WO2024128139A1

WO2024128139A1 - Wire harness

Info

Publication number: WO2024128139A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/043904
Authority: WO
Inventors: 謙太堀
Original assignee: 住友電装株式会社
Priority date: 2022-12-15
Filing date: 2023-12-07
Publication date: 2024-06-20
Also published as: JP2024085702A

Abstract

Each electric wire included in a first electric wire bundle (21) is a thin electric wire (24) having a conductor cross-sectional area of less than 5 square millimeters. A second electric wire bundle (22) includes at least one thick electric wire (23) having a conductor cross-sectional area of 5 square millimeters or greater. A protector (12) has an inlet (33) through which an electric wire bundle (11) passes, a first outlet passage (31) through which the first electric wire bundle (21) passes, and a second output passage (32) through which the second electric wire bundle (22) passes and that is adjacent to the first outlet passage (31). In the plan view of the protector (12), each of the axis line (L1) of the first outlet passage (31) and the axis line (L2) of the second outlet passage (32) extends in a direction intersecting the axis line (La) of the inlet (33). The second outlet passage (32) is provided at a position farther away from the inlet (33) than the first outlet passage (31).

Description

Wire Harness

This disclosure relates to wire harnesses.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a wire harness that includes a bundle of electric wires and a protector through which the bundle of electric wires passes. In this wire harness, the bundle of electric wires includes a first bundle of electric wires and a second bundle of electric wires. Both the first bundle of electric wires and the second bundle of electric wires are arranged so as to bend inside the protector.

JP 2013-78173 A

In the above-mentioned wire harness, when at least one of the first and second bundles of electric wires contains thick electric wires with a large conductor cross-sectional area, the thick electric wires increase the rigidity of the bundle of electric wires, making the bundle of electric wires difficult to bend. Therefore, in order to accommodate a bundle of electric wires containing thick electric wires in a bent state in a protector, the protector tends to become large. The present inventor has been considering how to prevent the protector from becoming large when only one of the first and second bundles of electric wires contains thick electric wires.

The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a wire harness that makes it possible to prevent the protector from becoming too large.

The wire harness of the present disclosure is a wire harness including a first electric wire bundle and a second electric wire bundle, and a protector through which the first electric wire bundle and the second electric wire bundle pass, the first electric wire bundle including only thin electric wires having a conductor cross-sectional area of less than 5 square millimeters, and the second electric wire bundle including at least one thick electric wire having a conductor cross-sectional area of 5 square millimeters or more, the protector including an entrance through which both the first electric wire bundle and the second electric wire bundle pass, a first exit passage through which the first electric wire bundle passes, and a second exit passage through which the second electric wire bundle passes and adjacent to the first exit passage, and in a plan view of the protector, each of the axis of the first exit passage and the axis of the second exit passage extends in a direction intersecting the axis of the entrance, and the second exit passage is provided at a position farther away from the entrance than the first exit passage.

The wire harness disclosed herein makes it possible to prevent the protector from becoming too large.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a wire harness according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the wire harness in the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the wire harness with the protector cover removed. FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the first passage volume in the protector. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining the second passage volume in the protector.

[Description of the embodiments of the present disclosure]
First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.
The protector of the present disclosure includes:
[1] A wire harness comprising: a first electric wire bundle and a second electric wire bundle; and a protector through which the first electric wire bundle and the second electric wire bundle pass, wherein the first electric wire bundle includes only thin electric wires having a conductor cross-sectional area of less than 5 square millimeters, and the second electric wire bundle includes at least one thick electric wire having a conductor cross-sectional area of 5 square millimeters or more, the protector has an entrance through which both the first electric wire bundle and the second electric wire bundle pass, a first exit passage through which the first electric wire bundle passes, and a second exit passage through which the second electric wire bundle passes and adjacent to the first exit passage, wherein, in a plan view of the protector, an axis of the first exit passage and an axis of the second exit passage each extend in a direction intersecting with the axis of the entrance, and the second exit passage is provided at a position farther away from the entrance than the first exit passage.

According to this configuration, the axis of the first outlet passage and the axis of the second outlet passage each extend in a direction intersecting the axis of the inlet. Therefore, the first wire bundle has a bent portion immediately before entering the first outlet passage in the protector. Similarly, the second wire bundle has a bent portion immediately before entering the second outlet passage in the protector. And since the second outlet passage is provided at a position farther from the inlet than the first outlet passage, the bent portion of the second wire bundle is set at a position farther from the inlet than the bent portion of the first wire bundle. That is, the bent portion of the second wire bundle is disposed at a position on the outer side of the bent portion of the first wire bundle. Therefore, the bent portion of the second wire bundle, which includes thick wires, can have a larger radius of curvature depending on the high rigidity compared to the bent portion of the first wire bundle. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the size of the protector from increasing.

[2] In the above [1], an axis of the first outlet passage and an axis of the second outlet passage may be parallel to each other in a plan view of the protector.
According to this configuration, in a protector that allows the first electric wire bundle and the second electric wire bundle to be drawn out in substantially the same direction, it is possible to prevent the protector from becoming large.

[3] In the protector according to the above [1] or [2], a second passage volume through which the second electric wire bundle passes may be configured to be larger than a first passage volume through which the first electric wire bundle passes.
According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the space required for bending the first bundle of electric wires having low rigidity, while ensuring a large space required for bending the second bundle of electric wires having high rigidity, thereby more suitably preventing the protector from becoming large.

[4] In any one of [1] to [3] above, the protector has a protector body having an opening and a cover that covers the opening of the protector body, the protector body has a first locking portion, the cover has a second locking portion that hooks onto the first locking portion, and the second outlet passage has, at one end in the length direction of the second outlet passage, an outlet for pulling out the second electric wire bundle to the outside and an electric wire fixing portion to which the second electric wire bundle is fixed, and the first locking portion and the second locking portion may include those that are provided at a position between the electric wire fixing portion and the outlet.

This configuration makes it possible to configure the first and second locking parts so that they are not positioned on the opposite side of the outlet for the electric wire fixing part. This makes it possible to avoid the protector interfering with other components arranged around the protector.

[5] In any one of [1] to [4] above, in a plan view of the protector, a first angle between the axis of the inlet and the axis of the first outlet passage, and a second angle between the axis of the inlet and the axis of the second outlet passage may each be set to an acute angle.

According to this configuration, in a configuration in which the first electric wire bundle and the second electric wire bundle need to be bent at an acute angle inside the protector, it is possible to suppress an increase in size of the protector.
[6] In the above [5], the first angle and the second angle may be the same angle.

According to this configuration, in a configuration in which the first angle and the second angle are equal to each other, it is possible to suppress an increase in size of the protector.
[Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure]
Specific examples of the wire harness of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, for convenience of explanation, some of the configuration may be exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratio of each part may differ between drawings. Furthermore, "parallel" and "perpendicular" in this specification do not only mean strictly parallel or perpendicular, but also include roughly parallel or perpendicular within the range in which the action and effect of this embodiment can be achieved.

(Configuration of Wire Harness 10)
1 is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile. The wire harness 10 electrically connects electrical devices (not shown) mounted on the vehicle. The wire harness 10 includes an electric wire bundle 11 and a protector 12 through which the electric wire bundle 11 passes.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the wire bundle 11 includes a first wire bundle 21 and a second wire bundle 22. Each wire included in the first wire bundle 21 is a thin wire 24 with a small conductor cross-sectional area. In this specification, a "thin wire" is a wire with a conductor cross-sectional area of less than 5 square millimeters. It is preferable that each thin wire 24 constituting the first wire bundle 21 in this embodiment has a conductor cross-sectional area of less than 1 square millimeter.

The second wire bundle 22 includes thick electric wires 23. The thick electric wires 23 are electric wires with a conductor cross-sectional area of 5 square millimeters or more. The second wire bundle 22 includes one or more thick electric wires 23. In addition to the thick electric wires 23, the second wire bundle 22 also includes thin electric wires.

(Configuration of protector 12)
The protector 12, for example, regulates the path of the electric wire bundle 11 and protects the electric wire bundle 11. The protector 12 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin. The protector 12 is fixed to an attachment target such as a vehicle body panel.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the protector 12 has a main passage 30, a first outlet passage 31, and a second outlet passage 32. The first outlet passage 31 and the second outlet passage 32 are passages branched off from the main passage 30.

The protector 12 has an inlet 33 at one end in the longitudinal direction of the main passage 30. In other words, one end in the longitudinal direction of the main passage 30 forms the inlet 33 of the protector 12. The inlet 33 has an axis La, which is the central axis of the inlet 33. The axis La is, for example, along the longitudinal direction of the main passage 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a plan view of the protector 12, one side of the area defined by the axis La of the inlet 33 is the first area A1, and the other side of the area is the second area A2. In this specification, the plan view of the protector 12 means that the protector 12 is viewed in a direction along its height direction H. That is, the height direction H of the protector 12 in FIG. 3 is perpendicular to the paper surface. Each of the first outlet passage 31 and the second outlet passage 32 is located in the first area A1. The first outlet passage 31 and the second outlet passage 32 are adjacent to each other. Also, each of the first outlet passage 31 and the second outlet passage 32 is located, for example, on the same plane perpendicular to the height direction H. The second outlet passage 32 is provided at a position farther away from the inlet 33 than the first outlet passage 31. That is, the first outlet passage 31 is provided at a position closer to the inlet 33 than the second outlet passage 32.

The protector 12 has a first outlet 34 at the tip of the first outlet passage 31. That is, the tip of the first outlet passage 31 forms the first outlet 34 of the protector 12. The tip of the first outlet passage 31 is one end of the first outlet passage 31 in the longitudinal direction. The base end of the first outlet passage 31 is connected to the main passage 30. The first outlet passage 31 has an axis L1 which is its central axis. The axis L1 runs along the longitudinal direction of the first outlet passage 31. In a plan view of the protector 12, the end face of the first outlet 34 is, for example, perpendicular to the axis L1. Furthermore, the axis L1 passes through the center C1 of the first outlet 34.

In a plan view of the protector 12, the axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31 extends in a direction intersecting the axis La of the inlet 33. In a plan view of the protector 12, the first angle θ1 between the axis La of the inlet 33 and the axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31 is set to, for example, an acute angle.

The protector 12 has a second outlet 35 at the tip of the second outlet passage 32. That is, one end of the second outlet passage 32 in the longitudinal direction forms the second outlet 35 of the protector 12. The tip of the second outlet passage 32 is one end of the second outlet passage 32 in the longitudinal direction. The base end of the second outlet passage 32 is connected to the main passage 30. The second outlet passage 32 has an axis L2 which is its central axis. The axis L2 is along the longitudinal direction of the second outlet passage 32. In a plan view of the protector 12, the end face of the second outlet 35 is, for example, perpendicular to the axis L2. Furthermore, the axis L2 passes through the center C2 of the second outlet 35.

In a plan view of the protector 12, the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 extends in a direction intersecting the axis La of the inlet 33. In a plan view of the protector 12, the second angle θ2 between the axis La of the inlet 33 and the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 is set to, for example, an acute angle. In this embodiment, the second angle θ2 is set to the same angle as the first angle θ1.

In a plan view of the protector 12, the axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31 and the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 are parallel to each other. That is, in this embodiment, in a plan view of the protector 12, the end face of the first outlet 34 and the end face of the second outlet 35 are parallel to each other. Also, in a plan view of the protector 12, the end face of the first outlet 34 and the end face of the second outlet 35 are not aligned on the same straight line. That is, in a plan view of the protector 12, there is a step between the end face of the first outlet 34 and the end face of the second outlet 35. In other words, the end face of the first outlet 34 and the end face of the second outlet 35 are not located on the same plane.

(Regarding the first distance D1 and the second distance D2)
3, in a plan view of the protector 12, a distance from the axis La of the inlet 33 to the center C1 of the first outlet 34 is defined as a first distance D1. The first distance D1 is the shortest distance between the axis La of the inlet 33 and the center C1 of the first outlet 34 in a plan view of the protector 12. In other words, the first distance D1 is the distance from the axis La to the center C1 of the first outlet 34 in a direction perpendicular to the axis La.

Furthermore, in a plan view of the protector 12, the distance from the axis La of the inlet 33 to the center C2 of the second outlet 35 is defined as the second distance D2. The second distance D2 is the shortest distance between the axis La of the inlet 33 and the center C2 of the second outlet 35 in a plan view of the protector 12. In other words, the second distance D2 is the distance from the axis La to the center C2 of the second outlet 35 in a direction perpendicular to the axis La. The first distance D1 and the second distance D2 are set to different lengths. More specifically, the second distance D2 is set to be shorter than the first distance D1.

(Regarding the arrangement of the electric wire bundle 11)
In the protector 12, the electric wire bundle 11 passes through the main passage 30, the first outlet passage 31, and the second outlet passage 32. The electric wire bundle 11 is drawn out to the outside of the protector 12 from the inlet 33, the first outlet 34, and the second outlet 35, respectively.

In more detail, the first wire bundle 21 included in the wire bundle 11 passes through the main passage 30 and the first outlet passage 31. The first wire bundle 21 is then pulled out to the outside of the protector 12 from the first outlet 34.

The second wire bundle 22 included in the wire bundle 11 passes through the main passage 30 and the second outlet passage 32. The second wire bundle 22 is then pulled out from the second outlet 35 to the outside of the protector 12. In this embodiment, the wire bundle 11 passing through the inlet 33 branches into the first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22 inside the protector 12.

Here, in a plan view of the protector 12, the axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31 and the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 each extend in a direction intersecting with the axis La of the inlet 33. That is, in a plan view of the protector 12, the first outlet passage 31 and the second outlet passage 32 each extend in a direction intersecting with the main passage 30. Therefore, the first wire bundle 21 has a first bend 21a just before entering the first outlet passage 31 in the protector 12. In other words, the first bend 21a is set at a point in the first wire bundle 21 that crosses from the main passage 30 to the first outlet passage 31.

The second wire bundle 22 also has a second bend 22a immediately before entering the second exit passage 32 inside the protector 12. In other words, the second bend 22a is set at a location in the second wire bundle 22 that spans from the main passage 30 to the second exit passage 32. The second exit passage 32 is provided at a position farther away from the entrance 33 than the first exit passage 31. As a result, the second bend 22a is set at a position farther away from the entrance 33 than the first bend 21a. In other words, the second bend 22a is positioned on the outside of the first bend 21a.

(Configuration of the first electric wire fixing portion 36 and the second electric wire fixing portion 37)
The first outlet passage 31 has a first wire fixing portion 36 to which the first electric wire bundle 21 is fixed. The first wire fixing portion 36 has, for example, a first attachment portion 36a provided in the first outlet passage 31 and a first fixing member 36b that fixes the first electric wire bundle 21 to the first attachment portion 36a. The first fixing member 36b is, for example, a cable tie. The cable tie as the first fixing member 36b tightens and fixes the first electric wire bundle 21 to the first attachment portion 36a.

The second outlet passage 32 has a second wire fixing portion 37 to which the second wire bundle 22 is fixed. The second wire fixing portion 37 has, for example, a second mounting portion 37a provided in the second outlet passage 32 and a second fixing member 37b that fixes the second wire bundle 22 to the second mounting portion 37a. The second fixing member 37b is, for example, a cable tie. The cable tie as the second fixing member 37b tightens and fixes the second wire bundle 22 to the second mounting portion 37a. The distance from the second outlet 35 to the second wire fixing portion 37 in the direction along the axis L2 is set to be greater than the distance from the first outlet 34 to the first wire fixing portion 36 in the direction along the axis L1.

The wire harness 10 may also include an exterior member (not shown) that covers the outer periphery of the wire bundle 11 drawn out from the inlet 33. For example, a corrugated tube having a bellows structure can be used as the exterior member. Furthermore, the first wire bundle 21 drawn out from the first outlet 34 and the second wire bundle 22 drawn out from the second outlet 35 are each bundled together by, for example, wrapping the outer periphery with tape.

(Regarding the first passage volume V1 and the second passage volume V2)
As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, in the protector 12, the volume of the passage through which the first electric wire bundle 21 passes is defined as a first passage volume V1, and the volume of the passage through which the second electric wire bundle 22 passes is defined as a second passage volume V2. As shown in Fig. 4, the first passage volume V1 includes a partial volume of the main passage 30 in the longitudinal direction and the entire volume of the first outlet passage 31. As shown in Fig. 5, the second passage volume V2 includes the entire volume of the main passage 30 and the entire volume of the second outlet passage 32. That is, the length D4 of the main passage 30 included in the second passage volume V2 is longer than the length D3 of the main passage 30 included in the first passage volume V1. The second passage volume V2 is configured to be larger than the first passage volume V1.

(Configuration of protector body 40 and cover 50)
2, the protector 12 has, for example, a protector body 40 and a cover 50 that is assembled to the protector body 40. The cover 50 is, for example, a separate body from the protector body 40. The cover 50 is attached so as to cover the protector body 40 from above in the height direction H.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the protector body 40 has a bottom wall 41 and a side wall 42 erected on the bottom wall 41. The side wall 42 extends from the bottom wall 41 along the height direction H of the protector 12. The side wall 42 is, for example, perpendicular to the bottom wall 41.

The side wall 42 forms a passage for the wire bundle 11. In detail, the side wall 42 includes, for example, a pair of first wall portions 43 forming the main passage 30, and a second wall portion 44, a third wall portion 45, and a fourth wall portion 46 forming the first outlet passage 31 and the second outlet passage 32. The pair of first wall portions 43 extend in a direction along the axis La of the inlet 33.

In a plan view of the protector 12, the second wall portion 44, the third wall portion 45, and the fourth wall portion 46 are arranged in order in a direction perpendicular to the axis L1 and the axis L2. That is, the third wall portion 45 is located between the second wall portion 44 and the fourth wall portion 46. The second wall portion 44 and the third wall portion 45 form the first outlet passage 31. The fourth wall portion 46 and the third wall portion 45 form the second outlet passage 32. That is, the third wall portion 45 serves as both the wall portion forming the first outlet passage 31 and the wall portion forming the second outlet passage 32. Therefore, one side surface of the third wall portion 45 faces the first outlet passage 31, and the other side surface of the third wall portion 45 faces the second outlet passage 32. The second wall portion 44 and the third wall portion 45 extend, for example, in a direction along the axes L1 and L2.

The protector body 40 has an opening 40a that opens to one side in the height direction H. In this embodiment, the opening direction of the opening 40a is described as being upward. The opening 40a is formed at the end of the side wall 42 opposite the bottom wall 41. The cover 50 is attached to the protector body 40 so as to cover the opening 40a. The wire bundle 11, including the first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22, is accommodated in the protector body 40 through the opening 40a.

(Configuration of the first locking portion 47 and the second locking portion 51)
2 and 3, the protector body 40 has a plurality of first locking portions 47 on the side wall 42. Meanwhile, the cover 50 has a plurality of second locking portions 51 which respectively hook onto the plurality of first locking portions 47, as shown in Fig. 1 and 2. When the cover 50 closes the opening 40a of the protector body 40, each of the second locking portions 51 hooks onto each of the first locking portions 47. This fixes the cover 50 to the protector body 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first locking portions 47 are provided, for example, at both ends of the main passage 30 in the longitudinal direction. The first locking portions 47 are provided in the second wall portion 44 at a position near the first outlet 34. The first locking portions 47 are provided in the third wall portion 45 and the fourth wall portion 46 at a position near the second outlet 35.

Here, the first locking portion 47 provided on the third wall portion 45 is referred to as the first locking portion 47a, and the first locking portion 47 provided on the fourth wall portion 46 is referred to as the first locking portion 47b. The first locking portion 47a is provided, for example, so as to protrude from the side surface of the third wall portion 45 facing the second outlet passage 32 toward the second outlet passage 32 side. The first locking portion 47b is provided so as to protrude from the outer surface of the fourth wall portion 46 toward the outside of the protector body 40. Each of the

first locking portions

47a, 47b is provided at a position between the second wire fixing portion 37 and the second outlet 35 in the length direction of the second outlet passage 32, i.e., in the direction along the axis L2.

In addition, in this embodiment, the fourth wall portion 46 is formed so that the distance between it and the third wall portion 45 gradually increases from the second mounting portion 37a to the second outlet 35. In other words, the width of the second outlet passage 32 increases from the second mounting portion 37a to the second outlet 35. This makes it possible to pull out the second wire bundle 22 from the second outlet 35 at an angle to the axis L2. In this embodiment, the second wire bundle 22 is pulled out, for example, in a direction away from the first wire bundle 21.

As shown in FIG. 2, of the multiple second locking portions 51 on the cover 50, the second locking portion 51 that hooks onto the first locking portion 47a is referred to as the second locking portion 51a, and the second locking portion 51 that hooks onto the first locking portion 47b is referred to as the second locking portion 51b. When the cover 50 is assembled to the protector body 40, each of the

second locking portions

51a, 51b is provided at a position between the second wire fixing portion 37 and the second outlet 35 in the length direction of the second outlet passage 32, i.e., in the direction along the axis L2.

(Action)
The second bent portion 22a of the second electric wire bundle 22 including the thick electric wires 23 is disposed at an outer position with respect to the first bent portion 21a of the first electric wire bundle 21. Therefore, the second bent portion 22a can have a larger radius of curvature than the first bent portion 21a. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a large radius of curvature of the second electric wire bundle 22 including the thick electric wires 23 while suppressing an increase in size of the protector 12. In addition, in the protector 12, the second passage volume V2 through which the second electric wire bundle 22 passes is configured to be larger than the first passage volume V1 through which the first electric wire bundle 21 passes. This makes it possible to ensure a space for bending the second electric wire bundle 22 having high rigidity while configuring a small space for bending the first electric wire bundle 21 having low rigidity.

The first locking portion 47b of the protector body 40 and the second locking portion 51b of the cover 50 are provided so as to protrude outward from the protector 12. The first locking portion 47b and the second locking portion 51b are provided at a position between the second electric wire fixing portion 37 and the second outlet 35 in the direction along the axis L2. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, the first locking portion 47b and the second locking portion 51b protruding outward from the protector 12 are not located on the opposite side of the second outlet 35 from the second electric wire fixing portion 37. Therefore, it is possible to design the shape of the protector 12 so as to make the peripheral space S of the end portion 30a opposite the inlet 33 of the main passage 30 large. As a result, it is possible to easily accommodate the second electric wire bundle 22 in the protector 12 by arranging the second electric wire bundle 22 around the outside of the first electric wire bundle 21 while preventing interference between the protector 12 and other components arranged in the peripheral space S.

Next, a manner in which the wire harness 10 including the protector 12 and the electric wire bundle 11 is attached to an attachment target such as a vehicle body panel will be described.
First, the protector 12 attached to the electric wire bundle 11 is fixed to an object to which it is attached.

Then, the first electric wire bundle 21 and the second electric wire bundle 22, which are respectively pulled out from the protector 12, are fixed at the external fixing positions P1 and P2 shown in FIG. 3. The external fixing position P1 is the fixing position closest to the first outlet 34 among the fixing positions where the first electric wire bundle 21 pulled out from the first outlet 34 is fixed to the mounting object. The length from the first outlet 34 to the external fixing position P1 is called the fixing stroke of the first electric wire bundle 21. The external fixing position P2 is the fixing position closest to the second outlet 35 among the fixing positions where the first electric wire bundle 21 pulled out from the second outlet 35 is fixed to the mounting object. The length from the second outlet 35 to the external fixing position P2 is called the fixing stroke of the second electric wire bundle 22.

In the wire harness 10 of this embodiment, the first distance D1, which is the distance from the axis La of the inlet 33 to the center C1 of the first outlet 34, and the second distance D2, which is the distance from the axis La of the inlet 33 to the center C2 of the second outlet 35, are different from each other. This makes it possible to make the positions of the first outlet 34 and the second outlet 35 different from each other in the direction along the path of the wire bundle 11. Therefore, it is possible to set the positions of the first outlet 34 and the second outlet 35 to appropriate positions according to the external fixing positions P1 and P2. As a result, it is possible to appropriately set the fixing stroke for each of the first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22. This makes it easier to fix the first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22 to the mounting object at the external fixing positions P1 and P2, respectively, after fixing the protector 12 to the mounting object, for example.

The effects of this embodiment will be described.
(1) The axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31 and the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 each extend in a direction intersecting with the axis La of the inlet 33. Therefore, the first wire bundle 21 has a first bent portion 21a in a portion immediately before entering the first outlet passage 31 in the protector 12. The second wire bundle 22 has a second bent portion 22a in a portion immediately before entering the second outlet passage 32 in the protector 12. The second outlet passage 32 is provided at a position farther from the inlet 33 than the first outlet passage 31. As a result, the second bent portion 22a is set at a position farther from the inlet 33 than the first bent portion 21a. That is, the second bent portion 22a is disposed at a position on the outer side of the first bent portion 21a. Therefore, the second bent portion 22a can have a larger radius of curvature than the first bent portion 21a. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a large radius of curvature of the second bundle of electric wires 22 including the thick electric wires 23 while preventing the protector 12 from becoming large.

(2) The axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31 and the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 are parallel to each other in a plan view of the protector 12. With this configuration, in the protector 12 capable of drawing out the first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22 in substantially the same direction, it is possible to ensure a large radius of curvature of the second wire bundle 22 including the thick wires 23 while preventing the protector 12 from becoming too large.

(3) In the protector 12, the second passage volume V2 through which the second wire bundle 22 passes is configured to be larger than the first passage volume V1 through which the first wire bundle 21 passes. With this configuration, it is possible to ensure space for bending the second wire bundle 22, which has high rigidity, while reducing the space required for bending the first wire bundle 21, which has low rigidity. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the protector 12 from becoming large.

(4) The protector 12 has a protector body 40 having an opening 40a, and a cover 50 that covers the opening 40a of the protector body 40. The protector body 40 has a first locking portion 47b. The cover 50 has a second locking portion 51b that hooks onto the first locking portion 47b. The second outlet passage 32 has, at one end in the longitudinal direction of the second outlet passage 32, a second outlet 35 that pulls out the second wire bundle 22 to the outside, and a second wire fixing portion 37 to which the second wire bundle 22 is fixed. The first locking portion 47b and the second locking portion 51b are provided at a position between the second wire fixing portion 37 and the second outlet 35. According to this configuration, the first locking portion 47b and the second locking portion 51b that protrude to the outside of the protector 12 are not located on the opposite side of the second outlet 35 from the second wire fixing portion 37. This allows the protector 12 to be small near the end 30a of the main passage 30, while the second wire bundle 22 is arranged around the outside of the first wire bundle 21, making it possible to easily accommodate the second wire bundle 22 in the protector 12.

(5) In a plan view of the protector 12, the first angle θ1 between the axis La of the inlet 33 and the axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31, and the second angle θ2 between the axis La of the inlet 33 and the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 are each set to an acute angle. With this configuration, in a configuration in which the first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22 need to be bent at an acute angle within the protector 12, it is possible to ensure a large radius of curvature for the second wire bundle 22, including the thick wires 23, while preventing the protector 12 from becoming too large.

(6) The first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 are the same. With this configuration, in which the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 are the same, it is possible to ensure a large radius of curvature for the second wire bundle 22 including the thick wires 23 while preventing the protector 12 from becoming large.

(7) The first outlet passage 31 has a first outlet 34 at one end in the length direction of the first outlet passage 31, through which the first wire bundle 21 is drawn out to the outside. The second outlet passage 32 has a second outlet 35 at one end in the length direction of the second outlet passage 32, through which the second wire bundle 22 is drawn out to the outside. The first distance D1 from the axis La of the inlet 33 to the first outlet 34 and the second distance D2 from the axis La of the inlet 33 to the second outlet 35 are set to different lengths. With this configuration, it is possible to make the position of the first outlet 34 and the position of the second outlet 35 different from each other in the direction along the path of the wire bundle 11. This makes it possible to set appropriate positions of the first outlet 34 and the second outlet 35 according to the external fixed positions P1 and P2. As a result, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly of the wire harness 10 including the protector 12 and the wire bundle 11.

(8) The second distance D2 is shorter than the first distance D1. With this configuration, the second wire bundle 22 including the thick wires 23 tends to have a higher rigidity than the first wire bundle 21, and is therefore less likely to bend. Therefore, it is desirable to ensure that the fixing stroke of the second wire bundle 22 is longer than the fixing stroke of the first wire bundle 21. Therefore, by making the second distance D2 shorter than the first distance D1, it becomes easier to ensure the fixing stroke of the second wire bundle 22. As a result, this can contribute to further improving the ease of assembly.

(Example of change)
This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.

- In a plan view of the protector 12, the axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31 and the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 may be non-parallel to each other. In other words, in a plan view of the protector 12, the end face of the first outlet 34 and the end face of the second outlet 35 may be non-parallel to each other.

- The first angle θ1 between the axis La of the inlet 33 and the axis L1 of the first outlet passage 31, and the second angle θ2 between the axis La of the inlet 33 and the axis L2 of the second outlet passage 32 may be set to 90° or an obtuse angle. In addition, the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 may be different angles.

The second distance D2 may be longer than the first distance D1. Alternatively, the first distance D1 and the second distance D2 may be equal to each other.
In the above embodiment, the protector 12 has two outlets in total, namely, one first outlet 34 and one second outlet 35. However, the number of outlets is not limited to this, and the protector 12 may have three or more outlets.

The first locking portion 47 b and the second locking portion 51 b may be provided on the opposite side of the second outlet passage 32 from the second outlet 35 with respect to the second wire fixing portion 37 .
In the protector 12 of the above embodiment, the cover 50 may be formed integrally with the protector body 40. In this case, the cover 50 may be rotatably connected to the protector body 40 via a hinge portion, for example.

The wire bundle 11 in the illustrated example may be referred to as a main wire bundle including a first wire bundle 21 and a second wire bundle 22. The first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22 in the illustrated example may be referred to as a first branch wire and a second branch wire, respectively, that branch off from the wire bundle 11 at a branch point. The protector 12 in the illustrated example may be referred to as a synthetic resin protector used with the first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22 that branch off from the wire bundle 11 at a branch point.

- As shown in the non-limiting examples in Figures 2 and 3, the protector 12 may be configured to accommodate the branch point of the first wire bundle 21 and the second wire bundle 22 in the wire bundle 11. For example, the first wire bundle 21 may extend within the protector 12 along a first branch route from the branch point to the first exit 34 with a first branch route length, and the second wire bundle 22 may extend within the protector 12 along a second branch route from the branch point to the second exit 35 with a second branch route length.

- As a non-limiting example shown in FIG. 3, the first mounting portion 36a of the protector 12 may be provided at a first inner position at a relatively short distance from the first outlet 34 of the first outlet passage 31 of the protector 12, and the second mounting portion 37a of the protector 12 may be provided at a second inner position at a relatively long distance from the second outlet 35 of the second outlet passage 32 of the protector 12.

- The embodiments and modified examples disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects, and the present invention is not limited to these examples. In other words, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent in meaning and scope to the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Wire harness 11 Electric wire bundle 12 Protector 21 First electric wire bundle 21a First bent portion 22 Second electric wire bundle 22a Second bent portion 23 Thick electric wire 24 Thin electric wire 30 Main passage 30a End portion 31 First exit passage 32 Second exit passage 33 Entrance 34 First exit 35 Second exit (exit)
36 First electric wire fixing portion 36a First mounting portion 36b First fixing member 37 Second electric wire fixing portion (electric wire fixing portion)
37a Second mounting portion 37b Second fixing member 40 Protector body 40a Opening 41 Bottom wall 42 Side wall 43 First wall portion 44 Second wall portion 45 Third wall portion 46 Fourth wall portion 47 (47a, 47b) First locking portion 50 Cover 51 (51a, 51b) Second locking portion θ1 First angle θ2 Second angle A1 First region A2 Second region C1 Center of first outlet C2 Center of second outlet D1 First distance D2 Second distance D3, D4 Length H Height direction L1 Axis of first outlet passage L2 Axis of second outlet passage La Axis of inlet P1, P2 External fixing position V1 First passage volume V2 Second passage volume S Surrounding space

Claims

A first bundle of electric wires and a second bundle of electric wires;
a protector through which the first electric wire bundle and the second electric wire bundle pass;
A wire harness comprising:
the first wire bundle includes only thin wires having a conductor cross-sectional area of less than 5 square millimeters;
The second wire bundle includes at least one thick wire having a conductor cross-sectional area of 5 square millimeters or more,
the protector has an entrance through which both the first bundle of electric wires and the second bundle of electric wires pass, a first exit passage through which the first bundle of electric wires passes, and a second exit passage through which the second bundle of electric wires passes and adjacent to the first exit passage,
In a plan view of the protector, an axis of the first outlet passage and an axis of the second outlet passage each extend in a direction intersecting with an axis of the inlet,
The second outlet passage is provided at a position farther away from the inlet than the first outlet passage.
Wire harness.
An axis of the first outlet passage and an axis of the second outlet passage are parallel to each other in a plan view of the protector.
The wire harness according to claim 1 .
In the protector, a second passage volume through which the second electric wire bundle passes is larger than a first passage volume through which the first electric wire bundle passes.
The wire harness according to claim 1 .
The protector includes a protector body having an opening and a cover that closes the opening of the protector body,
The protector body has a first engaging portion,
the cover has a second engaging portion that is hooked onto the first engaging portion,
the second outlet passage has, at one end in a longitudinal direction of the second outlet passage, an outlet through which the second electric wire bundle is drawn out to the outside and an electric wire fixing portion to which the second electric wire bundle is fixed,
The first locking portion and the second locking portion include a locking portion provided at a position between the electric wire fixing portion and the outlet.
The wire harness according to claim 1 .
In a plan view of the protector, a first angle formed between an axis of the inlet and an axis of the first outlet passage, and a second angle formed between the axis of the inlet and an axis of the second outlet passage are each set to an acute angle.
The wire harness according to claim 1 .
The first angle and the second angle are equal to each other.
The wire harness according to claim 5.