Harness assembly component

Abstract

To provide a harness assembly component that can easily control a locus so that contact with a rotary member is avoided during a work for connecting a connector to a wire harness.SOLUTION: A harness assembly component comprising a wire harness and a protective tube includes: a high rigidity part covered with the protective tube; and a low rigidity part which is not covered with the protective tube and more easily bends compared to the high rigidity part. The low rigidity part is bent when the other end of the wire harness is connected to a connector fixed to a housing, thereby being previously formed at a position where contact with a rotary member is avoided. Consequently, it is easy to bend the harness assembly component at the position where contact with the rotary member is avoided. Consequently, a locus of the harness assembly component can be easily controlled so that contact with the rotary member is avoided during a work for connecting the connector to the wire harness.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a harness assembly component including a wire harness and a protective tube.

Background Art

[0002] A harness assembly component including a wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled and a protective tube covering the outer periphery of the wire harness is well known. For example, the wire harness described in Patent Document 1 is such a component. Patent Document 1 discloses that the wire harness has a bent portion, and the bent portion is surrounded by a rubber tube.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the wire harness may be connected at one end to an actuator disposed in a housing, which is a non-rotating member accommodating a rotating member, and at the other end to a connector fixed to the housing. In this case, considering the workability when connecting the wire harness to the connector of the housing, a margin is required in the length of the harness assembly component. However, depending on the rigidity of the harness assembly component during the operation of connecting the wire harness to the connector of the housing, it may be difficult to control the locus of the harness assembly component. Then, when connecting the wire harness to the connector of the housing, a careful operation for avoiding contact between the harness assembly component and the rotating member occurs. The control of the locus of the harness assembly component is synonymous with the layout of the harness assembly component.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a harness assembly component capable of easily controlling a locus so as to avoid contact with a rotating member when connecting a wire harness to a connector of a housing.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The gist of the first invention is as follows: (a) An actuator disposed in a housing which is a non-rotating member accommodating a rotating member, a wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled with one end connected to the actuator and the other end connected to a connector fixed to the housing, and a protective tube covering the outer periphery of the wire harness. A harness assembly component comprising: (b) a high-rigidity portion covered with the protective tube, and a low-rigidity portion not covered with the protective tube and being more easily bent than the high-rigidity portion; (c) the low-rigidity portion is formed in advance at a position where it is bent when the other end is connected to the connector, thereby avoiding contact with the rotating member.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the first invention, the harness assembly component including the wire harness and the protective tube includes a high-rigidity portion covered with the protective tube and a low-rigidity portion not covered with the protective tube and being more easily bent than the high-rigidity portion. The low-rigidity portion is formed in advance at a position where it is bent when the other end of the wire harness is connected to a connector fixed to the housing, thereby avoiding contact with the rotating member. Thereby, the harness assembly component is made more easily bent at a position where contact with the rotating member is avoided. Therefore, when connecting the wire harness to the connector of the housing, the locus of the harness assembly component can be easily controlled so as to avoid contact with the rotating member.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of the schematic configuration of a differential gear 20 (hereinafter referred to as "differential 20") mounted on a vehicle 10. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the schematic configuration of a harness assembly component 30 to which the present invention is applied.

[0011] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle 10 includes a housing 12, a propeller shaft 14, a pair of drive shafts 16, a differential 20, a harness assembly component 30, a clutch 40, an actuator 50, a plurality of bearings 60, and the like.

[0012] The housing 12 is a non-rotating member fixed to the vehicle body. The differential 20 is connected to the propeller shaft 14. The drive shaft 16 is connected to the differential 20. In the vehicle 10, power from a power source (not shown) is transmitted to left and right drive wheels (not shown) sequentially through the propeller shaft 14, the differential 20, the left and right drive shafts 16, and the like.

[0013] The differential 20 is housed within the housing 12. The differential 20 includes a differential ring gear 22, a differential case 24, a pair of differential side gears 26, a pair of differential pinions 28, a pinion shaft 29, and the like.

[0014] The differential ring gear 22 is integrally connected to the outside of the differential case 24 and meshes with the propeller shaft 14. The differential case 24 is rotatably supported by the housing 12 via a bearing 60. The differential side gears 26, the differential pinions 28, and the pinion shaft 29 are housed within the differential case 24. The differential case 24 is formed with a bore portion 24a which is a through hole into which the drive shaft 16 is fitted so as to be relatively rotatable. The differential side gear 26 has spline teeth formed on the inner peripheral surface 26a of a through hole into which the drive shaft 16 is fitted so as to be non-rotatable relative to each other. The differential 20 configured in this manner is a known differential mechanism that distributes the power of the power source transmitted from the propeller shaft 14 to the left and right drive wheels.

[0015] The clutch 40 is housed within the housing 12 and provided on the differential 20. The clutch 40 is a dog clutch (i.e., an engaging clutch) that selectively connects or disconnects, i.e., engages or disengages, the differential case 24 and the differential side gear 26 on the clutch 40 side. The clutch 40 is moved between an engaged position and a disengaged position by an actuator 50, i.e., the engaged state and the released state are switched.

[0016] The actuator 50 is disposed within the housing 12 and includes a plunger 52, a solenoid 54, a return spring 56, and the like. When a drive current is supplied to the solenoid 54 via the harness assembly component 30 according to a command from an electronic control unit (not shown), the solenoid 54 generates a thrust of a predetermined magnitude on the plunger 52. The actuator 50 is a device that moves the clutch 40 to the engaged position by the above-mentioned thrust. The return spring 56 is a spring that constantly biases the clutch 40 to return to the disengaged position.

[0017] In the released state of the clutch 40, the power input to the differential case 24 is transmitted to the left and right differential side gears 26 sequentially via the pinion shaft 29 and the differential pinion 28. When the clutch 40 is in the released state, the differential 20 is in a differential state that allows the rotational difference between the left and right differential side gears 26. On the other hand, in the engaged state of the clutch 40, since the differential case 24 and the differential side gear 26 on the clutch 40 side are integrally connected, the power input to the differential case 24 is also directly transmitted to the differential side gear 26 on the clutch 40 side. When the clutch 40 is in the engaged state, the differential 20 is in a differential lock state in which the differential case 24 and the left and right differential side gears 26 are integrally rotated and the differential state is restricted.

[0018] The harness assembly component 30 is disposed within the housing 12 and includes a wire harness 32, a protective tube 34, and a connector 36.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the harness assembly component 30 is assembled within the housing 12. In FIG. 3, the vehicle 10 includes a mating connector 70 fixed to the housing 12. The mating connector 70 is a connector into which the connector 36 is fitted. The wire harness 32 is a bundle of a plurality of electric wires, one end of which is connected to the actuator 50, particularly the solenoid 54 (see FIG. 2), and the other end of which is connected to the connector 36. In a state where the harness assembly component 30 is assembled within the housing 12, since the connector 36 is fitted to the mating connector 70, the other end of the wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70. The protective tube 34 is a tube covering the outer periphery of the wire harness 32.

[0020] The harness assembly part 30 and the solenoid 54 are non-rotating members fixed to the housing 12. On the other hand, the differential 20, the clutch 40, and the rotating plate 80 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) are rotating members housed in the housing 12. The rotating plate 80 is a component provided in the vehicle 10 together with the position detection sensor 90 (see FIG. 1) for detecting whether or not the clutch 40 is in the engaged position. The position detection sensor 90 is fixed to the housing 12.

[0021] It is desirable that the harness assembly part 30 be prevented from contacting the differential 20, particularly the differential case 24 and the rotating plate 80, when assembled in the housing 12. On the other hand, considering the workability when fitting the connector 36 to the mating connector 70, a margin is required in the length of the wire harness 32. However, the wire harness 32 has flexibility, and the longer it is, the more difficult it is to control the locus of the harness assembly part 30. Then, when fitting the connector 36 to the mating connector 70, a careful operation is required to avoid contact between the harness assembly part 30 and the differential case 24 or the rotating plate 80. The differential case 24 and the rotating plate 80 are rotating members RE that may come into contact with the harness assembly part 30.

[0022] Here, the protective tube 34 is more difficult to bend when it is shorter than when it is longer. That is, the protective tube 34 becomes more rigid when it is shortened. Therefore, for the wire harness 32, a portion covered with the protective tube 34 and a portion not covered with the protective tube 34 are formed, and as the entire harness assembly part 30, a difficult-to-bend portion and an easy-to-bend portion are formed. That is, the harness assembly part 30 includes a high-rigidity portion 30H covered with the protective tube 34 and a low-rigidity portion 30L that is more easily bent than the high-rigidity portion 30H and is not covered with the protective tube 34 (see FIG. 3).

[0023] When fitting the connector 36 to the mating connector 70, the harness assembly part 30 can be easily bent at the low-rigidity part 30L. At this time, the harness assembly part 30 may be bent so as to avoid contact between the harness assembly part 30 and the rotating member RE. The low-rigidity part 30L is formed in advance at a position where contact with the rotating member RE is avoided by being bent when the other end of the wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a view of the inside of the housing 12 in FIG. 1 as viewed from the position detection sensor 90 side, that is, a right side view. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the protective tube 34 is divided into a first tube 34a and a second tube 34b. The high-rigidity part 30H of the harness assembly part 30 is formed by the part where the first tube 34a is put on the wire harness 32 and the part where the second tube 34b is put on the wire harness 32. The low-rigidity part 30L of the harness assembly part 30 is formed at the part between the first tube 34a and the second tube 34b where the protective tube 34 is not put on the wire harness 32. The low-rigidity part 30L is a part where the protective tube 34 is not put on, formed by cutting and dividing the protective tube 34 in advance along the circumferential direction.

[0025] When the harness assembly part 30 is bent at the low-rigidity part 30L, the first tube 34a and the second tube 34b are easily moved to the side opposite to the low-rigidity part 30L. For example, the second tube 34b is easily moved closer to the solenoid 54 side. As a result, the wire harness 32 in the part between the second tube 34b and the solenoid 54 is made difficult to bend (see FIG. 2). Therefore, it is made easier to take out the wire harness 32 straight from the housing of the solenoid 54. The second tube 34b is formed to a length such that it is pressed against the solenoid 54 side when the harness assembly part 30 is bent at the low-rigidity part 30L. The protective tube 34, especially the second tube 34b, is formed in advance to a length such that the end on the actuator 50 side is brought closer to the actuator 50 when the low-rigidity part 30L is bent.

[0026] If the length of the harness assembly part 30 is the shortest distance from the solenoid 54 to the mating connector 70, the workability when fitting the connector 36 to the mating connector 70 is deteriorated. On the other hand, if the harness assembly part 30 has a margin in length, it is likely to be contacted by the rotating member RE. Therefore, when the harness assembly part 30 is likely to be contacted by the rotating member RE when connecting the actuator 50 and the mating connector 70 at the shortest distance, it is pre-formed to a length that can avoid contact with the rotating member RE.

[0027] From another perspective, if the length of the harness assembly part 30 is the shortest distance from the solenoid 54 to the mating connector 70, it may be contacted by the rotating member RE. If the harness assembly part 30 is made longer to avoid contact with the rotating member RE, it becomes difficult to control the locus. Therefore, the harness assembly part 30 is bent at the low-rigidity part 30L into a shape that can avoid contact with the rotating member RE while being pre-formed to a length longer than connecting the actuator 50 and the mating connector 70 at the shortest distance.

[0028] The low-rigidity part 30L of the harness assembly part 30 can be formed without splitting the protective tube 34. For example, even if a slit is provided only in a part in the circumferential direction of the protective tube 34, the low-rigidity part 30L is formed.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a state where the harness assembly component 30 is assembled in the housing 12, which is an embodiment different from FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a view of the inside of the housing 12 in FIG. 1 as viewed from the position detection sensor 90 side, that is, a right side view, which is an embodiment different from FIG. 4. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the protective tube 34 has a slit only in a part in the circumferential direction. The harness assembly component 30 is easily bent at the part where the slit is formed in the protective tube 34, and the bending direction is controlled at the position of the slit. The harness assembly component 30 has a high-rigidity portion 30H formed at a portion where the protective tube 34 covers the wire harness 32. The harness assembly component 30 has a low-rigidity portion 30L formed at a portion where the protective tube 34 is cut only in a part in the circumferential direction, and as a result, the protective tube 34 is not covered. The low-rigidity portion 30L is a portion where a part on the outer peripheral side at the bending position of the protective tube 34 is previously cut along the circumferential direction, and the protective tube 34 is not covered. In FIG. 5, part A indicates the extraction portion of the wire harness 32 from the solenoid 54.

[0030] As described above, according to this embodiment, the harness assembly component 30 includes a high-rigidity portion 30H covered with the protective tube 34 and a low-rigidity portion 30L that is not covered with the protective tube 34 and is more easily bent than the high-rigidity portion 30H. The low-rigidity portion 30L is previously formed at a position where contact with the rotating member RE is avoided by being bent when the other end of the wire harness 32 is connected to the mating connector 70. Thereby, when the connector 36 is fitted to the mating connector 70, the harness assembly component 30 is easily bent at a position where contact with the rotating member RE is avoided. Therefore, during the operation of connecting the wire harness 32 to the mating connector 70, the locus of the harness assembly component 30 can be easily controlled so as to avoid contact with the rotating member RE.

[0031] Further, according to the present embodiment, the low-rigidity portion 30L is a portion where the protective tube 34 is not covered, formed by the protective tube 34 being pre-cut and divided along the circumferential direction. Alternatively, the low-rigidity portion 30L is a portion where the protective tube 34 is not covered, formed by a part on the outer peripheral side at the bending position of the protective tube 34 being pre-cut along the circumferential direction. Thereby, the low-rigidity portion 30L is appropriately formed.

[0032] Further, according to the present embodiment, the protective tube 34 is pre-formed to a length such that the end on the actuator 50 side approaches the actuator 50 when the low-rigidity portion 30L is bent. Thereby, when the harness assembly part 30 is bent at the low-rigidity portion 30L, the wire harness 32 in the portion between the protective tube 34 and the actuator 50 is made difficult to bend. Therefore, it is easy to take out the wire harness 32 straight from the actuator 50.

[0033] Further, according to the present embodiment, the harness assembly part 30 is pre-formed to a length such that contact with the rotating member RE is avoided when connecting the actuator 50 and the mating connector 70 at the shortest distance and contacting the rotating member RE. Thereby, during the operation of connecting the wire harness 32 to the mating connector 70, the locus of the harness assembly part 30 can be easily controlled so as to avoid contact with the rotating member RE.

[0034] Further, according to the present embodiment, the harness assembly part 30 is bent at the low-rigidity portion 30L into a shape such that contact with the rotating member RE is avoided while being pre-formed to a length longer than connecting the actuator 50 and the mating connector 70 at the shortest distance. Thereby, during the operation of connecting the wire harness 32 to the mating connector 70, the locus of the harness assembly part 30 can be easily controlled so as to avoid contact with the rotating member RE.

[0035] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail based on the drawings, but the present invention is also applicable in other aspects.

[0036] For example, in the foregoing embodiment, the present invention is applied to the harness assembly component 30 for supplying drive current to the actuator 50 that switches the differential 20 provided in the vehicle 10 between the differential state and the differential lock state, but the present invention is not limited to this aspect. For example, the present invention can be applied to a harness assembly component including a wire harness having one end connected to an actuator in a housing and the other end connected to a connector fixed to the housing, and a protective tube covering the wire harness. Further, it may not be a harness assembly component used in a vehicle.

[0037] Note that the above is merely one embodiment, and the present invention can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0038] 12: Housing (non-rotating member) 24: Differential case (rotating member) 30: Harness assembly component 30H: High-rigidity portion 30L: Low-rigidity portion 32: Wire harness 34: Protective tube 50: Actuator 70: Counter connector (connector) 80: Rotating plate (rotating member) RE: Rotating member

Claims

1. An actuator disposed in a housing, which is a non-rotating member that houses a rotating member, a connector having one end connected and fixed to the housing, a wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled and the other end is connected, and a protective tube covering the outer periphery of the wire harness. The harness assembly component is characterized in that: It includes a high-rigidity portion covered with the protective tube and a low-rigidity portion not covered with the protective tube and being more easily bent than the high-rigidity portion. The low-rigidity portion is pre-formed at a position where it can be bent when the other end is connected to the connector to avoid contact with the rotating member. The harness assembly component is characterized by this.

2. The low-rigidity portion is formed by the protective tube being pre-cut and divided along the circumferential direction, or is formed by a part on the outer peripheral side at the bending position of the protective tube being pre-cut along the circumferential direction. It is a portion not covered with the protective tube. The harness assembly component according to Claim 1 is characterized by this.

3. The protective tube is pre-formed to have a length such that when the low-rigidity portion is bent, the end on the actuator side is brought closer to the actuator. The harness assembly component according to Claim 1 or 2 is characterized by this.

4. When connecting the actuator and the connector at the shortest distance would cause contact with the rotating member, it is pre-formed to have a length that can avoid contact with the rotating member. The harness assembly component according to Claim 1 or 2 is characterized by this.

5. The low-rigidity portion is bent into a shape that can avoid contact with the rotating member while being pre-formed to have a length longer than connecting the actuator and the connector at the shortest distance. The harness assembly component according to Claim 1 or 2 is characterized by this.

Images