Protector

Abstract

To provide a protector in which a suppression effect is improved with respect to a fall of a sidewall with a clamp caused by a reaction when a clamp for mounting is pressed to a mounting target.SOLUTION: A protector 1 comprises: a protector base 11; a clamp 12 for mounting which is projecting from an outer wall surface 111a-1 in a first sidewall 111a of the protector base 11, pressed to a mounting target and locked; a protector cover 13 which covers a beam opening 11a in the protector base 11; and a bending suppression part 14 which is a portion erected at the side of an inner wall surface 111a-2 where the clamp 12 for mounting projects from the first sidewall 111a on a cover inner surface 131a of the protector cover 13, and abutted to the inner wall surface 111a-1 of the first sidewall 111a to be bent to the inside of the protector base 11 by a reaction with respect to the pressing of the clamp 12 for mounting to the mounting target and suppresses the bending of the first sidewall 111a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protector that houses and protects electric wires inside. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a protector has been known that is formed in a trough shape having a U-shaped cross section and that houses and protects an electric wire inside (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the protector of Patent Document 1, a mounting clamp for engaging the protector to an object to be mounted is protruding from the outer wall surface of one of a pair of side walls that face each other with an electric wire sandwiched therebetween. The mounting clamp is pressed against the object to be mounted and engages with it, thereby mounting the protector to the object to be mounted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 08-168134 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the protector of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, a reinforcing rib is provided from one side wall to the other side wall via the bottom wall in order to prevent the side wall from collapsing due to the reaction force when the mounting clamp is pressed against the mounting target. However, since the reinforcing rib is provided on the bottom wall side of this protector, there is a possibility that the collapse of the side wall cannot be prevented when, for example, the force is concentrated on the gutter opening side due to the way in which the protector is pressed against the mounting target, and therefore there is a demand for an improvement in the effect of preventing the collapse of the side wall.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a protector that has an improved effect of preventing the clamp-attached side wall from collapsing due to the recoil when the mounting clamp is pressed against the object to be mounted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the protector is characterized by comprising a protector base formed in a gutter shape having a pair of opposing side walls sandwiching an electric wire between them, and housing and protecting the electric wire inside, a mounting clamp protruding from an outer wall surface of a first side wall of the pair of side walls of the protector base and pressed against an object to be mounted to engage therewith, a protector cover covering a gutter opening in the protector base, and a deflection suppression portion which is an upright portion on an inner surface of the protector cover facing the inside of the protector base, positioned on the inner wall surface side of the protruding portion of the mounting clamp on the first side wall, and which abuts against the inner wall surface of the first side wall which tends to deflect toward the inside of the protector base in reaction to the pressing of the mounting clamp against the object to be mounted to suppress bending of the first side wall. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the above-described protector, it is possible to improve the effect of suppressing collapse of the first side wall, that is, the side wall with the clamp, caused by the reaction when the mounting clamp is pressed against the mounting object. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a protector according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a body panel of a vehicle to which the protector is attached. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view of the inside of the protector shown in FIG. 1, as seen in the direction of arrow V11 from an opening on one end side. [Diagram 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the protector shown in FIG. 1 taken along line V12-V12 in FIG. 1 before it is attached to a body panel. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the protector shown in FIG. 1 taken along line V12-V12 in FIG. 1, showing a state after the protector has been attached to a body panel. [Diagram 5]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a protector of a comparative example for comparison with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, showing the inside as viewed from an opening on one end side, similar to FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3 showing the protector shown in FIG. 5 in a state before it is attached to a body panel. [Figure 7] 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 4 showing the protector shown in FIG. 5 in a state after it has been attached to a body panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment of the protector will now be described.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a protector according to an embodiment together with a body panel of a vehicle to which the protector is attached. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the inside of the protector shown in Fig. 1 from an opening on one end side in the direction of arrow V11. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the protector shown in Fig. 1 taken along line V12-V12 in Fig. 1 before the protector is attached to the body panel. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the protector shown in Fig. 1 taken along line V12-V12 in Fig. 1 after the protector is attached to the body panel.

[0011] The protector 1 of this embodiment is a resin member formed in a rectangular tube shape that houses and protects the electric wire W1 inside, and is attached to a body panel BP1 of a vehicle. The protector 1 includes a protector base 11, an attachment clamp 12, a protector cover 13, a deflection suppression portion 14, and an edge support portion 15.

[0012] The protector base 11 is a resin member formed in a square gutter shape having a pair of side walls 111 facing each other with the electric wire W1 sandwiched therebetween and a bottom wall 112 connecting the pair, and stores and protects the electric wire W1 inside. The mounting clamp 12 is a clamp part that protrudes from an outer wall surface 111a-1 of a first side wall 111a of the pair of side walls 111 of the protector base 11 that faces the body panel BP1 to be mounted, and is pressed against the body panel BP1 to engage with it. In this embodiment, the mounting clamp 12 is provided at two locations in the longitudinal direction D11 of the protector base 11. The body panel BP1 is provided with two clamp holes BP1a to receive the two mounting clamps 12. The oblique view of Figure 2 shows the inside of the protruding portion of one of the two mounting clamps 12, which is located on the right side of Figure 1, as viewed from the right end opening 1a of the protector 1.

[0013] The protector cover 13 is a resin cover member that covers the gutter opening 11a in the protector base 11, and has a top plate portion 131 and a pair of edge wall portions 132. The top plate portion 131 is a band-shaped portion that covers the gutter opening 11a of the protector base 11 with a width wider than the width dimension of the protector base 11. The pair of edge wall portions 132 are edge rib-shaped wall portions that are erected on a pair of side edges of the top plate portion 131 so as to follow the outer walls of the pair of side walls 111 of the protector base 11 on the gutter opening 11a side. The protector cover 13 covers the gutter opening 11a of the protector base 11 while being engaged with the protector base 11 by the pair of edge wall portions 132.

[0014] The deflection suppressing portion 14 is a portion that is erected on the cover inner surface 131a of the top plate portion 131 of the protector cover 13 that faces the inside of the protector base 11 so as to be located on the inner wall surface 111a-2 side of the protruding portion of the mounting clamp 12 on the first side wall 111a. The deflection suppressing portion 14 abuts on the inner wall surface 111a-2 side of the first side wall 111a that tends to deflect toward the inside of the protector base 11 in reaction to the pressing of the mounting clamp 12 against the body panel BP1, thereby suppressing the deflection of the first side wall 111a. In this embodiment, two deflection suppressing portions 14 are provided so as to correspond one-to-one with the two mounting clamps 12 provided on the first side wall 111a. Each deflection suppression portion 14 is erected so as to sandwich the first side wall 111a between itself and the first edge wall portion 132a corresponding to the clamped first side wall 111a of the pair of edge wall portions 132 in the protector cover 13. As shown in Fig. 3, the deflection suppression portion 14 is erected on the cover inner surface 131a so that the erect height H12 of the deflection suppression portion 14 is higher than the erect height H11 of the first edge wall portion 132a from the cover inner surface 131a. The deflection suppression portion 14 is configured to include a suppression wall 141, a suppression rib 142, and a reinforcing rib 143.

[0015] The restraining wall 141 in the deflection restraining portion 14 is a wall portion that faces the inner wall surface 111a-2 of the first side wall 111a that is about to deflect toward the inside of the protector base 11. The restraining rib 142 is a portion that is erected in a triangular rib shape from the inner wall surface 141a of the restraining wall 141 facing the opposite side to the first side wall 111a to the cover inner surface 131a, and supports the restraining wall 141 from the inside. The reinforcing rib 143 is a low-profile rib formed so as to cross the surface of the cover inner surface 131a in the width direction D12 of the protector 1. Two reinforcing ribs 143 are formed in one deflection restraining portion 14: one extending from the end of the restraining rib 142 on the cover inner surface 131a side, and one extending from the inner wall surface 141a of the restraining wall 141 at a position farther from the end opening 1a than the one extending from the inner wall surface 141a of the restraining wall 141.

[0016] The edge support portion 15 is a portion erected on the cover inner surface 131a so as to sandwich the second side wall 111b between the clamp-equipped first side wall 111a and the second edge wall portion 132b corresponding to the opposing second side wall 111b, among the pair of edge wall portions 132 of the protector cover 13. The edge support portion 15 is a wall portion erected on the cover inner surface 131a so as to follow the inner wall surface 111b-1 of the second side wall 111b, and supports the gutter opening 11a side of the second side wall 111b in cooperation with the second edge wall portion 132b.

[0017] When mounting the protector 1 having the above configuration on the body panel BP1, a pressing force F11 is applied by an operator from the second side wall 111b side to press the mounting clamps 12 into the clamp holes BP1a and engage them, as shown in Fig. 4. This pressing force F11 causes the two mounting clamps 12 shown in Fig. 1 to be fitted and engaged into the corresponding two clamp holes BP1a, thereby mounting the protector 1 to the body panel BP1.

[0018] Before describing the effects obtained by the protector 1 of this embodiment, a comparative example for comparison with the protector 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0019] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a protector of a comparative example for comparison with the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, showing the inside from an opening on one end side, similar to Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the protector shown in Fig. 5, taken in a cross section similar to Fig. 3, before attachment to a body panel. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the protector shown in Fig. 5, taken in a cross section similar to Fig. 4, after attachment to a body panel. In Figs. 5 to 7, components equivalent to those shown in Figs. 2 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals as Figs. 2 to 4 only for those necessary for explanation, and duplicate explanations of those equivalent components will be omitted below.

[0020] The protector 2 of the comparative example shown in Figs. 5 to 7 is different from the protector 1 of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4 in that the protector cover 23 is not provided with the deflection suppression part 14. That is, in this comparative example, the inner wall surface 111a-2 side of the first side wall 111a with the clamp of the protector base 11 is in an open state. When the protector 2 of this comparative example is also attached to the body panel BP1, a pressing force F11 is applied from the second side wall 111b side by the worker as shown in Fig. 7. At this time, in this comparative example where the deflection suppression part 14 is not provided, depending on the way of pressing against the clamp hole BP1a, the first side wall 111a with the clamp may fall toward the electric wire W1 side, that is, inward, as shown in Fig. 7, due to the reaction against the pressing. In this state where the first side wall 111a is collapsed, the mounting clamp 12 may not be sufficiently fitted into the clamp hole BP1a, which may result in unstable mounting of the protector 2 to the body panel BP1.

[0021] In contrast to this comparative example, in the protector 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the first side wall 111a with the clamp in the protector base 11 is supported on the inner wall surface 111a-2 side and the gutter opening 11a side by the deflection suppression portion 14 of the cover inner surface 131a of the protector cover 13. The support by the deflection suppression portion 14 suppresses the collapse of the first side wall 111a as follows. That is, the collapse of the first side wall 111a is suppressed over the entire width in the gutter depth direction D13 from the bottom wall 112 side to the gutter opening 11a side. In this way, according to the above-mentioned protector 1, it is possible to improve the effect of suppressing the collapse of the first side wall 111a, i.e., the side wall 111 with the clamp, caused by the reaction when the mounting clamp 12 is pressed against the mounting target.

[0022] Here, in this embodiment, the protector cover 13 has a top plate portion 131 and a pair of edge wall portions 132, and the deflection suppression portion 14 is erected so as to sandwich the first side wall 111a between the top plate portion 131 and the first edge wall portion 132a corresponding to the first side wall 111a. According to this configuration, the first side wall 111a is sandwiched between the deflection suppression portion 14 and the first edge wall portion 132a, so that the movement of the first side wall 111a toward the gutter opening 11a when the first edge wall portion 132a tries to bend is further restricted. In other words, according to the above configuration, the effect of suppressing the collapse of the clamped side wall 111 can be further improved.

[0023] In this embodiment, the erection height H12 of the deflection suppression part 14 from the cover inner surface 131a is higher than the erection height H11 of the first edge wall part 132a from the cover inner surface 131a. With this configuration, the gutter opening 11a side of the first side wall 111a is supported by the deflection suppression part 14 on the inner wall surface 111a-2 side up to a position higher than the first edge wall part 132a of the protector cover 13 as viewed from the cover inner surface 131a. The deflection suppression part 14 having such an erection height H12 can further suppress the collapse of the clamped side wall 111, and can further improve the effect of suppressing the collapse.

[0024] In this embodiment, the deflection suppression portion 14 has a suppression wall 141 that faces the inner wall surface 111a-2 of the first side wall 111a that is about to deflect inward of the protector base 11. With this configuration, when the first side wall 111a is about to collapse inward, the suppression wall 141 supports the first side wall 111a with a surface, thereby restricting the movement. Such surface restriction can further improve the effect of suppressing the collapse of the clamped side wall 111.

[0025] In this embodiment, the deflection suppression portion 14 has a suppression rib 142 that is erected in a rib shape from the inner wall surface 141a of the suppression wall 141 to the cover inner surface 131a and further supports the suppression wall 141 from the inside. According to this configuration, the suppression wall 141 that supports the first side wall 111a from the inside is further supported from the inside by the suppression rib 142, so that the effect of suppressing the collapse of the clamped side wall 111 can be further improved.

[0026] In this embodiment, the edge support portion 15 is erected on the cover inner surface 131a so as to sandwich the second side wall 111b of the protector base 11 between the second edge wall portion 132b of the pair of edge wall portions 132 of the protector cover 13. The edge support portion 15 supports the gutter opening 11a side of the second side wall 111b in cooperation with the second edge wall portion 132b. According to this configuration, the gutter opening 11a side of the second side wall 111b of the protector base 11 is sandwiched and supported between the second edge wall portion 132b of the protector cover 13 and the edge support portion 15. As in the example of FIG. 4, the mounting clamp 12 is sometimes pressed against the clamp hole BP1a of the body panel BP1 by the worker applying a pressing force F11 from the second side wall 111b toward the mounting target. In such a case, according to the above configuration, the pressing force F11 applied to the second side wall 111b is transmitted to the first side wall 111a via the bottom wall 112 side of the protector base 11 and the protector cover 13 on the gutter opening 11a side. Since the pressing force F11 is also transmitted to the protector cover 13 side in this manner, the mounting clamp 12 of the first side wall 111a can be effectively pressed against and locked into the clamp hole BP1a of the body panel BP1.

[0027] In this embodiment, the edge support portion 15 is a wall portion erected on the cover inner surface 131a so as to be aligned with the inner wall surface 111b-1 of the second side wall 111b. With this configuration, the gutter opening 11a side of the second side wall 111b is supported over a wide area by being sandwiched between the second edge wall portion 132b and the edge support portion 15 as a wall portion. This type of support is preferable because it allows the pressing force F11 applied to the second side wall 111b to be effectively transmitted to the first side wall 111a.

[0028] The above-described embodiment is merely a representative example of the protector, and the protector is not limited to this embodiment but can be modified in various ways.

[0029] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the protector 1 that is attached to the body panel BP1 of the vehicle is illustrated as an example of the protector. However, the protector is not limited to this, and the specific installation location is not important.

[0030] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the protector, the rectangular cylindrical protector 1 shown in Fig. 1 is illustrated. However, the protector is not limited to the illustrated example, and the external shape of the protector may be any cylindrical shape.

[0031] In the above-described embodiment, the protector 1 is provided with two mounting clamps 12 that fit into and engage with the clamp holes BP1a of the body panel BP1. However, the protector is not limited to this, and the specific engaging manner and number of mounting clamps can be set arbitrarily as long as they are pressed against the object to be mounted and engaged.

[0032] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the flexure suppression portion, the flexure suppression portion 14 erected on the cover inner surface 131a so as to sandwich the first side wall 111a between the first edge wall portion 132a of the protector cover 13 is exemplified. However, the flexure suppression portion is not limited to this, and may be a portion that supports the first side wall 111a alone without sandwiching it between another wall. However, as described above, by sandwiching the first side wall 111a between the flexure suppression portion 14 and the first edge wall portion 132a, the effect of suppressing the collapse of the clamped first side wall 111a can be further improved.

[0033] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the flexure suppression portion, the flexure suppression portion 14 having a standing height H12 from the cover inner surface 131a that is higher than the standing height H11 of the first edge wall portion 132a from the cover inner surface 131a is exemplified. However, the flexure suppression portion is not limited to this, and the standing height can be set to any height. However, as described above, the flexure suppression portion 14 that is higher than the standing height H11 of the first edge wall portion 132a can further suppress the collapse of the first side wall 111a, and the suppression effect against collapse can be further improved.

[0034] In the above-described embodiment, the deflection suppression portion 14 having the suppression wall 141 that faces the inner wall surface 111a-2 of the first side wall 111a is exemplified as an example of the deflection suppression portion. However, the deflection suppression portion is not limited to this, and may be formed as a portion that protrudes in a rod shape from the inner surface of the cover, and the specific shape and the like can be set arbitrarily. However, as described above, the deflection suppression portion 14 having the suppression wall 141 can further improve the suppression effect against the collapse of the first side wall 111a by restricting the surface.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the flexure suppression portion, in addition to the suppression wall 141, the flexure suppression portion 14 having the suppression rib 142 standing in a rib shape from the inner wall surface 141a to the cover inner surface 131a is exemplified. However, the flexure suppression portion is not limited to this, and may be one having only the suppression wall, etc. However, as described above, according to the flexure suppression portion 14 having the suppression rib 142 in addition to the suppression wall 141, the suppression effect against the collapse of the first side wall 111a can be further improved.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the protector 1 is exemplified as an example of the protector, in which the edge support portion 15 that sandwiches the second side wall 111b between the second edge wall portion 132b of the protector cover 13 and the edge support portion 15 is erected on the cover inner surface 131a. However, the protector is not limited to this, and the edge support portion may not be provided on the second side wall side of the protector base. However, by providing the edge support portion 15 on the second side wall 111b side, the pressing force F11 from the operator can be transmitted to the first side wall 111a from the protector cover 13 side as well, and the mounting clamp 12 can be effectively locked, as described above.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, the edge support portion 15 is a wall portion erected on the cover inner surface 131a so as to follow the inner wall surface 111b-1 of the second side wall 111b. However, the edge support portion is not limited to this, and may be formed as a portion protruding in a rod shape from the cover inner surface, and the specific shape, etc., can be set arbitrarily. However, as described above, the edge support portion 15 formed as a wall portion can effectively transmit the pressing force F11 applied to the second side wall 111b to the first side wall 111a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 Protector 1a End opening 11 Protector Base 11a Gutter opening 12 Mounting clamp 13 Protector cover 14 Deflection suppression section 15 Edge support 111 Side wall 111a 1st side wall 111a-1 Exterior wall surface 111a-2,111b-1,141a Inner wall surface 111b 2nd side wall 112 Bottom wall 131 Top plate 131a Inside cover 132 Edge wall 132a First edge wall 132b Second edge wall 141 Suppression Wall 142 Restraining Rib 143 Reinforcing rib D11 Longitudinal direction D12 Width direction D13 Gutter depth direction F11 Pressing force W1 electric wire

Claims

1. a protector base formed in a trough shape having a pair of side walls opposed to each other with the electric wire sandwiched therebetween, and configured to house and protect the electric wire inside; a mounting clamp that protrudes from an outer wall surface of a first side wall of the pair of side walls of the protector base and is pressed against an object to be mounted and engaged therewith; a protector cover that covers a gutter opening in the protector base; a deflection suppressing portion that is provided on an inner cover surface of the protector cover facing the inside of the protector base so as to be positioned on an inner wall surface side of a protruding portion of the first side wall, the deflection suppressing portion being brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the first side wall that tends to deflect toward the inside of the protector base in reaction to the pressing of the mounting clamp against the mounting target, thereby suppressing the deflection of the first side wall; A protector comprising:

2. the protector cover has a band-shaped top plate portion covering the gutter opening with a width wider than the width dimension of the protector base, and a pair of edge wall portions erected on a pair of side edges of the top plate portion so as to follow the outer surface walls of the pair of side walls on the gutter opening side, The protector according to claim 1 , wherein the deflection suppressing portion is erected so as to sandwich the first side wall between itself and a first edge wall portion of the pair of edge wall portions that corresponds to the first side wall.

3. 3. The protector according to claim 2, wherein the deflection suppressing portion is provided on the inner surface of the cover so as to extend to a height higher than a height of the first edge wall portion from the inner surface of the cover.

4. The protector according to claim 1 , wherein the deflection suppressing portion has a suppression wall that faces the inner wall surface of the first side wall that tends to deflect toward the inside of the protector base.

5. The protector according to claim 4, characterized in that the deflection suppression portion has a suppression rib that is erected in a rib-like manner from the inner wall surface of the suppression wall facing opposite the first side wall to the inner surface of the cover, thereby further supporting the suppression wall from the inside.

6. the protector cover has a band-shaped top plate portion covering the gutter opening with a width wider than the width dimension of the protector base, and a pair of edge wall portions erected on a pair of side edges of the top plate portion so as to follow the outer surface walls of the pair of side walls on the gutter opening side, The protector described in claim 1, further comprising an edge support portion which is erected on the inner surface of the cover so as to sandwich the second side wall between the second edge wall portion corresponding to the second side wall facing the first side wall and cooperates with the second edge wall portion to support the gutter opening side of the second side wall.

7. 7. The protector according to claim 6, wherein the edge support portion is a wall portion erected on the inner surface of the cover so as to extend along the inner wall surface of the second side wall.

Images