Protector and wire harness

Abstract

To provide a protector and a wire harness which can improve retention force of a plurality of electric wires.SOLUTION: A protector 1 has: a base 10 having a base side bottom wall 11 supporting a plurality of electric wires W extending in an axial line direction X; and a cover 20 which has a cover side bottom wall 21 facing the base side bottom wall 11, and sandwiches the plurality of electric wires W between the cover side bottom wall 21 and the base side bottom wall 11 in a state in which the cover side bottom wall 21 is elastically deformed along the contours of the plurality of electric wires W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protector and a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of a technology relating to a conventional wire harness protector, Patent Document 1 discloses a protector including a base having a base-side bottom wall that supports a plurality of electric wires extending along an axial direction, and a cover having a cover-side bottom wall that faces the base-side bottom wall and that accommodates the plurality of electric wires between the cover-side bottom wall and the base-side bottom wall. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-114401 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the protector described in Patent Document 1 above has room for further improvement, for example, in terms of the holding force for a plurality of electric wires.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a protector and a wire harness that can improve the holding force of a plurality of electric wires. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the protector of the present invention comprises a base having a base-side bottom wall that supports a plurality of electric wires extending along an axial direction, and a cover having a cover-side bottom wall that faces the base-side bottom wall, and sandwiching the plurality of electric wires between the cover-side bottom wall and the base-side bottom wall when the cover-side bottom wall is elastically deformed along the outer shapes of the plurality of electric wires. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the protector and the wire harness according to the present invention, the plurality of electric wires can be held by sandwiching the electric wires between the cover-side bottom wall and the base-side bottom wall in a state in which the cover-side bottom wall is elastically deformed along the outer shapes of the electric wires. As a result, the protector and the wire harness have an advantage of being able to improve the holding force of the plurality of electric wires. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view of a wire harness to which a protector according to an embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exemplary exploded perspective view of the protector according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exemplary exploded perspective view of the protector according to the embodiment, seen from a different angle than that of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exemplary perspective view of the protector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the cover is removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exemplary perspective view of the protector according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the cover is attached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following 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 identical. Note that in this specification, ordinal numbers are used only to distinguish between parts, members, portions, positions, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0010] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness WH to which a protector 1 according to an embodiment is applied. The protector 1 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is incorporated into the wire harness WH that is routed in a vehicle such as an automobile. Here, the wire harness WH is, for example, a component in which a plurality of electric wires W used for power supply and signal communication are bundled together to connect various devices mounted on the vehicle, and the plurality of electric wires W are connected to the devices using connectors or the like. The wire harness WH of this embodiment includes a plurality of conductive electric wires W and the protector 1 that holds the plurality of electric wires W. Note that the wire harness WH may be configured to further include various other components such as grommets, electrical connection boxes, and fixtures.

[0011] In the following description, of the first, second, and third directions that intersect with one another, the first direction will be referred to as the "axial direction X," the second direction will be referred to as the "width direction Y," and the third direction will be referred to as the "height direction Z." Here, the axial direction X, the width direction Y, and the height direction Z are approximately perpendicular to one another. The axial direction X typically coincides with the extension direction of the multiple electric wires W, the insertion direction of the multiple electric wires W into the protector 1, the longitudinal direction (extension direction) of the protector 1, etc. The width direction Y typically coincides with the width direction of the protector 1, etc. The height direction Z typically coincides with the height direction (up-down direction) of the protector 1, the stacking direction of the base 10 and the cover 20 of the protector 1, etc., which will be described later. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the directions used in the following description will be described as directions when the protector 1 is assembled to the vehicle.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness WH includes, for example, a trunk portion W1 extending along the axial direction X and a branch portion W2 (see FIG. 4) branching from the trunk portion W1. The trunk portion W1 is a main portion of the wire harness WH and is formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires W. The trunk portion W1 may include, for example, a portion of the wire harness WH where the largest number of electric wires W are bundled, or may include a portion of the wire harness WH having the largest outer diameter. Note that, for convenience, the illustration of the plurality of electric wires W constituting the trunk portion W1 is simplified in FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0013] The branch wire portion W2 (see FIG. 4) is a sub-harness portion of the wire harness WH, and is formed by a plurality of electric wires W branching from the main wire portion W1. In this embodiment, the wire harness WH is provided with a plurality of branch wire portions W2 corresponding to a plurality of openings 13 (see FIG. 1) described later that are formed in the protector 1. The branch wire portions W2 are bent along the width direction Y with respect to the main wire portion W1 extending along the axial direction X, and are led out of the openings 13 to the outside of the protector 1 for routing. Note that, in this embodiment, three openings 13 are provided in the protector 1, but the number of openings 13 is not limited to this example, and for example, one, two, or four or more openings 13 may be provided.

[0014] The plurality of electric wires W are formed, for example, to extend linearly along the axial direction X and to extend with approximately the same diameter in the axial direction X (extension direction). The electric wire W includes a core wire and an insulating coating that covers the core wire. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the core wire (cross-sectional shape intersecting the axial direction X) is approximately circular, and the cross-sectional shape of the insulating coating is approximately annular, so that the electric wire W has an approximately circular cross-sectional shape as a whole. Note that in this embodiment, the plurality of electric wires W are configured to have the same outer diameter as each other, but this example is not limiting. For example, the electric wire W that constitutes the branch wire portion W2 may be configured to have a different outer diameter from the plurality of electric wires W that constitute the trunk wire portion W1.

[0015] The protector 1 includes, for example, a base 10 and a plurality of covers 20. The plurality of covers 20 are formed of a flexible, bendable material such as synthetic resin, and the base 10 is formed of a material harder than the covers 20, such as synthetic resin or metal. The plurality of covers 20 are spaced apart from one another along the axial direction X and are assembled to the base 10 in a stacked state on one side in the height direction Z. The base 10 and the plurality of covers 20 are formed separately from one another and are integrated with one another by a locking structure (snap fit) using locking portions 23 (described later) with a plurality of electric wires W sandwiched therebetween. By assembling the base 10 and the plurality of covers 20 together, the protector 1 is configured to have a flat shape that is thinned overall along the height direction Z.

[0016] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the protector 1, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the protector 1, seen from a different angle than Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the base 10 is configured to include, for example, a base-side bottom wall 11, a pair of base-side side walls 12, a plurality of openings 13, a plurality of locked portions 14, and a plurality of beads 15. The base-side bottom wall 11 and the pair of base-side side walls 12 are structures for defining an insertion space of the protector 1. The insertion space is a space into which the main wire portions W1 of the plurality of electric wires W are inserted and routed along the axial direction X.

[0017] The base-side bottom wall 11 is formed, for example, in a flat plate shape and extends along the axial direction X. The base-side bottom wall 11 constitutes the lower end portion of the base 10. The base-side bottom wall 11 is integrally formed with a plurality of beads 15. The plurality of beads 15 protrude from the base-side bottom wall 11 toward one side in the height direction Z (the side toward the plurality of electric wires W) and extend along the width direction Y. The plurality of beads 15 are spaced apart from one another along the axial direction X and, for example, are arranged in contact with the plurality of electric wires W to function as anti-slip devices for the plurality of electric wires W. A clamp 30 (see FIG. 3) for fixing the protector 1 to a target portion of the vehicle is provided on the surface of the base-side bottom wall 11 opposite the plurality of beads 15.

[0018] The pair of base-side side walls 12 protrude, for example, from both ends of the base-side bottom wall 11 in the width direction Y toward one side in the height direction Z and extend along the axial direction X. The pair of base-side side walls 12 include a base-side first side wall located on one side in the width direction Y and a base-side second side wall located on the other side in the width direction Y. The base-side first side wall forms the left end of the base 10, and the base-side second side wall forms the right end of the base 10.

[0019] The plurality of openings 13 are provided, for example, in each of the pair of base-side side walls 12. The plurality of openings 13 are through holes that penetrate the base-side first side wall or the base-side second side wall of the pair of base-side side walls 12 along the width direction Y, and are openings through which the above-mentioned branch wire portion W2 (see FIG. 4) is inserted. In this embodiment, the base-side first side wall is provided with two openings 13 on both end sides in the axial direction X, and the base-side second side wall is provided with one opening 13 on the central side in the axial direction X. That is, the plurality of openings 13 are provided so as to be shifted from one another in the axial direction X.

[0020] The plurality of locked portions 14 are provided, for example, on the outer surfaces of the pair of base-side side walls 12. The plurality of locked portions 14 are provided at intervals from one another along the axial direction X, and are formed, for example, in the shape of locking holes into which the plurality of locking portions 23 provided on the cover 20 side are inserted. Each locked portion 14 has a locked surface 14a (see FIG. 4) facing the corresponding locking portion 23 in the height direction Z, and the locked surface 14a and the locking surface 23a (see FIG. 5) of the locking portion 23 are locked in the height direction Z, thereby locking the cover 20 to the base 10.

[0021] The cover 20 is configured to include, for example, a cover-side bottom wall 21, a pair of cover-side side walls 22, a pair of locking portions 23, and a plurality of beads 25 (see FIG. 3). The cover-side bottom wall 21 and the pair of cover-side side walls 22 are structures for defining an insertion space of the protector 1. The insertion space is a space into which trunk portions W1 of the plurality of electric wires W are inserted and routed along the axial direction X. In the trunk portions W1, for example, the plurality of electric wires W are exposed in a section between the plurality of covers 20 lined up along the axial direction X.

[0022] The cover-side bottom wall 21 is formed, for example, in a flat plate shape and extends along the width direction Y. The cover-side bottom wall 21 constitutes the lower end portion of the cover 20. The cover-side bottom wall 21 is also formed integrally with a plurality of beads 25. The plurality of beads 25 protrude from the cover-side bottom wall 21 toward the other side in the height direction Z (the side toward the plurality of electric wires W) and extend along the width direction Y. The plurality of beads 25 are provided at intervals from one another along the axial direction X in each cover 20, and, for example, function as anti-slip devices for the plurality of electric wires W by being arranged in contact with the plurality of electric wires W.

[0023] The pair of cover-side side walls 22 protrude, for example, from both end portions of the cover-side bottom wall 21 in the width direction Y toward one side in the height direction Z. The pair of cover-side side walls 22 include a cover-side first side wall located on one side in the width direction Y and a cover-side second side wall located on the other side in the width direction Y. The cover-side first side wall forms the left end portion of the cover 20 and faces the base-side first side wall of the pair of base-side side walls 12 of the base 10. The cover-side second side wall forms the right end portion of the cover 20 and faces the base-side second side wall of the pair of base-side side walls 12 of the base 10.

[0024] Furthermore, the pair of cover-side side walls 22 have, for example, tip portions 22a arranged so as to straddle the pair of base-side side walls 12. The tip portions 22a extend in a substantially L-shape along the upper and outer surfaces of the pair of base-side side walls 12. In other words, the pair of cover-side side walls 22 including the tip portions 22a have a substantially U-shaped cross section that opens toward the other side in the height direction Z. The pair of cover-side side walls 22 are provided with the tip portions 22a positioned on the outer surface sides of the pair of base-side side walls 12 and the base ends positioned on the inner surface sides of the pair of base-side side walls 12.

[0025] The pair of locking portions 23 are provided, for example, on the outer surfaces of the tip portions 22a of the pair of cover-side side walls 22. The pair of locking portions 23 are formed, for example, in the shape of a claw to be inserted into the above-mentioned plurality of locked portions 14 provided on the pair of base-side side walls 12. Each locking portion 23 has a locking surface 23a (see FIG. 5) facing the corresponding locked portion 14 in the height direction Z, and the cover 20 is locked to the base 10 by the locking surface 23a and the locked surface 14a of the locked portion 14 being locked in the height direction Z.

[0026] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the protector 1 with the cover 20 removed, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the protector 1 with the cover 20 attached. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the base 10 is provided with a plurality of through holes 16 that penetrate the base-side bottom wall 11 along the height direction Z. The plurality of through holes 16 are provided, for example, at both ends of the base-side bottom wall 11 in the width direction Y, at intervals from one another along the axial direction X. For example, positioning pins or the like provided on a jig plate that supports the base 10 are inserted into the plurality of through holes 16.

[0027] The base 10 is positioned relative to a jig plate by inserting the above-mentioned positioning pins into the plurality of through holes 16, and then the plurality of electric wires W are routed along the axial direction X. The positioning pins protruding from the plurality of through holes 16 function, for example, as portions that prevent the trunk portions W1 of the plurality of electric wires W from spreading in the width direction Y when the plurality of electric wires W are routed on the base-side bottom wall 11. The positioning pins also function, for example, as portions that create folds (bends) that bend the branch wire portions W2 branching from the trunk portion W1 along the width direction Y when the branch wire portions W2 are pulled out through the opening 13.

[0028] Furthermore, the plurality of through holes 16 are provided, for example, near the locked portions 14 at both ends of the base-side bottom wall 11 in the width direction Y. The locked portions 14 are portions of the pair of base-side side walls 12 to which the cover 20 is attached. In this embodiment, the plurality of electric wires W are routed while the expansion of the main wire portion W1 in the width direction Y is suppressed by the positioning pin described above. This prevents the plurality of electric wires W from being pinched between the pair of cover-side side walls 22 and the base-side bottom wall 11 when the cover 20 is attached to the locked portions 14. Note that in this embodiment, for example, by placing a sensor or the like in the plurality of through holes 16 when attaching the cover 20 to the locked portions 14, it is also possible to detect whether the plurality of covers 20 have been attached to the base 10.

[0029] The base 10 is also provided with a plurality of cutouts 17, for example, by cutting out the pair of base-side side walls 12 along the width direction Y. The plurality of cutouts 17 are provided, for example, in each of the pair of base-side side walls 12, at intervals from one another along the axial direction X. The pair of base-side side walls 12 have a reduced thickness along the width direction Y at the portions where the cutouts 17 are provided in the axial direction X. The plurality of cutouts 17 are provided, for example, near the locked portions 14 in the pair of base-side side walls 12, and function as grooves into which the pair of cover-side side walls 22 of the cover 20 engage. The plurality of cutouts 17 have side surfaces 17a facing the axial direction X, and abutment between the side surfaces 17a and the pair of cover-side side walls 22 restricts movement of the cover 20 in the axial direction X relative to the base 10.

[0030] Here, in the present embodiment, the cover 20 is assembled to the base 10 such that the cover-side bottom wall 21 is elastically deformed along the outer shapes of the plurality of electric wires W and the plurality of electric wires W are sandwiched between the cover-side bottom wall 21 and the base-side bottom wall 11. That is, in the present embodiment, when the base 10 and the cover 20 are assembled together, the cover-side bottom wall 21 is spaced apart from the base-side bottom wall 11 in the height direction Z by the height of the plurality of electric wires W and is curved in a substantially U-shape that opens toward the other side in the height direction Z (the side of the plurality of electric wires W). This generates an elastic restoring force in the cover-side bottom wall 21, increasing the surface pressure between the cover-side bottom wall 21 and the plurality of electric wires W and the surface pressure between the base-side bottom wall 11 and the plurality of electric wires W, thereby enhancing the holding force of the plurality of electric wires W.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the locking portion 23 of the cover 20 described above is locked with the locked portion 14 of the base 10 in a state in which an elastic restoring force is generated in the cover-side bottom wall 21. In a state in which the locking surface 23a of the locking portion 23 and the locked surface 14a of the locked portion 14 are locked with each other, movement (detachment) of the cover 20 to one side in the height direction Z relative to the base 10 is restricted, and an increased state of the surface pressure between the cover-side bottom wall 21 and the plurality of electric wires W and the surface pressure between the base-side bottom wall 11 and the plurality of electric wires W is maintained.

[0032] In this embodiment, for example, the multiple covers 20 are assembled to the base 10 in order from one side to the other in the axial direction X. First, the locking portions 23 on one side in the width direction Y of the multiple covers 20 are locked to the locked portions 24 on one side in the width direction Y of the base 10. Next, the cover-side bottom wall 21 is elastically deformed (bent) along the outline of the multiple electric wires W, and in this state, the locking portions 23 on the other side in the width direction Y are locked to the locked portions 24 on the other side in the width direction Y of the base 10. Through these steps, the multiple covers 20 can be assembled to the base 10.

[0033] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which a pair of locking portions 23 are provided on both sides of the width direction Y of the cover 20, but this example is not limited to this. For example, one side of the width direction Y of the cover 20 and one side of the width direction Y of the base 10 may be rotatably connected via a hinge, and the locking portion 23 on the other side of the width direction Y of the cover 20 may be locked to the locked portion 14 on the other side of the width direction Y of the base 10.

[0034] As described above, the protector 1 and the wire harness WH of this embodiment include the base 10 having the base-side bottom wall 11 that supports a plurality of electric wires W extending along the axial direction X, and the cover 20 having the cover-side bottom wall 21 facing the base-side bottom wall 11, and sandwiching the plurality of electric wires W between the cover-side bottom wall 21 and the base-side bottom wall 11 in a state in which the cover-side bottom wall 21 elastically deforms along the outer shapes of the plurality of electric wires W. With this configuration, the protector 1 and the wire harness WH can hold the plurality of electric wires W, for example, by sandwiching the plurality of electric wires W between the cover-side bottom wall 21 and the base-side bottom wall 11 in a state in which the cover-side bottom wall 21 elastically deforms along the outer shapes of the plurality of electric wires W. As a result, the protector 1 and the wire harness WH can improve the holding force of the plurality of electric wires W, and ultimately the base 10 and the cover 20 can be configured to be thinner along the height direction Z.

[0035] Furthermore, in the protector 1 and the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the base 10 is provided with a plurality of covers 20 spaced apart from one another along the axial direction X. With this configuration, the protector 1 and the wire harness WH can fix the electric wires W at a plurality of locations in the axial direction X on the base 10 by the plurality of covers 20, for example, and thus can further improve the holding force of the plurality of electric wires W.

[0036] Furthermore, in the protector 1 and the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the base 10 has a pair of base-side side walls 12 provided at both ends of the base-side bottom wall 11 in the width direction Y, and the pair of base-side side walls 12 are provided with openings 13 through which branch wire portions W2 branching from a main wire portion W1 extending along the axial direction X of the plurality of electric wires W are inserted. With this configuration, the protector 1 and the wire harness WH can, for example, be arranged by drawing out the branch wire portions W2 branching from the main wire portion W1 of the plurality of electric wires W to the outside of the base 10 through the openings 13.

[0037] Furthermore, in the protector 1 and the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the cover 20 has a pair of cover-side side walls 22 provided at both ends of the cover-side bottom wall 21 in the width direction Y, and a pair of locking portions 23 provided at the tip ends 22a of the pair of cover-side side walls 22 and locked with the pair of base-side side walls 12 when the cover-side bottom wall 21 is in an elastically deformed state. With this configuration, the protector 1 and the wire harness WH can, for example, hold (maintain) the elastically deformed state of the cover-side bottom wall 21 by the pair of locking portions 23, and thus can further improve the holding force for the multiple electric wires W.

[0038] In the protector 1 and the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the base-side bottom wall 11 and the cover-side bottom wall 21 each extend along the width direction Y and are spaced apart from each other along the axial direction X, and are configured to include a plurality of beads 15, 25 that come into contact with the plurality of electric wires W. With this configuration, the protector 1 and the wire harness WH have, for example, the plurality of beads 15, 25 function as anti-slip devices for the plurality of electric wires W, and can therefore suppress relative movement of the plurality of electric wires W in the axial direction X with respect to the base 10 and the cover 20.

[0039] While the present embodiment exemplifies a case in which multiple beads 15, 25 are provided on each of the base-side bottom wall 11 and the cover-side bottom wall 21, the present invention is not limited to this example, and for example, multiple beads 15 or multiple beads 25 may be provided on only one of the base-side bottom wall 11 and the cover-side bottom wall 21. Furthermore, while the present embodiment exemplifies a case in which the opening 13 through which the branch wire portion W2 is inserted is provided on each of the pair of base-side side walls 12, the present invention is not limited to this example, and for example, the opening 13 through which the branch wire portion W2 is inserted may be provided on only one of the pair of base-side side walls 12.

[0040] While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the specifications of each configuration, shape, and the like (structure, type, direction, format, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, etc.) can be modified as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 Protector 10 base 11 Base side bottom wall 12 Base side wall 13 Opening 14 Locked part 15 beads 16 through holes 17 Notch 20 Cover 21 Cover side bottom wall 22 Cover side wall 22a Tip 23 Locking part 25 beads W electric wire W1 Main line W2 branch line part WH Wire Harness X-axis direction Y width direction Z height direction

Claims

1. a base having a base-side bottom wall that supports a plurality of electric wires extending along an axial direction; a cover having a cover-side bottom wall facing the base-side bottom wall, the cover-side bottom wall elastically deforming along the outer shapes of the plurality of electric wires to sandwich the plurality of electric wires between the cover-side bottom wall and the base-side bottom wall; A protector equipped with

2. The base is provided with a plurality of the covers spaced apart from one another along the axial direction. The protector according to claim 1 .

3. the base has a pair of base-side side walls provided at both ends of the base-side bottom wall in a width direction intersecting with the axial direction, At least one of the pair of base-side side walls is provided with an opening through which a branch wire portion branching from a main wire portion extending along the axial direction of the plurality of electric wires is inserted. The protector according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The cover has a pair of cover-side side walls provided at both ends of the cover-side bottom wall in the width direction, and a pair of locking portions provided at tip ends of the pair of cover-side side walls and locked to the pair of base-side side walls in a state in which the cover-side bottom wall is elastically deformed. The protector according to claim 3 .

5. At least one of the base-side bottom wall and the cover-side bottom wall extends along a width direction intersecting the axial direction, is spaced apart from one another along the axial direction, and includes a plurality of beads that come into contact with the plurality of electric wires. The protector according to claim 1 or 2.

6. a plurality of electric wires extending along an axial direction; a protector that holds the plurality of electric wires, The protector comprises: a base having a base-side bottom wall that supports the plurality of electric wires; a cover having a cover-side bottom wall facing the base-side bottom wall, the cover-side bottom wall elastically deforming along the outer shapes of the plurality of electric wires to sandwich the plurality of electric wires between the cover-side bottom wall and the base-side bottom wall; A wire harness equipped with

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