Vehicle cable protection structure

Abstract

This invention provides a vehicle cable protection structure that allows cable-like structures to be routed between exterior panels and in-vehicle components, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in routing the cable-like structures. [Solution] The vehicle cable protection structure 100 comprises an upper panel 110 and a lower grille 120 that constitute the design surface of the vehicle, a capacitor 140 positioned inside the upper panel 110 and the lower grille 120, a wire harness 150 routed between the upper panel 110 and the capacitor 140 S, and a contact prevention tube 170 that surrounds the wire harness 150 and prevents contact between the wire harness 150 and the capacitor 140.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cable protection structure for vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure including a front sonar provided at an edge of a front grille connected to a front bumper, and a wire harness routed from the front bumper side to the front grille side and connected to the front sonar. And it is stated that this wire harness can be routed following a complex shape within the front bumper and the front grille by being bent in three substantially orthogonal directions.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] On the other hand, there has conventionally been a configuration in which an air introduction hole is provided in the front grille, and in-vehicle components such as a capacitor and a radiator used in an air conditioning system are arranged behind the air introduction hole. If such a configuration is applied to the structure of Patent Document 1 described above, in consideration of the influence on the wire harness, the wire harness is routed around so as not to route the wire harness (cable) between the front grille (exterior panel) and the in-vehicle components. Also, it is considered that the same applies when arranging other cables such as pipes.

[0005] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable protection structure for vehicles that can route a cable between an exterior panel and an in-vehicle component and can increase the degree of freedom in routing the cable.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the present invention is characterized by comprising an exterior panel constituting the design surface of a vehicle, an in-vehicle component positioned inside the exterior panel, a cable-like body routed between the exterior panel and the in-vehicle component, and a contact prevention part that prevents contact between the cable-like body and the in-vehicle component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a cable-like body can be routed between the exterior panel and the vehicle component, increasing the degree of freedom in routing the cable-like body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a rear view of a vehicle cable-like protection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a rear view of the vehicle cable protection structure shown in Figure 1, with the capacitor removed. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view AA in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of the configuration shown in Figure 3, with the capacitor removed. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of BB in Figure 1. [Figure 6] This is a diagram of the contact prevention portion of the vehicle cable protection structure shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle cable-like protection structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention is characterized by comprising an exterior panel constituting the design surface of a vehicle, an in-vehicle component positioned inside the exterior panel, a cable-like body routed between the exterior panel and the in-vehicle component, and a contact prevention part that prevents contact between the cable-like body and the in-vehicle component.

[0010] According to the present invention, since the contact prevention portion prevents contact between the cable-like body and the vehicle-mounted component, the cable-like body can be routed between the exterior panel and the vehicle-mounted component, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in routing the cable-like body.

[0011] The contact prevention section may include a covering material that covers the side of the cable-like body facing the vehicle component. This configuration makes it easier to prevent contact between the cable-like body and the vehicle component.

[0012] The covering material is preferably a cylindrical member with a smoothly formed surface that covers the outer surface of the cord-like body. With this configuration, since the covering material is formed in a cylindrical shape, the rigidity of the covering material is increased, and it becomes easier to change the relative position between the covering material and the vehicle component so that when the covering material comes into contact with the vehicle component, the covering material moves along the outer surface of the vehicle component to avoid the vehicle component.

[0013] The covering material preferably has a notch formed from one end to the other. With this configuration, when the covering material deforms upon contact with an on-board component, the impact energy can be absorbed as deformation energy of the covering material, thereby reducing the impact transmitted to the cable. Furthermore, if the covering material is configured to be attachable to the cable, for example by elastically deforming the covering material so that the notch side opens, it becomes possible to attach the covering material to the cable after it has been routed to the exterior panel. In other words, the cable can be routed even without the covering material attached to it, making the cable routing work easier. In addition, the covering material can be retrofitted to cables routed on vehicles that do not have the covering material installed beforehand, allowing for retrospective measures to be taken to prevent damage to the cable from contact with on-board components.

[0014] The cable harness has a portion where it is routed other than between the exterior panel and the vehicle-mounted component, and the vehicle cable harness protection structure further includes a protection member that protects the aforementioned portion of the cable harness. The protection member may be configured to have a lower rigidity or higher flexibility than the covering material. According to this configuration, the cable harness protects not only the location covered by the covering material but also the location adjacent thereto with the protection member, preventing contact between the cable harness at that location and the surrounding members. By making the rigidity of the protection member lower than that of the covering material or making the flexibility of the protection member higher than that of the covering material (in short, making it softer), it becomes easier to deform the portion of the protection member adjacent to the covering material during the cable routing operation, facilitating displacement of that portion and adjustment of the cable routing direction, and thus making it even easier to route the cable harness.

[0015] The covering material and the protection member may be arranged adjacent to each other along the cable harness and in contact with each other. According to this configuration, since the covering material and the protection member are in contact, displacement (misalignment) of both the covering material and the protection member is suppressed.

[0016] The cable harness may have a curved portion that curves in a direction intersecting the cable routing direction of the cable harness at the point where it exits the covering material. According to this configuration, the curved portion can suppress displacement of the covering material, and misalignment of the covering material is suppressed.

[0017] The contact prevention portion may include a buffer member arranged between the vehicle-mounted component and the cable harness. According to this configuration, even if one of the vehicle-mounted component and the contact prevention portion is displaced so as to approach the other, the buffer member first contacts the contact prevention portion, preventing contact between the vehicle-mounted component and the contact prevention portion. Also, even if the vehicle-mounted component and the contact prevention portion come into contact, the buffer member absorbs the impact caused by the contact, protecting the cable harness.

[0018] The contact prevention portion may include a contact prevention mechanism that prevents contact between the cable harness and the vehicle-mounted component. According to this configuration, even if one of the vehicle-mounted component and the cable harness is displaced so as to approach the other, the contact prevention mechanism suppresses displacement of the vehicle-mounted component, preventing contact between the vehicle-mounted component and the cable harness.

Embodiment

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail while referring to the attached drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in such embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable protection structure 100 for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the cable protection structure 100 for a vehicle in FIG. 1 with the capacitor 140 removed. In FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings, the vehicle front-rear direction is indicated by arrows F (Forward) and B (Backward), the left and right in the vehicle width direction are indicated by arrows L (Leftward) and R (Rightward), and the up and down directions are indicated by arrows U (upward) and D (downward), respectively.

[0021] (First Embodiment) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cable protection structure 100 for a vehicle includes a bumper face 102 as one of the exterior panels forming the front portion of the vehicle. The bumper face 102 constitutes the design surface of the vehicle (in FIGS. 1 and 2, the surface on the back side of the paper). The bumper face 102 has an opening 102a.

[0022] Further, the cable protection structure 100 for a vehicle includes an upper panel 110 as one of the exterior panels. The upper panel 110 constitutes the design surface of the vehicle (in FIGS. 1 and 2, the surface on the back side of the paper). The lower part of this upper panel 110 is attached to the rear surface of the upper part of the bumper face 102 from the inside (that is, the rear side of the vehicle, the front side of the paper in FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0023] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of AA in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the configuration in Figure 3 with the capacitor 140 removed. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the upper panel 110 has a first protrusion 112 on its lower side. The first protrusion 112 is a portion that protrudes to the rear. The first protrusion 114 shown in Figure 1 is configured similarly to the first protrusion 112. The first protrusion 114 is located on the left side in the vehicle width direction of the upper panel 110, while the first protrusion 112 is located on the center side in the vehicle width direction of the upper panel 110.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes a lower grille 120 as one of the exterior panels. The lower grille 120 constitutes the design surface of the vehicle (the surface on the far side of the page in Figures 1 and 2). This lower grille 120 is attached from the inside (i.e., the rear side of the vehicle, the front side of the page in Figures 1 and 2) to the rear surface of the periphery of the opening 102a of the bumper face 102. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the lower grille 120 has partitions 124a to 124d that divide the air intake holes (note that the adjacent rows have a similar configuration, so the reference numerals are omitted).

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the lower grille 120 also has a connecting plate 125 that connects to the upper panel 110, and a protrusion 126 that projects rearward below the connecting plate 125. The protrusion 126 has an inclined surface 127 that slopes downward as it goes towards the rear. The inclined surface 127 has a predetermined length in the vehicle width direction. A harness support portion 128 is fixed to this inclined surface 127. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the lower grille 120 has a harness support portion 129 with a similar configuration to the harness support portion 128. A wire harness 150, which will be described later, is fixed to these harness support portions 128 and 129.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the lower grille 120 has an edge plate 126a that extends vertically and in the vehicle width direction, a rib 126b that curves rearward from the upper end of the edge plate 126a, and a rib 126c that curves rearward from the lower end of the edge plate 126a. The aforementioned bumper face 102 is positioned in front of the vehicle beyond this edge plate 126a.

[0027] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of BB in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 5, the lower grille 120 has a second protrusion 122. The second protrusion 122 is a rearward-protruding portion. The second protrusion 122 is formed in a plate-like (rib-like) shape and is positioned with its surface facing the vehicle width direction.

[0028] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a sonar cover 130 (see Figure 3) is attached to the lower grille 120 to cover a sonar (not shown) from the rear. The sonar cover 130 extends in the width direction and the vertical direction.

[0029] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes a capacitor 140 as an in-vehicle component. The capacitor 140 is located inside the lower grille 120 (i.e., on the rear side of the vehicle interior, the front side in Figure 1).

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes two fixing members 142 and 144 provided on the upper part of the capacitor 140. As shown in Figure 3, the fixing member 142 has a contact portion 142a that abuts against a first protrusion 112 of the upper panel 110 which is fixed to the upper part of the capacitor 140 and extends upward. The contact portion 142a abuts against the first protrusion 112, thereby preventing the capacitor 140 from coming into contact with the wire harness 150, which will be described later, at the front of the vehicle. Together, the contact portion 142a and the first protrusion 112 will be referred to as the first contact prevention mechanism. This first contact prevention mechanism is an example of a contact prevention part.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the fixing member 142 has an inclined portion 142b that is connected to the upper end of the contact portion 142a and slopes, and a fixing plate 142c that is connected to the upper end of the inclined portion 142b, extends upward and is fixed to the upper panel 110. The fixing member 144 in Figure 1 is configured similarly to the fixing member 142. For this reason, the contact portion and the first protrusion 114 of the fixing member 144 are collectively referred to as the first contact prevention mechanism. This first contact prevention mechanism is also an example of a contact prevention part.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes a buffer member 234 attached to the front end of the right-hand end of the capacitor 140 in the vehicle width direction. The buffer member 234 abuts against the second protrusion 122 of the lower grille 120, preventing the capacitor 140 from contacting the wire harness 150, which will be described later, at the front of the vehicle. The second protrusion 122 and the buffer member 234 together will be referred to as the second contact prevention mechanism below. This second contact prevention mechanism is an example of a contact prevention part.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes a buffer member 232 attached to the front end of the left end of the capacitor 140 in the vehicle width direction. The buffer member 232 contacts the sonar cover 130, preventing the capacitor 140 from contacting the wire harness 150, which will be described later, at the front of the vehicle. Together, the sonar cover 130 and the buffer member 232 will be referred to as the third contact prevention mechanism. This third contact prevention mechanism is an example of a contact prevention part.

[0034] The buffer members 232 and 234 are positioned behind the wire harness 150. These buffer members 232 and 234 are separate components from the capacitor 140, which is an in-vehicle component. These buffer members 232 and 234 also prevent the contact prevention tube 170 from contacting and damaging the capacitor 140 if the rigidity of the contact prevention tube 170 is higher than the rigidity of the capacitor 140. In this embodiment, the buffer members 232 and 234 are positioned in front of the capacitor 140, but they may also be provided on the wire harness 150 side (for example, on the contact prevention tube 170, lower grille 120, upper panel 110 side), or they may be provided separately between the capacitor and the wire harness 150.

[0035] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes a wire harness 150 (cable). As shown in Figure 3, the wire harness 150 is routed through the space S between the lower grille 120 and the capacitor 140. The wire harness 150 is a bundle of multiple wiring components, including power transmission wiring that transmits power between electrical components located around the exterior panel and a battery (not shown), and signal transmission wiring that transmits control signals and obstacle detection signals between these electrical components and control devices such as controllers (not shown).

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, connector 162 of the wire harness 150 is connected to a sonar (not shown) fixed to the lower grille 120 and hidden by the sonar cover 130. Connector 164 of the wire harness 150 is connected to a sonar 163 fixed to the lower grille 120. The wire harness 150 is also connected to the headlights 165-168. Connector 169 of the wire harness 150 is connected to a millimeter-wave radar 161 fixed to the upper panel 110. The millimeter-wave radar 161 is a sensor used to detect the external environment of the vehicle, for example, by using electromagnetic waves in the millimeter-wave band as the detection wave. Note that the wire harness 150 is not connected to the capacitor 140.

[0037] As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes a contact prevention tube 170 (cable protection section) that covers the wire harness 150. This contact prevention tube 170 is an example of a contact prevention section. The contact prevention tube 170 is placed on the aforementioned harness support section 128 and secured by tapes 178a and 178b (see Figure 3), and is also placed on the harness support section 129 and secured by tapes 178c and 178d. Since the contact prevention tube 170 is restrained by tapes 178a to 178d, and the wire harness 150 can move in the vehicle width direction within the contact prevention tube 170, the routing of the wire harness 150 is improved.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the wire harness 150 is surrounded by an annular member 154 (see Figure 4) to the left of the contact prevention tube 170 in the vehicle width direction and fixed to the upper panel 110. Due to the stable fixing by this annular member 154, the wire harness 150 is easier to branch further to the left in the vehicle width direction. Also, as shown in Figure 1, the wire harness 150 is surrounded by an annular member 156 to the right of the protective member 180 (described later) in the vehicle width direction and fixed to the upper panel 110. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the protective member 180 is surrounded by an annular member 158 and fixed to the upper panel 110.

[0039] As shown in Figure 1, the wire harness 150 has a curved portion 152. The curved portion 152 curves upward in this embodiment, intersecting the routing direction of the wire harness 150 inside the contact prevention tube 170 where it exits the contact prevention tube 170, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the curved portion 152 is curved upward, but it is not limited to this and may be curved in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle or downward.

[0040] In this embodiment, a wire harness 150 is used as the cable-like body, but the cable-like body may be a pipe, various wirings that make up the wire harness 150, a wire that unlocks the locking mechanism, or any other cord-like member that transmits force to the vehicle components. The pipe may also be a fluid pipe that carries refrigerant supplied to the vehicle components.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the wire harness 150 covered with the contact prevention tube 170 is positioned between the first contact prevention mechanism (contact portion 142a and first protrusion 112) and the third contact prevention mechanism (cushion member 232 and sonar cover 130). In addition, the wire harness 150 covered with the contact prevention tube 170 is positioned in front of the vehicle compared to the first contact prevention mechanism (contact portion 142a and first protrusion 112) and the third contact prevention mechanism (cushion member 232 and sonar cover 130).

[0042] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes a contact prevention tube 170. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the contact prevention tube 170 is formed in a cylindrical shape and molded from a hard resin. The surface of the contact prevention tube 170 that covers the outer surface of the wire harness 150 is smoothly formed.

[0043] The contact prevention tube 170 covers the entire circumference of the wire harness 150. The contact prevention tube 170 prevents contact between the wire harness 150 and the capacitor 140. The contact prevention tube 170 is positioned to include the area between the wire harness 150 and the capacitor 140. Alternatively, the contact prevention tube 170 may only cover the side of the wire harness 150 that faces the capacitor 140. From this, it can be said that the contact prevention tube 170 only needs to cover at least the side of the wire harness 150 that faces the capacitor 140. In other words, instead of the contact prevention tube 170, a plate (contact prevention plate) that covers the side of the wire harness 150 that faces the capacitor 140 may be used as the contact prevention part.

[0044] Figure 6(a) is a perspective view of the contact prevention tube 170 of the vehicle cable protection structure 100 shown in Figure 1. Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the process of attaching the contact prevention tube 170 to the wire harness 150. As shown in Figure 6(a), the contact prevention tube 170 has a notch 176 formed from one end 172 to the other end 174. Then, as shown in Figure 6(b), the notch 176 of the contact prevention tube 170 is opened and the wire harness 150 is accommodated.

[0045] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 includes a protective member 180 (cable protection section). The protective member 180 protects parts of the wire harness 150 routed in addition to the section S (see Figure 3). The protective member 180 has lower rigidity and higher flexibility than the contact prevention tube 170. The protective member 180 is formed from a corrugated tube.

[0046] The protective member 180 and the contact prevention tube 170 are positioned adjacent to each other in a direction along the wire harness 150 and are in contact with each other. That is, the left end of the protective member 180 is in contact with the other end 174 of the contact prevention tube 170. In this embodiment, the protective member 180 is molded separately from the contact prevention tube 170, but the embodiment is not limited to this one, and they may be molded integrally.

[0047] Next, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 5 to explain how it protects the wire harness 150. For example, if one of the capacitor 140 and the front of the vehicle is displaced so that it moves closer to the other, the contact portion 142a of the fixing member 142 attached to the capacitor 140 shown in Figure 3 will come into contact with the first protrusion 112 of the upper panel 110. Similarly, the contact portion of the fixing member 144 will come into contact with the first protrusion 114 of the upper panel 110.

[0048] At the same time, the buffer member 234 attached to the capacitor 140 shown in Figure 5 comes into contact with the second protrusion 122 of the lower grille 120. Simultaneously, the buffer member 232 attached to the capacitor 140 shown in Figure 3 comes into contact with the sonar cover 130, and the buffer member 232 covers the sonar cover 130. As a result, the contact prevention tube 170 and the capacitor 140 are kept apart. Even if the capacitor 140 and the contact prevention tube 170 were to come into contact, the contact prevention tube 170 would be interposed between the capacitor 140 and the wire harness 150.

[0049] As described above, with the configuration of this embodiment, the contact prevention tube 170 covers the entire circumference of the wire harness 150, preventing contact between the wire harness 150 and the capacitor 140. Therefore, the wire harness 150 can be positioned between the lower grille 120 and the capacitor 140, increasing the flexibility of the wiring of the wire harness 150. Furthermore, even if the contact prevention tube 170 and the capacitor 140 do come into contact, the wire harness 150 is protected by the contact prevention tube 170 covering the outside.

[0050] Furthermore, since the contact prevention tube 170 covers the side of the wire harness 150 that faces the capacitor 140, it is easier to prevent contact between the wire harness 150 and the capacitor 140. Because the contact prevention tube 170 is installed on the wire harness 150 side and not on the capacitor 140 side, the wiring work is simplified.

[0051] Furthermore, since the contact prevention tube 170 is formed in a cylindrical shape, the rigidity of the contact prevention tube 170 is increased, and when it comes into contact with the capacitor 140, it becomes easier to change the relative position between the contact prevention tube 170 and the capacitor 140 so that the contact prevention tube 170 moves along the outer surface of the capacitor 140 to avoid the capacitor 140.

[0052] Furthermore, since the contact prevention tube 170 has a notch 176, when it comes into contact with the capacitor 140, the contact prevention tube 170 deforms, absorbing the impact energy as deformation energy of the contact prevention tube 170, thereby reducing the impact transmitted to the wire harness 150. Moreover, if the contact prevention tube 170 is configured to be attachable to the wire harness 150 by, for example, elastically deforming the contact prevention tube 170 so that the notch 176 side opens, it becomes possible to attach the contact prevention tube 170 to the wire harness 150 after it has been routed through the lower grille 120. In other words, the wire harness 150 can be routed without the contact prevention tube 170 attached, making the routing of the wire harness 150 easier. In addition, it can be retrofitted to a wire harness 150 that has been routed in a vehicle that does not have a contact prevention tube 170 installed beforehand, allowing for retroactive measures to be taken to prevent damage to the wire harness 150 due to contact with the capacitor 140.

[0053] The wire harness 150 has parts that are routed in addition to the area between the lower grille 120 and the condenser 140, and is equipped with a protective member 180 that protects the parts of the wire harness 150 adjacent to the contact prevention tube 170, wherein the protective member 180 is configured to have lower rigidity or higher flexibility than the contact prevention tube 170. With this configuration, the wire harness 150 protects the parts adjacent to the parts covered by the contact prevention tube 170 with the protective member 180, preventing contact between the cable-like body and the surrounding members, while making the rigidity of the protective member 180 lower than that of the contact prevention tube 170 or the flexibility of the protective member 180 higher than that of the contact prevention tube 170 (in short, making it softer), which makes it easier to deform the parts of the protective member 180 adjacent to the contact prevention tube 170 during routing work, making it easier to adjust the displacement of those parts and the routing direction, thus making routing even easier.

[0054] Since the contact prevention tube 170 and the protective member 180 are in contact, displacement (positional misalignment) of both the contact prevention tube 170 and the protective member 180 is suppressed. In addition, the curved portion 152 can suppress the displacement of the contact prevention tube 170, thereby suppressing positional misalignment of the contact prevention tube 170.

[0055] Cushioning members 232 and 234 are provided between the capacitor 140 and the contact prevention tube 170. Therefore, even if one of the capacitor 140 or the contact prevention tube 170 is displaced to move closer to the other, the cushioning members 232 and 234 will contact the contact prevention tube 170 first, preventing contact between the capacitor 140 and the contact prevention tube 170. Furthermore, even if the capacitor 140 and the contact prevention tube 170 do come into contact, the cushioning members 232 and 234 will absorb the impact caused by the contact, protecting the wire harness 150.

[0056] Even if one of the capacitor 140 or the wire harness 150 is displaced to move closer to the other, the first to third contact prevention mechanisms suppress the displacement of the capacitor 140 and prevent contact between the capacitor 140 and the wire harness 150.

[0057] As shown in Figure 3, the lower grille 120 has an edge plate 126a that extends vertically and in the vehicle width direction, a rib 126b that curves rearward from the upper end of the edge plate 126a, and a rib 126c that curves rearward from the lower end of the edge plate 126a. The aforementioned bumper face 102 is positioned in front of the edge plate 126a. Due to the presence of the ribs 126b and 126c, sink marks occur on the front side of the edge plate 126a where these ribs 126b and 126c are located. However, these sink marks on the edge plate 126a are hidden from view by the bumper face 102. As a result, a decrease in appearance quality due to sink marks on the edge plate 126a is prevented.

[0058] As shown in Figure 3, the convex portion 126 has an inclined surface 127 and a harness support portion 129 is provided, allowing the worker to move the wire harness 150 diagonally forward and downward and fix it to the inclined surface 127. If the convex portion 126 were simply provided with a downward-facing recess instead of an inclined surface 127, the worker would have to move the wire harness 150 forward, press it against the lower grille 120, and push it down to fix it, which would make it difficult to see where it would be fixed and thus not easy to route.

[0059] As shown in Figure 3, the wire harness 150 covered by the contact prevention tube 170 is positioned between the first contact prevention mechanism (contact portion 142a and first protrusion 112) and the sonar cover 130 of the third contact prevention mechanism, and is located further forward than the first contact prevention mechanism (contact portion 142a and first protrusion 112) and the third contact prevention mechanism (cushion member 232 and sonar cover 130). Therefore, contact occurs at the contact prevention mechanism first, preventing the wire harness 150 covered by the contact prevention tube 170 from coming into contact with the capacitor 140.

[0060] Since the sonar cover 130 extends in the width direction and vertical direction, the sonar cover 130 can receive the capacitor 140 in surface contact, making it easier to suppress contact between the capacitor 140 and the wire harness 150.

[0061] In this embodiment, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 was configured to include a contact prevention tube 170, a first contact prevention mechanism, a second contact prevention mechanism, and a third contact prevention mechanism, but it is not limited to this configuration. For example, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 may be configured to include any of the first, second, and third contact prevention mechanisms, but without the contact prevention tube 170. Alternatively, the vehicle cable protection structure 100 may be configured to include any of the first, second, and third contact prevention mechanisms, but with a protective member 180 such as a corrugated tube instead of the contact prevention tube 170.

[0062] (Second example) Figure 7 is a perspective view of a vehicle cable protection structure 300 according to a second embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the vehicle cable protection structure 300 further includes a bulkhead 240 positioned between the condenser 140 and the contact prevention tube 170. The bulkhead 240 is fixed to the lower grille 120. The bulkhead 240 is also positioned on top of the sonar cover 130. The bulkhead 240 is formed to be thinner than the sonar cover 130 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The vehicle cable protection structure 300 is otherwise configured the same as in the first embodiment.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the partition wall 240 is fixed to the lower grille 120, but the configuration is not limited to this, and it may be fixed to the upper panel 110, or to both the upper panel 110 and the lower grille 120.

[0064] The bulkhead 240 is provided on the front surface of the buffer member 232 with the same width in the vehicle width direction as the buffer member 232. The bulkhead may also be similarly provided on the front surface of the buffer member 234. Furthermore, the bulkhead 240 is not limited to this configuration and may be formed with the same length as the vehicle width dimension of the condenser 140.

[0065] Furthermore, the vehicle cable protection structure 300 includes a buffer member 232 positioned in front of the left end of the capacitor 140 in the vehicle width direction. The buffer member 232 abuts against the bulkhead 240, preventing the capacitor 140 from coming into contact with the wire harness 150 at the front of the vehicle. The bulkhead 240 and the buffer member 232 together are hereinafter referred to as the fourth contact prevention mechanism. The fourth contact prevention mechanism is an example of a contact prevention part. The buffer member 232 serves as both the fourth contact prevention mechanism and the third contact prevention mechanism.

[0066] Because of the partition wall 240, even if the capacitor 140 is displaced forward, the capacitor 140 will first come into contact with the partition wall 240, thus preventing the capacitor 140 from coming into direct contact with the contact prevention tube 170.

[0067] Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0068] Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented by freely combining the inventions described in the claims and examples, regardless of the dependency relationships of the claims. [Industrial applicability]

[0069] This invention can be used in protective structures for cable-like components in vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 100...Protective structure for vehicle-type cables, 102... Bumper face, 102a...Aperture, 106... Side door, 110... Upper panel, 112...First protrusion, 120... Lower grille, 122...Second convex part, 124a... Partition section, 125...connecting plate, 126... protruding part, 127…Slope surface, 128, 129... Harness support section, 130... Sonar cover, 140... Capacitor, 142... Fixing member, 142a...Abutment part, 142b...slanted part, 142c…fixing plate, 144... Fixing member, 150... Wire harness, 152... Curved section, 161...Millimeter-wave radar, 162, 163... connectors, 164... Sonar, 165... Headlights, 169... Connector, 170... Contact prevention tube, 172...at one point, 174...the other end, 176...cut section, 178a, 178b, 178c, 178d... Tape, 180... Protective material, 232, 234... cushioning material, 240…Bulkhead

Claims

1. The exterior panels that make up the design surface of the vehicle, In-vehicle components positioned inside the aforementioned exterior panel, A cable-like body is routed between the exterior panel and the in-vehicle component, A vehicle cable protection structure characterized by comprising a contact prevention portion for preventing contact between the cable-like body and the vehicle-mounted component.

2. The vehicle cable protection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact prevention portion includes a covering material that covers the surface of the cable-like body on the vehicle component side.

3. The vehicle cable protection structure according to claim 2, characterized in that the covering material is a cylindrical member with a smoothly formed surface that covers the outer surface of the cable-like body.

4. The vehicle cable-like body protection structure according to claim 3, characterized in that the covering material has a notch formed from one end to the other.

5. The aforementioned cable-like body has portions that are routed in addition to the space between the exterior panel and the vehicle component. The aforementioned vehicle cable-like body protection structure further comprises a protective member that protects the aforementioned portion of the cable-like body, The protective member is characterized by having lower rigidity and higher flexibility than the covering material, as described in claim 3 for vehicle cable protection structure.

6. The vehicle cable protection structure according to claim 5, characterized in that the covering material and the protective member are arranged adjacent to each other along the cable and are in contact with each other.

7. The vehicle cable protection structure according to claim 3, characterized in that the cable-like body has a curved portion that curves in a direction intersecting the cable routing direction where it emerges from the covering material.

8. The vehicle cable protection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the contact prevention portion includes a cushioning member disposed between the vehicle component and the cable.

9. The vehicle cable protection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the contact prevention portion includes a contact prevention mechanism for preventing the cable from coming into contact with the vehicle component.

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