Midpoint Branching Wire Harness for High-Voltage EV Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wire harnesses for high-voltage devices in hybrid electric vehicles face complexity and increased production costs due to the need for lengthy conductive paths, often requiring U-turn configurations that complicate installation and increase material usage.
Innovation Solution
A wire harness design featuring a trunk cable with a branch cable connected at a midpoint, utilizing an insulating and waterproofing portion with a resin mold and shielding member to ensure electrical connectivity and protection, reducing the need for lengthy extensions and simplifying installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the conductive path is extended from the harness end to the alternative device, then electrical connection to additional devices is achieved, but the conductive path becomes longer and production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire harness is divided into a main harness and a sub-harness that can be independently configured. The sub-harness branches from the main harness at an intermediate position, allowing flexible extension to additional devices without extending the entire main conductive path, thus reducing overall material usage while maintaining adaptability
2Adaptability or versatility
If the conductive path is extended from the harness end to the alternative device, then electrical connection to additional devices is achieved, but the laying-out work becomes complex and troublesome
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the wire harness into main and sub-components with standardized connection interfaces, the laying-out process is simplified. Each segment can be independently routed and connected, reducing the complexity of overall installation while enabling flexible electrical connections to multiple devices
Solution Approach 2:
The sub-harness branches from an intermediate position of the main harness in the spatial dimension, creating a tree-like structure. This dimensional approach allows multiple devices to be connected without requiring the conductive path to extend linearly to the end and return, simplifying the laying-out work
3Productivity
If a branch cable is connected to the halfway portion of the conductive path, then connection efficiency is improved, but insulation and waterproofing at the branching portion become critical concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The branching portion utilizes a composite structure combining insulating resin material and waterproofing layer. This composite material approach simultaneously addresses both insulation and waterproofing requirements at the branching portion, ensuring reliability while maintaining connection efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The waterproofing layer is nested within or around the insulating resin material at the branching portion. This nested structure provides dual protection where the inner layer handles one function and the outer layer handles another, ensuring both insulation and waterproofing without compromising reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A wire harness which electrically connects high-voltage devices includes a conductive path that is used as a trunk cable, a branch cable that branches from the trunk cable, and a branch connecting portion which connects the trunk cable with the branch cable, wherein the trunk cable has a trunk cable-side conductor exposed portion where a cover of the trunk cable lying in a predetermined position of the trunk cable is removed, the branch cable has a branch cable-side conductor exposed portion where a cover of the branch cable lying a predetermined position of the branch cable is removed, the trunk cable-side conductor exposed portion is connected with the branch cable-side conductor exposed portion at the branch connecting portion, and the branch connecting portion has an insulating and waterproofing portion which functions as an insulating portion and a waterproofing portion.