Electric wire holding member

Abstract

To provide an electric wire holding member capable of suppressing sagging of a wired wiring harness, and suppressing interference with another member, and workability deterioration.SOLUTION: An electric wire holding member 1 is a member used by being wound around a wiring harness (for example, a bundle of a plurality of wires). The electric wire holding member 1 is constituted of a shape holding part 3, a buffer member 5 and the like. The shape holding part 3 at least partially has a metal member 7. When rounding or folding the shape holding part 3, a shape thereof can be maintained by plastically deforming the metal member 7. The buffer member 5 is arranged on one face of the shape holding part 3. The buffer member 5 is constituted of a flexible member, for example, is made of a foam resin such as a polyurethane foam having a cushioning property. The shape holding part 3 and the buffer member 5 are laminated and integrally connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire holding member for fixing and holding a wire harness disposed, for example, in an automobile.

Background Art

[0002] For example, a wire harness used in an automobile or the like is routed to a predetermined part of the vehicle body. For example, when routing a wire harness to overhead interior lighting or an interior microphone in the interior of the vehicle body, the wire harness may be placed on the roof trim and fixed along a predetermined routing path, and then roof-modularized and attached to the vehicle body.

[0003] For fixing such a wire harness, a method of fixing it to a roof trim (roof lining) using, for example, an aluminum tape or an adhesive sheet has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a wire harness 101 is routed to a roof trim 100. As described above, the wire harness 101 is routed to the roof trim 100 along a predetermined path, and the wire harness 101 is fixed to the roof trim 100 by a fixing member 103 such as a tape or an adhesive sheet at a predetermined position.

[0006] However, due to, for example, dimensional tolerances of the wire harness 101 (wire bundle) or variations in the work of assemblers, as shown in the figure, there is a possibility that a part of the wire harness 101 (part X and part Y in the figure) is set in a slack state. Such a slack part of the wire harness 101 may interfere with the edge of the roof trim 100, and there is a risk that the wire harness 101 may be damaged.

[0007] In addition, when the slack part of the wire harness 101 catches on the mounting hole of the roof trim 100, it may bite into the mounting part during assembly, which becomes a factor inhibiting the fixing work to the roof. Also, there is a concern that the slack part of the wire harness 101 may come into contact with other parts due to vehicle body vibration, becoming a source of noise. Since these states lead to a decrease in vehicle quality, it is desirable to make it possible to control the slack of the wire harness 101 even at the vehicle assembly plant, which is the final process.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a wire holding member that can suppress the slack of the routed wire harness and suppress interference with other members and deterioration of workability.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is a wire holding member used by being wound around a wire harness, comprising a shape holding part and a flexible buffer member disposed on one surface of the shape holding part, wherein the shape holding part has a metal member, and the shape is maintained by deforming the metal member. The wire holding member is characterized by this.

[0010] An adhesive layer may be provided on the other surface of the shape holding part, which is opposite to the buffer member.

[0011] The metal member may be a metal mesh.

[0012] The metal member may be a plurality of metal wires arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction.

[0013] The metal member may be a plurality of metal wires and may be arranged obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction.

[0014] The metal member may be a metal foil.

[0015] The buffer member may be a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0016] The buffer member may be a foamed resin.

[0017] The foamed resin is arranged in a part of the width direction of one surface of the shape-retaining portion, a fixing member to the installation target portion is arranged in another part of the width direction of one surface of the shape-retaining portion, and an adhesive layer may be provided on the other surface of the shape-retaining portion on the side opposite to the buffer member.

[0018] On the surface on the adhesive layer side, a mark indicating the position of the boundary may be arranged at a position corresponding to the boundary between the foamed resin and the fixing member.

[0019] According to the present invention, since it is a wire holding member in which metal members capable of holding a shape are laminated, it can be easily wound around the outer periphery of a wire harness to hold the shape. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of workability due to sagging of the wire harness. Further, since a flexible buffer member is laminated, it is possible to suppress the wire harness and the wire holding member from coming into contact with other members due to vibration and becoming a noise generation source.

[0020] Also, by providing an adhesive layer on the side opposite to the buffer member, it can be wound around the outer periphery of the wire harness and the wire holding member can be surely fixed to the wire harness by the adhesive layer. At this time, since the buffer member is arranged on the outermost periphery, it is possible to suppress the generation of noise due to vibration as described above.

[0021] Also, as the metal member, a metal mesh, a metal wire, a metal foil, etc. can be used. In any case, when the wire holding member is rounded or bent, its shape can be held.

[0022] In particular, by arranging the metal wire obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction, when the wire harness is arranged along the longitudinal direction and the wire holding member is rounded, the metal wire is arranged in a spiral shape around the wire harness. Therefore, the bendability of the wire holding member is improved, and the operation of bending the wire holding member becomes easy.

[0023] Also, if a hook-side surface fastener is used as the buffer member, the wire holding member can be easily fixed to the surface of, for example, a roof trim made of a fabric such as a non-woven fabric. Further, since the surface fastener has a predetermined thickness and some cushioning property due to the hook portion, it can also function as a buffer member.

[0024] Also, a foamed resin can be used as the buffer member. In this case, since the buffer member has sufficient cushioning property, the generation of noise due to vibration can be efficiently suppressed.

[0025] Also, by arranging the foamed resin in a part in the width direction on the surface on which the buffer member is arranged, the generation of noise at that position can be surely suppressed. On the other hand, by arranging a fixing member to a roof trim or the like in the remaining part in the width direction, the wire holding member can be easily fixed to the fixing target. At this time, when fixed to the fixing target by the fixing member, the foamed resin is exposed on the outer surface, so that the noise generation suppressing effect can be obtained.

[0026] Also, by making it possible to grasp the boundary between the foamed resin and the fixing member from the adhesive layer side, the wire harness is arranged at that mark and folded, so that the foamed resin can be arranged on one surface and the fixing member can be arranged on the other surface.

Advantages of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wire holding member that suppresses sagging of the routed wire harness and suppresses interference with other members and deterioration of workability.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of the wire holding member 1. The wire holding member 1 is a member that is used by being wound around a wire harness (for example, a bundle of a plurality of electric wires).

[0030] The wire holding member 1 is composed of a shape holding portion 3, a buffer member 5, etc. The shape holding portion 3 has a metal member 7 in at least a part of its interior.

[0031] Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the shape retention portion 3. In the present embodiment, the metal member 7 is a metal mesh in which metal wires are woven in a lattice pattern, and the shape retention portion 3 is covered with a flexible resin 9 such as silicon or elastomer. By covering the metal member 7 with the resin 9, the metal member 7 is not exposed on the outer surface, damage to the wire harness or the attachment portion by the metal member 7 is suppressed, and the handleability is also improved. Further, since the resin 9 is flexible, the shape retention portion 3 can be easily deformed.

[0032] Note that the metal member 7 is composed of metal wires having a thickness of about 0.2 to 0.3 mm, for example. By doing so, it can be easily cut and used. Further, when the shape retention portion 3 is rounded or bent, its shape can be maintained by the plastic deformation of the metal member 7.

[0033] A buffer member 5 is disposed on one surface of the shape retention portion 3. The buffer member 5 is composed of a flexible member and is made of a foamed resin such as urethane foam having cushioning properties, for example. The shape retention portion 3 and the buffer member 5 are laminated and integrally joined by adhesion or the like.

[0034] Next, a method of using the wire holding member 1 will be described. FIG. 3(a) is a view showing a wire harness 11. As shown in the figure, the wire harness 11 is a bundle of a plurality of electric wires.

[0035] FIG. 3(b) is a view showing a state in which the wire holding member 1 is wound around and attached to the wire harness 11, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3(b). By arranging the wire holding member 1 along the wire harness 11 and winding the wire holding member 1 around the wire harness 11 so that the buffer member 5 faces outward, the internal wire harness 11 can be covered with the wire holding member 1. In use, the direction along the longitudinal direction of the wire harness 11 is defined as the longitudinal direction of the wire holding member 1, and the direction orthogonal thereto and wound around the wire harness 11 is defined as the width direction of the wire holding member 1.

[0036] When the wire holding member 1 is wound around the outer periphery of the wire harness 11, as described above, the shape holding portion 3 can freely deform and maintain the deformed state. Therefore, the wire holding member 1 maintains its form in a state of being wound around the wire harness 11.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state in which the wire harness 11 with the wire holding member 1 partially attached is fixed to the roof trim 13. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the installation target of the wire harness 11 is the roof trim 13. However, if it is a part of the vehicle body such as a roof lining, the installation target is not particularly limited.

[0038] As described above, the wire harness 11 is routed along a predetermined path. At this time, the wire holding member 1 is arranged at a portion where sagging is likely to occur or at a portion where problems are likely to occur due to sagging. Since the wire holding member 1 can be deformed into an arbitrary shape such as a straight state or a bent state and maintain its shape, it can be arranged in a shape along the routing path of the wire harness 11.

[0039] Note that the wire holding member 1 is partially fixed to the roof trim 13 by a fixing member 15 such as a tape. Here, the buffer member 5 may be a hook-and-loop fastener for fixing to the roof trim 13. When the hook side (so-called male side) of the hook-and-loop fastener is used as the buffer member 5, for an installation target such as the roof trim 13 or the roof lining, where the interior lining is formed of a fabric such as a non-woven fabric, the buffer member 5 itself can be used as a fixing member.

[0040] Even in this case, since the hook-and-loop fastener has a predetermined thickness and flexibility (cushioning property) corresponding to the height of the hooks of the hook-and-loop fastener, it can function as a buffer member for absorbing vibrations and the like. Note that the buffer member 5 may be a laminate in which a hook-and-loop fastener is further laminated on the surface of the above-described foamed resin.

[0041] Here, the total thickness of the wire holding member 1 is desirably 5 mm or more. If the thickness of the wire holding member 1 is too thin, it becomes difficult to notice when the wire holding member 1 bites during assembly. That is, by setting the thickness of the wire holding member 1 to 5 mm or more, it becomes easy to detect the presence or absence of the biting of the wire holding member 1 during the assembly work.

[0042] As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the wire holding member 1 having the shape holding portion 3 is attached to a predetermined portion of the wire harness 11 and fixed to the installation target, it is possible to suppress sagging of the wire harness 11 at the said portion. Further, it can be easily fixed around the wire harness 11 by the shape holding portion 3, and the shape can be deformed along the shape of an arbitrary path. For this reason, the wire harness 11 can be arranged more reliably along the path.

[0043] Further, since the shape holding portion 3 holds the shape by the metal member 7, the structure is simple, and since the metal member 7 is covered with the resin 9, the metal member 7 is not exposed to the outside, contact between the wire harness 11 or the like and the metal member 7 is suppressed, and the handleability is also easy.

[0044] Further, since the buffer member 5 is arranged on the outermost layer, it is possible to absorb impact sounds and rubbing sounds due to vibration and suppress the generation of noise. In particular, by using a foamed resin as the buffer member 5, sufficient cushioning properties can be obtained, and thus a greater effect can be obtained. On the other hand, if a hook-and-loop fastener is used as the buffer member 5, it is easy to fix to the roof trim 13 or the like.

[0045] Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the wire holding member 1a. In the following description, components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 5, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0046] The wire holding member 1a has substantially the same configuration as the wire holding member 1, but is different in that an adhesive layer 17 is provided. As described above, a buffer member 5 is laminated on one surface of the shape holding portion 3. Further, an adhesive layer 17 is provided on the other surface of the shape holding portion 3, which is opposite to the buffer member 5.

[0047] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the wire holding member 1a is wound around the wire harness 11. When the wire holding member 1a is wound around the outer periphery of the wire harness 11 with the adhesive layer 17 on the inner peripheral side, the wire holding member 1a adheres to the outer periphery of the wire harness 11 by the adhesive layer 17. Therefore, in combination with the shape holding effect by the shape holding portion 3, the adhesive layer 17 can suppress the opening of the wire holding member 1a and the like.

[0048] According to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, the adhesive layer 17 can more reliably fix the wire holding member 1a to the outer periphery of the wire harness 11, and can suppress the displacement and opening of the wire holding member 1a with respect to the wire harness 11.

[0049] Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the wire holding member 1b. The wire holding member 1b has substantially the same configuration as the wire holding member 1a, but the buffer member 5 laminated on the shape holding portion 3 is arranged at a position approximately half of the width direction of the wire holding member 1a, and the fixing member 19 is arranged in the other half of the width direction, which is different.

[0050] Here, the buffer member 5 is, for example, a foamed resin, and the fixing member 19 is a member that can be fixed to the installation target, such as an adhesive or a hook-and-loop fastener. That is, in the wire holding member 1b, the foamed resin is arranged in a part of the width direction of one surface of the shape holding portion 3, and the fixing member 19 to the installation target portion is arranged in the other part of the width direction of one surface of the shape holding portion 3. An adhesive layer 17 is provided on the other surface of the shape holding portion 3, which is opposite to the buffer member 5 and the fixing member 19.

[0051] In addition, in Fig. 8, the buffer member 5 and the fixing member 19 are shown with the same thickness, but the thickness of the buffer member 5 may be increased. Also, as described above, the hook-and-loop fastener is assumed to function as a buffer member, but in this embodiment, it is desirable that the buffer member 5 is a foamed resin that is thicker than the hook-and-loop fastener and has a greater compression deformation ability. That is, the wire holding member 1b includes a case where a foamed resin (buffer member 5) is disposed on one side in the width direction and a hook-and-loop fastener (fixing member 19) is disposed on the other side in the width direction on one surface of the shape holding portion 3.

[0052] Fig. 9(a) is a view seen from the adhesive layer 17 side of the wire holding member 1b. A mark 21 is provided along the longitudinal direction substantially at the center in the width direction of the wire holding member 1b. As described above, on the side opposite to the adhesive layer 17 of the shape holding portion 3, the buffer member 5 and the fixing member 19 are disposed with the substantially center in the width direction as a boundary. That is, at a position corresponding to the boundary between the buffer member 5 and the fixing member 19 in the adhesive layer 17, a mark 21 indicating the position of the boundary is disposed and is visible from the side of the adhesive layer 17.

[0053] Next, a method of using the wire holding member 1b will be described. As shown in Fig. 9(b), the wire harness 11 is disposed on the adhesive layer 17 side of the wire holding member 1b along the mark 21. In this state, as shown in Fig. 9(c), the wire holding member 1b is wound around the outer periphery of the wire harness 11.

[0054] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 9(c). In this embodiment, instead of spirally disposing the wire holding member around the outer periphery of the wire harness 11 so that a part of the end portions in the width direction overlap (see Figs. 4 and 7), the surplus portion (end portion in the width direction) generated by winding around the wire harness 11 is adhered so that the adhesive layers 17 face each other. That is, on the outer surface side of the wire holding member 1b disposed on the outer periphery of the wire harness 11, the entire buffer member 5 and the fixing member 19 are exposed.

[0055] As described above, the buffer member 5 is disposed in approximately half of the width direction of the wire holding member 1b, and the fixing member 19 is disposed in the other approximately half. Therefore, as shown in the drawing, it is divided into a portion where the buffer member 5 is exposed and a portion where the fixing member 19 is exposed with a center line (the center line that divides in the vertical direction in FIG. 10) connecting the approximate center of the wire harness 11 and the bonding surfaces of the end portions in the width direction as a boundary.

[0056] In this case, by routing the wire harness 11 so that the fixing member 19 side contacts the installation target portion, the wire holding member 1b is fixed to the installation target by the fixing member 19, and the portion exposed on the outer surface of the wire holding member 1b is covered by the buffer member 5. Therefore, generation of noise and the like can be efficiently suppressed.

[0057] According to the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be obtained. Further, since the fixing member 19 is located on the facing surface with the installation target, the wire holding member 1b can be easily fixed to the installation target. Further, since the buffer member 5 is exposed on substantially the entire outer peripheral surface side, generation of noise due to interference with other members or the like can be suppressed.

[0058] In addition, since the arrangement portion when arranging the wire harness 11 can be grasped by the mark 21, when the wire holding member 1b is wound around the outer periphery of the wire harness 11, the positions of the end portions in the width direction can be easily aligned. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the arrangements of the buffer member 5 and the fixing member 19.

[0059] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiments. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can conceive various modification examples or correction examples within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that those also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0060] For example, in the above-described embodiment, a metal mesh was used as the metal member 7, but it is not limited thereto, and a metal foil (including a sheet) may be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 11(a), the metal member 7 may be a plurality of metal wires and may be arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction. In this case, since there is no shape-retaining function with respect to the winding direction of the wire harness 11, an adhesive layer 17 is provided to maintain the wound state, and at a portion where the wiring path of the wire harness 11 is bent, the shape can be maintained by the bending of the metal wires.

[0061] Further, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the metal member 7 may be a plurality of metal wires and may be arranged obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction. In this case, when the wire holding member is wound around the outer periphery of the wire harness 11, the metal wires are arranged in a spiral shape with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wire harness 11. By doing so, the bendability of the wire holding member is improved, and it becomes easy to bend the wire holding member.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0062] 1, 1a, 1b………Wire holding member 3………Shape-retaining portion 5………Buffer member 7………Metal member 9………Resin 11………Wire harness 13………Roof trim 15………Fixing member 17………Adhesive layer 19………Fixing member 21………Mark 100………Roof trim 101………Wire harness 103………Fixing member

Claims

1. An electric wire holding member used by being wound around a wire harness, a shape holding part, a flexible buffer member disposed on one surface of the shape holding part, and comprising: The shape holding part has a metal member, and the shape is maintained by deforming the metal member. The electric wire holding member is characterized by this.

2. The electric wire holding member according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive layer is provided on the other surface of the shape holding part, which is on the side opposite to the buffer member.

3. The electric wire holding member according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is a metal mesh.

4. The electric wire holding member according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is a plurality of metal wires and is arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction.

5. The electric wire holding member according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is a plurality of metal wires and is arranged obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction.

6. The electric wire holding member according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is a metal foil.

7. The electric wire holding member according to claim 1, wherein the buffer member is a hook-and-loop fastener.

8. The electric wire holding member according to claim 1, wherein the buffer member is a foamed resin.

9. The foamed resin is disposed on a part in the width direction of one surface of the shape holding part, a fixing member to the installation target part is disposed on another part in the width direction of one surface of the shape holding part, and an adhesive layer is provided on the other surface of the shape holding part, which is on the side opposite to the buffer member. The electric wire holding member according to claim 8 is characterized by this.

10. The wire holding member according to claim 9, wherein on the surface on the adhesive layer side, a mark indicating the position of the boundary is disposed at a position corresponding to the boundary between the foamed resin and the fixing member.

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