Automobile Door Sensor Wire Harness Routing With Sealed Service Hole

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing routing structures for wire harnesses in automobile doors compromise noise insulation and increase manufacturing costs due to the need for additional holes and sealing materials to prevent water infiltration.

Innovation Solution

A routing structure for a wire harness that uses a service hole on the door side surface and routes the wire harness into the space between the inner and outer panels of the rear door, eliminating the need for extra holes and utilizing a cover member with a channel and sponge material for enhanced sealing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a hole is provided on the sliding door to route the wire harness inside the door, then the wire harness can be protected and routed stably, but noise insulation performance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewire harness protectionVSAvoidnoise insulation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The wire harness is nested within the space between the inner panel and outer panel of the door, utilizing the existing door structure cavity rather than creating a separate routing path through the door body, thereby avoiding the need for additional holes that would compromise noise insulation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The space between the inner panel and outer panel serves multiple functions: it provides a routing path for the wire harness, maintains noise insulation by avoiding additional holes, and allows for stable harness protection through the cover member and sponge material sealing system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If a hole is provided on the sliding door to route the wire harness, then the wire harness can be protected, but water infiltration risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewire harness protectionVSAvoidwater infiltration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The wire harness is nested within the door's internal space between panels, eliminating the need for holes through the door body that would create water infiltration pathways, while still providing protection through the cover member and sponge material sealing system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The sponge material acts as an intermediary sealing element between the wire harness and the door structure, providing water infiltration prevention without requiring tight coupling of a grommet to a hole, thereby maintaining both protection and sealing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If a grommet is tightly coupled to a hole to prevent water infiltration, then water infiltration is prevented, but manufacturing cost increases due to difficulty of assembly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewater infiltration preventionVSAvoidassembly difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The sponge material serves as a compliant intermediary sealing element that can be easily installed and will automatically conform to the wire harness and door structure, eliminating the need for precise tight coupling of rigid grommets to holes, thereby simplifying assembly while maintaining water infiltration prevention

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing system transitions from a rigid grommet-hole interface requiring precise dimensional control to a flexible sponge material that adapts to variations in wire harness dimensions and door structure tolerances, significantly easing manufacturing and assembly

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Object-affected harmful factors

If a cover member and sponge material are added around the grommet to improve sealing, then sealing performance improves, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing performanceVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The sponge material is used as a standalone intermediary sealing element that eliminates the need for additional cover members and complex sealing assemblies, providing effective sealing while reducing the number of parts and manufacturing steps required

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing function is extracted from the complex multi-component system of grommet plus cover member plus sponge material and simplified to a single sponge material element that performs the sealing function independently, reducing manufacturing cost and complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12280724B2Routing structure of wire harness of sensor for door of automobile

Publication Date: 2025.04.22 NISHIKAWA RUBBER CO LTD

AI summary

To provide an inexpensive routing structure, which is improved in sealing performance with no harm in noise insulation performance, of a wire harness of a sensor for a door of an automobile. The routing structure includes a wire harness of a sensor. The sensor couples to a flange of a rear door of the automobile with a bracket, and detects an electric signal which provides an indication that an object is between the rear door and a front door. The wire harness passes through a through hole, provided on an inner panel of the rear door, and is routed into a space between the inner panel and an outer panel. The through hole is a service hole, provided on a door side surface of the inner panel.