JP2023130639A - Harness sheath material and method for installing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a harness sheath material in which a space required for work is small and the work can be easily completed in a short time.SOLUTION: A harness sheath material 10a protects a wire harness 50. The harness sheath material includes a winding member 20. The winding member 20 is a sheet-like member with a curling tendency, maintains a spread state by being warped, and changes to a wound state by canceling the warp. The harness sheath material is wound around the wire harness 50 by a winding force of the winding member 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention primarily relates to a harness exterior material that protects a wire harness.

Patent Document 1 discloses a wire harness that is attached to a vehicle body using a band clamp or the like. Patent Document 1 discloses a method of protecting a wire harness by wrapping a tape around the outer circumference of the wire harness.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-150840

However, in order to wrap the tape around the wire harness, a large space may be required around the wire harness, so a large space is required. As a result, it may become difficult to wrap the tape around a wire harness attached to a structure such as a vehicle body. Furthermore, winding the tape around the wire harness can be time consuming.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main purpose is to provide a harness exterior material that requires a small space for work and allows work to be completed easily and in a short time.

Means and effects for solving problems

The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above, and next, the means for solving this problem and the effects thereof will be explained.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a harness exterior material for protecting a wire harness having the following configuration is provided. That is, the harness exterior material includes a wrapping member. The wrapping member is a sheet-like member with a curling tendency, and maintains a spread state by being warped, and changes to a rolled state by canceling the warp. It is wound around the wire harness by the winding force of the winding member.

As a result, compared to the method of protecting the wire harness by wrapping tape around it, the space required for the work is smaller, the work is easier, and the work can be completed in a shorter time.

The harness exterior material described above preferably has the following configuration. That is, the harness exterior material includes a flexible sheet-like protection member. The protection member is attached to an end of the wrapping member. The protection member is wound around the wire harness by the winding force of the winding member.

While the wrapping member is limited to materials that tend to curl, the protective member can be made of various materials as long as they are flexible. Therefore, the wire harness can be protected using a protection member that has protection performance that meets the requirements.

In the above-mentioned harness exterior material, it is preferable that the winding members are attached to both ends of the protection member.

The protective member is difficult to peel off from the wire harness after being wrapped around the wire harness.

The harness exterior material described above preferably has the following configuration. That is, the protection member includes a main protection member and an end protection member. The main protection member is arranged at a position sandwiched between the two winding members in the axial direction of winding. The end protection member is disposed on the opposite side of the main protection member across the winding member in the axial direction of winding.

Since the end protection member is disposed at the end of the harness exterior material, contact between the wrapping member and the wire harness can be suppressed. Therefore, the wire harness can be made less likely to be damaged.

The harness exterior material described above preferably has the following configuration. That is, the harness exterior material includes a string and a string holding section. The string is attached to the protection member and tightens the protection member after the protection member is wound around the wire harness. The string holding section is attached to the protection member and holds the string.

The harness exterior material can be firmly attached to the wire harness.

In the above harness exterior material, the string is attached to the protective member so as to appear alternately on the front and back surfaces of the protective member, and by pulling the string, the string tightens the protective member. is preferred.

A harness exterior material can be firmly attached to a wire harness with simple work. Moreover, the string is difficult to come off from the protective member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the following attachment method is provided. That is, in the attachment method, a harness exterior material is attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness. In the front attachment method, the wrapping member of the harness exterior material is in the form of a sheet with a curling tendency, maintains a spread state by being warped, and changes to a rolled state by eliminating the warp. The harness exterior material is wrapped around the wire harness by pressing the harness exterior material against the wire harness to eliminate warping of the wrapping member.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vehicle body panel, a clamp member, and a harness. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how a harness exterior material is attached to a wire harness. The figure which shows the harness exterior material comprised only of the wrapping member. The figure which shows the harness exterior material of the structure in which a protection member contains a main protection member and an end protection member. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how a harness exterior material is fixed to a wire harness by winding a string. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how the harness exterior material is fixed to the wire harness by pulling the string.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The wire harness 50 shown in FIG. 1 is wired to the body of an automobile or the like. The wire harness 50 is a component made by bundling a plurality of electric wires. Further, the wire harness 50 includes an unillustrated connector connected to an electric wire. The connector of the wire harness 50 is connected to another electric wire, electrical component, or the like.

The vehicle body panel 61 shown in FIG. 1 is a panel fixed to the vehicle body of an automobile. A panel hole 61a is formed in the vehicle body panel 61. On the other hand, the wire harness 50 is bundled by a clamp member 62. A mounting protrusion 62a is formed on the clamp member 62. The attachment protrusion 62a can be fitted into the panel hole 61a. The wire harness 50 is attached to the vehicle body panel 61 by fitting the attachment protrusion 62a into the panel hole 61a.

Furthermore, after the wire harness 50 is attached to the vehicle body panel 61, the harness exterior material 10a is attached to the wire harness 50. The harness exterior material 10a protects the wire harness 50 by covering the outer periphery of the wire harness 50 (particularly the area sandwiched between the two clamp members 62).

In the past, corrugated tubes and the like were attached with tape to protect the harness. However, after the wire harness 50 is attached to the vehicle body panel 61, the gap between the wire harness 50 and the vehicle body panel 61 is small. Therefore, it is not possible to pass the tape core through this gap, which sometimes makes it difficult to wind the tape.

In this respect, the harness exterior material 10a of this embodiment can be attached to the wire harness 50 without using tape. This will be explained in detail below. As shown in FIG. 2, the harness exterior material 10a includes a wrapping member 20 and a protection member 30.

The wrapping member 20 is a sheet-like member made of metal or silicon, for example. The winding member 20 has a curl. The curling tendency is the property of the fabric to naturally curl and curl in a predetermined direction when no other force is applied to resist the force in the winding direction (in other words, a force that resists the winding). The wrapping member 20 is manufactured, for example, by wrapping a material that tends to curl around a rod-shaped body. Further, the direction in which the wrapping member 20 is wound is referred to as the axial direction (FIG. 2).

Further, before the harness exterior material 10a is attached to the wire harness 50, the winding member 20 is warped (upper diagram in FIG. 2). By warping the wrapping member 20, it is possible to suppress the wrapping member 20 from being wound, so that the wrapping member 20 can be maintained in an expanded state. Specifically, when viewed from the front-rear direction perpendicular to both the axial direction and the thickness direction, the wrapping member 20 is deformed to have a convex shape or a concave shape.

In addition, by eliminating the warp formed in the wrapping member 20, there is no force to resist the wrapping, so the wrapping member 20 is wound around the axial direction due to the wrapping force caused by the curl. Figure 2 (upper to lower). Specifically, the wrapping member 20 is wound so that the convex portion formed by the warp is on the inside. Since the winding member 20 is wound due to its curling tendency, there is no need for an operator to wind the winding member 20 manually.

The protection member 30 is a flexible sheet-like member. The protective member 30 is, for example, a vinyl sheet, but may also be a polyester fiber sheet or other materials. The material of the protective member 30 can be selected as appropriate depending on the wear resistance, waterproofness, etc. required of the wire harness 50.

Wrapping members 20 are attached to both ends of the protection member 30 in the axial direction, respectively. The wrapping member 20 and the protection member 30 are attached using adhesive, for example. The end faces of the wrapping member 20 and the protection member 30 may be bonded together, or the wrapping member 20 and the protection member 30 may be bonded together. Further, the wrapping member 20 and the protection member 30 may be attached using a material other than adhesive, or the wrapping member 20 and the protection member 30 may be attached via another member.

After the wire harness 50 is attached to the vehicle body panel 61, the operator prepares the harness exterior material 10a. Next, the operator inserts the harness exterior material 10a into the gap between the wire harness 50 and the vehicle body panel 61. At this time, the convex portion of the wrapping member 20 is placed on the wire harness 50 side.

Next, the operator presses the harness exterior material 10a onto the wire harness 50, as shown by the thick arrow in the upper diagram of FIG. This eliminates the warping of the wrapping member 20, so that the wrapping member 20 is wound around the axial direction. As a result, the winding member 20 can be wound around the wire harness 50. Since the winding member 20 has a curl, the winding member 20 maintains a state where it is wound around the wire harness 50. Furthermore, since the protection member 30 has flexibility, the wrapping force of the wrapping member 20 causes the wrapping member 20 and the protection member 30 to be integrally wound around the wire harness 50 . Through the above steps, the harness exterior material 10a can be attached to the wire harness 50.

Since the harness exterior material 10a is configured by combining sheet-like members, its size in the thickness direction is small. Although the size in the thickness direction is slightly increased by forming a warp in the wrapping member 20, there is no need to greatly warp the wrapping member 20, and the magnitude of the warp can be adjusted as appropriate. Therefore, the size of the harness exterior material 10a in the thickness direction is significantly smaller than the tape core. Therefore, even if the gap formed between the wire harness 50 and the vehicle body panel 61 is small, the work of wrapping the harness exterior material 10a around the wire harness 50 can be performed.

Furthermore, when using tape, it is necessary to pass the tape core through this gap multiple times. On the other hand, with the harness exterior material 10a of this embodiment, it is only necessary to insert the harness exterior material 10a into the gap and press it upward. Therefore, compared to the case of using tape, the work effort can be reduced. Moreover, the work of winding the harness exterior material 10a around the wire harness 50 can be completed in a short time.

Moreover, it is preferable that the length of the harness exterior material 10a in the axial direction corresponds to the interval between the clamp members 62. Therefore, the size of the required harness exterior material 10a differs depending on the position of the wire harness 50. Since the spacing between the clamp members 62 varies, harness exterior materials 10a of various sizes are required. Therefore, it is preferable to manufacture the harness exterior material 10a by manufacturing a plurality of types of protection members 30 having different lengths in the axial direction, and bonding the wrapping member 20 thereto. At this time, by using the winding member 20 in common, manufacturing costs can be reduced. Alternatively, the harness exterior material 10a may be manufactured long in the front-rear direction, and the harness exterior material 10a may be cut along the axial direction according to the required size in the front-rear direction.

Next, a first modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a harness exterior material 10b composed of only the wrapping member 20. In the following description, members that are the same or similar to those in the above-described embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and their descriptions may be omitted. Further, from FIG. 3 onward, the representation of the wire harness 50, the vehicle body panel 61, and the clamp member 62 is simplified or omitted.

The harness exterior material 10a of the above embodiment is composed of a wrapping member 20 and a protection member 30. On the other hand, the harness exterior material 10b of the first modification is composed of only the wrapping member 20 and does not include the protection member 30. The structure of the winding member 20 of the first modification is the same as that of the above embodiment. However, the length in the axial direction of the wrapping member 20 of the first modification needs to be the same as or similar to the portion of the wire harness 50 to be protected.

The harness exterior material 10b of the first modification has a simpler structure than the harness exterior material 10a of the above embodiment. Further, since the harness exterior material 10b of the first modification does not have a joint portion, it is difficult to break even if an excessive force is applied to the harness exterior material 10b.

Next, a second modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a harness exterior material 10c in which the protection member 30 includes a main protection member 31 and an end protection member 32.

The protection member 30 of the second modification includes a main protection member 31 and two end protection members 32. The main protection member 31 and the two end protection members 32 have the same configuration and material as the protection member 30 of the above embodiment. Further, the length of the main protection member 31 in the axial direction is longer than the length of one end protection member 32 in the axial direction.

The main protection member 31 is arranged at the center of the harness exterior material 10c in the axial direction. The main protection member 31 is sandwiched between the two wrapping members 20 in the axial direction. The main protection member 31 and the wrapping member 20 are bonded together in the same manner as in the above embodiment. Further, the length of the main protection member 31 in the axial direction is longer than the length of one end protection member 32 in the axial direction. The main protection member 31 protects the axial center of the wire harness 50 and the vicinity thereof.

The two end protection members 32 are respectively arranged at two locations on opposite sides of the main protection member 31 with the wrapping member 20 in between in the axial direction. Therefore, the end protection member 32 is located at the end of the harness exterior material 10c in the axial direction. The end protection member 32 and the wrapping member 20 are bonded together in the same manner as in the above embodiment. The end protection member 32 protects the axial end of the wire harness 50 and its vicinity.

The main protection member 31 and the end protection member 32 are bonded to the wrapping member 20. Therefore, the warpage of the winding member 20 is eliminated and a winding force is generated, so that the main protection member 31 and the end protection member 32 are also wound around the wire harness 50.

Furthermore, the end protection member 32 also has the following functions. That is, the wrapping member 20 may be harder than the protection member 30. In that case, when a bending force is applied to the wire harness 50, the end face of the winding member 20 and the wire harness 50 may come into contact and the wire harness 50 may be damaged. In this regard, in the second modification, the end protection member 32 is located at the end in the axial direction of the harness exterior material 10c. Therefore, even when a bending force is applied to the wire harness 50, the wire harness 50 is unlikely to be damaged.

Next, a third modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing how the harness exterior material 10d is fixed to the wire harness 50 by winding the string 40 tightly.

The third modification has a configuration in which the harness exterior material 10d is firmly attached to the wire harness 50 using the string 40. Specifically, the harness exterior material 10d of the third modification includes a string 40, a tip portion 41, and a string holding portion 42.

One end of the string 40 is attached to the protection member 30. Specifically, one end of the string 40 is attached to the surface of the protection member 30 that becomes the outer side after being wound around the wire harness 50. There are various attachment methods, such as adhesive bonding, taping, and sewing. As shown in FIG. 5, by wrapping the harness exterior material 10d around the wire harness 50, the string 40 is positioned on the outer surface. The operator wraps the string 40 around the harness exterior material 10d (specifically, the protection member 30) by, for example, holding the cord 40 in hand and rotating the harness exterior material 10d. Note that if the gap between the wire harness 50 and the clamp member 62 is large, the cord 40 may be wound tightly by inserting a hand into this gap.

A tip portion 41 is formed at the other end of the string 40. The tip portion 41 is larger in size than other parts of the string 40. The tip portion 41 may have a structure in which a member other than the string 40 is attached, or may be a knot made using the string 40.

The string holding part 42 is attached to the protection member 30. Specifically, the string holding portion 42 is attached to the surface of the protection member 30 that becomes the outer side after being wound around the wire harness 50. The string holding portion 42 is attached by, for example, adhesive or sewing. As shown in FIG. 5, by wrapping the harness exterior material 10d around the wire harness 50, the string holding portion 42 is located on the outer surface. After the operator wraps the string 40 around the harness exterior material 10d, the operator causes the string holding section 42 to hold the tip end 41. The string holding portion 42 is a disk-shaped portion that is formed to protrude from the protection member 30. After winding the string 40 around the outer peripheral surface of the string holding part 42, the operator causes the string holding part 42 to hold the string 40 by, for example, hooking the tip end 41 onto the string 40.

The configuration of the string holding part 42 of the third modification is just an example, and can be changed as follows, for example. The string holding portion 42 may have a T-shaped cross section instead of a disk shape. Specifically, it may have a shape in which a large-diameter disk is formed on the top of a small-diameter cylinder. In this case, a gap is created between the large-diameter disk and the protective member 30, so that the string 40 can be wrapped around or sandwiched in this gap to hold it. Further, the string holding portion 42 having a T-shaped cross section may be a small diameter cylinder penetrating the protection member 30. In this case, the small diameter cylinder can be held from the back side.

Further, in the third modification, one end of the string 40 is attached to the protection member 30, but one end of the string 40 may be attached to the string holding part 42. Further, the string holding section 42 is not limited to being separate from the protection member 30, and the string holding section 42 may be configured using a part of the protection member 30. For example, the string holding portion 42 can be formed by making a rectangular or T-shaped cut in the protective member 30 and peeling it off.

Next, a fourth modification of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing how the harness exterior material 10e is fixed to the wire harness 50 by pulling the string 40.

The fourth modification differs from the third modification in that the string 40 is sewn to the protection member 30. Specifically, the string 40 is sewn using a plain stitch so that it appears alternately on the front and back sides of the protective member 30. The other end of the string 40 is fixed to the protection member 30 similarly to the third modification. However, the middle part of the string 40 only passes through the protection member 30 and is not fixed to the protection member 30.

As shown in FIG. 6, by pulling the string 40 while fixing the protection member 30, wrinkles are formed in the protection member 30 and its diameter becomes smaller, and as a result, the harness exterior material 10e can be brought into close contact with the wire harness 50. can. In particular, the string 40 of the fourth modification is disposed in a portion including the inside of the protection member 30, and is unlikely to come off or shift from the protection member 30. Therefore, the harness exterior material can be firmly attached to the wire harness. Furthermore, compared to the method of winding the string 40, the labor required by the operator can be reduced.

As explained above, the harness exterior materials 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e of this embodiment protect the wire harness 50. The harness exterior material includes a wrapping member 20. The wrapping member 20 is a sheet-like member with a curling tendency, and maintains a spread state by being warped, and changes to a rolled state by canceling the warp. The harness exterior material is wound around the wire harness 50 by the winding force of the winding member 20.

As a result, compared to the method of protecting the wire harness 50 by wrapping a tape around it, the space required for the work is smaller, the work is easier, and the work can be completed in a shorter time.

The harness exterior materials 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e of this embodiment include a flexible sheet-like protection member 30. A protection member 30 is attached to the end of the wrapping member 20. The protection member 30 is wound around the wire harness 50 by the winding force of the winding member 20.

While the wrapping member 20 is limited to a material that has a tendency to curl, the protective member 30 can be made of various materials as long as they are flexible. Therefore, the wire harness 50 can be protected using the protection member 30 that has the protection performance required.

In the harness exterior materials 10a, 10c, 10d, and 10e of this embodiment, the wrapping members 20 are attached to both ends of the protection member 30.

The protective member 30 is difficult to peel off from the wire harness 50 after being wrapped around the wire harness 50.

In the harness exterior material 10c of this embodiment, the protection member 30 includes a main protection member 31 and an end protection member 32. The main protection member 31 is arranged at a position sandwiched between the two winding members 20 in the axial direction of winding. The end protection member 32 is disposed on the opposite side of the main protection member 31 across the wrapping member 20 in the axial direction of winding.

Since the end protection member 32 is disposed at the end of the harness exterior material 10c, contact between the wrapping member 20 and the wire harness 50 can be suppressed. Therefore, the wire harness 50 can be made less likely to be damaged.

The harness exterior material 10d of this embodiment includes a string 40 and a string holding part 42. The string 40 is attached to the protection member 30 and tightens the protection member 30 after the protection member 30 is wound around the wire harness 50. The string holding section 42 is attached to the protection member 30 and holds the string 40.

The harness exterior material 10d can be firmly attached to the wire harness 50.

In the harness exterior material 10e of this embodiment, the string 40 is attached to the protection member 30 so as to appear alternately on the front and back surfaces of the protection member 30, and by pulling the string 40, the string 40 wraps around the protection member 30. Tighten.

The harness exterior material 10e can be firmly attached to the wire harness 50 with a simple operation. Moreover, the string 40 is difficult to come off from the protective member 30.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above configuration can be modified as follows, for example.

In the above embodiment, the wrapping member 20 is attached to both ends of the protection member 30 in the axial direction, but the wrapping member 20 may be attached only to one end of the protection member 30 in the axial direction.

In the embodiment described above, the harness exterior material 10a is inserted into the gap between the vehicle body panel 61 and the wire harness 50 and pressed upward, but instead of this, the harness exterior material 10a may be attached to the wire harness 50 as follows. That is, by positioning the harness exterior material 10a on the upper surface of the wire harness 50 so that the convex shape of the wrapping member 20 faces downward and pushing down the harness exterior material 10a, the harness exterior material 10a is wound around the wire harness 50. It can be attached.

Although the embodiment described above shows an example in which the present invention is applied to the wire harness 50 attached to the body panel 61 of an automobile, the present invention can also be applied to a structure in which the wire harness 50 is attached to another object.

10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e Harness exterior material 20 Wrapping member 30 Protection member 31 Main protection member 32 End protection member 50 Wire harness 61 Vehicle body panel 62 Clamp member

Claims (7)

In the harness exterior material that protects the wire harness,
It is a sheet-like member with a tendency to curl, and it has a wrapping member that maintains a spread state by warping, and changes to a rolled state by eliminating the warp,
A harness exterior material, characterized in that it is wound around the wire harness by the winding force of the winding member. The harness exterior material according to claim 1,
Equipped with a flexible sheet-like protective member,
The protective member is attached to an end of the wrapping member,
The harness exterior material is characterized in that the protection member is wound around the wire harness by a winding force of the winding member. The harness exterior material according to claim 2,
A harness exterior material, wherein the wrapping member is attached to both ends of the protective member. The harness exterior material according to claim 3,
The protection member is
a main protection member disposed at a position sandwiched between the two wrapping members in the axial direction of the wrapping;
an end protection member disposed on the opposite side of the main protection member across the wrapping member in the axial direction of winding;
A harness exterior material comprising: The harness exterior material according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
a string attached to the protective member and used to tighten the protective member after the protective member is wound around the wire harness;
a string holding part attached to the protection member and holding the string;
A harness exterior material comprising: The harness exterior material according to claim 5,
The harness exterior material is characterized in that the string is attached to the protection member so as to appear alternately on the front and back surfaces of the protection member, and when the string is pulled, the string tightens the protection member. In the installation method of attaching the harness exterior material to the outer periphery of the wire harness,
The wrapping member included in the harness exterior material is in the form of a sheet with a curling tendency, maintains a spread state by warping, and changes to a rolled state by eliminating the warp,
An attachment method characterized in that the harness exterior material is wrapped around the wire harness by pressing the harness exterior material against the wire harness to eliminate warping of the wrapping member.

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