Wire harness and method for producing wire harness

Abstract

To provide a wire harness and a method for producing the wire harness, which enable assembly of the wire harness by omitting a grommet mounting operation on a routing member.SOLUTION: A wire harness WH includes a plurality of conductive routing members W, and a grommet 1 that covers the routing members W and is provided integrally with the routing members W as a molded component. At the time of assembling the wire harness WH, it is not necessary to attach the grommet 1 to the routing members W, and the wire harness WH can be manufactured by omitting a mounting operation of the grommet to the routing members W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness and a method for manufacturing a wire harness.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a wire harness, a wire harness in which a grommet is attached to the outer periphery of a wiring material is known. When this wire harness is routed through a panel, a grommet is disposed at the penetration position of the panel to perform water stop, sound insulation, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When assembling this type of wire harness, it is necessary to expand the diameter of the grommet when attaching the grommet to a wiring material such as an electric wire. For example, a grommet is expanded using an opening / closing device, and the attachment work to the wiring material is performed. In order to efficiently assemble the wire harness, improvement of such attachment work of the grommet to the wiring material is required.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness and a method for manufacturing a wire harness that can assemble the wire harness by omitting the attachment work of the grommet to the wiring material.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] That is, the wire harness according to the present invention is configured to include a plurality of wiring materials having conductivity and a grommet provided integrally with the wiring materials as a covering member for covering the plurality of wiring materials.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] The wire harness and the method for manufacturing the wire harness according to the present invention can assemble the wire harness by omitting the work of attaching grommets to the wiring material.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited by this embodiment. In addition, the components in the following embodiments include those that can be replaced by those skilled in the art and are easy to replace, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment is routed in a vehicle and electrically connects between devices, components, etc. mounted on the vehicle. The wire harness WH is configured to include a wiring material W and a grommet 1. The wire harness WH may further include various components such as a corrugated tube, a resin tape, an exterior member such as a protector, an electrical connection box, and a fixture.

[0011] The wiring material W is a linear member having conductivity and is composed of, for example, a metal bar, an electric wire, or the like. The metal bar is a rod-shaped member having conductivity. The electric wire is a conductor member (core wire) composed of a plurality of metal strands having conductivity. Note that the wiring material W may be covered with a covering portion having insulating properties. A plurality of wiring materials W are provided and arranged in the same direction (extending direction X). For example, the wiring material W is used with connection components such as terminals and connectors attached to its ends.

[0012] The grommet 1 is a member that covers the wiring material W and is provided integrally with the wiring material W, and functions as an exterior member that covers the outer periphery of the wiring material W. The grommet 1 is provided in direct contact with a plurality of wiring materials W. For example, the grommet 1 is attached to a panel through which the wiring material W passes, protects the wiring material W, and performs water stop, vibration prevention, or sound insulation. The grommet 1 is formed of a molding material having elasticity and insulating properties, and is formed of, for example, resin, rubber, elastomer, or the like. The grommet 1 is integrally provided around a plurality of wiring materials W so as to cover the plurality of wiring materials W by mold molding of this molding material. Therefore, the wire harness WH can be manufactured without performing an operation of attaching the grommet 1 to the wiring material W using an opening / closing device or the like during the assembly of the wire harness WH.

[0013] The grommet 1 has, for example, a mounting portion 11 that is attached to a panel. The mounting portion 11 is fitted into a mounting hole formed in the panel. The mounting portion 11 is formed to be tapered, for example, toward the mounting tip portion 11A.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 2, the plurality of wire harnesses W are arranged radially apart from each other in the region covered by the grommet 1. The distance between the wire harnesses W is set to a distance into which the grommet 1 can enter. That is, the distance between the wire harnesses W is a distance into which the molding material of the grommet 1 enters and fills between the wire harnesses W when the grommet 1 is molded. For example, the distance between the wire harnesses W is set to a distance equal to or greater than the radius or diameter of the wire harness W. Here, the distance between the wire harnesses W is the average distance between the wire harnesses W. Therefore, if the average distance between the wire harnesses W is a predetermined distance, the wire harnesses W may be partially in contact with each other.

[0015] In such a wire harness WH, since the grommet 1 is provided integrally with the plurality of wire harnesses W, the operation of inserting the wire harness W into the grommet 1 or attaching the grommet 1 to the wire harness W during the assembly of the wire harness WH becomes unnecessary, and this operation can be omitted. Therefore, the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment can manufacture the wire harness WH by omitting the operation of assembling the grommet to the wire harness W. Accordingly, it is possible to efficiently manufacture the wire harness WH.

[0016] Also, in the wire harness WH, the grommet 1 is provided in direct contact with the plurality of wire harnesses W. Therefore, there is no need to install other components between the wire harness W and the grommet 1. Accordingly, the wire harness WH can be manufactured at low cost, and the manufacturing cost can also be reduced. Further, the wire harness WH can block water between the wire harnesses W by the grommet 1.

[0017] Furthermore, in the wire harness WH, the wire harnesses W are arranged radially apart from each other in the region covered by the grommet 1, and the grommet 1 can easily enter the gaps between the plurality of wire harnesses W. Therefore, the wire harness WH can enhance the water blocking property between the wire harnesses W by the grommet 1.

[0018] Next, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 is an apparatus that manufactures a wire harness WH by forming a grommet 1 around a wiring material W, and has, for example, a molding die 3 and an injection unit 4. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 is configured as, for example, an injection molding machine that manufactures a wire harness WH by injection molding. The molding die 3 has a fixed die 3A and a movable die 3B, and forms a molding space 33 by bringing the movable die 3B into contact with the fixed die 3A and clamping the dies. The molding space 33 is formed in a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the grommet 1.

[0020] The injection unit 4 is a material injection unit that injects a molding material 41 into the molding space 33. The injection unit 4 injects into the molten molding material 41 through the flow path 34 of the molding die 3 to form a grommet 1 so as to cover the periphery of the wiring material W. The flow path 34 constitutes a sprue, a runner, and a gate of the molding die 3. The molding material 41 is a material such as resin, rubber, or elastomer, and is heated to a high temperature and melted, then injected into the molding die 3 and filled into the molding space 33. The molding material 41 is cooled and cured to become an elastic and deformable grommet 1.

[0021] Next, the wire harness manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the wire harness manufacturing method according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, as for the manufacture of the wire harness WH, first, an arrangement step is performed (S10). The arrangement step is a step of arranging the wiring material W in the molding space 33 of the molding die 3. For example, the molding die 3 is in an open state, and the movable die 3B is separated from the fixed die 3A. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of wiring materials W are arranged in the molding space 33.

[0023] At this time, the plurality of wire harnesses W are arranged in the molding space 33 with a gap between the wire harnesses W. For example, the plurality of wire harnesses W are positioned so as to be separated from each other in the radial direction and arranged in the molding space 33. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of wire harnesses W are twisted in opposite directions in the circumferential direction at both ends in a bundled state. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of wire harnesses W are pushed and compressed so that both ends approach each other. Thereby, the plurality of wire harnesses W are adjusted to be separated from each other. And in a state where the wire harness W and the wire harness W are separated from each other, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of wire harnesses W are arranged in the molding space 33. The wire harness W is arranged so that the end portion extends from the molding space 33. Note that the operation or process of separating between the wire harness W and the wire harness W is not limited to the above-described method, and may be performed by other methods.

[0024] Then, the process proceeds to S12 in FIG. 4, and a molding process is performed. The molding process is a process of injecting the molding material 41 into the molding space 33 in which the wire harness W is arranged and molding the grommet 1 so as to cover the wire harness W. This molding process is an insert molding using the wire harness W as an insert. As the molding process, first, the mold of the molding die 3 is clamped, and as shown in FIG. 3, the movable die 3B is fitted to the fixed die 3A. Then, the molten molding material 41 is injected into the molding space 33 by the injection unit 4.

[0025] The molding material 41 is filled in the molding space 33 and covers the periphery of the plurality of wire harnesses W. At this time, since a gap is formed between the wire harness W and the wire harness W, the molding material 41 wraps around the periphery of each wire harness W and fills the space between the wire harness W and the wire harness W.

[0026] Then, when the molding material 41 in the molding space 33 is cured, the mold of the molding die 3 is opened, and the wire harness WH is taken out from the molding die 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness WH is taken out from the molding die 3 in a state where the grommet 1 is formed so as to cover the periphery of the wire harness W. Deburring, attachment of exterior parts and components, etc. are performed on this wire harness WH as necessary, and the manufacture of the wire harness WH is completed.

[0027] As described above, in the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, since the grommet 1 is provided integrally with a plurality of wiring materials W, it is not necessary to attach the grommet 1 to the wiring material W when assembling the wire harness WH. The wire harness according to the present embodiment can manufacture the wire harness WH by omitting the operation of attaching the grommet to the wiring material W.

[0028] Further, in the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, since the grommet 1 is provided in direct contact with a plurality of wiring materials W, the grommet 1 can stop water between the wiring materials W.

[0029] Further, in the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, since the grommet 1 is formed by entering the gaps between a plurality of wiring materials W, the grommet 1 can enhance the water-stopping property between the wiring materials W.

[0030] In the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present embodiment, in the arranging step, the wiring material W and the wiring material W are arranged in the molding space 33 in a separated state, so that the grommet 1 is filled between the wiring materials W to manufacture the wire harness WH. Therefore, the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present embodiment can manufacture a wire harness WH capable of stopping water between the wiring materials W by the grommet 1.

[0031] Note that although the wire harness WH and the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present embodiment have been described above, the wire harness and the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope described in the claims. The wire harness WH and the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the above-described embodiment.

[0032] For example, although the wire harness WH and the wire harness manufacturing method according to the above-described embodiment have been described for the case of being applied to the wire harness WH mounted on a vehicle, they may also be applied to a wire harness not mounted on a vehicle.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0033] 1: grommet 2: wire harness manufacturing apparatus 3: molding die 33: molding space 41: molding material X: extending direction W: wiring material WH: wire harness

Claims

1. A plurality of wire harnesses having conductivity, A grommet provided integrally with the wire harness as a covering member for the plurality of wire harnesses, A wire harness.

2. The grommet is provided in direct contact with the plurality of wire harnesses, The wire harness according to claim 1.

3. The wire harnesses are arranged radially apart from each other in a region covered by the grommet, The grommet is formed by entering the gaps between the plurality of wire harnesses, The wire harness according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An arranging step of arranging a plurality of wire harnesses in a molding space of a mold, A molding step of injecting a molding material into the molding space in which the plurality of wire harnesses are arranged to mold a grommet so as to cover the wire harnesses, In the arranging step, the wire harnesses are arranged in the molding space in a state where the wire harnesses are separated from each other, A method for manufacturing a wire harness.

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