Shield structure for wire harness

Abstract

To provide a shield structure for a wire harness which achieves cost reduction, ensures appropriate shielding performance depending on the environment, and improves the reliability of ground connection.SOLUTION: A shield structure 1 of a wire harness WH comprises an electric wire 10, a first plated fabric tape 20, and a connector C provided at an end of the electric wire 10 and having a metal part C1. The first plated fabric tape 20 is wound around the electric wire 10 with an adhesive layer on its inner side, and the adhesive layers are bonded together at an end side of the electric wire 10, the bonded portion being in contact with the metal part C1 of the connector C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shield structure for a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, wire harnesses have been proposed that include a shielding section that protects multiple electric wires and surrounding devices from noise. For example, such wire harnesses use a metal braid whose size and density are set according to the size of the electric wires and the required shielding performance. Also proposed is a wire harness in which an outer sheath made of an insulating material is provided around the metal braid (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-206527 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the wire harnesses described in Patent Document 1 are available in a variety of wire sizes and are required to have a variety of shielding performance requirements, and the metal braids are made to be specialized to accommodate each wire size and each required shielding performance. Therefore, the wire harnesses have a problem in that the specialized metal braids tend to be expensive.

[0005] Furthermore, when high shielding requirements are required only in specific locations within a wire harness, it is difficult to weave the metal braid so that it is densely packed only in the specific locations, which makes it difficult to achieve appropriate shielding performance depending on the environment.

[0006] In addition, shielding members such as metal braids require a ground connection, so it is preferable that the ground connection be highly reliable.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a shielding structure for a wire harness that can easily reduce costs, exhibit appropriate shielding performance according to the environment, and improve the reliability of the earth connection. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The shielding structure of a wire harness according to the present invention is a shielding structure of a wire harness comprising an electric wire, a plated cloth having a plated portion made of a cloth material and a conductive metal coated on the fibers constituting the cloth material, a plated cloth tape having an adhesive layer formed on one surface of the plated cloth, and a connector having a metal portion provided at the end of the electric wire, wherein the plated cloth tape is wrapped around the electric wire with the adhesive layer on the inside, and the adhesive layers are bonded together on the end side of the electric wire, and the bonded portion is in contact with the metal portion of the connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a shielding structure for a wire harness that can easily reduce costs, exhibit appropriate shielding performance according to the environment, and improve the reliability of the earth connection. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a shield structure of a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the first and second plated cloth tapes shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a first perspective view showing the vicinity of a portion shown in FIG. [Figure 6]2 is a second perspective view showing the vicinity of a portion shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state of earth connection in the shield structure of the wire harness according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing how a portion of the configuration of FIG. 7 is created. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another example of the bonding portion. [Figure 10] 1 is an external perspective view showing a shield structure of a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention will be described below in accordance with preferred embodiments. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, in the embodiments shown below, some components are omitted from illustration and description, but it goes without saying that publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate to the details of the omitted technologies within the scope of the content described below.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a shield structure for a wire harness according to this embodiment. The shield structure 1 for a wire harness WH shown in Fig. 1 includes the wire harness WH and a shield structure part SP.

[0013] In this embodiment, the wire harness WH includes an electric wire 10 and a connector C. The electric wire 10 may be one or more. In the following description, the number of electric wires 10 is assumed to be two, but the number of electric wires 10 is not particularly limited to two.

[0014] Each electric wire 10 includes a conductor made of, for example, copper, aluminum, or an alloy thereof, and an insulating coating that covers the conductor. The conductor of the electric wire 10 according to this embodiment may be a stranded wire made by twisting together a plurality of conductive wires, or may be a single solid wire. The coating may be made of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PP (Polypropylene), PE (Polyethylene), or the like. However, the coating is not limited to these materials, and may also be made of silicone, polyurethane, nylon, or the like.

[0015] The connector C is configured to have at least a metal portion C1 in a part thereof. In this embodiment, the entire housing of the connector C is configured from the metal portion C1. The metal portion C1 is electrically connected to the vehicle body via the housing of another device or the like.

[0016] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness WH may be provided with an exterior member such as a corrugated tube, or may be provided with other members such as grommets.

[0017] The shielding structure SP is composed of a first plated cloth tape 20 and a second plated cloth tape 30. The first and second plated cloth tapes 20, 30 are wound spirally or longitudinally around the multiple electric wires 10 to be shielded.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the first and second plated cloth tapes 20, 30 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the plated cloth tapes 20, 30 include plated cloth 21, 31 and adhesive layers 22, 32. The plated cloth 21, 31 is made of cloth material such as woven fabric or nonwoven fabric that has been metal-plated. Fig. 2 illustrates the plated cloth 21, 31 made of nonwoven fabric that has been metal-plated.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2(b), the plated cloths 21, 31 are composed of fibers 21a, 31a constituting a fabric material (nonwoven fabric in FIG. 2) and plated portions 21b, 31b. The nonwoven fabric is a sheet-like member in which the fibers 21a, 31a are intertwined without being woven. As shown in FIG. 2(b), due to the manufacturing characteristics of the nonwoven fabric, the fibers 21a, 31a are formed as multiple layers in the thickness direction. The fibers 21a, 31a constituting such nonwoven fabrics are composed of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, nylon, acrylic, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, polyarylate fiber, etc.

[0020] The plated portions 21b, 31b are conductive metals that coat the fibers 21a, 31a that make up the nonwoven fabric. These plated portions 21b, 31b are made of, for example, copper, nickel, tin, silver, or alloys of these metals. The plated portions 21b, 31b may be formed as a single layer on the fibers 21a, 31a that make up the nonwoven fabric, or may be formed as multiple layers. Therefore, the plated portions 21b, 31b may be formed, for example, with copper (first layer) and tin (second layer) on the fibers 21a, 31a that make up the nonwoven fabric.

[0021] The adhesive layers 22, 32 are formed on one side of the plated cloths 21, 31 and are adhesive to an object. Examples of materials used for the adhesive layers 22, 32 include acrylic resin, silicone resin, rubber-based adhesives (including nitrile rubber and styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer), and urethane adhesives, or a combination thereof. Note that the material of the adhesive layers 22, 32 is not particularly limited.

[0022] 2(a), the adhesive layers 22, 32 are formed across the entire width of the plated cloths 21, 31. However, the adhesive layers 22, 32 are not limited to the entire width, and may be formed, for example, only on one end in the width direction or only in the center. Furthermore, the adhesive layers 22, 32 may be formed in the form of multiple stripes along the longitudinal direction, and the shape is not critical.

[0023] Referring again to FIG. 1, the shielding structure 1 of the wire harness WH according to this embodiment has a portion P where the second plated cloth tape 30 is wrapped around a part of the first plated cloth tape 20. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the first plated cloth tape 20 is wrapped around the wire harness WH in, for example, a single layer. Note that the first plated cloth tape 20 is not limited to being wrapped in a single layer, and may be wrapped in more than one layer.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, at a portion P, a first plated cloth tape 20 is wrapped around the wire harness WH, and a second plated cloth tape 30 is further wrapped thereon.

[0025] Here, a change in the vehicle specifications may require a wire harness WH with higher shielding requirements than originally anticipated. In this case, as shown in Fig. 4, for example, by providing a second plated cloth tape 30 on the first plated cloth tape 20 at a location P where higher shielding requirements are required, the shielding requirements resulting from the specification change can be met.

[0026] In the above description, the second plated cloth tape 30 is provided on the first plated cloth tape 20 at a portion P. However, if a change in specifications requires higher shielding requirements for the entire wire harness WH, the second plated cloth tape 30 may be provided on the first plated cloth tape 20 over the entire wire harness WH.

[0027] 5 is a first perspective view showing the vicinity of a portion P shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a second perspective view showing the vicinity of a portion P shown in FIG.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 5, for example, assume that the first plated cloth tape 20 is spirally wrapped around the wire harness WH. In this case, the second plated cloth tape 30 is spirally wrapped around the first plated cloth tape 20. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 6, the second plated cloth tape 30 may be attached vertically to the first plated cloth tape 20. In this manner, the second plated cloth tape 30 may be attached vertically to the first plated cloth tape 20 in any manner. Note that the first plated cloth tape 20 is not limited to being wrapped spirally, and may also be attached vertically to the wire harness WH.

[0029] Preferably, the second plated cloth tape 30 has at least an area on the surface facing the first plated cloth tape 20 where the adhesive layer 32 is not formed, and is electrically connected to the first plated cloth tape 20 through this area. The second plated cloth tape 30 may also be constructed so that the adhesive layer 32 itself is electrically conductive. This allows the second plated cloth tape 30 to be grounded simply by grounding the first plated cloth tape 20.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state of earth connection in the shield structure 1 of the wire harness WH according to this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state of fabricating a portion of the configuration shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first plated cloth tape 20 forms a bonded portion 23 where the adhesive layers 22 are bonded together at the end of the electric wire 10. This bonded portion 23 can be formed by folding back the end of the first plated cloth tape 20 by 180 degrees. The bonded portion 23 is in contact with the metal portion C1 (i.e., the housing) of the connector C shown in FIG. 7. This metal portion C1 is electrically connected to the vehicle body via the housing of another device or the like. Therefore, the plated cloth tape 20 is earthed by bringing the bonded portion 23 into contact with the metal portion C1.

[0031] 5 and 6 is used to bring the bonding portion 23 into contact with the metal portion C1. That is, by providing the ring R on the outside of the bonding portion 23, the bonding portion 23 is pressed inward and brought into contact with the metal portion C1 located on the inside. Note that the method of bringing the bonding portion 23 into contact is not limited to using the ring R, and various other methods can be used, such as wrapping a resin tape around the outside while the metal portion C1 and the bonding portion 23 are connected.

[0032] Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing another example of the bonded portion 23. When the first plated cloth tape 20 is applied vertically as shown in Fig. 9, a first plated cloth tape 20 longer than the length of the electric wire 10 is used. The first plated cloth tape 20 longer than the length of the electric wire 10 is applied vertically to the electric wire 10. This creates an excess portion in the first plated cloth tape 20, and the adhesive layers 22 of the first plated cloth tape 20 in the excess portion are bonded together to form the bonded portion 23.

[0033] 10 is an external perspective view showing the shield structure 1 of the wire harness WH according to this embodiment. In the shield structure 1 of the wire harness WH according to this embodiment, it is preferable to attach a member that covers the outer periphery of the shield structure portion SP (see FIG. 1), such as a corrugated tube CT or a grommet G, separately after winding the first plated cloth tape 20 and the second plated cloth tape 30 around the electric wires 10. This makes it possible to make the appearance similar to that of conventional shield structures, contributing to a unified appearance.

[0034] Next, a method for forming the shield structure 1 of the wire harness WH according to this embodiment will be described. Note that, although a method for forming the shield structure 1 manually by an operator will be described below, it is not limited to manual work, and part or all of the work may be performed by a machine.

[0035] First, the worker prepares a wire harness WH in which connectors C are connected to a plurality of electric wires 10. The worker also prepares a first plated cloth tape 20.

[0036] Next, the worker wraps the first plated cloth tape 20 around the wires 10 of the wire harness WH with the adhesive layer 22 facing inward. The first plated cloth tape 20 may be wrapped spirally or vertically. Note that spiral wrapping of the first plated cloth tape 20 is preferable when shielding requirements vary within the wire harness WH. This is because spiral wrapping allows the shielding requirements to be met by adjusting the winding pitch (using different winding pitches). For example, the worker can reduce the winding pitch to create a 2 / 3 wrap in areas where shielding requirements are high, and increase the winding pitch to create a half wrap in areas where shielding requirements are normal.

[0037] Next, the worker bonds the adhesive layers 22 at the ends of the first plated cloth tape 20 together to form the bonded portion 23. At this time, if the first plated cloth tape 20 is spirally wound, the worker folds the end of the first plated cloth tape 20 back 180 degrees as shown in Fig. 8 to form the bonded portion 23. If the first plated cloth tape 20 is attached vertically, the worker bonds together the excess length of the vertically attached tape to form the bonded portion 23.

[0038] Next, the worker brings the bonding portion 23 into contact with the metal portion C1 of the connector C. At this time, the worker fixes the bonding portion 23 to the metal portion C1 using a ring R or a resin tape. In this way, the shield structure 1 of the wire harness WH according to this embodiment is formed.

[0039] After the shielding structure 1 is formed as described above, if the vehicle specifications change and the shielding requirements increase, the worker spirally wraps the second plated cloth tape 30 around the first plated cloth tape 20 or attaches it vertically to the area where the shielding requirements increase. This allows the specification change to be accommodated.

[0040] In this way, according to the shielding structure 1 of the wire harness WH of this embodiment, the first plated cloth tape 20 is wrapped around the electric wires 10 with the adhesive layer 22 facing inward. Therefore, for example, if high shielding requirements are required only at a specific location P in the wire harness WH, the high shielding requirements of the specific location P can be met by wrapping the first plated cloth tape 20 at a narrow pitch only at that specific location P. In this way, various shielding requirements can be met by adjusting the wrapping, and the possibility of customizing the tape is greatly reduced, which also makes it easier to keep costs down.

[0041] Furthermore, the adhesive layers 22 of the first plated cloth tape 20 are bonded together at the end of the electric wire 10, and this bonded portion 23 is in contact with the metal portion C1 of the connector C. This eliminates the need to connect the shielding member (first plated cloth tape 20) to the ground portion (metal portion C1) using a separate member such as a ground wire, making it less likely that poor grounding problems will occur due to disconnection at the connection between the separate member and the metal portion C1 or between the separate member and the first plated cloth tape 20. In addition, because the bonded portion 23, where the adhesive layers 22 are bonded together, is in contact with the metal portion C1, the possibility of insufficient grounding due to the adhesive layer 22 being interposed between the plated cloth 21 and the metal portion C1 is reduced.

[0042] Therefore, it is possible to provide a shield structure 1 for a wire harness WH that can easily reduce costs, exhibit appropriate shielding performance according to the environment, and improve the reliability of the earth connection.

[0043] Furthermore, the second plated cloth tape 30 is wrapped around all or part of the first plated cloth tape 20 that is wrapped around the electric wire 10. Therefore, even if, for example, a change in specifications, such as the layout of vehicle equipment, occurs after the first plated cloth tape 20 has been wrapped in response to a shielding requirement, and the shielding requirement increases, the shielding requirement can be met by wrapping the second plated cloth tape 30 over the first plated cloth tape 20. Therefore, it is possible to provide a shielding structure 1 for a wire harness WH that can adapt to environmental changes following specification changes, etc.

[0044] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, and if possible, publicly known or well-known technologies may be combined.

[0045] For example, in the above embodiment, the second plated cloth tape 30 is installed when the vehicle specifications are changed, but this is not limiting and the second plated cloth tape 30 may be installed for other reasons. For example, the first plated cloth tape 20 may be automatically half-wrapped by a machine, and the second plated cloth tape 30 may be manually wrapped according to shielding requirements. In this way, for example, the wrapping method of the first plated cloth tape 20 may be standardized, and the second plated cloth tape 30 may be installed according to shielding requirements.

[0046] Furthermore, although the second plated cloth tape 30 is configured with the plated cloth 31 and the adhesive layer 32 in the above description, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the plated cloth 31 without the adhesive layer 32 may be wrapped around the first plated cloth tape 20, and the plated cloth 31 may be fixed to the first plated cloth tape 20 with a fixing member such as a cable tie. In this case, the absence of the adhesive layer 32 between the plated cloth 31 and the first plated cloth tape 20 makes it easier to establish electrical continuity between them. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1: Shield structure 10: Electric wire 20: First plated cloth tape (plated cloth tape) 21: Plated cloth 21a: Fiber 21b: Plated part 22: Adhesive layer 23: Bonding section 30: Second plated cloth tape 31: Plated cloth (second plated cloth) 31a: Fiber 31b: Plated portion (second plated portion) 32: Adhesive layer C: Connector C1: Metal part CT: Corrugated tube G: Grommet R: Ring SP: Shield structure WH: Wire harness

Claims

1. Electric wires and a plated cloth tape having a plated portion made of a cloth material and a conductive metal coated on fibers constituting the cloth material, and an adhesive layer formed on one surface of the plated cloth; A shield structure of a wire harness including a connector having a metal portion provided at an end of the electric wire, The plated cloth tape is wound around the electric wire with the adhesive layer on the inside, and the adhesive layers are bonded together at the end of the electric wire, so that the bonded portion is in contact with the metal portion of the connector. A shield structure for a wire harness characterized by:

2. The device further includes a second plated cloth having a second plated portion made of a second cloth material and a conductive metal coating on fibers constituting the second cloth material, The second plated cloth is wrapped around all or part of the plated cloth tape wrapped around the electric wire.

2. The shield structure of a wire harness according to claim 1.

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