Flat Harness Protector Routing Narrow Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional harness exterior protectors face issues such as spatial waste and rattling when accommodating oval-sectional-shaped electric wires, difficulty in routing through narrow spaces due to circular sectional shapes, and increased complexity and cost due to the need for connecting different shaped protectors.
Innovation Solution
A harness exterior protector composed of a synthetic-resin-made flat bellows tube portion and a flat or round straight tube portion, which are integrally continued, allowing for smooth routing and increased bending rigidity without spatial waste or rattling, and can be produced using air blow molding or vacuum molding techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a circular-sectional-shaped harness exterior protector is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but large gaps are generated when accommodating oval-sectional-shaped electric wires, causing spatial waste and rattling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by changing the cross-sectional shape from circular to flat (rectangular or oval), allowing the protector to better match the shape of the electric wire bundle. This asymmetric flat shape reduces gaps and spatial waste while accommodating the oval-sectional-shaped wires more efficiently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the protector cross-section from circular to flat, modifying the shape parameters to optimize the fit with the electric wire bundle. This parameter change eliminates spatial waste and prevents rattling while maintaining manufacturability.
2Device complexity
If a circular-sectional-shaped straight tube portion is used, then the structure is simple, but it is difficult to route through narrow spaces such as vehicle floors
Solution Approach 1:
The flat cross-sectional shape provides asymmetric geometric properties that enable the tube to be routed through narrow spaces more easily. The flattened profile allows the tube to conform to the contours of vehicle floors and narrow routing paths, improving ease of operation while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the cross-sectional parameters from circular to flat, the patent creates a profile that can navigate narrow spaces and conform to vehicle body contours, significantly improving routing ease through tight spaces while keeping the overall structure simple.
3Strength
If the rigidity of the straight tube portion is increased, then the structural strength is improved, but the tube becomes harder to bend and route
Solution Approach 1:
The flat cross-sectional shape creates asymmetric moment of inertia properties, providing higher rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the flat surface while maintaining flexibility for routing. This asymmetric geometry allows the tube to be rigid when needed but still bendable during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
By modifying the cross-sectional parameters to a flat shape, the patent achieves optimized rigidity characteristics - the flattened profile increases bending rigidity in the primary structural direction while allowing controlled bending during routing operations, balancing strength and ease of installation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If different shaped protectors (circular and oval) are connected via a hard-synthetic-resin-made protector, then the harness can accommodate different wire shapes, but the overall structure becomes complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple different-shaped protectors into a single flat-shaped protector that can accommodate various wire bundle configurations. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate circular and oval protectors and their connecting components, reducing structural complexity and cost while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat-shaped protector serves multiple functions - it can accommodate both tightly bundled wires and more loosely arranged wire configurations, replacing the need for different specialized protectors. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity while maintaining versatility for different wire arrangements.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 1D~2B
Figure 3~4B
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a harness exterior protector composed of a bellows tube portion and a straight tube portion, able to be routed easily in a narrow space, and, able to increase the bending rigidity of the straight tube portion. A harness exterior protector (1) basically includes: a synthetic-resin-made flat bellows tube portion (2); and a flat straight tube portion (3) integrally continued to the flat bellows tube portion (2). A round bellows tube portion (2') may be provided instead of the flat bellows tube portion (2). A round straight tube portion (3') may be provided instead of the flat straight tube portion (3). Preferably, an inner peripheral surface (10) of the bellows tube portion (2) and an inner peripheral surface (5) of the straight tube portion (3) are continued straight to each other without difference in level.