Auxiliary device and method for passing cables through a body opening

Abstract

Auxiliary device for passing cables through a body opening, in particular for passing cables from the trunk into the rear area of a vehicle, comprising: a funnel-like body with a channel (120) which is delimited by a channel wall (100), wherein the channel (120) has a threading section (122) and an adjacent cable guide section (124), wherein the auxiliary device (10) can be pushed into the body opening so that at least the cable guide section (124) projects through the body opening, and wherein the channel (120) is provided over its entire length with a longitudinal slot (140) which opens the channel upwards, and the channel (120) in the cable guide section (124) between the threading section (124) and a channel outlet opening (126) has a curved section which is upwards in relation to a straight connection between the threading section (124) and the channel outlet opening (126). course.

Description

The invention relates to an auxiliary device and a method for passing cables through a body opening and in particular for passing cables from the trunk into the rear region of a vehicle.Despite increasing automation, the wiring of vehicles still takes place to a considerable extent manually. The reasons for this are the complex cable harnesses and the required complex cable routing, which must frequently be effected through a large number of vehicle body apertures, for example through cross members, hollow profiles or metal sheets.The cable harness comprises a plurality of cables or cable strands, partly of different diameter and / or length, which are partly provided with plugs at their ends. The lead-through is thereby difficult, since the cable ends and connectors tend to hook or spread apart at the lead-through opening. Threading is thereby made more difficult. In addition, there is the risk that the cables are damaged when pulling through the opening.To protect the cables and to facilitate the threading through the vehicle body openings, it is known to use a threading stocking. The threading stocking is a flexible, hose-like sheath which is placed around the cable ends and connectors and closed. This makes it possible to more easily thread and prevents the cable ends and plugs from getting caught or fanned out. After the cables have been pulled through the body aperture, the threading stocking must be removed again. In this case, the plugs or ends of the cables tend to become hooked with the threading aid.Furthermore, the publication DE 10 2005 022 386 A1 discloses a cable mounting device having a funnel-like body with a connecting piece which, during the threading of the cables, passes through an aperture in the vehicle body. The funnel-like edge region and the connecting piece completely enclosing the cables facilitate the insertion of the cables and protect them from damage to the vehicle body aperture. A disadvantage of this mounting device is the complicated removal after mounting has taken place. For this purpose, the publication DE 10 2005 022 386 A1 provides for the mounting device to be configured in two parts or to be foldable.From the publication DE 10 2005 058 723 B3 a further cable mounting aid with a channel-like housing is known, wherein the housing is configured in two parts for removing the mounting aid.The publication DE 103 08 997 A1 shows a threading aid in the form of a hose with an integrated closure device. To remove inserted cables after assembly, the threading aid on the closure device is opened.Furthermore, DE 10 2004 012 984 A1 discloses an installation aid for line sets which consists of a strip-shaped inner casing with closure elements for the overlapping closure to form the tube shape.The removal of the cables after assembly is laborious, and hose-like threading aids also offer only inadequate guidance of the cables during assembly.U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,381 relates to a distributor housing for connecting a plurality of signal transmission wires. Rectangular distribution frames open at their top side are provided in the housing, into which wires can be inserted.It is the object of the invention to specify an auxiliary device and a method for mounting cables through a vehicle body aperture, with which the disadvantages known from the prior art are overcome and which in particular has improved handling.This object is achieved by an auxiliary device according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 10.The auxiliary device for passing cables through a body aperture includes a funnel-like body having a channel bounded by a channel wall, the channel having a threading portion and a cable guiding portion adjacent thereto. The auxiliary device can be pushed into the body aperture in such a way that at least the cable guide section protrudes through the body aperture. The channel is provided with a longitudinal slot which opens the channel upwards. The longitudinal slot extends over the entire channel length.The channel guides the cables through the body aperture, wherein the channel wall protects the cables from damage or jamming on the body wall. After assembly, the auxiliary device and the cables can be separated by pulling the cables away from the auxiliary device through the longitudinal slot or by pulling the auxiliary device away from the cables. By configuring the channel as an open channel with a slot-shaped opening, an auxiliary device is thus provided, which enables easy and protected threading of the cables with simultaneous rapid, simple and wear-free removal of the auxiliary device from the cables.In a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary device is formed in one piece and without hinges, whereby the risk of an erroneous application is reduced.Preferably, the longitudinal slot opens the channel permanently upwards, i.e. the channel is also open upwards, while the auxiliary device is inserted into the vehicle body aperture.The threading section is arranged at the front end of the auxiliary device, i.e. facing the cables to be threaded. For easier threading, the threading section has a cross section tapering in the threading direction, preferably with a rounded profile.The auxiliary device does not remain in the vehicle, but is removed after cable introduction has taken place. The auxiliary device is preferably designed to be dimensionally stable and is produced from a plastic, for example.The cables to be introduced through the auxiliary device may be, for example, individual cables or may likewise be combined as a cable harness, for example present as part of a cable harness.For a particularly good cable routing, in a preferred embodiment the longitudinal slot is formed at the upper lateral edge of the channel. For preferred handling by right-handed persons, the longitudinal slot can be arranged in particular on the right upper edge (as viewed in the mounting direction or threading direction) of the auxiliary device.In order to easily remove the cables from the auxiliary device and to avoid an undesired escape of the cables from the longitudinal slot, the width of the cable is adapted to the dimensions of the cables in a further development. For example, the slot width is selected such that the cables can be pulled out of the slot with little force exertion without any appreciable deformation of the auxiliary device. Furthermore, the slot width can be selected, for example, such that plugs attached to the cables cannot emerge from the channel through the slot.To further improve the cable routing, the channel in a further development has an upwardly curved course in the cable routing section between the threading section and a channel outlet opening. In contrast to a straight-line connection of the threading section and the channel outlet opening, the channel or the lower channel wall is curved upwards, for example, by a height of at most 2 cm or in the range from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm. Due to the curvature of the cable guide section, contact between cables and channel wall takes place primarily in the lower region and not in the region of the longitudinal slot. The longitudinal slot can accordingly be dimensioned in an optimized manner for removing the cables. In combination with the slot arranged on the upper side, a more rapid threading is thus made possible with particularly easy removal of the auxiliary device, which makes possible a time saving compared to the use of a threading stocking in the range of one minute per threading operation.In one embodiment, precise positioning and good accuracy of fit are made possible by the external dimensions of the auxiliary device being matched to the dimensions of the vehicle body aperture. This enables, for example, a fault-free application of the auxiliary device, in particular in the case of apertures which are not symmetrically formed.In a further development, the auxiliary device can have at least one frictional connection element which forms a frictional connection between the auxiliary device and the vehicle body when the auxiliary device is inserted into the vehicle body aperture. The frictional engagement element is preferably a magnet which adheres to the vehicle body when the auxiliary device is inserted into the vehicle body aperture. A rapid fixing in the mounting position can thus be made possible without precise adaptation of the auxiliary device to the vehicle body aperture. The auxiliary device can thus be used universally.In one embodiment, a continuous cable guide is achieved in that the outer dimensions of the rear end of the cable guide duct are designed such that it can be pushed into a cable duct provided in the vehicle body. In the cable duct, the cables to be introduced are guided further in the vehicle body. The rear end can furthermore have one or more webs which are formed transversely to the threading direction and which delimit the insertion into the cable duct.To improve the visibility, the channel wall can be emphasized in color, at least in the threading section, e.g. held in a signal or warning color and / or provided with a pattern.In the method for passing cables through a body aperture, an auxiliary device according to the invention is inserted into the body aperture, so that at least the cable guide section protrudes through the body aperture. Then, cables are introduced into the threading portion and passed through the channel of the auxiliary device. After the cables are passed through the body passage, the auxiliary device is removed from the body aperture while the cables remain in the aperture. For this purpose, the auxiliary device is, for example, completely pulled back from the opening. Then, the cables are removed from the auxiliary device through the longitudinal slot. This can now be done particularly quickly and easily, for example by pulling the auxiliary device transversely to the cables or pulling the cables transversely to the auxiliary device, whereby these emerge from the auxiliary device through the slot.The auxiliary device and the method are suitable for the mounting of cables or cable runs of a cable harness in a vehicle and in particular for the passage of cables from the trunk into the rear region of the vehicle. In this case, it enables simplified assembly with a significant saving in assembly time and optimum protection of the cables to be introduced.Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are evident from the dependent claims.As used in this application, terms indicating the orientation of the assist device, such as top, bottom, front, rear, side, and the like, refer to the location of the assist device during assembly. The top side of the auxiliary device is thus the side that is directed upward during cable assembly. The cable ends are fed to the auxiliary device from the front and leave it at the outlet opening at the rear end of the auxiliary device.The above-described characteristics, features and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become more apparent and clearly understood in connection with the following description of the exemplary embodiments. Where the term "can" is used in this application, this is both the technical option and the actual technical implementation.Exemplary embodiments are explained below with reference to the attached drawings. Shown therein are: FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of an auxiliary device for passing cables according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the auxiliary device of FIG. 1 ; and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the auxiliary device of FIG. 1.FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of an auxiliary device for passing through cables according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The auxiliary device 10 facilitates the passage of cables through an aperture in a body. For this purpose, the auxiliary device 10 is designed as a one-piece funnel-like body and serves as a threading and cable guiding aid.The auxiliary device 10 has in its interior a channel 120 delimited by a channel wall 100, with a threading section 122 and a cable guiding section 124 adjoining the threading section.For the assembly of cables, the auxiliary device 10 is first inserted into the vehicle body aperture (not shown), so that the cable guide portion 124 protrudes beyond the aperture. The insertion depth of the auxiliary device 10 is limited by a collar 110 running around its outer circumference.The channel wall 100 is provided on the top side of the auxiliary device 10 with a longitudinal slot 140 which opens the channel 120 outwards. Otherwise, the channel wall 110 is formed to be closed-walled, i.e. has no further gaps or slots. The longitudinal slot 140 extends in the threading direction over the entire length of the auxiliary device 10 and is formed at the right-hand upper corner (as viewed in the threading direction 130) of the channel 120. The auxiliary device 10 is shown in the figures as it is inserted into the opening in the body wall during the assembly of the cable harness, i.e. the duct wall with slot pointing upward in the figures also points upward during the assembly.The longitudinal slot 140 is adapted with its width B transversely to the threading direction to the dimensions of the cables to be inserted. For example, the slot width B is selected such that cables introduced into the channel 120 can be pulled out of the auxiliary device 10 through the slot 140, but the connectors cannot emerge from the channel 120 through the slot 140. Preferably, the slot 140 is, for example, 10 to 50 percent wider than the diameter of the harness.The cable ends are guided via the threading section 122 into the channel guiding region 124 and through the latter until they leave the auxiliary device 10 at the outlet opening 126. The channel 120 has a substantially rectangular cross section with rounded corners (see also FIG. 3 in this regard). To improve the threadability, the channel 120 in the threading section 122 is designed like a funnel with a cross section tapering in the threading direction (shown by the arrow 130). The cable guide portion 124 adjoining the latter has a substantially constant cross section, for example the cross-sectional area changes by less than 10 percent.FIG. 2 shows a side view of the auxiliary device 10 from FIG. 1 with partial sections for better illustration of the channel profile within the auxiliary device 10.As can be seen in FIG. 2, the channel 120 in the cable guide section 124 is curved upwards in an arc shape in its course between the introduction region 122 and the outlet opening 126. Coming from the threading section 122, the channel 120 initially rises and falls off again to the outlet opening 126. In contrast to a straight-line connection of the threading section 122 and the outlet opening 126, the channel 120 or the lower channel wall is curved upwards, for example, by a height H of at most 2 cm or in the range from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm.When a wire harness is passed through the arc-shaped duct 120, it comes mainly into contact with the lower duct wall. The guiding of the cables is thus performed mainly by the lower and the two lateral channel walls. This can reduce the risk that the cable guide is impaired by the longitudinal slot 140.In the region of the outlet opening 126, the channel or the channel wall is designed such that the auxiliary device 10 can be introduced into a cable duct present in the vehicle. For this purpose, the rear end 150 of the auxiliary device 10 adjoining the outlet opening is reduced in cross section with respect to the cable guide section and adapted to the dimensions of the cable duct. Webs 152 and 154 attached to the outer surface of the auxiliary device 10 in the region of the rear end 150 serve, on the one hand, for stabilizing the auxiliary device 10 and, on the other hand, can serve as a stop for a defined insertion into the cable duct. The webs 152, 154 extend transversely to the threading direction.FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the auxiliary device 10 from FIG. 1. When the auxiliary device 10 is inserted into the body aperture as far as the collar 110, contact surfaces 160, 162 formed on the collar 110 and directed in the insertion direction come to bear against the body. In the contact surface 160 formed below the channel 120, force-locking elements 170 in the form of four permanent magnets are provided for the temporary fixing and positioning of the auxiliary device 10. The magnets fasten and position the auxiliary device 10 in a force-fit manner on the body wall.As can be seen in FIG. 3, the outlet opening 126 is arranged laterally offset with respect to the cable inlet opening of the threading section 122. The channel 120 connects the openings in an S-shaped manner. This s-shaped course with a lateral offset of the outlet opening 126 enables the rear end 150 of the auxiliary device to be introduced into a cable duct provided in the vehicle body.After the cable harness has been threaded through, the auxiliary device 10 is removed again, while the cables remain in the vehicle body passage. For this purpose, the auxiliary device 10 is initially completely pulled back from the body opening or the body opening. The cables can then be separated from the auxiliary device 10 by the slot 140, for example by pulling the latter away from the cables transversely to the cable course. For improved removability of the auxiliary device 10 after assembly, the slot 140 is widened at its end (see FIG. 3 ). It is not necessary to remove the auxiliary device 10 in the longitudinal direction up to the end of the cables.For better visibility of the auxiliary device 10 during assembly, the channel wall 100 is painted in a signal color in the region of the insertion section 122.The embodiments are not to scale and are not limiting. Modifications within the scope of the skilled worker are possible.List of reference characters10 Auxiliary device 100 Channel wall 110 Collar 120 Channel 122 Threading section 124 Cable guiding section 126 Channel outlet opening 130 Threading direction 140 Longitudinal slot 150 Rear end 152, 154 Webs 160, 162 Contact surfaces 170 Frictional connection element B Width of the longitudinal slot H Height

Claims

Auxiliary device for passing cables through a body aperture, in particular for passing cables through from the trunk into the rear region of a vehicle, having: a funnel-like body having a channel (120) which is bounded by a channel wall (100), wherein the channel (120) has a threading section (122) and a cable guide section (124) adjoining thereto, wherein the auxiliary device (10) can be pushed into the body aperture such that at least the cable guide section (124) projects through the body aperture, and wherein the channel (120) is provided over its entire length with a longitudinal slot (140), which opens the channel upward and the channel (120) in the cable guide section (124) has a profile which is curved upward with respect to a rectilinear connection of the threading section (124) and the channel outlet opening (126) between the threading section (124) and a channel outlet opening (126).Auxiliary device according to claim 1, which is formed in one piece and without hinges.Auxiliary device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the longitudinal slot (140) is formed at the upper lateral edge of the channel (120).Auxiliary device according to one of the preceding patent claims, in which the longitudinal slot (140) is adapted in its width (B) to the cables to be inserted.Auxiliary device according to one of the preceding patent claims, in which a lower channel wall is curved upwards by a height in the range from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm in relation to a rectilinear connection of the threading section (124) and the channel outlet opening (126).Auxiliary device according to one of the preceding patent claims, further comprising at least one force-locking element (170), in particular a magnet, which forms a force-locking connection between the auxiliary device (10) and the vehicle body when the auxiliary device (10) is inserted into the vehicle body aperture.Auxiliary device according to one of the preceding patent claims, in which the dimensions of the rear end (150) are adapted to a cable duct provided in the vehicle body in such a way that it can be pushed into the latter.Auxiliary device according to one of the preceding patent claims, in which the external dimensions of the auxiliary device (10) are matched to the dimensions of the bodywork aperture.Auxiliary device according to one of the preceding patent claims, in which the channel wall (100) is emphasized in colour at least in the threading section (122).Method for passing cables through a body aperture, in particular for passing cables from the trunk into the rear region of a vehicle, comprising the steps of: - inserting an auxiliary device (10) according to one of the preceding patent claims into the body aperture, such that at least the cable guide portion (124) protrudes through the body aperture; - inserting cables into the threading portion (122) and passing the cables through the channel (120) of the auxiliary device (10); - removing the auxiliary device (10) from the body aperture, while the cables remain in the aperture, and - removing the cables from the auxiliary device (10) through the longitudinal slot (140).

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