GB2417839A

GB2417839A - A support for a vehicle wiring harness

Info

Publication number: GB2417839A
Application number: GB0517738A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lee Crinson; Barry Downing; Kenneth Hugh Tait
Original assignee: Leoni Wiring Systems UK Ltd; Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Leoni Wiring Systems UK Ltd; Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2004-09-02
Filing date: 2005-09-01
Publication date: 2006-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 2025-09-01
Also published as: GB0419434D0; GB0517738D0; GB2417839B

Abstract

A method of reducing noise in a vehicle passenger compartment, the vehicle having at least one wiring harnesses passing through two spaced apart plenum boxes P1 and P2 within the engine compartment E of a vehicle, the wiring harness is enclosed in a pre-formed moulded conduit or ducting 13, which extends between the two plenum boxes (P1 and P2) and encloses any wiring take out apertures (101, 102, Fig 10) in the plenum boxes (P1 and P2). The conduit 13 is formed from an open base (15, 16 Fig) which accommodates the wiring and has take out apertures 101,102 at each end to accommodate the through passage of the wiring harness, the open base being closed by at least one removable lid (14, Fig 1).

Description

24 1 7839 A Support for Vehicle Wire Harness

Field

This invention relates to a device and method for locating and supporting wiring harnesses in particular in a motor vehicle engine compartment Backg ound of the Invention Motor vehicle wiring systems are becoming more and more complex with wiring harnesses comprising more and more individual sheathed electrical wires or cables. In some modern vehicles, the vehicle body is provided with a main wiring harness that is substantially "H'' shaped. The main harness has two longitudinal portions running down the sides of the vehicle body which are interconnected by a transverse portion which is normally located one side or the other of the engine compartment bulkhead. The longitudinal portions typically pass through apertures in the engine compartment bulkhead which may be sealed with grommets The vehicle transmission typically comprises an electronic control and various sensor and may be supplied with an integral wiring harness The vehicle engine may also include various sensors and controls and is likewise supplied with an integral wiring harness The routing of the main wiring harness, the transmission harness and engine harnesses around the engine compartment may be dictated by the location of engine components and the minimum bend radius that can be imparted the harnesses. Traditionally the wiring harness were clipped to fixed points on the car body, sometimes using location clips that are fixed to the harness and which clip into apertures in the body However, such systems have a disadvantage in that production tolerances may result in a misalignment between clips on the harness and the location apertures on the body Furthermore the inherent stiffness of larger diameter harnesses may cause difficulties In routing the harnesses around line e".O compartment.

Some motor vehicles have various under bonnet components housed in a plenum box located adjacent engine compartment bulkhead This helps reduce engine noise in the passenger compartment When the wiring is required to pass through the plenum box wall difficulties may arise due to the tight constraints on the harness location as well as the need to successfully prevent engine noise being transferred through the plenum chamber to the passenger compartment There Is a general problem with packaging engine components and accessories within the space available within an engine compartment This coupled with the necessity to maintain minimum spacing between the wiring and some other under bonnet components, for example the battery, can give rise to routing problems for the wiring harnesses.

Statements of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a motor vehicle having within its engine compartment a pair of plenum boxes located one on each side of the vehicle adjacent the engine compartment bulkhead, the plenum boxes having harness take out apertures through which at least one wiring harness can pass, wherein the wiring harness is enclosed in a pre-formed moulded cross- ducting which extends between the two plenum boxes enclosing the harness take-out apertures A foam gasket seal for acts between the ducting and adjacent plenum boxes The crossducting includes an open base having apertures at each end to accommodate the through passage of the wiring harness and which align with the respective plenum box take- out apertures, the open base being closed by at least one removable lid The open base comprises an elongate open channel having a open tray formed integrally at each end thereof and which lies adjacent a respective plenum box, the channel having a clip on lid and the open trays being insertable into a two spaced apart support frames, each frame having at least one opening therein accommodating a respective open tray which is a slide fit within the frame, the top of each frame providing a lid for the respective tray.

In use the frame may be secured to the engine compartment bulk head and/or bonnet cowl The vehicle may have further wiring harnesses passing through at least one of the plenum boxes and one support frame adjacent said one plenum box is provided with further openings therein arranged in a vertical stack below said one opening, each of said further openings accommodating a respective hollow tray which is a slide fit within said one frame, wherein portions of said further harnesses are each held in a respective tray which is located in a designated opening, said further trays enclosing a respective harness aperture in said one plenum box.

In this way any harness take-out aperture in the plenum box can be enclosed thereby reducing the noise and vibration level in the passenger compartment In the preferred embodiment, said frame has three openings each of which accommodates a respective tray, the top cross-ducting tray accommodating the main harness, the middle tray accommodating the engine harness, and the bottom tray accommodating the transmission harness The trays may be secured in the frame by snap-in clips, which are preferably releasable to allow the respective tray to be removed from the frame The trays may be shaped to ensure minimum clearances between the wiring harness within the tray and other engine components.

The second frame is also provided with further openings therein which are stacked vertically below said one opening, the other openings in the second frame may accommodate support means for pipes and/or tubes extending around the vehicle engine compartment, in particular pre-formed high pressure hydraulic pipes of the type used for brake systems and hydraulic clutch operating systems, for example Bundy pipe The crossducting may also provide a support for flexible tubing extending across the rear of the engine compartment The frames may be provided for use on a left hand drive (LHD) vehicle or for use on a right hand drive (RHD) vehicle in which case said one frame for a LHD vehicle is a mirror image of the said one frame for a RHD vehicle, and the LHD second frame is a mirror image of the RHD second frame The cross-ducting co-operates with both LHD & RED of said one frame and second frame The middle and bottom trays are shaped to match with both the Log) & RHD versions of said one frame and can be inserted into either simply by sliding the tray and respective lid into its respective opening one way up or the other as is required According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of reducing noise in a vehicle passenger compartment, the vehicle having at least one wiring harnesses passing through two spaced apart plenum boxes within the engine compartment of a vehicle, wherein said wiring harness is enclosed in a pre-formed moulded crossducting which extends between the two plenum boxes enclosing any wiring take out apertures in the plenum boxes Where the vehicle has a plurality of wiring harnesses, which pass through one of said plenum boxes, each harness is enclosed within a tray which encloses a respective wiring take out I O aperture Another aspect of the invention provides a wiring harness support for fixing within a vehicle engine bay and which comprises an elongate enclosed preformed conduit, or ducting, formed from an open base which accommodates the wiring and has take out apertures at each end to accommodate the through passage of the wiring harness, the open base being closed by at least one removable lid The ducting is shaped to ensure minimum clearance between the wiring and other engine components or accessories.

The open base comprises an elongate open channel having a open tray formed integrally at each end thereof, the channel being shallower than the open trays and accommodating wires which are spread across the bottom of channel.

According to a further aspect of the Invention there is provided a wiring harness support for fixing within a vehicle engine bay and which comprises a pair of spaced apart frames for attachment to the vehicle body with an elongated enclosed conduit extending between the frames, wherein at least one of the frames incorporates at least one pipe holder for supporting hydraulic pipe, typically a preformed brake or clutch pipe Said one frame has at least one opening therein which supports a resilient foam pipe holder comprise a block of resilient foam having a skit formed therein, the pipe being inserted into the slit The mouth of the slit may formed with a chamfer to facilitate the insertion of pipe into the holder The two surfaces on each side of the slit are provided with a plurality of sipes therein which help the foam to deform around the pipe Yet another aspect of the invention provides a wiring harness support for use within a vehicle engine bay and which comprises preformed ducting which in use is secured to the vehicle body within the engine bay, the ducting including an external tube support for locating and supporting flexible polymeric tubing

Description of the Drawings

The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig I is an exploded isometric view of a wiring harness support according to the present invention for a LHD vehicle, Fig 2 is an isometric view of the assembled harness support shown in Fig I, Fig 3 is an isometric view from the rear of the first frame, Fig. 4 is a side view of the first frame shown in Fig 3, Fig. 5 is an isometric view from the rear of the second frame, Fig.6 is a side view of the second fame, Fig. 7 is an isometric view of a pipe retainer as is used with the second frame, Fig 8 is an isometric view of a tray and lid for the engine or transmission harness, Fig 9 is an isometric view of the underside of the two top trays and cross ducting, Fig 10 is a plan view ofthe trays and cross ducting shown in Fig 9, Fig I I is a section on the lid of the cross ducting on the line XI-XI of Fig I, Fig 12 is a section on the line XII-XII in Fig 10, and Fig 13 is an isometric view of an engine compartment showing the harness support in situ with other components

Detailed Description of the Invention

With reference to Figs. I there is shown an exploded isometric view a vehicle wiring harness support I O for use within the engine compartment of a left hand drive (LHD) motor vehicle The support 10 comprises a first frame I 1, a second frame 12, cross ducting 13, a lid 14 for the ducting 13, and two trays 15 & 16 which are insertable within the first frame 1 I The cross ducting 13 has open trays 17 & 18 formed integrally at its opposite ends and which are insertable within the frames I I and 12 The components I I-16 are all moulded from a suitable heat resistant engineering thermoplastics material for example a glass filled Nylon 66 The first frame I I is shown in detail in Fig 3 & Fig 4 and has a plurality of vertically stacked openings, in this example three openings 31,32,33, but other numbers of openings may be used as is desired The top opening 31 can accommodate the open tray 17 at one end ofthe ducting 13 The openings 32, and 33 accommodate the closed trays 15 and 16 respectively The frame 11 has a rear wall 34 which is shaped to cooperate with the vehicle body and for example, has an indentation 34A shaped to receive a body panel or bracket on the vehicle body The rear wall 34 supports a forwardly projecting top 38, and shelving 35 37 The top 38 acts as a lid for the open tray 17 and shelving 35,36,37 supports the trays S 17,15,16 respectively when inserted A lug 41, attached to the rear wall, is used for securing the frame 11 to the vehicle body A plurality of apertures 39 are provided in the rear wall 34 to act as detents for holding the trays 15-17 in place as will be discussed later The second frame 12 is shown in detail in Fig. 5 & Fig 6 and has a plurality of vertically stacked openings, in this example three openings 51,52,53, but other numbers of openings may be used as is desired The top opening 51 can accommodate the open tray 18 at the other end of the ducting 13. The openings 52, and 53 each accommodate a pipe holder 61 shown in Fig 7. The frame 12 has a rear wall 54 which is shaped to co-operate with the vehicle body and has an indentation 54A to accommodate a body panel or a bracket on the vehicle body. The rear wall 54 provides support for a forwardly projecting top 58, and shelving 55. The top 58 acts as a lid for the open tray 18 and the shelving 55 supports the tray 18 when inserted The rear wall 54 also supports walls 56 & 57 which form the openings for respective pipe holders 61 A lug 62, attached to the rear wall, is used for securing the frame 12 to the vehicle body. A plurality of apertures 59 are provided in the rear wall 54 to act as detents for holding the tray 18 in place as will be discussed later The cross ducting 13 is shown in detail in Figs. 9-12 is an elongate shallow channel 91 with the open trays 17 and 18 formed integrally at each end The trays 17 and 18 have sidewalls are substantially mirror images so that the cross-ducting 13 may be used in both LHD and RHD vehicles The two trays 17 18 have a respective take-out apertures I O I, 102 by which the main wiring harness enters and leaves the cross ducting 13 Two ribs 93,94 extend the length of the open channel 91 to provide support for the lid and for spacing of the wires running through the channel 91 The channel 91 is very shallow compared with the trays 17 & 18 and the wiring harness will transform form an essentially round bundle on the trays to a flat configuration in the channel A plurality of lugs 92 are formed on the rear edge of the channel 91 for securing the support 10 to the vehicle body The rear of the trays 17 & 18 are provided with clips 98 which in use engage in the detents 39 in the frame I I The channel 91 in use is closed by the lid 14 shown in cross-section in Fig 11 The lid 14 is provided with a plurality of resilient clips 95 that engage in apertures 96 formed along the edges of the channel 91 to act as detents when the lid and channel are clipped together. The front portion 97 of the lid 14 extends beyond the channel 91 and is formed into an inverted U shaped groove 99 which in use acts as a support and holder for tubing extend across the engine bay.

IS The shallow channel 91 allows the wiring harness to be packed into a particular available space which could not otherwise accept the bundle configuration During the manufacture of the main wiring harness the the cross-ducting 13 is used as part of the manufacturing jig and portions of the harness are laid up to pass through the open trays 17,18 and the interconnecting channel 91 The ribs 93,94 help locate and separate the individual wires passing through the channel 91 The wires in the open trays 17 & 18 are bundled together in the converitional manner The lid 14 is then clipped in place over the channel 91 and the frames 11 and 12 are assembled on to the trays 17 and 18 respectively The main wiring harness is supplied with the cross-ducting 13 and frames 11 and 12 secured in the correct location on the harness.

With reference to Fig. 8, there is shown a tray in an exploded isometric view. The trays 15 and 16 are similar and only tray 16 is shown in detail The tray 16 is an enclosed hollow tray formed from an open base tray 81 having surrounding sidewall 82, and which is closed by a lid 83. The lid 83 has downwardly projecting lugs 84 which in use clip into detents 85 spaced around the inner surface of the sidewall 82 The side wall 82 is formed as a front portion 82A and a rear portion 82B with gaps 86 and 87 between the two portions In use, a portion of a wiring harness will pass through the tray 15 or 16 using the gaps 86, 87 for ingress and egress. The shape of the rear portion 82B of the sidewall 82 will be determined a need to match the shape of the frame 11, and the shape of the front portion 82A may be O dictated by such the bend radius of the harness and under bonnet packaging requirements Resilient clips 88 are located on the rear of the sidewall portion 82B These clips 88 in use engage with the detents 39 on the frame 11 on insertion of the trays into their respective spaces 32,33 The trays 15 & 16 are also designed for use with both LHD frame I 1 and a RHD frame I I simply by inserting the enclosed tray one way up or the other depending upon the drive side of the vehicle In use, the particular wiring harness, engine or transmission, is laid into the open base tray 81 which is at its correct location on the harness The lid 83 is then clipped onto the respective base tray 81 The engine and/or transmission with its wiring harness in situ is then delivered to an assembly pomt The harness support 10 is shown in a fully assembled condition as shown in Fig. 2. The harness support 10 is assembled in situ in the vehicle. The main wiring harness is assembled to the vehicle body with the pre-assembled cross duct 13 and frames 11 & 12 being secured to the rear of the engine compartment underneath the cowl C, see Fig. 12 using the lugs 41,62, & 92 which locate in predetermined places on the body. The rear walls 34,54 of frames I I & 12 may be supported on brackets in the vehicle, or portions of a body panel.

The engine and transmission are installed on a rolling chassis The body and chassis are then assembled together After assembly of the body and chassis, the engine wiring harness and transmission wiring harness with in-situ tray 15 & 16 are located in the engine bay E (see Fig 13) The trays 15 and 16 are then inserted into the respective space 32 or 33 in the frame 11 and clipped into location using the clips 88 In use, the harness support 10 insures that the three wiring harnesses are routed precisely as is required and are held in their correct locations relative to other under bonnet components As is shown in Fig 13, the support 10 extends between a plenum box Pl on one side of the engine bay E and a second plenum box P2 on the other side of the engine bay. The plenum boxes Pl & P2 house various components and help prevent noise from the engine being transmitted to the vehicle passenger compartment The main wiring harness (not shown) passes through the walls of the plenum box Pl and via the cross ducting 13 across the rear of the engine compartment and into the plenum box P2 The engine wiring harness (not shown) and the transmission wiring harness ( not shown) also need to pass through the walls of the plenum box P I The harness support 10 provides a means of accurately locating the different wiring harnesses as they enter the' plenum chambers, in particular the plenum box Pl, where three different wiring harness pass through a single aperture in the plenum wall The support 10 removes the need for the use of grommets to protect and guide the harnesses through apertures in the plenum walls Furthermore the ends of the harness support 10 are sealed to the adjacent plenum box P I & P2, perhaps using a foam seal gasket and help further reduce the transmission of engine noise into the respective plenum box The second frame 12 in the spaces 52,53 supports two resilient foam pipe holders 61 (see Fig 7) The pipe holders 61 each comprise a block of resilient foam having a slit 71 formed therein The mouth 72 of the slit is formed with a chamfer to facilitate the insertion of pipe into the holder 61 The two surfaces on each side ofthe slit 71 are provided with a plurality of sines 73 which help the foam to deform around the pipe. As can be seen in Fig. 13 brake pipe (Bundy tubing) B is routed to pass through the pipe holders Tubing, for example vacuum tubing, extending across the rear of the engine bay may be supported by the front portion 97 of the lid 14 The resilient clips 88,95,98 permit the support 10 to be dismantled if required It will be appreciated that for RHD vehicles the first frame I I and second frame 12 will be mirror images ofthose shown in Figs 3-6. The cross ducting 13 and trays 15 & 16 are common to both LHD & RHD versions

Claims

Claims I. A motor vehicle having within its engine compartment a pair of

plenum boxes located one on each side ofthe vehicle adjacent the engine compartment bulkhead, the plenum boxes having harness take-out apertures through which at least one wiring harness can pass, wherein the wiring harness is enclosed in pre-formed moulded cross- ducting which extends between the two plenum boxes enclosing the harness take-out apertures.

2 A motor vehicle as claimed in Claim 1 wherein a foam gasket seal is provided for sealing between the ducting and adjacent plenum boxes 3 A vehicle as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2 wherein the cross-ducting includes an open base having apertures at each end to accommodate the through passage of the wiring harness and which align with the respective plenum box take-out apertures, the open base being closed by at least one removable lid.

4 A vehicle as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the open base comprises an elongate open channel having a open tray formed integrally at each end thereof and which lies adjacent a respective plenum box, the channel having a clip-on lid and the open trays being insertable into two spaced apart support frames, each frame having at least one opening therein accommodating a respective open tray which is a slide fit within the frame, the top of each frame providing a lid for the respective tray A vehicle as claimed in Claim 4 wherein each frame is secured to the engine compartment bulk head or cowl.

6 A vehicle as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein the vehicle is provided with further wiring harnesses which pass through at least one of the plenum boxes and one support frame adjacent said one plenum box is provided with further openings therein arranged in a vertical stack below said one opening, each of said further openings accommodating a respective hollow tray which is a slide fit within said one frame, wherein portions of said further harnesses are each held in a respective tray which is located in a designated opening, said further trays enclosing a respective harness take-out aperture in said one plenum box 7 A vehicle as claimed in Claim 6 wherein said one frame has three openings each of which accommodates a respective tray, the top cross- ducting tray accommodating the main harness, the middle tray accommodating the engine harness, and the bottom tray accommodating the transmission harness 8 A vehicle as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 7 wherein the trays are secured in the frame by snap-in clips 9 A vehicle as claimed in Claim 8 wherein the clips are releasable to allow the respective tray to be removed from the frame 10 A vehicle as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 8 wherein the trays have outer walls which are shaped to ensure minimum clearances between the wiring harness within the tray and engine components and accessories.

1 1 A vehicle as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 10, wherein the second frame is also provided with further openings therein which are stacked vertically below said one opening 12 A vehicle as claimed in Claim 11 wherein the other openings in the second *ame accommodate support means for pipes and/or tubes extending around the vehicle engine compartment 13 A vehicle as claimed in any one of Claims I to 12 wherein the crossducting provides a support for tubing extending across the rear of the engine compartment.

14. A vehicle as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 13 wherein each frame is designated for use on a left hand drive (LHD) vehicle or for use on a right hand drive (RHD) vehicle in I O which case said one frame for a LHD vehicle is a mirror image of the said one frame for a RHD vehicle, and the LHD second frame is a mirror image of the RHD second frame A vehicle as claimed in Claim 14 wherein the cross-ducting co-operates with both LHD & RHD versions of said one frame and second frame.

17 A vehicle as claimed in Claim 14 or Claim 15 wherein the middle and bottom trays are shaped to match with both the LHD & RHD versions of said one frame and can be inserted into either simply by sliding the tray and respective lid into its respective opening one way up or the other as is required 18 A method of reducing noise in a vehicle passenger compartment, the vehicle having at least one wiring harnesses passing through two spaced apart plenum boxes within the erigine compartment of a vehicle, wherein said wiring harness is enclosed in a pre-formed moulded crossducting which extends between the two plenum boxes enclosing any wiring take out apertures in the plenum boxes

J

19. A method as claimed in Claim 18 wherein when the vehicle has a plurality of wiring harnesses, which pass through one of said plenum boxes, each harness is enclosed within a tray which encloses a respective wiring take out aperture in the plenum box..

20. A wiring harness support for fixing within a vehicle engine bay and which comprises an elongate enclosed preformed conduit, or ducting, formed from an open base which accommodates the wiring and has take out apertures at each end to accommodate the through passage ofthe wiring harness, the open base being closed by at least one removable lid.

21. A support as claimed in Claim 20 wherein the open base comprises an elongate open channel having a open tray formed integrally at each end thereof, the channel being shallows than the open trays and accommodating wires which are spread across the bottom of channel.

22. A wiring harness support for fixing within a vehicle engine bay and which comprises a pair of spaced apart frames for attachment to the vehicle body with an elongated enclosed wiring conduit extending between the frames, wherein at least one of the frames incorporates a least one pipe holder for supporting infuse hydraulic pipe.

23. A support as claimed in Claim 22 wherein said one frame has at least one opening therein which supports a resilient foam pipe holder comprise a block of resilient foam having a slit formed therein, the pipe being inserted into the slit.

24. A support as claimed in Claim 23 wherein the mouth of the slit may formed with a chamfer to facilitate the insertion of pipe into the holder.

25. A supports as claimed in Claim 23 or Claim 24 wherein the two surfaces on each side of the slit are provided with a plurality of sines therein which help the foam to deform around the pipe.

26. A method of manufacture of a wiring harness wherein electrical wiring is laid into the open base of a support as claimed in any of Claims 20 to 25, which in use forms part of a harness manufacturing jig.

27. A wiring harness support for use within a vehicle engine bay and which comprises pre- formed ducting which in use is secured to the vehicle body within the engine bay, the ducting including an external tube support for locating and supporting flexible polymeric tubing.