Wire harness

Abstract

To provide a wire harness that has a configuration more suitable for automatic production, can easily obtain appropriate shielding effect, and can suppress an increase in difficulty in wiring.SOLUTION: A wire harness WH1 includes: a first wire 10; a conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 that has conductive nonwoven fabric having a metal-plated section made of a conductive metal covering the nonwoven fabric and fiber constituting the nonwoven fabric and an adhesive layer and wound around the first wire 10; and a ground connecting component 40 provided on one end side of the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 wound around the first wire 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] It is known that noise is generated in vehicles due to motor operation, solenoid operation, load PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control, inrush current of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), etc. Wire harnesses are designed with noise countermeasures to prevent errors in signal content during transmission and reception due to the influence of such noise.

[0003] As a noise countermeasure, the use of shielded electric wires or braided wires has been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, the shielded wire described in Patent Document 1 is a special wire, and therefore is difficult to install in automated production equipment when future automated production is taken into consideration. Furthermore, the braided wire described in Patent Document 2 requires the work of threading it through electric wires, and therefore, like the shielded wire, is difficult to install in automated production equipment.

[0004] Therefore, it has been considered to wrap a metal tape having a metal foil and an adhesive layer around the electric wires (see, for example, Patent Document 3). This is because it does not require the use of special wires and the threading work. However, when metal tape is wrapped around the wire harness, it becomes hard, which may cause tears at the bent parts and prevent a sufficient shielding effect from being obtained. In particular, since wire harnesses must be rolled up and placed in a packaging box when being packaged, tears are more likely to occur, which poses a problem in terms of obtaining a sufficient shielding effect. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-186946 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-96493 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-103121 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, there are problems with automated production and obtaining an appropriate shielding effect when using the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. To address this, it is conceivable to arrange the noise source and the electric wires connected to the noise source away from the electric wires to be protected from noise.

[0007] However, since various electric wires are routed inside a vehicle, separating all of the electric wires to be protected from noise sources and electric wires connected to noise sources makes it difficult to route the wire harness.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness that is more suitable for automated production, that can easily obtain an appropriate shielding effect, and that can prevent the wiring from becoming difficult. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The wire harness according to the present invention has an electric wire, a nonwoven fabric, and a plated portion made of a conductive metal that coats fibers that make up the nonwoven fabric, and is equipped with the conductive nonwoven fabric wrapped around the electric wire, and an earth connection part provided on one end side of the conductive nonwoven fabric wrapped around the electric wire. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a wire harness is provided which has a configuration more suitable for automated production, which makes it easy to obtain an appropriate shielding effect, and which can prevent wiring from becoming difficult. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a wire harness according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views showing the conductive nonwoven fabric tape shown in FIG. 1, where (a) shows a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, and (b) shows an enlarged view of a portion of (a). [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another configuration of the ground connection part shown in FIG. [Figure 5] 4A to 4C are process diagrams showing a method for manufacturing a wire harness. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a wire harness according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a modified example of the wire harness according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] 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.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a wire harness according to a first embodiment. The wire harness WH1 shown in Fig. 1 has a shield configuration and is configured to include a first electric wire (electric wire) 10, a second electric wire (another electric wire) 20, a conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30, an earth connection part 40, an exterior member 50, and a connector C. In the example shown in Fig. 1, two first electric wires 10 and two second electric wires 20 are shown, but the number of each is not particularly limited to this, and may be one or three or more.

[0014] Each of the electric wires 10 and 20 includes a conductor made of, for example, copper, aluminum, or an alloy thereof, and an insulating sheath covering the conductor. The electric wires 10 and 20 are general electric wires that do not include a shield layer, a drain wire, or a braid. The electric wires 10 and 20 may also include multiple electric wires covered with a sheath.

[0015] The conductor of the electric wires 10 and 20 according to the present embodiment may be a stranded wire formed by twisting together a plurality of conductive wires, or may be a single solid wire. The covering may be made of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PP (Polypropylene), PE (Polyethylene), or the like. However, the covering is not limited to these materials, and silicone, polyurethane, nylon, or the like may also be used.

[0016] Here, the first electric wire 10 connects a noise generation source NS and a unit U via a connector C. The noise generation source NS is a motor, a solenoid, or the like. The unit U is a control device that controls the noise generation source NS and processes signals from an auxiliary device AE (described later). The second electric wire 20 connects the auxiliary device AE and the unit U via a connector C. The auxiliary device AE is a camera that captures images of the vehicle surroundings, a sensor that measures the distance to an object, or the like.

[0017] The conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wound around the first electric wire 10 in a spiral or longitudinal direction. Here, the noise source NS itself generates noise. In addition, noise is also emitted from the first electric wire 10 connected to the noise source NS. In the first embodiment, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 functions to prevent noise from being emitted to the surroundings due to its conductivity.

[0018] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 shown in Figure 1, where (a) shows a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape, and (b) shows an enlarged view of a portion of (a). As shown in Figure 2(a), the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 comprises a conductive nonwoven fabric 31 and an adhesive layer 32. The conductive nonwoven fabric 31 is a nonwoven fabric that has been metal-plated.

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

[0020] The plated portion 31b is a conductive metal that coats the fibers 31a that make up the nonwoven fabric. This plated portion 31b is made of, for example, copper, nickel, tin, silver, or an alloy of these metals. The plated portion 31b may be formed as a single layer on the fibers 31a that make up the nonwoven fabric, or may be formed as multiple layers. Therefore, the plated portion 31b may be formed, for example, with copper (first layer) and tin (second layer) on the fibers 31a that make up the nonwoven fabric.

[0021] The adhesive layer 32 is formed on one side of the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 and exhibits adhesiveness to an object. Examples of materials used for the adhesive layer 32 include acrylic resin, silicone resin, rubber-based adhesive (including nitrile rubber and styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer), and urethane adhesive, or a combination thereof. The material of the adhesive layer 32 is not particularly limited. It is also preferable that the adhesive layer 32 is made conductive.

[0022] 2(a), the adhesive layer 32 is formed across the entire width of the conductive nonwoven fabric 31. However, the adhesive layer 32 is 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 layer 32 may be formed in the form of multiple stripes along the longitudinal direction, and the shape thereof is not limited.

[0023] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. The exterior member 50 is not shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wrapped around the wire harness WH1, for example, in a single layer. The conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is not limited to being wrapped in a single layer, and may be wrapped in more than one layer. In particular, in this embodiment, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wrapped so that the adhesive layer 32 faces inward and is attached to the first electric wire 10. As a result, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wrapped so that the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 faces outward.

[0024] Referring again to FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the earth connection part 40 is used to earth the noise components shielded by the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30. This earth connection part 40 includes, for example, a conductive part 41 and a connection part 42. The conductive part 41 is formed of bare wire, metal tape, or the like. The conductive part 41 is attached to the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 from the outside of the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 by soldering or the like. The connection part 42 is formed of, for example, a round terminal, and can be attached to the vehicle body by a strong means such as bolt fastening. Such an earth connection part 40 earths the shielded noise components to the vehicle body.

[0025] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing another example of the ground connection component 40 shown in Fig. 1. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the entire housing of the connector C is made of a metal part, and the metal part is electrically connected to the vehicle body via the housing of the unit U (see Fig. 1) or the like. The metal part may also be connected to a ground part in the circuit that constitutes the unit U.

[0026] In this configuration, the ground connection part 40 is formed, for example, by a band member 43. The band member 43 is a fastening member for bringing the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 into contact with the connector C, and is attached from the outside of the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30. With this band member 43, noise blocked by the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is grounded through the metal part of the connector C.

[0027] In this embodiment, the band member 43 is preferably made of metal. However, this is not a limitation, and the band member 43 may also be made of resin. When the band member 43 is used as the earth connection part 40, the adhesive layer 32 is preferably made of a conductive material. Alternatively, it is preferable that the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 has the adhesive layer 32 only partially provided in the width direction, and the portion where the adhesive layer 32 is not provided is fastened by the band member 43. Furthermore, the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 not having the adhesive layer 32 may be fastened by the band member 43. In addition, prior to fastening with the band member 43, the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 may be wrapped with a resin tape or the like.

[0028] Next, a method for manufacturing the wire harness WH1 according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a process diagram showing a method for manufacturing the wire harness WH1. For the wire harness WH1 according to this embodiment, all of the processes shown in Fig. 5 are performed by an automatic machine (manufacturing device).

[0029] First, the first electric wire 10 is set in the automatic machine, and a terminal is attached to the first electric wire 10 (terminal attaching process). Next, the terminal attached in the terminal attaching process is inserted into the connector C (connector inserting process). The terminal attaching process and the connector inserting process are realized by functions provided in existing automatic machines.

[0030] Thereafter, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wound around the first electric wire 10 whose terminal has been inserted into the connector C in the connector insertion process (winding process). The winding of the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is achieved by applying the technology of a resin tape winding device.

[0031] Next, a ground connection part 40 for electrical connection to the vehicle body is connected to the outside of one end of the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 wound in the winding step (connection step). The connection of the ground connection part 40 is realized by applying the technology of a soldering device for electric wires, etc. Thereafter, the wire harness WH1 according to the first embodiment is manufactured by combining it with the second electric wire 20 and providing an exterior member 50, etc.

[0032] As described above, the wire harness WH1 according to this embodiment does not require special wires or threading work despite having a shielded structure, and therefore can be said to have a configuration more suitable for automated production.

[0033] In this way, with the wire harness WH1 according to the present embodiment, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wound around the first electric wires 10, eliminating the need to use special wires such as shielded wires or to perform threading work as with braided wires. Furthermore, since the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 itself is flexible, tearing is unlikely to occur at the bent portion even when the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 is wound around the first electric wires 10. Additionally, since the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 blocks noise, there is little need to keep the wire harness WH1 away from noise sources NS, etc., and wiring is less likely to become difficult. Therefore, it is possible to provide a wire harness WH1 that is more suitable for automated production, easily obtains an appropriate shielding effect, and minimizes wiring difficulties.

[0034] Furthermore, since the earth connection part 40 is provided from the outside on one end side of the conductive nonwoven fabric 31, the earth connection part 40 can be attached after the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wrapped around the first electric wire 10. Therefore, compared to when work is performed on the inside of the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30, this configuration is more suitable for automated production.

[0035] Furthermore, since the first electric wire 10 is connected to the noise source NS and has conductive nonwoven tape 30 provided over the entire area, there is no problem in placing the second electric wire 20 along the first electric wire 10, and the two can be placed close to each other to prevent increased costs due to double paths.

[0036] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The wire harness according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, but has a partially different configuration. Only the differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

[0037] Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a wire harness according to a second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, the wire harness WH2 according to the second embodiment is configured to include a first electric wire 10 arranged adjacent to a noise generation source NS without including a second electric wire 20. The first electric wire 10 connects a unit U and an auxiliary machine AE. Here, "adjacent arrangement" refers to a case where the first electric wire 10 is arranged within a predetermined distance that is affected by noise from the noise generation source NS.

[0038] In the second embodiment, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wrapped only around a predetermined portion of the first electric wire 10 where a shielding effect should be exhibited, rather than wrapping around the entire first electric wire 10. More specifically, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wrapped only around a portion that is within the above-mentioned distance from the noise source NS.

[0039] In the example shown in Figure 6, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is provided only in the central portion of the first electric wire 10, rather than over the entire area thereof, and therefore the earth connection part 40 is also provided closer to the center, rather than near the end of the first electric wire 10.

[0040] Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a modified example of the wire harness WH2 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 7, in the second embodiment, when the first electric wire 10 is closer to the noise generation source NS, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 may be wrapped around the entire first electric wire 10. In this case, the entire first electric wire 10 is within the above-mentioned distance from the noise generation source NS, and since there is an influence of noise, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 is wrapped around the entire first electric wire 10.

[0041] The wire harness WH2 according to the second embodiment can be manufactured by attaching the exterior member 50 through the steps shown in FIG.

[0042] In this way, the wire harness WH2 according to the second embodiment can be provided with a configuration more suitable for automated production, which can easily obtain an appropriate shielding effect and can prevent the wiring from becoming difficult, similar to the first embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration can be more suitable for automated production than when work is performed on the inside of the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30.

[0043] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the first electric wire 10 is disposed adjacent to the noise generation source NS, and is wound around the entire area of ​​the first electric wire 10 or only a necessary portion thereof. Therefore, there is no problem even if the first electric wire 10 is disposed close to the noise generation source NS, and by arranging them adjacent to each other, it is possible to prevent the wiring from becoming difficult.

[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 first electric wire 10 is wrapped with the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30, but this is not particularly limited, and the first electric wire 10 may be wrapped with a conductive nonwoven fabric 31 that does not include the adhesive layer 32. In this case, it is preferable to further provide a fixing part such as a cable tie to prevent the conductive nonwoven fabric 31 from unfolding.

[0046] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ground connection part 40 is not limited to the one shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, but may be, for example, a simple metal plate, a ground clip, or something else.

[0047] Furthermore, the conductive nonwoven fabric tape 30 may have the adhesive layer 32 only on a portion of the conductive nonwoven fabric 31, so that when it is wrapped around the first electric wire 10, the adhesive layer 32 is not interposed in the wrapping portion of the wrapping. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10: First electric wire (electric wire) 20: Second electric wire (other electric wire) 30: Conductive nonwoven tape 31: Conductive nonwoven fabric 31a: Fiber 31b: Plated part 40: Earth connection parts 43: Band material NS: Noise source WH1, WH2: Wire harness

Claims

1. Electric wires and a conductive nonwoven fabric having a nonwoven fabric and a plated portion made of a conductive metal that coats fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric, the conductive nonwoven fabric being wound around the electric wire; an earth connection part provided on one end side of the conductive nonwoven fabric wrapped around the electric wire; A wire harness comprising:

2. The earth connection part is provided from the outside on one end side of the conductive nonwoven fabric.

2. The wire harness according to claim 1.

3. Further, another electric wire is arranged along the electric wire, The electric wire is connected to a noise generating source, The conductive nonwoven fabric is provided over the entire area of ​​the electric wire. The wire harness according to claim 2 .

4. The electric wire is configured as a path disposed adjacent to a noise generating source, The conductive nonwoven fabric is wrapped around the entire area of ​​the electric wire or only around a predetermined portion of the electric wire that is to exhibit a shielding effect. The wire harness according to claim 2 .

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