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 fastening 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 when the back door 10 is supported so as to be able to open and close up and down by a hinge portion 16, a plurality of holes 13 are formed in the inner panel 11c along the width direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction of the back door 10, and at least two electric wires 25 selected from a plurality of electric wires 25 exposed from the assembly member 21 are individually supported by one of the clamps 30 assembled at each hole 13, thereby suspending the assembly member 21 from 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 operation may occur in which an operator lifts the backdoor module upward with respect to the backdoor that is 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, there is a wire harness assembly having a panel-shaped assembly member excellent in sound insulation, which is different 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 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] An 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 soundproof assembly member having two flexible laminated members laminated while sandwiching a portion of the wires of the wire harness, wherein when the back door is supported so as to be able to open and close vertically by a hinge, a plurality of holes are formed in the inner panel along a width direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction of the back door, and at least two wires selected from a plurality of wires exposed from the assembly member are individually supported by one of the clamps assembled to each hole, thereby suspending the assembly member from 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 method for the wire harness assembly according to the 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] 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 task 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.

[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 viewed from below. For convenience of illustration, in Figure 2, the assembly member 21 is depicted in a position where it is positioned in the mounting area 11d, rather than being suspended from the inner panel 11c. Also, in Figure 2, the structural details of other parts of the vehicle 1 besides the back door 10 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 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. Also, in the present embodiment, since the back door 10 has a structure that opens upward, a plurality of hinge parts 16 for supporting 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 members 21 included in the wire harness assembly 20 are attached to a preset attachment area 11d (see FIG. 4) on the part of the inner panel 11c that exists in the lower structural part 11b after the routing of all the electric wires 25 is completed. Also, 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.

[0020] Further, the inner panel 11c has a plurality of hole parts 13 (see FIG. 4) arranged along the width direction orthogonal to the opening and closing direction of the back door 10. Clamps 30 for holding any one of the electric wires 25 are respectively assembled to the plurality of hole parts 13. The plurality of hole parts 13 are not formed in the attachment area 11d, and are formed so as to be closest to the side part 11g (see FIG. 4) of the outer edge of the attachment area 11d close to the hinge part 16. In the present embodiment, as an example, two hole parts 13 are formed in the inner panel 11c. The two hole parts 13 are formed at a part where the upper structural part 11a and the lower structural part 11b are continuous in the inner panel 11c, or at a part of the lower structural part 11b in the inner panel 11c close to the upper structural part 11a. Also, the two hole parts 13 may be formed at symmetric positions with respect to the center position in the width direction of the back door 10.

[0021] 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 attachment member 21.

[0022] The wire harness 24 is disposed in a predetermined shape inside the attachment member 21 that is integrally attached. The wire harness 24 includes a plurality of electric wires 25 and a plurality of connectors 26.

[0023] The electric wire 25 is, for example, a covered electric wire in which the outer periphery of a core wire made of a conductive material is covered 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 covered with an insulating coating. The plurality of electric wires 25 are arranged such that one end side is gathered at one location with respect to the attachment member 21 and the other end sides are branched.

[0024] In the present embodiment, as an example, the wire harness 24 has four electric wires 25, namely, a first electric wire 25a, a second electric wire 25b, a third electric wire 25c, and a fourth electric wire 25d. Among these, the first electric wire 25a, the second electric wire 25b, and the third electric wire 25c are so-called branch wires that are branched electric wires. On the other hand, the fourth electric wire 25d is a so-called main wire that gathers the first electric wire 25a, the second electric wire 25b, and the third electric wire 25c.

[0025] The connector 26 includes, for example, a housing made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and a terminal (not shown) made of a conductive material. The housing fits with a mating housing of a mating connector (not shown) electrically connected to an electrical component mounted on the back door 10. The terminal is electrically connected to the terminal portion of the electric wire 25 and is housed in the housing. The terminal is electrically connected to a mating terminal housed in the mating housing when the housing and the mating housing are fitted together.

[0026] 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.

[0027] The assembly member 21 comprises a base material 22 and a cover material 23, which are flexible and stacked together as laminated members.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] Next, we will explain the method for temporarily fastening the wire harness assembly 20.

[0033] 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.

[0034] First, two holes 13 are formed in the inner panel 11c, aligned along the width direction of the back door 10. The process of forming the holes 13 may be performed in advance in the inner panel 11c during the manufacturing stage of the back door body 11, or it may be performed after the back door body 11 has been manufactured and in conjunction with the temporary fastening process.

[0035] Next, the wire harness assembly 20 illustrated in Figure 3 is prepared. Then, the worker suspends the assembly member 21 from the inner panel 11c by individually supporting at least two wires selected from the multiple wires 25 exposed from the assembly member 21 with one of the clamps 30 installed at each hole 13. Specifically, assuming that the assembly member 21 will be subsequently installed in the mounting area 11d, the worker selects the wires 25 closest to the routing position at each hole 13. In this embodiment, the first wire 25a and the second wire 25b are selected. The worker then supports the first wire 25a with the clamp 30 installed at one hole 13 and the second wire 25b with the clamp 30 installed at the other hole 13. As a result, the assembly member 21 is suspended from the inner panel 11c via the first wire 25a and the second wire 25b, as shown in Figure 1.

[0036] As a result of this temporary fastening process, the assembly member 21 is temporarily fixed in place while suspended from the inner panel 11c. 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.

[0037] For example, after temporarily fastening the assembly member 21, the worker may further route the fourth wire 25d, which serves as the main line and has a fourth connector 26d connected to the mating connector on the vehicle body side, along a predetermined path using multiple clamps 30, as shown in Figure 2. Subsequently, the worker may route the third wire 25c, which serves as a branch line, along a predetermined path. The clamps 30 that supported the first wire 25a or the second wire 25b that were suspending the assembly member 21 remain assembled in the hole 13 and are subsequently used to route the first wire 25a or the second wire 25b.

[0038] Here, the shape or configuration of the clamp 30 is not particularly limited, and it is sufficient to have a holding force that can prevent the assembly member 21 from falling while supporting the wires 25 such as the first wire 25a or the second wire 25b.

[0039] Next, we will explain the effects of the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20.

[0040] 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, when the back door 10 is supported so as to be able to open and close vertically by a hinge portion 16, a plurality of holes 13 are formed in the inner panel 11c, arranged along the width direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction of the back door 10. Then, at least two electric wires selected from the plurality of electric wires 25 exposed from the assembly member 21 are individually supported by one of the clamps 30 assembled at each hole 13, thereby suspending the assembly member 21 from the inner panel 11c.

[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, in the above example. The wires that are individually supported by any of the clamps 30 assembled for each hole 13 correspond to the first wire 25a and the second wire 25b in the above example.

[0042] Let's consider a scenario where a worker lifts the wire harness assembly 20 upwards to install it on a back door 10 that is open upwards. In this case, the worker can temporarily secure the assembly member 21 to the inner panel 11c by individually supporting at least two wires with one of the clamps 30 installed at each hole 13 and suspending the assembly member 21 from the inner panel 11c. Here, since each hole 13 is formed in the inner panel 11c so as to be aligned along the width direction of the back door 10, the assembly member 21 will be suspended from the inner panel 11c in a relatively stable position relative to the back door 10 that is open upwards. Therefore, the worker will be less likely to be obstructed by the assembly member 21, and will be able to route the wires 25 of the wire harness 24 efficiently.

[0043] Furthermore, the work of routing each electric wire 25 is carried out with the assembly member 21 suspended from the inner panel 11c. Therefore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, other electric wires 25, such as the third electric wire 25c, can be routed from the outer surface 22a side of the base material 22, rather than from the outer surface 23a side of the cover material 23, and the third connector 26c can be connected to a predetermined mating connector.

[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, for each hole 13, a wire 25 that is closest to the routing position of the hole 13 may be selected as the electric wire 25 used to suspend the assembly member 21.

[0046] According to this temporary fastening method, the electric wire 25 used to suspend the assembly member 21 can be routed along a predetermined path without changing the clamp 30 that was supporting the electric wire 25, thus avoiding complexity in the routing work. In this case, the assembly member 21 can be easily moved toward the mounting area 11d using the clamp 30 supporting the electric wire 25 as a base point, and when suspended from the inner panel 11c, it is in a more stable position relative to the back door 10. Therefore, according to this temporary fastening method, the worker can route the electric wire 25 of the wire harness 24 more efficiently.

[0047] Furthermore, in the temporary fastening method for the wire harness assembly 20, the back door 10 may have a back door tip 11f 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 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 11f. The mounting area 11d is pre-set in the inner panel 11c, and the assembly member 21 is attached after all the wires 25 have been routed. The multiple holes 13 may not be formed in the mounting area 11d, and may be closest to the edge 11g of the outer edge of the mounting area 11d that is closer to the hinge portion 16.

[0048] According to this temporary fastening method, especially when the mounting area 11d is inclined as specified above, the assembly member 21 can be easily moved toward the mounting area 11d, using the clamp 30 supporting the electric wire 25 used to suspend the assembly member 21 as a pivot point. In other words, even in this case, the assembly member 21 is in a more stable position relative to the back door 10 when suspended from the inner panel 11c. Therefore, according to this temporary fastening method, the worker can route the electric wire 25 of the wire harness 24 more efficiently.

[0049] 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]

[0050] 1 vehicle 10 Back door 11c Inner Panel 11d Mounting area 11f Rear door front 11g side 16. Hinge section 20 Wire harness assembly 21 Assembly components 22 Base material 23 Cover material 24 Wire Harness 25 Electric wire 25a 1st wire 25b 2nd wire 30 clamps

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, When the aforementioned back door is supported by a hinge so that it can be opened and closed vertically, Multiple holes are formed in the inner panel, arranged along the width direction perpendicular to the opening and closing direction of the back door. A method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly, wherein at least two of the wires selected from a plurality of wires exposed from the assembly member are individually supported by clamps assembled for each of the holes, thereby suspending the assembly member from the inner panel.

2. The method for temporarily fastening a wire harness assembly according to claim 1, wherein, for each hole, the electric wire whose routing position is closest to the hole is selected as the electric wire used for suspending the assembly member.

3. The aforementioned back door has its front end on the side opposite to the side to which the hinge is attached in the opening and closing direction. The mounting area, which is pre-set on the inner panel and on which the assembly member is attached after all the wires have been routed, is inclined such that, when the wires are routed with the back door open upward, 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 or 2, wherein the plurality of holes are not formed in the mounting area and are closest to the edge of the outer edge of the mounting area that is closest to the hinge portion.

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