Protector and wire harness

Abstract

To provide a protector capable of preventing work man-hours from being increased, and to provide a wire harness thereof.SOLUTION: A protector 1 comprises a base member 10, a cover member 20, an engagement part, and a clamping part 40. The base member 10 comprises an opening opened on one side along an assembly direction Z at a wiring space part while forming the wiring space part where a wiring material W1 is wired along an axial direction X. The cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10 along the assembly direction Z to close the opening. The engagement part engages the cover member 20 with the base member 10 in a state of assembling the cover member 20 to the base member 10. The clamping part 40 that includes a base side rib 41 protruding toward a cover member 20 side from the base member 10 and extending along a width direction Y, and a cover side rib 42 protruding toward a base member 10 side from the cover member 20 and extending along the width direction Y, clamps the wiring material W1 between the base side rib 41 and the cover side rib 42.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protector and a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a fixing structure for fixing a wiring material to a protector. This fixing structure, for example, forms a storage chamber in the protector body for storing the wiring material, supports the base end side of a band part on the protector body so that the band part can be pulled around within the storage chamber, provides a locking part over a certain length on the free end side of the band part, and provides a locking part on the storage chamber side of the protector body for locking the locking part of the band part around which the wiring material is wound. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-313429 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the fixing structure described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has a problem in that when fixing the wiring material to the protector, the band portion needs to be wound around the wiring material, which increases the number of work steps.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and has an object to provide a protector and a wire harness that can suppress an increase in the number of work steps. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the protector of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a base member that forms a routing space in which a conductive routing material is routed along an axial direction and has an opening that opens to one side in the routing space along an assembly direction that intersects the axial direction, a cover member that is assembled to the base member along the assembly direction and closes the opening, a locking portion that locks the cover member and the base member when the cover member is assembled to the base member, a base-side rib that protrudes from the base member toward the cover member and extends along a width direction that intersects the axial direction and the assembly direction, and a clamping portion that includes a cover-side rib that protrudes from the cover member toward the base member and extends along the width direction, and clamps the routing material between the base-side rib and the cover-side rib.

[0007] The wire harness of the present invention comprises a plurality of conductive wiring materials and a protector in which the wiring materials are wired along an axial direction, and the protector is characterized in that it has a base member that forms a wiring space in which the conductive wiring materials are wired along the axial direction and has an opening that opens to one side in the wiring space along an assembly direction that intersects the axial direction, a cover member that is assembled to the base member along the assembly direction and closes the opening, a locking portion that locks the cover member and the base member in a state in which the cover member is assembled to the base member, a base-side rib that protrudes from the base member toward the cover member side and extends along a width direction that intersects the axial direction and the assembly direction, and a clamping portion that includes a cover-side rib that protrudes from the cover member toward the base member side and extends along the width direction, and clamps the wiring materials between the base-side rib and the cover-side rib. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The protector and wire harness according to the present invention can fix the wiring material to the protector by clamping the wiring material between the base-side rib and the cover-side rib with the cover member assembled to the base member and locking the cover member and the base member with the locking portion. This makes it unnecessary to fix the wiring material to the protector by wrapping the band portion around the wiring material as in the conventional method, and thus makes it possible to suppress an increase in the number of work steps. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a wire harness (wiring material: large diameter) according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration example of the wire harness according to the embodiment (wiring material: large diameter). [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration example of the protector according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the base member according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a cover member according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the wire harness (wiring material: small diameter) according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view showing a configuration example (wiring material: small diameter) of the wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of the wire harness according to the embodiment (routing material: medium diameter). [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view showing a configuration example (routing material: medium diameter) of the wire harness according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The form (embodiment) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiment. Furthermore, the components described below include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0011] A wire harness WH including a protector 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction intersect with each other, and the first direction is referred to as the "axial direction X", the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y", and the third direction is referred to as the "assembly direction Z". Here, the axial direction X, the width direction Y, and the assembly direction Z intersect with each other and are typically perpendicular to each other. The axial direction X corresponds to the wiring direction of the wiring material W that is wired in the protector 1, the direction along the axis of the wiring material W, and the direction along the entire length of the protector 1. The width direction Y corresponds to the direction along the width of the protector 1. The assembly direction Z corresponds to the direction in which the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10, the fitting direction in which the cover member 20 is fitted to the base member 10, and the stacking direction in which the base member 10 and the cover member 20 are stacked. Unless otherwise specified, the directions used in the following description are directions when the parts are assembled together.

[0012] 1 and 2, the wire harness WH includes a wiring material W1 (W) and a protector 1. The wire harness WH may further include various other components such as a grommet, an electric connection box, a fixture, and a connector.

[0013] The wiring material W1 is, for example, an insulated electric wire in which a core wire made of a bundle of multiple conductive metal wires is covered with an insulating coating. The wiring material W1 may be a bundle of multiple insulated electric wires. The wiring material W1 may also be an insulated metal rod in which a conductive metal rod is covered with an insulating coating. The wire harness WH bundles and aggregates multiple wiring materials W1, and various devices are electrically connected via connectors or the like provided at the ends of the bundled wiring material W1.

[0014] The protector 1 protects the wiring material W1 arranged inside, and is fixed to the vehicle to regulate the wiring path of the wiring material W1. As shown in FIG. 3, the protector 1 includes a base member 10, a cover member 20, a locking portion 30, and a clamping portion 40. The base member 10 and the cover member 20 are formed separately from an insulating resin material, and are assembled together along an assembly direction Z to form a wiring space portion P in which the wiring material W1 is arranged along an axial direction X. The locking portion 30 locks the cover member 20 and the base member 10 in a state in which the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10. The clamping portion 40 clamps and fixes the wiring material W1 arranged in the wiring space portion P in a state in which the cover member 20 and the base member 10 are locked by the locking portion 30. The configuration of the protector 1 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

[0015] As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the base member 10 is a main member forming the wiring space P, and constitutes the protector body. The base member 10 includes a bottom 11, side walls 12, 12, and an opening 13. The bottom 11 is formed in a plate shape in which the plate thickness direction, which represents the thickness of the plate, is along the assembly direction Z. The bottom 11 is formed in a shape corresponding to the required shape of the wiring space P. In this example, the bottom 11 is formed in a rectangular plate shape extending in the axial direction X. The side walls 12, 12 are formed in a plate shape protruding from both sides of the width direction Y of the bottom 11 toward the cover member 20 side along the assembly direction Z, and extend along the axial direction X. The side walls 12, 12 are opposed to each other along the width direction Y. The opening 13 is a portion that opens to one side (the cover member 20 side) along the assembly direction Z. The opening 13 faces the bottom 11 in the assembly direction Z, and is formed in the same shape as the bottom 11. In the base member 10, an internal space surrounded by the bottom 11 and a pair of side walls 12, 12 constitutes a wiring space P. The wiring space P communicates with the outside on both sides in the axial direction X, and a wiring material W is inserted along the axial direction X to arrange the wiring material W.

[0016] As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10 along the assembly direction Z to close the opening 13 of the base member 10, and constitutes a protector cover. The cover member 20 includes a lid portion 21 and side wall portions 22, 22. The lid portion 21 is formed in a plate shape in which the plate thickness direction representing the thickness of the plate is along the assembly direction Z. The lid portion 21 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the opening 13 of the base member 10 so as to cover the opening 13. In this example, the lid portion 21 is formed in a rectangular plate shape extending in the axial direction X. The side wall portions 22, 22 are formed in a plate shape protruding from both sides of the width direction Y of the lid portion 21 toward the base member 10 along the assembly direction Z, and extend along the axial direction X. The side wall portions 22, 22 are opposed to each other along the width direction Y. The side walls 22, 22 are located adjacent to the outside of the side walls 12, 12 of the base member 10 in a state in which the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10 and the lid portion 21 closes the opening 13 (see FIG. 2). The cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10 in a state in which the wiring material W is arranged in the wiring space P of the base member 10, and the lid portion 21 closes the opening 13.

[0017] The locking portion 30 locks the cover member 20 and the base member 10 together in a state in which the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10. In this example, the locking portion 30 is configured to lock the cover member 20 and the base member 10 by gradually changing the relative position between them in the assembly direction Z according to the outer diameter of the wiring material W1 routed in the wiring space P.

[0018] The locking portions 30 are provided on both sides of the clamping portion 40 in the axial direction X. The locking portion 30 includes, for example, a first locking portion 30a provided on one side of the clamping portion 40 in the axial direction X, and a second locking portion 30b provided on the other side of the clamping portion 40.

[0019] The first locking portion 30a and the second locking portion 30b have the same configuration, and each includes a pair of locked portions 31, 31 and a pair of locking claws 32, 32. As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of locked portions 31, 31 are provided on the cover member 20 and are locked to a pair of locking claws 32, 32 provided on the base member 10. The pair of locked portions 31, 31 are provided on the cover member 20 side by side along the width direction Y, with one locked portion 31 provided on one side wall portion 22 of the cover member 20 and the other locked portion 31 provided on the other side wall portion 22 of the cover member 20. Each of the pair of locked portions 31, 31 includes a pair of slits 311, 311 and a plurality of locking holes 312.

[0020] The pair of slits 311, 311 are cutouts formed in the side wall portion 22 of the cover member 20. The pair of slits 311, 311 are provided on both sides of the multiple locking holes 312 in the axial direction X, and are formed to extend along the assembly direction Z. That is, one of the pair of slits 311, 311 is provided on one side of the multiple locking holes 312 in the axial direction X, and the other slit 311 is provided on the other side of the multiple locking holes 312. The pair of slits 311, 311 are formed in the side wall portion 22 with the multiple locking holes 312 in between, thereby enabling the side wall portion 22 at the portion where the multiple locking holes 312 are formed to elastically deform along the width direction Y.

[0021] The multiple locking holes 312 are through holes formed in the side wall portion 22 of the cover member 20 along the width direction Y. The multiple locking holes 312 are provided in the side wall portion 22 aligned along the assembly direction Z, and in this example, three locking holes 312 are provided in the side wall portion 22 aligned along the assembly direction Z. The three locking holes 312 are sandwiched between a pair of slits 311, 311 in the axial direction X, and the side wall portion 22 in the portion in which the three locking holes 312 are formed can elastically deform along the width direction Y. The three locking holes 312 are engaged with the locking claw 32 in one of the three locking holes 312 depending on the outer diameter of the wiring material W1 to be wired in the wiring space portion P.

[0022] The pair of locking claws 32, 32 are provided on the base member 10 and lock onto a pair of locked portions 31, 31 provided on the cover member 20. As shown in Fig. 4, the pair of locking claws 32, 32 are provided on the base member 10 side by side along the width direction Y, with one locking claw 32 provided on one side wall portion 12 of the base member 10 and the other locking claw 32 provided on the other side wall portion 12 of the base member 10.

[0023] When the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10, the pair of locking claws 32 are locked into one of the three locking holes 312 of the locked portion 31, 31 depending on the outer diameter of the wiring material W1 to be routed in the wiring space P of the base member 10. For example, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when the wiring material W1 having the largest outer diameter is routed in the wiring space P, the pair of locking claws 32 are locked into the locking hole 312 located at the lowermost side in the assembly direction Z (opposite the lid portion 21 side) among the three locking holes 312. Also, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, when the wiring material W2 having the smallest outer diameter is routed in the wiring space P, the pair of locking claws 32 are locked into the locking hole 312 located at the uppermost side in the assembly direction Z (the lid portion 21 side) among the three locking holes 312. In addition, when a wiring material W3 having an outer diameter between the wiring material W2 with the smallest outer diameter and the wiring material W1 with the largest outer diameter is arranged in the wiring space P, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the pair of locking claws 32, 32 lock into the middle locking hole 312 in the assembly direction Z among the three locking holes 312.

[0024] The clamping portion 40 clamps and fixes the wiring material W1 routed in the wiring space P in a state in which the cover member 20 and the base member 10 are locked by the locking portion 30. The clamping portion 40 includes a pair of base-side ribs 41, 41 and a cover-side rib 42, and clamps the wiring material W1 between the pair of base-side ribs 41, 41 and the cover-side rib 42 along the assembly direction Z.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of base-side ribs 41, 41 are provided on the base member 10, protrude from the inside of the base member 10 toward the cover member 20 along the assembly direction Z, and are provided on both sides of the cover-side rib 42 in the axial direction X. That is, in the pair of base-side ribs 41, 41, one base-side rib 41 is provided on one side of the cover-side rib 42 in the axial direction X, and the other base-side rib 41 is provided on the other side of the cover-side rib 42 in the axial direction X. In the pair of base-side ribs 41, 41, the distance between one base-side rib 41 and the other base-side rib 41 in the axial direction X is shorter than the outer diameter of the wiring material W1. The pair of base-side ribs 41, 41 extend along the width direction Y, for example, from one side wall portion 12 of the base member 10 to the other side wall portion 12. The pair of base side ribs 41, 41 are formed in a curved shape recessed along the width direction Y so as to abut against the outer circumferential surface of the wiring material W1 arranged in the wiring space P. In this example, the pair of base side ribs 41, 41 are formed in a circular arc recessed along the width direction Y. The pair of base side ribs 41, 41 are formed in a circular arc shape that can abut against the outer circumferential surface of the wiring material W1 with the maximum outer diameter arranged in the wiring space P, for example. The pair of base side ribs 41, 41 abut against the outer circumferential surface of the wiring material W1 when the wiring material W1 is arranged in the wiring space P. In this example, the pair of base side ribs 41, 41 have a curved surface 411 recessed along the width direction Y between one base side rib 41 and the other base side rib 41. In other words, the pair of base side ribs 41, 41 are formed to protrude on both sides of the curved surface 411 in the axial direction X.

[0026] 5, the cover-side rib 42 is provided on the cover member 20, protrudes from the inside of the cover member 20 toward the base member 10 along the assembly direction Z, and is provided between a pair of base-side ribs 41, 41 in the axial direction X. The cover-side rib 42 extends along the width direction Y, for example, extending from one side wall portion 22 of the cover member 20 to the other side wall portion 22. The cover-side rib 42 is formed linearly along the width direction Y. When the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10 with the wiring material W1 wired in the wiring space portion P, the cover-side rib 42 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the wiring material W1 from one side along the assembly direction Z, and clamps the wiring material W1 together with the pair of base-side ribs 41, 41. In addition, the base member 10 has a cutout portion 121 in the side wall portion 12 for allowing the cover side rib 42 to escape when the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10 (see FIG. 4).

[0027] Next, the work of assembling the wiring material W1 to the protector 1 will be described. The worker inserts the wiring material W1 from the opening 13 of the base member 10, and wires the wiring material W1 in the wiring space P of the base member 10. Next, the worker assembles the cover member 20 along the assembly direction Z to the base member 10 with the wiring material W1 wired in the wiring space P, and closes the opening 13 of the base member 10 with the lid portion 21 of the cover member 20. At this time, the worker engages the locking claw 32 with one of the three locking holes 312 according to the outer diameter of the wiring material W1. For example, when the wiring material W1 with the maximum outer diameter is routed in the wiring space P, the worker locks the pair of locking claws 32, 32 into the locking hole 312 at the bottom (opposite the lid portion 21) in the assembly direction Z, and clamps the wiring material W1 between the pair of base side ribs 41, 41 and the cover side rib 42 (see Figs. 1 and 2). This allows the worker to fix the wiring material W1 to the protector 1.

[0028] As described above, the protector 1 according to the embodiment includes the base member 10, the cover member 20, the locking portion 30, and the clamping portion 40. The base member 10 forms a wiring space P in which the conductive wiring material W1 is routed along the axial direction X, and has an opening 13 that opens to one side in the wiring space P along an assembly direction Z that intersects with the axial direction X. The cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10 along the assembly direction Z to close the opening 13. The locking portion 30 locks the cover member 20 and the base member 10 together when the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10. The clamping portion 40 includes a base side rib 41 that protrudes from the base member 10 toward the cover member 20 and extends along a width direction Y that intersects with the axial direction X and the assembly direction Z, and a cover side rib 42 that protrudes from the cover member 20 toward the base member 10 and extends along the width direction Y, and clamps the wiring material W1 between the base side rib 41 and the cover side rib 42.

[0029] With this configuration, the protector 1 can clamp the wiring material W1 between the base-side rib 41 and the cover-side rib 42 with the cover member 20 assembled to the base member 10, and can fix the wiring material W1 to the protector 1 by locking the cover member 20 and the base member 10 with the locking portion 30. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the number of work steps since it is not necessary to fix the wiring material W1 to the protector 1 by wrapping a band portion around the wiring material W1 as in the conventional case. Also, since the protector 1 can reduce the band portion, it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts, thereby suppressing manufacturing costs.

[0030] In the protector 1, the locking portion 30 includes a locking hole 312 provided in the cover member 20 and a locking claw 32 that is provided in the base member 10 and locks into the locking hole 312, and a plurality of the locking holes 312 are arranged side by side along the assembly direction Z. With this configuration, the protector 1 can lock the cover member 20 and the base member 10 by gradually changing the relative position in the assembly direction Z between them according to the outer diameter of the wiring material W1 routed in the wiring space P. This allows the protector 1 to fix the wiring materials W1, W2, and W3 having different outer diameters.

[0031] In the protector 1, the cover-side rib 42 is formed linearly along the width direction Y, and the base-side rib 41 is formed curvedly recessed along the width direction Y. With this configuration, the protector 1 can press the wiring material W1 with the linear base-side rib 41 while supporting the wiring material W1 with the curved base-side rib 41, thereby properly clamping and fixing the wiring material W1.

[0032] In the protector 1, the base-side ribs 41 are provided on both sides of the cover-side rib 42 in the axial direction X. This allows the protector 1 to stably hold the wiring material W1 between the pair of base-side ribs 41, 41 and the cover-side rib 42.

[0033] In the protector 1, the locking portions 30 are provided on both sides of the clamping portion 40 in the axial direction X. As a result, the protector 1 locks the base member 10 and the cover member 20 on both sides of the clamping portion 40 in the axial direction X, so that the wiring material W1 can be securely clamped by the clamping portion 40.

[0034] The wire harness WH includes a plurality of electrically conductive wiring materials W1 and a protector 1 in which the wiring materials W1 are wired along the axial direction X. With this configuration, the wire harness WH does not need to fix the wiring materials W1 to the protector 1 by wrapping a band portion around the wiring materials W1 as in the conventional method, and therefore it is possible to suppress an increase in the number of work steps.

[0035] In the above description, the protector 1 is described as an example in which the locking hole 312 is provided in the cover member 20 and the locking claw 32 is provided in the base member 10, but is not limited thereto. For example, the protector 1 may be configured such that the locking claw 32 is provided in the cover member 20 and the locking hole 312 is provided in the base member 10.

[0036] Further, the protector 1 has been described as having a plurality of locking holes 312 arranged in the assembly direction Z, but is not limited thereto. For example, only one locking hole 312 may be provided in the assembly direction Z.

[0037] In addition, the protector 1 has been described as having one locking claw 32 and multiple locking holes 312 arranged in a row along the assembly direction Z, but this is not limited to this, and for example, the protector 1 may have one locking hole 312 and multiple locking claws 32 arranged in a row along the assembly direction Z.

[0038] Further, the protector 1 has been described as an example in which the cover-side rib 42 is formed linearly along the width direction Y and the base-side rib 41 is formed curvedly and recessed along the width direction Y, but is not limited thereto. For example, the protector 1 may have the cover-side rib 42 formed curvedly and recessed along the width direction Y, and the base-side rib 41 formed linearly along the width direction Y.

[0039] In addition, the protector 1 has been described as an example in which the base-side rib 41 is provided on both sides of the cover-side rib 42 in the axial direction X, but this is not limited to this. For example, one base-side rib 41 may be provided opposite one cover-side rib 42 along the assembly direction Z, or a pair of cover-side ribs 42, 42 may be provided on both sides of one base-side rib 41 in the axial direction X. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Protector 10 Base material 13 Opening 20 Cover member 30 Locking part 40 Clamping part 41 Base side rib 42 Cover side rib 312 Locking hole 32 Locking claw P Routing space W Routing material WH Wire harness X-axis direction Y-axis direction Z-assembly direction

Claims

1. a base member that defines a wiring space in which a conductive wiring material is wired along an axial direction and has an opening that opens to one side in an assembly direction that intersects with the axial direction in the wiring space; a cover member that is attached to the base member along the assembly direction and closes the opening; a locking portion that locks the cover member and the base member together in a state in which the cover member is attached to the base member; a base-side rib that protrudes from the base member toward the cover member and extends along a width direction intersecting the axial direction and the assembly direction, and a cover-side rib that protrudes from the cover member toward the base member and extends along the width direction, and a clamping portion that clamps the wiring material between the base-side rib and the cover-side rib; A protector comprising:

2. The protector described in claim 1, wherein the locking portion includes a locking hole provided in one of the base member or the cover member, and a locking claw provided in the other of the base member or the cover member that locks into the locking hole, and wherein a plurality of the locking holes or the locking claws are arranged in a line along the assembly direction.

3. The cover-side rib is formed linearly along the width direction, The protector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base side rib is formed in a curved shape recessed along the width direction.

4. 3. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the base-side ribs are provided on both sides of the cover-side rib in the axial direction.

5. The protector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking portions are provided on both sides of the clamping portion in the axial direction.

6. A plurality of conductive wiring materials; A protector in which the wiring material is arranged along the axial direction, The protector comprises: a base member that defines a wiring space in which a conductive wiring material is wired along an axial direction and has an opening that opens to one side in an assembly direction that intersects with the axial direction in the wiring space; a cover member that is attached to the base member along the assembly direction and closes the opening; a locking portion that locks the cover member and the base member together in a state in which the cover member is attached to the base member; a base-side rib protruding from the base member toward the cover member and extending along a width direction intersecting the axial direction and the assembly direction, and a cover-side rib protruding from the cover member toward the base member and extending along the width direction, and a clamping portion that clamps the wiring material between the base-side rib and the cover-side rib.

Images