Band clamps and wire harnesses

Abstract

To provide a band clamp and a wire harness, which can improve insertion property of a band part into a band insertion port of a locking part.SOLUTION: A band clamp 1 includes a clip part 10, a flange part 20, a locking part 30, and a band part 40. The flange part 20 is provided with a guide face 21 inclined toward the other end side of an attaching direction Z as it is separated from an open end 31a of a band insertion port 31 toward one end 20b side in a width direction Y of the flange part 20. The open end 31a is provided with a pair of taper faces 33 inclined to extend toward both sides of an axial direction X as they approach one end 20b side in the width direction Y of the flange part 20. The locking part 30 protrudes so that one end 31a1 side in the attaching direction Z of the open end 31a is positioned closer to the one end 20b side in the width direction Y of the flange part 20 than the other end 31a2 side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a band clamp and a wire harness.

Background Art

[0002] As a technology related to a band clamp for a conventional wire harness, for example, in Patent Document 1, there is a clip portion that fits into a mounting hole provided in an object to be mounted along a mounting direction, and a flange portion provided on one end side in the mounting direction of the clip portion and formed to have a larger diameter than the clip portion. And a lock portion provided on one end side in the mounting direction of the flange portion and having a band insertion port formed therethrough along a width direction intersecting the mounting direction, and a band portion protruding from the lock portion in a带状 shape and locked to the band insertion port in a state of being wound around a wiring material. A band clamp provided with is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] ]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the band clamp described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, for example, there is room for further improvement in terms of improving the insertion property of the band portion into the band insertion port of the lock portion.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a band clamp and a wire harness capable of improving the insertion property of the band portion into the band insertion port of the lock portion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the band clamp according to the present invention comprises: a clip portion that fits into a mounting hole provided on an object to be mounted along the mounting direction; a flange portion provided on one end side of the clip portion in the mounting direction and formed to have a larger diameter than the clip portion; a lock portion provided on one end side of the flange portion in the mounting direction and formed to have a band insertion opening that penetrates along a width direction intersecting the mounting direction; and a band portion that protrudes in a band shape from the lock portion and is wound around a cable material extending along an axial direction intersecting the mounting direction and the width direction and is locked into the band insertion opening. The flange portion is provided with a guide surface that is inclined toward the other end side in the mounting direction as it moves away from the open end of the band insertion opening toward one end side in the width direction of the flange portion; the open end is provided with a pair of tapered surfaces that are inclined to widen toward both sides in the axial direction as they move toward one end side in the width direction of the flange portion; and the lock portion protrudes such that one end side of the open end in the mounting direction is located toward one end side of the flange portion in the width direction than the other end side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the band clamp and wire harness according to the present invention, the flange portion is provided with a guide surface that is inclined toward the other end in the mounting direction as it moves away from one end in the width direction of the flange portion from the open end of the band insertion opening, and the open end is provided with a pair of tapered surfaces that are inclined to widen toward both sides in the axial direction as they move toward one end in the width direction of the flange portion, and the lock portion protrudes such that one end in the mounting direction of the open end is located toward one end in the width direction of the flange portion than the other end. With this configuration, the band clamp and wire harness can guide the tip of the band portion toward the open end of the band insertion opening, for example, by the guide surface and the pair of tapered surfaces. As a result, the band clamp and wire harness have the effect of improving the insertability of the band portion into the band insertion opening of the lock portion. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of a band clamp applied to a wire harness according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an illustrative plan view of the locking portion of the band clamp according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the clamp portion of the band clamp according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, the components in the embodiments described below include those that are easily substituted or substantially identical to those that are easily substituted by those skilled in the art. In this specification, ordinal numbers are used solely to distinguish parts, components, locations, directions, etc., and do not indicate order or priority.

[0010] [Embodiment] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a band clamp 1 applied to a wire harness WH according to an embodiment. The band clamp 1 of this embodiment shown in Figure 1 is incorporated into a wire harness WH routed in a vehicle such as an automobile. Here, the wire harness WH is, for example, a bundle of wiring materials W used for power supply and signal communication to connect various devices mounted on a vehicle, and the wiring materials W are connected to each device with connectors or the like. The wire harness WH of this embodiment comprises conductive wiring materials W and a band clamp 1 that supports the wiring materials W. In addition, the wire harness WH may also be composed of various other components such as grommets, electrical connection boxes, and fasteners.

[0011] In the following explanation, of the three intersecting directions, the first direction will be referred to as the "axial direction X," the second direction as the "width direction Y," and the third direction as the "mounting direction Z." Here, the axial direction X, the width direction Y, and the mounting direction Z are approximately orthogonal to each other. The axial direction X typically follows the direction in which the cable material W extends or the direction in which the cable material W is inserted into the band clamp 1. The width direction Y typically follows the width direction of the band clamp 1. The mounting direction Z typically follows the mounting direction of the band clamp 1 to the mounting panel 100, the height direction (up and down direction) of the band clamp 1, or the thickness direction of the mounting panel 100. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, each direction used in the following explanation refers to the direction when the band clamp 1 is assembled to the vehicle.

[0012] The wiring material W is composed of, for example, a metal rod, an electric wire, or a bundle of electric wires. A metal rod is a conductive rod-shaped member with an insulating coating covering the outside. An electric wire is a conductor (core wire) consisting of multiple conductive metal strands with an insulating coating covering the outside. A bundle of electric wires is a bundle of these electric wires. In the example in Figure 1, the wire harness WH has one wiring material W, but it is not limited to this, and may have a configuration with multiple wiring materials W. The wiring material W extends along the axial direction X.

[0013] The band clamp 1 is fixed to a mounting hole 101 formed in the mounting panel 100 to which it is to be attached. The mounting panel 100 is, for example, a metal plate that makes up the body or floor panel of a vehicle, and the mounting hole 101 is a through hole that penetrates the mounting panel 100 along the mounting direction Z in the thickness direction of the plate. The band clamp 1 is then fixed to the mounting hole 101 while wrapped around the outer surface of the cable guide W, and is used as a member that restricts the cable guide path of the cable guide W.

[0014] The band clamp 1 comprises, for example, a clip portion 10, a flange portion 20, a locking portion 30, and a band portion 40. In this embodiment, the clip portion 10, the flange portion 20, the locking portion 30, and the band portion 40 are integrally molded from the same resin material (for example, a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene or nylon). The band clamp 1 is arranged and connected to each other in the order of band portion 40, locking portion 30, flange portion 20, and clip portion 10, from one end (base end, lower end) to the other end (tip end, upper end) along the mounting direction Z.

[0015] Figure 2 is a plan view of the locking portion 30 of the band clamp 1, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the clip portion 10 of the band clamp 1. As shown in Figure 3, the clip portion 10 is the part that is fixed to the mounting panel 100. The clip portion 10 is composed of, for example, a shaft portion 11, a pair of arm portions 12, and a pair of locking claw portions 13. The shaft portion 11 is formed to extend in a columnar shape along the mounting direction Z. The shaft portion 11 is mounted so as to pass through the mounting hole 101 of the mounting panel 100 along the mounting direction Z.

[0016] The pair of arm portions 12 are formed in positions facing each other in the axial direction X, with the shaft portion 11 in between. The pair of arm portions 12 protrude along the axial direction X from the other end (tip) of the shaft portion 11 in the mounting direction Z, and are formed in an inclined arm shape that widens toward both sides in the axial direction X as it approaches the one end 10a of the shaft portion 11 in the mounting direction Z. The other end of each of the pair of arm portions 12 in the mounting direction Z is connected to the shaft portion 11, while a locking claw portion 13 is formed on the one end in the mounting direction Z.

[0017] The pair of locking claws 13 are portions that engage with the periphery of the mounting hole 101 formed in the mounting panel 100. The pair of locking claws 13 are formed in a claw shape on one end of the pair of arm portions 12 in the mounting direction Z. In this embodiment, the clip portion 10 is formed so that the pair of arm portions 12 are flexible and can be inserted into the mounting hole 101 while bending. The clip portion 10 is fixed to the mounting panel 100 when the pair of arm portions 12 are inserted into the mounting hole 101 while bending, and the pair of locking claws 13 engage with the periphery of the mounting hole 101.

[0018] The flange portion 20 is provided on one end 10a side of the clip portion 10 in the mounting direction Z, and is formed to have a larger diameter than the clip portion 10. The flange portion 20 protrudes in a flange-like (disc-like) manner from one end 10a of the clip portion 10 radially outward from the shaft portion 11. The flange portion 20 supports the side of the mounting panel 100 on one end in the mounting direction Z, that is, the side opposite to the pair of locking claw portions 13 described above. The mounting panel 100 is sandwiched between the flange portion 20 and the pair of locking claw portions 13, thereby restricting the movement of the band clamp 1 along the mounting direction Z relative to the mounting panel 100.

[0019] Furthermore, the flange portion 20 is provided with a guide surface 21 (see Figure 1) that guides the band portion 40, which will be described later, towards the open end 31a of the band insertion opening 31. The guide surface 21 is formed on the back surface (bottom surface) of the flange portion 20, on the side of one end 20a in the mounting direction Z, that is, the side facing the band insertion opening 31. The guide surface 21 is inclined so that as it moves away from the open end 31a of the band insertion opening 31 towards the one end 20b in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20, it moves toward the other end in the mounting direction Z. The other end of the guide surface 21 in the width direction Y is connected to the open end 31a, and the tip of the band portion 40 can be guided into the band insertion opening 31 by sliding it along the guide surface 21.

[0020] The locking portion 30 is provided on one end portion 20a side in the mounting direction Z of the flange portion 20, and is a portion where a band insertion port 31 into which the band portion 40 is inserted along the width direction Y is formed. The locking portion 30 includes, for example, a locking portion main body 34, a band insertion port 31, locking teeth 32 (see FIG. 2), and a pair of tapered surfaces 33. The locking portion main body 34 is a portion that protrudes in a wall shape along the mounting direction Z from one end portion 20a in the mounting direction Z of the flange portion 20. A band insertion port 31 that penetrates the locking portion main body 34 along the width direction Y is formed in the locking portion main body 34. As shown in FIG. 2, the band insertion port 31 is partially provided, for example, in the central portion in the axial direction X of the locking portion main body 34.

[0021] The locking teeth 32 are portions that are locked with a locking groove (not shown) formed in the band portion 40. The locking teeth 32 are provided on the inner surface of the band insertion port 31 and protrude along the mounting direction Z. In the present embodiment, a plurality of locking teeth 32 are provided in the band insertion port 31 at intervals in the width direction Y. The locking portion 30 can lock the tip portion of the band portion 40 inserted into the band insertion port 31 in the width direction Y by the locking structure between the plurality of locking teeth 32 and the locking groove of the band portion 40.

[0022] The pair of tapered surfaces 33 are provided at the open end portion 31a of the band insertion port 31. The pair of tapered surfaces 33 are provided at both end portions in the axial direction X of the open end portion 31a, and are inclined so as to spread toward both sides in the axial direction X as they go toward one end portion 20b (see FIG. 1) side in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20 described above. The other end portion side in the width direction Y of the pair of tapered surfaces 33 is connected (linked) to the inner surface of the band insertion port 31, and the tip portion of the band portion 40 can be guided into the band insertion port 31 by sliding it along the pair of tapered surfaces 33.

[0023] In this embodiment, the locking portion 30 protrudes such that one end 31a1 of the open end 31a in the mounting direction Z is located closer to one end 20b (see Figure 1) in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20 than the other end 31a2. One end 31a1 is the end of the open end 31a opposite to the guide surface 21, and the other end 31a2 is the end of the open end 31a on the guide surface 21 side. If the one end 31a1 side were recessed so that it was located closer to the other end in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20 than the other end 31a2 side, that is, if the one end 31a1 side was located on the extension of the guide surface 21, there is a risk that the tip of the band portion 40, which is guided along the guide surface 21, will not be inserted into the band insertion opening 31 and will come off. In this embodiment, however, since one end 31a1 protrudes so as to be located closer to the one end 20b in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20 than the other end 31a2, it is possible to prevent the tip of the band portion 40 from coming out of the band insertion opening 31.

[0024] The band portion 40 (see Figure 1) extends in a strip shape from the lock portion 30 and is a part that can fasten the cable material W by being wrapped around the cable material W and then locked to the lock portion 30. The other end of the band portion 40 in the mounting direction Z is connected to the lock portion 30 and extends in the opposite direction from the lock portion 30 along the mounting direction Z. The band portion 40 is formed to have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the thickness direction, and is formed to have substantially the same thickness along the mounting direction Z, which is the direction of extension. However, a part of the tip side of the band portion 40 (not shown) is formed to have a smaller cross-sectional shape and is formed to taper towards the tip side.

[0025] Furthermore, the band portion 40 is flexible. The band portion 40 is wound along the outer surface (circumferential direction) of the cable material W, and is inserted into the band insertion opening 31 of the lock portion 30, and the excess portion can be pulled out from the band insertion opening 31 along the width direction Y. The surface of the band portion 40 is continuously provided with locking grooves (not shown) that engage with locking teeth 32 (see Figure 2) formed in the band insertion opening 31. In this embodiment, for example, when inserting the band portion 40 into the band insertion opening 31 along the width direction Y, the engagement between the locking teeth 32 and the locking grooves is released, allowing insertion. Conversely, when removing the band portion 40 from the band insertion opening 31 along the width direction Y, the engagement between the locking teeth 32 and the locking grooves is not released, preventing the band portion 40 from being removed (loosened).

[0026] As described above, the band clamp 1 and wire harness WH of this embodiment include a clip portion 10 that fits into a mounting hole 101 provided in a mounting panel 100 (the object to be mounted) along the mounting direction Z, a flange portion 20 provided on one end 10a side of the clip portion 10 in the mounting direction Z and formed to be larger in diameter than the clip portion 10, a lock portion 30 provided on one end 20a side of the flange portion 20 in the mounting direction Z and having a band insertion opening 31 formed therein that penetrates along the width direction Y, and a band that protrudes in a strip shape from the lock portion 30 and is wound around a wiring material W that extends along the axial direction X and is locked into the band insertion opening 31. The device comprises a band portion 40 and a flange portion 20, the flange portion 20 being provided with a guide surface 21 that is inclined toward the other end in the mounting direction Z as it moves away from the open end 31a of the band insertion opening 31 toward the one end 20b in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20, the open end 31a being provided with a pair of tapered surfaces 33 that are inclined to widen toward both sides in the axial direction X as they move toward the one end 20b in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20, and the lock portion 30 protrudes such that the one end 31a1 side in the mounting direction Z of the open end 31a is located toward the one end 20b in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20 than the other end 31a2 side.

[0027] With this configuration, the band clamp 1 and wire harness WH can guide the tip of the band portion 40 towards the open end 31a of the band insertion opening 31, for example, by the guide surface 21 or the pair of tapered surfaces 33. Furthermore, since one end 31a1 of the open end 31a protrudes so as to be located closer to the end 20b in the width direction Y of the flange portion 20 than the other end 31a2, it is possible to prevent the tip of the band portion 40 from coming out of the band insertion opening 31. As a result, the band clamp 1 and wire harness WH can improve the ease with which the band portion 40 can be inserted into the band insertion opening 31 of the locking portion 30.

[0028] In this embodiment, an example was shown in which the clip portion 10 is provided with a pair of arm portions 12 and a locking claw portion 13. However, the number of arm portions 12 and locking claw portions 13 is not limited to this example, and for example, the clip portion 10 may be provided with three or more arm portions 12 and locking claw portions 13. In this case, the multiple arm portions 12 and locking claw portions 13 are arranged at equal intervals from each other along the circumferential direction of the shaft portion 11.

[0029] Although embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated above, these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, combinations, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, each configuration, shape, and other specifications (structure, type, direction, form, size, length, width, thickness, height, number, arrangement, position, material, etc.) can be modified as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 1 Band Clamp 10 Clip section 10a One end 20 Flange section 20a One end 20b One end 30 Locking part 31 Band insertion slot 31a Open end 31a1 One end 31a2 Other end 33 Tapered surface 40 Bands 100 Mounting Panel (for mounting) 101 Mounting holes W Routing material WH Wire Harness X-axis direction Y width direction Z mounting direction

Claims

1. A clip portion that fits into a mounting hole provided on the object to be mounted along the mounting direction, A flange portion is provided on one end of the clip portion in the mounting direction and is formed to have a larger diameter than the clip portion, A locking portion is provided on one end of the flange portion in the mounting direction, and has a band insertion opening formed therein that penetrates along the width direction intersecting the mounting direction, The band portion comprises a band that protrudes in a strip shape from the locking portion and is wound around a cable material extending along an axial direction intersecting the mounting direction and the width direction, and is locked into the band insertion opening. The flange portion is provided with a guide surface that is inclined so as it moves away from the open end of the band insertion opening towards one end in the width direction of the flange portion, it moves toward the other end in the mounting direction. The open end is provided with a pair of tapered surfaces that are inclined to widen towards both sides in the axial direction as they approach one end of the flange portion in the width direction, The locking portion protrudes such that one end of the open end in the mounting direction is positioned closer to the one end of the flange portion in the width direction than the other end. Band clamp.

2. Cable rigging materials, The system comprises a band clamp for supporting the aforementioned cable material, The aforementioned band clamp is A clip portion that fits into a mounting hole provided on the object to be mounted along the mounting direction, A flange portion is provided on one end of the clip portion in the mounting direction and is formed to have a larger diameter than the clip portion, A locking portion is provided on one end of the flange portion in the mounting direction, and has a band insertion opening formed therein that penetrates along the width direction intersecting the mounting direction, The band portion comprises a band that protrudes in a strip shape from the locking portion and is wound around the cable material extending along an axial direction intersecting the mounting direction and the width direction, and is locked into the band insertion opening, The flange portion is provided with a guide surface that is inclined so as it moves away from the open end of the band insertion opening towards one end in the width direction of the flange portion, it moves toward the other end in the mounting direction. The open end is provided with a pair of tapered surfaces that are inclined to widen towards both sides in the axial direction as they approach one end of the flange portion in the width direction, The locking portion protrudes such that one end of the open end in the mounting direction is positioned closer to the one end of the flange portion in the width direction than the other end. Wire harness.

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