Wire Harness Protector With Multi-Posture Connector Holding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of vehicle electrical systems due to advanced technologies like automatic driving and external environment detection leads to a proliferation of sub-harnesses of varying lengths, causing issues with connectivity and manufacturing efficiency, as existing wire harnesses struggle to absorb excess wire length without increasing the number of sub-harness types.
Innovation Solution
A wire harness design featuring a wire bundle with a protector that includes a housing portion and a connector holding portion capable of holding connectors in multiple postures, allowing the relay line to be extended and absorbed without changing the sub-harness length, thereby accommodating excess wire length without increasing the types of sub-harnesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sub-harnesses of various lengths are individually prepared to match different mounting positions, then connectivity to electrical components is ensured, but the number of sub-harness types increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protector is designed with a connector holding portion that can accommodate connectors in multiple postures (first posture and second posture), allowing a single sub-harness type to be used across different mounting positions and vehicle specifications. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for multiple sub-harness variants while ensuring proper connectivity to electrical components regardless of their position.
2Reliability
If a sub-harness of appropriate length is used, then abnormal noise is prevented, but determining the correct length requires multiple sub-harness types
Solution Approach 1:
The connector holding portion is designed to allow dynamic adjustment of connector posture between a first posture (when relay line has excess length) and a second posture (when relay line length is appropriate). This dynamic adaptability enables a single sub-harness length to work correctly across different scenarios, preventing abnormal noise without requiring multiple fixed-length variants.
3Productivity
If the number of sub-harness types is reduced, then manufacturing efficiency improves, but it becomes difficult to accommodate different mounting positions and vehicle specifications
Solution Approach 1:
The protector incorporates a universal connector holding portion that can accept connectors in multiple postures, enabling a single sub-harness type to adapt to different mounting positions and vehicle specifications. This design achieves manufacturing efficiency by reducing sub-harness variety while maintaining full adaptability through the multi-posture capability of the protector.
Data Source
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AI summary
A wire harness (1) includes: a wire bundle (11, 12) having a plurality of electric wires (99); and a protector (40) attached to the wire bundle (11, 12). The wire bundle (11, 12) has a relay line (30) drawn out from the wire bundle (11, 12). The relay line (30) has a connector (32) at an end portion of the relay line (30). The protector (40) has: a housing portion (41A) to cover the wire bundle; and a connector holding portion (43A) capable of holding the connector (32) in a first posture and a second posture different from the first posture. The connector holding portion (43A) is located in the housing portion (41A) within a range to allow the relay line (30) to be extended to hold the connector (32) on the connector holding portion (43A). The connector is held by the connector holding portion (43A) in one of the first posture and the second posture to house the relay line (30) in the protector(40).