Wire harness and method for manufacturing wire harness

Abstract

Provided are: a wire harness in which leakage of a resin composition constituting a waterproof part from a sheet body can be reduced and high waterproofness can be ensured; and a method for producing the wire harness. The electric wire harness (2) includes a joint portion (5) in which electric wires (4) constituting the electric wire harness (2) are joined to each other at an exposed portion (21) where a conductor (41) is exposed, a waterproof portion (6) in which the joint portion and a covering portion (22) are covered with a curable resin material, the exposed portion and the conductor in the covering portion (22) are covered with an insulating covering material (42), and a sheet body (7) surrounding the outer periphery of the waterproof portion. The waterproof part is configured such that the space between the plurality of electric wires constituting the wire harness is filled with the resin material without gaps in the exposed part, and the resin material is filled with the waterproof material along the axial direction of the wire harness. A partial region including an end of a region surrounded by the sheet and covering the covering portion is defined as an end region (61), and a region adjacent to the end region is defined as an adjacent region (62), and the end region has a smoother surface than the adjacent region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wire harness and a method for manufacturing the wire harness. Background Art

[0002] In a wire harness including a plurality of electric wires, sometimes a crimp terminal or the like is used to join conductors exposed from an insulating covering of each electric wire to each other to form a joint portion. A wire harness having such a joint portion is disclosed, for example, in Patent Documents 1 to 3. In these wire harnesses having a joint portion, for the purpose of protecting the joint portion from being damaged by contact with water, sometimes a portion including the joint portion is covered with a waterproof portion made of a resin material through which water hardly passes. In Patent Documents 1 and 2, a wire harness is disclosed in which a region including a joint portion is covered with a resin material to form a waterproof portion and a sheet surrounding the outer periphery of the waterproof portion is also provided. Such a structure can be easily formed by the following method: a resin composition having photocurability is disposed on the surface of a light-transmitting sheet, a region including the joint portion of the wire harness is placed thereon, and then these regions are surrounded by the sheet on which the resin composition is disposed, and light is irradiated from the outside of the sheet to cure the resin composition. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-248527 Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-034188 Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1-154473 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] If, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a liquid resin composition is disposed on a sheet and the region including the joint portion of the wire harness is surrounded by the sheet and then the resin composition is cured, a waterproof portion can be easily formed on the outer periphery of the joint portion. However, in this case, in the process of bending, winding, or the like of the sheet on which the liquid resin composition is disposed to surround the region including the joint portion of the wire harness, the resin composition is likely to leak to the outside of the sheet along with these operations. If the resin composition leaks, the workability will be reduced in the subsequent process for forming the waterproof portion. In addition, if the leaked resin composition is directly cured, it may cause adverse effects such as contact between the resin material cured outside the sheet and surrounding objects in the completed wire harness.

[0005] When a waterproof portion is formed of a resin composition having a high viscosity as in the case of the gelatinous sealant disclosed in Patent Document 3, it is possible to suppress leakage of the resin composition from the sheet in various operation steps. However, when a resin composition having a high viscosity is used, the resin composition cannot sufficiently spread over each part in a region where a waterproof portion should be formed, such as a portion between a plurality of electric wires joined by a joint portion, and voids not occupied by the resin material may remain inside the waterproof portion. If such voids are generated, water intrusion into the waterproof portion is allowed, and sufficient waterproof performance may not be obtained.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, the problem lies in providing a wire harness and a method for manufacturing such a wire harness, in which the wire harness is configured such that a waterproof portion is provided on the outer periphery of a joint portion and the outer periphery of the waterproof portion is surrounded by a sheet, and the wire harness can reduce leakage of the resin composition constituting the waterproof portion from the sheet and ensure high waterproof performance. Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] The wire harness of the present disclosure includes a wire bundle, a joint portion, a waterproof portion, and a sheet. The wire bundle includes a plurality of electric wires, each of which has a conductor and an insulating coating covering the outer periphery of the conductor. The wire bundle has an exposed portion and a covering portion adjacent to the exposed portion. In the exposed portion, the conductor is exposed from the insulating coating of the electric wire, and in the covering portion, the conductor is covered by the insulating coating. The joint portion joins the electric wires constituting the wire bundle to each other in the exposed portion. The waterproof portion covers the joint portion, the exposed portion, and the covering portion with a curable resin material. The sheet surrounds the outer periphery of the waterproof portion. The waterproof portion is configured such that the space between the plurality of electric wires constituting the wire bundle in the exposed portion is filled without gaps with the resin material, and along the axial direction of the wire bundle, a part of the region including the end portion that is surrounded by the sheet and covers the covering portion is defined as an end portion region, and a region adjacent to the end portion region is defined as an adjacent region, and the end portion region has a smoother surface than the adjacent region.

[0008] The manufacturing method of the wire harness of the present disclosure sequentially performs the following processes: a joining process, in which a plurality of electric wires each having a conductor and an insulating coating covering the outer periphery of the conductor are bundled in a state where a part of the insulating coating is removed, thereby forming a wire harness having an exposed portion where the conductor is exposed and a coated portion adjacent to the exposed portion and where the conductor is covered by the insulating coating, and the electric wires are joined to each other at the exposed portion to form a joint portion, and a wire harness precursor is produced; a resin arrangement process, in which a curable liquid resin composition is arranged in a part of the region on the surface of a sheet; a local viscosity increase process, in which only a part of the region of the resin composition arranged on the surface of the sheet is made to have an increased viscosity to form a high-viscosity region, and the region other than the high-viscosity region is left as a liquid region; a wire harness arrangement process, in which a part of the wire harness precursor including the joint portion is arranged on the surface of the resin composition in such a manner that the exposed portion of the wire harness is in contact with the liquid region; a surrounding process, in which the wire harness precursor is surrounded by the sheet on which the resin composition is arranged; and a curing process, in which the resin composition surrounded by the sheet is cured in the entire region. In the local viscosity increase process, the high-viscosity region is provided at first and second portions that are separated from each other and respectively include one end portion and the other end portion along the axial direction of the wire harness precursor in the region where the resin composition is arranged, and the liquid region is provided between the first and second portions so as to include the region where the exposed portion of the wire harness is arranged. Advantages of the Invention

[0009] The wire harness of the present disclosure is a wire harness configured such that a waterproof portion is provided on the outer periphery of the joint portion and the outer periphery of the waterproof portion is surrounded by a sheet, and the wire harness can reduce the leakage of the resin composition constituting the waterproof portion from the sheet and ensure high waterproof performance. In addition, according to the manufacturing method of the wire harness of the present disclosure, such a wire harness can be manufactured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the wire harness. Figures 3A to 3C FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a manufacturing method of a wire harness using a local semi-curing method. Figure 3A FIG. 4 shows a wire harness precursor obtained through the joining process. Figure 3B FIG. 5 shows the resin arrangement process. Figure 3C FIG. 6 shows the local viscosity increase process. In the figure, the uncured resin composition is indicated by diagonal lines, and the resin material in a semi-cured state is indicated by hatched lines. Figures 4A to 4CThis is a diagram showing subsequent processes of the above-described wire harness manufacturing method. Figure 4A It shows a wire harness arranging process. Figure 4B It shows a process of bending the sheet in the enclosing process. Figure 4C It shows a process of pressing the sheet in the enclosing process. Only Figure 4A It is shown in a top view. Figure 5 This is a diagram showing subsequent processes of the above-described wire harness manufacturing method, showing a curing process. Figures 6A to 6F This is a diagram showing the structure of wire harnesses manufactured by three manufacturing methods. For wire harnesses manufactured by local semi-curing method, one-step curing method, and global semi-curing method respectively, Figures 6A to 6C The state near the end of the waterproof part is enlarged and shown ([ Figure 1 Cross-sectional view A - A of Figures 6D to 6F The state of the area corresponding to the exposed part of the wire harness is shown ([ Figure 1 Cross-sectional view B - B of Figure 7 This is a photograph obtained by magnifying and photographing the vicinity of the end of the covering part of the wires constituting the wire harness in a wire harness manufactured by the local semi-curing method. Detailed Embodiments

[0011] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. (1) The wire harness of the present disclosure includes a wire bundle, a connector part, a waterproof part, and a sheet. The wire bundle includes a plurality of wires, each wire having a conductor and an insulating covering covering the outer periphery of the conductor. The wire bundle has an exposed part and a covering part adjacent to the exposed part. In the exposed part, the conductor exposes from the insulating covering of the wire. In the covering part, the conductor is covered by the insulating covering. The connector part joins the wires constituting the wire bundle to each other in the exposed part. The waterproof part covers the connector part, the exposed part, and the covering part with a curable resin material. The sheet surrounds the outer periphery of the waterproof part. The waterproof part is configured such that in the exposed part, the space between the plurality of wires constituting the wire bundle is filled without gaps with the resin material, and along the axial direction of the wire bundle, a part of the area including the end in the area surrounded by the sheet and covering the covering part is defined as an end area, and the area adjacent to the end area is defined as an adjacent area. The end area has a smoother surface than the adjacent area.

[0012] In a wire harness having a waterproof portion on the outer periphery of a joint portion and the waterproof portion is surrounded by a sheet, the fact that the surface of the end region including the end in the region of the covering portion that covers the wire harness surrounded by the sheet is smoother than the adjacent region adjacent thereto serves as evidence that in this wire harness, leakage of the resin composition constituting the waterproof portion from the sheet is reduced, and the space between the wires constituting the wire harness in the exposed portion is tightly filled with a resin material. The reason is as described in the following paragraphs. By reducing the leakage of the resin composition from the sheet, it is possible to suppress a decrease in workability caused by a large amount of the uncured resin composition leaking out of the sheet during the formation of the waterproof portion. In addition, it is not easy to cause effects such as contact between the resin material that has leaked out of the sheet and solidified and surrounding objects. On the other hand, by tightly filling the space between the wires constituting the wire harness with a resin material, it is possible to highly suppress the intrusion of water into the inside of the waterproof portion. Therefore, the waterproof portion becomes a portion that exhibits high waterproof performance.

[0013] A wire harness having a waterproof portion on the outer periphery of the joint portion and the waterproof portion surrounded by a sheet can be formed by surrounding a portion including the joint portion of the wire harness precursor in which a plurality of wires are joined by the joint portion with a sheet in which a resin composition is disposed, and then curing the resin composition. At this time, if a method is adopted in which a viscosity of a part of a region including both end portions along the axial direction of the wire harness precursor in the resin composition disposed on the surface of the sheet is increased in advance to form a high-viscosity region, and then the wire harness precursor is surrounded by the sheet and the resin composition is cured, as described above, it is possible to easily form a structure in which leakage of the resin composition constituting the waterproof portion from the sheet is reduced and the resin material is filled without gaps between the wires constituting the wire harness. This is because, by forming the high-viscosity regions at both end portions, it is difficult for the resin composition to flow out to the outside of the sheet due to the operation of surrounding the wire harness precursor with the sheet. On the other hand, at positions between these high-viscosity regions, the resin composition having a low viscosity can penetrate into a narrow region between the plurality of wires constituting the wire harness. In the case of adopting such a manufacturing method, a part of the resin composition having a low viscosity sometimes flows over the high-viscosity region and cures at the position where it has flowed over. In the high-viscosity region, the resin composition cures in a state of being in close contact with the sheet, so that the fine concavo-convex structure of the sheet is transferred to the cured surface. In contrast, the portion that has undergone the above-described flow does not cure in close contact with the sheet, so it is not easily affected by the concavo-convex structure of the sheet and forms a smooth surface. Thus, the formed waterproof portion has a smoother surface in the end region including the end portion in the region of the covering portion that surrounds and covers the wire harness by the sheet than the adjacent region adjacent thereto, which serves as evidence that the waterproof portion is formed by the above-described method of forming a high-viscosity region by increasing the viscosity of a part of the region of the resin composition in advance, and functions as an index indicating that the waterproof portion is formed by reducing leakage of the resin composition to the outside of the sheet and that the waterproof portion has high waterproof performance.

[0014] In addition, since the end region of the waterproof portion has a smooth surface, water is less likely to adhere to and remain in the end portion of the waterproof portion compared to the case where the surface has a low smoothness, and the end region serves to improve the waterproof performance of the waterproof portion. In addition, the smooth surface of the end region indicates that the resin material constituting the waterproof portion is not strongly bonded to the sheet in the end region. Therefore, in the end region, even if a mechanical load such as bending is applied to the wire harness, it is difficult to generate a peeling stress between the waterproof portion and the sheet, and it is easy to maintain a high waterproof performance of the waterproof portion even when a mechanical load is applied. In addition, by suppressing the bonding area between the waterproof portion and the sheet to be small, it is difficult for substances to transfer through the bonding portion between the waterproof portion and the sheet. Thus, even if the wire harness is used for a long time or used in a high-temperature environment, it is difficult to cause modification of the resin material and the sheet due to the transfer of substances, and high waterproof performance can be maintained.

[0015] (2) In the method of (1) above, it may also be that the entire area of the waterproof portion is received inside the area surrounded by the sheet. In this case, the resin material constituting the waterproof portion will not leak outside the sheet, and it is possible to eliminate the reduction in workability during the formation of the waterproof portion or the contact between the resin material cured outside the sheet and surrounding objects, etc., which may be caused by the leakage of the resin material.

[0016] (3) In the method of (1) or (2) above, it may also be that the sheet is made of a resin material containing a plasticizer, and the resin material constituting the waterproof portion does not contain a plasticizer or contains a plasticizer at a concentration lower than that of the sheet. By the sheet containing a plasticizer, the sheet can be bent softly and disposed on the outer periphery of the waterproof portion. On the other hand, since the sheet contains a plasticizer, it is easy for the plasticizer to transfer from the sheet to the waterproof portion. If the plasticizer transfers to the waterproof portion, the close contact between the waterproof portion and the wire and the sheet is reduced, and there is a possibility that the waterproof property of the waterproof portion cannot be sufficiently maintained. However, in the wire harness of the present disclosure, as indicated by the smooth surface of the end region of the waterproof portion, the end region of the waterproof portion is not strongly adhered to the sheet, and the adhesion area between the sheet and the waterproof portion is suppressed to be small, so that it is not easy for the plasticizer to transfer from the sheet to the waterproof portion. Thus, even if the wire harness is used for a long time or used in a high-temperature environment, it is not easy to cause a reduction in waterproof property due to the transfer of the plasticizer.

[0017] (4) In any of the methods of (1) to (3) above, it may also be that in the waterproof portion, the adjacent region at least continuously extends to the region covering the joint portion, and the end region has a surface smoother than the entire adjacent region. As described above, the adjacent region having a surface with low smoothness is a region formed by curing the resin composition in a state of being in close contact with the sheet, and exhibits high waterproof property through close contact with the sheet. By forming such an adjacent region that exhibits high waterproof property including the region covering the joint portion, the wire harness is excellent in waterproof property.

[0018] (5) In the method of (4) above, it may also be that the wire harness has the joint portion as an intermediate joint portion in the middle portion in the axial direction, has the wire harness as the first wire portion on one side of the joint portion along the axial direction, and has a second wire portion including one or more of the wires on the other side. The waterproof portion covers the area from the covering portion of the first wire portion to the covering portion of the second wire portion. The waterproof portion has the end region at least in a partial area including the end portion on the first wire portion side. Thus, high waterproofness can be imparted to the entire intermediate joint portion by the waterproof portion. By disposing a curable resin composition on the surface of the sheet and placing a wire harness precursor having an intermediate joint portion formed thereon, and then surrounding the area including the intermediate joint portion with the sheet and curing the resin composition, waterproofing of the middle portion of the wire harness can be easily carried out. At this time, by adopting the method of forming a high-viscosity region at both ends of the resin composition along the axial direction of the wire harness precursor, which is evidenced by the formation of an end region with low surface smoothness, leakage of the resin composition from the sheet can be reduced, and waterproofing of the intermediate joint portion can be easily and highly achieved. When the second wire portion includes only one wire, in the waterproof portion, the end region with smooth surface may not be provided at the end portion on the second wire portion side. However, when the second wire portion is configured as a wire harness including multiple wires, it is preferable to provide an end region with smooth surface at the end portion on the second wire portion side in the same manner as the end portion on the first wire portion side.

[0019] (6) The manufacturing method of the wire harness of the present disclosure sequentially performs the following processes: a joining process, in which a plurality of electric wires each having a conductor and an insulating coating covering the outer periphery of the conductor are bundled in a state where a part of the insulating coating is removed, thereby forming a wire harness having an exposed portion where the conductor is exposed and a covered portion adjacent to the exposed portion and covered with the insulating coating, and the electric wires are joined to each other at the exposed portion to form a joint, and a wire harness precursor is produced; a resin arrangement process, in which a curable liquid resin composition is arranged in a part of the surface area of a sheet; a local viscosity increase process, in which only a part of the resin composition arranged on the surface of the sheet is made to have an increased viscosity to form a high-viscosity region, and the region other than the high-viscosity region is kept as a liquid region; a wire harness arrangement process, in which a part of the wire harness precursor including the joint is arranged on the surface of the resin composition in such a manner that the exposed portion of the wire harness is in contact with the liquid region; an enclosing process, in which the wire harness precursor is enclosed by the sheet on which the resin composition is arranged; and a curing process, in which the resin composition enclosed by the sheet is cured in the entire region. In the local viscosity increase process, the high-viscosity region is provided at first and second portions that are separated from each other and respectively include one end and the other end along the axial direction of the wire harness precursor in the region where the resin composition is arranged, and the liquid region is provided between the first portion and the second portion so as to include the region where the exposed portion of the wire harness is arranged.

[0020] In the method for manufacturing the wire harness, in the local viscosity increase step, only the regions located at both ends along the axis direction of the wire harness precursor in the liquid resin composition disposed on the surface of the sheet are caused to increase in viscosity to form highly viscous regions, and a liquid region where the viscosity is not increased is retained between these regions. Further, in the wire harness disposition step, the wire harness precursor is disposed on the resin composition such that the exposed portion of the wire harness is in contact with the liquid region. In the surrounding step, the wire harness precursor is surrounded by the sheet, and then in the curing step, the resin composition is cured in the entire region. By providing highly viscous regions where the viscosity of the resin composition is increased at both ends of the resin composition on the sheet, in the surrounding step, the resin material is less likely to leak out of the sheet due to flow. This is because the resin composition in the highly viscous regions is less likely to flow due to its high viscosity, and on top of that, even if the resin composition in the liquid region flows, it is difficult to leak out of the sheet because it is held on both sides by the highly viscous regions. On the other hand, the resin composition in the liquid region, which remains in a fluid state, comes into contact with the exposed portion of the wire harness, so that in the exposed portion, the resin material easily penetrates into the space between the respective wires without gaps. Thus, through the curing of the entire region of the resin composition in the curing step, a waterproof portion can be formed that exhibits high waterproof performance by reducing the leakage of the resin material out of the sheet and filling the space between the multiple wires without gaps with the resin material in the exposed portion. When performing the surrounding step, there may be cases where the resin composition in the liquid region stays in the region held by the highly viscous regions and cases where it flows over the highly viscous regions. In the latter case, a wire harness can be obtained in which an end region having a smoother surface than the adjacent regions is formed in the waterproof portion in the manner of (1) to (5) above.

[0021] (7) In the method of (6) above, it may also be that the resin composition has photocurability, the sheet is transmissive to light that can cure the resin composition, and in the local viscosity increasing step, by irradiating light on the resin composition in a state where the region set as the liquid region in the resin composition disposed on the surface of the sheet is covered with a light-blocking mask member, the resin composition is set to a semi-cured state in the high-viscosity region. In the curing step, light is irradiated from the outside of the sheet surrounding the wire harness precursor to the entire region of the resin composition for curing. In this case, in the local viscosity increasing step, light irradiation is performed using a mask member and suppressing the cumulative light amount to such an extent that the resin composition is not completely cured. Thus, it is possible to simply and selectively make the resin composition at the portion where the high-viscosity region should be formed into a semi-cured state, and form a state in which the high-viscosity region and the liquid region coexist occupying a specified region. In addition, in the curing step, by increasing the cumulative light amount per unit area compared to the local viscosity increasing step and irradiating light from the outside of the sheet, the resin material is cured in the entire region, and thus it is possible to simply form a waterproof portion having high waterproof performance.

[0022] (8) In the method of (6) or (7) above, it may also be that the sheet is made of a resin material containing a plasticizer, and the resin composition does not contain a plasticizer or contains a plasticizer at a lower concentration than the sheet. Then, by containing a plasticizer, the flexibility of the sheet is improved, and in the surrounding step, the sheet can be softly disposed on the outer periphery of a specified portion of the wire harness precursor. In the manufactured wire harness, there is a possibility that the plasticizer transfers from the sheet to the waterproof portion via a portion where the plasticizer is strongly bonded to the waterproof portion through the sheet. However, by increasing the viscosity of the regions at both ends of the resin composition in the local viscosity increasing step to form a high-viscosity region, in the subsequent surrounding step, the liquid resin composition is not easily spread to a large-area region. Therefore, the area of the bonding portion formed between the waterproof portion and the sheet after the curing step is suppressed to be small, and the amount of transfer of the plasticizer to the waterproof portion via the bonding portion is suppressed to a small amount. Thus, in the manufactured wire harness, even after long-term use or use in a high-temperature environment, it is not easy for the plasticizer to transfer from the sheet to the waterproof portion, and the decrease in the tightness between the waterproof portion and the wire and the sheet due to the transfer of the plasticizer is suppressed. As a result, high waterproof performance is maintained.

[0023] (9) In any one of the above (6) to (8) embodiments, it is also possible that the harness precursor has the joint portion as an intermediate joint portion in the middle portion in the axial direction, has the wire harness as the first wire portion on one side of the joint portion along the axial direction, and has a second wire portion including one or more of the wires on the other side. In the resin disposition step, the resin composition is continuously disposed at a position corresponding to a region including the covering portion from the first wire portion of the harness precursor to the covering portion of the second wire portion. In the local viscosity increasing step, as the high-viscosity region, the first portion is disposed in a region corresponding to a part of the covering portion of the first wire portion, and the second portion is disposed to include a region corresponding to a part of the covering portion of the second wire portion. In this case, by disposing the resin composition on the surface of the sheet and surrounding the joint portion with the sheet and then curing it, a waterproof portion can be easily formed also in the middle portion of the harness. In the local viscosity increasing step, by disposing the high-viscosity region in the resin composition to include the portions at both ends along the axial direction of the harness precursor, the resin composition is less likely to flow out from both ends of the sheet in the subsequent surrounding step. Therefore, high workability can be obtained in waterproofing the intermediate joint portion.

[0024] (10) In the embodiment of (9) above, it is also possible that the second wire portion includes only one of the wires, and in the local viscosity increasing step, the second portion is continuously disposed in a region corresponding to the portion from the joint portion to the covering portion of the second wire portion. When the second wire portion includes only one wire, for the purpose of filling the resin material without gaps between the wires, it is sufficient that the portion where the liquid region is retained in the local viscosity increasing step is only the region closer to the first wire portion than the joint portion. On the second wire portion side, the high-viscosity region can be continuously disposed in the region from the joint portion to the covering portion of the second wire portion. Thus, by increasing the ratio of the high-viscosity region and decreasing the ratio of the liquid region, the outflow of the liquid resin composition from the sheet can be highly suppressed.

[0025] [Details of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] The harness and the method for manufacturing the harness according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The harness according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has a joint portion formed by joining a plurality of wires and a waterproof portion covering the region including the joint portion. By using the method for manufacturing the harness according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, such a harness can be manufactured.

[0026] <Summary of the Harness> First, the outline of the structure of a harness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The outline of a harness 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is as Figure 1 、 2as shown Figure 1 is a perspective view, Figure 2 is a simplified sectional view. Figure 2 Schematically shown is a cross-section of the wire harness 1 along the axial direction, and the electric wire 4 and the connection head 5 are shown in an unsectioned manner.

[0027] The wire harness 1 has a first wire portion 2 and a second wire portion 3. The first wire portion 2 includes a plurality of electric wires 4, and the second wire portion 3 includes one or more electric wires 4. In the illustrated manner, the first wire portion 2 includes three electric wires 4. The second wire portion 3 includes only one electric wire 4.

[0028] The electric wires 4 constituting the first wire portion 2 and the second wire portion 3 each have a conductor 41 and an insulating coating 42 that coats the outer periphery of the conductor 41. In a part of the region of each electric wire 4 in the axial direction, the insulating coating 42 is removed to expose the conductor 41, and in the first wire portion 2 and the second wire portion 3, the portions where the conductor 41 is exposed become exposed portions 21 and 31, respectively. In addition, the portions of the insulating coating 42 covering the conductor 41 in each electric wire 4 adjacent to these exposed portions 21 and 31 become covering portions 22 and 32. In the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment, one of the electric wires 4 constituting the first wire portion 2 (for example, the central one) becomes a single wire (main wire) continuous with one electric wire 4 constituting the second wire portion 3, and at the middle portion of the main wire, the insulating coating 42 is removed to expose the conductor 41. At the conductor exposed portion formed at the middle portion of the main wire, the conductor exposed portions formed at the ends of the other electric wires 4 (branch wires) constituting the first wire portion 2 are joined by the connection head 5 to be described later.

[0029] A connection head 5 is formed between the first wire portion 2 and the second wire portion 3. The connection head 5 joins the electric wires 4 constituting the first wire portion 2 and the second wire portion 3 to each other at the exposed portions 21 and 31. In the illustrated manner, in the connection head 5, the exposed conductors 41 of the electric wires 4 are joined by riveting using a crimp terminal. In addition, in the connection head 5, as long as the conductors 41 of the electric wires 4 can be electrically connected to each other and physically fixed, any means can be used to join the conductors 41. In addition to the method using a crimp terminal, welding such as resistance welding and ultrasonic welding or joining using molten metal such as soldering can be exemplified. In the illustrated manner, the connection head 5 is formed as an intermediate connection head at an intermediate portion along the axial direction of the wire harness 1. That is, the first wire portion 2 and the second wire portion 3 extend in different directions with the connection head 5 therebetween. The connection head 5 is a portion where two branch wires constituting the first wire portion 2 are joined to a single main wire continuous from the first wire portion 2 to the second wire portion 3,

[0030] The wire harness 1 further has a waterproof portion 6 that covers the area including the joint portion 5 with a resin material. The resin material forming the waterproof portion 6 covers the joint portion 5, the exposed portion 21 and the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2, and the exposed portion 31 and the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3. That is, the waterproof portion 6 continuously covers the entire circumference of the area from the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2 to the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3 without a gap. The waterproof portion 6 functions as a waterproof member that inhibits the intrusion of water (including electrolyte; the same applies hereinafter) into the joint portion 5.

[0031] In addition, the wire harness 1 includes a sheet body 7. The sheet body 7 surrounds the outer periphery of the waterproof portion 6. By providing the sheet body 7 in the wire harness 1, as will be described later regarding the manufacturing method of the wire harness 1, the formation of the waterproof portion 6 can be easily formed. In addition, the sheet body 7 also functions as a protection member that protects the waterproof portion 6 from contact with external objects. In the illustrated embodiment, the entire area of the waterproof portion 6 is accommodated inside the area surrounded by the sheet body 7. That is, the resin material forming the waterproof portion 6 does not leak to the outside of the sheet body 7.

[0032] The waterproof portion 6 covers the outer periphery of the area including the two wire portions 2 and 3 and the joint portion 5 in the wire harness 1. In addition, the resin material forming the waterproof portion 6 also enters the space between the constituent members of the wire harness 1 in the wire portions 2, 3, and the joint portion 5 and fills these spaces. In particular, in the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in the cross-sectional view of the position of the exposed portion 21 of the first wire portion 2 in Figure 6D the waterproof portion 6 at least fills the space between the respective wires 4 of the wire bundle forming the first wire portion 2 with the resin material without a gap at the exposed portion 21. Here, the state of filling the space between the respective wires 4 with the resin material without a gap includes not only the state where there is no space not occupied by the resin material at all, but also the form where there are gaps having a cross-sectional area of 10% or less, and more strictly, 1% or less of the cross-sectional area of the conductor of each wire 4. Preferably, in the wire bundle of the first wire portion 2, in the area including not only the exposed portion 21 but also at least a part of the covering portion 22, and further in the entire area surrounded by the waterproof portion 6, the space between the wires 4 is filled with the resin material without a gap.

[0033] In the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment, in the waterproof portion 6, the end region 61 and the adjacent region 62 exist adjacent to each other along the axial direction of the first wire portion 2, and the above-mentioned end region 61 and adjacent region 62 are distinguished from each other according to the surface state. Specifically, the end region 61 is constituted by a part of the region in which the waterproof portion 6 is surrounded by the sheet body 7 and covers the first wire portion 2, including the end on the first wire portion 2 side and along the axial direction of the first wire portion 2. And, the adjacent region 62 is provided as a region adjacent to the end region 61, and is formed as a region including portions other than the portion where the end region 61 is formed in the region in which the waterproof portion 6 is surrounded by the sheet body 7 and covers the first wire portion 2. As shown in Figure 6A the enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the end of the waterproof portion 6, if we focus on the surface of the waterproof portion 6 (the surface on the sheet body 7 side) from which the sheet body 7 is removed, the waterproof portion 6 has a smoother surface in the end region 61 than in the adjacent region 62. That is, the end region 61 has a surface with a lower roughness than the adjacent region 62, and the height difference and / or density of the concavo-convex structure of the surface are reduced. The cause and characteristics of such an end region 61 will be described in detail later.

[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, in the waterproof portion 6, the adjacent region 62 continuously extends from the portion other than the end region 61 in the region covering the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2 to the region covering the joint portion 5, and further extends to the region covering the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3, continuously covering the region from the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2 to the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3. And, the end region 61, which is the region including the end of the waterproof portion 6 on the first wire portion 2 side, has a smoother surface than the entire adjacent region 62 that occupies a wider region. Here, the adjacent region 62 is provided up to the end of the waterproof portion 6 on the second wire portion 3 side, but in addition to this embodiment, an end region 61 may also be provided in the region including the end of the waterproof portion 6 on the second wire portion 3 side. The end region 61 occupies a part of the region in which the waterproof portion 6 is surrounded by the sheet body 7 and covers the covering portion 32, and has a smoother surface than the adjacent region 62 in the same manner as the end region 61 on the first wire portion 2 side. In the case of the latter setting, an adjacent region 62 with low surface smoothness is provided between the two end regions 61 having smooth surfaces.

[0035] The waterproof portion 6 has a smoother surface in the end region 61 than in the adjacent region 62. Correspondingly, the close contact between the waterproof portion 6 and the sheet body 7 is lower in the end region 61 than in the adjacent region 62. In this case, typically, the waterproof portion 6 is in a state of being strongly adhered to the sheet body 7 in the adjacent region 62, but in the end region 61, the waterproof portion 6 is not adhered to the sheet body 7, or even if adhered, its adhesion strength is weaker than that in the adjacent region 62.

[0036] The materials of the respective parts constituting the wire harness 1 are not particularly limited, and the following are examples of preferred materials and the like. The conductor 41 of the electric wire 4 may be composed of a single wire, but is preferably composed of an aggregate of a plurality of wire materials 41a. The metal material of the wire material 41a is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, and the like. The conductor 41 may be composed of only one wire material 41a, or may include two or more wire materials 41a. In addition, in addition to the metal wire material 41a, the conductor 41 may include a wire material composed of a material other than a metal material such as organic fiber. The insulating covering 42 of the electric wire 4 is composed of an insulating polymer material. As specific polymer materials, examples include polyolefins such as polypropylene (PP), halogen-based polymers such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic elastomers, rubbers, and the like. These polymer materials may constitute the insulating covering 42 alone, or two or more thereof may be mixed. Various additives may be appropriately added to the polymer material. Examples of the additives include flame retardants, fillers, colorants, and the like.

[0037] The waterproof portion 6 is composed of a curable resin material. That is, the resin material constituting the waterproof portion 6 is composed of a cured product of a curable resin composition. The type of curability of the resin material is not particularly limited, and any resin material having curability that can be cured by various phenomena such as photocurability, thermocurability, moisture curability, two-component reaction curability, and dry curability (curability achieved by evaporation drying of a solvent) can be used. The resin material may have two or more types of curability at the same time. However, from the viewpoints of the curing operation when forming the waterproof portion 6 and the simplicity of the viscosity adjustment operation in the local viscosity increase process to be described later, the resin material constituting the waterproof portion 6 preferably has photocurability, and particularly preferably has ultraviolet curability.

[0038] Regarding the resin type of the resin material constituting the waterproof portion 6, there is no particular limitation, and examples include silicone-based resins, acrylic-based resins, epoxy-based resins, polyurethane-based resins, cyanoacrylate-based resins, and the like. Among them, an acrylic-based resin is preferably used. As the photocurable acrylic-based resin, examples include polyurethane (meth)acrylate-based resins, epoxy (meth)acrylate-based resins, polyester (meth)acrylate-based resins, and the like. As the resin material constituting the waterproof portion 6, only one type may be used, or two or more types may be mixed and used. In addition, various additives may be appropriately added to the resin material. Examples of the additives include reaction initiators, flame retardants, fillers, colorants, and the like.

[0039] The material forming the sheet body 7 is not particularly limited, and various resin materials can be used. As the resin material, polyolefins such as polypropylene, halogen-based resins such as PVC, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, and polyamides such as nylon can be exemplified. Various additives can also be appropriately added to the resin material. In addition, from the viewpoint of simplicity when the sheet body 7 is arranged and fixed in a specified area on the outer periphery of the joint portion 5 with the waterproof portion 6 interposed therebetween, the sheet body 7 can also be configured as an adhesive tape having an adhesive layer in which an adhesive or an adhesive agent is arranged. In this case, the surface provided with the adhesive layer becomes the surface in contact with the waterproof portion 6. In addition, when the resin material forming the waterproof portion 6 is a photocurable resin, it is preferable that the sheet body 7 is formed of a material that can transmit the light used for curing the resin material so that the resin material is cured by light irradiation through the sheet body 7. The size of the sheet body 7 is not particularly limited as long as it is large enough to cover the outer periphery of the waterproof portion 6, but it is preferably provided with remaining portions at both ends along the axial direction of the wire harness 1 that do not surround the waterproof portion 6 but only surround the wire portions 2 and 3.

[0040] The sheet body 7 preferably contains a plasticizer. By containing a plasticizer, the flexibility of the sheet body 7 is thereby improved, and in the wire harness 1, the sheet body 7 can be arranged in a state of being softly bent or curved on the outer periphery of a specified area including the joint portion 5. As the plasticizer, phthalate-based plasticizers such as diisononyl phthalate (DINP), trimellitate-based plasticizers such as tri-2-ethylhexyl trimellitate, aliphatic dibasic acid ester-based plasticizers such as diethylhexyl adipate and dibutyl sebacate, epoxy-based plasticizers such as epoxidized soybean oil, and phosphate-based plasticizers such as tricresyl phosphate can be cited. When the sheet body 7 has an adhesive layer, a plasticizer can also be contained in the adhesive layer. On the other hand, when the sheet body 7 contains a plasticizer, it is preferable that the resin material forming the waterproof portion 6 does not contain a plasticizer or contains a plasticizer at a concentration lower than that of the sheet body 7. Among them, a mode in which the resin material forming the waterproof portion 6 does not contain a plasticizer is particularly preferable.

[0041] <Manufacturing method of wire harness> Here, a manufacturing method of the wire harness according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. One form of the wire harness manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present embodiment becomes the wire harness 1 having the end region 61 with a smooth surface at the end of the waterproof portion 6 described above. The manufacturing method of the wire harness of the present embodiment uses a local semi-curing method including a local viscosity increase process. Specifically, the wire harness is manufactured by sequentially performing (i) a joining process, (ii) a resin arrangement process, (iii) a local viscosity increase process, (iv) a wire harness arrangement process, (v) a surrounding process, and (vi) a curing process. Hereinafter, each process will be described in order. Figures 3A to 5 Each process is schematically shown in

[0042] (i) Joining process In the joining process, multiple electric wires 4 are bundled to form a wire harness, and then a joint portion 5 is formed, as Figure 3A shown, to produce a wire harness precursor 1'. Specifically, first, the necessary number of electric wires 4 cut to a specified length are prepared. In each of the above electric wires 4, an insulating covering 42 is removed in a partial region in the axial direction to expose the conductor 41. Then, multiple of these electric wires 4 with a part of the conductor 41 exposed are bundled to form a wire harness. In the wire harness, there are provided an exposed portion 21 where the conductor 41 of the electric wire 4 is exposed and a covered portion 22 adjacent to the exposed portion 21 and covering the conductor 41 with the insulating covering 42. And these multiple electric wires 4 are joined to each other at the exposed portion 21 to form the joint portion 5. In Figure 3A the manner shown, a wire harness precursor 1' having a joint portion 5 in the form of an intermediate joint portion in the middle part in the axial direction is produced. The wire harness precursor 1' has a wire harness as a first wire portion 2 on one side of the joint portion 5 along the axial direction and a second wire portion 3 including one electric wire 4 on the other side. Specifically, conductor exposed portions are formed respectively at the middle part of one main wire and the end portions of two branch wires. These three electric wires 4 are formed into a bundle, and then the conductor exposed portions of the respective electric wires 4 are joined to each other using joining means such as crimp terminals to form the joint portion 5, thereby obtaining the wire harness precursor 1'.

[0043] (ii) Resin dispensing process Next, in the resin dispensing process, a sheet body 7 and a resin composition R that becomes the waterproof portion 6 are prepared. Here, as Figure 3B shown, a liquid resin composition R having curability is disposed on the surface of the sheet body 7 that extends in a planar shape. The resin composition R cures to become the resin material constituting the waterproof portion 6. In the case where the sheet body 7 has an adhesive layer, the resin composition R is disposed on the surface of the adhesive layer. In the example shown here, as the resin composition R, a material having photocurability is used, and as the sheet body 7, a material having translucency to the light that can cure the resin composition R is used.

[0044] In this resin arrangement step, the resin composition R is arranged only in a partial area on the surface of the sheet 7. In particular, areas where the resin composition R is not arranged are left on both sides along the axial direction (lateral direction in the figure) of the wire harness precursor 1' arranged in the subsequent wire harness arrangement step. Specifically, in the manufactured wire harness 1, the resin composition R is arranged in the area that becomes the adjacent area 62, and the other areas are left in a state where the resin composition R is not arranged on the surface of the sheet 7. At this time, from the viewpoint of arranging the resin composition R with high uniformity in the entire necessary area, it is preferable to arrange the resin composition R in a planar shape on the surface of the sheet 7, rather than dropping the liquid resin composition R onto the surface of the sheet 7 in a dot-like manner and wetting and spreading it by the fluidity of the resin composition R. For example, it is preferable to use a wide nozzle N capable of ejecting the resin composition R in a line shape, and eject the resin composition R while moving the nozzle N. In the Figure 3B shown manner, by moving the nozzle N, which is formed in a wide width in the depth direction in the figure, laterally as indicated by the arrow and simultaneously ejecting the resin composition R, the resin composition R is arranged with high uniformity in a substantially rectangular area.

[0045] (iii) Local viscosity increase step Next, a local viscosity increase step is performed on the resin composition R on the sheet 7. In the local viscosity increase step, as Figure 3C shown, for the resin composition R arranged on the surface of the sheet 7, the viscosity of only a partial area is increased to form high-viscosity areas R1, R2. The areas other than the areas where the high-viscosity areas R1, R2 are formed in the resin composition R become a liquid area R3 where the resin composition R remains in a liquid state with the low viscosity at the beginning of supply to the surface of the sheet 7.

[0046] The high-viscosity areas are provided at two positions, a first part R1 including one end and a second part R2 including the other end, in the area on the surface of the sheet 7 where the resin composition R is arranged, along the axial direction (lateral direction in the figure) of the wire harness precursor 1' arranged in the subsequent wire harness arrangement step. The first part R1 and the second part R2 are separated from each other. The first part R1 and the second part R2 are each formed to occupy the entire area where the resin composition R is arranged in the direction (depth direction in the figure) intersecting the axial direction of the wire harness precursor 1'. The area between the first part R1 and the second part R2 is left as a liquid area R3 where the viscosity of the resin composition R has not increased. The liquid area R3 is formed at a position including the area where the exposed part 21 of the first wire part 2, which constitutes the wire harness, in the wire harness precursor 1' arranged on the resin composition R in the next wire harness arrangement step is arranged (refer to Figure 4A)。Specifically, the first part R1 of the high-viscosity region is provided in a region corresponding to a part of the covering part 22 of the first electric wire part 2 in the wire harness precursor 1'. More specifically, the first part R1 is provided at a position slightly away from the boundary between the exposed part 21 and the covering part 22 of the first electric wire part 2 toward the covering part 22 side. In addition, the second part R2 is continuously provided in a region corresponding to a part including at least a part from the covering part 32 of the second electric wire part 3 to the joint part 5. And the liquid region R3 is provided in a region corresponding to the part between the above-mentioned first part R1 and the second part R2, including the part on the exposed part 21 side and the exposed part 21 in the covering part 22 of the first electric wire part 2. The area occupied by the high-viscosity region is preferably larger in the second part R2 than in the first part R1. For example, the width (the horizontal dimension in the figure) of the second part R2 can be more than 2 times and less than 5 times the width of the first part R1.

[0047] In the high-viscosity regions R1, R2, although the viscosity of the resin composition R increases, it is not completely cured but in a semi-cured state. That is, since it does not become a solid state, it becomes a viscous mucus-like or gel-like substance that retains viscosity. In the high-viscosity regions R1, R2, the resin composition R maintains such a viscous state in the entire region in the thickness direction. In order to increase the viscosity of the curable resin composition R to a semi-cured state, an operation capable of curing the resin composition R may be performed within a mild range that does not reach complete curing according to the curability of the resin composition R. When the resin composition R has photocurability, the viscosity of the resin composition R can be increased by irradiating the resin composition R with light. It is only necessary to suppress the cumulative light amount per unit area to a low level within a range that does not completely cure the resin composition R. Within such a range, the greater the cumulative light amount per unit area, the higher the viscosity of the resin composition R can be increased.

[0048] In the resin composition R disposed in a planar shape on the surface of the sheet 7, in order to selectively increase the viscosity of only a part of the region to form the high-viscosity regions R1, R2, it is only necessary to perform a curing operation on the resin composition R in the region corresponding to the formation of the high-viscosity regions R1, R2 within the mild range that does not reach complete curing as described above. When the resin composition R has photocurability, a mask member M that blocks the irradiated light and does not allow it to pass through can be used. Specifically, only a part of the resin composition R, that is, the region that should become the liquid region R3, is covered with the mask member M so that it is not irradiated with light, and in this state, a light source device S such as a UV light source is used for light irradiation. As Figure 3CAs shown, by irradiating light in a state where the region that is to become the liquid region R3 is covered with the mask member M, it is possible to increase the viscosity of the resin composition R in the portions other than the covered region to form the high-viscosity regions R1 and R2. The light irradiation can be performed on the surface of the sheet 7 from the direction in which the resin composition R is disposed (the upper side in the figure), or as shown in the figure, the light irradiation can be performed from the direction in which the sheet 7 is disposed (the lower side in the figure), and the resin composition R can be irradiated with light via the sheet 7. In the latter case, it is easy to perform the light irradiation with the same arrangement of the light source device S as in the subsequent curing process. The viscosity of the resin composition R in the high-viscosity regions R1 and R2 and the liquid region R3 is not particularly limited. For example, the following form is preferred: at room temperature and in the atmosphere, it is set to 50 Pa·s or more and 1000 Pa·s or less in the high-viscosity regions R1 and R2, and less than 5 Pa·s in the liquid region R3.

[0049] (iv) Wiring harness arrangement process Next, a wiring harness precursor 1' is arranged on the resin composition R formed on the surface of the sheet 7 and having the high-viscosity regions R1 and R2 and the liquid region R3. At this time, as shown in the Figure 4A top view, the portion of the wiring harness precursor 1' that includes the connection portion 5 and extends from the covering portion 21 of the first wire portion 2 to the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3 and is to form the waterproof portion 6 on the outer periphery is placed on the surface of the resin composition R. Specifically, when the wiring harness precursor 1' is placed on the surface of the resin composition R, the portion of the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2 that is slightly away from the boundary with the exposed portion 21 is brought into contact with the first portion R1 of the high-viscosity region. The portion including at least a part from the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3 to the connection portion 5 is brought into contact with the second portion R2. The portion including the portion of the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2 that faces the boundary with the exposed portion 21 and the entire region of the exposed portion 21 is brought into contact with the liquid region R3. It is also possible to bring it into contact with the liquid region R3 up to a part of the region of the connection portion 5.

[0050] (v) Enclosing process Next, the enclosing process is performed, and the portion of the wiring harness precursor 1' including the connection portion 5 arranged on the surface of the resin composition R in the wiring harness arrangement process is covered with the surface of the sheet 7 on which the resin composition R is arranged. At this time, first, as shown in the Figure 4B figure, by performing operations such as bending and curving the sheet 7 to wind it, etc., the wiring harness precursor 1' is wrapped along the outer periphery with the sheet 7 in such a manner that the resin composition R arranged on the surface of the sheet 7 surrounds the entire circumference of the connection portion 5, the covering portions 22 and 32 of the two wire portions 2 and 3, and the exposed portions 21 and 31. In addition, as shown in the Figure 4CAs shown, the sheet 7 containing the resin composition R and the wire harness precursor 1' is extruded so that the resin composition R is uniformly distributed over each part of the region where the waterproof portion 6 should be formed in the wire harness precursor 1'. At this time, extrusion is performed in such a manner that the cross-sectional area of the region surrounded by the sheet 7 (the area of the cross-section orthogonal to the axial direction of the wire harness precursor 1') is narrowed, and the voids not occupied by the resin composition R are excluded as much as possible from the region between the surface of the sheet 7 and the wire harness precursor 1'.

[0051] By performing this surrounding step, particularly the step of extruding the sheet 7 as Figure 4C described, in the wire harness precursor 1', the resin composition R also penetrates into small and complex spaces such as the gaps between the constituent members, and these spaces are occupied by the resin composition R. The space between the respective wires 4 constituting the first wire portion 2 is also filled with the resin composition R in the exposed portion 21 and further in the covering portion 22. In particular, since the exposed portion 21 of the first wire portion 2 is in contact with the liquid region R3 in which the resin composition R maintains a highly fluid state, the resin composition R constituting the liquid region R3 fills the space between the respective wires 4 tightly without gaps by flowing in the exposed portion 21.

[0052] On the other hand, the outer periphery of the regions in contact with the first part R1 and the second part R2 of the high-viscosity region, that is, the region in the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2 that is away from the exposed portion 21 and the region from the joint portion 5 to the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3, is surrounded by the resin composition R that has been made highly viscous. The resin composition R in the high-viscosity regions R1, R2 is in a state where, although the viscosity has increased, it has stickiness and does not completely lose fluidity. Thus, it is in close contact with the outer circumferences of these regions and covers these regions.

[0053] In the enclosing process, especially in the process of extruding the sheet 7, the cross-sectional area of the area enclosed by the sheet 7 is narrowed, so that the resin composition R with high fluidity constituting the liquid area R3 is intended to flow and expand to both sides of the axial direction of the harness precursor 1' as shown by the arrows in the figure. However, in the present embodiment, in the resin configuration process, the resin composition R is configured only in a part of the area of the sheet 7, and there is an area where the resin composition R is not configured at the outer edge of the sheet 7. In addition, high-viscosity areas R1 and R2 where the viscosity of the resin composition R increases and the fluidity decreases are provided on both sides along the axial direction of the area where the resin composition R is configured. Therefore, even if the resin composition R in the liquid area R3 flows and expands, it will remain inside the area enclosed by the sheet 7 and will not easily flow out to the outside of the sheet 7. This is because the regions at both ends of the resin composition R are set to high viscosity regions R1 and R2 with low fluidity, and the resin composition R constituting these high viscosity regions R1 and R2 is not easy to flow, and in addition, the high viscosity regions R1 and R2 act as dams, and the low viscosity resin composition R of the liquid region R3 is prevented from flowing freely and expanding. The high viscosity regions R1 and R2 act as dams, and thus the resin composition R of the liquid region R3 stays in the space clamped by the high viscosity regions R1 and R2 at both ends (retention form). Or, a part of the resin composition R of the liquid region R3 extends across the high viscosity regions R1 and R2 (flow form). However, in the case of presenting a flow form, the flow distance of the resin composition R and the amount of the resin composition R that flows are also suppressed to be smaller than the case where the local viscosity rising process is not implemented and the high viscosity regions R1 and R2 are not set. Since the width of the high viscosity region is small at the first portion R1 on the first electric wire portion 2 side and is large at the second portion R2 on the second electric wire portion 3 side, when the flow pattern is presented, the outflow of the resin composition R from the liquid region R3 that exceeds the high viscosity region is more likely to occur in the first portion R1, and may or may not occur in the second portion R2. In the illustrated form, in the flow pattern, the resin composition R in the liquid region R3 that exceeds the first portion R1 of the high viscosity region forms a flow portion R4 outside the high viscosity region R1 along the axial direction.

[0054] In the enclosing step, in order to more highly suppress the outflow of the resin composition R to the outside of the sheet body 7, the parameters related to the formation of the waterproof portion 6 are adjusted so that the flow of the resin composition R is not easy to occur, or even if the flow of the resin composition R occurs, it is not easy to flow out to the outside of the sheet body 7. For example, the viscosity of the resin composition R in the high viscosity regions R1 and R2 is increased, the area occupied by the high viscosity regions R1 and R2 is increased, the area of the sheet body 7 is increased, and the operation of squeezing the sheet body 7 is smoothly performed.

[0055] (vi) Curing process Finally, perform the curing process to cure the resin composition R surrounded by the sheet 7. At this time, the entire region of the resin composition R, that is, the resin composition R that was present in the liquid region R3 including the flow portion R4, and the resin composition R that was present in the highly viscous regions R1 and R2 and was already in a semi-cured state are all cured and become solid. At this time, an operation for curing may be performed according to the curability of the resin composition R. In the previous local viscosity increase process, an operation for curing the resin composition R was also performed, and the same operation may be performed in this curing process. However, the conditions related to curing need to be set in such a way that a solid resin material is formed to the extent that the curing of the resin composition R progresses in the entire region. When the resin composition R has photocurability, light irradiation of the light source device S may be performed in the entire region of the resin composition R, that is, in a state where the mask member M is removed. Since the sheet 7 has light transmissivity, if light irradiation is performed from the outside of the sheet 7, the resin composition R surrounded by the sheet 7 can be cured. At this time, the cumulative light amount per unit area is made larger than that in the previous local viscosity increase process to further promote the curing of the resin composition R in the highly viscous regions R1 and R2 that are already in a semi-cured state to become solid, and the liquid resin composition R derived from the liquid region R3 is also cured until it becomes solid.

[0056] Through this curing process, the following wire harness 1 is obtained. The wire harness 1 is configured such that a region including the covering portion 22 and the exposed portion 21 of the first wire portion 2, the joint portion 5, and the exposed portion 31 and the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3 is covered with the waterproof portion 6, and further, the outer periphery of the waterproof portion 6 is protected by the sheet 7. In the surrounding process, the outflow of the resin composition R to the outside of the sheet 7 can be suppressed. Therefore, through the curing process, the waterproof portion 6 is formed such that the entire region is accommodated in the space surrounded by the sheet 7. Alternatively, even if there is a portion where the waterproof portion 6 is not surrounded by the sheet 7, the volume occupied by such a portion is suppressed to be small. The curing process is preferably performed without a time interval after the surrounding process is completed, so as to prevent the outflow of the resin composition R in the liquid region R3 that has expanded in the previous surrounding process from being aggravated. In the curing process, when the resin composition R is completely cured, the portions that were the highly viscous regions R1 and R2 before curing, the portion that was the liquid region R3, and further the portion that was the flow portion R4 have the same appearance except for the difference in surface smoothness described in detail later, and the interface between them is hardly recognizable.

[0057] As described above, in the encircling process, there may be a situation where the resin composition R presenting the liquid region R3 stays in a retention form in the space sandwiched by the high viscosity regions R1 and R2 at both ends, and a situation where a part of the resin composition R presenting the liquid region R3 extends across the high viscosity region R1. In the case of a retention form, the entire amount of the resin composition R stays in the region where the resin composition R was originally configured in the resin configuration process. In the entire region, the resin composition R maintains the original state of being in close contact with the surface of the sheet body 7, and is cured in the local viscosity increase process and the curing process to become a waterproof portion 6. Therefore, the formed waterproof portion 6 is cured in a state where the entire area of the surface is transferred with the fine concave-convex structure of the sheet body 7 on the surface, and the smoothness is reduced.

[0058] On the other hand, in the case of presenting a flow form instead of a retention form, the flow portion R4 composed of the resin composition R extending from the liquid region R3 across the high viscosity region R1 is cured based on the curing process outside the region where the resin composition R was originally configured in the resin configuration process. The resin composition R of the flow portion R4 is cured without being fully wetted and extended on the surface of the sheet 7, so the curing progresses in a state that is not very close to the sheet 7. Therefore, the cured resin material is not easily affected by the concavo-convex structure of the sheet 7 on the surface, and the liquid resin composition R is cured while maintaining the state of exposing the smooth surface peculiar to the liquid. The area where the smooth surface is exposed by the curing of the flow portion R4 becomes the end region 61. On the other hand, similarly to the case of presenting the above-mentioned retention form, the parts adjacent to the end region 61, which were originally high viscosity regions R1, R2 and liquid region R3, are cured while maintaining the original state of being close to the surface of the sheet 7, and thus become the adjacent region 62 with a low smoothness surface to which the concavo-convex structure of the sheet 7 is transferred. In this way, the waterproof portion 6 having the end region 61 with high surface smoothness and the adjacent region 62 with low surface smoothness in an adjacent manner is formed through the flow form, and the wiring harness 1 of the embodiment described above is obtained. The wiring harness 1 manufactured through the retention form and the wiring harness manufactured through the flow form can suppress the leakage of the resin material to the outside of the sheet body 7 and have high waterproofness.

[0059] <Relationship between the structure and manufacturing method of the waterproof part> As described above, in the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, by applying a local semi-curing method including a local viscosity increase step, it is possible to simultaneously suppress leakage of the resin composition R to the outside of the sheet 7 and obtain high waterproofness. The high waterproofness is mainly obtained by the contribution of the resin composition R in the liquid region R3. By performing the surrounding step in a state where the wire harness of the first wire portion 2 is in contact with the liquid region R3 in which the resin composition R remains in a highly fluid state after the local viscosity increase step, the resin composition R having high fluidity penetrates into the space between the respective wires 4 (conductors 41) without gaps in the exposed portion 21 of the wire harness. By performing the curing step in this state, as shown in the cross-sectional view in Figure 6D a waterproof portion 6 in which the space between the plurality of wires 4 constituting the wire harness of the first wire portion 2 is filled without gaps with the resin material is obtained, and high waterproofness is provided. On the other hand, in the highly viscous regions R1 and R2, since the resin composition R still has a certain degree of fluidity, it closely adheres to the outer circumferences of the two wire portions 2 and 3 and the joint portion 5 and becomes a region that exhibits waterproofness after curing. The region covered by the highly viscous regions R1 and R2 does not have a space inside that should be tightly filled with the resin material like the space between the plurality of wires 4 in the exposed portion 21 of the first wire portion 2. Therefore, if the outer circumference is surrounded by the resin composition R with increased viscosity and is covered by the resin material of the waterproof portion 6 with a degree of close contact obtained after curing, it is sufficient as waterproofness.

[0060] Suppression of leakage of the resin composition R to the outside of the sheet 7 is mainly achieved by forming the highly viscous regions R1 and R2. This is because, by increasing the viscosity of the resin composition R disposed on the surface of the sheet 7 to form the highly viscous regions R1 and R2, the resin composition R constituting the highly viscous regions R1 and R2 is less likely to flow even after the surrounding step. In addition, since the low-viscosity liquid region R3 is clamped by the highly viscous regions R1 and R2, the highly viscous regions R1 and R2 act as dams and hinder the free flow of the low-viscosity resin composition R in the liquid region R3 during the surrounding step. As described above, there may be both a case where the resin composition R in the liquid region R3 stays in a state of being trapped between the highly viscous regions R1 and R2 and a case where a part of it crosses the highly viscous regions R1 and R2 to form a flow portion R4. In the case of the flow form, by curing the flow portion R4, an end portion region 61 having higher surface smoothness than the adjacent region 62 is formed at the end of the waterproof portion 6 on the side of the first wire portion 2 as shown in Figure 6A .

[0061] Thus, in the waterproof portion 6, the presence of the end region 61 serves as evidence that the waterproof portion 6 is a part manufactured by the local semi-curing method through the local viscosity increase process. That is, the waterproof portion 6 having the end region 61 with higher surface smoothness than the adjacent region 62 indicates that the waterproof portion 6 is formed by reducing the leakage of the resin composition R to the outside of the sheet 7 and that the waterproof portion 6 has high waterproofness with the resin material filling the space between the electric wires 4 constituting the wire harness without gaps. By reducing the leakage of the resin composition R to the outside of the sheet 7, in the state during the manufacture of the waterproof portion 6, especially in the surrounding process, it is not easy to generate a situation where the liquid resin composition R flows out to the outside of the sheet 7 and the workability is reduced. In addition, in the waterproof portion 6 obtained by curing the resin composition R, it is possible to reduce the influence of unnecessary contact with external objects that may occur when the resin material leaks out to the outside of the sheet 7 and cures.

[0062] In the surrounding process, when the phenomenon that the resin composition R in the liquid region R3 forms the flow portion R4 by passing over the highly viscous regions R1, R2 occurs only at the end on the side of the first wire portion 2 of the first portion R1 where the highly viscous region is provided and does not occur at the end on the side of the second wire portion 3 of the second portion R2, as Figure 1 , 2 shown, the end region 61 with high surface smoothness is provided only at the end on the side of the first wire portion 2 in the waterproof portion 6, and the entire region other than this, that is, the region including the joint portion 5 and continuous from the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2 to the covering portion 32 of the second wire portion 3, becomes the adjacent region 62 with relatively low surface smoothness. In the present embodiment, since the second wire portion 3 includes only one electric wire 4, thus as Figure 4AAs shown, in the region on the side of the second wire portion 3 relative to the joint portion 5, there is no need to provide the liquid region R3 for the purpose of filling the resin composition R into a narrow space or a complex space, and the entire region can be set as a high-viscosity region (second portion R2). In this case, the second portion R2 can be formed to occupy a large area. Thus, on the surface of the resin composition R, the area occupied by the high-viscosity regions R1 and R2 becomes larger, while the area occupied by the liquid region R3 becomes smaller, whereby the flow of the resin composition R can be highly suppressed. However, if the flow of the resin composition R can be sufficiently suppressed, the second portion R2 of the high-viscosity region can also be formed to have a small area, and it is allowed that the resin composition R in the liquid region R3 forms a flow portion R4 on the side of the second wire portion 3 in addition to crossing the first portion R1 and crossing this second portion R2. In this case, in the waterproof portion 6, an end region 61 having a surface smoother than the adjacent region 62 is also formed at the end on the side of the second wire portion 3, similarly to the end region 61 on the side of the first wire portion 2. The adjacent region 62 is formed to occupy the space between the two end regions 61.

[0063] As described above, the formation of the end region 61 having a surface smoother than the adjacent region 62 at the end of the waterproof portion 6 serves as evidence that the waterproof portion 6 is formed by the partial semi-curing method. In addition, the existence of the end region 61 itself also contributes to improving the waterproof property of the waterproof portion 6. As described above, the end region 61 is formed by the curing of the flow portion R4 composed of the resin composition R flowing from the liquid region R3 over the high-viscosity region R1 without being strongly adhered to the sheet body 7. Therefore, the end region 61 has a lower adhesiveness to the sheet body 7 than the adjacent region 62. Thus, when the wire harness 1 is bent at the portion where the waterproof portion 6 is formed or in the vicinity thereof, at the end region 61, it is not easy to generate a peeling stress between the waterproof portion 6 and the sheet body 7. Although the peeling between the sheet body 7 and the waterproof portion 6 caused by bending tends to develop from the end of the waterproof portion 6, since it is not easy to generate a peeling stress at the end region 61, even when subjected to mechanical loads such as bending, it is not easy to generate a peeling between the sheet body 7 and the waterproof portion 6. Thus, even in a situation where mechanical loads such as bending are applied, the waterproof property of the waterproof portion 6 can be maintained at a high level. In addition, since the end of the waterproof portion 6 has a smooth surface, it is difficult for water droplets to adhere to the end, and even if they adhere, the water droplets are not likely to stay on the surface of the waterproof portion 6. In this regard, the existence of the end region 61 also improves the waterproof effect of the waterproof portion 6.

[0064] In addition, the presence of the smooth end region 61 also serves to suppress the transfer of substances between the sheet body 7 and the waterproof portion 6. Taking the transfer of a plasticizer from the sheet body 7 containing a plasticizer to the waterproof portion 6 that does not contain a plasticizer or contains only a lower concentration of plasticizer than the sheet body 7 as an example, the transfer of substances between the sheet body 7 and the waterproof portion 6 occurs via the bonding portion where the sheet body 7 and the waterproof portion 6 are strongly bonded to each other. However, in the end region 61, if the bonding strength between the sheet body 7 and the waterproof portion 6 is made low to suppress the area of the strong bonding portion that becomes the transfer path of substances to a small size, it is not easy for substances such as plasticizers to transfer. Thus, it is possible to suppress the modification of the waterproof portion 6 and / or the sheet body 7 caused by the transfer of substances and the accompanying reduction in waterproof performance. Even after long-term use of the wiring harness 1 in a high-temperature environment, a state with high waterproof performance can be maintained. For example, when plasticizer transfer occurs from the sheet body 7 to the waterproof portion 6, the close contact property of the resin material constituting the waterproof portion 6 with respect to the sheet body 7 and the insulating covering 42 of the electric wire 4 will decrease, which may lead to a reduction in waterproof performance. However, due to the presence of the end region 61, the transfer of plasticizer is suppressed, and thus such a reduction in waterproof performance is not likely to occur.

[0065] Actually, in the wiring harness 1 in which the waterproof portion 6 is formed by the partial semi-curing method, it has been experimentally confirmed that there is no leakage of the resin material from the sheet body 7 and that an end region 61 having a higher surface smoothness than the adjacent region is formed at the end of the waterproof portion 6. In Figure 7 shows an enlarged photograph obtained by photographing the vicinity of the end on the first wire portion 2 side with the sheet body 7 peeled off for the waterproof portion 6 actually formed by the partial semi-curing method. At the end position I, there is a region with a greater gloss than the position II on its right. This region with a greater gloss corresponds to the end region 61. The size of the gloss indicates the level of surface smoothness. Also, it has been confirmed that the wiring harness 1 in which the waterproof portion 6 is formed by the partial semi-curing method has high waterproof performance both in the initial state immediately after the formation of the waterproof portion 6 and in the state after the waterproof portion 6 is placed in a high-temperature environment.

[0066] In methods other than the partial semi-curing method, as described above, it is difficult to form a waterproof portion 6 that is configured to suppress the leakage of the resin material constituting the waterproof portion 6 outside the sheet body 7, and in which the space between the electric wires 4 in the exposed portion 21 of the first wire portion 2 is filled without gaps with the resin material, and further has an end region 61 with a smooth surface at the end. For example, in the case of forming the waterproof portion 6 by the one-step curing method or the global semi-curing method to be described below, it has been experimentally confirmed that a waterproof portion 6 that fully satisfies the above structure cannot be obtained.

[0067] First, the case of forming the waterproof portion 6 by the one-step curing method will be described. In the one-step curing method, instead of performing the local viscosity increase process in the above-described local semi-curing method, the entire region of the resin composition R disposed on the sheet surface in the resin disposition process is maintained in a liquid state, and the wire harness disposition process, the surrounding process, and the curing process are performed. In this case, the resin composition R in a state of high fluidity can penetrate into small and complex spaces between the constituent members of the wire harness in the region where the waterproof portion 6 should be formed. Therefore, as Figure 6E shown, a state is obtained in which the space between the wires 4 constituting the wire harness is filled with the resin material without gaps. On the other hand, since the resin composition R has high fluidity, in the surrounding process, the resin composition R flows out to the outside of the sheet 7, and in the curing process, it easily becomes a state of being directly cured outside the sheet 7. In addition, as Figure 6B shown, the waterproof portion 6 is cured in a state of being in close contact with the sheet 7 throughout the region surrounded by the sheet 7 including the end portions, so the surface of the waterproof portion 6 becomes a surface with low smoothness that transfers the fine unevenness of the sheet 7. As a result, the effect of improving the waterproof property due to the presence of the smooth end portion region 61 cannot be obtained. In particular, when passing through a high-temperature environment, the waterproof property of the waterproof portion 6 is reduced due to the transfer of the plasticizer from the sheet 7 to the waterproof portion 6. This is also the case in the experiment. In the initial state immediately after the formation of the waterproof portion 6, the waterproof portion 6 shows a high waterproof property similar to that when the local semi-curing method is used, but when passing through a high-temperature environment, the waterproof property is significantly reduced.

[0068] Next, the case of forming the waterproof portion 6 by the global semi-curing method will be described. In the global semi-curing method, different from the process of performing the local viscosity increase process in the local semi-curing method to increase the viscosity of only a part of the resin composition R, the entire region of the resin composition R disposed on the surface of the sheet 7 in the resin disposition process is made to increase in viscosity to become a mucous or gel-like substance. In the case where the resin composition R has photocurability, without using the mask member M, for the entire region, the cumulative light amount for suppressing the resin composition R from being completely cured but semi-cured is irradiated, whereby the viscosity of the entire resin composition R can be increased. Thereafter, the wire harness disposition process, the surrounding process, and the curing process are performed. In this case, since the surrounding process is performed in a state where the entire resin composition R has a high viscosity, leakage of the resin material to the outside of the sheet 7 does not occur. In addition, the resin composition R having a high viscosity shows a little flow in the region surrounded by the sheet 7 in the surrounding process, and thus the portion formed through this flow is cured by the curing process in a state of not being in close contact with the sheet 7. Therefore, as Figure 6CAs shown, a region with higher surface smoothness than the adjacent regions is formed at the end of the waterproof portion 6. However, since the portion of the wire harness precursor 1' including the exposed portion 21 of the wire harness is brought into contact with the resin composition R whose viscosity has increased and fluidity has decreased to form the waterproof portion 6, the resin composition R cannot sufficiently penetrate into the region between the wires 4 constituting the wire harness. As a result, as shown in the cross-sectional view in Figure 6F , voids V that are not filled with the resin material are formed between the wires 4 constituting the wire harness. These voids V reduce the waterproof performance of the waterproof portion 6. This is also the case in experiments. From the initial state immediately after the formation of the waterproof portion 6, only a low waterproof performance can be obtained, which is significantly worse than the case where the partial semi-curing method is used. Similarly, in the case of using the resin composition R whose viscosity has been increased by a method other than semi-curing achieved by, for example, the addition of a tackifier or a gelling agent based on light irradiation, etc., on the one hand, the waterproof portion 6 has a region with higher surface smoothness at the end, and on the other hand, voids V that are not filled with the resin material are likely to be present between the wires 4 constituting the wire harness.

[0069] <Other Modes> In the wire harness 1 described above, the joint portion 5 is configured as an intermediate joint portion, and a first wire portion 2 composed of a wire harness including a plurality of wires 4 and a second wire portion 3 including only one wire 4 are provided on both sides of the joint portion 5. However, the wire harness of the present disclosure is not limited to this mode, and any structure is acceptable as long as it is as follows: in a wire harness having a wire harness including a plurality of wires, a joint portion, a waterproof portion, and a sheet, the joint portion joins the wires constituting the wire harness to each other at the exposed portion, the waterproof portion covers the joint portion, the exposed portion, and the covering portion of the wire harness with a curable resin material, and in addition, the sheet surrounds the outer periphery of the waterproof portion. Further, the waterproof portion fills the space between the plurality of wires constituting the wire harness without gaps with the resin material at the exposed portion, and along the axial direction of the wire harness, a part of the region including the end portion in the region covered by the sheet and covering the covering portion is defined as the end portion region and the region adjacent to the end portion region is defined as the adjacent region, and it is sufficient that the surface in the end portion region is smoother than the adjacent region.

[0070] For example, in the case where the joint part 5 is formed in the form of an intermediate joint part, the second wire part 3 can also be configured as a wire harness including a plurality of wires 4 in the same manner as the first wire part 2. In this case, it is preferable that the waterproof part 6 fills the space between the wires 4 constituting the wire harness without gaps with a resin material not only in the exposed part 21 of the first wire part 2 but also in the exposed part 31 of the second wire part 3. In addition, it is preferable that the waterproof part 6 has end regions 61 not only in the region including the end on the first wire part 2 side but also in the region including the end on the second wire part 3 side, and the end regions 61 at both ends have surfaces smoother than the adjacent region 62 between them. Thus, in order to form the waterproof part 6 having the end region 61 also on the second wire part 3 side, in the local viscosity increase process, the second part R2 of the high viscosity region can be set in the same manner as the first part R1 in a region corresponding to a part of the covering part 32 of the second wire part 3 of the wire harness precursor 1', specifically, at a position slightly away from the boundary between the exposed part 31 and the covering part 32 of the second wire part 3 toward the covering part 32 side. And the entire region sandwiched between the first part R1 and the second part R2 of these high viscosity regions can be set as the liquid region R3.

[0071] In addition, the joint part does not necessarily have to be formed as an intermediate joint part having the first wire part 2 and the second wire part 3 at both ends. For example, a method of forming a joint part at the end of a wire harness formed by bundling a plurality of wires 4 and disposing a waterproof part 6 and a sheet 7 on the outer periphery of the joint part is also considered.

[0072] In addition, as for the wire harness 1 described above, the way in which the entire area of the waterproof portion 6 is housed inside the area surrounded by the sheet body 7 has been mainly discussed. However, it is not necessarily limited to such a way, and a part of the area of the waterproof portion 6 may also be formed so as to protrude outward from the area surrounded by the sheet body 7. For example, in the end portion of the entire waterproof portion 6, leakage of the resin composition constituting the waterproof portion 6 may occur in a part of the outer periphery along the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2 formed as a wire harness. In such a case, the end portion of the area of the waterproof portion 6 surrounded by the sheet body 7 and covering the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2, that is, the end portion of the area excluding the portion protruding outward from the sheet body 7, is used as the end portion area 61, and it is sufficient that the end portion area 61 has a surface smoother than the adjacent area 62 (the area adjacent to the end portion area 61 in the area surrounded by the sheet body 7 and covering the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2). In this way, the structure in which a part of the waterproof portion 6 protrudes outside the sheet body 7 can also be formed by the local semi-curing method described above. In the surrounding process, such a structure is formed when a part of the flow portion R4 flows out to the outside of the sheet body 7. In this way, even when a part of the resin composition constituting the waterproof portion 6 leaks out of the area surrounded by the sheet body 7, by using the local semi-curing method, compared with the case of using the one-step curing method, the leakage of the resin composition constituting the waterproof portion 6 from the sheet body 7 can be reduced, and ensuring high waterproof performance can be taken into account at the same time. However, it is preferable that in the formed waterproof portion 6, there is a portion where no leakage of the resin composition constituting the waterproof portion 6 to the outside of the sheet body 7 occurs in at least one partial area along the outer periphery of the covering portion 22 of the first wire portion 2.

[0073] As described above, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, but the present invention is in no way limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Description of reference numerals

[0074] 1 Wire harness 1' Wire harness precursor 2 First wire portion 21 Exposed portion of the first wire portion 22 Covering portion of the first wire portion 3 Second wire portion 31 Exposed portion of the second wire portion 32 Covering portion of the second wire portion 4 Wire 41 Conductor 41a Wire material 42 Insulating covering 5 Connector 6 Waterproof portion 61 End portion area 62 Adjacent regions 7 Sheets M Mask member N Nozzle R Uncured resin composition R1 First part of the high-viscosity region R2 Second part of the high-viscosity region R3 Liquid region R4 Flow part S Light source device V Void

Claims

1. A wire harness having a wire bundle, a connector portion, a waterproof portion, and a sheet body, wherein the wire bundle includes a plurality of wires, each wire having a conductor and an insulating covering covering the outer periphery of the conductor, the wire bundle having an exposed portion and a covered portion adjacent to the exposed portion, in the exposed portion, the conductor is exposed from the insulating covering of the wire, and in the covered portion, the conductor is covered by the insulating covering, the connector portion joining the wires constituting the wire bundle to each other in the exposed portion, the waterproof portion covering the connector portion, the exposed portion, and the covered portion with a curable resin material, the sheet body surrounding the outer periphery of the waterproof portion, the waterproof portion being configured such that: in the exposed portion, the space between the plurality of wires constituting the wire bundle is filled without gaps with the resin material, along the axial direction of the wire bundle, a partial region including an end portion in the region surrounded by the sheet body and covering the covered portion is defined as an end region, and a region adjacent to the end region is defined as an adjacent region, and the end region has a smoother surface than the adjacent region.

2. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the entire region of the waterproof portion is accommodated inside the region surrounded by the sheet body.

3. The wire harness according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet body is made of a resin material containing a plasticizer, the resin material constituting the waterproof portion does not contain a plasticizer or contains a plasticizer at a concentration lower than that of the sheet body.

4. The wire harness according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the waterproof portion, the adjacent region extends at least continuously to the region covering the connector portion, and the end region has a smoother surface than the entire adjacent region.

5. The wire harness according to claim 4, wherein the wire harness has the connector portion as an intermediate connector portion at an intermediate portion in the axial direction, has the wire bundle as a first wire portion on one side along the axial direction, and has a second wire portion including one or more of the wires on the other side, the waterproof portion covers the region from the covered portion of the first wire portion to the covered portion of the second wire portion, the waterproof portion has the end region at least in a partial region including the end portion on the first wire portion side.

6. A method for manufacturing a wire harness, wherein the following steps are sequentially performed: A joining step of bundling a plurality of wires having a conductor and an insulating covering covering the outer periphery of the conductor in a state where a part of the insulating covering is removed, thereby forming a wire bundle having an exposed portion where the conductor is exposed and a covered portion adjacent to the exposed portion and where the conductor is covered by the insulating covering, joining the wires to each other in the exposed portion to form a connector portion, and producing a wire harness precursor; A resin arrangement step of arranging a curable liquid resin composition on a partial region of the surface of the sheet body; The local viscosity increasing step is provided to increase the viscosity of only a part of the resin composition disposed on the surface of the sheet to form a high-viscosity region, and the region other than the high-viscosity region is left as a liquid region; The wire harness arranging step arranges a portion including the connection portion of the wire harness precursor on the surface of the resin composition such that the exposed portion of the wire harness is in contact with the liquid region; The surrounding step surrounds the wire harness precursor with the sheet on which the resin composition is disposed; And The curing step cures the resin composition surrounded by the sheet in the entire region. In the local viscosity increasing step, The high-viscosity regions are provided at a first portion and a second portion that are separated from each other in the axial direction of the wire harness precursor and respectively include one end and the other end in the region where the resin composition is disposed; The liquid region is provided between the first portion and the second portion so as to include the region where the exposed portion of the wire harness is disposed.

7. The method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 6, wherein The resin composition has photocurability; The sheet is transmissive to light that can cure the resin composition; In the local viscosity increasing step, the resin composition is set to a semi-cured state in the high-viscosity region by irradiating the resin composition with light in a state where a region of the resin composition disposed on the surface of the sheet and set as the liquid region is covered with a light-blocking mask member; In the curing step, the entire region of the resin composition is cured by irradiating light from the outside of the sheet surrounding the wire harness precursor.

8. The method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 6 or 7, wherein The sheet is made of a resin material containing a plasticizer; The resin composition does not contain a plasticizer or contains a plasticizer at a concentration lower than that of the sheet.

9. The method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 6 or 7, wherein The wire harness precursor has the connection portion as an intermediate connection portion in the middle of the axial direction, has the wire harness as a first wire portion on one side of the connection portion along the axial direction, and has a second wire portion including one or more of the wires on the other side; In the resin arranging step, the resin composition is continuously arranged at a position corresponding to a region including the covering portion from the first wire portion to the covering portion of the second wire portion of the wire harness precursor; In the local viscosity increasing step, as the high-viscosity region, The first portion is provided in a region corresponding to a part of the covering portion of the first wire portion; The second portion is provided to include a region corresponding to a part of the covering portion of the second wire portion.

10. The method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 9, wherein The second wire portion includes only one of the wires. In the local viscosity increasing step, the second portion is continuously provided in a region corresponding to a portion from the joint portion to the covering portion of the second electric wire portion.

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