Abstract:
A harness fixing protector includes a base member which has fixing portions for fixing the base member to an attachment portion at both ends thereof and a cover member which is attached to the base member. The base member has a first harness inserting portion for inserting and fixing a first wire harness and a second harness inserting portion for holding a second wire harness so as to allow a movement of the second wire harness in a length direction thereof.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a harness fixing protector for wiring and fixing a wire harness to such as a car body.  
         [0002]     Various kinds of harness fixing protectors (called briefly as “protector” hereafter) have been used, for example, to wiring and fixing wire harnesses to car bodies.  
         [0003]      FIG. 6  shows a related protectors (see, for example, JP-A-11-196517 (pp. 2, 3 and FIG. 1)).  
         [0004]     This protector  51  includes a base  52  made of synthetic resin, a cover  53  made of synthetic resin engaged with the base  52 , and collars  55  made of metal attached with brackets  54  at both sides of the base  52 .  
         [0005]     The base  52  has three harness inserting grooves  56  in parallel in response to three pieces of wire harnesses, and half-ring shaped brims  57  for fixing the harnesses at ends of the respective harness inserting grooves  56 , while the cover  53  has half-ring shaped brims  58  in response to the respective harness inserting grooves  56 , and both brims  57 ,  58  are opposite to compose ring shaped harness fixing portions.  
         [0006]     The base  52  is provided at both ends with brackets  54  as fixing portions to the car body, and attached with ring shaped collars  55  in both brackets  54 . The collar  55  includes a circular brim  55   b  of large diameter and a cylindrical brim  55   a  of small diameter.  
         [0007]      FIG. 7  shows a condition of fixing three pieces of wire harnesses  21  to  23  to the car body  24  by use of the above mentioned protector  51 .  
         [0008]     Each of the wire harnesses  21  to  23  includes plural wires and the synthetic resin made corrugated tubes of the outer circumferential side for protecting the wires. The corrugated tube includes alternately arranging circumferential concave grooves (circumferential grooves) and convex projections in the length direction of the wire serving as protection of the wire and insurance of flexibility thereof.  
         [0009]     The wire harnesses  21  to  23  are inserted into the harness inserting grooves  56  ( FIG. 6 ) of a protector base  52  to close the cover  53 , and the brims  57 ,  58  of the base  52  and the cover  53  enter into the concave groove of the corrugated tubes, so that the wire harnesses  21  to  23  are fixed immovably in the length direction. Under the condition of the wire harness assembled body  61 , the wire harnesses  21  to  23  are wired along the car body  24 , and the protector  51  is fixed to the car body. In such a manner, the wire harnesses  21  to  23  are fixed to the car body  24 .  
         [0010]     The protector  51  is fixed in that the stud bolts  25  provided to the car body  24  are inserted in the collars  55  of the brackets  54  (inserting the stud bolt  25  into the hole of the collar  55 ), and bolts  25  are screwed with nuts  26  and tightened.  
         [0011]     However, in the above related protector, when the plurality of wire harnesses  21  to  23  are linearly wired and fixed in the length direction of the wall  62  of the car body, no problem occurs, but in case the wire harnesses  21  to  23  are bent and wired from the wall  62  to a transverse wall  63 , or in case the wire harnesses  21  to  23  are bent and wired from the transverse wall  63  to a further transverse wall  64 , owing to rigidity of the plural wire harnesses  21  to  23 , bending force or twisting force acts on the protector  51 , it is difficult to insert the stud bolt  25  of the car body  24  in the collar  55  of the bracket  54  of the protector  51 , and grate force is required to correct the positions of the protectors  25 , and fixing workability of the protector  51  to the car body  24  is decreased.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a harness fixing protector which enables to fix a plurality of wire harnesses to such as the car body by bending and wiring at good working efficiency.  
         [0013]     In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a harness fixing protector, comprising: 
        a base member, which has fixing portions for fixing the base member to an attachment portion at both ends thereof; and     a cover member, which is attached to the base member;     wherein the base member has: 
            a first harness inserting portion for inserting and fixing a first wire harness; and     a second harness inserting portion for holding a second wire harness so as to allow a movement of the second wire harness in a length direction thereof.    
               
 
         [0019]     With the above mentioned structure, one sided first harness inserting portion is inserted with the wire harness, while the second harness inserting portion is inserted with the other wire harnesses. Under this condition, the cover member is attached, and the first harness inserting portion and the second harness inserting portion are respectively closed with the cover member, and become harness inserting holes. Under this condition, the respective wire harnesses are wired to attaching side of the car body, and the protector is fixed to the attaching side with bolts.  
         [0020]     At this time, even if the bending force or twisting force acts on the protector in that the wire harnesses are bent and wired, since the respective wire harnesses are movable in the length direction in the first harness inserting portion or the second harness inserting portion (the protector is movable following the wire harness), dislocation between the fixing portions and the attaching side is absorbed, and both fixing portions are easily and securely positioned to the attaching side of the car body.  
         [0021]     Also, even if the bending force or twisting force acts on the protector when wiring the wire harness, since the dislocation of the protector can be easily corrected along each of the wire harnesses, the protector can be easily and steadily fixed to the attaching side of the car body, and the wiring workability of the wire harness to the bending force or twisting force is heightened.  
         [0022]     Preferably, the first harness inserting portion has a harness fixing portion to fix the first wire harness.  
         [0023]     With the above mentioned structure, the first harness inserting portion is fixed with the wire harness, while the second harness inserting portion is not fixed but inserted with the other wire harnesses. Under this condition, the cover member is attached, and the first harness inserting portion and the second harness inserting portion are respectively closed with the cover member, and become harness inserting holes. Under this condition, the respective wire harnesses are wired to attaching sides of the car body, and the protector is fixed to the attaching side with bolts.  
         [0024]     At this time, even if the bending force or twisting force acts on the protector by bending to wire the wire harnesses, since positioning is made at the attaching side of the car body on the basis of the fixing portion at the side of first harness inserting portion, and the fixing portion at the side of the second harness inserting portion is turned on the basis of the fixing portion at the side of first harness inserting portion so that dislocation can be absorbed, both fixing portions are easily and securely positioned to the attaching side. This is because the second wire harness can freely move in the second harness inserting portion.  
         [0025]     Also, even if the bending force or twisting force acts on the protector when wiring the wire harness, since one of the fixing portions of the protector can be absorbed as to the dislocation caused in the turning direction around the other fixing portion of the first harness inserting portion, the protector can be easily and steadily fixed to the attaching side of the car body, and the wiring workability of the wire harness to the bending force or twisting force is heightened.  
         [0026]     Preferably, the second harness inserting portion, through which a plurality of wire harnesses is passed, is greater than the first harness inserting portion in width.  
         [0027]     With the above mentioned structure, since the plurality of wire harnesses are inserted movably in the length direction in the second harness inserting portions, when the wire harness is wired as being bent to the attached side of the car body, large bending force or twisting force (resiliency) caused by bending the plural wire harnesses is escaped through the wide second harness inserting portion, so that the protector is prevented from action of this large force.  
         [0028]     Also, since the protector is not added with large resiliency caused by the bending force or twisting force of the plural pieces of wire harnesses, the protector can be easily and steadily fixed to the attaching side of the car body.  
         [0029]     Preferably, the first harness inserting portion and the second harness inserting portion are adjacent through a partition wall.  
         [0030]     With the above mentioned structure, the wire harness within the first harness inserting portion is positioned and protected by the partition wall without receiving any influences by the wire harness moving in the second harness inserting portion, and at the same time, the wire harness in the second harness inserting portion may smoothly move in the length direction without frictional resistance caused by contacting with the wire harness in the first harness inserting portion.  
         [0031]     Also, the positioning of the wire harness and the protector can be secured by the partition wall in the first harness inserting portion, and the position of one of the fixing portions as the basis of attaching the protector is correctly secured, and the other wire harness can move smoothly within the second harness inserting portion without contacting the wire harness in the first harness inserting portion, the protector can be further easily and steadily fixed to the attaching side of the car body.  
         [0032]     Preferably, the first harness inserting portion is a groove. The cover member has a harness fixing portion which is opposed to the groove.  
         [0033]     With the above mentioned structure, the wire harness is steadily positioned and fixed in the first harness inserting portion by the harness fixing portions of the base member and the cover member.  
         [0034]     Also, since the wire harness is steadily positioned and fixed by both harness fixing portions of the base member and the cover member in the first harness inserting portion, the protector can be further steadily fixed at the fixing portion to the attaching side of the car body.  
         [0035]     Preferably, the harness fixing portion is a projection which is engaged with a circumferential groove of a corrugated tube of the wire harness.  
         [0036]     With the above mentioned structure, the corrugated tubes having the plurality of the circumferential grooves in equal pitches in parallel are easily and correctly positioned and fixed by the projections such as the brims of the protector. The corrugated tubes are positioned immovably in the length direction and movably in the circumferential direction by the projections, so that twist of the corrugate is absorbed.  
         [0037]     Also, the wire harness can be easily and steadily positioned to the protector by making use of the circumferential grooves of the corrugated tubes of the wire harness, and concurrently twist of the corrugate is absorbed, and the wiring of the wire harness can be heightened.  
         [0038]     Preferably, one of the fixing portions at the side of the first harness inserting portion has a circular hole. The other fixing portion at the side of the second harness inserting portion has a oblong hole.  
         [0039]     With the above mentioned structure, one of the fixing portions of the protector is positioned at the attaching side of the car body on the basis of the circular hole, and when the dislocation of the other fixing portion of the protector is absorbed in the turning direction, the dislocation is much absorbed by the oblong hole of the other fixing portion.  
         [0040]     Also, the dislocation of the other fixing portion of the protector is exactly absorbed, and the protector is more heightened in the positioning and fixing workability to the attaching side of the car body. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0041]     The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0042]      FIG. 1  is disassembled view showing a protector according to a first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0043]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of setting up the protector;  
         [0044]      FIG. 3  is a plan view showing the condition of inserting and fixing the wire harness into the protector;  
         [0045]      FIG. 4  is a disassembled view showing a protector according to a second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0046]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of setting up the protector;  
         [0047]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a related protector; and  
         [0048]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing the condition of wiring the wire harness to the car body and attaching the related protector. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0049]     In the following description, explanation will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention.  
         [0050]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show the harness fixing protector according to a first embodiment of the invention.  
         [0051]     The harness fixing protector (called briefly as “protector” hereafter)  1  includes, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a synthetic resin made base  2 , a cover  3 , and a pair of metal made or synthetic resin made collars  4 ,  5 . The base  2  has a harness inserting groove (inserting part)  6  and a harness inserting space (inserting part)  7  in parallel. The harness inserting groove  6  is narrow in width for inserting and fixing one piece of wire harness. The harness inserting space is wide in width for inserting two pieces of wire harnesses together. The cover  3  has a brim  10  (projection as the harness fixing portion) for fixing the harness to the harness inserting groove  6  of the base  2  and a flat supporting part  11  for inserting the harness to the harness inserting space  7 .  
         [0052]     The base  3  has brim shaped brackets (fixing portions)  12 ,  13  at both end sides transverse with the bracket inserting direction, and one  12  (at the side of the harness inserting groove  6 ) of the brackets has a circular hole and a ring shaped circular collar  4  fitted in this hole, while the other  13  bracket (at the side of harness inserting space  7 ) has an oblong hole and a ring shaped oblong collar  5  fitted in the oblong hole. A hole portion (circular hole)  4   a  ( FIG. 3 ) of the circular collar  4  serves as a basis hole when fixing the protector, and the oblong circular hole portion (oblong hole)  5   a  of the oblong circular collar  5  serves as a dislocation absorbing hole. A diameter of the circular hole  4   a  and a short diameter of the oblong hole  5   a  are equal.  
         [0053]     Both brackets  12 ,  13  continue each other on the same plane surface as an inside horizontal base wall  14 , and in adjacency to the respective brackets  12 ,  13 , perpendicular walls  15 ,  16  stand from the base wall  14 , the partition wall  17  stands from the base wall  14  in opposition to the inside of one side wall  15 , the harness inserting groove  6  is formed between one side wall  15  and the partition wall  17 , the harness inserting groove  6  has a hemi-circular bottom, a pair of U-shaped projections (projections as the harness fixing portion)  8  are formed for fixing the harness at one opened end of the harness inserting groove  6 , and the similar projection (projections as the harness fixing portion)  9  is formed at an intermediate part of the harness inserting groove  6  parallel to the projection  8 .  
         [0054]     The almost rectangular harness inserting space  7  is defined between the partition wall  17  and the other wall  16 . There is not the harness fixing portion such as projections  8 ,  9  in the harness inserting space  7 , and the two pieces of wire harnesses are movable in the length direction of the harness within the harness inserting space  7 . The harness inserting groove  6  and the harness inserting space  7  are adjacent through the partition wall  17 . The partition wall  17  and both walls  15 ,  16  are at the same height.  
         [0055]     Outside of both walls  15 ,  16 , engaging frame pieces  18  of flexibility are provided to the cover  3 . The engaging frame pieces  18  stand upward (perpendicularly) from the base wall  14 , and have inside engaging holes  18   a  whose front ends (upper ends) are bendable outside. Between the respective walls  15 ,  16  and the respective engaging frame pieces  18 , spaces are formed for covers to enter into.  
         [0056]     The cover  3  has a horizontal cover wall  19  of rectangular plane shape, engaging pawl pieces  20  pending from both ends of short sides of the cover wall  19 , and arc shaped brims  10  (projections as the harness fixing portion) for fixing the harness. The brims  10  are placed on the same plane surface as the projections  8  of the base  2 .  
         [0057]     Each of the engaging pawl pieces  20  has a pawl portion  20   a  at the outside of a front end, and as shown in  FIG. 2 , while the pawl portion  20   a  is entering between the walls  15 ,  16  ( FIG. 1 ) and the engaging frame piece  18 , it engages a hole  18   a  of the engaging frame piece  18 .  
         [0058]     In  FIG. 1 , the arc shaped brim  10  of the cover  3  is positioned in opposition to a half circular bottom of the harness inserting groove  6  of the base  2 , and as shown in  FIG. 2 , the brim  10  is mounted on the harness inserting groove  6  so as to constitute a circular harness fixing portion together with the projections  8  at the side of the base  2 . It is preferable to provide the brim also at an intermediate part in the width direction of the cover  3  in opposition to the projection  9  ( FIG. 1 ) at the intermediate part of the harness inserting groove  6 .  
         [0059]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , by attaching (closing) the cover  3  on the base  2 , the harness inserting groove  6  becomes a harness inserting hole (harness inserting part), and a harness inserting space  7  becomes a rectangular and cylindrical harness inserting hole (harness inserting part).  
         [0060]     As shown in  FIG. 3  (view of removing the cover  3 ), a first wire harness  21  is inserted and fixed in the harness inserting part  6  adjacent to the bracket  12  of one side having the circular collar  4  of the protector  1 , while a second and third wire harnesses  22 ,  23  are inserted movably in the length direction in a wide harness inserting part  7  adjacent to the bracket  13  of the other side.  
         [0061]     The first wire harness  21  is fixed immovably in the length direction and movably in the circumference direction in that the corrugated tubes on the outer circumference engage at concave grooves (circumferential grooves) with the projections  8  to  10  ( FIG. 1 ). If the first wire harness  21  and the protector  1  are fixed, the protector  1  is positioned with respect to the car body (attaching side), and when wiring the car body as a wire harness assembled body made by the wire harnesses  21  to  23  and the protector  1 , the protector  1  is correctly positioned on the car body at desired parts.  
         [0062]     Since the second and third wire harnesses  22 ,  23  are not fixed to the protector  1  but held not to get out, when securing the protector  1  to the car body, the protector  1  is turnable angularly around the collar  4  on the basis of the collar  4  of the bracket  12  of one side adjacent the first wire harness  21  under a condition of temporarily fixing (inserting) to one side stud bolt (not shown) of the car body, and it is possible to pass the other stud bolt (not shown) of the car body through the oblong hole  5   a  of the collar  5  of the bracket  13  adjacent the third wire harness  23 . The same manner is applied when concurrently passing both collars  4 ,  5  through both stud bolts.  
         [0063]     Thereby, the wire harnesses  21  to  23  are bent and wired to the car body (attaching side) as shown in  FIG. 7  and even if the bending force or twisting force acts on the wire harnesses  21  to  23  or the protector  1 , the protector  1  can be easily and steadily fixed to the car body  24  at good working efficiency.  
         [0064]     The protector  1  is tightly fixed to the stud bolts  25  ( FIG. 7 ) by nuts  26 . Also when screwing the stud bolts  25  to nuts at the side of the car body, the protector  1  can be easily and steadily fixed in the same as above.  
         [0065]      FIGS. 4 and 5  show a second embodiment of the harness fixing protector.  
         [0066]     The protector  31  is, as shown in  FIG. 4 , furnished with the brackets (fixing portions)  34 ,  35  not on the same face as the horizontal base wall  36  of the base  32  but at front ends (lower ends) of both walls  38  pending through curved parts  37  at both sides of the base wall  36 . The base  32  and the cover  33  are disposed by turning over the first embodiment of the protector  1  of  FIG. 1  and provided with half-divided partition walls  40 ,  41  to the base wall  36  of the base  32  and the cover wall  39  of the cover  33  in opposition up and down. Other structures are almost the same as those of the protector of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0067]     At both ends of the cover  33 , the engaging pawl pieces  20  stand, and engaging walls  42  are provided on the base  32  outside of the walls  38  of both sides via the entering spaces of the engaging pawl pieces  20 . The brackets  34 ,  35  horizontally continue from the outsides of both upright walls  38 , and one sided bracket  34  at the side of the harness inserting groove  43  has the circular collar  4 , while another bracket  35  at the side of the wide harness inserting space  44  has the oblong collar  5 . The protector  31  is turnable in the long diameter direction of the oblong hole  5   a  of the other collar  5  around the one sided collar  4  under the condition of setting up the wire harness (not shown).  
         [0068]     The partition walls  40 ,  41  of the base  32  and the cover  33  have curved faces  40   a ,  41   a  at both sides, enabling to stably support the wire harness (not shown). The base wall  36  of the base  32  is curved following the curve of the partition wall  40 . The brim  45  is provided as the harness fixing portion at one end of a harness receiving groove  43  of the base  32 , and the cover  33  does not have the brim.  
         [0069]     By the way, it is also effective not to provide the brim  45  in the example of  FIG. 4  but to form a taper or a curved guiding slope  45   a  continuing to the wall  50  at an opening end of the harness inserting groove  43 , and to continue the guiding slope  45   a  to the circumferential face of the harness inserting groove  43  without step difference. According to this structure, the circumferential groove of the corrugated tubes on the outer circumference of the wire harness is not hooked or rubbed by the opening end (edge) of the harness inserting groove  43 , whereby the wire harness can be smoothly moved in the diametrical length direction along the guiding slope  45   a  while the wire harness is bended in a diameter direction of the wire harness so as to have a L shape. Further, it is possible to provide a projected harness fixing portion for only the cover  33 .  
         [0070]     Under an assembling condition of  FIG. 5 , the cover  33  is positioned almost at the same surface as the brackets  34 ,  35  of the base  32 , and when fixing the brackets  34 ,  35  to the car body, the brackets  34 ,  35  approach to or contact the car body, thereby to prevent disconnection. The first wire harness is fixed to the harness inserting part  43  almost circular in the vertically cross section, while the second and third wire harnesses are supported movably in the length direction in the harness inserting part  44  almost oblong or rectangular in vertically cross section. The working effects by these structures are similar to those of the above mentioned embodiment. If the harness fixing portion  45  is not provided, the wire harness can be freely moved in the length direction along the harness inserting groove  43 .  
         [0071]     In each of the above mentioned embodiments, it is possible to substitute another protective tube without concave and convex for the corrugated tubes on the outer circumference of the wire harness, and press to secure the protective tube by the projections  8 ,  10 ,  45  which are the harness fixing portions. Further, it is also possible to use oblong and circular corrugated tubes not circular in cross section. In this case, one side harness inserting parts  6 ,  43  are, of course, oblong in cross section.  
         [0072]     The number of the wire harnesses inserted in the harness inserting parts  7 ,  44  wide in width is not limited to two pieces but may be one, three pieces or more. In case of one piece, the inserting part is not wide in width but may be of the same width as that of the harness inserting parts  6 ,  43  for fixing the harness. Preferably, the number of the wire harness inserted in the harness inserting parts  6 ,  43  narrow in width is one piece, but in case the wire harnesses are many in the harness inserting parts  7 ,  44  wide in width, around two pieces are also available.  
         [0073]     It is also possible that the other oblong circular collar  5  at the side of absorbing dislocation is made circular with respect to one side circular collar  4  which is an attaching basis. Although the other collar  5  is circular, since the protectors  1 ,  31  may be revised in position so as to fluctuate on the basis of one side collar  4 , the protectors  1 ,  31  are easily attached to the car body.  
         [0074]     It is also possible to directly insert bolts into the holes of the brackets  12 ,  13  and  34  to  35 , not using the collars  4 ,  5 . In this case, a shape of the hole of the bracket is a combination of circle—oblong or circle—circle. The bolts are not inserted in the holes  4   a ,  5   a , but it is also possible insert such as engaging clips as other fixing members thereinto for securing the protectors  1 ,  31  to the car body.  
         [0075]     Substituting for engaging both ends of the covers  3 ,  33  to the bases  2 ,  32  by engaging instruments, any one end of the covers  3 ,  33  may be connected the bases  2 ,  32  by means of hinges (not shown). As the engaging instrument, no limit is made to the engaging pawl piece  20  and the engaging frame piece  18 , but various combinations such as the engaging projections and the engaging holes are applicable.  
         [0076]     Not limiting the above mentioned protectors  1 ,  31  to the car body, the protector according to the invention may be usefully employed when wiring the wire harness to other attaching parts of the machinery.