JP7668984B2 - Assembly Structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an assembly structure for assembling a string-shaped member to a vehicle.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a harness routing structure. This routing structure is a structure for routing a harness on the rear surface of a front end panel that is disposed in front of the engine room. The cover of this routing structure has a retaining claw that holds the harness and an engaging claw that can engage with an engaging hole formed in the front end panel. The cover, with the harness held by the retaining claw, is attached to the rear surface of the front end panel by engaging the engaging claw with the engaging hole in the front end panel. This allows the harness to be routed along the rear surface of the front end panel while covered by the cover.

JP 2004-336971 A

According to the above-mentioned wiring structure, the harness, which is the object to be attached, is attached to the cover, which is the object to be attached, and then the cover, which is the object to be attached, is attached to the front end panel, which is the object to be attached. In such a structure in which the harness and the cover are attached to different objects, the installation operation of the harness and the cover tends to be complicated. In addition, the space required to install the harness and the cover tends to be large, which is a problem in that the wiring structure of the harness becomes large. Such problems can occur not only in the wiring structure of the harness, but also in the assembly structure in which a similar string-like member is attached to the harness.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a technology that is effective in miniaturizing the assembly structure that assembles the string-shaped member to the vehicle.

One aspect of the present invention is
An assembly structure for assembling a string-shaped member to a vehicle,
a bracket member provided on the vehicle so as to be able to hold the string-shaped member;
A cover member attached to the bracket member;
Equipped with
a through hole for guiding the string-shaped member to a vehicle interior side is provided in a ceiling of the vehicle,
the cover member is configured to cover both the string-like member and the bracket member when attached to the bracket member holding the string-like member ,
the bracket member includes a pair of engaging claw portions that extend to a vehicle interior side through the through hole in the ceiling and face each other across an accommodation space that accommodates the string-like member,
The pair of engaging claw portions are provided with a pair of flexible pieces that form a push-in opening that communicates with the storage space, and the pair of flexible pieces are configured to elastically deform and temporarily expand the push-in opening upon receiving a load in a push-in direction when the string-like member is pushed into the storage space through the push-in opening,
Each of the pair of engaging claw portions is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes outward from an outer surface opposite to an inner wall surface that defines the storage space, and the cover member is provided with an engaging piece that engages with the protruding portion by movement in an attachment direction relative to the bracket member, and is configured so that the engaging piece overcomes and hooks onto the protruding portion by elastic deformation,
the cover member is configured to close the through hole of the ceiling in an attached state in which the engagement pieces are engaged with the protrusions provided on the pair of engagement claw portions of the bracket member;
is located.

In the above-described mounting structure, the string-like member is held by a bracket member provided on the vehicle. At this time, the bracket member is the object to which the string-like member is attached. The bracket member is also the object to which the cover member is attached. In other words, the bracket member is the object to which both the string-like member and the cover member are attached.

By using the bracket member as the attachment target for both the string-like member and the cover member, the space required to attach the string-like member and the cover member can be kept small, which is effective in miniaturizing the assembly structure compared to when the attachment target of the string-like member and the attachment target of the cover member are different, separate members. When the cover member is attached to the bracket member holding the string-like member, both the string-like member and the bracket member are covered by this cover member.

As described above, the above-mentioned aspect provides a technology that is effective in miniaturizing the assembly structure for assembling the string-shaped member to the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the assembly structure and its surrounding structure of the first embodiment as viewed from the vehicle interior side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembly structure in FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the assembly structure of FIG. 2 in a state where a harness cover is removed; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2 . 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of pushing the harness into the bracket member in the assembly structure of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an attachment operation of the harness cover to the bracket member in the assembly structure of the first embodiment. FIG.

A preferred embodiment of the above aspect is described below.

In the above-described mounting structure, the bracket member has a pair of engaging claws that face each other across a storage space that stores the string-like member, and the pair of engaging claws are provided with a pair of flexible pieces that form a push-in opening that communicates with the storage space, and it is preferable that the pair of flexible pieces are configured to elastically deform under a load in the pushing direction when the string-like member is pushed into the storage space through the push-in opening, thereby temporarily expanding the push-in opening.

This assembly structure makes it possible to hold the string-like member by using a simple structure that pushes the string-like member into the storage space through a push-in opening between a pair of flexible pieces of the bracket member.

In the above-described mounting structure, each of the pair of engaging claws of the bracket member is provided with a protrusion that protrudes outward from the outer surface opposite the inner wall surface that defines the storage space, and the cover member is preferably configured to have an engaging piece that engages with the protrusion when moved in the mounting direction relative to the bracket member, and to be hooked over the protrusion when elastically deformed.

This assembly structure makes it possible to attach the cover member to the bracket member using a simple structure in which the engagement pieces of the cover member are fitted into the protrusions provided on each of a pair of engagement claws of the bracket member.

In the above-described assembly structure, it is preferable that the pushing direction of the string-like member and the mounting direction of the cover member are the same direction.

With this assembly structure, the direction in which the string-like member is pushed into the storage space of the bracket member is the same as the direction in which the cover member is attached to the bracket member, which unifies and simplifies the operation of the cover member and bracket member, improving the overall workability of assembling the string-like member.

Below, specific embodiments of the vehicle assembly structure to be installed in a vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings explaining this assembly structure, unless otherwise specified, the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle and the arrow IN indicates the inner side of the vehicle. Additionally, the first direction of the assembly structure is indicated by the arrow X, and the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is indicated by the arrow Y.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1 , an assembly structure 10 of the first embodiment is a structure for assembling a wire harness W to a vehicle 1 .

The wire harness (hereinafter simply referred to as "harness") W is an electrical connection part that electrically connects the camera device 11, which is an in-vehicle device, and the control unit 20. This harness W is used to supply power to the camera device 11 and to transmit control signals and detection information between the camera device 11. This harness W is a string-like or linear member that has a roughly uniform cross-sectional diameter and is flexible enough to bend freely.

The camera device 11 is provided on the vehicle 1's windshield 2 and upper central area of the ceiling 3 (near the rearview mirror) from the passenger compartment side. This camera device 11 is equipped with a collision avoidance assistance camera module 12 that captures images of the outside of the vehicle to assist in collision avoidance of the vehicle 1. The camera module 12 is of a known structure, and a detailed description of its structure will be omitted, but it is equipped with multiple elements such as a lens for capturing images of the outside of the vehicle and a camera board. Image information captured by the camera module 12 is transmitted to the control unit 20 via the harness W.

The camera device 11 includes a camera module 12, a camera cover 13 that covers the camera module 12, and a harness cover 14 that covers the harness W. Both the camera cover 13 and the harness cover 14 are constructed as resin molded products made of a resin material. The camera cover 13 is a resin part separate from the harness cover 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the camera cover 13 has an accommodation space 13a for accommodating the camera module 12, and is configured so that the accommodation space 13a is open on the windshield 2 side. Therefore, when the camera cover 13 is attached to the windshield 2, the camera module 12 is surrounded by the camera cover 13 except for the windshield 2 side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ceiling 3 is provided with a through hole 4 for guiding the harness W to the vehicle interior, and a bracket member 5 extending from the through hole 4 to the vehicle interior. The harness W guided to the vehicle interior through the through hole 4 in the ceiling 3 is introduced into the storage space 13a through an inlet 13b provided in the camera cover 13. This harness W is electrically connected to the camera module 12 in the storage space 13a.

The detailed structure of the bracket member 5 will be described later, but it is a holding member that is provided on the vehicle 1 so as to be capable of holding the harness W, and is configured to be used to attach the harness cover 14, which is a cover member. In other words, the bracket member 5 has both the function of holding the harness W and the function of attaching the harness cover 14. The bracket member 5 is a resin molded product made of a resin material, and is fixed to a ceiling panel (not shown) that constitutes the vehicle body. The bracket member 5 and the harness cover 14 constitute the assembly structure 10.

The harness cover 14 has a storage space 14a for storing the harness W and the bracket member 5, and is configured so that the side of the storage space 14a facing the through hole 4 is open. The harness cover 14 is attached to the bracket member 5. When the harness cover 14 is attached to the bracket member 5, the through hole 4 in the ceiling 3 is blocked by the harness cover 14.

At this time, the lead-out port 14b provided in the harness cover 14 is connected to the lead-in port 13b of the camera cover 13. Therefore, the harness W led to the vehicle interior side through the through-hole 4 in the ceiling 3 is exposed inside the vehicle interior when the harness cover 14 is removed from the bracket member 5, but is covered from the vehicle interior side by the harness cover 14 when the harness cover 14 is attached to the bracket member 5. In other words, the harness cover 14 is configured to cover both the harness W and the bracket member 5 when attached to the bracket member 5 holding the harness W. The harness cover 14 has flexibility that allows it to be elastically deformed.

(Structure of bracket member 5)
As shown in Fig. 4, the bracket member 5 has a pair of engaging claws 7, 7 facing each other across the storage space 6 that houses the harness W. In other words, when the first direction X is the left-right direction, one engaging claw 7 and the other engaging claw 7 have a symmetrical shape. The one engaging claw 7 and the other engaging claw 7 are arranged spaced apart in the first direction X with the storage space 6 divided by two inner wall surfaces 7a, 7a. The pair of engaging claws 7, 7 have flexibility that allows elastic deformation.

The pair of engaging claws 7, 7 are configured so that the dimension of the storage space 6 in the first direction X (the distance in the first direction X between the two inner wall surfaces 7a, 7a that divide the storage space 6) exceeds the cross-sectional diameter of the harness W. With this configuration, when the harness W is stored in the storage space 6, the harness W is given the freedom to move in the first direction X. This improves the workability of connecting the harness W to the camera device 11, and is effective when changing the harness W to one with a larger diameter.

(Retention structure for harness W)
4, a pair of flexible pieces 8, 8 are provided on a pair of engaging claws 7, 7 of the bracket member 5, forming a push-in opening 8a communicating with the accommodation space 6. One flexible piece 8 extends from the main body portion of one engaging claw 7, and the other flexible piece 8 extends from the main body portion of the other engaging claw 7.

The pair of flexible pieces 8, 8 each extend obliquely (diagonally upward in FIG. 4) toward the storage space 6, and a push-in opening 8a is formed between the extending tip of one flexible piece 8 and the extending tip of the other flexible piece 8. The distance d1 between the push-in openings 8a in the first direction X is configured to be less than the cross-sectional diameter of the harness W. In addition, one flexible piece 8 is configured to be thinner than the main body of one engaging claw portion 7, and the other flexible piece 8 is configured to be thinner than the main body of the other engaging claw portion 7.

The pair of flexible pieces 8, 8 are configured to elastically deform under a load in the pushing direction Y1 when the harness W is pushed into the storage space 6 from outside the storage space 6 through the push-in opening 8a, temporarily expanding the push-in opening 8a, and to return to their original shape after the harness W has passed through. The pushing direction Y1 at this time is defined as one direction of the second direction Y. The pair of flexible pieces 8, 8 can also prevent the harness W from slipping out of the storage space 6 by restricting the movement of the harness W in the direction opposite to the pushing direction Y1. In this way, the pair of flexible pieces 8, 8 fulfill the function of containing and holding the harness W in the storage space 6.

(Mounting structure for harness cover 14)
As shown in Fig. 4, each of the pair of engaging claws 7, 7 of the bracket member 5 is provided with a protrusion 9 formed by an outer surface 7b protruding outwardly from the inner wall surface 7a facing the storage space 6. That is, the protrusion 9 of one engaging claw 7 and the protrusion 9 of the other engaging claw 7 each have a protruding shape that protrudes in a direction away from the storage space 6. Each protrusion 9 has an inclined surface 9a that is inclined such that the dimension in the first direction X gradually increases toward the ceiling 3. The inclined surface 9a extends linearly from a base portion 9b closer to the harness cover 14 to a top portion 9c farther from the harness cover 14.

(Structure of Harness Cover 14)
4, the harness cover 14 includes a main body 15 and extending wall portions 16 extending from both ends of the main body 15 in the first direction X toward the ceiling 3. The harness cover 14 is sized such that the distance between the two extending wall portions 16 in the first direction X exceeds the dimension of the pair of engaging claw portions 7, 7 in the first direction X. An inner wall surface 16a of each extending wall portion 16 is provided with a claw-shaped engaging piece 17 that can engage with the protruding portion 9 of the bracket member 5.

The harness cover 14 is dimensioned so that the distance d4 between the tip of one engagement piece 17 and the tip of the other engagement piece 17 exceeds the distance d2 in the first direction X between the foot 9b of one inclined surface 9a and the foot 9b of the other inclined surface 9a, and is less than the distance d3 in the first direction X between the top 9c of one inclined surface 9a and the top 9c of the other inclined surface 9a. Therefore, the harness cover 14 is configured so that the engagement piece 17 engages with the protrusion 9 on the bracket member 5 side by movement in the mounting direction Y2 relative to the bracket member 5, and the engagement piece 17 overcomes and hooks onto the protrusion 9 (top 9c of the inclined surface 9a) by elastic deformation. At this time, the mounting direction Y2 of the harness cover 14 is substantially the same direction as the push-in direction Y1 of the harness W.

Next, the assembly operation for assembling the harness W to the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. This assembly operation includes a pushing operation for pushing the harness W into the storage space 6 of the bracket member 5, and an attachment operation for attaching the harness cover 14 to the bracket member 5.

In the following description, the relative position of the harness W to the bracket member 5 is defined as the first position P1 before the harness W is pushed in, the third position P3 after the harness W is pushed in, and the intermediate position between the first position P1 and the third position P3 is defined as the second position P2. In addition, the relative position of the harness cover 14 to the bracket member 5 is defined as the first position Q1 before the harness cover 14 is attached, the third position Q3 after the harness cover 14 is attached, and the second position Q2 before the harness cover 14 is attached.

(Pushing in the harness W)
5, the harness W is pushed in prior to the installation of the harness cover 14. First, the harness W is moved in a push-in direction Y1 from a first position P1 toward the push-in opening 8a of the bracket member 5 and brought into contact with the pair of flexible pieces 8, 8. When the harness W is further moved in the push-in direction Y1 to a second position P2, the pair of flexible pieces 8, 8 are elastically deformed by the load received from the harness W so as to expand the push-in opening 8a in the first direction X (see the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5).

After that, when the harness W is further moved in the pushing direction Y1 from the second position P2, the pair of flexible pieces 8, 8 are released from contact with the harness W and return to their original positions due to their elasticity (see the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in Figure 5). Then, the harness W is in a retained state housed in the housing space 6 of the bracket member 5 at the third position P3 (see Figure 4).

(Attachment of Harness Cover 14)
6, the installation operation of the harness cover 14 is performed after pushing in the harness W. First, the harness cover 14 is moved in the installation direction Y2 from the first position Q1 toward the pair of engaging claws 7, 7 of the bracket member 5, and at the second position Q2, each engaging piece 17 of the harness cover 14 is brought into contact with the corresponding inclined surface 9a of the bracket member 5.

When the harness cover 14 is further moved in the mounting direction Y2, each of the engagement pieces 17 slides along the inclined surface 9a of each protrusion 9 toward the top 9c. As a result, the harness cover 14 elastically deforms so as to gradually expand the distance between the two engagement pieces 17 (see distance d4 in FIG. 4) according to the inclination angle of the inclined surface 9a. At this time, at least one of the main body 15, the extending wall 16, and the engagement pieces 17 of the harness cover 14 can elastically deform. In addition, as the harness cover 14 elastically deforms at this time, the pair of engagement claws 7, 7 of the bracket member 5 also elastically deform in a direction approaching each other under the pressure load from each of the engagement pieces 17 of the harness cover 14.

Then, each engagement piece 17 of the harness cover 14 climbs over the top 9c of the inclined surface 9a of each protrusion 9, and returns to its original position due to its elasticity. Then, this harness cover 14 is fitted into the protrusion 9 of the bracket member 5 at the third position Q3, and is in an attached state where it is hooked onto the protrusion 9 (see Figure 4).

The effects of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 are described below.

In the assembly structure 10 of the first embodiment, the harness W is held by the bracket member 5 provided on the vehicle 1. At this time, the bracket member 5 is the mounting object to which the harness W is attached. The bracket member 5 is also the mounting object to which the harness cover 14 is attached. In other words, the bracket member 5 is the mounting object to which both the harness W and the harness cover 14 are attached.

By using the bracket member 5 as a mounting object for both the harness W and the harness cover 14, the space required for mounting the harness W and the harness cover 14 can be reduced, which is effective in miniaturizing the assembly structure 10 compared to when the mounting object of the harness W and the mounting object of the harness cover 14 are different separate members. When the harness cover 14 is attached to the bracket member 5 holding the harness W, both the harness W and the bracket member 5 are covered by the harness cover 14.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to miniaturize the assembly structure 10 that assembles the harness W to the vehicle 1. Furthermore, by miniaturizing the assembly structure 10, the dimensions of both the bracket member 5 and the harness cover 14 can be kept small, which is effective in reducing the material costs of the bracket member 5 and the harness cover 14.

The above-described assembly structure 10 makes it possible to hold the harness W by using a simple structure in which the harness W is pushed into the storage space 6 through the push-in opening 8a between a pair of flexible pieces 8, 8 of the bracket member 5.

The above-described assembly structure 10 makes it possible to attach the harness cover 14 to the bracket member 5 using a simple structure in which the engagement pieces 17 of the harness cover 14 are fitted into the protrusions 9 provided on each of the pair of engagement claws 7, 7 of the bracket member 5.

According to the above-described assembly structure 10, the pushing direction Y1 in which the harness W is pushed into the storage space 6 of the bracket member 5 and the mounting direction Y2 in which the harness cover 14 is attached to the bracket member 5 are aligned, which unifies and simplifies the operation of the harness cover 14 and the bracket member 5, thereby improving the overall workability involved in assembling the harness W.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various applications and modifications are possible without departing from the purpose of the present invention. For example, the following forms can be implemented by applying the above-described embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the harness cover 14 is attached by fitting it into the protruding portion 9 of the bracket member 5, but instead, the harness cover 14 may be attached to the bracket member 5 using screws, adhesives, etc.

In the above embodiment, the case where the push-in direction Y1 of the harness W and the mounting direction Y2 of the harness cover 14 are the same direction is illustrated, but instead, a structure in which the push-in direction Y1 and the mounting direction Y2 are different directions can be adopted.

In the above embodiment, the harness cover 14 is a separate resin part from the camera cover 13, but instead, a structure in which the harness cover 14 is connected to the camera cover 13 by a thin resin hinge can be used. Even in the case of this structure, it is possible to attach the harness cover 14 to the bracket member 5 after the camera cover 13 is attached.

In the above embodiment, an assembly structure 10 for assembling the harness W of the camera device 11 for collision avoidance assistance to the vehicle 1 has been illustrated, but this assembly structure 10 can also be applied to an assembly structure for assembling the harness of an in-vehicle device other than the camera device 11 to the vehicle 1. Examples of other in-vehicle devices include a camera module for a drive recorder, a camera module for passenger monitoring, a light collection sensor, a humidity sensor, a head-up display, and a monitor section of an electronic door mirror. In addition, the object to be assembled to the vehicle 1 is not limited to only the harness W, and instead of the harness W, for example, a string-like member such as a metal wire member or a hose may be used.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle 5 bracket member 6 storage space 7 engagement claw portion 7a inner wall surface 7b outer surface 8 flexible piece 8a push-in opening 9 protrusion 10 assembly structure 14 harness cover (cover member)
17 Engagement piece Y1 Push-in direction Y2 Mounting direction W Wire harness (string-like member)

Claims (2)

An assembly structure for assembling a string-shaped member to a vehicle,
a bracket member provided on the vehicle so as to be able to hold the string-shaped member;
A cover member attached to the bracket member;
Equipped with
a through hole for guiding the string-shaped member to a vehicle interior side is provided in a ceiling of the vehicle,
the cover member is configured to cover both the string-like member and the bracket member when attached to the bracket member holding the string-like member ,
the bracket member includes a pair of engaging claw portions that extend to a vehicle interior side through the through hole in the ceiling and face each other across an accommodation space that accommodates the string-like member,
The pair of engaging claw portions are provided with a pair of flexible pieces that form a push-in opening that communicates with the storage space, and the pair of flexible pieces are configured to elastically deform and temporarily expand the push-in opening upon receiving a load in a push-in direction when the string-like member is pushed into the storage space through the push-in opening,
Each of the pair of engaging claw portions is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes outward from an outer surface opposite to an inner wall surface that defines the storage space, and the cover member is provided with an engaging piece that engages with the protruding portion by movement in an attachment direction relative to the bracket member, and is configured so that the engaging piece overcomes and hooks onto the protruding portion by elastic deformation,
An assembly structure in which the cover member is configured to block the through hole in the ceiling when the engagement pieces are engaged with the protrusions provided on the pair of engagement claw portions of the bracket member . 2. The assembly structure according to claim 1 , wherein the pushing direction of the string-like member and the mounting direction of the cover member are the same direction.

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