Wire harness

Abstract

One embodiment of the present disclosure provides a wiring harness capable of keeping height low. The wiring harness (11) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a core wire (12), the core wire (12) having a flat straight portion (15) whose height in the vertical direction is smaller than its width, and a curved portion (16) that is curved from the end of the straight portion (15) when viewed from the vertical direction. The straight portion (15) is composed of a braided wire (19) formed by braiding strands (18) together, the strands (18) being formed by twisting wire rods, and the curved portion (16) is composed of a plurality of strands (18) arranged in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wiring harness. Background Art

[0002] Conventional wiring harnesses installed in vehicles and other applications include flat, sheathed, rectangular wires, each core wire arranged parallel to the other, with a portion of the wire bent (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, in this wiring harness, the core wire of the rectangular wire has a straight portion arranged so that its height in the vertical direction is smaller than its width, and a curved portion that curves away from the end of the straight portion when viewed from above. The curved portions of the wiring harness are twisted, and the multiple curved portions are held in this state.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-125079 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, in the above-mentioned wiring harness, in the straight portion, the wires are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction orthogonal to each other, thereby suppressing the height. In the curved portion, however, the flat surface of the flat wire is twisted and the wires are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. Therefore, there is a problem that the maximum height of the wiring harness becomes higher in the curved portion.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness capable of suppressing its height.

[0009] Solutions to Problems

[0010] The wiring harness disclosed herein comprises a core wire, wherein the core wire has: a flat straight portion whose height in the up-down direction is smaller than its width; and a curved portion bent from the end of the straight portion when viewed from the up-down direction, wherein the straight portion is composed of a second set of wires formed by twisting or braiding a first set of wires with each other, the first set of wires being formed by twisting or braiding wires, and the curved portion is composed of a plurality of parallel wires arranged in parallel in directions orthogonal to the up-down direction.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the wire harness of the present disclosure, the height can be suppressed to be low. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a top view of a wire harness in one embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 In one embodiment Figure 1 Sectional view 2-2.

[0015] Figure 3 In one embodiment Figure 1 Sectional view 3-3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure]

[0017] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0018] The wiring harness disclosed herein,

[0019] [1] A core wire having: a flat straight portion whose height in the up-down direction is smaller than its width; and a curved portion bent from the end of the straight portion when viewed from the up-down direction, wherein the straight portion is composed of a second set of wires formed by twisting or braiding a first set of wires with each other, the first set of wires being formed by twisting or braiding wires, and the curved portion is composed of a plurality of parallel wires arranged in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the up-down direction.

[0020] According to this structure, since the straight portion is composed of a second set of wires formed by twisting or braiding the first set of wires together, and the first set of wires is formed by twisting or braiding wires, and the curved portion is composed of a plurality of parallel wires arranged in parallel in directions orthogonal to the vertical direction, it is possible to suppress the maximum height of the wire harness from becoming high in the curved portion. That is, the second set of wires is formed as a flattened second set of wires in the straight portion, and the curved portion has a structure in which the second set of wires is divided into a plurality of parallel wires and arranged in parallel in directions orthogonal to the vertical direction. Therefore, even in the curved portion, the stacking of wires in the vertical direction can be suppressed, and the maximum height of the wire harness can be suppressed to be low.

[0021] [2] Preferably, the parallel arrangement line is the first set of lines.

[0022] According to this structure, since the parallel-arranged wires are the first aggregate wires, the structure becomes a second aggregate wire which is simply a structure in which the first aggregate wires are twisted or braided together and formed. Compared with the case where the parallel-arranged wires are set to a structure different from the first aggregate wires, the maximum height of the wire harness can be suppressed to a low level with a simple structure.

[0023] [3] Preferably, the parallel arrangement line is set to have a shorter length as the bending radius is smaller.

[0024] According to this configuration, the parallel lines are shortened as the bending radius becomes smaller. This can suppress, for example, excess length of the parallel lines on the side with the smaller bending radius, and can prevent the excess length from bending in the vertical direction and increasing the height.

[0025] [4] Preferably, an insulating exterior member is provided, the insulating exterior member covering the straight portion and maintaining the first bundled wires in the straight portion in a twisted or braided state.

[0026] According to this structure, the insulating outer member covers the straight portion and maintains the twisted or braided state of the first aggregated wires in the straight portion. This ensures insulation and shape maintenance of the straight portion. Specifically, while the straight portion is susceptible to untwisting or unbraiding the first aggregated wires at the boundary with the curved portion, this untwisting is suppressed by the insulating outer member, maintaining its shape.

[0027] [5] Preferably, a flexible insulating protective member is provided to cover the bent portion.

[0028] This structure provides a flexible insulating protective member covering the bent portion, making it easier to ensure insulation of the bent portion. Specifically, since the flexible insulating protective member is used as the material covering the bent portion, it can more easily accommodate slight variations in the shape of the bent portion, compared to, for example, exterior components with a predetermined shape that are less flexible. Furthermore, after the bent portion is formed into a curved state, it can be easily covered through post-processing.

[0029] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure]

[0030] The following is a reference to the attached Figure 1 The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalents.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the wire harness 11 includes a core wire 12 , an insulating outer material 13 covering the core wire 12 , and an insulating protective material 14 .

[0032] The core wire 12 has a flat straight portion 15 whose height in the vertical direction is smaller than its width, and a curved portion 16 which is curved from the end of the straight portion 15 when viewed from the vertical direction. Figure 1 The width of the straight portion 15, as viewed from the top and bottom, corresponds to the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the straight portion 15 extends. Furthermore, the core wire 12 of this embodiment includes two straight portions 15 connected by a curved portion 16. The two straight portions 15 extend in a direction forming a 90-degree angle with the curved portion 16 as a base point when viewed from the top and bottom.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the straight portion 15 is composed of a braided wire 19 as a second collective wire, and the second collective wire is composed of stranded wires 18 as a first collective wire braided together, and the first collective wire is composed of wires 17 twisted together. In detail, the braided wire 19 constituting the straight portion 15 of this embodiment is composed of four stranded wires 18 braided together in a flat state. In addition, the stranded wire 18 is composed of four wires 17 twisted together in a rotation direction centered on an axis along its extension direction. In addition, in Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the boundaries between the wires 17 in one strand 18 are omitted from illustration, and the core wire 12 is illustrated so that the boundaries between the strands 18 can be easily understood visually.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the curved portion 16 is composed of a plurality of strands 18 arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. Specifically, the curved portion 16 of this embodiment is composed of four strands 18, which are formed by unbundling the braided wire 19 that constitutes the straight portion 15. These four strands 18 are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction with substantially no gaps between them, and then bent. Furthermore, the four strands 18 in the curved portion 16 of this embodiment are configured so that the smaller the bending radius, the shorter the length.

[0035] The insulating outer member 13 is formed by assembling, for example, a pair of upper and lower resin molded parts, and covers the straight portion 15 while maintaining the strands 18 in the straight portion 15 in a braided state. Specifically, the insulating outer member 13 is provided so as to sandwich the straight portion 15 up to the end of the straight portion 15 and the boundary with the curved portion 16, maintaining the strands 18 in a braided state up to the boundary with the curved portion 16.

[0036] The insulating protector 14 is formed by laminating a pair of upper and lower plastic films, for example, and is flexible and covers the bent portion 16. The insulating protector 14 is provided so as to cover the bent portion 16 by post-processing after the bent portion 16 is formed into a bent state.

[0037] The wire harness 11 also includes metal terminals 20 welded to the ends of the straight portions 15, which are both ends of the core wire 12. The metal terminals 20 of the wire harness 11 are connected to other external terminals (not shown) connected to, for example, electrical equipment.

[0038] Next, the operation of the wire harness 11 configured as described above will be described.

[0039] Since the core wire 12 of the wiring harness 11 has a straight portion 15 and a curved portion 16, it can electrically connect other external terminals that are not aligned. Furthermore, since the core wire 12 includes stranded wires 18 formed by twisting wires 17, the wires 17 are less likely to become loose, resulting in superior flexibility and improved tensile strength compared to, for example, simply arranging the wires 17 in parallel.

[0040] Next, the effects of the above-described embodiment will be described below.

[0041] (1) Since the straight portion 15 is composed of a braided wire 19 as a second aggregate wire, which is composed of stranded wires 18 as a first aggregate wire braided together, and the first aggregate wire is composed of wire rods 17 twisted together, and the curved portion 16 is composed of a plurality of stranded wires 18 as parallel wires, and the plurality of parallel wires are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, the maximum height of the wire harness 11 can be suppressed from being increased in the curved portion 16. That is, the braided wire 19 is formed as a flat braid in the straight portion 15, and the braided wire 19 is divided into a plurality of stranded wires 18 in the curved portion 16 and arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. Therefore, even in the curved portion 16, the stranded wires 18 can be suppressed from stacking in the vertical direction, and the maximum height of the wire harness 11 can be suppressed to be low.

[0042] (2) Since the parallel wires constituting the bending portion 16 are set as the stranded wires 18, the braided wires 19 formed by simply braiding the stranded wires 18 are disassembled. Compared with the case where the parallel wires are set as a structure different from the stranded wires 18, the maximum height of the wire harness 11 can be suppressed to a low level with a simple structure.

[0043] (3) Since the plurality of strands 18 in the curved portion 16 are arranged to be shorter as the bending radius becomes smaller, the excess length of the strands 18 on the side with the smaller bending radius can be suppressed, and the excess length can be suppressed from being bent in the vertical direction and increasing in height.

[0044] (4) Since the insulating outer member 13 is provided, and the insulating outer member 13 covers the straight portion 15 and maintains the braided state of the strands 18 in the straight portion 15, the insulation of the straight portion 15 can be ensured while maintaining its shape. In other words, although the braided state of the strands 18 in the straight portion 15 is easily unwound at the boundary with the curved portion 16, this unwinding is suppressed by the insulating outer member 13, and the braided shape can be maintained.

[0045] (5) Since the flexible insulating protector 14 is provided to cover the curved portion 16, it is easy to ensure the insulation of the curved portion 16. That is, since the flexible insulating protector 14 is used as the material for covering the curved portion 16, it is easier to cope with slight differences in the shape of the curved portion 16 than, for example, an exterior member with a predetermined shape and poor flexibility. After the curved portion 16 is formed into a curved state, the curved portion 16 can be easily covered by post-processing.

[0046] This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications: This embodiment and the following modifications can be implemented in combination with each other within a range that does not technically conflict.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the parallel wires constituting the curved portion 16 are twisted wires 18 formed by simply unwinding the braided wire 19 formed by braiding the strands 18. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may also be parallel wires having a structure different from that of the twisted wires 18. In other words, the curved portion 16 may be formed by a plurality of parallel wires in which the braided wire 19 is divided into a plurality of strands and arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. For example, the curved portion 16 may be a plurality of parallel wires in which a plurality of strands 18 are further twisted or braided, or a plurality of parallel wires in which a single strand 18 is divided into two or more strands and then twisted or braided.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the strands 18 in the curved portion 16 are configured so that their length decreases as the bending radius decreases. However, this is not limiting and other configurations are also possible. For example, the strands 18 in the curved portion 16 may be arranged in parallel with a gap between them in a vertically perpendicular direction. In this case, the gap can be used to absorb the predetermined length.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the insulating exterior member 13 is provided. The insulating exterior member 13 covers the straight portion 15 and maintains the strands 18 in the straight portion 15 in a braided state. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the insulating exterior member 13 may not have the function of maintaining the strands 18 in a braided state. In this case, it is preferable to maintain the braided state of the strands 18 by, for example, fastening the boundary between the straight portion 15 and the curved portion 16 with a fastening band or by welding.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the flexible insulating protection member 14 covering the curved portion 16 is provided, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be changed to, for example, an exterior member having a predetermined shape that is not so flexible.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the straight portion 15 is composed of a braided wire 19 as a second aggregate wire, which is formed by braiding together stranded wires 18 as a first aggregate wire, which is formed by twisting together wire rods 17. However, the first aggregate wire may be a braided wire braided by braiding together wire rods 17, and the second aggregate wire may be a stranded wire twisted together by twisting together the first aggregate wires. In addition, in the case where the second aggregate wire is a stranded wire twisted together by twisting together the first aggregate wires, for example, the second aggregate wire may be flattened in the vertical direction to form a flat straight portion whose height in the vertical direction is less than its width.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the braided wire 19 constituting the straight portion 15 is formed by braiding four strands 18 as first aggregate wires. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed by braiding another number of first aggregate wires, such as six or eight.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the stranded wire 18 as the first aggregated wire is formed by twisting four wires 17 together. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed by twisting another number of wires 17 together, such as eight or a dozen wires.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the core wire 12 is configured such that the two straight portions 15 connected by the curved portion 16 extend at a 90-degree angle relative to the curved portion 16 when viewed from above and below. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may also extend at other angles. In other words, the degree of curvature of the curved portion 16 may also be varied.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the core wire 12 includes two straight portions 15 connected by the curved portion 16 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a core wire composed of one straight portion 15 and one curved portion 16 may be used.

[0056] The present disclosure includes the following implementation examples. Components of the embodiments are denoted by reference numerals, not for limitation, but to aid understanding.

[0057] [Supplementary Note 1] A wiring harness (11),

[0058] A core wire (12) is provided which is composed of a plurality of aggregate wires (18), each of the aggregate wires (18) including a plurality of wires (17) twisted or braided with each other.

[0059] The core wire (12) comprises:

[0060] Two end regions (15), which are two end regions (straight portions 15) respectively including the first end and the second end of the core wire (12), and the plurality of collective wires (18) are twisted or braided; and

[0061] The middle region (16) is a middle region (bend portion 16) located between the two end regions (15), and the plurality of aggregate lines (18) are arranged in the width direction.

[0062] [Note 2] In one or more installation examples disclosed herein, the wiring harness (11) may further have a fixing member (fastening belt) at the boundary between each of the end areas (15) and the middle area, and the fixing member is used to maintain the twisted or braided state of the multiple collective wires (18).

[0063] [Supplementary Note 3] In one or more installation examples of the present disclosure, the wiring harness (11) may further include two metal terminals (20) to which the first end and the second end are connected, respectively.

[0064] [Supplementary Note 4] In one or more installation examples disclosed herein, each of the end regions (15) may also extend in a straight line.

[0065] [Supplementary Note 5] In one or more installation examples of the present disclosure, the plurality of collective wires (18) may also extend continuously from the first end to the second end.

[0066] [Supplementary Note 6] In one or more installation examples of the present disclosure, the plurality of aggregate wires (18) may be arranged in the width direction in the middle region (16) without being twisted or braided.

[0067] [Supplementary Note 7] In one or more installation examples disclosed herein, the middle area (16) may also be bent into an arc shape.

[0068] [Note 8] In one or more installation examples disclosed herein, the length of the aggregate line (18) located on the outer diameter side of the bend in the intermediate region (16) may be longer than the length of the aggregate line (18) located on the inner diameter side of the bend.

[0069] [Supplementary Note 9] In one or more installation examples of the present disclosure, the wiring harness (11) may further include two insulating exterior parts (13) that cover the two end regions (15) respectively.

[0070] [Note 10] In one or more installation examples disclosed herein, the wiring harness (11) may further include an insulating protective member (14), which covers the middle area (16) and bends along the shape of the middle area (16).

[0071] Description of Reference Numerals

[0072] 11 Wiring Harness

[0073] 12 core wire

[0074] 13 Insulation exterior parts

[0075] 14 Insulation protection parts

[0076] 15 straight part

[0077] 16 Bend

[0078] 17 Wire

[0079] 18 stranded wires (parallel wires, first set wires)

[0080] 19 braided line (second set of lines)

[0081] 20 metal terminals

Claims

1. A wire harness comprising a core wire, wherein the core wire has: A flat straight portion whose height in the vertical direction is smaller than its width; and When the curved portion bent from the end of the straight portion is viewed from the up-down direction, The straight portion is formed by a second aggregate of first aggregated wires twisted or braided together, wherein the first aggregated wires are formed by twisting or braiding wire rods. The curved portion is configured such that the second aggregated line constituting the straight portion is composed of a plurality of the first aggregated lines that are divided and arranged in parallel as a plurality of parallel lines in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

2. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein The parallel arrangement line is set such that the smaller the bending radius, the shorter the length.

3. The wire harness according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The wiring harness includes an insulating exterior member that covers the straight portion and maintains the first bundled wires in the straight portion in a twisted or braided state.

4. The wire harness according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The wire harness includes a flexible insulating protector that covers the bent portion.

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