The present disclosure relates to a wire harness.
Conventionally, wire harnesses are known that include a wire member and a pipe that covers the outer circumference of the wire member to protect the wire member and regulate a route (see, e.g., JP 2017-84547A).
The pipe disclosed in JP 2017-84547A is formed by a pair of divided parts and can be externally attached to the wire member in a manner such that the wire member is arranged along one of the divided parts and then the divided parts are welded. Accordingly, even if, for example, the pipe is long, the wire harness does not require any troublesome work such as a work of passing a wire through the pipe.
However, in a wire harness as described above, divided parts need to be welded into one piece and thus, for example, welding equipment is needed, resulting in poor manufacturing performance. Note that it is also conceivable to use a lock structure such as e.g., claws to fix the divided parts to each other, but in this case, the structure of the divided parts will be complicated.
An exemplary aspect of the disclosure provides a wire harness that can protect a wire member and improve manufacturing performance.
According to the present disclosure, a wire harness is configured to be attached to a vehicle, and includes: a wire; a first route regulator attached to the wire; and a second route regulator attached to the first route regulator, wherein: the first route regulator includes: a first body that covers part of an outer circumference of the wire; and a first insertion opening that is formed by two ends of the first body in a circumferential direction and into which the wire is insertable, the first insertion opening being open in a direction orthogonal to a length direction of the first route regulator and extending over the entire first route regulator in the length direction, and the second route regulator includes: a second body that covers part of an outer circumference of the first body and covers the first insertion opening in a manner as to close the first insertion opening, and a second insertion opening that is formed by two ends of the second body in a circumferential direction and into which the first route regulator is insertable, the second insertion opening being open in a direction orthogonal to a length direction of the second route regulator and extending over the entire second route regulator in the length direction.
According to the wire harness of the present disclosure, it is possible to protect a wire member and improve manufacturing performance.
First, embodiments of the present disclosure are listed and described.
[1] The wire harness according to the present disclosure is directed to a wire harness configured to be attached to a vehicle, the wire harness including: a wire member; a first route regulating member attached to the wire member; and a second route regulating member attached to the first route regulating member; wherein the first route regulating member includes: a first body portion that covers part of an outer circumference of the wire member; and a first insertion opening that is formed by two end portions of the first body portion in a circumferential direction and into which the wire member is insertable, the first insertion opening being open in a direction orthogonal to a length direction of the first route regulating member and extending over the entire first route regulating member in the length direction, the second route regulating member includes: a second body portion that covers part of an outer circumference of the first body portion and covers the first insertion opening in a manner as to close the first insertion opening, and a second insertion opening that is formed by two end portions of the second body portion in a circumferential direction and into which the first route regulating member is insertable, the second insertion opening being open in a direction orthogonal to a length direction of the second route regulating member and extending over the entire second route regulating member in the length direction.
According to this configuration, part of the outer circumference of the wire member is covered with the first body portion of the first route regulating member. Also, the portion of the outer circumference of the wire member that is not covered with the first body portion and corresponds to the first insertion opening is covered with the second body portion of the second route regulating member. With this, the entire outer circumference of the wire member is covered, so that the wire member is protected and the route is regulated. Also, the first route regulating member can be attached to the wire member through the first insertion opening.
Also, the second route regulating member can be attached to the first route regulating member through the second insertion opening. That is to say, the first route regulating member and the second route regulating member can be easily attached to the wire member externally. Therefore, for example, welding equipment and the like do not need to be used and complicated works of passing the wire member through a pipe do not need to be performed, resulting in excellent manufacturing performance.
[2] Preferably, the second route regulating member is thicker than the first route regulating member, and when the wire harness is attached to the vehicle, the second insertion opening is set so as to be open in a direction opposite to a direction of gravitational force.
According to this configuration, since the second route regulating member, which is thicker than the first route regulating member, is arranged in the direction of gravitational force, when, for example, the wire harness is arranged to pass under the floor of the vehicle, the wire member is less likely to be damaged by flying stones from the ground. Also, since the first route regulating member is thinner than the second route regulating member, it is, for example, easier to save the weight of the wire harness. Accordingly, for example, it is possible to realize the weight saving while maintaining the protective function of the wire member.
[3] Preferably, the first route regulating member is made of resin.
According to this configuration, since the first route regulating member is made of resin, it is possible to achieve weight saving compared to a case where the first route regulating member is made of, for example, metal. Also, the first route regulating member can be manufactured by extrusion molding, which provides excellent manufacturing performance.
[4] preferably, the second route regulating member is made of resin.
According to this configuration, since the second route regulating member is made of resin, it is possible to achieve weight saving compared to a case where the second route regulating member is made of, for example, metal. Also, the second route regulating member can be manufactured by extrusion molding, which provides excellent manufacturing performance.
[5] Preferably, the second route regulating member includes protrusions protruding from the two end portions of the second body portion in the circumferential direction and being in contact with the first route regulating member.
According to this configuration, since the second route regulating member includes the protrusions protruding from the two end portions of the second body portion in the circumferential direction and being in contact with the first route regulating member, it is possible to strongly prevent the second route regulating member from being removed from the first route regulating member via the second insertion opening.
[6] Preferably, the second body portion includes, at a position distanced from the protrusions, a surface contact portion that covers part of the outer circumference of the first body portion and is in surface contact with the part of the outer circumference of the first body portion.
According to this configuration, for example, compared to a configuration in which protrusions are also provided at positions other than the two end portions of the second body portion in the circumferential direction and the second body portion only makes point or line contact with the first body portion, it is possible to reduce the transverse cross-sectional area of the wire harness. This advantageously reduces the routing space of the wire harness.
[7] Preferably, the wire member has a flattened transverse cross-sectional shape, and the first insertion opening and the second insertion opening are open in a short side direction of the transverse cross-sectional shape of the wire member.
According to this configuration, for example, the dimension of the wire harness along the short side direction of the transverse cross-sectional shape of the wire member can be reduced. In other words, it is possible to realize a thinner wire harness. This advantageously reduces the routing space of the wire harness.
[8] preferably, the wire member includes: a wire; and a braided member covering an outer circumference of the wire, wherein the first route regulating member is in direct contact with the braided member to prevent the wire member from moving inside the first route regulating member.
According to this configuration, the wire member is prevented from moving inside the first route regulating member. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress damage to the wire member due to movement of the wire member.
The following will describe specific examples of the wire harness according to the present disclosure with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, for ease of description, part of a configuration may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of constituent components may be different between the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples but is defined by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. In the context of the present specification, the term “orthogonal” includes not only exactly orthogonal, but also substantially orthogonal to the extent that the functions and effects of the embodiments are achieved. Also, the terms “circle” and “arc” in the present specification include not only exact circle and arc, but also approximate circle and arc to the extent that the functions and effects of the embodiments are achieved.
The wire harness 10 shown in
The inverter 11 is connected to a not-shown wheel driving motor, which serves as a power source for vehicle driving. The inverter 11 generates AC power from DC power of the high-voltage battery 12 and supplies the AC power to the motor. The high-voltage battery 12 is a battery that can supply a voltage of several hundreds of volts, for example.
As shown in
The wire member 20 includes at least one wire 21 and a braided member 24 (braid) that collectively covers the outer circumference of the at least one wire 21. The wire member 20 of the present embodiment includes two wires 21. One end portion of the wire member 20 is connected to the inverter 11 via a connector C1, and the other end portion of the wire member 20 is connected to the high-voltage battery 12 via a connector C2. The wire member 20 is elongated and extends in a front-rear direction of the vehicle V, for example. The wire 21 is, for example, a high-voltage wire that can deal with a high voltage and a large current. Note that the wire 21 may be, for example, a non-shielded wire that has not any electromagnetic shielding structure, or a shielded wire that has an electromagnetic shielding structure.
Each wire 21 is a coated wire that includes a core wire 22 made of an electrical conductor and an insulating coating 23 that coats the outer circumference of the core wire 22.
As the core wire 22, for example, a twisted wire obtained by twisting a plurality of metal bare wires together, a columnar conductor made of a single columnar metal rod having a solid internal structure, a tubular conductor having a hollow internal structure, or the like can be used. Also, as the core wire 22, for example, a combination of a multiple types of conductors such as a twisted wire, a columnar conductor, and a tubular conductor can be used. Examples of a columnar conductor may include a single core wire and a bus bar. The core wire 22 of the present embodiment is a twisted wire. As the material of the core wire 22, for example, a metal material such as a copper material or an aluminum material can be used.
The cross-sectional shape (hereinafter, referred to as a transverse cross-sectional shape) of the core wire 22 that is taken along a plane orthogonal to the length direction of the core wire 22, that is, the length direction of the wire 21 can be any shape. The transverse cross-sectional shape of the core wire 22 is, for example, circular, semi-circular, polygonal, square, flattened, or the like. The transverse cross-sectional shape of the core wire 22 of the present embodiment is circular.
The insulating coating 23 coats, for example, the entire outer circumferential surface of the core wire 22. The insulating coating 23 is made of, for example, an insulating material such as a synthetic resin. As the material of the insulating coating 23, a synthetic resin mainly made of a polyolefin resin such as a cross-linked polyethylene or a cross-linked polypropylene can be used, for example. Also, as the material of the insulating coating 23, one type of material may be used alone, or a combination of at least two types of materials may be used as appropriate.
The braided member 24 has, for example, a tubular shape as a whole that collectively covers the outer circumference of a plurality of wires 21 together. For example, the braided member 24 covers substantially the entire outer circumference of the wires 21 in the length direction of the wires 21. As the braided member 24, braided wires obtained by braiding a plurality of metal bare wires, or braided wires obtained by braiding metal bare wires and resin bare wires in combination can be used. Examples of the material of the metal bare wires can include a metal material such as a copper material or an aluminum material. The braided member 24 is grounded, for example, at the connectors C1 and C2 and the like, although illustration thereof is omitted.
The wire member 20 including two wires 21 and the braided member 24 collectively covering the wires 21 has a flattened transverse cross-sectional shape. Specifically, the transverse cross-sectional shape of the wire member 20 has a flattened shape having a longitudinal direction (left-right direction in
As shown in
The first route regulating member 30 is made of resin. As the material of the first route regulating member 30, for example, a synthetic resin such as polypropylene, polyamide, and polyacetal can be used. The first route regulating member 30 may be manufactured by, for example, a well-known manufacturing method such as extrusion molding and injection molding. The first route regulating member 30 of the present embodiment has a constant transverse cross-sectional shape. The first route regulating member 30 of the present embodiment is an extrusion-molded article manufactured by extrusion molding. Accordingly, the first route regulating member 30 can be easily manufactured using an extrusion molding machine that extrudes the raw material of the first route regulating member 30 in the length direction. Also, using a single extrusion molding machine, multiple types of first route regulating members 30 having different dimensions in the length direction can be manufactured. For example, by cutting the base material of the first route regulating member 30 formed using a single extrusion molding machine in suitable lengths using a cutting machine, multiple types of first route regulating members 30 having different dimensions in the length direction can be manufactured.
The first route regulating member 30 includes a first body portion 31 (first body) and a first insertion opening 32. The first body portion 31 is formed in a manner as to cover part of the outer circumference of the wire member 20. The first body portion 31 is formed in a manner as to cover an area of the outer circumference of the wire member 20 that is larger than one half of the entire circumference of the wire member 20 in the circumferential direction. The first insertion opening 32 is formed by two end portions 33 of the first body portion 31 in the circumferential direction, is open in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the first route regulating member 30, and extends over the entire first route regulating member 30 in the length direction, so that the wire member 20 can be inserted thereinto. The first insertion opening 32 is open in a short side direction of the transverse cross-sectional shape of the wire member 20. The first body portion 31 of the present embodiment includes a first flat portion 34 that is flat and covers upper portions of two wires 21 lined up in a horizontal direction, and arc-shaped first arc portions 35 that respectively extend from two end portions of the first flat portion 34 and cover side portions of the wires 21, when the wire harness 10 is attached to the vehicle V. Also, the leading ends of the first arc portions 35, which serve as the two end portions 33 of the first body portion 31 in the circumferential direction, form the first insertion opening 32. Also, the first route regulating member 30 is set so that the inner surface of the first body portion 31 is in direct contact with the braided member 24 to prevent the wire member 20 from moving inside the first route regulating member 30.
The opening width of the first insertion opening 32, that is to say, the shortest distance between the two end portions 33 of the first body portion 31 in the circumferential direction, is smaller than the width of the transverse cross-sectional shape of the wire member 20 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in
When inserting the wire member 20 into the first insertion opening 32 in a direction orthogonal to the length direction, the first route regulating member 30 is elastically deformed and the opening width of the first insertion opening 32 is enlarged. When the wire member 20 has been inserted into the first route regulating member 30, the first route regulating member 30 elastically returns to its original shape. Accordingly, the opening width of the first insertion opening 32 is reduced, so that the wire member 20 is accommodated in the first route regulating member 30 and the first route regulating member 30 is attached to the wire member 20.
As shown in
The second route regulating member 40 is made of resin. As the material of the second route regulating member 40, for example, a synthetic resin such as polypropylene, polyamide, and polyacetal can be used. The second route regulating member 40 may be manufactured by, for example, a well-known manufacturing method such as extrusion molding and injection molding. The second route regulating member 40 of the present embodiment has a constant transverse cross-sectional shape. The second route regulating member 40 of the present embodiment is an extrusion-molded article manufactured by extrusion molding. Accordingly, the second route regulating member 40 can be easily manufactured using an extrusion molding machine that extrudes the raw material of the second route regulating member 40 in the length direction. Also, using a single extrusion molding machine, multiple types of second route regulating members 40 having different dimensions in the length direction can be manufactured. For example, by cutting the base material of the second route regulating member 40 formed using a single extrusion molding machine in suitable lengths using a cutting machine, multiple types of second route regulating members 40 having different dimensions in the length direction can be manufactured.
The second route regulating member 40 includes a second body portion 41 (second body) and a second insertion opening 42. The second body portion 41 covers part of the outer circumference of the first body portion 31 and covers the first insertion opening 32 in a manner as to close the first insertion opening 32. The second insertion opening 42 is formed by two end portions 43 of the second body portion 41 in the circumferential direction, is open in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the second route regulating member 40, and extends over the entire second route regulating member 40 in the length direction, so that the first route regulating member 30 can be inserted thereinto. The second insertion opening 42 is open in a short side direction of the transverse cross-sectional shape of the wire member 20. The second body portion 41 of the present embodiment includes a second flat portion 44 that is flat and covers lower portions of two wires 21 lined up in a horizontal direction, and arc-shaped second arc portions 45 that respectively extend from two end portions of the second flat portion 44 and cover side portions of the wires 21, when the wire harness 10 is attached to the vehicle V. Also, the leading ends of the second arc portions 45, which serve as the two end portions 43 of the second body portion 41 in the circumferential direction, form the second insertion opening 42. With this, the second insertion opening 42 is set in a manner as to be open in the direction opposite to the direction of gravitational force when the wire harness 10 is attached to the vehicle V. Also, the second route regulating member 40 is thicker than the first route regulating member 30. In other words, the second body portion 41 is thicker than the first body portion 31.
Also, the second route regulating member 40 includes protrusions 46. The protrusions 46 respectively protrude from the two end portions 43 of the second body portion 41 in the circumferential direction and are in contact with the first route regulating member 30. The transverse cross-sectional shape of the protrusions 46 is, for example, a curved shape. The transverse cross-sectional shape of the protrusions 46 of the present embodiment is arc-shaped. The protrusions 46 extends in the length direction of the second route regulating member 40. The protrusions 46 extend, for example, over the entire length of the second route regulating member 40 in the length direction.
The protrusions 46 press the first route regulating member 30 from the outside. The protrusions 46 of the present embodiment are in contact with the first arc portions 35 of the first body portion 31 and press the first arc portions 35 from the outside. The second route regulating member 40 is attached to the first route regulating member 30 while elastically holding the first route regulating member 30 using the second body portion 41 and the protrusions 46.
Also, the second body portion 41 includes, at positions distanced from the protrusions 46, surface contact portions 47 that respectively cover portions of the outer circumference of the first body portion 31 and are in surface contact with the portions of the outer circumference of the first body portion 31. In other words, the second body portion 41 does not have any protrusion except for those at the two end portions 43 of the second body portion 41 in the circumferential direction, and the second arc portions 45 at the positions distanced from the respective protrusions 46 serve as the surface contact portions 47 that are in surface contact with the first arc portions 35.
The opening width of the second insertion opening 42, that is to say, the shortest distance between the two end portions 43 of the second body portion 41 in the circumferential direction, is smaller than the width of the transverse cross-sectional shape of the first body portion 31 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in
When inserting the first route regulating member 30 attached to the wire member 20 into the second insertion opening 42 in a direction orthogonal to the length direction, the second route regulating member 40 is elastically deformed and the opening width of the second insertion opening 42 is enlarged. When the first route regulating member 30 has been inserted into the second route regulating member 40, the second route regulating member 40 elastically returns to its original shape. Accordingly, the opening width of the second insertion opening 42 is reduced, so that the first route regulating member 30 is accommodated in the second route regulating member 40 and the second route regulating member 40 is attached to the first route regulating member 30. The following will describe effects of the present embodiment.
According to the wire harness 10 of the present embodiment, the first route regulating member 30 can be attached to the wire member 20 afterward through the first insertion opening 32. In other words, the first route regulating member 30 can be attached to the wire member 20 in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the wire member 20. Also, the second route regulating member 40 can be attached to the first route regulating member 30 afterward through the second insertion opening 42. In other words, the second route regulating member 40 can be attached to the first route regulating member 30 in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the first route regulating member 30. Accordingly, for example, after the connectors C1 and C2 have been attached to both end portions of the wire member 20, the first route regulating member 30 and the second route regulating member 40 can be attached to the wire member 20 afterward.
At a position at which the first route regulating member 30 and the second route regulating member 40 are attached to the wire member 20, for example, a collision of a foreign object with the wire member 20 is prevented, and the wire harness 10 is suppressed from being bent even if vibration or some kind of external force is applied to the position.
The following will describe effects of the present embodiment.
The present embodiment can be implemented in the following modifications. The present embodiment and the following modifications can be implemented in combinations to the extent that they do not technically inconsistent.
For example, as shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2022-021089 | Feb 2022 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/JP2023/004228 | 2/8/2023 | WO |