JPH06276642A - Waterproofing structure of wire harness - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable perfect waterproofing by covering the whole of a part to be immersed of a wire harness with a flexible waterproof resin tube of specified wall thickness having openings at its both ends, winding a waterproof tape on to both ends, and fixing it closely to the peripheral surface of the wire harness. CONSTITUTION:The whole length of a wire harness 10 having a plurality of electric wires gathered and bundled is put in a flexible waterproof resin tube 15 of specified wall thickness having openings at its both ends, and both end parts 15a and 15b are sealed with a waterproof tape 16. When to branch wiring in the intermediate part is needed, a branching part 15''-2 is formed at the intermediate part 15'-1 of a waterproof resin tube 15'. When it is inserted through a dash pot or panel of a car body, it is inserted into a grommet 13 and connected to a connector 14 after that. Consequently, it becomes possible to perform firm waterproofing simply.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof structure for a vehicle wire harness, and is particularly preferably applied to a wire harness which is wired at a position directly hit by water droplets.

In a vehicle, there are cases where a wire harness is wired at a position where water drops directly hit. For example,
As shown in FIG. 8, the wire harness W goes out from the passenger compartment side through the dash panel P1 to the outside above the tire house P4 between the front fender P2 and the front fender apron P3, and passes over the tire house P4. The wiring is provided inside the engine room R through a wiring hole provided in the apron P3. Tire house P above
Because the upper part of 4 is a drainage passage for water from the windshield,
Water droplets will be directly applied to the wire harness W wired in this portion. Therefore, waterproofing is applied to the wire harness W that is wired in the relevant portion, and a grommet is attached to a wiring hole that penetrates the vehicle body panel to prevent water from entering.

As a waterproofing means for the wire harness W, as shown in FIG. 9, an adhesive tape 2 is usually wound around the outer peripheral surface of a large number of bundled electric wires 1 by double half-wrap winding. The double half-wrap winding is a winding in which the half 2a of the tape 2 in the width direction is overlapped on the upper surface of the tape which has been previously wound, and this half-wrap winding is performed twice by the single layer A and the double layer B on the outer surface. Is going. By performing the double half-wrapping in this way, a gap is not generated between the tapes 2, and water droplets pass through the gaps between the tapes 2 and the electric wire 1.
I try not to flood between the lines.

[0004]

However, since the worker winds the tape by hand, the overlapping of the tapes is not constant, uneven winding is likely to occur, and unwrapped portions may occur. If the tape is not wrapped,
Water may enter between the wires even from a slight gap between the tapes. Further, even if the tape is wrapped, if the wrapped portion is not firmly adhered, water may be generated from the wrapped gap. Furthermore, the tapes that are usually used deteriorate over time and are easily scratched,
It may also be broken by interfering with burrs and edges of the vehicle, and flooding will also occur from this broken part.

When water leaks from the gap between the tapes 2 into the space between the electric wires 1 as described above, the water penetrates the space into the vehicle interior and then into the connector (not shown) connected to the tip of the electric wire 1. Occurs and a short circuit occurs at the connector part.

As described above, waterproofing cannot be assured only by winding the tape 2, and the tape 2 is easily broken. Therefore, after the tape 2 is wound, the corrugated tube may be fitted on the outside. However, if a corrugated tube is further mounted on the tape winding, there is a problem that it is troublesome and costly.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10 (A), when the wire harness W has a branch portion W-1, the tape 2 is difficult to wind at the branch point P, and a gap C is likely to occur at the joint of the tape 2, Submersion occurs from the gap C. Therefore, FIG. 10 (B)
As shown in, the branch point P may be diverted to a position where the water droplets are not directly applied. However, if the branch portion W-1 is detoured in this way, the electric wire will not be long, and
There is a problem that the number of tape windings around the lengthened electric wire is increased, or it is necessary to attach an exterior tube, resulting in an increase in cost and a labor-intensive process.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to reliably prevent water from entering between wires of an electric wire, to prevent the electric wire from tearing more easily than a tape, and to attach the electric wire to the electric wire very easily. Is intended. further,
When the wire harness has a branch portion, the purpose is to ensure waterproofness without bypassing the branch portion.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses a waterproof resin tube having a required thickness and a hardness that does not easily break and having flexibility at both ends thereof. (EN) A waterproof structure for a wire harness in which a cylinder is fitted over the entire length of a wire harness for wiring in a flooded area, and at least openings at both ends are tape-wrapped to be tightly fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness. is there.

The waterproof resin cylinder has a simple cylindrical shape when the wire harness to be fitted on the wire harness has no branch portion and has a straight shape. On the other hand, when the wire harness has a branch portion,
The branched cylindrical portion is formed to continuously project from the required position of the cylindrical shape, and the branched portion of the wire harness is also fitted onto the continuous waterproof resin cylinder.

When the wire harness is passed through the grommet mounted in the wiring hole of the vehicle body panel, the opening tip of the waterproof resin cylinder may be fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the grommet.

Further, an outward folding portion is provided at the tip opening portion of the waterproof resin cylinder, and the tip outer peripheral surface of the folding portion is tape-wound and closely fixed to the wire harness outer peripheral surface or the grommet outer peripheral surface attached to the wire harness. Along with
The folded portion having a substantially V-shaped cross section due to the tape winding may be used as a drainage guide portion for discharging after receiving water droplets traveling along the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof resin cylinder.

The waterproof resin cylinder is made of vinyl chloride, polyethylene or the like and has a wall thickness of about 100 to 200 μm.
Is set to. The waterproof resin cylinder is continuously molded and cut according to the length of the portion to be used. Further, it is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the wire harness so that the wire harness can be easily inserted inside.

[0014]

In the present invention, the waterproof resin tube is inserted into the wire harness, and after insertion, both ends and in the case of a long length, the required portion of the intermediate portion is tape-wrapped and tightly fixed to the wire harness. The wire harness can be waterproofed much more easily than winding.

Further, since it has a tubular shape, it is possible to prevent water from entering into it with certainty. Moreover, since it has hardness and is less likely to tear as compared with the conventionally used tape, it interferes with burrs and edges of the vehicle body. But it can't be easily broken.

Further, since the waterproof resin cylinder having the branch cylinder is used for the wire harness having the branch,
It is not necessary to divert the bifurcation to a position where it does not get wet. In addition, since the branch portion is integrally formed, it is possible to eliminate the disadvantage that water is flooded from the branch point as in the conventional case.

In the case where a drainage guide portion having a V-shaped cross section is provided by folding the opening end of the waterproof resin tube outward and fixing the tip end to the wire harness or the outer peripheral surface of the grommet by tape winding. Since the water drop flowing along the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof resin cylinder can be drained to the outside after being received by the drainage guide portion, it is possible to reliably prevent the water drop from infiltrating between the lines from the tip of the opening side of the waterproof resin cylinder.

[0018]

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment, and a wire harness 10 in which a large number of electric wires 1 are bundled penetrates a wiring hole 11 of a dash panel P1 and penetrates a front fender P2 and a front fender apron P3 as in FIG. The wiring is so arranged as to pass through the upper surface of the tire house P4 between the two and enter the engine room R through the wiring hole 11 provided in the front fender apron P3. In the wire harness 10, a grommet 13 is attached to a penetrating portion of the dash panel P1 with respect to the wiring hole 12, and a connector 14 is connected to a tip on the indoor side. Engine room R
The connector 14 'is also connected to the tip on the side.

A waterproof resin cylinder 15 is attached to the wire harness 10 located in a water-immersed area where water droplets directly from the attachment position of the grommet 13 to the wiring hole 12 of the front fender apron P3 may be directly applied. Therefore, the waterproof resin cylinder 15 has a length corresponding to the length L of the portion to be wired in the water immersion area.

The waterproof resin cylinder 15 has a cylindrical shape with openings at both ends. When the connector 14 and the grommet 13 are attached to the wire harness 10, one end opening 15a in the longitudinal direction is formed.
The diameter is set so that it can be inserted more.

The waterproof resin cylinder 15 is made of vinyl chloride and has a wall thickness of 100 to 200 μm so that it does not easily break even if it hits a burr or an edge of the vehicle body, and it easily bends along the inserted wire harness 10.

The waterproof resin cylinder 15 is attached to the wire harness 10
In the work of attaching to the connector 14, the one end opening 15a is inserted from the connection side with the connector 14 and the other end opening 15b is located at the tip of the grommet 13, and the opening 15a is located up to the tip of the flooded area. Is externally fitted to the wire harness 10.

In this state, the adhesive tapes 16 and 16 are wound around the outer peripheral surfaces of the openings 15a and 15b at both ends to form the waterproof resin cylinder 1
One end of 5 is tightly fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the grommet 13, and the other end is tightly fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness 10. Further, when the length of the waterproof resin cylinder 15 is large, the adhesive tape 16 is wound around an appropriate portion of the intermediate portion to be tightly fixed to the wire harness 10.

4 and 5 show a second embodiment, in which the wire harness 10 'is branched from the main portion 10'-1.
The case of having 0'-2 is targeted, and the waterproof resin cylinder 15 'is attached to the wire harness 10'. The waterproof resin cylinder 15 'is a linear cylindrical portion 15'.
-1 is provided with a cylindrical branch cylinder 15'-2 projecting continuously from a predetermined position on the peripheral surface thereof, and the branch cylinder 15'-2 is connected to the branch 10'-2 of the wire harness 10 '. Corresponding.

With respect to the waterproof resin cylinder 15 ', the main portion 10'-1 of the wire harness 10' is passed through the straight cylindrical portion 15'-1 of the waterproof resin cylinder, and the branch portion 10'-2 is branched. 15 '
-2. Then, the tape 16 is wound around both ends of the linear cylindrical portion 15′-1 to be tightly fixed to the wire harness 10 ′, and the tape 16 is also wound around the tip opening side of the branch cylindrical portion 15′-2 to branch off the branch portion 10 ′. -2 is closely fixed.

When the wire harness has a large number of branch portions, the branch cylindrical portion may be provided continuously from the straight cylindrical portion which is the main cylindrical portion in accordance with the position and the number of the branched portions.

6 (A) (B) and FIG. 7 show a third embodiment, in which a folded-back portion 15 "is outwardly provided at the front end opening of the waterproof resin cylinder 15".
-3 is provided, and the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the folded portion 15 "-3 is wrapped with a tape 16 to be tightly fixed to the grommet 13. In Fig. 6 (A), the shaded portion represents the tape 16.

When the tip of the folded-back portion 15 "-3 is wrapped with a tape 16, the folded-back portion 15" -3 has a V-shaped cross section as shown in the drawing. As shown by the arrow in FIG. The water droplets 20 flowing along the outer peripheral surface are accumulated in the folded portion 15 "-3 and then discharged outward along the wall portion on the outer surface side. In this way, the folded-back portion 15 "-3 can function as a drainage guide portion, and water droplets flowing along the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof resin cylinder 15" can be separated from the open end side of the waterproof resin cylinder in the longitudinal direction between the wires. It can be surely prevented from flooding.

[0029]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the wire harness wired in the submerged area is covered with the waterproof resin cylinder over the entire length of the submerged area, and at least the end portion is fixed by tape winding. Therefore, the wire harness can be waterproofed extremely easily and reliably.

Further, since the waterproof resin cylinder fitted on the wire harness has a required thickness, it is hard to be broken and has flexibility so that it can be bent along the wire harness. It can be bent so that it does not hit the burrs and edges of the body panel, and it can be wired, and even if it hits the burrs and edges, it will not easily break.

Further, waterproofing can be performed by simply covering the wire harness with the waterproof resin cylinder and fixing both ends of the wire harness by tape winding, which is extremely superior to the conventional case where the tape is double half-wrapped. It can be done easily and efficiently.

Further, for the wire harness having the branching portion, by using the waterproof resin cylinder having the branching tubular portion, it is not necessary to detour and branch to a position that does not hit the water inundation area as in the conventional case, and the electric wire Can be shortened, and it is possible to reliably prevent water from entering from the branch position.

Furthermore, when a folded portion is provided on the opening end side of the lengthwise tip of the waterproof resin cylinder, and the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the folded portion is tape-wrapped and closely fixed to a wire harness or grommet, drainage having a V-shaped cross section is formed. It has various advantages such that a guide can be formed, and water drops flowing along the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof resin cylinder can be drained to the outside without being flooded between the lines.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which the waterproof resin cylinder of the first embodiment is attached to a wire harness.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a wiring state of the wire harness having the waterproof structure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view in which the waterproof resin cylinder of the second embodiment is attached to a wire harness.

6A is a front view of the third embodiment, and FIG. 6B is a sectional view.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the operation of the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a wiring position of a wire harness that needs to be waterproofed.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conventional waterproofing method.

10A and 10B are schematic views showing a conventional waterproofing process for a wire harness having a branch portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric wire 10, 10 'Wire harness 10'-2 Branch part 13 Grommet 14 Connector 15, 15', 15 "Waterproof resin cylinder 15'-2 Branch cylinder part 15" -3 Folding part 16 Tape

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A waterproof resin cylinder having a required thickness and flexibility and having openings at both ends is fitted over the entire length of a wire harness for wiring the waterproof resin cylinder in a flooded area, and at least both ends. A waterproof structure for the wire harness in which the opening is tape-wrapped and closely attached to the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness. 2. The waterproof resin cylinder is provided with a branch cylinder portion continuously protruding from a required position, a branch portion of a wire harness is externally fitted to the branch cylinder portion, and a branch portion is provided by one waterproof resin cylinder. 2. The waterproof structure according to claim 1, wherein the wire harness is fitted onto the outer periphery of the wire harness and the tape is wound around the wire harness to fix the required portion in close contact. 3. A waterproof resin cylinder is provided with a fold-back portion at the tip opening, and the tip outer peripheral surface of the fold-back portion is tape-wound and fixed tightly to the wire harness outer peripheral surface or the grommet outer peripheral surface attached to the wire harness. At the same time, the folded portion having a substantially V-shaped cross section by the tape winding is used as a drainage guide portion that discharges after receiving water droplets traveling along the outer peripheral surface of the waterproof resin cylinder. Waterproof structure described.