External cover material for wire harness

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide better configurations of a partition-attached metal pipe as an external cover material for a wire harness, including: a metal pipe through which a wire harness including a plurality of electrical wires can be inserted; and a separate metal partition member that is to be assembled by being inserted into the pipe; wherein a plurality of electrical wire insertion spaces that are partitioned by the partition member and a circumferential wall of the pipe are provided continuously in an axial direction of the pipe.

Claims

1. An external cover material for a wire harness, comprising: a metal pipe through which a wire harness including a plurality of electrical wires can be inserted; and a separate metal partition member that is to be assembled by being inserted into the pipe; wherein a plurality of electrical wire insertion spaces that are partitioned by the partition member and a circumferential wall of the pipe are provided continuously in an axial direction of the pipe, wherein fitting depressions, into which projecting edges at an outer circumference of partition plates of the partition member are fitted, extend in the axial direction in an inner circumferential face of the pipe, and are provided in the inner circumferential face of the pipe at a constant pitch in a circumferential direction of the pipe, wherein the edges at the outer circumference of the partition plates are fitted into the fitting depressions at any position of the fitting depressions provided at the constant pitch, and wherein each of the fitting depressions comprises a depression having a trapezoidal shape in which both side faces widen in an inward radial direction of the pipe.

2. The external cover material for a wire harness, according to claim 1, wherein the pipe and the partition member are produced by extrusion molding of molten metal such as aluminum-based metal, wherein the pipe is constituted only by a circumferential wall surrounding a hollow portion, and has any one of a circular, a substantially flat oval, or an elliptical cross-section, and wherein the partition member is shaped such that a plurality of partition plates are radially connected to each other, or such that a plurality of partition plates are provided as teeth that project from a coupling plate.

3. The external cover material for a wire harness, according to claim 1, wherein the electrical wires of the wire harness are separately inserted into the plurality of electrical wire insertion spaces that are partitioned by the partition member, wherein an adhesive tape or a cable tie is wound around to fix the inserted electrical wires and the partition member, and wherein the partition member holding the electrical wires is inserted through the pipe.

4. The external cover material for a wire harness, according to claim 3, wherein winding cut-outs are provided at an outer circumference of the partition plates at intervals in a length direction of the partition plates.

5. The external cover material for a wire harness, according to claim 1, wherein a wall thickness of the partition plates of the partition member have a smaller wall thickness than a wall thickness of the pipe.

6. The external cover material for a wire harness, according to claim 1, wherein a length of the partition member is longer than a length of the pipe.

7. The external cover material for a wire harness, according to claim 1, wherein at least both ends in a length direction of the pipe are partially crimped, so that edges at an outer circumference of the partition member are pressed against and fixed to an inner circumferential face of the pipe.

8. The external cover material for a wire harness, according to claim 1, wherein each of the partition plates of the partition member have a bent portion along a radial length of each of the partition plates.

9. An external cover material for a wire harness, comprising: a metal pipe through which a wire harness including a plurality of electrical wires can be inserted; and a separate metal partition member that is to be assembled by being inserted into the pipe, wherein a plurality of electrical wire insertion spaces that are partitioned by the partition member and a circumferential wall of the pipe are provided continuously in an axial direction of the pipe, and wherein the pipe is swaged throughout the length of the pipe, or at least both ends in the length direction of the pipe are partially crimped, so that edges at an outer circumference of the partition member are pressed against and fixed to an inner circumferential face of the pipe, wherein fitting depressions, into which projecting edges at an outer circumference of partition plates of the partition member are fitted, extend in the axial direction in an inner circumferential face of the pipe, and are provided in the inner circumferential face of the pipe at a constant pitch in a circumferential direction of the pipe wherein each of the fitting depressions comprises a depression having a trapezoidal shape in which both side faces widen in an inward radial direction of the pipe.

10. A method for attaching an external cover material to a wire harness, comprising: inserting separated electrical wires of a wire harness into spaces that are partitioned by the partition member; fixing the electrical wires and the partition member using a tape or a cable tie; inserting the partition member holding the electrical wires through the pipe; drawing or partially crimping the pipe, thereby fixing the partition member and the pipe, and then bending the pipe according to a form in which the wire harness is to be arranged; and providing fitting depressions in the inner circumferential face of the pipe at a constant pitch in a circumferential direction of the pipe, the fitting depressions being where projecting edges at an outer circumference of partition plates of the partition member are fitted, and extend in the axial direction in an inner circumferential face of the pipe, each of the fitting depressions comprises a depression having a trapezoidal shape in which both side faces widen in an inward radial direction of the pipe.

11. The method for attaching the external cover material to the wire harness, according to claim 10, further comprising: fitting an outer edge of each of a plurality of partition plates of the partition member is into a respective fitted depression of the pipe.

12. The method for attaching the external cover material to the wire harness, according to claim 10, further comprising: pressing an inner circumferential face of a circumferential wall of the pipe against an outer edge of each of plurality of partition plates of the partition member.

13. The method for attaching the external cover material to the wire harness, according to claim 10, further comprising: prior to inserting the partition member into the pipe, bending, each of a plurality of partition plates of the partition member along a radial length of each of the plurality of partition plates.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) According to a first embodiment of the present application, where

(2) FIG. 1(A) illustrates a schematic overall side view thereof, and FIG. 1(B) illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 1(A).

(3) FIG. 2(A) illustrates a perspective view of a pipe and FIG. 2(B) illustrates a front view of the pipe of FIG. 2(A), in accordance with embodiments of the present application.

(4) FIG. 3(A) illustrates a perspective view of a partition member and FIG. 3(B) illustrates a front view of the partition member of FIG. 3(A), in accordance with embodiments of the present application.

(5) FIG. 4(A) illustrates a perspective view of a partition member provided with winding cut-outs, and FIG. 4(B) illustrates an enlarged view of the main portion of FIG. 4(A), in accordance with embodiments of the present application.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a side view of a state in which the partition member is inserted through the pipe, in accordance with embodiments of the present application.

(7) FIGS. 6(A) to 6(F) show views of a process that assembles a wire harness, a partition member, and a pipe, in accordance with embodiments of the present application.

(8) According to a second embodiment of the present application, FIG. 7(A) illustrates a perspective view of the pipe of FIG. 7(A), FIG. 7(B) illustrates a front view of the pipe, and FIG. 7(C) shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main portion of the pipe of FIG. 7(A).

(9) FIGS. 8(A), 8(B), and 8(C) show views of states in which partition members of various types are combined with the pipe according to the second embodiment.

(10) FIG. 9 shows a side view of a structure for fixing the pipe and the partition member according to the second embodiment.

(11) According to a third embodiment of the present application, FIG. 10(A) illustrates a front view of a pipe, FIG. 10(B) illustrates a perspective view of a partition member, and FIG. 10(C) illustrates a front view showing the relationship between the pipe of FIG. 10(A) and the partition member of FIG. 10(B).

(12) FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a state in which electrical wires of the wire harness are attached to the partition member according to the third embodiment.

(13) FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of a conventional example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(14) FIGS. 1(A) to 6(F) show a first embodiment.

(15) In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), a wire harness 3 including three-phase high-voltage electrical wires W1, W2, and W3 is arranged in a hybrid automobile between a battery 1 mounted above a floor on the rear side and an inverter 2 mounted in an engine room on the front side, wherein the wire harness is arranged in an underfloor region below a floor panel 4, between the regions above the floor on the rear side and on the front side. This underfloor region Z1 of the wire harness is bent upward at both ends in the length direction, forming upward extending regions Z2 and Z3. The upward extending region Z2 is inserted through a through hole 5 formed through the floor panel 4 on the rear side, and the upward extending region Z3 on the front side extends into the engine room.

(16) The wire harness 3 laid out through continuous regions consisting of the underfloor region Z1 and the upward extending regions Z2 and Z3 on both sides thereof is inserted through an external cover material 10 that is constituted by one continuous pipe provided with a partition member. The external cover material 10 is configured such that a partition member 12 is inserted into and fixed to a pipe 11, the partition member 12 and the pipe 11 being made of the same metal. Both of the pipe 11 and the partition member are produced by continuous extrusion molding of molten aluminum-based metal.

(17) As shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B), the partition member 12 is shaped such that three partition plates 13 (13A, 13B, and 13C) are radially connected to each other at intervals of 120 degrees. When the partition member 12 is attached into a hollow portion 11b of the pipe 11, the outer edges of the three partition plates 13A to 13C are in close contact with the inner face of a circumferential wall 11a of the pipe 11, forming three sealed insertion spaces C (C1, C2, and C3) in the shape of circular sectors enclosed by the partition plates 13 and the circumferential wall 11a. The high-voltage electrical wires W1, W2, and W3 are one by one inserted into the respective insertion spaces C.

(18) The pipe 11 has a wall thickness t1 larger than a wall thickness t2 of the partition plates 13 of the partition member 12.

(19) The pipe 11 and the partition member 12 have a shielding function of preventing noise generated by the high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 from diffusing to the outside. The pipe 11 further has a function of protecting the electrical wires from pebbles flicked up from the road or contact with the road.

(20) The pipe 11 is produced as a straight pipe by continuous extrusion molding. As shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B), the pipe 11 is shaped such that the hollow portion 11b having a circular cross-section is surrounded by the circumferential wall 11a having a ring-like shape.

(21) Fitting depressions 15 are formed at intervals of 120 degrees throughout the length in the axial direction of the inner circumferential face of the circumferential wall 11a of the pipe 11. The fitting depressions 15 have a size that allows the outer edges in the radial direction of the respective partition plates 13 to be fitted into the fitting depressions 15 without wobbling.

(22) The partition member 12 shaped such that the three partition plates 13 are radially connected to each other can be produced by extrusion molding as described above. After the molding, as shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B), the outer edges in the radial direction of the three partition plates 13 are punched to form winding cut-outs 16 at intervals in the length direction.

(23) As shown in FIG. 5, the entire length of the partition member 12 is slightly longer than that of the pipe 11, so that both ends in the length direction of the partition member 12 protrude from both ends 11e and 11f in the length direction of the pipe 11.

(24) According to embodiments of the present application, the inner diameter of the pipe 11 is slightly larger than the virtual outer diameter of the partition member 12 obtained by linking the outer edges of the three partition plates 13, so that the partition member 12 can be easily inserted through the hollow portion 11b of the pipe 11

(25) Next, a method for externally covering the high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 with the external cover material 10 constituted by the pipe 11 and the partition member 12 will be described.

(26) First, as shown in FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), the high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 are one by one inserted into the three insertion spaces C1 to C3 that are partitioned by the partition plates 13A to 13C of the partition member 12 and that each have a circular sector-like cross-section. The electrical wires can be easily attached because they can be inserted into the respective insertion spaces C1 to C3 from a side at a right angle with respect to the axial line.

(27) Then, as shown in FIGS. 6(C) and 6(D), adhesive tapes 18 are placed through the winding cut-outs 16 of the three partition plates 13, and are applied to and wound around the outer face of the high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3, and, thus, the three high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 are fixed to and held by the partition member 12. At that time, the high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 inserted into the respective insertion spaces C1 to C3 are prevented from protruding out of the outer circumference of the insertion spaces C1 to C3.

(28) Then, as shown in FIG. 6(E), the partition member 12 holding the high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 is inserted into one of the ends in the length direction the pipe 11 toward the other end. At that time, the outer edges in the radial direction of the three partition plates 13A to 13C are fitted into the fitting depressions 15 formed in the inner face of the pipe 11 and are inserted into the axial direction. When the partition member 12 is attached to the pipe 11, openings on the outer circumferential side of the insertion spaces C1 to C3 are closed by the circumferential wall 11a of the pipe 11, forming three sealed spaces. The high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 are one by one separately inserted into the respective sealed spaces.

(29) As shown in FIG. 6(F), the inserted partition member 12 is attached such that both ends in the length direction slightly protrude from both ends 11e and 11f of the pipe 11.

(30) Then, a drawing process (swaging process) is performed on the pipe 11 from one end 11e in the length direction toward the other end 11f, so that the diameter of the pipe 11 is reduced. Accordingly, the inner face of the circumferential wall 11a of the pipe 11 is pressed against and fixed to the outer faces of the partition plates 13 of the partition member 12, and, thus, the configuration shown in FIG. 1(B) is obtained.

(31) As shown in FIG. 1(A), the partition-attached pipe 11 has to be bent upward at both ends in front and rear of the underfloor region Z1.

(32) Thus, after the partition member 12 holding the high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 is inserted through and fixed to the pipe 11 as shown in FIG. 6(F), the pipe 11 is bent using a bending jig (not shown).

(33) The wire harness 3 externally covered by the external cover material 10 in the above-described process is arranged in an automobile as shown in FIG. 1(A).

(34) FIGS. 7(A) to 9 show a second embodiment.

(35) In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7(A)-7(B), a large number of fitting depressions 15 are formed in the inner circumferential face of the circumferential wall 11a of the pipe 11 at a constant pitch in the circumferential direction. As shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 7(C), each of the fitting depressions 15 has a trapezoidal cross-section that widens in an inward radial direction of the pipe, where a bottom face 15a of the fitting depression 15 is arranged between two sides 15b and 15c each having a tapered shape.

(36) All of a plurality of partition members 12, 22, and 32 can be attached to the pipe 11 as shown in FIGS. 8(A), 8(B), and 8(C). The partition member 12 is a partition member as used in the first embodiment. The partition member 22 is shaped such that four partition plates 23 are radially connected to each other, and partitions the pipe 11 into four insertion spaces C1 to C4. The partition member 32 is shaped such that four partition plates 33 are radially connected to each other, and each of the partition plates 33 is provided, at the middle in the radial direction, with a bent portion 33p.

(37) All of the partition members 12, 22, and 32 are positioned by causing the outer edges in the radial direction of the partition plates 13, 23, and 33 to be fitted into the fitting depressions 15 formed in the inner face of the circumferential wall of the pipe 11. At that time, even when the partition plates 13, 23, and 33 are inserted into the fitting depressions 15 at various angles, the partition plates 13, 23, and 33 are brought into contact with the tapered sides of the fitting depressions 15 and can be held by the fitting depressions 15 without wobbling.

(38) Each of the partition members 22 and 32 partitions the pipe 11 into four insertion spaces C1 to C4. The high-voltage electrical wires W1 to W3 are separately inserted into the three insertion spaces C1 to C3 as in the first embodiment, and a low-voltage electrical wire W4 for one circuit of a low-voltage battery is inserted into the remaining insertion space C4. If the low-voltage electrical wire W4 is partitioned by the partition plates from the high-voltage electrical wires, noise from the high-voltage electrical wires to the low-voltage electrical wire can be blocked or reduced.

(39) According to embodiments of the present application, each of the partition plates 33 of the partition member 32 is bent at the bent portion 33p provided at the middle in the radial direction. If the partition plates 33 are bent in advance in this manner, when bending the partition member 32 together with the pipe 11, the bent portions 33p function as starting points of the bending, and, thus, the partition member 32 can be smoothly bent.

(40) In the second embodiment of the present application, the electrical wires are fixed to the partition members 22 and 32 not using adhesive tapes but using cable ties 19 as shown in FIG. 8(A). The cable ties 19 are placed through the winding cut-outs formed in the partition plates, and are fastened.

(41) The pipe 11 and the partition member 22 (12 or 32) are fixed as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, both ends 11e and 11f in the length direction of the pipe 11 are partially crimped to form crimped portions 11k having a reduced diameter, and, thus, the pipe 11 and the partition member are fixed.

(42) The configuration other than the above and the assembly method are the same as those in the first embodiment, and, thus, a description thereof has been omitted.

(43) FIGS. 10 and 11 show a third embodiment.

(44) In the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10(A) and 10(C), a metal pipe 51 has a flat oval-like cross-section. According to embodiments of the present application, as shown in FIGS. 10(B) and 10(C), a partition member 42 has a comb-like shape.

(45) The partition member 42 is shaped such that base ends of a plurality of teeth 44 project parallel with each other from a coupling portion 43. As shown in FIG. 10(C), in a state where the coupling portion 43 is in contact with an inner face 51a along one of the sides in the length direction of a pipe 51, both ends of the coupling portion 43 are positioned by being fitted into fitting depressions 51c formed in the inner face of the pipe 51, and projecting ends of the respective teeth 44 are positioned by being fitted into fitting depressions 51b formed in the inner face along the other side of the pipe 51. According to embodiments of the present application, the projecting ends of the teeth 44 and the coupling portion 43 are respectively provided with winding cut-outs 46 and 47 at intervals in the length direction.

(46) Electrical wires W1 to W5 forming a wire harness are separately inserted into insertion spaces C that are partitioned by the teeth 44 of the partition member 42. Then, the adhesive tapes 18 are placed through the winding cut-outs 46 and 47 and wound around the electrical wires W, and, thus, the electrical wires W1 to W5 are fixed to and held by the partition member 42. After being held by the partition member 42 in this manner, the electrical wires W are inserted through the pipe 51 as in the first and the second embodiments. The configuration other than the above and the assembly process are the same as those in the first embodiment, and, thus, a description thereof has been omitted. Further, it will be understood that although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and that embodiments of the invention have other applications in other environments. The present application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the invention to the specific embodiments described herein.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(47) 3 Wire harness 4 Floor panel 10 External cover material constituted by partition-attached pipe 11 Pipe 12 Partition member 13 Partition plate 15 Fitting depression 16 Winding cut-out 18 Adhesive tape