Wire harness

Abstract

Provided is a wire harness in which a wire group including a plurality of communication wires is fixed to a common base material, the wire harness being capable of performing noise shielding on each of the communication wires while ensuring space-saving performance with a simple structure. A wire harness (1) is provided with a wire group (2) including a plurality of communication wires (20), a ground wire (3) provided with a conductor wire and connectable to a ground potential, a base material (4), and a sheet-like shield (5) provided with a metal layer (51), the wires constituting the wire group (2) being fixed to the base material (4), the shield (5) covering the surface of the wire group (2) and being fixed to the base material (4), the conductor line of the ground line (3) is in electrical contact with the metal layer (51) of the shield (5).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wire harness. BACKGROUND

[0002] In order to ensure space saving in the height direction and the like, a wire harness is sometimes configured by fixing electric wires to a sheet member composed of a resin sheet or a nonwoven fabric. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a mode in which a wire harness in which electric wires are fixed to a sheet member by sewing or welding is provided along a plate-shaped member included in an interior member of a vehicle. Among various electric wires, a communication electric wire is also considered to be fixed to a sheet member and incorporated in a wire harness. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS PATENT LITERATURE

[0003] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-196174 SUMMARY PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0004] In the case where the wire harness of the mode in which a plurality of electric wires are fixed to a sheet member as described in Patent Literature 1 includes a communication electric wire, it is desirable to implement noise shielding for the communication electric wire. In particular, in the case where the communication electric wire is configured as a parallel electric wire in which a pair of insulated electric wires are arranged laterally, unlike the case where the communication electric wire is configured as a twisted electric wire in which the pair of insulated electric wires are twisted with each other, the influence of common mode noise tends to be large, and thus noise shielding is important.

[0005] In the case where a wire harness includes a plurality of communication electric wires, if noise shielding is implemented for each of the communication electric wires, the labor and cost required for the noise shielding become large. In addition, even if the arrangement of electric wires is worked on in a manner such that the electric wires are fixed to a common sheet member, space saving of the wire harness is achieved, but if the shielding member as a whole occupies a large volume due to the implementation of noise shielding for a plurality of communication electric wires, it can be impossible to sufficiently utilize the effect of space saving.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present application is to provide a wire harness in which a group of electric wires including a plurality of communication electric wires is fixed to a common base material, which can ensure space saving with a simple configuration and in which noise shielding is implemented for each of the communication electric wires. MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS

[0007] The wire harness of the present disclosure has: a group of electric wires including a plurality of communication electric wires; a ground wire having a conductor wire and being connectable to a ground potential; a base material; and a sheet-shaped shielding member having a metal layer, each electric wire configuring the group of electric wires being fixed to the base material, the shielding member covering a surface of the group of electric wires and being fixed to the base material, the conductor wire of the ground wire being in electrical contact with the metal layer of the shielding member. EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The wire harness of the present disclosure is a wire harness in which a wire group including a plurality of communication electric wires is fixed to a common base material, and is capable of ensuring space saving with a simple configuration, and noise shielding is implemented for each communication electric wire. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a plan view showing a wire harness of one embodiment of the present disclosure. At the end portion, the constituent members are removed in steps to show. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the above-described wire harness. Figure 3 is a plan view schematically showing the connection state of the above-described wire harness. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a shield member constituting the above-described wire harness. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a manner in which a plurality of wire harnesses are stacked. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] [Explanation of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be explained. The wire harness of one embodiment of the present disclosure has the following structure.

[0011] [1] The wire harness of the present disclosure has: a wire group including a plurality of communication electric wires; a ground wire having a conductor wire and being connectable to a ground potential; a base material; and a sheet-shaped shield member having a metal layer, each electric wire constituting the wire group being fixed to the base material, the shield member covering the surface of the wire group and being fixed to the base material, the conductor wire of the ground wire being in electrical contact with the metal layer of the shield member.

[0012] In the above-described wire harness, the wire group including a plurality of communication electric wires is covered by the shield member on the basis of being fixed to the base material. The shield member functions as a noise shield for each communication electric wire included in the wire group. The current generated in the metal layer of the shield member due to the noise shielding flows to the ground potential through the ground wire. By covering the wire group with the common shield member and fixing the shield member to the base material, noise shielding can be implemented for the plurality of communication electric wires included in the wire group, and thus noise shielding can be implemented for each communication electric wire with a simple configuration. In addition, since the increase in the size of the wire harness in the height direction and the width direction due to the implementation of the noise shielding corresponds to the size required for covering the wire group with the sheet-shaped shield member, high space saving is ensured.

[0013] [2] In the manner described in [1] above, the ground wire can be configured as a drain wire exposed by the conductor wire, the ground wire and the electric wire group being covered by the shield, and the ground wire being in electrical contact with the metal layer by direct contact or contact via a conductive layer. In this case, the metal layer of the shield is connected to the ground potential via the drain wire with a simple structure in which the drain wire is in direct contact or contact via a conductive layer with the shield, and thus a higher noise shielding performance can be obtained. As the conductive layer, a conductive adhesive layer listed below can be exemplified.

[0014] [3] In the manner described in [2] above, the shield can further have a resin film on a surface of which the metal layer is provided so as to cover the electric wire group and the drain wire with the surface on which the metal layer is provided facing the inside. With the shield having the resin film, the mechanical strength and the handling of the shield are improved.

[0015] [4] In the manner described in [2] or [3] above, the shield can further have an adhesive layer composed of an adhesive on a surface of the metal layer, and the shield is fixed to the base material, the electric wire group, and the drain wire via the adhesive layer, respectively. In this case, the shield is fixed to the base material simply by using the adhesive layer without using a fixing member or applying an adhesive separately. In addition, the shield is also fixed to the electric wire group and the drain wire in close contact, and thus the noise shielding effect on the electric wire group is improved, and the contact between the drain wire and the shield is stably maintained.

[0016] [5] In the manner described in [4] above, the adhesive layer can be insulating, and the metal layer has an exposed region on a surface of which the adhesive layer is not formed at least at a portion covering the drain wire, and the metal layer is in electrical contact with the drain wire by direct contact with the drain wire at the exposed region. In this case, the fixing of the drain wire to the metal layer based on the adhesive layer and the electrical contact between the drain wire and the metal layer based on the contact between the drain wire and the metal layer can be simply achieved.

[0017] [6] In the manner described in [5] above, the adhesive layer can form a regular pattern on the surface of the metal layer. In this case, a configuration in which the region on which the adhesive layer is formed and the exposed region on which the metal layer is exposed without being covered by the adhesive layer coexist on the surface of the metal layer can be reliably formed, and each region can be utilized for the fixing of the shield to various members (the base material, the electric wire group, and the drain wire) and the conduction between the drain wire and the metal layer.

[0018] [7] In the manner described in [6] above, the pattern can be a striped pattern. In this case, the fixing of the shield to various members and the conduction between the drain wire and the metal layer can be simply and well balanced.

[0019] [8] In any of the methods described in [5] to [7] above, the area of ​​the region on the surface of the metal layer where the adhesive layer is formed is 40% or more and 70% or less. In this case, the shielding component can be firmly fixed relative to each component by utilizing the adhesive force of the adhesive layer, and the conductivity achieved by the contact between the metal layer and the shielding wire can be easily and sufficiently ensured.

[0020] [9] In any of the embodiments described in [5] to [8] above, the thickness of the metal layer may be 15 μm or more. In this case, the shielding component exhibits high noise shielding performance.

[0021]

[10] In any of the embodiments described in [5] to [9] above, the thickness of the adhesive layer may be less than 20 μm. In this case, the height difference between the part of the shielding element covering the stripping wire and the part of the stripping wire in contact with the adhesive layer and the part in direct contact with the metal layer is suppressed to be small. Therefore, the stripping wire contacts the metal layer with a large contact area, and by ensuring the continuity between the stripping wire and the metal layer, a high noise shielding performance can be easily obtained.

[0022]

[11] Alternatively, in the manner described in [4] above, the adhesive layer may be conductive. In this case, even if the stripper wire does not directly contact the metal layer of the shielding component but contacts it via the adhesive layer, conductivity can be ensured between the metal layer and the stripper wire. Therefore, even if the adhesive layer is disposed over a large area of ​​the surface of the metal layer, high noise shielding performance of the shielding component can be ensured, and it is easy to balance the secure fixation of the shielding component relative to various components with high noise shielding performance.

[0023]

[12] In the manner described in

[11] above, the thickness of the metal layer can be 10 μm or more. In this case, the shielding component exhibits high noise shielding performance. Because the adhesive layer is conductive, higher noise shielding performance can be obtained even with a smaller metal layer thickness compared to the case where an insulating adhesive layer is used.

[0024]

[13] In any of the embodiments described in [1] to

[12] above, the shielding member can cover more than 60% of the surface area of ​​the wire assembly, excluding the area required to connect the wires constituting the wire assembly to external components. In this way, noise shielding can be effectively implemented on the communication wires included in the wire assembly using the shielding member.

[0025]

[14] In any of the embodiments described in [1] to

[13] above, the communication wire can be configured as a parallel wire consisting of a pair of insulated wires arranged in a axial configuration. Compared to a stranded wire consisting of a pair of insulated wires twisted together, the parallel wire has a smaller wire height, can be easily fixed to a substrate, and can eliminate the cost required for twisting, thus making it suitable for use in wire harnesses in which the wire assembly is fixed to a substrate. On the other hand, compared to stranded wires, parallel wires are more prone to generating common-mode noise, but this can be effectively reduced by covering them with a shield.

[0026]

[15] In any of the embodiments described in [1] to

[14] above, the wire assembly may include six or more of the communication wires. When the wire assembly includes six or more of the communication wires, if noise shielding is performed on each communication wire separately, the reduction in space saving and the increase in labor and cost required for noise shielding will be greater. However, by using a common sheet-like shielding material to perform noise shielding on all communication wires together, the above problems can be mitigated.

[0027]

[16] In any of the methods described in [1] to

[15] above, the wiring harness may be arranged in two or more layers. In this case, multiple wires can be integrated at a high density while implementing noise shielding. In addition, the shielding of the wiring harnesses constituting each layer of the stack helps with noise shielding, thereby achieving high noise shielding performance, and even if some of the shielding of the stacked wiring harnesses is damaged due to external injury, the noise shielding effect can be maintained by the shielding of other wiring harnesses.

[0028] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure] Hereinafter, the wire harness of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with the help of the accompanying drawings. In this specification, terms such as "parallel" that indicate the shape and arrangement of components include not only a strictly geometric concept, but also errors that are generally permissible in a wire harness, such as within ±15% of the length or within ±15° of the angle.

[0029] <Overall Structure of the Wire Harness> First, the overall structure of the wire harness according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 1 A top view of a wire harness 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 The cross-section of wire harness 1, cut perpendicular to the axis, is shown. In this specification, the vertical direction, the horizontal direction (width direction), and other directions follow... Figure 2 direction shown.

[0030] The wiring harness 1 in this embodiment includes a wire assembly 2, a ground wire 3, a substrate 4, and a shielding component 5. Figure 1In the middle, at the end, the shielding 5 and the insulation covering of the wires constituting the wire group 2 are removed in stages to show this.

[0031] The wire bundle 2 constituting the wire harness 1 includes multiple communication wires 20. The type of communication wires 20 is not particularly limited, and at least one (preferably all) of the multiple communication wires 20 included in the wire bundle 2 can be configured as parallel wires. Parallel wires are communication wires arranged in a manner where a pair of insulated wires 21, each having an insulating covering 21b formed on the outer periphery of a conductor 21a, are arranged transversely along their axis. The number of communication wires 20 included in the wire bundle 2 is not particularly limited, but is preferably six or more (six groups). The wire bundle 2 may consist only of multiple communication wires 20, or it may include other types of wires besides communication wires 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the wire bundle 2 is composed of two (two groups) communication wires 20, each configured as a parallel wire. The communication wires 20 constituting the wire bundle 2 are preferably not individually equipped with noise shielding components such as metal parts surrounding the outer periphery of the signal line.

[0032] The ground wire 3 has a conductor wire and is a wire that can be connected to an external grounding potential. In the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, the ground wire 3 is configured as a shielding wire where the conductor wire is exposed without being covered by the insulation sheath. The structure of the shielding wire is not particularly limited, and examples can be given of stranded wires made of copper or copper alloy wires, or wires whose outer periphery is tinned, twisted together as shielding wires.

[0033] Each wire constituting the wire assembly 2 is fixed to the substrate 4. That is, each wire is fixed to the surface of the substrate 4 in such a way that they are aligned parallel to each other along their axial direction and arranged laterally. The substrate 4 serves to consolidate the multiple wires constituting the wire assembly 2 into one, and also functions as a buffer to prevent damage to the individual wires constituting the wire assembly 2 from physical stimulation such as contact between the wire assembly 2 and components such as metal parts constituting the automobile (body structure parts 9) that are the objects to which the wire harness 1 is installed.

[0034] The substrate 4 can be any component, such as a communication wire 20, that has a surface along which the wires constituting the wire assembly 2 can be fixed. There is no particular limitation on the type, but from the viewpoint of ensuring the wiring integrity of the wire harness 1, it is preferable to be composed of a thin sheet, i.e., a flexible, surface-shaped component. As the thin sheet, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, braided fabric, resin sheet, etc., can be used. The method of fixing the wire assembly 2 to the substrate 4 is not particularly limited; examples include fusion bonding, sewing, bonding with adhesives or bonding agents, and fixing with fasteners. From the viewpoints of reliability, space saving, and the number of components required for fixing, it is preferable to fix the wires constituting the wire assembly 2 to the substrate 4 by fusion bonding. When using non-woven fabric as the substrate 4, fusion bonding makes it easy and simple to fix the wires firmly. Furthermore, a higher cushioning effect can be obtained. The constituent materials of the substrate 4 are not particularly limited, and various resin materials such as polyethylene resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), chlorine resins such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyolefin resins such as polypropylene (PP) can be preferred. Multiple materials can also be combined to form the substrate 4.

[0035] In the wire harness 1, the deflector wire 3 can be positioned relative to the wire group 2 in any positional relationship. For example, as shown in the figure, while the wires constituting the wire group 2 are horizontally arranged and fixed to the substrate 4, the deflector wire 3 can also be arranged so that its axis is parallel to the wires. The deflector wire 3 can be fixed to the substrate 4 in the same way as the wire group 2, or it can be placed on the surface of the substrate 4 without being fixed. In this way, the space-saving performance of the wire harness 1 in the height direction can be particularly improved. Alternatively, it is also preferable to place the deflector wire 3 on the wire group 2 where the wires are arranged. In this way, it is easy to increase the contact area between the deflector wire 3 and the shield 5.

[0036] The shielding member 5 is configured as a thin sheet having a metal layer 51. The shielding member 5 is arranged in the wire harness 1 to cover the surface of the wire assembly 2 and the stripper wire 3, that is, the surface (upper surface) of the assembly consisting of all the wires constituting the wire assembly 2 and the stripper wire 3. The structure of the shielding member 5 will be described in detail below. Furthermore, the shielding member 5 is fixed to the substrate 4 on both sides of the wire assembly 2 in the width direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the shielding member 5 has a metal layer 51 and a resin film 52, and is arranged with the surface of the metal layer 51 facing inwards, that is, towards the side where the wire assembly 2 and the stripper wire 3 are arranged, with the stripper wire 3 in contact with the metal layer 51.

[0037] Figure 3The diagram shows the connection state of the wiring harness 1 according to this embodiment in a schematic top view. The detangling wire 3 is connected to an external ground potential (GND) at at least one end (preferably at both ends as shown in the diagram). Although not shown in the diagram, each wire constituting the wiring harness 2 is appropriately connected to predetermined devices or electrical components such as communication equipment within the vehicle via electrical connection components such as connecting terminals. When the wiring harness 1 is mounted in a vehicle, for example, as... Figure 2 As shown, the lower surface of the substrate 4 (the surface opposite to the surface where the wire assembly 2 is fixed) is arranged along the surface of the vehicle body structural component 9 and properly fixed to the vehicle body structural component 9.

[0038] In this embodiment, the wire harness 1 is a space-saving harness 1 with excellent height performance by arranging and fixing multiple wires constituting the wire assembly 2 to the substrate 4. Furthermore, the surface of the wire assembly 2 is covered by a shielding member 5 having a metal layer 51, thereby providing noise shielding for the multiple communication wires 20 included in the wire assembly 2. That is, it shields electromagnetic waves from the outside of the wire harness 1, suppresses the generation of noise in the communication wires 20, and shields electromagnetic waves emitted from the communication wires 20 to the outside, thereby suppressing the emitted electromagnetic waves from becoming a source of noise. By contacting the bare conductor wire 3 with the metal layer 51 constituting the shielding member 5, a conductive path is created between the bare conductor wire 3 and the metal layer 51. Therefore, if the bare conductor wire 3 is connected to the external ground potential (GND), the current generated during noise shielding flows to the ground potential, resulting in high noise shielding performance.

[0039] In this embodiment, by utilizing a shared sheet-like shielding member 5, noise shielding can be simultaneously applied to multiple communication wires 20 included in the wire assembly 2. Therefore, the increase in the dimensions of the wire harness 1 in both the height and width directions due to noise shielding is suppressed to the size required only for the sheet of shielding member 5. Consequently, compared to the case where noise shielding components are individually provided for each communication wire 20, the space-saving efficiency of the wire harness 1 is maintained. Furthermore, the labor and cost required for noise shielding can be reduced. In particular, when the communication wires 20 are parallel wires, compared to the case where the communication wires 20 are stranded wires formed by twisting a pair of insulated wires 21 together, the space-saving efficiency in the height direction of the wire harness 1 is increased, and it can be easily fixed to the substrate 4 using methods such as fusion bonding. The cost required for twisting the insulated wires 21 can also be saved. On the other hand, since parallel wires do not have the twisted structure of stranded wires, they are prone to common-mode noise. However, the wire harness 1 has a shield 5, which reduces the impact of common-mode noise in the parallel wires, allowing the wire harness 1 to be appropriately used for electrical communication in vehicles, etc. Taking the communication wire 20 as an example, the more wires included in the wire group 2, the greater the space-saving effect and labor and cost reduction effect brought about by using the sheet-like shield 5. For example, when the wire group 2 includes six or more, or even eight or more, parallel wires such as communication wires 20, a particularly high effect can be obtained. When the wire harness 1 includes communication wires 20 and other types of wires, the other types of wires can be arranged in the space covered by the shield 5 or arranged externally. Arranging them externally can improve the noise shielding effect on the communication wires 20 covered by the shield 5.

[0040] <Structure of shielding components> Next, the detailed structure of the shielding member 5 constituting the wire harness 1 will be described. As described above, the shielding member 5 covers the assembly of the wire group 2 and the anti-scratching wire 3 in the wire harness 1, and plays a role in noise shielding for the communication wire 20 contained in the wire group 2.

[0041] The shielding element 5 only needs to have a metal layer 51, and its detailed structure is not particularly limited. However, it is preferred to have a structure such as... Figure 4As shown in the cross-sectional view, the shielding member 5, in addition to the metal layer 51, also includes a resin film 52, and the metal layer 51 is disposed on the surface of the resin film 52. Because the shielding member 5 includes a resin film 52, compared to the case where the shielding member 5 is composed of a separate metal foil, the shielding member 5 has higher mechanical strength and greater operability. The metal layer 51 can be formed tightly on one side of the resin film 52 by means of vapor deposition, plating, bonding, etc. The thickness of the resin film 52 is not particularly limited, but preferably 10 μm or more and 1 mm or less is shown as an example. When the shielding member 5 has a resin film 52, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the shielding member 5 is assembled into the wire harness 1 with the surface of the resin film 52 facing outward and the surface of the metal layer 51 facing inward.

[0042] The type of metal constituting the metal layer 51 of the shielding element 5 is not particularly limited, and examples include copper, copper alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, silver, silver alloys, or materials in which tin, nickel, silver, gold, etc., are plated on the surface of the aforementioned metals. Among these, aluminum or aluminum alloys are preferably used. When using the resin film 52, the constituent material of the resin film 52 is not particularly limited, and various resin materials such as polyethylene resins such as PET, chlorine resins such as PVC, and polyolefin resins such as PP are preferably used.

[0043] like Figure 4 As shown, the shielding element 5 preferably has an adhesive layer 53 on the surface of the metal layer 51 (in Figure 2 , Figure 5 (omitted). The adhesive layer 53 is a layer of adhesive, i.e., pressure-sensitive adhesive. When the shielding member 5 has a resin film 52, the adhesive layer 53 is provided on the surface of the metal layer 51 opposite to the surface in contact with the resin film 52. By using the adhesive layer 53, the shielding member 5 covering the wire assembly 2 and the stripper wire 3 can be easily fixed relative to the substrate 4. In addition, by using the adhesive layer 53 to tightly adhere and fix the shielding member 5 to the wire assembly 2, a high noise shielding performance can be achieved for the wire assembly 2. Furthermore, by using the adhesive layer 53 to fix the stripper wire 3 to the shielding member 5, the surface contact between the stripper wire 3 and the shielding member 5 can be stably maintained.

[0044] The shielding element 5 ensures noise shielding performance through electrical contact between the stripper wire 3, which is configured as a bare conductor, and the metal layer 51. Therefore, the stripper wire 3 needs to be conductive with the metal layer 51 either through direct contact or via a conductive layer contact. As a structure used here, if the adhesive layer 53 is insulating, such as... Figure 4As shown, an exposed area 5a can be provided on the surface of the metal layer 51 at least covering the anti-scraping line 3, as an area where the adhesive layer 53 is not formed on the surface. Alternatively, the adhesive layer 53 can be configured to be conductive.

[0045] When using an insulating adhesive, in the area covering at least the stripper wire 3 on the surface of the shield 5, there coexisting adhesive regions 5b where the adhesive layer 53 is formed and exposed regions 5a where the metal layer 51 is exposed without the adhesive layer 53. This allows the stripper wire 3 to be fixed to the shield 5 in the adhesive region 5b, and the stripper wire 3 to be in direct contact with the metal layer 51 in the exposed region 5a, ensuring conductivity between the stripper wire 3 and the metal layer 51. By maintaining conductivity between the stripper wire 3 and the metal layer 51 while the stripper wire 3 is fixed to the shield 5, stable conductivity can be maintained. As an insulating adhesive, acrylic adhesives, silicone adhesives, urethane adhesives, etc., can be appropriately used.

[0046] When using an insulating adhesive, the adhesive layer 53 is preferably formed with a regular pattern on the surface of the metal layer 51. This allows for a reliable configuration where adhesive regions 5b and exposed regions 5a are mixed in different parts of the surface of the metal layer 51. Specific examples of the pattern include continuous patterns such as stripes or grids, or independent island-like patterns such as dots or quadrilaterals. From the viewpoint of pattern simplicity, a striped pattern is preferred. The direction of the stripes is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of reliably alternating the adhesive regions 5b and exposed regions 5a along the axis of the stripping line 3, the stripes can be arranged obliquely along the axis of the wire bundle 1.

[0047] When using an insulating adhesive layer 53 and providing exposed areas 5a and adhesive areas 5b on the surface of the metal layer 51, it is preferable that the area ratio of the adhesive areas 5b on the surface of the metal layer 51 (the proportion of the area occupied by the adhesive areas 5b on the surface of the metal layer 51) is 40% or more, more preferably 50% or more. This ensures sufficient adhesion on the surface of the metal layer 51, making it easy to firmly fix the shielding member 5 relative to each component of the wire assembly 2, the guide wire 3, and the substrate 4. On the other hand, the area ratio of the adhesive areas 5b is preferably 70% or less, more preferably 60% or less. This increases the area ratio of the exposed areas 5a of the metal layer 51 that can contact the guide wire 3, making it easier to ensure conductivity between the metal layer 51 and the guide wire 3 over a large area, thereby giving the shielding member 5 higher noise shielding performance. There is no particular limitation on the size of the areas continuously occupied by the exposed area 5a and the adhesive area 5b. From the viewpoint of ensuring high noise shielding performance and high adhesion in each part of the surface of the shielding member 5, for example, the length of the area continuously occupied by the adhesive area 5b along the axial direction of the de-scraping line 3 can be more than 1 mm and less than 10 mm.

[0048] Furthermore, when using an insulating adhesive, the thickness of the metal layer 51 is preferably 15 μm or more, and more preferably 20 μm or more. This makes it easier to obtain high noise shielding performance in the shielding member 5. On the other hand, the thickness of the metal layer 51 is preferably kept to 1 mm or less, and more preferably kept to 100 μm or less. This helps to suppress the rigidity of the shielding member 5 and ensures high flexibility in the shielding member 5, suitable for covering the surfaces of the wire assembly 2 and the stripper wire 3, and for bending the wire harness 1.

[0049] The thickness of the insulating adhesive layer 53 is preferably 1 μm or more, more preferably 5 μm or more. This facilitates obtaining high adhesion. On the other hand, the thickness of the adhesive layer 53 is preferably 20 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or less. This minimizes the height difference between the adhesive region 5b and the exposed region 5a on the surface of the metal layer 51. When the stripper wire 3 is fixed to the shielding member 5 in the adhesive region 5b, the metal layer 51 contacts the stripper wire 3 with a larger contact area in the exposed region 5a, easily ensuring sufficient conductivity. By achieving a high level of balance between the fixation of the stripper wire 3 to the shielding member 5 and the conductivity between the metal layer 51 and the stripper wire 3, the conductivity between the metal layer 51 and the stripper wire 3 is stably maintained even under conditions such as external forces.

[0050] On the other hand, when the adhesive layer 53 is configured to be conductive, conductivity can be ensured not only at the locations where the metal layer 51 directly contacts the strip wire 3, but also at the locations where contact occurs via the adhesive layer 53. The conductive adhesive layer 53 can be formed from a material in which conductive additives such as metal powder are added to an insulating adhesive. Alternatively, a conductive polymer can be used to form the adhesive.

[0051] When the adhesive layer 53 is conductive, conductivity can be ensured between the metal layer 51 and the stripping wire 3 via the adhesive layer 53. Therefore, compared to the case where the adhesive layer 53 is insulating, even if the area occupied by the adhesive layer 53 on the surface of the metal layer 51 is increased, higher adhesion can be ensured. In the largest case, the area ratio of the adhesive region 5b on the surface of the metal layer 51 can be set to 100%. That is, the adhesive layer 53 can be formed over the entire surface of the metal layer 51. When the adhesive layer 53 is formed over the entire area, it is not necessary to form the adhesive region 5b and the exposed region 5a separately, thus simplifying the construction of the shield 5.

[0052] When the adhesive layer 53 is conductive, the thicker the metal layer 51 constituting the shielding member 5, the higher the noise shielding performance. However, since the adhesive layer 53 is conductive, it also provides noise shielding. Therefore, compared to the case where the adhesive layer 53 is insulating, a higher noise shielding effect can be obtained even by reducing the thickness of the metal layer 51. For example, the thickness of the metal layer 51 is preferably 10 μm or more, and more preferably 20 μm or more. On the other hand, similar to the case where the adhesive layer 53 is insulating, the thickness of the metal layer 51 is preferably suppressed to 1 mm or less, and more preferably to 100 μm or less. The thickness of the adhesive layer 53 is not particularly limited. To obtain sufficient adhesion, it can be set to 1 μm or more, and more preferably 5 μm or more. Alternatively, it can be set to 100 μm or less. Unlike the case where the adhesive layer 53 is insulating, it is not necessary to suppress the height difference between the adhesive region 5b and the exposed region 5a to be small. Therefore, the thickness of the adhesive layer 53 can be increased to more than 20 μm.

[0053] Regardless of whether the adhesive layer 53 is conductive or insulating, the coverage rate of the shielding member 5 on the surface of the wire assembly 2 is preferably 60% or more, and more preferably 90% or more. Here, the coverage rate of the shielding member 5 is the proportion of the area covered by the shielding member 5 on the surface of the wire assembly 2, specifically the proportion of the area covered by the shielding member 5 within the area occupied by the wire assembly 2 when viewed from above. The coverage rate is evaluated after excluding the area required for connection between each wire constituting the wire assembly 2 and external components; for example, it is sufficient to exclude an 80mm long area from each end of each wire in the wire assembly 2. If the coverage rate of the shielding member 5 is 60% or more, and more preferably 90% or more, the noise shielding effect of the metal layer 51 can be fully utilized for the communication wires 20 included in the wire assembly 2. No upper limit is set for the coverage rate, but 100% is most preferred.

[0054] <Other methods> In the embodiments described above, the ground wire 3 is configured as a stripped wire whose conductor is not covered by the insulating sheath. Electrical contact between the stripped wire and the metal layer 51 is ensured by direct contact with the metal layer 51 of the shielding member 5 facing inwards or through a conductive layer. However, the method for ensuring electrical contact between the ground wire 3 and the metal layer 51 of the shielding member 5 is not limited to this. For example, instead of using a stripped wire composed of bare conductors, a covered wire with an insulating sheath may be used as the ground wire 3. In this case, it is not possible to ensure conductivity between the ground wire 3 and the metal layer 51 through simple contact. For example, it is necessary to expose the conductor at the end of the ground wire 3 and form electrical contact between the conductor and the metal layer 51 through terminal connection, soldering, brazing, or tape fixing. In this case, it is not necessary to arrange the shielding member 5 with the metal layer 51 facing inwards; the shielding member 5 may also be arranged with the metal layer 51 facing outwards. Furthermore, the ground wire 3 does not need to be arranged parallel to the wire assembly 2 on the inner side of the area covered by the shield 5; it can be arranged on the outer side of the shield 5. Moreover, the ground wire 3 does not need to be parallel to the entire area of ​​the wire assembly 2; it is sufficient to arrange the ground wire 3 in a portion of the area, such as the end region, along the axial direction of the wire harness 1. However, when the ground wire 3 is configured as an insulated wire, processing is required to form electrical contact with the metal layer 51 of the shield 5, which requires labor and is costly. Furthermore, it is sometimes difficult to ensure sufficient mechanical strength at the formed electrical contact. Using the unbalanced wire method described above offers superior simplicity in the construction of the electrical contact portion with the metal layer 51 of the shield 5, as well as better mechanical strength.

[0055] Furthermore, while the above description primarily focused on the method of providing an adhesive layer 53 on the surface of the metal layer 51 of the shielding member 5, the adhesive layer 53 can also be omitted. In this case, adhesive (including bonding agent) needs to be applied to both sides of the wire assembly 2 in the width direction, and at the locations where the shielding member 5 contacts the substrate 4, or fixing components such as pins need to be used to fix the shielding member 5 to the substrate 4. In this case, applying adhesive and setting up fixing components require labor and cost.

[0056] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated configuration, a continuous shielding element 5 is arranged over the entire area of ​​the wire harness 1. However, the shielding element 5 can also be divided into multiple components. By dividing the shielding element 5 into multiple components, noise shielding using the sheet-like shielding element 5 can be applied to various types of wire harness 1. For example, it is possible to divide the shielding element 5 into multiple components along the width direction of the wire group 2 where multiple wires are arranged, or to divide the shielding element 5 into multiple components along the axial direction of the wire group 2. In particular, when the width of the area to be covered by the shielding element 5 varies along the axial direction of the wire group 2, or when there is a branch at the middle, if multiple shielding elements 5 of different widths are arranged along the axial direction of the wire group 2, each area can be appropriately covered by the shielding element 5. Even if the shielding element 5 is divided into multiple components, as long as the communication between the divided shielding elements 5 and the stripping wire 3 is ensured by contact between the metal layer 51 and the stripping wire 3, the communication between the multiple shielding elements 5 can also be ensured.

[0057] like Figure 5 As illustrated in the example, the wire harness 1 can also be configured with two or more layers. For example, the bottom layer wire harness 1 can be installed along the vehicle body structure component 9, and an upper layer wire harness 1 can be stacked on top of this wire harness 1 (outside the surface of the resin film 52 of the shielding member 5). There is no particular limitation on the number of layers; the required number of layers of wire harness 1 can be fixed together by appropriately using clamping members or the like. Adhesive layers can also be appropriately provided between the layers to assist in fixing them together. When multiple wire harnesses 1 are stacked, the multiple wire harnesses 1 can have the same structure for the wire group 2 and the shielding member 5, or the structures for the wire group 2 and / or the shielding member 5 can be different.

[0058] In this way, by stacking multiple wire harnesses, multiple wires including communication wires 20 can be integrated at high density while ensuring noise shielding. Furthermore, the multiple shielding elements 5 constituting the multi-layered wire harnesses 1 function as noise shields within the overall stack, thus achieving high noise shielding performance within the stack. Moreover, even if the shielding elements 5 constituting one layer of the wire harness 1 are damaged due to external injury or breakage, reducing their noise shielding performance, sufficient noise shielding performance can be easily maintained within the overall stack by the shielding elements 5 constituting other layers of the wire harness 1.

[0059] Furthermore, the method of arranging multiple wire harnesses in a stacked manner is not limited to, for example... Figure 5 In this case, the wire harness of the present disclosure, which includes multiple communication wires 20, can be stacked in multiple layers, or one or more layers of the wire harness 1 of the present disclosure can be stacked with other types of wires and / or other types of wire harnesses. When using wire harnesses containing wires other than communication wires, such as power transmission wires, as other types of wire harnesses, it is preferable to place the wire harness 1 of the present disclosure, which includes communication wires 20, in the lower layer and place the other types of wire harnesses in the upper layer, represented by the uppermost layer. For example, a wire harness formed by arranging and fixing multiple other types of wires to the surface of the substrate 4 can be assembled into the laminate as other types of wire harnesses. It is not necessary to provide shielding members 5 for other types of wire harnesses.

[0060] Furthermore, the top layer of a multi-layered wire harness can also be arranged with the substrate 4 facing upwards, in a reversed direction. If the top layer is a wire harness 1 with a shield 5, then the shield 5 is arranged facing downwards. In this case, the entire upper surface of the laminate is covered by the substrate 4. Through the effect of the substrate 4, damage to the shield 5 can be suppressed in the laminate, noise shielding performance can be reduced, and the wires can be hidden visually.

[0061] Regarding the sheet-like shielding member 5 with a metal layer 51 used in the wiring harness 1 of the embodiments of this disclosure, it is also considered to arrange the shielding member 5 on the upper and lower sides of the wire assembly 2 by clamping the wire group 2 composed of multiple horizontally arranged wires from the upper and lower sides using the shielding member 5, or by surrounding the outer circumference of the wire group 2 with the same shielding member 5, and to implement noise shielding. In this way, the shielding members 5 on the upper and lower sides of the wire group 2 help with noise shielding, and sometimes a high noise shielding effect is obtained. In such cases, it is preferable to arrange the shielding member 5 on the upper and lower sides of the wire group 2. When the vehicle body structural member 9 along which the wiring harness 1 is made of metal, the vehicle body structural member 9 can also function as a shielding member arranged on the lower side of the wire group 2. In addition, in cases such as Figure 5 When multiple wire harnesses 1 are stacked as shown, the shielding member 5 constituting the upper and lower wire harnesses 1 can function as a shielding member disposed on the upper and lower sides relative to the wire group 2 disposed therebetween.

[0062] On the other hand, in the above-mentioned arrangement of shielding members 5 on the upper and lower sides of the wire assembly 2, the two metal layers 51 are arranged vertically, and sometimes eddy currents with opposite phases are generated between the two metal layers 51. Eddy currents with opposite phases may hinder the noise shielding of the metal layers 51. Thus, when the influence of eddy currents with opposite phases is significant, it is best not to arrange shielding members 5 on the upper and lower sides of the wire assembly 2. Depending on the specific structure of the wire harness 1 and the usage environment, the magnitude of the noise shielding effect and the influence of eddy currents with opposite phases can be considered to determine whether to arrange shielding members 5 on the upper and lower sides of the wire assembly 2. In addition, the obstruction of noise shielding caused by eddy currents with opposite phases may also be caused by the same mechanism in the method of forming metal layers 51 on both sides of a resin film 52 in a shielding member. In this case, as described above, it is particularly preferable to arrange the shielding member 5, which has a metal layer 51 formed only on one side of the resin film 52, only on the upper side of the wire assembly 2. Example

[0063] Examples are shown below. However, the invention is not limited to these examples. Here, the relationship between the structure of the wiring harness and its noise shielding performance is investigated.

[0064] <Experimental Methods> like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a wire assembly consisting of eight (eight groups) of communication wires, each configured as parallel wires, is fixed to a substrate, and a stripper wire is arranged parallel to this wire assembly on the substrate. Furthermore, a thin sheet-like shield is disposed covering the surface of the assembly of the wire assembly and the stripper wire, and fixed to the substrate on both sides in the width direction. Here, the insulated wires constituting each parallel wire use conductors with a cross-sectional area of ​​0.5 mm². 2 Insulated wire with an outer diameter of 0.85mm. As a shielding wire, a conductor with a cross-sectional area of ​​0.22mm² is used, formed by stranding tinned soft copper wire. 2 The bare conductor wire. As the substrate, a forming material made by laminating PVC with non-woven fabric is used.

[0065] like Figure 4 As shown, the shielding component uses a material in which an aluminum layer is formed as a metal layer on one side of a resin film (12μm thick PET film), and an adhesive layer is formed on the surface of this metal layer. As the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer, an acrylic adhesive is used in the case of an insulating adhesive, and an acrylic adhesive with added Ni powder is used in the case of a conductive adhesive. The shielding component covers the wire assembly and the unwinding wire with the adhesive layer facing inwards and is fixed to the substrate.

[0066] As shown in Table 1 below, in multiple samples, the presence or absence of conductivity of the adhesive layer in the shielding, its thickness, the area ratio of the adhesive region, the thickness of the metal layer, and the coverage of the shielding in the wire harness varied. When the area ratio of the adhesive region was less than 100%, the adhesive layer was arranged in a striped pattern on the surface of the metal layer. The angle of the stripes was 45° relative to the axial direction of the wire harness. The stripe width of the adhesive layer was fixed at 5 mm, and the area ratio of the adhesive region was varied by changing the exposed width of the metal layer. In addition, the coverage of the shielding was adjusted by setting an unshielded area at the end of the wire harness and changing the length of this area. The coverage of Table 1 is the value obtained by evaluating the area after excluding the area with a length of 80 mm from each of the two ends of the wire assembly.

[0067] The noise shielding performance of the shielding components was evaluated for each wire harness fabricated as described above. The evaluation was conducted by measuring radiated emissions using the Antenna Illumination Method (ALSE method) according to CISPR 25, a standard of the International Special Committee on Radio Interference (CISPR). Specifically, as a test case, a wire harness was prepared with a 1.2m long section consisting of eight (eight groups) of communication wires arranged as parallel wires. At each end of this section, a 5.4m section was formed by twisting together a pair of insulated wires constituting each communication wire. The test case was placed in an anechoic chamber, and a rod antenna was positioned 1.0m laterally from the center of the section consisting of parallel wires. Then, an electrical signal with a frequency of 0.53–1.8MHz was input to each communication wire constituting the wire harness, and the noise radiation was measured using the rod antenna. Furthermore, the section consisting of the twisted insulated wires contributed almost nothing to the noise radiation.

[0068] The noise radiation level was determined using the peak values ​​of measurements taken from eight (eight groups) of communication cables. Specifically, the maximum value of the peak values ​​within the frequency range of 0.53–1.8 MHz was recorded as the noise radiation level. Lower noise radiation levels indicate higher noise shielding performance. A noise radiation level exceeding the limit of 56 dBμV / m corresponding to Level 3 of CISPR 25 (frequency 0.53–1.8 MHz) was defined as having lower noise shielding performance (B). Conversely, a noise radiation level below 56 dBμV / m was defined as having higher noise shielding performance (A). Furthermore, a noise radiation level below the limit of 48 dBμV / m corresponding to Level 4 of CISPR 25 was defined as having exceptionally high noise shielding performance (A+).

[0069] <Experimental Results> Table 1 below shows the structure of the shielding component and the evaluation results of the noise radiation and noise shielding performance measured for each sample.

[0070] [Table 1]

[0071] According to Table 1, in sample 22 without shielding, the noise radiation exceeds 56 dBμV / m. In contrast, in samples 1 to 21 with shielding having a metal layer, the noise radiation is suppressed to below 56 dBμV / m, achieving higher noise shielding performance. This confirms that by covering multiple communication wires configured as parallel wires together with a sheet-like shielding to implement noise shielding, sufficiently high noise shielding performance can be achieved in each communication wire.

[0072] In samples 1-13 with insulating adhesive layers in the shielding components, the thickness of the adhesive layers in samples 1-4 is different, and it was found that the smaller the thickness of the adhesive layer, the lower the noise radiation. Furthermore, the area ratio of the adhesive region in samples 1, 5-8 is different, and it was found that the smaller the area ratio of the adhesive region, the lower the noise radiation. The thickness of the metal layer in samples 1 and 9 is different, and in sample 1 with a larger metal layer thickness, the noise radiation is lower. The coverage of the shielding components in samples 1, 10-13 is different, and it was found that the larger the coverage of the shielding component, the lower the noise radiation. In particular, among the samples with insulating adhesive layers in the shielding components, samples 1, 2, 5, 6, and 10-12, with an adhesive layer thickness of 20 μm or less, an area ratio of the adhesive region of 70% or less, a metal layer thickness of 15 μm or more, and a coverage of the shielding component of 60% or more, achieved a noise radiation suppression of 48 dBμV / m or less, resulting in a particularly high noise shielding performance rated A+.

[0073] In samples 14-21 with conductive adhesive layers in the shielding component, the area ratio of the adhesive region is 100% or 50%. In the case of 100%, the entire surface area of ​​the metal layer is covered by the adhesive layer, but all samples achieve high noise shielding performance. Among these, the metal layer thicknesses of samples 14-16 are different, and it was found that the greater the metal layer thickness, the lower the noise radiation. This trend is the same as in the case where the adhesive layer is insulating. However, when comparing the noise radiation between samples 9 and 14, and between samples 1-4 and 15, which have metal layers of the same thickness and shielding coverage, samples 14 and 15 with conductive adhesive layers show lower noise radiation compared to samples 9 and 1-4 with insulating adhesive layers. In other words, it can be said that using a conductive adhesive layer can reduce the thickness of the metal layer required to ensure the desired noise shielding performance. The shielding coverage ratios of samples 14 and 17–19 were different. Similar to the case where the adhesive layer was insulating, a trend was observed where a higher shielding coverage ratio resulted in lower noise radiation. In particular, among the samples with conductive adhesive layers, samples 14–19, with a metal layer thickness of 10 μm or more and a shielding coverage ratio of 60% or more, achieved noise radiation suppression of 48 dBμV / m or less, resulting in exceptionally high noise shielding performance rated A+.

[0074] This invention is not limited to any of the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this invention. Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0075] 1. Wiring harness 2 wire sets 20. Communication wires 21 Insulated wires 21a Conductor 21b Insulation Covering 3. Ground wire (ground wire) 4. Substrate 5 Shielding components 51 Metal Layer 52 Resin Film 53 Adhesive layer 5a Exposed Area 5b Adhesion area 9. Body structural components

Claims

1. A wire harness, comprising: A wire assembly, which comprises multiple communication wires; A ground wire is a conductor that can be connected to the ground potential. Substrate; and A thin, sheet-like shielding component containing a metal layer. Each wire constituting the wire assembly is fixed to the substrate. The shielding component covers the surface of the wire assembly and is fixed to the substrate. The conductor of the ground wire is in electrical contact with the metal layer of the shield.

2. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein, The ground wire serves as an exposed shielding wire for the conductor wire. The ground wire, together with the wire assembly, is covered by the shielding component and is electrically connected to the metal layer of the shielding component either through direct contact or through a conductive layer.

3. The wire harness according to claim 2, wherein, The shielding component also includes a resin film, on the surface of which the metal layer is disposed. The wire assembly and the shielding wire are covered such that the side with the metal layer faces inward.

4. The wire harness according to claim 3, wherein, The shielding element also has an adhesive layer made of adhesive on the surface of the metal layer. The shielding component is fixed to the substrate, the wire assembly, and the shielding wire respectively by the adhesive layer.

5. The wire harness according to claim 4, wherein, The adhesive layer is insulating. The metal layer has an exposed area on its surface where the adhesive layer is not formed, at least covering the portion of the stripping wire, and is electrically connected to the stripping wire by directly contacting the stripping wire in the exposed area.

6. The wire harness according to claim 5, wherein, The adhesive layer forms a regular pattern on the surface of the metal layer.

7. The wire harness according to claim 6, wherein, The pattern is a striped pattern.

8. The wire harness according to claim 5, wherein, The area of ​​the region on the surface of the metal layer where the adhesive layer is formed is 40% or more and 70% or less.

9. The wire harness according to claim 5, wherein, The thickness of the metal layer is 15 μm or more.

10. The wire harness according to claim 5, wherein, The thickness of the adhesive layer is less than 20 μm.

11. The wire harness according to claim 4, wherein, The adhesive layer is conductive.

12. The wire harness according to claim 11, wherein, The thickness of the metal layer is 10 μm or more.

13. The wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, The shielding covers more than 60% of the surface area of ​​the wire assembly, excluding the area required to connect the wires constituting the wire assembly to external components.

14. The wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, The communication wire is configured as a parallel wire consisting of a pair of insulated wires arranged in a axial orientation.

15. The wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, The wire assembly comprises six or more of the aforementioned communication wires.

16. The wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, The wire harness is configured with two or more layers stacked together.

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