Shielding member for wire harness, wire harness with shielding member, and method for shielding wire harness

Abstract

To provide a shield member for a wire harness capable of improving workability in grounding.SOLUTION: The shield member 21 includes the conductive non-woven fabric 5 that is a non-woven fabric provided so as to sandwich a part of the insulator of the outermost layer of the wire harness 3 routed along the surface of the vehicle body 9, which is a conductive to-be-fixed part constituting the vehicle 11, and subjected to metal plating to form an adhesive layer on one surface thereof, wherein the conductive non-woven fabric 5 is fixed to the surface of the vehicle body 9 and grounded to the vehicle body 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shielding member for a wire harness, a wire harness with a shielding member, and a method for shielding a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] With the advancement of research and development into autonomous driving and the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, it is expected that the reliability of each electrical component installed in a vehicle will increase in the future. For example, there are increasing demands for the reliability of shielding materials that shield wire harnesses from electromagnetic waves emitted by each electrical component, as well as the ease of work when grounding them. In order for a shielding material to shield a wire harness from electromagnetic waves, it is necessary to surround the object to be shielded with a conductive shielding material and further connect the shielding material to earth (ground).

[0003] Braided wire is known as a shielding material for wire harnesses. In this case, to ground the shielding material, it is necessary to join a general electric wire with a crimped LA terminal (round terminal) to the drain wire drawn out from the shielding material, and then wrap the joint with tape or other processing to insulate and protect it. This makes it difficult to improve the workability of grounding.

[0004] Meanwhile, a shielding structure in which an electric wire is covered with a metal-plated conductive nonwoven fabric is also known (Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, even a shielding structure using conductive nonwoven fabric can cause problems with workability when connecting to a drain wire for grounding. To address this, a structure is known in which a shielding member is sandwiched between conductive nonwoven fabrics to electrically connect them, which is then heated and hardened to form a grounding fixture, and a conductive bolt is inserted into a mounting hole formed in the grounding fixture to ground it to the vehicle body (Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-115361 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-026557 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-174444 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in order to ground the shielding member using the structure of Patent Document 3, a grounding fixture is required in addition to the shielding member and the grounding bolt, which poses a problem in that the workability during grounding is not sufficiently improved.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and its object is to provide a shielding member for a wire harness, a wire harness with a shielding member, and a shielding method for a wire harness that can improve workability during grounding. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The shielding member for a wire harness of the present invention comprises a conductive nonwoven fabric that is metal-plated and has an adhesive layer formed on one side, and is arranged so as to sandwich a part of the outermost insulating layer of a wire harness that is routed along the surface of a vehicle body, which is a conductive fixed part that constitutes a vehicle, and is fixed to the surface of the vehicle body and grounded to the vehicle body.

[0009] The wire harness with a shielding member of the present invention comprises a wire harness routed along the surface of a vehicle body, which is a conductive fixed part that constitutes a vehicle, and a conductive nonwoven fabric that is arranged to sandwich a part of the outermost insulating layer of the wire harness and is a nonwoven fabric that is metal-plated and has an adhesive layer formed on one side, and the conductive nonwoven fabric is fixed to the surface of the vehicle body and grounded to the vehicle body.

[0010] The method for shielding a wire harness of the present invention includes a first step of sandwiching a part of an outermost insulator of a wire harness routed along the surface of a conductive body of a vehicle between conductive nonwoven fabric, which is a nonwoven fabric that has been metal-plated and has an adhesive layer formed on one side, and a second step of connecting the conductive nonwoven fabric to the surface of the vehicle body to ground it to the vehicle body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a shielding member for a wire harness, a wire harness with a shielding member, and a shielding method for a wire harness that can improve workability during grounding. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a wire harness with a shield member including a shield member according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing details of the conductive nonwoven fabric of FIG. 2, in which (a) is a cross-sectional view and (b) is an enlarged view of a main part of (a). [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modified example of the shielding member according to the first embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 2. [Figure 5] 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing first and second modified examples of a fixing part for fixing the shield member according to the first embodiment to a vehicle body for grounding, and correspond to FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a third modified example of a fixing part for fixing the shielding member according to the first embodiment to a vehicle body for grounding, and a second modified example of the shielding member, and corresponds to FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a first perspective view for explaining a procedure of a method for shielding a wire harness using the shielding member according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a second perspective view for explaining the procedure of the method for shielding a wire harness using the shielding member according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a third perspective view for explaining the procedure of the method for shielding a wire harness using the shielding member according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a fourth perspective view for explaining the procedure of the method for shielding a wire harness using the shielding member according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a wire harness with a shielding member provided with a shielding member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] 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.

[0014] First, the configuration of a wire harness with a shielding member including a shielding member (a shielding member for a wire harness) according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a wire harness with a shielding member including a shielding member according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the conductive nonwoven fabric of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modified example of the shielding member according to the first embodiment, and is a view corresponding to FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing first and second modified examples of a fixing part for fixing the shielding member according to the first embodiment to a vehicle body for grounding, and is a view corresponding to FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing third and fourth modified examples of a fixing part for fixing the shielding member according to the first embodiment to a vehicle body for grounding, and is a view corresponding to FIG. 2. The wire harness with a shielding member 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a harness used to connect electrical equipment (not shown) mounted on a vehicle 11, and includes a wire harness 3 and a shielding member 21 (a shielding member for a wire harness).

[0015] The wire harness 3 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an assembly of electric wires that transmit power and electric signals between electrical components mounted on a vehicle 11, and terminals and connectors (not shown) attached to the ends of the electric wires. The wire harness 3 is routed on the surface of a conductive vehicle body 9 that constitutes the vehicle 11. In FIG. 2, the wire harness 3 is illustrated as an electric wire including a core wire 3a, which is a metal wire that transmits power and electric signals, and an insulating layer 3b (insulator) that covers the core wire 3a to prevent short circuits. However, the configuration of the wire harness 3 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2. For example, the wire harness 3 may be formed by bundling multiple electric wires with adhesive tape or the like, or by covering the electric wires with an insulating tube such as a corrugated tube. On the other hand, the wire harness 3 in this embodiment is preferably an unshielded harness that does not have a shielding structure such as a shielding layer that shields electromagnetic waves. This is because if the wire harness 3 has a shielding layer, electromagnetic waves can be shielded without using the wire harness with shielding member 1 of the present invention. Furthermore, the vehicle body 9 is not particularly limited as long as it is a component that constitutes the vehicle 11 and is conductive. For example, a body shell made of a steel plate can be exemplified. Although a flat plate is shown as an example of the structure of the vehicle body 9 at the position where the wire harness 3 is routed in Figures 1 and 2, the structure of the vehicle body 9 at the portion where the wire harness 3 is routed is not limited to a flat plate.

[0016] The shielding member 21 is a member that shields electromagnetic waves by being fixed to the surface of the vehicle body 9 and grounded to the vehicle body 9, and includes a conductive nonwoven fabric 5. The conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is a member that shields electromagnetic waves when grounded to the vehicle body 9, and is a metal-plated conductive nonwoven fabric that is arranged to sandwich a part of the outermost insulator of the wire harness 3 (insulating layer 3b in FIG. 2). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 includes a nonwoven fabric 5a, a plated portion 5b, and an adhesive layer 5c. The nonwoven fabric 5a is a sheet-like member in which fibers are intertwined without being woven, and has a predetermined thickness. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the nonwoven fabric 5a is formed into multiple layers of fibers in the thickness direction due to manufacturing characteristics. The material of the fiber F that constitutes the nonwoven fabric 5a is not particularly limited as long as it can be manufactured with a width and length that can cover the area Z shown in FIG. 1, can be metal-plated, and does not easily deteriorate in the usage environment of the shielding member-equipped wire harness 1. For example, the material of the fiber F can be polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyamide fiber, acrylic, glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramid fiber, or polyarylate fiber.

[0017] The plated portion 5b shown in FIG. 3(b) is a conductive metal (metal plating) that coats the fibers F that make up the nonwoven fabric 5a. The material of the plated portion 5b is not particularly limited as long as it is a metal that can absorb electromagnetic waves while grounded and does not easily peel off from the nonwoven fabric 5a. For example, one or more metals or alloys selected from the group consisting of copper, silver, gold, nickel, chromium, tin, zinc, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, antimony, bismuth, germanium, cadmium, cobalt, and indium can be used as the metal plating material. The plated portion 5b may be formed as a single layer on the fibers F that make up the nonwoven fabric 5a, or may be formed as multiple layers. Therefore, the plated portion 5b may be formed, for example, with copper (first layer) and tin (second layer) on the fibers F that make up the nonwoven fabric 5a.

[0018] The conductive nonwoven fabric 5 may be fabricated by forming the plated portion 5b on the fibers F and then entangling the fibers F to form the nonwoven fabric 5a, or by forming the nonwoven fabric 5a and then forming the plated portion 5b. A specific plating method is chemical plating such as electroless plating. A more specific plating method involves first immersing the fibers F or the nonwoven fabric 5a in a treatment tank filled with a supercritical fluid or subcritical fluid (e.g., supercritical carbon dioxide) containing an organometallic complex of a plating catalyst metal, such as palladium. Next, the treatment tank is decomposed by thermal reduction, resulting in the deposition of the plating catalyst metal on the surface of the fibers F or the nonwoven fabric 5a. Finally, chemical plating such as electroless plating is performed using the plating catalyst metal as a catalyst, thereby forming the plated portion 5b on the fibers F or the nonwoven fabric 5a. The adhesive layer 5c is a layer for fixing the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 in a state in which it sandwiches a portion of the outermost insulator (insulating layer 3b in FIG. 2 ) of the wire harness 3. The adhesive layer 5c is, for example, a conductive adhesive layer, and can be exemplified by an adhesive layer strip provided on one side of the nonwoven fabric 5a in order to wrap the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 around the wire harness 3 or to fix it to the vehicle body 9.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 has a clamping portion 13 and a sheet end portion 15. The clamping portion 13 is a portion that clamps a part of the wire harness 3, in this case, the outermost layer of the insulator (insulating layer 3b) of an area Z (see Fig. 1) that is a partial area in the axial direction of the wire harness 3. The sheet end portion 15 is a portion that does not clamp the wire harness 3, and is a portion that fixes the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9 for grounding.

[0020] Further, the sheet end portion 15 has a through hole 17 through which a bolt 7 (shank 7a) is inserted as a fixing part 20 for fixing and grounding the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle body 9 is provided with a vehicle body side hole 19, and the shaft 7a of the bolt 7 is also inserted through the vehicle body side hole 19.

[0021] The bolt 7 is a metal part that fixes and grounds the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9 by pressing the sheet end portion 15 against the vehicle body 9 to bring it into contact, and includes a shaft 7a and a bolt head 7b. The shaft 7a is a threaded rod that is inserted through the through hole 17, and in FIG. 2 it is screwed into a female thread (not shown) that is provided on the inner periphery of the vehicle body side hole portion 19. The bolt head 7b prevents the shaft 7a from slipping out of the through hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole portion 19, and is a part that presses the sheet end portion 15 against the vehicle body 9. In this structure, the bolt head 7b of the bolt 7 and the vehicle body 9 sandwich the sheet end portion 15 and press it against the vehicle body 9 to bring it into contact, thereby grounding the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9.

[0022] In the vehicle 11, the potential of the vehicle body 9 can be considered to be a grounded potential. Therefore, when the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is grounded to the vehicle body 9, the potential of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 also becomes a grounded potential. As a result, the sandwiching portion 13 of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 absorbs electromagnetic waves emitted by, for example, electrical components (not shown) arranged around the wire harness 3, preventing the electromagnetic waves from reaching the core wire 3a of the wire harness 3. This shields the wire harness 3 from electromagnetic waves. Note that the region Z is a region where, for example, electromagnetic waves emitted by electrical components arranged around the wire harness 3 have an intensity strong enough to affect the signals and power transmitted by the wire harness 3, and more specifically, is the vicinity of the electrical components that emit electromagnetic waves. However, the sandwiching portion 13 of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 not only prevents electromagnetic waves emitted by electrical components from reaching the wire harness 3, but also prevents the electromagnetic waves emitted by the wire harness 3 from reaching surrounding electrical components by absorbing the electromagnetic waves emitted by the wire harness 3.

[0023] In this way, the shielding member 21 obtains a shielding effect by sandwiching the outermost insulating layer of the wire harness 3 between the sandwiching portions 13 of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 and fixing and grounding the sheet end portions 15 of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9. In this configuration, the sandwiching portions 13 of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 function as a shielding portion, and the sheet end portions 15 function as a grounding portion. Therefore, since the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 serves as both a shielding portion and a grounding portion, there is no need to provide a grounding fixture to the wire harness 3, improving workability during grounding.

[0024] 1 and 2, the shielding member 21 is formed by folding a single sheet of conductive nonwoven fabric 5 and sandwiching a portion of the insulator (insulating layer 3b), and the inner surfaces of the folded ends are bonded together to form the sheet end 15. In this way, the shielding member 21 sandwiches the wire harness 3 between the conductive nonwoven fabrics 5 by folding the sheet of nonwoven fabric 5a and sandwiching the insulator between them, and then bonding the inner surfaces together. Therefore, the area of ​​the bonded portion is reduced compared to when an insulator is sandwiched between two sheets of conductive nonwoven fabric 5, thereby reducing the probability of electromagnetic waves leaking from the bonded portion. Furthermore, the area of ​​the bonded portion is reduced compared to when an insulator is sandwiched between two sheets of conductive nonwoven fabric 5, thereby reducing the probability of peeling of the bonded portion. However, the shielding member 21 is not limited to a structure in which a single sheet of conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is folded back, and may have a structure in which an insulator is sandwiched between two sheets of conductive nonwoven fabric 5. To bond the inner surfaces of the folded ends of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 together, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 may be folded so that the adhesive layer 5c is on the inside, and the adhesive layers 5c may be bonded together.

[0025] 2 illustrates a configuration in which a sheet end portion 15, which is a part of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5, is sandwiched between a bolt 7 serving as a fixing part 20 and the vehicle body 9, thereby fixing the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9. In this configuration, a part of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is sandwiched between the fixing part 20 and the vehicle body 9 and fixed to the vehicle body 9. Therefore, compared to when the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is fixed directly to the vehicle body 9 with an adhesive layer 5c or a conductive adhesive, there is a high degree of freedom in selecting the fixing means, and it is easy to improve the workability during grounding.

[0026] 2 has through holes 17 at sheet end 15 through which fastening parts 20 for grounding to vehicle body 9 are inserted. In this configuration, fastening parts 20 are inserted into through holes 17 provided at sheet end 15 of conductive nonwoven fabric 5 and clamp sheet end 15 together with vehicle body 9, thereby pressing sheet end 15 against vehicle body 9 and grounding it. This restricts movement of fastening parts 20 to the inner periphery of through holes 17, allowing conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to be fixed to vehicle body 9 more reliably.

[0027] 2, through holes 17 are provided in sheet end portion 15 of conductive nonwoven fabric 5, but as shown in Fig. 4, through holes 17 may also be provided in folded-over overlapping portion 23 formed by folding back sheet end portion 15. In this configuration, fixing part 20 is inserted into through holes 17 provided in folded-over overlapping portion 23 and clamps folded-over overlapping portion 23 together with vehicle body 9, thereby pressing folded-over overlapping portion 23 against vehicle body 9 and grounding conductive nonwoven fabric 5.

[0028] Whether to provide the through holes 17 in the sheet end portion 15 or in the folded-back overlapping portion 23 may be selected as appropriate, taking into consideration the advantages of each. For example, providing the through holes 17 in the sheet end portion 15 eliminates the need to fold the sheet end portion 15, which is advantageous in that it requires less man-hours to ground the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9 compared to providing the through holes 17 in the folded-back overlapping portion 23. On the other hand, providing the through holes 17 in the folded-back overlapping portion 23 is advantageous in that the portion where the through holes 17 are provided can be reinforced because the portion where the through holes 17 are provided is thicker compared to providing the through holes 17 in the sheet end portion 15. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the first embodiment will be described using the case where the through holes 17 are provided in the sheet end portion 15 as an example.

[0029] 2 illustrates an example in which a bolt 7 is used as the fixing part 20, but the fixing part 20 is not limited to a bolt 7 as long as the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 can be fixed to the vehicle body 9 and maintained in a grounded state by pressing the sheet end part 15 against the vehicle body 9 to bring it into contact. This point will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6(a). FIGS. 5 and 6(a) are cross-sectional views showing first to third modified examples of the fixing part 20 for fixing the shielding member 21 according to this embodiment to the vehicle body 9, and correspond to FIG. 2.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the fixing part 20 may be a rivet 31. The rivet 31 is a metal part that fixes and grounds the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9 by pressing the sheet end part 15 against the vehicle body 9 to bring it into contact with the vehicle body 9, and includes a shaft part 31a, a head part 31b, and a plastic deformation part 31c. The shaft part 31a is a cylindrical member that passes through the through hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole part 19. The head part 31b prevents the shaft part 31a from slipping out of the through hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole part 19, and is a part that presses the sheet end part 15 against the vehicle body 9. Specifically, the head part 31b is provided at one end of the shaft part 31a, and is a hemispherical member with a diameter larger than the shaft part 31a, the through hole 17, and the vehicle body side hole part 19. The plastically deformed portion 31c is a retaining portion that is plastically deformed by applying stress to the other end of the shank 31a by striking or applying pressure, and is a hemispherical member with a larger diameter than the shank 31a, the through hole 17, and the vehicle body side hole 19. Note that rivets that plastically deform the other end of the shank 31a by applying stress by striking or applying pressure, like the rivet 31, are also called solid rivets. In this structure, the shank 31a and the plastically deformed portion 31c of the rivet 31 sandwich the sheet end 15 and the vehicle body 9 and press the sheet end 15 against the vehicle body 9 to bring them into contact, thereby grounding the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9. Note that the rivet 31 may be a blind rivet instead of a solid rivet.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5(b), the fixing part 20 may be a clip 41. The clip 41 is made of an elastic material such as resin and includes a main body 41a, a shaft 41b, a pressing portion 41c, and a tip 41d. The main body 41a is a plate-shaped member that holds the shaft 41b and the pressing portion 41c. The shaft 41b is a cylindrical member that is inserted into the through-hole 17 and the vehicle-body-side hole 19 and protrudes from one surface (the left surface) of the main body 41a to one side (the left side). The pressing portion 41c is a hollow cone-shaped member that contacts the conductive nonwoven fabric 5. The pressing portion 41c is provided on the underside of the main body 41a so as to be coaxial with the shaft 41b and surround the shaft 41b, and its diameter expands toward one side (the left side). The tip 41d is a member whose axial cross section is arrow-shaped, and an end 41e at the folded-back portion of the arrow contacts the vehicle body 9. When the tip portion 41d and the shaft portion 41b of the clip 41 are inserted into the through hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole 19 from the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 side, the tip portion 41d comes into contact with the inner periphery of the through hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole 19, elastically deforming and reducing in diameter as it is inserted into the through hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole 19. When the shaft portion 41b is further inserted to a position where the tip portion 41d is exposed from the through hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole 19, the tip portion 41d expands in diameter and becomes retained. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the sheet end portion 15 and the vehicle body 9 are sandwiched between the pressing portion 41c and the tip portion 41d, and the sheet end portion 15 is pressed against and brought into contact with the vehicle body 9, so that the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is grounded to the vehicle body 9.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6(a), the fixing part 20 may be a clip 51. The clip 51 has a holding portion 41f for holding the wire harness 3 provided on the upper surface of a main body 41a of the clip 41. The holding portion 41f is made of an elastic material such as resin and is a cylinder with a C-shaped axial cross section. The distance between the open ends of the C-shape in the axial cross section of the holding portion 41f is smaller than the diameter of the wire harness 3. In this structure, when the wire harness 3 is pushed into the cylinder from the open ends of the C-shape of the holding portion 41f, the holding portion 41f elastically deforms so that the open ends are pushed apart, and the wire harness 3 is inserted into the cylinder. When the wire harness 3 is pushed to a position where the open ends do not come into contact with the wire harness 3, the holding portion 41f elastically deforms so that the open ends narrow, and returns to its original shape, and the wire harness 3 is held by the holding portion 41f.

[0033] Whether to use bolt 7, rivet 31, clip 41, or clip 51 as fixing part 20 can be selected appropriately taking into consideration the advantages of each. For example, when bolt 7 is used as fixing part 20, bolt 7 has a threaded structure, which is advantageous in that the fastening force can be adjusted by the rotation angle of bolt head 7b with a spanner or wrench, and it is easy to attach and detach. Furthermore, when bolt 7 is used as fixing part 20, metal can be used as the material, which is advantageous in that grounding can be achieved via bolt 7.

[0034] When rivet 31 is used as fixing part 20, the other end of shank 31a is plastically deformed to form plastically deformed part 31c to prevent it from coming loose, so rivet 31 cannot be removed from vehicle body 9 unless either shank 31a, head 31b, or plastically deformed part 31c is destroyed. This is advantageous in that fixing part 20 is less likely to come loose due to external force compared to other fixing parts 20. Furthermore, when rivet 31 is used as fixing part 20, metal can be used as the material, which is advantageous in that grounding via rivet 31 is also possible.

[0035] When the clip 41 is used as the fixing part 20, the tip 41d is inserted into the through-hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole 19, and then simply exposed on the surface opposite the insertion side, so that the tip 41d expands in diameter to prevent it from coming off, thereby fixing the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9. This is advantageous in that it is easy to attach. Furthermore, when the clip 51 is provided as the fixing part 20, in addition to the same advantages as the clip 41, it is also advantageous in that the wire harness 3 can be held by the holding part 41f.

[0036] The shielding member 21 may include a reinforcing member that reinforces the inner periphery of the through hole 17 or the periphery of the through hole 17. An example of the reinforcing member is shown in FIG. 6(b). FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a second modified example of the shielding member 21, corresponding to FIG. 2. FIG. 6(b) illustrates a configuration in which a metal button 61 is provided as the reinforcing member. The metal button 61 includes a metal collar 63 and a reinforcing plate 65. The metal collar 63 is a cylindrical metal member that is inserted into the through hole 17 and contacts the inner periphery of the through hole 17, and the axis of the through hole 17 and the axis of the cylinder are coaxial. The reinforcing plate 65 is an annular member that covers the portion of the surface of the sheet end portion 15 surrounding the through hole 17. In this case, the reinforcing plate 65 is a flange provided around the outer periphery of one end of the metal collar 63. FIG. 6(b) also illustrates a metal clip 71 as the fixing component 20. The metal clip 71 has a similar structure to the clip 41, except that it is made of metal and does not include a retaining portion 41c. In this configuration, when the tip 41d and shaft 41b of the metal clip 71 are inserted into the through-hole 17, they come into contact with the metal collar 63, so the tip 41d and shaft 41b do not come into direct contact with the inner periphery of the through-hole 17. This prevents the tip 41d and shaft 41b from coming into direct contact with the inner periphery of the through-hole 17 when the metal clip 71 is inserted into the through-hole 17, which would cause the diameter of the through-hole 17 to expand or tear the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 starting from the through-hole 17. Furthermore, in this configuration, when the metal clip 71 is inserted into the through-hole 17, the main body 41a comes into contact with the reinforcing plate 65 when the tip 41d reaches a position where it is exposed from the surface opposite the insertion side, so the main body 41a does not come into direct contact with the surface of the sheet end portion 15. This prevents the periphery of the through-hole 17 from being torn by the force applied from the main body 41a to the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 when the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is pressed against the vehicle body 9 to be fixed. That is, the metal clip 71 and the metal button 61 function like a pair of snap buttons, and prevent the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 from being torn while fixing the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9. This completes the description of the configuration of the wire harness 1 with a shielding member that includes the shielding member 21 according to the first embodiment.

[0037] Next, an example of a shielding method for a wire harness 3 using the shielding member 21 according to the first embodiment will be described. First, an outline of the shielding method will be described. First, a portion of the outermost insulating layer of the wire harness 3 routed along the surface of a conductive vehicle body 9 constituting a vehicle 11 is sandwiched between conductive nonwoven fabrics 5, which are metal-plated nonwoven fabrics 5a (first step). Next, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is connected to the surface of the vehicle body 9 and grounded to the vehicle body 9 (second step). In this way, in the shielding method of the first embodiment, a shielding effect is obtained by sandwiching the outermost insulating layer of the wire harness 3 between the conductive nonwoven fabrics 5 and fixing it to the vehicle body 9 for grounding. In this shielding method, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 serves as both a shielding portion and a grounding portion, so there is no need to provide a grounding fixture to the wire harness 3, improving workability during grounding.

[0038] Next, details of the shielding method will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. FIGS. 7 to 10 are first to fourth perspective views illustrating the steps of the shielding method for the wire harness 3 using the shielding member 21 according to the first embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 7, a conductive nonwoven fabric 5 having a length corresponding to the length of the region Z is prepared, and the wire harness 3 is placed on the conductive nonwoven fabric 5. At this time, the wire harness 3 is placed on the surface on which the adhesive layer 5c is provided. Next, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is folded back in the directions indicated by arrows B1 and B2, with the portion in contact with the wire harness 3 as a fold, to sandwich the wire harness 3. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the folded surfaces of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 at the portions not sandwiching the wire harness 3 are overlapped to form a sheet end portion 15. At this time, when the folded surfaces are overlapped, the adhesive layers 5c of the folded surfaces are bonded together. Next, a through hole 17 is formed in the sheet end portion 15 as shown in FIG. 9 using a known puncher or the like. The greater the number of through holes 17, the more fixing parts 20 can be inserted into the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to fix it to the vehicle body 9, and the greater the holding force of the fixing parts 20 when fixing and holding the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9. On the other hand, the fewer the number of through holes 17, the fewer the number of fixing parts 20, which is advantageous in terms of cost. Therefore, the number of through holes 17 can be set appropriately by balancing the holding force when the fixing parts 20 fix and hold the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the vehicle body 9 and the cost.

[0039] Next, as shown in FIG. 10 , the through hole 17 of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 and the vehicle body side hole 19 of the vehicle body 9 are opposed to each other, and the shank 7a of the bolt 7 is inserted into the through hole 17 and the vehicle body side hole 19 as shown by arrow D. The shank 7a of the bolt 7 is then screwed into the vehicle body side hole 19 to sandwich the sheet end 15 of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 between the bolt head 7b of the bolt 7 and the vehicle body 9, and the sheet end 15 is pressed against the surface of the vehicle body 9 as shown by arrow C, thereby grounding the sheet end 15 to the vehicle body 9. Note that if an insulating coating such as paint is formed on the surface of the vehicle body 9 that comes into contact with the sheet end 15, the insulating coating is removed before grounding the sheet end 15 to the vehicle body 9. This completes the detailed explanation of the shielding method.

[0040] As described above, the shielding member 21 of the first embodiment and the wire harness 1 with a shielding member including the shielding member 21 include the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 arranged to sandwich a part of the outermost insulator of the wire harness 3. The conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is fixed to the surface of the vehicle body 9 and grounded to the vehicle body 9. In this configuration, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 sandwiches the outermost insulator of the wire harness and is fixed to the vehicle body 9 for grounding, thereby obtaining a shielding effect. In this configuration, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 serves as both a shield portion and a ground portion, so there is no need to provide a grounding fixture to the wire harness 3, improving workability during grounding.

[0041] Furthermore, in the shielding member 21 according to the first embodiment, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is formed by folding a sheet-like nonwoven fabric 5a to sandwich a portion of an insulator therebetween, and the inner surfaces of the folded fabric are bonded together. In this configuration, the sheet-like conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is folded to sandwich an insulator therebetween, and the inner surfaces are bonded together, thereby surrounding the wire harness 3 with the conductive nonwoven fabric 5. In this configuration, the area of ​​the bonded portion is reduced compared to when an insulator is sandwiched between two sheets of conductive nonwoven fabric 5, thereby reducing the probability of electromagnetic waves leaking from the bonded portion. In addition, in this configuration, the area of ​​the bonded portion is reduced compared to when an insulator is sandwiched between two sheets of conductive nonwoven fabric 5, thereby reducing the probability of the bonded portion peeling off.

[0042] Furthermore, the shielding member 21 of the first embodiment is fixed to the vehicle body 9 by sandwiching a portion of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 between the fixing part 20 and the vehicle body 9. In this configuration, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is fixed to the vehicle body 9 by sandwiching a portion of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 between the fixing part 20 and the vehicle body 9. Therefore, compared to when the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is directly fixed to the vehicle body 9 with an adhesive layer 5c or a conductive adhesive, there is a high degree of freedom in selecting the fixing means, and it is easy to improve the workability during grounding.

[0043] On the other hand, in the shielding member 21 of the first embodiment, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 has a through hole 17 at the sheet end portion 15 or the folded-back overlapping portion 23 through which a fixing part 20 for grounding to the vehicle body 9 is inserted. In this configuration, the fixing part 20 is inserted into the through hole 17 provided at the sheet end portion 15 or the folded-back overlapping portion 23 of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to sandwich the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 together with the vehicle body 9. In this configuration, the movement of the fixing part 20 is restricted by the through hole 17, so that the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 can be fixed to the vehicle body 9 more reliably.

[0044] Furthermore, in the shield member 21 of the first embodiment, the through hole 17 is configured to receive one of the bolts 7, rivets 31, clips 41, and clips 51 as the fixing part 20. In this configuration, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is fixed to the vehicle body 9 by one of the bolts 7, rivets 31, clips 41, and clips 51. In this configuration, when the fixing part 20 is a bolt 7, the fastening force can be adjusted by the rotation angle of the bolt 7, and the fixing part 51 is easy to attach and detach. Furthermore, when the fixing part 20 is a bolt 7, metal can be used as the material, and therefore grounding via the bolt 7 is also possible. When the fixing part 20 is a rivet 31, the rivet 31 cannot be removed from the vehicle body 9 unless one of the shank 31a, head 31b, or plastically deformed part 31c is destroyed. Therefore, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is less likely to come off the vehicle body 9 compared to other fixing parts 20. When the fixing part 20 is the clip 41, simply inserting the shaft 41b into the through-hole 17 and exposing the tip 41d from the surface opposite the insertion side causes the diameter of the tip 41d to expand, preventing it from coming loose, making installation easy. When the fixing part 20 is the clip 51, it has the same advantages as the clip 41 and can also hold the wire harness 3.

[0045] On the other hand, the shielding member 21 of the first embodiment may be provided with a metal collar 63, which is a cylindrical metal that contacts the inner periphery of the through hole 17. In this configuration, when the fixing part 20 is inserted into the through hole 17, if the fixing part 20 comes into contact with the inner periphery of the through hole 17, it comes into contact with the metal collar 63 rather than the conductive nonwoven fabric 5. Therefore, when the fixing part 20 is inserted into the through hole 17, it is possible to prevent the fixing part 20 from coming into direct contact with the inner periphery of the through hole 17, which would cause the diameter of the through hole 17 to widen, or to tear the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 starting from the through hole 17.

[0046] Furthermore, the shielding member 21 of the first embodiment may be provided with a reinforcing plate 65 around the through hole 17. In this configuration, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 around the through hole 17 is covered with the reinforcing plate 65. Therefore, when the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is pressed against the vehicle body 9 to be fixed, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 can be prevented from being torn by the force applied to the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 by the fixing part 20 when the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is pressed against the vehicle body 9.

[0047] Furthermore, the shielding method of the first embodiment includes a first step of sandwiching a part of the outermost insulating layer of the wire harness 3 with conductive nonwoven fabric 5, and a second step of connecting the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 to the surface of the vehicle body 9 and grounding it to the vehicle body 9. In this shielding method, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is used as both a shielding part and a grounding part. Therefore, there is no need to provide a grounding fixture to the wire harness 3, and workability during grounding can be improved.

[0048] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a wire harness with a shielding member including a shielding member according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, instead of forming the sheet end portion 15 and the folded-back overlap portion 23 by overlapping the inner surfaces of the folded-back ends of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 in the first embodiment, the inner surfaces of the folded-back ends are each separately connected to the vehicle body 9. In the second embodiment, elements that perform the same functions as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals, and the following mainly describes the parts that are different from the first embodiment.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 11 , a shielding member 21a (a shielding member for a wire harness) of a shielding member-equipped wire harness 1a according to the second embodiment includes a conductive nonwoven fabric 5. The conductive nonwoven fabric 5 includes a bent portion 75 and connection ends 73a and 73b. The bent portion 75 is a portion that sandwiches the wire harness 3, similar to the sandwiching portion 13 in the first embodiment, and is a portion that is bent to sandwich and surround the wire harness 3 and has a C-shaped cross section. The connection ends 73a and 73b are portions that are grounded to the vehicle body 9, similar to the sheet end portion 15 or the folded-back overlapping portion 23 in the first embodiment, and are a pair of portions that extend in opposite directions from two ends of the C-shape of the bent portion 75 along the vehicle body 9 and are connected to the vehicle body 9. Note that FIG. 11 illustrates a configuration in which the connection ends 73a and 73b are connected to the vehicle body 9 via a conductive adhesive layer 5c for grounding, without using a fixing component 20. Therefore, no through holes 17 are provided in the connection ends 73a and 73b. However, through holes 17 may be provided in the connection ends 73a and 73b to connect to the vehicle body 9. In this way, the shielding member 21a may be connected to the vehicle body 9 separately by folding back the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 at the ends as the connection ends 73a and 73b.

[0050] Whether the folded ends of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 are overlapped to form the sheet end 15 or the folded-back overlapping portion 23 as in the first embodiment, or whether the folded-back ends are formed as the connection ends 73a and 73b as in the second embodiment, can be selected appropriately in consideration of the advantages of each. For example, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 of the first embodiment is connected to the vehicle body 9 at one location, the sheet end 15 or the folded-back overlapping portion 23, whereas the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 of the second embodiment is connected to the vehicle body 9 at two locations, the connection end 73a and the connection end 73b. Therefore, the first embodiment can reduce the area of ​​the portion of the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 that is connected to the vehicle body 9 compared to the second embodiment, and is advantageous when the area of ​​the vehicle body 9 to which the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 can be connected is limited due to the shape of the vehicle body 9, etc. On the other hand, because the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 of the first embodiment is connected to the vehicle body 9 at only one location, when the sheet end 15 or the folded-back overlapping portion 23 is pressed against the vehicle body 9, little force is exerted to press the wire harness 3 against the vehicle body 9. In contrast, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 of the second embodiment is connected to the vehicle body 9 at two locations, namely, the connection end 73a and the connection end 73b, and the wire harness 3 is provided between the connection end 73a and the connection end 73b. Therefore, when the connection ends 73a and 73b are pressed against the vehicle body 9 when connecting them to the vehicle body 9, the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is also pressed against the vehicle body 9. Therefore, the second embodiment is advantageous in that the wire harness 3 is less likely to move than the first embodiment when the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 is grounded to the vehicle body 9.

[0051] As described above, the shielding member-equipped wire harness 1a and the shielding member 21a according to the second embodiment include the conductive nonwoven fabric 5, and the conductive nonwoven fabric 5 includes the bent portion 75 and the connection end portions 73a, 73b. Therefore, the second embodiment provides effects equal to or greater than those of the first embodiment.

[0052] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and other techniques may be appropriately combined to the extent possible. Furthermore, publicly known or well-known techniques may be combined to the extent possible.

[0053] For example, in the above embodiment, a configuration was illustrated in which the shank 7a of the bolt 7 is threadedly engaged with a female thread (not shown) provided on the inner periphery of the vehicle body side hole 19, but a nut (not shown) may be threadedly engaged with the tip of the shank 7a without providing a female thread on the inner periphery of the vehicle body side hole 19. Also, a stud bolt without a bolt head 7b may be used as the bolt 7, and nuts may be threadedly engaged with both ends of the shank 7a. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1, 1a: Wire harness with shielding material 3: Wire harness 3b: Insulating layer (insulator) 5: Conductive nonwoven fabric 5a: Non-woven fabric 5c: Adhesive layer 7: Bolt 9: Body 11: Vehicle 15: Sheet edge 17:Through hole 20: Fixed parts 21, 21a: Shielding member (shielding member for wire harness) 23: Folded overlapping section 31: Rivet 41: Clip 51: Clip 63: Metallic color 65: Reinforcement plate 73a, 73b: connection end 75: Bend

Claims

1. The conductive nonwoven fabric is a metal-plated nonwoven fabric having an adhesive layer on one side, the conductive nonwoven fabric being disposed so as to sandwich a part of an outermost insulating layer of a wire harness that is routed along the surface of a vehicle body that is a conductive fixed part that constitutes a vehicle, The conductive nonwoven fabric is fixed to the surface of the vehicle body and is grounded to the vehicle body. A shielding member for a wire harness, comprising:

2. The sheet-like conductive nonwoven fabric is folded back to sandwich a part of the insulator, and the inside surfaces of the folded back pieces are bonded together. The shielding member for a wire harness according to claim 1 ,

3. A portion of the conductive nonwoven fabric is sandwiched between a fixing part and the vehicle body, and the conductive nonwoven fabric is fixed to the vehicle body. The shielding member for a wire harness according to claim 1 ,

4. The conductive nonwoven fabric has a through hole at the sheet end or the folded-over portion through which the fixing component is inserted. The shielding member for a wire harness according to claim 3 ,

5. The through hole is a hole through which a bolt, a rivet, or a clip is inserted as the fixing part. The shielding member for a wire harness according to claim 4 ,

6. A metal collar is provided which is a cylindrical metal that contacts the inner periphery of the through hole. The shielding member for a wire harness according to claim 4 ,

7. A reinforcing plate is provided around the through hole. The shielding member for a wire harness according to claim 4 ,

8. The conductive nonwoven fabric is a bent portion having a C-shaped cross section that is bent so as to sandwich and surround the wire harness; a pair of connecting ends extending in opposite directions from two ends of the C-shape of the bent portion along the vehicle body and connected to the vehicle body; characterized by comprising The shielding member for a wire harness according to claim 1 .

9. a wire harness routed along the surface of a vehicle body, which is a conductive fixed part constituting a vehicle; a conductive nonwoven fabric that is provided so as to sandwich a part of the insulator of the outermost layer of the wire harness, and is a nonwoven fabric that is metal-plated and has an adhesive layer formed on one side thereof; The conductive nonwoven fabric is fixed to the surface of the vehicle body and is grounded to the vehicle body. A wire harness with a shield member, characterized in that:

10. A first step of sandwiching a part of an outermost insulating layer of a wire harness that is routed along the surface of a conductive vehicle body that constitutes a vehicle, between conductive nonwoven fabrics that are metal-plated and have an adhesive layer formed on one side; a second step of connecting the conductive nonwoven fabric to the surface of the vehicle body and grounding the conductive nonwoven fabric to the vehicle body; A method for shielding a wire harness, comprising:

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