Protector and wire harness

Abstract

To suppress the wild run of an electric wire, and prevent noises.SOLUTION: A protector comprises: a main body part 20 that is formed so as to enable housing of an electric wire W between a first side wall 21 and a second side wall 22; and a cover part 40 that includes a hinge part 41 rotatably coupled to the first side wall 21 at a one end side, and includes an engagement part 42 engaged to an engagement hook 35 arranged on the second side wall 22 at the other end side, and is arranged over the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 in a state where the engagement part 42 is engaged to the engagement hook 35. The cover part 40 includes: a wave-like part 50 that is formed in wavy shape along a direction crossed to an extension direction of the electric wire W; and a long part 45 that is formed in a length longer than that of a short part 52 positioned between adjacent top parts 51 in the wave-like part 50, is arranged on both sides of the wave-like part 50 in the extension direction of the cover part 40, and makes the wave-like part 50 position on an inner side of the main body part 20 than the hinge part 41 and the engagement part 42 in a state where the cover part 40 is closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a protector and a wire harness, and more particularly to a protector for electric wires that protects electric wires. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional protectors installed to protect electric wires routed in vehicles use various techniques to suppress the rattle of the electric wires and to provide appropriate protection depending on the number of electric wires. For example, in the protectors shown in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a flexible electric wire pressing member is disposed on the inner surface side of the lid of the protector body that houses the electric wires, and the lid is closed with the electric wires housed in the protector body, so that the pressing member presses down the electric wires. This suppresses rattle of the electric wires inside the body.

[0003] In addition, the protector shown in Patent Document 4 has a bellows portion on the cover for the protector body, which allows the cover to deform according to the number of electric wires housed in the protector, making it possible for the protector to protect the electric wires in response to changes in the number of electric wires.In addition, the protector shown in Patent Document 5 has a flexible bottom wall of the protector body, and when the space inside the body that houses the electric wires is large, the bottom wall is curved inward to ensure stable protection of the electric wires inside the body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-312937 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-256416 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 1-180807 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-154324 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-186307 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when the diameter of the electric wire to be housed in the protector is small, the space inside the protector becomes large when the electric wire is housed inside the protector, and it may be difficult to hold the electric wire when a small diameter electric wire is housed in the protector. In this case, the housed electric wire is likely to move around inside the protector, and the movement of the electric wire may cause noise, so there is room for improvement in the method of holding the housed electric wire.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a protector and a wire harness that can suppress the movement of electric wires and prevent noise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a protector according to the present invention includes a main body portion formed to be able to accommodate an electric wire between a first side wall and a second side wall arranged apart from each other, and having an opening that opens in a direction intersecting an extending direction of the electric wire, and a hinge portion at one end that is rotatably connected to the position of the opening in the first side wall and an engaging portion at the other end that engages with an engaging member arranged on the second side wall, and when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member, the main body portion extends between the first side wall and the second side wall on the opening side of the electric wire accommodated in the main body portion. and a cover portion arranged on the cover portion, the cover portion having a wavy portion that extends between the first side wall and the second side wall and is formed in a wavy shape along a direction intersecting the extension direction of the electric wire when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member to close the cover portion, and long portions that are formed to have a length longer than short portions located between adjacent vertices of the wavy portion and are arranged on both sides of the wavy portion in the extension direction of the cover portion, and that position the wavy portion more inward of the main body portion than the hinge portion and the engaging portion when the cover portion is closed.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a wire harness according to the present invention includes a conductive electric wire and a protector that is wrapped around the electric wire, the protector being formed to be able to accommodate the electric wire between a first side wall and a second side wall that are spaced apart from each other, and having a main body portion with an opening that opens in a direction intersecting an extending direction of the electric wire, and a hinge portion at one end that is rotatably connected to a position of the opening in the first side wall, and an engaging portion at the other end that engages with an engaging member that is arranged on the second side wall, and when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member, the opening is closer to the main body portion than the electric wire accommodated in the main body portion. and a cover portion disposed between the first side wall and the second side wall on the side of the main body portion, the cover portion having a wavy portion extending between the first side wall and the second side wall and formed in a wavy shape along a direction intersecting the extending direction of the electric wire when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member to close the cover portion, and long portions formed with a length longer than short portions located between adjacent vertices of the wavy portion and disposed on both sides of the wavy portion in the extending direction of the cover portion, the long portions positioning the wavy portion more inward of the main body portion than the hinge portion and the engaging portion when the cover portion is closed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In the protector and wire harness according to the present invention, the cover portion connected to the main body portion that accommodates the electric wires has a wavy portion formed in a wavy shape and a long portion that positions the wavy portion inside the main body portion relative to the hinge portion and the engaging portion. As a result, when the protector and wire harness accommodate the electric wires in the main body portion and position the cover portion between the first side wall and the second side wall to engage the engaging portion with the engaging member, the wavy portion can be actively brought into contact with the electric wires, and the cover portion can apply a biasing force to the electric wires regardless of their thickness. Therefore, the protector and wire harness can press the electric wires accommodated in the main body portion with the biasing force applied by the cover portion regardless of their thickness, thereby suppressing the electric wires from moving wildly within the main body portion. As a result, the protector and wire harness achieve the effect of suppressing the movement of the electric wires and preventing noise. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protector according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover in an open state. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cover in an open state. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a detailed view of part B in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the engaging portion of the cover shown in FIG. 4 is engaged with an engaging hook disposed on the second side wall. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing how wires of different sizes are protected by a protector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0012] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protector 10 according to an embodiment. The protector 10 according to the embodiment is capable of protecting an electric wire W routed in a vehicle or the like, and FIG. 1 shows the protector 10 protecting the electric wire W. In the following description, of the first, second, and third directions that intersect with one another, the first direction is referred to as the "axial direction X," the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y," and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z." The axial direction X, the width direction Y, and the height direction Z are typically perpendicular to one another. Here, the axial direction X corresponds to the direction along the extension direction of the electric wire W protected by the protector 10. The width direction Y refers to the direction in which a first side wall 21 and a second side wall 22 (described later) of the protector 10 that protects the electric wire W are spaced apart. The height direction Z is a direction perpendicular to both the axial direction X and the width direction Y.

[0013] A protector 10 according to the embodiment is applied to a wire harness WH mounted on a vehicle or the like. The wire harness WH is, for example, a component in which a plurality of electric wires W used for power supply and signal communication are bundled together to connect various devices mounted on the vehicle, and the plurality of electric wires W are connected to the various devices using connectors or the like. The wire harness WH of the present embodiment includes conductive electric wires W and a protector 10 that is sheathed around the electric wires W. The electric wires W are, for example, insulated electric wires in which a core wire formed by bundling a plurality of conductive metal wires is sheathed with an insulating sheath. The electric wires W may be formed by bundling a plurality of insulated electric wires. Alternatively, the electric wires W may be an insulated metal rod in which a conductive metal rod is sheathed with an insulating sheath. The protector 10 is incorporated into such a wire harness WH and is attached to the electric wires W. The electric wires W are inserted and routed inside the protector 10 along the axial direction X, and the protector 10 is sheathed around the electric wires W. The protector 10 protects the electric wires W routed therein and regulates the routing path of the electric wires W. Here, the routing path of the electric wires W in the protector 10 is described as a linear path along the axial direction X, but is not limited thereto and may be bent or curved with respect to the axial direction X. The wire harness WH may further include various other components such as grommets, electrical junction boxes, fixtures, connectors, etc.

[0014] More specifically, the protector 10 is made of an elastic material such as a resin material. In this embodiment, the protector 10 is made of polypropylene. The protector 10 has a main body 20 that is formed in a substantially U-shape when viewed in the axial direction X and that can accommodate the electric wire W, and a cover 40 that is connected to the main body 20. The main body 20 is formed in a substantially U-shape when viewed in the axial direction X, and is formed to extend in the axial direction X.

[0015] Specifically, the main body 20 has a first side wall 21, a second side wall 22, and a bottom 25, each formed in a plate-like shape, which are integrally molded. The first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 are arranged such that the thickness direction of the plate is oriented in the width direction Y and the width direction of the plate is oriented in the height direction Z, and extend in the axial direction X. The first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the width direction Y.

[0016] The bottom 25 is disposed such that the thickness direction of the plate is the height direction Z and the width direction of the plate is the width direction Y, and is disposed between one end of the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 in the height direction Z. In other words, the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 are erected in the height direction Z from both sides of the bottom 25 in the width direction Y. The bottom 25 disposed between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 constitutes a closed portion of the U-shaped shape of the main body 20 when viewed in the axial direction X.

[0017] Further, the end portions of the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 opposite to the side where the bottom portion 25 is located in the height direction Z form an opening 30 for inserting and removing the electric wire W into and from the main body portion 20. The opening 30 formed by the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 opens in the height direction Z, which is a direction intersecting the extending direction of the electric wire W. In other words, the opening 30 is the open side of the U-shaped shape that is the shape of the main body portion 20 when viewed in the axial direction X.

[0018] The main body 20 also has a protrusion 26 that fixes the electric wire W housed in the main body 20. The protrusion 26 is formed to extend in the axial direction X from one end of the main body 20 in the axial direction X. The protrusion 26 is formed continuously from the first side wall 21 and the bottom 25 at a portion of the one end of the main body 20 in the axial direction X and protrudes in the axial direction X. More specifically, the protrusion 26 is formed in an arc shape that follows the first side wall 21 and the bottom 25 when viewed in the axial direction X, and is formed in an arc shape that is approximately ¼ of a circle. There is a gradual change in shape between the first side wall 21 and the bottom 25, which are each formed in a flat plate shape, and the protrusion 26, which is formed in an arc shape when viewed in the axial direction X.

[0019] A protruding portion 26a is formed at the end of the protruding piece 26 opposite to the side where the first side wall 21 and the bottom portion 25 are located in the axial direction X. The protruding portion 26a protrudes outward in the radial direction of the arc that is the shape of the protruding piece 26. The protruding portion 26a is formed to protrude from the protruding piece 26 along the arc that is the shape of the protruding piece 26 when viewed in the axial direction X. In other words, the protruding portion 26a is formed to protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the protruding piece 26 at the position of the end of the protruding piece 26 in the axial direction X.

[0020] The cover portion 40 of the protector 10 is connected to the first side wall 21, and when the protector 10 is protecting the electric wires W housed in the main body 20, the cover portion 40 is disposed between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22. The cover portion 40 connected to the first side wall 21 is rotatably connected to the opening 30 in the first side wall 21 by a hinge portion 41.

[0021] 2 and 3 are perspective views of the cover portion 40 in an open state. FIG. 4 is a view taken along the arrow AA in FIG. 2. The cover portion 40 is formed in a generally band-like shape and is connected to the opening 30 of the first side wall 21 with the width direction of the band oriented along the axial direction X. That is, the width of the cover portion 40 in the axial direction X is significantly narrower than the length of the main body portion 20 in the axial direction X. The band-shaped cover portion 40 has a hinge portion 41 at one end in the extending direction of the band and an engagement portion 42 at the other end. The hinge portion 41 is rotatably connected to the opening 30 of the first side wall 21 with the rotation axis oriented along the axial direction X.

[0022] This allows the cover part 40 to rotate relative to the main body part 20 around the position of the hinge part 41. The cover part 40, which rotates relative to the main body part 20, can be rotated between a state in which the cover part 40 is open and extends from the position of the hinge part 41, which is connected to the position of the opening 30 of the first side wall 21, to the side opposite to the side where the second side wall 22 is located in the width direction Y (see FIGS. 2 to 4), and a state in which the cover part 40 extends to the side where the second side wall 22 is located in the width direction Y (see FIG. 1).

[0023] 5 is a detailed view of portion B in FIG. 3. Hinge portion 41 has a narrow width portion 41a formed with a width in the axial direction X that is narrower than the width of other portions of cover portion 40. Hinge portion 41 is also thinner than the thickness of other portions of cover portion 40. Therefore, the rigidity of hinge portion 41 is lower than the rigidity of other portions of cover portion 40. As a result, when a force that rotates cover portion 40 about hinge portion 41 acts on cover portion 40, hinge portion 41 undergoes elastic deformation, allowing cover portion 40 to rotate.

[0024] In this embodiment, in an unloaded state, the hinge portion 41 is connected to the first side wall 21 in a form extending in a flat plate shape from the position of the opening 30 in the first side wall 21 in a direction opposite to the side where the second side wall 22 is located in the width direction Y. When the cover portion 40 extends from the position of the opening 30 in the first side wall 21 to the side where the second side wall 22 is located in the width direction Y, the hinge portion 41 is curved by elastic deformation and is in a folded state toward the side where the second side wall 22 is located (see FIG. 1 ). In other words, in an unloaded state on the cover portion 40, the hinge portion 41 extends in a flat plate shape in a direction opposite to the side where the second side wall 22 is located, but when the cover portion 40 is in a form extending from the position of the opening 30 in the first side wall 21 toward the second side wall 22 side, the hinge portion 41 is in a folded state. This allows the hinge portion 41 to rotate the cover portion 40 relative to the main body portion 20.

[0025] The engagement portion 42 located on the tip side of the cover portion 40 can be detachably engaged with an engagement hook 35, which is an engagement member arranged on the second side wall 22. The engagement hook 35 is arranged on the surface of the second side wall 22 facing the first side wall 21. The position of the engagement hook 35 arranged on the second side wall 22 in the axial direction X is substantially the same as the position of the cover portion 40 in the axial direction X, and the position of the engagement hook 35 in the height direction Z is arranged at a position closer to the opening 30.

[0026] The engagement hook 35 is formed in a shape in which a rod-shaped member protruding from the second side wall 22 toward the first side wall 21 is curved toward the side where the bottom 25 is located in the height direction Z and protrudes toward the side where the bottom 25 is located. Therefore, the tip portion of the engagement hook 35 is formed toward the side where the bottom 25 is located in the height direction Z.

[0027] The engagement portion 42 of the cover portion 40 has an engagement hole 42a formed therein that engages with the engagement hook 35. The engagement hole 42a is a hole that penetrates the cover portion 40 in the thickness direction of the cover portion 40. When the cover portion 40 is rotated by the hinge portion 41 and positioned between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22, the engagement portion 42 engages with the engagement hook 35 as the engagement hook 35 enters the engagement hole 42a from the tip side.

[0028] The cover portion 40 further includes a wavy portion 50 and a long portion 45. The wavy portion 50 extends in the extension direction of the band-shaped cover portion 40 while oscillating in the thickness direction of the cover portion 40, forming a wavy shape. That is, the wavy portion 50 has a plurality of short portions 52, which are portions where the material forming the cover portion 40 extends in a substantially linear manner, and a plurality of vertices 51, which are portions where the material forming the cover portion 40 curves or bends in the thickness direction. The wavy portion 50 has a plurality of short portions 52 and a plurality of vertices 51 arranged alternately. Furthermore, the vertices 51 of the wavy portion 50 bend in opposite directions between the vertices 51 adjacent to each other across the short portions 52. As a result, the wavy portion 50 as a whole is formed in a wavy shape.

[0029] The long portions 45 are disposed on both sides of the wavy portion 50 in the extension direction of the cover portion 40. That is, the long portions 45 are formed at a position between the hinge portion 41 and the wavy portion 50 in the cover portion 40, and at a position between the engagement portion 42 and the wavy portion 50. Furthermore, the long portions 45 are formed by extending the members forming the cover portion 40 in a substantially linear manner, with a length longer than the length of the short portions 52 located between adjacent vertices 51 in the wavy portion 50.

[0030] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the engaging portion 42 of the cover 40 shown in FIG. 4 is engaged with the engaging hook 35 disposed on the second side wall 22. The elongated portion 45 of the cover 40 is formed to position the corrugated portion 50 at a predetermined position in a predetermined direction in the thickness direction of the member forming the cover 40. More specifically, the elongated portion 45 is formed to position the corrugated portion 50 more inward of the hinge 41 and the engaging portion 42 in the main body 20 when the cover 40 is rotated by the hinge 41 to position the cover 40 between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 and the engaging portion 42 is engaged with the engaging hook 35. In this manner, in this embodiment, the state in which the cover 40 is positioned between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 and the engaging portion 42 is engaged with the engaging hook 35 is considered to be a closed state of the cover 40. Furthermore, the inside of the main body 20 here refers to the side located between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 and away from the opening 30, i.e., the side where the bottom 25 is located when viewed from the opening 30.

[0031] That is, the long portions 45 located on both sides of the corrugated portion 50 are formed so that, when the cover portion 40 is closed, the end of the long portion 45 on the corrugated portion 50 side is located closer to the bottom portion 25 in the height direction Z than the end of the long portion 45 on the hinge portion 41 side or the end of the long portion 45 on the engaging portion 42 side. Therefore, the long portion 45 is formed so that, when the cover portion 40 is closed, the corrugated portion 50 can be located closer to the bottom portion 25 than the positions of the hinge portion 41 and the engaging portion 42 in the height direction Z.

[0032] Specifically, the long portion 45 is configured so that, when the cover portion 40 is closed, all positions of the wavy portion 50 can be positioned inside the main body portion 20 relative to the straight line L connecting the hinge portion 41 and the engaging portion 42, i.e., on the side where the bottom portion 25 is located in the height direction Z. Furthermore, when the cover portion 40 is closed in this manner, the wavy portion 50 located closer to the bottom portion 25 than the hinge portion 41 and the engaging portion 42 extends between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22, and is formed in a wavy shape along a direction intersecting the extension direction of the electric wires W (see FIG. 1 ) housed in the main body portion 20.

[0033] The protector 10 and wire harness WH according to this embodiment include the above-described configuration, and their operation will be described next. The protector 10 according to this embodiment is used to protect electric wires W routed in a vehicle or the like. When protecting the electric wires W with the protector 10, the cover portion 40 is positioned outside the main body portion 20, and the electric wires W to be protected are positioned on the bottom portion 25 between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 of the main body portion 20. In this way, the electric wires W are housed in the main body portion 20 with the extension direction of the electric wires W oriented in the axial direction X.

[0034] After the electric wires W are accommodated in the main body 20, the cover 40 is rotated at the hinge 41 to position the cover 40 between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22, and the engaging portions 42 of the cover 40 are engaged with the engaging hooks 35 of the second side wall 22, thereby closing the cover 40. As a result, the cover 40, with the engaging portions 42 engaged with the engaging hooks 35, is positioned between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22, closer to the opening 30 than the electric wires W accommodated in the main body 20.

[0035] At this time, when the cover part 40 is closed, the wavy part 50 of the cover part 40 is located inside the main body part 20, that is, on the side where the bottom part 25 is located, relative to the hinge part 41 and the engagement part 42, due to the long part 45. Therefore, the wavy part 50 of the cover part 40 comes into contact with the electric wire W housed in the main body part 20.

[0036] Here, the protector 10 is made of an elastic material, and the cover portion 40 is also elastic. Furthermore, the wavy portion 50 has a plurality of short portions 52 and peak portions 51, and is formed in a wavy shape, so that the cover portion 40 has more elasticity. Therefore, when the wavy portion 50 comes into contact with the electric wire W, the cover portion 40 comes into contact with the electric wire W while undergoing elastic deformation.

[0037] More specifically, the wavy portion 50 of the cover portion 40 comes into contact with the electric wire W from the side where the opening 30 is located in the height direction Z relative to the electric wire W, and the cover portion 40 is elastically deformed by contacting the electric wire W. In other words, when the wavy portion 50 comes into contact with the electric wire W from the side where the opening 30 is located in the height direction Z, the electric wire W prevents the wavy portion 50 from approaching the bottom portion 25, and the cover portion 40 is elastically deformed. Therefore, the wavy portion 50 of the cover portion 40 applies a biasing force from the wavy portion 50 to the electric wire W in a direction that directs the wavy portion 50 toward the position of the wavy portion 50 when the cover portion 40 is closed, without the wavy portion 50 coming into contact with the electric wire W.

[0038] That is, the elastically deformed cover part 40 applies a biasing force from the opening part 30 side to the bottom part 25 side in the height direction Z to the electric wires W. As a result, the electric wires W housed in the main body part 20 are pressed against the bottom part 25 by the biasing force from the cover part 40, and are stably protected.

[0039] At this time, a biasing force applied from the cover portion 40 to the wires W acts on the cover portion 40 in a direction opposite to the side where the bottom portion 25 is located in the height direction Z. However, the engaging portion 42 of the cover portion 40 and the engaging hook 35 arranged on the second side wall 22 are engaged with each other by the engaging hook 35 entering the engaging hole 42a of the engaging portion 42 from the side where the opening portion 30 is located in the height direction Z. Therefore, even when the cover portion 40 is in a state where it faces the side where the opening portion 30 is located in the height direction Z, the engaging hook 35 does not come out of the engaging hole 42a formed in the engaging portion 42 of the cover portion 40, and the state where the engaging portion 42 and the engaging hook 35 are engaged with each other is maintained.

[0040] Here, since the electric wires W arranged in vehicles, etc., come in various sizes, the protector 10 also protects the electric wires W of various sizes. In this embodiment, the protector 10 has a cover portion 40 having a wavy portion 50 and a long portion 45, and therefore can stably protect the electric wires W of various sizes.

[0041] 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating how electric wires W of different sizes are protected by the protector 10. When the cover 40 is closed, the position of the wavy portion 50 of the cover 40 is positioned closer to the bottom 25 than the hinge portion 41 and the engaging portion 42 by the long portion 45. Therefore, even when the protector 10 is used to protect a small-diameter electric wire Wmin, which is an electric wire W having a relatively small diameter, the wavy portion 50 comes into contact with the small-diameter electric wire Wmin, as shown in FIG. 7. As a result, the small-diameter electric wire Wmin is pressed toward the bottom 25 by the biasing force of the cover 40 with which the wavy portion 50 comes into contact, and is stably protected without moving around inside the main body 20.

[0042] Furthermore, when the protector 10 is used to protect a large-diameter electric wire Wmax, which is an electric wire W having a relatively large diameter, the wavy portion 50 comes into contact with the large-diameter electric wire Wmax at an early stage when the cover portion 40 is positioned between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 and the engaging portion 42 is engaged with the engaging hook 35. Because the cover portion 40 is capable of elastic deformation, when the engaging portion 42 is engaged with the engaging hook 35 with the wavy portion 50 in contact with the large-diameter electric wire Wmax, the cover portion 40 undergoes large elastic deformation while the engaging portion 42 engages with the engaging hook 35 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 ).

[0043] As a result, when the engaging portion 42 engages with the engaging hook 35, a large urging force is applied to the large-diameter electric wire Wmax from the cover portion 40 with which the corrugated portion 50 comes into contact in a direction pressing the large-diameter electric wire Wmax against the bottom portion 25. For this reason, the large-diameter electric wire Wmax, which has a relatively large mass due to its large diameter, is pressed against the bottom portion 25 with a large force by the large urging force applied from the cover portion 40, and is therefore stably protected without moving around inside the main body portion 20.

[0044] As described above, the electric wire W is pressed against the bottom 25 by the biasing force of the cover part 40, with the corrugated part 50 in contact with the electric wire W, and is protected. Furthermore, adhesive tape or the like is wrapped around the protruding piece 26 extending in the axial direction X from the main body part 20. This further prevents the electric wire W from moving wildly within the main body part 20, and the electric wire W is stably protected.

[0045] In the protector 10 and the wire harness WH according to the above embodiments, the cover portion 40 connected to the main body portion 20 that accommodates the electric wires W has a wavy portion 50 formed in a wavy shape and a long portion 45 that positions the wavy portion 50 more inward of the main body portion 20 than the hinge portion 41 and the engaging portion 42. Therefore, in the protector 10 and the wire harness WH, when the electric wires W are accommodated in the main body portion 20 and the cover portion 40 is positioned between the first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 and the engaging portion 42 is engaged with the engaging hook 35, the wavy portion 50 can be brought into active contact with the electric wires W. As a result, the protector 10 and the wire harness WH can apply a biasing force from the cover portion 40 to the electric wires W regardless of the thickness of the electric wires W. Therefore, the protector 10 and the wire harness WH can press down the electric wires W housed in the main body 20 by the biasing force applied from the cover 40 regardless of the thickness of the electric wires W, and can suppress the electric wires W from moving wildly inside the main body 20. As a result, the protector 10 and the wire harness WH can suppress the electric wires W from moving wildly and prevent noise.

[0046] Furthermore, when the cover 40 is closed, the long portion 45 of the cover 40 positions the entire wavy portion 50 inside the main body 20 relative to the straight line L connecting the hinge portion 41 and the engaging portion 42, allowing the wavy portion 50 to more reliably contact the electric wires W housed in the main body 20. This allows the protector 10 and the wire harness WH to more reliably apply a biasing force from the cover 40 to the electric wires W. Therefore, the protector 10 and the wire harness WH can more reliably press the electric wires W housed in the main body 20 with the biasing force applied from the cover 40, and can suppress movement of the electric wires W inside the main body 20. As a result, the protector 10 and the wire harness WH can more reliably suppress movement of the electric wires W and prevent noise.

[0047] Furthermore, when the cover portion 40 is closed with the electric wires W housed in the main body portion 20, the corrugated portion 50 comes into contact with the electric wires W, causing the cover portion 40 to elastically deform. This allows the cover portion 40 to more reliably apply a biasing force to the electric wires W housed in the main body portion 20. This allows the cover portion 40 to more reliably press down the electric wires W housed in the main body portion 20 with the biasing force, and can suppress movement of the electric wires W inside the main body portion 20. As a result, the protector 10 and the wire harness WH can more reliably suppress movement of the electric wires W and prevent noise.

[0048] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, the cover part 40 is formed integrally with the main body part 20, and the hinge part 41 is formed in a flat plate shape and bends to rotate the cover part 40, but the main body part 20 and the cover part 40 may be separate parts. For example, the hinge part 41 may have an axis member, and the separate main body part 20 and the cover part 40 may be rotatably connected by the axis member of the hinge part 41.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the engaging portion 42 of the cover portion 40 has an engaging hole 42a formed therein, and the engaging member disposed on the second side wall 22 and engaging with the engaging portion 42 is an engaging hook 35 formed to fit into the engaging hole 42a, but the engagement between the engaging portion 42 of the cover portion 40 and the engaging member of the second side wall 22 may be in a form other than this. The configuration of the engaging portion 42 of the cover portion 40 and the engaging member of the second side wall 22 is not important as long as the engaging portion 42 and the engaging member can be easily engaged with each other when the protector 10 is used to protect the electric wires W.

[0050] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example is given in which one electric wire W is housed in the main body 20, but a plurality of electric wires W may be housed in the main body 20. Even when a plurality of electric wires W are housed in the main body 20, the protector 10 and the wire harness WH can suppress the plurality of electric wires W from moving about wildly inside the main body 20 by applying a biasing force from the cover 40 to the electric wires W, thereby preventing noise.

[0051] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, one protector 10 has one cover portion 40, but one protector 10 may have multiple cover portions 40. Furthermore, when the protector 10 has multiple cover portions 40, the multiple cover portions 40 may include a cover portion 40 in which a hinge portion 41 is connected to the second side wall 22 and an engagement portion 42 engages with an engagement hook 35 arranged on the first side wall 21. It is preferable that the cover portions 40 of the protector 10 be appropriately arranged depending on the length of the main body portion 20 in the axial direction X, the diameter of the electric wires W housed in the main body portion 20, the number of electric wires W, etc.

[0052] Furthermore, the protector and wire harness according to the above-described embodiment and modified examples of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment and modified examples, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The protector and wire harness according to the present embodiment and modified examples may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the above-described embodiment and modified examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 Protector 20 Main body 21 First side wall 22 Second side wall 25 Bottom 26 protrusion piece 26a Protrusion 30 Opening 35 Engagement hook 40 Cover 41 Hinge part 41a Narrow part 42 Engagement part 42a Engagement hole 45 Long section 50 wavy part 51 apex 52 Short section W electric wire WH Wire Harness

Claims

1. a main body portion formed to be able to accommodate electric wires between a first side wall and a second side wall spaced apart from each other, the main body portion having an opening that opens in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the electric wires and a bottom portion that is provided across the first side wall and the second side wall on the opposite side of the opening; a cover portion having a hinge portion at one end thereof rotatably connected to the position of the opening in the first side wall and an engaging portion at the other end thereof that engages with an engaging member disposed on the second side wall, the cover portion being disposed between the first side wall and the second side wall on the opening side of the electric wires housed in the main body portion when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member; Equipped with The cover portion is a wavy portion that extends between the first side wall and the second side wall and is formed in a wavy shape along a direction intersecting an extending direction of the electric wires when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member to close the cover portion; and a long portion that is formed to have a length longer than a short portion that is located between adjacent vertices of the wavy portion, is arranged on both sides of the wavy portion in the extension direction of the cover portion, and positions the wavy portion more inward of the main body portion than the hinge portion and the engaging portion when the cover portion is closed, the engaging member is provided on a surface of the second side wall facing the first side wall, protrudes from the second side wall toward the first side wall, and curves toward the bottom, The engaging portion is provided as a hole penetrating the cover portion, and the engaging member is inserted from the opening side to engage with the engaging member. Protector.

2. The protector according to claim 1 , wherein when the cover is closed, all of the wavy portions of the elongated portion are positioned inside the main body portion relative to a straight line connecting the hinge portion and the engaging portion.

3. When the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member to close the cover portion, the wavy portion comes into contact with the electric wire housed in the main body portion and elastically deforms, and the cover portion elastically deforms toward the opening of the main body portion relative to a straight line connecting the hinge portion and the engaging portion in accordance with a diameter of the electric wire. The protector according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a conductive wire; a protector that is fitted around the electric wire, The protector comprises: a main body portion formed to be able to accommodate the electric wires between a first side wall and a second side wall that are spaced apart from each other, the main body portion having an opening that opens in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the electric wires and a bottom portion that is provided across the first side wall and the second side wall on the opposite side of the opening; a cover portion having a hinge portion at one end thereof rotatably connected to the position of the opening in the first side wall and an engaging portion at the other end thereof that engages with an engaging member disposed on the second side wall, the cover portion being disposed between the first side wall and the second side wall on the opening side of the electric wires housed in the main body portion when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member; Equipped with The cover portion is a wavy portion that extends between the first side wall and the second side wall and is formed in a wavy shape along a direction intersecting an extending direction of the electric wires when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaging member to close the cover portion; and a long portion that is formed to have a length longer than a short portion that is located between adjacent vertices of the wavy portion, is arranged on both sides of the wavy portion in the extension direction of the cover portion, and positions the wavy portion more inward of the main body portion than the hinge portion and the engaging portion when the cover portion is closed, the engaging member is provided on a surface of the second side wall facing the first side wall, protrudes from the second side wall toward the first side wall, and curves toward the bottom, The engaging portion is provided as a hole penetrating the cover portion, and the engaging member is inserted from the opening side to engage with the engaging member. Wire harness.

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