CN113471897A

CN113471897A - Protector and wire harness

Info

Publication number: CN113471897A
Application number: CN202110336083.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小川真由; 中安政文; 池田晋一; 后藤真
Original assignee: Yazaki Corp
Current assignee: Yazaki Corp
Priority date: 2020-03-30
Filing date: 2021-03-29
Publication date: 2021-10-01
Anticipated expiration: 2041-03-29
Also published as: CN113471897B; JP7143361B2; DE102021107371A1; JP2021158903A

Abstract

The invention prevents the reduction of assembling workability and the reduction of durability in transportation. The protector of the present invention has: a protector outer wall surface (1w) for wiring an external electric wire (We 2); and a path limiting unit (50) having an insertion passage (50a) through which a limiting target unit (We21) of the external electric wire is inserted, the path limiting unit limiting the path of the external electric wire by the insertion passage, the path limiting unit including: an insertion path surrounded by the first limiter (51) and the second limiter (52); a hinge section (53) that opens and closes the second regulating body between an open position and a closed position with respect to the first regulating body; and a locking mechanism (54) which locks a first locking body (54a) provided on the first regulating body and a second locking body (54b) provided on the second regulating body to hold the second regulating body at a closed position relative to the first regulating body, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a release operation part (54c) which releases the lockable state of the first locking body and the second locking body by a release operation based on the fingers of an operator.

Description

Protector and wire harness

Technical Field

The invention relates to a protector and a wire harness.

Background

Conventionally, in a wire harness, a protector for protecting an electric wire provided in an installation object such as a vehicle is sometimes provided. The protector further includes: a protector body that accommodates the electric wire from the opening portion; and a cover for closing the opening, wherein the protector is arranged at a position needing to be protected in the electric wire. Such a protector and a wire harness are disclosed in, for example, patent document 1 below.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6198183

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in such a protector, the electric wires are not necessarily wired all the way through the housing chamber of the protector main body. For example, there are both a protector in which an electric wire drawn out from the housing chamber to the outside is wired along an outer wall surface and a protector in which wiring paths for electric wires are provided inside and outside the housing chamber and the electric wires are wired along the outer wall surface from beginning to end. Therefore, the protector is provided with a path regulating portion for regulating a wiring path of the electric wire wired outside. The path regulating unit may be a path regulating unit that moves a wall body that can be opened and closed to a closed position after the wiring of the electric wire, and that causes the electric wire to be routed to a wiring path formed in association with the wall body. In the path restricting portion, the wall body is held in the closed position by a locking mechanism. In the protector, if the wall is transported while maintaining the open position, there is a possibility that the durability is lowered due to an external force acting on the wall during the transportation. Therefore, in this protector, it is desirable to transport the wall body in the closed position, but if the wall body is moved from the closed position to the open position without releasing the lockable state of the locking mechanism by a release operation tool or the like, the electric wire cannot be arranged.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a protector and a wire harness that can suppress both a reduction in assembly workability and a reduction in durability during transportation.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a protector according to the present invention includes: a protector outer wall surface for external wire wiring; and a path restricting unit that has an insertion passage through which a restriction target portion of the external electric wire is inserted, and restricts a path of the external electric wire by using the insertion passage, the path restricting unit including: the insertion passage is enclosed by a first limiting body and a second limiting body; a hinge section provided between the first stopper and the second stopper and configured to open and close the second stopper between an open position and a closed position with respect to the first stopper; and a locking mechanism that includes a first locking body provided to the first regulating body and a second locking body provided to the second regulating body, and that holds the second regulating body at the closed position with respect to the first regulating body by locking the first locking body and the second locking body, the locking mechanism including a release operation portion that releases a lockable state of the first locking body and the second locking body by a release operation with a finger of an operator.

Here, preferably, the hinge portion is a living hinge.

Preferably, when the second regulating body is located at the closed position, the locking mechanism is provided adjacent to the protector outer wall surface in a state in which the first locking body and the second locking body can be locked, and an operation space portion that enables the release operation portion to be released by a finger of an operator is provided between the protector outer wall surface and the release operation portion.

Preferably, the protector outer wall surface has an external housing chamber for housing and routing the external electric wire from an electric wire insertion opening, and the path restricting section inserts the restriction target section of the external electric wire drawn from an electric wire drawing opening of the external housing chamber into the insertion section.

Further, it is preferable that: a protector body formed with an internal housing chamber that houses and routes internal electric wires from a body opening portion; and a cover that closes the body opening, the protector outer wall surface being formed by the protector body and each outer wall surface of the cover.

In order to achieve the above object, a wire harness according to the present invention includes: an external wire; and a protector that protects the external electric wire; the protector is provided with: a protector outer wall surface for the external electric wire wiring; and a path restricting unit having an insertion passage through which a restriction target portion of the external electric wire is inserted, and restricting a path of the external electric wire by the insertion passage,

the path restricting section includes: the insertion passage is enclosed by a first limiting body and a second limiting body; a hinge section provided between the first stopper and the second stopper and configured to open and close the second stopper between an open position and a closed position with respect to the first stopper; and a locking mechanism that includes a first locking body provided to the first regulating body and a second locking body provided to the second regulating body, and that holds the second regulating body at the closed position with respect to the first regulating body by locking the first locking body and the second locking body, the locking mechanism including a release operation portion that releases a lockable state of the first locking body and the second locking body by a release operation with a finger of an operator.

Here, preferably, the protector includes: a protector body formed with an internal housing chamber that houses and routes internal electric wires from a body opening portion; and a cover that closes the body opening, the protector outer wall surface being formed by the protector body and each outer wall surface of the cover.

Effects of the invention

The protector according to the present invention can release the lockable state of the first locking body and the second locking body of the locking mechanism only by the releasing operation of the operator's finger without using a releasing operation tool or the like. Therefore, even when the protector is transported to a wiring place for internal and external electric wires, for example, the second regulating body is held at the closed position with respect to the first regulating body by the locking mechanism, the operator can easily displace the second regulating body to the open position. Therefore, the protector can be transported with the second regulating body kept in the closed position, and therefore, the second regulating body can be transported without being kept in the open position. That is, the protector does not need to be transported in consideration of the reduction in durability when a load is applied from the outside to the second regulating body in the open position during transportation, and even if a load is applied from the outside to the second regulating body in the closed position during transportation, the locking mechanism is in a state in which it can be locked, and therefore, the protector is superior in terms of durability to the case where transportation is performed with the second regulating body in the open position. Therefore, this protector can suppress a reduction in durability during transportation, as compared with a conventional protector in which the lockable state of the locking mechanism must be released by a release operation tool or the like. Further, when the inner and outer electric wires are arranged after transportation, the operator can easily release the lockable state of the locking mechanism with his/her fingers, and thus the reduction of the assembling workability of the inner and outer electric wires can be suppressed. Thus, the protector according to the present invention can suppress both the reduction of the assembling workability and the reduction of the durability during transportation. Further, the wire harness according to the present invention includes such a protector, and thus the effects obtained by the protector can be obtained similarly.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a protector and a wire harness according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the protector and the wire harness according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the protector and the wire harness, in which the protector of the embodiment is partially exploded.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the path regulating part in which the second regulating body is in the open position.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the path regulating part with the second regulating body in the open position, viewed from another angle.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the path regulating part in which the second regulating body is in the closed position.

Fig. 7 is a partial enlarged view of the X-X line section of fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the protector.

Fig. 9 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the protector viewed from another angle.

Fig. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the protector main body.

Fig. 11 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the cover.

Description of the reference numerals

1 protector

1w protector outer wall surface

10 protector body

10a main body opening part

10b internal receiving chamber

10w outer wall surface

20 cover

20w outer wall surface

40 external housing chamber

40a wire insertion port

40b electric wire outlet

50 path limiting part

50a plug-in

51 first limiting body

52 second limiting body

53 hinge part

54 locking mechanism

54a first engaging body

54b second locking body

54c release operation part

54d operation space section

We1 internal wire

We2 external wire

WR21 restriction target part

WH wire harness

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the protector and the wire harness according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[ embodiment ]

A protector and 1 embodiment of a wire harness according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 11.

Reference numeral 1 in fig. 1 to 7 denotes a protector of the present embodiment. In addition, reference numeral WH in fig. 1 to 7 denotes a wire harness of the present embodiment. The wire harness WH includes, for example, electric wires mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and at least an external electric wire We 2. The protector 1 is a wire protection member that protects the external wire We2, and the external wire We2 is wired outside. The protector 1 is one of the components of the wire harness WH by assembling the external electric wire We2 on the outside. The wire harness WH shown here includes a wire group Weg provided with at least an inner wire We1 and an outer wire We 2. The protector 1 shown here is configured as a wire protection member that protects the internal wire We1 and the external wire We2, and the internal wire We1 is wired on the inside and the external wire We2 is wired on the outside.

Here, each of the internal electric wires We1 and the external electric wires We2 may be formed of 1 electric wire, or may be formed as a wire bundle in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled into 1. The inner wire We1 and the outer wire We2 shown here are cylindrical in shape whether they are made up of 1 wire or a bundle of wires.

The protector 1 is molded from an insulating material such as synthetic resin. The protector 1 includes: a protector body 10 having an internal housing chamber 10b (fig. 10) in which internal electric wires We1 are housed and wired from a body opening 10a (fig. 10); and a cover 20 that closes the main body opening 10a (fig. 1 to 3, 8, and 9).

In the protector main body 10, an internal housing chamber 10b is formed as a structure in which at least 1 internal electric wire We1 is wired. In the protector main body 10, when the plurality of internal wires We1 are wired, the internal housing chamber 10b is provided for each internal wire We 1.

The protector main body 10 has: a bottom wall 11 disposed opposite to the main body opening 10a with a gap therebetween; and side walls 12 that are erected from the bottom wall surface 11a of the bottom wall 11 toward the main body opening 10a and are disposed facing each other with a space therebetween (fig. 10). In the protector main body 10, a space surrounded by the bottom wall 11 and the side walls 12 is used as the internal housing chamber 10 b. Therefore, in the protector main body 10, in the case where a plurality of internal housing chambers 10b are provided, the combination of the pair of side wall bodies 12 is provided so as to stand from the bottom wall surface 11a of the bottom wall body 11 for each internal housing chamber 10 b.

In the protector main body 10, when the 2 internal housing chambers 10b are disposed adjacent to each other without a space, the side wall body 12 disposed between the 2 internal housing chambers 10b may be shared by the internal housing chambers 10 b. In addition, in the 1 common side wall body 12, a through hole, a notch, or the like may be provided in a range in which the adjacent internal electric wires We1 do not interfere with each other, and the adjacent 2 internal housing chambers 10b may be partially communicated.

The protector body 10 may have other storage chambers besides the internal storage chamber 10 b. For example, the other housing chambers include a chamber for housing and holding a connector, a chamber for housing and routing wires of the connector, and a chamber for merging and routing the internal wires We1 of the internal housing chambers 10 b.

The protector body 10 may be formed of 1 component, or may be formed of a plurality of components assembled with each other.

In the protector main body 10 shown here, 2 internal housing chambers 10b are provided. In the protector body 10, a relay chamber 10c (fig. 10) is formed in the middle of each internal housing chamber 10b to communicate the chambers of the internal housing chambers 10b with each other. In the protector body 10, the 2 internal housing chambers 10b are arranged side by side with a space therebetween when viewed from the body opening 10a side with respect to one side of the relay chamber 10c, and the 2 internal housing chambers 10b are arranged side by side with a space therebetween when viewed from the body opening 10a side with respect to the other side of the relay chamber 10 c.

The cover 20 is assembled to the protector body 10, thereby closing the internal housing chamber 10b and the relay chamber 10c of the protector body 10 from the body opening 10a side.

The lid 20 has a lid body 21 (fig. 8, 9, and 11) that closes the internal storage chamber 10b from the main body opening 10a side. When the protector body 10 has a plurality of internal housing chambers 10b, the cover 20 may be provided with 1 cover body 21 for each internal housing chamber 10b, or with 1 cover body 21 for closing all internal housing chambers 10b from the body opening portion 10a side. The lid 20 may be provided with 1 lid body 21 for closing the plurality of internal storage chambers 10b from the main body opening 10a side. In this case, the cover 20 is provided with at least 1 cover 21 for closing a combination of the plurality of internal storage chambers 10b, and in some cases, at least 1 cover 21 for closing 1 internal storage chamber 10b is provided.

The cover 20 further includes side wall bodies 22 (fig. 8, 9, and 11) that are respectively erected from the cover body 21 and are disposed to face each other with a space therebetween.

The cover 20 shown here closes one side of the 2 internal housing chambers 10b with respect to the relay chamber 10c, and has a combination of a cover body 21 and respective sidewall bodies 22 for each internal housing chamber 10 b. In the combination of the lid 21 and the side walls 22, the side walls 12 are accommodated in the inner space thereof, whereby the inner housing chamber 10b formed by the side walls 12 is closed from the main opening 10a side. For convenience, a combination of one cover 21 and each sidewall 22 is referred to as a first cover 20A, and a combination of the other cover 21 and each sidewall 22 is referred to as a second cover 20B (fig. 1 to 3, 8, 9, and 11). In the cover 20, the first cover 20A and the second cover 20B are arranged in parallel with a space therebetween.

The first cover 20A closes one of the adjacent internal housing chambers 10b with a gap therebetween when viewed from the main body opening 10A, and closes a part of the relay chamber 10c into which the internal electric wire We1 of the one internal housing chamber 10b enters. On the other hand, the second cover 20B closes the other internal housing chamber 10B of the adjacent internal housing chambers 10B with a gap therebetween when viewed from the main body opening 10 a.

The cover 20 has a coupling body 23 (fig. 8, 9, and 11) between the first cover 20A and the second cover 20B for coupling them. The connecting member 23 connects the side wall members 22 disposed facing each other between the first cover 20A and the second cover 20B. The connecting member 23 closes a part of the relay room 10c into which the internal electric wire We1 of the other internal housing room 10b enters. The connecting member 23 shown here is formed in a flat plate shape, and partially connects end portions of the side wall bodies 22 on the side in the standing direction from the lid body 21.

In contrast, the cover 20 shown here has a combination of 1 cover body 21 and each sidewall body 22 as a member for closing the other side of the 2 internal housing chambers 10b with respect to the relay chamber 10c, so as to close the 2 internal housing chambers 10b together. In the combination of the lid body 21 and the side wall bodies 22, the 2 outermost side wall bodies 12 constituting the 2 internal storage chambers 10b are stored in the space inside thereof, thereby closing the 2 internal storage chambers 10b from the main body opening portion 10a side. For convenience of explanation, the combination of the cover 21 and the side walls 22 will be referred to as a third cover 20C (fig. 1 to 3, 8, 9, and 11).

The cover 20 may be formed of 1 component or a plurality of components assembled to each other.

The protector 1 includes a lock mechanism 30 between the protector body 10 and the cover 20, and the assembled state of the protector body 10 and the cover 20 is maintained by the lock mechanism 30 (fig. 1 and 2). The lock mechanism 30 includes: a first locking body 31 provided in the protector body 10, and a second locking body 32 provided in the cover 20 (fig. 8 and 9). The lock mechanism 30 maintains the assembled state by bringing the first locking body 31 and the second locking body 32 into a state capable of locking with each other when the protector body 10 and the cover 20 are in the assembled state. For example, the first locking body 31 and the second locking body 32 have a pawl portion on one of them, and have a locking portion on the other of them for hooking the pawl portion when the protector body 10 and the cover 20 are assembled. The protector 1 includes such lock mechanisms 30 at a plurality of locations.

In the protector 1, an outer wall surface (hereinafter referred to as "protector outer wall surface") 1w (fig. 1, 2, 8, and 9) is formed by the outer wall surfaces 10w and 20w of the protector body 10 and the cover 20 in an assembled state. In the protector 1 shown here, a part of the bottom wall surface 11a of the protector body 10, such as between the internal housing chambers 10b, also becomes the outer wall surface 10w of the protector body 10. The protector body 10 shown here is provided with a standing wall 13, and the standing wall 13 is erected from between the respective internal housing chambers 10B in the bottom wall surface 11a, and is disposed between the first cover 20A and the second cover 20B in the cover 20 in the assembled state (fig. 1 and 8 to 10). The standing wall 13 extends in the wiring direction of the internal electric wire We1 in each internal housing room 10B, and is disposed facing the outer wall surface 22a of each sidewall 22 disposed facing between the first cover 20A and the second cover 20B. Thus, in the protector 1, the wall surface of the standing wall 13 also serves as the outer wall surface 10w of the protector body 10. In the protector 1 shown here, the connecting body 23 of the cover 20 partially covers the bottom wall surface 11a of the relay chamber 10 c. Therefore, in this coupling member 23, the wall surface 23a on the lid 21 side becomes the outer wall surface 20w of the lid 20.

The protector 1 has the external electric wire We2 routed along the protector outer wall surface 1 w. Therefore, the protector outer wall surface 1w is provided with an external housing chamber 40 (fig. 1, 2, 8, and 9) in which the external electric wire We2 is housed and wired through the wire insertion port 40 a.

An external housing chamber 40 is formed in the protector outer wall surface 1w so that at least 1 external electric wire We2 is wired. In the protector outer wall surface 1w, when a plurality of external wires We2 are wired, the external housing chamber 40 is provided for each external wire We 2.

The external accommodation chamber 40 has: a bottom wall surface 41 disposed opposite to the wire insertion port 40a with a space; and side wall surfaces 42 that are provided upright from the bottom wall surface 41 toward the wire insertion port 40a and are disposed facing each other with a space therebetween (fig. 8 and 9). That is, the outer housing chamber 40 is a space surrounded by the bottom wall surface 41 and the side wall surfaces 42. In the external housing chamber 40, the external electric wire We2 is routed along the wire insertion port 40a, the bottom wall surface 41, and the respective side wall surfaces 42. The external housing room 40 shown here is provided with 1 in each of the 2 internal housing rooms 10B (i.e., between the first cover 20A and the second cover 20B) on the side opposite to the relay room 10c, among the internal housing rooms 10B, so that the external electric wires We2 are wired in substantially the same direction as the wiring direction of each of the internal electric wires We 1. The external housing chamber 40 has a wire outlet 40b (fig. 8 and 9) for externally extracting the external wire We2 wired in the chamber.

The bottom wall surface 41 is formed by at least one of the

outer wall surfaces

10w, 20w of the protector body 10 and the cover 20, respectively. The bottom wall surface 41 shown here is formed by the wall surface 23a on the lid body 21 side in the coupling body 23 of the cover 20 and the portion between the respective internal accommodation chambers 10B (between the first cover 20A and the second cover 20B) and serving as the protector outer wall surface 1w in the bottom wall surface 11a of the protector body 10 (fig. 8 and 9).

Each side wall surface 42 is formed by at least one of the

outer wall surfaces

10w, 20w of the protector body 10 and the cover 20. One side wall surface 42 shown here is formed by the outer wall surface 22a of the side wall body 22 of the first cover 20A disposed opposite the second cover 20B. The standing wall 13 of the protector body 10 and the side wall body 22 of the second cover 20B are used for the other side wall surface 42 shown here. The other side wall surface 42 is formed by a wall surface 13a of the standing wall 13 disposed to face the first lid 20A and an outer wall surface 22a of the side wall body 22 of the second lid 20B disposed to face the first lid 20A (fig. 8 and 9). Here, a portion of the outer wall surface 22a of the side wall body 22 of the second cover 20B, which portion is continuous with the wall surface 23a of the coupling body 23 on the cover body 21 side, is used as a portion of the other side wall surface 42.

Here, the external housing chamber 40 has an electric wire holding portion 43 (fig. 1 to 3) that holds the external electric wire We2 inside the chamber. The wire holding portion 43 includes: a pair of cantilever piece portions 43a that are provided upright from the bottom wall surface 11a of the protector body 10 and are arranged facing each other in the facing direction of the internal housing chambers 10 b; and a pair of locking piece portions 43b projecting from the free end of each piece portion 43a toward the other piece portion 43a and arranged to face each other with a space therebetween (fig. 8 to 10). The external electric wire We2 is inserted between the respective locking piece portions 43b and the respective piece portions 43 a. In the wire holding portion 43, the relative movement of the external wire We2 in the facing direction with respect to the protector outer wall surface 1w is restricted by the respective piece portions 43a, and the relative movement of the external wire We2 in the direction opposite to the insertion direction with respect to the protector outer wall surface 1w is restricted by the respective locking piece portions 43 b.

The wire holding portion 43 is provided in 2 places in the external housing chamber 40 (fig. 1 to 3). The combination of the one piece portion 43a and the locking piece portion 43B of the one wire holding portion 43 is disposed between the wall surface 13a of the standing wall 13 constituting the other side wall surface 42 and the outer wall surface 22a of the side wall body 22 of the second cover 20B (fig. 8 and 9). In the external housing chamber 40 shown here, the other wire holding portion 43 is arranged on the side opposite to the wire drawing port 40b side with respect to the one wire holding portion 43.

The protector 1 further includes a path restricting portion 50 (fig. 1 to 7) that restricts the path of the external electric wire We 2. The path regulating unit 50 has an insertion passage 50a through which the regulated part We21 of the external electric wire We2 is inserted, and the route of the external electric wire We2 is regulated by locking the regulated part We21 by the insertion passage 50a (fig. 1, 6, and 7).

The path regulating portion 50 may have an insertion passage 50a formed in the interior of the external housing chamber 40, or may have an insertion passage 50a formed outside the external housing chamber 40. The path restricting portion 50 shown here is formed with an insertion passage 50a outside the external housing chamber 40. Therefore, the path regulating unit 50 shown here regulates the path of the external electric wire We2 drawn out from the electric wire outlet 40b of the external housing chamber 40 by inserting the regulation target unit We21 of the external electric wire We2 drawn out from the electric wire outlet 40b into the insertion passage 50 a.

The path regulating unit 50 includes a first regulating body 51 and a second regulating body 52, and uses a space surrounded by the first regulating body 51 and the second regulating body 52 as an insertion passage 50a (fig. 1, 6, and 7). The path regulating unit 50 is provided between the first regulating body 51 and the second regulating body 52, and includes a hinge unit 53 (fig. 4 to 6) for opening and closing the second regulating body 52 between an open position and a closed position with respect to the first regulating body 51. The path regulating portion 50 includes a locking mechanism 54 (fig. 4 to 6) for holding the second regulating body 52 at the closed position with respect to the first regulating body 51.

The first limiter 51 has: an inner space portion 51a that forms the insertion passage 50a when the second stopper 52 is in the closed position; 2 lead-out

ports

51b and 51c through which external electric wires We2 are led out from the space portion 51 a; and a restriction object insertion port 51d connected to the 2

extraction ports

51b and 51c and allowing the restriction object part We21 to be inserted into the space part 51a (fig. 4 and 5). For example, the first limiter 51 shown here has: a bottom wall surface 11a of the protector body 10; and a first wall 55 and a second wall 56 that are erected in the same direction from the bottom wall surface 11a and are disposed facing each other with a space therebetween. First wall 55 and second wall 56 are disposed opposite to each other at a distance wider than the diameter of external electric wire We 2. In the first stopper 51, a portion surrounded by the bottom wall surface 11a, the first wall 55, and the second wall 56 is a space 51 a. In the

first limiter

51, 2 openings in the first wall 55 and the second wall 56 in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the standing direction and the facing direction are

outlets

51b and 51c, and a gap between the end portions of the first wall 55 and the second wall 56 on the standing direction side is a limiting target inlet 51 d.

The second regulating body 52 is formed to close the regulation object insertion port 51d at the closed position. The second regulating body 52 closes the regulating object insertion port 51d at the closed position, and forms a space 51a of the first regulating body 51 as an insertion passage 50 a. In the path regulating portion 50 shown here, a rectangular parallelepiped insertion passage 50a is formed.

The hinge 53 is provided between the first wall 55 of the first stopper 51 and the second stopper 52. The hinge 53 shown here is provided between the end portion on the side of the first wall 55 in the standing direction and the 1-side portion of the rectangular second regulating body 52, and opens and closes the second regulating body 52 between the open position and the closed position while rotating relative to the first regulating body 51 about the rotation axis of the hinge 53. The hinge portion 53 shown here is formed as a living hinge that connects the first wall 55 and the second regulating body 52.

The locking mechanism 54 includes a first locking body 54a provided on the first stopper 51 and a second locking body 54b provided on the second stopper 52 (fig. 4 to 7). The locking mechanism 54 locks the first locking body 54a and the second locking body 54b when the second regulating body 52 is located at the closed position, thereby holding the second regulating body 52 at the closed position with respect to the first regulating body 51. For example, the first locking body 54a and the second locking body 54b may be configured such that claw portions provided in the first locking body 54a and the second locking body 54b are engaged with each other when the second regulating body 52 is in the closed position, or one of the claw portions may be provided and the other may be provided with a locking portion that engages with the claw portions when the second regulating body 52 is in the closed position.

The first locking body 54a may be provided on the second wall 56 of the first stopper 51 as a part of the second wall 56, or may be provided adjacent to the second wall 56. The first locking body 54a shown here includes: sheet portion 54a₁A second wall body 56 that is erected from the bottom wall surface 11a of the protector main body 10 and is disposed opposite to the second wall body at a distance from the space 51 a; and claw portion 54a₂From the sheet portion 54a₁Projects toward the second wall 56 and is disposed opposite the second wall 56 with a gap therebetween (fig. 4, 5, and 7).

The sheet portion 54a₁May have a claw portion 54a capable of being deflected by itself₂The flexibility of the interval change with the second wall 56 may not be such flexibility. In addition, the claw portion 54a₂Formed so that the second locking body 54b faces the piece 54a₁The operation in the vertical installation direction of (2) is locked. The piece 54a of the first locking body 54a shown here₁Formed in a rectangular flat plate shape and using 2 coupling parts 54a₃The sheet portion 54a₁Is connected to the second wall 56 (fig. 4 and 5).

The second locking body 54b is provided on the second stopper 52The end opposite to the hinge portion 53. The second locking body 54b includes: sheet portion 54b₁A second locking body 54b protruding in the intersecting direction from the side portion thereof; claw portion 54b₂From the sheet portion 54b₁So as to be brought into contact with the claw portion 54a of the first locking body 54a when the second regulating body 52 is in the closed position₂Locking (fig. 4 and 7).

When the second regulating body 52 is in the closed position, the piece portion 54b₁ A claw part 54a inserted into the second wall body 56 and the first locking body 54a₂One wall surface is disposed facing the second wall body 56 with a gap therebetween, and the other wall surface is disposed facing the claw portion 54a of the first locking body 54a₂Are arranged oppositely. Therefore, the claw portion 54b of the second locking body 54b₂Comparing part 54b₁The other wall surface of the housing is protruded.

In addition, piece 54b₁Has flexibility to enable the position of the free end to be displaced in the intersecting direction with respect to the wall surface thereof with the fixed end on the hinge portion 53 side as a base point.

In the locking mechanism 54, the claw portion 54b of the second locking body 54b is displaced from the open position to the closed position in a state where the second regulating body 52 is displaced from the open position to the closed position₂From the claw portion 54a of the first locking body 54a₂When a force is applied, the piece portion 54b of the second locking body 54b can be moved₁Bending the sheet portion 54b₁Is displaced toward the second wall body 56 side. In the locking mechanism 54, the piece portion 54b₁The claw portion 54b of the second locking body 54b₂The claw part 54a passing over the first locking body 54a₂. In the locking mechanism 54, the claw portion 54b of the second locking body 54b₂The claw part 54a having passed over the first locking body 54a₂At this time, the piece portion 54b of the second locking body 54b₁The free end of the claw 54a is displaced in the direction of eliminating the deflection₂、54b₂Can be locked with each other. The second stopper 52 is formed by engaging the claw 54b of the second locking body 54b₂The claw part 54a passing over the first locking body 54a₂And becomes the closed position.

In addition, in the locking mechanism 54, the secondWhen the stopper 52 is in the closed position, the piece 54b of the second locking body 54b is moved₁Bending the sheet portion 54b₁The free end of the hook 54a can be released by displacing the position of the free end toward the second wall body 56₂、54b₂Can be locked with each other. Therefore, in the locking mechanism 54, the piece portion 54b of the second locking body 54b₁The claw portion 54a used for releasing the first locking body 54a and the second locking body 54b₂、54b₂And release operation portions 54c (fig. 1, 4, 6, and 7) that can be engaged with each other. The releasing operation part 54c releases the claw part 54a by the releasing operation of the finger of the operator₂、54b₂Can be locked with each other. That is, the operator presses the release operation portion 54c (the piece portion 54b) with his/her finger₁) The other wall surface, the position of the free end of the release operation portion 54c is displaced toward the second wall body 56, and the claw portion 54a is released₂、54b₂Can be locked with each other. In the released state, the operator lifts the second regulating body 52 together with the release operating portion 54c, thereby displacing the second regulating body 52 from the closed position to the open position.

In the protector 1, an operation space portion 54d capable of releasing the release operation portion 54c with a finger is provided around the release operation portion 54c (fig. 7). For example, in the locking mechanism 54 shown here, when the second regulating body 52 is in the closed position, the first locking body 54a and the second locking body 54b are locked by the claw portions 54a₂、54b₂The protector outer wall surfaces 1w (in this example, the outer wall surface 20w of the cover 20) are provided adjacent to each other in a lockable state. Therefore, an operation space portion 54d is provided between the protector outer wall surface 1w and the release operation portion 54c, in which the release operation portion 54c can be released by the finger of the operator.

As described above, the protector 1 of the present embodiment can release the claw portions 54a of the first locking body 54a and the second locking body 54b in the locking mechanism 54 only by the release operation with the fingers of the operator without using a release operation tool or the like₂、54b₂Can be locked with each other. Thus, the protector 1 is for example even inWhen the cable is transported to the wiring location of the internal cable We1 and the external cable We2, the operator can easily displace the second stopper 52 to the open position by holding the second stopper 52 at the closed position with respect to the first stopper 51 by the locking mechanism 54. Therefore, the protector 1 can be transported with the second regulating body 52 kept at the closed position, and therefore, can be transported without keeping the second regulating body 52 at the open position. That is, the protector 1 does not need to be transported in consideration of the reduction in durability when a load is applied from the outside to the second regulating body 52 in the open position during transportation, and even if a load is applied from the outside to the second regulating body 52 in the closed position during transportation, the pawl portion 54a is formed by the locking mechanism 54₂、54b₂Since the first and second stoppers 52 can be locked to each other, they are advantageous from the viewpoint of durability as compared with the case where the second stoppers 52 are transported while being held at the open position. In particular, in the protector 1 illustrated here, since the hinge portion 53 is a living hinge, it is highly useful to transport the second regulating body 52 while holding it at the closed position. Therefore, the protector 1 can suppress a reduction in durability during transportation, as compared with a conventional protector in which the lockable state of the locking mechanism must be released by a release operation tool or the like. When the inner and outer electric wires We1 and We2 are disposed after transportation in the protector 1, the operator can easily release the claw portion 54a of the locking mechanism 54 with his or her finger₂、54b₂Since the inner electric wires We1 and the outer electric wires We2 can be locked to each other, the reduction in the assembling workability can be suppressed. Thus, the protector 1 of the present embodiment can suppress both the reduction in the assembling workability and the reduction in the durability during transportation.

Further, since the protector 1 of the present embodiment can be transported with the second regulating body 52 held at the closed position, the number of containers for transportation and the like can be increased, for example. That is, in the protector 1 of the present embodiment, when the second regulating body 52 is set to the open position and transported, the number of containers to be stored in the transport container or the like must be reduced by the amount corresponding to the amount of extension of the second regulating body 52, but the second regulating body 52 can be prevented from extending by setting the second regulating body 52 to the closed position and transported, and therefore the number of containers to be stored in the transport container or the like can be increased.

Since the wire harness WH of the present embodiment includes such a protector 1, the effects obtained by the protector 1 can be obtained in the same manner.

Claims

1. A protector is characterized by comprising:

a protector outer wall surface for external wire wiring; and

a path restricting unit having an insertion passage through which a restriction target portion of the external electric wire is inserted, and restricting a path of the external electric wire by the insertion passage,

the path restricting section includes: the insertion passage is enclosed by a first limiting body and a second limiting body; a hinge section provided between the first stopper and the second stopper and configured to open and close the second stopper between an open position and a closed position with respect to the first stopper; and an engaging mechanism that includes a first engaging body provided on the first regulating body and a second engaging body provided on the second regulating body, and that engages the first engaging body and the second engaging body to hold the second regulating body at the closed position with respect to the first regulating body,

the locking mechanism includes a release operation unit that releases the lockable state of the first locking body and the second locking body by a release operation with a finger of an operator.

2. A protector according to claim 1,

the hinge portion is a living hinge.

3. A protector according to claim 1 or 2,

the locking mechanism is provided adjacent to the protector outer wall surface in a state in which the first locking body and the second locking body can be locked when the second regulating body is located at the closed position,

an operation space portion is provided between the protector outer wall surface and the release operation portion, and the operation space portion enables the release operation portion to be released by a finger of an operator.

4. A protector according to claim 1, 2 or 3,

the protector outer wall surface has an external housing chamber that houses and routes the external electric wire from an electric wire insertion opening,

the path regulating unit inserts the regulating target portion of the external electric wire drawn out from the electric wire drawing port of the external housing chamber into the insertion portion.

5. A protector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by:

a protector body formed with an internal housing chamber that houses and routes internal electric wires from a body opening portion; and

a cover closing the opening of the main body,

the protector outer wall surface is formed by respective outer wall surfaces of the protector main body and the cover.

6. A wire harness is characterized by comprising:

an external wire; and

a protector that protects the external electric wire;

the protector is provided with: a protector outer wall surface for the external electric wire wiring; and a path restricting unit having an insertion passage through which a restriction target portion of the external electric wire is inserted, and restricting a path of the external electric wire by the insertion passage,

7. The wire harness of claim 6,

the protector is provided with: a protector body formed with an internal housing chamber that houses and routes internal electric wires from a body opening portion; and a cover for closing the opening of the main body,