Electric wire and method for producing electric wire

Abstract

To provide an electric wire capable of regulating a wire path by a simple configuration, and a method for producing an electric wire.SOLUTION: An electric wire 1 includes: a twisted strand 2 to serve as a core wire; and an insulation coating 3 covering the twisted strand 2. The electric wire 1 further includes: a bent part 5; and a coating part 9 covering the bent part 5 from a circumference thereof. The bent part 5 is a portion at which the insulation coating 3 is omitted in a middle thereof in a lengthwise direction, and formed through bending and processing the twisted strand 2 exposed to an outside. The bent part 5 includes a processing part 6 at which the twisted strand 2 is solidified.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric wire and a method for manufacturing the electric wire. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a wire harness in which electric wires are routed by a path restricting member that can be fixed to a vehicle body with a bolt or the like has been well known, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, the electric wires are fixed to the vehicle body by the path restricting member at bent portions of the electric wires so that the electric wires are routed along a predetermined path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-138300 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when routing an electric wire along a predetermined path without using a path-controlling member, the larger the diameter of the electric wire, the higher the rigidity of the electric wire, which increases the possibility that the electric wire will not be routed along the desired path. In order to take measures against this, there has been a demand for the development of a technology that can control the path of the electric wire without increasing the costs of equipment and parts.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electric wire that can regulate the path of an electric wire with a simple configuration, and a method for manufacturing the electric wire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electric wire that solves the above problem is configured to include a twisted wire that serves as a core wire and an insulating coating that covers the twisted wire, and includes a bent portion where the insulating coating is omitted midway in the longitudinal direction and is formed by bending the twisted wire that is exposed to the outside, and a coating portion that covers the bent portion from all sides, and the bent portion has a processed portion where the twisted wire is solidified. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present disclosure can regulate the path of electric wires with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric wire. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electric wire. [Figure 3] 3(a) and 3(b) are explanatory views of the exposure step. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the bending process. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the welding process. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the coating step. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the radius of curvature of a conventionally positioned electric wire. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the radius of curvature of the electric wire of this example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described. [1] The electric wire of the present disclosure is configured to include a twisted wire as a core wire and an insulating coating that covers the twisted wire, and further includes a bent portion where the insulating coating is omitted midway in the longitudinal direction and formed by bending the twisted wire exposed to the outside, and a coating that surrounds the bent portion, and the bent portion has a processed portion where the twisted wire is solidified.

[0010] According to this configuration, by removing a portion of the insulating coating of the electric wire and bending and solidifying the stranded wires exposed by the removal, a bent portion is formed in the electric wire along the route of the wiring. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture an electric wire in a shape that follows the wiring route without using new equipment or parts. Therefore, it is possible to regulate the electric wire route with a simple configuration.

[0011] [2] In the above [1], the bent portion and the covering portion are housed inside a hollow electric wire housing and routed along the inner surfaces of a pair of intersecting wall portions of the electric wire housing, and the bending angle of the bent portion is set to a value that fits along the corner formed by the intersection of the pair of wall portions. With this configuration, it is possible to arrange the electric wire along the corner of the electric wire housing so as to be in close contact with the corner.

[0012] [3] In the above [1] or [2], the processed portion is formed by solidifying the stranded wire by welding. With this configuration, when the stranded wire is bent, the bent state can be firmly maintained by welding. This further contributes to the regulation of the electric wire path.

[0013] [4] In any one of [1] to [3] above, the coating is a tubular heat-shrinkable material. With this configuration, the coating can be tightly adhered to the bent portion by heat shrinkage. Therefore, even if a structure is adopted in which the insulating coating is omitted from a portion of the electric wire to provide the bent portion, the bent portion can be waterproofed.

[0014] [5] In any of the above [1] to [4], the coating has an adhesive on the inner surface. With this configuration, the coating can be firmly fixed to the bent portion by the adhesive. Therefore, even if a structure is adopted in which the insulating coating is omitted from a part of the electric wire to provide the bent portion, the bent portion can be waterproofed.

[0015] [6] The electric wire manufacturing method of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing an electric wire including a stranded wire as a core wire and an insulating coating covering the stranded wire, and includes an exposing step of removing the insulating coating midway in the length direction to expose the stranded wire, a bending step of bending the exposed stranded wire to form a bent portion, a welding step of solidifying the bent portion by welding, and a covering step of covering the solidified bent portion with a coating. In this case, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the electric wire described above.

[0016] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] Specific examples of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. In each drawing, for the convenience of explanation, some components may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional proportions of each part may differ from the actual ones.

[0017] (Electric wire 1) As shown in Fig. 1, the electric wire 1 includes a stranded wire 2 that serves as a core wire and an insulating coating 3 that covers the stranded wire 2. The electric wire 1 is used, for example, in a vehicle. Examples of the vehicle include an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a fuel-powered vehicle, a hydrogen-powered vehicle, and an engine vehicle. The electric wire 1 is preferably used, for example, in a cable connected to a charging inlet.

[0018] The stranded wire 2 is, for example, a bundle of twisted metal wires. For example, copper wires or aluminum wires are used for the stranded wire 2. The stranded wire 2 has the property of being easily bendable (flexible). The surface (metal surface) of the stranded wire 2 may or may not be covered with an insulating coating.

[0019] The insulating coating 3 covers, for example, the entire outer periphery of the stranded wire 2. The insulating coating 3 is made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin. For example, a synthetic resin containing a polyolefin resin such as cross-linked polyethylene or cross-linked polypropylene as a main component is used as the material for the insulating coating 3. As the material for the insulating coating 3, one type of material may be used alone, or two or more types of materials may be used in appropriate combination.

[0020] (Bending part 5) As shown in Fig. 2, the electric wire 1 has a bent portion 5 formed by bending the stranded wires 2 exposed to the outside. The bent portion 5 is a portion where the insulating coating 3 is omitted midway in the longitudinal direction, and is formed by bending the stranded wires 2 exposed to the outside. In this way, the bent portion 5 is formed, for example, by bending the stranded wires 2 at the portion where the insulating coating 3 is omitted.

[0021] The bent portion 5 has a processed portion 6 where the stranded wires 2 are solidified. The bent portion 5 also has unprocessed portions 7 that are not solidified and are located on both sides of the processed portion 6. The processed portion 6 is formed, for example, by solidifying the stranded wires 2 by welding. Examples of welding include ultrasonic welding and resistance welding. The unprocessed portions 7 are a bundle of unsolidified stranded wires 2.

[0022] (Covering part 9) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electric wire 1 includes a covering 9 that surrounds the bent portion 5. The covering 9 is, for example, a tubular heat-shrinkable material, specifically, a heat-shrinkable tube. Examples of heat-shrinkable materials that can be used include polyolefin, fluorine-based polymer, and thermoplastic elastomer. The covering 9 is formed of, for example, an insulating material. The covering 9 covers the bent portion 5 and the end of the insulating covering 3 that contacts the bent portion 5. The covering 9 is bonded to the insulating covering 3 and the bent portion 5 by an adhesive provided on the inner surface.

[0023] (Wire 1 routing) 2, the bent portion 5 and the covering portion 9 are housed inside a hollow wire housing 11 and routed along the inner surfaces of a pair of intersecting wall portions 12, 13 in the wire housing 11. The wire housing 11 is, for example, a case for an electrical component mounted on a vehicle. In this way, the wire 1 having the bent portion 5 and the covering portion 9 is arranged along the inner wall surface of the case in the housing space inside the case.

[0024] The bending angle θ of the bending portion 5 is set to a value that follows the corner 14 formed by the intersection of the pair of wall portions 12, 13. In this example, the bending angle θ is set to, for example, 90 degrees in accordance with the perpendicular intersecting wall portions 12, 13. Note that the bending angle θ is not limited to 90 degrees, and may be greater than or less than 90 degrees.

[0025] Next, the operation of the electric wire 1 (electric wire manufacturing method) of this embodiment will be described. (Wire 1 manufacturing process) 3(a) and 3(b), the insulating coating 3 is omitted midway in the length direction of the electric wire 1 before bending to expose the stranded wires 2 (exposing step). Specifically, the straight electric wire 1 before bending is set in equipment such as a processing machine, and the processing machine is used to strip the insulating coating 3 at predetermined positions to expose the stranded wires 2. As a result, an insulating coating-omitted portion 15 without the insulating coating 3 is formed in the electric wire 1.

[0026] The processing machine is, for example, an intermediate stripping machine that strips the middle of the insulating coating 3. Specifically, the insulating coating 3 is cut circumferentially at two predetermined locations in the length direction using a jig with a blade, and the insulating coating 3 is cut lengthwise between these cut locations, thereby stripping the insulating coating 3. As a result, the stranded wire 2 is exposed to the outside at the portion where the insulating coating 3 has been stripped (insulating coating omitted portion 15).

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4, after forming the exposed portion of the stranded wire 2, the exposed stranded wire 2 is bent to form the bent portion 5 (bending process). In this example, the bent portion 5 is formed by bending the stranded wire 2 90 degrees at the insulating coating omission portion 15. Also, as shown by the hollow arrow in the figure, the stranded wire 2 can be bent by shifting the insulating coating 3 in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire 1. The bent portion 5 may be produced automatically by a processing machine or manually by an operator.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, after forming the bent portion 5, the bent portion 5 is solidified by welding (welding process). Specifically, in the case of ultrasonic welding, a portion of the bent portion 5 is sandwiched between a pair of welding jigs 16, 17, and ultrasonic waves are output from one welding jig 16 while supporting the bent portion 5 with the other welding jig 17, thereby solidifying the bent portion 5. As a result, the portion of the bent portion 5 that has been hit with ultrasonic waves becomes the processed portion 6, and the portions on both sides of the processed portion 6 that have not been hit with ultrasonic waves become the unprocessed portions 7. The processed portion 6 is formed, for example, by melting and solidifying the stranded wire 2 with ultrasonic waves. Furthermore, since the unprocessed portion 7 is a bundle of many stranded wires 2, it is difficult for it to maintain its shape when bent.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, after the bent portion 5 is solidified, the solidified bent portion 5 is covered with a covering portion 9 (covering step). In this example, the covering portion 9, such as a heat-shrinkable tube, is attached to the bent portion 5, and this covering portion 9 is thermally shrunk using equipment such as a heater, thereby fixing it to the bent portion 5. In this example, the covering portion 9 is bonded to the bent portion 5 (including the end of the insulating coating 3) by an adhesive provided on the inner surface of the covering portion 9. Therefore, the covering portion 9 is firmly fixed to the bent portion 5 by the heat shrinkage and the adhesive.

[0030] (Conventional positioning of Electric Wire 21) As shown in Figure 7, in the case of a normal electric wire 21 without a bent portion 5, the insulating coating 3 has rigidity, so it cannot be bent very much. This is because the stranded wire 2 is a bundle of many metal wires, and the bundle of metal wires acts to spread out. Therefore, even if the electric wire 21 is bent with force, the stress that tries to return it to its original shape makes it impossible to maintain a large bent state. Therefore, in the case of a normal electric wire 21, the radius of curvature R is large, at "R1."

[0031] One possible solution for greatly bending the electric wire 21 is to use a flat bus bar instead of the stranded wire 2. However, in this case, a metal press machine is required because the flat bus bar is manufactured by punching and bending an iron plate. Furthermore, the flat bus bar needs to be processed to insulate and prevent corrosion, which requires an insulator coating machine. Therefore, this solution requires new parts and equipment.

[0032] Another possible solution for greatly bending the electric wire 21 is, for example, to use a single-core wire instead of the twisted wire 2. However, in this case, the single-core wire is manufactured by single-core extrusion molding, which requires a metal extrusion machine. Furthermore, since the single-core wire needs to be processed to insulate and prevent corrosion, for example, if a long heat-shrinkable tube is used, a large heater is required. Furthermore, a bending machine is also required to bend the single-core wire. Therefore, this solution also requires new parts and equipment, and is not a desirable solution.

[0033] (Advantages of Wire 1 in this example) On the other hand, in this example, as shown in Figure 2, part of the insulating coating 3 of the electric wire 1 is omitted to form an insulating coating-omitted portion 15, and the twisted wires 2 are bent at the insulating coating-omitted portion 15 and solidified by welding to form a bent portion 5. As a result, the rigidity of the insulating coating 3 is not applied to the portion where the insulating coating 3 is omitted, making it easier for the electric wire 1 to bend and maintain the bent state. Furthermore, because the twisted wires 2 are solidified by welding, the twisted wires 2 do not act like a metal bundle that spreads out, and in this respect too it can be said that the bent state is easily maintained.

[0034] As described above, as shown in FIG. 8, in the case of the electric wire 1 of this example, the radius of curvature R becomes "R2 (<R1)", which can be made smaller than the radius of curvature "R1" of the normal electric wire 21. Therefore, it becomes possible to arrange the electric wire 1 as close as possible to the corner 14 of the wire housing 11, so that a wide space in the wire housing 11 can be used as a component arrangement space. Also, this contributes to downsizing of the wire housing 11.

[0035] Particularly, in the case of this example, the equipment required for manufacturing the electric wire 1 may be general-purpose equipment such as a processing machine for peeling the insulating coating 3 and a heater for heat-shrinking the coating portion 9. Therefore, there is no need to prepare new equipment for manufacturing the electric wire 1. Also, since the stranded wire 2 is used as the core wire, there is no need to use dedicated components such as a flat bus bar or a single-core wire. Therefore, it becomes possible to keep the component cost low. Also, even if a part of the stranded wire 2 breaks when the stranded wire 2 is bent, it can be integrated by solidification by welding, so it becomes possible to deal with the wire break.

[0036] (Effects of the Embodiment) According to the configuration of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The electric wire 1 includes a stranded wire 2 serving as a core wire and an insulating coating 3 covering the stranded wire 2. The electric wire 1 includes a bent portion 5 and a coating portion 9 covering the bent portion 5 from the surroundings. The bent portion 5 is a portion where the insulating coating 3 is omitted in the middle of the length direction, and is formed by bending the stranded wire 2 exposed to the outside. The bent portion 5 has a processed portion 6 where the stranded wire 2 is solidified.

[0037] According to this configuration, by omitting a part of the insulating coating 3 of the electric wire 1 and bending and solidifying the stranded wire 2 exposed by the omission, a bent portion 5 along the routing path is formed in the electric wire 1. Therefore, it becomes possible to manufacture the electric wire 1 having a shape along the routing path without using new equipment or components. Thus, the wire routing can be regulated with a simple configuration.

[0038] (2) The bent portion 5 and the covering portion 9 are housed inside the hollow wire housing 11 and routed along the inner surfaces of a pair of intersecting wall portions 12, 13 of the wire housing 11. The bending angle θ of the bent portion 5 is set to a value that fits along the corner portion 14 formed by the intersection of the pair of wall portions 12, 13. With this configuration, the wire 1 can be arranged along the corner portion 14 of the wire housing 11 so as to be in close contact with the corner portion 14.

[0039] (3) The processed portion 6 is formed by solidifying the stranded wires 2 through welding. With this configuration, when the stranded wires 2 are bent, the bent state can be firmly maintained through welding. This further contributes to the regulation of the electric wire route.

[0040] (4) The coating 9 is a tubular heat-shrinkable material. With this configuration, the coating 9 can be tightly adhered to the bent portion 5 by heat shrinkage. Therefore, even if a structure is adopted in which the insulating coating 3 is omitted from a portion of the electric wire 1 and the bent portion 5 is provided, the bent portion 5 can be waterproofed.

[0041] (5) The coating 9 has an adhesive on the inner surface. With this configuration, the adhesive can firmly fix the coating 9 to the bent portion 5. Therefore, even if a structure is adopted in which the insulating coating 3 is omitted from a portion of the electric wire 1 to provide the bent portion 5, the bent portion 5 can be waterproofed.

[0042] (Other embodiments) This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0043] The bent portions 5 may be provided at multiple locations. The bent portion 5 may be bent, for example, by 180 degrees. The bent portion 5 may have multiple bent portions at one location. That is, the bent portion 5 may be bent in multiple stages.

[0044] The bent portion 5 is not limited to a configuration having the processed portion 6 and the unprocessed portion 7, but may be entirely composed of the processed portion 6, for example. The insulation coating omission portion 15 does not necessarily have to be formed by peeling off a portion of the insulation coating 3. For example, the insulation coating omission portion 15 may be formed by attaching a separate insulation coating 3 to the stranded wire 2.

[0045] The order of processing the insulating coating omitted portion 15 is not limited to bending → hardening, but may be hardening → bending. The processed portion 6 may not necessarily be formed by solidification, but may be formed by fixing the shape with tape or the like.

[0046] The cross-sectional shape of the processed portion 6 is not limited to a substantially elliptical shape, but may be, for example, a substantially rectangular shape. The adhesive of the covering portion 9 may be omitted. The covering portion 9 does not necessarily have to be made of a heat-shrinkable material, but may be made of any material that can cover and protect (insulate) the bent portion 5 .

[0047] The covering portion 9 may be shaped to cover only the bent portion 5. The electric wire 1 may be used in devices other than a vehicle. While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to those embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 electric wire 2 stranded wire 3. Insulation coating 5 Bend 6 Processing section 7 Unprocessed part 9 Covering part 11 Wire housing 12 Wall 13 Wall 14 Corner 15 Insulation coating omitted portion 16 Welding jig 17 Welding jig 21 Electric wire R radius of curvature

Claims

1. An electric wire comprising a stranded wire as a core wire and an insulating coating that covers the stranded wire, a bent portion, which is a portion in the middle of the length direction where the insulating coating is omitted and is formed by bending the stranded wire exposed to the outside; a covering portion that surrounds the bent portion, The electric wire, wherein the bent portion has a processed portion where the stranded wires are solidified.

2. the bent portion and the covering portion are housed inside a hollow wire housing and routed along inner surfaces of a pair of intersecting wall portions of the wire housing, The electric wire according to claim 1 , wherein a bending angle of the bent portion is set to a value that follows a corner formed by the intersection of the pair of wall portions.

3. The electric wire according to claim 1 , wherein the processed portion is formed by solidifying the stranded wires by welding.

4. The electric wire according to claim 1 , wherein the covering is a tubular heat-shrinkable material.

5. The electric wire according to claim 1 , wherein the covering has an adhesive on an inner surface thereof.

6. A method for manufacturing an electric wire including a stranded wire serving as a core wire and an insulating coating covering the stranded wire, the method comprising the steps of: an exposing step of removing the insulating coating midway in the length direction to expose the stranded wire; a bending step of bending the stranded wire exposed to the outside to form a bent portion; a welding step of solidifying the bent portion by welding; and a covering step of covering the solidified bent portion with a covering portion.

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