Insulated wires and wire harnesses
The insulated wire design with an offset centroid in the low-flattened portion addresses spacing and bending issues by allowing closer wire bundling without sharp bends, maintaining flexibility and space-saving properties.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- AUTONETWORKS TECH LTD
- Filing Date
- 2023-03-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-22
Smart Images
Figure 0007893174000001 
Figure 0007893174000002 
Figure 0007893174000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to insulated electric wires and wire harnesses.
Background Art
[0002] In an insulated electric wire, a form in which a flat portion and a low-flat portion are provided along the axial direction has been proposed. The outer shape of the conductor in the cross section is flat in the flat portion and has a lower flatness than the flat portion, typically a substantially circular shape, in the low-flat portion. Insulated electric wires having such flat portions and low-flat portions are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. In Patent Document 1, a low-flat portion is formed by deforming a raw material flat electric wire having an overall flat shape, whereas in Patent Document 2, a flat portion is formed by crushing an electric wire having a circular cross section or the like. Due to the difference in the manufacturing method, there are differences in the detailed structure of the insulated electric wire, such as the shape distribution of the conductor strands in the flat portion and the low-flat portion.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Patent Document 2
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] Insulated wires having a flattened portion and a low-flattened portion, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, can be used for suitable applications by utilizing the shape and characteristics of each portion. For example, the flattened portion has high space-saving properties in the height direction of its flattened shape and high bending flexibility, making it suitable for routing insulated wires along a predetermined path while bending them. On the other hand, the low-flattened portion can be suitable for bundling multiple insulated wires by utilizing its low-flattening cross-sectional shape, such as a circle. For example, when connecting multiple insulated wires to a common connector or bundling them together, the low-flattened portion can be provided at the connector connection point, bundling point, or other locations where multiple insulated wires are bundled. By bundling multiple insulated wires in a line at the low-flattened portion, it may be possible to reduce the width occupied by the bundling point, i.e., the width of the connector or bundling point, compared to bundling multiple insulated wires in a line in the width direction at the flattened portion.
[0005] However, when multiple insulated wires having flat and low-flat sections are arranged in the width direction, even if these insulated wires are gathered at the low-flat sections, the spacing between the insulated wires is also affected by the width of the flat sections, so there is a limit to how small the spacing of the low-flat sections can be. As shown in Figure 5A, in the insulated wire 9 disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the position of the center of gravity 21 of the flat section 2 and the position of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 are aligned. If multiple of these insulated wires 9 are arranged in the width direction and gathered by connecting to a connector 51 or the like without bending the low-flat sections 3, then as shown in Figure 5B, the spacing p at the low-flat sections 3 between adjacent insulated wires 9 will be equal to the spacing at the flat sections 2, and it cannot be made smaller than the width w of the flat sections 2. Consequently, the width of the connector 51 or the width of the area where the low-flat sections 3 are gathered will be large, determined by the width of the flat sections 2. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5C, if the low-flat sections 3 are to be assembled at a narrower interval, that is, at an interval p narrower than the width w of the flat section 2, it becomes necessary to bend the low-flat sections 3 in the width direction (indicated by arrows in Figure 5C). This bending may cause bending fatigue in the conductors that make up the insulated wires 9 in the low-flat sections 3. In addition, the bending reaction force of the bent insulated wires 9 may place an excessive load on members that hold the assembled low-flat sections 3 together, such as the connector 51, potentially causing damage to these members. For example, if the connector 51 is equipped with a waterproofing member, damage to the waterproofing member will reduce the waterproofing performance of the connector 51. On the other hand, it is conceivable to form a gentler bend to reduce the effects caused by bending the low-flat sections 3, but in that case, the low-flat sections 3 would have to be bent along a long path, requiring the low-flat sections 3 to be made longer, which increases the total amount of insulated wires 9 required for the wiring.
[0006] In view of the above, the objective is to provide an insulated wire having a flattened section with a flattened cross-section that can be assembled together with other wires in the width direction of the flattened section without requiring the application of sharp bends to the insulated wire or securing excessive length, and to provide an insulated wire and a wire harness including such an insulated wire. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The insulated wire of this disclosure is an insulated wire having a conductor formed by twisting together a plurality of strands and an insulating coating covering the outer circumference of the conductor, wherein each of the strands constituting the conductor and the insulating coating are continuous with each other, and have a flattened portion and a low flattened portion along the axial direction, wherein the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the insulated wire has a flattened shape that is elongated in the width direction in the flattened portion and a shape that is less flattened than the flattened portion in the low flattened portion, and the position of the centroid of the cross section in the low flattened portion is shifted in a first direction along the width direction of the flattened shape with respect to the position of the centroid of the cross section in the flattened portion.
[0008] The wire harness of this disclosure has a plurality of wires, including the insulated wire, wherein the low-flattened portion of the insulated wire is adjacent to other wires in the first direction. [Effects of the Invention]
[0009] The insulated wire of this disclosure is an insulated wire having a flattened section with a flattened cross-section that can be bundled together with other wires in the width direction of the flattened section without requiring the application of sharp bends to the insulated wire or securing excessive length, and can be bundled with adjacent wires at a narrower spacing. The wire harness of this disclosure is a wire harness that includes such an insulated wire. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0010] [Figure 1] Figures 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams showing an insulated wire according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1A is a perspective view. Figure 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the flattened portion corresponding to cross-section AA in Figure 1A, and Figure 1C is a cross-sectional view showing the low-flattened portion corresponding to cross-section BB in Figure 1A. The strands constituting the conductor are omitted in each figure. [Figure 2] Figure 2A is a plan view showing the insulated wire in Figure 1. Figures 2B to 2D are plan views showing the insulated wire in a deformed form. [Figure 3]Figures 3A and 3B are schematic plan views showing the connection between the wires and connectors in a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. They show examples of cases where the wire harness consists of two wires and three wires, respectively. [Figure 4] Figures 4A and 4B are schematic plan views showing the connection between the wires and connectors in a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Both show examples where the wire harness consists of four wires, but the types of wires used are different. [Figure 5] Figure 5A is a plan view showing an insulated wire with no shift in its center of gravity. Figures 5B and 5C show wire harnesses using only the insulated wires with no shift in their center of gravity as shown in Figure 5A. Figure 5B shows the case where the pole spacing is wide, and Figure 5C shows the case where the pole spacing is narrow.
[0011] [Description of Embodiments in this Disclosure] First, embodiments of this disclosure will be listed and described. The insulated wires and wire harnesses of this disclosure have the following configurations.
[0012] [1] The insulated wire of the present disclosure is an insulated wire having a conductor formed by twisting together a plurality of strands and an insulating coating covering the outer circumference of the conductor, wherein each of the strands constituting the conductor and the insulating coating are continuous with each other to have a flattened portion and a low flattened portion along the axial direction, wherein the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the insulated wire has a flattened shape that is elongated in the width direction in the flattened portion and a shape that is less flattened than the flattened portion in the low flattened portion, and the position of the centroid of the cross section in the low flattened portion is shifted in a first direction along the width direction of the flattened shape with respect to the position of the centroid of the cross section in the flattened portion.
[0013] In the above-described insulated wire, the center of gravity of the low-flat portion is shifted in a first direction along the width direction of the flattened shape of the flattened portion relative to the center of gravity of the flattened portion. When this insulated wire is arranged together with other wires along the width direction of the flattened shape, if the first direction is oriented toward the adjacent wire, the shift in the center of gravity can be used to bring the low-flat portion closer to the adjacent wire. Here, the other wires may be the insulated wire according to the embodiment of the disclosure in which the center of gravity of the low-flat portion is shifted relative to the center of gravity of the flattened portion, or other types of wires. In particular, when multiple insulated wires according to the embodiment of the disclosure are arranged side by side, the distance between the centers of gravity of the low-flat portions of those multiple insulated wires can be made smaller than the distance between the centers of gravity of the flattened portions, and furthermore, it can be made smaller than the width of the flattened portion. Thus, by utilizing the shift in the center of gravity of the low-flat portion of the insulated wire according to the embodiment of this disclosure, multiple wires can be arranged side by side and bundled together by narrowing the spacing between adjacent wires. This allows multiple wires to be bundled together at narrow intervals and connected to connectors or bundled with binding members without applying sharp bends to the low-flat portion or excessively ensuring the length of the low-flat portion to avoid such bending. As a result, the width of the area where multiple wires are bundled by connectors or binding members can be kept small.
[0014] [2] In the embodiment of [1] above, the insulated wire may have the low-flattened portion at its terminal end. When such insulated wires are arranged together with other wires along the width direction of the flattened shape of the flattened portion, and especially when multiple such insulated wires are arranged together, the width occupied by the wire assembly at the terminal end can be kept small. For example, if a connector is attached to the terminal end, a connector with a small width can be attached without applying a sharp bend to the low-flattened portion or ensuring an excessive length of the low-flattened portion. Furthermore, when connecting terminals or connectors to the low-flattened portion of the terminal, the low-flattened portion has a cross-sectional shape with a low degree of flatness, so that conventional terminals, connectors, and mounting tools for round wires can be used.
[0015] [3] In the embodiments of [1] or [2] above, the insulated wire has a transition portion between the flattened portion and the low-flattened portion, and the outer edge of the transition portion on the widthwise side has an angle with respect to the axial direction at least in a second direction opposite to the first direction. In this case, the angle that the outer edge of the transition portion makes with respect to the axial direction can be used to easily create a shift in the position of the center of gravity between the flattened portion and the low-flattened portion. Furthermore, by selecting the angle that the outer edge makes with respect to the axial direction in the second and first directions, the positional relationship between the low-flattened portion and the flattened portion can be set in various ways, including the embodiments of [4] to [6] below.
[0016] [4] In the embodiment of [3] above, the outer edge of the transition portion may be inclined with respect to the axial direction at least in the second direction. In this case, by utilizing the inclination, the position of the center of gravity can be gradually shifted between the flattened portion and the low-flattened portion, thereby creating a shift in the position of the center of gravity between the flattened portion and the low-flattened portion while keeping the load applied to the conductor and insulating coating small.
[0017] [5] In the embodiment of [4] above, the outer edge of the transition portion is inclined with respect to the axial direction in both the first and second directions, and the inclination is smaller in the first direction than in the second direction. Then, by utilizing the difference in inclination at the outer edges on both sides of the transition portion, a shift in the position of the center of gravity can be easily formed between the flattened portion and the low-flattened portion.
[0018] [6] Alternatively, in the aspect of [3] above, the outer edge of the transition portion may extend along the axial direction in the first direction and have an angle with respect to the axial direction in the second direction. In this case, a large deviation between the center of gravity of the flat portion and the center of gravity of the low-flat portion can be formed. As a result, in the low-flat portion, it becomes easier to narrow the distance between adjacent electric wires. At this time, if an inclination is provided on the outer edge in the second direction, a deviation of the center of gravity can be formed between the flat portion and the low-flat portion while suppressing the load applied to the conductor and the insulating coating to a small value. On the other hand, if no inclination is provided substantially on the outer edge in the second direction and the angle formed by the outer edge in the second direction with respect to the axial direction is a right angle or an angle close thereto, a large deviation of the center of gravity can be formed between the flat portion and the low-flat portion while suppressing the length of the transition portion to a small value. Thereby, the flat portion extends to the vicinity of the low-flat portion, and by ensuring a long flat portion, characteristics such as space-saving and bending flexibility of the flat portion in the insulated electric wire can be effectively utilized.
[0019] [7] In any of the aspects from [1] to [6] above, it is preferable that the entire width direction of the low-flat portion is within the range of the width of the flat portion. In this case, a deviation in the position of the center of gravity can be formed between the flat portion and the low-flat portion while suppressing the load applied to the conductor and the insulating coating constituting the insulated electric wire to a particularly small value. Also, the region occupied in the width direction of the entire insulated electric wire including the low-flat portion and the flat portion can be accommodated in a narrow region within the range of the width of the flat portion.
[0020] [8] Alternatively, in any of the aspects from [1] to [5] above, at least a part of the region in the width direction of the low-flat portion may be displaced in the first direction beyond the range of the width of the flat portion with respect to the flat portion. In this case, a large deviation of the center of gravity can be formed between the flat portion and the low-flat portion. By utilizing the large deviation of the center of gravity, in various arrangements, the width of the aggregate in which a plurality of electric wires are arranged side by side can be suppressed to a small value at the location of the low-flat portion.
[0021] [9] The wire harness of the present disclosure has a plurality of wires, including one of the insulated wires described in [1] to [8] above, wherein the low-flattened portion of the insulated wire is adjacent to the other wires in the first direction, where the other wires may be one of the insulated wires described in [1] to [8] above, or a different type of wire.
[0022] The above-described wire harness includes an insulated wire according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in which the center of gravity of the flattened portion and the low-flattened portion are offset, and the insulated wire is in close proximity to adjacent wires in the first direction at the low-flattened portion. Therefore, the distance between the centers of gravity of the low-flattened portion and adjacent wires is smaller than the distance between the centers of gravity of the flattened portion. In such a wire group where the low-flattened portion is brought close to adjacent wires and the spacing between wires is reduced, if the portions corresponding to the low-flattened portion are connected to a common connector or bundled together, a wire harness can be made in which the width of the bundled portion is kept small without applying sharp bends to the low-flattened portion or excessively ensuring the length of the low-flattened portion to avoid applying sharp bends.
[0023]
[10] In the embodiment described in [9] above, the insulated wire may have the low-flat portion at its terminal end, and the low-flat portion may be connected to a connector common to the other wires. This allows the distance between adjacent wires at the terminal end to be kept small, so that even when using a connector with a small pole spacing, it is not necessary to apply a sharp bend to the low-flat portion or to ensure an excessively long length of the low-flat portion, and a connector can be attached to the end of the wire group.
[0024]
[11] In the embodiments of [9] or
[10] above, the wire harness may include at least two of the insulated wires, the two insulated wires arranged in the width direction of the flattened shape with their respective outer edges in the first direction facing each other, or with other wires in between. This ensures that the low-flattened portions of the two insulated wires are positioned close to each other, which is highly effective in reducing the width of the area occupied by the group of wires in the low-flattened portions. This effect is particularly high when the wires constituting the wire harness consist only of two insulated wires according to the embodiments of this disclosure, whose centers of gravity are shifted between the low-flattened portions and the flattened portions. However, this effect can also be enjoyed when other types of wires, such as wires that form flattened portions and low-flattened portions without shifting the center of gravity, are interposed between the two insulated wires.
[0025]
[12] In the embodiment of
[11] above, the wire harness includes two adjacent insulated wires, wherein the distance between the centers of gravity of the low-flat portion of the two insulated wires is smaller than the width of the flat portion. This provides a shift in the centers of gravity between the low-flat portions, which in turn enhances the effect of reducing the width of the area where multiple low-flat portions are clustered. For example, when a low-flat portion is formed at the end of an insulated wire and the end is connected to a connector, the pole spacing of the connector can be made smaller than the width of the flat portion. In this case, if there is no shift in the centers of gravity between the low-flat portions, it would be necessary to apply a sharp bend to the low-flat portion or to make the low-flat portion longer so that it bends gently in order to connect it to the connector. However, by providing a shift in the centers of gravity, it becomes possible to connect the low-flat portion to the connector without requiring such measures.
[0026] [Details of the embodiments of this disclosure] The insulated wires and wire harnesses according to embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the concepts indicating the shape and arrangement of each part of an insulated wire, such as straight lines, parallel lines, and perpendicular lines, include errors from geometric concepts, such as deviations of approximately ±15% in length and approximately ±15° in angle, within the range permissible for this type of insulated wire and wire harness. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the cross-section of an insulated wire refers to a cross-section cut perpendicular to the axial direction (longitudinal direction).
[0027] <Insulated wire configuration> Figure 1A shows an insulated wire 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure in a perspective view. Figures 1B and 1C show cross-sectional views obtained by cutting along lines AA and BB in Figure 1A, respectively. Furthermore, Figure 2A shows a plan view of the insulated wire 1.
[0028] The insulated wire 1 according to this embodiment has a conductor 11 and an insulating sheath 13. The conductor 11 is made up of stranded wire formed by twisting together a plurality of individual wires (not shown). The insulating sheath 13 covers the outer circumference of the conductor 11 all the way around. The insulated wire 1 has a flattened portion 2 and a low-flattened portion 3 along the axial direction (x direction). The flattened portion 2 and the low-flattened portion 3 are integrally continuous along the axial direction of the insulated wire 1. In other words, each individual wire constituting the conductor 11 is integrally continuous between the flattened portion 2 and the low-flattened portion 3. Also, the insulating sheath 13 covering the conductor 11 is integrally continuous between the flattened portion 2 and the low-flattened portion 3.
[0029] In the flattened section 2, the cross-section is flattened. Here, a flattened cross-section means that the width w, which is the length of the longest straight line that crosses the cross-section parallel to the sides or diameters constituting the cross-section and encompasses the entire cross-section, is greater than the height h, which is the length of a straight line perpendicular to that line and encompasses the entire cross-section. The cross-section of the flattened section 2 can be any specific shape as long as it is flattened, but in this embodiment, the cross-section of the flattened section 2 has a shape that can be approximated as a rectangle. Examples of flattened shapes other than rectangles include ellipse, oblong, and oval (a shape in which circular arcs are joined to both ends of a rectangle). From the viewpoint of improving space saving and improving continuity with the low-flattened section 3, the aspect ratio w / h in the flattened section 2 should be, for example, 2 or more and 6 or less. In the flattened section 2, not only the overall outer shape of the cross-section but also the outer shape of the conductor 11 is flattened. Hereafter, including the low-flattened section 3, the directions corresponding to the width and height of the flattened shape of the flattened section 2 will be referred to as the width direction (y direction) and the height direction (z direction), respectively, throughout the entire area of the insulated wire 1. The plan view in Figure 2A is a plan view of the insulated wire 1 as seen from the height direction (+z direction), and displays the state of the insulated wire 1 in a plane (xy plane) that includes the axial direction and the width direction.
[0030] The low-flattened section 3 has a cross-sectional shape that is less flattened than the flattened section 2. Here, "less flattened" means that the aspect ratio of the cross-section (w' / h', where w' is the width and h' is the height of the cross-section of the low-flattened section 3) is small, and the degree to which the cross-sectional shape is flattened is low. The specific shape of the low-flattened section 3 is not particularly limited, and examples include shapes that can be approximated as figures with no or low anisotropy, such as squares, circles, and hexagons, as well as shapes that can be approximated as rectangles, ellipses, or oblongs with a smaller aspect ratio than the flattened section 2. The lower the degree of flattening of the low-flattened section 3, the better, and a form having a cross-section that approximates a circle or square with an aspect ratio w' / h' of 1 is particularly preferred. Furthermore, a form that can approximate a circle in cross-section is most preferred. However, if the aspect ratio w' / h' of the low-flattened section 3 is set to, for example, 2 or less, the effects of forming the low-flattened section 3, which will be described later, can be fully obtained. Furthermore, the aspect ratio w' / h' in the low-flattened section 3 should be approximately 20% or more and 70% or less of the aspect ratio w / h in the flattened section 2. In the low-flattened section 3, not only the overall cross-sectional shape but also the outer shape of the conductor 11 has a lower degree of flatness than the flattened section 2. In the low-flattened section 3, it is preferable that the width dimension w' is not smaller than the height dimension h' (it is preferable to set w' / h'≧1). In other words, it is preferable that the low-flattened section 3 does not have a vertically elongated cross-sectional shape. However, this does not prevent the low-flattened section 3 from having a vertically elongated cross-sectional shape, in which case it is preferable to set the width-to-height ratio h' / w' in the low-flattened section 3 to be smaller than the aspect ratio w / h in the flattened section 2. Furthermore, the width-to-height ratio h' / w' of the low-flattened section 3 should be 2 or less, similar to the aspect ratio w / h in the case of the horizontally elongated shape mentioned above. Furthermore, the aspect ratio h' / w' in the low-flattened section 3 should be approximately 20% or more and 70% or less of the aspect ratio w / h in the flattened section 2.
[0031] In the insulated wire 1 according to this embodiment, the position of the centroid 31 of the cross-section in the low-flattened portion 3 is offset from the position of the centroid 21 of the cross-section in the flattened portion 2. Specifically, with one direction along the width direction (the -y direction in the illustrated example) as the eccentric direction (first direction) D1, the position of the centroid 31 of the low-flattened portion 3 is offset in the eccentric direction D1 relative to the position of the centroid 21 of the flattened portion 2. Here, the positions of the centroids 21 and 31 of the flattened portion 2 and the low-flattened portion 3 refer to the positions of the centroids in the cross-sectional outline as a geometric figure, without considering the mass of the constituent materials. In the plan view of Figure 2A, the centroids 21 and 31 are shown as straight lines connecting the centroids in the cross-sections at each position along the axial direction.
[0032] A transition section 4 is provided between the flattened section 2 and the low-flattened section 3. In the transition section 4, the position of the center of gravity of the cross-section changes between the center of gravity position 21 in the flattened section 2 and the center of gravity position 31 in the low-flattened section 3. Therefore, in the xy plane shown in Figure 2A, the outer edge of the transition section 4 on the widthwise side has an angle with respect to the axial direction of the insulated wire 1. In the insulated wire 1 according to this embodiment, a displacement exists between the outer edge of the low-flattened section 3 and the outer edge of the flattened section 2 in both the eccentric direction D1 and the anti-eccentric direction (second direction) D2, which is the direction opposite to the eccentric direction D1, and the outer edge of the transition section 4 has an inclination with respect to the axial direction on both sides of the eccentric direction D1 and the anti-eccentric direction D2. The inclination of the outer edge of the transition section 4 is such that the low-flattened section 3 side (tip side) is inward in the widthwise direction on both sides of the widthwise direction, but the degree of inclination differs from one another. Specifically, the inclination of the outer edge of the transition section 4 is smaller in the eccentric direction D1 than in the anti-eccentric direction D2, and the outer edge in the eccentric direction D1 extends closer to the axial direction than the outer edge in the anti-eccentric direction D2. In other words, when considering the angle between the outer edge of the transition section 4 and the outer edge of the low-flat section 3 along the axial direction, there is a difference between the angle θ1 in the eccentric direction D1 and the angle θ2 in the anti-eccentric direction D2, with the angle θ1 in the eccentric direction D1 being larger. In the illustrated configuration, angles θ1 and θ2 are obtuse angles, with 90° < θ2 < θ1 < 180°. In this way, by providing the transition section 4 as a region with length along the axial direction, and configuring the position of the center of gravity to change gradually within the transition section 4, it is possible to create a shift between the center of gravity 21 of the flat section 2 and the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 without applying excessive load to the conductor 11 and insulating coating 13 that constitute the insulated wire 1.
[0033] The amount of displacement L of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flattened section 3 relative to the center of gravity 21 of the flattened section 2, that is, the distance between the two centers of gravity 21 and 31 along the width direction, is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, the amount of displacement L is smaller than the width w of the flattened section 2. Furthermore, the amount of displacement L of the center of gravity 31 is kept to a length such that the entire width of the low-flattened section 3 is within the range of the width w of the flattened section 2, and the outer edge of the low-flattened section 3 is located inward in the width direction from the outer edge of the flattened section 2 on both the eccentric direction D1 and the anti-eccentric direction D2. There is no particular lower limit for the amount of displacement L of the center of gravity 31, but from the viewpoint of fully obtaining the effect of providing a displacement of the center of gravity between the flattened section 2 and the low-flattened section 3, as will be explained later, it is preferable to set the amount of displacement L of the center of gravity 31 to 1% or more, and even 3% or more, relative to the width w of the flattened section 2. On the other hand, the amount of displacement L of the center of gravity 31 should be 100% or less of the width w of the flattened portion 2, but from the viewpoint of minimizing the load on the conductor 11 and the insulating coating 13, it is preferable to keep it to 25% or less.
[0034] The insulated wire 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a flattened section 2 having a flattened cross-sectional shape, thereby achieving high space-saving capabilities. Furthermore, the flattened section 2 has high flexibility in the height direction. By utilizing these high space-saving capabilities and flexibility, the flattened section 2 can be suitably used for routing in predetermined paths, including routing in narrow spaces and routing in close proximity to other components. On the other hand, the low-flattened section 3 has a cross-sectional shape with a low degree of flatness, and its cross-sectional shape is similar to that of conventional round wires. Therefore, it is easy to use conventional round wire terminals, connectors, and other external components attached to the insulated wire 1 without having to prepare specially shaped components to match the flattened shape. Tools for attaching these components can also be the same as those used for round wires. Furthermore, when connecting multiple wires to a common connector, or when bundling multiple wires side by side, if those wires are flat wires without a low-flat section 3, the bundle of these flat wires arranged in the width direction will occupy a large width. However, by using an insulated wire 1 with a low-flat section 3, and bundling multiple wires at the low-flat section 3, it becomes possible to reduce the width occupied by the bundle of wires by utilizing the fact that the low-flat section 3 has a smaller width than the flat section 2. As will be explained later in the section on wire harnesses, the position of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 is offset from the position of the center of gravity 21 of the flat section 2. This makes it possible to avoid the need to apply a sharp bend to the low-flat section 3 or to make the low-flat section 3 excessively long when bundling the insulated wire 1 together with other wires in a narrow area at the low-flat section 3. Because the flattened portion 2 and the low-flattened portion 3 each possess the above-described characteristics and coexist, the insulated wire 1 according to this embodiment can be suitably applied to applications where the space for routing is limited, such as inside an automobile, and where it is necessary to bundle multiple wires together.
[0035] The position and number of low-flat sections 3 provided in the axial direction of the insulated wire 1 are not particularly limited; low-flat sections 3 should be provided where it is necessary to bundle multiple wires together, such as for connection to a connector or bundling. A preferred configuration is to provide low-flat sections 3 on at least one or both sides of the flat section 2 along the axial direction of the insulated wire 1. For example, low-flat sections 3 can be provided at one or both ends of the insulated wire 1, and the area between these low-flat sections 3 can be designated as the flat section 2. In this case, as will be explained in detail in the section on wire harnesses, the low-flat sections 3 can be suitably used for connecting to the connector when connecting a common connector to the ends of multiple wires. On the other hand, the flat section 2 can be suitably used for routing the insulated wire 1 in intermediate areas, etc. Alternatively, a low-flattened portion 3 may be provided in the middle of the axial direction of the insulated wire 1. Such a configuration can be suitably used, for example, when bundling multiple wires arranged along the width direction together at the middle portion using a bundling member such as tape or a tube.
[0036] When low-flat sections 3 are provided on both sides in the axial direction of a certain flat section 2, the direction in which the center of gravity 31 of the two low-flat sections 3 is shifted relative to the flat section 2 in between, i.e., the eccentricity direction D1, may be the same direction or opposite directions between the two low-flat sections 3. Also, when flat sections 2 are provided on both sides in the axial direction of a certain low-flat section 3, the direction in which the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 in between is shifted relative to each of the flat sections 2 on both sides may be the same direction or opposite directions relative to the flat sections 2 on both sides. However, in either case, from the viewpoint of keeping the overall width of the insulated wire 1 small, and from the viewpoint of keeping the width of the assembly point small when the insulated wire 1 is assembled with other wires at the low-flat section 3, it is preferable to keep the direction in which the center of gravity 31 is shifted the same. Furthermore, when multiple flattened portions 2 and / or low-flattened portions 3 are provided on the insulated wire 1, the specific configuration, such as the specific shape of the cross-section, the aspect ratio, and the direction in which the flattened shape extends, may be the same or different between the multiple flattened portions 2 and between the multiple low-flattened portions 3.
[0037] In the insulated wire 1 according to this embodiment, the material, diameter, and cross-sectional area of the strands constituting the conductor 11 are not particularly limited. Examples of materials for the conductor 11 include copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, etc. Regarding the cross-sectional area of the conductor, it is preferable to make it somewhat large from the viewpoint of enhancing the space-saving effect and improved bending flexibility by providing the flattened portion 2, and the effect of providing the low-flattened portion 3 with an offset center of gravity 31. For example, if the cross-sectional area of the conductor is 10 mm², 2 In addition to the above, 30mm 2 The above is preferable. Examples of outer diameters for the strands constituting the conductor 11 include a range of 0.3 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.
[0038] <Manufacturing method for insulated electric wires> The insulated electric wire 1 according to this embodiment, which integrally has a flattened portion 2 and a low-flattened portion 3, can be manufactured from a raw flattened electric wire in which the conductor 11 is deformed into a flattened shape, similar to the method described in Patent Document 1. The raw flattened electric wire can be manufactured by compressing a conductor 11 with a circular cross-section, which is made up of multiple strands twisted together, into a flattened shape, and covering the outer circumference of the conductor 11 with an insulating coating 13. Then, in a portion of the raw flattened electric wire along the axial direction, specifically in the region to be made into the low-flattened portion 3, a force is applied from the outside of the raw flattened electric wire, from the outside inward along the width direction, to deform the conductor 11. By applying this force, the width dimension of the conductor 11 is reduced, the flatness of the conductor 11 decreases, and the low-flattened portion 3 can be formed. In this case, by using a mold or the like, setting the force applied from the outside in the anti-eccentric direction D2 to be greater than the force applied from the outside in the eccentric direction D1, the center of gravity 31 of the formed low-flat portion 3 can be shifted in the eccentric direction D1 relative to the center of gravity 21 of the flat portion 2.
[0039] Alternatively, the insulated wire 1 can be manufactured using a raw round wire in which an insulating coating 13 is formed on the outer circumference of a conductor 11 with a circular cross-section, which is made by twisting together multiple strands of wire, as described in Patent Document 2. In this case, a force is applied to a portion of the raw round wire along the axial direction, specifically to the region to be made into a flattened portion 2, from the outside in the direction that will be the height of the flattened shape to the inside, thereby deforming the conductor 11. By applying this force, the height dimension of the conductor 11 decreases, the degree of flattening of the conductor 11 increases, and a flattened portion 2 can be formed. At this time, if a mold or the like is used to apply force in the direction that will be the height of the flattened shape, as well as in the direction that will be the width, so that the flattened portion 2 is formed biased in the direction that will be the eccentric direction D1, then in the resulting insulated wire 1, a state can be formed in which the center of gravity 31 of the low flattened portion 3 is shifted in the eccentric direction D1 relative to the center of gravity 21 of the flattened portion 2.
[0040] As described above, the insulated wire 1 according to this embodiment may be formed from either raw flat wire or raw round wire, but it is preferable to form it from raw flat wire. This is because, when forming a low-flat portion 3 at a predetermined location on the raw flat wire, it is easier to create a shift in the center of gravity 31 with a desired direction and amount of displacement L relative to the low-flat portion 3 by adjusting the applied force, etc. Also, the load applied to the conductor 11 and insulating coating 13 due to the change in cross-sectional shape can be kept small. In particular, when manufacturing an insulated wire 1 in which the area occupied by the low-flat portion 3 is shorter than the area occupied by the flat portion 2, such as when the low-flat portion 3 is provided only in a part of the terminal portion of the insulated wire 1, the method of using raw flat wire can be suitably adopted.
[0041] <Insulated wires in deformed shapes> The insulated wire according to the embodiments of this disclosure is not limited to the form of the insulated wire 1 described in detail above, as long as it has a flattened portion 2 and a low-flattened portion 3, and the position of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flattened portion 3 is shifted in an eccentric direction D1 along the width direction of the flattened shape relative to the position of the center of gravity 21 of the flattened portion 2. The main modified forms will be briefly described below. The configuration common to the insulated wire 1 described above will be omitted from the explanation.
[0042] In the insulated wire 1 according to the above embodiment, the outer edge of the transition portion 4 is inclined with respect to the axial direction in both the eccentric direction D1 and the anti-eccentric direction D2. However, the form of the transition portion 4 is not limited to the above, as long as the outer edge of the transition portion 4 on the widthwise side has an angle with respect to the axial direction of the insulated wire, at least in the anti-eccentric direction D2. For example, as shown in the insulated wires 1A and 1B in Figures 2B and 2C, the outer edge of the transition portion 4 may have an angle θ2 with respect to the axial direction in the anti-eccentric direction D2, while having virtually no angle in the eccentric direction D1 and extending linearly along the axial direction. In this case, the outer edges of the insulated wires 1A and 1B on the eccentric D1 side extend axially at the same widthwise position as the outer edge of the flattened section 2 in the low-flattened section 4. Therefore, the amount of displacement L of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flattened section 3 relative to the center of gravity 21 of the flattened section 2 can be increased compared to the case where the outer edge of the low-flattened section 3 on the eccentric D1 side is positioned inward in the widthwise direction than the outer edge of the flattened section 2, as in the insulated wire 1 in Figure 2A. This allows for a greater effect from the displacement of the center of gravity 31, which will be described later.
[0043] In this configuration, the outer edge of the transition section 4 in the eccentric direction D1 extends along the axial direction, and depending on the state of the outer edge in the anti-eccentric direction D2, both the insulated wire 1A in Figure 2B and the insulated wire 1B in Figure 2C are possible. In the insulated wire 1A in Figure 2B, the outer edge of the transition section 4 on the anti-eccentric direction D2 side extends at an inclination with respect to the axial direction. That is, in the anti-eccentric direction D2, the angle θ2 that the outer edge of the transition section 4 makes with the outer edge of the low-flat section 3 along the axial direction is obtuse. In this case, similar to the insulated wire 1 in Figure 2A, the position of the center of gravity changes gradually in the transition section 4, so that a large amount of displacement L of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 relative to the center of gravity 21 of the flat section 2 can be secured without applying an excessive load to the conductor 11 and insulating coating 13 that constitute the insulated wire 1A.
[0044] On the other hand, in the insulated wire 1B shown in Figure 2C, the outer edge of the transition section 4 in the anti-eccentric direction D2 is oriented at an angle perpendicular to or close to the axial direction. In other words, in the anti-eccentric direction D2, the angle θ2 between the outer edge of the transition section 4 and the outer edge of the low-flat section 3 along the axial direction is 90° or close to it (approximately 90° ± 10°). In this case, the length of the region occupied by the transition section 4 along the axial direction of the insulated wire 1B becomes zero or very short, allowing the low-flat section 3 and the flat section 2 to be placed closer together. As a result, the flat section 2 can be made longer in an insulated wire 1B of a predetermined length, and the characteristics of the flat section 2, such as space saving in the height direction and flexibility, can be effectively utilized in the wiring of the insulated wire 1B.
[0045] In the insulated wires 1, 1A, and 1B shown in Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C described above, the entire widthwise region of the low-flattened section 3 was within the width w of the flattened section 2. In other words, the outer edges on both sides of the low-flattened section 3 in the widthwise direction were not positioned outside the outer edges of the flattened section 2, and the entire widthwise region of the transition section 4 was also within the width w of the flattened section 2. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to create a shift in the position of the centers of gravity 21 and 31 between the flattened section 2 and the low-flattened section 3 while keeping the load applied to the conductor 11 and the insulating coating 13 small. In addition, the widthwise dimension occupied by the entire insulated wire can be kept small. On the other hand, as in the insulated wire 1C shown in Figure 2D, at least a portion of the widthwise region of the low-flattened section 3 may be shifted in the eccentric direction D1 relative to the flattened section 2, exceeding the width w of the flattened section 2. In the illustrated configuration, a portion of the low-flattened section 3 on the eccentric direction D1 side in the width direction exceeds the width w of the flattened section 2 and is shifted toward the eccentric direction D1. On both the eccentric direction D1 and the anti-eccentric direction D2, the outer edge of the low-flattened section 3 in the width direction is shifted toward the eccentric direction D1 side compared to the outer edge of the flattened section 2. On both sides in the width direction, the outer edge of the transition section 4 is inclined toward the eccentric direction D1 on the low-flattened section 3 side (tip side), and a portion of the transition section 4 in the width direction also exceeds the width w of the flattened section 2 and is shifted toward the eccentric direction D1. In this case as well, similar to the insulated wire 1 in Figure 2A, the inclination of the outer edge of the transition section 4 is smaller in the eccentric direction D1 than in the anti-eccentric direction D2.
[0046] In this insulated wire 1C, the amount of displacement L of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 relative to the center of gravity 21 of the flat section 2 is large, so it can be used to construct various forms of wire harnesses, such as the form shown in Figure 4B later, and the effect of the displacement of the center of gravity 31 can be utilized. In the form shown in Figure 2D, the position of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 is within the width w of the flat section 2, but the amount of displacement L may be further increased so that the position of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 is shifted in the eccentric direction D1 beyond the width w of the flat section 2. Furthermore, the outer edges on both sides of the low-flat section 3 in the eccentric direction D1 and the anti-eccentric direction D2 may be configured to be shifted in the eccentric direction D1 beyond the outer edge of the flat section 2 on the eccentric direction D1 side.
[0047] <Wire harness configuration> Next, a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The wire harness according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has a plurality of wires, including the insulated wire 1 (or insulated wires 1A, 1B, 1C) according to the embodiment of the present disclosure described above. In the wire harness, the insulated wire according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is arranged adjacent to other wires in the eccentric direction D1 of the low-flat portion 3.
[0048] Here, "other wires" may refer to insulated wires according to the embodiments of this disclosure, which have a flattened portion 2 and a low-flattened portion 3 whose center of gravity 31 is offset from the flattened portion 2, or to other types of wires. However, it is preferable that the wire harness includes at least two insulated wires according to the embodiments of this disclosure. In this case, the multiple insulated wires according to the embodiments of this disclosure included in the wire harness may be of the same form, or multiple forms may be mixed, such as insulated wires 1, 1A to 1C. Furthermore, the type of other wires that coexist with the insulated wires according to the embodiments of this disclosure is not particularly limited, and any wire such as flat wires or round wires can be used, but an insulated wire 9 having a flattened portion 2 and a low-flattened portion 3, but with no offset between the center of gravity 31 of the low-flattened portion 3 and the center of gravity 21 of the flattened portion 2, as shown in Figure 5A, can be suitably adopted.
[0049] Figure 3A shows a simplified plan view of the connection between an insulated wire 1B and a connector 51 in a wire harness 5 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. This wire harness 5 includes two insulated wires 1B according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each having a low-flat portion 3 at its end. The two insulated wires 1B are arranged side by side in the width direction with their outer edges facing each other in the eccentric direction D1. The two insulated wires 1B are connected at the low-flat portion 3 to a common connector 51, forming a wire harness 5 equipped with a multi-pole connector. In an actual wire harness 5, terminals are connected to the ends of each insulated wire 1B, and the ends of the insulated wires 1B to which the terminals are connected are housed in the connector housing. However, in the figure, the terminals are omitted, and the position where the insulated wires 1B are housed in the connector housing is indicated as the pole position 52.
[0050] Here, as shown in Figure 5B, consider the case where a wire harness 95 is constructed using only non-shifting wires 9, where there is no displacement between the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 and the center of gravity 21 of the flat section 2. In this case, when two non-shifting wires 9 are placed side by side in the width direction, the distance between the centers of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 is equal to the distance between the centers of gravity 21 of the flat section 2. When the flat sections 2 of the two non-shifting wires 9 are placed in contact with each other, the distance between the centers of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 is equal to the width w of the flat section 2, but it cannot be made smaller than the width w of the flat section 2. Therefore, if two non-shifting wires 9 are connected to a common connector 51 without bending the low-flat section 3, the pole spacing p, that is, the distance between the pole positions 52 of adjacent insulated wires 1B, will be equal to the distance between the centers of gravity 21 of the flat section 2, and cannot be made narrower than the width w of the flat section 2. Consequently, in the assembly of the two non-shifted electric wires 9, the width dimension of the connector 51 also increases in proportion to the width of the area occupied by the flattened portion 2.
[0051] If the pole spacing p is made narrower than the width w of the flat section 2, as in the wire harness 96 shown in Figure 5C, then a sharp bend must be applied to the low-flat section 3 in order to connect the non-slip wires 9 to each pole position 52 (arrow in the figure). This bending places a large load on the low-flat section 3. In particular, bending fatigue is likely to occur in the conductors 11 that make up the low-flat section 3. Also, the reaction force from the bending of the low-flat section 3 may place an excessive load on the components of the connector 51, potentially leading to damage to those components. In particular, if the connector 51 is equipped with a waterproofing member, damage to the waterproofing member will prevent it from maintaining sufficient waterproofing performance. On the other hand, to avoid applying such a sharp bend to the low-flat section 3, it is conceivable to make the low-flat section 3 longer and reduce the bend. However, in this case, the total amount of wire required for routing will increase, leading to an increase in the weight of the wire harness 96.
[0052] In contrast, the wire harness 5 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in Figure 3A uses an insulated wire 1B according to the embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a center-of-gravity shifted wire) in which the position of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat portion 3 is shifted relative to the position of the center of gravity 21 of the flat portion 2. This makes it possible to avoid applying sharp bends to the low-flat portion 3 or forming the low-flat portion 3 to be excessively long, while keeping the width occupied by the assembly of low-flat portions 3 small, and accordingly keeping the width dimension of the connector 51 small. In the wire harness 5 according to this embodiment, multiple center-of-gravity shifted wires 1B are arranged so that adjacent low-flat portions 3 face each other in their respective eccentricity directions D1. Therefore, the distance between the centers of gravity 31 of adjacent center-of-gravity shifted wires 1B is smaller than the distance between the centers of gravity 21 of the flat portion 2. If adjacent misaligned wires 1B are placed close together, such as in contact with each other, the distance between the low-flat sections 3 can be made smaller than the width w of the flat section 2. Therefore, compared to the configuration using non-misaligned wires 9, as in the wire harness 95 of Figure 5B, even if the widths w and w' of the flat section 2 and low-flat sections 3 are the same as those of the non-misaligned wires 9, the distance between adjacent low-flat sections 3 can be reduced. Accordingly, the pole spacing p in the connector 51 also becomes smaller. And even with a reduced pole spacing p, unlike the wire harness 96 of Figure 5C, the misaligned wires 1B can be connected to each pole position 52 of the connector 51 without applying sharp bends to the low-flat sections 3 or ensuring that the low-flat sections 3 are excessively long. As long as the pole spacing p is at least equal to the width w' of the low-flat sections 3, the low-flat sections 3 can be connected to the connector 51 while keeping them straight without bending them. By reducing the pole spacing p, the overall width dimension of the connector 51 can also be designed to be smaller accordingly.
[0053] Thus, by using the center-of-gravity offset wire 1B, the width occupied by the aggregate of multiple low-flat sections 3 of the wires can be reduced compared to the case where the non-offset wire 9 is used, and accordingly, the widthwise dimension of the connector 51 can also be reduced. In the connector 51, the pole spacing p can also be made smaller than the width w of the flat section 2. If a group of wires consisting only of non-offset wires 9 were to be connected to a connector 51 where the pole spacing p is smaller than the width w of the flat section 2, as explained above for the wire harness 96 in Figure 5C, it would be necessary to either apply a sharp bend to the low-flat section 3 or ensure a large length of the low-flat section 3. However, by using the center-of-gravity offset wire 1B, connection to the connector 51 can be made without requiring such measures. In the illustrated configuration, the wire harness 5 is constructed using a centroid-offset wire 1B in which the outer edge of the transition section 4 extends along the axial direction in the eccentric direction D1 and is perpendicular to the axial direction in the anti-eccentric direction D2, in order to keep the pole spacing p as small as possible. However, other types of centroid-offset wires, including the insulated wires 1 and 1A described above, may also be used. However, if two insulated wires 1C (hereinafter referred to as large-offset wires) in which at least a portion of the width direction of the low-flat section 3 is offset in the eccentric direction D1 beyond the width w of the flat section 2 are placed adjacent to each other, the width occupied by the area where the flat sections 2 are placed may actually increase. To avoid this, when the number of wires constituting the wire harness is two, it is preferable to use insulated wires 1, 1A, and 1B in which the entire width direction of the low-flat section 3 is within the width w of the flat section 2.
[0054] In the configuration described above, the wire harness 5 contains only two off-center wires as the electric wires, and these two off-center wires are arranged so that their outer edges in the eccentric direction D1 of the low-flat section 3 are directly opposite each other. However, even in a wire harness containing any number of wires, three or more, the width of the connector 51 can be reduced by utilizing off-center wires without requiring sharp bends in the low-flat section 3 or securing excessive length. When containing three or more wires, it is preferable to place another wire between the outer edges in the eccentric direction D1 of the two off-center wires. In this case, the other wire placed in between may be an off-center wire, a non-off-center wire, or another type of wire.
[0055] Figure 3B shows an example of a wire harness 5A containing three wires. In this harness, of the three wires arranged in the width direction, off-center wires 1B are placed at each end, and a single non-off-center wire 9 is placed between these off-center wires 1B. The outer edges of the two off-center wires 1B are oriented inward in the direction of arrangement. In this configuration, the distance between the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat portion 3 of each off-center wire 1B and the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat portion 3 of the non-off-center wire 9 can be made smaller compared to the distance between the centers of gravity 31 when three non-off-center wires 9 are arranged side by side. Accordingly, the pole spacing p of the connector 51 and the width dimension of the entire connector 51 can also be reduced. If large-off-center wires 1C are used as off-center wires placed at both ends in the width direction, the pole spacing p can be made even smaller.
[0056] The number of non-shifted wires 9 placed between the off-center-of-gravity wires 1B at both ends may be further increased. In that case, at least the distance between the centers of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 between the off-center-of-gravity wires 1B at both ends and the adjacent non-shifted wires 9 can be made smaller compared to the distance between the centers of gravity 31 when only non-shifted wires 9 are lined up. As an example, Figure 4A shows a wire harness 5B containing four wires. Here, of the four wires lined up in the width direction, off-center-of-gravity wires 1B are placed at both ends, and two non-shifted wires 9 are placed between these off-center-of-gravity wires 1B. In this case, compared to the case where four non-shifted wires 9 are lined up, the pole spacing p2 between the two central non-shifted wires 9 remains unchanged, but the pole spacing p1 between the off-center-of-gravity wires 1B at both ends and the adjacent non-shifted wires 9 can be made smaller. Accordingly, the width dimension of the entire connector 51 can also be made smaller.
[0057] When arranging four or more wires side by side, using large-offset wires 1C can further reduce the pole spacing p1, p2 and the overall width dimension of the connector 51. In this case, it is sufficient to place large-offset wires 1C at at least both ends in the width direction. In the wire harness 5C shown in Figure 4B, two of the four wires are large-offset wires 1C, positioned on both sides in the width direction, and the two wires in between are centroid-offset wires 1B, where the entire width of the low-flat section 3 is within the width w of the flat section 2. Both centroid-offset wires 1B and 1C are positioned with their outer edges on the eccentricity direction D1 side facing inward in the direction of arrangement. In this case, both pole spacing p1 and p2 can be reduced compared to arranging four non-offset wires 9 side by side. By appropriately setting the amount of offset L of the centroid 31 of the low-flat section 3 in the two types of centroid-offset wires 1B and 1C, the pole spacing p1 and p2 can also be made equally spaced. If the number of wires is greater than four, in addition to the center-of-gravity shifted wire 1B placed in the center, multiple types of large-shifted wires 1C with different amounts of shift L of the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat section 3 should be prepared, and the large-shifted wires 1C with larger amounts of shift L should be placed further outward in the direction of alignment.
[0058] In the wire harnesses 5, 5A to 5C of the above-described forms, wires with a low-flat portion 3 at their terminal end are used as offset-center-of-gravity wires and wires without offset-center-of-gravity wires, and a connector 51 is connected to the terminal end, so that multiple wires are bundled together at the low-flat portion 3 by the connector 51. However, the wire harness of this disclosure is not limited to such forms, and has a group of wires consisting of multiple wires including an offset-center-of-gravity wire, and in that group of wires, if the offset-center-of-gravity wire is adjacent to another wire in the eccentric direction D1 of the low-flat portion 3, the low-flat portion 3 can be brought close to the adjacent wire by utilizing the fact that the center of gravity 31 of the low-flat portion 3 is shifted in the eccentric direction D1. Furthermore, the spacing between the low-flat portion 3 and adjacent wires can be narrowed and the group of wires can be bundled together without having to apply a sharp bend to the low-flat portion 3 or make the low-flat portion 3 excessively long to avoid such a sharp bend. As a means of bundling a group of wires, including wires with a misaligned center of gravity, in addition to connecting to a common connector 51, another method is to bundle the group of wires together using a binding member such as tape or a tube at the point corresponding to the low-flattened portion 3 of the wire with a misaligned center of gravity. In this case, the low-flattened portion 3 may be provided at the end of the wire with a misaligned center of gravity or at an intermediate point.
[0059] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited in any way to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0060] 1,1A,1B,1C Insulated wire (center of gravity off-center wire) 11 Conductors 13 Insulating coating 2 Flat part 21 Center of gravity of the flattened part 3 Low flat part 31 Center of gravity of the low-profile section 4 Transition section 5, 5A, 5B, 5C Wire Harness 51 Connectors 52 pole position 9. No displacement of the power lines 95,96 Wire Harness h Height of the flattened part h' Height of the low-lying section p,p1,p2 Pole spacing w width of the flattened part w' Width of the low-flattened section x Axial direction of the insulated wire y width direction z-direction (height) D1 Eccentric direction (first direction) D2 Anti-eccentric direction (second direction) L: Displacement of the center of gravity of the low-flattened section relative to the center of gravity of the flattened section. θ1 Angle of the outer edge of the transition region in the eccentric direction θ2 Angle of the outer edge of the transition region in the antieccentric direction
Claims
1. A conductor made of multiple strands twisted together, An insulated wire having an insulating coating that covers the outer circumference of the conductor, Each of the strands constituting the conductor and the insulating coating are connected to each other, and have a flattened portion and a low-flattened portion along the axial direction. The cross-section of the insulated wire perpendicular to the axial direction has a flattened shape in the flattened portion that is elongated in the width direction, and a shape with a lower degree of flatness in the low flattened portion. An insulated electric wire in which the position of the center of gravity of the cross-section in the low-flattened portion is shifted in a first direction along the width direction of the flattened shape relative to the position of the center of gravity of the cross-section in the flattened portion.
2. The insulated wire according to claim 1, having the low-flat portion at the terminal end.
3. The insulated wire has a transition section between the flattened portion and the low-flattened portion, The insulated wire according to claim 1, wherein the outer edge of the transition portion on the widthwise side has an angle with respect to the axial direction in at least a second direction which is opposite to the first direction.
4. The insulated wire according to claim 3, wherein the outer edge of the transition portion is inclined with respect to the axial direction at least in the second direction.
5. The outer edge of the transition portion is inclined with respect to the axial direction in both the first and second directions. The insulated wire according to claim 4, wherein the inclination in the first direction is smaller than that in the second direction.
6. The outer edge of the transition portion is In the first direction, extending along the axial direction, The insulated wire according to claim 3, wherein the second direction has an angle with respect to the axial direction.
7. The insulated wire according to claim 1, wherein the entire width of the low-flattened portion is contained within the width range of the flattened portion.
8. The insulated wire according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the widthwise region of the low-flattened portion is offset in the first direction from the flattened portion beyond the width range of the flattened portion.
9. Having a plurality of wires including an insulated wire as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, The low-flattened portion of the insulated wire is adjacent to other wires in the first direction, in a wire harness.
10. The wire harness according to claim 9, wherein the insulated wire has the low-flat portion at its terminal end, and is connected at the low-flat portion to a connector common to other wires.
11. The wire harness includes at least two of the insulated wires, The wire harness according to claim 9, wherein the two insulated wires are arranged in the width direction of the flattened shape, with their respective outer edges in the first direction facing each other, or with another wire in between.
12. The wire harness includes two insulated wires placed adjacent to each other. The wire harness according to claim 11, wherein in the two insulated wires, the distance between the centers of gravity of the low-flattened portions is smaller than the width of the flattened portions.