Shield exterior sheet and wire harness

Abstract

To provide a shield exterior sheet advantageous for suppressing manufacture cost of a wire harness while subjecting a whole wire group to shield and projection.SOLUTION: A shield exterior sheet 10 is wound around a wire group 2 bundling a first wire 2a and a second wire 2b as a plurality of wires and comprises: a conductive unwoven fabric 11 which is a layer opposed to a side face of the wire group 2 and to which metal plating is applied; and an insulative protection layer 12 laminated on an inner face 11b at an opposite side of an outer face 11a, which is the side opposed with the wire group 2, of the conductive unwoven fabric 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shielding exterior sheet and a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, some high-voltage wire harnesses for electrically connecting devices mounted on vehicles such as electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles include a shielding member for suppressing the effects of noise and an exterior for protecting the group of electric wires included in the wire harness. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology relating to a shielding exterior material that can be used in such wire harnesses, which is made of an insulating resin sheet with a metal foil attached and is wrapped around the group of electric wires. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-353952 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The shielding exterior material disclosed in Patent Document 1 is assumed to be wrapped around a required section in the longitudinal direction of a group of electric wires, and one drain wire with an earth terminal connected to its end is adhesively sandwiched between an insulating resin sheet and a metal foil, and the metal foil is earthed via the drain wire. Here, if it is assumed that the shielding member is wrapped around the entire group of electric wires, rather than just a specific section of the group of electric wires, there is room for further improvement in order to reduce the number of parts of the wire harness, which is related to reduction in manufacturing costs, or to reduce the number of steps required to assemble the wire harness.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems inherent in the conventional techniques, and an object of the present invention is to provide a shielding exterior sheet and a wire harness that are advantageous in reducing the manufacturing cost of the wire harness while shielding and protecting the entire group of electric wires. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a shielding exterior sheet that is wrapped around a group of electric wires formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires, the shielding exterior sheet having a metal-plated conductive nonwoven fabric that is a layer facing a side of the group of electric wires, and an insulating protective layer that is laminated on the inner surface of the conductive nonwoven fabric on the side opposite to the outer surface facing the group of electric wires.

[0007] A wire harness according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an electric wire group in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled together, a connector having a conductive open end through which one end of the electric wire group passes, a shielding exterior sheet wrapped around the electric wire group while enclosing the open end, and a fastening member for fastening an end of the shielding exterior sheet to the open end, wherein the shielding exterior sheet is the above-described shielding exterior sheet. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a shielding exterior sheet and a wire harness that are advantageous in reducing the manufacturing costs of the wire harness while shielding and protecting the entire group of electric wires. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shielding exterior sheet according to one embodiment before deformation. [Figure 1B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shielding exterior sheet according to the embodiment after deformation. [Figure 2A] 1 is a diagram of a wire harness at the start of wrapping a shielding exterior sheet; [Figure 2B] FIG. 13 is a diagram of a wire harness when a shielding exterior sheet is wrapped around the wire harness. [Figure 2C]FIG. 2 is a diagram of the wire harness in a manufactured state. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness corresponding to the III-III portion in FIG. 2C. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness corresponding to a portion IV-IV in FIG. 2C. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a shielding exterior sheet and a wire harness according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0011] 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a shielding exterior sheet 10 according to one embodiment. Fig. 1A is a view showing the shielding exterior sheet 10 before deformation, specifically before being wrapped around a wire harness 1 (see Fig. 2A and subsequent figures). Fig. 1B is a view showing the shielding exterior sheet 10 after deformation, specifically when being wrapped around the wire harness 1.

[0012] The shielding exterior sheet 10 is a flexible member that can be wrapped around the electric wire group 2 as one component of the wire harness 1, and can be freely transformed from the state shown in Fig. 1A to the state shown in Fig. 1B. The shielding exterior sheet 10 has a conductive nonwoven fabric 11, a protective layer 12, and a plurality of conductors 13. Note that the planar shape of the shielding exterior sheet 10 shown in Figs. 1A and 1B is one example, and can be set in various ways depending on various conditions such as the length, outer diameter, type, or routing shape of the individual electric wires that make up the electric wire group 2, or the number of electric wires. For example, part of the edge of the shielding exterior sheet 10 may be formed in a curved shape.

[0013] The conductive nonwoven fabric 11 is a layer that functions as a shield to suppress the effects of noise when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the electric wire group 2 in the wire harness 1. The conductive nonwoven fabric 11 faces a side surface of the electric wire group 2 when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the electric wire group 2. Hereinafter, the surface of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 that faces the electric wire group 2 when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the electric wire group 2 is referred to as the outer surface 11a (see FIG. 2A ). Meanwhile, the surface of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 opposite to the outer surface 11a is referred to as the inner surface 11b.

[0014] The conductive nonwoven fabric 11 is a nonwoven fabric plated with a metal, and is made conductive by, for example, performing a plating process after a plating pretreatment using supercritical CO2, thereby allowing the plating to penetrate into the interior of the fabric. The nonwoven fabric used for the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 may be, for example, any one of aramid fiber, glass fiber, cellulose fiber, polyamide synthetic fiber, vinylon fiber, polyester fiber, polyolefin fiber, and rayon fiber.

[0015] The protective layer 12 is a layer that is integrally laminated on the inner surface 11b of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11, and functions as an exterior that protects the electric wire group 2 when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the electric wire group 2 in the wire harness 1. In addition, in Fig. 1A, the direction in which the protective layer 12 is laminated on the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 corresponds to the Z direction. The material of the protective layer 12 is an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and is not particularly limited.

[0016] The multiple conductors 13 are a group of bare wires arranged in parallel with a gap between the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 and the protective layer 12. Each conductor 13 can function as a drain wire that assists the shielding performance of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the group of electric wires 2 in the wire harness 1 by contacting the inner surface 11b of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11. In FIG. 1A, the direction in which each conductor 13 extends corresponds to the X direction perpendicular to the Z direction. Furthermore, the direction in which each conductor 13 is arranged in parallel corresponds to the Y direction perpendicular to both the Z direction and the X direction as shown in FIG. 1A before the deformation of the shielding exterior sheet 10, and corresponds to the winding direction W (see FIG. 2A) when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is deformed. Each conductor 13 extends from one edge to the other edge of the shielding exterior sheet 10 in the X direction. It is preferable to adopt a metal material with a relatively high electrical conductivity as the material of the conductor 13, and it may be, for example, a copper alloy.

[0017] It should be noted that the multiple conductive wires 13 do not need to be provided on the shielding exterior sheet 10, for example, if the desired shielding performance can be achieved by the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 alone.

[0018] 2A, 2B, and 2C are schematic diagrams showing in chronological order the process of winding the shielding exterior sheet 10 around the group of electric wires 2 during the manufacture of the wire harness 1. Fig. 2A is a diagram of the wire harness 1 at the start of winding the shielding exterior sheet 10. Fig. 2B is a diagram of the wire harness 1 when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is being wound. Fig. 2C is a diagram of the wire harness 1 in a manufactured state.

[0019] 3 corresponds to part III-III in FIG. 2C, and is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness 1 taken along a virtual plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the electric wire group 2 at a portion where the shielding exterior sheet 10 is directly wrapped around the electric wire group 2.

[0020] FIG. 4 corresponds to portion IV-IV in FIG. 2C , and is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness 1 taken along a virtual plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the electric wire group 2 at a portion where one end 10a of the shielding exterior sheet 10 is fastened to the second opening end 4a of the second connector 4.

[0021] The wire harness 1 is a high-voltage wire harness that electrically connects devices mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. The wire harness 1 includes a group of electric wires 2, a first connector 3, a second connector 4, a shielding exterior sheet 10, and a fastening member 5.

[0022] The electric wire group 2 is a bundle of linear electric wires, and in this embodiment, includes two electric wires, a first electric wire 2a and a second electric wire 2b, arranged in parallel. The first electric wire 2a and the second electric wire 2b are, for example, high-voltage cables that electrically connect between an inverter and a battery in a vehicle. The first electric wire 2a and the second electric wire 2b may each include a core wire 20 that is a conductor and an insulating sheath 21 that covers the outer periphery of the core wire 20.

[0023] The first connector 3 is connected to one end of the electric wire group 2. The first connector 3 has a first open end 3a through which one end of the electric wire group 2 connected to the first connector 3 passes. Similarly, the second connector 4 is connected to the other end of the electric wire group 2. The second connector 4 has a second open end 4a through which one end of the electric wire group 2 connected to the second connector 4 passes.

[0024] The first opening end 3a and the second opening end 4a are each formed of a conductive material, specifically, a metal material or a conductive resin molded material. The first opening end 3a and the second opening end 4a may also be called a "connector shell". Referring to FIG. 3, the second opening end 4a is a tubular portion having an inner peripheral wall 4b forming an elongated opening and an outer peripheral wall 4c having a constant thickness relative to the inner peripheral wall 4b. One end of the wire group 2 passes through an internal space surrounded by the inner peripheral wall 4b and is connected to a terminal fitting (not shown) included in the second connector 4. The shape of the first opening end 3a is the same as that of the second opening end 4a in this embodiment, but the size and shape of the opening may be different.

[0025] The shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the electric wire group 2 while enclosing the first opening end 3a and the second opening end 4a. Here, assuming that the wire harness 1 is being manufactured, the first connector 3 is already connected to one end of the electric wire group 2, and the second connector 4 is already connected to the other end of the electric wire group 2, as shown in Fig. 2A. Also, assuming that a worker performs the task of wrapping the shielding exterior sheet 10 around the electric wire group 2.

[0026] First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the worker positions the shielding exterior sheet 10 so that the outer surface 11a of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 faces the electric wire group 2. Here, the shielding exterior sheet 10 is positioned so that the extension direction of each conductor 13 included in the shielding exterior sheet 10 is aligned with the extension direction of the electric wire group 2. The length of the shielding exterior sheet 10 in the extension direction of the conductor 13 is preset so that one end side in the extension direction of the conductor 13 covers at least a part of the first opening end 3a, and the other end side in the extension direction of the conductor 13 covers at least a part of the second opening end 4a. Next, the worker starts winding the shielding exterior sheet 10 around the electric wire group 2 in the winding direction W as shown in FIG. 2B, and finally finishes winding the entire shielding exterior sheet 10.

[0027] The fastening member 5 fastens either the end 10a of the shielding exterior sheet 10 to the first opening end 3a or the second opening end 4a. The fastening member 5 may be, for example, a metal cable tie or a metal shielding ring.

[0028] When the shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the group of electric wires 2, one end 10a of the shielding exterior sheet 10 in the extension direction of the conductor wires 13 is wrapped around an outer peripheral wall (not shown) of the first opening end 3a. Similarly, the other end 10a of the shielding exterior sheet 10 in the extension direction of the conductor wires 13 is wrapped around the outer peripheral wall 4c of the second opening end 4a as shown in Fig. 4. The length of the shielding exterior sheet 10 in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the conductor wires 13 is preset to an extent that it can be wrapped around the outer peripheral walls of each of the first opening end 3a and the second opening end 4a at least once.

[0029] Then, as shown in Fig. 2C, for example, the worker fastens one end 10a of the shielding exterior sheet 10 to the first opening end 3a using one cable tie which is a fastening member 5. At the same time, as shown in Figs. 2C and 4, for example, the worker fastens the other end 10a of the shielding exterior sheet 10 to the second opening end 4a using another cable tie which is a fastening member 5. Note that the worker may also use a shield ring as the fastening member 5 instead of the metal cable tie to crimp either end 10a of the shielding exterior sheet 10 to the first opening end 3a or the second opening end 4a.

[0030] In the wire harness 1 in the manufactured state shown in Fig. 2C, first, when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the group of electric wires 2 located between the first opening end 3a and the second opening end 4a, the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 comes into direct contact with the group of electric wires 2 located between the first opening end 3a and the second opening end 4a, as shown in Fig. 3. On the other hand, when the shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around the second opening end 4a, for example, as shown in Fig. 4, the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 does not come into contact with the group of electric wires 2 penetrating the second opening end 4a, but comes into direct contact with the outer peripheral wall 4c.

[0031] Next, the effects of the shielding exterior sheet 10 and the wire harness 1 will be described.

[0032] The shielding exterior sheet 10 is wrapped around an electric wire group 2 formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires. The shielding exterior sheet 10 is a layer facing the side surface of the electric wire group 2, and has a metal-plated conductive nonwoven fabric 11 and an insulating protective layer 12 laminated on an inner surface 11b opposite to an outer surface 11a of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 facing the electric wire group 2.

[0033] Here, the multiple electric wires bundled into the electric wire group 2 correspond to the first electric wire 2a and the second electric wire 2b in the above example.

[0034] First, in the shielding exterior sheet 10, when wrapped around the electric wire group 2, the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 that functions as a shield and the protective layer 12 that functions as an exterior that protects the electric wire group 2 are integrated in a laminated form. Therefore, compared to a case in which, for example, a shielding material and an exterior are separately present, the shielding exterior sheet 10 can be attached to the electric wire group 2 in a single winding operation, thereby reducing the number of assembly steps.

[0035] In addition, since the shielding exterior sheet 10 is an integrated product of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 and the protective layer 12, it is wrapped around the entire group of electric wires 2 at one time. In addition, assuming that connectors such as the first connector 3 or the second connector 4 are already connected to both ends of the group of electric wires 2, the shielding exterior sheet 10 is also wrapped around the conductive first opening end 3a and the second opening end 4a at one time. At this time, the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 comes into contact with the first opening end 3a and the second opening end 4a, and is therefore grounded. Therefore, according to the shielding exterior sheet 10, it is assumed that when it is used in the wire harness 1, it is not necessary to provide a drain wire or a ground terminal, and in other words, the number of parts of the wire harness 1 can be reduced in some cases.

[0036] Furthermore, the metal-plated conductive nonwoven fabric 11 is less expensive than metal members such as a braid of plated soft conductor wires that can generally be used as a shielding member.

[0037] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the shielding exterior sheet 10 that is advantageous in reducing the manufacturing cost of the wire harness 1 while shielding and protecting the entire wire group 2.

[0038] The shielding exterior sheet 10 also has the following advantages. First, as illustrated in Fig. 3, in the area where the shielding exterior sheet 10 is directly wrapped around the electric wire group 2, the dead space between the shielding exterior sheet 10 and the electric wire group 2 is reduced, allowing the overall diameter to be made thinner. Similarly, in the area where the shielding exterior sheet 10 is directly wrapped around the electric wire group 2, the shielding exterior sheet 10 is in close contact with the electric wire group 2, improving heat dissipation. Furthermore, since the shielding exterior sheet 10 is attached to the electric wire group 2 by a winding operation, it can be attached by an automated winding process without relying on an operator.

[0039] In addition, the shielding exterior sheet 10 may have a plurality of conductive wires 13 arranged in parallel and spaced apart in the winding direction W between the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 and the protective layer 12, or on the outer surface 11a of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11.

[0040] First, when the shielding exterior sheet 10 has a plurality of conductors 13 between the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 and the protective layer 12 as exemplified above, the conductors 13 can function as drain wires that assist the shielding performance of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11. Therefore, according to the shielding exterior sheet 10, the shielding performance of the shielding exterior sheet 10 as a whole can be improved.

[0041] On the other hand, it is assumed that connectors such as the first connector 3 or the second connector 4 are already connected to both ends of the group of electric wires 2. In this case, if the shielding exterior sheet 10 has a plurality of conductors 13 on the outer surface 11a of the conductive nonwoven fabric 11 instead of the above example, each of the conductors 13 will be in direct contact with the conductive first opening end 3a and second opening end 4a. Therefore, according to the shielding exterior sheet 10, for example, the number of parts of the wire harness 1 can be reduced by the amount that an earth terminal is not used.

[0042] Furthermore, the wire harness 1 includes an electric wire group 2 in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, a connector having a conductive open end through which one end of the electric wire group 2 passes, and a shielding exterior sheet that is wrapped around the electric wire group 2 while enclosing the open end. The wire harness 1 also includes a fastening member 5 that fastens an end of the shielding exterior sheet to the open end. The shielding exterior sheet is the above-mentioned shielding exterior sheet 10.

[0043] Here, the multiple electric wires bundled as the electric wire group 2 correspond to the first electric wire 2a and the second electric wire 2b, as described above. In the above example, the connector corresponds to one or both of the first connector 3 having the first opening end 3a and the second connector 4 having the second opening end 4a. Also, in the above example, the end of the shielding exterior sheet 10 fastened to the opening end by the fastening member 5 corresponds to the end 10a.

[0044] According to the present embodiment, the above-described shielding exterior sheet 10 is employed, so that it is possible to provide the wire harness 1 which is advantageous in suppressing manufacturing costs while shielding and protecting the entire wire group 2.

[0045] Furthermore, in the wire harness 1, the end 10a of the shielding exterior sheet 10 wrapped in a single wrapping operation is simply connected to the first opening end 3a of the first connector 3 or the second opening end 4a of the second connector 4 simply by fastening with the fastening member 5. Therefore, the wire harness 1 can reduce the number of assembly steps, which can be advantageous in reducing manufacturing costs.

[0046] Although the embodiments have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Wire harness 2 wire groups 2a 1st wire 2b 2nd wire 3 First Connector 3a 1st open end 4 Second Connector 4a 2nd open end 5 Fastening members 10 Shield exterior sheet 10a end 11 Conductive nonwoven fabric 11a External surface 11b Inside 12 Protective layer 13 Conductor

Claims

1. A shielding exterior sheet that is wrapped around a group of electric wires in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled together, a metal-plated conductive nonwoven fabric layer facing a side surface of the wire group; a shielding exterior sheet having an insulating protective layer laminated on an inner surface opposite to an outer surface of the conductive nonwoven fabric facing the group of electric wires.

2. 2. The shielding exterior sheet according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of conductive wires disposed in parallel and spaced apart in the winding direction between the conductive nonwoven fabric and the protective layer, or on the outer surface of the conductive nonwoven fabric.

3. A group of electric wires in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled together; a connector having a conductive open end through which one end of the group of electric wires passes; a shielding exterior sheet that is wrapped around the group of electric wires while enclosing the open end; A fastening member for fastening an end of the shielding exterior sheet to the opening end, The shielding exterior sheet of claim 1 or 2, which is a wire harness.

Images