Wire harness

Abstract

To provide a wire harness that enables appropriate routing of routing members.SOLUTION: A wire harness 1 includes a plurality of conductive routing members 10, and a molded component 20 that is provided integrally with a branch portion WB at which the plurality of routing members 10 branch, and that covers the branch portion WB externally. The wire harness 1 can hold the position of the routing members 10 in an appropriate state by fixing the position of the branch portion WB with the molded component 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a wire harness in which a tape is wound around a branch portion where a branch wire branches off from a main line.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the wire harness described in Patent Document 1 above, by winding the tape obliquely and crossing it at the branch portion, the main line and the branch wire located at the branch portion can be routed in an appropriate state. However, a configuration that can more appropriately route the wiring material in a simpler manner is desired.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a wire harness capable of appropriately routing a wiring material.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a wire harness according to the present invention includes a plurality of wiring materials having conductivity, and a molded member provided integrally with a branch portion where the plurality of wiring materials branch, and covering the branch portion from the outside.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] The wire harness according to the present invention has an effect of being able to appropriately route a wiring material. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [First embodiment] The wire harness 1 shown in Figure 1 is, for example, a collection of multiple wiring materials 10 used for power supply and signal communication, bundled together to form an assembly component for connecting various devices installed in a vehicle, and the multiple wiring materials 10 are connected to each device using connectors or the like.

[0011] The wire harness 1 is formed with a branch portion WB where some of the wiring materials 10 branch off from a plurality of wiring materials 10. The wire harness 1 of this embodiment has a molded member 20 integrally provided at the branch portion WB, and the molded member 20 fixes the position of the branch portion WB, thereby realizing a configuration that allows the wiring materials 10 to be properly routed. The configuration of the wire harness 1 will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

[0012] In the following description, among the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction that intersect each other, the first direction is referred to as the "length direction X", the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y", and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z". Here, the length direction X, the width direction Y, and the height direction Z are orthogonal to each other. Further, the length direction X shown in FIG. 2 typically corresponds to the extending direction (axial direction) of the wiring member 10. Also, the width direction Y shown in FIG. 2 corresponds to the width direction of the mold forming member 20, and the height direction Z corresponds to the thickness direction of the mold forming member 20.

[0013] In addition, the wire harness 1 may further include various components such as corrugated tubes, exterior members such as protectors, electrical connection boxes, and fixtures.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness 1 includes a plurality of wiring members 10 having conductivity and a mold forming member 20.

[0015] <Wiring member> The wiring member 10 is wired in a vehicle and electrically connects each device. The wiring member 10 of the present embodiment is an insulated wire including a conductive conductor part (core wire) and an insulating coating part, and the conductor part is coated with the insulating coating part. The conductor part here is a stranded wire formed by twisting a plurality of conductive strands. Also, the insulating coating part is formed, for example, by extrusion molding an insulating resin material (such as PP, PVC, cross-linked PE, etc., appropriately selected in consideration of abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance, etc.). Note that the conductor part may be a bundle of a plurality of strands.

[0016] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of wiring members 10 applied to the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment are configured to include a main line W1 and branch lines W2 branching from the main line W1. The main line W1 here is a bundle of the plurality of wiring members 10. The branch line W2 is a bundle of some of the wiring members 10 that branch from the main line W1 via a branch portion WB. As shown in FIG. 1, three branch lines W2 are provided in the present embodiment, and are respectively routed in directions different from the extending direction of the main line W1 by bending from the branch portion WB.

[0017] <Molded member> The molded member 20 is an exterior member for the wiring member 10, and can cover and protect the wiring member 10 by inserting the wiring member 10 therethrough. Here, as described above, the molded member 20 covers and protects the branch portion WB in the plurality of wiring members 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the molded member 20 of the present embodiment is formed in a substantially circular cross-sectional shape (the cross-sectional shape in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the wiring member 10), and is provided around the plurality of wiring members 10 bundled in a bundle.

[0018] Further, the molded member 20 is formed of, for example, a resin material having insulating properties (such as rubber or thermoplastic elastomer). Therefore, the molded member 20 can be integrally provided with the wiring member 10 by being molded by a predetermined mold, and can cover a part of the section of the wiring member 10 from the outside.

[0019] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the molded member 20 of the present embodiment includes a main line mold portion 21 and a branch line mold portion 22 formed to protrude from the main line mold portion 21.

[0020] The trunk mold part 21 is a part that can protect the cable material 10 constituting the trunk W1 by inserting the trunk W1 therein, and is a part that can protect the branch part WB where the branch line W2 branches from the trunk W1. As shown in FIG. 1, the trunk mold part 21 is formed in a shape corresponding to the routing shape of the trunk W1, and here it is formed in a straight line. And the trunk mold part 21 is provided integrally with the cable material 10 inserted therein, and by covering the cable material 10 from the outside, the position of the trunk W1 can be fixed.

[0021] The branch line mold part 22 is a part that can protect the cable material 10 constituting the branch line W2 by inserting the branch line W2 therein. As shown in FIG. 1, the branch line mold part 22 is formed in a straight line. And the branch line mold part 22 is provided integrally with the cable material 10 inserted therein, and by covering the cable material 10 from the outside, the position of the branch line W2 can be fixed.

[0022] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, three branch line mold parts 22 are provided corresponding to the number of branch lines W2. Further, the branch line mold parts 22 are formed integrally with the trunk mold part 21 and project in different directions from the side of the trunk mold part 21. Therefore, the molded member 20 of the present embodiment can collectively cover a partial section of the trunk W1, the branch part WB where the branch line W2 branches from the trunk W1, and a partial section of the branch line W2 from the outside, so that the position of the branch line W2 with respect to the trunk W1 can be maintained in an appropriate state. Therefore, the molded member 20 can properly route the cable material 10.

[0023] Next, a manufacturing method of the wire harness 1 configured as described above will be described.

[0024] The manufacturing method of the wire harness 1 includes an arranging step and a molding step. The arranging step here refers to the step of arranging a plurality of wire routing members 10 in a predetermined mold. The molding step is a step of injection molding (mold molding) a mold molding member 20 around the plurality of wire routing members 10 arranged in the mold. Note that the manufacturing method of this wire harness will be described as being automatically performed by various manufacturing apparatuses.

[0025] Specifically, first, as the arranging step, a partial section of the wire routing member 10 (the branching portion WB in this embodiment) is arranged in the mold. At this time, the mold is composed of two molds, a lower mold and an upper mold, and the shape of the mold is determined in accordance with the shape of a preset wire routing path. Then, when the branching portion WB is arranged inside the molding portion of the lower mold, by combining the lower mold and the upper mold, the branching portion WB is arranged in a cavity portion formed by the molding portion of the lower mold and the molding portion of the upper mold.

[0026] Then, as a molding process, the molten resin material is injected into the cavity. At this time, the branch portion WB is covered from the outside by the lower mold and the upper mold. Then, when the molten resin material is injected from the nozzle of the injection device, the resin material fills the inside (cavity) of the mold. Then, by curing the resin material filled in the cavity, the mold molding member 20 is injection molded (mold molded) so as to cover the outside of the branch portion WB disposed in the cavity. Therefore, the wire harness 1 manufactured by the manufacturing method described above injects the resin material into a mold formed in accordance with the shape of a preset wiring path, so that the mold molding member 20 can be integrally provided around the branch portion WB disposed inside the mold. Further, the wire harness 1 can properly route the wiring material 10 by fixing the position of the branch portion WB by the mold molding member 20 and keeping the position of the branch wire W2 with respect to the main wire W1 in an appropriate state. Further, the wire harness 1 manufactured by the manufacturing method described above can fix the position of the branch portion WB without using a bundling member such as a tape. Therefore, the wire harness 1 can be manufactured without performing post-processes such as tape winding. Furthermore, the wire harness 1 manufactured by the manufacturing method described above forms the mold molding member 20 by injection molding (mold molding) instead of extrusion molding, and by aligning the lower mold and the upper mold on the jig plate, various specifications of the mold molding member 20 can be directly provided for the wiring material 10. Therefore, the wire harness 1 does not need to manually assemble a protection member such as a protector and can be automatically manufactured by various manufacturing apparatuses. Therefore, the wire harness 1 manufactured by the manufacturing method described above has good manufacturing efficiency and can contribute to the automation of the manufacturing process by performing injection molding (mold molding) on the jig plate.

[0027] The wire harness 1 described above includes a plurality of wiring materials 10 having conductivity, and a mold molding member 20 that is provided integrally with a branch portion WB where the plurality of wiring materials 10 branch and that covers the branch portion WB from the outside.

[0028] According to such a configuration, in the wire harness 1, since the molding member 20 is provided at the branching portion WB where the plurality of wiring members 10 branch, for example, the plurality of wiring members 10 can be bundled together by the molding member 20 without using a bundling member such as a tape. Further, in the wire harness 1, by fixing the position of the branching portion WB with the molding member 20, the position of the wiring member 10 can be maintained in an appropriate state. Further, the wire harness 1 is configured by the molding member 20 formed by injection molding (molding) the exterior member for the wiring member 10, so that molding members 20 of various specifications can be provided for the wiring member 10. Therefore, the wire harness 1 can route the wiring member 10 more appropriately.

[0029] [Second Embodiment] Next, the wire harness 1A according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be described. The wire harness 1A is different from the wire harness 1 in terms of the configuration of the molding member 20. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the first embodiment, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0030] Specifically, the wire harness 1A is different from the wire harness 1 in that a slit 30A is formed in the molding member 20A.

[0031] The slit 30A is a groove formed from the outer surface 20SA side of the mold molding member 20A toward the side where the wiring material 10 is located. Since a plurality of wiring materials 10 are arranged inside the mold molding member 20A, the slit 30A formed in the mold molding member 20A is formed from the outside to the inside of the mold molding member 20A. Further, the depth of the slit 30A from the outer surface 20SA of the mold molding member 20A to the bottom of the slit 30A is shallower than the depth from the outer surface 20SA of the mold molding member 20A to the position where the wiring material 10 is arranged. That is, the plurality of wiring materials 10 arranged inside the mold molding member 20A are arranged at a position deeper from the outer surface 20SA of the mold molding member 20A than the depth from the outer surface 20SA of the mold molding member 20A to the bottom of the slit 30A. Therefore, the mold molding member 20A of the present embodiment becomes thinner by forming the slit 30A on the outer surface 20SA side, and its outer shape becomes smaller in diameter. Thus, when an operator or the like applies force when wiring the wire harness 1 onto the vehicle, it is likely to bend in a predetermined direction. Accordingly, the wire harness 1 of the present embodiment can more appropriately route the wiring material 10 by fixing the position of the branch portion WB where the mold molding member 20A is integrally provided and bending the branch wire W2 branching from the branch portion WB in accordance with the shape of the routing path of the preset wiring material 10.

[0032] 3, the slit 30A in this embodiment is located at the center of three branch wire molded sections 22 protruding from near the center of the trunk wire molded section 21, and is formed in a root portion 22r of the branch wire molded section 22 (a portion where the branch wire molded section 22 is connected to the trunk wire molded section 21) perpendicular to the extending direction D1 of the trunk wire molded section 21. The slits 30A are formed on both sides of the wiring material 10 located inside the molded member 20A, and the slits 30A on both sides of the wiring material 10 are formed at the same position in the extending direction D2 of the branch wire molded section 22. The slits 30A on both sides of the wiring material 10 are formed in an area narrower than half the circumference of a circle centered on the axis of the branch wire molded section 22, i.e., an area narrower than approximately 180°, when viewed from the extending direction of the wiring material 10. Therefore, the slits 30A formed in the root portion 22r of the branch wire mold portion 22 are formed at positions that do not overlap with each other in the circumferential direction of the branch wire mold portion 22.

[0033] Therefore, the molded member 20A configured as described above is integral with the main wire W1 and the branch wire W2 located at the branch portion WB, and the branch wire molded portion 22 that covers the branch wire W2 from the outside has the slit 30A formed therein, thereby making it easier to bend the branch wire molded portion 22 in any direction. Furthermore, the molded member 20A has the slit 30A formed in the base portion 22r of the branch wire molded portion 22, making it easier to bend the branch wire molded portion 22 from its base, thereby making it easier to adjust the orientation of the branch wire molded portion 22. Therefore, when the wire harness 1A of this embodiment is routed on a vehicle, the branch wire W2 branching from the branch portion WB can be bent to match the shape of a predetermined routing path for the wiring material 10 while fixing the position of the branch portion WB that is integral with the molded member 20A, thereby enabling the wiring material 10 to be routed more appropriately.

[0034] [Third embodiment] Next, a wire harness 1B according to a second embodiment shown in Fig. 4 will be described. The wire harness 1B differs from the wire harness 1 described above in the configuration of the molded member 20, and differs from the wire harness 1A described above in the configuration of the slit 30A. In the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0035] Specifically, wire harness 1B differs from wire harness 1 in that slits 30B are formed in molded member 20B, and differs from wire harness 1A in that the number and positions of slits 30B are different.

[0036] The slits 30B are grooves formed from the outer surface 20SB of the molded member 20B toward the side where the wiring material 10 is located. As shown in FIG. 4, the slits 30B are formed in each of the three branch wire molded portions 22 protruding from near the center of the main wire molded portion 21. The slits 30B are formed at intervals along the extending direction D2 of each branch wire molded portion 22. The slits 30B are formed on both sides of the wiring material 10 located inside the molded member 20B, and the slits 30B on both sides of the wiring material 10 are alternately arranged along the extending direction D2 of each branch wire molded portion 22, so that they are formed at different positions in the extending direction D2 of each branch wire molded portion 22. The slits 30B on both sides of the wiring material 10 are formed at positions that do not overlap each other in the circumferential direction of the branch wire molded portion 22, similar to the slits 30A described above.

[0037] Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the slits 30B are arranged at equal intervals along the extending direction D2 of each branch line mold portion 22. Therefore, among the pair of slits 30B provided on both sides with the wiring material 10 interposed therebetween, the intervals of the slits 30B provided on one side are set to the same length from the proximal end side to the distal end side of the branch line mold portion 22. Similarly, among the pair of slits 30B provided on both sides with the wiring material 10 interposed therebetween, the intervals of the slits 30B provided on the other side are set to the same length from the proximal end side to the distal end side of the branch line mold portion 22.

[0038] Therefore, in the mold forming member 20B configured as described above, by forming the slits 30B in each of the branch line mold portions 22, each branch line mold portion 22 can be easily bent in an arbitrary direction. Furthermore, more specifically, in the mold forming member 20B, since a plurality of slits 30B are formed at intervals along the extending direction D2 of each branch line mold portion 22, the branch line mold portion 22 can be easily bent as a whole, and thereby, the orientation of the branch line mold portion 22 can be more easily adjusted. Furthermore, more specifically, in the mold forming member 20B, since the slits 30B are provided on both sides with the wiring material W interposed therebetween and are provided alternately along the extending direction D2 of each branch line mold portion 22, the branch line mold portion 22 can be easily bent in a plurality of directions, and thereby, the orientation of the branch line mold portion 22 can be more easily adjusted. Therefore, when the wire harness 1B of the present embodiment is routed on a vehicle, while fixing the position of the branch portion WB in which the mold forming member 20B is integrally provided, the branch line W2 branching from the branch portion WB can be bent in accordance with the shape of the routing path of the preset wiring material 10, and thereby, the wiring material 10 can be routed more appropriately.

[0039] [Modification of the Third Embodiment] In addition, in the above-described third embodiment, the form in which the intervals between the slits 30B provided in the branch line mold portion 22 are the same has been described. However, the intervals do not necessarily have to be set to the same length from the proximal end side to the distal end side of the branch line mold portion 22.

[0040] For example, the slit 30C of the mold forming member 20C shown in FIG. 5 is a groove formed from the outer surface 20SC side of the mold forming member 20C toward the side where the wiring material 10 is located. Similar to the slit 30B described above, the slit 30C is formed in each of the three branch line mold parts 22 protruding from the trunk line mold part 21, and a plurality of slits 30C are formed at intervals along the extending direction D2 of each branch line mold part 22. Further, similar to the slit 30B described above, the slit 30C is formed on both sides sandwiching the wiring material 10 located inside the mold forming member 20C, and the slits 30C on both sides sandwiching the wiring material 10 are provided alternately along the extending direction D2 of the branch line mold part 22, so that they are formed at different positions in the extending direction D2 of the branch line mold part 22. Further, the slits 30C are arranged at different intervals along the extending direction D2 of the branch line mold part 22, and the intervals between the slits 30C are set to gradually decrease from the base end side to the tip end side of the branch line mold part 22. Therefore, the mold forming member 20C can be gradually made easier to bend from the base end side to the tip end side of the branch line mold part 22. Further, the mold forming member 20C can suppress damage to the root portion 22r of the branch line mold part 22 where the slit 30C is not provided from being excessively bent by making the base end side of the branch line mold part 22 difficult to bend. Therefore, when the wire harness 1C of the present embodiment is routed on a vehicle, while fixing the position of the branch portion WB where the mold forming member 20C is integrally provided, the branch line W2 branching from the branch portion WB can be bent in accordance with the shape of the routing path of the preset wiring material 10, whereby the wiring material 10 can be routed more appropriately.

[0041] Note that the wire harnesses 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C according to the embodiments of the present invention described above are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope described in the claims.

[0042] For example, the range of the wiring material 10 covered by the mold forming member 20 is not particularly limited.

[0043] Also, the wiring material 10 may be composed of only the main line W1, and the branch portion WB may be a portion where a plurality of main lines W1 branch (or intersect). Further, the main line W1 may extend linearly as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, or may be bent.

[0044] Also, the number of branch lines W2 branching from the main line W1 via the branch portion WB is not particularly limited. Also, the number of branch line mold portions 22 included in the mold molding member 20 is not particularly limited.

[0045] Also, the number of slits formed in the mold molding member 20 is not particularly limited.

[0046] Also, the position of the slit formed in the mold molding member 20 is not particularly limited.

[0047] Also, the wire harnesses 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C according to the present embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the embodiments described above.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0048] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C Wire harness 10 Wiring material 20, 2OA, 2OB, 2OC Mold molding member 20SA, 20SB, 20SC Outer surface of the mold molding member 21 Main line mold portion 22 Branch line mold portion 22r Root portion of the branch line mold portion 30A, 30B, 30C Slit D1 Extension direction of the main line mold portion D2 Extension direction of the branch line mold portion W1 Main line W2 Branch line WB Branch portion X Length direction Y Width direction Z Height direction

Claims

1. A plurality of conductive cable materials, characterized in that it comprises a molding member provided integrally with a branch portion where the plurality of cable materials branch, and covering the branch portion from the outside. A wire harness.

2. The molding member has a slit formed from the outer surface side toward the side where the cable material is located. The wire harness according to Claim 1.

3. The plurality of cable materials include a main line and branch lines branching from the main line through a branch portion. The molding member is provided integrally with the main line and the branch lines located at the branch portion. The slit is formed in a branch line molding portion that covers the branch line from the outside. The wire harness according to Claim 2.

4. The slit is formed at the root portion of the branch line molding portion. The wire harness according to Claim 3.

5. A plurality of slits are formed at intervals along the extending direction of the branch line molding portion. The wire harness according to Claim 3.

6. The slit is formed on both sides sandwiching the cable material located inside the molding member. The slits on both sides sandwiching the cable material are provided alternately along the extending direction of the branch line molding portion. The wire harness according to Claim 5.

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