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JP-2026075768-A - Protector

JP2026075768AJP 2026075768 AJP2026075768 AJP 2026075768AJP-2026075768-A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a protector capable of protecting connectors and wire harnesses when they are unintentionally displaced. [Solution] The protector 1 protects the connector 3 and the wire harness 4 that is pulled out from the connector 3 and extends toward the structures 6 and 7 which are positioned opposite the connector 3 at a distance, by covering them, and has a top wall portion 11 that covers the connector 3 and the wire harness 4 from the base side to partway along the pulling direction, a curved portion 12 that extends from one end (rear end) of the top wall portion 11 in a curved manner so as to hang down, and side wall portions 13 that extend from the left and right sides of the top wall portion 11 and the curved portion 12, respectively so as to hang down. [Selection Diagram] Figure 2

Inventors

  • 小松 剛希
  • 見城 裕太
  • 小杉 航輝
  • 河村 周治

Assignees

  • トヨタ自動車株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20241023

Claims (3)

  1. A protector for covering and protecting a connector and a wire harness that extends from the connector and is positioned opposite the connector at a distance from it toward a structure, A protector characterized by having a top wall portion that covers the connector and the wire harness from the base side to partway along the exit direction, a curved portion that extends from one end of the top wall portion in a curved manner downwards, and side wall portions that extend from the left and right sides of the top wall portion and the curved portion, respectively.
  2. In the protector according to claim 1, At the lowest part of the curved section, a flange is provided so as to protrude toward the structure. The protector is characterized in that the flange is curved so as to gradually curve downwards from its base and then diagonally upwards.
  3. The protector according to claim 1 or 2 is positioned above a junction box installed in the engine compartment of a vehicle, wherein the connector is connected to the junction box, and, when the structure is located at the front of the vehicle's cabin, the other end of the top wall portion is attached to the rear of the junction box.

Description

This invention relates to a protector. For example, Patent Document 1 describes "a junction box mounted on a vehicle and a configuration in which wire harnesses (main harness, floor harness) are connected to the junction box." Japanese Patent No. 5071716 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-165328) This is a plan view showing one embodiment of the protector according to the present invention.This is a side view of the protector.This is a side view showing the initial stage of the protector interfering with the cabin.This is a side view to further explain Figure 3. The best embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 4 show one embodiment of the present invention. The protector 1 in the example protects the connector 3 connected to the junction box 2 and the wire harness (also called wiring) 4 extending from the connector 3 by completely covering them. The junction box 2 is installed in vehicles such as fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), and is mounted on the input/output section of a high-voltage battery pack (not shown) to ensure the smooth operation of the vehicle's electrical components. It is a box component that integrates relays for switching ON/OFF, fuses for circuit interruption in case of malfunction, and current sensors for detecting charge and discharge current values. As is well known, an FCEV is a vehicle equipped with a fuel cell (FC) stack 5, which generates electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. This junction box 2 is positioned above the FC stack 5, which is installed, for example, in the engine compartment (symbol omitted). As shown in Figure 2, the connector 3 and wire harness 4 protrude toward the front of the cabin (not shown), which is an example of a structure (towards the bulkhead 6 and the cowl 7 attached to its upper part), and are positioned at a distance from and opposite to the bulkhead 6 and cowl 7. Therefore, there is a risk that the wire harness 4 and connector 3 may interfere with the bulkhead 6 and cowl 7 during a frontal collision. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a wiper unit (including a wiper motor 8a, wiper link 8b, wiper grommet 8c, etc.) is provided on the upper part of the cowl 7. The wire harness 4 is connected to electrical components installed in the engine compartment (for example, an air conditioning compressor, a DC-DC converter, etc., although not shown in the diagram). The protector 1 has a top wall portion 11, a curved portion 12, left and right side wall portions 13, 13, etc. The top wall portion 11 is rectangular in shape and is sized to cover the connector 3 and wire harness 4 from the base to partway along the exit direction. The curved section 12 extends from one end of the top wall section 11, curving downwards. The left and right side wall sections 13, 13 extend downwards from the left and right sides of the top wall section 11 and the curved section 12, respectively. The aforementioned end of the top wall section 11 is the end located on the rear side in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and can be called the rear end. At the lowest part of the curved section 12, a flange 14 is provided so as to protrude toward the bulkhead 6. The flange 14 is curved from its base, gradually curving downwards at an angle, and then curving upwards at an angle. An upward-extending mounting piece 15 is provided at the other end of the top wall portion 11. This mounting piece 15 is attached to the rear of the junction box 2 by bolts 16, thereby allowing the protector 1 to be attached to the junction box 2. The other end of the top wall portion 11 refers to the end located on the front side in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and can be called the front end. Incidentally, while iron-based metals are preferred as the material for protector 1 in terms of cost and strength, aluminum alloys and the like can also be used. Furthermore, the junction box 2 is positioned at an upward-sloping angle relative to the horizontal line running along the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and similarly, the protector 1 is also positioned at an upward-sloping angle. Next, we will explain the behavior of a vehicle during a frontal collision, referring to Figures 3 and 4. For example, if a vehicle is involved in a frontal collision, and the junction box 2 is displaced toward the cabin (not shown) as shown in Figure 3, the curved portion 12 of the protector 1 will interfere with the bulkhead 6 and cowl 7 before the connector 3 and wire harness 4. Therefore, the connector 3 and wire harness 4 are less likely to be damaged. If, as shown in Figure 4, the displacement of the protector 1 is large, the curved portion 12 of the protector 1 that interferes with the bulkhead 6 and cowl 7 will cause the entire protector 1 to tilt diagonally downwards, thereby reducing damage to the bulkhead 6. Furthermore, even if the flange 14 at the tip of the