Wire harness mounting structure

Abstract

To provide a wire harness which is advantageous in reduction of the number of components or reduction in diameter of the wire harness and to provide an attaching structure of the wire harness.SOLUTION: A wire harness 10 includes: a main line 11; an exterior protection member 20 which covers the main line 11; a branch line 12 in which a branch part 12a is set at a part of the main line 11 exposed from an opening end 20a of the exterior protection member 20, and which is bent from the branch part 12a in a direction in which the exterior protection member 20 is arranged; and a binding member 30 which bundles the branch line 12 and the exterior protection member 20 so that a bent state of the branch line 12 from the branch part 12a is maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness and an attachment structure of the wire harness.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is a wire harness routed inside a vehicle for power supply and communication signal transmission. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to an exterior structure of a wire harness having a main line and a plurality of branch lines branching from the main line, with both the main line and the branch lines covered with protective tubes.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

【Patent Document​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​A wire harness according to an aspect of the present invention comprises a main wire, an outer protective member covering the main wire, a branch wire with a branch portion set in a part of the main wire exposed from the open end of the outer protective member, and a binding member that bundles the branch wire and the outer protective member so as to maintain the bent state of the branch wire from the branch portion.

[0007] Furthermore, an aspect of the present invention provides a mounting structure for a wire harness, wherein the wire harness is the wire harness described above, the mounting member has a hole through which a binding member passes, and the binding member, while passing through the hole, bundles a part of the mounting member with the branch wires and the outer protective member to attach the wire harness to the mounting member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wire harness and a wire harness mounting structure that are advantageous for reducing the number of parts or for reducing the diameter of the wire harness. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a wire harness according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a side view of a wire harness according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of a wire harness configuration as a comparative example. [Figure 4] This is a side view of a wire harness as a comparative example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The wire harness and wire harness mounting structure according to the embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wire harness 10 according to one embodiment. In Figure 1, the wire harness 10 is schematically depicted to clarify the arrangement and connection relationship of the wires it contains. The wire harness 10 is a component that is routed inside a vehicle such as an automobile and electrically connects multiple in-vehicle devices to transmit communication signals.

[0012] The wire harness 10 comprises a main wire 11, at least one branch wire, at least one outer protective member, and a binding member 30.

[0013] The main line 11 is the main group of wires in the wire harness 10. The wires bundled as the main line 11 are not particularly limited, but in this embodiment they are exemplified as the first wire 11a, the second wire 11b, and the third wire 11c. These wires may be, for example, signal wires, signal ground wires, or power ground wires. Signal wires are made up of single wires or twisted wires, etc., and transmit communication signals between in-vehicle devices. Signal ground wires are connected between in-vehicle devices in conjunction with signal wires, and align the potential that serves as the reference for circuit operation between the in-vehicle devices. Power ground wires ground the power supply system of the in-vehicle devices.

[0014] Branch lines are wires that branch off from a part of the main line 11. In this embodiment, as an example, there are two branch lines: a first branch line 12 and a second branch line 13. These branch lines may be signal lines or power grounding wires, etc.

[0015] The exterior protective members cover and protect the main wire 11. In this embodiment, as an example, there are two exterior protective members: a first exterior protective member 20 and a second exterior protective member 21. These exterior protective members are made of vinyl tubing or adhesive tape, etc. In the wire harness 10, at least one of the branch wires, for example, the first branch wire 12 in this embodiment, is not covered by any type of exterior protective member and is exposed to the outside.

[0016] Here, the outer protective member does not cover the entire main wire 11, but leaves a portion of the main wire 11 exposed to the outside. In this embodiment, the first outer protective member 20 and the second outer protective member 21 are spaced apart from each other. Specifically, the first open end 20a, which is one end of the first outer protective member 20, and the second open end 21a, which is one end of the second outer protective member 21, face each other while being spaced apart from each other. In other words, a portion of the main wire 11 is exposed to the outside between the first open end 20a and the second open end 21a. The other end of the first outer protective member 20 may be near the first connector 40, which will be described later. Similarly, the other end of the second outer protective member 21 may be near the second connector 41, which will be described later.

[0017] If the first exterior protective member 20 and the second exterior protective member 21 cover the main line 11 as described above, at least the first branch line 12 has a first branch section 12a on a part of the main line 11 exposed from the first open end 20a toward the second open end 21a. The first branch line 12 is also bent from the first branch section 12a toward the direction in which the first exterior protective member 20 is located. On the other hand, the second branch line 13 may have a second branch section 13a on a part of the main line 11 exposed from the second open end 21a toward the first open end 20a.

[0018] The binding member 30 bundles the first branch wire 12 and the first outer protective member 20 so as to maintain the bent state of at least the first branch portion 12a of the first branch wire 12. The binding member 30 may be a cable tie or binding tape, etc.

[0019] Furthermore, the wire harness 10 includes multiple connectors that are directly or indirectly connected to each of the multiple in-vehicle devices (not shown). In the example shown in Figure 1, the wire harness 10 is provided with a total of four connectors: the first connector 40, the second connector 41, the third connector 42, and the fourth connector 43, but it may also be provided with other connectors.

[0020] The first connector 40 is connected to one end of the main line 11, and the second connector 41 is connected to the other end of the main line 11. The third connector 42 is connected to the end of the first branch line 12 branched from the first branch portion 12a. The fourth connector 43 is connected to the end of the second branch line 13 branched from the second branch portion 13a. Depending on the type and number of wires to be connected, these connectors may be multi-core connectors, or instead of any of the connectors, crimp terminals or the like may be used.

[0021] Such a wire harness 10 can be installed in the installation portion 1 in the vehicle via the attached member. Hereinafter, the operation of the wire harness 10 in the installation portion 1 and the mounting structure of the wire harness 10 will be described.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a side view of the wire harness 10 as an embodiment. As a part of the mounting structure of the wire harness 10, a bracket 50 is provided in the installation portion 1 in the vehicle.

[0023] The bracket 50 is an attached member that intervenes when the wire harness 10 is installed in the installation portion 1. The bracket 50 is formed, for example, by subjecting a metal plate body to various processes such as cutting, drilling, or bending. Note that the bracket 50 is not limited to a metal material and may be formed of various resin materials, carbon materials, or the like.

[0024] Also, the bracket 50 has, for example, a mounting plate portion 50a, a connector mounting plate portion 50b, a support plate portion 50c, and an attached plate portion 50d.

[0025] The mounting plate portion 50a attaches the wire harness 10 by bringing a part of the side surface of the wire harness 10 into contact with the mounting surface 50e. The mounting plate portion 50a has a shape that allows the exposed portion of the main line 11, where the first branch portion 12a is provided, and the tip portion of the first exterior protective member 20, including the first open end 20a, to be located on the mounting surface 50e. In addition, the mounting plate portion 50a has a shape that allows the tip portion of the second exterior protective member 21, including the second open end 21a, to be located on the mounting surface 50e, as well as the exposed portion of the main line 11, where the second branch portion 13a is also provided. Therefore, the specific shape of the mounting plate portion 50a may be, for example, a long rectangle aligned with the extension direction of the wire harness 10 in the mounted state.

[0026] In the example shown in Figure 2, a cable tie is used as the binding member 30 that bundles the first branch wire 12 and the first exterior protective member 20. In this case, the mounting plate portion 50a has a first hole 51a and a second hole 51b through which the cable ties serving as the binding member 30 pass. The first hole 51a and the second hole 51b are formed to face each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50a along the extending direction of the wire harness 10 in the mounted state.

[0027] On the other hand, in the example shown in Figure 2, a cable tie is used as a fixing member 60 that is provided to contact the outer surface of the second exterior protective member 21. In this case, the mounting plate portion 50a may have a third hole 52a and a fourth hole 52b through which the cable ties serving as fixing members 60 pass. The third hole 52a and the fourth hole 52b are formed to face each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50a. The third hole 52a may also be formed to face the first hole 51a in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50a, and the fourth hole 52b may also be formed to face the second hole 51b in the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50a.

[0028] The connector mounting plate portion 50b is used to mount the third connector 42, which is a multi-core connector connected to the end of the first branch wire 12 that branches off from the first branch portion 12a. The connector mounting plate portion 50b has a shape that allows it to hold the third connector 42 at a portion opposite to the side where the first open end 20a of the first outer protective member 20 is located, with reference to the position of the binding member 30. For this reason, the connector mounting plate portion 50b may, for example, have a plane continuous with the mounting plate portion 50a and be connected to an end of the mounting plate portion 50a in the longitudinal direction that is closer to the set of first holes 51a and second holes 51b than to the set of third holes 52a and fourth holes 52b. The connector mounting plate portion 50b may also have a shape that bends from the connection point with the mounting plate portion 50a in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50a. With this shape, the connector mounting plate portion 50b can be used to mount the third connector 42 in a position that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate portion 50a and away from the first exterior protective member 20.

[0029] The support plate portion 50c is connected to the longitudinal end of the mounting plate portion 50a on the side opposite to the side to which the connector mounting plate portion 50b is connected. The support plate portion 50c has a shape that bends toward the surface side opposite to the mounting surface 50e of the mounting plate portion 50a so as not to interfere with the second exterior protective member 21 when the wire harness 10 is attached to the mounting plate portion 50a. The support plate portion 50c supports the mounting plate portion 50a in a certain position and is also supported by the plate portion to be mounted 50d in a certain position. The plate portion to be mounted 50d is continuous with a part of the support plate portion 50c and is attached to the installation part 1 in the vehicle via fastening members such as bolts. The specific shapes of the support plate portion 50c and the plate portion to be mounted 50d are not particularly limited, as they depend on the specific structure of the installation part 1 in each vehicle.

[0030] In Figure 1, the approximate positions of the bracket 50 and the fixing member 60, assuming they are provided, are shown by dashed lines.

[0031] When attaching the wire harness 10 to the bracket 50, the worker first moves a portion of the wire harness 10 towards the mounting plate portion 50a so that the exposed portion of the main line 11, where the first branch portion 12a is located, is positioned on the mounting surface 50e. Next, the worker attaches the third connector 42 to the connector mounting plate portion 50b.

[0032] Next, the worker, with the binding band (which serves as the binding member 30) passing through the first hole 51a and the second hole 51b, bundles the first branch wire 12 and the first exterior protection member 20 near the first open end 20a of the first exterior protection member 20. In this way, the binding member 30 presses at least the first exterior protection member 20 against the mounting surface 50e, and integrally bundles the mounting plate portion 50a, which is part of the bracket 50, the first branch wire 12, and the first exterior protection member 20. At this time, the binding member 30 may bundle the first branch wire 12 so that a portion of it is in contact with the outer surface of the first exterior protection member 20.

[0033] Furthermore, the worker secures the second exterior protection member 21 near the second open end 21a of the second exterior protection member 21 with the cable tie, which serves as the fixing member 60, passed through the third hole 52a and the fourth hole 52b. In this way, the fixing member 60 presses the second exterior protection member 21 against the mounting surface 50e, and integrally fixes the mounting plate portion 50a and the first exterior protection member 20. With this, the installation of the wire harness 10 to the bracket 50 is completed.

[0034] When the wire harness 10 is installed, the exposed portion of the main line 11, which has both the first branch section 12a and the second branch section 13a, is located in the area between the binding member 30 and the fixing member 60. The second branch line 13 that branches off from the second branch section 13a may be routed directly within the installation section 1, as shown in Figure 2. Alternatively, the second branch line 13 may be bundled with the second exterior protective member 21, treating the fixing member 60 as a binding member equivalent to the binding member 30, similar to the first branch line 12.

[0035] Next, the effects of the wire harness 10 and the mounting structure of the wire harness 10 will be explained.

[0036] The wire harness 10 according to this embodiment comprises a main wire 11 and a first outer protective member 20 that covers the main wire 11. The wire harness 10 also includes a first branch portion 12a set on a part of the main wire 11 exposed from the first open end 20a of the first outer protective member 20, and a first branch wire 12 that is bent from the first branch portion 12a in the direction in which the first outer protective member 20 is located. Furthermore, the wire harness 10 includes a binding member 30 that bundles the first branch wire 12 and the first outer protective member 20 so as to maintain the bent state of the first branch wire 12 from the first branch portion 12a.

[0037] First, in order to facilitate understanding of the effects of the wire harness 10 and the mounting structure of the wire harness 10, a comparative example that does not adopt the features of this embodiment will be described.

[0038] Figure 3 is a diagram of the configuration of a wire harness 110 as a comparative example, drawn to correspond with Figure 1 of this embodiment. Figure 4 is a side view of the wire harness 110 as a comparative example, drawn to correspond with Figure 2 of this embodiment. Note that parts with the same configuration as the installation part 1 and wire harness 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0039] In the wire harness 110, a first branch wire 112 is connected to the third connector 42, replacing the first branch wire 12 in this embodiment. The first branch wire 112 branches off from a first branch section 112a located in the main line 11, which is covered by a first exterior protective member 120, replacing the first exterior protective member 20 in this embodiment. The first branch wire 112 is then covered by a third exterior protective member 120b, which is different from the first exterior protective member 120 that covers the main line 11. One end of the third exterior protective member 120b is an open end 120c (see Figure 3), exposing the end of the first branch wire 112 connected to the third connector 42. The other end of the third exterior protective member 120b is connected to the first exterior protective member 120.

[0040] Here, we consider the case where such a wire harness 110 is attached to the bracket 50 illustrated in this embodiment. First, due to the structure of the bracket 50, the formation positions of the first hole 51a, second hole 51b, third hole 52a, and fourth hole 52b, and the mounting position of the third connector 42 are fixed. Therefore, the mounting structure near the exposed portion of the main line 11 where the second branch portion 13a is provided is the same as in this embodiment. However, in the comparative example, the component that penetrates the first hole 51a and the second hole 51b and fixes only the first outer covering protective member 120 is a second fixing member 61 that replaces the binding member 30.

[0041] On the other hand, in the comparative example, the position of the third connector 42 is predetermined, and the first branch line 112 is covered by the third outer protective member 120b. In this case, the first branch section 112a cannot be positioned on the mounting surface 50e of the bracket 50. Therefore, the first branch line 112 extends from the first branch section 112a, which is located outside the bracket 50, toward the bracket 50 as a dual path with the main line 11.

[0042] If the first branch wire 112 is routed from outside the bracket 50 toward the bracket 50 and is not covered by the third outer protective member 120b, it will not be properly protected. In other words, in the wire harness 110 as an example, in addition to the first outer protective member 120 and the second outer protective member 21 that cover the main wire 11, a third outer protective member 120b that covers the first branch wire 112 is required, resulting in an increase in the number of parts.

[0043] Furthermore, if the first branch wire 112, covered by the third exterior protective member 120b, is routed as a dual path with the main wire 11, covered by the first exterior protective member 120, a fastening member 62 may also be required outside the bracket 50 to fasten the first exterior protective member 120 and the third exterior protective member 120b together. Therefore, the overall mounting structure of the wire harness 110 may also increase in the number of parts due to the addition of the other fastening member 62.

[0044] Furthermore, in the portion of the wire harness 110 where the first branch wire 112, covered by the third outer protective member 120b, is routed as a double path with the main wire 11, covered by the first outer protective member 120, the convergence diameter becomes larger. Therefore, there is a concern that, for example, the wire harness 110 may be more prone to interference with surrounding components.

[0045] In contrast, according to the wire harness 10 of this embodiment, the first branch wire 12 is bent in the direction in which the first exterior protective member 20 is located, from the first branch portion 12a which is set on a part of the main wire 11 exposed from the first open end 20a. Furthermore, the bundling member 30 bundles the first branch wire 12 and the first exterior protective member 20 so as to maintain the bent state from the first branch portion 12a. Therefore, for example, when the wire harness 10 is attached to a mounting member such as a bracket 50, the number of parts in the wire harness 10 can be reduced, as at least the first branch wire 12 can be made to be a structure that does not require an exterior protective member.

[0046] Furthermore, with the wire harness 10, as described above, the first branch wire 12 does not require an outer protective member, which allows for a smaller convergence diameter of the wire harness 10.

[0047] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a wire harness 10 that is advantageous in reducing the number of parts or reducing the diameter of the wire harness 10.

[0048] Furthermore, in the wire harness 10, a portion of the first branch wire 12 may be in contact with the outer surface of the first protective covering member 20.

[0049] With this wire harness 10, the binding member 30 can bind the first branch wires 12 such that the first branch wires 12, which are bent from the first branch portion 12a in the direction in which the first outer protective member 20 is located, directly contact the outer surface of the first outer protective member 20. As a result, the wire harness 10 can be made as small as possible.

[0050] On the other hand, in a mounting structure in which the wire harness 10 is attached to a mounting member, such as a bracket 50, the wire harness is the wire harness 10 described above, and the mounting member may have a first hole 51a and a second hole 51b through which the binding member 30 passes. The binding member 30 may be attached to the mounting member by bundling a part of the mounting member with the first branch wire 12 and the first outer protective member 20 while passing through the first hole 51a and the second hole 51b.

[0051] This mounting structure not only reduces the number of parts in the wire harness 10, but also reduces the number of other fastening members 62 required outside the member to be mounted, as illustrated in the comparative example. Therefore, the overall number of parts in the mounting structure of the wire harness 10 can also be reduced.

[0052] Furthermore, in the mounting structure of the wire harness 10, the wire harness 10 may include a third connector 42 connected to the first branch wire 12. Also, the member to be mounted may hold the third connector 42 at a portion opposite to the side where the first open end 20a of the first outer protective member 20 is located, with reference to the position of the binding member 30.

[0053] With this mounting structure, as shown in the example where the member to be mounted is the bracket 50, when the wire harness 10 is attached to the bracket 50, it is easy to position the exposed portion of the main line 11, where the first branch section 12a is provided, on the mounting surface 50e of the bracket 50. As a result, the first branch line 12 is routed along the mounting surface 50e as a whole, which has the advantage of being substantially protected by the bracket 50 even if it is not covered by an exterior protective member.

[0054] In the explanations using the figures above, an example was given in which a binding member 30, such as a cable tie, is passed through a pair of holes, a first hole 51a and a second hole 51b, formed in the mounting plate portion 50a of the bracket 50. However, the bracket 50 is not limited to this shape, and for example, there may be only one hole through which the binding member 30 passes. In this case, the binding member 30 passes through one hole and wraps around from the outer edge of the mounting plate portion 50a, thereby bundling a part of the bracket 50 with the first branch wire 12 and the first exterior protective member 20.

[0055] Although one embodiment has been described above, the embodiments are not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the embodiment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 10 Wire Harnesses 11 Main line 12. Branch Line 1 12a First branch 20 First exterior protective member 20a 1st open end 30 Binding members 42 Third connector 50 brackets 51a 1st hole 51b 2nd hole

Claims

1. A mounting structure for attaching a wire harness to a mounting member, The aforementioned wire harness is Main lines and An outer protective member covering the main line, A branch section is set on a portion of the main line exposed from the open end of the exterior protective member, and a branch line is bent from the branch section in the direction in which the exterior protective member is located, The system includes a bundling member that bundles the branch wire and the exterior protective member together so as to maintain the bent state of the branch wire from the branching point, The member to be attached has a hole through which the fastening member passes, The aforementioned bundling member, while passing through the hole, bundles a part of the member to be mounted, the branch wire, and the outer protective member together, thereby attaching the wire harness to the member to be mounted, thus forming a wire harness mounting structure.

2. The wire harness mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the branch wire is in contact with the outer surface of the exterior protective member.

3. The wire harness includes a connector connected to the branch wire, The mounting structure for a wire harness according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the member to be mounted holds the connector at a portion opposite to the side where the open end of the outer protective member is located, with reference to the position of the fastening member.

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