Wire Harness Metal Pipe Structure for EMI Shielding and Water Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wire harnesses with shielded electric wires and electromagnetic shielding members have a high number of components, which is undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A wire harness design that includes shielded electric wires with core wires and electromagnetic shields, a crimping terminal for connection, an insulative cover, an underlay cover, a metal pipe, and water sealing plugs, where the metal pipe has a shielding connection portion that sandwiches electromagnetic shields and serves as a water-proofing member, reducing the need for separate components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wire harness design with separate electromagnetic shielding members and swaging members is used, then electromagnetic radiation is suppressed and water proofing is ensured, but the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the electromagnetic shielding member and the swaging member into a single integrated structure. The metal pipe serves dual functions: it provides electromagnetic shielding by covering the connection portion and acts as a swaging member to secure the electromagnetic shielding members through its crimping action. This eliminates the need for separate swaging members, reducing component count while maintaining both electromagnetic radiation suppression and water proofing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal pipe is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as an electromagnetic shielding member to suppress radiation, as a swaging member to mechanically secure the shielding layers, and as a structural component to maintain the assembly integrity. This multi-functional design reduces the overall component count while preserving all necessary protective functions.
2Reliability
If multiple separate components (insulative member, electromagnetic shielding member, swaging member, resin pipe) are used, then each component performs its specific function, but assembly complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the swaging function into the metal pipe structure itself, the patent reduces the number of assembly steps. The metal pipe is installed and crimped in a single operation, simultaneously providing shielding, mechanical securing, and structural support, rather than requiring separate installation of multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal pipe's multi-functional design simplifies manufacturing by eliminating the need to source, manage, and assemble multiple specialized components. A single metal pipe component performs the roles of both electromagnetic shielding and mechanical fastening, reducing inventory complexity and assembly operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively suppresses electromagnetic radiation and ensures water-proofing while minimizing the number of components, facilitating easy assembly and enhancing reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a metal pipe that covers an outer circumference of the underlay cover; and a water sealing plug interposed between an inner circumferential surface of an end of the metal pipe in a length direction and an outer circumferential surface of the shielded electric wires, wherein the metal pipe has a shielding connection portion that protrudes inward in a radial direction to sandwich the electromagnetic shields together with the underlay cover while being connected to the electromagnetic shields
Implementation Method 2
a water sealing plug interposed between an inner circumferential surface of an end of the metal pipe in a length direction and an outer circumferential surface of the shielded electric wires, and the core wires and the electromagnetic shielding members are prevented from being exposed to water
Data Source
AI summary
A wire harness that includes: a plurality of shielded electric wires that each have a core wire and an electromagnetic shield that covers an outer circumference of the core wire; a terminal where the plurality of core wires are connected to each other; an insulative cover that covers an outer circumference of the terminal; an underlay cover that covers an outer circumference of the insulative cover; a metal pipe that covers an outer circumference of the underlay cover; and a water sealing plug interposed between an inner circumferential surface of an end of the metal pipe in a length direction and an outer circumferential surface of the shielded electric wires.