Yazaki Corporation

Yoshinobu Seki

Ryuetsu Oikawa

Kenichiro Kawaguchi

Gen Oozono

Akio Sugiyama

Mamoru Ono

Masami Sakamoto

Yutaka Matsuoka

Mitsutoshi Nakamura

A covering sheet for being wound around a linear member includes a flat surface portion. A plurality of easily expandable/contractible portions are formed on the flat surface portion, and are arranged along an extending direction of an axis of the linear member.

Covering sheet and method of bending linear member with the same

An insulation displacement joint connector has a connector housing provided with a contact terminal into which a plurality of wires are press-fitted. The terminal is provided with wire fitting parts protruding from the connector housing. With the joint connector stacked on another joint connector with the same structure, the fitting parts of one joint connector are connected to wires in another joint connector by press fitting. Thus the use of a fewer number of joint connectors allows desired wire harness assembly, saving space and decreasing cost.

Joint connector assembly

A method of assembling a wire harness circuit includes providing a plurality of module plates, attaching wire connection terminals to predetermined wires of a plurality of wire sub-harnesses, inserting one or more wire connection terminals into selected wire housing grooves on the module plates, laminating the module plates on each other so as to form a laminated body, and inserting at least one connection member into the laminated body through openings in the module plates to electrically connect selected wire connection terminals on respective module plates. A wire harness according to the invention includes a plurality of wire sub-harnesses, each wire sub-harness comprising a plurality of wires, a plurality of wire connection terminals engageable with preselected wires to establish an electrical connection, a plurality of module plates laminated on each other so as to form a laminated body, and at least one connection member insertable into the laminated body through openings in the module plates to electrically connect selected wire connection terminals on respective module plates.

Wire harness circuit configuration method and wire harness

A grommet is provided with an elastic grommet body, a mounting groove, a seal material and a cover portion. The grommet body has a first cylindrical portion disposed at one side, a second cylindrical portion disposed at the other end and a third cylindrical portion disposed within the first cylindrical portion. The first cylindrical portion has a maximum inner diameter larger than a maximum inner diameter of the second cylindrical portion. The third cylindrical portion projects to the one side from an inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion. The inner peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion and the inner peripheral surface of the third cylindrical portion defines a harness insertion portion in which a wire harness is inserted from one side to the other side. The inner peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion and the outer peripheral surface of the third cylindrical portion defines an annular space for allowing the first cylindrical portion to elastically deform. The mounting groove is annually formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion. The seal material is filled in the harness insertion portion in a state that the wire harness is inserted. The cover portion is disposed in an end portion of one side of the grommet body and closes the annular space without affecting an elastic deformation of the first cylindrical portion. The grommet can be easily mounted by the closed annular space, and a sound prevention performance can be improved.

Grommet

A plurality of bus bars 3 are mounted in a housing 1, and a plurality of reception portions 2A.sub.1, 2A.sub.2 and 2A.sub.3, provided in one side of the housing 1 for receiving a mating connector K, are staggered in a stairs-like manner relative to reception portions 2B.sub.1, 2B.sub.2 and 2B.sub.3 provided in the other side of the housing. With this arrangement, connection pins 5, 5', extending in a branched manner from the bus bars 3, project respectively into the same positions in the associated reception portions 2, and even if the mating connector K is fitted in any of the reception portions 2, metal terminals 6 of the mating connector K are connected respectively to the predetermined connector pins 5, 5'.

Joint connector

A joint connector including a plurality of terminals received in a connector housing designed such that the length of the terminals, and hence the length of the connector housing, is minimized to provide a compact arrangement. The joint connector includes the connector housing accommodating a plurality of terminals including bus bar connecting portions, and a bus bar having terminal connecting portions arranged in correspondence with the terminals. Each of the bus bar connecting portions of the terminals has a planar piece, while each of the terminal connecting portions of the bus bar has a slit, or vice versa. The planar pieces are fixedly engaged in the slits so that the bus bar connecting portions of the terminals are electrically connected to the terminal connecting portions of the bus bar, respectively. According to one embodiment the bus bar connecting portions of the terminals is L-shaped. In another embodiment, the bus bar connecting portions includes a base plate from which a pair of planar pieces extend and are joined together to form a laminated bus bar connecting portion.

In a connector, metal terminals are held against withdrawal by a retainer, and projections on the retainer are engaged respectively with projections formed at that portion where the retainer is inserted. By doing so, the retainer is retained provisionally and completely. A plurality of spaced elongate arms are formed on the retainer, and fitting projections, formed on the opposite ends of the arms, are received respectively in predetermined grooves, thereby restraining the movement of the retainer in any direction except for predetermined directions.

Connector

A disconnection mechanism for a dark current fuse provides a connecting terminal connecting the dark current fuse, a fuse block body receiving the connecting terminal, and a fuse holder slidably engaged with the fuse block body in a direction of connecting the dark current fuse, the fuse holder provides a cutaway opening exposing a head of the dark current fuse being therein, an engaging projection disposed at an opening edge of the cutaway opening for engaging the head, and a supporting wall portion contacting a trunk of the dark current fuse. The disconnection mechanism is not necessary to store the extracted dark current fuse after a dark current fuse circuit is opened, so that there arises no possibility of missing the extracted dark current fuse, the dark current fuse can be extracted by using a puller, and the dark current fuse is surely held with being prevented from slipping off.

Disconnection mechanism for a dark current fuse

A joint connector comprises: a connector housing (12) formed with a first joint opening (12A) joined with a first mated connector (17) on a first end side thereof and a second joint opening (12B) joined with a second mated connector (18) on a second end side thereof; and a bus bar (13, 23, 33) housed in the connector housing and formed with a plurality of branch terminal portions (13a, 23a, 33a) extending symmetrically toward the first and second end sides of the connector housing (12) and arranged also symmetrically when seen from any of the first and second end sides of the connector housing. Further, a plurality of the bus bars (13, 23) are arranged also symmetrically in the connector housing when seen from both the first and second end sides of the connector housing (12). Therefore, whenever the mated connectors are jointed with the joint connector on either side, it is possible to obtain the same electrical connection conditions.

A disconnection mechanism for a dark current fuse provides a connecting terminal connecting the dark current fuse, a fuse block body receiving the connecting terminal, and a fuse holder slidably engaged with the fuse block body in a direction of connecting the dark current fuse, the fuse holder provides a cutaway opening exposing a head of the dark current fuse being therein, an engaging projection disposed at an opening edge of the cutaway opening for engaging the head, and a supporting wall portion contacting a trunk of the dark current fuse. The disconnection mechanism is not necessary to store the extracted dark current fuse after a dark current fuse circuit is opened, so that there arises no possibility of missing the extracted dark current fuse, the dark current fuse can be extracted by using a puller, and the dark current fuse is surely held and prevented from slipping off.

A connector housing includes support walls provided on right and left sides of terminal receiving chambers for receiving metal terminals, respectively, these support walls having retainer-retaining projections. A retainer for being inserted into the connector housing is made of an elastic material, and has lock arms formed on a base portion in a cantilever manner. The first and second lock arms Are integrally provided with a slit formed therebetween, and the first and second lock arms are integrally provided with a slit formed therebetween. The first and second lock arms have generally the same length, and are arranged generally symmetrically with respect to a line passing through the base portion. In a completely-retained condition of the retainer, the first and second lock arms limit the movement of elastic retaining pieces engaged respectively with the metal terminals.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Yoshinobu Seki