FR3124140A1 - PROTECTION DEVICE FOR ELECTRICAL HARNESS FOR MOTOR VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for fixing and protecting (2) motor vehicle service harnesses, in which a rib (23) forming a backbone inside an outer sheath of the fixing and protection device (2 ). The rib (23) extends continuously projecting from a bearing face (22) of the outer sheath, inside a housing in which a clip (3) is intended to be engaged on the rib 23 by engagement of complementary shape. For this purpose, the rib (23) comprises an anti-tearing member (25) in order to retain the clip (23) in a housing of the outer sheath. The rib (23) forms a continuous material extrusion inside the outer sheath, the rib (23) being formed in one piece with the outer sheath. Fig. 3

Description

PROTECTION DEVICE FOR ELECTRICAL HARNESS FOR MOTOR VEHICLE

The technical context of the present invention relates to motor vehicle accessory fixing devices, and more particularly the fixing of electrical harnesses, water circulation pipes, brake fluid. In particular, the invention relates to a device for fixing and protecting service harnesses.

In the state of the art, there are known devices for fixing and protecting service harnesses for motor vehicles taking the form of a plastic chute inside which the service harnesses are arranged. This known configuration thus makes it possible to circulate the beams along a chassis of the motor vehicle and/or between the various components and accessories of the motor vehicle without risking damaging the service beams. In a known manner, the service beams are firmly attached to the trunking, and the trunking is itself firmly fixed to the organs and accessories of the motor vehicle over which it circulates.

In a known manner, the service bundles are fixed in the trunking by means of clips which make it possible to bind and hold together the service bundles and the trunking. Such clips are attached to the trunking by several known systems:

– a male clip formed on the clip and which collaborates with a hole made on the trunking,

– a female clip provided on the staple and which collaborates with a stud which extends from the chute.

A known drawback of these systems for fastening clips to the chute is their bulk in Z, that is to say in a direction perpendicular to a bottom of the chute intended to bear against the organs of the motor vehicle and the along which the easement bundles extend into the chute.

Indeed, by way of non-limiting example, the fixing of such a trunking at the level of an electric battery is no longer possible due to the increase in the dimensions of said electric batteries, the vertical space available between the cover electric battery and the bonnet of the motor vehicle no longer being sufficient to accommodate such known chutes.

Another known drawback is the manufacturing cost of the known trunking, because the use of studs for fixing the staples requires having a metal trunking, which is therefore expensive.

The object of the present invention is to propose a new device for fixing and protecting service harnesses for a motor vehicle in order to respond at least in large part to the above problems and also to lead to other advantages.

Another object of the invention is to propose a fixing and protection device for a motor vehicle which has a reduced size.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate the fixing of the service bundles in the fixing and protection device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a securing and protection device for a motor vehicle at a lower cost.

According to a first aspect of the invention, at least one of the aforementioned objectives is achieved with a device for fixing and protecting service harnesses for a motor vehicle, the fixing and protection device comprising (i) an outer sheath s extending along a longitudinal axis, the outer sheath delimiting a housing in which the service harnesses are intended to be housed, (ii) a rib extending projecting from the outer sheath and in the direction of the housing, the rib extending longitudinally in the outer sheath along the longitudinal axis, and the rib comprising an anti-tearing member of a clip intended to collaborate with the outer sheath to fix the service bundles in the fixing and protection device .

The outer sheath forms an open chute which extends along the longitudinal axis. According to a transverse profile, the outer sheath has a U-shaped profile, thus forming a housing for arranging, along the longitudinal axis, the service bundles.

The rib extends from the outer sheath and extends into the housing thus formed by the outer sheath. In other words, the rib extends from a bearing face intended to be fixed integrally to an accessory of the motor vehicle with which it is intended to collaborate. The bearing face of the outer sheath also forms a bottom of the housing, delimited by two side walls. According to the invention, the rib extends from the bottom of the outer sheath and between the two side walls.

The rib runs longitudinally along the outer sheath, so as to form a longitudinal rib. By way of non-limiting example, the rib extends from the bearing face forming the bottom of the outer sheath and over a large dimension along the longitudinal axis. Thus, unlike known fixing and protection devices in which cylindrical studs are regularly arranged in the trunking, the present invention proposes a rib which extends longitudinally over several centimeters in the longitudinal direction. The rib according to the invention thus differs from a cylindrical stud in that it forms a linear protrusion along the longitudinal axis.

This advantageous configuration thus makes it possible to reduce the vertical bulk of such a fixing and protection device.

In the context of the invention, the vertical direction is understood as the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface of the fixing and protection device.

The fixing and protection device according to the first aspect of the invention advantageously comprises at least one of the improvements below, the technical characteristics forming these improvements being able to be taken alone or in combination:

- the rib is made from material with the outer sheath. By issue of material, we understand that the rib and the gaiter come from the same manufacturing process, and that they cannot be separated from each other without damaging or even destroying one or the other. This advantageous configuration thus makes it possible to facilitate the manufacture of such a fixing and protection device and to reduce the manufacturing costs thereof;

- the outer sheath forms a solid surface. In other words, the outer sheath is free of holes. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to improve the seal between the fixing and protection device and a surface on which it is fixed together;

- in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal elongation axis of the outer sheath, the rib is located in a median position. In other words, the rib is located in the center of the housing formed by the outer sheath;

– the grooved rib forms an extrusion of material along the longitudinal axis, in the outer sheath. In other words, a transverse profile of the rib repeats continuously along the longitudinal axis, in the outer sheath. This configuration differs from known chutes in that the rib forms, in the housing delimited by the outer sheath, a continuous profile and not a point cylindrical bearing surface;

- the anti-tearing device has a harpoon shape located at the free end of the rib, relative to the outer sheath. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to improve the fixing of the staple on the rib;

- the anti-tearing member comprises (i) a central trunk which extends in the extension of the rib, and (ii) a lateral face which extends laterally projecting with respect to the rib. The central trunk of the anti-tearing device extends perpendicularly to the bearing surface of the fixing and protection device. The lateral face extends on either side of the central trunk, relative to the longitudinal axis of extension of the rib. Indeed, the anti-tearing member, like the rib, extends continuously and advantageously monotonously - that is to say without variation in shape - along the longitudinal axis of the outer sheath;

- the lateral face of the anti-tearing device is configured to deform elastically during the engagement of the clip. This elastic deformation makes it possible, during the engagement of a clip, to elastically deform the anti-tearing member in order to engage the clip on or in the anti-tearing member. Once thus engaged, the anti-tearing device remains constrained. This constraint makes it possible to generate non-zero friction forces between the anti-tearing device and the clip, thus helping to prevent the clip from separating from the rib in an uncontrolled manner;

– the fixing and protection device is made of plastic. This advantageous configuration, deriving from the geometry and the location of the rib in the center of the outer sheath, thus makes it possible to dispense with a metallic material of known trunking and to reduce manufacturing costs.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is proposed an arrangement for a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising (i) a fixing and protection device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention or according to any one of its improvements, (ii) at least one service bundle housed in the outer sheath of the fixing and protection device, (iii) at least one staple fixed integrally to the fixing and protection device by means of a fixing member of the clip collaborating with the anti-tearing member of the rib of the fixing and protection device.

Thus, in the arrangement according to the second aspect of the invention, the rib extends continuously in the outer sheath, and a plurality of staples are associated with it in a freer and easier manner than before. Indeed, as the rib is continuous and has a continuous and monotonous profile along the longitudinal axis along which the outer sheath of the fixing and protection device extends, it becomes possible to place the staples anywhere, rather than at the predetermined places which were imposed by the presence of the dowels.

The arrangement in accordance with the second aspect of the invention advantageously comprises at least one of the improvements below, the technical characteristics forming these improvements being able to be taken alone or in combination:

- the at least one service bundle comprises at least one electrical conductor and/or at least one fluid conduit;

- the fixing member takes the form of a housing configured to collaborate with the anti-tearing member by engagement of complementary shapes. In other words, the fixing member takes the form of a female member configured to collaborate by engagement of complementary shape with the anti-tearing member here forming a male member;

- the clip comprises spring-loaded tabs located on either side of the housing and facing the outer sheath of the fixing and protection device, the spring-loaded tabs being configured to be elastically deformed when the staple is engaged on the anti-tearing device.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is proposed a motor vehicle comprising (i) an electric battery covered with a protective cover, and (ii) an arrangement in accordance with the second aspect of the invention or according to any of its improvements, the fixing and protection device being firmly fixed to the protective cover.

Various embodiments of the invention are provided, integrating according to all of their possible combinations the various optional characteristics set out here.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent through the description which follows on the one hand, and several embodiments given by way of indication and not limiting with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawings on the other hand, on which :

illustrates a schematic view of a motor vehicle according to the second aspect of the invention;

illustrates a schematic and perspective view of a fixing and protection device according to the second aspect of the invention;

illustrates a front view of an arrangement according to the third aspect of the invention.

Of course, the characteristics, the variants and the different embodiments of the invention can be associated with each other, according to various combinations, insofar as they are not incompatible or exclusive of each other. In particular, variants of the invention may be imagined comprising only a selection of characteristics described below in isolation from the other characteristics described, if this selection of characteristics is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from to the state of the prior art.

In particular, all the variants and all the embodiments described can be combined with each other if nothing prevents this combination from a technical point of view.

In the figures, the elements common to several figures retain the same reference.

The illustrates a schematic view of a motor vehicle 1 according to the third aspect of the invention. Such a motor vehicle 1 embeds under a front cover 12, for example at the level of an electric battery cover 11, a fixing and protection device 2 in accordance with the first aspect of the invention in order to accommodate and releasably attach service bundles such as, for example, electrical conductors or fluid conduits.

With reference to FIGURES 2 and 3, such a fixing and protection device 2 according to the first aspect of the invention will now be described. The illustrates a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of such a fixing and protection device 2, and the illustrated in a front view of an arrangement 4 according to the second aspect of the invention.

According to the invention, the fixing and protection device comprises:

- an outer sheath 24 extending along a longitudinal axis X, the outer sheath 24 delimiting a housing 20 in which service beams of the motor vehicle 1 - not shown - are intended to be housed;

- a rib 23 extending projecting from the outer sheath 24 and in the direction of the housing 20, the rib 23 extending longitudinally in the outer sheath 24 along the longitudinal axis X, the rib 23 comprising an anti- tearing 25 of a clip 3 intended to collaborate with the outer sheath 24 to fix the service bundles in the fixing and protection device 2.

As seen on the , the outer sheath 24 forms an open chute which extends along the longitudinal axis. According to a transverse profile, the outer sheath has a U-shaped profile. The outer sheath 24 - and the corresponding housing 20 - is thus delimited by a support face 22 and two side walls 21 inclined with respect to said support face 22 .

The bearing surface 22 and the side walls 21 extend mainly along the longitudinal axis X.

The support face 22 thus forms a face for supporting and fixing the fixing and protection device on the motor vehicle 1, via fixing means not shown. In addition, the bearing face 22 also forms a surface from which the rib 23 of the fixing and protection device 2 according to the invention extends. In other words, the bearing face 22 forms a bottom of the housing 20

According to the invention, the rib extends from the bottom of the outer sheath and between the two side walls. In particular, the rib 23 extends from the bearing face 22 of the outer sheath 24 and extends into the housing 20 formed by the outer sheath 24. The rib 23 extends longitudinally along the sheath outer 24, so as to form a longitudinal rib.

The rib 23 is made in one piece with the outer sheath 24. In particular, the rib 23 is made in one piece with the bearing face 22 of the outer sheath 24. In particular again, the rib 23 forms a complex surface extruded from of the bearing face 22 and relative to the longitudinal axis X.

To this end, the fixing and protection device 2 in accordance with the first aspect of the invention is advantageously made of plastic, in order to be able to be manufactured by molding or by extrusion of plastic material along a longitudinal extension profile X.

In a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X, the rib 23 is located in a central position.

In the fixing and protection device 2 according to the invention, the outer sheath 24 forms a solid surface. In other words, the outer sheath 24 is free of holes, in particular directly above the rib 23. In particular, the bearing face 22 of the outer sheath 24 forms a solid surface.

As mentioned above, in order to allow the fixing of one or more staples 3 intended to maintain service beams, the fixing and protection device according to the invention comprises, at the level of the rib 23, an anti-tearing member 25 located at one end of the rib 23 distal to the bearing face 22. The anti-tear member 25 is configured to collaborate with a clip by engagement of complementary shapes, the anti-tear member being retained in the clip by non-zero frictional forces.

For this purpose, the anti-tearing member 25 advantageously comprises a harpoon shape located at the free end of the rib 23, relative to the outer sheath. This harpoon shape consists of:

- A central trunk 251 which extends in the extension of the rib 23 with respect to the bearing face 22 of the outer sheath 24;

- At least one side face 252 which extends laterally projecting from the rib 23 and relative to the longitudinal axis X.

The central trunk 251 of the anti-tearing member 25 extends perpendicularly to the bearing surface 22 of the fixing and protection device 2. The side face 252 extends on either side of the central trunk 251, relative to the longitudinal axis X of extension of the rib 23. In the example illustrated in the , the anti-tearing member 25 comprises two lateral faces 252 located on either side of the central trunk 251 relative to the longitudinal axis X and at the level of a free end of the rib 24, distal from the face of support 22.

The rib 23 and/or the anti-tearing member 25 extend continuously and advantageously monotonously - that is to say without variation in shape - along the longitudinal axis X inside the sheath. exterior 24.

The side face 252 of the anti-tearing member 25 is configured to deform elastically when the clip 3 is engaged. This elastic deformation makes it possible, when a clip 3 is engaged, to elastically deform the anti-tearing member 25 in order to engage the clip 3 on or in the anti-tearing member 25 and to allow its attachment to the rib 23. Once thus engaged, the anti-tearing member 25 remains constrained and deformed.

The schematically illustrates an arrangement 4 according to the second aspect of the invention. Such an arrangement 3 includes:

- a fixing and protection device 2 in accordance with the first aspect of the invention and as described previously;

- at least one service harness – not visible on the – housed in the outer sheath 24 of the fixing and protection device;

- at least one clip 3 fixed integrally to the fixing and protection device 2 by means of a fixing member 32 of the clip 3 collaborating with the anti-tearing member 25 of the rib 23 of the fixing device and protection 2.

In the context of the invention, the at least one service beam is housed and maintained in the outer sheath 24 by means of the clip 3. Thus, the clip offers two circular recesses 31 intended to collaborate with the service bundles in order to clip them and keep them attached to the clip 3 and, by extension, to the outer sheath 24 within which the clip 3 is retained in the housing 20.

The fixing member 32 of the staple 3 takes the form of a housing configured to collaborate with the anti-tearing member 25 of the fixing and protection device 2 by engagement of complementary shapes. As seen on the , the fixing member 32 takes the form of a female member of complementary shape to the anti-tear member 25 here forming a male member.

In addition, the clip 3 of the arrangement 4 comprises tabs 33 with spring effect located on either side of the fixing member 32 and facing the outer sheath 24 of the fixing and protection device 2 - and more particularly of the bearing surface 22. The spring-effect tabs 33 are configured to be elastically deformed when the clip 3 is engaged on the anti-tearing member 25.

In summary, the invention relates to a device 2 for fixing and protecting motor vehicle service harnesses 1, in which a rib 23 forming a backbone inside an outer sheath 24 of the fixing and protection device 2 The rib 23 extends continuously projecting from a bearing face 22 of the outer sheath, inside a housing in which a clip 3 is intended to be engaged on the rib 23 by engagement of complementary form. For this purpose, the rib 23 comprises an anti-tearing member 25 in order to retain the clip 23 in a housing 20 of the outer sheath 24. The rib 23 forms a continuous material extrusion inside the outer sheath 24 , the rib 23 being made in one piece with the outer sheath 24.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described and many adjustments can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the different characteristics, forms, variants and embodiments of the invention may be associated with each other in various combinations insofar as they are not incompatible or exclusive of each other. In particular, all the variants and embodiments described above can be combined with each other.

Claims (10)

Device for fixing and protecting service harnesses for motor vehicles, the fixing and protection device comprising:
- an outer sheath extending along a longitudinal axis, the outer sheath delimiting a housing in which the service beams are intended to be housed;
- A rib extending projecting from the outer sheath and in the direction of the housing;
characterized in that the rib extends longitudinally in the outer sheath along the longitudinal axis, and in that the rib comprises an anti-tearing member of a clip intended to collaborate with the outer sheath to fix the bundles of bondage in the fixing and protection device. Fixing and protection device according to the preceding claim, in which the rib is made in one piece with the outer sheath. Fixing and protection device according to the preceding claim, in which, in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of elongation of the outer sheath, the rib is located in a central position. Fixing and protection device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the outer sheath forms a solid surface. Fixing and protection device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the anti-tearing member has a harpoon shape located at the free end of the rib, relative to the outer sheath. Fixing and protection device according to the preceding claim, in which the anti-tearing member comprises:
- a central trunk which extends in the extension of the rib; and
- a lateral face which extends laterally projecting with respect to the rib Arrangement for a motor vehicle, the arrangement comprising:
- A fixing and protection device according to any one of the preceding claims;
- At least one service beam housed in the outer sheath of the fixing and protection device;
- At least one clip fixed integrally to the fixing and protection device by means of a clip fixing member collaborating with the anti-tearing member of the rib of the fixing and protection device. Arrangement according to the preceding claim, in which the fixing member takes the form of a housing configured to collaborate with the anti-tearing member by engagement of complementary shapes. Arrangement according to the preceding claim, in which the clip comprises spring-loaded tabs located on either side of the housing and opposite the outer sheath of the fixing and protection device, the spring-loaded tabs being configured to be elastically deformed when the clip is engaged on the anti-tearing member. Motor vehicle comprising:
- an electric battery covered with a protective cover;
- An arrangement according to any one of claims 7 to 9, the fixing and protection device being fixed integrally to the protective cover.