JP5540909B2 - Corrugated tube cap - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cap for a corrugated tube, and more specifically, at a place where a corrugated tube and a protector that are externally mounted on a wire harness routed in an automobile are connected to the end of the corrugated tube to improve connection reliability with the protector. It is.

  Conventionally, a wire harness routed in an automobile is covered with a corrugated tube in which annular crests and troughs are alternately provided in the axial direction, and with a protector made of a bowl-shaped main body and lid. Yes. The corrugated tube is used for a region where the wire harness is bent and routed and a region where the wire harness is extended and contracted, and the protector is used for a region where the path of the wire harness needs to be restricted and a region where protection from an external interference material is necessary.

  When the corrugated tube 100 and the protector 110 are continuously attached to the wire harness 120 as shown in FIG. 8A, the end of the corrugated tube 100 is inserted into the front end opening of the protector 110 and the inner surface of the protector 110 is inserted. In many cases, the protruding locking ribs 110 a are fitted and locked to the valleys 100 a of the corrugated tube 100.

  The size of the corrugated tube 100 is set to correspond to the outer diameter of the wire harness 120, but when there are a plurality of specifications, the size of the corrugated tube is adapted to the outer diameter of the wire harness having a specification that increases the number of wires. Is set. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, a relatively large gap C is generated inside the corrugated tube 100 in the wire harness having a small number of the electric wires w. If it will be in this state, the slit 100S provided in the axial direction on the corrugated tube 100 will overlap, and it will become easy to generate | occur | produce the corrugated tube 100.

Thus, when the corrugated tube 100 is crushed, the outer diameter of the corrugated tube is reduced, and the corrugated tube 100 cannot be locked by the locking rib 110a of the protector 110 as shown in FIG. There is a risk that the corrugated tube 100 may fall off from 110.
And since it is necessary to fit the latching rib 110a to the trough part 100a of the corrugated tube 100 at the edge part of the corrugated tube 100 inserted in the protector 110, the tape is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the corrugated tube 100. Absent. Therefore, when the corrugated tube 100 is crushed and the slits 100S overlap, the electric wires of the wire harness 120 may come into contact with the edges of the slits 100S and the electric wires may be damaged.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8D, the adhesive tape 140 may be wound around the electric wire group of the wire harness 120 in the end portion of the corrugated tube 100.
However, the adhesive tape 140 must be wound around the wire group at the position corresponding to the end of the corrugated tube 100 before being inserted into the corrugated tube. In addition, when the difference between the outer diameter of the electric wire group and the inner diameter of the corrugated tube is large, the tape must be wound many times, resulting in a very poor workability.

Conventionally, as an auxiliary member for a connection portion between a corrugated tube and a protector, the applicant of the present invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-268743, and is one-round fitted around a corrugated tube 100 shown in FIGS. A large corrugated tube-shaped auxiliary member 200 is provided.
By externally fitting the auxiliary member 200, the auxiliary member 200 can be locked to the locking rib 110a of the protector 110 without rattling. However, when the corrugated tube 100 is crushed because the amount of electric wires is small as described above, the corrugated tube 100 may fall off the auxiliary member 200. Therefore, the auxiliary member 200 is not effective for the above problem.

JP 2001-268743 A

  In the present invention, since the amount of electric wire passing through the corrugated tube is small with respect to the size of the corrugated tube, when the corrugated tube is easily crushed, the corrugated tube and the protector are not easily disconnected. An object is to provide a cap for a corrugated tube.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is a cap for a corrugated tube with a slit that is continuously sheathed with a protector that is sheathed on a wire harness,
A locking piece projects in the axial direction from the outer peripheral side surface of one end surface of the cylindrical body formed by connecting a pair of semicircular rings so as to be openable and closable. A tube-side locking rib that is fitted and locked to, and a protector-side locking rib that is fitted to a locking groove provided on the inner surface of the protector from the outer surface of the locking piece, and A crushing prevention rib is protruded from the inner peripheral surface side of the one end surface of the cylindrical main body protruding from the locking piece, and the crushing prevention rib is inserted into the inner peripheral surface side of the corrugated tube, and the front tube side The locking rib is positioned on the outer peripheral surface side of the corrugated tube and is configured to be fitted and locked with the trough ,
The crush prevention rib protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the one end surface of the cylindrical main body with a gap in the circumferential direction, and the end surface of the cylindrical main body at a portion where the crush prevention rib is not provided is provided. There is provided a cap for a corrugated tube, wherein the locking piece projects from the outer peripheral side face in the circumferential direction .

As described above, the cap of the present invention is an integrally molded product that is detachably attached to the protector-side terminal of the corrugated tube in which annular crests and troughs are alternately continuous in the axial direction.
Conventionally is fitted directly to the ends of the corrugated tube and the protector, but in the present invention, covered with caps on the end of the corrugated tube, so that connects the protector through the cap.

  The cap of the present invention is particularly characterized in that a crush prevention rib is provided to be inserted on the inner peripheral side of the corrugated tube. Even if the amount of electric wire passing through the corrugated tube is small, gaps are generated, and the corrugated tube slits overlap and the corrugated tube is easily crushed, the crushing rib is inserted into the corrugated tube to reduce the gap. To prevent crushing. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably prevent the corrugated tube from being crushed and disconnected from the connection side with the protector.

In addition, locking ribs project from the inner and outer surfaces of the locking pieces provided on the cap, and the tube-side locking ribs on the inner surface side are fitted and locked in the valleys of the corrugated tube, and the protector-side locking ribs on the outer surface side Is fitted and locked in a locking groove provided on the inner peripheral surface of the protector, so that the corrugated tube and the protector can be reliably connected via the cap.
Furthermore, even if the corrugated tube connected to the protector is different in size, it is possible to share the protector by providing a cap in which the projecting dimensions of the tube-side locking rib protruding from the cap and the protector-side locking rib are different. be able to.

  The cap is provided with a locking rib that fits and locks into the valley of the corrugated tube, but a locking groove that locks into the peak of the corrugated tube is recessed, or / Further, a locking groove for fitting and locking a locking rib provided on the inner surface of the protector may be provided. However, if the locking groove is provided on the cap side, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the locking piece of the cap, the cap becomes stiff and difficult to handle, and the amount of resin increases and the cost increases. Therefore, in the present invention, a locking rib is provided on the cap side, and a locking groove is provided on the inner surface of the protector.

  The cylindrical main body of the cap of the present invention is formed from a pair of semi-annular bodies as described above. The semi-annular body has a shape in which a cylindrical body is divided in half, and one end of each semi-annular body is connected via a thin hinge portion so as to be opened and closed. In this way, by forming a cylindrical main body from a pair of semi-annular bodies connected by hinges, it can be retrofitted to a corrugated tube externally mounted on a wire harness.

The cylindrical main body is relatively thick, and as described above, the crushing prevention ribs project from the inner peripheral side surface of one end surface of the cylindrical main body at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the crushing prevention ribs protrude. The locking piece protrudes from the outer peripheral side surface of the part that is not provided with a gap in the circumferential direction. In other words, the crush prevention ribs project in the same axial direction as the locking pieces, but the circumferential positions are phased.

  The thickness of the collapsible ribs inserted into the corrugated tube is preferably about 1 mm to 3 mm, since it is inserted when a large gap is generated in the corrugated tube. Each of the crush prevention ribs is preferably provided at four positions at equal intervals around the entire circumference of the cap. Therefore, each of the pair of semi-annular bodies is provided with two crushing prevention ribs spaced from each other. The total circumferential length of the four crush prevention ribs is preferably about a half circumference. Moreover, the protrusion dimension of the axial direction of a crush prevention rib should just be the length which can prevent the crush of the edge part of the corrugated tube inserted in a protector, and is made shorter than the protrusion dimension of the said locking piece.

  The cap locking pieces are also preferably provided at four locations at equal intervals around the entire circumference of the cap. Thus, for example, each of the pair of semi-annular bodies has one first locking piece at the center in the circumferential direction, and a second length that is 1/2 of the circumferential length of the first locking piece at both ends in the circumferential direction. A third locking piece protrudes. These second and third locking pieces are locking pieces having the same length as the first locking pieces when the semi-annular members are joined together. In addition, like the crush prevention rib, you may project two locking pieces of the same circumference on each semi-annular body.

  A tube-side locking rib that fits and locks into the valley portion of the corrugated tube is projected from the inner surface of the protruding end of the locking piece of the cap, and the protector is protruded from the outer surface of the intermediate position in the protruding direction of the locking piece. A protector-side locking rib that fits and locks into the locking groove is provided. In addition, although the tube side locking rib may project from the intermediate position in the protruding direction and the protector side locking rib at the tip, it is preferable to shift the positions of the inner and outer locking ribs. As described above, when the position of the locking rib is shifted, even if a position shift occurs in one of the corrugated tube and the protector, the other is not directly affected.

  A flange portion protruding outward is provided on the other end surface of the cylindrical main body of the cap. The thin hinge portion is provided between the end portions of the flange portion. It is preferable that the flange is set to have a size to be engaged with a stepped recess provided on the inner peripheral surface of the protector.

  As described above, when the cap of the present invention is attached to the end of the corrugated tube connected to the protector, the corrugated tube can be prevented from being crushed, and the corrugated tube can be prevented from being reduced in diameter and falling off from the protector side. In addition, since the corrugated tube and the protector are locked using the locking rib protruding from the cap interposed between the corrugated tube and the protector, a cap with a different protruding dimension of the locking rib can be used. Corrugated tubes having different diameters can be connected to a common protector.

It is sectional drawing which shows the connection part of the corrugated tube and protector using the cap of this invention. The cap of this invention is shown, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is principal part sectional drawing. It shows in the state which unfolded the said cap, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view, (C) is a rear view. It is explanatory drawing which shows opening the said cap and attaching to a corrugated tube. The state which attached the said cap to the corrugated tube is shown, (A) is a front view, (B) is CC sectional view taken on the line of (A). It is explanatory drawing which shows attaching a cap to the said corrugated tube and inserting in a protector. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state which connected the said corrugated tube and protector through the cap, (B) is DD sectional view taken on the line of (A). (A)-(D) are drawings which show a prior art example. (A)-(C) are drawings which show another prior art example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the cap of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cap 1 of the present invention is attached to the end of a corrugated tube 3 sheathed on a wire harness 2, and is inserted and attached to a protector 4 sheathed on the wire harness 2 continuously to the corrugated tube 3. is there.

The corrugated tube 3 to which the cap 1 is attached is a general-purpose product. From a resin molded product in which annular crests 3a and troughs 3b are alternately provided in the axial direction, and slits 3s are provided along the entire length in the axial direction. Become.
The protector 4 is a resin molded product including a substantially bowl-shaped main body 4a and a lid (not shown) that covers and closes the upper surface opening of the main body. The end of the corrugated tube 3 covered with the cap 1 is inserted from one end opening in the length direction of the protector 4, and the cap 1 is locked and connected to the protector 4 as described later.

The cap 1 has the shape shown in FIGS. The cap of this embodiment is an integrally molded product made of resin.
A cylindrical main body (hereinafter abbreviated as a main body) 10 of the cap 1 has a shape in which a pair of semi-annular bodies 11 and 12 are connected via a thin hinge portion 22 so as to be opened and closed.
The thickness t1 of the main body 10 is thick, the inner diameter is smaller than the diameter of the valley 3b of the corrugated tube 3, and the outer diameter is larger than the diameter of the peak of the corrugated tube 3.

The end faces 11a and 12a of the pair of semi-annular bodies 11 and 12 which are one end faces of the cylindrical main body 10 are provided with crushing prevention ribs 13 and 14 on the inner peripheral surface side at intervals in the circumferential direction. Yes. Further, locking pieces 15 and 16 project from the outer peripheral surfaces of the one end surfaces 11a and 12a so as to be displaced from the crushing prevention ribs 13 and 14 and spaced in the circumferential direction.
The crushing prevention ribs 13 and 14 projecting from the inner peripheral surface side and the locking pieces 15 and 16 projecting from the outer peripheral surface side have different circumferential positions.

  Two crush prevention ribs 13 provided on the semi-annular body 11 and two crush prevention ribs 14 provided on the semi-annular body 12 are provided at intervals of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. Each of these four crush prevention ribs 13 and 14 has an arc shape having a circumferential length of about 45 degrees. Therefore, in a state where the cylindrical main body 10 is formed, a total of four crush prevention ribs are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the total length of the four crush prevention ribs is set to about a half circumference.

Further, the outer diameters of the crush prevention ribs 13 and 14 are set to be equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the corrugated tube 3 so that they can be inserted into the corrugated tube 3. Since the thickness of the crush prevention ribs 13 and 14 is inserted when a large gap is generated in the corrugated tube 3, the thickness is preferably relatively large, and is about 1 mm to 3 mm.
Further, the protruding dimension in the axial direction of the collapsible ribs 13 and 14 may be a length that can prevent the end of the corrugated tube 3 inserted into the protector 4 from collapsing, and the protruding dimension of the locking pieces 15 and 16. It is shorter.

The locking piece 15 provided on the semi-annular body 11 includes a first locking piece 15A at the center in the circumferential direction, a second locking piece 15B and a third locking piece 15C provided at both ends in the circumferential direction. The circumferential length of the second and third locking pieces 15B and 15C is half that of the first locking piece 15A. Similarly, the locking pieces 16 provided on the semi-annular body 12 are also three first, second, and third locking pieces 16A, 16B, and 16C.
When the semi-annular bodies 11 and 12 are closed to form the cylindrical main body 10, the second locking pieces 15B and 16B are continuously formed as one locking piece, and the third locking pieces 15C and 16C are formed. One locking piece is formed continuously, and thus the locking pieces 15 and 16 are positioned at four positions at equal intervals on the entire circumference. The circumferential lengths of these four locking pieces are approximately 45 degrees, and the total length of the four locking pieces is approximately half the circumference.

The inner diameters of the locking pieces 15 and 16 are larger than the outer diameter of the corrugated tube 3 so that the corrugated tube 3 can be covered.
Tube-side locking ribs 18 </ b> A and 18 </ b> B are provided so as to be fitted and locked to the valley portions 3 b of the corrugated tube 3 from the inner surfaces of the protruding ends of the locking pieces 15 and 16.
Further, protector side locking ribs 19A and 19B projectingly engaged with locking grooves 4m described later provided on the inner surface of the protector 4 from the outer surface of the intermediate position in the protruding direction of the locking pieces 15 and 16 are provided. .

  There are provided flange portions 20 and 21 projecting outward from the other ends of the semi-annular bodies 11 and 12 on the opposite side to the end face side where the crushing prevention ribs 13 and 14 and the locking pieces 15 and 16 are provided. . The thin hinge portion 22 is provided and connected between the end portions of the flange portions 20 and 21. The flange portions 20 and 21 that have an annular shape in a state in which the semi-annular bodies 11 and 12 are coupled to each other are sized to be engaged with a stepped recess 4d provided on the inner peripheral surface of the body 4a of the protector 4 to be described later. Is set.

The protector 4 is provided with a locking mechanism for the cap 1 on the inner surface of a portion continuous with the one end opening 4e in the length direction of the substantially bowl-shaped main body 4a composed of a bottom wall and both side walls. That is, a pair of arc-shaped ribs 4r project from the inner surface of the main body 4a, and a locking groove 4m sandwiched between the arc-shaped ribs 4r is provided. The protector side locking ribs 19A and 19B provided on the locking pieces 15 and 16 of the cap 1 are fitted and locked in the locking groove 4m. Further, an annular stepped recess 4d for locking the annular flanges 20 and 21 of the cap 1 is provided on the inner surface of the protector main body 4a on the inner side of the locking groove 4m. When the cap 1 is inserted into the main body 4a of the protector, the insertion of the cap is stopped by hooking the flange portions 20 and 21 to the stepped recesses.
Thus, the protector 4 and the cap 1 can be connected in a stable state by locking the cap 1 to be inserted into the protector 4 with the main body 4a at the two positions of the locking groove 4m and the stepped recess 4d. I have to. Similarly, a lid (not shown) that covers and locks the main body 4a of the protector 4 is also provided with a locking groove and a stepped recess.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cap 1 is covered with the end of the corrugated tube 3 sheathed on the wire harness 2 in a state where the semi-annular bodies 11 and 12 are spread, and is formed into a cylindrical shape when covered.
At that time, as shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B), the crush prevention ribs 13 and 14 are inserted into the corrugated tube 3 and positioned between the outer periphery of the wire group of the wire harness 2 and the corrugated tube 3. Let The gap C between the corrugated tube 3 and the electric wire group is closed by four crushing prevention ribs 13 and 14 that are equally spaced in the circumferential direction to prevent the corrugated tube 3 from being crushed, and the slit 3s of the corrugated tube 3 Can be prevented from damaging the wire group.

  Further, the locking pieces 15 and 16 are positioned on the outer peripheral surface of the corrugated tube 3, and the tube side locking ribs 18 </ b> A and 18 </ b> B protruding inward are inserted and locked from the outer peripheral side of the valley portion 3 b of the corrugated tube 3. In this state, the protector side locking ribs 19 </ b> A and 19 </ b> B protrude from the outer peripheral surfaces of the locking pieces 15 and 16.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the corrugated tube 3 to which the cap 1 is attached is inserted into the main body 4 a of the protector 4 from the opening 4 e, and the flanges 20 and 21 at the tip of the cap 1 are hooked on the stepped recess 4 d of the protector 4. The protector side locking rib 19 is inserted and locked in the locking groove 4m.

  As described above, in the present invention, when the cap 1 is attached to the end of the corrugated tube, when the amount of electric wire inserted into the corrugated tube is small and a gap is generated, and the corrugated tube is liable to be crushed, a crush prevention rib is provided. By inserting the corrugated tube, the corrugated tube can be prevented from being crushed.

As described above, in particular, the cap of the present invention is provided with the crush prevention ribs 13 and 14 to be inserted into the inner peripheral side of the corrugated tube, and is inserted into the corrugated tube 3 to block the gap to prevent the occurrence of crushing. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the corrugated tube 3 from being crushed and disconnected from the connection side with the protector 4.
Further, the tube-side locking ribs 18A and 18B provided on the inner surfaces of the locking pieces 15 and 16 provided on the cap 1 are fitted and locked to the valley portion 3b of the corrugated tube 3, and the protector-side locking rib 19A on the outer surface side. 19B is fitted and locked in the locking groove 4m provided on the inner peripheral surface of the protector 4, so that the corrugated tube 3 and the protector 4 can be reliably connected via the cap 1. In particular, by interposing the cap 1, even if the corrugated tube 3 connected to the protector 4 is different in size, the projecting dimensions of the tube side locking rib 18 protruding from the cap 1 and the protector side locking rib 19 are made different. If the cap is provided, the protector 4 can be shared.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cap 2 Wire harness 3 Corrugated tube 3b Valley part 4 Protector 4a Main body 4m Locking groove 4d Stepped recessed part 10 Cylindrical main body 11,12 Semi-annular body 13,14 Crush prevention rib 15,16 Locking piece 18A, 18B Tube Side locking ribs 19A, 19B Protector side locking ribs 20, 21 鍔 part 22 Thin-walled hinge part

Claims (3)

A cap for a corrugated tube with a slit that is externally attached to the wire harness, and a protector externally attached to the wire harness,
A locking piece projects in the axial direction from the outer peripheral side surface of one end surface of the cylindrical body formed by connecting a pair of semicircular rings so as to be openable and closable, and an annular valley portion of the corrugated tube from the inner surface of the locking piece A tube-side locking rib that is fitted and locked to, and a protector-side locking rib that is fitted to a locking groove provided on the inner surface of the protector from the outer surface of the locking piece, and A crushing prevention rib protrudes from the inner peripheral surface side of the one end surface of the cylindrical main body protruding from the locking piece, and the crushing prevention rib is inserted into the inner peripheral surface side of the corrugated tube, and the tube side The locking rib is positioned on the outer peripheral surface side of the corrugated tube and is configured to be fitted and locked with the trough ,
The crush prevention rib protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the one end surface of the cylindrical main body with a gap in the circumferential direction, and the end surface of the cylindrical main body at a portion where the crush prevention rib is not provided is provided. A corrugated tube cap characterized in that the locking piece protrudes from the outer peripheral side face in the circumferential direction . A tube-side locking rib that fits and locks into the valley portion of the corrugated tube is projected from the inner surface of the protruding end of the locking piece, and the protector is locked from the outer surface at the intermediate position in the protruding direction of the locking piece. The cap for a corrugated tube according to claim 1, wherein a protector-side locking rib that is fitted and locked in the groove is provided. Provided on the other end face of the semi-annular body, which is the other end face of the cylindrical body, is an outwardly projecting flange, a thin hinge is provided between the flanges, and the flange is attached to the protector. The cap for corrugated tubes according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap is set to a size to be engaged with a stepped recess provided on the inner peripheral surface .

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