Wire harness assembly

Abstract

The invention provides a wire harness assembly. The wire harness assembly is capable of easily controlling a trajectory so as to avoid contact with a rotating member during the operation of connecting an electric wire harness to a connector. According to the present application, a wire harness assembly equipped with an electric wire harness and a protective tube includes a high-rigidity portion covered with the protective tube, and a low-rigidity portion that does not cover the protective tube and is more easily bent than the high-rigidity portion. The low-rigidity portion is formed in advance at a position where contact with the rotating member is avoided by bending at the low-rigidity portion when the other end portion of the electric wire harness is connected to a connector fixedly provided to the housing. Thus, the wire harness assembly is easily bent at a position where contact with the rotating member is avoided. Therefore, when the electric wire harness is connected to the connector, the track of the wire harness assembly can be easily controlled so as to avoid contact with the rotating member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness assembly equipped with a wire harness and a protective tube. Background Art

[0002] A wire harness assembly is well-known, which is equipped with a wire harness formed by bundling a plurality of wires and a protective tube covering the outer periphery of the wire harness. For example, the wire harness described in Patent Document 1 is like this. In this Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that: the wire harness has a bent portion, and the bent portion is surrounded by a rubber tube.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-13703 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, sometimes one end of the wire harness is connected to an actuator disposed in a housing, and the other end of the wire harness is connected to a connector fixedly provided on the housing, and the housing is a non-rotating member that houses a rotating member. In this case, considering the workability when connecting the wire harness to the connector of the housing, a margin needs to be left in the length of the wire harness assembly. However, when connecting the wire harness to the connector of the housing, there is a risk that the control of the trajectory of the wire harness assembly becomes difficult due to the rigidity of the wire harness assembly. In this way, when connecting the wire harness to the connector of the housing, an operation that needs to be noted to avoid contact between the wire harness assembly and the rotating member is generated. The control of the trajectory of the wire harness assembly is synonymous with the wiring of the wire harness assembly.

[0008] The present invention has been made against the above background, and an object thereof is to provide a wire harness assembly that can easily control the trajectory to avoid contact with a rotating member when connecting a wire harness to a connector of a housing.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The gist of the first invention is a wire harness assembly, (a) equipped with a wire harness formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires and a protective tube covering the outer periphery of the wire harness, one end of the wire harness being connected to an actuator disposed in a housing, and the other end being connected to a connector fixedly provided on the housing, the housing being a non-rotating member that houses a rotating member, wherein, (b) it includes: a high-rigidity portion covered with the protective tube and a low-rigidity portion not covered with the protective tube and more bendable than the high-rigidity portion, (c) the low-rigidity portion is pre-formed at such a position that when the other end is connected to the connector, contact with the rotating member is avoided by bending at the low-rigidity portion.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the first invention, the wire harness assembly equipped with a wire harness and a protective tube includes: a high-rigidity portion covered with the protective tube and a low-rigidity portion not covered with the protective tube and more bendable than the high-rigidity portion. The low-rigidity portion is pre-formed at such a position that when the other end of the wire harness is connected to the connector fixedly provided on the housing, contact with the rotating member is avoided by bending at the low-rigidity portion. Thus, at the position where contact with the rotating member is avoided, the wire harness assembly is easily bendable. Therefore, during the operation of connecting the wire harness to the connector of the housing, the trajectory of the wire harness assembly can be easily controlled to avoid contact with the rotating member. Description of the Drawings

[0013] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of the schematic structure of a differential gear mounted on a vehicle.

[0014] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of the schematic structure of the wire harness assembly to which the present invention is applied.

[0015] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing an example of the state in which the wire harness assembly is assembled into the housing.

[0016] Figure 4 It is Figure 1 The right side view inside the housing in

[0017] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of the state in which the wire harness assembly is assembled into the housing, and it is a different embodiment from Figure 3

[0018] Figure 6 It is Figure 1 The right side view inside the housing in Figure 4 Detailed Description of the Invention

[0019] ​​Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] Embodiment

[0021] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is an example showing a schematic structure of a differential gear 20 (hereinafter referred to as a differential 20) mounted on a vehicle 10. Figure 2 FIG. 2 is an example showing a schematic structure of a wiring harness assembly 30 to which the present invention is applied.

[0022] In Figure 1 , Figure 2 , the vehicle 10 is equipped with a housing 12, a drive shaft 14, a pair of drive shafts 16, a differential 20, a wiring harness assembly 30, a clutch 40, an actuator 50, a plurality of bearings 60, etc.

[0023] The housing 12 is a non-rotating member fixed to the vehicle body. The differential 20 is connected to the drive shaft 14. The drive shafts 16 are connected to the differential 20. In the vehicle 10, power from a power source (not shown in the figure) is sequentially transmitted to left and right drive wheels (not shown in the figure) via the drive shaft 14, the differential 20, the left and right drive shafts 16, etc.

[0024] The differential 20 is housed in the housing 12. The differential 20 is equipped with a differential ring gear 22, a differential case 24, a pair of differential side gears 26, a pair of differential pinions 28, a pinion shaft 29, etc.

[0025] The differential ring gear 22 is integrally connected to the outside of the differential case 24 and meshes with the drive shaft 14. The differential case 24 is rotatably supported by the housing 12 via a bearing 60. The differential side gears 26, the differential pinions 28, and the pinion shaft 29 are housed in the differential case 24. The differential case 24 is formed with a boring portion 24a as a through hole, and the drive shaft 16 is rotatably fitted into the boring portion 24a. The differential side gear 26 is formed with spline teeth on the inner peripheral surface 26a of the through hole into which the drive shaft 16 is non-rotatably fitted. The differential 20 configured in this way is a known differential mechanism that distributes the power of the power source transmitted from the drive shaft 14 to the left and right drive wheels.

[0026] The clutch 40 is housed in the housing 12 and is provided on the differential 20. The clutch 40 is a dog clutch (i.e., an engaging clutch) that selectively connects or disconnects (i.e., engages or disengages) the differential case 24 and the differential side gear 26 on the clutch 40 side. The clutch 40 is moved to an engaged position and a non-engaged position by the actuator 50, that is, the engaged state and the released state are switched.

[0027] The actuator 50 is disposed within the housing 12 and is equipped with a plunger 52, a solenoid 54, a return spring 56, etc. When the solenoid 54 is supplied with drive current via the harness assembly 30 according to an instruction from an electronic control device (not shown in the figure), it generates a thrust of a specified magnitude on the plunger 52. The actuator 50 is a device that uses the above-mentioned thrust to move the clutch 40 to the engaged position. The return spring 56 is a spring that constantly applies a force in such a way as to return the clutch 40 to the non-engaged position.

[0028] In the released state of the clutch 40, the power input to the differential case 24 is sequentially transmitted to the left and right differential side gears 26 via the pinion shaft 29 and the differential pinion 28. When the clutch 40 is in the released state, the differential 20 becomes a differential state that allows the rotational difference of the left and right differential side gears 26. On the other hand, in the engaged state of the clutch 40, since the differential case 24 is integrally connected to the differential side gear 26 on the clutch 40 side, the power input to the differential case 24 is also directly transmitted to the differential side gear 26 on the clutch 40 side. When the clutch 40 is in the engaged state, the differential 20 rotates the differential case 24 and the left and right differential side gears 26 integrally, becoming a differential lock state in which the differential state is restricted.

[0029] The harness assembly 30 is disposed within the housing 12 and is equipped with a wire harness 32, a protective tube 34, and a connector 36.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the state in which the harness assembly 30 is assembled into the housing 12. In Figure 3 , the vehicle 10 is equipped with a mating connector 70 fixedly provided on the housing 12. The mating connector 70 is a connector into which the connector 36 is fitted. The wire harness 32 is formed by bundling a plurality of wires, one end of which is connected to the actuator 50, particularly the solenoid 54 (refer to Figure 2 ), and the other end of which is connected to the connector 36. Since the connector 36 is fitted into the mating connector 70 in the state where the harness assembly 30 is assembled into the housing 12, the other end of the wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70. The protective tube 34 is a tube that covers the outer periphery of the wire harness 32.

[0031] The harness assembly 30 and the solenoid 54 are non-rotating members fixed to the housing 12. On the other hand, the differential 20, the clutch 40, and the rotating plate 80 (refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 ) are rotating members housed in the housing 12. The rotating plate 80 is a component equipped in the vehicle 10 together with a position detection sensor 90 (refer to Figure 1 ) for detecting whether the clutch 40 is in the engaged position. The position detection sensor 90 is fixedly provided on the housing 12.

[0032] Ideally, in a state where the wire harness assembly 30 is assembled into the housing 12, contact with the differential 20 is prevented, particularly contact with the differential case 24 and the rotating plate 80. On the other hand, considering the workability when fitting the connector 36 to the mating connector 70, a margin needs to be provided in the length of the wire harness 32. However, since the wire harness 32 has flexibility, the longer the length, the more difficult it becomes to control the trajectory of the wire harness assembly 30. Thus, when fitting the connector 36 to the mating connector 70, there is a need to pay attention to operations to avoid contact between the wire harness assembly 30 and the differential case 24 or the rotating plate 80. The differential case 24 and the rotating plate 80 are rotating members RE that may come into contact with the wire harness assembly 30.

[0033] Here, for the protective tube 34, a short tube is more difficult to bend than a long tube. That is, when the length of the protective tube 34 is short, the rigidity becomes higher. Therefore, for the wire harness 32, a portion covered with the protective tube 34 and a non-covered portion are formed, and as a whole of the wire harness assembly 30, a difficult-to-bend portion and an easy-to-bend portion are formed. That is, the wire harness assembly 30 includes a high-rigidity portion 30H covered with the protective tube 34, and a low-rigidity portion 30L that is not covered with the protective tube 34 and is easier to bend than the high-rigidity portion 30H (see Figure 3 ).

[0034] When fitting the connector 36 to the mating connector 70, at the low-rigidity portion 30L, the wire harness assembly 30 is easily bent. At this time, it is only necessary to bend the wire harness assembly 30 in a manner that avoids contact between the wire harness assembly 30 and the rotating member RE. The low-rigidity portion 30L is pre-formed at such a position that when the other end of the wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70, contact with the rotating member RE is avoided by bending at the low-rigidity portion 30L.

[0035] Figure 4 is a view inside the housing 12 as observed from the side of the position detection sensor 90, that is, a right-side view. In Figure 1 ,, Figure 3 ,, Figure 4 the protective tube 34 is divided into a first tube 34a and a second tube 34b. The wire harness assembly 30 is formed with a high-rigidity portion 30H by a portion of the wire harness 32 covered with the first tube 34a and a portion of the wire harness 32 covered with the second tube 34b. The wire harness assembly 30 is formed with a low-rigidity portion 30L by a portion of the wire harness 32 that is not covered with the protective tube 34 and is located between the first tube 34a and the second tube 34b. The low-rigidity portion 30L is a portion of the wire harness 32 that is not covered with the protective tube 34 and is formed by pre-cutting and dividing the protective tube 34 along the circumferential direction.

[0036] When the wire harness assembly 30 is bent at the low-rigidity portion 30L, the first tube 34a and the second tube 34b are liable to move to the side opposite to the low-rigidity portion 30L. For example, the second tube 34b is liable to move closer to the solenoid 54 side. As a result, the wire harness 32 at the portion between the second tube 34b and the solenoid 54 is not easily bent (see Figure 2 ). Therefore, it is easy to take out the wire harness 32 straight from the housing of the solenoid 54. The second tube 34b is formed to such a length that when the wire harness assembly 30 is bent at the low-rigidity portion 30L, the second tube 34b is pressed against the solenoid 54 side. The protective tube 34, particularly the second tube 34b, is pre-formed to such a length that when the low-rigidity portion 30L is bent, the end on the actuator 50 side approaches the actuator 50.

[0037] When the wire harness assembly 30 is formed to have a length that is the shortest distance from the solenoid 54 to the mating connector 70, the workability when fitting the connector 36 to the mating connector 70 is reduced. On the other hand, when the wire harness assembly 30 has a surplus length, it is liable to contact the rotating member RE. Therefore, in a case where if the actuator 50 and the mating connector 70 are connected at the shortest distance, it will contact the rotating member RE, the wire harness assembly 30 is pre-formed to have a length that avoids contact with the rotating member RE.

[0038] From another viewpoint, there is a case where if the wire harness assembly 30 is formed to have a length that is the shortest distance from the solenoid 54 to the mating connector 70, it will contact the rotating member RE. If the wire harness assembly 30 is formed to be long in order to avoid contact with the rotating member RE, it is difficult to control the trajectory. Therefore, the wire harness assembly 30 is pre-formed to have a length longer than the length of connecting the actuator 50 and the mating connector 70 at the shortest distance, and the low-rigidity portion 30L is bent into a shape that avoids contact with the rotating member RE.

[0039] For the wire harness assembly 30, the low-rigidity portion 30L can be formed even if the protective tube 34 is not divided. For example, for the wire harness assembly 30, even if a slit is provided only in a part in the circumferential direction of the protective tube 34, the low-rigidity portion 30L can be formed.

[0040] Figure 5 FIG. is an example showing a state where the wire harness assembly 30 is assembled into the housing 12, and is a different embodiment from Figure 3 FIG. Figure 6 FIG. is a view of the inside of the housing 12 as seen from the position detection sensor 90 side, that is, a right side view, and is a different embodiment from Figure 1 FIG. In Figure 4 FIG., Figure 5 FIG., Figure 6In this case, the protective tube 34 has a slit only in a part in the circumferential direction. The wiring harness assembly 30 is easily bent at the part where the protective tube 34 has the slit, and the bending direction is controlled by the position of the slit. The wiring harness assembly 30 forms a high-rigidity portion 30H at the portion where the wire harness 32 is covered with the protective tube 34. As a result, for the wiring harness assembly 30, a low-rigidity portion 30L that is not covered with the protective tube 34 is formed at the part where the protective tube 34 is cut only in a part in the circumferential direction. The low-rigidity portion 30L is formed by cutting a part on the outer peripheral side of the protective tube 34 at the bending position along the circumferential direction in advance, and is the portion not covered with the protective tube 34. In addition, in Figure 5 In this case, part A represents the extraction portion of the wire harness 32 taken out from the solenoid 54.

[0041] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wiring harness assembly 30 includes a high-rigidity portion 30H covered with the protective tube 34 and a low-rigidity portion 30L that is not covered with the protective tube 34 and is more easily bent than the high-rigidity portion 30H. The low-rigidity portion 30L is formed in advance at such a position that when the other end of the wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70, contact with the rotating member RE is avoided by bending at the low-rigidity portion 30L. Thus, when the connector 36 is fitted to the mating connector 70, the wiring harness assembly 30 is easily bent at the position where contact with the rotating member RE is avoided. Therefore, when the wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70, the trajectory of the wiring harness assembly 30 can be easily controlled to avoid contact with the rotating member RE.

[0042] In addition, according to the present embodiment, the low-rigidity portion 30L is a portion that is not covered with the protective tube 34 and is formed by cutting and dividing the protective tube 34 along the circumferential direction in advance. In addition, the low-rigidity portion 30L is a portion that is not covered with the protective tube 34 and is formed by cutting a part on the outer peripheral side of the protective tube 34 at the bending position along the circumferential direction in advance. Thus, the low-rigidity portion 30L is appropriately formed.

[0043] In addition, according to the present embodiment, the protective tube 34 is formed in advance to such a length that when the low-rigidity portion 30L is bent, the end on the actuator 50 side approaches the actuator 50. Thus, when the wiring harness assembly 30 is bent at the low-rigidity portion 30L, the wire harness 32 at the portion between the protective tube 34 and the actuator 50 is not easily bent. Therefore, it is easy to take out the wire harness 32 straight from the actuator 50.

[0044] In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the actuator 50 and the mating connector 70 are connected at the shortest distance, the wire harness assembly 30 is preliminarily formed to a length that avoids contact with the rotating member RE. Thus, when the electric wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70, the trajectory of the wire harness assembly 30 can be easily controlled to avoid contact with the rotating member RE.

[0045] In addition, according to the present embodiment, the harness assembly 30 is preliminarily formed to be longer than the length for connecting the actuator 50 and the mating connector 70 at the shortest distance, and is bent in the low rigidity portion 30L into a shape that avoids contact with the rotating member RE. Thus, when the electric wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70, the trajectory of the harness assembly 30 can be easily controlled to avoid contact with the rotating member RE.

[0046] As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the present invention is described in detail based on the drawings, the present invention is also applicable in other aspects.

[0047] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a harness assembly 30 for supplying a driving current to an actuator 50 for switching a differential 20 disposed in a vehicle 10 between a differential state and a differential locking state, but the present invention is not limited to this mode. For example, as long as the harness assembly is provided with an electric wire harness having one end connected to an actuator in a housing and the other end connected to a connector fixedly disposed in the housing, and a protective tube covering the electric wire harness, the present invention can be applied. In addition, the harness assembly may not be a harness assembly for a vehicle.

[0048] Furthermore, the above is ultimately one embodiment, and the present invention can be implemented in various ways with various changes and improvements added based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0049] Description of Reference Numerals

[0050] 12: Housing (non-rotating member) 24: Differential case (rotating member) 30: Harness assembly 30H: High rigidity portion 30L: Low rigidity portion 32: Wire harness 34: Protection tube 50: Actuator 70: Mating connector (connector) 80: Rotating plate (rotating member) RE: Rotating member

Claims

1. A wire harness assembly (30) is provided with a wire harness (32) formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires, and a protective tube (34) covering the outer periphery of the wire harness (32). One end of the wire harness (32) is connected to an actuator (50) disposed within a housing (12), and the other end is connected to a connector (70) fixedly provided on the housing (12). The housing (12) is a non-rotating member that houses rotating members (24, 80, RE), and is characterized in that including: a high-rigidity portion (30H) covered with the protective tube (34) and a low-rigidity portion (30L) not covered with the protective tube (34) and more flexible than the high-rigidity portion (30H). The low-rigidity portion (30L) is pre-formed at a position such that when the other end is connected to the connector (70), contact with the rotating members (24, 80, RE) is avoided by bending at the low-rigidity portion (30L).

2. The wire harness assembly (30) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The low-rigidity portion (30L) is formed by pre-cutting and dividing the protective tube (34) along the circumferential direction, or by pre-cutting a part of the outer peripheral side at the bending position of the protective tube (34) along the circumferential direction, and is a portion not covered with the protective tube (34).

3. The wiring harness assembly (30) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The protective tube (34) is pre-formed to such a length that when the low-rigidity portion (30L) is bent, the end on the actuator (50) side approaches the actuator (50).

4. The wire harness assembly (30) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, In the case where contact with the rotating members (24, 80, RE) would occur if the actuator (50) and the connector (70) were connected at the shortest distance, it is pre-formed to a length that avoids contact with the rotating members (24, 80, RE).

5. The wiring harness assembly (30) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It is pre-formed to a length longer than the length of connecting the actuator (50) and the connector (70) at the shortest distance, and the low-rigidity portion (30L) is bent into a shape that avoids contact with the rotating members (24, 80, RE).

Images