JP7355491B2 - Wire protection pipe and wire harness - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electric wire protection pipe that protects electric wires and a wire harness in which electric wires are inserted through the electric wire protection pipe.

2. Description of the Related Art Automobiles and the like are wired with wire harnesses for transmitting power from batteries and control signals from a control device to various electronic devices mounted on the vehicle. Some of these wire harnesses include various exterior members such as protectors and corrugated tubes to accommodate and protect electric wires (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-53753 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-89143

In the harness holding member of Patent Document 1, the linear holding part accommodates the wire harness main body by inserting and locking a locking piece into a locking recess in which a pair of half-cylindrical parts are openably and closably connected via a hinge part. It forms a cylindrical part. For this reason, the part shape becomes complicated and the parts cost becomes high. Furthermore, when manufacturing a wire harness, it is necessary to open and close the linear holding section, which imposes a heavy workload.

Patent Document 2 discloses an exterior material including a corrugated tube and a hard pipe connected to the corrugated tube at a connecting portion. In Patent Document 2, in order to make it easier to insert the end of the hard pipe into the corrugated tube, the connecting convex portion from the open end is spaced apart from the concave portion on the inner circumferential surface of the corrugated tube. For this reason, flying objects may enter from between the end of the hard pipe and the end of the corrugated tube.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wire protection pipe that has a simple structure, maintains airtightness, and can easily perform route regulation and manufacture, and the wire protection pipe. An object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness in which an electric wire is inserted through a pipe.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the electric wire protection pipe and wire harness according to the present invention are characterized by the following (1) to ( 6 ).
(1) A straight pipe with a locking structure at the end,
a bellows-shaped pipe connected to the straight-shaped pipe in the locking structure and having continuous valleys and peaks in the longitudinal direction;
The locking structure includes a locking portion in which a part of the inner circumferential surface of the straight pipe protrudes inward in an annular shape,
In a wire protection pipe in which the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the straight-shaped pipe,
an outer peripheral surface of the trough extending in a direction inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction, which is the part of the inner peripheral surface of the straight pipe where the protruding end surface of the locking portion intersects with both side surfaces; is in contact with
The end of the bellows-shaped pipe on the side connected to the straight-shaped pipe is the valley,
In the electric wire protection pipe, the inner diameter of the locking part of the straight pipe is smaller than the outer diameter of the peak part of the bellows pipe and larger than the outer diameter of the valley part.

( 2 ) The straight-shaped pipe and the bellows-shaped pipe are such that in the locking structure, the part of the inner circumferential surface of the straight-shaped pipe and the outer circumferential surface of the trough of the bellows-shaped pipe are in contact with each other. , and the electric wire protection pipe having the configuration described in ( 1 ) above, wherein the locking portions are fitted between the mountain portions adjacent to each other, so that the pipes are fixed to each other.

( 3 ) The electric wire protection pipe having the structure of ( 2 ) above, wherein the part of the straight pipe and the outer circumferential surface of the valley are in contact with each other when the bellows pipe is crushed by the locking part.

( 4 ) The distance between the locations where the protruding end surface of the locking portion intersects with both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the straight pipe is the distance between the adjacent locations in the longitudinal direction of the bellows-shaped pipe. An electric wire protection pipe having the configuration of ( 2 ) or ( 3 ) above, which is shorter than the distance between the tops of the peaks.

( 5 ) comprising the first and second straight pipes,
Any of (1) to ( 4 ) above, wherein one end of the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the first straight-shaped pipe, and the other end of the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the second straight-shaped pipe. A wire protection pipe with this configuration.

( 6 ) Multiple electric wires and
The wire protection pipe according to any one of (1) to (5) above ,
A wire harness in which the plurality of electric wires are inserted through the electric wire protection pipe.

According to the configuration (1) above, the members are divided into straight-shaped pipes and bellows-shaped pipes depending on the location where the wire harness with the electric wires inserted inside the wire protection pipe is mounted, and the bellows-shaped pipe is divided into the straight-shaped pipe. A wire protection pipe can be assembled by press-fitting it inside. Therefore, with a simple configuration, route regulation and manufacturing can be facilitated. According to the configurations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) above, the straight pipe and the bellows pipe do not come apart due to the locking portion. According to the configuration ( 3 ) above, the airtightness of the connecting portion between the straight pipe and the bellows pipe can be maintained. According to the configuration ( 4 ) above, it is possible to prevent a gap from forming at the connection portion between the straight pipe and the bellows pipe and maintain airtightness. According to the configuration ( 5 ) above, it is possible to easily manufacture a wire protection pipe in which a straight pipe is connected to both ends of a bellows pipe. According to the configuration ( 6 ) above, it is possible to provide a wire harness having the advantages of the wire protection pipes having the configurations (1) to ( 5 ) above.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wire protection pipe that has a simple configuration and can easily perform route regulation and manufacture while maintaining airtightness, and a wire harness in which an electric wire is inserted through the wire protection pipe.

The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of the electric wire protection pipe of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a straight pipe according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the correlation between the sizes of the bellows-shaped pipe and the straight-shaped pipe of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged side view showing a state in which the bellows-shaped pipe and the straight-shaped pipe of this embodiment are fixed. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the wire protection pipe of this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the assembly procedure of the electric wire protection pipe of this embodiment.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to each figure. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a part of the electric wire protection pipe of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a straight pipe according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the correlation between the sizes of the bellows-shaped pipe and the straight-shaped pipe of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the wire protection pipe 1 is an integrated pipe including a straight pipe 2 and a bellows pipe 3. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the straight pipe 2 has a locking structure 2a at one end. The locking structure 2a is for holding the bellows-shaped pipe 3. The locking structure 2a includes an annular locking portion 21 in which a part of the inner circumferential surface of the straight pipe 2 projects inward (see FIG. 3(b)). The length of the locking part 21 in the longitudinal direction of the straight-shaped pipe 2 (the left-right direction in FIG. 2) is the length between the adjacent peaks 32 in the longitudinal direction of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 (the left-right direction in FIG. 3(a)). Corresponds to distance. The straight pipe 2 may have locking structures 2a, 2b at both ends, as shown in FIG. 2(b). The locking structure 2b has a similar structure to the locking structure 2a. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the bellows-shaped pipe 3 has troughs 31 and peaks 32 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3(a)) that connect to the straight-shaped pipe 2 at the locking structure 2a. It is a continuous pipe.

The wire protection pipe 1 is constructed by press-fitting a bellows-shaped pipe 3 inside a straight-shaped pipe 2 and fixing it with a locking structure 2a of the straight-shaped pipe 2. Since the bellows-shaped pipe 3 is press-fitted inside the straight-shaped pipe 2, the end of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 on the side that connects with the straight-shaped pipe 2 has a trough 31. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the outer diameter A of the valley portion 31 of the bellows-shaped pipe 3, the outer diameter B of the peak portion 32 of the bellows-shaped pipe 3, and the opening 22 of the straight-shaped pipe 2. The inner diameter C of the straight pipe 2 and the inner diameter D of the locking portion 21 of the straight pipe 2 satisfy the following correlation.
Inner diameter C of opening 22 of straight pipe 2 > Outer diameter B of crest 32 of bellows pipe 3 > Inner diameter D of locking part 21 of straight pipe 2 > Outer diameter A of trough 31 of bellows pipe 3
The outer diameter A of the valley portion 31 is the maximum diameter of the bellows-shaped pipe 3, and the outer diameter B of the peak portion 32 is the minimum diameter of the bellows-shaped pipe 3. In this specification, in the bellows-shaped pipe 3, a portion having a diameter larger than the intermediate value between the outer diameter A and the outer diameter B is referred to as the mountain portion 32, and a portion having a diameter smaller than the intermediate value between the outer diameter A and the outer diameter B is referred to as the peak portion 32. The portion having the groove is called a valley portion 31. The material of the straight pipe 2 and the bellows pipe 3 may be resin or metal, but the bellows pipe 3 has lower strength than the straight pipe 2 and is more easily deformed.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged side view showing a state in which the bellows-shaped pipe 3 and the straight-shaped pipe 2 of this embodiment are fixed, and the straight-shaped pipe 2 is indicated by a dotted line. As shown in FIG. 4, in the locking structure 2a, the inner circumferential surface 21a of the locking portion 21 of the straight pipe 2 and the outer circumferential surface 31a of the valley portion 31 of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 are in contact. Furthermore, the locking portions 21 are fitted between the ridge portions 32 that are adjacent to each other. With this configuration, the straight pipe 2 and the bellows pipe 3 are fixed to each other. More specifically, when the bellows-shaped pipe 3 is crushed by the locking part 21, the inner peripheral surface 21a of a part (locking part 21) of the straight-shaped pipe 2 and the outer periphery of the valley part 31 of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 The surface 31a is in contact with the surface 31a.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the electric wire protection pipe 1 of this embodiment, with FIG. 5(a) showing an example corresponding to a straight path, and FIG. 5(b) showing an example corresponding to a partially bent path. In the electric wire protection pipe 1 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, straight pipes 2 are connected to both ends of a bellows pipe 3 by press fitting. When the electric wire protection pipe 1 is made to correspond to a straight line path, a wire harness in which a plurality of electric wires etc. are inserted inside the electric wire protection pipe 1 can be held in a straight line as shown in FIG. 5(a). Further, by finely adjusting the length of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 held in a straight line, the dimensional tolerance of the straight-shaped pipe 2 can be absorbed, and the entire length of the wire protection pipe 1 can be adjusted. On the other hand, when the wire protection pipe 1 is adapted to a partial bending route, the bellows-shaped pipe 3 can be bent to an arbitrary bending radius, as shown in FIG. Can be held in a bent position. Furthermore, the straight pipe 2 allows the wire harness to be held in a straight line.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the assembly procedure of the electric wire protection pipe 1 of this embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the right end of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 is inserted into the straight-shaped pipe 2. Next, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the trough 31 at the right end of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 enters the inside of the straight-shaped pipe 2 through the opening 22 of the straight-shaped pipe 2. Then, while the peak portion 32 of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 contacts the locking portion 21 and is crushed, the valley portion 31 at the right end and the peak portion 32 following the valley portion 31 pass through the locking portion 21 . In FIG. 6(b), the locking part 21 of the straight pipe 2 is fitted between the adjacent peaks 32 of the bellows pipe 3 while in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the valley part 31 (see FIG. 4). ). As a result, the straight pipe 2 is fixed to the right end of the bellows pipe 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the left end of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 is inserted into the straight-shaped pipe 2. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6(d), the valley portion 31 at the left end of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 enters the inside of the straight-shaped pipe 2 through the opening 22 of the straight-shaped pipe 2. Then, while the peak portion 32 of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 contacts the locking portion 21 and is crushed, the valley portion 31 at the left end and the peak portion 32 following the valley portion 31 pass through the locking portion 21 . In FIG. 6(d), the locking portion 21 of the straight pipe 2 is fitted between the adjacent peaks 32 of the bellows-shaped pipe 3 while in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the trough 31 (see FIG. 4). ). As a result, the straight pipe 2 is fixed to the left end of the bellows pipe 3. In this way, the wire protection pipe 1 is assembled, in which the straight pipe 2 is connected to both ends of the bellows pipe 3. Moreover, after assembling the electric wire protection pipe 1 as described above, a wire harness is manufactured by inserting an electric wire into the inside of the electric wire protection pipe 1.

As explained above, according to the electric wire protection pipe 1 of this embodiment, by dividing the members into the straight-shaped pipe 2 and the bellows-shaped pipe 3 according to the location where the wire harness is mounted, the wire harness can be easily mounted with a simple structure. route regulation and manufacturing can be facilitated. In addition, when the bellows-shaped pipe 3 is crushed by the locking portion 21, the inner circumferential surface 21a of the locking portion 21 and the outer circumferential surface 31a of the valley portion 31 come into contact, whereby the straight-shaped pipe 2 and the bellows-shaped pipe This prevents gaps from forming at the connection with 3 and maintains airtightness. Furthermore, the number of product numbers can be reduced compared to when the wire protection pipe is integrally molded. Exterior specifications can be changed depending on the wiring harness installation conditions. The wire protection pipe 1 can be folded up when the wire harness is shipped, allowing for space-saving packaging. Furthermore, the structure of the wire protection pipe 1 can be simplified and costs can be reduced. Moreover, since the wire protection pipe 1 can be manufactured by press-fitting the bellows-shaped pipe 3 into the straight-shaped pipe 2, work efficiency is improved.

Note that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The embodiments described above may be subject to various modifications and improvements within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the wire protection pipe 1 is assembled and then the wire is inserted into the wire protection pipe 1 to manufacture the wire harness. However, after the wire protection pipe 1 is inserted, the wire protection pipe 1 is assembled. You can. In this case, the straight pipes 2 and the bellows pipes 3 are arranged in advance in order according to the wiring route of the wire harness. Then, with the electric wires passed through the straight pipe 2 and the bellows pipe 3, the bellows pipe 3 is inserted into the straight pipe 2 to assemble the wire protection pipe 1.

Here, the features of the embodiments of the electric wire protection pipe according to the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [7].
[1] A straight pipe (2) having a locking structure (2a, 2b) at the end;
A bellows-shaped pipe (3) connected to the straight-shaped pipe in the locking structure and having continuous valleys (31) and peaks (32) in the longitudinal direction;
The locking structure includes a locking portion (21) in which a part of the inner circumferential surface (21a) of the straight pipe protrudes inward in an annular shape,
A wire protection pipe (1) in which the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the straight-shaped pipe.
[2] The end of the bellows-shaped pipe on the side connected to the straight-shaped pipe is the valley,
[1] The inner diameter (D) of the locking portion of the straight pipe is smaller than the outer diameter (B) of the peak portion of the bellows-shaped pipe and larger than the outer diameter (A) of the valley portion. configuration of electrical wire protection pipe.
[3] The straight-shaped pipe and the bellows-shaped pipe are defined by, in the locking structure, the part of the inner circumferential surface (21a) of the straight-shaped pipe and the outer circumferential surface ( 31a) are in contact with each other, and the locking portions are fitted between the mutually adjacent peak portions, thereby being fixed to each other.
[4] The electric wire protection pipe according to the above [3], wherein the part of the straight pipe and the outer peripheral surface of the trough are in contact with each other in a state where the bellows-shaped pipe is crushed by the locking part.
[5] The length of the locking portion in the longitudinal direction of the straight pipe corresponds to the distance between the adjacent peaks in the longitudinal direction of the bellows pipe. Configuration of electrical wire protection pipe.
[6] The first and second straight-shaped pipes are provided,
Any of [1] to [5] above, wherein one end of the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the first straight-shaped pipe, and the other end of the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the second straight-shaped pipe. A wire protection pipe with this configuration.
[7] Multiple electric wires and
A wire protection pipe having the configuration of any one of [1] to [6] above,
A wire harness in which the plurality of electric wires are inserted through the electric wire protection pipe.

1 Wire protection pipe 2 Straight-shaped pipe 2a, 2b Locking structure 3 Bellows-shaped pipe 21 Locking portion 21a Inner circumferential surface 22 Opening portion 31 Valley portion 31a Outer circumferential surface 32 Peak portion A Outer diameter of valley portion 31 B Outer diameter of peak portion 32 Outer diameter C Inner diameter of opening 22 D Inner diameter of locking part 21

Claims (6)

A straight pipe with a locking structure at the end,
a bellows-shaped pipe connected to the straight-shaped pipe in the locking structure and having continuous valleys and peaks in the longitudinal direction;
The locking structure includes a locking portion in which a part of the inner circumferential surface of the straight pipe protrudes inward in an annular shape,
In a wire protection pipe in which the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the straight-shaped pipe,
an outer peripheral surface of the trough extending in a direction inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction, which is the part of the inner peripheral surface of the straight pipe where the protruding end surface of the locking portion intersects with both side surfaces; is in contact with
The end of the bellows-shaped pipe on the side connected to the straight-shaped pipe is the valley,
In the electric wire protection pipe, the inner diameter of the locking part of the straight pipe is smaller than the outer diameter of the peak part of the bellows pipe and larger than the outer diameter of the valley part. The straight-shaped pipe and the bellows-shaped pipe have a structure in which, in the locking structure, the part of the inner circumferential surface of the straight-shaped pipe and the outer circumferential surface of the trough of the bellows-shaped pipe are in contact with each other, and The electric wire protection pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the locking portions are fitted between the adjacent mountain portions so that they are fixed to each other. The electric wire protection pipe according to claim 2 , wherein the part of the straight pipe and the outer circumferential surface of the valley are in contact with each other when the bellows pipe is crushed by the locking part. The distance between the locations where the protruding end surface of the locking portion intersects with both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the straight pipe is equal to the distance between the adjacent peaks in the longitudinal direction of the bellows pipe. The electric wire protection pipe according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the distance is shorter than the distance between the tops of the electric wire protection pipe. comprising first and second straight pipes,
Any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein one end of the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the first straight-shaped pipe, and the other end of the bellows-shaped pipe is connected to the inside of the second straight-shaped pipe. The electric wire protection pipe described in paragraph 1. multiple electric wires,
The wire protection pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
A wire harness in which the plurality of electric wires are inserted through the electric wire protection pipe.

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