JP2006310074A - Shielded conducting path - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shielded conducting path for saving space in conveyance and storage. <P>SOLUTION: Connectors 30A-30C provided at the edge of a plurality of metal pipes 20A-20C where electric wires 10A, 10B are inserted are connected by using a relay connector 40. Therefore, in conveyance and storage, respective metal pipes 20A-20C are divided, thus reducing required space and dead space. Also, the relay connector 40 is surrounded by a conductive shield cover 50, so that the shield cover 50 holds the edge of respective metal pipes 20A-20C while the relative displacement has been regulated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a shield conductive path.

Conventionally, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1 as a shield conductive path having a shield function. This has a structure in which a plurality of non-shielded electric wires are inserted into a metal pipe, and the metal pipe has both a shielding function and an electric wire protection function.
JP 2004-171952 A

When this type of shield conductive path is used as a power circuit for an electric vehicle, depending on the type of vehicle, the route of the shield conductive path may be changed from the equipment (for example, an inverter device) provided in the engine room at the front of the vehicle body to the rear of the vehicle body. It is conceivable to reach a device (for example, a battery or a motor for driving the rear wheels) disposed in the vehicle. In such a wiring form, since the total length of the shield conductive path becomes long, a large space is required for transportation and storage, or a dead space is generated. In particular, when the shield conductive path is routed along the under floor of the vehicle body, the space efficiency is further deteriorated because the shield conductive path is bent in a three-dimensional direction in order to avoid equipment attached to the under floor.
The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to save space during transportation and storage.

  As means for achieving the above object, a shield conductive path according to the invention of claim 1 includes a plurality of metal pipes, an electric wire inserted through each metal pipe, and one end of each metal pipe. A connector connected to an electric wire inserted through a metal pipe, and a relay connector that can be connected to and separated from each connector and electrically connects the electric wires of each metal pipe when connected. Has characteristics.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the conductive shield according to the first aspect, wherein the conductive shield is electrically connected to each of the metal pipes and surrounds a portion of the relay connector exposed from an end of the metal pipe. It is characterized by having a cover.

  The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 2, the shield cover holds the ends of the metal pipes in a state in which relative displacement is restricted.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the one according to the second or third aspect, the shield cover is formed by combining two halves that form a half cylinder into a cylinder. It has the characteristics.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, a conductive elastic ring is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the metal pipe and the inner surface of the shield cover. It has a characteristic where it exists.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the relay connector is provided with three or more connecting portions for connecting the connector of the metal pipe. It is characterized in that more than the metal pipes can be combined.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the one according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an outer peripheral surface of a portion of the relay connector inserted into the metal pipe is an inner peripheral surface of the metal pipe. It is characterized by the fact that a waterproof ring is provided.

<Invention of Claim 1>
Since the connector provided on the end of multiple metal pipes is connected using a relay connector, the necessary space and dead space can be reduced by separating each metal pipe during transportation and storage. Can be small.

<Invention of Claim 2>
Since the shield cover surrounding the portion exposed from the end portion of the metal pipe in the relay connector is provided, the shielding property can be ensured even at the connection portion of the metal pipe.

<Invention of Claim 3>
Since the metal pipes are positioned by the shield cover, a dedicated means for positioning the metal pipes is not necessary.

<Invention of Claim 4>
As the cylindrical shield cover, it is conceivable that a single component is externally fitted to the relay connector, but in this case, the outer diameter of the shield cover is increased. On the other hand, in the present invention, since the shield cover is formed by combining the substantially half-cylinder halves, the outer diameter can be reduced.

<Invention of Claim 5>
Since the conductive elastic ring is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the metal pipe and the inner surface of the shield cover, the metal pipe and the shield cover can be reliably conducted.

<Invention of Claim 6>
In the case where a branch is provided in the conductive path, even if an attempt is made to pass an electric wire through a branched metal pipe, the branch portion becomes an obstacle and the electric wire cannot be passed well. On the other hand, in this configuration, it is possible to combine three or more metal pipes using a relay connector, so that it is possible to combine the wires in a branched shape after inserting the electric wires through each metal pipe in advance. Work is easy.

<Invention of Claim 7>
Since the waterproof ring in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the metal pipe is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the relay connector inserted into the metal pipe, the inside of the metal pipe can be sealed.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the present embodiment, for example, in a hybrid vehicle using both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as drive sources, two systems of three-phase AC outputs are output from an inverter device provided in the engine room of the rear wheel drive motor and the indoor air conditioner. An example will be described in which the present invention is applied to a shield conductive path for supplying to a drive motor of a shoner. Although this shield conductive path 1 is not shown in detail in relation to the automobile, it extends from the engine room of the automobile and is disposed under the floor of the vehicle body.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the shield conductive path 1 has a total of twelve unshielded electric wires 10A and 10B (all electric wires are not shown in the figure), and has a collective shield function and an electric wire protection function 3 The metal pipes 20A to 20C, three first to third connectors 30A to 30C, one relay connector 40, and one shield cover 50 are configured.

  The electric wire is composed of two types, a large-diameter electric wire 10A and a smaller-diameter electric wire 10B (the diameter is narrower because the transmission power is smaller than that of the electric wire 10A). This is a form in which the outer periphery of a conductor made of a copper stranded wire or the like is surrounded by an insulating coating made of synthetic resin.

  The metal pipes 20A to 20C are made of an aluminum alloy and have a cylindrical shape having the same diameter. In the metal pipe 20A, a total of six wires 10A3 and three wires 10B are inserted, and the ends of these wires 10A and 10B (the end opposite to the branch portion shown in the figure) are Connected to the inverter device. Further, three electric wires 10A are inserted into the metal pipe 20B, and one end of each electric wire 10A is connected to the electric wire 10A in the metal pipe 20A via a relay connector 40 described later, and the other electric wire 10A is connected to the other end. The end is connected to a drive motor for the rear wheel. Further, three electric wires 10B are inserted into the metal pipe 20C, and one end of each electric wire 10B is connected to the electric wire 10B in the metal pipe 20A via the relay connector 40, and the other end. Is connected to the drive motor of the indoor air conditioner.

  The first to third connectors 30A to 30C are respectively provided with synthetic resin housings 31A to 31C, and a plurality of connection terminals 35A and 35B are accommodated therein. The housings 31 </ b> A to 31 </ b> C have a circular cross section whose outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the metal pipes 20 </ b> A to 20 </ b> C, and a cylindrical hood portion 32 projects from one end thereof. There are two types of connection terminals 35A and 35B, which are not shown in detail. A barrel portion is formed at one end of each, and the large connection terminal 35A has a large diameter electric wire 10A and a small size. The terminal portion of the small-diameter electric wire 10B is crimped to the barrel portion of the connection terminal 35B. The housing 31A of the first connector 30A has three large and small connection terminals 35A and 35B, and the housing 31B of the second connector 30B has three large connection terminals 35A and the housing 31C of the third connector 30C. Are equipped with three small connection terminals 35B. Each of the connection terminals 35A and 35B includes cylindrical fitting portions 36A and 36B protruding into the hood portion 32, and can be connected to relay terminals 45A and 45B described later.

  The relay connector 40 includes a synthetic resin housing 41 having a T-shape. Three end portions of the housing 41 are provided with first to third connection portions 42A to 42C that can be fitted in the hood portions 32 of the first to third connectors 30A to 30C, respectively. In each of the connection portions 42A to 42C, a receiving recess 43 that can receive the cylindrical fitting portions 36A and 36B of the connection terminals 35A and 35B of the mating connectors 30A to 30C is formed. In addition, relay terminals 45A and 45B made of a rod-shaped conductive metal material are embedded in the housing 41 by insert molding. The relay terminals 45A and 45B are provided with two types of relay terminals of a large diameter and a small diameter. The large-diameter relay terminal 45A is linear, and male tab portions 46A formed at both ends thereof protrude into the receiving recesses 43 of the first connection portion 42A and the second connection portion 42B, so that the mating connection terminal 35A. Is fitted and connected to the cylindrical fitting portion 36A. Further, the small-diameter relay terminal 45B has an L shape, and male tab portions 46B formed at both ends thereof protrude into the receiving recesses 43 of the first connection portion 42A and the third connection portion 42C, so The terminal 35B is fitted and connected to a cylindrical fitting portion 36B. During molding of the housing 41, a sealing adhesive 47 is applied to the outer periphery of the insert portion of each relay terminal 45A, 45B, and a gap generated between the relay terminals 45A, 45B and the housing 41 due to the occurrence of sink marks after molding. Is sealed with a sealing adhesive 47 to improve the sealing performance. Further, the housing 41 is formed with a radially extending seal mounting portion 48 over the entire circumference on the outer peripheral surface of the base end side portion (the portion that becomes the outside of the hood portion 32) with respect to the connection portions 42A to 42C. A rubber waterproof ring 49 in contact with the inner peripheral surfaces of the metal pipes 20A to 20C is attached thereto.

  The shield cover 50 is made of an aluminum alloy and has a substantially T-shaped cylindrical shape opened in three directions. The portion of the relay connector 40 exposed from the ends of the metal pipes 20A to 20C, and the metal pipes 20A to 20C. Surrounding the end. The shield cover 50 is configured by combining a pair of half-divided bodies 51 having a substantially half-cylinder shape so as to form a cylindrical shape (FIG. 1 shows only one half-divided body 51). Each half 51 is provided with four square mounting pieces 52 extending outwardly at a portion facing the other half 51, and both halves 51 have corresponding mounting pieces 52. By overlapping each other and tightening them with bolts 53 and nuts 54, they are held in a combined state. The three openings 55 included in the shield cover 50 each have a cylindrical shape having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the metal pipes 20A to 20C, and end portions of the metal pipes 20A to 20C are inserted therein. An elastic ring 56 made of a conductive metal plate such as a copper alloy is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of each end of the metal pipes 20A to 20C, and the elastic ring 56 is elastically applied to the inner surface of the shield cover 50. By being in contact, the metal pipes 20A to 20C and the shield cover 50 are electrically connected, and the ends of the metal pipes 20A to 20C are held in a state in which relative displacement is restricted.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
When the shield conductive path 1 is transported or stored, the relay connector 40 and the shield cover 50 are not assembled to the metal pipes 20A to 20C (the metal pipes 20A to 20C are separated from each other). At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the connection terminals 35A and 35B are crimped to the end portions of the electric wires 10A and 10B, and the connection terminals 35A and 35B are accommodated in the corresponding housings 31A to 31C. 10B is inserted through the corresponding metal pipes 20A to 20C. Thus, by setting the three metal pipes 20A to 20C in a divided state, it is possible to reduce the space required for transportation and storage.

  When routing the shield conductive path 1 to the vehicle body, first, the connectors 30A to 30C drawn from the metal pipes 20A to 20C are fitted into the connection portions 42A to 42C of the relay connector 40, respectively. Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the connectors 30 </ b> A to 30 </ b> C and the ends of the housing 41 to which the connectors 30 </ b> A to 30 </ b> C are connected are inserted into the corresponding metal pipes 20 </ b> A to 20 </ b> C. Thereby, the waterproof ring 49 attached to the relay connector 40 is elastically brought into contact with the inner peripheral surfaces of the metal pipes 20A to 20C, and the inside of the metal pipes 20A to 20C is sealed.

  Next, the elastic ring 56 is fitted on the outer peripheral surfaces at the ends of the metal pipes 20A to 20C. Then, the shield cover 50 is formed by combining the pair of halves 51 so as to sandwich the end portions of the relay connector 40 and the metal pipes 20 </ b> A to 20 </ b> C, and both the halves 51 are fixed with bolts 53 and nuts 54. At this time, the inner peripheral surface of the shield cover 50 comes into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the elastic ring 56 while compressing the elastic ring 56, and the metal pipes 20 </ b> A to 20 </ b> C are held in a state in which relative displacement is restricted, and 20C are electrically connected to each other through the shield cover 50. As described above, the shield conductive path 1 is assembled in a shape along a predetermined wiring path. Thereafter, the shield conductive path 1 may be fixed to the vehicle body.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the connectors 30A to 30C provided at the ends of the plurality of metal pipes 20A to 20C are connected using the relay connector 40, each metal is transported and stored. Necessary space and dead space can be reduced by dividing the pipes 20A to 20C.

  Moreover, since the shield cover 50 surrounding the portion exposed from the end portions of the metal pipes 20A to 20C in the relay connector 40 is provided, the shielding property can be ensured also in the connecting portion of the metal pipes 20A to 20C.

  Further, since the metal pipes 20A to 20C are positioned by the shield cover 50, a dedicated means for positioning the metal pipes 20A to 20C is not necessary.

  In addition, as the cylindrical shield cover, for example, a single component may be externally fitted to the relay connector, but in this case, the outer diameter of the shield cover becomes large. In contrast, in the present invention, since the shield cover 50 is formed by combining the substantially half-cylinder halves 51, the outer diameter can be reduced.

  Further, since the conductive elastic ring 56 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the metal pipe 20B and the inner surface of the shield cover 50, the metal pipes 20A to 20C and the shield cover 50 can be reliably conducted.

  In addition, when a branch is provided in the conductive path, even if an attempt is made to pass an electric wire through a branched metal pipe, the branch portion becomes an obstacle and the electric wire cannot be passed well. On the other hand, in this structure, since the three metal pipes 20A to 20C can be combined using the relay connector 40, the electric wires 10A and 10B are inserted through the metal pipes 20A to 20C in advance and then branched. It is possible to combine them with each other and the wiring work is easy.

  Since the waterproof ring 49 in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the metal pipes 20A to 20C is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the portion inserted into the metal pipes 20A to 20C in the relay connector 40, the inside of the metal pipes 20A to 20C can be sealed. .

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.
(1) In the above embodiment, the three metal pipes are connected at the branch portion. However, according to the present invention, the number of metal pipes connected by the relay connector may be two, or four. That's all. Further, the shape of the relay connector is not limited to the T shape.
(2) In the above embodiment, the relay connector is covered with the shield cover. However, according to the present invention, the shield cover may not be provided. In this case, for example, the relay connector may be accommodated inside the metal pipe so as not to be exposed to the outside as much as possible.
(3) Further, for example, a resin cover may be attached to the branch portion to reinforce or waterproof.
(4) In the above embodiment, the case where the shield conductive path is routed to the electric vehicle has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a shield conductive path routed other than the electric vehicle.

Sectional drawing which shows the branch part of the shield conductive path in embodiment of this invention Sectional drawing which shows the state which divided | segmented the metal pipe Sectional drawing which shows the state which connected the relay connector with each connector

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shield conductive path 10A, 10B ... Electric wire 20A-20C ... Metal pipe 30A-30C ... 1st-3rd connector (connector)
40 ... Relay connector 49 ... Waterproof ring 50 ... Shield cover 51 ... Half body 56 ... Elastic ring

Claims (7)

With multiple metal pipes,
Electric wires inserted through the metal pipes,
A connector connected to an electric wire inserted through the metal pipe at one end of each metal pipe;
A shield conductive path comprising a relay connector that is connectable / separable to each connector and electrically connects the wires of each metal pipe when connected. 2. The conductive shield cover according to claim 1, further comprising a conductive shield cover that is electrically connected to each of the metal pipes and surrounds a portion of the relay connector that is exposed from an end of the metal pipe. Shield conductive path. 3. The shield conductive path according to claim 2, wherein the shield cover holds ends of the metal pipes in a state in which relative displacement is restricted. 4. The shield conductive path according to claim 2, wherein the shield cover is configured by combining two halves that form a half cylinder into a cylinder. 5. The shield conductive path according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a conductive elastic ring is provided between an outer peripheral surface of the metal pipe and an inner surface of the shield cover. 3. The relay connector is provided with three or more connecting portions for connecting the connector of the metal pipe, and three or more metal pipes can be combined. Item 6. The shield conductive path according to Item 5. The waterproof ring which contacts the inner peripheral surface of the said metal pipe is provided in the outer peripheral surface of the part inserted in the said metal pipe among the said relay connectors, The any one of Claims 1-6 characterized by the above-mentioned. The shield conductive path described in 1.

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