Rubber boot, and wire harness

Abstract

To provide a rubber boot including a drain part that can drain water from the inside to the outside and prevent water from entering from the outside to the inside, and a wire harness including the rubber boot.SOLUTION: A wire harness mounted inside an engine room of an automobile comprises a rubber boot 5 provided on the exterior of a connection portion of a connector and an electric wire. The rubber boot 5 has a cylindrical body part, and a drain part 9 that drains water entering the inside of the body part. The drain part 9 has a cylinder part 91 projecting from an outer surface of the body part, a communication hole 90b communicating the inside of the body part and the inside of the cylinder part 91 with each other, a partition wall 92, a pair of entry prevention walls 93, and a pair of blocking walls 94. The cylinder part 91 is formed in a convex V-shape toward the connector when seen from its leading end side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rubber boot that is fitted over the electrical wires of a wiring harness. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Automotive wire harnesses are available in a variety of structures, and one in which a rubber boot is fitted over the connecting portion between a connector and an electric wire is known (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional vehicle wiring structure for a wire harness provided with a rubber boot. In this vehicle wiring structure 510, a wire harness 501 is mounted in the engine compartment of an automobile.

[0004] The wire harness 501 includes an electric wire 3, a pair of connectors 21, 22 connected to both ends of the electric wire 3, a pair of rubber boots 505A, 505B, and a protective tube 4. The rubber boot 505A is fitted over the connection portion between the connector 21 and the electric wire 3. The rubber boot 505B is fitted over the connection portion between the connector 22 and the electric wire 3. The protective tube 4 is fitted over the portion of the electric wire 3 located between the rubber boot 505A and the rubber boot 505B.

[0005] In the vehicle wiring structure 510, the connector 21 and the rubber boot 505A are disposed higher than the connector 22 and the rubber boot 505B. Water may seep into the inside of the rubber boots 505A, 505B and the protective tube 4. For this reason, a drain hole 509 is formed in the rubber boot 505B, which is disposed at the bottom of these three components. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-340292 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the vehicle wiring structure 510 for the above-described wire harness 501, two types of rubber boots 505A, 505B were produced for the upper and lower sides, which required mold costs for two molds. Even if rubber boot 505B with drainage holes 509 were to be used on the upper side to reduce costs, the presence of drainage holes 509 would have allowed more water to seep into the upper rubber boot 505B, making this practically unfeasible. Furthermore, while drainage holes 509 on the lower rubber boot 505B are necessary for drainage, they also serve as a path for water and gravel splashed up while the vehicle is running to seep in.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a rubber boot having a drainage section that allows water to be drained from the inside to the outside and makes it difficult for water to penetrate from the outside to the inside, and a wire harness having such a rubber boot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The rubber boot of the present invention is fitted to the exterior of the connection portion between a connector and an electric wire in a wire harness, and has a cylindrical main body portion and a drainage portion for draining water that has infiltrated into the inside of the main body portion, the drainage portion having a cylindrical portion protruding from the outer surface of the main body portion and a communication hole formed through the main body portion to connect the inside of the main body portion with the inside of the cylindrical portion, and the cylindrical portion is formed in a convex V-shape toward the connector when viewed from its tip side.

[0010] The wire harness of the present invention comprises an electric wire, a pair of connectors connected to both ends of the electric wire, and a pair of rubber boots respectively fitted over the connection portions between the connectors and the electric wire, the pair of rubber boots having the same shape and size, and the rubber boots being the above-mentioned rubber boots. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rubber boot having a drainage section that allows water to be drained from the inside to the outside and prevents water from entering from the outside to the inside, and a wire harness having the rubber boot. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle wiring structure of a wire harness provided with a rubber boot according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rubber boot of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the function of the drainage portion of the upper rubber boot of FIG. [Figure 4] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the function of the drainage portion of the lower rubber boot of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional vehicle wiring structure of a wire harness. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A "rubber boot" and a "wire harness" according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0014] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle wiring structure 10 for a wire harness 1 including a rubber boot 5 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this vehicle wiring structure 10, the wire harness 1 is mounted in an engine compartment of an automobile.

[0015] The wire harness 1 comprises two high-voltage wires 3, a braided shield (not shown) covering these wires 3, a pair of connectors 21, 22 connected to both ends of these wires 3, a pair of rubber boots 5, and a protective tube 4.

[0016] The pair of rubber boots 5 have the same shape and size. One rubber boot 5 is fitted over the connection portion between the connector 21 and the electric wire 3. The other rubber boot 5 is fitted over the connection portion between the connector 22 and the electric wire 3. The protective tube 4 is fitted over the portion of the electric wire 3 located between the rubber boots 5, 5.

[0017] In the vehicle wiring structure 10, the connector 21 and one rubber boot 5 are disposed higher than the connector 22 and the other rubber boot 5.

[0018] The arrows in Figures 1, 3, 4, and 5 represent the movement of water or gravel. As shown in Figure 1, the upper rubber boot 5 is positioned so that it is likely to be hit by water from above. The lower rubber boot 5 is positioned so that it is likely to be hit by water or gravel that is splashed up when the vehicle is running.

[0019] The rubber boot 5 is made of rubber and, as shown in Figure 2, has a main body 50 that is formed in an overall cylindrical shape and a water drainage section 9 that drains water that has entered the inside of the main body 50.

[0020] One end 51 of the main body 50 is fixed to the connectors 21, 22 by a tie band (sometimes called a cable tie), not shown. An annular groove 55 for winding the tie band is formed in one end 51 of the main body 50. The other end 52 of the main body 50 is placed over the end of the protective tube 4 and is fixed to the protective tube 4 by wrapping tape, not shown.

[0021] A bellows portion 53 is formed in the middle portion of the main body portion 50. The bellows portion 53 has a plurality of alternating large diameter portions 53a and small diameter portions 53b. The small diameter portions 53b have smaller inner and outer diameters than the large diameter portions 53a. In this example, the bellows portion 53 has three large diameter portions 53a and two small diameter portions 53b.

[0022] The water draining section 9 is provided at one end 51 of the main body 50, and is provided between the groove 55 and the bellows section 53. As shown in Fig. 5, the water draining section 9 has a tubular section 91 protruding from the outer surface of the main body 50, and a communication hole 90b formed through the main body 50 to connect the inside of the main body 50 with the inside of the tubular section 91. Furthermore, the water draining section 9 has a partition wall 92, a pair of infiltration prevention walls 93, and a pair of blocking walls 94.

[0023] The partition wall 92 extends from the communication hole 90b to the tip of the tubular portion 91, and divides the interior of the tubular portion 91 into two spaces 90. Hereinafter, the spaces 90 will be referred to as "drainage holes 90." In addition, the boundary portion of the drainage holes 90 with the outside will be referred to as "outlet 90a."

[0024] The pair of infiltration prevention walls 93 are connected to the end of the partition wall 92 on the communication hole 90b side, and extend toward the two drain holes 90. The pair of infiltration prevention walls 93 are inclined in a direction away from the communication hole 90b (toward the outlet 90a) as they move away from each other.

[0025] A pair of blocking walls 94 blocks a portion of the communication hole 90b. One blocking wall 94 forms a drainage path between itself and one of the infiltration prevention walls 93. Similarly, the other blocking wall 94 forms a drainage path between itself and the other infiltration prevention wall 93. Water that has infiltrated into the main body 50 passes between one blocking wall 94 and one of the infiltration prevention walls 93, or between the other blocking wall 94 and the other infiltration prevention wall 93, passes through the drain hole 90, and is drained to the outside from the outlet 90a.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the tubular portion 91 is formed in a V-shape that is convex toward the groove 55 when viewed from its tip end. That is, in the upper rubber boot 5, the tubular portion 91 is formed in a V-shape that is convex toward the connector 21 (i.e., convex upward) (see dashed line L in FIG. 3). With this configuration, in the upper rubber boot 5, water that hits the tubular portion 91 from above as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3 is guided to the outside (downward) by the outer surface 91a, which is formed with a downward slope from the center of the tubular portion 91 toward the outside (left-right direction in FIG. 3). This prevents water from entering the inside of the tubular portion 91 from the outside.

[0027] 3 to 5, the partition wall 92 is formed in a bent portion (the central portion of the V-shape) on the groove 55 side inside the tubular portion 91. Therefore, the ends of the two drainage holes 90 on the partition wall 92 side are located on the groove 55 side, and the ends opposite the partition wall 92 are located on the bellows portion 53 side. Furthermore, the pair of blocking walls 94 are located at the ends of each drainage hole 90 opposite the partition wall 92 (the ends on the bellows portion 53 side).

[0028] In the lower rubber boot 5, splashed water and gravel are blocked by the pair of infiltration prevention walls 93 as shown by arrows in Figures 4 and 5, thereby preventing them from infiltrating into the deeper parts of the drainage holes 90. Furthermore, the pair of blocking walls 94 prevent water from infiltrating from the outside to the inside of both the upper and lower rubber boots 5. In particular, in the upper rubber boot 5, the pair of blocking walls 94 are located at the ends of each drainage hole 90 opposite the partition wall 92, and block the lower sides (ground side) of the communication holes 90b. This makes it possible to prevent water (see Figure 3) guided to the lower side (ground side) by the outer surface 91a from infiltrating as described above.

[0029] As described above, the rubber boot 5 of this example is provided with the drainage portion 9 that allows water to be drained from the inside to the outside and prevents water from entering from the outside to the inside. This allows rubber boots 5 of the same shape and size to be used on the upper and lower sides of the wire harness 1 in the vehicle wiring structure 10, thereby reducing mold costs. Furthermore, the wire harness 1 provided with such a rubber boot 5 can prevent water and gravel from entering the inside of the rubber boot 5, thereby improving the durability of the braided shield.

[0030] The above-described embodiment merely shows a typical form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In other words, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still include the configuration of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 Wire harness 3 electric wire 5. Rubber boots 9 Water drainage section 21,22 Connector 50 Main body 90b Communication hole 91 Cylinder part

Claims

1. It is attached to the exterior of the connection part between the connector and the electric wire in the wire harness, The device has a cylindrical main body and a drainage section for draining water that has entered the main body, The water draining portion has a cylindrical portion protruding from the outer surface of the main body portion and a communication hole formed through the main body portion to communicate the inside of the main body portion with the inside of the cylindrical portion, The cylindrical portion is formed in a V-shape that projects toward the connector when viewed from the tip side. Rubber boots characterized by:

2. The water draining section includes a partition wall that extends from the communication hole to the tip of the cylindrical section and divides the interior of the cylindrical section into two spaces, and a pair of infiltration prevention walls that are connected to the end of the partition wall on the communication hole side and extend toward the two spaces, respectively. The pair of infiltration prevention walls are inclined in a direction away from the communication hole as they move away from each other.

2. The rubber boot according to claim 1.

3. The draining portion has a blocking wall that blocks a part of the communication hole.

3. The rubber boot according to claim 2.

4. The device comprises an electric wire, a pair of connectors connected to both ends of the electric wire, and a pair of rubber boots respectively fitted onto the connection portions between the connectors and the electric wire, The pair of rubber boots have the same shape and size, The rubber boot is provided as the rubber boot according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A wire harness characterized by:

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