Arranging method of a wire harness for a door

An arranging method of a wire harness for a door aims to make it easy to arrange a wire harness 4 in a door 1 for a motor vehicle. The wire harness 4 is divided into a frame side harness 4a and a trim side harness 4b. The frame side harness 4a for an electrical equipment on a door frame 2 is arranged on an interior 2a of the door frame 2. The trim side harness 4b for electrical equipments 6 and 7 is arranged on an interior 3a of a door trim 3. The door trim 3 having the trim side harness 4b is coupled to the door frame 2 having the frame side harness 4a.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to an arranging method of a wire harness for a door 
in a motor vehicle. 
2. Statement of the Prior Art 
A door of a motor vehicle comprises an outside door frame and an inside 
door trim as an interior covering plate. In the door, a wire harness 
connected to electrical equipment such as speakers, a motor for power 
windows, a motor for remote-controlled mirrors courtesy lights, various 
kinds of switches, and the like is arranged. An end of the wire harness 
which is drawn out of the door is connected to a wire harness on the car 
body through a connector. 
A process for arranging the wire harness through the door frame is 
unavoidably carried out under a blind operation and thus lowers the 
efficiency of arrangement of the wire harness in the door. In order to 
overcome this problem, some methods for decreasing steps of arrangement in 
the door have been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Public 
Disclosure Nos. 61-9111 (1896) and 61-73511 (1986) and Japanese Utility 
Model Public Disclosure No. 61-35318 (1986). 
In the arranging method disclosed in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 
61-9111 (1986), however, when the door trim is coupled to the door frame 
with a part of branched lines being beforehand connected to the electrical 
equipment provided on the door trim in the arranging step of a flat-like 
wire harness, it is necessary to connect the other branched lines to the 
electrical equipment provided on the door frame. This connecting process 
of the branched lines and the electrical equipment on the door frame must 
be carried out in a narrow space between the door frame and the door trim 
and is therefore difficult. Also, the arranging method disclosed in 
Japanese Utility Model Public disclosure No. 61-35318 (1986) requires 
difficult connecting work of the branched lines and the electrical 
equipment on the door frame. 
Further, the arranging method disclosed in Japanese Patent Public 
Disclosure. No. 61-73511 (1986) has proposed that a connector on the wire 
harness is connected to a connector on the electrical equipment provided 
on the door trim by coupling a circuit plate to a given position of the 
door trim, the connector on the wire harness then being connected to the 
connector on the electrical equipment provided on the door trim by 
coupling the door trim to a given position of the door frame. This method 
makes it easy to connect the wire harness to the respective electrical 
equipment. However, the weight of the door will be increased and the cost 
will be high since it is necessary to provide an additional circuit plate. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide an arranging method of a 
wire harness for a door, in which the wire harness is readily arranged in 
the door without using and additional circuit plate. In order to achieve 
the above object, a method of arranging a wire harness in a motor vehicle 
door having an outside door frame and an inside door trim, in accordance 
with the present invention comprises the steps of: 
dividing said wire harness into a frame side harness to be arranged on an 
electrical equipment on the door frame side and a trim side harness to be 
arranged on the electrical equipment on the door trim side; 
arranging said frame side harness and said trim side harness on the opposed 
interiors of said door frame and said door trim; and 
coupling said door trim having said trim side harness to said door frame 
having said frame side harness. 
A trim side connector which is provided in a given posture on an end of 
said trim side harness arrange on said door trim is connected to a frame 
side connector which is provided in a given posture opposite to said trim 
side connector on an end of said door frame harness arranged on said door 
frame when said door trim is coupled to said door frame. 
Either said trim side connector or said door side connector is provided 
with a circuit-branching box which serves to branch the circuit. 
The present invention can simplify and ease the respective arranging work, 
since the wire harness is divided into the frame side harness and the 
frame side harness is arranged for the electrical equipment on the door 
frame while the trim side harness is arranged for the electrical equipment 
on the door trim. 
The present invention does not require the connecting work in a narrow 
space, since the arranging work of the wire harness in the door is 
completed by coupling the door trim to the door frame. 
Also, the trim side connector is connected to the frame side connector by 
coupling the door trim to the door frame and then the electrical equipment 
on the door frame and the door trim is electrically connected with each 
other. 
In addition, any branching circuits are eliminated from the wire harness 
and the wire harness itself is simplified by using the circuit-branching 
box which serves to branch the circuit in either trim side connector or 
frame side connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS: 
A first embodiment of the present invention will be explained by referring 
to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a door 1 for a motor vehicle comprises an 
outer door frame 2 and a door trim 3 to be coupled to the interior of the 
door frame 2. 
A wire harness 4 is divided into a frame side harness to be arranged on the 
door frame 2 and a trim side harness 4b to be arranged on the door trim 3. 
The frame side and trim side harnesses 4a and 4b are made of flexible flat 
plates such as an FPC, an FFC, or the like and are mounted on opposed 
interiors 2a and 3a on the door frame 2 and the door trim 3. 
An electrical equipment such as remote-controlled mirrors, power windows, 
speakers, and the like is carried on the door frame 2. Each item of the 
electrical equipment is connected to the frame side harness 4a, 
respectively. 
The door trim 3 is provided with items of the electrical equipment such as 
switches 6 for the power windows, a courtesy light 7, and the like which 
are connected to the trim side harness 4b, respectively. 
Front ends of the frame side harness 4a and the trim side harness 4b 
project from front ends of the door frame 2 and the door trim 3 and are 
connected to main connectors 9 and 10 which are connected to the wire 
harness on a car body. 
In the case of arranging the wire harness 4 in the door 1, it is necessary 
to independently carry out a step of arranging the frame side harness 4a 
on the door frame 2 and a step of arranging the trim side harness 4b on 
the door trim 3. 
After the door trim 3 having the trim side harness 4b is coupled to the 
door frame 2 having the frame side harness 4a, the arranging work of the 
wire harness 4 in the door 1 is completed. 
Since the wire harness 4 is independently on the door frame 2 and the door 
trim 3, as mentioned above, the arranging work is simplified and can be 
made easier by not being subject to limitation of an arranging space. Then 
the door trim 3 is merely coupled to the door frame 2. In the present 
invention, the arranging work does not need to be carried out in the 
narrow space between the door trim 3 and the door frame 2, as in the above 
prior art. Accordingly, the arranging work of the wire harness 4 in the 
door 1 is made easier and can particularly improve an efficiency in 
comparison with the prior art. The present invention does not need the 
conventional circuit plate and can prevent increase of a door weight and 
cost. 
An attachment of the wire harness 4 on the interior 2a of the door trim 2 
and the interior 3a of the door trim 3 can be effected by sticking through 
an adhesive, fitting through elastic deformation of a pair of guides 12 
projecting from the interiors 2a and 3a, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, or 
fitting elastic protrusions 14 made of a rubber material, which projects 
from the interiors 2a and 3a, into holes 15 formed in the wire harness 4, 
as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. 
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. A 
trim side connector 17 is provided on an end of the trim side harness 4b 
arranged on the door trim 3. A U-shaped connector support 18 projects 
towards the door frame 2 on the center and lower portion of the door trim 
3. A rubber ring 19 is fitted on the outer periphery of the trim side 
connector 17 and the trim side connector 17 together with the rubber ring 
19 are pressed and inserted into the connector support 18 with projections 
20 on the opposite sides of the connector 17 being engaged with holes 21 
in the rubber ring 19 to prevent slippage of the ring. The trim side 
connector 17 is held in the plane perpendicular to the direction towards 
the door frame 2 so that the connector 17 can move slightly in the upper, 
lower, right and left directions in the support 18 through elastic 
deformation of the rubber ring. 
On the other hand, a connector support recess 23 is provided on the door 
frame 2 in opposition to the trim side connector 17. A frame side 
connector 24 is connected to an end of middle portion branched from the 
frame side harness 4a on the dooreframe 2. The frame side connector 24 is 
mated in the connector support recess 23 with resilient protrusions 25 
provided on the opposite sides of the connector 24 being engaged with 
holes 26 in the recess 23. The frame side connector 24 is held in the 
recess 23 so that the connector is permitted to more slightly in only one 
direction through the resilient protrusions 25. 
When the door trim 3 with the trim side harness 3a is coupled to the door 
frame 2 with the frame side harness 2a as shown in FIG. 4, the trim side 
connector 17 is automatically connected to the frame side connector 24. At 
this time, a small gap between the connectors 17 and 24 is effectively 
absorbed in the flexibility between the rubber ring 19 and the protrusions 
25. Consequently, a positive connection can be achieved. 
This method is effective in a circuit connection between the electrical 
equipment on the door frame 2 and door trim 3. The connecting work of the 
circuits can be readily carried out. 
At least one of the connectors 17 and 24 may be held in the posture 
flexibly. 
FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention A connector 28 is 
provided adjacent to switches 6 on the door trim 3. The frame side 
connector 24 is provided on the door frame 2 with a slight flexibility in 
opposition to the connector 28. When the door trim 3 is coupled to the 
door frame 2, the connector 28 is connected to the frame side connector 
24. 
A unit base plate for the switches 6 may be provided with a 
circuit-branching,function for the frame side harness 4a. 
FIGS. 8 through 10 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The 
trim side connector 17 is pressed and inserted through a rubber support 
block 31 in a connector support recess 30 provided on a front side end of 
the interior 3a of the door trim 3 with the connector being held in the 
recess 30 with a slight flexibility. On the other hand, the frame side 
connector is a circuit-branching box 32 which serves to branch the 
circuit. The circuit-branching box 32 is mounted in a box support recess 
33 provided on a front side end of the interior 2a of the door frame 2 in 
opposition to the trim side connector 17. 
At this time, resilient protrusions 34 provided on the opposite side of the 
circuit-branching box 32 are engaged with holes 35 provided in the box 
support recess 33. The circuit-branching box 32 is held in a U-shaped 
rubber support 36 mounted on a front side edge in the recess 33 so that 
the box 32 can be slightly moved. In this position, a connector 32a of the 
box 32 is directed to the trim side connector 17 on the door trim 3 so 
that the connector 32a can receive the connector 17 while a main connector 
32b is directed to a car body side connector so that the main connector 
32b can receive the car body side connector. When the door trim 3 is, 
coupled to the door frame 2, the trim side connector 17 is connected to 
the connector 32a of the circuit-branching box 32. 
The connector 24 may be provided on the door frame 2 and also the 
circuit-branching box 32 may be provided on the door trim 3. Also, the 
connectors 17 and 24 may be provided on both door frame 2 and door trim 3 
and a car body side portion to be connected to the wire harness 4 in the 
door 1 may be the circuit-branching box. 
Since the above circuit-branching box 32 can include not only a circuit 
across the door frame 2 and the door trim 3 but also all branched circuits 
in the frame side harness 4a and the trim side harness 4b, the wire 
harness 4 itself can be made of a circuit conductor with no branches, for 
example, an FFC in a simple circuit, a ribbon cable, or the like. 
FIG. 11 shows a fifth embodiment. The frame side harness 4a is divided into 
a basic harness 4aa and a plurality of option harnesses 4ab. In general, 
motor vehicles, even if they are similar models, have different devices in 
accordance with their grade or optional extras, and thus this results in 
different electrical equipments being required to be mounted in the door. 
Accordingly, the basic harness 4aa is used in a grade of a standard 
specification and the option harness 4ab is combined according to 
requirements 
The trim side harness 4b may be divided into a basic harness and option 
harnesses in the same manner as the frame side harness 4a. 
Although the above embodiment uses the flexible flat base plate as the wire 
harness 4, the present invention can utilize electric wires in the same 
manner as the conventional method. 
The arranging method of the wire harness for the door in accordance with 
the present invention divides the wire harness into the frame side harness 
and the trim side harness, arranges them on the door frame and trim, 
respectively, and then couples the door trim to the door frame. 
Consequently, the arranging work of the wire harness is simplified and 
made easier. The method of the present invention does not need the 
conventional circuit plate and does not require the connecting work in the 
narrow space. Accordingly, the method can carry out the arranging work of 
the wire harness easily and improve the efficiency of the work. By 
coupling the door trim to the door frame, the trim side connector and the 
frame side connector are interconnected and the circuit is readily 
connected across the door trim and door frame. 
The circuit-branching box which has the function of branching the circuit 
can simplify the wire harness itself.