Cable

Abstract

To provide a cable capable of achieving both proper fixing of wires such as a plurality of electric wires and reduction of manufacturing cost and weight.SOLUTION: The cable 1 includes a plurality of electric wires 10 and a bundling body 20 for bundling the plurality of electric wires 10. The plurality of electric wires 10 are arranged side by side in an arrangement direction intersecting the axial direction of the cable 1. The binding body (20) binds the wires (10) by engaging a first binding portion (21) in contact with a part of an outer peripheral surface of each of the wires (10) and a second binding portion (22) in contact with another part of the outer peripheral surface to pull each other in a thickness direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the arrangement direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cable including a plurality of wires and a binder that bundles the plurality of wires. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, flat cables have been proposed in which a plurality of electric wires arranged in a planar shape are integrated by covering them with a resin, etc. For example, in one conventional flat cable, the plurality of electric wires are sandwiched between a pair of resin films coated with an adhesive, and then the films are heated and pressed together to integrate the plurality of electric wires (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-115346 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional flat cable described above, the multiple electric wires are entirely covered with a resin film and an adhesive, which has the advantage of firmly fixing the multiple electric wires, but the disadvantage is that the use of a resin film and an adhesive for fixing increases manufacturing costs and weight. In other words, with conventional flat cables, it has been difficult to achieve both proper fixing of the multiple electric wires and reductions in manufacturing costs and weight.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a cable that can properly fix a plurality of wires such as electric wires while reducing manufacturing costs, weight, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the cable according to the present invention has the following features.

[0007] A cable comprising a plurality of wires and a binder that bundles the plurality of wires, The plurality of wires include: The cables are arranged in an arrangement direction that intersects with the axial direction of the cable, The binding body is The wire bundling device is configured to have a first bundling portion that contacts a part of the outer circumferential surface of each of the plurality of wires and a second bundling portion that contacts another part of the outer circumferential surface, and the first bundling portion and the second bundling portion engage with each other so as to attract each other in a thickness direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the arrangement direction, thereby bundling the plurality of wires. It's a cable. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the cable of the present invention, multiple wires (e.g., electric wires) are arranged in a line in the arrangement direction, and a binder (e.g., a string) bundles the wires. More specifically, the binder has a first bundling portion that contacts a portion of the outer circumferential surface of each of the multiple wires and a second bundling portion that contacts another portion of the outer circumferential surface of each of the multiple wires. The first bundling portion and the second bundling portion engage with each other in a pulling manner in the thickness direction of the cable, thereby bundling the multiple wires. In other words, the binder bundles the multiple wires in a so-called "sewing" manner. This allows the multiple wires to be properly bundled without providing a resin coating that completely covers the wires, as in conventional flat cables. Furthermore, such a binder is generally less expensive and lighter in weight than the resin film and adhesive used in the conventional flat cables described above. Therefore, the cable of the present invention can both properly secure the multiple wires and reduce manufacturing costs and weight.

[0009] Furthermore, as another effect, the cable of the present invention does not require large-scale manufacturing equipment as compared with conventional flat cables, and therefore has excellent productivity and a small environmental impact.

[0010] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the detailed description of the invention below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cable according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part B of the plurality of electric wires arranged in the arrangement direction shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part C in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 in a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 in accordance with another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] <Embodiment> A cable 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the cable 1 is a so-called flat cable composed of a plurality of electric wires 10 arranged in a planar shape. In this embodiment, the cable 1 has a trunk portion 2 extending linearly and branch portions 3 branching from the trunk portion 2 at intermediate locations in the axial direction. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the electric wires 10 includes a rod-shaped conductor core 11 and a cylindrical resin insulating coating 12 covering the outer periphery of the conductor core 11. A connector 4A is connected to each of both ends of the trunk portion 2, and a connector 4B is connected to the extending end of the branch portion 3. In this example, the electric wire 10 is illustrated as the "wire" used in the cable 1. The "wire" may be, for example, an electric wire such as a twisted wire or a shielded wire, a communication cable, a hose, or a wire cable. Furthermore, the "wire" may be provided with an outer tube, a protector, a tape, or other components.

[0013] The plurality of electric wires 10 arranged in a plane are bundled at each of a plurality of locations in the axial direction of the cable 1 (= trunk portion 2 + branch portions 3) by binders 20 so as to be aligned in a line in an arrangement direction (corresponding to the left-right direction in FIG. 2 ; hereinafter referred to as the "arrangement direction") that intersects with the axial direction of the cable 1. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , the plurality of electric wires 10 are bundled at each of five locations in the axial direction of the trunk portion 2 and each of two locations in the axial direction of the branch portions 3 by binders 20 so as to be aligned in a line in the arrangement direction. Note that the electric wires 10 may be enameled wires that do not have a resin insulating coating 12. For ease of explanation, the direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the arrangement direction of the cable 1 will be referred to as the "thickness direction" (corresponding to the up-down direction in FIG. 2 ), one side in the thickness direction will be referred to as the "upper" side, and the other side in the thickness direction will be referred to as the "lower" side.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the bundle 20 is specifically composed of an upper thread 21 that contacts the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper sides of the plurality of electric wires 10 aligned in the arrangement direction, and a lower thread 22 that contacts the outer peripheral surfaces of the lower sides of the plurality of electric wires 10 aligned in the arrangement direction. The upper thread 21 and the lower thread 22 are independent threads (separate threads). The bundle 20 bundles the plurality of electric wires 10 in a so-called machine stitching manner that can be performed using a "sewing machine device of a general configuration that uses an upper thread and a lower thread." The upper thread 21 and the lower thread 22 are preferably the same type of thread, but may be different types of thread.

[0015] 3, the upper thread 21 extends over the entire area in the arrangement direction of the plurality of electric wires 10 such that, for example, wire covering portions 21a curved convexly upward along the outer peripheral surfaces of the upper sides of the electric wires 10 and engaging portions 21b curved convexly downward and located between adjacent electric wires 10 are alternately and continuously arranged along the arrangement direction. The lower thread 22 extends over the entire area in the arrangement direction of the plurality of electric wires 10 such that, for example, wire covering portions 22a curved convexly downward along the outer peripheral surfaces of the lower sides of the electric wires 10 and engaging portions 22b curved convexly upward and located between adjacent electric wires 10 are alternately and continuously arranged along the arrangement direction. At each of a plurality of locations corresponding to the spaces between adjacent electric wires 10 in the arrangement direction, the engaging portions 21b of the upper thread 21 and the engaging portions 22b of the lower thread 22 engage with each other in a pulling manner in the thickness direction, whereby the bundle 20 bundles the plurality of electric wires 10 so as to be aligned in a line in the arrangement direction. 3, the position where the engaging portion 21b and the engaging portion 22b engage with each other may vary in the thickness direction in Fig. 3 depending on the magnitude relationship between the tension applied to the upper thread 21 and the tension applied to the lower thread 22. As a result, the position where the engaging portion 21b and the engaging portion 22b engage with each other is not necessarily between adjacent electric wires 10, and may be located above or below the electric wire 10.

[0016] The type, material, thickness, color, stretch rate, and tensile strength characteristics of the upper thread 21 and the lower thread 22 are not particularly limited as long as they are selected so as to be suitable for fastening the electric wire 10. Furthermore, the upper thread 21 and the lower thread 22 may have the same characteristics or different characteristics.

[0017] Since the binder 20 bundles the plurality of electric wires 10 in this manner, in this example, unlike conventional flat cables, a resin coating is not provided to collectively cover the entire plurality of electric wires 10. The operation of bundling the plurality of electric wires 10 using the binder 20 is preferably performed after the operation of connecting the connectors 4A, 4B to the ends of the plurality of electric wires 10 arranged in a planar manner has been performed.

[0018] At each of both ends of the bundle 20 in the arrangement direction, the end 21c of the upper thread 21 and the end 22c of the lower thread 22 are fixed so as not to separate, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the end 21c of the upper thread 21 and the end 22c of the lower thread 22 are tied together and fixed so as not to separate. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the end 21c of the upper thread 21 and the end 22c of the lower thread 22 are fixed so as not to separate using a fastener 5. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the end 21c of the upper thread 21 and the end 22c of the lower thread 22 are fixed so as not to separate via a joint 23 by welding or bonding. In this way, the upper thread 21 and the lower thread 22 are fixed so as not to separate at the ends in the arrangement direction, making it easy to fix the upper thread 21 and the lower thread 22 from the outside of the cable 1.

[0019] <Actions and Effects> As described above, in the cable 1 according to this embodiment, a plurality of electric wires 10 are arranged in a planar configuration, and the bundling body 20 (e.g., a thread) bundles the plurality of electric wires 10 by engaging a first bundling portion (upper thread 21) that contacts a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the plurality of electric wires 10 with a second bundling portion (lower thread 22) that contacts another portion of the outer circumferential surface of the plurality of electric wires 10 in a manner that pulls against each other in the thickness direction of the cable 1. In other words, the bundling body 20 bundles the plurality of electric wires 10 in a manner similar to machine sewing. This allows the plurality of electric wires 10 to be properly bundled without providing a resin coating that completely covers the electric wires, as in conventional flat cables. Therefore, the cable 1 according to this embodiment can simplify the structure while properly bundling a plurality of electric wires 10.

[0020] Furthermore, in the cable 1 according to this embodiment, the binder 20 bundles the plurality of electric wires 10 at a plurality of locations in the axial direction of the cable 1. The locations at which the binder 20 is provided are determined, for example, according to the shape of the cable 1. This allows the plurality of electric wires 10 to be bundled appropriately even when the cable 1 is long or branches.

[0021] Furthermore, according to the cable 1 of this embodiment, the first bundling portion 21 and the second bundling portion 22 are fixed so as not to separate from each other at the ends in the arrangement direction of the cable 1. This makes it easy to fix the first bundling portion 21 and the second bundling portion 22 from outside the cable 1, thereby improving the productivity of the cable 1.

[0022] Furthermore, in the cable 1 according to this embodiment, the first bundling portion 21 and the second bundling portion 22 are different filament-like bodies, which makes it possible to use a sewing machine with a general configuration that uses a so-called upper thread and a lower thread to bundle multiple electric wires 10.

[0023] <Other aspects> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. are possible as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary as long as they can achieve the present invention, and are not limited thereto.

[0024] In the above embodiment, the first bundling portion 21 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the upper side of the electric wire 10 and the second bundling portion 22 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the lower side of the electric wire 10 are different filaments. However, as long as the engaging portion 21b of the first bundling portion 21 and the engaging portion 22b of the second bundling portion 22 engage with each other so as to attract each other in the thickness direction, the first bundling portion 21 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the upper side of the electric wire 10 and the second bundling portion 22 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the lower side of the electric wire 10 may be the same filament. In other words, the bundling body may bundle multiple electric wires in the form of a single-thread "sewing machine stitch."

[0025] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the plurality of electric wires 10 are bundled by the binder 20 at each of a plurality of locations in the axial direction of the cable 1 (= trunk portion 2+branch portion 3) so as to be aligned in the arrangement direction of the cable 1. In contrast to this, the plurality of electric wires 10 may be bundled by the binder 20 at only one location in the axial direction of the cable 1 (= trunk portion 2+branch portion 3) so as to be aligned in the arrangement direction of the cable 1.

[0026] Here, the features of the embodiment of the cable 1 according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [4].

[0027] [1] A cable (1) comprising a plurality of wires (10) and a bundling body (20) that bundles the plurality of wires (10), The plurality of wires (10) The cables (1) are arranged in an arrangement direction that intersects with the axial direction of the cable (1), The binding body (20) is The wire bundling device has a first bundling portion (21) that contacts a part of the outer circumferential surface of each of the plurality of wires (10) and a second bundling portion (22) that contacts another part of the outer circumferential surface, and is configured such that the first bundling portion (21) and the second bundling portion (22) engage with each other so as to attract each other in a thickness direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the arrangement direction, thereby bundling the plurality of wires (10). Cable(1).

[0028] According to the cable having the configuration [1] above, multiple wires (e.g., electric wires) are arranged in a line in the arrangement direction, and a binder (e.g., a string) bundles the wires. More specifically, the binder has a first bundling section that contacts a portion of the outer circumferential surface of each of the multiple wires and a second bundling section that contacts another portion of the outer circumferential surface of each of the multiple wires. The first bundling section and the second bundling section engage with each other in a pulling manner in the thickness direction of the cable, thereby bundling the multiple wires. In other words, the binder bundles the multiple wires in a so-called machine-sewn manner. This allows the multiple wires to be properly bundled without providing a resin coating that completely covers the wires, as in conventional flat cables. Furthermore, such a binder is generally less expensive and lighter in weight than the resin film and adhesive used in the conventional flat cables described above. Therefore, a cable having this configuration can both properly fix multiple wires and reduce manufacturing costs and weight.

[0029] [2] In the cable (1) described in [1] above, The binding body (20) is The wires (10) are bundled at a plurality of locations of the cable (1) in the axial direction. Cable(1).

[0030] According to the cable of the configuration [2] above, the binder bundles the multiple wires at multiple locations in the axial direction of the cable. The locations of the binders can be determined, for example, depending on the overall shape of the cable and the required degree of wire fixation. This allows the multiple wires to be properly bundled even if the cable is long or has branched sections.

[0031] [3] In the cable described in [1] above, The binding body (20) is At the end of the cable (1) in the arrangement direction, the first bundling portion (21) and the second bundling portion (22) are fixed so as not to separate from each other. Cable(1).

[0032] According to the cable having the configuration [3] above, the first bundling part and the second bundling part are fixed to each other at the end of the cable in the arrangement direction so that they do not separate from each other. This makes it easy to fix the first bundling part and the second bundling part together, thereby improving cable productivity.

[0033] [4] In the cable (1) described in [1] above, The first binding part (21) and the second binding part (22) are formed from independent filaments, or are formed from a part and another part of a common filament. Cable(1).

[0034] According to the cable having the configuration [4] above, when the first bundling part and the second bundling part are independent filaments, a commonly used two-thread type (using an upper thread and a lower thread) sewing machine can be used to bundle multiple wires. When the first bundling part and the second bundling part are formed from one part and the other part of a common filament, a single-thread type sewing machine can be used to bundle multiple wires. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 cable 10 Electrical Wires 20 Binding body 21 Upper thread (first binding part) 22 Lower thread (second binding part)

Claims

1. A cable comprising a plurality of wires and a binder that bundles the plurality of wires, The plurality of wires include: The cables are arranged in an arrangement direction that intersects with the axial direction of the cable, The binding body is The wire bundling device is configured to have a first bundling portion that contacts a part of the outer circumferential surface of each of the plurality of wires and a second bundling portion that contacts another part of the outer circumferential surface, and the first bundling portion and the second bundling portion engage with each other so as to attract each other in a thickness direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the arrangement direction, thereby bundling the plurality of wires. cable.

2. 2. The cable of claim 1, The binding body is bundling the plurality of wires at a plurality of locations in the axial direction; cable.

3. 2. The cable of claim 1, The binding body is The first bundling portion and the second bundling portion are fixed to each other at the end of the cable in the arrangement direction so as not to be separated from each other. cable.

4. 2. The cable of claim 1, The first binding part and the second binding part are formed from mutually independent filaments, or are formed from a part and another part of a common filament. cable.

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