JP2010044887A - Wire harness and method of manufacturing the same, and method of connecting insulation wire - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wire harness with strands hardly peeled off from a joint part of a plurality of insulation wires connected at terminals, and capable of restraining loosening of conductors and rise of contact resistance even in case the conductors include dissimilar metal materials, and thereby, excellent in connection reliability. <P>SOLUTION: As to the plurality of insulation wires 12, conductors 16 are exposed at terminal parts, and the exposed conductor parts 16 and insulators 20 in the vicinity thereof are inserted into a cylindrical metal sleeve 14 to bundle the conductor parts 16 with the metal sleeve 14. The conductors 16 in a bundled state are put under ultrasonic welding or resistance welding from outside to make up a wire harness 10 in which strands 18 structuring the conductors 16 are jointed as well as the strands 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are jointed inside the metal sleeve 14. Then, low-melting-point metal may be contained inside the metal sleeve 14. Further, the conductors 16 may contain reinforcing wires such as stainless steel wires. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire harness, a method for manufacturing the same, and a method for connecting an insulated wire, and more particularly, to a wire harness suitably used for wiring to a vehicle such as an automobile, a method for manufacturing the same, and a method for connecting an insulated wire. .

  Conventionally, a plurality of insulated wires are wired in a vehicle such as an automobile. The plurality of insulated wires are usually bundled to form a wire harness. When connecting several wires in a wire harness, peel off the wire insulation to expose the internal conductors, and connect the conductors to each other with welding or crimping. It is done by.

  In recent years, as a method for connecting electric wires, an ultrasonic welding method has been often adopted from the viewpoint of easy work and reliable connection.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which conductors of a plurality of insulated wires are bundled in an exposed state, twisted together, and the twisted portions are welded and connected by ultrasonic welding.

JP 2005-322544 A

  However, since the technique described in Patent Document 1 is obtained by simply ultrasonically welding the conductors of a plurality of insulated wires, the joint is not particularly restricted. For this reason, when an external force is applied to the joint, the joint may break and the strand may peel from the conductor.

  Moreover, in order to improve the strength of the conductor, a high-strength reinforcing wire such as a stainless steel wire, a copper alloy wire, or an aluminum alloy wire may be included in the conductor. In this case, the conductor includes a different metal material. Since welding between dissimilar metal materials may be difficult depending on the combination, even if it can be partially joined, a portion difficult to weld cannot be joined. That is, since it is not integrated as a whole, it is easy to disperse and there is a possibility that the contact resistance increases. Therefore, connection reliability is not sufficient with the conventional technology.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a wire harness that suppresses the peeling of a strand from a joined conductor and suppresses an increase in contact resistance, and is excellent in connection reliability. Another object is to provide a method of manufacturing a wire harness that is excellent in connection reliability. Furthermore, it is providing the connection method of the insulated wire excellent in connection reliability.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a wire harness according to the present invention is a cylindrical wire bundle that bundles a plurality of insulated wires in which an insulator is peeled off at a terminal and a conductor is exposed, and an exposed conductor portion of the plurality of insulated wires. It has a metal sleeve, and the gist is that the strands constituting the conductor and the strands and the metal sleeve are joined.

  In this case, it is desirable that the strands and the strands and the metal sleeve are joined by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding.

  The metal sleeve preferably covers the exposed conductor portion of the plurality of insulated wires and an insulator near the exposed conductor.

  At this time, a low melting point metal is preferably contained inside the sleeve.

  The metal sleeve may be made of a metal similar to the metal forming the element wire.

  And as a metal which forms the said strand, the 1 type (s) or 2 or more types selected from copper, copper alloy, aluminum, and aluminum alloy can be shown suitably.

  At this time, the conductor may contain a reinforcing wire.

The cross-sectional area of the conductor is desirably 1.5 mm ² or less.

  The thickness of the sleeve is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

  On the other hand, the manufacturing method of the wire harness according to the present invention includes a step of exposing a conductor at a terminal portion of a plurality of insulated wires, and a cylindrical metal sleeve at the exposed conductor portion of each obtained insulated wire. The gist of the present invention is to include a step of bundling and a step of joining the strands constituting the conductors in a state where the conductors are bundled and joining the strands and the metal sleeve.

  In this case, the strands may be joined by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding.

  And the method for connecting insulated wires according to the present invention includes a step of exposing a conductor at a terminal portion of a plurality of insulated wires, and a cylindrical metal sleeve at the exposed conductor portion of each obtained insulated wire. The gist of the present invention is to include a step of bundling and a step of joining the strands constituting the conductors in a state where the conductors are bundled and joining the strands and the metal sleeve.

  In this case, the strands may be joined by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding.

  According to the wire harness according to the present invention, since the plurality of insulated wires with the conductor exposed at the end are bundled by the cylindrical metal sleeve at the exposed conductor portion, the joint portion of the conductor is formed by the metal sleeve. It is restrained. Therefore, it becomes resistance to the force by which the metal sleeve tears the joint. Thereby, it can suppress that a strand peels from the joined conductor under the influence of external force etc.

  Also, since the conductor is constrained by the metal sleeve and the strands constituting the conductor and between the strand and the metal sleeve are joined, for example, even when the conductor contains a dissimilar metal material and there is an unjoined portion The unjoined portion is contained in the joined portion and restrained. Thereby, since it can integrate as a whole, it becomes difficult to disperse | distribute a conductor and it can suppress that a contact resistance raises.

  Furthermore, since the conductor portion to be joined is covered with the metal sleeve, it is possible to suppress the conductor from spreading too much. Thereby, the thickness of a junction part is ensured enough and it is excellent in connectivity. Moreover, since the strands and the strands and the metal sleeve are joined and fixed, the thickness of the joined portion hardly changes. Therefore, there is little change in contact resistance and excellent connectivity. Therefore, according to the wire harness which concerns on this invention, it is excellent in connection reliability.

  And when the said strands are joined by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding, it is excellent in the said effect especially.

  At this time, when the metal sleeve covers the exposed conductor portion of the plurality of insulated wires and the insulator in the vicinity of the exposed conductor, the conductor wire does not contact the peripheral end portion of the sleeve. Therefore, the strands are not easily cut at the peripheral end of the sleeve. Thereby, connection reliability further increases. Further, when the insulator is covered with the sleeve, a frictional force is generated between the outer peripheral surface of the insulator and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve. This frictional force becomes resistance to the tensile force and tearing force applied to the wire harness. Therefore, the tensile strength and tear strength are further increased.

  Further, when a low melting point metal is contained inside the metal sleeve, the low melting point metal is melted by the heat generated when the strands are joined together and enters between the strands or between the strand and the sleeve. be able to. Thereby, joining between these can be made stronger.

  And it is especially effective when the metal which forms a strand is 1 type, or 2 or more types selected from copper, copper alloy, aluminum, and aluminum alloy.

  Furthermore, if the conductor contains a reinforcing wire such as a stainless steel wire, the conductor contains a dissimilar metal. Even in such a case, the conductor is constrained by the metal sleeve, and since the strands and the strands and the metal sleeve are integrated by bonding, an increase in contact resistance can be suppressed. . Thereby, it is excellent in connection reliability.

In addition, this is particularly effective in a so-called small-diameter electric wire having a cross-sectional area of 1.5 mm ² or less. At this time, when the thickness of the sleeve is in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, the above effect is excellent.

  On the other hand, in the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present invention, a conductor is exposed at the end portion of a plurality of insulated wires, and each obtained insulated wire is bundled with a cylindrical metal sleeve at the exposed conductor portion. The strands constituting the conductors and the strands and the metal sleeve are joined together while the conductors are bundled. Thereby, while a conductor is restrained with a metal sleeve, the wire harness by which strands and the strand and the metal sleeve were integrated by joining can be manufactured. Therefore, the connection reliability is excellent.

  And when joining the said strands by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding, it is excellent in the said effect especially.

  And the connection method of the insulated wire according to the present invention is that after the conductors are exposed at the end portions of the plurality of insulated wires, and the obtained insulated wires are bundled with a cylindrical metal sleeve at the exposed conductor portions. The strands constituting the conductors and the strands and the metal sleeve are joined together while the conductors are bundled. Thereby, while a conductor is restrained with a metal sleeve, the joining part by which strands and the strand and the metal sleeve were integrated by joining can be formed. Therefore, the connection reliability is excellent.

  And when joining the said strands by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding, it is excellent in the said effect especially.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 1, a wire harness 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of insulated wires 12 and a cylindrical metal sleeve 14 that bundles ends of the plurality of insulated wires 12. The insulated wire 12 is connected at its terminal. At this time, some of the plurality of insulated wires 12 may be connected, or all of them may be connected. The wire harness 10 is suitably used for wiring to a vehicle such as an automobile, for example. The insulated wire 12 may be a power line or a signal line.

  The insulated wire 12 includes a conductor 16 and an insulator 20 that covers the outer periphery of the conductor 16. The conductor 16 includes one or more strands 18 serving as an electrical conductor. The conductor 16 may be composed of only the strand 18 or may include a reinforcing wire for increasing the conductor strength.

  At the ends of the plurality of insulated wires 12, the insulator 20 is peeled off, and the conductor 16 inside the insulator 20 is exposed. The exposed conductor portion 16 is bundled and covered by a metal sleeve 14. Inside the metal sleeve 14, the strands 18 constituting the conductor 16 and the strand 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are joined.

  The joining method is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an ultrasonic welding method, a resistance welding method, and a fusion welding method such as TIG welding. Of these, the ultrasonic welding method and the resistance welding method are preferable from the viewpoints of easy work and reliable connection.

  The metal sleeve 14 covers not only the exposed conductor portion 16 but also the insulator 20 in the vicinity of the exposed conductor portion 16. Therefore, the peripheral end portion of the metal sleeve 14 is in contact with the insulator 20 and is not in contact with the element wire 18 constituting the conductor 16. Thereby, the strand 18 is prevented from being cut at the peripheral end portion of the metal sleeve 14, and the connection reliability is high. Further, since the insulator 20 is covered with the metal sleeve 14, a frictional force is generated between the outer peripheral surface of the insulator 20 and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve. Since this frictional force becomes resistance to the tensile force and tearing force applied to the wire harness 10, the pulling strength and the peeling strength are increased.

  The metal sleeve 14 may be a tube having a constant inner diameter from one end to the other end, and considering that the outer diameter of the exposed conductor portion 16 is smaller than the outer diameter of the insulator 20, A step may be formed in the middle portion, and the tube may be tapered. In the latter case, the gap inside the metal sleeve 14 in the portion covering the conductor 16 is reduced, so that the strands 18 and the strands 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are further adhered to each other.

  A low melting point metal may be contained inside the metal sleeve 14. More specifically, for example, the inner peripheral surface of the metal sleeve 14 and the outer peripheral surface of the exposed conductor portion 16 of the insulated wire 12 are plated with a low melting point metal, or the low melting point metal is used as the element wire of the conductor 16. It may be included in a bundle of 18 pieces. In other words, the low melting point metal may be configured to be disposed inside the metal sleeve 14. With such a configuration, the low melting point metal can be melted by the heat generated when the strands 18 are joined together and enter between the strands 18 or between the strands 18 and the sleeve. Thereby, joining between these can be made stronger. Examples of such a low melting point metal include tin and solder.

  As a metal which forms the strand 18 of the conductor 16, the metal excellent in electroconductivity, such as copper, copper alloy, aluminum, and aluminum alloy, is preferable. When two or more strands 18 are included in the conductor 16, they may be the same type (made of metal) or may be two or more types of strands.

  The metal forming the metal sleeve 14 is not particularly limited as long as it is a metal that can be joined to the wire 18 constituting the conductor 16. Preferably, it is a metal similar to the metal forming the strand 18. Here, the same type of metal means including an alloy of the metal. For example, copper includes a copper alloy, and aluminum includes an aluminum alloy. For example, when the metal forming the wire 18 is copper, the metal forming the metal sleeve 14 is preferably copper or a copper alloy. Specifically, examples of the metal forming the metal sleeve 14 include copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, and an aluminum alloy.

  In the case where the conductor 16 is composed of two or more types of strands 18, the metal forming the metal sleeve 14 is preferably at least the same type of metal. More preferably, the metal is the same as the softest metal among them. In this case, the wire 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are more easily joined.

  The thickness of the metal sleeve 14 is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. If the thickness of the metal sleeve 14 is less than 0.1 mm, the effect of restraining the exposed conductor 16 tends to be reduced. Further, the bonding strength between the wire 18 and the metal sleeve 14 tends to be weak. On the other hand, when the thickness of the metal sleeve 14 exceeds 0.5 mm, it is difficult to perform joining by, for example, an ultrasonic welding method or a resistance welding method.

  When the conductor 16 contains a reinforcing wire, the metal forming the reinforcing wire may be a metal having higher strength than the conductive metal forming the strand 18 such as stainless steel. Moreover, what is necessary is just the reinforcement wire of the insulated wire generally known. The reinforcing wire may be formed to have substantially the same diameter as that of the strand 18, and may be thicker than the strand 18 or thinner than the strand 18. The number of reinforcing wires included in the conductor 16 is not particularly limited.

Although the conductor cross-sectional area of each insulated wire 12 which comprises the wire harness 10 is not specifically limited, Preferably, it is 1.5 mm < ² > or less. More preferably, the conductor cross-sectional area of each insulated wire 12 is 1.0 mm ² or less. In the present invention, since the conductor 16 is covered with the metal sleeve 14, even when the strand 18 inside the metal sleeve 14 is thin, the strand 18 may be cut when joining by ultrasonic welding or the like. Less and hard to damage.

  The insulating material constituting the insulator 20 is not particularly limited. For example, any insulating material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or a non-halogen resin such as an olefin resin may be used. In particular, a material having excellent flame retardancy is preferably used. The thickness covering the conductor 16 is not particularly limited, and may be formed within a range of 0.1 to 0.3 mm, for example.

  According to the wire harness 10 having the above configuration, the metal sleeve 14 restrains the joint portion connecting the conductors 16 of the plurality of insulated wires 12, and in order to tear the joint portion, the joined wire It is necessary to tear the metal sleeve 14 at the same time as tearing the space 18. For this reason, the metal sleeve 14 becomes resistant to the force of tearing the joint, and for example, it is possible to suppress the strand 18 from being peeled off from the joined conductor 16 due to the influence of an external force or the like.

  Further, since the conductor 16 is constrained by the metal sleeve 14 and the strands 18 constituting the conductor 16 and the strand 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are joined, for example, the conductor 16 includes a dissimilar metal material and is joined. Even if there is an unjoined part, the unjoined part is contained in the joined part and restrained. Thereby, since it can integrate as a whole, the conductor 16 becomes difficult to disperse | distribute and it can suppress that a contact resistance raises. Further, even when the conductor includes a combination of materials that are difficult to join, the conductor is integrated as a whole, so that connection is possible.

  Furthermore, since the conductor portion 16 to be joined is covered with the metal sleeve 14, it is possible to prevent the conductor 16 from spreading too much. Thereby, the thickness of a junction part is ensured enough and it is excellent in connectivity. Moreover, since the strands 18 and the strand 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are joined and fixed, the thickness of the joined portion hardly changes. Therefore, the change in contact resistance is reduced, and the connectivity is excellent. Therefore, according to the wire harness 10, it is excellent in connection reliability.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the wire harness which concerns on this invention is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c), the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present invention includes a step of exposing the conductor 16 at a wire end for a plurality of insulated wires 12, and each insulated wire obtained. 12 with the exposed conductor portion 16 being bundled with the metal sleeve 14, and with the conductor 16 being bundled, the wire 18 constituting the conductor 16 and the wire 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are joined together. I have.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, in the step of exposing the conductor 16 at the wire terminal, a plurality of insulated wires 12 are prepared, and the insulated wires 12 to be connected have a length necessary for the connection of the wire terminals. The insulator 20 is peeled off to expose the conductor 16 inside. At this time, the number of the insulated wires 12 is not particularly limited. The conductor 16 may be composed of only the element wire 18 serving as an electric conductor, or may include a reinforcing wire for increasing the conductor strength. The metal that forms the element wire 18 and the reinforcing wire may be any of those described above.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the obtained insulated wires 12 are bundled. In this step, the obtained insulated wires 12 are bundled by the metal sleeve 14 with the exposed conductor portions 16. More specifically, the exposed conductor portions 16 of the plurality of insulated wires 12 are inserted into the prepared metal sleeve 14. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2B, not only the exposed conductor portion 16 but also the insulator 20 in the vicinity of the exposed conductor 16 may be inserted, or only the exposed conductor portion 16 is inserted. You may do it. The metal forming the metal sleeve 14 may be any metal that can be joined to the wire 18 and may be any of those described above. In particular, it is preferable that the metal sleeve 14 and the wire 18 are the same metal.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the strands 18 constituting the conductor 16 and the strands 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are joined. In this step, the plurality of conductors 16 are bonded together by the metal sleeve 14. Examples of the joining method include an ultrasonic welding method, a resistance welding method, a fusion welding method such as a TIG welding method, and the like. Among these, the ultrasonic welding method and the resistance welding method are preferable from the viewpoints of easy work and reliable connection. In order to perform ultrasonic welding or resistance welding, a general ultrasonic welding machine or resistance welding machine may be used.

  Next, the joining by ultrasonic welding will be described more specifically. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), an anvil 24 and a horn (vibrator) 26 of an ultrasonic welder are placed on the outside of the metal sleeve 14 in which the conductors 16 are bundled, and an anvil 24 and a horn (vibrator) 26 are used. It arrange | positions so that the metal sleeve 14 may be pinched | interposed. Next, the horn 26 is ultrasonically vibrated while being sandwiched between the anvil 24 and the horn 26. As the horn 26 vibrates ultrasonically, the strands 18 are heated by friction, and the strands 18 and the strands 18 and the inner surface of the metal sleeve 14 are joined inside the metal sleeve 14.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 3B, the metal sleeve 14 is crushed by the pressure of the horn 26, and the wires 18 and the wires 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are welded while closely contacting each other. At this time, the strand 18 constituting the conductor 16 may move in the metal sleeve 14. Since the metal sleeve 14 restrains the movement of the wire 18 to some extent, the thickness of the joint portion is ensured. Moreover, since it covers with the metal sleeve 14, it can prevent that the strand 18 disperses during welding.

  Moreover, the case where the conductor 16 is the structure containing the reinforcement wire 22 is demonstrated using FIG. In the conventional configuration in which the metal sleeve 14 is not used, when the reinforcing wire 22 appears on the surface of the conductor 16 due to the movement of the wire 18 or the like, the reinforcing wire 22 contacts the welding jig (anvil 24 and horn 26) during welding. . Since the reinforcing wire 22 is harder than the strand 18, if the reinforcing wire 22 contacts the welding jig, the welding jig may be damaged. On the other hand, in the configuration of the present invention having the metal sleeve 14, the metal sleeve 14 has a thickness and always covers the surface of the conductor 16. Therefore, even if the reinforcing wire 22 appears on the surface of the conductor 16 due to the movement of the strand 18 or the like, the reinforcing wire 22 does not come into contact with the welding jig. Further, the metal sleeve 14 reduces the hardness of the reinforcing wire 22. Therefore, in the configuration of the present invention, there is no possibility that the welding jig is damaged by the reinforcing wire 22.

  When the metal sleeve 14 is configured to contain a low melting point metal, the low melting point metal is melted by the heat generated when the strands 18 are joined together, and between the strands 18 or between the strands 18 and the metal sleeve. 14 can intervene. Thereby, joining between these can be made stronger.

  On the other hand, in order to join the strands 18 by the resistance welding method, a portion of the plurality of insulated wires 12 bundled by the metal sleeve 14 is sandwiched between electrodes (not shown) of a resistance welder, and resistance What is necessary is just to weld.

  After the above steps, the plurality of insulated wires 12 are bundled by the metal sleeve 14 at the exposed conductor portion 16, and the wires 18 constituting the conductor 16 and the wires 18 are formed inside the metal sleeve 14. A joint portion in which the metal sleeve 14 is joined is formed. Thereby, the wire harness 10 which concerns on this invention can be manufactured.

  In the present invention, since the metal sleeve 14 is used to bundle the exposed conductors 16, the exposed conductors 16 can be easily bundled simply by inserting the bundle of exposed conductors 16 into the metal sleeve 14. . That is, since it is not bundled so as to be wound around the exposed conductor 16, there is an advantage that it is very easy to process. Further, a special device for winding is not particularly necessary. Therefore, there are advantages that the work space can be reduced, the productivity is excellent, and the cost can be reduced.

  Next, a method for connecting an insulated wire according to the present invention will be described.

  The method for connecting insulated wires according to the present invention includes a step of exposing the conductor 16 at a wire end with respect to a plurality of insulated wires 12, and each of the obtained insulated wires 12 using a metal sleeve 14 at the exposed conductor portion 16. A step of bundling, and a step of bonding the strands 18 constituting the conductor 16 and the strands 18 and the metal sleeve 14 in a state where the conductors 16 are bundled.

  Each process in the connection method of the insulated wire which concerns on this invention is performed similarly to each process in the manufacturing method of the wire harness mentioned above.

  Therefore, a plurality of insulated wires 12 are bundled by the metal sleeve 14 at the exposed conductor portion 16, and the strands 18 constituting the conductor 16 and the strands 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are formed inside the metal sleeve 14. A joined part is formed. A plurality of insulated wires 12 are connected through this joint.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples.

(Example)
Four insulated electric wires (length 100 mm) each having a conductor (conductor cross-sectional area 0.13 mm ² ) in which one reinforcing stainless steel wire is arranged at the center and eight copper wires for automobile are arranged around it. I peeled it off with a terminal. Next, the exposed conductor portion and the insulator in the vicinity thereof were inserted into a metal sleeve (outer diameter 3.0 mm, inner diameter 2.4 mm, length 12 mm) made of a copper tube. Next, on the exposed metal sleeve outside the conductor (in the range of 5 mm from the tip), the ultrasonic welding machine anvil and the horn (vibrator) are sandwiched between the anvil and the horn, Under the standard conditions of the welding machine, the horn was ultrasonically vibrated, the wires were ultrasonically welded to each other, and the four insulated wires were connected. At this time, the applied energy was set to an optimum value that maximized the connection strength. Thereby, the wire harness which concerns on an Example was produced.

  About each wire harness which concerns on an Example, the measurement shown below and the measurement of contact resistance value were performed by the method shown below. Moreover, the pullout strength was measured about each wire harness which concerns on an Example as reference. These results are shown in Table 1.

(Measurement of peel strength)
Using a general-purpose tensile testing machine, as shown in FIG. 5, one insulated wire 12 and one insulated wire 12 are pulled in opposite directions, and one insulated wire 12 is insulated at the junction. The maximum load when peeling from the bundle was measured. About the wire harness which concerns on an Example, the same operation was performed 10 times using 10 samples, and the maximum value, the minimum value, and the average value at that time were calculated | required.

(Measurement of contact resistance value)
The contact resistance value in the junction part of each wire harness which concerns on an Example was measured by the 4-terminal method. First, select any two of the four insulated wires joined together, connect the current supply terminal and the voltage measurement terminal to the end portions on the non-joined side, and connect between the end portions. The resistance value (the total value of the contact resistance value at the joint and the wiring resistance value of the insulated wire) was measured. Next, in order to measure the wiring resistance value of the insulated wire, an insulated wire having the same configuration as the insulated wire (twice as long as the insulated wire (200 mm)) is prepared, and terminals for supplying current are respectively provided at both ends. Terminals for voltage measurement were connected, and the resistance value between the ends (wiring resistance value of the insulated wire) was measured. And the value which deducted the wiring resistance value of the insulated wire calculated | required later from the total value calculated | required previously was made into the contact resistance value in the junction part of each wire harness which concerns on an Example.

(Measurement of pullout strength)
As shown in FIG. 6, after fixing the end portion of the metal sleeve 14 with the fixing jig 32, one of the four insulated wires 12 is pulled in the vertical direction by using a general-purpose tensile testing machine to insulate. The load until the electric wire 12 was pulled out was measured. The same operation was performed 10 times using 10 samples, and the maximum value, minimum value, and average value at that time were determined.

  In an Example, the average value of peeling strength is as high as 64.8N, and it is excellent in peeling strength. Further, the difference between the minimum value and the maximum value is small, and the variation in peel strength is small. Further, the average value of the contact resistance value is 0.951 mΩ, which is very small. In addition, the pullout strength is high. Therefore, it was confirmed that the connection reliability was excellent. As a comparative example, an attempt was made to join conductors without using a metal sleeve, but since the conductor wires were simply joined by ultrasonic welding, there was no joining between the copper wire and the stainless steel reinforcing wire. I couldn't join it.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, an example in which the metal sleeve 14 covers the exposed conductor 16 and the insulator in the vicinity of the conductor 16 is shown in FIG. 1 and the like, but as shown in FIG. Only the exposed conductor 16 may be covered, and the insulator 20 in the vicinity of the exposed conductor 16 may not be covered. Even in this case, the metal sleeve 14 constrains the joint portion connecting the conductors 16 of the plurality of insulated wires 12, so that the strand 18 is connected from the joined conductor 16 under the influence of external force or the like. Separation can be suppressed. In addition, when the conductor 16 is constrained by the metal sleeve 14 and the strands 18 constituting the conductor 16 and between the strands 18 and the metal sleeve 14 are joined, for example, the conductor 16 includes a different metal material. Of course, it is integrated as a whole, and it is possible to suppress the dispersion of the conductor 16 and the increase in contact resistance.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the example which contains a copper strand and a reinforcing stainless steel wire in a conductor is shown, even if it is a conductor which consists only of a copper strand, compared with the case where a metal sleeve is not used. In the present invention using a metal sleeve, it can be easily assumed that the peel strength is improved. Moreover, in the said Example, although ultrasonic welding is performed, also when performing resistance welding, if it joins similarly, it can be estimated easily that the same result will be obtained. Further, even when copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, or the like is used for the strands, it can be easily estimated that the same result can be obtained if they are joined in the same manner.

It is a mimetic diagram showing a wire harness concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the process of ultrasonically welding a plurality of insulated wires. It is an axial direction sectional view explaining the process of ultrasonically welding a plurality of insulated electric wires. It is a schematic diagram showing the wire harness which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the test method of the peeling strength of a wire harness. It is a figure which shows the test method of the tensile strength of a wire harness.

Explanation of symbols

10 Wire harness 12 Insulated wire 14 Metal sleeve 16 Conductor 18 Wire 20 Insulator 22 Reinforcing wire

Claims (13)

A plurality of insulated wires with the insulator stripped off at the terminal and the conductor exposed,
A cylindrical metal sleeve that bundles exposed conductor portions of the plurality of insulated wires; and
The wire harness characterized by the strands which comprise the said conductor, and the said strand and the said metal sleeve being joined.   The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the strands and the strands and the metal sleeve are joined by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding.   3. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the metal sleeve covers an exposed conductor portion of the plurality of insulated wires and an insulator near the exposed conductor. 4.   The wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a low melting point metal is contained inside the metal sleeve.   The wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the metal sleeve is made of a metal similar to a metal forming the element wire.   The wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the metal forming the element wire is one or more selected from copper, copper alloy, aluminum, and aluminum alloy. .   The wire conductor according to claim 1, wherein the conductor includes a reinforcing wire. 8. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the conductor is 1.5 mm ² or less.   The wire harness according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sleeve has a thickness in a range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. A step of exposing a conductor at a terminal portion of a plurality of insulated wires; and
Bundling each obtained insulated wire with a cylindrical metal sleeve at the exposed conductor portion;
The manufacturing method of the wire harness characterized by including the process which joins the strands which comprise a conductor in the state which bundled the conductors, and the said strand and the said metal sleeve.   The method of manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 10, wherein the strands are joined by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding. A step of exposing a conductor at a terminal portion of a plurality of insulated wires; and
Bundling each obtained insulated wire with a cylindrical metal sleeve at the exposed conductor portion;
A method of connecting an insulated wire, comprising: a step of joining the strands constituting the conductors in a state where the conductors are bundled together, and a step of joining the strands and the metal sleeve.   The method of connecting insulated wires according to claim 12, wherein the strands are joined by ultrasonic welding or resistance welding.

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