JP7803785B2 - Wire harness - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wire harness.

When routing high-voltage shielded wiring material under the floor of a vehicle such as an electric vehicle, the shielded wiring material is routed, as needed, by inserting it through a through-hole formed in a mounting panel that separates the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Such shielded wiring material includes, for example, a body earth structure and a grommet structure with waterproofing capabilities (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-192279

Conventionally, when assembling a metal grommet with a wiring material inserted into a through-hole in a mounting panel, the assembly work has been performed from the outside of the vehicle. However, due to changes in the vehicle assembly process sequence, it may be necessary to perform the assembly work from the inside of the vehicle. When performing the assembly work from the inside of the vehicle, it is not as easy to ground the braided conductor that covers the wiring material by electrically connecting it to the mounting panel compared to when performing the assembly work from the outside of the vehicle. This makes it difficult to achieve both grounding of the braided conductor and watertightness between the electric wires.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a wire harness that enables waterproofing between wires and grounding of braided conductors, and allows wiring materials to be easily attached to the mounting panel from inside the room.

In order to achieve the above object, a wire harness according to the present invention includes at least one wiring member inserted into a through hole that penetrates from an interior side to an exterior side of a mounting panel that separates the interior and exterior of a vehicle; a conductive braided conductor that covers an outer peripheral surface of the wiring member in an extending direction that is located on the exterior side; a conductive bracket that is open at both ends in the extending direction and through which the wiring member is inserted and that is attached to the mounting panel with a portion inserted into the through hole; an annular shield ring that fixes an end of the braided conductor on the exterior side to the bracket and electrically connects the braided conductor and the bracket; a first grommet that is arranged between the bracket and the wiring member and that seals water between the bracket and the wiring member; and a braided conductor that is arranged between the bracket and the through hole and that seals water between the bracket and the wiring member. and a second grommet that seals the gap between the bracket and the mounting panel, and the bracket has a tubular portion through which the routing material is inserted, an annular flange portion that protrudes from one end of the tubular portion in the extension direction in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction, and at least a pair of bolt insertion holes that penetrate the flange portion in the extension direction and into which fastening members provided on the indoor side surface are inserted, and when a part of the bracket is inserted into the through hole, the flange portion faces the indoor side surface in the extension direction, and the tubular portion protrudes from the outdoor side surface to the outside of the room, and the fastening members are inserted into the bolt insertion holes, and the fastened member is screwed onto the fastening member to fasten the flange portion to the mounting panel, thereby electrically connecting the bracket and the mounting panel.

The wire harness of the present invention has the advantages of enabling waterproofing between wires and grounding of the braided conductor, and also allowing the wiring material to be easily attached to the mounting panel from the indoor side.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wire harness according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the wire harness according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the wire harness according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wire harness according to the embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In other words, the components in the following embodiments include those that would be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art or that are substantially identical, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Embodiment]
The wire harness WH of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a high-voltage shielded wiring material that is routed, for example, under the floor of a vehicle such as an electric vehicle. The wire harness WH includes two wiring materials W, a braided conductor Wh for shielding the wiring materials W, and a grommet unit 1 through which the two wiring materials W are inserted. The wire harness WH is routed by being inserted through a through-hole 101 formed in a mounting panel 100 that separates the exterior (e.g., engine compartment) and interior (e.g., cabin) of a vehicle (not shown). The mounting panel 100 is, for example, a conductive metal plate that constitutes the vehicle body. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the through-hole 101 penetrates from an interior side surface 102 to an exterior side surface 103 of the mounting panel 100. In other words, the through-hole 101 penetrates the mounting panel 100 in the plate thickness direction. A grommet unit 1 having a body earthing structure and a waterproofing function is attached to the through hole 101. The mounting panel 100 is an example of a fastening member, and as shown in Figure 2, has a pair of stud bolts 105, 106 protruding from the interior side surface 102. The pair of stud bolts 105, 106 are provided at positions facing each other across the through hole 101.

In the following description, the illustrated X direction is the extension direction of the wire harness WH in this embodiment. The Y direction is a first direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the wire harness WH in this embodiment. The first direction is, for example, the arrangement direction of two wiring materials W in the wire harness WH. The Z direction is a second direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the wire harness WH in this embodiment and the first direction. The X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are mutually perpendicular. The first direction and the second direction are not limited to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The first direction and the second direction correspond to the extension direction of the mounting panel 100. The extension direction in this embodiment corresponds to the plate thickness direction of the mounting panel 100 described above, and corresponds to the insertion direction of the wiring material W and the grommet unit 1 into the through hole 101. Here, for the sake of clarity, the explanation will be given assuming that the two wiring materials W are arranged linearly along the extension direction, but this is not limited thereto. When the grommet unit 1 is attached to the mounting panel 100, the two wiring materials W inserted into the grommet unit 1 may be partially bent or curved so as to deviate from the extension direction. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the directions used in the following explanation will be those when the grommet unit 1 is assembled to the mounting panel 100.

The grommet unit 1 is applied to the through hole 101 when routing a wiring material W across two spaces (an outdoor space and an indoor space) separated by the mounting panel 100. The grommet unit 1 is attached to the through hole 101 of the mounting panel 100 with the wiring material W inserted through the through hole 101, and is fixed to the indoor side surface 102 of the mounting panel 100 via collars 120 and 121 using stud bolts 105 and 106 and nuts 110 and 111, which are fastened members.

The wiring material W is, for example, composed of an electric wire. An electric wire has a conductor portion (core wire) made of multiple conductive metal wires, the outside of which is covered with an insulating coating. Here, the wiring material W is, for example, a thick electric wire used in high-voltage systems.

The braided conductor Wh covers and shields the outer peripheral surface of the wiring material W located on the outdoor side in the extension direction. The braided conductor Wh is formed into a tubular shape by weaving multiple conductive braided wires into a mesh pattern. Note that the mesh shape of the braided conductor Wh shown in Figures 1 and 4 has been omitted for ease of illustration. One end of the braided conductor Wh in the extension direction is electrically connected to the grommet unit 1 and is grounded via the grounding members of the grommet unit 1 and the mounting panel 100. The grommet unit 1 is electrically connected to the braided conductor Wh.

The grommet unit 1 is assembled into the through hole 101 with the wiring material W of the wire harness WH inserted and sheathed around the wiring material W, electrically connecting and grounding the braided conductor Wh to the mounting panel 100 and waterproofing the through hole 101. The grommet unit 1 protects the wiring material W passing through the through hole 101, waterproofs the through hole 101, and also provides dustproofing and soundproofing functions. The grommet unit 1 comprises a bracket 30, a first grommet 10, a second grommet 20, and a shield ring SR.

The bracket 30 is made of a conductive metal material or the like. As shown in Figure 1, the bracket 30 is attached to the mounting panel 100 with a portion inserted into the through-hole 101. Both ends of the bracket 30 in the extension direction are open, allowing the wiring material W to be inserted through them. In the inserted state, the bracket 30 is supported by the mounting panel 100 via the second grommet 20. In the inserted state, the bracket 30 supports two wiring materials W via the first grommet 10. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the bracket 30 comprises a tubular portion 31, a flange portion 32, and a blocking portion 33.

The tubular portion 31 extends in the extension direction, and is the portion through which the two wiring materials W are inserted in the extension direction when they are inserted through the bracket 30. When viewed from the extension direction, the tubular portion 31 has an oval shape with a major axis and a minor axis, and the two wiring materials W are arranged along the major axis. A flange portion 32 is connected to one indoor end of the tubular portion 31 in the extension direction, and a blocking portion 33 is connected to the other outdoor end.

The flange portion 32 is an annular portion that protrudes from the interior end of the tubular portion 31 in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction. The flange portion 32 extends radially outward from the tubular portion 31. When viewed from the extension direction, the flange portion 32 has a substantially rectangular shape. The shape of the flange portion 32 when viewed from the extension direction is substantially the same as the shape of the second grommet 20. The flange portion 32 has a pair of bolt insertion holes 36, 37 that penetrate in the extension direction. The pair of bolt insertion holes 36, 37 are located opposite each other across the second opening 35. The second opening 35 penetrates in the extension direction and has an oval shape when viewed from the extension direction. A portion of the second grommet 20 is inserted into the second opening 35. In the inserted state described above, the stud bolts 105, 106 of the mounting panel 100 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 36, 37.

The blocking portion 33 is a ring-shaped portion that protrudes from the exterior end of the cylindrical portion 31 in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction. The blocking portion 33 extends radially inward of the cylindrical portion 31. The blocking portion 33 has a first opening 34 that penetrates in the extension direction. The first opening 34 has an oval shape when viewed from the extension direction. The first grommet 10 is attached to the first opening 34.

The first grommet 10 is disposed between the bracket 30 and the wiring material W and provides a waterproof seal between the bracket 30 and the wiring material W. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the first grommet 10 is composed of a main body 11, a tubular portion 12, and a connecting portion 13, which are integrally formed as an elastic body. The first grommet 10 is formed from an insulating elastic resin material with low rigidity and high flexibility, such as rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer (e.g., ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM)).

The main body 11 seals the water between the blocking portion 33 and the wiring material W when the first grommet 10 is attached to the first opening 34 of the bracket 30, and is the portion through which the wiring material W is inserted along the extension direction. The main body 11 includes an outdoor water-stopping portion 14A and an indoor water-stopping portion 14B, and is formed cylindrically as a whole.

The outdoor water stop portion 14A is formed in an annular shape surrounding the first opening 34 of the bracket 30. The outdoor water stop portion 14A contacts the outdoor side surface 33A, which forms one of the surfaces in the extension direction of the blocking portion 33, and seals the water between the outdoor side surface 33A and the outdoor water stop portion 14A. The outdoor water stop portion 14A is configured to include a first water stop protrusion 15. The first water stop protrusion 15 is provided at the radially outer end of the outdoor water stop portion 14A and is formed as a protrusion with its tip facing the outdoor side surface 33A, forming an annular outer peripheral portion that follows the annular shape of the outdoor water stop portion 14A. When the first grommet 10 is attached to the first opening 34, the outdoor water stop portion 14A elastically deforms to closely contact the outdoor side surface 33A around the periphery of the first opening 34, sealing the entire periphery of the first opening 34.

The indoor-side water-stopping portion 14B is formed in a ring shape so as to surround the first opening 34 of the bracket 30. The indoor-side water-stopping portion 14B contacts the indoor side surface 33B, which forms the other surface in the extension direction of the blocking portion 33, and is the portion that seals water between it and the indoor side surface 33B. When the first grommet 10 is attached to the first opening 34, the indoor-side water-stopping portion 14B is configured to elastically deform and adhere to the indoor side surface 33B around the periphery of the first opening 34, sealing the entire periphery of the first opening 34.

The tubular portion 12 extends in the extension direction, and with two wiring materials W inserted through the bracket 30, the wiring material W is inserted inside along the extension direction. The tubular portion 12 is formed integrally with the connecting portion 13 and is connected to the main body portion 11 via the connecting portion 13. The tubular portion 12 extends from the connecting portion 13 in the extension direction away from the exterior side surface 103 of the mounting panel 100 and is configured to pass through the connecting portion 13. The wiring material W inserted through the tubular portion 12 is arranged to pass through the main body portion 11. Multiple tubular portions 12 are formed side by side. Two tubular portions 12 are formed side by side along the first direction. One wiring material W is inserted through one tubular portion 12. One wiring material W is configured as one electric wire. When the first grommet 10 is attached to the first opening 34, the tubular portion 12 is configured to elastically deform and adhere to the outer surface of the wiring material W that is on the outside of the room, thereby sealing the entire outer surface of the wiring material W.

The connecting portion 13 is arranged to surround the tubular portion 12 and is formed to connect the tubular portion 12 and the main body portion 11. As shown in Figure 4, the connecting portion 13 has a substantially S-shaped cross section and is allowed to flex in the extension direction, the first direction, and the second direction.

The second grommet 20 is disposed between the bracket 30 and the through-hole 101, and provides a waterproof seal between the bracket 30 and the mounting panel 100. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the second grommet 20 is composed of a main body and a flange 22, which are integrally formed as an elastic body. Like the first grommet 10, the second grommet 20 is formed from an insulating elastic resin material with low rigidity and high flexibility, such as rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer (e.g., ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM)).

The main body portion 21 extends in the extension direction and is the portion into which the two wiring materials W are inserted when they are inserted through the bracket 30. When viewed from the extension direction, the main body portion 21 has an oval shape with a major axis and a minor axis, and the two wiring materials W are arranged along the major axis. A flange portion 22 is connected to one of the interior ends of the main body portion 21 in the extension direction.

The flange portion 22 is an annular portion that protrudes from the exterior end of the main body portion 21 in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction. The flange portion 22 extends radially outward from the main body portion 21. When viewed from the extension direction, the flange portion 22 has a generally rectangular shape. The flange portion 22 has a pair of through holes 26, 27 that penetrate in the extension direction. The pair of through holes 26, 27 are located opposite each other across an opening 28. The opening 28 penetrates in the extension direction and has an oval shape when viewed from the extension direction. The tubular portion 31 of the bracket 30 is inserted into the opening 28. When inserted as described above, the stud bolts 105, 106 of the mounting panel 100 are inserted into the through holes 26, 27. The flange portion 22 includes second watertight projections 23, 24, 25.

The second water-stopping projection 23 is provided on the outdoor side surface of the flange portion 22, and is formed in a protruding shape with its tip facing the outdoor side and along the annular shape of the main body portion 21. When the bracket 30 is supported on the mounting panel 100 via the second grommet 20, the second water-stopping projection 23 faces the indoor side surface 102 of the mounting panel 100 in the extension direction.

The second water-stopping protrusions 24, 25 are provided on the interior side of the flange portion 22, and are formed in a protruding shape with their tips facing the interior of the room, along the opening 28. When the bracket 30 is supported on the mounting panel 100 via the second grommet 20, the second water-stopping protrusions 24, 25 face the flange portion 32 of the bracket 30 in the extension direction. When viewed from the extension direction, the second water-stopping protrusions 24 are located inside the second water-stopping protrusions 25, and multiple second water-stopping protrusions 24 are provided on the flange portion 22.

1 and 4 , the shielding ring SR secures the end of the braided conductor Wh on the outdoor side to the bracket 30, electrically connecting the braided conductor Wh to the bracket 30. The shielding ring SR is made of a conductive metal material or the like and is formed in an annular shape. The shielding ring SR is secured to the bracket 30 with the end of the braided conductor Wh on the outdoor side sandwiched between the shielding ring SR and the outer peripheral surface of the tubular portion 31 of the bracket 30.

Next, we will explain the installation procedure for installing the wire harness WH using the grommet unit 1. Assume that the wire harness WH is inserted through the through-hole 101 of the mounting panel 100, and the grommet unit 1 is located on the interior side of the vehicle. First, the grommet unit 1 is inserted into the through-hole 101 from the interior side of the mounting panel 100, while the stud bolts 105, 106 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 36, 37 and the through-holes 26, 27. In this case, the grommet unit 1 is inserted into the through-hole 101 from the first grommet 10 side, and the main body 21 of the second grommet 20 is abutted against the periphery of the through-hole 101. The second grommet 20 is then pushed in so that the main body 21 is located on the exterior side of the through-hole 101 and the flange 22 of the second grommet 20 is in contact with the interior side surface 102 of the mounting panel 100. Next, collars 120, 121 are inserted into the interior ends of the stud bolts 105, 106, and nuts 110, 111 are then threaded onto the stud bolts 105, 106. The nuts 110, 111 are then tightened using a tightening tool such as an impact wrench, air driver, or nut runner to secure the grommet unit 1 to the mounting panel 100.

As shown in FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, when the grommet unit 1 of the wire harness WH is assembled to the mounting panel 100, the braided conductor Wh is fixed to the bracket 30 by the shield ring SR and electrically connected to the bracket 30. The state in which the grommet unit 1 is assembled to the mounting panel 100 is the inserted state in which a portion of the bracket 30 is inserted through the through-hole 101. In the inserted state, the flange portion 32 of the bracket 30 faces the interior side surface 102 in the extension direction, the tubular portion 31 protrudes from the exterior side surface 103 to the exterior side, and stud bolts 105, 106 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 36, 37. Nuts 110, 111 are threaded onto the stud bolts 105, 106 to fasten the flange portion 32 to the mounting panel 100, thereby electrically connecting the bracket 30 and the mounting panel 100. This makes it possible to ground the braided conductor Wh even during assembly work when assembling the grommet unit 1 to the mounting panel 100 from the indoor side.

As explained above, in the wire harness WH according to this embodiment, when a portion of the bracket 30 is inserted into the through-hole 101, the flange portion 32 faces the interior side surface 102 in the extension direction, the tubular portion 31 protrudes from the exterior side surface 103 to the exterior side, and the stud bolts 105, 106 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 36, 37. Nuts 110, 111 are threaded onto the stud bolts 105, 106 to fasten the flange portion 32 to the mounting panel 100, thereby electrically connecting the bracket 30 and the mounting panel 100.

With the above configuration, the bracket 30 can be attached to the mounting panel 100 from the indoor side with the braided conductor Wh secured to the bracket 30, allowing for easy assembly of the wiring material W to the mounting panel 100 from the indoor side. Furthermore, the first grommet 10 provides a watertight seal between the bracket 30 and the wiring material W, and the second grommet 20 provides a watertight seal between the bracket 30 and the mounting panel 100, enabling inter-wire watertightness even during assembly from the indoor side. Furthermore, the stud bolts 105, 106 of the mounting panel 100 are inserted into the bolt insertion holes 36, 37 of the bracket 30, and the nuts 110, 111 are threaded onto the stud bolts 105, 106 to fasten the flange portion 32 to the mounting panel 100, electrically connecting the bracket 30 and the mounting panel 100. This allows for grounding of the braided conductor Wh even during assembly from the indoor side. In this way, watertightness between the electric wires and grounding of the braided conductor Wh are possible, and the wiring material W can be easily attached to the mounting panel 100 from the indoor side.

The wire harness WH according to the embodiment of the present invention and the method for installing the wire harness WH described above are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The wire harness WH according to this embodiment may also be constructed by appropriately combining the components of the embodiments and modified examples described above. The wire harness WH may also be constructed to include various components such as exterior members such as corrugated tubes, resin tapes, and protectors, electrical junction boxes, and fixtures.

In the above embodiment, the wiring material W was described as being made of thick electric wires used in high-voltage systems, but this is not limited to this and it may also be made of a metal rod, a bundle of electric wires, etc. A metal rod is a conductive rod-shaped member whose outside is covered with an insulating coating. A bundle of electric wires is a bundle of electric wires.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the tubular portion 31 has an oval shape when viewed from the extension direction, but this is not limited to this and it may also have a circular shape. In addition, when there is only one wiring material W, the tubular portion 31 may also have a circular shape when viewed from the extension direction.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 grommet unit 10 first grommet 20 second grommet 30 bracket 31 cylindrical portion 32 flange portion 36, 37 bolt insertion hole 100 mounting panel 101 through hole 102 indoor side surface 103 outdoor side surface 105, 106 stud bolt 110, 111 nut WH wire harness W wiring material Wh braided conductor SR shield ring

Claims (1)

At least one wiring member is inserted into a through-hole that penetrates from the interior side surface to the exterior side surface of a mounting panel that separates the interior and exterior of the vehicle;
a braided conductor having electrical conductivity and covering an outer peripheral surface of the wiring material in the extending direction, the outer peripheral surface being located on the outdoor side;
a bracket that is electrically conductive, has open ends in the extension direction through which the wiring material is inserted, and is attached to the mounting panel with a portion of the bracket inserted into the through hole;
an annular shield ring that fixes the end of the braided conductor on the outdoor side surface side to the bracket and electrically connects the braided conductor and the bracket;
A first grommet arranged between the bracket and the wiring material to waterproof the space between the bracket and the wiring material;
a second grommet disposed between the bracket and the through hole to seal the gap between the bracket and the mounting panel;
The bracket is
A cylindrical portion through which the wiring material is inserted;
an annular flange portion protruding from one end of the cylindrical portion in the extending direction in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction;
At least one pair of bolt insertion holes penetrate the flange portion in the extension direction and into which fastening members provided on the indoor side surface are inserted,
In an inserted state in which a part of the bracket is inserted into the through hole, the flange portion faces the indoor side surface in the extension direction, the tubular portion protrudes from the outdoor side surface to the outdoor side, and the fastening member is inserted into the bolt insertion hole,
a fastened member is screwed into the fastening member, and the flange portion is fastened to the mounting panel, thereby electrically connecting the bracket and the mounting panel;
A wire harness characterized by: