JP5097161B2 - Wire bundle holding device for wire harness assembly - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire bundle holding device for assembling a wire harness that is used when a plurality of electric wires are bundled and a wire harness is assembled by winding an adhesive tape around the wire bundle.

  A wire harness widely used in automobiles or other devices is a bundle of a large number of electric wires to which connectors are connected, and an adhesive tape is wound around the electric wire bundle to integrate them (see Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conventional wire harness assembling apparatus. The wire harness assembling apparatus shown here has a base plate 1, a plurality of U forks 2 fixedly supported on the base plate 1, and a plurality of holding members 50 similarly fixedly supported on the base plate 1. An electric wire bundle 6 in which a large number of electric wires 40 are bundled is wound around the U fork 2. A connector 7 is connected to the end of each electric wire, and each connector is held by a holding member 50. In this way, the wire bundle 6 supported by the U fork 2 is manually wrapped with the adhesive tape 32 coated with an adhesive on one surface, and the wire bundle 6 is integrated. Attach clamps and protective materials not shown. Thus, the wire harness which consists of the electric wire bundle 6, the connector 7, and the adhesive tape 32 is completed. The cross-sectional shape of the wire bundle 6 after the adhesive tape 32 is wound around the wire bundle 6 supported by the U fork 2 is substantially circular.

  The above-described wire harness is assembled, for example, in a car body of a car, and the connector 7 is used by being connected to an electronic component. In that case, with the increase in the electronic components for motor vehicles in recent years, the number of the wires of a wire harness increases, and the diameter of the wire bundle bundled with the adhesive tape becomes large. For this reason, there exists a possibility that a wire harness cannot be assembled | attached to the narrow clearance in a vehicle interior.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic views showing a panel 35 constituting a vehicle body of a car and a unit (for example, a heater unit) 36 arranged with a small gap G with respect to the panel 35. . When trying to arrange the wire bundle 6 of the wire harness in the gap G, the wire bundle 6 shown in FIG. 8A has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, and therefore the number of the wires is large. When the diameter is larger than the gap G, the wire bundle 6 cannot be arranged in the gap G. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), if the cross-sectional shape of the wire bundle 6 is substantially elliptical and long, the wire bundle 6 is narrow even if the number of wires in the wire bundle 6 is large. It can be arranged in the gap G.

  However, when the wire bundle 6 is bundled together using the conventional wire harness assembling apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the cross-sectional shape of the wire bundle 6 is almost circular. As it is, the wire bundle 6 cannot be arranged in the gap G. Therefore, conventionally, a protector is attached to the electric wire bundle 6 having a circular cross section, and the cross sectional shape of the electric wire bundle 6 is forcibly deformed into an almost elliptical shape by the protector so that the electric wire bundle can be arranged in the narrow gap G. It was. However, if such a protector is used, it is inevitable that the number of parts of the automobile increases and the cost increases.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-17251

  An object of the present invention is to provide a wire bundle holding device for assembling a wire harness capable of assembling a wire harness having a wire bundle having a cross-sectional shape other than a circular shape.

  The present invention provides a support base supported by a base plate via a support column, a first wire bundle holding member rotatably supported by the support base, and the first wire bundle holding member as the support base. The first electric wire bundle holding member has fixing means for immovably fixing, and a second electric wire bundle holding member having a base end portion fixed to the support base and made of an elastic material. A locking hole into which a free end side portion of the second wire bundle holding member is inserted is formed, and the direction from the free end of the second wire bundle holding member to the base end portion of the second wire bundle holding member Is a longitudinal direction of the second wire bundle holding member, a plurality of stoppers arranged along the longitudinal direction are formed on the free end side portion of the second wire bundle holding member, 2 when the free end side portion of the wire bundle holding member 2 is inserted into the locking hole. Any one of the stoppers engages with the edge of the locking hole, and the free end side portion of the second wire bundle holding member is prevented from coming out of the locking hole, and the second is prevented from coming out. An electric wire bundle holding device for assembling a wire harness in which an electric wire bundle is held by the electric wire bundle holding member and the first electric wire bundle holding member is proposed.

  At that time, the first wire bundle holding member is rotatably supported by the support base via a pivot, and the pivot is movably fitted in a long hole formed in the support base. And is advantageous.

  In the wire bundle holding device for assembling the wire harness, it is advantageous that the support base is swingably supported by the base plate via a support column.

  Furthermore, in the wire bundle holding device for assembling the wire harness, it is advantageous that the support column is slidably supported by the base plate so as to be movable along the wire bundle.

  Further, in the wire bundle holding device for assembling the wire harness, the first wire bundle holding member and the second wire bundle holding member are substantially elliptical in cross-sectional shape of the wire bundle held by these holding members. It is advantageous to be formed so that

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily assemble a wire harness having a wire bundle whose cross-sectional shape is other than circular.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the whole wire harness assembly apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view of an electric wire bundle holding device. It is sectional drawing explaining the function of an electric wire bundle holding | maintenance apparatus. It is sectional drawing explaining the function of an electric wire bundle holding | maintenance apparatus. It is sectional drawing explaining the function of an electric wire bundle holding | maintenance apparatus. It is sectional drawing explaining the function of an electric wire bundle holding | maintenance apparatus. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the whole conventional wire harness assembly apparatus. It is a figure explaining the malfunction when the cross-sectional shape of the integrated electric wire bundle is circular.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the wire harness assembling apparatus. The wire harness assembling apparatus shown here includes a base plate 1, a plurality of U forks 2 fixedly supported on the base plate 1, a plurality of holding members 50 also fixedly supported on the base plate 1, and a wire harness according to the present invention. And an electric wire bundle holding device 3 for assembly.

  Each U fork 2, like a conventional U fork, stands vertically with respect to the base plate 1, and has a support bar 4 fixed to the base plate 1 and a substantially U shape fixed to the tip of the support bar 4. The electric wire receiving part 5 is comprised. An electric wire bundle 6 in which a large number of electric wires 40 are bundled is bridged over the electric wire receiving portion 5 of each U fork 2. Each electric wire 40 is covered with an insulative thin tube, and a connector 7 is connected to a longitudinal end portion of each electric wire. Each connector is held by a holding member 50. The wire bundle 6 is held by the wire bundle holding device 3 as will be described next.

  The wire bundle holding device 3 shown in FIG. 1 has a support base 9 supported by a base plate 1 via a support column 8, a first wire bundle holding member 10, and a second wire bundle holding member 11. ing. As shown in FIG. 2, which is an exploded perspective view of the wire bundle holding device 3, the support base 9 includes a flat plate portion 12 that is integrally fixed to the upper end portion of the column 8, and each longitudinal end portion of the flat plate portion 12. It is comprised from a pair of ear | edge part 13 integrally fixed to. Long holes 14 are formed in these ears 13, and pivots 15 are rotatably fitted in the long holes 14.

  On the other hand, the first wire bundle holding member 10 shown as an example in the drawing is configured by a flat plate-like main body 41 and a holding portion 33 fixed to the surface of the main body 41, as clearly shown in FIG. The curled portion 16 formed at the base end portion of the main body 41 is wound around the pivot 15 and fixed. Thus, the first wire bundle holding member 10 is supported by the support base 9 via the pivot 15 so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows A and B.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pivot shaft 15 of the present example is configured by a bolt 17 having a shaft portion 17 in which a male screw 51 is formed and a head portion 18 fixed integrally to the shaft portion 17. As shown by arrows C and D, the long hole 14 formed in the support base 9 is fitted so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the long hole 14. A nut 19 is screwed to the male screw 51 of the pivot 15 made of a bolt. By tightening the nut 19, the pivot 15 and the first wire bundle holding member 10 can be fixedly fixed to the support base 9. it can. As described above, the nut 19 and the male screw 51 formed on the pivot 15 constitute an example of a fixing means for fixing the first wire bundle holding member 10 to the support base 9 immovably.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second wire bundle holding member 11 is formed in a substantially U shape, and its base end portion 20 is fixed to the flat plate portion 12 of the support base 9. That is, a mounting hole 21 is formed in the base end portion 20 of the second wire bundle holding member 11, and the mounting hole 21 is aligned with the screw hole 22 formed in the flat plate portion 12 of the support base 9. Then, while inserting a screw (not shown) into the mounting hole 21 and screwing the screw into the screw hole 22, the base end portion 20 of the second wire bundle holding member 11 is fixed to the support base 9. Further, the second wire bundle holding member 11 is made of, for example, an elastic material such as soft resin or rubber. On the other hand, each element other than the second wire bundle holding member 11 of the wire bundle holding device 3 is made of a highly rigid material such as hard resin or metal.

  The first wire bundle holding member 10 is formed with a locking hole 24 into which the free end side portion 23 of the second wire bundle holding member 11 is inserted. When the direction from the free end 25 of the second wire bundle holding member 11 to the base end portion 20 is the longitudinal direction L of the second wire bundle holding member 11, the second wire bundle holding member 11 A plurality of stoppers 26, 26 </ b> A, and 26 </ b> B arranged along the longitudinal direction L are formed on the free end side portion 23 of the member 11. In the illustrated example, three stoppers 26, 26 </ b> A, and 26 </ b> B formed of protrusions extending in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L of the second wire bundle holding member 11 are formed. In the following description, these stoppers 26, 26A, and 26B will be referred to as first to third stoppers as necessary. The number of stoppers can be set to a plurality other than three.

  In addition, a large number of grooves 28 extending in the width direction are formed in the intermediate portion 27 between the free end side portion 23 and the base end portion 20 of the second wire bundle holding member 11, whereby the intermediate portion 27 is It is easy to elastically deform.

  Further, the support 8 of the wire bundle holding device 3 of the present example includes an upper support 8A whose upper end is fixed to the support base 9, and a lower support 8B connected to the upper support 8A via a pin 29, The upper support column 8A is connected to the lower support column 8B via a pin 29 so as to be swingable in the directions of arrows E and F. A slider 30 is fixed to the lower portion of the lower support column 8B, and a guide rail 31 extending along the wire bundle 6 is fixed on the base plate 1 as shown in FIG. The rail 31 is slidably fitted in the directions of arrows H and I.

  With the above-described configuration, the support base 9 is supported by the base plate 1 via the support column 8 so as to be swingable in the directions of arrows E and F, and the support column 8 is attached to the base plate 1 so that it can move along the wire bundle 6. It is slidably supported.

  Here, to assemble the wire harness, first, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the wire bundle 6 is bridged over the wire receiving portions 5 of the plurality of U forks 2, and each connector 7 is held by the holding member 50. Hold by. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper support 8 </ b> A rotates together with the support base 9 and the second wire bundle holding member 11 to a position inclined to the right side in FIG. 3, and holds the first wire bundle. The member 10 is rotated to a position inclined leftward in FIG. Therefore, the first wire bundle holding member 10 and the second wire bundle holding member 11 are greatly separated from each other, and the free end side portion 23 of the second wire bundle holding member 11 is the first wire bundle holding member 10. The first and second wire bundle holding members 10 and 11 are not fitted into the locking holes 24 and are located far away from the wire bundle 6.

  Next, the upper support 8A together with the support base 9 and the second wire bundle holding member 11 is rotated around the central axis of the pin 29 in the direction indicated by the arrow E in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper support column 8A is brought to a position perpendicular to the base plate 1, and the wire bundle 6 supported by the U fork 2 is placed in the space inside the second wire bundle holding member 11. Get in. At this time, due to the frictional force acting between the upper strut 8A and the pin 29 and the frictional force acting between the lower strut 8B and the pin 29, the upper strut 8A has the vertical direction shown in FIGS. Held in position. The upper strut 8A can be held in the vertical position shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 by a locking device (not shown).

  Subsequently, the nut 19 screw-engaged with the male screw 51 of the pivot 15 is loosened, and the first wire bundle holding member 10 and the pivot 15 are moved around the central axis of the pivot 15 by the arrow A in FIG. 4 to 6, the free end side portion 23 of the second wire bundle holding member 11 is formed in the first wire bundle holding member 10 as shown in FIGS. 24. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, any one of the plurality of stoppers 26, 26 </ b> A, 26 </ b> B formed on the free end side portion 23 of the second wire bundle holding member 11 is The two wire bundle holding members 11 are engaged with the edge of the locking hole 24 by the elasticity. This prevents the free end side portion 23 of the second wire bundle holding member 11 from coming out of the locking hole 24. Since the second wire bundle holding member 11 is made of an elastic material, any one of the stoppers 26, 26A, and 26B can be engaged with the edge of the locking hole 24 without any trouble. After engaging one of the stoppers 26, 26 </ b> A, 26 </ b> B with the edge of the locking hole 24, the nut 19 is tightened to fix the pivot 15 and the first wire bundle holding member 10 to the support base 9. .

  As described above, in the state where the first wire bundle holding member 10 is fixed to the support base 9 by the fixing means, the second wire bundle holding member 11 prevented from coming out of the locking hole 24, and the first wire bundle holding member 11 As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the wire bundle 6 is firmly held by the holding portion 33 of the wire bundle holding member 10. The wire bundle 6 is surrounded and held by the first and second wire bundle holding members 10 and 11.

  As described above, when the wire bundle 6 is held by the first and second wire bundle holding members 10, 11, the cross-sectional shape of the wire bundle 6 is substantially elliptical. The first and second wire bundle holding members 10 and 11 of this example are formed so that the cross-sectional shape of the wire bundle 6 held by these wire bundle holding members 10 and 11 is substantially elliptical. It is. The first electric wire bundle holding member 10 of this example has a holding portion 33 formed in a surface shape along the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire bundle 6 having an elliptical cross section, and the holding portion 33 holds the electric wire bundle 6. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the wire bundle 6 can be made closer to an ellipse more reliably.

  At that time, depending on which stopper 26, 26A, 26B the stopper engaged with the edge of the locking hole 24 is, as shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. Changes. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the first stopper 26 is engaged with the edge of the locking hole 24, the elliptical minor axis of the cross section of the wire bundle 6 becomes the largest, and conversely, FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the third stopper 26B is engaged with the edge of the locking hole 24, the elliptical minor axis of the cross section of the wire bundle 6 is the smallest. As shown in FIG. 6, when the second stopper 26 </ b> A is engaged with the edge of the locking hole 24, the elliptical minor axis of the cross section of the wire bundle 6 becomes an intermediate size.

  The wire bundle 6 can also be crossed by adjusting the position of the pivot 15 by moving the pivot 15 along the elongated hole 14 in the directions of arrows D and C (FIG. 2) while the nut 19 is loosened. The elliptical minor axis of the surface can be changed. Also in this case, after adjusting the position of the pivot 15, the nut 19 is tightened to fix the pivot 15 and the first wire bundle holding member 10 to the support base 9.

  As described above, while the first and second wire bundle holding members 10 and 11 hold the wire bundle 6, the support column 8 is moved along the wire bundle 6 in the direction indicated by the arrow H in FIG. The wire bundle 6 having an elliptical cross section is wound around the wire bundle 6 by manual operation to wrap the adhesive tape 32 coated with an adhesive on one surface, and the wire bundle 6 is integrated as necessary. Attach clamps and protective materials not shown. In this manner, a wire harness having an integral wire bundle 6 having a substantially elliptical cross-sectional shape is completed.

  After assembling the wire harness having the electric wire bundle 6 having a substantially elliptical cross section as described above, the nut 19 is loosened and the free end side portion 23 of the second electric wire bundle holding member 11 is shown in FIGS. 6 is slightly elastically deformed downward to release the engagement between the stoppers 26, 26A and 26B and the peripheral edge of the locking hole 24, and the pivot 15 and the first wire bundle holding member 10 are pivoted. 15 is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow B in FIGS. Thereby, the free end side part 23 of the 2nd electric wire bundle holding member 11 and the latching hole 24 of the 1st electric wire bundle holding member 10 remove | deviate. Next, the upper support 8 </ b> A is rotated around the central axis of the pin 29 together with the support base 9 and the second wire bundle holding member 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIGS. 4 to 6. Thereby, the holding | maintenance to the wire bundle 6 by the 1st and 2nd wire bundle holding members 10 and 11 is cancelled | released, and the completed wire harness can be taken out from the U fork 2. FIG. Thus, the wire harness which has the electric wire bundle 6 whose cross-sectional shape is substantially elliptical can be arrange | positioned without trouble also in the narrow gap G, as shown, for example in FIG.8 (b).

  As described above, by selecting the stoppers 26, 26 </ b> A, and 26 </ b> B that engage with the edge of the locking hole 24, the size of the elliptical minor axis of the cross section of the wire bundle 6 can be changed. The size of the ellipse minor axis of the cross section of the wire bundle can be determined according to the number of wires 6 or the size of the gap G (FIG. 8) in the vehicle body where the wire harness is arranged. Therefore, whatever the number of wires in the wire bundle 6 and the size of the gap G, the elliptical minor axis of the cross section of the wire bundle 6 is set to a size that can be arranged in the gap G, and the wire bundle 6 is set in the gap G. Can be arranged.

  Further, as described above, in the wire bundle holding device 3 of the present example, the support base 9 is swingably supported by the base plate 1 via the support column 8, so that the second fixed to the support base 9. The wire bundle 6 supported by the U fork 2 can be easily and reliably turned inside the second wire bundle holding member 11 simply by rotating the wire bundle holding member 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow E in FIG. Can get in.

  Furthermore, in the wire bundle holding device 3 of this example, the pivot 15 constituting the rotation center of the first wire bundle holding member 10 is slidably fitted into the long hole 14 formed in the support base 9. Therefore, by loosening the nut 19 as described above, the pivot 15 and the first wire bundle holding member 10 are moved to a desired position along the long hole 14 as indicated by arrows D and C in FIG. By moving the nut 19 again and fixing the first wire bundle holding member 10 at that position, the shape of the cross section of the wire bundle 6 can be further subtly changed.

  The shape of the first and second wire bundle holding members 10 and 11 is such that the wire bundle 6 held by the first and second wire bundle holding members 10 and 11 has a cross-sectional shape other than an elliptical shape. Can also be formed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base plate 3 Electric wire bundle holding device 6 Electric wire bundle 8 Support | pillar 9 Support base 10 1st electric wire bundle holding member 11 2nd electric wire bundle holding member 14 Long hole 15 Axis 20 Base end part 23 Free end side part 24 Locking hole 25 Free end 26, 26A, 26B Stopper L Longitudinal direction

Claims (5)

A support base supported by a base plate via a support column, a first wire bundle holding member rotatably supported by the support base, and the first wire bundle holding member are fixedly fixed to the support base. The first wire bundle holding member includes a fixing means and a second wire bundle holding member having a base end portion fixed to the support base and made of an elastic material. A locking hole into which the free end side portion of the wire bundle holding member is inserted is formed, and the second direction extends from the free end of the second wire bundle holding member to the base end portion of the second wire bundle holding member. A plurality of stoppers arranged along the longitudinal direction are formed on the free end side portion of the second wire bundle holding member, and the second wire bundle holding member When the free end side portion of the holding member is inserted into the locking hole, any one of the plurality of stoppers The second wire bundle in which the stopper is engaged with the edge of the locking hole and the free end side portion of the second wire bundle holding member is prevented from coming out of the locking hole, and the withdrawal is prevented. An electric wire bundle holding device for assembling a wire harness in which an electric wire bundle is held by a holding member and the first electric wire bundle holding member. The first wire bundle holding member is rotatably supported by the support base via a pivot, and the pivot is movably fitted in a long hole formed in the support base. A wire bundle holding device for assembling a wire harness as described in 1. 3. The wire bundle holding device for assembling a wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the support base is swingably supported by the base plate via a support column. The wire bundle holding device for wire harness assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support column is slidably supported by the base plate so as to be movable along the wire bundle. The first electric wire bundle holding member and the second electric wire bundle holding member are formed so that the cross-sectional shape of the electric wire bundle held by these holding members is substantially elliptical. An electric wire bundle holding device for assembling a wire harness according to any one of the above.

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