JP3459039B2 - Bending protector and harness accommodating method using the same - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bend protector and a bend protector which can be folded at the same time as the assembling of the assembly by fixing a pair of protector bodies connected by a hinge to the assembly by a clamp. The present invention relates to the harness accommodating method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when assembling a meter unit to an instrument panel (hereinafter referred to as an instrument panel) of an automobile, the meter unit has been assembled according to the procedure shown in FIGS. In FIG. 14, 85 is a meter unit (assembly), 86 is a wire harness connected to the meter unit 85 by a connector 87, 88 is a fixed portion (main line) of the wire harness, 89 is an air duct, 90
Is a component of the instrument panel or vehicle body that is the assembly target, and 91 is an empty space in the instrument panel.

Since an operator cannot put his / her hand behind the meter unit 85, the meter panel 85 is pushed in as shown in FIG. 15 from the state where the wire harness 86 is extended as shown in FIG. Attach to the body). At this time, the extra length portion 86a of the wire harness 86
Is bent and accommodated in an empty space 91 in front of the air duct 89.

However, in the above structure, a large empty space 91 for bending and accommodating the extra length portion 86a of the wire harness 86 is required, which causes a problem that the instrument panel is enlarged. . If the empty space 91 is reduced, the wire harness 8
6 is not only difficult to accommodate, but the wire harness 86 is likely to be sandwiched between the meter unit 85 and the constituent member 90 as indicated by reference numeral 86b in FIG. 15, which makes it difficult to assemble the meter unit 85 and to prevent the wire harness 86 from being assembled. There was a concern that they would be easily damaged. Further, even when the wire harness 86 can be accommodated well, there is a concern that the extra length portion 86a hangs and interferes in the instrument panel, causing abnormal noise, and the extra length portion 86a is easily damaged.

16 to 17 show one means for treating the bent portion of the wire harness 82 (JP-A-1-32181).
No. 0) is shown, and as shown in FIG. 16, a coupling fitting 95 is rotatably provided on a unit (assembling body) 93 and a containing body (assembling body) 94 by a support shaft 96, and each coupling fitting 95 The wire harness 92 and the band-shaped elastic body 97 are fixed to each other, and the wire harness 92 and the elastic body 97 are bound by a binding tool 98 in the vicinity of each coupling fitting 95.

As shown in FIG. 17, as the unit 93 is accommodated inside the accommodating body 94 along the guide rail 99, the wire harness 92 is integrally bent with the elastic body 97, and is bent inside the accommodating body 94. Accommodated in.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, when the wire harness 92 is bent, the wire harness 92 expands in a horseshoe shape with the connecting metal fittings 95 on both sides as a fulcrum, so that the accommodation space of the wire harness 92 is reduced. There was a problem that many were needed. Further, since two connecting fittings 95 are required, the cost becomes high, and the number of man-hours for assembling the wire harness 92 is large. Further, in order to bind the wire harness 92 with the binding device 98, when the number of electric wires is large, some of the electric wires disengage (disperse) during bending and stick out from the wire harness 92, and the unit 93 and the container There was a concern that it would be easily bitten between 94 and the like.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the points pointed out in the above-mentioned respective configurations, the present invention does not loosen a wire harness when assembling an assembly body such as a meter unit to an assembly body such as an instrument panel. An object of the present invention is to provide a means capable of smoothly and surely bending and accommodating in a narrow space in an assembly target body.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a pair of protector main bodies for continuously accommodating wire harnesses, which are connected to each other by a hinge.
In a bending protector that is rotatable at a fulcrum, a clamp for locking and rotating is provided near one end of the protector body on the side opposite to the hinge , and the clamp is used as a fulcrum.
In addition, the pair of protector bodies is basically foldable (claim 1). It is also effective that the thin hinge has a restoring force in the protector bending direction (Claim 2). The hinge is resin-molded so as to be curved in the protector bending direction (claim 3). It is also possible that the hinge is composed of a support shaft and a bearing portion for the support shaft (claim 4). It is also effective that a cover is provided so as to be openable and closable near the hinge of the protector body (claim 5). Further, it is also effective to provide a stopper for preventing the protector from bending in a direction opposite to the bending direction (claim 6). Further, in the harness accommodating method in which the wire harness extending from the assembly is pushed into the assembly target side at the same time as the assembly of the assembly is accommodated,
The wire harness is attached to a pair of protector bodies connected by a hinge, one protector body is rotatably locked to the assembled body side, and the other protector body is positioned on the assembled body side. A harness accommodating method using a bending protector that bends the pair of protector main bodies at the same time as assembling the body is also adopted (claim 7). It is also effective to mount the wire harness on the pair of protector bodies in a state where the pair of protector bodies are bent in a dogleg shape.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Specific examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of a bending protector according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the bending protector 1 includes a pair of left and right protector bodies 2 and 3 made of synthetic resin, a thin-walled (thin plate-shaped) hinge 4 that rotatably connects the protector bodies 2 and 3, and one of The protector main body 2 is provided with a fixing and rotating clamp 5.

In this embodiment, each protector body 2, 3 is formed in a U-shaped cross section, and has curved bottom portions (bottom walls) 6, 7 and side walls 8, 8 ′, 9 on both sides rising from the bottom portions 6, 7. , 9 '
And has harness insertion openings 10 and 11 at the front and rear and the upper portion in the longitudinal direction. Side walls 8, 8 ', 9, 9'
It is of course possible to provide a cover (not shown) on the upper part of the so as to be openable and closable.

Both side walls 9, 9'of the other protector body 3
Is formed with a notch 12 in the height direction near the end opposite to the hinge 4. The wire harness 13 (FIG. 2) is fixed to the protector body 3 by tape winding at the notch 12. It is also possible to make the cutout portion 12 act as a relief portion for preventing interference with the instrument panel (not shown) when the bending protector 1 is folded (rotated).

The hinge 4 has side walls 8'and 9'opposed to each other at one end of the pair of protector bodies 2 and 3 and facing each other on the inner side in the bending direction.
Are provided so as to be connected to each other, and are formed to be relatively wide in the vertical direction. The hinge 4 is integrally molded into a curved state as shown in FIG. 1 when the bending protector 1 is molded with resin,
The pair of protector bodies 2 and 3 are formed in a state of facing each other in parallel.

By this molding method, the pair of protector main bodies 2 and 3 are largely rotated (folded) as shown in FIG.
Even if they are opposed to each other in parallel, no unreasonable force is applied to the hinge 4 and damage to the hinge 4 is prevented. In addition, since the restoring force in the bending direction (folding direction of the bending protector 1) is applied to the hinge 4, the bending direction of the pair of protector main bodies 2 and 3 is defined, and bending in the opposite direction is prevented. No stopper is required, and the operation of rotating the pair of protector main bodies 2 and 3 in the parallel direction (rotating operation before and after mounting the wire harness) is facilitated. The above configuration is also effective as a method for molding the bending protector 1.

The clamp 5 is one protector main body 2
Is formed so as to hang down from the bottom portion 6 on the other end side, that is, near the end portion on the side opposite to the hinge 4. The clamp 5 is firmly formed by a relatively thick columnar shaft portion 5b.
Flexible locking claws 5 protruding left and right are provided on the tip side of the shaft portion 5b.
a is integrally formed. The clamp 5 is rotatably locked to a component member 14 (FIG. 3) of an instrument panel or a vehicle body described later, and the bending protector 1 can be folded around the clamp 5 as a fulcrum.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of protector main bodies 2 and 3 are provided.
The wire harness 13 is mounted (inserted and fixed) in the protector main bodies 2 and 3 in a state in which is bent in a substantially V shape, that is, in a state in which the pair of protector main bodies 2 and 3 is slightly bent before straightening. To do. This operation can be easily performed by the restoring force of the hinge 4 described above. As a result, the bending protector 1 is prevented from bending in the reverse direction (arrow A direction), and the bending protector 1 is smoothly folded in the forward direction (arrow B direction) when the vehicle is assembled. That is, even if the wire harness 13 is bent in a dogleg shape and the wire harness 13 is bent in the opposite direction, tension is exerted on the wire harness 13 and the wire harness 13 cannot be bent backward. Moreover, the wire harness 13 near the hinge 4 when extended
Occurrence of extra length is minimized. This configuration is also effective as a harness housing method using the bending protector 1.

The wire harness 13 is arranged along the outer surface 4a of the hinge 4 in the bending direction. The hinge 4 is arranged inside the bending direction of the wire harness 13. When the wire harness 13 is attached to the bending protector 1 and is bent as shown in FIG. 1 and extended as shown in FIG. 2 or more (up to 180 °), the wire harness 13 has some extra length near the hinge 4. However, since the hinge 4 is disposed inside the bending direction of the wire harness 13, the extra length portion of the wire harness 13 does not press the hinge 4 (the hinge 4 is disposed outside the bending direction of the wire harness 13). In this case, the extra length of the wire harness 13 presses the hinge 4) and the extra length does not hinder the folding operation of the bending protector 1.

A tape 15 is wound around the wire harness 13 from the end of the protector bodies 2 and 3 on the side opposite to the hinge in the harness lead-out direction. Since the tape 15 is not wound around the wire harness 13, good bendability is guaranteed. The bend protector 1 is folded inward (arrow B direction) with the clamp 5 as a fulcrum.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 (view A in FIG. 3), the bending protector 1 equipped with the wire harness 13 is first attached to a part (component 14) of the instrument panel or vehicle body which is the assembly target. It is rotatably locked by the clamp 5. At this time, the bending protector 1 is opened in a substantially V shape as shown by a chain line in FIG. And the meter unit (assembly) 16
As the arrow is pushed into the instrument panel to assemble it, the dog-legged bend protector 1 rotates in the closing direction with the clamp 5 as a fulcrum, and is folded from the hinge 4 as shown in the figure, so that It is automatically housed in a narrow space 18 between the duct 17 and the meter unit 16. In FIG. 3, 19 indicates a connector for connecting the wire harness 13 and the meter unit 16, and 20 indicates a fixed portion (main line) of the wire harness.

As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of protector main bodies 2 and 3 are provided.
Since one end of each protector body is connected by a relatively short thin hinge 4, one end side of each protector body 2, 3 or the wire harness 13 is widely opened outward as in the conventional case (FIG. 17) when the bending protector 1 is folded. Without losing
The space 18 for accommodating the bending protector 1 can be small, and space saving in the instrument panel can be achieved.

The bending protector 1 is folded and stored automatically not only by the hinge 4, but also by a clamp 5 provided at the end of one protector body 2 on the side opposite to the hinge 4. There is nothing else to do. The greatest feature of this embodiment is that the pair of protector bodies 2 and 3 are folded around one clamp 5 as a fulcrum. The configurations shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are also effective as a harness accommodating method using the bending protector 1.

Although the thin hinge 4 integrated with the protector main bodies 2 and 3 is used in the above embodiment, it is of course possible to use a pivot for rotation instead of the thin hinge 4. Below, several examples of the bending protector which rotates using a support shaft are described.

5 to 7 show a second embodiment of the bending protector according to the present invention. As shown in Figs.
The bending protector 22 is made of synthetic resin, and has a pair of protector bodies 23 and 24 and a pair of protector body 2
A support shaft 25 for rotatably supporting 3, 24 on one end side,
A clamp 26 for locking and rotating is provided near the end on the opposite side of the support shaft 25, and a cover 27 that is openably and closably provided on the protector body 24 near the support shaft.

As shown in FIG. 7, one protector main body 23 is formed into a substantially L-shaped cross section by a flat plate-shaped bottom wall 28 and one side wall 29, and the side wall 29 is cut open at one end of the bottom wall 28. In addition, one end portion of the bottom wall 28 is formed to be one step lower as a seat portion 31 having an arcuate tip, and the cylindrical support shaft 25 is erected at the center of the seat portion 31 and protrudes higher than the side wall 29. The clamp 26 is vertically provided at the other end of the bottom wall 28. Reference numeral 32 is a single hole for forming the locking claw 26a of the clamp 26. A wire harness (not shown) passes through between the support shaft 25 and the notch opening 30 and is inserted into the other protector body 24.

The other protector body 24 has a bottom wall 33 and a side wall 34 that are substantially symmetrical to the one protector body 31. A bearing plate (bearing portion) 35 for sliding contact with the seat portion 31 is formed on one end side of the bottom wall 33 so as to project in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the protector body 24, and an engaging hole for the support shaft 25 is formed in the center of the bearing plate 35. 36 is formed. The seat portion 31, the support shaft 25, and the bearing plate 35 form a hinge 45 (FIG. 5). The bearing plate 35 is formed to project on the side opposite to the side wall 34, and the cover 27 is integrally provided on the upper edge of the side wall 34 on the side opposite to the bearing plate 35 via a thin hinge 37.

The cover 27 has an engaging hole 3 for the support shaft 25.
8 and a locking piece 39 on the tip side of rotation. At the side edge of the protector body 24 opposite to the side wall 34, the locking piece 3
A receiving wall 41 having an engaging groove 40 for 9 is provided upright. The cover 27 serves to hold the bent portion (surplus length portion) of the wire harness inside the protector body 24 without protruding (raising).

As shown in FIG. 6, the side wall 34 of the other protector body 24 is extended in a curved shape toward the front end on the side of the bearing plate 35, and the tip of this extension portion 42 is the tip 29a of the side wall 29 of the one protector body 23. It acts as a stopper (contact portion) 42a for the (stopper). Accordingly, the bending protector 22 after the wire harness is attached
Is prevented from bending in the opposite direction (arrow A direction), and a smooth bending operation in the forward direction (arrow B direction) becomes possible.
Moreover, the bending protector 22 is prevented from being bent in the reverse direction even before the wire harness is attached, and the wire harness can be easily attached without mis-assembling in the state of being bent in the dogleg shape in the same manner as in the previous example. Done exactly.

By inserting the support shaft 25 of the seat portion 31 into the engagement hole 36 of the bearing plate 35 in FIG. 7, the bearing plate 35 and the bottom wall 28 of the one protector body 23 are the same without any step as shown in FIG. Located on a plane. It is also possible to provide the support shaft 25 with a locking projection (not shown) for the bearing plate 35. The side walls 29, 34 of the protector bodies 23, 24 have notches 43, 44 for winding the harness tape on the pivoting front end side.
Are formed. The clamp 26 rotatably locks the bending protector 22 on the instrument panel or the like as in the previous example.

8 to 10 show a third embodiment of the bending protector. This bending protector 46 is shown in FIG.
As described above, a cylindrical bearing portion 49 is provided at one end of one protector body 47 made of synthetic resin, and the other protector body 48 is provided.
A columnar head portion 52 is provided at one end of the bearing portion 49 so as to project the support shaft 51 with respect to the engagement hole 50, and the support shaft 51 is inserted and locked in the engagement hole 50. As shown in FIG. Head 52
By superimposing the above, the pair of protector bodies 47 and 48 can be rotated about a support shaft 51 (FIG. 8) as a fulcrum.

As shown in FIG. 8, a flexible locking claw 5 is attached to the support shaft 51.
1a is formed, and the locking claw 51a engages with a step portion (not shown) in the engagement hole 50, for example. The support shaft 51, the head portion 52, and the bearing portion 49 form a hinge 62 (FIG. 9). Each protector body 47, 48 has a side wall 5 on one side of the bottom wall 53, 54.
5, 56 are formed to have an L-shaped cross section. The side walls 55 and 56 are arranged on the inner side of the bending protector 46 in the bending direction (on the side opposite to the previous example).

In FIG. 9, a wire harness (not shown)
Is attached to each protector body 47, 48 along the outer peripheral surfaces of the bearing portion 49 and the head portion 52. Reference numerals 57 and 58 are notches for winding the tape. On the bottom wall 53 near the other end of one protector body 47, a clamp 59 for locking and rotating is provided in a protruding manner.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, stoppers (projections) 60 and 61 for preventing bending in opposite directions are formed on the outer side of the bearing 49 and the side edge of the bottom wall 54 of the other protector body 48. There is. Similarly to the previous example, the wire harness is fixed to both protector bodies 47 and 48 by winding tape with the bending protector 46 bent in a dogleg shape or an L shape.

The configuration of this embodiment is particularly effective for a vertically long space in the instrument panel because the head portion 52 overlaps the bearing portion 49 and both protector bodies 47 and 48 are joined in steps.

11 to 13 show a modification (fourth embodiment) of the bending protector. This bending protector 64 is formed by cutting out the bearing 67 of one protector body 65 and the head 68 of the other protector body 66 at a half height in the height direction as shown in FIG. When the main bodies 65 and 66 are united, both protector main bodies 65 and 66 are positioned at the same height without steps.

In FIG. 11, the bearing portion 67 is notched in the upper half,
The lower half of the rotating head 68 is cut away. Head 68
A support shaft 69 having a flexible locking claw 69a is formed depending on the shaft, and an engaging hole 70 for the support shaft 69 is formed through the bearing 67. The support shaft 69, the head portion 68, and the bearing portion 67 form a hinge 78 (FIG. 12). A curved stopper 72 is extendedly formed from the side wall 71 of the protector body 65 on the upper side of the bearing portion 67, and the curved stopper 72 is positioned so as to face a stopper (protruding portion) 73 provided on the outer periphery of the head 68 in FIG. ing. Both stoppers 72 and 73 prevent the bending protector 64 from bending in the opposite direction. Bending protector 64
Is fixed by the clamp 74 in FIG. 12 and folded as shown by the chain line in FIG. These operations are similar to all the other embodiments.

According to this example, the plate thickness of the bearing portion 67 and the head portion 68 is set to be half the height of the side walls 71 and 75 (FIG. 11) of the protector main bodies 65 and 66, so that each protector is formed. The bottom walls 76 and 77 (FIG. 13) of the main bodies 65 and 66 are located on the same plane, and the wire harness is provided on both protector main bodies 6.
It is installed smoothly on steps 5 and 66. The bending protector 64 of this example is particularly effective for a horizontally long space in the instrument panel.

[0037]

As described above, according to the invention described in claims 1 and 7, one end of one protector body is rotatably supported, and both protector bodies are movable in the opening / closing direction via the hinge. Assemble the assembly body such as the meter unit to the assembly body such as instrument panel, and at the same time fold it so that the other protector body is parallel to the one protector body, and the wire harness is a narrow space on the assembly side. It is accommodated smoothly and securely in. As a result, space saving of the assembly body is achieved, the conventional wire harness is not pinched, the extra length of the wire harness becomes unnecessary, and abnormal noise due to the extra length does not occur. Further, according to the second and third aspects of the present invention, even if the pair of protector main bodies are folded and the thin-walled hinge is largely bent, no excessive force is applied to the thin-walled hinge, and damage to the thin-walled hinge is prevented. . Further, since the thin hinge is provided with a restoring force in the bending direction, the pair of protector bodies is prevented from bending in the opposite direction, and the bending operation in the forward direction is easily, smoothly and surely performed. Further, according to the invention of claim 4, the strength of the hinge is increased by the support shaft and the bearing portion, and even if the bending operation of the pair of protector main bodies is repeated, the hinge is not adversely affected. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the cover prevents the wire harness from bending and bulging when the pair of protector bodies is folded, and the wire harness is prevented from popping out of the protector body. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the stopper prevents the pair of protector main bodies from bending in the opposite direction, thereby ensuring the forward bending operation. Further, according to the invention described in claim 8, the bending operation of the pair of protector bodies in the opposite direction is prevented by applying the tension to the wire harness, the bending protector is smoothly folded in the forward direction, and at the time of extension. The excess length of the wire harness is minimized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a bending protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which a wire harness is attached to a bending protector.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example in which a wire harness is stored in a bending protector.

FIG. 4 is a view (plan view) taken along arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the bending protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a bending protector of the same.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a bending protector of the same.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a third embodiment of the bending protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a bending protector of the same.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the bending protector.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the bending protector according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a bending protector of the same.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the bending protector.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing an example of a conventional harness housing method.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state in which the wire harness is accommodated in the same manner.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing another conventional example.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing a state in which the wire harness is also accommodated.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 22, 46, 64 Bending protector 2, 3, 23, 24, 47, 48, 65, 66 Protector body 4, 45, 62, 78 Hinge 5, 26, 59, 74 Clamp 13 Wire harness 16 Meter unit (set) Attached body 25,51,69 Support shaft 27 Cover 29a, 42a, 60, 61, 72, 73 Stopper 35, 49, 67 Bearing part

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References Kaihei Hei 2-36587 (JP, U) Huaikai Hei 2-126958 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H02G 3/04 H02G 11/00 B60K 37/00 B60R 16/02

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of protector main bodies for continuously accommodating wire harnesses are connected to each other by a hinge to connect the hinges to each other.
In a bending protector that is rotatable at a fulcrum, a clamp for locking and rotating is provided near one end of the protector body on the side opposite to the hinge , and the clamp is used as a fulcrum.
A bend protector characterized in that the pair of protector bodies are freely foldable . 2. The bending protector according to claim 1, wherein the thin hinge has a restoring force in a bending direction of the protector. 3. The bending protector according to claim 2, wherein the hinge is resin-molded so as to be curved in the bending direction of the protector. 4. The bending protector according to claim 1, wherein the hinge comprises a support shaft and a bearing portion for the support shaft. 5. The bending protector according to claim 4, wherein a cover is provided so as to be openable and closable near the hinge of the protector body. 6. The bending protector according to claim 4, further comprising a stopper for preventing bending in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the protector. 7. A harness accommodating method for accommodating a wire harness extending from an assembling body by pushing the wire harness to the assembling body side at the same time as the assembling of the assembling body and storing the wire harness in a pair of protector bodies connected by a hinge. Mounted, and one protector body is rotatably locked to the assembly side,
A harness accommodating method using a bend protector, characterized in that the other protector body is positioned on the side of the assembly body, and at the same time as the assembly body is assembled, the pair of protector bodies is bent so as to be folded. 8. The harness using a bend protector according to claim 7, wherein the wire harness is attached to the pair of protector bodies in a state where the pair of protector bodies are bent in a dogleg shape. Containment method.