Harness fasteners

Abstract

The wire harness is secured to the vehicle body, and at the same time, the ground wire of the wire harness is connected to the ground. [Solution] The harness fixing device 14 comprises a fixing base 26 to which the wire harness 12 is fixed, and a mounting clip 28 that engages with the vehicle body member 10 by snap-fit. Furthermore, the harness fixing device 14 comprises a conductive core 52 that electrically connects to the ground wire 20 of the wire harness 12, and a conductive fitting 54 that electrically connects to the conductive core 52. The conductive fitting 54 has a vehicle body connection piece 68 located on the side of the rectangular prism stub 42 of the mounting clip 28. The harness fixing device 14 with the wire harness 12 attached is fixed to the vehicle body member 10 by inserting the mounting clip 28 into the clip mounting hole 16 of the vehicle body member 10. The conductive fitting 54 connects to the side of the clip mounting hole 16, and the ground wire 20 is grounded.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a harness fixture for fixing a wire harness to a vehicle body.

Background Art

[0002] A wire harness that bundles electric wires and the like for connecting electric and electronic devices mounted on a vehicle is known. The wire harness is fixed to the vehicle body using fixtures such as fasteners like bolts, bundling tools like bands, and clips that are fitted using elasticity.

[0003] Patent Document 1 below shows a technique for fixing a wire harness (1) to a vehicle body by attaching a protector (10) fixed by a band (5) to the head of a bolt (9) fastened to a body panel (6) of the vehicle. The ground wire (1a) of the wire harness (1) is connected to the body panel (6) at ground potential via a clip (20) and a bolt (9). The reference numerals in parentheses above are the reference numerals used in Patent Document 1 below and are not related to the reference numerals used in the embodiments of the present application.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] There is a demand for a harness fixture with a simple structure that can ground the wire harness while fixing the wire harness to the vehicle body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The harness fastener according to the present invention fastens a wire harness to a conductive vehicle body member. The harness fastener comprises a fastener body that is attached to the wire harness. The fastener body has a fastening base portion that is fixed to the wire harness and a mounting clip portion that engages elastically with a clip mounting hole formed in the vehicle body member. Furthermore, the harness fastener comprises a conductive component attached to the fastener body. The conductive component has a harness connecting piece that connects to the ground wire of the wire harness and a vehicle body connecting piece that is positioned on the side of the mounting clip portion and connects to the edge of the clip mounting hole, thereby providing electrical conductivity between the ground wire and the vehicle body member.

[0007] The harness fastener includes a conductive component that connects the ground wire of the wire harness to a vehicle body component. When the harness fastener is attached to the vehicle body component, the conductive component connects to the vehicle body component via its vehicle body connection piece, thereby grounding the ground wire.

[0008] In the harness fastener described above, the vehicle body connection piece may have a cutting projection on the surface facing the edge of the clip mounting hole that cuts off the edge of the clip mounting hole when the mounting clip portion enters the clip mounting hole. By cutting off the edge of the clip mounting hole, the ground wire and the vehicle body member are connected more reliably.

[0009] In the harness fastener described above, the conductive component may have a conductive core and a conductive fitting. The conductive core has a harness connecting piece and a through shaft portion that penetrates the mounting clip portion. The conductive fitting includes the aforementioned vehicle body connecting piece, is mounted on the mounting clip portion, and contacts the through shaft portion.

[0010] Furthermore, in the harness fastener described above, the fastening base portion may be able to engage with the mounting clip portion at multiple angular positions around the axis of the mounting clip portion. The direction in which the wire harness extends can be arbitrarily determined. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] By fixing the wire harness to the vehicle body member using the harness fixing device according to the present invention, electrical conductivity between the wire harness's ground wire and the vehicle body member is ensured at the same time as the harness fixing device is secured. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This diagram shows a vehicle body component and a wire harness fixed to the vehicle body component. [Figure 2] This is an exploded perspective view of the harness fastener of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows a cross-section of the harness fastener of this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, terms such as up, down, left, right, etc., which describe orientation, direction, and positional relationship, refer to the orientation, direction, and positional relationship in the drawings described.

[0014] Figure 1 shows a vehicle body member 10, a wire harness 12, and a harness fastener 14 for fixing the wire harness 12 to the vehicle body member 10. (a) shows the wire harness 12 fixed to the vehicle body member 10, and (b) shows the vehicle body member 10, to which the wire harness 12 is fixed, as a single unit. The vehicle body member 10 includes the frame, monocoque, and body panels that constitute the vehicle body, and may further include brackets for attaching other devices or equipment to the vehicle body. The vehicle body member 10 to which the harness fastener 14 is attached is a conductive material such as a steel plate, aluminum alloy plate, or cast part. The vehicle body member 10 has clip mounting holes 16 for attaching the harness fastener 14. The clip mounting holes 16 are square or rectangular.

[0015] The wire harness 12 is formed by bundling power lines that supply power to in-vehicle electrical and electronic equipment, signal lines that transmit signals between these devices, and ground wires that ground the equipment. In Figure 1, the harness fastener 14 is secured to the wire harness 12 by being tied with a strip of material such as vinyl tape 18. As shown in the figure, the wire harness 12 is secured to the harness fastener 14 at two points. Between the two secured points, the ground wire 20 is separated from the bundle of other wires.

[0016] Figure 2 shows the harness fastener 14 in an exploded view. The harness fastener 14 includes a fastener body 22 for fixing the wire harness 12 to the vehicle body member 10, and a conductive component 24 attached to the fastener body 22 for electrically connecting the ground wire 20 and the vehicle body member 10. The harness fastener 14 may be made of resin, and the conductive component 24 may be made of a conductive material such as metal.

[0017] The fixing device body 22 has a fixing base portion to which the wire harness 12 is attached, and a mounting clip portion for attaching the harness fixing device 14 to the vehicle body member 10. Furthermore, the fixing base portion and the mounting clip portion may be configured as separate parts. As shown in Figure 2, the fixing device body 22 includes a fixing base 26 as the fixing base portion and a mounting clip 28 as the mounting clip portion.

[0018] The fixing base 26 is a plate-shaped member with a generally rectangular shape. An engagement opening 30 is formed in the approximate center of the fixing base 26 in the longitudinal direction, into which the mounting clip 28 engages. In order to form the engagement opening 30, the central part of the fixing base 26 may be wider than the ends. The inner circumferential surface of the engagement opening 30 has a smooth surface 32 without irregularities on the upper side and a spline 34 with alternating irregularities formed in the circumferential direction on the lower side.

[0019] The mounting clip 28 has a clip body 40 with a substantially cylindrical shape having splines 38 formed on its circumferential surface, a prismatic stub 42 with a substantially prismatic shape extending downward from the clip body 40, and two elastic engagement pieces 44 arranged so as to sandwich the prismatic stub 42. A central hole 46 extending along the cylindrical center line is formed in the clip body 40. The central hole 46 is formed to extend further downward and penetrate the prismatic stub 42 as well. The mounting clip 28 further has a conical flange 48 provided on the circumferential surface of the clip body 40. The conical flange 48 has the side surface shape of a truncated cone and extends radially like a skirt from the circumferential surface of the clip body 40.

[0020] The elastic engagement piece 44 has a shape curved so as to connect the edge of the lower surface of the prismatic stub 42 and the lower surface of the clip body 40. A catch claw 50 is provided on the surface of the elastic engagement piece 44 facing away from the prismatic stub 42. By the catch claw 50 catching on the edge of the clip mounting hole 16 of the vehicle body member 10, the harness fixture 14 is fixed to the vehicle body member 10 so as not to come off easily.

[0021] The conductive component 24 includes a conductive core 52 connected to the ground wire 20 and two conductive fittings 54 connected to the edge of the clip mounting hole 16 of the vehicle body member 10. The conductive core 52 and the conductive fittings 54 are conductively connected so that the ground wire 20 and the vehicle body member 10 are conductively connected.

[0022] The conductive core 52 has a disc-shaped head 56, a through-axis portion 58 extending downward from the center of the lower surface of the head 56, and a harness connection piece 60 extending upward from one location on the periphery of the head 56. The head 56 of the conductive core 52 fits inside the engagement opening 30 of the fixed base 26, particularly inside its smooth surface 32, and at this time the lower surface of the head 56 abuts against the upper end surface of the spline 38. The through-axis portion 58 has a tapered shaft shape that narrows downward, and a plurality of ridges extending along the generatrix are formed on its side surface. When the through-axis portion 58 is inserted into the central hole 46 of the mounting clip 28, the ridges on the surface of the through-axis portion 58 bite into the inner wall surface of the central hole 46, and the conductive core 52 and the mounting clip 28 are integrated. The through-axis portion 58 passes through the mounting clip 28, and its tip projects downward from the corner post stub 42 of the mounting clip 28. The through-axis portion 58 is connected to the conductive fitting 54 at the portion protruding downward from the mounting clip 28. By caulking the harness connection piece 60 to the portion where the conductor of the ground wire 20 is exposed, the ground wire 20 and the conductive core 52 are conductively connected.

[0023] Each of the two conductive fittings 54 includes a substantially U-shaped clamping portion 62 that clamps the corner post stub 42 of the mounting clip 28, and a substantially L-shaped connecting portion 64 that is conductively connected to the conductive core 52. Specifically, the lengths of the portions corresponding to the horizontal strokes of the U shape of the clamping portion 62 are different. The corner post stub 42 is clamped at the portion corresponding to the horizontal stroke of the U shape, and the conductive fitting 54 is attached to the mounting clip 28. The connecting portion 64 extends downward from the portion corresponding to the longer horizontal stroke of the U shape of the clamping portion 62, and further extends inward. A semi-circular recess 64a is formed at the end of the connecting portion 64. The recess 64a is positioned corresponding to the opening at the lower end of the central hole 46 when the conductive fitting 54 is attached to the mounting clip 28. The connecting portion 64 contacts the portion of the through-axis portion 58 of the conductive core 52 that protrudes from the central hole 46. At this time, due to the formation of the recess 64a, the through-axis portion 58 and the conductive fitting 54 contact at many locations.

[0024] Multiple protrusions 66 are provided on the outer surface of the clamping portion 62 of the conductive fitting 54, specifically on the portion corresponding to the longer horizontal stroke of the U-shape and the portion of the connecting portion 64 that extends downward from this portion. Multiple protrusions 66 are provided on the surface facing the edge of the clip mounting hole 16. When the mounting clip 28 is attached to the clip mounting hole 16 of the vehicle body member 10, the multiple protrusions 66 scrape off the paint or other material on the edge of the clip mounting hole 16, causing the conductive fitting 54 and the vehicle body member 10 to come into contact and establish electrical conductivity. These multiple protrusions 66 are referred to as scraping protrusions 66. The portion of the conductive fitting 54 on which the scraping protrusions 66 are provided is the vehicle body connecting piece 68 that connects to the edge of the clip mounting hole 16. Due to the multiple scraping protrusions 66, the surface of the vehicle body connecting piece 68 is like a grater or file. The vehicle body connecting piece 68 is positioned on the side of the mounting clip 28, particularly the rectangular prism stub 42.

[0025] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the wire harness 12 fixed to the vehicle body member 10 using the harness fastener 14. The cross-section shown in Figure 3 is a cross-section passing through the center line of the clip body 40 and the two vehicle body connection pieces 68. The wire harness 12 is made up of bundled insulated wires, but the details are omitted in Figure 3. The ground wire 20 is made up of bundled conductors, but the details are omitted in Figure 3.

[0026] The fixed base 26 and the mounting clip 28 are positioned relative to each other by engaging their respective splines 34 and 38. By changing the engagement position of the splines 34 and 38, the fixed base 26 and the mounting clip 28 can be positioned relative to each other at multiple angular positions around the centerline of the mounting clip 28. This allows the fixed base 26 to be fixed to the mounting clip 28 in a direction selected from multiple different directions, relative to the direction passing through the two elastic engagement pieces 44 of the mounting clip 28. The conductive core 52 and the mounting clip 28 are fixed to each other by inserting the through shaft portion 58 of the conductive core 52 into the central hole 46 of the mounting clip 28. When the through shaft portion 58 is inserted into the central hole 46, the through shaft portion 58 bites into the mounting clip 28. In particular, the protrusions of the through shaft portion 58 bite into the inner circumferential surface of the central hole 46, fixing the conductive core 52 and the mounting clip 28 in the direction around the centerline. Furthermore, the fixed base 26 and the mounting clip 28 are fixed to each other by sandwiching the teeth of the spline 34 of the fixed base 26 from above and below between the head 56 of the conductive core 52 and the clip body 40 of the mounting clip 28.

[0027] The two conductive fittings 54 are attached to the mounting clip 28 by clamping the rectangular prism stub 42 of the mounting clip 28 with their respective clamping portions 62. The vehicle body connecting pieces 68 of the two conductive fittings 54 are positioned along a direction intersecting the direction through which the two elastic engaging pieces 44 of the mounting clip 28 pass. When the harness fastener 14 is attached to the vehicle body member 10, the vehicle body connecting pieces 68 connect to two sides of the clip mounting hole 16 that are different from the two sides to which the elastic engaging pieces 44 engage. When the two conductive fittings 54 are attached to the mounting clip 28, the recesses 64a at the tips of their connecting portions 64 are positioned corresponding to the opening at the lower end of the central hole 46 of the mounting clip 28. The portion of the through shaft portion 58 of the conductive core 52 that protrudes from the lower end of the mounting clip 28 contacts the connecting portion 64. This establishes electrical conductivity between the conductive core 52 and the conductive fittings 54.

[0028] The procedure for fixing the wire harness 12 to the vehicle body member 10 will now be described. First, the fixing base 26 and the mounting clip 28 are joined by engaging their respective splines 34 and 38. At this time, the respective splines 34 and 38 are engaged such that the direction through which the two elastic engaging pieces 44 of the mounting clip 28 pass and the longitudinal direction of the fixing base 26 are at a predetermined angle. This makes it possible to arbitrarily determine the longitudinal direction of the fixing base 26 with respect to the directional clip mounting hole 16, and consequently the direction in which the wire harness 12 extends.

[0029] In parallel with connecting the fixing base 26 and the mounting clip 28, the ground wire 20 and the conductive core 52 are connected. As described above, the harness connection piece 60 of the conductive core 52 is separated from the wire harness 12 and crimped to the ground wire 20. Next, the through shaft portion 58 of the conductive core 52 is inserted into the central hole 46 of the mounting clip 28 which is connected to the fixing base 26, and the conductive core 52 is fixed to the mounting clip 28. Next, the conductive fitting 54 is attached to the rectangular prism stub 42 of the mounting clip 28, and the tip of the through shaft portion 58 is connected to the connection portion 64 of the conductive fitting 54. Then, the wire harness 12 and the fixing base 26 are tied and fixed with vinyl tape 18. With the above steps completed, the harness fixing device 14 is attached to the wire harness 12.

[0030] The wire harness 12 is attached to the vehicle body member 10 by the snap-fit ​​of the elastic engaging piece 44 of the mounting clip 28. The elastic engaging piece 44 is inserted into the clip mounting hole 16 of the vehicle body member 10, and the elastic engaging piece 44 is elastically deformed so that the hooking claw 50 engages with the edge of the clip mounting hole 16. The hooking claw 50 is pressed against the edge of the clip mounting hole 16 by the elastic force of the elastic engaging piece 44, and by engaging here, it helps to prevent the mounting clip 28 from coming off. On the other hand, the edge of the conical flange 48 comes into contact with the upper surface of the vehicle body member 10, and the conical flange 48 elastically deforms. Due to the elastic force of the conical flange 48, the vehicle body member 10 is sandwiched between the conical flange 48 and the hooking claw 50, and the position of the harness fixing device 14 relative to the vehicle body member 10 in the vertical direction is stabilized.

[0031] When the elastic engaging piece 44 is inserted into the clip mounting hole 16, the body connecting piece 68 of the conductive fitting 54 rubs against the edge of the clip mounting hole 16, and the scraping projection 66 scrapes the edge of the clip mounting hole 16. As a result, the insulated layers such as paint and oxide layers on the surface of the body member 10 are scraped away, and the conductive fitting 54 and the body member 10 are electrically connected. In addition, when the conductive fitting 54 is pushed into the clip mounting hole 16, it receives force from the body member 10, and this force presses the connecting portion 64 against the through shaft portion 58 of the conductive core 52. This ensures a reliable electrically connected connection between the conductive fitting 54 and the conductive core 52.

[0032] The harness fastener 14 described above consists of two parts, a fixing base 26 and a mounting clip 28. However, if it is not necessary to change the orientation of the fixing base 26, the fixing base 26 and the mounting clip 28 may be configured as a single integrated part. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 10 Body component, 12 Wire harness, 14 Harness fastener, 16 Clip mounting hole, 20 Ground wire, 22 Fastener body, 24 Conductive component, 26 Fixing base, 28 Mounting clip, 34 Spline (of fixing base), 38 Spline (of mounting clip), 40 Clip body, 42 Rectangular stub, 44 Elastic engaging piece, 46 Center hole (of mounting clip), 50 Catch, 52 Conductive core, 54 Conductive fitting, 58 Through shaft portion, 60 Harness connection piece, 64 Connection portion (of conductive fitting), 66 Cutting projection, 68 Body connection piece.

Claims

1. A harness fastener for securing a wire harness to a conductive vehicle body component, A fixing device body to be attached to the wire harness, the fixing device body having a fixing base portion that is fixed to the wire harness and a mounting clip portion that engages elastically with a clip mounting hole formed in the vehicle body member, A conductive component attached to the main body of the fixing device, having a harness connection piece that connects to the ground wire of the wire harness, and a vehicle body connection piece that is positioned on the side of the mounting clip portion and connects to the edge of the clip mounting hole, the conductive component that provides electrical connection between the ground wire and the vehicle body member, A harness fastener equipped with the following features.

2. A harness fastener according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body connecting piece has a cutting projection on the surface facing the edge of the clip mounting hole that cuts the edge of the clip mounting hole when the mounting clip portion enters the clip mounting hole.

3. A harness fastener according to claim 2, The aforementioned conductive component is, A conductive core having the harness connection piece and a through shaft portion that penetrates the mounting clip portion, A conductive fitting, including the vehicle body connecting piece, which is attached to the mounting clip portion and in contact with the through shaft portion, Having, Harness fastener.

4. A harness fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fastening base portion is engageable with the mounting clip portion at a plurality of angular positions around the axis of the mounting clip portion.

Images