Protector and Wire Harness

Abstract

To obtain high versatility, reliably fix a protective tube while suppressing deviation of the tube, and further, lower the height.SOLUTION: In a protector 40a and a wire harness 10A, crimping pieces 46, 47 crimp a corrugate tube 30 to a body 41, no matter how large the outer diameter of the corrugate tube 30 is. When crimping with the crimping pieces 46, 47 is performed, a movement regulation projection 48 is engaged with a recess in the corrugate tube 30. The protector 40a is formed of a metal having such a thickness that the protector can be plastically deformed. The body 41 of the protector 40a has a planar shape so that an increase of the thickness can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protector suitable for holding a protective tube that protects a cable routed in a vehicle or the like, and a wire harness equipped with the protector. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art As a protector for protecting a cable routed in a vehicle or the like, a wiring restriction device as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, is known.

[0003] This wiring restriction device includes a wiring, a wiring housing frame member, an attachment portion, a cable tie, and a crimping portion. The wiring housing frame member is for housing the wiring, and is shaped to follow a predetermined path having straight and curved sections, and has side walls on its sides, so that its cross section is U-shaped. The attachment portion is for mounting the wiring housing frame member to another member, and protrudes from a side edge of the wiring housing frame member. The cable tie is for fixing the wiring to the wiring housing frame member, and is wound around the wiring and the wiring housing frame member from the outside. The crimping portion is for fixing the wiring housed in the wiring housing frame member, and is formed to protrude from a side edge of the wiring housing frame member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-155814 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the wiring restriction device of Patent Document 1 mentioned above, wiring is accommodated in a wiring accommodation frame member having a U-shaped cross section, and the wiring is fixed to the wiring accommodation frame member by preventing the wiring from floating up using a crimping portion and by wrapping the wiring around it using a cable tie.

[0006] However, this wiring restriction device restricts the wiring accommodation space of the wiring accommodation frame member by the side walls provided on the sides, so that, for example, when trying to fix a protective tube with wiring inside to the wiring accommodation frame member, it is necessary to adjust the wiring accommodation space of the wiring accommodation frame member to the outer diameter of the protective tube, which reduces versatility.

[0007] In addition, when fixing the protective tube to the wiring housing frame member, a cable tie is wrapped around it and the crimped portion is used to prevent the protective tube from floating up, but depending on how tightly the cable tie is tightened and how tightly the crimped portion is tightened, there is a risk that the protective tube will shift along the longitudinal direction of the wiring housing frame member.

[0008] Furthermore, since the wiring regulator has a side wall on the side of the wiring receiving frame member, it may become an obstacle to making the height low.

[0009] For these reasons, there is a need for the development of a device that is highly versatile, can reliably fix the protective tube while preventing misalignment, and can also be made low-profile.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a protector and a wire harness that can solve the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The protector of the present invention is a metal protector having a thickness that allows for plastic deformation, and includes a flat body that holds a protective tube that protects a cable, a fastening piece that fastens the body to another member, a crimping piece that crimps the protective tube to the body, and a movement restricting protrusion that engages with the outer periphery of the protective tube and restricts movement of the protective tube in the axial direction. The body, the fastening piece, and the crimping piece are integrally formed by processing a single metal plate, and the movement restricting protrusion is formed by partially bending the body or the crimping piece. It is characterized by: The wire harness of the present invention includes a flat body that holds a protective tube that protects a cable, a fastening piece that fastens the body to another member, a crimping piece that crimps the protective tube to the body, and a movement restricting protrusion that engages with an outer periphery of the protective tube and restricts movement of the protective tube in an axial direction, The body, the fastening piece, and the crimping piece are integrally formed by processing a single metal plate, and the movement restricting protrusion is formed by partially bending the body or the crimping piece. The device is characterized by comprising a protector having a thickness that allows plastic deformation, and the protective tube. In the protector and wire harness of the present invention, the crimping piece is pressed against the outer periphery of the protective tube, so that the protective tube can be crimped against the body regardless of the outer diameter of the protective tube, which varies depending on the thickness and number of cables to be protected. In addition, the movement restricting protrusion engages with the outer periphery of the protective tube, so that the movement of the protective tube in the axial direction on the body can be restricted. In addition, since the body of the protector is flat, an increase in thickness can be suppressed. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the protector and wire harness of the present invention, the crimping piece crimps the protective tube to the body regardless of the outer diameter of the protective tube, which varies depending on the thickness and number of cables to be protected, so that it is highly versatile. In addition to the crimping by the crimping piece, the protective tube can be securely fixed while suppressing movement in the axial direction by engaging the movement restricting protrusion with the outer periphery of the protective tube. In addition, the increase in the thickness of the protector body can be suppressed, so that the height can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view showing an example of a protector, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view showing an example of a wire harness. [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining the function of a movement restricting protrusion of the protector in FIG. [Diagram 3]3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining other embodiments of the present invention, where FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing another example of a protector, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing another example of a wire harness. [Figure 4] This explains modified examples of the arrangement of the movement limiting protrusion of the protector in Figure 1(a), where Figure 4(a) is a diagram showing an example where the movement limiting protrusion is provided on the body so as to come off from the opposing crimping piece, Figure 4(b) is a diagram showing an example where the movement limiting protrusion is provided on a crimping piece extending from one of the sides of the body, and Figure 4(c) is a diagram showing an example where the movement limiting protrusion is provided on a side near the tip of the crimping piece extending from the side of the body. [Diagram 5] 5(a) and 5(b) are diagrams illustrating examples of the arrangement of the crimping pieces of the protector in FIG. 1(a), where FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing an example where the crimping pieces are provided on one side in the longitudinal direction of the body, FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing an example where the crimping pieces are provided on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the body, and FIG. 5(c) is a diagram showing an example where the crimping pieces are provided in a staggered pattern on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] (One embodiment) Hereinafter, one embodiment of a protector and a wire harness of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.

[0015] First, the protector 40a shown in Fig. 1(a) is made of a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. The protector 40a can be formed by punching a workpiece using a press die. The molding of the protector 40a is not limited to punching. Laser cutting, water jet cutting, and the like may also be used. The protector 40a has a thickness that allows it to be plastically deformed by an appropriate external force.

[0016] The protector 40 a has a body 41 , a fastening piece 44 , crimping pieces 46 and 47 , and a movement restricting protrusion 48 .

[0017] The body 41 is in the shape of a flat plate. The body 41 is responsible for holding a protective tube, such as a corrugated tube 30 that protects the cable 20, which will be described later. One surface side (the upper surface side in the figure) of the body 41 serves as a holding surface for the corrugated tube 30, which will be described later. The other surface side (the lower surface side in the figure) of the body 41 serves as a protecting surface for the corrugated tube 30, which will be described later.

[0018] The fastening piece 44 has an upright piece 42 bent at one side of the end of the body 41 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body 41, and an attachment piece 43 bent horizontally and continuous with the upright piece 42. An attachment hole 45 is formed in the attachment piece 43.

[0019] The body 41 is formed with a movement restricting protrusion 48 that engages with a recess of the corrugated tube 30 described below. The movement restricting protrusion 48 is cut and raised so as to protrude toward the holding surface side of the body 41. The top of the movement restricting protrusion 48 extends along the width direction of the body 41. The movement restricting protrusion 48 is provided at the same position as the positions where the crimping pieces 46, 47 described below are provided. The movement restricting protrusion 48 may be shaped so that the top protrudes toward the holding surface side of the body 41 by embossing.

[0020] The crimping pieces 46, 47 are provided so as to be flush with the body 41. The crimping pieces 46, 47 are provided on both side edges of the body 41 facing each other so as to be perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body 41.

[0021] In the protector 40a having such a configuration, at least the body 41, the fastening piece 44, the mounting hole 45, and the crimping pieces 46, 47 can be molded at once by punching out the workpiece by press processing using a press die. In addition, by combining it with a press die for cutting and raising processing that can move up and down in the pressing direction, the movement restricting protrusion 48 can also be molded at once. In addition, the fastening piece 44 can be molded by a press die for bending processing.

[0022] In this way, the molding of the protector 40a is performed in at least two steps, for example, by pressing using a press die, and therefore the number of molding steps can be reduced.

[0023] The wire harness 10A shown in FIG. 1(b) includes the above-mentioned protector 40a, a corrugated tube 30 which is a protective tube for protecting the cable 20, and the like.

[0024] 2, the corrugated tube 30 has a bellows shape with continuous projections and recesses provided along the width direction of the body 41. The corrugated tube 30 is flexible. The top of the movement restricting projection 48 extends along the width direction of the body 41, as described above.

[0025] The crimping pieces 46, 47 are then pressed against the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 30 from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the corrugated tube 30, crimping the corrugated tube 30 against the body 41. At the same time, when the tops of the movement restricting protrusions 48 of the crimping pieces 46, 47 abut against the side surfaces of the corrugated tube 30, the corrugated tube 30 bends, causing the tops of the movement restricting protrusions 48 to engage with the recesses.

[0026] Here, the crimping pieces 46, 47 are pressed against the corrugated tube 30 from both sides, so that the corrugated tube 30 can be crimped against the body 41 without shifting laterally. Also, as described above, the movement restricting protrusion 48 is provided at the same position as the crimping pieces 46, 47. Therefore, the pressure of the crimping pieces 46, 47 acts as a force to press the corrugated tube 30 toward the movement restricting protrusion 48 without any loss. This allows the movement restricting protrusion 48 to fit securely into the recess of the corrugated tube 30.

[0027] The crimping pieces 46, 47 only need to be long enough to wrap at least a part or the whole of the corrugated tube 30. This allows the crimping pieces 46, 47 to be pressed against the corrugated tube 30 regardless of the outer diameter of the corrugated tube 30, which varies depending on the thickness and number of cables 20 to be protected, and therefore makes it possible to crimp the corrugated tube 30 to the body 41.

[0028] In addition to being crimped by the crimping pieces 46, 47, the movement restricting projections 48 engage with the recesses of the corrugated tube 30, and the corrugated tube 30 is fixed to the body 41 of the protector 40a while being prevented from shifting.

[0029] Furthermore, if the corrugated tube 30 is not used, the top of the movement restricting projection 48 will bite into the covering of the cable 20, so that the cable 20 is fixed to the body 41 while being prevented from shifting.

[0030] The protective tube is not limited to the corrugated tube 30. A corrugated tube having a cylindrical portion and a joint portion, a silicon tube having excellent heat resistance and flexibility, a urethane tube having excellent heat resistance and pressure resistance, etc. may be used.

[0031] The wire harness 10A can be formed by automatic assembly or manual assembly. In the case of automatic assembly, for example, an automatic manufacturing robot is made to perform a step of inserting the cable 20 into the corrugated tube 30, a step of placing the corrugated tube 30 with the cable 20 inserted therein on a holding surface of the body 41 on which the movement restricting protrusions 48 are formed, and a step of crimping the crimping pieces 46, 47 onto the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 30.

[0032] In the case of manual assembly, for example, the steps include inserting the cable 20 into the corrugated tube 30, placing the corrugated tube 30 with the cable 20 inserted therein on a holding surface on the body 41 on which the movement-restricting protrusion 48 is formed, and crimping the crimping pieces 46, 47 onto the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 30 with a dedicated crimping tool.

[0033] The assembled wire harness 10A is attached to a predetermined location on, for example, the frame (or chassis) or body of a vehicle. If a female thread is formed at the attachment location on the vehicle frame or body, the wire harness 10A can be attached by inserting a bolt through the attachment hole 45 in the direction of the dotted arrow. Also, if a stud bolt is attached to the attachment location on the vehicle frame or body, the wire harness 10A can be attached by fitting the tip of the stud bolt into the attachment hole 45 and screwing a nut onto the tip of the stud bolt protruding from the attachment hole 45.

[0034] Furthermore, if holes are formed at the mounting locations on the vehicle frame or body, the wire harness 10A can be attached by inserting a plastic clip or a metal rivet through mounting hole 45 in the direction of the dotted arrow and engaging it with the hole at the mounting location.

[0035] Here, when the wire harness 10A is attached to a frame located under the vehicle by inserting, for example, a bolt through the attachment hole 45 in the direction of the dotted arrow, the protective surface of the body 41 of the protector 40a faces the ground. As a result, even if stones or the like are kicked up while the vehicle is traveling, the body 41 can prevent impacts on the cable 20 as well as the corrugated tube 30.

[0036] Of course, the wire harness 10A may be attached in the opposite direction to the dotted arrow depending on the attachment location.

[0037] In order to improve the ease of installation at a mounting location on a vehicle frame or body, the wire harness 10A may be bent to fit the shape of the mounting location. In this case, any one of the following methods (1) to (3) can be adopted. (1) After the body 41 of the protector 40a is bent in advance, the cable 20 and the corrugated tube 30 are attached to the protector 40a, and then the crimping pieces 46, 47 are crimped. (2) With the cable 20 and the corrugated tube 30 attached to the protector 40a, the body 41 is bent and the crimping pieces 46, 47 are crimped at the same time. (3) With the cable 20 and the corrugated tube 30 attached to the protector 40a, the crimping pieces 46, 47 are crimped first, and when the wire harness 10A is attached to the attachment position of the vehicle, the body 41 is bent to match the shape of the attachment position.

[0038] Furthermore, as described above, the protector 40a has a thickness that allows it to be plastically deformed by an appropriate external force, and therefore the bent posture of the cable 20 and the corrugated tube 30 can be maintained by the bending process.

[0039] Thus, in the protector 40a and the wire harness 10A in one embodiment, the crimping pieces 46, 47 are pressed against the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 30. Therefore, the corrugated tube 30 can be crimped against the body 41 regardless of the outer diameter of the corrugated tube 30, which varies depending on the thickness and number of the cables 20 to be protected, and therefore the present invention is highly versatile.

[0040] Furthermore, since the movement restricting protrusions 48 engage with recesses on the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 30, it is possible to restrict movement of the corrugated tube 30 along the axial direction in the body 41. As a result, in addition to the crimping by the crimping pieces 46, 47, the engagement of the movement restricting protrusions 48 with recesses on the outer periphery of the corrugated tube 30 makes it possible to reliably fix the corrugated tube 30 to the body 41 while suppressing misalignment.

[0041] Furthermore, since the body 41 of the protector 40a is flat, an increase in thickness can be suppressed, and therefore the height can be reduced.

[0042] In addition, since the protector 40a is formed by at least punching a metal workpiece having a thickness that allows plastic deformation, the number of molding steps can be reduced, which leads to cost reduction.

[0043] (Other embodiments) A protector 40b shown in FIG. 3(a) is different in configuration from the protector 40a in that the fastening piece 44 is flush with the body 41.

[0044] The shapes and functions of the body 41 and the crimping pieces 46, 47 are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described here. The fastening piece 44 differs from the above fastening piece 44 in that it has an attachment piece 43a extending from one side of the end of the body 41 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body 41 so as to be flush with the body 41. An attachment hole 45 is formed in the attachment piece 43.

[0045] The molding of protector 40b does not require bending of fastening pieces 44, and therefore the number of steps can be further reduced compared to protector 40a described above.

[0046] The wire harness 10B shown in FIG. 3(b) is different in configuration from the wire harness 10A in that the fastening piece 44 of the protector 40b is flush with the body 41.

[0047] The assembled wire harness 10B is attached to a predetermined location on the frame (or chassis) or body of a vehicle, for example, with bolts, etc. In addition, since the fastening pieces 44 of the protector 40b are flush with the fuselage 41, the attachment direction of the wire harness 10B may be the direction of the dotted arrow or the opposite direction to the dotted arrow, depending on the shape of the attachment location of the wire harness 10B.

[0048] In particular, in protector 40b, fastening pieces 44 are flush with body 41. Therefore, even in a case where the installation space is narrow, such as inside a door lining, installation can be facilitated by aligning the installation direction of wire harness 10B parallel to the installation surface.

[0049] Thus, in the protector 40b and the wire harness 10B in the other embodiment, the fastening piece 44 of the protector 40b is flush with the body 41. Therefore, the molding of the protector 40b does not require bending the fastening piece 44, and the number of steps can be further reduced compared to the protector 40a. In addition to the effects of the embodiment, even in a place with a narrow installation space such as inside a door lining, the installation can be made easier by making the installation direction of the wire harness 10B parallel to the installation surface.

[0050] (Modification of the Location of the Movement Restriction Protrusion 48) In the following, since the location of the movement restricting protrusion 48 can be modified in both protector 40a and protector 40b, for convenience of explanation, protector 40a will be described as a representative example.

[0051] The movement restricting protrusion 48 shown in FIG. 4(a) is provided at a position deviated from the positions of the crimping pieces 46, 47. In this example, the corrugated tube 30 crimped by the crimping pieces 46, 47 is pressed against the body 41 of the protector 40a. Although the movement restricting protrusion 48 is provided at a position deviated from the positions of the crimping pieces 46, 47, the corrugated tube 30 is pressed against the holding surface of the body 41 by the pressure of the crimping pieces 46, 47. At this time, the portions of the corrugated tube 30 near the crimping pieces 46, 47 are bent, so that the movement restricting protrusion 48 can engage with the recess of the corrugated tube 30 in the same manner as above. This allows the corrugated tube 30 to be fixed to the holding surface of the body 41 while suppressing displacement along the longitudinal direction of the body 41.

[0052] The movement restricting protrusion 48 shown in FIG. 4(b) is provided, for example, on the crimping piece 47 side. In this example, when the corrugated tube 30 is crimped by the crimping pieces 46, 47, the movement restricting protrusion 48 on the crimping piece 47 side engages with a recess of the corrugated tube 30 by a force bending the crimping piece 47. This effectively prevents the corrugated tube 30 from shifting on the holding surface of the body 41. The movement restricting protrusion 48 may be provided on the crimping piece 46 side, and in this case, too, the movement restricting protrusion 48 on the crimping piece 46 side engages with a recess of the corrugated tube 30. This allows the corrugated tube 30 to be fixed to the holding surface of the body 41 while suppressing shifting along the longitudinal direction of the body 41.

[0053] The movement restricting protrusion 49 shown in FIG. 4(c) is provided so as to extend perpendicularly to one side of the tip of the crimping piece 46 and the other side of the crimping piece 47. The top of the movement restricting protrusion 49 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the crimping pieces 46, 47. In this example, when the corrugated tube 30 is crimped by the crimping pieces 46, 47, the movement restricting protrusions 49 of the crimping pieces 46, 47 engage with the recesses of the corrugated tube 30 by the force of bending the crimping pieces 46, 47. This makes it possible to fix the corrugated tube 30 to the holding surface of the body 41 while suppressing the slippage of the corrugated tube 30 along the longitudinal direction of the body 41. The movement restricting protrusion 49 may be provided on either one of the crimping pieces 46, 47, and in this case, the movement restricting protrusion 49 on the crimping piece 46 side engages with the recesses of the corrugated tube 30.

[0054] (Modification of Arrangement of Crimping Pieces 46, 47) In the following, since the locations of the crimping pieces 46, 47 of both the protector 40a and the protector 40b can be modified, for convenience of explanation, the protector 40a will be described as a representative example.

[0055] 5(a), the crimping piece 46 is provided on one side in the longitudinal direction of the body 41. In this example, the crimping piece 46 is bent towards the holding surface of the body 41 to be crimped to the corrugated tube 30. At this time, the movement restricting protrusion 48 fits into the recess of the corrugated tube 30 in the same manner as described above. This allows the corrugated tube 30 to be fixed to the holding surface of the body 41 while suppressing displacement along the longitudinal direction of the body 41, even if the outer diameter of the corrugated tube 30 varies.

[0056] 5(b), the crimping piece 47 is provided on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the body 41. In this example, the crimping piece 47 is bent towards the holding surface of the body 41 to be crimped to the corrugated tube 30. At this time, the movement restricting protrusion 48 fits into the recess of the corrugated tube 30 in the same manner as above. As a result, even if the outer diameter of the corrugated tube 30 varies, the corrugated tube 30 can be fixed to the holding surface of the body 41 while suppressing displacement along the longitudinal direction of the body 41 in the same manner as above.

[0057] 5(c), the crimping pieces 46, 47 are provided in a staggered pattern on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the body 41. In this example, the crimping pieces 46, 47 are bent toward the holding surface of the body 41 to be crimped to the corrugated tube 30. At this time, the movement restricting protrusions 48 fit into the recesses of the corrugated tube 30 in the same manner as above. This allows the corrugated tube 30 to be fixed to the holding surface of the body 41 while suppressing displacement along the longitudinal direction of the body 41, even if the outer diameter of the corrugated tube 30 is different, in the same manner as above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10A, 10B Wire harness 20 Cable 30 Corrugated tube 40a, 40b Protector 41 Torso 42 Standing piece 43, 43a Mounting piece 44 Fastening piece 45 Mounting hole 46, 47 Crimping piece 48, 49 Movement restriction protrusion

Claims

1. A protector made of metal and having a thickness that allows plastic deformation, A flat body that holds the protective tube that protects the cable; A fastening piece for fastening the fuselage to another member; a crimping piece for crimping the protective tube against the body; a movement restricting protrusion that engages with an outer periphery of the protective tube and restricts movement of the protective tube in an axial direction, The body, the fastening piece, and the crimping piece are integrally formed by processing a single metal plate, A protector, wherein the movement restricting protrusion is formed by partially bending the body or the crimping piece.

2. 2. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the movement restricting protrusion is provided on the body.

3. The protector according to claim 1 , wherein the movement restricting projection is provided on the crimping piece.

4. 2. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the movement restricting projection is provided on a side edge of the tip of the crimping piece so as to extend perpendicularly.

5. 3. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the crimping piece extends in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the body, and the movement restricting protrusion is provided at the same position as the crimping piece.

6. 3. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the pressure-bonding piece is provided on one side of the body in a longitudinal direction, and the movement-restricting protrusion is provided at the same position as the pressure-bonding piece.

7. 3. The protector according to claim 1, wherein the crimping pieces are provided in a staggered pattern on both sides of the body in the longitudinal direction, and the movement restricting protrusions are provided at the same positions as the crimping pieces.

8. A flat body that holds the protective tube that protects the cable; A fastening piece for fastening the fuselage to another member; a crimping piece for crimping the protective tube against the body; a movement restricting protrusion that engages with an outer periphery of the protective tube and restricts movement of the protective tube in an axial direction, The body, the fastening piece, and the crimping piece are integrally formed by processing a single metal plate, The movement restricting protrusion is formed by partially bending the body or the crimping piece. a protector having a thickness that allows plastic deformation; The protective tube. A wire harness characterized by the above.

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