Segmented Flat Wire Harness for Flexible Protected Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flat wires protected by corrugated tubes lose flexibility due to the rigidity of the tube, making it difficult to bend and route them in confined spaces, such as within automobiles.
Innovation Solution
A wire harness design featuring exterior members made of a material with a higher tensile modulus than the insulating covering, having higher bending flexibility than the wire portion, and fixed at spaced intervals by a flexible tape, allowing the wire to be protected while maintaining high flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flat corrugated tube is used to protect the flat wire, then the protective function is provided, but the bending flexibility of the wire is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The exterior member is divided into multiple segments along the axial direction, with each segment capable of independent bending. The fixing members secure adjacent segments together while allowing relative movement between segments, enabling the wire harness to bend without requiring the entire exterior member to deform simultaneously. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing protection through the exterior member structure while maintaining flexibility through the segmented design that allows progressive deformation.
2Reliability
If the exterior members are fixed tightly to protect the wire, then protection is improved, but flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing members are positioned at multiple locations along the axial direction rather than continuously, creating a dynamic structure where the exterior members can move relative to each other between fixing points. This allows the wire harness to adapt its rigidity based on the required bending radius and location, providing tight protection where fixing members are present while maintaining flexibility in the spaces between them. The dynamic arrangement resolves the contradiction by making the protection level adjustable along the length of the wire harness.
3Volume of moving object
If a flat corrugated tube is used, then space occupation is reduced, but bending in width direction requires large force
Solution Approach 1:
The exterior member is segmented into multiple sections along the axial direction, with each segment capable of independent deformation. When bending in the width direction is required, only the specific segment needing to bend needs to deform, while other segments remain relatively stationary and provide structural support. This segmentation reduces the total force required compared to bending a continuous rigid tube, while still maintaining the compact flat profile that minimizes space occupation.
Data Source
AI summary
A wire harness includes: a wire portion that includes an insulated wire and has a flat cross-sectional shape that is longer in a width direction than in a height direction; a pair of exterior members that are respectively in contact with two surfaces of the wire portion in the height direction; and a fixing member fixing the pair of exterior members to each other with the wire portion sandwiched between the exterior members, wherein the wire portion includes the insulated wire configured as a flat wire or a set of a plurality of the insulated wires, the exterior members are made of a material that has a higher tensile modulus than the insulating covering and have a higher bending flexibility than the wire portion in the height direction, and the fixing member fixes the pair of exterior members.