Wire Harness Layout for Uniform Self-Weight Deflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
When electric wires with different conductor cross-sectional areas are arranged side by side in a wire harness, differences in self-weight deflection can lead to reduced handleability, as wires with larger cross-sectional areas experience greater deflection, causing uneven bending and handling issues.
Innovation Solution
The wire harness design involves arranging first and second electric wires with the second wire having a larger conductor cross-sectional area and outer diameter of elemental wires, but with the same or fewer elemental wires as the first wire, to minimize deflection differences, and using a common supporting member like a sheet material to enhance rigidity and handleability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If electric wires with different conductor cross-sectional areas are arranged side by side in a wire harness, then the wire harness can accommodate different current requirements, but the wires with larger cross-sectional areas experience greater self-weight deflection, causing uneven bending and reduced handleability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the wires by applying tension forces during assembly, stretching the wires to reduce sagging and deflection. This allows wires with different cross-sectional areas (and thus different weights) to maintain uniform alignment and handleability while preserving their respective current carrying capacities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary stretching action to the wires during the assembly process, pre-tensioning them before final installation. This preliminary action counteracts the future self-weight deflection that would occur during use, ensuring uniform alignment is maintained throughout the wire harness's service life
2Power
If wires with larger conductor cross-sectional areas are used, then current carrying capacity is improved, but the mass per unit length increases causing larger self-weight deflection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mechanical state parameter of the wires by applying tension, transforming the wires from a sagging state under self-weight to a taut state. This parameter change allows heavier wires (with larger cross-sectional areas for higher power capacity) to behave like lighter wires in terms of deflection, as the tension counteracts the gravitational force
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple wires with different cross-sectional areas are arranged side by side, then electrical functionality is improved, but the difference in deflection amount causes only part of the wires to bend and drop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary stretching to all wires during assembly, pre-positioning them in a taut, aligned state. This preliminary action ensures that wires with different cross-sectional areas and inherent deflection characteristics all start from the same aligned position, maintaining stable composition throughout the wire harness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameter of the wires by applying tension forces, transforming the system from one where wires deflect by different amounts to one where all wires maintain uniform alignment. This parameter change stabilizes the wire harness composition while preserving the electrical functionality provided by wires of different cross-sectional areas
Data Source
AI summary
A wire harness has less differences of the amount of deflection caused by the self weight when the wire harness is constructed by arranging the plurality of the electric wire having the different cross-sectional area of the conductor. A wire harness has first and second electric wires arranged side by side in a direction intersecting an axial direction of the electric wires. Each of the first and second electric wires includes a conductor with a plurality of elemental wires, the second electric wire has a larger conductor cross-sectional area than the first electric wire has, the second electric wire has the larger outer diameter of the elemental wires composing the conductor than the first electric wire has, and the second electric wire contains a same or smaller number of elemental wires composing the conductor in comparison with the first electric wire.