Corrugated tubes and wire harnesses

Abstract

To provide a corrugate tube and a wire harness that can be appropriately wired in various environments.SOLUTION: A corrugate tube 100 comprises a bellows part 1 to be externally mounted on an electric wire. The bellows part 1 includes: a thick bellows part 10 in which a thickness E1 of a first mountain part 11, a thickness E3 of a first valley part 12, and a thickness E5 of a first connection part 13 are uniform; and a thin bellows part 20 in which a thickness E2 of a second mountain part 21 and a thickness E6 of a second connection part 23 are smaller than a thickness E4 of a second valley part 22. In the thick bellows part 10 and the thin bellows part 20, the thickness E2 of the second mountain part 21 of the thin bellows part 20 is smaller than the thickness E1 of the first mountain part 11 of the thick bellows part 10, and the thickness E6 of part on the side of the second mountain part 21 of the second connection part 23 of the thin bellows part 20 is smaller than the thickness E6 of part on the side of the second valley part 22 of the second connection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a corrugated tube and a wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as a corrugated tube, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a corrugated tube in which large diameter cylindrical portions and small diameter cylindrical portions are alternately arranged along the same axis. This corrugated tube is made lighter by setting the wall thickness of the large diameter cylindrical portion smaller than the wall thickness of the small diameter cylindrical portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-205460 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, it is desirable that the corrugated tube described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 can be routed even in an environment requiring strength or an environment requiring a sharp bend, for example.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and has an object to provide a corrugated tube and a wire harness that can be properly routed under various environments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a corrugated tube according to the present invention includes a plurality of peaks formed in an annular shape around an axis and protruding along a radial direction intersecting the axis, a plurality of valleys formed in an annular shape around the axis adjacent to the peaks and recessed in the radial direction relative to the peaks, and a plurality of connecting portions connecting adjacent peaks and valleys, the peaks and valleys being arranged alternately with each other via the connecting portions along the axial direction along the axis, and the corrugated tube comprises a bellows portion that is sheathed around an electric wire, the bellows portion being comprised of: a thick-walled bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks, the valleys, and the connecting portions are uniform; and a thick-walled bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks, the valleys, and the connecting portions are uniform, and a thin-walled bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks and the connecting portions are thinner than the thicknesses of the valleys. a thin bellows portion, and the thick bellows portion and the thin bellows portion are characterized in that an inner diameter of the peak portion of the thick bellows portion is equivalent to an inner diameter of the peak portion of the thin bellows portion, an inner diameter of the valley portion of the thick bellows portion is equivalent to an inner diameter of the valley portion of the thin bellows portion, a distance between inner walls of the connecting portion facing each other in the thick bellows portion is equivalent to a distance between inner walls of the connecting portion facing each other in the thin bellows portion, a thickness of the valley portion of the thick bellows portion is equivalent to a thickness of the valley portion of the thin bellows portion, a thickness of the peak portion of the thin bellows portion is thinner than a thickness of the peak portion of the thick bellows portion, and a thickness of the peak side of the connecting portion of the thin bellows portion is thinner than a thickness of the valley side of the connecting portion.

[0007] A wire harness according to the present invention includes an electrically conductive electric wire, and a bellows portion that includes a plurality of peaks formed in an annular shape around an axis and protruding along a radial direction intersecting the axis, a plurality of valleys formed in an annular shape around the axis adjacent to the peaks and recessed in the radial direction relative to the peaks, and a plurality of connecting portions connecting adjacent peaks and valleys, the peaks and valleys being arranged alternately with each other via the connecting portions along the axial direction along the axis, and that is sheathed around the electric wire, the bellows portion being comprised of: a thick-walled bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks, the valleys, and the connecting portions are uniform; and a thin-walled bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks and the connecting portions are thinner than the thicknesses of the valleys. the thick-walled bellows portion and the thin-walled bellows portion have an inner diameter of the crest portion of the thick-walled bellows portion that is equivalent to an inner diameter of the crest portion of the thin-walled bellows portion, an inner diameter of the valley portion of the thick-walled bellows portion that is equivalent to an inner diameter of the valley portion of the thin-walled bellows portion, a distance between inner walls of the connecting portions facing each other in the thick-walled bellows portion that is equivalent to a distance between inner walls of the connecting portions facing each other in the thin-walled bellows portion, a thickness of the valley portion of the thick-walled bellows portion that is equivalent to a thickness of the valley portion of the thin-walled bellows portion, a thickness of the crest portion of the thin-walled bellows portion that is thinner than a thickness of the crest portion of the thick-walled bellows portion, and a thickness of the crest portion side of the connecting portion of the thin-walled bellows portion that is thinner than a thickness of the valley portion side of the connecting portion. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The corrugated tube and the wire harness according to the present invention include a thick-walled bellows portion and a thin-walled bellows portion, and therefore can be properly routed in a variety of environments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a configuration example of a wire harness according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the corrugated tube according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the corrugated tube according to the embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the bellows portion according to the comparative example. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the function of the bellows portion according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The form (embodiment) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiment. Furthermore, the components described below include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be appropriately combined. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configurations can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0011] [Embodiment] A wire harness WH according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The wire harness WH is used as a member for protecting an electric wire W mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile from the outside, and includes an electrically conductive electric wire W and a corrugated tube 100 that is fitted around the electric wire W. The electric wire W has a conductor portion (core wire) made of a plurality of electrically conductive metal wires, the outside of which is covered with an insulating covering portion, and is inserted into the inside of the corrugated tube 100.

[0012] The corrugated tube 100 is formed from materials such as polyolefin resin, polyamide resin, vinyl chloride resin, silicone resin, fluorine resin, polycarbonate resin, polyimide resin, polyester resin, polyurethane resin, etc. The corrugated tube 100 is formed in a cylindrical shape around an axis P and is fitted around an electric wire W to protect the electric wire W. Here, the direction along the axis P is referred to as an axial direction X, and the direction intersecting the axis P is referred to as a radial direction Y. The axial direction X and the radial direction Y are typically perpendicular to each other. The corrugated tube 100 includes a bellows portion 1 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

[0013] The bellows portion 1 has flexibility and is fitted around the electric wire W so as to be freely bendable according to the shape of the electric wire W in the extending direction. The bellows portion 1 includes a thick-walled bellows portion 10 and a thin-walled bellows portion 20, and the thick-walled bellows portion 10 and the thin-walled bellows portion 20 are integrally molded by injecting a heated and melted resin material into a mold and then cooling and solidifying the resin material.

[0014] The thick-walled bellows portion 10 is a portion formed to be relatively thick. The thick-walled bellows portion 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape and includes a plurality of first peaks 11, a plurality of first valleys 12, and a plurality of first connecting portions 13.

[0015] The first peaks 11 are formed in an annular shape around the axis P and protrude along the radial direction Y. The first peaks 11 are each formed in the same annular shape and arranged side by side along the axial direction X. The first peaks 11 are formed, for example, in a tubular shape around the axis P, and are formed in a cylindrical shape here. The first peaks 11 are formed, for example, in such a way that the outer wall surface exposed to the outside is formed in a cylindrical shape along the axial direction X, and the inner wall surface located opposite the outer wall surface in the radial direction Y is formed in a cylindrical shape along the axial direction X. The first peaks 11 are formed to have a longer length in the axial direction X than the first valleys 12. The first peaks 11 have the same wall thickness E1 as shown in FIG. 3. Here, the wall thickness E1 of the first peaks 11 is the thickness of the first peaks 11 in the radial direction Y. Between adjacent first crests 11 on one side and the other first crests 11 on the other side, first valleys 12 are provided via first connecting portions 13. That is, in the thick-walled bellows portion 10, the first crests 11 and the first valleys 12 are alternately arranged with the first connecting portions 13 interposed therebetween along the axial direction X.

[0016] The first valleys 12 are formed in an annular shape around the axis P and are recessed from the first peaks 11 along the radial direction Y. The first valleys 12 are each formed in the same annular shape and are arranged side by side along the axial direction X. The first valleys 12 are formed, for example, in a tubular shape with a smaller diameter than the first peaks 11 around the axis P, and are formed in a cylindrical shape here. The first valleys 12 are formed, for example, in such a way that an outer wall surface exposed to the outside is formed in a cylindrical shape along the axial direction X, and an inner wall surface located opposite to the outer wall surface in the radial direction Y is formed in a cylindrical shape along the axial direction X. The first valleys 12 are formed to have a shorter length in the axial direction X than the first peaks 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the first valleys 12 each have the same wall thickness E3. Here, the wall thickness E3 of the first valleys 12 is the thickness of the first valleys 12 in the radial direction Y. A first peak portion 11 is provided between one first valley portion 12 and the other first valley portion 12 adjacent to each other with a first connecting portion 13 interposed therebetween.

[0017] The first connecting portions 13 are portions that connect the adjacent first crests 11 and first valleys 12. The first connecting portions 13 are each formed in the same shape and are provided between the adjacent first crests 11 and first valleys 12. The first connecting portions 13 are formed, for example, in an annular shape around the axis P, and are formed in a truncated cone shape here. The truncated cone-shaped first connecting portion 13 has a large diameter side diameter equal to the diameter of the first crests 11 and a small diameter side diameter equal to the diameter of the first valleys 12. The truncated cone-shaped first connecting portion 13 has a large diameter side connected to the first crests 11 and a small diameter side connected to the first valleys 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the first connecting portions 13 are inclined with respect to the radial direction Y, and a pair of the first connecting portions 13 facing each other across the first peak 11 are formed so that the interval D1 between them gradually narrows from the first valley 12 side to the first peak 11 side. The first connecting portions 13 each have the same thickness E5. Here, the thickness E5 of the first connecting portion 13 is the thickness in a direction perpendicular to the outer wall surface (inner wall surface) of the first connecting portion 13. The first connecting portion 13 provided between the adjacent first peak 11 and first valley 12 connects these first peak 11 and first valley 12. In the thick bellows portion 10, the thickness E1 of the first peak 11, the thickness E3 of the first valley 12, and the thickness E5 of the first connecting portion 13 are uniform.

[0018] Next, a description will be given of the thin bellows portion 20. The thin bellows portion 20 is a portion formed to be relatively thin. The thin bellows portion 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is configured to include a plurality of second peak portions 21, a plurality of second valley portions 22, and a plurality of second connection portions 23.

[0019] The second peaks 21 are formed in an annular shape around the axis P and protrude along the radial direction Y. The second peaks 21 are each formed in the same annular shape and arranged side by side along the axial direction X. The second peaks 21 are formed, for example, in a tubular shape around the axis P, and are formed in a cylindrical shape here. The second peaks 21 are formed, for example, in such a way that the outer wall surface exposed to the outside is formed in a cylindrical shape along the axial direction X, and the inner wall surface located opposite the outer wall surface in the radial direction Y is formed in a cylindrical shape along the axial direction X. The second peaks 21 are formed to have a longer length in the axial direction X than the second valleys 22. The second valleys 22 are provided between one second peak 21 and the other second peak 21 adjacent to each other via a second connecting portion 23. That is, the thin bellows portion 20 is provided with second peaks 21 and second valleys 22 arranged alternately along the axial direction X with second connecting portions 23 interposed therebetween.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the second crests 21 have the same thickness E2. Here, the thickness E2 of the second crests 21 is the thickness of the second crests 21 in the radial direction Y. The thickness E2 of the second crests 21 is formed thinner than the thickness E1 of the first crests 11 of the thick bellows portion 10. For example, the thickness E2 of the second crests 21 is about 1 / 2 the thickness E1 of the first crests 11 of the thick bellows portion 10. The second crests 21 are formed thinner than the first crests 11 by thinning the outer wall side of the second crests 21 without changing the dimensions of the inner wall side of the second crests 21. That is, the second crests 21 are formed such that the inner shape, which is the inner shape, is equal to the inner shape of the first crests 11, and the outer shape, which is the outer shape, is smaller than the outer shape of the first crests 11. In other words, as shown in FIG. 2, the inner diameter R2 of the second ridge portion 21 of the thin-walled bellows portion 20 and the inner diameter R1 of the first ridge portion 11 of the thick-walled bellows portion 10 are equivalent, while the outer diameter of the second ridge portion 21 of the thin-walled bellows portion 20 is shorter than the outer diameter of the first ridge portion 11 of the thick-walled bellows portion 10.

[0021] The second valleys 22 are formed in an annular shape around the axis P and are recessed from the second peaks 21 along the radial direction Y. The second valleys 22 are each formed in the same annular shape and are arranged side by side along the axial direction X. The second valleys 22 are formed, for example, in a tubular shape having a smaller diameter than the second peaks 21 around the axis P, and are formed in a cylindrical shape here. The second valleys 22 are formed, for example, in such a way that the outer wall surface exposed to the outside is formed in a cylindrical shape along the axial direction X, and the inner wall surface on the inner side located opposite to the outer wall surface in the radial direction Y is formed in a cylindrical shape along the axial direction X. The inner diameter R4 of the second valleys 22 is equivalent to the inner diameter R3 of the first valleys 12 of the thick bellows portion 10 as shown in FIG. 2. That is, the inner cylindrical shape of the second valleys 22 is equivalent to the inner cylindrical shape of the first valleys 12 of the thick bellows portion 10. The second valley portion 22 is formed to have a length in the axial direction X shorter than that of the second peak portion 21. The second peak portion 21 is provided between one second valley portion 22 and the other second valley portion 22 adjacent to each other with a second connecting portion 23 interposed therebetween.

[0022] 3, the second valley portions 22 each have the same thickness E4. Here, the thickness E4 of the second valley portions 22 is the thickness of the second valley portions 22 in the radial direction Y. The thickness E4 of the second valley portions 22 is equivalent to the thickness E3 of the first valley portions 12 of the thick bellows portion 10. In other words, the shape of the second valley portions 22 is equivalent to the shape of the first valley portions 12 of the thick bellows portion 10.

[0023] The second connecting portions 23 are portions that connect the adjacent second peaks 21 and the second valleys 22. The second connecting portions 23 are each formed in the same shape and are provided between the adjacent second peaks 21 and the second valleys 22. The second connecting portions 23 are formed, for example, in an annular shape around the axis P, and are formed in a truncated cone shape here. The truncated cone-shaped second connecting portion 23 has a large diameter side that is equal to the diameter of the second peaks 21 and a small diameter side that is equal to the diameter of the second valleys 22. The truncated cone-shaped second connecting portion 23 has a large diameter side that is connected to the second peaks 21 and a small diameter side that is connected to the second valleys 22. 3, the multiple second connecting portions 23 are provided at an angle with respect to the radial direction Y, and a pair of second connecting portions 23 opposing each other across the second peak portion 21 are formed such that the interval D2 between them gradually narrows from the second valley portion 22 side toward the second peak portion 21 side. The second connecting portion 23 provided between the adjacent second peak portion 21 and second valley portion 22 connects these second peak portion 21 and second valley portion 22.

[0024] The thickness E6 of the second connecting portions 23 on the second peak 21 side is thinner than the thickness E6 of the second connecting portions 23 on the second valley 22 side. Here, the thickness E6 of the second connecting portions 23 is a thickness in a direction perpendicular to the outer wall surface (inner wall surface) of the second connecting portions 23. The second connecting portions 23 are formed such that the thickness E6 of the second connecting portions 23 gradually becomes thinner from the second valley 22 side of the second connecting portions 23 toward the second peak 21 side. That is, the second connecting portions 23 are formed such that the distance between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the second connecting portions 23 gradually becomes narrower from the second valley 22 side of the second connecting portions 23 toward the second peak 21 side. The thickness E6 of the second connecting portion 23 on the second peak portion 21 side (one side in the radial direction Y) is, for example, about 1 / 2 of the thickness E6 of the second connecting portion 23 on the second valley portion 22 side (the other side in the radial direction Y). The second connecting portion 23 is formed so that the distance between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the second connecting portion 23 gradually narrows by thinning the outer wall side of the second connecting portion 23 without changing the dimension of the inner wall side of the second connecting portion 23. That is, the second connecting portion 23 is formed so that the inner shape, which is the inner shape, is equal to the inner shape of the first connecting portion 13, and the outer shape, which is the outer shape, is smaller than the outer shape of the first connecting portion 13. In other words, as shown in FIG. 3, the distance D2 between the opposing inner walls of the pair of second connecting portions 23 of the thin bellows portion 20 is equal to the distance D1 between the opposing inner walls of the pair of first connecting portions 13 of the thick bellows portion 10. That is, the interval D2 between the inner walls of the second connecting portion 23 of the thin bellows portion 20 facing the first connecting portion 13 at the same position in the radial direction Y is equal to the interval D1 between the inner walls of the first connecting portion 13 of the thick bellows portion 10 facing the second connecting portion 23 at the same position in the radial direction Y. On the other hand, the interval F2 between the outer walls of the second connecting portion 23 of the thin bellows portion 20 is larger than the interval F1 between the outer walls of the first connecting portion 13 of the thick bellows portion 10 (F2>F1) except for the second valley portion 22 side. That is, the interval F2 between the outer walls of the second connecting portion 23 of the thin bellows portion 20 facing the first connecting portion 13 at the same position in the radial direction Y is larger than the interval F1 between the outer walls of the first connecting portion 13 of the thick bellows portion 10 facing the second connecting portion 23 at the same position in the radial direction Y. In the above-mentioned thin bellows portion 20, the thickness E2 of the second peak portion 21 and the thickness E6 of the second connecting portion 23 are thinner than the thickness E4 of the second valley portion 22.

[0025] The bellows portion 1 configured as described above includes a plurality of thick bellows portions 10 and a plurality of thin bellows portions 20, and the thick bellows portions 10 and the thin bellows portions 20 are alternately arranged along the axial direction X. In this case, each of the plurality of thick bellows portions 10 includes the same number of first peaks 11 and first valleys 12, and each of the plurality of thin bellows portions 20 includes the same number of second peaks 21 and second valleys 22. In this example, the number of first peaks 11 and first valleys 12 of each thick bellows portion 10 is greater than the number of second peaks 21 and second valleys 22 of each thin bellows portion 20, thereby improving strength.

[0026] Next, a functional example of the bellows portion 1 of the corrugated tube 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a functional example of the bellows portion 1A according to a comparative example. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a functional example of the bellows portion 1 according to the embodiment. The bellows portion 1A according to the comparative example is composed of the thick-walled bellows portion 10 without including the thin-walled bellows portion 20. Since the bellows portion 1A does not include the thin-walled bellows portion 20, it is bent at the thick-walled bellows portion 10 as shown in FIG. 4. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the bellows portion 1A is bent by about 90 degrees at the thick-walled bellows portion 10. In this case, the first connecting portion 13 on one side and the first connecting portion 13 on the other side adjacent to each other collide with each other because the interval F1 (see FIG. 3) between the outer walls of the first connecting portion 13 on the other side is relatively narrow, making it difficult to respond to sudden bending.

[0027] In contrast, since bellows portion 1 includes thin bellows portion 20, it is bent at thin bellows portion 20, not thick bellows portion 10, as shown in Fig. 5. In the example shown in Fig. 5, bellows portion 1 is bent approximately 90 degrees at thin bellows portion 20, and in this case, adjacent second connecting portion 23 on one side and second connecting portion 23 on the other side can accommodate sudden bending without colliding with each other because the distance F2 (see Fig. 3) between their outer walls is wider than the above-mentioned distance F1.

[0028] As described above, the corrugated tube 100 according to the embodiment includes the bellows portion 1 that is fitted around the electric wire W. The bellows portion 1 includes a thick bellows portion 10 in which the thickness E1 of the first peak portion 11, the thickness E3 of the first valley portion 12, and the thickness E5 of the first connecting portion 13 are uniform, and a thin bellows portion 20 in which the thickness E2 of the second peak portion 21 and the thickness E6 of the second connecting portion 23 are thinner than the thickness E4 of the second valley portion 22. The thick-walled bellows portion 10 includes a plurality of first peaks 11 formed in an annular shape around the axis P and protruding along a radial direction Y intersecting the axis P, a plurality of first valleys 12 provided adjacent to the first peaks 11 and formed in an annular shape around the axis P and recessed further than the first peaks 11 along the radial direction Y, and a plurality of first connecting portions 13 connecting adjacent first peaks 11 and first valleys 12, and the first peaks 11 and first valleys 12 are arranged alternately via the first connecting portions 13 along the axial direction X along the axis P. The thin-walled bellows portion 20 includes a plurality of second peaks 21 formed in an annular shape around the axis P and protruding along a radial direction Y intersecting the axis P, a plurality of second valleys 22 provided adjacent to the second peaks 21 and formed in an annular shape around the axis P and recessed further than the second peaks 21 along the radial direction Y, and a plurality of second connecting portions 23 connecting adjacent second peaks 21 and second valleys 22, and the second peaks 21 and second valleys 22 are arranged alternately via the second connecting portions 23 along the axial direction X along the axis P. Furthermore, in the thick-walled bellows portion 10 and the thin-walled bellows portion 20, the inner diameter R1 of the first peak portion 11 of the thick-walled bellows portion 10 is equivalent to the inner diameter R2 of the second peak portion 21 of the thin-walled bellows portion 20, the inner diameter R3 of the first valley portion 12 of the thick-walled bellows portion 10 is equivalent to the inner diameter R4 of the second valley portion 22 of the thin-walled bellows portion 20, the spacing D1 between the inner walls of the opposing first connecting portion 13 in the thick-walled bellows portion 10 is equivalent to the spacing D2 between the inner walls of the opposing second connecting portion 23 in the thin-walled bellows portion 20, and the thickness E3 of the first valley portion 12 of the thick-walled bellows portion 10 is equivalent to the thickness E4 of the second valley portion 22 of the thin-walled bellows portion 20. On the other hand, between the thick bellows portion 10 and the thin bellows portion 20, the thickness E2 of the second peak portion 21 of the thin bellows portion 20 is thinner than the thickness E1 of the first peak portion 11 of the thick bellows portion 10, and the thickness E6 of the second peak portion 21 side of the second connecting portion 23 of the thin bellows portion 20 is thinner than the thickness E6 of the second valley portion 22 side of the second connecting portion.

[0029] With this configuration, the corrugated tube 100 can ensure versatility by making the inner shapes of the thick-walled bellows portion 10 and the thin-walled bellows portion 20 equivalent. For example, the corrugated tube 100 can use an attachment jig equivalent to a conventional attachment jig when attaching the corrugated tube 100 to an attachment target. In addition, since the inner shape of the corrugated tube 100 is the same as that of a conventional corrugated tube, the wire accommodation rate and the like can be handled in the same manner as a conventional product. Since the thickness E3 of the first valley portion 12 of the thick-walled bellows portion 10 and the thickness E4 of the second valley portion 22 of the thin-walled bellows portion 20 of the corrugated tube 100 are equivalent, the corrugated tube 100 can maintain a holding force even when the thin-walled bellows portion 20 is engaged with an attachment target such as a protector, and the corrugated tube 100 can be prevented from falling off the attachment target. Furthermore, the corrugated tube 100 suppresses a decrease in strength due to the thick-walled bellows portion 10, and further increases the degree of bending freedom by making the spacing F2 between adjacent second peaks 21 in the thin-walled bellows portion 20 relatively wide, so that the corrugated tube can be properly routed in various environments (layouts), such as environments requiring strength or environments requiring bending.

[0030] In the corrugated tube 100, the bellows portion 1 includes a plurality of thick-walled bellows portions 10 and a plurality of thin-walled bellows portions 20, and the thick-walled bellows portions 10 and the thin-walled bellows portions 20 are alternately provided along the axial direction X. With this configuration, in an environment requiring multiple bending, the corrugated tube 100 can respond to the bending environment by bending at each of the thin-walled bellows portions 20, and further, strength can be secured by the thick-walled bellows portions 10 at portions other than the bends, allowing the tube to be properly routed in various environments.

[0031] The wire harness WH according to the embodiment includes an electrically conductive electric wire W and a corrugated tube 100 that is fitted around the electric wire W, and has the same effects as the corrugated tube 100 described above.

[0032] In the above description, an example has been described in which the bellows portion 1 includes a plurality of thick-walled bellows portions 10 and a plurality of thin-walled bellows portions 20, with the thick-walled bellows portions 10 and the thin-walled bellows portions 20 arranged alternately, but this is not limited to this, and the bellows portion 1 does not necessarily have to include a plurality of thick-walled bellows portions 10 and thin-walled bellows portions 20.

[0033] An example has been described in which the multiple thick-walled bellows portions 10 each include the same number of first peaks 11 and first valleys 12, and the multiple thin-walled bellows portions 20 each include the same number of second peaks 21 and second valleys 22, but this is not limited to this. For example, the multiple thick-walled bellows portions 10 may include thick-walled bellows portions 10 having a different number of first peaks 11 and first valleys 12, and the multiple thin-walled bellows portions 20 may include thin-walled bellows portions 20 having a different number of second peaks 21 and second valleys 22.

[0034] An example has been described in which the number of first peaks 11 and first valleys 12 of the thick bellows portion 10 is greater than the number of second peaks 21 and second valleys 22 of the thin bellows portion 20, but this is not limited to this, and for example, the number of second peaks 21 and second valleys 22 of the thin bellows portion 20 may be greater than the number of first peaks 11 and first valleys 12 of the thick bellows portion 10.

[0035] The wire harness WH may be configured to include various components, such as exterior members such as a protector, a grommet, and a resin tape, an electric connection box, and a fixture, in addition to the electric wires W and the corrugated tube 100. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1 Bellows 10 Thick bellows section 11 First mountain section (mountain section) 12 First valley (valley) 13 First joint (joint) 20 Thin bellows 21 Second mountain section (mountain section) 22 Second valley (valley) 23 Second joint (joint) 100 Corrugated tube D1, D2 interval E1~E6 Thickness P axis R1~R4 Inner diameter WH Wire harness X-axis direction Y radial direction

Claims

1. a bellows portion including a plurality of peaks formed annularly around an axis and protruding along a radial direction intersecting the axis, a plurality of valleys formed annularly around the axis adjacent to the peaks and recessed along the radial direction relative to the peaks, and a plurality of connecting portions connecting the peaks and valleys adjacent to each other, the peaks and valleys being arranged alternately with the connecting portions interposed therebetween along the axial direction along the axis, and the peaks and valleys being arranged in an alternating manner with the connecting portions interposed therebetween, the bellows portion includes a thick bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks, the valleys, and the connecting portions are uniform, and a thin bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks and the connecting portions are thinner than the thicknesses of the valleys, The thick bellows portion and the thin bellows portion are an inner diameter of the peak portion of the thick-walled bellows portion and an inner diameter of the peak portion of the thin-walled bellows portion are equivalent, an inner diameter of the valley portion of the thick-walled bellows portion and an inner diameter of the valley portion of the thin-walled bellows portion are equivalent, a distance between opposing inner walls of the connecting portion in the thick-walled bellows portion and a distance between opposing inner walls of the connecting portion in the thin-walled bellows portion are equivalent, a thickness of the valley portion of the thick-walled bellows portion and a thickness of the valley portion of the thin-walled bellows portion are equivalent, a wall thickness of the peaks of the thin-walled bellows portion is thinner than a wall thickness of the peaks of the thick-walled bellows portion, and a wall thickness of the peak side of the connecting portion of the thin-walled bellows portion is thinner than a wall thickness of the valley side of the connecting portion.

2. 2. The corrugated tube according to claim 1, wherein the bellows portion includes a plurality of the thick-walled bellows portions and a plurality of the thin-walled bellows portions, the thick-walled bellows portions and the thin-walled bellows portions being alternately arranged along the axial direction.

3. A conductive wire; a bellows portion that includes a plurality of peaks formed annularly around an axis and protruding along a radial direction intersecting the axis, a plurality of valleys that are formed annularly around the axis adjacent to the peaks and recessed in the radial direction relative to the peaks, and a plurality of connecting portions that connect adjacent peaks and valleys, the peaks and valleys being arranged alternately with each other via the connecting portions along the axial direction along the axis, and the bellows portion is sheathed around the electric wire, the bellows portion includes a thick bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks, the valleys, and the connecting portions are uniform, and a thin bellows portion in which the thicknesses of the peaks and the connecting portions are thinner than the thicknesses of the valleys, The thick bellows portion and the thin bellows portion are an inner diameter of the peak portion of the thick-walled bellows portion and an inner diameter of the peak portion of the thin-walled bellows portion are equivalent, an inner diameter of the valley portion of the thick-walled bellows portion and an inner diameter of the valley portion of the thin-walled bellows portion are equivalent, a distance between opposing inner walls of the connecting portion in the thick-walled bellows portion and a distance between opposing inner walls of the connecting portion in the thin-walled bellows portion are equivalent, a thickness of the valley portion of the thick-walled bellows portion and a thickness of the valley portion of the thin-walled bellows portion are equivalent, a thickness of the peaks of the thin bellows portion is thinner than a thickness of the peaks of the thick bellows portion, and a thickness of the peak side of the connecting portion of the thin bellows portion is thinner than a thickness of the valley side of the connecting portion.

Images