Wire harness protection element and method for producing a wire harness equipped with a protection element

Abstract

A wire harness protecting member (1) comprises: a protector (2) formed by overlapping a plurality of sheet materials (10); and a fixing portion (3) that fixes both end portions (2a) of the protector to each other, wherein the plurality of sheet materials have the same materials and the same shapes, the plurality of sheet materials comprise a first sheet material and a second sheet material, the second sheet material is arranged at a position offset from the first sheet material in an axial direction (X) of the wire harness, the protector is wound around the wire harness such that the surfaces of the inner sides of both end portions of the protector face each other, and the fixing portion (3) fixes both end portions of the protector to each other along an opposite direction in which the surfaces of the inner sides of both end portions (2a) of the protector (2) face each other.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention:The present invention relates to a harness protection member and a method for manufacturing a harness equipped with a protection member.2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ARTConventionally, there is a structure that protects a wire harness. International Publication No. 2012 / 008364 discloses a harness protection structure including: a protection member covering an outer periphery of a harness at a predetermined location; and a fixing tape having a leading end portion wound around and fixed to the harness and a trailing end portion wound around an outer periphery of the protection member to fix the protection member, the trailing end portion being wound around and fixed to the harness at a side opposite to the leading end portion, the protection member being interposed therebetween.In the wire harness protection member, when a special protection member is manufactured according to the required protection performance, this results in an increase in the number of kinds of elements. It is desirable to enable production of a protection element according to the required protection performance while suppressing an increase in the number of element types.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness protection member that can achieve the required protection performance and at the same time can suppress an increase in the number of element types.It is desirable to enable a step of attaching the protection member to the wire harness to be performed efficiently. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a wire harness equipped with a protection member, by which the step of attaching the protection member to the wire harness can be efficiently performed.In order to achieve the above object, a harness protection member according to an aspect of the present invention includes a protection device formed by overlapping a plurality of sheet materials; and a fixing portion that fixes both end portions of the protection device to each other in a state where the protection device is wound around a harness, the plurality of sheet materials having the same materials and the same shapes, the plurality of sheet materials having a first sheet material and a second sheet material, the second sheet material being disposed at a position that is offset from the first sheet material in an axial direction of the harness and partially overlaps the first sheet material, the protection device has an inner side surface facing the harness in a state where it is wound around the harness, the protection device being thus wound around the harness, the surfaces of the inner sides of both end portions of the protector face each other to form mating surfaces extending in the axial direction, and the fixing portion fixes both end portions of the protector to each other along an opposite direction in which the surfaces of the inner sides of both end portions of the protector face each other.In order to achieve the above object, a method of manufacturing a wire harness equipped with a protection member according to another aspect of the present invention includes a step of placing a protection jig formed by overlapping a plurality of sheet materials in a groove portion of a jig; a step of receiving a wire harness in the protection jig placed in the groove portion; and a step of fixing both end portions of the protection jig to each other by a fixing portion to attach the protection jig to the wire harness.The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of this invention will become more fully understood from a reading of the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.Brief Description of the DrawingsFIG. 1 is a front view of a protector-equipped wire harness according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sheet material according to the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a protector according to the embodiment; FIG. 6 is a side view of a mounting device according to the embodiment; FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the protector to be placed in a groove portion of the jig; FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating the protector placed in the groove portion of the jig; FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating the wire harness to be accommodated in the protector; FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating the wire harness accommodated in the protector; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a welding machine for forming a fixing portion; FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a sheet material according to the embodiment; FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a sheet material according to the embodiment; FIG. 14 is a plan view of the sheet material according to the embodiment; FIG. 15 is a plan view of the sheet material according to the embodiment; FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of how the sheet materials are overlapped; FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the sheet material according to the embodiment; FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment; FIG. 19 is a front view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment; FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment; FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a harness protection member according to the embodiment; FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the wire harness protection member according to the embodiment; FIG. 23 is a side view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment; FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of how the sheet materials are overlapped; FIG. 25 is a front view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment; FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the protector according to the embodiment FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the protector according to the embodiment; and FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of the protector positioned by a positioning pin.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSA harness protection member and a method for manufacturing a harness equipped with a protection member according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by the embodiments. Moreover, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be easily adopted by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.EmbodimentAn embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 28. The present invention relates to a harness protection member and a method for manufacturing a harness equipped with a protection member. FIG. 1 is a front view of a protector-equipped wire harness according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sheet material according to the embodiment, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a protector according to the embodiment, FIG. 6 is a side view of a jig according to the embodiment, FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the protector to be placed in a groove portion of the jig, FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating the protector placed in the groove portion of the jig, FIG. 9 is a side view, This shows the wire harness to be accommodated in the protector, and FIG. 10 is a side view showing the wire harness accommodated in the protector.FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a welding machine for forming a fixing portion, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a sheet material according to the embodiment, FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet material according to the embodiment, FIGS. 14 and 15 are plan views of the sheet material according to the embodiment, FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of how the sheet materials are overlapped, FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the sheet material according to the embodiment, FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment, FIG. 19 is a front view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment, FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the protector-equipped wire harness according to the embodiment.FIGS. 21 and 22 are perspective views of a harness protection member according to the embodiment; FIG. 23 is a side view of the harness equipped with a protection member according to the embodiment; FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of how the sheet materials are overlapped; FIG. 25 is a front view of the harness equipped with a protection member according to the embodiment; FIGS. 26 and 27 are perspective views of the protection device according to the embodiment; and FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of the protection device positioned by a positioning pin. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 1, and FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12.As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a protector-equipped wire harness WH 1 of the present embodiment includes a wire harness WH and a harness protector 1. The wire harness WH includes a plurality of electric wires W. The electric wire W is, for example, a covered electric wire. The harness protection member 1 is a member attached to the harness WH to protect the harness WH. The harness protection member 1 includes a protector 2 and a fixing portion 3. The protector 2 is wound around the outside of the wire harness WH to protect the wire harness WH. The fixing portion 3 fixes two end portions 2 aand 2 aof the protector 2 to each other.As shown in Fig. 3, the protector 2 is formed by overlapping a plurality of sheet materials 10. One of the sheet materials 10 overlaps at least a part of another one of the sheet materials 10. the fixing portion 3 fixes the both end portions 2 ato each other along the opposite direction Op in which the end portions 2 aof the sheet material 10 face each other. The fixing portion 3 is formed by welding, for example. However, the fixing portion 3 may be a member attached to the protector 2 and may be, for example, a clip or a binding member.In the wire harness protection member 1 of the present embodiment, a plurality of sheet materials 10 are used, and the plurality of sheet materials 10 are arranged to be offset in the axial direction of the wire harness WH. With such a configuration, it is possible to manufacture the harness protection member 1 according to the required protection performance by the combination of the same sheet materials 10. Note that the protection performance of the wire harness protection member 1 is a performance including rigidity, flexibility, impact resistance, size, and the like. In the wire harness protection member 1 of the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to store a plurality of kinds of protection members having different protection powers, the storage management is simplified.As illustrated in FIG. 4, the sheet material 10 of the present embodiment has a rectangular shape. The sheet material 10 is formed of a flexible insulating synthetic resin. The material of the sheet material 10 is, for example, soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The exemplary sheet material 10 has a planar plate shape. The thickness t [mm] of the sheet material 10 is determined so that the sheet material 10 has appropriate flexibility and strength.As shown in Fig. 5, the protector 2 is formed by overlapping a plurality of sheet materials 10. The plurality of sheet materials 10 constituting the protector 2 have the same materials and the same shapes. In other words, the material and the shape of one sheet material 10 constituting the protector 2 are the same as the material and the shape of another sheet material 10 constituting the protector 2. All sheet materials 10 have the same dimensions. For example, when the shape of the sheet material 10 is rectangular, the lengths of the respective sides 11 and 12 and the thicknesses t in the plurality of sheet materials 10 are the same.As illustrated in FIG. 5, the plurality of sheet materials 10 overlap each other so that one of the sheet materials 10 covers at least a part of another one of the sheet materials 10. The exemplary rectangular sheet material 10 includes a pair of first sides 11 and a pair of second sides 12. In the following description, a direction along the first side 11 is referred to as a first direction D 1, and a direction along the second side 12 is referred to as a second direction D 2. The first direction D 1 and the second direction D 2 are orthogonal to each other.The plurality of sheet materials 10 constituting the protector 2 in FIG. 5 includes a first sheet material 10A and a second sheet material 10B. In the protector 2 illustrated in FIG. 5, the second sheet material 10B overlaps the first sheet material 10A by being offset in the first direction D 1. In other words, the second side 12 of the second sheet material 10B is offset with respect to the second side 12 of the first sheet material 10A in the first direction D 1. Thus, the length L 10 of the protector 2 in the first direction D 1 is longer than the length L 1 of the first side 11 of a sheet material 10. The protection device 2 may include three or more sheet materials 10. The number of sheet materials 10 constituting the protector 2 is determined according to the required protection performance and the like.The work of attaching the protector 2 to the wire harness WH is performed using, for example, a jig. FIG. 6 shows an example of a mounting device used for attaching the protection device 2. The jig 100 in FIG. 6 is, for example, a jig plate. The mounting device 100 has a groove portion 110. The groove portion 110 may be linear or have a curved portion. The shape of the groove portion 110 in plan view may be determined according to the shape of the routing path of the wire harness WH.The groove portion 110 is composed of a bottom wall 111 and a pair of side walls 112. The groove portion 110 has a width and a depth capable of accommodating the wire harness WH. The cross-sectional shape of the interior of the example groove portion 110 is substantially rectangular. The groove portion 110 has an opening 110 ainto which the protector 2 and the wire harness WH are inserted.A method of manufacturing a protective member-equipped wire harness using the mounting apparatus 100 will be described. The method of manufacturing a wire harness equipped with a protection member includes a step of placing the protection device 2, a step of accommodating the wire harness WH, and a step of fixing.In the step of placing the protector 2, the protector 2 is placed in the groove portion 110 of the jig 100. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the protector 2 is inserted from the opening 110 ainto the groove portion 110 in a state where the plurality of sheet materials 10 are overlapped. At this time, the protector 2 is placed in the groove portion 110 such that the first direction D 1 coincides with the extending direction of the groove portion 110. Therefore, the protector 2 is placed in the groove portion 110 in a state where the second sheet material 10B is offset from the first sheet material 10A in the extending direction of the groove portion 110.As illustrated in FIG. 8, the protector 2 is placed in the groove portion 110 while the central portion of the protector 2 is bent into a substantially U-shape. The first side 11 of the protection device 2 protrudes outwards from the groove portion 110. In other words, the protector 2 is placed in the groove portion 110 such that the both end portions 2 aprotrude from the groove portion 110. The placed protector 2 has an opening 2 efor accommodating the wire harness WH. The mounting device 100 may include a holding structure that holds the both end portions 2 ato form the opening 2 e.In the step of accommodating the wire harness WH, the wire harness WH is accommodated in the protector 2 placed in the groove portion 110. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the wire harness WH is inserted into the protector 2 from the opening 2 e. The protector 2 accommodates the wire harness WH in a portion bent substantially in a U-shape.FIG. 10 illustrates the protection device 2 in which the wire harness WH is accommodated. The wire harness WH is placed on the protector 2 such that the wire harness WH penetrates a space portion surrounded by the protector 2. The protector 2 is wound around the wire harness WH to wrap the wire harness WH. The protector 2 wound around the wire harness WH has an inner side surface 2 bfacing the wire harness WH. The protector 2 is held by the groove portion 110 such that the surfaces 2 bof the inner sides of both end portions 2 aof the protector 2 face each other. The mounting device 100 may include a support structure that supports the end portions 2 asuch that the inner side surfaces 2 bface each other. The protector 2 is wound around the wire harness WH so that the openings of the plurality of sheet materials 10 face the same direction.The step of fixing is a step in which both end portions 2 aof the protector 2 are fixed to each other by the fixing portion 3. The fixing portion 3 is formed, for example, by welding two end portions 2 a. The step of welding the end portion 2 ais performed by, for example, a welding machine 200 as illustrated in FIG. 11. The welding means of the welding machine 200 may be ultrasonic welding, thermal welding, laser welding, or any other means. For example, the welding machine 200 clamps the both end portions 2 aand melts the sheet material 10 with heat generated by ultrasonic waves or the like to form the fixing portion 3.As shown in FIG. 3, a part of the sheet material 10 is melted to form the fixing portion 3. The protector 2 is wound around the wire harness WH such that the surfaces 2 bof the inner sides of both end portions 2 afacing each other to form mating surfaces extending in the axial direction X.In other words, the surfaces 2 bof the inner sides of the plurality of sheet materials 10 included in the protector 2 form mating surfaces extending in the axial direction X. In a state of being fixed by the fixing portion 3, the surfaces 2 bof the inner sides of the both end portions 2 aface each other in the opposite direction Op.The fixing portion 3 extends along the opposite direction Op from one end portion 2 ato the other end portion 2 a. In other words, the fixing portion 3 penetrates the both end portions 2 aalong the opposite direction Op. When the fixing portion 3 is formed, the opening between the both end portions 2 ais closed. As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of sheet materials 10 are fixed at the same positions in the opening of the protector 2.Note that, when the protector 2 is wound around the wire harness WH, the position of an end surface 2 cof the sheet material 10 may be offset. This displacement occurs due to, for example, a difference between an inner circumference and an outer circumference of a portion wound around the wire harness WH. The end surface 2 cof the sheet material 10 positioned on the relatively inner side protrudes with respect to the end surface 2 cof the sheet material 10 positioned on the relatively outer side.As illustrated in FIG. 2, the wire harness protection member 1 may include a plurality of fixing portions 3. The plurality of fixing portions 3 illustrated in FIG. 2 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction X of the wire harness WH. The plurality of fixing portions 3 may be arranged at equal intervals. In the portion between the two fixing portions 3, the two end portions 2 amay slide or the two end portions 2 amay be separated. In addition, when the plurality of sheet materials 10 overlap each other in the portion between the two fixing portions 3, the plurality of sheet materials 10 may slide or the plurality of sheet materials 10 may be separated. Therefore, the wire harness protection member 1 having the plurality of fixing portions 3 can be bent flexibly. In other words, the harness protection member 1 having the plurality of fixing portions 3 has high resiliency with respect to the harness WH that is wired when e is bent.Both end portions 2 aare fixed to each other by the fixing portion 3, so that the harness protection member 1 is attached to the harness WH. In this way, the protective-member-equipped wire harness WH 1 is manufacturedAs illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wire harness protection member 1 of the present embodiment includes a relatively low rigidity portion 15 and a relatively high rigidity portion 16. The high rigidity portion 16 is made up of a relatively larger number of sheet materials 10 than the low rigidity portion 15. For example, in the harness protection member 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the high rigidity portion 16 is composed of an overlap of the first sheet material 10A and the second sheet material 10B. In the high rigidity portion 16, the plurality of sheet materials 10 are attached to each other by the fixing portion 3.The low rigidity portion 15 is made of a relatively small number of sheet materials 10. for example, the low rigidity portion 15 in the harness protection member 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2 is made of a first sheet material 10A or a second sheet material 10B. Since the low rigidity portion 15 is made of a small number of sheet materials 10, its rigidity is lower than that of the high rigidity portion 16. In other words, the low rigidity portion 15 has higher flexibility as compared with the high rigidity portion 16The high rigidity portion 16 is provided by corresponding to, for example, a portion of the wire harness WH that is linearly wired. The low rigidity portion 15 is provided by corresponding to, for example, a portion of the wire harness WH that is bent and laid. The high rigidity portion 16 can be provided in a portion where high protection performance is required.Note that the sheet material 10 may have a concave or a convex portion. Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate a sheet material 10 having a curved portion 13 curved into a spherical shape. The sheet material 10 in FIG. 12 has a plurality of curved portions 13. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the curved portion 13 is curved toward one side in the thickness direction Z of the sheet material 10. One surface of the curved portion 13 is a convex surface and the other surface of the curved portion 13 is a concave surface.The rigidity and flexibility of the sheet material 10 can be adjusted by the arrangement of the curved portion 13. In the sheet material 10 illustrated in FIG. 14, the plurality of curved portions 13 are arranged in a lattice pattern. In other words, the plurality of curved portions 13 are arranged along the first direction D 1 and the second direction D 2. In a case where the plurality of curved portions 13 are arranged in a lattice pattern, a high flexibility region 18 is formed between adjacent curved portions 13. Such sheet material 10 has high flexibility in a state of being wound around the wire harness WH.In the sheet material 10 shown in FIG. 15, the plurality of curved portions 13 are arranged alternately shifted. The plurality of curved portions 13 includes a first row R 1 and a second row R 2. The first row R 1 and the second row R 2 have a plurality of curved portions 13 arranged in the first direction D 1. The first row R 1 and the second row R 2 are arranged to be offset in the first direction D 1. For example, in the first direction D 1, the curved portion 13 of the second row R 2 is disposed between two curved portions 13 of the first row R 1.The sheet material 10 in FIG. 15 is wound around the wire harness WH, the portion along the first side 11 being, for example, the end portion 2 a. The sheet material 10 in which the plurality of curved portions 13 are alternately arranged has high rigidity in a state of being wound around the wire harness WH. Such a sheet material 10 can improve the rigidity of the harness protection member 1 against the bending. Note that the sheet material 10 may include other rows in addition to the first row R 1 and the second row R 2. In other words, the sheet material 10 may have the curved portions 13 arranged in three or more rows.The sheet materials 10 having the curved portions 13 may be overlapped such that the curved portions 13 are fitted to each other. As illustrated in FIG. 16, a plurality of sheet materials 10 may be overlapped such that the curved portion 13 of one sheet material 10 enters the curved portion 13 of another sheet material 10. In contrast, the plurality of sheet materials 10 may be overlapped such that the positions of the curved portions 13 are offset. In this case, a gap is formed between the two sheet materials 10, and the rigidity and impact resistance of the harness protection member 1 are improved.The protector 2 may be wound around the wire harness WH with the convex surface of the curved portion 13 facing outward. In this case, the contact between the peripheral components and the harness protection member 1 is point contact, and the wear resistance of the harness protection member 1 is improved. In addition, since the contact area with the peripheral components is small, occurrence of abnormal sounds is suppressed.The shape of the curved portion provided in the sheet material 10 is not limited to a spherical shape. Fig. 17 illustrates a sheet material 10 having a groove-shaped curved portion 14. The sheet material 10 includes a plurality of curved portions 14. The curved portion 14 extends linearly and has an arcuate cross-sectional shape. The curved portion 14 in FIG. 17 extends in the second direction D 2. A predetermined distance is provided between two adjacent curved portions 14. The plurality of curved portions 14 are arranged, for example, at equal intervals along the first direction D 1.The sheet material 10 is wound around the wire harness WH, for example, with a portion along the second side 12 as the end portion 2 a. In this case, the sheet material 10 can improve the rigidity of the harness protection member 1 against the bending. In contrast, the sheet material 10 having the portion along the first side 11 as the end portion 2 acan be wound around the wire harness WH. In this case, the sheet material 10 can be bent flexibly by following the wire harness WH.The sheet materials 10 having the curved portions 14 are overlapped such that the curved portions 14 are matched with each other, for example. In other words, in the protection device 2, a plurality of sheet materials 10 may be overlapped such that the curved portion 14 of one sheet material 10 enters the curved portion 14 of another sheet material 10. In contrast, the plurality of sheet materials 10 may be overlapped such that the positions of the curved portions 14 are offset. Note that the plurality of sheet materials 10 may be overlapped such that the curved portions 14 protrude in opposite directions. For example, the plurality of sheet materials 10 may be overlapped such that the convex surfaces of the curved portions 14 are in contact with each other, or may be overlapped such that the concave surfaces of the curved portions 14 face each other.The wire harness protection member 1 may include a linearly provided fixing portion 3. FIG. 18 shows a wire harness protection member 1 having a linear fixing portion 3. the fixing portion 3 extends linearly along the axial direction X. The fixing portion 3 is provided, for example, from one end to the other end of the end portion 2 ain the axial direction X. The linear fixing portion 3 can improve the rigidity of the end portion 2 aand improve the straightness of the wire harness WH.Note that the appearance of the fixing portion 3 provided in the high rigidity portion 16 and the appearance of the fixing portion 3 provided in the low rigidity portion 15 may be different from each other. The appearance of the fixing portion 3 includes at least one of the shape of the fixing portion 3, the arrangement of the fixing portion 3, or the number of the fixing portions 3 per unit length. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 19, a linear fixing portion 3 may be provided in the high rigidity portion 16, and a plurality of spaced fixing portions 3 may be provided in the low rigidity portion 15.In the high rigidity portion 16, the both end portions 2 aare fixed to each other by a linearly extending fixing portion 3. The shape of the fixing portion 3 provided in the high rigidity portion 16 may be elongated or rectangular or any other shape. In the low rigidity portion 15, the both end portions 2 aare fixed to each other by a plurality of fixing portions 3 arranged at intervals. The shape of the fixing portion 3 provided in the low rigidity portion 15 may be elongated or rectangular, or may have any other shape.A binding member 30 illustrated in FIG. 20 may be used as the fixing portion 3. The binding element 30 is, for example, an element referred to as a binding band and has a head section 31 and a band section 32. The band portion 32 is inserted through a through hole 2 din an end portion 2 aof the protector 2, and is engaged with the head portion 31. The binding member 30 fixes the both end portions 2 ato each other along the opposite direction Op. The through hole 2 dis formed in each sheet material 10 constituting the protector 2. The plurality of sheet materials 10 overlap each other such that the through holes 2 dface each other. The exemplary protection device 2 has a plurality of through holes 2 d. The plurality of through holes 2 dis arranged at intervals along the axial direction X.A clip 40 shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 can be used as the fixing portion 3. The clip 40 is a fastener referred to as a two-piece clip or push rivet. The clip 40 shown in FIGS. 21 and 22 includes a head portion 41, a pin 42 and a plurality of leg portions 43. The pin 42 penetrates the head portion 41. the pin 42 and the leg portion 43 are inserted through the through hole of the protector 2. The clip 40 is configured such that the leg portion 43 expands by the pressing of the pin 42. The clip 40 clamps the sheet material 10 between the extended leg portion 43 and the head portion 41 and attaches the both end portions 2 aof the protector 2. the clip 40 fixes the both end portions 2 ato each other along the opposite direction Op.Note that in the case of forming the linear fixing portion 3 as in FIG. 18, for example, a linear clip such as a clip referred to as a food clip or a seal clip may be used. Fig. 23 illustrates a side view of the protector 2 fixed by a linear clip 50. The clip 50 has two holders 51 and an engaging structure 52.The holder 51 clamps and holds the both end portions 2 aof the protector 2, and the both holders 51 are plate-shaped or rod-shaped and face each other in the opposite direction Op with the both end portions 2 aarranged therebetween. The engagement structure 52 engages with the two holders 51. The engagement structure 52 is composed of, for example, an engagement arm 52 aincluded in one of the holders 51 and a locking portion 52 bincluded in another one of the holders 51. In this case, the locking portion 52 blocks the engagement arm 52 ain the opposite direction Op. The engagement structures 52 are disposed at both ends in the axial direction X with respect to the holder 51. The clip 50 can fix the both end portions 2 ato each other along the opposite direction Op. Note that, in addition to both ends of the holder 51, another engagement structure may be provided at the intermediate portion of the holder 51.The plurality of sheet materials 10 having the curved portions 14 may be overlapped such that the extending directions of the curved portions 14 are different from each other. FIG. 24 illustrates the protection device 2 in which the sheet materials 10 are overlapped such that the extending directions of the curved portions 14 are different from each other. The protection device 2 in FIG. 24 includes a first sheet material 10A and two second sheet materials 10B.Each of the two second sheet materials 10B overlaps the first sheet material 10A by being offset with respect to the first sheet material 10A in the axial direction X. One of the second sheet materials 10B is offset from a first side X 1 in the axial direction X with respect to the first sheet material 10A. Another one of the second sheet materials 10B is offset from a second side X 2 in the axial direction X with respect to the first sheet material 10A.The curved portion 14 of the first sheet material 10A extends in the axial direction X. The curved portion 14 of the second sheet material 10B extends in a direction orthogonal to the curved portion 14 of the first sheet material 10A. The first sheet material 10A overlaps a portion of the second sheet material 10B. The protector 2 made of the three sheet materials 10 is attached to the wire harness WH using, for example, the jig 100 and the welding machine 200.FIG. 25 illustrates the protector-equipped wire harness WH 1 made up of the wire harness WH and the protector 2 in FIG. 24. As illustrated in FIG. 25, the harness protection member 1 includes a low rigidity portion 15 and a high rigidity portion 16. The high rigidity portion 16 is formed by overlapping the first sheet material 10A and the second sheet material 10B. The low rigidity portion 15 is made of the second sheet material 10B.In the first sheet material 10A, the curved portion 14 extends in the axial direction X. On the other hand, in the second sheet material 10B, the curved portion 14 extends in the circumferential direction to surround the wire harness WH. Therefore, the rigidity of the first sheet material 10A against bending is higher than that of the second sheet material 10B. In other words, the high rigidity portion 16 has higher rigidity than the low rigidity portion 15 because the high rigidity portion includes at least the first sheet material 10A.In the high rigidity portion 16, the first sheet material 10A and the second sheet material 10B overlap each other. In other words, the high rigidity portion 16 has higher rigidity than the low rigidity portion 15 because a relatively large number of the sheet materials 10 are overlapped. Therefore, in the high rigidity portion 16, the rigidity is improved by both the extending direction of the curved portion 14 and the number of the sheet materials 10.In the protection device 2, when attached to the wire harness WH, a means for suppressing the positional displacement of the plurality of sheet materials 10 may be used. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 26, a welding portion 17 that welds the plurality of sheet materials 10 may be formed. The protection device 2 in FIG. 26 has a plurality of welding portions 17. The welding portion 17 is formed so as to penetrate the protector 2 along the lamination direction Ly in which the sheet materials 10 overlap. The welding portion 17 is disposed in an area where the plurality of sheet materials 10 overlap.The plurality of welding portions 17 are arranged along the axial direction X of the wire harness WH when wound around the wire harness WH. In the protection device 2 in FIG. 26, the plurality of welding portions 17 are arranged in the first direction D 1. In this case, the protector 2 is wound around the wire harness WH such that the wire harness WH extends in the first direction D 1. The welding portion 17 is disposed, for example, at a central portion of the protector 2 in the second direction D 2.As illustrated in FIG. 27, the welding portion 17 may be linearly shaped. The welding portion 17 in FIG. 27 extends along the axial direction X of the wire harness WH when wound around the wire harness WH. The linear welding portion 17 can improve the straightness of the harness protection member 1.The means for suppressing the positional displacement of the sheet material 10 may be a positioning pin provided in the mounting device 100. FIG. 28 shows the mounting device 100 with a positioning pin 113. The positioning pin 113 is disposed on the bottom wall 111, for example. The positioning pin 113 illustrated by way of example protrudes from the bottom wall 111 in the direction of the opening of the groove portion 110. The protector 2 has a through hole 2 finto which the positioning pin 113 is inserted. The through hole 2 fis disposed in a portion where the plurality of sheet materials 10 overlap. The through hole 2 fis provided in each sheet material 10. In other words, the plurality of sheet materials 10 overlap each other such that the through holes 2 fface each other. The positioning pin 113 is inserted into the through hole 2 fof each sheet material 10 and prevents the positional displacement of the plurality of sheet materials 10.According to the method for manufacturing the protector-equipped wire harness WH 1 according to the present embodiment, complicated work such as spirally winding a tape around the wire harness WH is not required. Therefore, the efficiency of the work for manufacturing the protector-equipped wire harness WH 1 is improved.Moreover, in the method of manufacturing the protector-equipped wire harness WH 1 according to the present embodiment, the work of attaching a plurality of wire harness protector 1 to the wire harness WH can be performed in parallel or simultaneously. In this case, in the step of placing the protector 2, a plurality of protectors 2 may be placed for one groove portion 110. The plurality of protection devices 2 are placed at different positions along the axial direction X of the wire harness WH, for example. A plurality of welding machines 200 may be arranged for one groove portion 110 according to the number of the protection devices 2 to be placed. Alternatively, a welding machine 200 may perform welding on a plurality of protection devices 2.The jig 100 may include a plurality of groove portions 110 corresponding to the plurality of protectors 2 and a plurality of welding machines 200 corresponding to the respective groove portions 110.As described above, the wire harness protection member 1 of the present embodiment includes the protection device 2 and the fixing portion 3. The protector 2 is formed by overlapping the plurality of sheet materials 10. The fixing portion 3 fixes both end portions 2 aof the protector 2 to each other in a state where the protector 2 is wound around the wire harness WH. The plurality of sheet materials 10 have the same materials and the same shapes. The plurality of sheet materials 10 includes a first sheet material 10A and a second sheet material 10B. The second sheet material 10B is disposed at a position offset from the first sheet material 10A in the axial direction X of the wire harness WH, and partially overlaps the first sheet material 10A.The protector 2 has an inner side surface 2 bfacing the wire harness WH in a state of being wound around the wire harness WH. The protector 2 is wound around the wire harness WH such that the surfaces 2 bof the inner sides of both end portions 2 aof the protector 2 face each other and form fitting surfaces extending in the axial direction X. The fixing portion 3 fixes both end portions 2 aof the protector 2 to each other along the opposite direction Op in which the surfaces 2 bof the inner sides of both end portions 2 aof the protector 2 face each other. In the wire harness protection member 1 according to the present embodiment, protection members having different required protection powers can be made of the same sheet material 10. Therefore, according to the wire harness protection member 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of kinds of components required for protection members having different protection powers.The fixing portion 3 may be formed by welding the sheet materials 10 located at both end portions 2 aof the protector 2. In this case, it is possible to automate the process of forming the fixing portion 3 and improve the efficiency. In the low rigidity portion 15, the fixing portion 3 may be formed by welding both end portions 2 aof a sheet material 10. In the high rigidity portion 16, the fixing portion 3 can be formed by welding both end portions 2 aof the plurality of sheet materials 10.In the wire harness protection member 1, the plurality of fixing portions 3 may be arranged at intervals along the axial direction X of the wire harness WH. In this case, the harness protection member 1 can be bent flexibly.The method for manufacturing the protector-equipped wire harness according to the present embodiment includes the step of placing the protector 2, the step of accommodating the wire harness WH, and the step of fixing. In the step of placing the protector 2, the protector 2 formed by overlapping the plurality of sheet materials 10 is placed in the groove portion 110 of the assembler 100. In the step of accommodating the wire harness WH, the wire harness WH is accommodated in the protector 2 placed in the groove portion 110. In the step of fixing, both end portions 2 aof the protector 2 are fixed to each other by the fixing portion 3, and the protector 2 is attached to the wire harness WH. According to the method of manufacturing the protector-equipped wire harness according to the present embodiment, the step of attaching the protector to the wire harness WH is efficiently performed.The contents disclosed in the above embodiments may be performed in combination as needed.In the wire harness protection member according to the present embodiment, the plurality of sheet materials include a first sheet material and a second sheet material, the second sheet material is disposed at a position that is offset from the first sheet material in the axial direction of the wire harness and partially overlaps the first sheet material, and the fixing portion fixes both end portions of the protection device to each other along an opposite direction in which the surfaces of the inner sides of both end portions of the protection device face each other. The wire harness protection member according to the present embodiment has an effect of achieving the required protection performance while suppressing an increase in the number of element types.The method of manufacturing a protector-equipped wire harness according to the present embodiment has an effect that the step of attaching the protector to the wire harness can be efficiently performed.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedWO 2012 / 008364

[0002]

Claims

A harness protection member (1) comprising: a protector (2) formed by overlapping a plurality of sheet materials (10); and a fixing portion (3) that fixes both end portions (2a) of the protector (2) to each other in a state in which the protector (2) is wound around a harness (WH), wherein the plurality of sheet materials (10) have the same materials and the same shapes, the plurality of sheet materials (10) include a first sheet material (10A) and a second sheet material (10B), the second sheet material (10B) is disposed at a position that is offset from the first sheet material (10A) in the axial direction (X) of the harness (WH), and partially overlaps the first sheet material (10A), the protector (2) has an inner side surface (2b) facing the wire harness (WH) in a state of being wound around the wire harness (WH), the protector (2) is wound around the wire harness (WH) such that the inner side surfaces (2b) of both end portions (2a) of the protector (2) face each other and form fitting surfaces extending in the axial direction (X), the fixing portion (3) fixes both end portions (2a) of the protector (2) to each other along the opposite direction (Op) in which the inner side surfaces (2b) of both end portions (2a) of the protector (2) face each other.The wire harness protection member (1) according to claim 1, wherein the fixing portion (3) is formed by welding the sheet materials (10) located at both end portions (2a) of the protection device (2).The wire harness protection member (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of fixing portions (3) are arranged at intervals along an axial direction (X) of the wire harness (WH).A method for manufacturing a wire harness (WH1) equipped with a protection member, the method comprising: a step of placing a protector (2) formed by overlapping a plurality of sheet materials (10) in a groove portion (110) of a jig (100); a step of accommodating a wire harness (WH) in the protector (2) placed in the groove portion (110); and a step of fixing both end portions (2a) of the protector (2) to each other by a fixing portion (3) to attach the protector (2) to the wire harness (WH).

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