Wire Harness Protector Rib Configuration for Compact Packaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wire harness protectors require large packing boxes for transportation due to the protrusion of corrugated tubes, leading to increased transportation and storage costs.
Innovation Solution
A wire harness protector design where the front end of the cover is positioned rearward of the protector body's front end, incorporating ribs to hold the corrugated tube, allowing it to be folded inward and upward, thus accommodating the protector in a smaller packing box.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the corrugated tube is folded outward and upward along the front end of the protector body for accommodation in a packing box, then the wire harness protector can be transported and stored, but the size of the packing box is increased, leading to increased transportation and storage costs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the cover front end extend forward to allow corrugated tube folding, this invention inverts the design by making the protector body front end extend forward beyond the cover front end. This reversal of the conventional configuration allows the corrugated tube to fold rearward along the protector body, reducing the forward projection and enabling more compact packing box dimensions while maintaining transportation and storage functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the spatial arrangement by positioning the corrugated tube folding path along the longitudinal axis of the protector body rather than projecting outward in a lateral or upward direction. By having the corrugated tube fold rearward along the protector body length, the design utilizes the longitudinal dimension more efficiently, reducing the overall footprint and allowing for a smaller packing box volume
2Reliability
If the corrugated tube is projected outward from the front end of the protector body, then the wire harness route is regulated for vehicle mounting performance, but the packing box size must be increased to accommodate the projection
Solution Approach 1:
This invention inverts the conventional design by having the protector body front end extend forward beyond the cover front end, rather than having the cover extend forward. This reversal allows the corrugated tube to be positioned and folded rearward along the protector body, maintaining the necessary forward projection for vehicle mounting performance while reducing the overall accommodation space required in the packing box
3Device complexity
If the front end of the cover is arranged at the same position as the front end of the protector body, then the structure is simple, but the corrugated tube cannot be folded compactly for transportation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the cover front end align with or extend beyond the protector body front end, this invention inverts the configuration by positioning the protector body front end forward of the cover front end. This reversed arrangement creates the necessary space for the corrugated tube to fold rearward along the protector body, enabling compact transportation packaging while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces dynamic folding capability by creating space between the cover front end and protector body front end, allowing the corrugated tube to be folded rearward along the protector body during transportation. This dynamic configuration enables the structure to adapt between its functional form for vehicle mounting and its compact form for packaging, without requiring complex mechanical mechanisms
Data Source
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AI summary
A wire harness protector includes a protector body and a cover. The protector body is configured to accommodate a corrugated tube extending in a front-rear direction and through which a wire harness is inserted. The cover is configured to cover an opening of the protector body. A first front end being one of a front end of the protector body or a front end of the cover is arranged rearward of a second front end being the other of the front ends. A portion of the wire harness protector located at the first front end includes a first rib configured to hold the corrugated tube. A portion of wire harness the protector facing the first front end and located rearward of the second front end includes a second rib configured to hold the corrugated tube.