JP2002372656A - Optical fiber composite harness - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a optical fiber composite harness which reduces the transmission loss of optical fibers by the side pressure of metal wires even in the state of building the optical fibers to the metal wires and does not give rise to the excess and shortage of the lengths of the optical fibers. SOLUTION: The optical fiber composite harness 10 formed by bundling the optical fibers 11 and the metal wires 12 has a tube 13 to protect the optical fibers 11 and the metal wires 12. This tube 13 is provided with guides 14 which continuously support the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle harness in which an optical fiber and a metal wire are combined, and more particularly to an optical fiber composite harness having a small transmission loss.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Automobiles use a large amount of wire harnesses in which electric wires are bundled in order to connect and operate many electronic devices. In recent years, the use of on-board information devices and, in the future, electronic devices for realizing intelligent transportation systems, will increase the use of wire harnesses. This leads to an increase in the weight of the vehicle, which causes the fuel efficiency of the vehicle to deteriorate. Further, as the amount of information in the vehicle increases, the information transmission speed increases, and the influence of electromagnetic noise radiated by the wire harness has increased.

For this reason, in response to the recent development of vehicles,
As a wire harness used for wiring to a vehicle, an optical fiber composite harness in which an optical fiber is incorporated into a metal wire has been used.

This optical fiber composite harness is shown in FIG. In the figure, an optical fiber composite harness 1
Has a structure in which an optical fiber 2 and a metal wire 3 are wound around a tape 4 and easily bundled. When the optical fiber composite harness 1 is used for transmitting information signals and control signals in a vehicle, it is often used in a narrow place or within a predetermined gap, and the optical fiber composite harness is bent and used as necessary. Was.

[0005]

However, the optical fiber 2 bundled together with the plurality of metal wires 3 is
If it is bent, it receives a local lateral pressure from the metal wire 3, causing a problem that transmission loss of the optical fiber 2 increases. FIG. 12 is a graph showing a transmission loss caused by a composite of a metal wire and an optical fiber. In the figure, the broken line shows the relationship between the radius of curvature and the transmission loss when using the optical fiber alone, and the solid line shows the optical fiber
2 shows the relationship between the radius of curvature and the transmission loss of an optical fiber composite harness bundled with six metal wires 3. According to this, the optical fiber composite harness bundled with the six metal wires has a problem that the transmission loss with respect to the radius of curvature of the optical fiber is larger than the transmission loss of the optical fiber alone.

Further, when the optical fiber composite harness 1 is used in a vehicle that is routed in a narrow place or a predetermined gap, the optical fiber composite harness 1 can be moved in various directions at a plurality of locations due to the narrowness of the routing location. Since the bending must be used, the local side pressure from the metal wire 3 due to the bending increases the transmission loss of the optical fiber 2.

Further, in the optical fiber composite harness 1 bent in various directions, the position of the optical fiber 2 varies in the harness, and the bending radius assumed at the time of design differs from the bending radius at the time of actual wiring. The excess or deficiency of the fiber has occurred. That is, since the bending radius is different between the case where the optical fiber 2 is located outside the bent portion and the case where the optical fiber 2 is located inside the harness, when the optical fiber 2 is positioned outside the bent portion, the length of the optical fiber at the end is reduced. Insufficient optical fiber 2 is located at the end of the optical fiber 2 when the optical fiber 2 is located inside the bent portion.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber composite harness that reduces transmission loss of an optical fiber due to side pressure of the metal wire even when the optical fiber is incorporated in the metal wire, and does not cause an excess or shortage in the length of the optical fiber. Is to do.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber composite harness comprising a bundle of an optical fiber and a metal wire. A tube for protecting the metal wire is provided, and a guide for continuously supporting the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber is provided on the tube. Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber can have a constant radius of curvature by the guide, and the transmission loss can be reduced. Further, since the position of the optical fiber can be fixed, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of an excess or shortage of the length of the optical fiber.

In order to achieve the above object, an optical fiber composite harness according to a second aspect is characterized in that the tube is a corrugated tube. Thus, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical fiber composite harness which is easily bent while supporting the optical fiber and the metal wire.

In order to achieve the above object, an optical fiber composite harness according to a third aspect is characterized in that the tube is a zipper tube. As described above, according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical fiber composite harness in which a tube can be easily attached and detached.

In order to achieve the above object, a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the guide is provided inside the tube. Thus, according to the invention described in claim 4, the optical fiber can be easily supported.

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the guide is provided outside the tube. Thus, according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the optical fiber can be easily supported.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an optical fiber composite harness according to the present invention will be described below. In FIG.
One embodiment of the optical fiber composite harness according to the present invention is shown. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes an optical fiber composite harness in which an optical fiber 11 and a metal wire 12 are bundled and a tube 13 covers the outer periphery thereof. In the present embodiment, the tube 13 is a corrugated tube, and a guide 14 for supporting the optical fiber 11 is provided inside the tube 13, and one optical fiber 11 is supported along the guide 14. It has become.

The tube 13 and the guide 14 in FIG.
2 is shown in FIG. 2 in which the metal wires 12 passing through the tube are omitted. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tube 13 in a state where the optical fiber 11 is supported by the guide 14. In the figure, tube 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a substantially cylindrical corrugated tube having thin portions at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the substantially cylinder. In addition, one slit 1 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the substantially cylinder.
Five. As described above, since the tube 13 is a corrugated tube, it can be easily bent.

A guide 14 is provided inside the hollow portion of the tube 13 along the longitudinal direction. In the figure,
The guide 14 is located on the opposite side of the slit 15 provided in the longitudinal direction of the tube 13. The guide 14 supports both ends of one optical fiber 11 so as to sandwich it. With this configuration, the optical fiber 1
1 is supported and fixed by the guide 14, it is possible to prevent the optical fiber 11 from receiving a local side pressure from the metal wire 12, and to prevent the optical fiber 11 from being bent at the bending position.
The tube 13 can be bent while maintaining the position of.

As shown in FIG. 1, a tape 16 is continuously wound around the outermost layer of the optical fiber composite harness 10 in the longitudinal direction. That is, the tape 16 is collectively wound around the portion covered with the tube 13 and the portion not covered with the tube 13.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the optical fiber composite harness according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, the optical fiber composite harness 20 has a shape in which the guides shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are provided on the outer peripheral side of the tube. In the figure, a tube 23 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and is a corrugated tube having thin portions at regular intervals in a circumferential direction of the substantially cylinder. A guide 24 extends along the longitudinal direction of the tube 23. Is provided. A slit 25 is provided on the opposite side of the guide 24 along the longitudinal direction of the tube 23. Since the tube 23 is a corrugated tube, the tube 23 is more easily bent, and the tube 23 can be bent with a constant radius of curvature.

In the figure, a guide 24 supports one optical fiber 21. A plurality of metal wires 22 are housed in the hollow interior of the tube 23 and housed separately from the optical fiber 21. That is, since the optical fiber 21 is not supported by the local side pressure from the metal wire 22 by being supported by the guide 24, the transmission loss of the optical fiber 21 caused by bending the tube 23 can be reduced. it can.

A tape 26 is wound around the outermost layer of the optical fiber composite harness in the longitudinal direction.
That is, the portion covered by the tube 23 and the portion not covered by the tube 23 are collectively a tape 26.
It is in a state covered with.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state where the optical fiber composite harness 20 in FIG. 3 is bent. In the figure, the tape covering the outermost layer is omitted for the sake of explanation. In the figure, the optical fiber composite harness 20 is in a state of being bent for wiring, and the bent portion is covered with a tube 23. The tube 23 is provided with a guide 24 at the upper part.
Supports the optical fiber 21. In this state,
The optical fiber 21 is bent while being always above the optical fiber composite harness 20. Since the optical fiber 21 is supported by the guide 24, even if the optical fiber composite harness 20 is bent, the transmission loss received by the optical fiber 21 does not increase due to the side pressure from the metal wire 22. Further, since the optical fiber 21 is supported by the guide 24, it bends in the same manner as the tube 23,
No more than 3 radius of curvature.

Here, the tube 23 does not necessarily need to be provided over the entire length of the optical fiber 21, but may be used only at a portion where the optical fiber composite harness 20 is bent as required as shown in the drawing. Things.

Further, in this embodiment, the state in which the tube 23 in FIG. 3 is bent has been described as an example, but it is possible to bend similarly in other tubes.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the optical fiber composite harness of the present invention. In the drawing, a tube 33 in the optical fiber composite harness 30 is a zipper tube conventionally used as a protection member of a wire harness, and is shown in an unfolded state. In the present embodiment, the tube 33 has a guide 34 at the center in the longitudinal direction.
The optical fiber 31 is in a state of being supported. At both ends of the tube 33, a convex portion 35 and a concave portion 36 are provided, respectively.
Are formed, and these convex portions 35 and concave portions 36 are engaged with each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the convex portion 35 and the concave portion 36 are engaged with each other, so that the tube 33 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the metal wire 32 can be housed therein. The outermost layer of the tube 33 can also be wound with a tape (not shown) if necessary.

The tube 33 shown in FIGS.
Need not necessarily be used over the entire length of the optical fiber composite harness 30, and may be used only at locations where the optical fiber composite harness 30 is bent if necessary.

In the present embodiment, the tube 3
The guide 34 in 3 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the tube 33, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tube 33.

In this embodiment, the guide 34 for supporting three optical fibers is provided.
It is not limited to this. That is, a guide that supports one optical fiber may be used.
The optical fiber of the book may be accommodated.

FIG. 7 shows an optical fiber composite harness according to the present invention, in which a binding band is provided with a guide for supporting the optical fiber. In the figure, the binding band 43 has a structure having a guide 44 for supporting the optical fiber 41 and a single cord-like band portion 45 extending in a direction perpendicular to the guide 44. FIG. 8 shows a state where the metal wires 42 are bound by the band portion 45.

In FIG. 8, a guide 44 in a binding band 43 supports two optical fibers 41. A plurality of binding bands 43 are added along the longitudinal direction of the metal wire 42 in a harness state in which a plurality of binding bands 43 are wound with a tape, and a band portion 45 is wound around the metal wire 42 in a circumferential direction. The end of the band portion 45 around which the circumference of the metal wire 42 is wound is engaged with the engaging portion 46 of the binding band 43, and the binding band 43 is easily detached from the metal wire 42 in the harness state. It is not going to be stripped.

In this embodiment, the binding band 43 has a structure for supporting two optical fibers 41. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a structure for supporting one optical fiber may be employed. It is also possible to adopt a structure in which a plurality of optical fibers are individually supported.

FIG. 9 shows an optical fiber composite harness 50 whose outermost layer is covered with a tape. The optical fiber composite harness 50 is covered with a tube such as a corrugated tube or a zipper tube, and has a shape in which a tape is covered from above. In the drawing, a marking 51 for indicating a bending direction and a bending position is provided on a bent portion of the optical fiber composite harness 50 on the tape. In the drawing, the marking 51 is indicated by an arrow and is covered with a tape so that the bending direction and the bending position of the optical fiber composite harness 50 can be understood even in a state where the position of the optical fiber in the optical fiber composite harness is not visible. It has become.

The marking 51 indicating the bending direction and the bending position of the optical fiber composite harness 50 is shown in FIG.
Can be shown by the pattern shown in FIG. The pattern is provided on the tape covering the optical fiber composite harness 50, and it is necessary to define, for example, "the position of the pattern is always outside the bending radius". The bending position of the harness 50 can be easily determined.

[0033]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when a plurality of metal wires and an optical fiber are bundled together, the optical fiber does not receive a local side pressure from the metal wire, and the transmission loss when the optical fiber is a single wire. The transmission loss can be reduced to the same extent. Further, since the position of the optical fiber can be fixed by the guide, the optical fiber can have a constant radius of curvature, and the length of the optical fiber can be prevented from being excessive or insufficient.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical fiber composite harness which is easily bent while supporting the optical fiber and the metal wire.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical fiber composite harness in which a tube can be easily attached and detached.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber can be easily supported, and the transmission loss of the optical fiber can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber can be easily supported, and the transmission loss of the optical fiber can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an optical fiber composite harness according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted view of the optical fiber composite harness in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the optical fiber composite harness according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state where the optical fiber composite harness shown in FIG. 3 is bent.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another shape of the tube in the optical fiber composite harness of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an end view showing an embodiment of the tube in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the optical fiber composite harness according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an end view showing an embodiment of the optical fiber composite harness in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a state where marking is performed on the optical fiber composite harness according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing another embodiment of the marking provided on the optical fiber composite harness in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional optical fiber composite harness.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the relationship between the radius of curvature and the transmission loss of a conventional optical fiber composite harness.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 20, 30, 50 ... optical fiber composite harness 11, 21, 31, 41 ... optical fiber 12, 22, 32, 42 ... metal wire 13, 23, 33 ... tubes 14, 24, 34,44… Guide 15,25 …………… Slit 16,26 …………………… Tape 35 ………………………………………… Projecting part 36 ………… ……… Recessed part 43 …………………………………………………………………… Band part 46 …………………… Engaging part 51 …………………………… Marking

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H02G 3/30 H02G 3/26 F 3/38 3/28 FF Term (Reference) 2H001 BB07 DD02 FF02 KK06 MM08 5G309 AA04 5G319 HA01 HB10 HC05 HD02 HE14 5G357 DA06 DB03 DB10 DC12 DD01 DD05 DD10 DD12 DE08 DG06 5G363 AA07 BA02 BA10 DA16 DC02

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optical fiber composite harness comprising a bundle of an optical fiber and a metal wire, comprising a tube for protecting the optical fiber and the metal wire, wherein the tube is connected to a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber. An optical fiber composite harness comprising a supporting guide. 2. The optical fiber composite harness according to claim 1, wherein the tube is a corrugated tube. 3. The optical fiber composite harness according to claim 1, wherein said tube is a zipper tube. 4. The optical fiber composite harness according to claim 1, wherein the guide is provided inside the tube. 5. The optical fiber composite harness according to claim 1, wherein the guide is provided outside the tube.