mounting portion conductor and the sub-mounting portion conductor .

The present invention also provides a harness with a branch connector, which includes a harness that is arranged in a vehicle body and the branch connector described above, in which the power supply line constitutes the harness, and the branch connector is provided at a location where the sub-conductor that constitutes the additional circuit is branched and connected to the main conductor of the harness.

Furthermore, this invention relates to a harness wiring structure that includes a harness wired to a vehicle body and the above-mentioned branch connector, in which the power supply line constitutes the harness, and the branch connector is provided at a location where the sub-conductor that constitutes the additional circuit is branched and connected to the main conductor of the harness.

Furthermore, this invention relates to a harness arrangement structure with an additional circuit, which includes a harness arranged on a vehicle body, an additional line constituting an additional circuit, and the branch connector described above, in which the power supply line constitutes the harness, the sub-conductor constitutes the conductor of the additional line, and the branch connector is provided at a location where the sub-conductor is branched and connected to the main conductor of the harness.

The power supply wire is not limited to a specific type as long as it is an electric wire through which a current that serves as a power source flows, and examples of the power supply wire include a flat electric wire whose main conductor is a flat conductor with a flat cross section, a main conductor consisting of a single conductive wire or a bundle of multiple conductive wires, and a round electric wire which is a twisted conductor consisting of multiple bundled conductive wires twisted together.
The sub-conductor connection portion includes a terminal for connection with a terminal of a relay, a connector terminal connected to the sub-conductor, a connection terminal for connecting a ground terminal, etc.

The main side connecting conductor and the sub side connecting conductor may be configured in any manner as long as they can supply power from the power line to the sub-conductor connection section via a fuse, and may be configured, for example, from conductive wires or bus bars.

The mounting portion conductor refers to at least one of a main mounting portion conductor, a fuse mounting portion conductor, and a sub-mounting portion conductor.
The conductive connection portion may refer to a portion of the mounting portion conductor when the respective mounting portion conductors are integrally formed, or may include a terminal that connects the portions of the mounting portion conductors so that they are electrically connected to each other when the mounting portion is connected to another mounting portion by the detachable portion.

According to the present invention, an optional device can be easily added to a desired position on the power line.
A more specific description will be given. For example, the main mounting part is mounted at a desired position on the power line so that the main conductor abutting part abuts against the main conductor, and when an optional device is added, another mounting part can be mounted on the main mounting part. This allows the sub-conductor to be connected to the main mounting part via the other mounting part. Therefore, the main conductor and the sub-conductor are electrically connected via the conductive connection part, and power from the power line can be supplied to the sub-conductor.

In this way, by simply attaching another mounting part to the main mounting part that has been attached in the desired position, power can be supplied to the sub-conductor via the other mounting part, making it easy to add optional equipment to the desired position on the power line.

As described above, with the main conductor abutment portion abutting the main conductor, at least the main mounting portion can be mounted on the exposed conductor portion, and the other mounting portions can be removed. This allows for easy addition of optional equipment, while preventing the weight of the harness with branch connector from increasing if no optional equipment is added.

Furthermore, the main mounting part attached to the exposed conductor portion can be used as a common part, and other mounting parts can be selected according to the desired optional equipment. This allows the desired optional equipment to be easily added simply by attaching the other mounting part according to the desired optional equipment to the main mounting part. In other words, it is possible to attach a variety of optional equipment and improve the work efficiency of the installation work.

In addition, since the harness with at least the main mounting part attached to the desired position of the main conductor can be wired to the vehicle body, other mounting parts can be connected to the main mounting part later via the detachable part. Therefore, the sub-conductor can be easily branched off from the main conductor later, and optional equipment can be easily added or changed.

In this way, by simply attaching another separately constructed attachment part to the main attachment part placed at the desired position on the power line via the detachable part, a branch connector that can branch the power supplied to the main conductor to a sub-conductor can be easily connected to the main conductor. Therefore, optional equipment can be easily added or changed to the main conductor. In addition, because the branch connector can be easily connected, the degree of freedom in designing the harness to be mounted on the vehicle body, for example, can be improved.

In addition, the main mounting portion and the fuse mounting portion are integrally constructed, while the sub-mounting portion is constructed separately, the main mounting portion is provided with a detachment portion for attaching and detaching the sub-mounting portion, and the sub-side connecting conductor is provided with a conductive connection portion for conductively connecting the second fuse mounting portion conductor and the sub-mounting portion conductor .
This allows the main-side connecting conductor to be integrally formed by the main mounting portion conductor and the first fuse mounting portion conductor, thereby enabling a stable supply of power to the sub-side connecting conductor.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the detachable portion may be a slide detachable portion that slides and fits a separately constructed mounting portion onto another mounting portion.
According to this invention, since the attachment and detachment operation can be easily performed, the work efficiency regarding the attachment and detachment work of the other attachment part to the attachment part can be improved.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the main-side connecting conductor and the sub-side connecting conductor may be formed of a conductive plate-shaped bus bar.
According to the present invention, the conductivity of the main-side connecting conductor and the sub-side connecting conductor can be improved, so that the power line can be used for a large current. Also, by forming the main-side connecting conductor and the sub-side connecting conductor as a plate-shaped bus bar, the degree of freedom in design can be improved and compactness can be achieved.

In another aspect of the invention, the fuse mounting portion may be provided in a plurality of parts, the main side connecting conductor may have a plurality of first fuse connection portions for one main conductor abutment portion corresponding to the number of the fuse mounting portions, and the sub-side connecting conductor may be provided in a plurality of parts corresponding to the number of the fuse mounting portions.

This invention allows the current supplied from the power line to be distributed to multiple sub-wires, making it possible to add multiple optional devices at desired positions on the power line. This allows for greater freedom in the design of harnesses to be mounted on a vehicle body, for example.

As another aspect of the present invention, the sub-mounting portion may have a connector mounting portion to which a connector provided at an end of the sub-conductor made of an electric wire is attached, and the sub-conductor connection portion may be formed in a terminal shape that is connected to a connection terminal provided at the end of the sub-conductor.
The connector mounting portion may be either single or multiple, and may be used in combination with a mounting portion for connection to other connectors including a relay.

According to this invention, by mounting a connector having a connection terminal at the tip of a sub-conductor made of an electric wire to the connector mounting section, electrical continuity between the sub-conductor and the sub-side connecting conductor can be ensured. In addition, when multiple connection terminals are arranged on the connector, the connection terminals provided on the sub-conductor can be mounted collectively to the sub-conductor connecting section. This makes it possible to reliably and easily ensure electrical continuity between the main conductor and the sub-conductor.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the connector mounting portion may be arranged in an orientation such that the connector is connected in a direction along the longitudinal direction.
According to the present invention, it is possible to configure a branch connector that is compact in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

In another aspect of the invention, the sub-mounting portion may have a relay mounting portion for mounting a relay, and the sub-side connecting conductor may be provided with an operating side connecting portion that is connected to the second fuse connecting portion and the operating side contact of the relay.

With this invention, the optional equipment connected to the sub-conductor can be controlled using a relay attached to the relay attachment section. This allows various optional equipment according to the purpose to be added to the desired position on the power line, further improving the freedom of design of the harness to be installed in the vehicle body.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the main conductor abutting portion may be formed in a planar shape that is in surface contact with an outer surface of the main conductor.
The planar shape refers to a planar shape in which the orthogonal cross section of the main conductor abutting portion is formed in an arc shape when the main conductor is a conductor having a substantially circular cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, or a planar shape in which the orthogonal cross section of the main conductor abutting portion is formed in a linear shape when the main conductor is a flat conductor having a rectangular cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

According to this invention, the contact area between the main conductor and the main side connection conductor can be secured, and the electrical continuity between the main conductor and the main side connection conductor can be secured. Therefore, power can be stably supplied from the main conductor to the sub-conductor via the branch connector.

In another aspect of the present invention, the main conductor may be a flat conductor having a predetermined width and a flat cross-section, and the main conductor abutment portion may be configured in a planar shape that is in surface contact with the outer surface of the flat conductor.
According to this invention, the planar main conductor abutment portion is in surface contact with the flat conductor, so that the main conductor abutment portion can be stably disposed relative to the flat conductor, thereby enabling more stable power supply from the main conductor to the sub-conductor and improving the stability of conduction.

In another aspect of the invention, the fuse mounting portion may be disposed on the inside in the width direction relative to the flat conductor, and may be disposed in such a direction that the fuse is mounted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the width direction.

According to this invention, the fuse is attached in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the flat conductor, which prevents the fuse attachment portion from expanding in the width direction, and allows for the construction of a branch connector that is compact in the width direction. It also prevents the flat conductor from interfering with the attachment of the fuse. This allows the fuse to be easily attached while keeping the size small.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the fuse mounting portion may be arranged in an orientation such that the fuse is mounted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and in the width direction.
According to this invention, since the fuse is attached along the width direction of the flat conductor, it is possible to prevent the fuse attachment portion from expanding in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the flat conductor, and it is possible to configure a branch connector that is compact in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the width direction. It is also possible to prevent the flat conductor from interfering with the attachment of the fuse. This makes it possible to easily attach the fuse while keeping the size small.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the main mounting portion may have a first main mounting body and a second main mounting body configured to sandwich the power line therebetween.
According to this invention, the power line can be sandwiched between a first main mounting body arranged on one side in the cross-sectional direction of the power line and a second main mounting body arranged on the other side in the cross-sectional direction of the power line, and the main mounting part can be assembled to store the exposed conductor part of the power line. Therefore, for example, after the power line is prepared as a harness to be routed to a vehicle body, the main mounting part can be assembled at a desired position on the power line, and the main mounting part can be efficiently assembled at the desired position on the power line.

In addition, when connecting optional equipment, the insulation can be removed at the desired position on the power line and the main mounting section can be attached, so even in places where a branch connector has not been installed beforehand, optional equipment can be added at the desired position later.

This invention provides a branch connector that allows easy addition of optional equipment at a desired position in a power line, a harness with a branch connector, a harness wiring structure, and a harness wiring structure with an additional circuit.

Schematic diagram of a harness routing structure with additional circuits. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a harness arrangement structure with an additional circuit. FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a harness arrangement structure with an additional circuit. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a first sub-mounting portion. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a second sub-mounting portion. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a method for assembling a branch connector. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a method for assembling a branch connector. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a method for assembling a branch connector. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a harness routing structure with an additional circuit.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a harness routing structure 1 with an additional circuit, FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the harness routing structure 1 with an additional circuit, and FIG. 3 shows a schematic exploded perspective view of the harness routing structure 1 with an additional circuit.

Figure 4 shows an explanatory diagram of the relay 20, and Figure 5 shows an explanatory diagram of the branch connector 30. Figure 6 shows an explanatory diagram of the housing main body 40 that constitutes the branch connector 30, Figure 7 shows an explanatory diagram of the first sub-mounting portion 50 that constitutes the branch connector 30, and Figure 8 shows an explanatory diagram of the second sub-mounting portion 60 that constitutes the branch connector 30. Figures 9 to 11 show schematic perspective views showing the assembly method of the harness wiring structure 1 with additional circuit.

1, 3 to 8, 10 and 11 will be described in detail.
FIG. 1(a) shows a schematic diagram of a harness 10 routed in a vehicle Y and a harness routing structure 1 with an additional circuit, and FIG. 1(b) shows a schematic diagram of the harness routing structure 1 with an additional circuit.

Fig. 3(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the harness arrangement structure 1 with an additional circuit in a state where the branch connector 30 is disassembled, and Fig. 3(b) shows a schematic perspective view of a part of the harness arrangement structure 1 with an additional circuit in a state where the housing main body 40 is disassembled. Fig. 4(a) shows a front view of the relay 20, and Fig. 4(b) shows a schematic view of the relay 20 and the additional electric wire 100.
In FIG. 3(b), the first storage section 42 and the second storage section 43 are connected via a hinge 44, but the first storage section 42 and the second storage section 43 are illustrated as separate entities for ease of understanding.

Figure 5(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the branch connector 30, and Figure 5(b) shows an exploded perspective view of the branch connector 30 disassembled into the housing main body 40, the first sub-mounting portion 50, and the second sub-mounting portion 60. Figure 6(a) shows a plan view of the housing main body 40, Figure 6(b) shows a right side view of the housing main body 40, and Figure 6(c) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Figure 6(a).

Fig. 7(a) shows a plan view of the first sub-mounting portion 50, Fig. 7(b) shows a right side view of the first sub-mounting portion 50, and Fig. 7(c) shows a left side view of the first sub-mounting portion 50. Fig. 7(d) shows a rear view of the first sub-mounting portion 50, Fig. 7(e) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 7(a), and Fig. 7(f) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Fig. 7(b). Fig. 8(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the second sub-mounting portion 60, Fig. 8(b) shows a front view of the second sub-mounting portion 60, Fig. 8(c) shows a rear view of the second sub-mounting portion 60, and Fig. 8(d) shows a bottom view of the second sub-mounting portion 60.
5 to 7, the main-side connecting conductor 70 and the sub-side connecting conductor 80 housed inside the housing body 40 and the first sub-mounting portion 50 are shown by dotted lines in order to clarify the configurations thereof.

Figure 10(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the housing body 40 and the first sub-mounting portion 50 mounted on the harness 10 before the second sub-mounting portion 60 is mounted thereon, and Figure 10(b) shows a cross-sectional view taken along the width direction W at the location corresponding to the first main side terminal 72 and the sub side terminal 81, viewed from the tip side Lf. Figure 11(a) shows a schematic perspective view of the harness 2 with branch connector before the relay 20 is mounted thereon, and Figure 11(b) shows a cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along the arrows C-C in Figure 11(a).

Here, the up-down direction in FIG. 2 is the up-down direction Z, and the direction in which the harness 10 extends is the longitudinal direction L. Also, the width direction of the harness 10 in FIG. 2 is the width direction W. Note that the longitudinal direction L, the width direction W, and the up-down direction Z are all perpendicular to each other. Also, in FIG. 2, the right front side along the longitudinal direction L is the tip side Lf, the left rear side along the width direction W is the base side Lb, the left front side along the width direction W is the right side Wr, and the right rear side along the width direction W is the left side Wl, and the upper side along the up-down direction Z is the upper side Zu, and the lower side is the lower side Zd.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the harness wiring structure with additional circuit 1 is a wiring structure that is wired in vehicle Y, and is composed of a harness 10 that is connected to battery B and conducts power, a relay 20 that is electrically connected to harness 10 and is also connected to optional device X, and a branch connector 30 that connects harness 10 and relay 20.

As shown in Fig. 1(b) and Fig. 3(b), the harness 10 is a flat electric wire composed of a main conductor 11, which is a flat conductor formed by arranging conductive conductors in parallel and having a flat cross section, and an insulating coating 12 that covers the outer periphery of the main conductor 11. The harness 10 is provided with a conductor exposure portion 13 in which the insulating coating 12 is stripped off at a predetermined location to expose the main conductor 11.

The relay 20 is a so-called mechanical relay, and as shown in Figs. 3(a) and 4, is composed of a relay body 21 that houses a coil C and a movable piece M, a power supply terminal 22 that extends from the relay body 21 to the base end side Lb, a first terminal 23, a second terminal 24, an earth connection terminal 25, and a power supply connection terminal 26.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the power supply terminal 22 and the first terminal 23 are plate-shaped terminals whose main surfaces face the width direction W, and when assembled to the branch connector 30, they are arranged side by side in this order from the right side Wr (the side on which the fuse 90 is located relative to the branch connector 30) to the left side Wl.

The second terminal 24, earth connection terminal 25, and power connection terminal 26 are plate-shaped terminals whose main surfaces face the vertical direction Z, and are arranged on the left side Wl of the first terminal 23 when assembled to the branch connector 30. The second terminal 24, earth connection terminal 25, and power connection terminal 26 are arranged in this order from the upper side Zu to the lower side Zd.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), the power supply terminal 22 and the first terminal 23 are connected via a movable piece M provided inside the relay body 21. The earth connection terminal 25 and the power supply connection terminal 26 are connected via a coil C provided inside the relay body 21. When a current flows through the coil C that connects the earth connection terminal 25 and the power supply connection terminal 26, the movable piece M provided inside the relay body 21 moves away from the first terminal 23 and connects to the second terminal 24.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4(b), the additional electric wire 100 extending from the base end side Lb of the branch connector 30 is composed of a first sub-electric wire 110 whose base end is connected to the first optional device X1, a second sub-electric wire 120 whose base end is connected to the optional device X2, an earth electric wire 130 connected to the earth circuit G, and a current electric wire 140 connected to a power supply device E that passes current through the coil C under specified conditions.

The ends of the first sub-wire 110 and the second sub-wire 120 are provided with conductive connection parts (not shown) that can be connected to the first terminal 23 and the second terminal 24, and the ends of the earth wire 130 and the current wire 140 are provided with conductive connection parts (not shown) that can be connected to the earth connection terminal 25 and the power supply connection terminal 26.

Next, the branch connector 30 that connects the harness 10 and the relay 20 configured as described above will be described.
2, 3 and 5, the branch connector 30 is composed of a housing 31, a main-side connecting conductor 70, and a sub-side connecting conductor 80. The housing 31 is composed of a housing main body 40, a first sub-mounting portion 50, and a second sub-mounting portion 60.

The housing body 40 is a flat, hollow, rectangular casing in plan view, which is integrally constructed with a main mounting section 41 and a fuse mounting section 45 for attaching and detaching the fuse 90, and houses the main side connection conductor 70.

As shown in FIG. 3(b), the main mounting part 41 is integrally constructed with a first storage part 42 forming the bottom side and a second storage part 43 forming the top side, which are connected via a hinge 44. In addition, a locking means (not shown) for locking the first storage part 42 and the second storage part 43 is provided on the right side Wr of the main mounting part 41.

The first storage portion 42 is configured in a concave shape that is open on the upper side Zu, and is provided with downwardly recessed semi-elliptical downward opening forming portions 421 at both ends in the longitudinal direction L (see FIG. 3B).
The second housing portion 43 is configured to have an upper surface 43a that is rectangular in plan view and sidewall portions 43b that extend downward from the four sides of the upper surface 43a, and is open on the lower side Zd (see FIG. 3B). The sidewall portions 43b at both ends in the longitudinal direction L are provided with semi-elliptical upper opening forming portions 431 that are recessed downward (see FIG. 3B). In addition, the upper surface 43a is provided with a conductor pressing rib 432 that faces the lower side Zd (see FIG. 6C).

The first and second storage sections 42 and 43 thus configured are locked and fixed by locking means provided on the right side Wr to form a flat main mounting section 41. As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), both end faces in the longitudinal direction L of this main mounting section 41 have flat insertion holes 411 formed by lower opening forming sections 421 and upper opening forming sections 431, and an electric wire storage section 412 is formed inside the housing body 40. The insertion holes 411 have the same shape as the outer peripheral surface of the insulating coating 12 when viewed from the longitudinal direction L.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, a fuse mounting section 45 for mounting a fuse 90 is provided at the end of the right side Wr of this main mounting section 41, and a detachable section 46 that protrudes upward is provided at the tip side Lf of the fuse mounting section 45.

The fuse mounting section 45 is a generally rectangular parallelepiped housing provided in the center of the longitudinal direction L of the second housing section 43 constituting the main mounting section 41, and protrudes from the side wall section 43b to the right side Wr. The fuse mounting section 45 has a height approximately twice the height of the side wall section 43b (length in the vertical direction Z), and protrudes upward Zu beyond the upper surface 43a of the second housing section 43. The bottom surface of the fuse mounting section 45 is flush with the lower end of the side wall section 43b.

As shown in Figs. 5(b) and 6(b), in this fuse mounting section 45, fuse mounting holes 451, 451, which are rectangular in side view and open on the right side Wr, are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction L. This fuse mounting hole 451 is a bottomed recess whose bottom surface (the surface formed on the left side Wl) is integral with the side wall section 43b.

A main insertion hole 452 penetrating the side wall portion 43 b in the width direction W and a sub-insertion hole 453 penetrating the width direction W above the fuse mounting hole 451 are provided on the bottom surface of the fuse mounting hole 451 .
The fuse 90 mounted in the fuse mounting hole 451 is a so-called blade fuse, and has two electrodes, a main electrode 91 and a sub electrode 92, which are formed in a plate shape (see FIG. 3).

As shown in Figures 6(a) to 6(c), the detachable portion 46 stands upright from the upper surface 43a to the upper side Zu on the tip side Lf of the fuse mounting portion 45. In more detail, as shown in Figures 6(b) and 6(c), the detachable portion 46 is formed in a roughly T-shape in side view by a shaft portion 461 standing upright from the upper surface 43a and a flat plate portion 462 extending from the upper end of the shaft portion 461 along the longitudinal direction L.

The shaft portion 461 stands upright along the width direction W, and the end on the right side Wr is slightly inside the end on the right side Wr in the second storage section 43. The length of the shaft portion 461 in the width direction W is approximately two-thirds of the length of the second storage section 43 in the width direction W, and the height of the shaft portion 461 is approximately half the height of the side wall portion 43b.

The flat plate portion 462 is a flat plate extending from the upper end of the shaft portion 461 provided along the width direction W to the tip side Lf and the base side Lb, and is configured to be parallel to the upper surface 43a.
The detachable portion 46 configured in this manner has guide grooves 47, 47 formed between the upper surface 43a and the flat plate portion 462.

The main-side connecting conductor 70 disposed inside the housing body 40 is a plate-shaped bus bar formed from a conductive plate having electrical conductivity.
5(b) and 6(a), the main-side connecting conductor 70 is integrally formed with a planar main conductor abutting portion 71, a first main-side terminal 72 and a second main-side terminal 73 which are two tuning fork terminals extending in the width direction W from the ends of the main conductor abutting portion 71 in the width direction W, and main coupling portions 74, 75 which couple the first main-side terminal 72 and the second main-side terminal 73 to the main conductor abutting portion 71. The number of tuning fork terminals extending from the main conductor abutting portion 71 corresponds to the number of fuses 90 to be mounted in the fuse mounting portion 45.

The main conductor abutment portion 71 is a conductive plate that is rectangular in plan view and has a length approximately equal to the length in the longitudinal direction L and the length in the width direction W of the conductor exposed portion 13, and is located in the center of the conductor exposed portion 13 in the longitudinal direction L.

The first main side terminal 72 extends to the right side Wr at a position that corresponds to the base end side Lb of the central portion of the main conductor abutment portion 71 in the longitudinal direction L. This first main side terminal 72 is integrally formed with the first connecting portion 721 and the first main locking pieces 722, 722.

The first connecting portion 721 is a plate-like body extending along the width direction W.
The first main locking pieces 722 are a pair of locking pieces extending from ends of the first connecting portion 721 in the longitudinal direction L toward one side in the width direction W, and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction L. An opening having approximately the same length as the plate thickness of the main electrode 91 is provided between the first main locking pieces 722, 722.

The second main side terminal 73 has the same shape as the first main side terminal 72, and is composed of a second connecting portion 731 corresponding to the first connecting portion 721, and second main locking pieces 732, 732 corresponding to the first main locking pieces 722, 722. Note that since the second main side terminal 73 has the same shape as the first main side terminal 72, a description thereof will be omitted.

The main connection part 74 is a flat plate that connects the main conductor abutment part 71 and the first connection part 721. Similarly, the main connection part 75 is a flat plate that connects the main conductor abutment part 71 and the second connection part 731.

The first main side terminal 72 and the second main side terminal 73 extend at a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction L from the center of the longitudinal direction L of the main conductor abutment portion 71. The distance between the first main side terminal 72 and the second main side terminal 73 is equal to the distance between the fuse mounting holes 451, 451 into which the fuse 90 is inserted.

In the main side connection conductor 70 configured in this manner, the main conductor abutment portion 71 arranged in the main mounting portion 41 constitutes the main mounting portion conductor 70a, and the first main side terminal 72 and the second main side terminal 73 arranged in the fuse mounting portion 45 constitute the first fuse mounting portion conductor 70b. The main connection portion 74 that electrically connects the main conductor abutment portion 71 and the first main side terminal 72, and the main connection portion 75 that electrically connects the main conductor abutment portion 71 and the second main side terminal 73 are inserted through the main insertion holes 452, 452.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the first sub-mounting section 50 is composed of a busbar mounting section main body 51 that is substantially L-shaped in plan view, with a flat sub-plate 51b extending from the lower end of the tip side Lf of the sub-housing 51a formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape to the left side Wl, and houses the sub-side connection conductor 80. The corners (both ends in the width direction W) at the end of the tip side Lf of the busbar mounting section main body 51 are provided with a first recess 511 (corner part on the left side Wl) and a second recess 512 (corner part on the right side Wr) that are recessed inward in the width direction W.

The length of the sub-housing 51a in the longitudinal direction L and the length of the width direction W are approximately half the length of the housing main body 40 in the longitudinal direction L and the width direction W. In addition, the height of the sub-housing 51a is approximately the same as the height of the fuse mounting portion 45.

The length of the longitudinal direction L of the sub-flat plate 51b is approximately half the length of the longitudinal direction L of the sub-housing 51a, as shown in FIG. 6(a). The length of the width direction W of the sub-flat plate 51b is designed to be slightly shorter than the length of the width direction W of the housing main body 40 when combined with the length of the width direction W of the sub-housing 51a. The height of the sub-flat plate 51b is approximately twice the height of the shaft portion 461.

As shown in Figures 7(a) to 7(f), the busbar mounting body 51 configured in this manner has an arrangement recess 52 in which the sub-side connecting conductor 80 is arranged, a locking groove 53 provided on the tip side Lf of the arrangement recess 52, and a first guide groove 54 and a second guide groove 55 provided on the left side Wl and the right side Wr of the busbar mounting body 51.

The placement recess 52 is a space for placing the sub-side connecting conductor 80 inside the busbar mounting body 51, and as shown in FIG. 7(e), is integrally composed of a first placement section 521 provided on the base end side Lb, a sub-terminal placement section 522 provided on the tip end side Lf, and a connecting placement section 523 that connects the first placement section 521 and the sub-terminal placement section 522.

As shown in Figures 7(b) and 7(e), the first arrangement section 521 is a recessed section having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by recessing the side surface of the right side Wr of the busbar attachment section main body 51 toward the left side Wl, and the right side Wr and the lower side Zd are open. The height of the first arrangement section 521 in the vertical direction Z is approximately one-third the height of the sub-housing 51a. The sub-side terminals 81, which will be described later, are arranged in the first arrangement section 521 configured in this manner.

As shown in Figs. 7(d) and 7(e), the sub-terminal arrangement section 522 is a generally rectangular parallelepiped recess in which the central portion of the side surface of the tip end Lf of the sub-housing 51a is recessed toward the base end Lb, and the left side Wl is open. As shown in Fig. 7(d), the sub-terminal arrangement section 522 is formed in a rectangular shape with long sides along the vertical direction Z. The sub-terminal arrangement section 522 is configured to be large enough to allow the power supply terminal 22 to be inserted therethrough. The sub-terminal arrangement section 522 configured in this manner has a connection tuning fork terminal 82 (sub-mounting section conductor 80b) described later arranged therein.

As shown in FIG. 7(e), the connecting arrangement portion 523 is a generally rectangular recess formed by recessing the center portion of the bottom surface of the sub-housing 51a toward the upper side Zu, and is open on the lower side Zd. As shown in FIG. 7(e), the connecting arrangement portion 523 has a stepped upper side Zu, connecting the first arrangement portion 521 and the sub-terminal arrangement portion 522. The conductive connection portion 83, which will be described later, is arranged in the connecting arrangement portion 523.

As shown in Figures 7(b) and 7(e), the locking groove 53 is a groove that is approximately T-shaped in side view and has the same shape as the detachment portion 46, and is provided along the width direction W from the lower end of the right side surface of the busbar mounting portion main body 51.
In other words, the locking groove 53 is formed by protruding portions (referred to as locking protrusions 531, 531) inward in the longitudinal direction L from both side surfaces of a rectangular recess formed by recessing part of the bottom surface of the busbar attachment portion main body 51 toward the upper side Zu in a side view. The interval between the locking protrusions 531, 531 is designed to be the same length as the length of the shaft portion 461 in the longitudinal direction L.

As shown in FIG. 7(f), the locking groove 53 extends to the center of the sub-plate 51b in the width direction W. In other words, the locking groove 53 does not penetrate in the width direction W, but is a bottomed groove with a T-shaped groove bottom 53a on the left side Wl.

The first guide groove 54 is a groove in which the central portion in the up-down direction Z on the left side surface of the sub-housing 51a is recessed toward the right side Wr, and extends from the end of the tip side Lf of the busbar mounting portion main body 51 toward the base side Lb. The length in the longitudinal direction L of this first guide groove 54 is approximately two-thirds of the length in the longitudinal direction L of the busbar mounting portion main body 51. In other words, the first guide groove 54 does not extend to the end of the base side Lb of the busbar mounting portion main body 51, and is a groove having a first groove bottom 54a on the base side Lb.

The second guide groove 55 is a groove formed by recessing the lower end portion of the right side surface of the busbar mounting body 51 toward the left side Wl, and similar to the first guide groove 54, it extends from the end of the tip side Lf of the busbar mounting body 51 toward the base side Lb. The length of the second guide groove 55 in the longitudinal direction L is shorter than that of the first guide groove 54 and is the same as the length of the second recess 512 in the longitudinal direction L. In other words, the second guide groove 55 has a second groove bottom 55a at the intersection with the second recess 512.

The sub-side connecting conductor 80 is a plate-shaped bus bar formed from a conductive plate having electrical conductivity. The sub-side connecting conductor 80 is integrally formed with a sub-side terminal 81 that connects to the sub-side electrode 92, a connecting fork terminal 82 that connects to the relay body 21, and a conductive connecting portion 83 that connects the sub-side terminal 81 and the connecting fork terminal 82.

The sub-side terminal 81 is a tuning fork terminal that protrudes to the right side Wr from an opening on the right side Wr of the first placement portion 521, and is composed of a sub-connecting portion 811 and sub-locking pieces 812, 812, similar to the first main-side terminal 72.
The sub-connecting portion 811 is a plate-like body having approximately the same length as the main conductor abutting portion 71 and extends along the width direction W.

The sub-locking pieces 812 are a pair of locking pieces extending from the ends of the sub-connecting portion 811 in the longitudinal direction L toward the right side Wr, and are arranged at a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction L. An opening of approximately the same length as the plate thickness of the sub-side electrode 92 is provided between the sub-locking pieces 812, 812.

When the first sub-mounting section 50 is assembled to the housing body 40, the sub-side terminal 81 configured in this manner is disposed in the fuse mounting section 45 and is disposed so as to face the first main-side terminal 72 in the vertical direction Z.

The connecting fork terminal 82 is a fork terminal that clamps the plate-shaped relay body 21 whose thickness is along the width direction W, and is composed of a pair of locking pieces, namely, relay side locking pieces 821, 821, and a relay side connecting portion 822 that connects the relay side locking pieces 821, 821.
The relay side locking pieces 821 , 821 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the width direction W, and an opening having approximately the same length as the plate thickness of the power supply terminal 22 is provided between the relay side locking pieces 821 , 821 .

The conductive connection portion 83 is a plate-like body that connects the sub-side terminal 81 and the connecting fork terminal 82, and extends along the longitudinal direction L. As shown in FIG. 7(e), the conductive connection portion 83 is configured in a stepped shape to match the shape of the connecting arrangement portion 523. The conductive connection portion 83 is configured with the same plate thickness as the sub-connecting portion 811, with the sub-side terminal 81 extending from the base end to the right side Wr and the connecting fork terminal 82 extending from the tip end along the longitudinal direction L.

When the housing body 40 and the first sub-mounting section 50 are assembled, the sub-side connecting conductor 80 configured in this manner has the sub-side terminal 81 arranged in the fuse mounting section 45 forming the second fuse mounting section conductor 80a, and the connecting fork terminal 82 arranged in the sub-terminal arrangement section 522 forming the sub-mounting section conductor 80b. The conductive connection section 83 that electrically connects the sub-side terminal 81 and the connecting fork terminal 82 passes through the first arrangement section 521 and the connecting arrangement section 523.

As shown in FIG. 8, the second sub-mounting section 60 is a concave body with an open bottom, and includes a housing section 61 configured to house a portion of the first sub-mounting section 50, and a relay mounting section 62, which are arranged in this order from the base end side Lb to the tip end side Lf.

The storage section 61 has a base end upper surface 61a, a base end side surface 61b standing from the end of the right side Wr of the base end upper surface 61a to the lower side Zd, a solid housing 61c extending from the center of the width direction W of the base end upper surface 61a to the end of the left side Wl, and a standing wall portion 61d standing from the tip side Lf of the base end upper surface 61a to the lower side Zd.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the base end side surface 61b has a notch 61e formed by cutting out the lower end of the base end side Lb so as to conform to the outer shape of the tip side Lf of the fuse attachment portion 45.
The standing wall portion 61d is a wall extending to the left side Wl so as to fit into the second recess 512 together with the inner wall of the base end side surface 61b.

A rod-shaped first protruding piece 611 is provided on the lower side Zd of the vertical wall portion 61d and protrudes from the lower side Zd of the base end side surface 61b to the left side Wl. The length of this first protruding piece 611 in the longitudinal direction L is equal to the length of the second guide groove 55, and it can be fitted into the second guide groove 55.

The solid housing 61c has a cutout 61f at its bottom end that has the same shape as the sub-plate 51b. In addition, the tip of the left side Wl of the solid housing 61c protrudes partially to the right side Wr so that it can fit into the first recess 511.

A rod-shaped second protruding piece 612 protruding from the center of the solid housing 61c to the right side Wr is provided on the side surface of the solid housing 61c on the right side Wr. The length of the second protruding piece 612 in the longitudinal direction L is equal to the length of the first guide groove 54, and the second protruding piece 612 can fit into the first guide groove 54.

The accommodating portion 61 configured in this manner has a accommodating body 63 formed between the base end side surface 61b and the solid housing 61c for accommodating the tip side Lf of the first sub-mounting portion 50, and is provided with a terminal accommodating portion 64 formed by the solid housing 61c.
As described above, the container 63 is formed to have the same shape as the outer shape of the tip side Lf of the first sub-mounting portion 50, more specifically, the outer shape of the first sub-mounting portion 50 corresponding to the length of the longitudinal direction L of the first guide groove 54.

The terminal accommodating portion 64 has a first insertion portion 65 into which the first terminal 23 is inserted, and three terminal insertion portions 66 into which the second terminal 24, the earth connection terminal 25, and the power connection terminal 26 are respectively inserted.
The first insertion portion 65 is a through hole penetrating along the longitudinal direction L, and is formed in a rectangular shape in a front view with its long sides aligned along the up-down direction Z. The first insertion portion 65 is configured to allow the first terminal 23 to be inserted therethrough.

The terminal insertion sections 66 are through holes that penetrate along the longitudinal direction L, and three of them are arranged side by side in the vertical direction Z. When viewed from the front, the terminal insertion sections 66 are formed in a rectangular shape with their long sides aligned along the width direction W, and are configured to allow the second terminal 24, earth connection terminal 25, and power connection terminal 26 to be inserted therethrough.

The relay mounting section 62 is a concave cover made up of a cover top surface 62a and cover side surfaces 62b standing upright on the lower side Zd from both ends of the cover top surface 62a in the width direction W. This relay mounting section 62 is configured so that the length in the width direction W is shorter than that of the storage section 61, since the cover side surface 62b on the right side Wr is located on the left side Wl compared to the storage section 61. The concave portion formed by the inner peripheral surfaces of the cover top surface 62a and the cover side surfaces 62b is formed to have the same shape as the external shape of the relay 20.

Next, a method for assembling the branch connector 30 thus configured to the harness 10 will be briefly described.
First, a predetermined length of the insulating coating 12 of the harness 10 in the vicinity of the location where the optional device X is to be installed, or in the vicinity of a location where the optional device X can be easily installed, is stripped off to expose the main conductor 11 and form an exposed conductor portion 13.

Next, the first accommodating portion 42 is assembled to the harness 10 from below so as to cover the exposed conductor portion 13, and with the main coupling portion 74 and the main coupling portion 75 of the main side connecting conductor 70 inserted through the sub-insertion holes 453, 453, the second accommodating portion 43 is pivoted from above to be assembled to the harness 10, and the first accommodating portion 42 and the second accommodating portion 43 are engaged and fixed. This allows the harness 10 to be sandwiched between the first accommodating portion 42 and the second accommodating portion 43, and the exposed conductor portion 13 to be accommodated in the wire accommodating portion 412 (see FIG. 9).

As a result, when the conductor exposed portion 13 of the harness 10 is housed in the housing body 40, the main side connection conductor 70 is housed inside the housing body 40 so that the main conductor abutment portion 71 is in surface contact with the outer surface of the main conductor 11.

Here, since the main conductor abutment portion 71 is configured in a planar shape, it is possible to ensure a sufficient contact area between the main conductor abutment portion 71 and the main conductor 11. In addition, since the main conductor abutment portion 71 is pressed downward by the conductor pressing rib 432, it is possible to reliably bring the main conductor abutment portion 71 into contact with the conductor exposed portion 13 (main conductor 11).

9 and 10(a), the first sub-mounting part 50 is placed on the left side Wl of the main mounting part 41 so that the locking groove 53 corresponds to the detachable part 46, and the first sub-mounting part 50 is slid along the width direction W so that the locking groove 53 fits into the detachable part 46. At this time, the locking protrusions 531, 531 are fitted into and guided by the guide grooves 47, 47, so the first sub-mounting part 50 can be slid easily and reliably. Note that the end of the left side Wl of the detachable part 46 interferes with the T-groove bottom 53a of the locking groove 53, so it can be confirmed that the first sub-mounting part 50 has been slid to the correct position relative to the main mounting part 41.

As a result, the sub-side terminal 81 protruding from the sub-terminal arrangement portion 522 to the right side Wr is inserted through the sub-insertion hole 453 in the fuse mounting portion 45 on the base end side Lb, and the first main side terminal 72 and the sub-side terminal 81 are arranged opposite each other (see FIG. 10(b)).

Next, with the first sub-mounting part 50 assembled into the housing main body 40, the second sub-mounting part 60 is placed on the tip side Lf of the first sub-mounting part 50 so that the sub-housing 51a corresponds to the container 63, as shown in FIG. 10(a). Then, the second sub-mounting part 60 is slid onto the first sub-mounting part 50 so that the first protruding piece 611 fits into the first guide groove 54.

By sliding the second sub-mounting part 60 relative to the first sub-mounting part 50 in this manner, the second guide groove 55 and the second protruding piece 612 engage with each other, and the tip portions of the vertical wall part 61d and the cut-out part 61f interfere with the first recess 511 and the second recess 512, respectively, as shown in FIG. 11(a). This allows the second sub-mounting part 60 to slide to an appropriate position relative to the first sub-mounting part 50, making it possible to confirm that it is engaged correctly. At this time, the end face of the tip side Lf of the sub-housing 51a and the end face of the tip side Lf of the solid housing 61c are flush with each other.

When the second sub-mounting portion 60 is attached to the first sub-mounting portion 50, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the detachable portion 46 is covered by the base end side surface 61b, and the sub flat plate 51b is fitted into the second protruding piece 612. As a result, the first sub-mounting portion 50 is sandwiched in the width direction W between the base end side surface 61b and the terminal accommodating portion 64, and movement of the first sub-mounting portion 50 in the width direction W relative to the housing main body 40 can be restricted. Therefore, when the fuse 90 is attached to the fuse mounting hole 451, the first sub-mounting portion 50 moves to the left side Wl, preventing poor contact between the fuse 90 and the sub-side terminal 81.

Then, by mounting the fuse 90 in the fuse mounting hole 451, the branch connector 30 can be assembled to the harness 10, and a harness 2 with a branch connector can be provided.
Furthermore, by assembling the relay 20 from the base end side Lb to the branch connector 30 (second sub-mounting portion 60) of the harness 2 with branch connector, the power supply terminal 22 can be connected to the connection tuning fork terminal 82 arranged in the sub-terminal arrangement portion 522. Also, the first terminal 23 is inserted into the terminal accommodating portion 64, and the second terminal 24, the earth connection terminal 25, and the power supply connection terminal 26 are inserted into the terminal insertion portions 66, 66, 66, respectively.

Finally, the connection terminals connected to the tips of the first sub-wire 110, the second sub-wire 120, the earth wire 130, and the current wire 140 are inserted from the base end side Lb of the second sub-mounting portion 60 into the first insertion portion 65 and the terminal insertion portions 66, 66, and 66. This electrically connects the first terminal 23 and the second sub-wire 120, the earth wire 130 and the second terminal 24, the current wire 140 and the earth connection terminal 25, and the wire 160 and the power connection terminal 26, and the power supply of the harness 10 can be distributed to the second sub-wire 120 and the earth wire 130 via the relay 20.

The harness arrangement structure 1 with additional circuit configured in this manner can branch the power flowing through the harness 10 via the branch connector 30 to the relay 20. More specifically, the main conductor abutment 71 (main mounting portion conductor 70a) arranged in the main mounting portion 41 is in surface contact with the main conductor 11 of the harness 10, so that power is supplied to the main conductor abutment 71. The power supplied to this main conductor abutment 71 is supplied to the first main side terminal 72 (first fuse mounting portion conductor 70b) arranged in the fuse mounting portion 45 via the main connection portion 74 that passes through the main insertion hole 452.

Then, by sliding and fitting the first sub-mounting section 50, which is configured separately from the housing main body 40, into the housing main body 40, the sub-side terminal 81 (second fuse mounting section conductor 80a) inside the first sub-mounting section 50 can be placed in the fuse mounting hole 451, and the first main-side terminal 72 and the sub-side terminal 81 can be arranged opposite each other.

By connecting the fuse 90 (main electrode 91 and sub electrode 92) to the first main terminal 72 and the sub terminal 81 (second fuse mounting portion conductor 80a) arranged opposite each other, the power supplied to the first main terminal 72 can be supplied to the sub terminal 81. In this way, the power supplied to the sub terminal 81 can be supplied to the connection fork terminal 82 via the conductive connection portion 83 that connects the connection fork terminal 82 (sub mounting portion conductor 80b) arranged in the sub terminal arrangement portion 522 to the sub terminal 81. This allows the connection fork terminal 82 to supply power to the relay 20 connected to the power supply terminal 22.

In this way, the branch connector 30 branches by connecting the power supply terminal 22, which is the connection target, to the harness 10 in which the main conductor 11 that conducts the power supply is covered with an insulating coating 12. This branch connector 30 is provided with a housing 31, a main side connecting conductor 70, and a sub-side connecting conductor 80. The housing 31 also has a main mounting section 41 that mounts a conductor exposed section 13 in which a part of the insulating coating 12 in the longitudinal direction L of the harness 10 is peeled off to expose the main conductor 11, a fuse mounting section 45 that mounts a fuse 90 having two electrodes, a main side electrode 91 and a sub side electrode 92, and a first sub mounting section 50 that mounts and connects the power supply terminal 22. A main mounting portion conductor 70a having a main conductor abutting portion 71 that abuts against the main conductor 11 is disposed in the main mounting portion 41, and a first fuse mounting portion conductor 70b having a first main-side terminal 72 connected to a main-side electrode 91, which is one electrode of the mounted fuse 90, and a second fuse mounting portion conductor 80a having a sub-side terminal 81 connected to a sub-side electrode 92, which is the other electrode, are disposed in the fuse mounting portion 45. A sub mounting portion conductor 80b having a connection fork terminal 82 that is connected to the power supply terminal 22 is disposed in the first sub mounting portion 50. The main-side connecting conductor 70 has the main mounting portion conductor 70a and the first fuse mounting portion conductor 70b, and the sub-side connecting conductor 80 has the second fuse mounting portion conductor 80a and the sub mounting portion conductor 80b. The main mounting section 41 and the fuse mounting section 45 are configured separately from the first sub-mounting section 50, and a detachable section 46 is provided for attaching and detaching the separately configured main mounting section 41 and fuse mounting section 45 to the first sub-mounting section 50. The sub-side connecting conductor 80 is provided with a conductive connecting section 83 that electrically connects the separately configured main mounting section 41 and fuse mounting section 45 to the second fuse mounting section conductor 80a and the sub mounting section conductor 80b arranged in the first sub-mounting section 50.

The harness 2 with branch connector further comprises a harness 10 arranged in the vehicle Y and a branch connector 30, and the branch connector 30 is provided at a location where a power supply terminal 22 constituting an additional circuit is branch-connected to the main conductor 11 of the harness 10.
Furthermore, in the harness 2 with the branch connector, the harness 10 may be in a state where it is routed in the vehicle Y.

The harness wiring structure 1 with additional circuit includes a harness 10 wired to the vehicle Y, a relay 20 constituting the additional circuit, and a branch connector 30, and the branch connector 30 is provided at a location where the power supply terminal 22 is branch-connected to the main conductor 11 of the harness 10.

The harness routing structure 1 with additional circuit, the harness 2 with branch connector, and the branch connector 30 configured in this manner make it easy to add optional equipment to a desired position in the harness 10.
Specifically, the main mounting part 41 is mounted at a desired position on the harness 10 so that the main conductor abutting part 71 abuts against the main conductor 11, and when an optional device is to be added, the first sub-mounting part 50 can be mounted on the main mounting part 41. This allows the relay 20 (power supply terminal 22) to be connected to the main mounting part 41 and the fuse mounting part 45 via the first sub-mounting part 50, and allows the power supply of the harness 10 to be supplied to the power supply terminal 22.

By simply attaching the first sub-mounting part 50 to the main mounting part 41 that has been attached in this manner at the desired position, power can be supplied to the relay 20 (power terminal 22) via the first sub-mounting part 50, making it easy to add optional equipment to the desired position in the harness 10.

In addition, at least the housing body 40 can be attached to the conductor exposed portion 13 with the main conductor abutment portion 71 abutting the main conductor 11, and the first sub-mounting portion 50 and the second sub-mounting portion 60 can be removed. This allows for easy addition of optional equipment, while preventing the weight of the harness 2 with branch connectors from increasing if optional equipment is not added.

Furthermore, the housing main body 40 attached to the conductor exposed portion 13 is common, and the first sub-mounting portion 50 and the second sub-mounting portion 60 can be selected according to the desired optional device. This makes it easy to add the desired optional device simply by attaching the first sub-mounting portion 50 and the second sub-mounting portion 60 according to the desired optional device to the housing main body 40. In other words, it is possible to attach a variety of optional devices, and the work efficiency of the installation work can be improved.

In addition, for example, the harness 10 with at least the housing body 40 attached to a desired position on the main conductor 11 can be routed to the vehicle Y, and the first sub-attachment portion 50 can be connected to the housing body 40 later via the detachment portion 46. Therefore, the power supply terminal 22 can be easily branched off from the main conductor 11 later, and optional equipment can be easily added or changed.

In this way, by simply attaching the separately constructed first sub-mounting portion 50 via the detachable portion 46 to the housing main body 40 placed at the desired position in the harness 10, the branch connector 30 that can branch the power supplied to the main conductor 11 to the power terminal 22 can be easily connected to the main conductor 11. Therefore, optional equipment can be easily added or changed to the main conductor 11. In addition, because the branch connector 30 can be easily connected, the degree of freedom in designing the harness 10 to be mounted on the vehicle Y, for example, can be improved.

The main mounting part 41 and the fuse mounting part 45 are integrally configured, while the first sub-mounting part 50 is configured separately. The main mounting part 41 is provided with a detachable part 46 for attaching and detaching the first sub-mounting part 50, and the sub-side connecting conductor 80 is provided with a conductive connecting part 83 for electrically connecting the second fuse mounting part conductor 80a and the sub-mounting part conductor 80b.

This allows the main conductor abutment portion 71 (main mounting portion conductor 70a) and the first main side terminal 72 (70b) to be connected by the main connecting portion 74 to form an integrated main side connecting conductor 70, allowing a stable supply of power to the sub side connecting conductor 80.

Furthermore, the detachment section 46 slides the separately constructed first sub-mounting section 50 into the housing main body 40, making it easy to perform attachment and detachment operations, thereby improving the work efficiency of attaching and detaching the first sub-mounting section 50 to the housing main body 40.

In addition, the main side connecting conductor 70 and the sub side connecting conductor 80 are configured as conductive plate-shaped bus bars, which improves the conductivity of the main side connecting conductor 70 and the sub side connecting conductor 80, making it possible to accommodate a high current harness 10. In addition, by making the main side connecting conductor 70 and the sub side connecting conductor 80 into plate-shaped bus bars, the degree of freedom in design is improved and compactness can be achieved.

Furthermore, the first sub-mounting portion 50 and the second sub-mounting portion 60 can be used to mount a relay 20, and the sub-side connecting conductor 80 is provided with a sub-side terminal 81 and a connecting fork terminal 82 that is connected to the power supply terminal 22, which is the operating side contact of the relay 20.
This allows the first optional device X1 connected to the power supply terminal 22 to be controlled using the relay 20 mounted on the first sub-mounting portion 50 and the second sub-mounting portion 60. This allows various optional devices according to purposes to be added to desired positions in the harness 10, further improving the freedom in designing the harness 10 to be mounted on the vehicle Y.

In addition, the main conductor abutment portion 71 is configured to have a planar shape that makes surface contact with the outer surface of the main conductor 11, thereby ensuring the contact area between the main conductor 11 and the main side connecting conductor 70 and ensuring electrical continuity between the main conductor 11 and the main side connecting conductor 70. This allows stable power supply from the main conductor 11 to the power supply terminal 22 via the branch connector 30.

The main conductor 11 has a predetermined width and a flat cross section, and the main conductor abutment portion 71 is configured to be planar and in surface contact with the outer surface of the main conductor 11. As a result, the planar main conductor abutment portion 71 is in surface contact with the main conductor 11, so that the main conductor abutment portion 71 can be stably positioned relative to the main conductor 11. Therefore, power can be supplied from the main conductor 11 to the power supply terminal 22 more stably, and the stability of conduction can be improved.

Furthermore, the fuse mounting portion 45 is arranged in such a way that the fuse 90 is mounted from the width direction W perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L, so that the fuse 90 is mounted along the width direction W of the main conductor 11. This prevents the fuse mounting portion 45 from expanding in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the main conductor 11, and allows the branch connector 30 to be configured in a compact manner in the up-down direction Z perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L and the width direction W. It also prevents the main conductor 11 from interfering with the mounting of the fuse 90. This allows the fuse 90 to be easily mounted while keeping the size small.

The main mounting portion 41 has a first storage portion 42 and a second storage portion 43 configured to sandwich the harness 10, so that the harness 10 can be sandwiched between the first storage portion 42 arranged on one side of the harness 10 in the cross-sectional direction and the second storage portion 43 arranged on the other side of the harness 10 in the cross-sectional direction, and the main mounting portion 41 can be assembled to store the exposed conductor portion 13 of the harness 10. Therefore, for example, after preparing the harness 10 as the harness 10 to be routed in the vehicle Y, the main mounting portion 41 can be efficiently assembled to the desired position on the harness 10.

In addition, when connecting optional equipment, the insulating coating 12 can be removed at the desired position on the harness 10 and the main mounting part 41 can be attached, so that optional equipment can be added later at the desired position even in a location where the branch connector 30 has not been installed in advance.

As described above, in the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-mentioned embodiment, the main conductor of the present invention corresponds to the main conductor 11.
Similarly,
The insulating coating corresponds to the insulating coating 12.
The power line corresponds to the harness 10.
The sub-conductor corresponds to the power supply terminal 22,
The branch connector corresponds to the branch connector 30,
The housing corresponds to the housing 31,
The main-side connecting conductor corresponds to the main-side connecting conductor 70,
The sub-side connecting conductor corresponds to the sub-side connecting conductor 80,
The longitudinal direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction L,
The exposed conductor portion corresponds to the exposed conductor portion 13,
The main mounting part corresponds to the main mounting part 41,
The fuse corresponds to fuse 90,
The fuse mounting portion corresponds to the fuse mounting portion 45,
The sub-mounting portion corresponds to the first sub-mounting portion 50 and the second sub-mounting portion 60,
The main conductor abutting portion corresponds to the main conductor abutting portion 71,
The main mounting conductor corresponds to the main mounting conductor 70a,
The first fuse connection portion corresponds to the first main side terminal 72,
The first fuse mounting portion conductor corresponds to the first fuse mounting portion conductor 70b,
The second fuse connection portion corresponds to the sub-side terminal 81,
The second fuse mounting portion conductor corresponds to the second fuse mounting portion conductor 80a,
The sub-conductor connection portion corresponds to the connecting tuning fork terminal 82,
The sub-mounting conductor corresponds to the sub-mounting conductor 80b,
The other mounting parts correspond to the first sub-mounting part 50 and the second sub-mounting part 60,
The mounting portion corresponds to the main mounting portion 41 and the fuse mounting portion 45,
The detachable portion and the slide detachable portion correspond to the detachable portion 46,
The mounting portion conductor corresponds to the second fuse mounting portion conductor 80a and the sub-mounting portion conductor 80b,
The conductive connection corresponds to the conductive connection 83,
The operating contact corresponds to the power supply terminal 22,
The operating side connection portion corresponds to the connection tuning fork terminal 82,
The flat conductor corresponds to the main conductor 11,
The first main mounting body corresponds to the first housing portion 42,
The second main mounting body corresponds to the second housing portion 43,
The harness corresponds to the harness 10,
The harness with branch connector corresponds to the harness with branch connector 2,
The additional line corresponds to relay 20,
The harness routing structure with additional circuits corresponds to the harness routing structure with additional circuits 1, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, in the branch connector 30 described above, the fuse 90 is attached to the fuse attachment portion 45 (fuse attachment hole 451) along the width direction W, but the fuse attachment hole 451 may be arranged so that the fuse 90 can be attached along the vertical direction Z. Also, in the case of the fuse attachment portion 45 in which the fuse 90 is attached to the fuse attachment hole 451 along the vertical direction Z as described above, the fuse attachment portion 45 may be arranged on the inside of the width direction W relative to the main conductor 11.

By doing so, the fuse 90 is attached in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the main conductor 11, which prevents the fuse attachment portion 45 from expanding in the width direction W, and allows for the construction of a branch connector 30 that is compact in the width direction W. It also prevents the main conductor 11 from interfering with the attachment of the fuse 90. This allows the fuse 90 to be easily attached while still being small in size.

In addition, for example, in this embodiment, the harness 10 is a flat electric wire in which the main conductor 11 having a flat cross section is covered with an insulating coating 12, but the type of electric wire is not limited. For example, the main conductor 11 may be a round electric wire in which a single conductive wire or multiple conductive wires are bundled together, or the main conductor 11 may be a twisted conductor in which multiple conductive wires are bundled and twisted together.

In addition, in this embodiment, the main conductor abutment portion 71 is configured to have a planar shape that is in surface contact with the outer surface of the main conductor 11, but the shape of this main conductor abutment portion 71 may be changed to match the shape of the main conductor 11. Specifically, when the harness 10 is a round electric wire, the main conductor abutment portion 71 may be made to have an arc-shaped cross section to match the shape of the main conductor 11 of the harness 10.

In addition, in this embodiment, the main side connecting conductor 70 and the sub side connecting conductor 80 are plate-shaped bus bars. However, as long as the power can be branched and supplied from the harness 10 to the power supply terminal 22 via the fuse 90, the configuration is not limited, and the conductors may be conductive electric wires, etc.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first sub-mounting section 50 and the second sub-mounting section 60 are configured to mount the relay 20, but this configuration is not necessarily required. For example, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 12, the connector mounting section 60a may be configured to mount a connector housing H that houses a connector (not shown) provided at the base end of an electric wire 160 to the tip of which an optional device X is connected, and the connection tuning fork terminal 82 may be configured to be connected to a connection terminal provided at the tip of the connector (not shown).

The connector housing H may be singular or plural, and may also serve as a mounting portion that comes into contact with another connecting body such as a relay.
12, the number of sub-side connecting conductors 80 connected to the fuses 90 may be increased in accordance with the number of connected optional devices X. In addition, the number of first main-side terminals 72 may be increased in accordance with the number of sub-side connecting conductors 80, and the number of corresponding fuse mounting holes 451 may also be increased.

As a result, by mounting the connector housing H, which has a connection terminal arranged at the tip of the connector made of electric wire, to the connector mounting portion 60a, electrical continuity between the connector and the sub-side connecting conductor 80 can be ensured. Also, when multiple connection terminals are arranged on the connector, all of the connection terminals provided on the connector can be mounted collectively on the sub-side connecting conductor 80. This makes it possible to reliably and easily ensure electrical continuity between the main conductor 11 and the connector.

The connector mounting portion 60a may also be oriented so that the connector is connected in a direction along the longitudinal direction L. This allows the branch connector 30 to be configured as being compact in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the main mounting portion 41 and the fuse mounting portion 45 are integrally configured, and the housing body 40 and the first sub-mounting portion 50 are separate, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, the main mounting portion 41 and the fuse mounting portion 45 may be configured as separate bodies. In this case, the main connecting portion 74 connecting the main conductor abutment portion 71 and the first main side terminal 72 functions as a conductive connecting portion. Also, in this case, for example, the main connecting portion 74 may be a connecting terminal provided at the connection portion between the main conductor abutment portion 71 and the first main side terminal 72, and may be configured to connect the main conductor abutment portion 71 and the first main side terminal 72.

1 Harness arrangement structure with additional circuit 2 Harness with branch connector 10 Harness 11 Main conductor 12 Insulating coating 13 Conductor exposure portion 20 Relay 22 Power supply terminal 23 First terminal 30 Branch connector 40 Housing body 41 Main mounting portion 42 First accommodating portion 43 Second accommodating portion 45 Fuse mounting portion 46 Detachable portion 50 First sub mounting portion 60 Second sub mounting portion 70, 70a Main side connecting conductor 70b First fuse mounting portion conductor 71 Main conductor abutment portion 73 Second main side terminal 80 Sub side connecting conductor 80 First fuse mounting portion conductor 80b Sub mounting portion conductor 81 Sub side terminal 82 Connection tuning fork terminal 83 Conductive connection portion 90 Fuse L Longitudinal direction

Claims (15)

A branch connector that connects and branches a sub-conductor to be connected to a power line having a main conductor that conducts power and is covered with an insulating coating,
The housing includes a main-side connecting conductor and a sub-side connecting conductor.
the housing has a main mounting portion for mounting a conductor exposed portion of the power line in which a portion of the insulating coating in a longitudinal direction is stripped to expose the main conductor, a fuse mounting portion for mounting a fuse having two electrodes, and a sub mounting portion for mounting and connecting the sub conductor,
The main mounting part has:
a main mounting portion conductor having a main conductor abutting portion that abuts against the main conductor;
The fuse mounting portion includes:
a first fuse mounting portion conductor having a first fuse connection portion connected to one electrode of the mounted fuse, and a second fuse mounting portion conductor having a second fuse connection portion connected to the other electrode are disposed;
The sub-mounting section includes:
A sub-mounting conductor having a sub-conductor connection portion connected to the sub-conductor is disposed;
the main-side connecting conductor has the main mounting portion conductor and the first fuse mounting portion conductor,
the sub-side connecting conductor has the second fuse mounting portion conductor and the sub mounting portion conductor,
The main mounting portion and the fuse mounting portion are integrally formed, and the sub mounting portion is separately formed,
a detachable portion for attaching and detaching the sub-mounting portion to the main mounting portion,
The sub-side connecting conductor is
A conductive connection portion is provided to electrically connect the second fuse mounting portion conductor and the sub-fuse mounting portion conductor.
Branch connector. The detachable portion is
A slide-attachable part that slides and fits a separately constructed mounting part to another mounting part.
The branch connector according to claim 1 . The main-side connecting conductor and the sub-side connecting conductor are
Consisting of a conductive plate-shaped bus bar
The branch connector according to claim 1 or 2 . A plurality of the fuse mounting portions are provided,
the main-side connecting conductor has a plurality of first fuse connecting portions for one main conductor abutting portion, the number of which corresponds to the number of the fuse mounting portions;
The sub-side connecting conductor is provided in a number corresponding to the number of the fuse mounting parts.
The branch connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The sub-mounting unit includes:
A connector mounting portion is provided at a tip of the sub-conductor made of an electric wire, and a connector is mounted on the connector mounting portion,
The sub-conductor connection portion is formed in a terminal shape to be connected to a connection terminal provided at the tip of the sub-conductor.
The branch connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The connector mounting portion is arranged in such a manner that the connector is connected in a direction along the longitudinal direction.
The branch connector according to claim 5 . the sub-mounting section has a relay mounting section for mounting a relay,
The sub-side connecting conductor is
The second fuse connection portion and an operating side connection portion connected to an operating side contact of the relay are provided.
The branch connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The main conductor abutment portion is configured to have a surface shape that is in surface contact with the outer surface of the main conductor.
The branch connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . The main conductor is a flat conductor having a predetermined width and a flat cross section,
The main conductor abutment portion is configured to have a planar shape that is in surface contact with the outer surface of the flat conductor.
The branch connector according to claim 8 . The fuse mounting portion is
The flat conductor is disposed on the inner side in the width direction,
The fuse is arranged in such a manner that it is attached in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and perpendicular to the width direction.
The branch connector according to claim 9 . The fuse mounting portion is
The fuses are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and in a direction perpendicular to the width direction.
The branch connector according to claim 9 . The main mounting portion has a first main mounting body and a second main mounting body configured to sandwich the power line.
The branch connector according to any one of claims 1 to 11 . A harness arranged on the vehicle body;
and a branch connector according to any one of claims 1 to 12 ,
The power supply line constitutes the harness,
A harness with a branch connector, the branch connector being provided at a location where the sub-conductor constituting an additional circuit is branch-connected to the main conductor of the harness. A harness arranged on the vehicle body,
and a branch connector according to any one of claims 1 to 12 ,
The power supply line constitutes the harness,
A harness wiring structure, in which the branch connector is provided at a location where the sub-conductor constituting the additional circuit is branched and connected to the main conductor of the harness. A harness arranged on the vehicle body,
an additional line constituting an additional circuit;
and a branch connector according to any one of claims 1 to 12 ,
the power supply line constitutes the harness, and the sub-conductor constitutes the conductor of the additional line;
The branch connector is provided at a location where the sub-conductor is branched and connected to the main conductor of the harness.

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