JP6250890B2 - Manufacturing method of wire harness - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a wire harness having a core wire and an electric wire having an insulating coating covering the core wire, and a connector housing covering a joint portion between the core wire and the terminal of the electric wire.

  Conventionally, an insulated wire having a conductive core wire and an insulation coating (rubber coating) covering the periphery of the core wire, a metal terminal electrically connected to the core wire at the end of the insulated wire, and the periphery of the end of the insulated wire 2. Description of the Related Art A wire harness including a cover member that is an insulating hard member that covers a cover is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A cavity (space) into which at least a portion of the insulation coating at the end of the insulated wire is inserted is formed inside the cover member. Furthermore, a plurality of annular protrusions are formed on the inner surface of the cover member forming the cavity wall. And in this wire harness, the gap between the insulating protrusion and the inner side surface of the cover member covering the periphery of the end portion of the annular protrusion is made by biting the annular protrusion over the entire circumference with respect to the insulating coating. I'm trying to make it function as a water blocking material.

JP 2013-125582 A

  However, if the annular protrusion is bitten into the insulating coating over the entire circumference as in the conventional wire harness described above, the durability of the insulating coating and the electric wire may be reduced. And in wire harnesses, it is extremely important to ensure the durability of insulation coating and electric wires, and it is necessary to consider from the stage of manufacturing process of wire harness so as not to impair the durability of insulation coating and electric wires. is there.

  Then, this invention makes it a main purpose to provide the manufacturing method of the wire harness which can improve durability of insulation coating and an electric wire more.

In the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present invention, a wire harness having a core wire and an electric wire having an insulation coating covering the core wire, and a connector housing covering a joint portion between the core wire and the terminal of the electric wire,
(A) providing a cylinder so as to be in contact with the insulating coating around a part of the electric wire;
(B) contacting the mold with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body to form the connector housing by resin injection molding;
It is characterized by including.

  When manufacturing a wire harness by this method, a cylindrical body is provided around the core wire and a part of an electric wire having an insulating coating covering the core wire so as to be in contact with the insulating coating. And a connector housing is formed so that the junction part of the core wire and terminal of an electric wire may be covered by injection molding of resin in the state which made the metal mold | die contact | abut on the outer peripheral surface of a cylinder. In this way, if a cylinder is arranged around a part of the electric wire and injection molding is performed with the mold in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder, the mold clamping load is applied to the mold holding the electric wire. Since the cylinder is pressed down by the mold to be depressed (deforms), the deformation of the insulation coating accompanying mold clamping is eliminated, or the depression of the insulation coating (deformation associated with mold clamping) is deformed. ) Can be made very small. And the resin inject | poured in the metal mold | die flows into the hollow part (deformation part) of the cylinder.

  That is, according to this method, when the connector housing is formed by injection molding, the insulation coating is prevented from being deformed (depressed) by clamping the mold and is pressed by the insulation coating mold. It is possible to restrict the resin from flowing into the portion, and it is possible to satisfactorily suppress a part of the connector housing formed by injection molding from biting into the insulating coating. As a result, it is possible to easily manufacture a wire harness that can further improve the durability of the insulation coating and the electric wire. And even if the wire harness manufactured by this method is routed in an environment in which relatively large vibrations act, the durability of the insulation coating and the electric wire and thus the entire wire harness can be ensured extremely well.

  In the injection molding of the connector housing, the mold may be brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder so that the end face on the terminal side of the cylinder is located in the cavity defined by the mold. Thereby, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent a gap from being formed inside the connector housing without forming a gap between the mold and the insulating coating. Further, the cylindrical body may be a heat-shrinkable tube through which an electric wire is inserted. Thus, before the injection molding is performed, the cylindrical body into which the electric wire is inserted, that is, the heat-shrinkable tube, is heat-treated so that the cylindrical body having a substantially uniform thickness can be accurately positioned with respect to the electric wire and the insulating coating It is possible to make a close contact with a part of the entire circumference without any gap. The cylinder may be a rubber tube or a metal collar, and may be configured by winding a tape or the like around the electric wire. Furthermore, the connector housing may be formed by injection molding using a secondary mold after the cylindrical body is formed around the electric wire (insulation coating 3) by injection molding using a primary mold.

  And the wire harness by this invention is a wire harness which has a connector housing which covers the junction part of the core wire and the insulation coating which covers the said core wire, and the junction part of the core wire of a wire, and a terminal. In the meantime, a cylindrical body is interposed so as to protrude from the end surface opposite to the terminal of the connector housing. The wire harness configured as described above is a resin injection molding in which a cylinder is provided so as to be in contact with an insulating coating around a part of an electric wire, and a mold is brought into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the cylinder. Is manufactured by forming a connector housing. Therefore, in this wire harness, when the connector housing is formed by injection molding, the insulating coating is prevented from being deformed (depressed) by clamping the mold, and the portion is pressed by the insulating coating mold. It is possible to restrict the flow of the resin, and it is possible to satisfactorily suppress the part of the connector housing formed by injection molding from biting into the insulating coating. As a result, in this wire harness, it is possible to further improve the durability of the insulation coating and the electric wire.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the hybrid vehicle which is an example of the vehicle containing the wire harness manufactured by the method of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the wire harness by this invention. (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the manufacture procedure of the wire harness by this invention. (A), (b) and (c) is a schematic diagram which shows the manufacturing procedure of the conventional wire harness. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing the wire harness manufactured by the method concerning the modification of the present invention.

  Next, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated, referring drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a hybrid vehicle 10 which is an example of a vehicle including a wire harness according to the present invention. A hybrid vehicle 10 shown in the figure includes an engine (internal combustion engine) 12 that outputs power using a hydrocarbon-based fuel such as gasoline or light oil, and a transaxle 21 that constitutes a power output device 20 together with the engine 12. . Engine 12 and transaxle 21 are arranged in an engine compartment (not shown) of hybrid vehicle 10.

  The transaxle 21 outputs power to a damper 22 connected to the crankshaft 14 of the engine 12, a single pinion planetary gear 30, a motor (synchronous generator motor) MG 1 that mainly operates as a generator, and a drive shaft 23. In addition, a motor (synchronous generator motor) MG2 capable of outputting a regenerative braking force, a differential gear 24 connected to a wheel DW that is a drive wheel via a drive shaft, and a transaxle case 25 that accommodates these components Including. The planetary gear 30 supports a sun gear (first element) connected to the rotor of the motor MG1, a ring gear (second element) connected to the drive shaft 23, a plurality of pinion gears, and the damper 12 via the damper 22. And a planetary carrier (third element) connected to the crankshaft 14. The rotor of the motor MG2 is connected to the drive shaft 23 (ring gear) via a transmission 26 housed in the transaxle case 25. Further, the drive shaft 23 is connected to the differential gear 24 via a gear mechanism 27 accommodated in the transaxle case 25.

  Hybrid vehicle 10 includes an inverter 41 that drives motor MG1, an inverter 42 that drives motor MG1, and a battery 50 that can exchange power with motors MG1 and MG2 via power lines and inverters 41 and 42. The battery 50 is, for example, a nickel hydride secondary battery or a lithium ion secondary battery having a rated output voltage of 200 to 300V. In the present embodiment, the inverters 41 and 42 constitute a power control unit (PCU) together with a buck-boost converter (not shown) and the like, which is made of a conductive material and fixed to the transaxle case 25 (hereinafter, “ (Referred to as “PCU case”) 45. Inverters 41 and 42 in PCU case 45 are connected to motors MG1 and MG2 via wire harness 1 coupled to a connector shell (receptacle) (not shown) provided in PCU case 45.

  FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the wire harness 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness 1 includes a core wire 2 and a plurality of (in this embodiment, three) electric wires 4 each having a substantially cylindrical insulating coating 3 covering the core wire 2, and a core wire of each electric wire 4. The terminal 5 includes a plurality of (5 in total, in this embodiment) terminals 5 and two connector housings 6 that are joined to two corresponding ends. In the present embodiment, each terminal 5 is a crimp terminal having a caulking portion that is crimped to an end portion of the core wire 2 of the electric wire 4. However, the terminal 5 may be electrically connected to the core wire 2 by, for example, ultrasonic welding.

  One connector housing 6 is provided at each end of the wire harness 1. One connector housing 6 is fitted into a connector shell (not shown) provided in the PCU case 45, and the other connector housing 6 is fitted into a connector shell (not shown) provided in the motor MG1 or MG2. In the present embodiment, each connector housing 6 is formed by resin injection molding (insert molding) so as to cover the joint portion between one end of the three core wires 2 and the terminal 5. The distal end portion of each terminal 5 protrudes outward from the distal end surface of the connector housing 6, and when the connector housing 6 is fitted into the corresponding connector shell, the corresponding portion provided in the PCU case 45, the motor MG1 or MG2. Electrically connected to the terminal.

  Further, a cylindrical body 7 is interposed between the insulating coating 3 of each electric wire 4 and the connector housing 6 so as to protrude to the outside from the end face 6 a opposite to the terminal of the connector housing 6. In the present embodiment, the cylindrical body 7 is a heat-shrinkable tube made of a heat-shrinkable resin such as polyolefin resin, for example, an axis shorter than the axial length of the connector housing 6 (the length in the extending direction of the core wire 2 and the like). Have a length. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the end portion of the cylindrical body 7 on the terminal 5 side is positioned closer to the end surface 6 a than the end surface of the insulating coating 3 positioned in the connector housing 6. And the edge part on the opposite side to the terminal 5 of the cylinder 7 protrudes outside from the end surface 6a of the connector housing 6 as mentioned above.

  A cylindrical shield member (not shown) is fixed to the end of each connector housing 6 opposite to the terminal 5 via a bracket (not shown), for example, and the end of the cylinder 7 and each wire 4 Is surrounded by the shield member. The shield member is electrically connected to the PCU case 45 via a connecting member (not shown) made of a conductive material. In hybrid vehicle 10, PCU case 45 is fixed on transaxle case 25 that accommodates motors MG 1 and MG 2. Therefore, the entire length of wire harness 1 that connects motors MG 1, MG 2 and PCU case 45 (electric wire 4 Is relatively short.

  Then, the manufacturing method of the wire harness 1 is demonstrated, referring FIG. 3 and FIG.

  When manufacturing the wire harness 1, first, the terminals 5 are joined (crimped) to the ends of the core wires 2 of the plurality of electric wires 4. Next, after inserting each electric wire 4 into the cylinder 7 so that a predetermined part of the insulating coating 3 is covered with the cylinder 7 made of heat-shrinkable resin, the electric wire 4 and the cylinder 7 are heat-treated. Apply. In this way, the cylindrical body 7 (heat-shrinkable tube) through which the electric wire 4 is inserted is subjected to heat treatment, so that the cylindrical body 7 having a substantially uniform thickness is attached to the electric wire 4 as shown in FIG. Thus, it is possible to position with high accuracy and to adhere to the entire circumference of a part of the insulating coating 3 without a gap.

  After the cylindrical body 7 is thus provided around the electric wire 4, that is, the insulating coating 3, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of sets (on the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102 constituting the molding die 100 ( (3 sets) of electric wires 4 and terminals 5 are clamped. When the electric wire 4 and the terminal 5 are sandwiched between the molding dies 100, as shown in FIG. 3B, the end surface on the terminal 5 side of the cylindrical body 7 attached to the insulating coating 3 of each electric wire 4 is the upper die. The side walls of the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102 are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 7 so as to be positioned in the cavity 105 defined by the 101 and the lower mold 102.

  Then, a mold clamping load is applied to the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102 and a resin is injected into the cavity 105 through a gate (not shown), so that the connector housing 6 is covered so as to cover the joint portion between each core wire 2 and the terminal 5. Form. Two connector housings 6 in one wire harness 1 may be formed at the same time or may be formed separately one by one. Then, after the completion of the injection molding (insert molding), the above-described shield member or the like is assembled to the semi-finished product taken out from the molding die 100, whereby the production of the wire harness 1 is completed.

  Here, when manufacturing a conventional wire harness in which the cylindrical body 7 is not interposed between the insulation coating 3 of the electric wire 4 and the connector housing 6 as shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. In the injection molding (insert molding) of the connector housing 6, the side wall portion of the molding die 100 comes into direct contact with the insulating coating 3 of the electric wire 4. For this reason, when a clamping load is applied to the molding die 100, a part of the insulating coating 3 is pressed by the molding die 100 so that the shaft center ( When the resin is injected into the cavity 105 (see the alternate long and short dash line in the figure) and the resin is injected into the cavity 105, a part of the resin is near the side wall of the molding die 100 as shown in FIG. It flows into the deformed portion (recessed portion) 3x of the insulating coating 3.

  When the mold clamping of the molding die 100 is released and the semi-finished product is taken out from the molding die 100, the portion pressed by the molding die 100 of the insulating coating 3 is as shown in FIG. It returns to its original state due to elasticity. In contrast, the deformed portion 3x of the insulating coating 3 into which the resin has flowed does not return to the original due to the rigidity of the connector housing 6, and remains deformed (depressed). Therefore, in the conventional wire harness in which the cylindrical body 7 is not interposed between the insulating coating 3 and the connector housing 6, as shown in FIG. There is a risk that the part will bite. If a part of the connector housing 6 bites into a part of the insulating coating 3 in this way, the thickness of the insulating coating 3 decreases in the vicinity of the deformed portion 3x, and the durability of the insulating coating 3 and the electric wire 4 is increased. May decrease.

  On the other hand, when the cylindrical body 7 is arranged around a part of the electric wire 4 and injection molding is performed with the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102 in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 7, When a clamping load is applied to the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102 that sandwich the electric wire 4, the cylindrical body 7 is pressed and depressed (deformed) by the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102. It is possible to eliminate the deformation of the insulating coating 3 due to mold clamping, or to reduce the depression (deformation) of the insulating coating 3 due to mold clamping. The resin injected into the cavity 105 flows into the recessed portion (deformed portion) of the cylindrical body 7.

  That is, if the method as described above is adopted, when the connector housing 6 is formed by injection molding, the insulating coating 3 is prevented from being deformed (depressed) by clamping the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102. The resin can be prevented from flowing into the portions pressed by the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102 of the insulating coating 3, and a part of the connector housing 6 formed by injection molding bites into the insulating coating 3. It can suppress favorably. As a result, the wire harness 1 that can further improve the durability of the insulating coating 3 and the electric wire 4 can be easily manufactured. Further, in the hybrid vehicle 10 described above, since the PCU case 45 is fixed on the transaxle case 25, the total length of the wire harness 1 (the total length of the electric wire 4) is relatively short, and the wiring harness 1 is routed (manufactured). Although it becomes difficult to absorb vibration by devising, even if the wire harness 1 is manufactured as described above, even if the wire harness 1 is used in an environment where a relatively large vibration acts, The durability of the insulating coating 3 and the electric wires 4 and thus the wire harness 1 can be ensured extremely well.

  Further, during the injection molding of the connector housing 6, the upper die 101 and the lower die 102 are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 7 so that the end surface on the terminal 5 side of the cylindrical body 7 is located in the cavity 105. A gap is not formed between the mold 101 and the lower mold 102 and the insulating coating 3, and the formation of a gap in the connector housing 6 can be satisfactorily suppressed. Furthermore, if a heat-shrinkable tube is used as the cylinder 7, the cylinder 7 having a substantially uniform thickness is attached to the electric wire 4 by performing heat treatment on the cylinder 7 through which the electric wire 4 is inserted before the injection molding is performed. Thus, it is possible to position with high accuracy and to adhere to the entire circumference of a part of the insulating coating 3 without a gap. The cylinder 7 has a thickness (thickness after heat shrinkage) in consideration of the mold clamping loads of the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102, and the insulating coating 3 is not depressed (deformed) during mold clamping. Preferably, it is determined that only 7 is depressed (deforms).

  As described above, in the wire harness 1, the cylindrical body 7 is provided around the periphery of a part of the electric wire 4 so as to be in contact with the insulating coating 3 over the entire circumference, and the upper die 101 and the lower part are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 7. The connector housing 6 is manufactured by bringing the mold 102 into contact with each other and injection molding of resin. That is, in the wire harness 1, the cylindrical body 7 is interposed between the insulating coating 3 of the electric wire 4 and the connector housing 6 so as to protrude from the end surface 6 a opposite to the terminal 5 of the connector housing 6. The Thus, when the connector housing 6 is formed by injection molding, the insulating coating 3 is prevented from being deformed (depressed) by clamping the upper mold 101 and the lower mold 102, and the upper mold 101 and the insulating coating 3 It is possible to restrict the resin from flowing into the portion pressed by the lower mold 102, and it is possible to satisfactorily suppress a part of the connector housing 6 formed by injection molding from biting into the insulating coating 3. . As a result, in the wire harness 1, it is possible to further improve the durability of the insulating coating 3 and the electric wires 4.

  The cylinder 7 may be a rubber tube or a metal collar, and may be configured by winding a tape or the like around the electric wire 4 (insulation coating 3). Further, like the wire harness 1B shown in FIG. 5, the cylindrical body 7 </ b> B interposed between the insulating coating 3 and the connector housing 6 and the connector housing 6 covering the joint portion between the core wire 2 and the terminal 5 are arranged in two. You may form by color molding. That is, after the cylindrical body 7B is provided so as to be in contact with the insulating coating 3 around a part of the electric wire 4 by injection molding (primary molding) of resin using a primary mold, the cylindrical body 7B has two outer peripheral surfaces. The connector housing 6 may be formed by resin injection molding (secondary molding) in a state where the next mold is in contact. In this case, if the resin constituting the cylinder 7B and the resin constituting the connector housing 6 are the same, the bondability between the cylinder 7B and the connector housing 6 can be further improved. However, the resin constituting the cylindrical body 7B and the resin constituting the connector housing 6 may be different from each other.

  Furthermore, although the above-mentioned wire harness 1 is comprised as a three-phase harness containing the three electric wires 4, it is not restricted to this. That is, the wire harness 1 may be configured as a six-phase harness that includes, for example, six electric wires 4 and is shared by the motors MG1 and MG2, or may be configured as a single-phase harness. Moreover, the wire harness 1 is not restricted to what electrically connects motor MG1 and MG2 and inverter 41,42, You may be used for the connection of electric devices other than these. Further, the hybrid vehicle 10 described above includes a so-called two-motor type power output device 20, but the wire harness 1 includes only a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, and an engine including a so-called one-motor type power output device. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a vehicle including a power generation source for traveling. Moreover, the above-mentioned method and structure may be applied to the wire harness used except vehicles.

  And this invention is not limited to the said embodiment at all, and it cannot be overemphasized that a various change can be made within the range of the extension of this invention. Furthermore, the mode for carrying out the invention described above is merely a specific embodiment of the invention described in the column for solving the problem, and is described in the column for means for solving the problem. It is not intended to limit the elements of the invention.

  The present invention can be used in the wire harness manufacturing industry and the like.

  1, 1B wire harness, 2 core wire, 3 insulation coating, 3x deformation part, 4 electric wire, 5 terminal, 6 connector housing, 6a end face, 7, 7B cylinder, 10 hybrid vehicle, 12 engine, 14 crankshaft, 20 power output Equipment, 21 Transaxle, 22 Damper, 23 Drive shaft, 24 Differential gear, 25 Transaxle case, 26 Transmission, 27 Gear mechanism, 30 Planetary gear, 41, 42 Inverter, 45 PCU case, 50 Battery, 100 Mold, 101 Upper mold, 102 Lower mold, 105 cavity, DW drive wheel, MG1, MG2 motor.

Claims (1)

In a method of manufacturing a wire harness having a core housing and an electric wire having an insulation coating covering the core wire, and a connector housing covering a joint portion between the core wire and the terminal of the electric wire,
The wire is inserted through the cylinder so that a part of the insulation coating is covered with a cylinder made of heat-shrinkable resin ,
Heat-treating the electric wire and the cylindrical body to closely adhere the cylindrical body to the insulating coating;
Method of manufacturing a wire harness, characterized in that that to form said connector housing is brought into contact with the mold by injection molding of a resin on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body.

Images