Wire Harness Branching Point Protection with Variable Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional protective sheets for wire harness branching points, when thickened to improve protection, often lead to loosening and unintended separation from the harness due to increased rigidity.
Innovation Solution
A protective member with a band-shaped fixing strip portion of smaller thickness than the protective sheet, wound around the trunk harness to securely attach and protect the branching point, utilizing a two-layer structure of resin materials with different properties for enhanced flexibility and abrasion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the thickness of the protective sheet is increased to improve protection performance, then the protective performance is improved, but the rigidity is enhanced causing the lap winding portions to loosen and the protective sheet to separate from the wire harness
Solution Approach 1:
The protective member is divided into three distinct parts: a protective sheet portion for protection, and two separate band-shaped fixing strip portions for attachment. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently - the protective sheet can be thick for protection while the fixing strips are thin for flexibility and secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the protective member have different thicknesses tailored to their specific functions. The protective sheet portion has greater thickness for protection, while the fixing strip portions have smaller thickness for flexibility and secure winding around the wire harness, preventing loosening.
2Reliability
If the thickness of the protective sheet is increased to improve protection performance, then the protective performance is improved, but the rigidity is enhanced making the protective sheet too rigid for secure attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The protective member is divided into a protective sheet portion and separate fixing strip portions. This allows the fixing strips to be optimized for ease of attachment through winding and adhesion, while the protective sheet maintains thickness for protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing strip portions have reduced thickness compared to the protective sheet, providing the flexibility needed for easy winding around the wire harness and secure attachment, while the protective sheet maintains adequate thickness for protection.
3Reliability
If a two-layer structure with different resin materials is used, then flexibility and abrasion resistance are enhanced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective member uses a two-layer composite structure with different resin materials optimized for specific functions - one layer for flexibility and another for abrasion resistance. This composite approach enhances overall reliability while the integration into a single molded piece keeps manufacturing feasible.
Data Source
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AI summary
A protective member (10) for a wire harness (1), having a branching point (99) between a trunk harness (2A) and a branch harness (2B), includes a protective sheet portion (11) to be wound around an outer circumference of at least the trunk harness (2A) near the branching point; a pair of band-shaped fixing strip portions (12) extending from the protective sheet portion (11) and to be wound around on the trunk harness (2A) at a pair of spots. The branching point is between the pair of the spots. The protective member (10) is formed from a resin. The fixing strip portions (12) are smaller in thickness than the protective sheet portion (11).