Temporary fastening method for wire harness assemblies

Abstract

This invention provides a method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly to improve the efficiency of wire harness routing work when attaching the wire harness assembly to the back door of a vehicle. [Solution] A method for temporarily fixing a wire harness assembly 20 to an inner panel 11c that constitutes the back door 10 of a vehicle 1, the assembly 20 comprising a wire harness 24 and a soundproof assembly member 21 having two flexible laminated members, a base material 22 and a cover material 23, which are laminated while sandwiching a portion of the wires 25 of the wire harness 24, wherein, before routing the wires 25 exposed from the assembly member 21 to the back door 10, a plurality of cuts 27 penetrating in the thickness direction are formed in the assembly member 21, and a plurality of, for example, first clips 30 supported by the inner panel 11c are passed through each cut 27 to hold the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a temporary fixing method for a wire harness assembly.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the manufacturing process of vehicles such as automobiles, there is a process of attaching a backdoor module having a wire harness to the inner panel of the backdoor. In this process, generally, an operator may need to lift the backdoor module upward with respect to the backdoor in an upwardly open state. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a method of carrying a vehicle backdoor module from the outdoor side into the room through an opening surrounded by a window frame portion of a closed backdoor and attaching it to the inner panel on the indoor side of the backdoor in order to reduce the physical burden on the operator.

[0003] On the other hand, as a structure assumed to be attached to the inner panel of the backdoor, a wire harness assembly having a panel-shaped assembly member excellent in sound insulation is mentioned separately from the backdoor module shown in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique related to a wire harness assembly provided with a sound insulation member having a porous body and a sheet-like body integrally provided on one surface side of the porous body, and a wire harness is disposed between the porous body and the sheet-like body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Let's consider a case where the mounting method for a vehicle back door module disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used to attach the wire harness assembly disclosed in Patent Document 2 to the inner panel of the back door. In this case, during the wire harness assembly mounting process, for example, it is not necessarily the case that the rear glass is not attached to the window frame of the back door, nor is it necessarily the case that all the wires of the wire harness can be routed through the opening in the window frame. Therefore, it is practically difficult to attach the wire harness assembly to the back door based on such assumptions.

[0006] On the other hand, consider a scenario where a worker lifts the wire harness assembly disclosed in Patent Document 2 upwards to install it on a back door that is open upwards. In this case, if the worker attempts to route the multiple wires of the wire harness to the back door, the assembly member will be suspended in mid-air in an unstable position. Such a suspended assembly member can hinder the worker's wiring work and therefore requires improvement.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art. The object of this invention is to provide a method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly to improve the work efficiency related to the routing of wire harnesses when attaching a wire harness assembly to the back door of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly to an inner panel constituting the back door of a vehicle, the assembly comprising a wire harness and a sound-insulating assembly member having two flexible laminated members laminated while sandwiching a portion of the wires of the wire harness, wherein, before routing the wires exposed from the assembly member to the back door, a plurality of cuts penetrating the assembly member in the thickness direction are formed, and a plurality of clips supported by the inner panel are passed through each cut, thereby holding the assembly member to the inner panel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly to the back door of a vehicle, thereby improving the efficiency of the work involved in routing the wire harness. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows the temporary fastening state of the wire harness assembly according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows the back door in temporary fastening in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a wire harness assembly. [Figure 4] This figure shows the temporary fastening process for a wire harness assembly according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows the back door in temporary fastening in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows the temporary fastening process for a wire harness assembly according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The temporary fastening methods for wire harness assemblies according to each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0012] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the temporarily fastened state of the wire harness assembly 20 according to the temporary fastening method of the wire harness assembly 20 according to the first embodiment.

[0013] The wire harness assembly 20, described in detail below, is attached to the inner panel 11c that constitutes the back door 10 of a vehicle 1 such as an automobile. In this embodiment, the state of the wire harness assembly 20 when the vehicle 1 is in its finished state, that is, when the manufacturing process of the vehicle 1 is completed, is defined as the final fastening state of the wire harness assembly 20.

[0014] On the other hand, during the manufacturing process of the vehicle 1, in the process of attaching the wire harness assembly 20 to the inner panel 11c, there is an operation of routing each wire 25, which is a part of the wire harness assembly 20, onto the inner panel 11c. And in this embodiment, when routing the wire 25, the state where the attachment member 21, which is a part of the wire harness assembly 20, is held by the inner panel 11c is defined as the temporary fixing state of the wire harness assembly 20. When the wire harness assembly 20 is in the final fixing state, the temporary fixing state may be released and the final fixing may be performed by adopting an attachment structure different from the attachment structure at the time of temporary fixing, or the attachment structure at the time of temporary fixing may be maintained as it is.

[0015] Also, in this embodiment, the operation of routing the wire 25, including the temporary fixing operation of the wire harness assembly 20, is assumed to be performed by an operator with the back door 10 open upward as shown in FIG. 1. The specific structure of the vehicle 1 equipped with the back door 10 and the structure for maintaining the open state of the back door 10 are not particularly limited. That is, these structures shown in FIG. 1 are an example.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the back door 10 in a state where the wire harness assembly 20 is temporarily fixed, as viewed from below the back door 10 in the open state shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, the illustration of the structure of each part of the vehicle 1 other than the back door 10 is omitted.

[0017] The back door 10 includes a back door main body 11 and a rear glass 12. The back door main body 11 is a structure composed of an inner panel 11c manufactured by subjecting a metal plate material to various processes and an outer panel (not shown) and the like. The back door main body 11 includes, for example, an upper structure portion 11a and a lower structure portion 11b.

[0018] The upper structural part 11a is a structural part located above the lower structural part 11b in the back door body 11 when the back door 10 is in the closed state. The upper structural part 11a has a window frame part 11e as an opening for assembling the rear glass 12. Further, in the present embodiment, since the back door 10 has a structure that opens upward, a plurality of hinge parts 16 that support the back door 10 to be openable and closable with respect to the vehicle 1 are attached to the connection part of the upper structural part 11a to the ceiling part of the vehicle 1.

[0019] The lower structural part 11b is a structural part located at the lowest position close to the ground surface in the back door body 11 when the back door 10 is in the closed state. The assembly member 21 included in the wire harness assembly 20 is attached to a preset attachment area 11d (see FIG. 4) on a part of the inner panel 11c that exists in the lower structural part 11b. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, when the back door 10 is in the open state, the lower structural part 11b is inclined so that the side continuous with the upper structural part 11a in the opening and closing direction is higher from the ground surface than the back door tip part 11f on the opposite side in the opening and closing direction. Furthermore, the inner panel 11c has a plurality of hole parts 13 (see FIG. 4) in the attachment area 11d. Specifically, the plurality of hole parts 13 may be arranged along the width direction orthogonal to the opening and closing direction of the back door 10 and on the side close to the back door tip part 11f within the attachment area 11d. In the present embodiment, there are, as an example, two hole parts 13.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wire harness assembly 20. The wire harness assembly 20 is attached to the back door 10 as described above and is applied to the wire harness 24 routed in the back door 10. The wire harness assembly 20 includes a wire harness 24 and an assembly member 21.

[0021] The wire harness 24 is arranged in a predetermined shape inside the assembly member 21 that is integrally assembled. The wire harness 24 includes a plurality of electric wires 25 and a plurality of connectors 26.

[0022] The electric wire 25 is, for example, a coated electric wire in which the outer circumference of a core wire made of a conductive material is covered with an insulating coating. Alternatively, the electric wire 25 may be a flat cable in which multiple core wires are arranged in parallel and their outer circumference is covered with an insulating coating. The multiple electric wires 25 are arranged such that one end of each is concentrated at one location relative to the assembly member 21, and the other ends branch out to each other.

[0023] In this embodiment, the wire harness 24 has, for example, four wires 25: a first wire 25a, a second wire 25b, a third wire 25c, and a fourth wire 25d. Of these, the first wire 25a, the second wire 25b, and the third wire 25c are branch wires, so-called branch lines. On the other hand, the fourth wire 25d is a so-called main line, which combines the first wire 25a, the second wire 25b, and the third wire 25c.

[0024] The connector 26 comprises a housing made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, and terminals (not shown) made of a conductive material. The housing mates with the mating housing of a mating connector (not shown) that is electrically connected to an electrical component mounted on the back door 10. The terminals are electrically connected to the end of the electric wire 25 and housed in the housing. The terminals are electrically connected to the mating terminal housed in the mating housing when the housing and the mating housing are mated.

[0025] Since the connector 26 is connected to the terminals of multiple electric wires 25, in this embodiment there are four connectors corresponding to four electric wires 25. The connector 26 connected to the terminal of the first electric wire 25a is the first connector 26a. The connector 26 connected to the terminal of the second electric wire 25b is the second connector 26b. The connector 26 connected to the terminal of the third electric wire 25c is the third connector 26c. The connector 26 connected to the terminal of the fourth electric wire 25d is the fourth connector 26d. The fourth connector 26d is connected to a mating connector routed from the vehicle body that supports the back door 10 in the vehicle 1.

[0026] The assembly member 21 comprises a base material 22 and a cover material 23, which are flexible and stacked together as laminated members.

[0027] The base material 22 is a sheet-like member formed from a sound-insulating material such as urethane foam, polypropylene fiber, polyethylene terephthalate fiber, or polyester fiber nonwoven fabric. The base material 22 is a long plate with its longitudinal direction aligned with the width direction of the back door 10. The thickness of the base material 22 is set to, for example, about 10 to 15 mm. On the inner surface of the base material 22 facing the cover material 23, portions of the multiple wires 25 of the wire harness 24 are arranged in a predetermined shape. The terminal ends of each wire 25 connected to the connector 26 are positioned outside the base material 22.

[0028] The cover material 23 is a sheet-like member formed from a sound-insulating material such as a film made of polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene, or closed-cell or continuous foam made of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, or elastomer. The planar shape of the cover material 23 is the same as the planar shape of the base material 22. The thickness of the cover material 23 is set to, for example, about 2 mm, which is thinner than the thickness of the base material 22. Adhesive is applied to the surface of the cover material 23 that faces the base material 22, and the cover material 23 is attached to the inner surface of the base material 22 so as to sandwich a portion of the multiple electric wires 25 between the cover material 23 and the base material 22.

[0029] In the assembly member 21, multiple electric wires 25 arranged in a predetermined shape are held between the base material 22 and the cover material 23 which are attached to each other. Therefore, the assembly member 21 can protect the electric wires 25 of the wire harness 24 and maintain the arrangement shape of the electric wires 25.

[0030] Furthermore, the assembly member 21 has sound-insulating properties because at least one of the base material 22 or the cover material 23 is made of a material as exemplified above. Such an assembly member 21, having sound-insulating properties, may also be referred to as a sound-absorbing material.

[0031] Next, a method for temporarily fastening the wire harness assembly 20 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0032] Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating the temporary fastening process corresponding to the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20 according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, the temporary fastening process will be performed when the back door 10 is open upward in the vehicle 1.

[0033] First, before the assembly member 21 of the wire harness assembly 20 is held in the mounting area 11d set on the inner panel 11c, two holes 13 are formed in the inner panel 11c. The process of forming the holes 13 may be a process in which the holes are formed in the inner panel 11c in advance during the manufacturing stage of the back door body 11, or it may be a process in which the holes are formed after the back door body 11 has been manufactured and in conjunction with the temporary fixing process.

[0034] Next, the wire harness assembly 20 illustrated in Figure 3 is prepared. Then, before the worker routes the multiple electric wires 25 exposed from the assembly member 21 of the wire harness assembly 20 to the back door 10, multiple notches 27 penetrating in the thickness direction are formed in the assembly member 21. The multiple notches 27 are formed to match the positions of the two holes 13 formed in the inner panel 11c, assuming that the assembly member 21 is placed in the mounting area 11d. In other words, in this embodiment, notches 27 are formed in two places on the assembly member 21. Furthermore, since the base material 22 and cover material 23 constituting the assembly member 21 are both made of flexible material, each notch 27 may be formed by the worker using a cutter or the like, for example, so that the shape is cross-shaped.

[0035] Furthermore, if the hole 13 is formed in conjunction with the temporary fixing process, the process of forming the notch 27 in the assembly member 21 may be performed before or after the process of forming the hole 13.

[0036] Then, the worker holds the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c by passing the multiple first clips 30, which are supported by the inner panel 11c, through each of the cuts 27. In this embodiment, the worker passes the multiple first clips 30 through each of the cuts 27 from the side opposite to the side where the assembly member 21 faces the inner panel 11c, and then engages them with each of the holes 13. Specifically, the worker positions the assembly member 21 on the mounting area 11d such that the outer surface 22a of the base material 22 faces the mounting area 11d on the inner panel 11c. Next, the worker passes the first clips 30 through each of the cuts 27 from the side of the outer surface 23a of the cover material 23, engaging the tips of the first clips 30 with the corresponding holes 13.

[0037] As a result of this temporary fastening process, the assembly member 21 is temporarily fixed to the inner panel 11c, and thereafter, the worker can route each electric wire 25 to the designated position on the back door 10 without being hindered by the assembly member 21.

[0038] Here, the shape or configuration of the first clip 30 is not particularly limited, but for example, it may be such that when the shaft portion is screwed in or pushed in from the outside, a part of the tip portion expands in the space deep inside the hole 13, ultimately preventing it from coming out of the hole 13.

[0039] Next, the effects of the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0040] The temporary fastening method involves temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly 20 to the inner panel 11c that constitutes the back door 10 of a vehicle 1. The wire harness assembly 20 comprises a wire harness 24 and a soundproof assembly member 21 having two flexible laminated members that are laminated while sandwiching a portion of the electric wires 25 of the wire harness 24. In this temporary fastening method, before routing the electric wires 25 exposed from the assembly member 21 to the back door 10, a plurality of cuts 27 that penetrate in the thickness direction are formed in the assembly member 21. Then, the assembly member 21 is held to the inner panel 11c by passing a plurality of clips supported by the inner panel 11c through each cut 27.

[0041] Here, the two laminated members correspond to a base material 22 and a cover material 23, respectively, which are made of a flexible material, as shown in the above example.

[0042] Let's consider a scenario where a worker lifts the wire harness assembly 20 upwards to install it onto the back door 10, which is open upwards. In this case, the worker can temporarily fasten the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c by passing a clip supported by the inner panel 11c through each of the multiple notches 27 formed in the assembly member 21. Therefore, the worker can efficiently route the wires 25 of the wire harness 24 without being obstructed by the assembly member 21.

[0043] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly 20 that improves the work efficiency related to the routing of the wire harness 24 when attaching the wire harness assembly 20 to the back door 10 of the vehicle 1.

[0044] Furthermore, in the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20, the shape of the notch 27 may be cross-shaped.

[0045] The two laminated members constituting the assembly member 21 are both made of a flexible material. Therefore, with this temporary fastening method, the worker can easily form a cross-shaped cut 27 in the assembly member 21 using a cutter or the like, which is suitable for both the clip's penetration and the clip's retention on the assembly member 21.

[0046] Furthermore, in the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20, multiple holes 13 may be formed in the inner panel 11c before the assembly member 21 is held in place by the inner panel 11c. In this temporary fastening method, multiple clips may be inserted through each notch 27 from the side opposite to the side where the assembly member 21 faces the inner panel 11c, and then engaged with each hole 13.

[0047] Here, each of the multiple clips corresponds to the first clip 30 in the example above.

[0048] According to this temporary fastening method, multiple clips are prepared separately from the inner panel 11c, so the clips most suitable for temporary fastening of the assembly member 21 can be appropriately selected and used.

[0049] (Second Embodiment) In the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20 according to the first embodiment, for example, the clip, which is the first clip 30, is provided as a separate component from the inner panel 11c of the back door 10. In contrast, in the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20 according to the second embodiment, the clip is formed or assembled integrally with the inner panel 11c in advance.

[0050] Figure 5 is a plan view showing the back door 10 in a state in which the wire harness assembly 20 of this embodiment is temporarily fastened, drawn in accordance with Figure 2 relating to the first embodiment. Figure 6 is a perspective view for explaining the temporary fastening process corresponding to the temporary fastening method of the wire harness assembly 20 according to this embodiment, drawn in accordance with Figure 4 relating to the first embodiment. The temporary fastening process according to this embodiment is also performed when the back door 10 is open in the vehicle 1.

[0051] First, before the assembly member 21 of the wire harness assembly 20 is held in the mounting area 11d set on the inner panel 11c, two second clips 31 are formed on the inner panel 11c. The process of forming the second clips 31 is a process of forming them on the inner panel 11c in advance during the manufacturing stage of the back door body 11.

[0052] Next, the wire harness assembly 20 is prepared. Then, as in the first embodiment, before the worker routes the multiple electric wires 25 exposed from the assembly member 21 of the wire harness assembly 20 to the back door 10, multiple cuts 27 are formed in the assembly member 21.

[0053] Then, the worker holds the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c by passing the multiple second clips 31, which are already supported by the inner panel 11c, through each cut 27 from the side where the assembly member 21 faces the inner panel 11c.

[0054] Even with the temporary fastening process according to this embodiment, the assembly member 21 is temporarily fastened to the inner panel 11c, so thereafter, the worker can route each electric wire 25 to the predetermined position on the back door 10 without being hindered by the assembly member 21.

[0055] Here, the shape or configuration of the second clip 31 is not particularly limited, but for example, it may have a shape that prevents the assembly member 21 from coming loose once it has been held, such as having a tip that forms an arrow shape with a pair of pieces.

[0056] Thus, in the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20 according to this embodiment, the multiple clips may be formed or assembled on the inner panel 11c before the assembly member 21 is held by the inner panel 11c. Furthermore, in this temporary fastening method, the multiple clips may be passed through each notch 27 from the side where the assembly member 21 faces the inner panel 11c.

[0057] Here, the multiple clips correspond to the second clip 31 in the example above.

[0058] According to the temporary fastening method of this embodiment, since multiple clips are already formed or assembled on the inner panel 11c, the worker can hold the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c simply by fitting the notches 27 into each clip. In other words, since the worker does not need to handle multiple clips separately, the temporary fastening work as a whole becomes easier and can also contribute to shortening the working time.

[0059] Although each embodiment has been described above, the embodiments are not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 vehicle 10 Back door 11c Inner Panel 13 Hole 20 Wire harness assembly 21 Assembly components 22 Base material 23 Cover material 24 Wire Harness 25 Electric wire 27 cuts 30 Clip 1 31. Clip 2

Claims

1. A method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly to an inner panel constituting the back door of a vehicle, the assembly comprising a wire harness and a sound-insulating assembly member having two flexible laminated members that are laminated while sandwiching a portion of the wires of the wire harness, Before routing the exposed wires from the assembly member to the back door, Multiple cuts are formed in the assembly member that penetrate in the thickness direction. A method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly, wherein the assembly member is held to the inner panel by passing a plurality of clips supported by the inner panel through each of the notches.

2. The method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the cut is cross-shaped.

3. Before the assembly member is held in the inner panel, a plurality of holes are formed in the inner panel. A method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the multiple clips are passed through each of the notches from the side opposite to the side of the assembly member facing the inner panel, and then engaged at each of the holes.

4. The multiple clips are formed on or assembled to the inner panel before the assembly member is held to the inner panel. A method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein multiple clips are passed through each of the notches from the side of the assembly member facing the inner panel.

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