Wire harness, apparatus for producing wire harness, and method for producing wire harness

Abstract

To provide a wire harness, an apparatus for producing the wire harness, and a method for producing the wire harness, which enable easy production of the wire harness.SOLUTION: A wire harness WH includes a conductive routing member W, and a molded component 1 that covers the routing member W and is provided integrally with the routing member W. The molded component 1 has a cylindrical body portion 11, and a plurality of extending portions 12 that extend toward an extension direction X from an end of the body portion 11 and are divided along a circumferential direction Y.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] For a wire harness, an exterior material is essential to protect the electric wires from external structures such as the iron plate of a vehicle. In conventional wire harnesses, various types of exterior materials are used to protect the electric wires. For example, the wire harness described in Patent Document 1 includes an electric wire bundle and a molded body integrally provided at an attachment portion that is a part of the axial direction of the electric wire bundle, and the molded body is composed of a thermoplastic resin.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described wire harness, the molded body may not have a desired shape. For example, when the molded body is molded in the manufacture of a wire harness, the molding material may leak out of the mold, and unnecessary portions may be formed in the molded body. In such a case, it is necessary to remove the unnecessary portions, and there is a demand for the development of a technology that can easily remove the unnecessary portions and facilitate the manufacture of the wire harness.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness, a manufacturing apparatus for a wire harness, and a manufacturing method for a wire harness that enable easy manufacture of the wire harness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] That is, the wire harness according to the present invention includes a wiring material having conductivity and a molded member that covers the wiring material and is provided integrally with the wiring material. The molded member is configured to have a cylindrical main body portion and a plurality of extending portions that extend from an end portion of the main body portion in an extending direction and are divided along a circumferential direction.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] The wire harness, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus, and the wire harness manufacturing method according to the present invention can easily manufacture a wire harness by facilitating the removal of unnecessary portions formed during molding.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by this embodiment. In addition, the constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be replaced and are easy for those skilled in the art, 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 includes a wiring material W and a molded member 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 constituted by, 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. The plurality of wiring materials W may be provided, for example, in a bundled state. For example, the wiring material W is used with connection components such as terminals and connectors attached to its ends.

[0012] The molded member 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 molded member 1 covers the wiring material W along the extending direction X in which the plurality of wiring materials W extend, and is provided around the plurality of wiring materials W. The molded member 1 extends the wiring material W from both ends to enable connection to devices and the like.

[0013] The mold-formed member 1 is formed of an insulating molding material, for example, resin, rubber, elastomer, etc., and specifically, is formed of thermoplastic elastomer, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM), etc. The mold-formed member 1 is integrally provided around a plurality of cable members W so as to cover the plurality of cable members W by mold-forming of this molding material. The mold-formed member 1, for example, collectively covers a partial section of the plurality of cable members W. Note that, while the covering portion constituting the cable member W is an insulating covering member provided over the entire length of the cable member W, the mold-formed member 1 is a protective member partially provided at necessary locations on the cable member W, such as protecting the cable member W and regulating the path, outside such a covering member.

[0014] The mold-formed member 1 has a main body portion 11 and an extending portion 12. The main body portion 11 is a portion that extends along the extending direction X of the mold-formed member 1 and covers the outer periphery of the cable member W, and is formed in a cylindrical shape, for example. The cylindrical shape includes a substantially cylindrical shape. The extending portion 12 is a portion that extends from the end of the main body portion 11 in the extending direction X, and is divided along the circumferential direction Y and provided in a plurality.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the extending portion 12 is formed in a fan shape or an arc shape when viewed from a direction intersecting the extending direction X, and is provided along the circumferential direction Y with a gap. FIG. 2 shows a case having eight extending portions 12, but the extending portion 12 may be provided in two or more and seven or less, or nine or more. Further, the extending portion 12 is formed thinner in the radial direction than the main body portion 11. That is, the radial thickness T1 of the extending portion 12 is thinner than the radial thickness T2 of the main body portion 11. This extending portion 12 is formed when the molding material leaks from the end of the main body portion 11 when the mold-formed member 1 is formed by molding.

[0016] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the wire harness WH is used in a state where the extending portion 12 is removed. That is, the wire harness WH has a remaining removed portion 13 formed by removing the extending portion 12 at the end face of the main body portion 11. A plurality of remaining removed portions 13 are formed along the circumferential direction Y so as to surround the wire routing member W. The remaining removed portion 13 is a trace portion where the extending portion 12 is removed at the end of the main body portion 11, and has a removed processing surface of the extending portion 12. For example, the remaining removed portion 13 is formed to protrude compared to other portions. For example, the removed processing surface of the remaining removed portion 13 is formed to be rougher in surface roughness compared to other portions.

[0017] In the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, by forming a plurality of extending portions 12 divided in the circumferential direction Y at the end of the main body portion 11 of the molded member 1, the extending portions 12 can be easily removed from the main body portion 11. For example, if the extending portion continuous with the main body portion 11 is not divided in the circumferential direction Y, after separating the extending portion from the main body portion 11, it is necessary to cut the cylindrical extending portion in the extending direction X to remove it, and it becomes difficult to remove the extending portion. On the other hand, the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment has a structure in which the extending portions 12 can be easily removed from the main body portion 11 by having a divided structure of the plurality of extending portions 12 in the circumferential direction Y.

[0018] Further, in the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, since the extending portion 12 is formed thinner in the radial direction than the main body portion 11, the extending portion 12 can be easily removed from the main body portion 11. That is, since the extending portion 12 is formed thin, the connection area of the extending portion 12 with respect to the main body portion 11 becomes small, the extending portion 12 can be easily removed from the main body portion 11, and the wire harness WH can be easily manufactured.

[0019] Further, in the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment, by forming the remaining removed portion 13 divided along the circumferential direction Y at the end of the main body portion 11, the extending portion 12 can be easily removed from the main body portion 11.

[0020] Next, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 4, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 is an apparatus that manufactures a wire harness WH by molding a molding member 1 around a wiring material W, and has, for example, a mold 3 and an injection unit 4. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 is an apparatus that manufactures a wire harness WH by injection molding, for example, and is configured as an injection molding machine. The mold 3 has a first mold part 31 and a second mold part 32, and forms a molding space 33 by, for example, bringing the second mold part 32 into contact with the first mold part 31 and clamping the mold.

[0022] The injection unit 4 is a material injection part 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 mold 3 to form a molding member 1 so as to cover the wiring material W. The flow path 34 constitutes a sprue, a runner, and a gate of the mold 3. The molding material 41 is a material such as resin, rubber, or elastomer, and is injected into the mold 3 in a state of being heated to a high temperature and melted, and fills the molding space 33.

[0023] The molding space 33 is formed according to the shape of the molding member 1. The cross-sectional shape of the molding space 33 in a direction intersecting the extending direction X of the molding member 1 is circular or substantially circular, and forms a central space part 331 and an end space part 332. The central space part 331 is a space part that molds the main body part 11 of the molding member 1, and is a cylindrical space, and is formed inside the inner wall surface 35. The inner wall surface 35 is the inner peripheral surface of the molding space 33, and the cross-sectional shape in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the molding space 33 is circular.

[0024] The end space portion 332 is a space portion for molding the extending portion 12 of the molding member 1, and is formed continuously at both end portions of the central space portion 331. As shown in FIG. 5, the end space portion 332 is formed inside the ridge portion 351 and the protrusion 352. The ridge portion 351 protrudes inward from the inner wall surface 35 at the end in the extending direction X in the molding space 33 and is formed continuously in the circumferential direction. The protrusions 352 protrude from the ridge portion 351 toward the center of the molding space 33, and a plurality of them are formed at intervals along the circumferential direction Y. That is, the protrusions 352 are provided to protrude inward at intervals from the ridge portion 351, and define a gear-shaped end space portion 332.

[0025] The wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of protrusions 352 that protrude inside the molding space 33 of the mold 3. When the molding member 1 is molded, even if the molding material 41 flows into the inside of the protrusions 352, the portion that has flowed in is in a state of being divided in the circumferential direction Y. That is, it flows into the inside of the protrusions 352 and is molded as the extending portion 12. Since the extending portion 12 is molded by being divided in the circumferential direction Y, it is easy to remove from the main body portion 11. Therefore, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment can easily manufacture a wire harness WH having a molding member 1 of a desired shape.

[0026] Next, the wire harness manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the wire harness manufacturing method according to the present embodiment. The manufacturing of the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment is performed using the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 and the mold 3 described above.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6, as for the manufacture of the wire harness WH, first, an arranging step is performed (S10). The arranging step is a step of arranging the wire material W in the molding space 33 of the molding die 3. For example, the molding die 3 is in an open mold state, and the first mold part 31 and the second mold part 32 are separated. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the wire material W is arranged in the molding space 33. The wire material W is arranged so that the end extends from the opening 333 of the molding space 33. FIG. 4 shows, for example, a plurality of wire materials W simplified as one wire material W.

[0029] Then, the process proceeds to S12 in FIG. 6, and a molding step is performed. The molding step is a step of injecting the molding material 41 into the molding space 33 in which the wire material W is arranged and molding the mold molding member 1 so as to cover the wire material W. As the molding step, first, the molding die 3 is clamped, and as shown in FIG. 2, the second mold part 32 is fitted to the first mold part 31. Then, the molten molding material 41 is injected into the molding space 33. The molding material 41 is injected, for example, from the central space part 331 of the molding space 33 and fills the central space part 331. At this time, the molding material 42 flows out from the central space part 331 to the end space part 332.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, the end space part 332 is a space inside the protrusion 352, and forms an extension part 12 that is divided in the circumferential direction Y by the protrusion 352 and is easy to remove. The mold molding member 1 becomes an appropriate shape by filling the central space part 331 with the molding material 41 and molding it, but it is difficult to fill the central space part 331 with the molding material 41 without allowing the molding material 41 to flow out from the central space part 331. For this reason, even when the molding material 41 flows out from the central space part 331 to the end space part 332, by making the shape or structure of the part where the molding material 41 has flowed out, that is, the extension part 12, easy to remove, the manufacture of the wire harness WH can be efficiently performed.

[0031] Then, when the molding material 41 filled in the molding space 33 has hardened, the mold 3 is opened, and the wire harness WH is taken out from the mold 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness WH is taken out from the mold 3 in a state where the molding member 1 is formed so as to cover the periphery of the wiring material W. Unnecessary portions are removed from this wire harness WH as necessary. That is, the extending portion 12 is removed from the main body portion 11 of the wire harness WH. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the wire harness WH has a remaining removed portion 13 in the molding member 1. Further, deburring and the like are performed on this wire harness WH, and exterior parts and component parts are attached, and the manufacture of the wire harness WH is completed.

[0032] As described above, the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment has a plurality of extending portions 12 in which the molding member 1 is divided along the circumferential direction Y at the end of the main body portion 11, so that the extending portions 12 can be easily removed. Therefore, the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment can easily manufacture the molding member 1 having a desired shape.

[0033] Further, the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment has the extending portion 12 formed thinner in the radial direction than the main body portion 11, so that the extending portion 12 can be easily removed from the main body portion 11.

[0034] Further, the wire harness WH according to the present embodiment has a structure in which a remaining removed portion 13 divided along the circumferential direction Y is formed at the end of the main body portion 11, so that the extending portion 12 can be easily removed from the main body portion 11.

[0035] The wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of protrusions 352 that project inwardly into the molding space 33 of the mold 3. When the molding member 1 is molded, even if the molding material 41 flows into the inside of the protrusions 352, the portion that has flowed in is divided in the circumferential direction Y. Therefore, it becomes easy to remove the portion that has flowed in. Accordingly, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment can easily manufacture a wire harness WH having a desired molded member 1.

[0036] The wire harness manufacturing method according to the present embodiment performs molding of the molded member 1 using a mold 3 having a plurality of protrusions 352 that project inwardly into the molding space 33. In the molding process, the portion where the molding material 41 has flowed into the inside of the protrusions 352 is divided in the circumferential direction Y as the extending portion 12. For this reason, in the molded molded member 1, the extending portion 12 can be easily removed from the main body portion 11. Accordingly, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment can easily manufacture a wire harness WH having a desired molded member 1.

[0037] Although the wire harness WH, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2, and the wire harness manufacturing method according to the present embodiment have been described as above, the wire harness, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus, and the wire harness manufacturing method 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, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2, and the wire harness manufacturing method according to the present embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the above-described embodiment.

[0038] For example, although the wire harness WH, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 2, and the wire harness manufacturing method according to the above-described embodiment have been described for the case of being applied to a wire harness WH mounted on a vehicle, they may be applied to a wire harness that is not mounted on a vehicle.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0039] 1: Molded member 2: Wire harness manufacturing device 3: Molding die 4: Injection unit (material injection part) 11: Main body part 12: Extension part 13: Removal remainder 33: Molding space 35: Inner wall surface 41: Molding material 351: Ridge part 352: Protrusion X: Extension direction Y: Circumferential direction W: Cable material WH: Wire harness

Claims

1. A wire harness comprising a conductive cable member, and a molded member provided integrally with the cable member covering the cable member. The molded member has a cylindrical main body portion, and a plurality of extending portions extending from an end portion of the main body portion in an extending direction and divided along a circumferential direction. Wire harness.

2. The extending portion is formed thinner in a radial direction than the main body portion. The wire harness according to Claim 1.

3. A wire harness comprising a conductive cable member, and a molded member provided integrally with the cable member covering the cable member. The molded member has a cylindrical main body portion and a plurality of remaining removed portions formed at an end portion of the main body portion in the extending direction. The plurality of remaining removed portions are formed by removing a plurality of extending portions extending from an end portion of the main body portion in the extending direction and divided in the circumferential direction. Wire harness.

4. A wire harness manufacturing apparatus comprising a mold in which a molding space capable of arranging a cable member is formed, and a material injection portion that injects a molding material into the molding space in which the cable member is arranged to mold a molded member so as to cover the cable member. The mold has a ridge portion formed to protrude inward from an inner wall surface of the molding space at an end portion of the molding space in the extending direction and continuously formed in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of protrusions protruding from the ridge portion toward the center of the molding space and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction. Wire harness manufacturing apparatus.

5. A wire harness manufacturing method including an arranging step of arranging a cable member in a molding space of a mold, and a molding step of injecting a molding material into the molding space in which the cable member is arranged to mold a molded member so as to cover the cable member. The mold has a ridge portion formed to protrude inward from an inner wall surface of the molding space at an end portion of the molding space in the extending direction and continuously formed in the circumferential direction, and a plurality of protrusions protruding from the ridge portion toward the center of the molding space and spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction. Wire harness manufacturing method.

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