Electrical wiring harness structure for vehicle

• US 5,623,169 A
• Filed: 09/22/1994
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation, Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation, Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Shimizu, Masaaki, Anma, Mitsuru, Sugimoto, Nobuyoshi, Michihira, Osamu, Masui, Hideaki, Hirano, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): FLEMING, FRITZ M
• Application Number:
  US08/311,443
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 307/38, 307/42, 307/40, 307/147, 361/749, 361/826
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses

Abstract

An electrical wiring harness structure constituting a multiplex transmission network in a vehicle, in which a vehicle body is divided into a plurality of blocks, electrical components are mounted in units of blocks to constitute modules, and thereafter, the modules are combined to complete a vehicle body. The structure includes control nodes, arranged in units of modules, for controlling communications of the electrical components mounted on the corresponding modules, wiring harnesses, arranged between the adjacent modules, for forming a transmission path for performing communications among the control nodes, and connectors for connecting the wiring harnesses and the control nodes.

Claims

1. An electrical wiring harness structure for a multiplex transmission network in a vehicle, in which a vehicle body is divided into a plurality of blocks, electrical components are mounted in units of the blocks to constitute modules, and the modules are combined to complete a vehicle body, the electrical wiring harness structure comprising:

main block control nodes which are respectively provided in modules abutting each other in the vehicle;

trunk wiring harnesses arranged in a front-rear direction of the vehicle connecting main block control nodes, and forming a transmission path for performing communications among said main block control nodes;

first connectors for connecting said trunk wiring harnesses and said main block control nodes;

branch wiring harnesses branched from said main block control nodes in a transverse direction of the vehicle;

subordinate block control nodes connected to said main block control nodes by said branch wiring harnesses; and

second connectors for connecting said branch wiring harnesses and said subordinate block control nodes,

wherein said vehicle body is divided into at least an engine room block, a passenger room block, and a rear block,

wherein said main block control nodes comprise right and left cowl nodes having a function of controlling communications among electrical components arranged in said engine room block, electrical components arranged in said passenger room block, and electrical components arranged behind said passenger room block, which are arranged at right and left portions, facing a passenger room, of said engine room block, and

wherein said right and left cowl nodes are connected through a branch wiring harness.

2. The structure as recited in claim 1, wherein various electrical components are connected to said branch wiring harnesses.

3. The structure according to claim 2, wherein said branch wiring harness comprises a flat cable.

4. An electrical wiring harness structure for a multiplex transmission network in a vehicle, in which a vehicle body is divided into a plurality of blocks, electrical components are mounted in units of the blocks to constitute modules, and the modules are combined to complete a vehicle body, the electrical wiring harness structure comprising:

main block control nodes which are respectively provided in modules abutting each other in the vehicle;

trunk wiring harnesses arranged in a front-rear direction of the vehicle connecting main block control nodes, and forming a transmission path for performing communications among said main block control nodes;

first connectors for connecting said trunk wiring harnesses and said main block control nodes;

branch wiring harnesses branched from said main block control nodes in a transverse direction of the vehicle;

subordinate block control nodes connected to said main block control nodes by said branch wiring harnesses; and

second connectors for connecting said branch wiring harnesses and said subordinate block control nodes,

wherein said trunk wiring harnesses comprises a left trunk wiring harness arranged at the left side of said vehicle body, and a right trunk wiring harness arranged at the right side of said vehicle body, and

wherein a plurality of pairs of right and left main block control nodes are arranged in said vehicle body, the main block control nodes each constituting one node of each pair of right and left main block control nodes are connected through a branch wiring harness extending in a transverse direction of said vehicle body, the main block control nodes arranged at the left side of said vehicle body are connected through said left trunk wiring harness, and the main block control nodes arranged at the right side of said vehicle body are connected through said right trunk wiring harness.

5. The structure according to claim 4, wherein said vehicle body is divided into at least an engine room block, a passenger room block, and a rear block.

6. The structure according to claim 5, wherein said main block control nodes comprise right and left cowl nodes having a function of controlling communications among electrical components arranged in said engine room block, electrical components arranged in said passenger room block, and electrical components arranged behind said passenger room block, which are arranged at right and left portions, facing a passenger room, of said engine room block.

7. The structure according to claim 6, wherein each of said cowl nodes comprises a branch box for branching a communication line from the trunk wiring harness to the subordinate block control node, an electrical control unit module for controlling communications among the electrical components, and a fuse box in which fuses of the electrical components are concentrated.

8. The structure according to claim 7, wherein said fuse box is detachable from each of said cowl nodes.

9. The structure according to claim 5, wherein a front end block on which electrical components located at a front portion of said vehicle body are mounted is connected to a front side of said engine room block.

10. The structure according to claim 5, wherein floor control nodes comprising main block control nodes having a function of branching signal lines from said trunk wiring harness to door portions are arranged near door mounting portions in said passenger room block.

11. The structure according to claim 5, wherein a tail block is connected to a rear side of said luggage room block.

12. The electrical wiring harness structure according to claim 4, wherein said main block control nodes are provided in the vicinity of a connecting portion between a module where a main block control node is provided and an adjacent module where a subordinate block control node is connected to said main block control node.

13. The electrical wiring harness structure according to claim 12, wherein said modules comprise a body module and a door module and some of said main block control nodes are provided at the body module in the vicinity of a connecting portion between the body module and the door module.

14. The structure according to claim 4, wherein each of said right and left trunk wiring harnesses comprises twisted pair wires.

15. An electrical wiring harness structure for a multiplex transmission network in a vehicle, in which a vehicle body is divided into a plurality of blocks, electrical components are mounted in units of the blocks to constitute modules, and the modules are combined to complete a vehicle body, the electrical wiring harness structure comprising:

main block control nodes respectively provided in modules abutting each other in the vehicle;

trunk wiring harnesses arranged in a front-rear direction of the vehicle connecting main block control nodes, and forming a transmission path for performing communications among said main block control nodes;

branch wiring harnesses branched from said main block control nodes;

subordinate block control nodes connected to said main block control nodes by said branch wiring harnesses, wherein

said trunk wiring harnesses have a left trunk wiring harness arranged at a left side of said vehicle and a right trunk wiring harness arranged at a right side of said vehicle, and said main block control nodes have right and left cowl nodes arranged at right and left cowl portions of the vehicle, and said right and left cowl nodes are connected to each other through one of said branch wiring harnesses.

16. The structure according to claim 15, wherein said vehicle body is divided into at least an engine room block, a passenger room block, and a rear block.

17. The structure according to claim 16, wherein floor control nodes comprising main block control nodes having a function of branching signal lines from said trunk wiring harness to door portions are arranged near door mounting portions in said passenger room block.

18. The structure according to claim 16, wherein a tail block is connected is connected to a rear side of said luggage room block.

19. The structure according to claim 16, wherein a front end block on which electrical components located at a front portion of said vehicle body are mounted is connected to a front side of said engine room block.

20. The structure according to claim 16, wherein said right and left cowl nodes have a function of controlling communications among electrical components arranged in said engine room block, electrical components arranged in said passenger room block, and electrical components arranged behind said passenger room block, which are arranged at right and left portions, facing a passenger room, of said engine room block.

21. The structure according to claim 20, wherein each of said cowl nodes comprises a branch box for branching a communication line from the trunk wiring harness to the subordinate block control node, an electrical control unit module for controlling communications among the electrical components, and a fuse box in which fuses of the electrical components are concentrated.

22. The structure according to claim 21, wherein said fuse box is detachable from each of said cowl nodes.

23. The structure according to claim 20, wherein various electrical components are connected to said branch wiring harnesses.

24. The structure according to claim 23, wherein said branch wiring harnesses comprise a flat cable.

25. The structure according to claim 15, wherein each of said right and left trunk wiring harnesses comprises twisted pair wires.

26. The structure according to claim 15, wherein a plurality of pairs of right and left main block control nodes are arranged in said vehicle body, the main block control nodes each constituting one node of each pair of right and left main block control nodes are connected through a branch wiring harness extending in a widthwise direction of said vehicle body, the main block control nodes arranged at the left side of said vehicle body are connected through said left trunk wiring harness, and the main block control nodes arranged at the right side of said vehicle body are connected through said right trunk wiring harness.

27. The electrical wiring harness structure according to claim 15, wherein said main block control nodes are provided in the vicinity of a connecting portion between a module where a main block control node is provided and an adjacent module where a subordinate block control node is connected to said main block control node.

28. The electrical wiring harness structure as recited in claim 20,

wherein said right and left cowl nodes are arranged in the vicinity of connecting portions between a body module and right and left front door modules;

and

right and left door nodes am arranged at said right and left front door modules and are connected to said right and left cowl nodes through branch wiring harnesses from said right and left cowl nodes.

29. The structure according to claim 28, wherein said vehicle body is divided into at least an engine room block, a passenger room block, and a rear block.

30. The structure according to claim 29, wherein floor control nodes comprising main block control nodes having a function of branching signal lines from said trunk wiring harness to door portions are arranged near door mounting portions in said passenger room block.

31. The structure according to claim 29, wherein a tail block is connected to a rear side of said rear room block.

32. The structure according to claim 29, wherein a front end block on which electrical components located at a front portion of said vehicle body are mounted is connected to a front side of said engine room block.

33. The structure according to claim 29, wherein said right and left cowl nodes have a function of controlling communications among electrical components arranged in said engine room block, electrical components arranged in said passenger room block, and electrical components arranged behind said passenger room block, which are arranged at right and left portions, facing a passenger room, of said engine room block.

34. The structure according to claim 33, wherein each of said cowl nodes comprises a branch box for branching a communication line from the trunk wiring harness to the subordinate block control node, an electrical control unit module for controlling communications among the electrical components, and a fuse box in which fuses of the electrical components are concentrated.

35. The structure according to claims 34, wherein said fuse box is detachable from each of said cowl nodes.

36. The structure according to claim 33, wherein said right and left cowl nodes are connected through a branch wiring harness.

37. The structure according to claim 36, wherein various electrical components are connected to said branch wiring harness.

38. The structure according to claim 37, wherein said branch wiring harness comprises a flat cable.

39. The structure according to claim 28, wherein each of said right and left trunk wiring harnesses comprise twisted pair wires.

40. The structure according to claim 28, wherein a plurality of pairs of right and left main block control nodes are arranged in said vehicle body, the main block control nodes each constituting one node of each pair of right and left main block control nodes are connected through a branch wiring harness extending in a widthwise direction of said vehicle body, the main block control nodes arranged at the left side of said vehicle body are connected through said left trunk wiring harness, and the main block control nodes arranged at the right side of said vehicle body are connected through said right trunk wiring harness.

41. The electrical wiring harness structure according to claim 28, wherein said main block control nodes are provided in the vicinity of a connecting portion between a module where a main block control node is provided and an adjacent module where a subordinate block control node is connected to said main block control node.

42. The electrical wiring harness structure according to claim 28, wherein at least one subordinate block control node is connected to said branch wiring harness which connects the right and left cowl nodes.