Protector

Abstract

To provide a protector capable of holding and storing a wiring material at an appropriate position.SOLUTION: A protector 1 comprising: a bottom wall part 11 extending along a height direction Z in a state of being fixed to a fixing object region A; a pair of side wall parts 12, 13 formed so as to protrude along a depth direction Y, that is provided on both sides by sandwiching the bottom wall part 11 in the height direction Z; a storage space part 10S partitioned by the bottom wall part 11 and the pair of side wall parts 12, 13 and into which a plurality of wiring materials W is inserted; and a partition wall 17 for partitioning the storage space part 10S into a first storage space part 10Sa into which part of the plurality of wiring materials W is inserted, that is located on an upper side in the height direction Z, and a second storage space part 10Sb into which part of a remaining portion of the plurality of wiring materials W is inserted, that is located on a lower side in the height direction Z. The partition wall 17 formed so as to protrude along the depth direction Y from the bottom wall part 11 has a root part 17r formed in a curve shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a protector in which a plurality of wiring materials are inserted inside the protector body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-82880 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, although the protector described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 can hold the wiring material in the protector body (base member), it is difficult to maintain the positional relationship between the wiring materials, and there is room for further improvement in terms of holding the wiring material in the appropriate position.

[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 that can hold and store a wiring material in an appropriate position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the protector of the present invention comprises a bottom wall portion extending along the vertical direction when fixed to a fixing target portion, a pair of side wall portions provided on both sides of the bottom wall portion in the vertical direction and formed to protrude along a protruding direction intersecting the vertical direction, a storage space portion partitioned by the bottom wall portion and the pair of side wall portions and into which a plurality of conductive wiring materials are inserted, and a partition wall formed to protrude from the bottom wall portion along the protruding direction and divide the storage space portion into a first storage space portion located above the vertical direction and into which some of the plurality of wiring materials are inserted, and a second storage space portion located below the vertical direction and into which at least a portion of the remaining plurality of wiring materials are inserted, and the partition wall is characterized in that the root portion protruding from the bottom wall portion is formed to be curved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The protector according to the present invention has the effect of being able to hold and house the wiring material at an appropriate position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a protector according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the protector according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these 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 the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] The protector 1 shown in Fig. 1 is incorporated into a wire harness mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile. The wire harness is, for example, a component in which a plurality of wiring materials used for power supply and signal communication are bundled together to connect the various devices mounted on the vehicle, and the wiring materials are connected to the various devices using connectors or the like.

[0011] The protector 1 of this embodiment is provided with a partition wall 17 that can divide the storage space 10S, through which a plurality of wiring materials W are inserted, into upper and lower parts, and the base portion 17r (rising portion) of the partition wall 17 is formed in a curved shape, thereby realizing a configuration that can hold and store the wiring materials W in an appropriate position. The configuration of the protector 1 will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

[0012] 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 "lengthwise direction X," the second direction will be referred to as the "depthwise direction Y," and the third direction will be referred to as the "heightwise direction Z." Here, the lengthwise direction X, the depthwise direction Y, and the heightwise direction Z are perpendicular to one another. The lengthwise direction X typically corresponds to the lengthwise direction (longitudinal direction) of the protector 1, the left-right direction of the target portion A, etc. The depthwise direction Y typically corresponds to the thicknesswise direction of the protector 1, the thicknesswise direction of the target portion A, etc. The heightwise direction Z typically corresponds to the widthwise direction (short-side direction) of the protector 1, the up-down direction of the target portion A, etc. Therefore, in this embodiment, the heightwise direction Z corresponds to the vertical direction, and the depthwise direction Y corresponds to the protruding direction that intersects with the vertical direction, i.e., the horizontal direction. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, each direction will be described as a direction in a state in which the protector 1 is fixed to the target portion A.

[0013] The fixing target part A here is, for example, the body of a vehicle.

[0014] In addition, the wire harness may further include an electric junction box, a grommet, a fixture, a connector, and the like.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the protector 1 includes a base member 10 in which a plurality of wiring materials W are housed, and a cover member 20.

[0016] <Routing material> The wiring material W is wired in a vehicle and electrically connects various devices. The wiring material W of this embodiment is an insulated electric wire that includes a conductive conductor portion (core wire) and an insulating insulating sheath portion, and the conductor portion is sheathed by the insulating sheath portion. The conductor portion here is a twisted wire formed by twisting together multiple conductive wires. The insulating sheath portion is formed, for example, by extrusion molding an insulating resin material (PP, PVC, cross-linked PE, etc., appropriately selected taking into consideration abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, heat resistance, etc.). The conductor portion may also be a bundle of multiple wires.

[0017] Furthermore, the wiring material W has a conductor portion with a substantially circular cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional shape in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the wiring material W) and an insulating coating portion with a substantially annular cross-sectional shape, resulting in an overall substantially circular cross-sectional shape (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, four wiring materials W are provided, and each is housed inside the protector 1.

[0018] <Base material> The base member 10 is formed of an insulating resin material or the like, and protects the wiring material W by accommodating the wiring material W therein. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the base member 10 includes a bottom wall 11 and a pair of side walls 12 and 13. The bottom wall 11 and the pair of side walls 12 and 13 are integrally formed to form a U-shaped cross section of the base member 10 along the height direction Z. As shown in FIG. 3, when viewed from the length direction X, the bottom wall 11 extends along the height direction Z, and the pair of side walls 12 and 13 extend along a depth direction Y intersecting with the height direction Z. Therefore, the base member 10 of this embodiment includes an accommodating space 10S as an internal space, a pair of insertion openings 14 and 15 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) opening along the extension direction L1 of the protector 1, and an opening 16 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) opening in the depth direction Y.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the base member 10 includes a first portion 10a and a second portion 10b that is bent relative to the first portion 10a. The first portion 10a is formed linearly along the length direction X. The second portion 10b is formed curved and rounded. Therefore, the base member 10 of this embodiment has a J-shaped shape when viewed from the depth direction Y. As shown in FIG. 2, the extension direction L1 of the protector 1 extends in a J-shaped curve in accordance with the shape of the base member 10.

[0020] <Cover material> The cover member 20 is formed of an insulating resin material or the like, and is assembled to the base member 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to protect the wiring material W housed inside the base member 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover member 20 is formed to a size that allows it to close the opening 16 of the base member 10. Furthermore, when the cover member 20 closes the opening 16 of the base member 10, it is formed in a plate shape that extends along the length direction X and the height direction Z and has a depth direction Y as its plate thickness direction. At this time, the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10 via a locking mechanism (not shown), and is held in a closing position that closes the opening 16. Furthermore, when the cover member 20 closes the opening 16, it is positioned opposite the bottom wall portion 11 at a distance from the bottom wall portion 11 along the depth direction Y, which is the opening direction of the opening 16. The locking mechanism referred to here is, for example, composed of a locking portion provided on each side wall portion 12, 13 of the base member 10 and a locked portion provided on the cover member 20 so as to correspond to the locking portion.

[0021] Next, the base member 10 configured as above will be described in detail.

[0022] The bottom wall portion 11 is a plate-like portion extending in the length direction X and the height direction Z, with the depth direction Y being the plate thickness direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the bottom wall portion 11 is disposed opposite the opening 16 at a distance from the opening 16 along the depth direction Y, which is the opening direction of the opening 16. The bottom wall portion 11 is fixed to a target portion A extending in the length direction X and the height direction Z, and is disposed opposite the target portion A. Therefore, the bottom wall portion 11 of this embodiment extends along the surface of the target portion A while being fixed to the target portion A. The bottom wall portion 11 of this embodiment is formed according to the shapes of the first portion 10a and the second portion 10b of the base member 10, as shown in FIG. 2 . Therefore, the bottom wall portion 11 is formed to be curved in the extension direction L1 of the protector 1.

[0023] The side walls 12 and 13 extend along the extension direction L1 and the depth direction Y of the protector 1, and are formed like plates whose thickness direction intersects with the extension direction L1 of the protector 1 when viewed from the depth direction Y. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the side walls 12 and 13 are spaced apart along a height direction Z that intersects with the opening direction of the opening 16. The side walls 12 and 13 are positioned opposite each other, with the side wall 12 positioned on the upper side in the height direction Z and the side wall 13 positioned on the lower side in the height direction Z. The side walls 12 and 13 are connected to both ends of the bottom wall 11 in the height direction Z, as shown in FIG. 3 . More specifically, the side wall 12 stands upright from an upper end of the bottom wall 11 in the height direction Z, and the side wall 13 stands upright from a lower end of the bottom wall 11 in the height direction Z. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the side wall portions 12 and 13 are provided on both sides of the bottom wall portion 11 in the height direction Z when fixed to the target portion A, and are formed to protrude in the depth direction Y intersecting the height direction Z. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2 , the side wall portions 12 and 13 in the present embodiment are formed according to the shapes of the first portion 10a and the second portion 10b of the base member 10. Therefore, the side wall portions 12 and 13 are formed to be curved in the extension direction L1 of the protector 1. Furthermore, a fixing mechanism B for the target portion A is provided on the outer side of the side wall portion 13 in the present embodiment. Therefore, the base member 10 is typically fixed to the target portion A via a fixing member such as a bracket provided on the target portion A by assembling the fixing member by inserting the fixing member into the fixing mechanism B.

[0024] The storage space 10S is defined by the bottom wall 11 and the pair of side walls 12 and 13. The insertion openings 14 and 15 are defined by the ends (also referred to as edge portions) of the pair of side walls 12 and 13, and are sandwiched between the ends of the side walls 12 and 13 positioned along the extending direction L1 of the protector 1. As shown in FIG. 2 , the insertion openings 14 and 15 are formed on the first portion 10a side of the base member 10 and the second portion 10b side of the base member 10, so that the insertion openings 14 and 15 are spaced apart along the extending direction L1 of the protector 1. Therefore, in the base member 10 of this embodiment, by inserting the wiring material W into the storage space 10S through the pair of insertion openings 14 and 15, the wiring material W can be routed in a J-shaped curve along the extending direction L1 of the protector 1.

[0025] The opening 16 is a section defined by the edges of the pair of side walls 12 and 13, and is a section sandwiched between the tips of the side walls 12 and 13 positioned along the depth direction Y. The tips of the side walls 12 and 13 here refer to the sections opposite the bases protruding from the bottom wall 11. In the protector 1 of this embodiment, when the cover member 20 is assembled to the base member 10, the cover member 20 closes the opening 16 and covers the storage space 10S located corresponding to the opening 16 (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the protector 1 can hold the wiring material W by storing the wiring material W in the internal space enclosed by the wall portions of the base member 10 and the cover member 20. In addition, the protector 1 can regulate the routing path of the wiring material W stored therein by fixing the base member 10 to the fixing target portion A via a fixing member (not shown), such as a bracket.

[0026] <Partition wall> Next, the configuration of the partition wall 17 provided on the base member 10 will be described.

[0027] The partition wall 17 is formed of an insulating resin material or the like and is provided inside the base member 10 to divide the storage space 10S of the base member 10 into multiple spaces. As shown in FIG. 2 , the partition wall 17 is formed like a plate extending along the extension direction L1 and the depth direction Y of the protector 1, and the thickness direction of the plate is a direction intersecting the extension direction L1 of the protector 1 when viewed from the depth direction Y. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the partition wall 17 stands upright from near the center of the bottom wall 11 in the height direction Z and is provided between the side wall 12 located above in the height direction Z and the side wall 13 located below in the height direction Z. Therefore, when the partition wall 17 of this embodiment is fixed to the fixing target portion A, a pair of side walls 12, 13 are provided on both sides of the partition wall 17 in the height direction Z, and the partition wall 17 is sandwiched between the side wall 12 located above in the height direction Z and the side wall 13 located below in the height direction Z. The partition wall 17 is formed to protrude in the depth direction Y that intersects with the height direction Z, and is provided along the pair of side wall portions 12, 13. The partition wall 17 is formed integrally with the bottom wall portion 11 and the pair of side wall portions 12, 13 described above, and thereby can divide the storage space portion 10S of the base member 10 into two: a first storage space portion 10Sa located on the upper side in the height direction Z, and a second storage space portion 10Sb located on the lower side in the height direction Z.

[0028] 2, the partition wall 17 includes a first portion 17a and a second portion 17b that is bent relative to the first portion 17a. The first portion 17a is formed linearly along the longitudinal direction X. The second portion 17b is formed curvedly and has a rounded shape. Therefore, the partition wall 17 of this embodiment has a J-shape when viewed from the depth direction Y. Furthermore, by forming the partition wall 17 with a curved portion, the rigidity can be increased compared to when the partition wall 17 is formed linearly.

[0029] 1, the partition wall 17 has a root portion 17r that protrudes from the bottom wall portion 11 and is formed in a curved shape. Therefore, in the partition wall 17 of this embodiment, corners formed between the partition wall 17 and the bottom wall portion 11 are formed in a rounded shape, and the shape when viewed from the plate thickness direction is formed in a curved shape that is recessed toward the inside (inner corner). Therefore, since the root portion 17r of the partition wall 17 is formed by a concave curved surface, it is possible to prevent stress concentration from occurring compared to when the root portion 17r is formed in a straight line.

[0030] Furthermore, the partition wall 17 configured as described above bears the weight of the wiring material W inserted into the first storage space 10Sa, and the side wall 13 of the pair of side walls 12, 13, which is located lower in the height direction Z, bears the weight of the wiring material W inserted into the second storage space 10Sb. As shown in FIG. 3, in the base member 10 of this embodiment, four wiring materials W are inserted into the storage space 10S, and of the four wiring materials W, two wiring materials W are inserted into the first storage space 10Sa and the remaining two wiring materials W are inserted into the second storage space 10Sb. Furthermore, the two wiring materials W inserted into the first storage space 10Sa and the two wiring materials W inserted into the second storage space 10Sb are each arranged side by side along the depth direction Y. Therefore, the partition wall 17 contacts each of the two wiring materials W inserted into the first storage space 10Sa, allowing the wiring materials W to be placed thereon and the wiring materials W to be placed without stacking. Also, the side wall portion 13 located on the lower side in the height direction Z contacts each of the two wiring materials W inserted into the second storage space 10Sb, allowing the wiring materials W to be placed thereon and the wiring materials W to be placed without stacking. Therefore, the base member 10 of this embodiment divides the storage space 10S, through which the wiring materials W are inserted, into two, the first storage space 10Sa and the second storage space 10Sb, by the partition wall 17, thereby reducing the number of wiring materials W stored in each of the first storage space 10Sa and the second storage space 10Sb. In addition, by reducing the number of wiring materials W accommodated in each of the first and second storage spaces 10Sa and 10Sb, the base member 10 can reduce the weight placed on the bottom of the first and second storage spaces 10Sa and 10Sb.

[0031] The protector 1 described above comprises a bottom wall portion 11 extending along the height direction Z (corresponding to the vertical direction) when fixed to the fixing target portion A, a pair of side wall portions 12, 13 provided on both sides of the bottom wall portion 11 in the height direction Z and formed to protrude along a protruding direction (corresponding to the depth direction Y) that intersects the height direction Z, a storage space portion 10S partitioned and formed by the bottom wall portion 11 and the pair of side wall portions 12, 13 and into which multiple conductive wiring materials W are inserted, and a partition wall 17 formed to protrude from the bottom wall portion 11 along the depth direction Y and dividing the storage space portion 10S into a first storage space portion 10Sa located above the height direction Z and into which some of the multiple wiring materials W are inserted, and a second storage space portion 10Sb located below the height direction Z and into which at least some of the remaining wiring materials W are inserted, and the partition wall 17 has a root portion 17r protruding from the bottom wall portion 11 formed to be curved.

[0032] According to this configuration, the protector 1 divides the storage space 10S, which is defined by the bottom wall 11 and the pair of side walls 12, 13, into upper and lower sections by the partition wall 17, so that the multiple wiring materials W inserted into one storage space 10S can be divided into wiring materials W inserted into the first storage space 10Sa and wiring materials W inserted into the second storage space 10Sb. Furthermore, by reducing the number of wiring materials W stored in each of the first storage space 10Sa and the second storage space 10Sb, the protector 1 can distribute the load applied per unit area to the partition wall 17, which is the bottom of the first storage space 10Sa, and the side wall (side wall 13 in this embodiment), which is the bottom of the second storage space 10Sb, when the wire harness vibrates due to vehicle vibration or the like. Furthermore, by reducing the number of wiring materials W accommodated in each of the first and second housing spaces 10Sa and 10Sb, the protector 1 can hold the wiring materials W in a more appropriate position, thereby preventing twisting of the wiring materials W when the wire harness vibrates due to vehicle vibrations, etc. Furthermore, when the wire harness vibrates in the height direction Z due to vehicle vibrations, the protector 1 can prevent a large load from being applied to the entire protector 1, which would otherwise be applied to the partition wall 17, which forms the bottom of the first housing space 10Sa, or the side wall portion 13, which forms the bottom of the second housing space 10Sb. Furthermore, the partition wall 17 has a curved root portion 17r, which prevents stress concentration compared to when the partition wall 17 is linearly formed. Therefore, the protector 1 can ensure sufficient strength to withstand a large load applied to the partition wall 17. Therefore, the protector 1 of this embodiment can hold and store the wiring materials W in the appropriate position by dividing the storage space 10S, through which multiple wiring materials W are inserted, into upper and lower sections by a partition wall 17.

[0033] Furthermore, the partition wall 17 of the protector 1 described above places the wiring materials W inserted into the first storage space 10Sa and arranged side by side along the depth direction Y in contact with each of the wiring materials W, and the side wall 13 of the pair of side walls 12, 13, which is located on the lower side in the height direction Z, places the wiring materials W inserted into the second storage space 10Sb in contact with each of the wiring materials W arranged side by side along the depth direction Y. With this configuration, the protector 1 is arranged in a state where the wiring materials W inserted into the first storage space 10Sa are in contact with the partition wall 17 and are arranged horizontally in a row. Also, the protector 1 is arranged in a state where the wiring materials W inserted into the second storage space 10Sb are in contact with the side wall 13 and are arranged horizontally in a row. Therefore, the protector 1 can correct the positions of the multiple wiring materials W inserted into the first housing space 10Sa and the second housing space 10Sb, thereby properly maintaining the relative positions of the wiring materials W. Furthermore, by correcting the positions of the wiring materials W inserted inside the protector 1, the protector 1 can prevent the wiring materials W from twisting or a large load from being applied to the partition wall 17 that forms the bottom of the first housing space 10Sa or the side wall 13 that forms the bottom of the second housing space 10Sb when the wire harness vibrates due to vehicle vibration, etc. Therefore, the protector 1 of this embodiment can hold and store the wiring materials W in a more appropriate position.

[0034] Furthermore, the partition wall 17 of the protector 1 described above has a first portion 17a and a second portion 17b that is bent relative to the first portion 17a. With this configuration, the partition wall 17 has a curved second portion 17b, which increases its rigidity compared to when the partition wall 17 is formed in a straight line. This ensures that the protector 1 has sufficient strength to withstand a large load applied to the partition wall 17. Therefore, the protector 1 of this embodiment can hold and accommodate the wiring material W inserted into the first housing space 10Sa in a more appropriate position.

[0035] The protector 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0036] For example, the positional relationship between the protector 1 and the target area A to which the protector 1 is fixed is not limited to the form shown in Fig. 3. In the above description, the target area A to be fixed extends along the length direction X and the height direction Z (i.e., the vertical direction). However, the target area A to be fixed may extend, for example, along the length direction X and the depth direction Y (i.e., the horizontal direction). Furthermore, the target area A to be fixed may be disposed opposite the side wall portion 12 or the side wall portion 13. The surface direction of the target area A to be fixed is not particularly limited as long as the bottom wall portion 11 constituting the base member 10 extends along the vertical direction and the pair of side walls 12, 13 and the partition wall 17 extend in a direction intersecting the vertical direction, so that the weight of the wiring material W inserted inside the base member 10 is applied to the side wall portion 13 and the partition wall 17 located below in the vertical direction.

[0037] Furthermore, the number of partition walls 17 is not particularly limited. For example, two partition walls may be provided between side wall portion 12 located on the upper side in the vertical direction and side wall portion 13 located on the lower side in the vertical direction. In this case, storage space portion 10S of base member 10 may be divided by the two partition walls into three: a first storage space portion located on the upper side in the vertical direction, a second storage space portion located on the lower side in the vertical direction, and a third storage space portion located in the middle in the vertical direction and formed between the first storage space portion and the second storage space portion.

[0038] Furthermore, the number of wiring materials accommodated in each of the accommodation spaces divided into upper and lower spaces by the partition wall 17 is not particularly limited.

[0039] Furthermore, the shape of the base member 10 is not limited to the form shown in FIGS.

[0040] 1 to 3. For example, although the partition wall 17 has been described as being J-shaped when viewed from the depth direction Y, it may be formed in a linear shape, a U-shape, or another shape. Although the partition wall 17 has been described as extending along the extension direction L1 of the protector 1 (or along the extension direction of the pair of side wall portions 12, 13), the extension direction of the partition wall 17 is not particularly limited as long as it divides the storage space portion 10S into two spaces in the height direction Z.

[0041] The protector 1 according to this embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the embodiments described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Protector 10 Base member 10S Storage space 10Sa First Storage Space 10Sb Second storage space 11 Bottom wall 12, 13 Side wall 17 Partition Wall 17a First section of the partition wall 17b Second section of the partition wall 17r Base of partition wall 20 Cover member W Routing material X length direction Y Depth direction (protrusion direction intersecting with the vertical direction) Z height direction (vertical direction)

Claims

1. a bottom wall portion extending vertically while being fixed to a target portion; a pair of side wall portions provided on both sides of the bottom wall portion in the vertical direction and protruding along a protruding direction intersecting the vertical direction; a storage space defined by the bottom wall and the pair of side wall portions, into which a plurality of conductive wiring materials are inserted; a partition wall formed to protrude from the bottom wall portion along the protruding direction, and dividing the storage space into a first storage space portion located on the upper side in the vertical direction and through which some of the plurality of wiring materials are inserted, and a second storage space portion located on the lower side in the vertical direction and through which at least some of the remaining plurality of wiring materials are inserted, The partition wall has a base portion protruding from the bottom wall portion formed in a curved shape. Protector.

2. The partition wall is inserted into the first accommodating space portion and contacts each of the plurality of wiring materials arranged side by side along the protruding direction, thereby placing the wiring materials thereon, The side wall portion located on the lower side in the vertical direction of the pair of side wall portions is inserted into the second accommodating space portion and contacts each of the plurality of wiring materials arranged in a row along the protruding direction, thereby placing the wiring materials. The protector according to claim 1 .

3. The partition wall has a first portion and a second portion that is bent relative to the first portion. The protector according to claim 1 or 2.

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