JP2013073883A - Cable unit and method for manufacturing cable unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cable unit which does not have irregularity even when round cables are separated from each other, and in which the round cables are firmly connected with each other, and a method for manufacturing the cable unit.SOLUTION: In a cable unit 1, a plurality of round cables 2 obtained by covering conductors 2a with insulated external insulators 2d are arranged in parallel with one another. A connection member 3 is sandwiched between the round cables 2. In the connection member 3, circular-arc groove parts 3a into which the respective round cables 2 sandwiching the connection member 3 are engaged are formed, and the connection member 3 is stuck to the round cables 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric wire unit and an electric wire unit manufacturing method, and more particularly to an electric wire unit in which a plurality of round electric wires whose conductors are covered with an insulating outer shell are arranged in parallel and a manufacturing method of the electric wire unit.

  For example, in an information communication network or a photovoltaic power generation system in a vehicle, devices are often connected by a plurality of cables (= electric wires). As described above, when a plurality of cables are wired on the same path, a parallel multi-unit cable (= electric wire unit) for connecting the plurality of cables to each other as shown in FIG. (Patent Document 1).

  As shown in the figure, the parallel multi-unit cable 100 is composed of a plurality of cables 101 arranged in parallel to each other. Each of these cables 101 includes, for example, four pairs of twisted pairs 101a and a sheath 101b (= outer skin) that collectively covers these four pairs of twisted pairs 101a. The sheath 101b and the sheath 101b are connected to each other by a bridge 101c.

  However, the parallel multi-unit cable 100 described above has the following problems. That is, when the connectors are attached to the terminals of these cables 101, as shown in FIG. 7A, the bridge 101c is manually cut to separate the cable 101 and the cable 101, but when the bridge 101c is cut, the cable 101 is cut. A convex portion 101d is formed.

  When the convex portion 101d is formed in this way, for example, when a waterproof connector is attached to the cable 101, as shown in FIG. 7B, most of the waterproof connectors have the cable 101 having an outer diameter for preventing water intrusion. The structure is covered with a waterproof cover 102 formed of a smaller size rubber resin. In this case, if the cable 101 has the convex portion 101d, a gap is formed between the convex portion 101d and the waterproof cover 102, which causes a problem that sufficient waterproofness cannot be obtained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a parallel multi-unit cable 100 in which a plurality of cables 101 are connected to each other is also considered (Patent Documents 1 and 2). As shown in the figure, the parallel multi-unit 100 is provided with a thermal bonding portion 103 in which the sheaths 101b of the cables 101 are thermally bonded. In this way, the cables 101 can be separated from each other without unevenness by cleanly peeling off the thermal bonding portion 103 between the sheaths 101b. However, when the cable 101 is round, there is a problem in that sufficient adhesion strength cannot be obtained because the adhesion area is small.

JP 2008-181848 A JP 2009-48934 A

  Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the electric wire unit and manufacturing method of the said electric wire unit which do not have an unevenness | corrugation even if it isolate | separates round electric wires, and can connect round electric wires firmly. .

  The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-described problem is an electric wire unit in which a plurality of round electric wires whose conductors are covered with an insulating outer shell are arranged in parallel. A connecting member sandwiched therebetween, and the connecting member is formed with arc-shaped grooves into which the round electric wires sandwiching the connecting member are fitted, and the connecting member and the round electric wire are bonded to each other. It exists in the electric wire unit characterized by being.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the connecting member, a height in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the plurality of round electric wires are arranged and a longitudinal direction of the round electric wires is equal to or less than a diameter of the round electric wires. It exists in the electric wire unit of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Invention of Claim 3 is the manufacturing method which manufactures the electric wire unit of Claim 1 or 2, The process of extruding the outer skin of the said round shaped electric wire and the said connection member, The said round shape by which the said extrusion molding was carried out A method of manufacturing an electric wire unit comprising sequentially performing a step of fitting the round electric wire into a groove portion of the connecting member and heat-welding before the outer sheath of the electric wire and the connecting member are hardened.

  As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the connecting member is formed with arc-shaped groove portions into which the round electric wires sandwiching the connecting member are fitted, and the connecting member formed with the groove portions and the round shape are formed. Since the round electric wires are bonded to each other, even if the round electric wires are separated from each other by separating the round electric wires from each other, no irregularities are formed on the outer surface of the round electric wires. Moreover, by providing the connecting member with an arc-shaped groove, the bonding area between the connecting member and the round electric wire can be increased, and the round electric wires can be firmly connected to each other.

  According to the invention of claim 2, if the height of the connecting member is the same as the diameter of the round electric wire, both the connecting member and the round electric wire are routed when the electric wire unit is placed on the wiring surface. Since the electric wire unit is supported in contact with the surface, the force for peeling off the bond is hardly generated between the connecting member and the round electric wire at the time of routing, and the bonding between the connecting member and the round electric wire is not peeled off. Even if the height of the connecting member is lower than the diameter of the round electric wire, when the electric wire unit is placed on the wiring surface, the connecting member floats without contacting the wiring surface, but is heavier than the connecting member. Since the round electric wire is in contact with the wiring surface and supports the electric wire unit, the force that peels off the adhesion that occurs between the connecting member and the round electric wire during wiring is suppressed, and the connection between the connecting member and the round electric wire is prevented. There is no peeling off. In addition, when the connection between the connecting member and the round electric wire is peeled off, if the floating connecting member is pulled, an extra force is not applied and the connecting member can be easily peeled off. Further, the thickness can be reduced.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the outer shell of the round electric wire and the connecting member are extruded and the round electric wire is fitted into the groove of the connecting member before the outer shell and the connecting member of the extruded round electric wire are hardened. Therefore, the connecting member and the round electric wire can be bonded simultaneously at the time of extrusion molding, and the round electric wire and the connecting member can be easily bonded.

It is a perspective view of the cable unit as an electric wire unit of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the connection member shown in FIG. It is the II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a perspective view when the round cable shown in FIG. 1 and a connection member are isolate | separated. It is sectional drawing of the cable unit in other embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the parallel type | mold multi-unit cable as a conventional electric wire unit. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the problem of the parallel type | mold multi-unit cable shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the parallel type | mold multi-unit cable as a conventional electric wire unit.

  Hereinafter, the electric wire unit of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable unit as an electric wire unit of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the connecting member shown in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view when the round cable and the connecting member shown in FIG. 1 are separated.

  As shown in the figure, a cable unit 1 (= electric wire unit) includes a plurality (two in this embodiment) of round cables 2 (= round electric wires) arranged in parallel with each other, and these round cables 2. And a connecting member 3 for connecting the two. The plurality of round cables 2 are arranged in parallel to each other. Each of the plurality of round cables 2 has a round cross section. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cross section of the round cable 2 is formed in a perfect circle, but is not limited to a perfect circle and may be an ellipse or may be somewhat distorted.

  The round cable 2 is knitted on the outside of the conductor 2a made of copper or aluminum, the inner insulator 2b made of polyethylene (PE) or the like covering the conductor 2a, and the inner insulating layer 2b. A braided conductor 2c made of copper, aluminum or the like, and an external insulator 2d (= outer skin) made of PE, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or the like covering the braided conductor 2c are provided.

  The connecting member 3 is sandwiched between the round cable 2 and the round cable 2 and connects the round cables 2 to each other. The connecting member 3 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long along the longitudinal direction Y1 of the round cable 2 and is made of the same material as the external insulator 2d. That is, if the external insulator 2d is made of PE, the connecting member 3 is also made of PE. If the external insulator 2d is made of PVC, the connecting member 3 is also made of PVC.

  In the connecting member 3, a groove portion 3 a is formed on each of a pair of outer surfaces facing the alignment direction Y <b> 2 of the round cables 2. The groove 3a is provided along the longitudinal direction Y1 of the round cable 2. And the round cable 2 which pinches | interposes the connection member 3 in this groove part 3a is engage | inserted. The groove 3a is provided in an arc shape in cross section, and its radius R1 (see FIG. 2) is substantially equal to the radius R2 (see FIG. 3) of the round cable 2. Thus, when the round cable 2 is fitted into the groove 3a, the surface forming the groove 3a and the round cable 2 come into contact with each other. And the surface which forms this groove part 3a which is mutually contacting, and the round cable 2 are adhere | attached by heat welding.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the connecting member 3, the height H in the direction Y <b> 3 orthogonal to the two directions of the alignment direction Y <b> 2 of the round cables 2 and the longitudinal direction Y <b> 1 of the round cables 2 is The diameter is lower than (2 × R2).

  According to the cable unit 1 described above, the connecting member 3 is formed with arcuate groove portions 3a into which the round cables 2 sandwiching the connecting member 3 are fitted, and the connecting member 3 and the circular member 2 formed with the groove portions 3a are rounded. As shown in FIG. 4, even if the round cable 2 and the connecting member 3 are peeled off and the round cables 2 are separated from each other, the outer surface of the round cable 2 is uneven as shown in FIG. Is not formed. Therefore, even when the waterproof connector is attached to the terminal, there is no gap between the waterproof cover of the waterproof connector and the round cable 2, so that the terminal can be attached without any problem. Moreover, by providing the connecting member 3 with the arc-shaped groove 3a, the bonding area between the connecting member 3 and the round cable 2 can be increased, and the round cables 2 can be firmly connected to each other.

  In addition, conventionally, there are cases where flat or round multi-core cables are mainly used at locations where multiple cables are wired, and flat and round multi-core cables that are different from single-core cables are used. Although a connector for a heart is necessary, since a connector for a single core can be used if a cable unit 1 in which a plurality of single-core round cables 2 are connected as in this embodiment is used, the connector to be used is It can be unified, and the material can be unified and reduced.

  Further, according to the cable unit 1 described above, the height H of the connecting member 3 is made lower than the diameter (2 × R2) of the round cable 2, so that the cable unit 1 is routed as shown in FIG. When placed on the surface, the connecting member 3 floats without contacting the routing surface, but the round cable 2 heavier than the connecting member 3 contacts the routing surface to support the cable unit 1. For this reason, compared with the case where the heavy round cable 2 floats, the force which peels off the adhesion which arises between the connection member 3 and the round cable 2 at the time of wiring is suppressed, and the connection member 3 and the round cable 2 are Adhesion does not peel off. In addition, when the connection between the connecting member 3 and the round cable 2 is peeled off, if the floating connecting member 3 is pulled, an extra force is not applied and the connecting member 3 can be easily peeled off. Further, the thickness can be reduced.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the cable unit 1 described above will be described. First, the inner insulator 2b is extruded by covering the material of the inner insulator 2b melted around the conductor 2a with an extruder. Thereafter, the braided conductor 2c is knitted around the internal insulator 2b by the braiding machine. The number of round cables 2 in this state (that is, the state where there is no external insulator 2d) is prepared in advance for the number of round cables 2 constituting the cable unit 1. In this embodiment, since there are two round cables 2 constituting the cable unit 1, two round cables 2 without the external insulator 2d are formed.

  Next, the external insulators 2d of the plurality of round cables 2 are simultaneously extruded using the same number of extruders as the number of round cables 2 constituting the cable unit 1. In this embodiment, since the round cable 2 which comprises the cable unit 1 is two, the external insulator 2d of the two round cables 2 is extruded simultaneously using two extruders.

  Further, simultaneously with the extrusion of the external insulator 2d of the two round cables 2, the connecting member 3 is extruded using an extruder. Thereafter, while the external insulator 2d and the connecting member 3 of the extruded round cable 2 are not hardened and are sticky, the round cable 2 is fitted into the groove 3a of the connecting member 3 and thermally welded. Complete.

  According to the manufacturing method of the cable unit 1 described above, the external insulator 2d and the connecting member 3 of the round cable 2 are extruded, and the external insulator 2d and the connecting member 3 of the extruded round cable 2 are not hardened. Since the round cable 2 is fitted into the groove 3a of the connecting member 3 and thermally bonded, the connecting member 3 and the round cable 2 can be bonded simultaneously at the time of extrusion molding, and can be easily connected to the round cable 2. The member 3 can be bonded.

  In addition, according to embodiment mentioned above, although the height H of the connection member 3 was provided lower than the diameter (2xR2) of the round cable 2, this invention is not limited to this. The height H of the connecting member 3 and the diameter (2 × R2) of the round cable 2 may be equal. In this case, when the cable unit 1 is placed on the routing surface, both the connecting member 3 and the round cable 2 are in contact with the routing surface to support the cable unit 1. There is almost no force to peel off the adhesive between the cable 2 and the connecting member 3 and the round cable 2 are not peeled off. Further, if the connection between the connecting member 3 and the round cable 2 is strong without reducing the thickness, the height H of the connecting member 3 may be set higher than the diameter 2 × R2 of the round cable 2. Good.

  Moreover, in embodiment mentioned above, although the groove part 3a of the connection member 3 and the round cable 2 were adhere | attached by heat welding, this invention is not limited to this. For example, you may make it adhere | attach using an adhesive agent.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cable unit 1 is composed of the two round cables 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Three or more round cables 2 may be used.

  In the case of three or more round cables 2, a plurality of round cables 2 may be arranged on the same plane as shown in FIG. 5 (A) or as shown in FIG. 5 (B). Thus, it may be arranged in a triangular shape and laminated in two or more stages.

  In the above-described embodiment, the coaxial cable having the braided conductor 2C is used as the round cable 2 (round electric wire), but the present invention is not limited to this. The round electric wire may be a known electric wire having a round cross section. For example, the round electric wire may be an electric wire having only the conductor 2a without the braided conductor 2C and the external insulator 2d covering the conductor 2a.

  In the embodiment described above, a single-core cable is used as the round cable 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a multi-core cable may be used as in the past.

  Further, the above-described embodiments are merely representative forms of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Cable unit (electric wire unit)
2 Round cable (round wire)
3 Connecting member 2a Conductor 2d External insulator (outer skin)
3a Groove Y1 Longitudinal direction Y2 Alignment direction Y3 Orthogonal direction

Claims (3)

In an electric wire unit in which a plurality of round electric wires whose conductors are covered with an insulating outer shell are arranged in parallel,
Comprising a connecting member sandwiched between the round electric wire and the round electric wire;
The connecting member is formed with arc-shaped grooves into which the round electric wires sandwiching the connecting member are fitted, and the connecting member and the round electric wire are bonded to each other. In the connecting member, a height in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the plurality of round electric wires are arranged and a longitudinal direction of the round electric wires is equal to or less than a diameter of the round electric wires. The electric wire unit according to claim 1. In the manufacturing method which manufactures the electric wire unit according to claim 1 or 2,
A step of extruding the outer shell of the round electric wire and the connecting member;
A step of fitting the round electric wire into a groove portion of the connecting member and heat welding the outer shell of the round electric wire formed by extrusion and the connecting member are not solidified; and
A method of manufacturing an electric wire unit characterized by sequentially performing steps.

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