JP2002319317A - Flat cable and its production method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flat cable surely holding the shape of a bent part of the cable bent-worked so as to match with a wiring passage, in simple and inexpensive constitution, and provide its production method. SOLUTION: Bent part holding structure 1A is constituted in such a way that a bent part P for changing a passage in a midway part in the length direction of the flat cable 20 is formed by bending in a bending line L1 having an angle of about 45 deg. to the length direction of the flat cable 20, and parts of an insulating material 20c in an overlapped part T of the flat cable 20 formed by bending are melt-bonded each other in a portion represented by a mark S to hold the shape of the bent part P.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flat cable bent along a wiring path and a method for producing the flat cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Flat cables have been widely used as wiring harnesses for wiring of vehicles and the like.

[0005] For example, a flat cable 80 shown in FIG. 5A has two parallel conductor wires 80a and 80b covered with an insulating material 80c. A terminal 81 is attached to each end of the conductor wires 80a and 80b of the flat cable 80.
82 are connected to each other, and both terminals 81 and 82 are inserted into and held in the connector housing 83.

When the route is changed by the wiring using the flat cable 80, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the flat cable 80 is drawn at a route change position P by a fold line L3 of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction. A method is adopted in which the flat cable 80 is folded in the direction indicated by the arrow in the middle and the path of the flat cable 80 is changed in the direction of approximately 90 degrees.

[0005]

However, if the flat cable is bent only in accordance with the wiring route, the bent portion may be deformed in an attempt to return to the original state at each bent portion after processing. In some cases, the shape of the bent portion is varied, which causes problems in dimensional accuracy and processing accuracy.

In order to avoid such a problem, it is conceivable to wrap the tape around the bent portion and fix it. However, it is troublesome to perform such work manually, and a tape which is a member separate from the cable is used. Therefore, it generally leads to an increase in cost. Further, it is difficult to automate such a tape winding operation, and it is difficult to expect improvement in production efficiency.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has a simple and inexpensive structure which can reliably hold the shape of a bent portion of a cable bent in accordance with a wiring path. An object of the present invention is to provide a cable and a production method thereof.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a flat cable in which a plurality of parallel conductor wires are covered with an insulating material, and a middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the cable is bent at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cable. In addition, there is provided a bent portion holding structure in which at least a part of the insulating material of the overlapping portion of the cable due to the bending is welded to each other to hold the shape of the bent portion.

According to this configuration, in the flat cable bent in accordance with the wiring path, at least a part of the insulating material is welded to each other at the overlapping portion of each bent portion, so that the cable is originally formed at each bent portion. Deformation in the direction in which the flat cable is to be returned is prevented, and the shape after bending is maintained, so that it is possible to improve the dimensional accuracy and processing accuracy of the flat cable bent in accordance with the wiring path. Moreover, the bent portion holding structure is a simple structure in which an insulating material is simply welded at the overlapping portion of the bent portion of the flat cable, and there is no need to prepare a holding member such as a material other than the cable material, for example, a tape. With such a configuration, it is possible to reliably maintain the shape of the bent portion.

Although various specific welding locations can be set, for example, the above-mentioned bent portion holding structure may be welded to each other at a portion where the widthwise ends of the insulating material overlap by bending the cable. It is preferable that the shape of the bent portion be maintained.

According to this structure, since the ends of the insulating material in the bent portion are overlapped with each other at a portion where the width direction ends of the insulating material overlap, the welding is performed by using the remaining portion of the insulating material where the conductor wires are not arranged. Can be performed reliably,
The shape of the bent portion is securely held by welding the widthwise ends.

As described above, when welding the ends in the width direction of the cable, in order to increase the welding margin, for example, the width of the insulating material at the end in the width direction is set uniformly large over the entire region in the longitudinal direction. Alternatively, the bent portion holding structure may have a pair of welding projections projecting outward in the width direction at both ends in the width direction of the insulating material, and both projections may extend the cable at the bent portion in the longitudinal direction. 2 with a fold line at a predetermined angle
The shape is set so that it overlaps when folded
The projecting pieces that overlap at the bent portion may be welded to each other to maintain the shape of the bent portion.

As described above, if the width of the insulating material is locally increased, the material cost of the insulating material can be reduced accordingly.
In addition, it is possible to suppress an increase in the weight of the entire bent cable.

If the bent portion is configured such that the cable is bent at a fold line of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction, it is possible to change the route of the flat cable at approximately 90 degrees, so that the flat cable can be aligned with the wiring route. It is possible to orderly and easily perform the desired wiring.

The present invention is also directed to a flat cable in which a plurality of parallel conductor wires are covered with an insulating material, wherein a pair of welding protruding pieces which are paired with each other at a middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the cable are shifted in position in the longitudinal direction to have a width. The positions and shapes of these projections are set so that the projections overlap when the cable is folded in two at a fold line at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction.

If this flat cable is used, the cable is bent in accordance with the wiring path, and the protruding pieces overlapping at the bent part are welded to each other, so that the shape of the bent part is maintained. It is possible to easily produce a desired flat cable according to the above.

The method for producing a flat cable according to the present invention comprises:
A bending step for processing a flat cable in which a plurality of parallel conductor wires are covered with an insulating material into a shape conforming to a wiring path, and bending the flat cable in different directions at a path change position in a middle part in the cable longitudinal direction. And a welding step of welding at least a part of the insulating material of the overlapping portion of the flat cable formed by the bending step to each other.

According to this production method, in the bending step, the flat cable is processed into a shape conforming to the wiring route, and in the welding step, at least a portion of the insulating material of the overlapping portion of the flat cable in the bent portion is simply welded to each other. In a simple process, it is possible to produce a flat cable having a shape conforming to the wiring route while maintaining the shape of the bent portion.For example, a desired flat cable can be produced on a production line equipped with welding equipment in a short time. It is also possible to automatically mass-produce and reduce the production cost.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a flat cable 20 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The flat cable 20 shown in FIG. 1C has a bent portion holding structure 1A. The bent portion holding structure 1A has a welding region R1 at the widthwise end of the insulating material 20c in a state where the cable 20 is folded in two at a folding line L1 of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction for changing the path.
In a portion where R2 overlaps, both welding regions R1 and R2 are welded to each other at a location indicated by reference symbol S so that the shape of the bent portion P is maintained. Here, the insulating material 20c
May be a heat-fusible material, for example, a synthetic resin such as polyethylene or vinyl can be used.

The process of forming the bent portion holding structure 1A will be described with reference to FIG.

The flat cable 20 before bending shown in FIG. 1A has two parallel conductor wires 20a, 20a.
b (for example, a rectangular conductor such as an aluminum wire or a copper wire) is covered with an insulating material 20c such as a resin. Both sides in the width direction of the insulating material 20c are wider than a normal flat cable, thereby securing welding regions R1 and R2. The conductor wires 20a of this flat cable 20
Terminals 21 and 22 are connected to the respective ends of 20b, and both terminals 21 and 22 are inserted and held in connector housing 23.

When the route is changed by the wiring using the flat cable 20, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the flat cable 20 is folded at the route change position P at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction. 1 (a)), the flat cable 20 is folded in two in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, and the flat cable 20 is bent in a direction of substantially 90 degrees (bending step).

Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, in a state where the flat cable 20 is folded in two,
In the overlapping portion T, the welding regions R1 and R2 on both sides of the insulating material 20c are overlapped with each other, and the two welding regions R1 and R2 are welded to each other by a hot welding iron, for example, at a location indicated by reference symbol S (welding step).

As a result, the bent portion holding structure 1A is formed, the wiring direction of the flat cable 20 is changed by approximately 90 degrees, and the shape of the bent portion P is held at the welded position indicated by the reference symbol S.

In the bent portion holding structure 1A, the welding regions R1 and R2 formed of the insulating material 20c secured at both ends in the width direction of the insulating material 20c at the bent portion P overlap with each other, and the welding regions R1 and R2 are denoted by S. Since they are welded to each other at the indicated locations, welding can be reliably performed using the welding regions R1 and R2 which are the remaining portions of the insulating material 20c where the conductor wires 20a and 20b are not arranged.
Is securely held by the welding of the width direction ends.

By repeating the above-described steps at each path change position for the flat cable 20, a wire harness having a desired shape corresponding to the wiring path is completed.

For example, a wire harness 40 shown in FIG.
Is repeated at each of the path change positions indicated by reference signs A, B, and C in accordance with the wiring path to bend the flat cable 20 so that the width direction end of the insulating material at each overlapping portion of the flat cable 20 is bent. Where the parts overlap,
Both ends are heat-welded at locations indicated by reference numerals Sa, Sb, Sc. Connectors 51 and 52 are provided at both ends of the wire harness 40, respectively.
Wiring can be performed by connecting to the mating connectors 61 and 62 of the respective electrical components and the like.

As described above, the wire harness 40 obtained by bending the flat cable 20 in accordance with the wiring path is used.
In the above, a part of the insulating material is welded to each other at welding portions indicated by reference numerals Sa, Sb, and Sc at the overlapping portions of the cables of the bending portions A, B, and C to form a bending portion holding structure. This prevents the cable from being deformed in the direction in which the cable is to return to its original state at each of the bent portions A, B, and C, and retains the shape after the bending process.
The dimensional accuracy and processing accuracy of the wire harness 40 obtained by bending the wire harness 40 in accordance with the wiring path can be improved.

Moreover, the bent portion holding structure is a simple structure in which an insulating material is simply welded at the overlapping portion of the bent portion of the flat cable 20, and a material other than the cable material, for example, a holding member such as a tape is prepared. It is not necessary, and the shapes of the bent portions A, B, and C can be reliably held with an inexpensive configuration.

Further, the bent portion holding structure welds the ends of the bent portions A, B, and C to each other at portions where the welded regions made of the insulating material secured on both sides in the width direction of the insulating material overlap. Therefore, welding can be reliably performed using the remaining portion of the insulating material where the conductor wires are not arranged, and the shape of the bent portion can be reliably held by welding between the width direction ends.

In addition, this bent portion holding structure ensures a wide welded area regardless of the route change of the cable, which is convenient in producing a flat cable bent in accordance with the wiring route. Therefore, the present invention can be easily applied to the wiring of each part, and the versatility can be improved.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of a flat cable 30 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The flat cable 30 shown in FIG. 3C has a bent portion holding structure 1B. The bent portion holding structure 1B includes a pair that projects from the width direction end of the insulating material 30c in a state where the cable 30 is folded in two at a folding line L2 of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction in order to change the path. In the portion where the welding protruding pieces 31 and 32 overlap, the two protruding pieces 3
The parts 1 and 32 are welded to each other at the position indicated by the reference symbol S, and the shape of the bent part P is maintained.

The process of forming the bent portion holding structure 1B will be described with reference to FIG.

The flat cable 30 before bending shown in FIG. 3A has two parallel conductor wires 30a, 30a.
b (for example, a rectangular conductor such as an aluminum wire or a copper wire) is covered with an insulating material 30c such as a resin. At both ends in the width direction of the insulating material 30c, welding protruding pieces 31 and 32 forming a pair protrude to both outer sides in the width direction with their positions shifted in the longitudinal direction of the cable. The two projecting pieces 31, 32 are shown in FIG.
(B) As shown in FIG.
0 is a fold line L2 (FIG. 3
The shape is set so as to overlap when folded in two in (a). The welding projections 31 and 32 can be formed by, for example, performing a die cutting process using a press machine. Conductor wire 3 of this flat cable 30
Terminals 21 and 22 are respectively connected to the respective ends of Oa and 30b, and both terminals 21 and 22 are inserted and held in connector housing 23.

When the route is changed by the wiring using the flat cable 30, as shown in FIG. 3B, the flat cable 30 is folded at the route change position P at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction. 3 (a)), the flat cable 30 is folded in two directions in the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, and the flat cable 30 is bent in a direction of approximately 90 degrees (bending step).

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, in a state where the flat cable 30 is folded in two,
In the vicinity of the overlapping portion T, the welding protruding pieces 31 and 32 are welded to each other at a location indicated by the reference symbol S, for example, by a heat welding iron (welding step).

As a result, the bent portion holding structure 1B is formed, the wiring direction of the flat cable 30 is changed by approximately 90 degrees, and the shape of the bent portion P is held at the welded portion indicated by the reference symbol S.

This bent portion holding structure 1B uses a pair of welding protrusions 31 and 32 projecting from both sides of the flat cable 30 and uses a pair of welding protrusions 3 and 32 overlapping at the bent portion P.
Since the first and second welding pieces 1 and 32 are welded to each other, the welding can be reliably performed.
1 and 32 ensure the holding.

The bent portion holding structure 1B is first described with reference to FIG.
When the present invention is applied to the wire harness 40 described above, the welding protruding pieces 31 and 32 need only be formed only at the location where the route is changed, and the bent portions are bent in accordance with the wiring route as compared with the case of the bent portion holding structure 1A. An increase in the weight of the entire processed wire harness 40 can be suppressed.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of a flat cable 20 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The flat cable 20 shown in FIG. 4D has a bent portion holding structure 1C. The bent portion holding structure 1C has a structure in which the cable 20 is bent at a fold line L1 at approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction to change the path.
Is folded in the direction shown by the arrow, and the overlapping portion T of the flat cable 20 formed by the folding is further folded on the boundary line with the cable portion adjacent to the overlapping portion T, and overlaps the cable portion on the front side. As described above, in a state where the flat cable 20 is bent in the direction indicated by the arrow F in the drawing, the welding region R2 at the width direction end of the insulating material 20c is formed.
In a portion where R2 overlaps, both welding regions R2 and R2 are welded to each other at a location indicated by reference symbol S, and the shape of the bent portion P is maintained.

The process of forming the bent portion holding structure 1C will be described with reference to FIG.

When the route is changed by the wiring using the flat cable 20, the flat cable 20 is bent according to the procedure shown in FIGS.

That is, first, as shown in FIG. 4B, at the path change position P, the flat cable 20 is folded in a direction indicated by an arrow E in FIG.
The flat cable 20 is folded in a direction of approximately 90 degrees (first bending step).

Next, the overlapping portion T of the flat cable 20 formed in the first bending step overlaps the cable portion adjacent to the overlapping portion T at the folding line, and overlaps the cable portion on the front side. Thus, the flat cable 20 is bent in the direction indicated by the arrow F in the drawing,
As shown in FIG. 4C, the flat cable 20 is bent twice (second bending step).

Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, in a state where the flat cable 20 is bent twice, a portion where the welding regions R2 and R2 on both sides of the insulating material 20c in the overlapping portion T of the cable 20 overlaps. Then, the welding regions R2 and R2 are welded to each other at a location indicated by the reference symbol S by, for example, a hot welding iron (welding process).

As a result, the bent portion holding structure 1C is formed, the wiring direction of the flat cable 20 is changed by approximately 90 degrees, and the shape of the bent portion P is held at the welded position indicated by the symbol S.

In the bent portion holding structure 1C, the flat cable 20 turned upside down in the first bending step returns to its original state by being bent twice through the second bending step, so that the flat cable 20 is not turned upside down. so,
The wiring will be rerouted.

As described above, according to the present invention, regardless of the number of times the flat cable is bent, even at a place where the flat cable is bent twice or more, the bent shape can be favorably maintained by performing the heat welding treatment at the place. .

The flat cable and the method for producing the flat cable according to the present invention are not limited to the specific configuration of each of the above embodiments, and the configuration or steps may be modified, added, replaced, or deleted as needed. Needless to say, the configuration may be adopted.

For example, in the above description, in the bent portion holding structure, the welded portion is provided at the portion where the widthwise end of the insulating material overlaps at the bent portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. It is sufficient that at least a part of the insulating material of the overlapping portion of the cable in the bent portion for welding is welded to each other. For example, the distance between the parallel conductor wires of the flat cable can be slightly increased, and the flat cable can be welded with an insulating material between the conductor wires. However, if the end portions in the width direction are welded to each other as in the above-described first embodiment, the shape of the bent portion can be maintained without restricting the arrangement pitch of the conductor wires. In addition, the overlapping portion of the cable in the bent portion for changing the path is not limited to the above-described double or triple, and the present invention can be applied to other multiplexing.

In the above description, an example is shown in which the cable is folded in two at a bent line of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction at the bent portion, and the route of the flat cable is changed at approximately 90 degrees. It is not limited to
By appropriately changing the bending angle of the flat cable in the bending step, it is possible to change the path of the flat cable to an arbitrary angle other than 90 degrees.

In the above description, the bent portion holding structure 1B
In the above, an example is shown in which the welding protruding pieces 31 and 32 forming a pair are formed only at locations where the path is changed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the welding protruding pieces 31 and 32 forming a pair are formed.
May be provided at predetermined intervals in the middle part in the longitudinal direction of the flat cable, and welding protruding pieces 31 and 32 corresponding to a desired bending position may be selected therefrom and used as a welding portion. .

[0057]

As described above, according to the flat cable of the present invention, the bent portion holding structure is formed, and at least a part of the overlap portion of each bent portion of the flat cable bent in accordance with the wiring path is formed. Since the insulating materials are welded to each other, it is possible to prevent the cable from being deformed in the direction in which the cable is to return to its original state at each bent portion, so that the shape after the bending process can be maintained. Therefore, it is possible to improve the dimensional accuracy and processing accuracy of the flat cable bent in accordance with the wiring path. Moreover, the bent portion holding structure is a simple structure in which an insulating material is simply welded at the overlapping portion of the bent portion of the flat cable, and there is no need to prepare a holding member such as a material other than the cable material, for example, a tape. With such a configuration, the shape of the bent portion can be reliably held.

If the bent portion holding structure is configured such that the ends of the insulating material are welded to each other at a portion where the width direction ends of the insulating material overlap by bending the cable, the shape of the bent portion is maintained. In the portion where the width direction ends of the insulating material overlap, these ends are welded to each other, so that welding can be reliably performed using the remaining portion of the insulating material where the conductor wires are not arranged, and the bent portion Can be surely held by the welding of the width direction ends.

If the bent-portion holding structure is provided with a pair of welding projections protruding from both sides of the cable and the overlapping projections are welded to each other at the bent portion, the path of the welding projection is changed. Since it is formed only locally, the material cost of the insulating material can be reduced, and the increase in the weight of the entire cable bent in accordance with the wiring path can be suppressed.

If the bent portion is configured such that the cable is bent at a fold line of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction, it is possible to change the route of the flat cable at approximately 90 degrees, and to match the wiring route. The desired wiring can be performed orderly and easily.

Further, if a flat cable is used in which a pair of welding projections, which are paired with each other, are shifted in the longitudinal direction and project outward on both sides in the width direction, the cable is bent in accordance with the wiring path. Then, by welding the two projecting pieces overlapping each other at the bent portion, the shape of the bent portion is maintained, so that it is possible to easily produce a desired flat cable according to the wiring path.

According to the method for producing a flat cable of the present invention, the flat cable is processed into a shape corresponding to the wiring path in the bending step, and at least a part of the insulating material of the overlapping portion of the flat cable in the bent portion is formed in the welding step. With a simple process of simply welding together, it is possible to produce a flat cable having a shape conforming to the wiring path while maintaining the shape of the bent portion. Thus, for example,
A desired flat cable can be automatically mass-produced in a short time in a production line equipped with a welding facility, and the production cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a flat cable according to a first embodiment of the present invention and a method for producing the flat cable.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a wire harness using the flat cable according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a flat cable according to a second embodiment of the present invention and a method for producing the flat cable.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a flat cable according to a third embodiment of the present invention and a method for producing the flat cable.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a conventional method when a route is changed by wiring using a flat cable.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1A, 1B, 1C Bending portion holding structure 20, 30 Flat cable 20a, 20b, 30a, 30b Conductor wire 20c, 30c Insulating material 31, 32 Welding protruding pieces A, B, C, P Path change position (bending portion) T Overlapping part L1, L2 Folding line

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Hayashi 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi F-term in the Auto Network Engineering Laboratory Co., Ltd. (Reference) 5G311 CA01 CF05 CF06 5G363 AA16 BA02 DC02

Claims (6)

[Claims] In a flat cable in which a plurality of parallel conductor wires are covered with an insulating material, an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the cable is bent at a fold line at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cable, and the cables are overlapped by the bending. A flat cable having a bent portion holding structure in which at least a part of the insulating material is welded to each other to maintain the shape of the bent portion. 2. The bent part holding structure is configured such that the ends of the insulating material are welded to each other at a portion where the width direction ends of the insulating material overlap by bending the cable, so that the shape of the bent part is held. The flat cable according to claim 1, wherein 3. The bent portion holding structure, wherein a pair of welding projections, which are paired with each other, protrude outward in the width direction at both ends in the width direction of the insulating material, and both projections connect the cable at the bent portion in the longitudinal direction. Are formed so as to overlap when folded in two at a fold line at a predetermined angle, and the two projecting pieces overlapping at the bent portion are welded to each other to maintain the shape of the bent portion. The flat cable according to claim 2. 4. The flat cable according to claim 1, wherein the bent portion is formed by bending the cable at a fold line of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction. 5. A flat cable in which a plurality of parallel conductor wires are covered with an insulating material, wherein a pair of welding protruding pieces are provided at a middle portion in a longitudinal direction of the cable, and are displaced in a longitudinal direction on both outer sides in a width direction. Flat, characterized in that the positions and shapes of these projections are set so that the projections overlap when the cable is folded in two at a fold line at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cable. cable. 6. A flat cable production method for processing a flat cable, in which a plurality of parallel conductor wires are covered with an insulating material, into a shape conforming to a wiring path, the method comprising: A method for producing a flat cable, comprising: a bending step of bending a flat cable in different directions; and a welding step of welding at least a part of an insulating material of an overlapping portion of the flat cable formed by the bending step. .