Wire Harness Shape Modifying Section for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wire harnesses face inefficiencies in heat dissipation and susceptibility to external heat due to low occupancy of the conducting path in the exterior member and proximity to heat generation sources, leading to inadequate heat transfer and potential damage from external heat exposure.
Innovation Solution
The wire harness incorporates a shape changed portion with a small tube portion, tube continuous portion, and large tube portion in the exterior member, increasing the conducting path's occupancy and reducing surface area, allowing for enhanced heat absorption and dissipation while maintaining a safe distance from heat sources, and can be made from either resin or metal materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the conducting path occupancy in the exterior member is low, then the distance from the conducting path to the inner surface of the exterior member is large, but heat dissipation effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The exterior member is designed with varying cross-sectional areas along its length, creating local regions (small tube portions) where the conducting path occupies a larger proportion of the interior space. This local increase in occupancy enhances thermal contact between the conducting path and exterior member at critical heat generation zones, improving heat dissipation effectiveness without requiring uniformly high occupancy throughout the entire exterior member.
2Length of stationary object
If the exterior member is directly exposed to heat from heat generation sources, then the distance to heat sources is reduced, but susceptibility to external heat increases
Solution Approach 1:
The exterior member incorporates small tube portions with reduced outer periphery lengths at specific locations where heat generation sources are present. By locally reducing the outer dimensions rather than uniformly increasing the distance throughout, the design maintains adequate protection against external heat while minimizing the surface area exposed to thermal radiation and convection from heat sources like exhaust pipes.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution addresses the heat exposure problem by modifying the exterior member's geometry in the radial dimension (reducing outer periphery length) rather than solely relying on increasing the longitudinal distance to heat sources. This dimensional approach allows the wire harness to maintain compact routing while still providing thermal protection through reduced surface area exposure.
3Area of stationary object
If the outer periphery length of the small tube portion is reduced, then the surface area is decreased, but heat dissipation capability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The exterior member features localized small tube portions with reduced outer periphery lengths positioned at specific sections where heat generation sources are located. These local reductions decrease the surface area exposed to external heat while the interior geometry maintains adequate occupancy for heat dissipation. The solution recognizes that heat dissipation occurs primarily through thermal conduction from the conducting path to the exterior member, which is enhanced by high occupancy in the small tube portions, rather than relying on large external surface area for convection and radiation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively enhances heat dissipation and reduces susceptibility to external heat, improving the wire harness's thermal management and durability by efficiently absorbing and dissipating heat generated within the conducting path.
Implementation Method 1
heat generated at the conducting path is efficiently absorbed at the small tube portion, so that the absorbed heat can be dissipated from the small tube portion
Implementation Method 2
the absorbed heat can be dissipated from the small tube portion
Implementation Method 3
the absorbed heat can be dissipated from the small tube portion
Data Source
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AI summary
A shape modifying section (23) includes a small tube section (28) having a housing space (27), a tube continuous section (29) having one end continuous with an end of the small tube section (28), and a large tube section (30) which is continuous with the other end of the tube continuous section (29) and which has a tubular shape having an outer shape larger than that of the small tube section (28).