Wire Harness Covering With Segmented Side Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire harness protectors are prone to warping and twisting, leading to unintended bending and potential damage when the seat slides, as they are not configured to restrict movement in directions other than the intended routing path.
Innovation Solution
A covering with a strip-shaped portion, paired side wall rows, and a lid portion with spacer elements that maintain spacing between side wall portions, preventing warping and twisting by allowing bending in the intended direction while keeping the covering aligned with the routing path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cutting lines are formed on the protector to enable easy bending along the routing path, then the protector can bend in the intended direction, but the protector becomes prone to warping and twisting in other directions
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls of the protector are divided into multiple segments with cutting lines formed between them. These segmented side walls can bend relative to each other along the routing path direction, enabling the protector to follow the wire harness routing while maintaining stability in other directions through the structured segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protector is designed with different structural properties in different directions: the side walls have cutting lines that allow bending in the routing path direction, while the front and rear walls maintain continuous structures that prevent warping and twisting. This local differentiation of structural quality resolves the contradiction between bendability and stability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the protector is made flexible to follow seat sliding movement, then the wire harness can accommodate seat motion, but the protector may come into contact with the rail inner surface or parallel protectors causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The protector is designed with dynamic bending capability through the segmented side walls with cutting lines, allowing it to adapt its shape during seat sliding motion. The structure dynamically adjusts to the routing path changes while maintaining sufficient rigidity in other directions to prevent contact damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The protector employs asymmetric structural design where the front and rear walls are continuous and rigid to prevent contact damage, while the side walls are segmented and flexible to accommodate motion. This asymmetric distribution of rigidity and flexibility resolves the contradiction between adaptability and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a covering including: a strip-shaped portion that extends along an electric wire and being bendable; a pair of side wall portion rows provided with the electric wire being interposed therebetween, and in each of which a plurality of pairs of side wall portions extending upward from the strip-shaped portion are arranged in a direction in which the strip-shaped portion extends; and a lid portion that is disposed opposing the strip-shaped portion and keeps the electric wire that is interposed between the pair of side wall portion rows from coming out of the covering. The lid portion includes spacer portions that are respectively inserted in a gap between adjacent side wall portions and in a gap between adjacent side wall portions in the side wall portion rows and maintain a spacing between the adjacent side wall portions and at least a predetermined spacing between the adjacent side wall portions.