阅读说明：本技术 电线用护套及具有护套的线束 (Sheath for electric wire and wire harness having the same ) 是由 龟井好一 押野贵志 池田英行 儿岛直之 前野耕一 于 2018-12-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种电线用护套及具有护套的线束,其防止安装构件引起的破损。电线用护套(3)通过弯折树脂片而形成,并且被安装在电线(线束)(2)的外周,其包括多个壁部(4),该多个壁部沿着电线延伸方向延伸,形成用于收纳电线的收纳部(5),在多个壁部(4)中的、至少一个壁部(上盖壁部(45))形成有贯穿孔(47),该贯穿孔贯穿树脂片的厚度方向,并且供可安装到车体的安装构件(61)插入,在朝向厚度方向的上表面(45c)及下表面(45d)中的至少一面,并在该贯穿孔(47)周围的一部分,形成有将树脂片厚度减少而得到的槽(下表面槽(48)或上表面槽(49))。(The invention provides a sheath for electric wire and a wire harness with the sheath, which prevents damage caused by an installation component. The wire sheath (3) is formed by bending a resin sheet, is attached to the outer periphery of a wire (wire harness) (2), and comprises a plurality of wall parts (4) extending in the direction in which the wire extends to form a housing part (5) for housing the wire, wherein at least one wall part (upper cover wall part (45)) of the plurality of wall parts (4) is formed with a through hole (47) which penetrates the thickness direction of the resin sheet and into which a mounting member (61) which can be mounted to a vehicle body is inserted, and a groove (lower surface groove (48) or upper surface groove (49)) which is obtained by reducing the thickness of the resin sheet is formed in a part of the periphery of the through hole (47).)

1. A sheath for electric wire, which is formed by bending a resin sheet and is attached to the outer periphery of an electric wire,

the sheath for electric wire includes a plurality of wall portions extending in an extending direction of the electric wire and forming a housing portion for housing the electric wire,

at least one of the wall portions has a through hole that penetrates in a thickness direction of the resin sheet and into which an attachment member that is attachable to a vehicle body is inserted, and a groove that reduces a thickness of the resin sheet is formed in a portion around the through hole on at least one of an upper surface and a lower surface facing in the thickness direction.

2. The sheath for electric wire according to claim 1,

the grooves are formed at positions facing each other with the through-hole interposed therebetween.

3. The sheath for electric wire according to claim 1,

the groove is an annular groove surrounding the through-hole.

4. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the width of the groove is 0.7 mm-0.9 mm.

5. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the depth of the groove is 60% to 80% of the thickness of the resin sheet.

6. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the density of the resin sheet in the grooves is higher than that of the resin sheets outside the grooves on the upper and lower surfaces facing the thickness direction, and is 400Kg/m³～1200Kg/m³。

7. A wire harness with a sheath, comprising:

a wire harness; and

the sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 1 to 6;

the sheath for electric wire is attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness.

8. A sheath for electric wire, which is formed by bending a resin sheet and is attached to the outer periphery of an electric wire,

the sheath for electric wire includes a plurality of wall portions extending in an extending direction of the electric wire and forming a housing portion for housing the electric wire,

the plurality of wall portions have a branch portion and/or a bent portion along the extending direction of the electric wire, and two wall portions of the plurality of wall portions that face each other with the housing portion interposed therebetween are provided in a state of straddling the branch portion and/or the bent portion along the extending direction of the electric wire.

9. The sheath for electric wire according to claim 8,

the branch portion and/or the curved portion of the branch portion are formed so as to be curved in the width direction of the two wall portions facing each other.

10. The sheath for electric wire according to claim 8 or 9,

one wall portion constituting the two wall portions opposed to each other is joined to at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions in a direction extending further from the branch portion and/or the bent portion.

11. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 8 to 10,

at least a partial region of one wall portion constituting the two wall portions opposed to each other includes a wall surface overlapping portion overlapping at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions, and the one wall portion is joined to the at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions by the wall surface overlapping portion.

12. The sheath for electric wire according to claim 11,

the one wall portion is divided by the wall surface overlapping portion to form a boundary portion, and the one wall portion is joined to at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions through the boundary portion.

13. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein,

the resin sheet is a thermoplastic resin foam sheet.

14. The sheath for electric wire according to claim 13,

the density of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet other than the bent portion was 200Kg/m³～700Kg/m³。

15. The sheath for electric wire according to claim 13 or 14, wherein,

the thickness of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet other than the bent portion is 0.50mm to 4.0 mm.

16. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein,

the density of the bent part of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet was 400Kg/m³～1200Kg/m³。

17. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein,

the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet has a curved surface portion with R0.1 mm to 1.0mm in a cross-sectional plane.

18. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 13 to 17,

the thermoplastic resin foam sheet has non-foamed layers on both sides thereof.

19. The sheath for electric wire according to claim 18,

the thickness of the non-foamed layer is 10 to 100 μm.

20. The sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 13 to 19,

the thermoplastic resin foam sheet has a Shore hardness HSC of 60 to 100.

21. A wire harness with a sheath, comprising:

a wire harness;

the sheath for electric wire according to any one of claims 8 to 20,

the sheath for electric wire is attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sheath for electric wires attached to the periphery of an electric wire such as a wire harness, and a wire harness having the sheath. The present invention also relates to a wire sheath attached to an outer periphery of an electric wire and a wire harness having the wire sheath, and more particularly, to a wire sheath having a branch portion and/or a bend portion in an extending direction of the electric wire and a wire harness having the wire sheath.

Background

As a sheath for an electric wire attached to an outer periphery of an electric wire provided in a vehicle or the like, there is known a protector which protects a wire harness from an external force by bending a plate material so as to doubly surround the periphery of the wire harness and forming a rectangular tubular housing space for housing the wire harness (see patent document 1).

The protector is formed with a through hole into which a locking member for attachment to a vehicle body is inserted. The plate material overlapping portion is sandwiched by a pair of fixing pieces of the locking member inserted into the through hole, so that the locking member can be inserted into the mounting hole of the vehicle body while maintaining the overlapping state of the plate materials.

Conventionally, a sheath for a wire harness is used to attach and fix the wire harness to a vehicle body or the like. Further, by housing the wire harness in the housing portion of the sheath, the sheath functions to restrict the path of the wire harness and to protect the wire harness. When the path of the wire harness is restricted, a branch portion and/or a bend portion may be provided in the sheath along the extending direction of the electric wire.

From the viewpoint of weight reduction and the like, a sheath formed by folding a resin sheet is also under consideration. In the sheath formed by bending the resin sheet, there is room for improvement in mechanical strength of the branch portion and/or the bent portion, particularly in mechanical strength against stress in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the wire harness. If the mechanical strength of the branch portion and/or the bent portion is insufficient, the function of protecting the wire harness at the branch portion and/or the bent portion is lowered, and there is a possibility that workability in mounting the wire harness having the sheath to a vehicle body panel or the like is lowered.

On the other hand, as a sheath provided with a bending portion, there is also proposed a sheath including: a plurality of side plate portions connected in an angular manner along a circumferential direction; and a bendable portion that is bendable by forming a corrugated portion in which a plurality of peak portions and a plurality of valley portions are alternately formed along the axial direction of the sheath in the plurality of side plate portions (patent document 2).

However, even in patent document 2, there is still room for improvement in the mechanical strength of the bellows portion. Further, there is a problem that not only more processing cost but also more material is required for manufacturing the corrugated structure. Further, in patent document 2, since the bendable portion is not fixed, workability in attaching the wire harness in a bent arrangement to the vehicle cannot be obtained.

(Prior art document)

(patent document)

Patent document 1: JP 2017-055510A;

patent document 2: JP 2015-126668A.

Disclosure of Invention

(problems to be solved by the invention)

However, in the above-described conventional protector, stress is generated in the joint portion between the locking member and the plate material due to vibration during traveling of the vehicle or the like, and the protector may be damaged. Therefore, a structure of a sheath for electric wires and a wire harness having the sheath is required to prevent damage due to a mounting member for mounting to a vehicle body.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a sheath for electric wires and a wire harness having the sheath, which prevent damage caused by a mounting member.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a sheath for electric wires which has excellent mechanical strength even at a branch portion and/or a bend portion, has an excellent protection function for electric wires, and has excellent workability in mounting a wire harness having a sheath on a vehicle body panel or the like.

(means for solving the problems)

[1] In order to achieve the above object, an electric wire sheath according to the present invention is a sheath for electric wires, which is formed by bending a resin sheet and is attached to an outer periphery of an electric wire, and which includes a plurality of wall portions extending in an extending direction of the electric wire to form a housing portion for housing the electric wire, wherein at least one of the wall portions has a through hole penetrating in a thickness direction of the resin sheet and into which an attachment member attachable to a vehicle body is inserted, and a groove formed in a portion of a periphery of the through hole and having a thickness reduced by the resin sheet.

[2] In the sheath for electric wire according to the present invention, the grooves are formed at positions facing each other with the through-hole interposed therebetween.

[3] In the electric wire sheath according to the present invention, the groove is an annular groove surrounding the through-hole.

[4] In the sheath for electric wire of the present invention, the width of the groove is 0.7mm to 0.9 mm.

[5] In the electric wire sheath of the present invention, the depth of the groove is 60% to 80% of the thickness of the resin sheet.

[6]In the sheath for electric wire of the present invention, the resin sheet in the groove has a density higher than the resin sheets other than the groove at the upper and lower surfaces in the thickness direction, and 400Kg/m³～1200Kg/m³。

[7] In order to achieve the above object, a wire harness with a sheath according to the present invention includes a wire harness and the sheath for electric wire attached to an outer periphery of the wire harness.

[8] An embodiment of the present invention is a sheath for electric wire, which is formed by bending a resin sheet, is attached to an outer periphery of an electric wire, and includes a plurality of wall portions that extend in an extending direction of the electric wire and form a housing portion for housing the electric wire, the plurality of wall portions having a branch portion and/or a bent portion in the extending direction of the electric wire, and two wall portions of the plurality of wall portions that face each other with the housing portion interposed therebetween are provided in a state of straddling the branch portion and/or the bent portion in the extending direction of the electric wire.

[9] The sheath for electric wire according to [8], wherein the branch portion branches in a width direction of the two mutually opposing wall portions and/or the bent portion is bent in the width direction of the two mutually opposing wall portions.

[10] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wire according to [8] or [9], wherein one wall portion constituting the two wall portions opposed to each other is joined to at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions in a direction extending further than the branch portion and/or the bent portion.

[11] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wires according to any one of [8] to [10], wherein at least a partial region of one wall portion constituting the two wall portions facing each other includes a wall surface overlapping portion overlapping at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions, and the one wall portion is joined to the at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions by the wall surface overlapping portion.

[12] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wire according to [11], wherein the one wall portion is divided by the wall surface overlapping portion to form a boundary portion, and the one wall portion is joined to at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions through the boundary portion.

[13] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wire according to any one of [8] to [12], wherein the resin sheet is a thermoplastic resin foam sheet.

[14]An embodiment of the invention is according to [13]]The sheath for electric wire, wherein the density of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet other than the bent portion is 200Kg/m³～700Kg/m³。

[15] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wire according to [13] or [14], wherein a thickness of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet other than the bent portion is 0.50mm to 4.0 mm.

[16]An embodiment of the invention is according to [13]]～[15]The sheath for electric wire of any one of the above, wherein the density of the bent part of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet is 400Kg/m³～1200Kg/m³。

[17] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wire according to any one of [13] to [16], wherein the thermoplastic resin foam sheet has a curved surface portion with R0.1 mm to 1.0mm or less in a cross-sectional plane.

[18] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wire according to any one of [13] to [17], wherein the thermoplastic resin foam sheet has non-foamed layers on both surfaces thereof.

[19] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wire according to [18], wherein a thickness of the non-foamed layer is 10 μm to 100 μm.

[20] An embodiment of the present invention is the sheath for electric wire according to any one of [13] to [19], wherein a Shore Hardness (HSC) of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet is 60 to 100.

[21] An aspect of the present invention is a wire harness having a sheath, including a wire harness and the electric wire sheath described in any one of [8] to [20], the electric wire sheath being attached to an outer periphery of the wire harness.

(effect of the invention)

According to the sheath for electric wire and the wire harness having the sheath according to the present invention, breakage of the mounting member can be prevented.

According to the aspect of the sheath for electric wires of the present invention, since the two wall portions of the plurality of wall portions facing each other with the housing portion interposed therebetween are provided in a state of being disposed so as to straddle the branch portion and/or the bent portion along the electric wire extending direction, it is possible to obtain the sheath for electric wires which is excellent in mechanical strength even at the branch portion and/or the bent portion, has an excellent protection function for the electric wires, and is excellent in workability when the wire harness having the sheath is mounted to a vehicle body panel or the like.

Since the mechanical strength is excellent even in the branch portion and/or the bending portion, even when the wire harness having the sheath is attached to a vehicle such as an automobile, which is likely to cause vibration, the vibration sound of the wire harness having the sheath can be prevented. The sheath for electric wire includes two wall portions facing each other in a state of being provided so as to straddle the branch portion and/or the bent portion, thereby improving durability of the branch portion and/or the bent portion.

According to the form of the sheath for electric wires of the present invention, one wall portion of the two wall portions facing each other is fixed to at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions in the direction extending further than the branch portion and/or the bend portion, thereby further improving the mechanical strength of the branch portion and/or the bend portion.

According to the form of the sheath for electric wires of the present invention, the one wall portion is divided by the wall surface overlapping portion to form the boundary portion, and the one wall portion and at least one wall portion of the plurality of wall portions are fixed to each other at the boundary portion, so that the fixing work is more efficient.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a sheath and a wire harness having the sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention in an expanded state.

Fig. 3 is a view showing an example of an attachment member for attaching the sheath to the vehicle body by engaging with the sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, fig. 3(a) is a perspective view of the attachment member, and fig. 3(b) is a plan view of the attachment member.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sheath in a cross-section taken along line a-a shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a sheath and a wire harness having the sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention in an expanded state.

Fig. 7 is a view showing an example of an attachment member for attaching the sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention to a vehicle body, fig. 7(a) is a perspective view of the attachment member, and fig. 7(b) is a plan view of the attachment member.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the sheath in cross-section taken along line B-B shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a sheath and a wire harness having the sheath according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the sheath for electric wire shown in fig. 9 in a spread state.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory view of an assembling method of the sheath for electric wire according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a configuration of a wire harness with a sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a sheath 3 and a wire harness 1 having the sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

For convenience of explanation, the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction) of the sheath 3 is denoted by "X", and the width direction (width direction) of the sheath 3 is denoted by "Y".

As shown in fig. 1, a wire harness 1 with a sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention includes: a wire harness 2 formed by bundling a plurality of electric wires; and a sheath for electric wires (hereinafter also referred to as "sheath") 3 attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness 2. The wire harness 2 is protected from the external environment by the sheath 3. In fig. 1, the wire harness 2 is shown as a single cylindrical shape, but the wire harness 2 is a wire harness including one or more electric wires. In the wire harness 1 having the sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, a plurality of mounting members 61 (two in embodiment 1 of the present invention) for mounting the sheath to a vehicle (not shown) are engaged in the vicinity of the center in the width direction Y.

Next, the structure of the sheath 3 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the sheath 3 in a deployed state.

As shown in fig. 1, the sheath 3 includes a plurality of wall portions 4 extending in the extending direction (longitudinal direction X) of the wire harness (electric wire) 2, and includes a housing portion 5 formed surrounded by the plurality of wall portions 4 and configured to house the wire harness 2. The cross-sectional shape of the sheath 3 in the width direction Y is a quadrangle or substantially a quadrangle.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the plurality of wall portions 4 are integrally formed by bending a single foamed thermoplastic resin sheet. The type of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet resin is not particularly limited as long as it is a thermoplastic resin, and examples thereof include polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polycarbonate resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, polyamide resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, polytetrafluoroethylene resin, and acrylic resin. Further, the thickness of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet is preferably 0.50mm to 4.0mm, and particularly preferably 0.8mm to 2.5mm, from the viewpoint of further improving the balance between the flexibility and the mechanical strength such as tensile strength.

As shown in fig. 2, the plurality of wall portions 4 are formed by folding the thermoplastic resin foam sheet at the folded portions 20a to 20 d. The bent portions 20a to 20d are formed by press-forming a flat thermoplastic resin foamed sheet into a press-formed portion, a half-cut portion, a broken-line-shaped cut portion, and the like, and are formed into shapes that are easily bent.

The plurality of wall portions 4 includes: a bottom wall portion 41; a side wall portion 42 provided continuously from an end edge of the bottom wall portion 41 via the bent portion 20 a; a side wall portion 43 provided continuously from an end edge of the bottom wall portion 41 through the bent portion 20 b; a lower lid wall portion (inner wall portion) 44 provided continuously from an end edge of the side wall portion 42 via the bent portion 20 c; and an upper lid wall portion (outer wall portion) 45 provided continuously from an end edge of the side wall portion 43 through the bent portion 20 d.

As shown in fig. 1, the bottom wall portion 41 is disposed between the side wall portion 42 and the side wall portion 43, the side wall portion 42 is erected from the end edge of the bottom wall portion 41 via the bent portion 20a, and the side wall portion 43 is erected from the end edge of the bottom wall portion 41 via the bent portion 20 b.

The lower cover wall 44 and the upper cover wall 45 overlap each other, and the overlapped portion becomes a wall surface overlapping portion. Specifically, the wall surface overlapping portion is a portion where the upper lid wall portion 45 overlaps from above the lower lid wall portion 44, and the upper surface 44c of the lower lid wall portion 44 and the lower surface 45d of the upper lid wall portion 45 are joined (refer to fig. 4 described below). Examples of the joining method of the upper surface 44c of the lower cover wall portion 44 and the lower surface 45d of the upper cover wall portion 45 include an adhesive method such as an adhesive agent or tape, a welding method such as ultrasonic welding or thermal welding, a fitting method using a locking member or a rivet, and a penetration fixing method using a stapler. A mounting member 61 for mounting the sheath 3 to the vehicle body is engaged with the wall surface overlapping portion.

The lower lid wall portion 44 is disposed parallel or substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 41 from the end edge of the side wall portion 42 via the bent portion 20c, and is disposed on the inner side (the housing portion 5 side) in the overlapping portion. The end edge 44a of the lower lid wall 44 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the bent portion 20d facing thereto. Specifically, the end edge 44a of the lower lid wall portion 44 is disposed at a position not in contact with the mounting member 61 engaged with the vicinity of the center in the width direction Y, that is, at a position closer to the bent portion 20c than the center in the width direction Y.

The lid wall portion 45 is disposed parallel or substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 41 from the end edge of the side wall portion 43 through the bent portion 20d, and is disposed outside at the overlapping portion. The upper lid wall portion 45 is disposed above the lower lid wall portion 44, and the end edge 45a is disposed substantially flush with the side wall portion 42. As described below, the upper cover wall portion 45 is formed with: a through hole 47 through which the mounting member 61 is inserted, the through hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet; and a lower surface groove 48 and an upper surface groove 49 formed on the lower surface 45d and the upper surface 45c facing the thickness direction of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet (see fig. 2). As described below, in embodiment 1 of the present invention, a case where the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 are annular grooves surrounding the through-hole 47 will be described.

The housing portion 5 is a portion surrounded by the bottom wall portion 41, the side wall portions 42 and 43, the lower lid wall portion 44, and the upper lid wall portion 45. The housing portion 5 is formed in a tubular shape penetrating one side and the other side in the longitudinal direction X by a bottom wall portion 41, side wall portions 42 and 43, a lower cover wall portion 44, and an upper cover wall portion 45, and is capable of housing the wire harness 2.

Next, referring to fig. 3, an example of a mounting member engaged with the sheath 3 will be described. Fig. 3 is a view showing an example of an attachment member for attaching the sheath 3 to the vehicle body, fig. 3(a) is a perspective view of the attachment member 61, and fig. 3(b) is a side view of the attachment member as viewed from the longitudinal direction X side. The attachment member 61 shown in fig. 3 is an example of the attachment member engaging with the sheath 3 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, and the attachment member engaging with the sheath 3 may be another similar attachment member.

As shown in fig. 3(a) and 3(b), the mounting member 61 includes: a jacket side engaging portion 62 attached to the jacket 3, and a vehicle body side engaging portion 63 attached to the vehicle body.

The sheath-side engaging portion 62 is formed with: a bottom portion 64 disposed on the lower surface 45d of the upper lid wall portion 45; an upright portion 65 that is disposed inside the through hole 47 of the upper lid wall portion 45, is formed so as to have a width in the width direction Y (see fig. 1) smaller than that of the bottom portion 64, and is erected upward from the bottom portion 64; and an insertion hole 66 recessed downward from above the standing portion 65 so that an insertion portion 70 described below can be inserted.

The vehicle body side engagement portion 63 includes: a base portion 67 formed to have the same or substantially the same width as the bottom portion 64 and arranged on the upper surface 45c of the upper lid wall portion 45; a pillar portion 68 formed to have a width in the width direction Y (refer to fig. 1) smaller than the widths of the bottom portion 64, the standing portion 65, and the base portion 67, and extending upward from the base portion 67; wing portions 69 formed to protrude from the upper front end of the pillar portion 68 to both sides; and an insertion portion 70 extending downward from the base portion 67. The wing 69 is formed to be elastically deformable so as to be insertable into a mounting hole (not shown) of a vehicle body and lockable after insertion. The insertion portion 70 is elastically deformed so that its tip end portion is inwardly deformed after being inserted into the insertion hole 66, and elastically returns after passing over the locking portion 66a of the insertion hole 66, thereby abutting and locking the peripheral edge of the locking portion 66 a. When the insertion portion 70 is locked to the locking portion 66a, the upper end of the standing portion 65 abuts on the lower surface of the base portion 67, and the cover-side engagement portion 62 and the vehicle-body-side engagement portion 63 are locked.

Next, the shapes of the through-hole 47, the lower surface groove 48, and the upper surface groove 49 formed in the upper cover wall portion 45 will be described with reference to fig. 2 and 4. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the sheath 3 in a section along the line a-a shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 2 and 4, the through-hole 47 is a hole that penetrates the upper lid wall 45 from the upper surface 45c toward the lower surface 45d that is the housing portion 5 side. The width of the through-hole 47 in the width direction Y (refer to fig. 1) is formed to be slightly larger than the width of the standing portion 65 in the width direction Y so that the standing portion 65 of the mounting member 61 can be inserted and can be located inside. As shown in fig. 4, the depth D1 of the through-hole 47 is preferably equal to or substantially equal to the height H1 (see fig. 3 b) of the standing portion 65 (D1 is H1) in order to prevent the standing portion 65 from protruding from the lower surface 45D of the upper cover wall 45. That is, the thickness of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet constituting the plurality of wall portions 4 is the same as or substantially the same as the height H1 of the standing portion 65 inserted into the through-hole 47, and the through-hole 47 is preferably formed using the thermoplastic resin foam sheet.

As shown in fig. 2 and 4, the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 are disposed at different positions from each other in the thickness direction of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet. The lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 are press-formed portions formed by press-forming the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet into a groove shape to reduce the thickness of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet.

The lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 will be specifically described. The present inventors produced a plurality of thermoplastic resin foamed sheets without grooves (comparative example) and a plurality of thermoplastic resin foamed sheets with grooves (example 1, example 2, example 3, and example 4), respectively, and carried out a fracture test in which an impact was applied to the thermoplastic resin foamed sheets, and visually observed whether or not fracture occurred, to evaluate the fracture state.

In examples 1 and 2 in which the groove was formed, the groove having a width of 0.7mm was formed by setting the thickness of the blade for forming the groove to 0.7mm, and in examples 3 and 4, the groove having a width of 0.9mm was formed by setting the thickness of the blade for forming the groove to 0.9 mm. The depth of the groove in examples 1 and 3 was 60% of the thickness of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet, and the depth of the groove in examples 2 and 4 was 75% of the thickness of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet. Then, a fracture test was performed on examples 1, 2, 3, and 4, and impact was applied to the groove forming surface on which the grooves were formed and the back surface on which the grooves were not formed. Table 1 shows the results of visual observation with or without damage.

[ Table 1]

X: total damage Δ: partial destruction o: substantially non-destructive ×: all without destruction

As shown in table 1, in the thermoplastic resin foamed sheets of comparative examples, breakage was observed in all of the produced thermoplastic resin foamed sheets. On the other hand, in the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet of example 1, breakage was observed in a part of the plurality of thermoplastic resin foamed sheets produced, and in the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet of example 2, breakage was not substantially observed in the plurality of thermoplastic resin foamed sheets produced. In the thermoplastic resin foam sheet of example 3, when an impact was applied to the surface on which the grooves were formed, substantially no fracture was observed in the plurality of thermoplastic resin foam sheets produced, but when an impact was applied to the back surface, a part of the plurality of thermoplastic resin foam sheets produced was broken. In the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet of example 4, although no breakage was observed in any of the produced thermoplastic resin foamed sheets when an impact was applied to the surface on which the grooves were formed, most of the produced thermoplastic resin foamed sheets were not broken when an impact was applied to the back surface.

From the above, it was confirmed that the thermoplastic-resin foamed sheets of examples 1 to 4 were less broken than the thermoplastic-resin foamed sheets of comparative examples. That is, the thermoplastic resin foam sheets of examples 1 to 4 in which the grooves are formed are excellent as the sheath 3 because they are displaced to relieve stress when an impact is applied. Thus, in embodiment 1 of the present invention, the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 are formed in the sheath 3. In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing the thermoplastic resin foam sheet from being damaged, the width of the grooves of the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 is preferably 0.7mm to 0.9mm, and the depth of the grooves is preferably 60% to 80% of the thickness of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet.

The lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 are high-density portions, and the density of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet is higher than that of the plurality of wall portions 4 excluding the bent portions 20a to 20 d. The densities of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheets in the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 may be the same as or substantially the same as the densities of the bent portions 20a to 20 d. The density values of the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 are not particularly limited as long as they are higher than the plurality of wall portions 4 excluding the bent portions 20a to 20d, but are preferably 400Kg/m from the viewpoint of preventing the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet from being broken³～1200Kg/m³Particularly preferably 500Kg/m³～1200Kg/m³。

The lower surface groove 48 is an elliptical annular groove having a shape recessed from the lower surface 45d of the upper cover wall portion 45 toward the upper surface 45c, and surrounds the through hole 47. As shown in fig. 4, the lower surface groove 48 is formed in the upper lid wall portion 45 except for a wall surface overlapping portion where the lower lid wall portion 44 and the upper lid wall portion 45 overlap each other. Specifically, the bottom portion 64 of the mounting member 61 is disposed around the bottom portion 64 and inside the upper surface groove 49, and the bottom portion 64 of the mounting member 61 is disposed on the lower surface 45d of the upper cover wall portion 45.

The upper surface groove 49 is an elliptical ring-shaped groove, has a shape recessed from the upper surface 45c of the upper lid wall portion 45 toward the lower surface 45d, and is disposed outside the lower surface groove 48. As shown in fig. 4, the upper surface groove 49 is formed in the lower lid wall portion 44 except for a wall surface overlapping portion where the lower lid wall portion 44 and the upper lid wall portion 45 overlap each other. Specifically, the base portion 67 of the mounting member 61 is disposed around the periphery of the base portion 67 and outside the lower surface groove 48, and the base portion 67 of the mounting member 61 is disposed on the upper surface 45c of the upper cover wall portion 45. That is, the upper surface groove 49 is disposed at a position closer to the side wall portions 42 and 43 than the lower surface groove 48 when viewed in a cross section in the width direction Y of the sheath 3.

In embodiment 1 of the present invention, the case where the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 are annular grooves surrounding the through-hole 47 has been described, but other shapes are also possible. For example, the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 may be linear grooves that are located at positions facing each other through the through-hole 47. The linear groove may extend in the longitudinal direction X or in the width direction Y. Further, the linear groove may be linear or curved.

Next, a method of forming the sheath 3 and a method of forming the wire harness 1 having the sheath by attaching the wire harness 2 to the sheath 3 will be described.

In the method of forming the sheath 3, first, punching processing is performed in which the corresponding portion of the sheath 3 is punched out of a thermoplastic resin foam sheet, which is a base material for forming the sheath 3. In view of low cost and easy workability, examples of the punching process include punching with a thomson tip die.

After punching out the corresponding portion of the sheath 3, punching out processing is performed to punch out the corresponding portion of the through-hole 47 at the mounting position of the mounting member 61 of the upper cover wall portion 45.

Then, in the portions corresponding to the punched sheath 3, the portions corresponding to the bent portions 20a to 20d are press-formed. The bent portions 20a to 20d are formed by press forming, and good bendability is provided to the bent portions 20a to 20 d.

In the corresponding portions of the punched sheath 3, portions corresponding to the upper surface groove 49 and the lower surface groove 48 are press-formed. The upper surface groove 49 and the lower surface groove 48 are formed by press molding.

In the method of attaching the sheath 3 formed in this manner to the wire harness 2, first, the bending portions 20a, 20b are bent so that the side wall portions 42, 43 are substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall portion 41. When the bent portions 20a and 20b are bent, the end portions of the side wall portions 42 and 43 are opened upward along the longitudinal direction X.

After the bending portions 20a and 20b are bent, the wire harness 2 is placed on the bottom wall portion 41, and the lower cover wall portion 44 is bent at the bending portion 20c so as to be substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 41. Next, the lid wall 45 is bent at the bent portion 20d so as to be substantially parallel to the bottom wall 41. When the upper lid wall 45 is bent at the bent portion 20d, the lower lid wall 44 overlaps the upper lid wall 45 to form a wall overlapping portion. When the upper cover wall portion 45 is bent at the bent portion 20d, the opening between the side wall portion 42 and the side wall portion 43 is closed to form the housing portion 5, and the wire harness 2 is housed in the housing portion 5 in an inserted state. Then, the lower cover wall portion 44 and the upper cover wall portion 45 are joined to each other at the wall surface overlapping portion, whereby the opening between the side wall portion 42 and the side wall portion 43 is fixed in a closed state, and the sheath 3 is attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness 2.

After the sheath 3 is mounted on the outer periphery of the wire harness 2, the standing portion 65 of the mounting member 61 is inserted upward from the lower surface 45d side of the upper cover wall 45 into the through hole 47 of the upper cover wall 45, and the insertion portion 70 of the mounting member 61 is inserted downward from the upper surface 45c side of the upper cover wall 45 into the through hole 47. When the insertion portion 70 of the mounting member 61 is inserted into and locked to the insertion hole 66 of the mounting member 61, the upper end of the standing portion 65 abuts against the lower surface of the base portion 67, and the upper cover wall portion 45 is sandwiched between the bottom portion 64 and the base portion 67. The sheath 3 can be mounted to the vehicle body by inserting the standing portion 65 into the through hole 47 and engaging the mounting member 61 with the sheath 3.

The sheath 3 may be attached to the outer periphery of a fixing band for fixing the plurality of electric wires constituting the wire harness 2 so as not to be dispersed, or may be attached to the outer periphery of the plurality of electric wires not using the fixing band. The sheath 3 may be attached to the outer periphery of one electric wire.

As described above, according to the sheath 3 and the wire harness 1 having the sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, the through-hole 47 for inserting the mounting member 61 is formed in the upper cover wall portion 45, and the upper surface groove 49 and the lower surface groove 48 obtained by reducing the thickness of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet are formed around the through-hole 47. By forming the upper surface groove 49 and the lower surface groove 48, when stress is generated around the through hole 47 where the upper cover wall portion 45 engages with the mounting member 61, the upper cover wall portion 45 around the through hole 47 is displaced to relax the stress, and therefore, even when the protector is mounted on a vehicle or the like where vibration is generated, the protector 3 can be prevented from being damaged. Although either the lower surface groove 48 or the upper surface groove 49 can relax the stress, the stress can be further relaxed by forming two grooves as opposed to the case where only one groove is formed. Further, by staggering the positions of the lower surface groove 48 and the upper surface groove 49 in the surface direction of the resin foam sheet, it is possible to avoid an excessive decrease in the thickness of the resin foam sheet.

The density of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet in the upper surface groove 49 and the lower surface groove 48 is higher than that of the plurality of wall portions 4 excluding the bent portions 20a to 20 d. Therefore, the strength of the upper cover wall portion 45 can be prevented from being reduced due to the formation of the groove, and excellent durability can be obtained even when the cover is mounted on a vehicle or the like where vibration occurs.

Next, embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 5 to 8. First, a configuration of a wire harness with a sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the sheath 103 and the wire harness 101 having the sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

The sheath 103 and the harness 101 having the sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention are obtained by improving the through-hole 47, the lower surface groove 48, and the upper surface groove 49 of the upper cover wall portion 45 of the sheath 3 and the harness 1 having the sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, and the configurations of the other portions are the same. Therefore, in the following, the same or similar configurations and the like as those of the sheath 3 and the harness 1 having a sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention are given the same reference numerals as those of the sheath 3 and the harness 1 having a sheath, and the description thereof is omitted, and only different configurations will be described.

As shown in fig. 5, a wire harness 101 with a sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention includes: a wire harness 2 formed by bundling a plurality of wires; and a sheath for electric wires (hereinafter also referred to as "sheath") 103 attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness 2. In the wire harness 101 having a sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention, a plurality of mounting members 61 (two in embodiment 2 of the present invention) for mounting the sheath to a vehicle (not shown) are engaged in the vicinity of the center in the width direction Y.

Next, the structure of the sheath 103 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the sheath 103 in an expanded state.

As shown in fig. 6, the sheath 103 includes a plurality of wall portions 4 extending in the extending direction (longitudinal direction X) of the wire harness 2, including a bottom wall portion 41, side wall portions 42 and 43, a lower cover wall portion (inner side wall portion) 44, and an upper cover wall portion (outer side wall portion) 45.

The upper cover wall portion 45 is formed with: a through hole 147 for locking the mounting member 61; and a lower surface groove 148 and an upper surface groove 149 formed on the lower surface 45d and the upper surface 45c facing the thickness direction of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet. As described below, in embodiment 2 of the present invention, a case where the lower surface groove 148 and the upper surface groove 149 are annular grooves surrounding the through-hole 47 will be described.

Next, referring to fig. 7, an example of the mounting member engaged with the sheath 103 will be described. Fig. 7 is a view showing an example of an attachment member for attaching the sheath 103 to a vehicle body, fig. 7(a) is a perspective view of the attachment member 161, and fig. 7(b) is a side view of the attachment member 161 as viewed from the longitudinal direction X side. The attachment member 161 shown in fig. 7 is an example of an attachment member locked to the sheath 103 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention, and the attachment member locked to the sheath 103 may be another similar attachment member.

As shown in fig. 7(a) and 7(b), the attachment member 161 includes a sheath-side locking portion 162 attached to the sheath 3 and a vehicle-body-side engaging portion 163 attached to the vehicle body.

The sheath-side locking portion 162 includes: an inner fixing portion 164 disposed on the lower surface 45d of the upper lid wall 45; an outer fixing portion 165 formed to have a width in the width direction Y (see fig. 5) larger than that of the inner fixing portion 164 and arranged on the upper surface 45c of the upper lid wall portion 45; and a coupling portion 166 formed to have a width in the width direction Y (see fig. 5) smaller than the widths of the inner fixing portion 164 and the outer fixing portion 165, and coupling substantially central portions of the inner fixing portion 164 and the outer fixing portion 165 to each other.

The vehicle body side engagement portion 163 includes: a column part 168 extending upward from the outer fixing part 165; and wing portions 169 formed to protrude from the upper end of the column portion 168 toward both sides. The wing 169 is formed to be elastically deformable so as to be inserted into a mounting hole (not shown) of a vehicle body and to be locked after insertion.

Next, the shapes of the through-hole 147, the lower surface groove 148, and the upper surface groove 149 formed in the upper lid wall portion 45 will be described with reference to fig. 6 and 8. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the sheath 103 in a section along the line B-B shown in fig. 5.

As shown in fig. 6 and 8, the through-hole 147 is a hole penetrating from the upper surface 45c to the lower surface 45d on the housing portion 5 side in the upper lid portion 145, and has a T-shape in plan view. The through-hole 147 includes a narrow portion 147a into which the coupling portion 166 of the mounting member 161 is inserted, and a wide portion 147c having a width larger than that of the narrow portion 147 a.

As shown in fig. 8, the width of the narrow-width portion 147a in the width direction Y (refer to fig. 5) is formed slightly larger than the width of the coupling portion 166 in the width direction Y so that the coupling portion 166 of the mounting member 161 can be inserted and positioned inside. From the viewpoint of preventing the coupling portion 166 from protruding from the lower surface 44D of the upper lid wall portion 45, the depth D2 of the narrow portion 147a is preferably equal to or substantially equal to the height H4 (see fig. 8 b) of the coupling portion 166 (D2 is H2).

The wide portion 147c is formed by: the inner fixing portion 164 and the coupling portion 166 of the mounting member 161 can be inserted, and the inserted coupling portion 166 can be moved to the narrow portion 147 a. That is, the wide portion 147c is formed as: the width in the width direction Y (see fig. 5) is larger than the widths of the inner fixing portion 164 and the coupling portion 166 in the width direction Y.

As shown in fig. 6 and 8, the lower surface groove 148 and the upper surface groove 149 are disposed at different positions from each other in the thickness direction of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet.

The lower surface groove 148 is a quadrangular ring-shaped groove having a shape recessed from the lower surface 45d of the upper cover wall portion 45 toward the upper surface 45c, and surrounds the through hole 47. As shown in fig. 8, the lower surface groove 148 is formed in the upper lid wall portion 45 at a position other than the wall surface overlapping portion where the lower lid wall portion 44 and the upper lid wall portion 45 overlap each other. Specifically, the bottom portion 64 of the mounting member 61 is disposed around the bottom portion 64 and inside the upper surface groove 149, and the bottom portion 64 of the mounting member 61 is disposed on the lower surface 45d of the upper lid wall portion 45.

The upper surface groove 149 is a quadrangular ring-shaped groove having a shape recessed from the upper surface 45c of the upper lid wall portion 45 toward the lower surface 45d, and is disposed outside the lower surface groove 148. As shown in fig. 8, the upper surface groove 149 is formed in the upper lid wall portion 45 at a position other than the wall surface overlapping portion where the lower lid wall portion 44 and the upper lid wall portion 45 overlap each other, specifically, around the base portion 67 of the mounting member 61 and outside the lower surface groove 148, and the base portion 67 of the mounting member 61 is disposed on the upper surface 45c of the upper lid wall portion 45. That is, the upper surface groove 149 is disposed at a position closer to the side wall portions 42 and 43 than the lower surface groove 148 when viewed in a cross section in the width direction Y of the sheath 103.

In embodiment 2 of the present invention, the case where the lower surface groove 148 and the upper surface groove 149 are annular grooves surrounding the through-hole 147 is described, but other shapes are also possible. For example, the lower surface groove 148 and the upper surface groove 149 may be formed as linear grooves at positions facing each other through the through-hole 147. The linear groove may extend in the longitudinal direction X or in the width direction Y. Further, the linear groove may be linear or curved. The lower surface groove 148 and the upper surface groove 149 may be formed as T-shaped grooves along the shape of the T-shaped through hole 147.

Next, a method of attaching the wire harness 2 to the sheath 103 to form the wire harness 1 having the sheath will be described.

In the method of attaching the sheath 103 formed in this manner to the wire harness 2, first, the wire harness 2 is placed on the bottom wall portion 41 while being bent at the bent portions 20a, 20b so that the side wall portions 42, 43 are substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall portion 41, and then, the wire harness 2 is bent at the bent portion 20c so that the lower cover wall portion 44 is substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 41.

Next, the sheath 103 is attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness 2 by bending the bent portion 20d so that the upper cover wall portion 45 is substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 41, and joining the lower cover wall portion 44 and the upper cover wall portion 45 at a wall surface overlapping portion where the lower cover wall portion 44 and the upper cover wall portion 45 overlap.

After the sheath 103 is attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness 2, the inner fixing portion 164 of the attachment member 161 is inserted into the wide portion 147c of the through-hole 147. Then, in a state where the upper lid wall 45 is positioned between the inner fixing portion 164 and the outer fixing portion 165, the coupling portion 166 of the mounting member 161 is slid from the wide portion 147c to the narrow portion 147 a. After the coupling portion 166 is slid toward the narrow portion 147a, the upper cover wall portion 45 is sandwiched between the inner fixing portion 164 and the outer fixing portion 165. By inserting the coupling portion 166 into the narrow portion 147a of the through hole 147, the attachment member 161 is locked to the sheath 103, and the sheath 103 can be attached to the vehicle body.

The sheath 103 and the wire harness 1 having the sheath according to embodiment 2 of the present invention can achieve the same effects as the sheath 3 and the wire harness 1 having the sheath according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the sheaths 3 and 103 and the harness 1 having the sheaths according to the above-described embodiments, but encompasses all aspects included in the concept of the present invention and claims. Further, the respective configurations may be appropriately selected and combined to achieve at least part of the above-described problems and effects. For example, the shape, material, arrangement, size, and the like of each component in the above embodiments may be appropriately changed according to a specific use form of the present invention. The structure of each part may be replaced with any structure having the same function.

Although the case where the lower surface grooves 48 and 148 are annular grooves surrounding the through-holes 47 and 147 in the above embodiment of the present invention has been described, they may be formed in a part of the periphery of the through-holes 47 and 147. Further, although the case where the upper surface grooves 49 and 149 of the above-described embodiment of the present invention are the annular grooves surrounding the lower surface grooves 48 and 148 has been described, they may be formed in a part of the periphery of the lower surface grooves 48 and 148.

Although the case where the upper surface grooves 49, 149 are disposed outside the lower surface grooves 48, 148 has been described, the lower surface grooves 48, 148 may be disposed outside the upper surface grooves 49, 149.

Although the case where the lower surface grooves 48 and 148 and the upper surface grooves 49 and 149 are formed in the upper cover wall portion 45 according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention has been described, only one of the lower surface grooves 48 and 148 and the upper surface grooves 49 and 149 may be formed.

Next, a wire harness with a sheath according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 9 and 10. The wire harness 300 with a sheath according to the embodiment of the present invention includes: a wire harness 310 bundled by a plurality of electric wires; and a sheath (wire sheath) 201 attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness 310. The sheath 201 for electric wires includes a plurality of wall portions 210 extending in the extending direction (longitudinal direction x in fig. 9) of the wire harness 310, and includes a housing portion 213 that is surrounded by the plurality of wall portions 210 and houses the wire harness 310. In the wire harness 300 having the sheath, the wire harness 310 is arranged to be bent along the extending direction (the longitudinal direction x in fig. 9), and correspondingly, the wire sheath 201 has a bent portion 230 formed along the extending direction of the wire harness 310. In fig. 9, the wire harness 310 is shown as a single cylindrical shape, but the wire harness 310 is a wire harness in which a plurality of wires are bundled. In the present specification, the longitudinal direction x is the extending direction of the wire harness 310, that is, the extending direction of the wire sheath 2011, and in the wire sheath 201 in which the bending portion 230 is formed, the longitudinal direction x is the bending direction of the bending portion 230.

Next, a sheath 201 for an electric wire according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in fig. 9, the sheath 201 for electric wire includes a plurality of wall portions 210 extending along the extending direction of the wire harness 310 (the longitudinal direction x in fig. 9). The plurality of wall portions 210 have a bent portion 230 in the longitudinal direction x. The space surrounded by the plurality of wall portions 210 is a housing portion 213 for housing the wire harness 310. The wire harness 310 is protected from the external environment by the sheath 201 for electric wires.

The plurality of wall portions 210 of the sheath 201 for electric wires are integrally formed by bending one resin sheet (for example, a thermoplastic resin foam sheet). The resin sheet is bent at the bent portions 220a to 220d to form a plurality of wall portions 210. The plurality of wall portions 210 includes: a bottom wall portion 221; a side wall portion 222 provided continuously from an end edge of the bottom wall portion 221 via the bent portion 220 a; a side wall portion 223 continuously provided from an end edge of the bottom wall portion 221 via the bent portion 220 b; an inner cover wall portion 224 provided continuously from the front end of the side wall portion 222 via the bent portion 220 c; and an outer cover wall portion 225 provided continuously from the front end of the side wall portion 223 through the bent portion 220 d. The outer cover wall portion 225 is provided so as to overlap the inner cover wall portion 224. The bottom wall portion 221 extends integrally from one end portion 232 to the other end portion 233 in the longitudinal direction x of the sheath 201 for electric wires. That is, the bottom wall 221 is provided so as to straddle the bent portion 230 along the longitudinal direction x of the sheath 201 for electric wires.

As shown in fig. 9, the wire harness 210 is arranged to be bent in the extending direction, and the housing 213 includes a bent portion 230 formed at a predetermined bending angle. The housing portion 213 is a portion surrounded by the bottom wall portion 221, the side wall portions 222 and 223, the inner lid wall portion 224, and the outer lid wall portion 225. The housing portion 213 is formed in a tubular shape that penetrates one side and the other side of the longitudinal direction x, which are opposite to each other, by the bottom wall portion 221, the side wall portions 222, 223, the inner lid wall portion 224, and the outer lid wall portion 225. The cross-sectional shape of the receiving portion 213 in the width direction y is substantially quadrangular. The cross-sectional area of the housing 213 in the width direction y is substantially the same in the longitudinal direction x. The sheath 201 for electric wire has two linear portions through a bent portion 230 in the longitudinal direction x.

The outer cover wall portion 225 facing the bottom wall portion 221 is divided between one end portion 232 and the bent portion 230 in the longitudinal direction x of the sheath 201 for electric wire, thereby forming a boundary portion 231. That is, the outer lid wall portion 225 is separated into the 1 st portion 225-1 and the 2 nd portion 225-2 with the boundary portion 231 as a boundary. The 1 st portion 225-1 and the 2 nd portion 225-2 are adjacent to each other with the boundary 231 therebetween. The 1 st site 225-1 is a wall member provided so as to straddle the bent portion 230 along the longitudinal direction x of the sheath 201 for electric wires. One end of the 1 st portion 225-1 in the longitudinal direction x is located between one end 232 and the bent portion 230 of the sheath 201 in the longitudinal direction x. Therefore, the tip of the 1 st site 225-1 is located at the boundary 231. The 1 st portion 225-1 extends from the other end 233 opposite to the one end 232 of the sheath 201 for electric wires in the longitudinal direction x to the boundary 231.

In contrast, the 2 nd portion 225-2 of the outer lid wall portion 225 extends from the one end portion 232 to the boundary portion 231.

In the sheath 201 for electric wire, the bent portion 230 is formed so as to be bent at a predetermined angle in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction x of the linear portion of the outer covering wall portion 225 and in the width direction of the outer covering wall portion 225 (i.e., the width direction y in fig. 9). Accordingly, the bottom wall 221 disposed opposite the outer lid wall 225 is also formed with the bend 230 at a predetermined angle in the width direction y. That is, in the sheath 201 for electric wire, the curved portion 230 is oriented in the width direction y of the plurality of wall portions 210 with respect to the curved direction of the linear portion.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the inner cover wall 224 is divided into a 1 st portion 224-1 and a 2 nd portion 224-2 at the boundary of the bent portion 230 so as to form the bent portion 230 in the sheath 201 for electric wires. Region 1 224-1 is adjacent to region 2 224-2 at a bend 230. One end of each of the 1 st and 2 nd portions 224-1 and 224-2 in the longitudinal direction x is located at the bent portion 230. The 1 st region 224-1 extends from the other end 233 to the bend 230 and the 2 nd region 224-2 extends from the one end 232 to the bend 230. The inner cover wall portion 224 extends substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 221 from the side wall portion 222 to the side wall portion 223 or the vicinity of the side wall portion 223.

As shown in fig. 9, in the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer lid wall 225, a region from the bent portion 230 to the tip end portion (boundary 231) overlaps a partial region of the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner lid wall 224 in plan view, thereby forming a wall surface overlapping portion 235. In the sheath 201 for electric wire, the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer cover wall portion 225 and the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner cover wall portion 224 are joined by the wall surface overlapping portion 235.

In the sheath 201 for electric wire, the 1 st part 225-1 of the outer cover wall 225 is joined to the 2 nd part 224-2 of the inner cover wall 224 via the boundary 231. The 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer lid wall portion 225 and the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner lid wall portion 224 are joined at the boundary portion 231, so that the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer lid wall portion 225, the 2 nd portion 225-2 and the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner lid wall portion 224 can be joined in one step, and therefore the joining operation becomes efficient.

The joining method of the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer lid wall portion 225 and the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner lid wall portion 224 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a welding method such as ultrasonic welding or thermal welding, an adhesive method such as an adhesive agent or a tape, a fitting method using a locking member or a rivet, and a penetration fixing method using a stapler. In the sheath 201 for electric wire, the joining portion 240 is formed using ultrasonic welding as a joining method to join and fix the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer cover wall portion 225 to the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner cover wall portion 224.

By fixing the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer cover wall portion 225 to the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner cover wall portion 224, the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer cover wall portion 225 is integrated with the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner cover wall portion 224 via the wall surface overlapping portion 235. The planar area of the wall surface overlapping portion 235 is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected within a range in which the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer lid wall portion 225 and the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner lid wall portion 224 can be fixed.

In the sheath 201 for electric wire, the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer cover wall portion 225 extending from the other end portion 233 is integrated with the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner cover wall portion 224 extending from the one end portion 232, and therefore the bent portion 230 also has excellent mechanical strength. Therefore, the sheath 201 for electric wire exhibits an excellent protective function for the wire harness 310. Further, the sheath 201 for electric wire excellent in workability when the wire harness 300 having the sheath is mounted on a vehicle body panel or the like can be obtained. Further, since the bending portion 230 is excellent in mechanical strength, even when the sheathed wire harness 300 is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, which is likely to vibrate, vibration noise can be prevented from being generated in the sheathed wire harness 300. Also, since the mechanical strength of the bent portion 230 is improved, the durability of the bent portion 230 is improved.

The resin sheet used for the wire sheath 201 is not particularly limited as long as it is bendable, and a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin can be used as the resin type. Among them, the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet is preferable in terms of lightness, freedom in shape design, cost, and the like. Specific resin types of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polycarbonate resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, polyamide resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, polytetrafluoroethylene resin, and acrylic resin.

The density of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet used for the sheath 201 for electric wire is not particularly limited, and is preferably 200Kg/m, for example, from the viewpoint of improving the balance between lightweight property and mechanical strength³～700Kg/m³More preferably 300Kg/m³～600Kg/m³Particularly preferably 350Kg/m³～550Kg/m³. The density of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet was measured according to JIS K7222.

The thickness of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet is not particularly limited, and is preferably 0.50mm to 4.0mm, and particularly preferably 0.8mm to 3.0mm, from the viewpoints of flexibility and mechanical strength, for example.

The bent portions 220a to 220d may be press-formed portions formed by pressing a flat thermoplastic resin foam sheet into a shape that can be easily bent by press-forming or the like, as necessary. By forming the bent portions 220a to 220d as press-formed portions, the bending work can be smoothly performed, and the accuracy of the bending position can be improved.

In the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet, when the bent portions 220a to 220d are press-formed portions, the density of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet is higher than that of the bent portions 220a to 220d toThe outer portion is a plurality of wall portions 210. The density of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet of the bent portions 220a to 220d is not particularly limited, and is preferably 400Kg/m from the viewpoint of stabilizing the shape of the sheath 201 for electric wire and achieving the bendability of the bent portions 220a to 220d³～1200Kg/m³Particularly preferably 500Kg/m³～1200Kg/m³. The densities of the bent portions 220a to 220d of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet were measured as follows: the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet after bending was returned to flat, and then portions were cut out from the bent portions 220a to 220d with a width of 1mm on both sides, and measured in accordance with JIS K7222.

The bent portions 220a to 220d may be formed to have shapes that can be easily bent by forming half-cut portions, broken-line-shaped cut portions, or the like instead of press-formed portions.

Further, a non-foamed layer may be formed on both surfaces or one surface of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet. That is, the thermoplastic resin foam sheet may be configured to include a foamed layer and a non-foamed layer formed on the foamed layer. By forming the non-foamed layer on the surface of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet, the mechanical strength of the sheath 201 for electric wire is improved, and the protective performance against the housed wire harness 310 is further improved. From the viewpoint of reliably improving the mechanical strength of the sheath 201 for electric wire, it is preferable to form non-foamed layers on both surfaces. The thickness of the non-foamed layer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include 10 μm to 100 μm.

The shore Hardness (HSC) of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet is not particularly limited, and is preferably 60 to 100, for example, from the viewpoint of mechanical strength.

Next, a method of forming the above-described sheath 201 for electric wires and a method of forming the wire harness 300 having a sheath by attaching the wire harness 310 to the sheath 201 for electric wires will be described. In the method of forming the sheath 201 for the electric wire, first, a punching process of punching out a corresponding portion of the sheath 201 for the electric wire from a thermoplastic resin foam sheet which is a base material for forming the sheath 201 for the electric wire is performed. By the punching process, a thermoplastic resin foamed sheet having a shape shown in fig. 10 can be obtained. In view of cost reduction and easy workability, examples of the punching process include punching with a thomson tip die. Further, when punching is performed by a thomson blade die, a curved surface portion having a diameter R of 0.1mm to 1.0mm can be formed on a cross-sectional surface of the thermoplastic resin foamed sheet by appropriately setting the blade shape. When the curved portion is formed, the wire harness 310 contacts the end of the thermoplastic resin foam sheet, so that the wire harness 310 can be prevented from being damaged.

In the method of attaching the sheath 201 for electric wires formed in this manner to the wire harness 310, first, the resin sheet cut out from the base material shown in fig. 11(a) is bent at the bent portions 220a, 220b so that the side wall portions 222, 223 are substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall portion 221. When the bent portions 220a and 220b are bent, the front end sides of the side walls 222 and 223 are opened upward along the longitudinal direction x.

After the bending portions 220a and 220b are bent, the wire harness (not shown in fig. 11) is placed on the bottom wall portion 221, and then, as shown in fig. 11 b, the 1 st part 224-1 and the 2 nd part 224-2 of the inner cover wall portion 224 are bent at the bending portion 220c so that the 1 st part 224-1 and the 2 nd part 224-2 of the inner cover wall portion 224 are substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 221. Next, the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer cover wall portion 225 is bent at the bent portion 220d so that the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer cover wall portion 225 is substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 221. When the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer lid wall portion 225 is bent at the bent portion 220d, a region from the bent portion 230 to the boundary portion 231 among the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer lid wall portion 225 overlaps a partial region of the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner lid wall portion 224, and a wall overlapping portion 235 is formed.

Next, as shown in fig. 11(c), the 2 nd portion 225-2 of the outer cover wall portion 225 is bent at the bent portion 220d so that the 2 nd portion 225-2 of the outer cover wall portion 225 is substantially parallel to the bottom wall portion 221. When the 2 nd portion 225-2 of the outer covering wall portion 225 is bent at the bent portion 220d, the outer covering wall portion 225 is divided between the one end portion 232 of the sheath 201 for electric wire in the longitudinal direction x and the bent portion 230, and the outer covering wall portion 225 having the boundary portion 231 is formed. That is, when the outer lid wall portion 225 is bent at the bent portion 220d, the opening between the distal end portions of the side wall portions 222, 223 is closed to form a housing portion, and the wire harness is housed in a state of being inserted into the housing portion.

Next, the interface 231 is subjected to ultrasonic welding or the like to join the 1 st portion 225-1 of the outer cover wall portion 225 to the 2 nd portion 225-2 and the 2 nd portion 224-2 of the inner cover wall portion 224 to form the joint portion 240, and the outer cover wall portion 225 and the inner cover wall portion 224 are joined to form the joint portion 240 at an appropriate position other than the interface 231, whereby the opening between the distal end portions of the side wall portions 222, 223 is fixed in a closed state, and the sheath 201 for electric wires is attached to the outer periphery of the wire harness.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be explained. In the example of the above embodiment, the plurality of wall portions have the bent portions in the extending direction of the wire harness, but may alternatively have the branch portions in the extending direction of the wire harness, or may have both the bent portions and the branch portions. That is, the mechanical strength of the branch portion is improved by positioning the 1 st portion of the outer lid wall portion at the branch portion. The housing portion may be expanded or reduced in diameter so as to follow the shape of the wire harness.

Industrial applicability of the invention

In the present invention, the cable has excellent mechanical strength even at the branch portion and/or the bent portion and has an excellent function of protecting the electric wire, and therefore, the cable can be effectively used in the field of sheaths where wire harnesses arranged in various shapes are required, for example, in automobiles.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 101 a wire harness having a sheath; 2, wiring harness; 3. 103, 201 sheath; 4. 210 a wall portion; 5. 213 a storage part; 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d bending parts; 41 a bottom wall portion; 42. 43 side wall portions; 44a lower cover wall portion; a 44a end edge; 45, covering the wall part; 45a end edge; 47. 147 through the holes; 48. 148 lower surface groove; 49. 149 upper surface groove; 61. 161 a mounting member; 62 a sheath side engaging portion; 63. 163 vehicle body side engaging portion; 64, a bottom part; 65 a vertical setting part; 66 into the hole; 67 a base portion; 68. 168 post; 69. 169 a wing; 70 an insertion part; 147a narrow width part; 147c wide width part; 162 a sheath side engaging portion; 164 inner fixing portions; 165 an outer fixing part; 166 a joint portion; 224 inner side cap wall portions; 224-1, position 1; 224-2 position 2; 225 an outer cover wall portion; 225-1, part 1; 225-2 position 2; 230 a curved portion; 235 wall surface overlapping parts; the length direction of X; the Y width direction.