CABLE HARNESS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE CABLE HARNESS

Abstract

A method for producing a cable harness, in particular for the motor vehicle industry, includes combining a plurality of individual lines into a line bundle. The line bundle is provided with a bundling element. The bundling element is constructed as a textile-like fiber interlacement or weave which is produced by applying a suspension including fibers and a binder to the line bundle. A cable harness produced by the method is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for producing a cable harness, the method comprising the following steps: combining a plurality of individual lines to form a line bundle; providing the line bundle with a bundling element; and constructing the bundling element as a textile-type fiber interlacement having a non-oriented fiber distribution by: applying to the line bundle a suspension containing loose fibers and binding agents solidifying upon application to produce the textile-type fiber interlacement, producing an aerosol from the suspension and from a propellant gas, and spraying the suspension onto the line bundle by spraying the aerosol onto the line bundle.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises producing the bundling element by multiple applications of the suspension or by applying various suspensions.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the suspension contains a solvent in which the binding agent is soluble, and the solvent is extracted from the suspension.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises performing the application of the suspension in an automated manner.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises applying the suspension to construct the bundling element as a tape enclosing the line bundle annularly or helically.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises applying the suspension to enclose the line bundle with the bundling element as a sheathing across one portion.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises providing the bundling element with a junction routing at least one line of the line bundle away from remaining lines.

8. A cable harness, comprising: a line bundle including a plurality of individual lines and a bundling element; said bundling element being constructed as a textile-type fiber interlacement having a non-oriented fiber distribution bearing on said line bundle; said textile-type fiber interlacement including a solidified suspension of a multiplicity of non-oriented individual loose fibers and a binding agent reinforcing cohesion of said individual fibers.

9. The cable harness according to claim 8, wherein said fibers in said textile-type fiber interlacement have a volumetric proportion of more than 60%.

10. The cable harness according to claim 8, wherein said textile-type fiber interlacement is elastic.

11. The cable harness according to claim 10, wherein said textile-type fiber interlacement is configured to be elongated through elastic deformation by more than 5% relative to its extent in a direction of elongation.

12. The cable harness according to claim 8, wherein said textile-type fiber interlacement is uncoated.

13. The cable harness according to claim 8, which further comprises a further bundling element in addition to said bundling element constructed as said textile-type fiber interlacement.

14. The cable harness according to claim 13, wherein said further bundling element is configured as taping attached around said line bundle.

15. The cable harness according to claim 13, wherein said further bundling element is at least one of spaced apart from said textile fiber interlacement or attached to flexurally stressed regions of said line bundle.

16. The cable harness according to claim 8, wherein said bundling element has characteristics of having been constructed by producing an aerosol from said suspension and from a propellant gas, spraying said suspension onto said line bundle by spraying said aerosol onto said line bundle and solidifying said suspension upon application to produce said textile-type fiber interlacement.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0040] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, side-elevational view of a cable harness; and

[0041] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for producing the cable harness.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0042] Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which equivalent parts are provided with the same reference signs, and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a cable harness 2 that is described below by way of example, is part of a so-called wiring loom of an automobile and is accordingly installed in an automobile. The cable harness 2 in this case includes a plurality of individual lines 4 which are combined to form one line bundle 6, wherein the line bundle 6 is split into two part-bundles 10 at a junction 8.

[0043] Each part-bundle 10 in turn includes a plurality of lines 4 which, in the exemplary embodiment, are configured as individual line cores having an insulating sheathing 12. Some line cores in this case are constructed as stranded conductors 14 and others are constructed as solid-wire conductors 16.

[0044] The individual lines 4 of the line bundle 6, and the individual lines 4 of the two part-bundles 10, are each held together in the bundle with the aid of bundling elements 18 which are configured as textile-type fiber interlacements. One of the bundling elements 18a in this case is configured in the manner of a sheathing and accordingly has a thickness of 3 mm. Moreover, the junction 8 is implemented with the aid of this bundling element 18a, wherein the two part-bundles 10 are spaced apart in the region of the junction 8 by using the bundling element 18a.

[0045] The two part-bundles 10 are each also provided with bundling elements 18, wherein the part-bundle 10 having the larger number of lines 4 has a bundling element 18b, which is constructed in the manner of a tape and is routed helically around the part-bundle 10. The thickness of the tape-type bundling element 18b in this case is comparable to that of an adhesive textile tape and is approximately 0.5 mm. The part-bundle 10 having the smaller number of lines 4, by contrast, is provided with two bundling elements 18c, that are constructed in the manner of a tape and each encompass the respective part-bundle 10 in the manner of a cable clip. These bundling elements 18c in this case have a thickness of approximately 1 mm.

[0046] A further bundling element that is preferably configured as taping 24 is additionally illustrated in a diagrammatic manner in FIG. 1. The further bundling element is generally configured for absorbing greater forces than the textile fiber interlacement and is disposed, in particular, in stressed regions of the line bundle 6. In this way, for example, the region in which the taping 24 is disposed is a region in which the line bundle 6 is subjected to flexural stressing when it is used as intended.

[0047] Bundling of the individual lines 4 and the production of the respective bundling elements 18 is performed in a fully automated manner during production of the cable harness 2, wherein a suspension made up of a solvent, of a binding agent 20 that is soluble in the former, and of fibers 22 is produced in a first method step VS1. An aerosol is then formed from the suspension and a propellant in a subsequent method step VS2 according to FIG. 2, wherein, depending on the composition, one and the same component can also be used as a solvent and as a propellant, in which case the first two method steps VS1, VS2 basically coincide.

[0048] The exemplary embodiment described below is based on the formulation that is described as example 2 on page 9 of European Patent EP 1 910 600 B1, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,315, and which is incorporated by reference herein, wherein the exact formulation or composition is of no further relevance to the following description.

[0049] If, then, the suspension or the aerosol is available, the lines 4 that are provided for bundling are placed into a holder by using a robot arm in a further method step VS3. The aerosol is then sprayed onto the combined lines 4 in a subsequent method step VS4, wherein spraying is performed in such a manner that the adhering suspension already fundamentally replicates the shape which the respective bundling element 18 is intended to have in the end. This thus means that, for a tape-type bundling element 18b which is to be routed helically around the combined lines 4, the suspension is also applied helically to the respective lines 4.

[0050] After the application, drying in which the solvent volatizes is performed in a method step VS5, and this results in the textile-type fiber interlacement from the suspension. Depending on the desired thickness of the textile-type fiber interlacement, the method steps VS4 and VS5 are alternated a number of times, wherein the thickness of the fiber interlacement increases further with every application and drying procedure.

[0051] The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment as described above. Rather, it is also possible for other variants of the invention to be derived therefrom by a person skilled in the art without departing from the subject matter of the invention. In particular, all individual features that have been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiment can also be combined with one another in some other manner without departing from the subject matter of the invention.