WO2018211972A1 - Exterior member for wire harness, wire harness, and method for manufacturing exterior member for wire harness - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an exterior member for a wire harness for which it is possible to eliminate the need for grommets, a wire harness, and a method for manufacturing an exterior member for a wire harness. The present invention has a metal or synthetic-resin pipe (10) into which an electric wire (W) is inserted, and a corrugated tube (20) that is connected in the axial direction of the pipe (10) and surrounds the portion of the electric wire (W) leading out from the pipe (10). The corrugated tube (20) comprises a plastic deformation part (24) that covers and is attached to the end part of the pipe (10), and is plastically deformed so as to follow the outer circumference surface of the pipe (10).

Description

Wire harness exterior member, wire harness, and method of manufacturing wire harness exterior member

The present invention relates to a wire harness exterior member, a wire harness, and a method of manufacturing a wire harness exterior member.

Conventionally, an exterior member for protecting a wire harness is known. The exterior member for a wire harness has a cylindrical shape that surrounds an electric wire.For example, a portion that does not require bendability is flexible for connection to a metal or synthetic resin pipe or device that is not easily deformed. In order to use a corrugated tube having good flexibility at a required portion, the pipe and the corrugated tube are sometimes connected in the axial direction.

The pipe and the corrugated tube are connected via a grommet made of a rubber material, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 below. The grommet has a cylindrical shape, and one end side is put on the end portion of the pipe, and the other end side is put on the end portion of the corrugated tube. Both ends of the grommet are fastened and fixed to the pipe or the corrugated tube by fastening bands, respectively.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-17989

However, the configuration using the grommet as described above tends to increase the manufacturing cost. This is because, for example, when a wire harness is used in a high temperature environment, a grommet having high heat resistance is required, and such a grommet is expensive. In addition, when the diameter of the pipe or corrugated tube is changed, it is necessary to newly manufacture a grommet in accordance with the diameter, which increases costs. In addition, in order to fix the both ends of the grommet, parts such as a fastening band are necessary, and the number of parts is large, so that the management cost is high.

This invention was completed based on the above situations, Comprising: It provides the manufacturing method of the exterior member for wire harnesses which can make a grommet unnecessary, a wire harness, and the exterior member for wire harnesses Objective.

An exterior member for a wire harness according to the present invention is a corrugate that surrounds a metal or synthetic resin pipe through which an electric wire is inserted and a portion of the electric wire that is connected to the pipe in the axial direction and led out from the pipe. And the corrugated tube includes a plastically deformed portion that is attached to an end portion of the pipe and plastically deformed along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe.
The wire harness of the present invention includes a plurality of electric wires and the wire harness exterior member.

The method for manufacturing an exterior member for a wire harness according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing the exterior member for a wire harness. The corrugated tube in a state before the plastic deformation is placed on an end of the pipe, and a high-temperature gold In this method, a part of the corrugated tube is pressed against an end portion of the pipe by a mold to form the plastic deformation portion.

According to the present invention, since the corrugated tube can be directly connected to the pipe, the grommet can be dispensed with.

Schematic diagram illustrating a state of the wire harness according to the present embodiment mounted on a vehicle. The side view which expands and shows the connection part of the pipe and corrugated tube in a wire harness Sectional drawing which shows the state which covered the edge part of the corrugated tube of the state before plastic deformation on the edge part of a pipe Sectional drawing which shows the state which shape | molded the plastic deformation part in the edge part of the corrugated tube with the metal mold | die FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a plastically deformed portion is formed at the end of a corrugated tube by a mold, and is a cross-sectional view corresponding to a cross section at the position AA in FIG.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown below.
The exterior member for a wire harness of the present invention may have an adhesive interposed between an inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion and an outer peripheral surface of the pipe. According to such a configuration, since the adhesive connects the end portion of the pipe and the plastic deformation portion of the corrugated tube, the corrugated tube can be more firmly connected to the pipe.

Further, the method for manufacturing an exterior member for a wire harness according to the present invention includes a hot melt that melts at a temperature lower than a temperature at which the corrugated tube is deformed between an inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion and an outer peripheral surface of the pipe. A method of interposing an adhesive may also be used. According to such a method, since the adhesive melted by the heat of the mold joins the end portion of the pipe and the plastic deformation portion of the corrugated tube, the corrugated tube can be more firmly connected to the pipe.

<Example>
Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The wire harness in the present embodiment is mounted on an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. This wire harness includes a plurality (two in this embodiment) of electric wires W and a wire harness exterior member that protects the electrical wires W (hereinafter simply referred to as an exterior member E). The electric wire W connects a device (motor, inverter, etc.) M1 mounted on the front of the vehicle and a device (high voltage battery, etc.) M2 mounted on the rear of the vehicle. Most of the wire harnesses are routed under the vehicle floor.

The electric wire W is a normal electric wire having no shielding function, in which a flexible conductor (for example, a stranded wire conductor formed by twisting a plurality of metal strands) is covered with an insulating coating. A terminal fitting (not shown) is connected to the end of the electric wire W, and the terminal fitting is accommodated in a connector connectable to the device.

The exterior member E includes a pipe 10 having rigidity capable of maintaining a predetermined bent shape and a corrugated tube 20 having flexibility capable of bending relatively easily. The pipe 10 protects a portion of the electric wire W that is mainly disposed under the floor, and the corrugated tube 20 protects a portion that is disposed in the vehicle interior.

The pipe 10 is a long tube made of metal (for example, copper or copper alloy, or aluminum or aluminum alloy), and has a shielding property and a shape retaining property. The pipe 10 has a circular cross section (perfect circle shape), and a plurality of electric wires W are collectively inserted therein. The cross-sectional shape of the pipe 10 is substantially the same throughout its length. The pipe 10 is bent into a predetermined shape by a bender machine.

The wire harness includes a shield member 11 that surrounds and shields a portion of the electric wire W that is led out from the pipe 10 (see FIG. 4). The shield member 11 is a braided member, a metal tape, or the like obtained by knitting a thin metal wire into a cylindrical shape, and has shielding properties and flexibility. The shield member 11 is connected so as to be conductive in the axial direction of the pipe 10.

One end portion of the shield member 11 is attached to the end portion of the pipe 10, and is caulked by a caulking member 12 and is fixed to the end portion of the pipe 10. The pipe 10 and the shield member 11 cover the entire length of the electric wire W, thereby shielding electromagnetic noise generated from the electric wire W. The other end of the shield member 11 is connected to a connector.

The corrugated tube 20 is a tube made of synthetic resin, and is connected in the axial direction of the pipe 10 to surround a portion of the electric wire W that is led out from the pipe 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the corrugated tube 20 is covered with a main body portion 23 having a bellows shape in which peaks 21 and valleys 22 are alternately continuous in the axial direction, and the end of the pipe 10. And a plastically deformed portion 24 that is plastically deformed along the outer peripheral surface 10.

The main body portion 23 has a known shape (bellows shape) in which the crest portions 21 and the trough portions 22 are alternately continuous in the axial direction, and is freely deformable. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter of the main body 23 (the diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the valley portion 22) is larger than the outer diameter of the pipe 10 (the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10).

The plastic deformation portion 24 is formed by plastic deformation of a part of a known corrugated tube 20. The plastic deformation portion 24 is provided at the end portion of the corrugated tube 20 and has a cylindrical shape that is formed along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10 by applying heat and pressure. The plastic deformation portion 24 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10 over the entire circumference. The plastic deformation portion 24 is placed on a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10 that is adjacent to the caulking member 12. The caulking member 12 is disposed inside the main body portion 23.

The inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the plastically deformed portion 24 are flat surfaces with almost no unevenness. The inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion 24 has a circular cross section along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10. The inner diameter of the plastic deformation portion 24 (the diameter of the inner peripheral surface) is the same as the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10. The diameter dimension of the plastic deformation portion 24 is smaller than the diameter dimension of the main body portion 23. The plastic deformation portion 24 is located radially inside the inner peripheral surface of the valley portion 22 of the main body portion 23, and a step 25 is formed at the boundary between the plastic deformation portion 24 and the main body portion 23. The step 25 is larger than the step of the peak portion 21 and the valley portion 22 of the main body portion 23 (depth of the valley portion 22).

The plastic deformation portion 24 is formed in a predetermined range including the end face of the corrugated tube 20. The dimension in the axial direction of the plastic deformation portion 24 is equivalent to a plurality of peak portions 21 and valley portions 22 (in this embodiment, five peak portions 21 and four valley portions 22 positioned therebetween) aligned in the axial direction. It is the dimension of.

An adhesive 26 (not shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion 24 and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10. The adhesive 26 is a hot-melt adhesive, and is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10 in a ring shape when not heated as shown in FIG. The adhesive 26 is melted by heating, and bonds the inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion 24 and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10.

The adhesive 26 is melted at a temperature (140 to 160 degrees) lower than the temperature (about 200 degrees) at which the corrugated tube 20 is deformed. The adhesive 26 is preferably made of, for example, an engineering plastic and is a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic resin having at least one of an ether bond, an amide bond, an ester bond, and a urethane bond. Polyester elastomers are particularly preferable, and examples of commercially available products include “Hytrel (registered trademark)” manufactured by Toray DuPont Co., Ltd.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the exterior member E in the present embodiment will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 3, the end portion of the corrugated tube 20 that is not plastically deformed is put on the end portion of the pipe 10. An adhesive 26 is attached to the end of the pipe 10 and set so that the end of the corrugated tube 20 covers the outside of the adhesive 26.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the plastic deformed portion 24 is formed by pressing the end portion of the corrugated tube 20 against the end portion of the pipe 10 with a high-temperature mold 30. The ends of the corrugated tube 20 are pressed by the upper and lower molds 30. The adhesive 26 is melted by the heat of the mold 30. Further, the end of the corrugated tube 20 is softened by the heat and pressure of the mold 30, and the diameter is gradually reduced. The peaks 21 and valleys 22 of the corrugated tube 20 are crushed, and the irregularities on the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface are reduced. Eventually, the end portion of the corrugated tube 20 has a shape that extends along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10 with almost no gap, and the plastic deformation portion 24 is formed. The inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion 24 and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10 are firmly bonded by an adhesive 26.
Thus, the manufacturing operation of the exterior member E is completed.

Next, operations and effects of the embodiment configured as described above will be described.
The exterior member E of the present embodiment includes a metal pipe 10 through which the electric wire W is inserted, and a corrugated tube 20 that is connected in the axial direction of the pipe 10 and surrounds a portion of the electric wire W that is led out from the pipe 10. The corrugated tube 20 is provided with a plastic deformation portion 24 that is attached to the end portion of the pipe 10 and plastically deformed along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10. According to this structure, since the corrugated tube 20 can be directly connected to the pipe 10, a grommet can be made unnecessary. Since the grommet is unnecessary, parts such as a band for fixing the grommet are unnecessary, and the number of parts can be reduced. Moreover, the grommet attaching operation can be omitted, and the efficiency of the wire harness assembling operation can be increased. In addition, the wire harness can be reduced in weight by not using the grommet.

Further, a hot melt adhesive 26 that melts at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the corrugated tube 20 is deformed is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion 24 and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10. According to this configuration, since the adhesive 26 melted by the heat of the mold 30 joins the end of the pipe 10 and the plastic deformation portion 24 of the corrugated tube 20, the corrugated tube 20 is more firmly connected to the pipe 10. be able to.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the pipe 10 is made of metal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the pipe may be made of synthetic resin, and has a structure in which metal foil is concentrically embedded in the resin pipe. The thing etc. may be sufficient.
(2) In the above embodiment, the adhesive 26 is interposed between the inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion 24 and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10, but the adhesive need not necessarily be interposed, for example, plastic deformation The part may be melted and fixed directly to the outer peripheral surface of the pipe. Further, the adhesive is not necessarily a hot melt adhesive.
(3) In the above embodiment, the shield member 11 is caulked to the end portion of the pipe 10, but the end portion of the pipe may be thinned by swaging, and the shield member may be caulked there.
(4) In the above embodiment, the plastic deformation portion 24 is in close contact with the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is a slight gap between the plastic deformation portion and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe. There may be.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, almost no uneven shape remains in the plastic deformation portion 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the uneven shape may remain in the plastic deformation portion.
(6) In the said Example, although the plastic deformation part 24 is provided in the edge part of the corrugated tube 20 containing the end surface of the corrugated tube 20, it is not restricted to this, For example, a plastic deformation part is the end surface of a corrugated tube. You may form in the site | part in the middle of a corrugated tube, leaving a peak part or a trough part in the edge part to include.

E ... Exterior member for wire harness W ... Electric wire 10 ... Pipe 20 ... Corrugated tube 24 ... Plastic deformation part 26 ... Hot melt adhesive 30 ... Mold

Claims (5)

A metal or synthetic resin pipe through which the wire is inserted;
A corrugated tube that is connected in the axial direction of the pipe and surrounds a portion of the electric wire that is led out from the pipe;
An exterior member for a wire harness provided with a plastically deformed portion that is plastically deformed so that the corrugated tube is placed on an end portion of the pipe along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe. The wire harness exterior member according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive is interposed between an inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion and an outer peripheral surface of the pipe. Multiple wires,
An exterior member for a wire harness according to claim 1 or 2,
Wire harness equipped with. A method of manufacturing the exterior member for a wire harness according to claim 1 or 2,
A step of covering the end portion of the pipe with the corrugated tube in a state before the plastic deformation, and pressing the part of the corrugated tube against the end portion of the pipe with a high-temperature mold to form the plastic deformation portion. The manufacturing method of the exterior member for wire harnesses which passes. The wire harness exterior according to claim 4, wherein a hot melt adhesive that melts at a temperature lower than a temperature at which the corrugated tube is deformed is interposed between an inner peripheral surface of the plastic deformation portion and an outer peripheral surface of the pipe. Manufacturing method of member.

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