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 that are laminated while sandwiching a portion of the electric wires 25 of the wire harness 24, wherein, before routing the electric wires 25 exposed from the assembly member 21 to the back door 10, a plurality of adhesive hooks 30 are attached to the inner panel 11c in accordance with the mounting area 11d of the assembly member 21 which is predetermined on the inner panel 11c, and the edges of the assembly member 21 are hooked onto the plurality of adhesive hooks 30 to hold the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for temporarily fixing 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 have 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 fixing 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 adhesive hooks are attached to the inner panel in accordance with the mounting area of ​​the assembly member predetermined on the inner panel, and the edges of the assembly member are hooked onto the plurality of adhesive hooks to hold 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 this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows the back door in temporary fastening in this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a wire harness assembly. [Figure 4] This figure shows the temporary fastening process for the wire harness assembly according to this 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 using the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the temporary fastening state of the wire harness assembly 20 according to the temporary fastening method of the wire harness assembly 20 according to this 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 vehicle 1, in the process of attaching the wire harness assembly 20 to the inner panel 11c, there is a step of routing each of the electric wires 25, which are part of the wire harness assembly 20, onto the inner panel 11c. In this embodiment, the state in which the assembly member 21, which is part of the wire harness assembly 20, is held to the inner panel 11c during the routing of the electric wires 25 is defined as the temporary fixing state of the wire harness assembly 20. When the wire harness assembly 20 is in the permanent fixing state, the temporary fixing state may be released and permanent fixing may be performed using a different mounting structure than the one used during temporary fixing, or the mounting structure used during temporary fixing may be maintained as is.

[0015] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wiring work of the electric wires 25, including the temporary fastening of the wire harness assembly 20, is performed by the worker with the back door 10 open upwards, as shown in Figure 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; in other words, the structures shown in Figure 1 are merely examples.

[0016] Figure 2 is a plan view of the back door 10, which is in the open position as shown in Figure 1, with the wire harness assembly 20 temporarily attached, as seen from below. Note that in Figure 2, the structural details of other parts of the vehicle 1 are omitted.

[0017] The back door 10 comprises a back door body 11 and a rear glass 12. The back door body 11 is a structure composed of an inner panel 11c and an outer panel (not shown), each manufactured by applying various processes to a metal sheet material. The back door body 11 includes, for example, an upper structural part 11a and a lower structural part 11b.

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

[0019] The lower structural portion 11b is a structural portion located at the lowest position close to the ground surface in the backdoor body 11 when the backdoor 10 is in the closed state. The assembly member 21 included in the wire harness assembly 20 is attached to a preset attachment region 11d (see FIG. 4) on a portion of the inner panel 11c that exists in the lower structural portion 11b. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, when the backdoor 10 is in the open state, the lower structural portion 11b is inclined so that the side continuous with the upper structural portion 11a in the opening and closing direction is higher from the ground surface than the backdoor tip portion 11f on the opposite side in the opening and closing direction.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wire harness assembly 20. The wire harness assembly 20 is attached to the backdoor 10 as described above and is applied to the wire harness 24 routed in the backdoor 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 periphery of a core wire made of a conductive material is coated with an insulating coating. Note that the electric wire 25 may be a flat cable in which a plurality of core wires are arranged in parallel and the outer periphery is coated with an insulating coating. The plurality of electric wires 25 are arranged such that one end side is gathered at one location and the other end sides are branched with respect to the assembly member 21.

[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, we will explain the method for temporarily fastening the wire harness assembly 20.

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

[0033] First, before the assembly member 21 of the wire harness assembly 20 is held in place in the mounting area 11d set on the inner panel 11c, a plurality of adhesive hooks 30 are attached to the inner panel 11c in accordance with the mounting area 11d. The adhesive hooks 30 are held in place by the hook body, which is directly hooked onto the edge of the assembly member 21, being attached to the inner panel 11c with adhesive tape (not shown).

[0034] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the mounting area 11d is inclined such that when the back door 10 is opened upward and the electric wire 25 is routed, the side closer to the hinge portion 16 in the opening and closing direction is higher from the ground than the side closer to the back door tip portion 11f. In this case, as shown in Figure 4, two adhesive hooks 30 spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the back door 10 may be attached to the inner panel 11c in a position where the assembly member 21 is hung in the direction from the hinge portion 16 toward the back door tip portion 11f.

[0035] Next, the wire harness assembly 20 illustrated in Figure 3 is prepared. Then, the worker attaches the assembly members 21 to each adhesive hook 30, thereby securing the assembly members 21 to the inner panel 11c.

[0036] As described above, when the worker then routes the electric wire 25, the mounting area 11d is inclined such that the side closer to the hinge portion 16 in the opening and closing direction is higher from the ground than the side closer to the back door tip portion 11f. Also, the direction in which the edge of the assembly member 21 is hooked onto each adhesive hook 30 is from the hinge portion 16 toward the back door tip portion 11f. Therefore, the assembly member 21 held by the inner panel 11c is prevented from sliding down toward the back door tip portion 11f.

[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] Next, we will explain the effects of the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20.

[0039] The temporary fastening method involves temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly 20 to an 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, multiple adhesive hooks 30 are attached to the inner panel 11c in accordance with the mounting area 11d of the assembly member 21 that is predetermined on the inner panel 11c. Then, the edges of the assembly member 21 are hooked onto the multiple adhesive hooks 30 to hold the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c.

[0040] Here, the two laminated members correspond to a base material 22 and a cover material 23, respectively, which are made of a flexible material, in the above example. Also, when the adhesive hook 30 penetrates the notch 27, one surface of the assembly member 21 that the locking piece 30a faces corresponds to the outer surface 22a of the base material 22 in the above example.

[0041] 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 secure the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c by hooking its edge onto multiple adhesive hooks 30 attached to the inner panel 11c. Therefore, the worker can efficiently route the wires 25 of the wire harness 24 without being obstructed by the assembly member 21.

[0042] Furthermore, when temporarily fastening the assembly member 21, adhesive hooks 30 are used, which are attached to the inner panel 11c with adhesive tape. Since such adhesive hooks 30 can be easily attached to the inner panel 11c by the worker, for example, the worker can easily adjust the orientation of the adhesive hooks 30, thereby allowing the assembly member 21 to be held more securely.

[0043] Furthermore, when temporarily fastening the assembly member 21, since the assembly member 21 is simply hung on multiple adhesive hooks 30, no processing is required on the assembly member 21 or, consequently, the wire harness assembly 20, which is advantageous in reducing working time, for example.

[0044] 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.

[0045] Furthermore, in the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20, the back door 10 is supported so as to be able to open and close vertically by the hinge portion 16, and the back door tip portion 11f may be on the side opposite to the side to which the hinge portion 16 is attached in the opening and closing direction. The mounting area 11d may be inclined such that when the electric wires 25 are routed with the back door 10 open upward, the side closer to the hinge portion 16 in the opening and closing direction is higher from the ground than the side closer to the back door tip portion 11f. Multiple adhesive hooks 30 may be attached to the inner panel 11c in a position where the assembly member 21 is hooked in the direction from the hinge portion 16 toward the back door tip portion 11f.

[0046] According to this temporary fastening method, when a worker is routing the electric wire 25, it is possible to prevent the assembly member 21 held by the inner panel 11c from sliding down towards the back door tip 11f, as explained in the above example. In addition, in this case, the number of adhesive hooks 30 that need to be attached is limited to a minimum of two, which is advantageous in reducing the cost of preparing the adhesive hooks 30 or shortening the working time by reducing the time required to attach the adhesive hooks 30.

[0047] In the above description, an example was given in which two adhesive hooks 30, spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the back door 10, are attached to the inner panel 11c in a position where the assembly member 21 is hooked in the direction from the hinge portion 16 toward the front end portion 11f of the back door. However, there may be cases where it is desired to hold the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c more stably, in accordance with the degree of inclination of the mounting area 11d caused by the opening and closing angle of the back door 10 during the wiring work of the electric wires 25. In such cases, in addition to the two adhesive hooks 30 exemplified above, multiple adhesive hooks 30 may be used, for example, attached in a position where they sandwich the assembly member 21 between each other in the width direction of the back door 10.

[0048] Although embodiments have 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]

[0049] 1 vehicle 10 Back door 11c Inner Panel 11d Mounting area 11f Rear door front 16. Hinge section 20 Wire harness assembly 21 Assembly components 22 Base material 23 Cover material 24 Wire Harness 25 Electric wire 30 Adhesive Hooks

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 adhesive hooks are attached to the inner panel in accordance with the mounting area of ​​the assembly member that is predetermined on the inner panel. A method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly, wherein the edges of the assembly member are hooked onto multiple adhesive hooks to hold the assembly member to the inner panel.

2. The aforementioned back door is supported by a hinge so as to be able to open and close vertically, and has a front end on the side opposite to the side to which the hinge is attached in the opening and closing direction. The mounting area is inclined such that, when the back door is opened upward and the electric wires are routed, the side closer to the hinge in the opening and closing direction is higher from the ground than the side closer to the front end of the back door. The method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of adhesive hooks are attached to the inner panel in a position in which the assembly member is hung in a direction from the hinge portion toward the tip of the back door.

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