Wire harness

Abstract

To provide a wire harness with which an electric wire can be protected from interference due to an external interference material by tape winding, and a tape-wound part can cope with bending during routing.SOLUTION: A PVC tape TA having a thickness of 0.24 mm or less and a percent elongation of 200% or more is spirally wound around an outer periphery of a predetermined section (bent portion M) of an electric wire bundle W obtained by bundling a plurality of electric wires Wa in a state where a part of the PVC tape in a width direction thereof is lapped. Space between the electric wire bundle W and the tape TA and between the tapes TA are adhered by an adhesive material applied to a rear surface of the tape TA.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness to be mounted on an automobile or the like, and more particularly to a wire harness having a tape-wrapped portion where tape is wrapped around a necessary portion to protect electric wires from interference with external interference materials. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Wire harnesses installed in a vehicle have tape-wrapped portions where tape is wrapped around necessary portions to protect the wires from interference with external interference objects such as other components and the vehicle body.

[0003] As shown in Fig. 10, this type of wire harness WHB is formed by spirally wrapping a tape TB, the back surface of which is coated with an adhesive, around a predetermined section of the outer periphery of an electric wire bundle W, which is a bundle of electric wires Wa, with a portion of the tape TB in the width direction overlapping the tape TB. The tape TB is fixed to the wrapped electric wires Wa by the adhesive coated on its back surface, and is also fixed to the underlying tape TB at the overlapping portion.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes an example in which a wear-resistant tape made of fiber-reinforced resin is used as such a protective tape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-272447 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The tape TB that was previously used was thick, had low elongation, and was highly rigid. As a result, as shown in Figure 11, when the wire harness WHB was bent according to the wiring situation after being wrapped with tape TB, the tape TB did not follow the bending of the wire harness WHB at the bent point M and partially peeled off, creating a gap in the double-wrapped area (the point indicated by TBe in the figure). For this reason, it was considered difficult to use tape as a protective material in areas that may be bent during wiring.

[0007] Furthermore, because conventional wire harness tapes are thick and have low elongation, when they are wrapped around small-diameter electric wires, gaps tend to form between the tape and the electric wire, creating areas of insufficient adhesion and the risk of the tape peeling off. It is also difficult for workers to wrap thick, low-elongation tape around small-diameter electric wires. For this reason, it has been considered difficult to use tape on small electric wires.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness having a tape-wrapped portion, which can allow the wrapped tape to follow the bending of the electric wires when they are routed without causing the tape wrapped as a protective material to peel off, and which can keep the tape tightly wrapped around the electric wires even in portions where there are electric wires with small diameters, and which can safely protect the electric wires by the tape wrapping against interference from external interference materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration.

[0011] In a wire harness having a wire bundle in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, The electric wire bundle has tape wound around an outer periphery of a first predetermined section and a second predetermined section in a spiral manner with a part of the tape wrapped in the width direction, and has tape-wrapped portions in which the electric wire bundle or its exterior material and the tape, and the tapes themselves are fixed together by an adhesive material applied to the back surface of the tape, the first predetermined section has a shorter circumference than the second predetermined section; the first predetermined section is a portion that may be interfered with by an external buffer material, the first predetermined section is a section in which bending is expected when the wire harness is routed, and the second predetermined section is a section in which bending is not expected when the wire harness is routed, or a section having a curvature smaller than that of the first predetermined section; The first predetermined section is wound The aforementioned The tape is wound around the second predetermined section. The aforementioned It has a greater longitudinal elongation than tape. A wire harness characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, the tape wrapped around the cable as a protective material can follow the bending that occurs during installation without peeling off, and the tape can be kept in close contact with the cable even in areas where there are small-diameter cable (wire bundles), and the cable can be safely protected by the tape wrapping against interference from external interference materials.

[0013] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a wire harness according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the wire harness according to the first embodiment of the present invention is bent. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of a wire harness according to a second embodiment of the present invention before being wrapped with a tape. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state of the wire harness according to the second embodiment of the present invention after being wrapped with tape. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of a wire harness according to a third embodiment of the present invention before being wrapped with a tape. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state of the wire harness according to the third embodiment of the present invention after being wrapped with tape. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of a wire harness according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention before being wrapped with a tape. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state of the wire harness according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention after being wrapped with tape. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state of a wire harness according to another embodiment of the present invention after being wrapped with tape. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a conventional wire harness in a state before being wrapped with tape. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state of a conventional wire harness after being wrapped with tape. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a wire harness according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the wire harness in a bent state.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the wire harness WH1 of this embodiment is formed by spirally wrapping a PVC tape (polyvinyl chloride tape) TA, which has a thickness of 0.24 mm or less and an elongation rate of 200% or more in the longitudinal direction, around a predetermined section (a section that may be subject to interference from external interference) of a wire bundle W, which is a bundle of multiple electric wires Wa. In this embodiment, the PVC tape TA is wrapped around approximately half of its width, which is referred to as a half-wrap. An adhesive material is applied (or attached) to the entire back surface of the tape TA in advance, and this adhesive material bonds the wire bundle W to the tape TA and to each other (the tapes in the overlapping portions).

[0018] According to this wire harness WH1, a PVC tape TA having a thickness of 0.24 mm or less and an elongation rate of 200% or more in the longitudinal direction is wrapped around the outer periphery of the electric wire bundle W in a section where there is a risk of interference from external interference materials, thereby protecting the electric wires Wa (electric wire bundle W) in the tape-wrapped portion from interference from external interference materials. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, even if the electric wires Wa (electric wire bundle W) in the tape-wrapped portion are bent during routing (the bent portion is indicated by symbol M in Fig. 2), the tape TA is thin and stretchable, so that the tape TA can follow the bending of the electric wires Wa (electric wire bundle W) while maintaining a secure adhesion, and the occurrence of gaps due to peeling of the tape TA can be prevented.

[0019] Furthermore, because the tape TA is thin and stretchable, it can maintain its adhesion to the wire Wa (wire bundle W) even when the wire Wa (wire bundle W) has a small diameter, preventing the tape TA from peeling off. For example, even if the wire bundle W in the section where the tape TA is wrapped has a shorter circumference than the other sections (i.e., a section where the diameter of the wire bundle W is smaller), the tape TA can be tightly wrapped around the circumference of that section of the wire bundle W just as tightly as the other sections. This prevents tape peeling and the resulting gaps. Furthermore, when wrapping the tape TA around a small-diameter wire Wa (wire bundle W), a worker can first adhere one end of the tape TA to the wire Wa, and then stretch the tape TA as they wrap it around the wire Wa. This allows tape wrapping to be performed even on wires Wa that have a small diameter that previously could not be wrapped by hand.

[0020] As a result, this method can be applied to wire harnesses where the area to be protected is bent during routing, and wire harnesses where the diameter of the wires or wire bundles is small, which have previously been difficult to protect with tape wrapping. Therefore, for example, it is now possible to replace a specific section of the wire harness WH1 where tape wrapping was previously not possible and wires were protected by attaching a protector with tape wrapping, thereby achieving significant cost reductions. Furthermore, even if the specifications of the wire harness WH1 change, there is no need to change the design of the protector; the worker can simply change the position of the tape wrapping to accommodate the change.

[0021] Furthermore, when focusing only on the protection function for the wire harness WH1, wrapping with a thick cloth tape is also considered. However, such cloth tape cannot be torn off by hand by the worker, so the worker must prepare tape cut to a predetermined length in advance or cut the tape with a cutter or the like each time they wrap the tape, which significantly reduces efficiency. In contrast, the PVC tape TA of this embodiment can be torn off by the worker, so the wire harness WH1 can be protected while maintaining work efficiency.

[0022] The thickness of the tape must be 0.24 mm or less and at least thick enough to provide the required protective function for the wire harness WH1. Within this range of tape thickness, the thickness of the PVC tape TA may be selected depending on the expected curvature of the wire harness WH1.

[0023] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state of the wire harness WH2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention before the tape is wound thereon, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state after the tape is wound thereon.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3, in the wire harness WH2 of the second embodiment, a connector 1 is attached to an end of an electric wire bundle W which is a bundle of a plurality of electric wires Wa. An end of each electric wire Wa constituting the electric wire bundle W is connected to a respective terminal (not shown) of the connector 1. In this wire harness WH2, as shown in Fig. 4, the PVC tape TA, i.e., the PVC tape TA having a thickness of 0.24 mm or less and an elongation rate of 200% or more in the longitudinal direction, is wrapped around the wire harness WH2 with an appropriate overlapping length in a section from the vicinity of the end of the electric wire bundle W to the rear part of the connector 1 to which the end is connected.

[0025] According to this wire harness WH2, the electric wires Wa (electric wire bundle W) at the base portion of the connector 1 can be bound reliably and can be protected from interference from external interference materials.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of a wire harness WH3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention before tape is wound thereon, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state after tape is wound thereon.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 5, a wire harness WH3 of the third embodiment is provided with a branch portion 2 where a branch wire is drawn out from a wire bundle W obtained by bundling a plurality of electric wires Wa. In this wire harness WH3, as shown in Fig. 6, the PVC tape TA having a thickness of 0.24 mm or less and an elongation rate of 200% or more in the longitudinal direction is wrapped around the wire bundle W at the branch portion 2 with an appropriate overlapping length.

[0028] According to this wire harness WH3, the electric wires Wa (electric wire bundle W) from the trunk line to the branch portion 2 of the branch line can be bound reliably, and can also be protected from interference from external interference materials.

[0029] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of a wire harness WH4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention before tape is wound thereon, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state after tape is wound thereon.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 7, a wire harness WH4 of the fourth embodiment has a resin protector 3 covering an electric wire bundle W obtained by bundling a plurality of electric wires Wa. A fixing piece (tape-wound portion) 3a extends from the protector 3 and is used to bind the electric wire bundle W together by tape winding. In this wire harness WH4, as shown in Fig. 8, the PVC tape TA, i.e., a PVC tape TA having a thickness of 0.24 mm or less and an elongation rate of 200% or more in the longitudinal direction, is wound around the electric wire bundle W at the branch portion 2 and the fixing piece 3a of the protector 3 with an appropriate overlapping length.

[0031] According to this wire harness WH4, the protector 3 and the electric wires Wa (electric wire bundle W) can be securely bound with the tape TA, and the lead-out portion of the electric wires Wa (electric wire bundle W) from the protector 3 can be protected from interference from external interference materials.

[0032] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. Furthermore, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0033] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a state of a wire harness WH1 according to another example of the present invention after tape is wound around it. In the wire harness WH1 shown in Fig. 9, the same components as those in the wire harnesses shown in the first to fourth embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] The wire harness WH1 is wound with tape TC not only at a bend M where the wire harness WH1 is bent during routing, but also at a section L having a smaller curvature than the bend M. Note that the section L may be linear when routed. The tape TA is the same as that in each of the above-described embodiments, and has a larger longitudinal elongation rate than the tape TC. The tape TA may also be thinner than the tape TC. In this way, by using different tapes depending on the shape of the wire harness WH1 during routing, it is possible to reliably protect the wire bundle W with the tape while improving the production efficiency and cost of the wire harness. The configuration shown in FIG. 9 can be combined with any of the configurations of the first to fourth embodiments.

[0035] Here, the features of the wire harness according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [7]. [1] A wire bundle (W) is provided in which a plurality of wires are bundled together. The wire bundle (W) has a tape (TA) spirally wound around the outer periphery of a predetermined section, the tape (TA) having a thickness of 0.24 mm or less and an elongation rate of 200% or more in the longitudinal direction, with a part of the tape (TA) overlapped in the width direction, and has a tape-wrapped portion in which the wire bundle (W) or its exterior material and the tape (TA) and the tapes (TA) are fixed together by an adhesive applied to the back surface of the tape (TA). A wire harness characterized by:

[0036] According to the wire harness [1] described above, the wire bundle in the tape-wrapped portion can be protected from interference from external interference materials. Furthermore, even if the wires (wire bundle) in that portion are bent during routing, the tape is thin and stretchable, allowing the tape to follow the bending of the wires (wire bundle) while remaining in close contact, preventing the occurrence of gaps due to tape peeling. Furthermore, because the tape is thin and stretchable, the tape can maintain its adhesion to the wire even for wires with small diameters, preventing the tape from peeling off. For example, even if the wire bundle in the tape-wrapped section has a portion with a shorter circumference than the other sections, the tape can be tightly wrapped around the outer circumference of the wire bundle in that portion, just like the other sections. Therefore, tape peeling and the occurrence of gaps due to tape peeling can be prevented. As a result, it can be applied to wire harnesses that have previously been difficult to protect with tape wrapping, such as wire harnesses in which bending occurs in the area to be protected during routing, and wire harnesses in which the diameter of the wires or wire bundles is small in the area to be protected.

[0037] [2] The predetermined section has a shorter circumference than other sections. The wire harness according to [1] above.

[0038] According to the wire harness of [2] above, even if there is a portion in the section of the bundle of electric wires around which the tape is wrapped that has a shorter outer circumference compared to other sections, the tape can be tightly wrapped around the outer circumference of the bundle of electric wires in that portion in the same manner as in other sections, and peeling of the tape and the occurrence of gaps due to peeling of the tape can be prevented.

[0039] [3] The predetermined section is a portion that is bent during installation. The wire harness according to [1] above.

[0040] According to the wire harness of [3] above, even if the electric wires (electric wire bundle) around the tape-wrapped portion are bent during routing, the tape is thin and stretchable, so that the tape can follow the bending of the electric wires (electric wire bundle) while remaining in close contact, thereby preventing the occurrence of gaps due to peeling of the tape.

[0041] [4] The predetermined section is a section from the vicinity of the end of the wire bundle (W) to the rear part of the connector (1) to which the end is connected, The wire harness according to [1] above.

[0042] According to the wire harness of the above [4], the electric wires at the base of the connector can be bound securely and can be protected from interference from external interference materials.

[0043] [5] The predetermined section is a portion where the electric wire (Wa) branches off from the electric wire bundle (W). The wire harness according to [1] above.

[0044] According to the wire harness of the above [5], the electric wires at the branching portion from the main line to the branch line can be securely bound and can be protected from interference from external interference materials.

[0045] [6] The predetermined section is a section including a tape-wrapped portion that is part of a protector (3) that is an exterior material of the electric wire bundle. The wire harness according to [1] above.

[0046] According to the wire harness of [6] above, the protector and the electric wires can be securely bound with tape, and the lead-out portion of the electric wires from the protector can be protected from interference from external interference materials.

[0047] [7] A wire harness (WH1) having a wire bundle (W) in which a plurality of wires are bundled together, The wire bundle (W) has tape (TA, TC) wound spirally around the outer periphery of the first predetermined section (M) and the second predetermined section (L) with a portion of the width direction wrapped around the tape (TA, TC), and has tape-wrapped portions in which the wire bundle (W) or its exterior material and the tape (TA, TC) and the tapes (TA, TC) are fixed together by an adhesive material applied to the back surface of the tape (TA, TC), the first predetermined section (M) is a section in which bending is expected when the wire harness (WH1) is routed, and the second predetermined section (L) is a section in which bending is not expected when the wire harness (WH1) is routed, or a section having a curvature smaller than that of the first predetermined section (M); The tape (TA) wound around the first predetermined section (M) has a larger longitudinal elongation rate than the tape (TC) wound around the second predetermined section (L). A wire harness characterized by:

[0048] According to the wire harness of [7] above, by using different tapes depending on the shape of the wire harness (WH1) when it is routed, it is possible to reliably protect the wire bundle W with the tape while improving the production efficiency and cost of the wire harness. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 connector 2 Branch 3 Protector 3a Fixed piece (tape wrapped part) WH1~WH4 Wire harness Wa Electric Wire W Wire bundle TA, TB, TC tapes

Claims

[Claim 1] In a wire harness having a wire bundle in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, The electric wire bundle has tape wound around an outer periphery of a first predetermined section and a second predetermined section in a spiral manner with a part of the tape wrapped in the width direction, and has tape-wrapped portions in which the electric wire bundle or its exterior material and the tape, and the tapes themselves are fixed together by an adhesive material applied to the back surface of the tape, the first predetermined section has a shorter circumference than the second predetermined section; the first predetermined section is a portion that may be interfered with by an external buffer material, the first predetermined section is a section in which bending is expected when the wire harness is routed, and the second predetermined section is a section in which bending is not expected when the wire harness is routed, or a section having a curvature smaller than that of the first predetermined section; The tape wound around the first predetermined section has a larger longitudinal elongation rate than the tape wound around the second predetermined section. A wire harness characterized by:

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