Wire harness and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

To reduce the first cost.SOLUTION: A wire harness includes a plurality of exterior members 20 each having an insulating outer surface and having a mesh and sheet shape, and at least one routed wire 10 obtained by placing a protection target 11 between a pair of overlaid exterior members 20. The exterior members 20 are layered, and include a bonded portion 25 where at least portions thereof are bonded together. For example, the bonded portion 25 includes an eyelet catch 30 that penetrates through the plurality of exterior members 20 and is swaged from an exterior member 20A side which is one outer layer and an exterior member 20B side which is the other outer layer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In a wire harness, the electric wires are routed along structures such as a vehicle body or a powertrain. For this reason, in this wire harness, adhesive tape that is wrapped around the electric wires and corrugated tubes that house the electric wires are used as exterior members that protect the electric wires from interference with surrounding components. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-241790 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-10453 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional wire harnesses, an exterior member is attached to the electric wires by wrapping adhesive tape around the electric wires or inserting the electric wires into a corrugated tube. Therefore, in conventional wire harnesses, especially when the electric wires have a complicated routing path or branched wires, the exterior member must be manually attached to the electric wires to stabilize the quality after assembly. Therefore, there is still room for reducing the cost of conventional wire harnesses during their manufacturing process.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wire harness and a method for manufacturing the same that can reduce costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The wire harness according to the present invention comprises a plurality of mesh-like and sheet-like exterior members having insulating outer surfaces, and at least one wire arrangement having a portion to be protected sandwiched between a pair of the overlapping exterior members, wherein the plurality of exterior members are: The exterior member of one outer layer, the exterior member of the other outer layer, and the exterior member of an inner layer, which is one layer less than the number of layers of the protection target portion interposed between the exterior member of one outer layer and the exterior member of the other outer layer, are stacked together, The plate is also characterized by having a joint where at least a portion of the plate is joined together.

[0007] A method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present invention includes a first outer layer installation step of installing one outer layer of a plurality of mesh-like, sheet-like exterior members having insulating outer surfaces on a jig plate; an inner layer installation step of arranging a portion to be protected of at least one wire in the one outer layer of the exterior member; a second outer layer installation step of overlapping the other outer layer of the plurality of exterior members on the portion to be protected and the exterior member on which the portion to be protected is placed; and a joining step of joining the plurality of exterior members. the inner layer installation step is a step of alternately repeating, depending on the number of layers of the protection target part to be interposed between the exterior member of the one outer layer and the exterior member of the other outer layer, arrangement of the protection target part to the exterior member and installation of the exterior member of the inner layer among the plurality of exterior members; in the inner layer installation step, depending on the number of layers of the protection target part, arrangement of the protection target part to the exterior member and superposition of the interior exterior member to the protection target part and the exterior member on which the protection target part is placed are alternately repeated until the exterior member of the inner layer is a final layer, and thereafter, the protection target part of the final layer is arranged on the exterior member of the inner layer of the final layer; and in the second outer layer installation step, the exterior member of the other outer layer is superposed on the protection target part of the final layer and the exterior member of the inner layer of the final layer on which the protection target part of the final layer is placed. It is characterized by: Furthermore, a method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present invention includes a first outer layer installation step of installing one outer layer of a plurality of mesh-like, sheet-like exterior members having insulating outer surfaces on a jig plate; an inner layer installation step of arranging a portion to be protected of at least one electric cable in the one outer layer of the exterior member; a second outer layer installation step of overlapping the other outer layer of the plurality of exterior members on the portion to be protected and the exterior member on which the portion to be protected is placed; and a joining step of joining the plurality of exterior members, wherein in the inner layer installation step, when arranging the portion to be protected, the portion to be protected is passed through a gap between two wire routing pins arranged on the jig plate along a routing path of the portion to be protected, and in the first outer layer installation step and the second outer layer installation step, when installing the exterior member in each step, the wire routing pin, which is thicker than the through hole, is inserted into a through hole of a mesh in the exterior member. Further, a method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present invention includes a grommet setting step of setting a grommet fastener having a tubular portion and a flange portion on a grommet setting portion on a jig plate; a first outer layer setting step of setting one outer layer of a plurality of mesh-like sheet-like exterior members having insulating outer surfaces on the jig plate after the grommet setting step; an inner layer setting step of arranging a portion to be protected of at least one wire in the one outer layer of the exterior member; and a step of arranging the portion to be protected and the exterior member on which the portion to be protected is placed. The method further comprises a second outer layer installation step of overlapping the other outer layer of the plurality of exterior members, and a joining step of joining the plurality of exterior members, wherein in the first outer layer installation step and the second outer layer installation step, when the exterior member is installed in each step, the tubular portion is penetrated into the exterior member, and in the joining step, the eyelet fastener is clamped and crimped to the plurality of exterior members from the exterior member side of the one outer layer and the exterior member side of the other outer layer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The wire harness and its manufacturing method according to the present invention can assemble the exterior member to the portion to be protected by simply sandwiching the portion to be protected between a pair of exterior members. Therefore, this wire harness and its manufacturing method do not require wrapping adhesive tape around the portion to be protected or inserting the portion to be protected into a corrugated tube, as in the conventional method. Therefore, even if the wiring path of the wire is complex or the wire is branched, the exterior member can be assembled to the portion to be protected without relying on manual labor. Therefore, the wire harness and its manufacturing method according to the present invention contribute to the automation of the manufacturing process, thereby reducing the cost. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a wire harness according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the wire harness of the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the jig plate of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the grommet installation step of the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory view illustrating the first outer layer providing step of the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the inner layer installation step (electric wire installation step) of the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory view illustrating the second outer layer providing step of the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the joining step of the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the eyelet fastener. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a modified example of the wire harness of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a wire harness and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these preferred embodiments.

[0011] [Embodiment] One embodiment of a wire harness and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] Reference numeral 1 in Figures 1 and 2 indicates a wire harness of this embodiment. This wire harness 1 has, as a minimum configuration, a portion to be protected 11 of at least one wire 10 sandwiched between a pair of sheet-like exterior members 20 (Figures 1 and 2). This wire harness 1 includes a plurality of mesh-like, sheet-like exterior members 20 having insulating outer surfaces, and at least one wire 10 with the portion to be protected 11 sandwiched between the pair of overlapping exterior members 20.

[0013] The electric wire arrangement 10 refers to a single electric wire or a bundle of electric wires in which multiple electric wires are bundled together. This electric wire arrangement 10 is arranged along structures such as a vehicle body or a powertrain. For this reason, in this electric wire arrangement 10, a location where interference with surrounding components is expected is designated as a protected portion 11, and this protected portion 11 is wrapped in an exterior member 20 to protect it from the outside.

[0014] The exterior member 20 is a sheet-like member formed into a mesh shape, and is flexible so that it can be deformed to follow the shape of the sandwiched electric wire 10. This exterior member 20 is formed from an insulating material such as synthetic rubber so that the outer surface has insulating properties while being flexible as a whole.

[0015] Moreover, the exterior member 20 is preferably formed from an insulating material having a large coefficient of friction on the outer surface in order to prevent the sandwiched electric wires 10 from shifting position.

[0016] Furthermore, the exterior member 20 may contain metal wires inside like reinforcing threads to maintain the shape after deformation. For example, in the exterior member 20, the wires may be woven into a mesh, and a mesh-like insulating portion may be formed of an insulating material such as synthetic rubber along the mesh of the mesh-like shape-retaining member. Here, the mesh-like shape-retaining member may also function as a shielding member like a so-called braid. Therefore, the exterior member 20 can suppress the intrusion of external noise, etc., by simply sandwiching the cable 10 between a pair of exterior members 20, without having to wrap the cable 10 in a separate braid.

[0017] The multiple sheathing members 20 are stacked, and the portion 11 to be protected of the wire 10 is sandwiched between the pair of sheathing members 20. The multiple sheathing members 20 have joints 25 where at least a portion of the multiple sheathing members 20 are joined together (FIG. 1). All of the multiple sheathing members 20 may be the same material, or all or some of the multiple sheathing members 20 may be different materials, for example, with different shapes or materials. In this example, the same rectangular sheathing members 20 are used for all of them.

[0018] In other words, the minimum configuration of this wire harness 1 is a layer configuration including an exterior member 20A of one outer layer and an exterior member 20B of the other outer layer, and including an electric wire 10 in which a portion to be protected 11 is sandwiched between the exterior member 20A of the one outer layer and the exterior member 20B of the other outer layer (FIGS. 1 and 2). That is, the minimum configuration of this wire harness 1 is one in which the layer in which the portion to be protected 11 is arranged (hereinafter referred to as "wire layer"). The wire harness 1 can also be configured such that multiple wire layers are provided between the exterior member 20A of the one outer layer and the exterior member 20B of the other outer layer.

[0019] The wire harness 1 is assembled on a jig plate 500 (FIGS. 3 to 8). The wire harness 1 is assembled through a first outer layer installation step, an inner layer installation step, a second outer layer installation step, and a joining step. However, as will be described later, the wire harness 1 undergoes a grommet installation step before the first outer layer installation step.

[0020] Here, first, a manufacturing method will be described in which one electric wire layer is disposed between an exterior member 20A of one outer layer and an exterior member 20B of the other outer layer.

[0021] In the first outer layer installation step, one outer layer exterior member 20A of the multiple exterior members 20 is installed on a fixture plate 500 (FIG. 5). Then, in the inner layer installation step, at least one protected portion 11 of the wire 10 is arranged in the one outer layer exterior member 20A (FIG. 6).

[0022] In the inner layer installation step, when routing the part to be protected 11, the part to be protected 11 is passed through a gap between two electric wire routing pins 510 arranged on the jig plate 500 along the routing path of the part to be protected 11 (FIG. 6). Here, on the jig plate 500, at least two electric wire routing pins 510 are erected in pairs at multiple locations along the routing path of the part to be protected 11 (FIGS. 3 to 8). For example, the electric wire routing pins 510 are arranged in pairs at locations that will be bending points of the part to be protected 11, along the routing path of the part to be protected 11.

[0023] When installing one outer layer exterior member 20A in the first outer layer installation step, the wire routing pin 510 does not interfere with the installation of this exterior member 20A as long as it is not located directly below the exterior member 20A. However, depending on the routing path of the protected portion 11, the wire routing pin 510 may be located directly below the exterior member 20A when installing one outer layer exterior member 20A in the first outer layer installation step. The example shown here illustrates this situation (FIG. 5). Therefore, in the first outer layer installation step, when installing one outer layer exterior member 20A, wire routing pins 510 that are thicker than the through holes 21 (FIG. 1) of the mesh in this exterior member 20A are inserted into the through holes 21.

[0024] In this wire harness 1, the exterior member 20 is formed in a mesh shape, and therefore, by utilizing the through holes 21, the exterior member 20 can be installed on the jig plate 500 without having to perform any other work, such as providing another through hole, on the exterior member 20. Furthermore, in this wire harness 1, by making the through holes 21 of the mesh of the exterior member 20 smaller than the electric wire routing pins 510, the through holes 21 of the mesh of the exterior member 20 and the electric wire routing pins 510 can be utilized to prevent the exterior member 20 from being displaced on the jig plate 500.

[0025] In this example jig plate 500, electric wire routing pins 510 each consisting of two pins are arranged in three locations, and electric wire routing pins 510 each consisting of three pins are arranged in one location (FIGS. 3 to 8). Then, in this example inner layer installation step, the protected portions 11 of the two wires 10 are arranged in the exterior member 20A of one outer layer.

[0026] Each of the three pairs of electric wire routing pins 510 is disposed at a location (a location that serves as a so-called electric wire outlet) for pulling out the routed electric wire 10, whose protected portion 11 is sandwiched between the pair of exterior members 20, from between the pair of exterior members 20 (FIGS. 3 to 8). One of the three pairs of electric wire routing pins 510 (a pair of electric wire routing pins 510A) is disposed at a location where an electric wire outlet is provided for pulling out one end side of the two routed electric wires 10 from between the pair of exterior members 20 (FIG. 6). Of the remaining two pairs of electric wire routing pins 510, one (a pair of electric wire routing pins 510B) is disposed at a location where an electric wire outlet is provided for pulling out the other end side of one of the routed electric wires 10 to the outside, and the other (a pair of electric wire routing pins 510C) is disposed at a location where an electric wire outlet is provided for pulling out the other end side of the other routed electric wire 10 to the outside (FIG. 6).

[0027] Furthermore, each set of three electric wire routing pins 510 (510D) is arranged at the vertices of a triangle, and gaps are formed between the two electric wire routing pins 510D at three locations (FIGS. 3 to 8). In the three electric wire routing pins 510D, the protected portions 11 of the two routed electric wires 10 that have passed through the gap between the pair of electric wire routing pins 510A are passed through one of the three gaps (FIG. 6). In the three electric wire routing pins 510D, the protected portion 11 of one routed electric wire 10 is passed through one of the remaining two gaps, and the protected portion 11 of the other routed electric wire 10 is passed through the other of the remaining two gaps (FIG. 6). These three wire routing pins 510D route the protected portion 11 of one of the wires 10 that passes through one gap toward the pair of wire routing pins 510B, and route the protected portion 11 of the other of the wires 10 that passes through the other gap toward the pair of wire routing pins 510C (Figure 6).

[0028] In this example, only one layer of the protected portions 11 of the two wires 10 is the wire layer. Therefore, the inner layer installation process in this example can be said to be a wire installation process in which only the protected portions 11 of the wires 10 are installed.

[0029] In the second outer layer installation step, an outer layer 20B of the other outer layer of the multiple outer layers 20 is placed on the parts to be protected 11 and the outer layer 20 on which the parts to be protected 11 are placed (FIG. 7). In this exemplary second outer layer installation step, when the outer layer 20B of the other outer layer is installed, the electric wire routing pins 510 are inserted into the through holes 21 of the mesh in the outer layer 20B, as in the first outer layer installation step. In this exemplary second outer layer installation step, the outer layer 20B of the other outer layer is placed on the parts to be protected 11 of the two routed electric wires 10 and the outer layer 20A on which the two parts to be protected 11 are placed.

[0030] The joining step is performed after the second outer layer installation step is completed. In this joining step, the multiple exterior members 20 are joined together to prevent the multiple exterior members 20 from scattering. Here, in this exemplary wire harness 1, the joint 25 is provided with an eyelet fastener 30 that penetrates the multiple exterior members 20 and is clamped from the exterior member 20A side of one outer layer and the exterior member 20B side of the other outer layer and crimped (FIGS. 1 and 2). The eyelet fastener 30 shown here is formed from a metal material.

[0031] The manufacturing method exemplified here includes an eyelet installation step of installing the eyelet fastener 30 before the first outer layer installation step (FIG. 4). In this eyelet installation step, an eyelet fastener 30 (FIG. 9) having a tubular portion 31a and a flange portion 31b is installed on an eyelet installation portion 520 (FIG. 3) on a jig plate 500 before the first outer layer installation step is performed. For example, the eyelet installation portion 520 is a pin-shaped member erected from the jig plate 500, and is inserted into the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet fastener 30 from the flange portion 31b side, thereby installing the eyelet fastener 30 on the jig plate 500.

[0032] In this example, the protected portions 11 of two wires 10 passing through the gaps of a set of three wire routing pins 510 are clamped by two eyelet fasteners 30 for each gap (FIG. 8). Therefore, in this example, three eyelet installation portions 520 are provided at locations that allow the placement of such eyelet fasteners 30.

[0033] Furthermore, in this exemplary wire harness 1, the eyelet fasteners 30 are responsible for joining the multiple exterior members 20 together, so that the multiple exterior members 20 do not become detached, and the eyelet fasteners 30 are provided in locations suitable for that joining function (here, two other locations) (FIGS. 1 and 8).

[0034] In the first outer layer installation step and the second outer layer installation step, when installing the exterior members 20 (exterior member 20A of one outer layer, exterior member 20B of the other outer layer) in each step, the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet fastener 30 is penetrated into the exterior members 20 (exterior member 20A of one outer layer, exterior member 20B of the other outer layer). In the first outer layer installation step and the second outer layer installation step, the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet fastener 30 and the pin-shaped eyelet installation portion 520 inside it are penetrated into the exterior members 20 (exterior member 20A of one outer layer, exterior member 20B of the other outer layer).

[0035] Here, it is desirable that the eyelet fastener 30 be formed to have a thickness that allows its tubular portion 31a to be inserted into the through-hole 21 of the mesh of the exterior member 20. In this case, in the first outer layer installation step and the second outer layer installation step, the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet fastener 30 and the pin-shaped eyelet installation portion 520 inside it are inserted into the through-hole 21 of the mesh of the exterior member 20 (exterior member 20A of one outer layer, exterior member 20B of the other outer layer). On the other hand, in the exterior member 20, if the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet fastener 30 is too thick to be inserted into the through-hole 21 of the mesh, for example, a through-hole of a size that allows the insertion of this tubular portion 31a is formed.

[0036] In the joining step, the eyelet fastener 30 is clamped between the multiple exterior members 20 from the exterior member 20A side of one outer layer and the exterior member 20B side of the other outer layer, and crimped and pressure-bonded (FIGS. 2 and 8). For example, the eyelet fastener 30 may be composed only of an eyelet body 31 having a tubular portion 31a and a flange portion 31b, or may be comprised of this eyelet body 31 and an annular washer 32 (FIGS. 2 and 9). In the former case, the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet body 31 installed in the eyelet installation step is crimped and deformed in the joining step. In the latter case, the eyelet body 31 is installed in the eyelet installation step (FIG. 4). In the latter case, in the joining process, a washer 32 is attached to the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet body 31 protruding from the other exterior member 20B, and the washer 32 is sandwiched between the tubular portion 31a and the other exterior member 20B while the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet body 31 is crimped and deformed (Figures 2 and 9).

[0037] Incidentally, instead of being provided with the eyelet fastener 30, the joint 25 may be formed by adhering or welding at least a portion of a pair of overlapping exterior members 20 together, or both a joint provided with the eyelet fastener 30 and a joint adhered or welded together may be used. When the joint 25 is formed by adhering or welding, at least a portion of each pair of overlapping exterior members 20 is adhered or welded together for the multiple exterior members 20.

[0038] For example, in the joining process, at least a portion of the overlapping outer layer exterior member 20A and the other outer layer exterior member 20B may be bonded together with an adhesive, or the exterior member 20 may be made sticky or adhesive so that the overlapping outer layer exterior member 20A and the other outer layer exterior member 20B are self-adhesive to each other.

[0039] In the joining step, at least a portion of the overlapping outer sheathing member 20A of one outer layer and the outer sheathing member 20B of the other outer layer may be welded together using a known welding technique such as ultrasonic welding. For example, in this joining step, the overlapping outer sheathing member 20A of one outer layer and the outer sheathing member 20B of the other outer layer are sandwiched between a jig plate 500 and a horn (not shown) and pressurized, and ultrasonic vibrations are transmitted from the horn to the outer sheathing member 20A and the outer sheathing member 20B, thereby welding at least a portion of the outer sheathing member 20A and the outer sheathing member 20B together. Here, the jig plate 500 is used as an anvil that pairs with the horn. In addition, since the outer sheathing member 20 is formed in a mesh-like shape, a horn that is thicker than the through holes 21 of the mesh is used.

[0040] So far, the manufacturing method has been described in which only one electric wire layer is interposed between the exterior member 20A of one outer layer and the exterior member 20B of the other outer layer. Therefore, next, a manufacturing method will be described in which multiple electric wire layers are disposed between the exterior member 20A of one outer layer and the exterior member 20B of the other outer layer.

[0041] In this case, the inner layer installation step is a step of alternately repeating the routing of the parts to be protected 11 to the exterior members 20A of one outer layer and the installation of the inner layer exterior member 20C of the multiple exterior members 20, depending on the number of layers of the parts to be protected 11 to be interposed between the exterior member 20A of one outer layer and the exterior member 20B of the other outer layer (FIG. 10). In this inner layer installation step, depending on the number of layers of the parts to be protected 11, the routing of the parts to be protected 11 to the exterior members 20 and the overlapping of the inner layer exterior member 20C to the parts to be protected 11 and the exterior member 20 on which the parts to be protected 11 are placed are alternately repeated until the inner layer exterior member 20C is the final layer, and then the parts to be protected 11 of the final layer are routed in the final inner layer exterior member 20C.

[0042] For example, in the inner layer installation step, the portion to be protected 11 of at least one (two in this specific example) wire 10 is arranged in one outer layer exterior member 20A, and one inner layer exterior member 20C is superimposed on the portion to be protected 11 and the one outer layer exterior member 20A on which the portion to be protected 11 is placed. In this inner layer installation step, if an electric wire routing pin 510 is present directly below the inner layer exterior member 20C, the electric wire routing pin 510 is inserted into the through-hole 21 of the mesh in the exterior member 20C when the exterior member 20C is installed. Also, in this inner layer installation step, if an eyelet fastener 30 is applied to the wire harness 1, the tubular portion 31a of the eyelet fastener 30 is penetrated into the exterior member 20C when the inner layer exterior member 20C is installed.

[0043] In this specific example, the exterior member 20C becomes the exterior member 20C of the inner layer of the final layer, and at least one (here, two) portion to be protected 11 of the routed electric wire 10 is routed in the exterior member 20C of the inner layer of the final layer as the portion to be protected 11 of the final layer. Therefore, in the second outer layer installation step, the exterior member 20B of the other outer layer is superimposed on the portion to be protected 11 of the final layer and the exterior member 20C of the inner layer of the final layer on which the portion to be protected 11 of the final layer is placed.

[0044] In the joining process, the eyelet fastener 30 is clamped between the multiple outer layers 20 from the outer layer 20A side and the outer layer 20B side of the other outer layer, and crimped to join the outer layer 20A of one outer layer, the outer layer 20C of the inner layer, and the outer layer 20B of the other outer layer with the eyelet fastener 30.

[0045] Incidentally, even in this case, the joint 25 may be formed by adhering or welding at least a portion of a pair of overlapping exterior members 20 together, instead of having the eyelet fastener 30, or both a portion having the eyelet fastener 30 and a portion having an adhesive or welding may be present. When the joint 25 is formed by adhesive or welding, at least a portion of each pair of overlapping exterior members 20 is adhered or welded to each other for the multiple exterior members 20.

[0046] For example, in the joining step, at least a portion of each pair of overlapping exterior members 20 may be bonded together with an adhesive agent using a plurality of exterior members 20. In addition, in the joining step, the exterior members 20 may be made adhesive or adhesive, so that each pair of overlapping exterior members 20 is made self-adhesive to each other using a plurality of exterior members 20.

[0047] Furthermore, in the joining step, for each pair of overlapping exterior members 20, at least a portion of the pair of exterior members 20 may be welded together using a known welding technique such as ultrasonic welding. In this case, in the joining step, one outer layer exterior member 20A and the other outer layer exterior member 20B are sandwiched between a jig plate 500 and a horn (not shown) and pressurized, and ultrasonic vibrations are transmitted from the horn to the one outer layer exterior member 20A, the other outer layer exterior member 20B, and the inner layer exterior member 20C, thereby welding at least a portion of the exterior member 20A, the exterior member 20B, and the exterior member 20C together. In this joining step, at least a portion of the overlapping exterior member 20A of one outer layer and the inner layer exterior member 20C are welded together, and at least a portion of the overlapping inner layer exterior member 20C and the other outer layer exterior member 20B are welded together. In this joining step, when there are a plurality of inner exterior members 20C, at least a portion of the overlapping inner exterior members 20C are also welded together.

[0048] In this wire harness 1, the eyelet fastener 30 is used as a joining member for joining multiple exterior members 20. However, this eyelet fastener 30 can also function as a fixing portion when fixing the wire harness 1 to a structure such as a vehicle body or a powertrain. For example, the eyelet fastener 30 has a through hole, and when fixing the wire harness 1 to a structure with a fixing member, the through hole can be used as an insertion hole or a pass-through hole for the fixing member. To give a specific example, when screwing the wire harness 1 to a structure, the through hole of this eyelet fastener 30 can be used as an insertion hole for a male screw member serving as a fixing member. Furthermore, when riveting the wire harness 1 to a structure, the through hole of this eyelet fastener 30 can be used as an insertion hole for a rivet serving as a fixing member.

[0049] As described above, the wire harness 1 and its manufacturing method of the present embodiment can assemble the exterior member 20 to the portion to be protected 11 of the wire 10 simply by sandwiching the portion to be protected 11 between a pair of exterior members 20. Therefore, the wire harness 1 and its manufacturing method do not require wrapping adhesive tape around the portion to be protected 11 or inserting the portion to be protected 11 into a corrugated tube, as in the conventional method. Therefore, even if the wiring path of the wire 10 is complex or the wire 10 is branched, the exterior member 20 can be assembled to the portion to be protected 11 without relying on manual labor. Therefore, the wire harness 1 and its manufacturing method of the present embodiment contribute to automation of the manufacturing process, thereby reducing costs.

[0050] Incidentally, the wire harness 1 of this embodiment has a flexible exterior member 20. Therefore, by providing the above-described shape-retaining member (e.g., reinforcing threads formed by weaving metal wires in a mesh pattern) inside the exterior member 20, the wire harness 1 can maintain its three-dimensional shape, including bends and irregularities. For example, if the wire harness 1 needs to straddle a columnar member on its routing path, it is desirable to form the wire harness 1 in advance into a shape that avoids the columnar member. In this case, for example, in the first exterior layer installation step, the exterior member 20A of one outer layer is installed on the jig plate 500 or on a bulge (not shown) of a mold on the jig plate 500, and the bulge is fitted into a groove (not shown) of an upper mold, and a bulge that is aligned with the bulge on the jig plate 500 is formed in the exterior member 20A of the one outer layer. In this manufacturing method, the process then proceeds to an inner layer installation process, where the exterior member 20B of the other outer layer is superimposed in a second outer layer installation process, and then these are sandwiched between the bulge on the jig plate 500 side and the groove portion of the upper mold to form a three-dimensional shape with a recess to avoid the columnar member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Wire harness 10 Cable wiring 11 Protected Areas 20 Exterior materials 20A One outer layer of exterior material 20B Other outer layer sheathing member 20C Inner layer exterior material 21 Through hole 25 Joint 30 Eyelet fastener 31a Cylinder part 31b Tsuba 500 jig plate 510 Wire routing pin 520 Eyelet installation section

Claims

1. a plurality of mesh-like and sheet-like exterior members having insulating outer surfaces; At least one wire arrangement having a portion to be protected sandwiched between a pair of overlapping exterior members; Equipped with the plurality of outer sheathing members are stacked by stacking one outer layer outer sheathing member, the other outer layer outer sheathing member, and an inner layer outer sheathing member that is one layer less than the number of layers of the part to be protected that is interposed between the one outer layer outer sheathing member and the other outer layer outer sheathing member, and the plurality of outer sheathing members have a joint where at least a portion of the outer sheathing members are joined together.

2. 2. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the joint portion includes a grommet fastener that penetrates the plurality of outer layers of the sheathing member and is clamped from the sheathing member side of one outer layer and the sheathing member side of the other outer layer, and is crimped.

3. 2. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein at the joint portion, for each pair of overlapping exterior members, at least a portion of the pair of exterior members is adhered or welded to each other.

4. a first outer layer installation step of installing one of a plurality of mesh-like and sheet-like exterior members having insulating outer surfaces on a jig plate; an inner layer installation process of arranging a portion to be protected of at least one electric wire in the exterior member of one of the outer layers; a second outer layer installation step of overlapping the other outer layer of the plurality of outer layers on the protection target and the outer layer on which the protection target is placed; a joining step of joining a plurality of the exterior members; and the inner layer installation step is a step of alternately repeating routing of the part to be protected and installation of the outer layer sheathing member of the inner layer among the plurality of outer layers, depending on the number of layers of the part to be protected interposed between the outer layer sheathing member of the one outer layer and the outer layer sheathing member of the other outer layer, In the inner layer installation step, depending on the number of layers of the part to be protected, the steps of arranging the part to be protected relative to the exterior member and superposing the exterior member of the inner layer on the part to be protected and the exterior member on which the part to be protected is placed are alternately repeated until the exterior member of the inner layer is the final layer, and then the part to be protected of the final layer is arranged on the exterior member of the inner layer of the final layer, In the second outer layer installation step, the outer layer member of the other outer layer is superimposed on the protected portion of the final layer and the inner layer outer layer on which the protected portion of the final layer is placed.

5. A first outer layer installation step of installing one of a plurality of mesh-like and sheet-like exterior members having insulating outer surfaces on a jig plate; an inner layer installation process of arranging a portion to be protected of at least one electric wire in the exterior member of one of the outer layers; a second outer layer installation step of overlapping the other outer layer of the plurality of outer layers on the protection target and the outer layer on which the protection target is placed; a joining step of joining a plurality of the exterior members; and In the inner layer installation step, when routing the part to be protected, the part to be protected is passed through a gap between two wire routing pins arranged on the jig plate along a routing path of the part to be protected, In the first outer layer installing step and the second outer layer installing step, when installing the exterior member in each step, the wire routing pins, which are thicker than the through holes, are inserted into the through holes of a mesh in the exterior member.

6. A grommet installation process for installing a grommet fastener having a tubular portion and a flange portion on a grommet installation portion on a jig plate; a first outer layer installation step of installing one outer layer of a plurality of mesh-like and sheet-like exterior members having insulating outer surfaces on the jig plate after the eyelet installation step; an inner layer installation process of arranging a portion to be protected of at least one electric wire in the exterior member of one of the outer layers; a second outer layer installation step of overlapping the other outer layer of the plurality of outer layers on the protection target and the outer layer on which the protection target is placed; a joining step of joining a plurality of the exterior members; and In the first outer layer providing step and the second outer layer providing step, when the exterior member is provided in each step, the tubular portion is penetrated through the exterior member, In the joining step, the eyelet fastener is clamped between the plurality of outer layers from the outer layer side of the outer layer and the outer layer side of the other outer layer, and crimped to the plurality of outer layers.

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