JP2012105495A - Wire harness - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure enabling suppression of the number of components and permitting a base end portion of a branch line to fix to a protector without diverting the base end portion.SOLUTION: A flexible part 221 bent toward an inner side of a lower box part 21 is arranged in a lid part 22 of a protector 20. When the flexible part 221 is pressed downwardly to lock projections 62 on through holes 61 of the lower box part 21, the flexible part 221 is maintained in the bent state. A base end portion of a branch line 12 is pressed by the flexible part 221 so as to fix to the protector 20. By using the lid part 22 of the protector 20, the base end portion of the branch line 12 can be fixed. Thus, it is unnecessary to use a member to fix the base end portion of the branch line 12 (e.g. a tape and a band) separately from the protector 20. As a result, the number of components can be suppressed. Also, it is unnecessary to divert the branch line 12 to fix the base end portion of the branch line 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire harness mounted on an automobile.

  There is known a wire harness that electrically connects electronic components and electrical components arranged in each part of an automobile. The wire harness has a branch structure in which a plurality of branch lines extend from the main line. Some wire harnesses have a protector for protecting the electric wires from surrounding members and improving the assemblability to the vehicle body. In the case where the branch line extends from the trunk line inside the protector, the base end portion of the branch line is fixed to the protector in order to guarantee the dimension of the branch line.

  Regarding the fixing of the branch line to the protector, Patent Document 1 describes that the round tube through the branch line is fixed to the fixing piece of the protector by tape winding. Patent Document 2 describes that an electric wire with an outer tube is fastened and fixed with a binding band at the exit of the protector. Patent Document 2 also describes a structure in which an electric wire with an outer tube is fixed by winding the electric wire with an outer tube around the tip of an inner wall provided in the protector. Patent Document 3 describes a structure in which a wire harness is meanderingly inserted into a rib provided in a protector to position and hold the wire harness.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-162262 JP 2007-330005 A JP 2004-166454 A

  However, when a tape or a binding band is used, it is necessary to provide a portion around which the tape or the binding band is wound on the protector side. In addition, it takes time to wind the tape and the binding band, and the number of parts also increases. On the other hand, if the branch line is fixed using the inner wall or rib in the protector, it is necessary to bypass the branch line. For this reason, it becomes difficult to store the branch line in the protector.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a structure that can suppress the number of parts and can be fixed to a protector without detouring the base end portion of the branch line.

  1st invention of this application is a wire harness mounted in a motor vehicle, Comprising: The electric wire bundle which has a trunk line, the branch line branched from the said trunk line, and the protector which protects the said electrical wire bundle partially The protector includes a saddle-shaped trunk line accommodating part that accommodates a protected part of the trunk line, a saddle-shaped branch line accommodating part that accommodates a proximal end part of the branch line branched from the protected part, and the trunk line And a lid portion that closes an upper portion of the branch wire housing portion, and the lid portion includes a flexible portion that bends toward the inside of the branch wire housing portion, and the branch wire housing portion. Has a lock portion for locking the flexible portion in a bent state, and the flexible portion locked to the lock portion presses and fixes the base end portion of the branch line. .

  2nd invention of this application is a wire harness of 1st invention, Comprising: It further has the tube which coat | covers the said branch line, The said flexible part connects the said base end part of the said branch line through the said tube. , Press fixed.

  3rd invention of this application is a wire harness of 1st invention or 2nd invention, Comprising: The corner | angular part provided in the front-end | tip of the said flexible part press-fixes the said base end part of the said branch line. .

  A fourth invention of the present application is any one of the wire harnesses of the first invention to the third invention, wherein the thickness of the tip portion of the flexible portion is gradually reduced toward the tip.

  A fifth invention of the present application is the wire harness according to any one of the first invention to the fourth invention, wherein the lid portion has a protrusion locked to the lock portion, and the branch line accommodating portion is It further has a guide part which guides movement of the projection to the lock part.

  A sixth invention of the present application is the wire harness according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the lock portion maintains the flexible portion in a bent state at a first angle. And a second lock portion that maintains the flexible portion in a bent state at a second angle greater than the first angle.

  According to the first to sixth inventions of the present application, the base end portion of the branch line can be fixed using the lid portion of the protector. For this reason, the number of parts can be suppressed. Further, the base end portion of the branch line can be fixed to the protector without detouring the branch line.

  In particular, according to the second invention of the present application, the tube can be firmly held between the bottom surface of the branch line accommodating portion and the flexible portion. For this reason, the shift | offset | difference of a tube and a branch line can be prevented with high certainty. Moreover, the damage of the branch line by the press of a flexible part can also be suppressed.

  In particular, according to the third invention of the present application, a pressing force is applied intensively to the portion where the corner portion abuts. Therefore, the base end portion of the branch line is more firmly fixed.

  In particular, according to the fourth invention of the present application, the flexibility of the distal end portion of the flexible portion is improved. For this reason, the damage of the branch line by the press of a flexible part can be suppressed.

  In particular, according to the fifth invention of the present application, the claw portion can be easily locked to the lock portion.

  In particular, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the angle of the flexible portion can be selected according to the thickness of the branch line.

It is a perspective view of a wire harness. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a branch line accommodating part. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the branch line accommodating part which concerns on a modification. It is a perspective view of the branch line accommodating part which concerns on a modification. It is a perspective view of the branch line accommodating part which concerns on a modification. It is a perspective view of the wire harness which concerns on a modification.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, the shape and positional relationship of each part will be described by temporarily defining a vertical direction with the lid side facing up with respect to the lower box part of the protector. However, this does not limit the installation posture when using the wire harness according to the present invention.

<1. Wire harness according to one embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wire harness 1 is mounted on an automobile and is used to electrically connect electronic components and electrical components arranged in each part of the automobile. As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment includes an electric wire bundle 10 and a protector 20 that partially protects the electric wire bundle 10.

  The wire bundle 10 is a bundle of a plurality of wires for supplying power and communicating signals. The wire bundle 10 may be composed of only a plurality of wires, or may include an optical fiber. The wire bundle 10 includes a trunk line 11 and a branch line 12 branched from the trunk line 11.

  In the present embodiment, the three electric wires 121 to 123 drawn out from the trunk line 11 constitute the branch line 12. These electric wires 121 to 123 are covered with a substantially cylindrical tube 124. For example, polyvinyl chloride is used as the material of the tube 124. In addition, a connector 125 connected to the electronic device is provided at the tip of the branch line 12.

  The protector 20 is a housing that accommodates the protected portion of the trunk line 11 and the proximal end portion of the branch line 12 and protects these portions from the peripheral members. The protector 20 includes a lower box portion 21 that accommodates the trunk line 11 and the branch line 12, and a lid portion 22 that closes the upper portion of the lower box portion 21.

  In the present embodiment, the lower box portion 21 and the lid portion 22 are integrally formed by resin molding. The lower box portion 21 and the lid portion 22 are connected through a thin hinge 23. For this reason, the lid part 22 can be opened and closed with respect to the lower box part 21 by the thin-walled hinge 23. However, the lower box portion 21 and the lid portion 22 may be formed of separate members.

  The lower box portion 21 of the protector 20 includes a bowl-shaped trunk line accommodating part 211 and a bowl-shaped branch line accommodating part 212 extending in the other direction from the middle of the trunk line accommodating part 211. A substantially T-shaped accommodation space is formed inside the lower box portion 21 by the trunk line accommodation portion 211 and the branch line accommodation portion 212. The protected portion of the trunk line 11 is accommodated in the trunk line accommodating portion 211. Further, the branch line accommodating portion 212 accommodates the proximal end portion of the branch line 12.

  A pair of latch receiving portions 41 are provided on one side wall of the trunk housing portion 211 (a side wall on the opposite side of the thin hinge 23). In addition, a pair of latch receiving portions 51 are also provided on both side walls of the branch line accommodating portion 212. When the lid portion 22 is closed, the claw portions 42 and 52 provided on the lid portion 22 are latched to the latch receiving portions 41 and 51, respectively. Thereby, the lower box part 21 and the cover part 22 are fixed to a closed state.

  A flexible portion 221 is provided in a portion of the lid portion 22 that covers the vicinity of the exit of the branch line accommodation portion 212. The width of the flexible portion 221 is equal to or smaller than the width of the inner dimension of the branch line accommodating portion 212. For this reason, the flexible part 221 can be bent toward the inside of the branch line accommodating part 212. In the present embodiment, a portion on the tip side from the pair of claw portions 52 is a flexible portion 221 having a narrow width. For this reason, the flexible portion 221 is bent downward with a line connecting the pair of claw portions 52 as a boundary.

  A pair of through holes 61 are provided on both side walls of the branch line accommodating portion 212. On the other hand, a pair of protrusions 62 corresponding to the through holes 61 are provided on both side edges of the flexible portion 221. When the base end portion of the branch line 12 is fixed, the flexible portion 221 is pushed downward to bend, and the pair of protrusions 62 are engaged with the pair of through holes 61, respectively. Thereby, the flexible part 221 is maintained in the bent state. That is, the pair of through holes 61 constitutes a lock portion that locks the flexible portion 221 in a bent state.

  FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the branch line accommodating portion 212. When the protrusion 62 is locked in the through hole 61, the flexible portion 221 presses the proximal end portion of the branch line 12 as shown in FIG. 2. As a result, the base end portion of the branch line 12 is sandwiched and fixed between the bottom surface of the branch line accommodating part 212 and the flexible part 221.

  Thus, in the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, the base end portion of the branch line 12 is fixed using the lid portion 22 of the protector 20. For this reason, it is not necessary to use a member (for example, a tape or a band) for fixing the base end portion of the branch line 12 separately from the protector 20. Therefore, the number of parts can be suppressed. Further, it is not necessary to bypass the branch line 12 in order to fix the base end portion of the branch line 12.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the entire portion of the lid portion 22 on the tip side of the pair of claw portions 52 is the flexible portion 221. The flexible portion 221 has a width substantially equal to the inner dimension of the branch line accommodating portion 212. For this reason, even if the branch line 12 is accommodated to the full width in the branch line accommodating part 212, the entire width of the proximal end portion of the branch line 12 can be pressed by the flexible part 221. Therefore, the base end portion of the branch line 12 can be more stably fixed.

  In addition, the flexible portion 221 of the present embodiment is in contact with the surface of the tube 124 and presses and fixes the proximal end portion of the branch line 12 via the tube 124. In this way, the tube 124 can be securely held between the bottom surface of the branch line accommodating portion 212 and the flexible portion 221. As a result, displacement of the tube 124 and the branch line 12 is prevented with high certainty. Further, damage to the branch line 12 due to the pressing of the flexible portion 221 is also suppressed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a corner portion 222 provided at the distal end of the flexible portion 221 presses and fixes the proximal end portions of the tube 124 and the branch line 12. In this way, a pressing force is intensively applied to the portion where the corner 222 abuts. Therefore, the base end portion of the branch line 12 is more firmly fixed.

<2. Modification>
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

  FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a branch wire housing portion 212A of a wire harness according to a modification. In the example of FIG. 3, the plate thickness of the distal end portion of the flexible portion 221A is gradually reduced toward the distal end. In this way, the flexibility of the distal end portion of the flexible portion 221A is improved. For this reason, the flexible portion 221A can be brought into surface contact with the branch line 12A or the tube 124A. Therefore, damage to the branch line 12A due to the pressing of the flexible portion 221A can be further suppressed.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a branch line accommodating portion 212B according to another modification. In the example of FIG. 4, arc-shaped guide portions 63 </ b> B are provided on the inner side surfaces of both side walls of the branch line accommodation portion 212 </ b> B. And the through-hole 61B is arrange | positioned in the lower end part vicinity of the guide part 63B. If it does in this way, the protrusion provided in the side edge part of the flexible part can be moved along guide part 63B, and can be made to latch in penetration hole 61B. That is, the protrusion of the flexible portion can be easily guided to the through hole 61B. The guide portion 63B may be an arc-shaped protrusion as shown in FIG. 4, or an arc-shaped groove or step.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a branch line accommodating portion 212C according to another modification. In the example of FIG. 5, no protrusions are provided on both side edges of the flexible portion 221C. And the side edge part of the flexible part 221C is latched by the projection-like lock part 61C provided in the inner surface of the both side walls of the branch line accommodating part 212C. Even if it is such a form, 221C of flexible parts can be maintained in the state bent below.

  5 includes a first lock portion 611C and a second lock portion 612C. The first lock portion 611C maintains the flexible portion 221C in a bent state at the first angle. Further, the second lock portion 611C maintains the flexible portion 221C in a state where it is bent at a second angle larger than the first angle. Thus, if the lock part is provided in multiple stages, the angle at which the flexible part bends can be selected according to the branch line and the thickness of the tube.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wire harness 1D according to another modification. In the example of FIG. 6, two branch lines 12D and 13D are branched from the trunk line 11D inside the protector 20D. And the flexible part 221D and 223D which press the base end part of each branch line 12D and 13D are provided in the cover part 22D of the protector 20D. As in this example, the lid portion of the protector may have a plurality of flexible portions. The plurality of flexible portions may be provided in different directions.

  In the above embodiment, the flexible portion 221 presses the branch line 12 through the tube 124. However, the flexible part may be in direct contact with the branch line without using a tube.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, the branch wire 12 was comprised by the three electric wires 121-123. However, the number of electric wires constituting the branch line may be one or two or four or more.

  The shape of the protector is not limited to the above example. The shape of the protector may be appropriately changed according to the shape of the wire bundle to be protected and the space in the vehicle.

  Moreover, you may combine suitably each element which appeared in said embodiment and modification in the range which does not produce inconsistency.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wire harness 1D Wire harness 10 Wire bundle 11, 11D Trunk line 12, 12A, 12D, 13D Branch line 20, 20D Protector 21 Lower box part 22, 22D Lid part 23 Thin hinge 41, 51 Locking receiving part 42, 52 Claw part 61, 61B Through hole 61C Lock part 62, 62B Protrusion 63B Guide part 121-123 Electric wire 124 Tube 125 Connector 211 Trunk line accommodating part 212, 212A, 212B, 212C Branch line accommodating part 221, 221A, 221B, 221C, 221D, 223D Possible Flexible portion 222 Corner portion 611C First lock portion 612C Second lock portion

Claims (6)

A wire harness mounted on an automobile,
An electric wire bundle having a main line and a branch line branched from the main line;
A protector that partially protects the wire bundle;
With
The protector is
A cage-shaped trunk line accommodating portion that accommodates a protected portion of the trunk line;
A bowl-shaped branch line accommodating part that accommodates a proximal end part of the branch line branched from the protected part;
A lid for closing the upper part of the trunk line accommodating part and the branch line accommodating part;
Have
The lid portion has a flexible portion that bends toward the inside of the branch line accommodating portion,
The branch line accommodating portion has a lock portion that locks the flexible portion in a bent state,
A wire harness in which the flexible portion locked to the lock portion presses and fixes the base end portion of the branch line. The wire harness according to claim 1,
A tube covering the branch line;
The flexible part is a wire harness that presses and fixes the base end portion of the branch line through the tube. The wire harness according to claim 1 or 2,
The wire harness which the corner | angular part provided in the front-end | tip of the said flexible part press-fixes the said base end part of the said branch line. A wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
A wire harness in which the thickness of the distal end portion of the flexible portion is gradually reduced toward the distal end. A wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
The lid portion has a protrusion locked to the lock portion,
The said branch line accommodating part is a wire harness which further has a guide part which guides the movement to the said lock part of the said protrusion. A wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein
The lock part is
A first locking portion for maintaining the flexible portion in a bent state at a first angle;
A second locking portion for maintaining the flexible portion in a bent state at a second angle greater than the first angle;
Including wire harness.

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