Abstract:
It is aimed to enable the use of existing components even if the size of an exterior material is changed. A wire protecting member disclosed by this specification is a wire protecting member for accommodating and protecting wires to be routed in a vehicle inside and includes a corrugated tube having wires inserted therein, a clamp including an inserting portion having an inner diameter larger than an inner diameter in the case of inserting the corrugated tube therethrough without any clearance and configured to fix the corrugated tube to a vehicle, and an auxiliary clamp interposed between the corrugated tube and the inserting portion and configured to fix the corrugated tube to the inserting portion.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to a wire protecting member. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Japanese Utility Model Publication No. H05-12876 discloses an example of a pipe clamp to be mounted on pipes. This pipe clamp includes a plurality of holding portions for individually holding a plurality of pipes. The holding portion is formed with a plurality of arcuate grooves formed in accordance with a diameter of the pipe and the plurality of arcuate grooves are continuously formed in a height direction so that the pipe can be held at different heights. By doing so, the pipe can be held by any one of the arcuate grooves even if the height of the pipe differs. 
         [0005]    Since the size of the pipe is determined by the size of a wire to be inserted through the pipe, the diameter of the pipe becomes smaller if the size of the wire becomes smaller. In accordance with this, the arcuate grooves for holding the pipe have to be made smaller. In this case, it has been necessary to newly remake the pipe clamp and newly manufacture a mold for molding this clamp. 
         [0006]    The invention was completed based on the above-situation and aims to improve a wire protection member. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The invention relates to a wire protecting member for accommodating and protecting a wire to be routed in a vehicle inside. The wire protecting member includes an exterior material having the wire inserted therein, a clamp including an inserting portion having an inner diameter larger than the exterior material and configured to fix the exterior material to the vehicle, and an auxiliary clamp interposed between the exterior material and the inserting portion and configured to fix the exterior material to the inserting portion. 
         [0008]    According to this configuration, it is not necessary to reduce the size of the clamp. Further, the exterior material can be fixed to the inserting portion of the clamp by the auxiliary clamp, for example, even if the size of the wire becomes smaller and the size of the exterior material becomes smaller. Thus, it is not necessary to remake the clamp and manufacture a mold for molding the clamp for smaller-diameter wires. 
         [0009]    Existing components can be used and specification changes of the existing components can be quickly dealt with by the auxiliary clamp. Further, since the auxiliary clamp is only mounted in the inserting portion through which the exterior material is inserted, the size thereof can be suppressed to a minimum size. 
         [0010]    The wire protecting member disclosed by this specification may be configured as follows. 
         [0011]    The exterior material may be a bellows-like corrugated tube in which crest portions and trough portions are alternately arranged. The auxiliary clamp may include an inner peripheral projection to be fitted into the trough portion. According to this configuration, the auxiliary clamp can be positioned relative to the exterior material in the axial direction by fitting the inner peripheral projection into the trough portion. Further, a displacement of the auxiliary clamp in the axial direction can be avoided. 
         [0012]    The auxiliary clamp may include a pair of outer peripheral projections for fixing the exterior material to the inserting portion by being held in contact with opposite axial end parts of the clamp. Accordingly, the clamp can be positioned relative to the auxiliary clamp in the axial direction by the contact of the pair of outer peripheral projections with the opposite axial end parts of the clamp. Further, a displacement of the clamp in the axial direction can be avoided. 
         [0013]    According to the technology disclosed by this specification, existing components can be used by using an auxiliary clamp. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a plan view showing a wire protecting member in an embodiment. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a section showing a state where an auxiliary clamp is mounted between a clamp and a corrugated tube. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a section showing a state where an auxiliary clamp is mounted between the clamp and a shield pipe. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a section along A-A of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a section along B-B of  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    A wire protecting member  10  according to an embodiment of the invention is described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 5 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the wire protecting member  10  of this embodiment includes a shield pipe  20  for accommodating and protecting a plurality of wires  11 ,  12 . The plurality of wires includes at least one thick wire  11  and at least one thin wire  12 . A forked grommet  30  is connected to an end part of the shield pipe  20 . Large and small corrugated tubes  40 ,  50  are connected to end parts of the forked grommet  30  and large and small grommets  60 ,  70  connected to end parts of these corrugated tubes  40 ,  50 . 
         [0020]    Large and small terminals  14 ,  15  are connected to end parts of the large and small wires  11 ,  12 , respectively, on a vehicle rear side (right side shown). The thick wires  11  and the large terminals  14  mounted on these wires constitute a power circuit for driving and the like. On the other hand, the thin wires  12  and the small terminals  15  mounted on these wires constitute a signal circuit for control and the like. Each wire  11 ,  12  is such that a core configured by twisting a plurality of electrically conductive metal strands is surrounded by an insulation coating made of synthetic resin. 
         [0021]    The shield pipe  20  has both a shield function and a function of protecting the wires  11 ,  12  and is a hollow cylindrical member made of electrically conductive metal (e.g. aluminum alloy). The shield pipe  20  is bent at a plurality of positions and formed by being successively bent after the plurality of wires  11 ,  12  are inserted into a straight pipe. Thus, a length of the shield pipe  20  is shorter than the entire lengths of the wires  11 ,  12 . 
         [0022]    The forked grommet  30  is formed of a rubber member and includes a pipe-side fitting portion  31  to be fitted to an end part of the shield pipe  20  and two types of large and small tube-side fitting portions  32 ,  33  to be fitted to end parts of the respective corrugated tubes  40 ,  50 . The large tube-side fitting portion  32  is fitted to the end part of the large corrugated tube  40  and the small tube-side fitting portion  33  is fitted to the end part of the small corrugated tube  50 . 
         [0023]    The large corrugated tube  40  is made of synthetic resin and, as shown in  FIG. 2 , in the form of bellows in which crest portions  41  and trough portions  42  are alternately arranged. This corrugated tube  40  is not described in detail since it has the same structure as known corrugated tubes. Further, the small corrugated tube  50  has the same overall structure as the large corrugated tube  40  although having a smaller diameter. Thus, the small corrugated tube  50  is not described. 
         [0024]    The large grommet  60  is formed of a rubber member and includes a tube-side fitting portion  61  to be fitted to the end part of the large corrugated tube  40 . The small grommet  70  includes a tube-side fitting portion  71  to be fitted to the end part of the small corrugated tube  50 . 
         [0025]    The shield pipe  20  is fixed to a body of a vehicle by a clamp  13 . Similarly, the large corrugated tube  40  is fixed to the body of the vehicle by a clamp  13 . In this embodiment, the clamp  13  mounted on the shield pipe  20  and the clamp  13  mounted on the large corrugated tube  40  are common components. 
         [0026]    The clamp  13  is made of synthetic resin and includes, as shown in  FIG. 3 , an inserting portion  13 A having an inner diameter larger than the shield pipe  20 . The inserting portion  13 A has a hollow cylindrical shape and a pair of annular projections  13 B are circumferentially provided on opposite axial end parts thereof. The respective annular projections  13 B project radially inward from the opposite axial end parts of the inserting portion  13 A and have a circular ring shape when viewed from an axial direction as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the clamp  13  includes a lock portion  13 C and a locked portion  13 D and can be opened by releasing the locking of the lock portion  13 C and the locked portion  13 D. In this way, the clamp  13  can be laterally mounted on the shield pipe  20  or the corrugated tube  40  and the lock portion  13 C and the locked portion  13 D can be locked to each other. 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , in this embodiment, an auxiliary clamp for pipe  80  (hereinafter, abbreviated as an “auxiliary clamp  80 ”) is interposed between the inserting portion  13 A of the clamp  13  and the outer peripheral surface of the shield pipe  20 . The auxiliary clamp  80  is made of a flexible rubber material and includes a hollow cylindrical tubular main body  81  and a pair of outer peripheral projections  82  circumferentially provided on opposite axial end parts of this tubular main body  81 . The respective outer peripheral projections  82  project radially outwardly from the opposite axial end parts of the tubular main body  81  and have a circular ring shape when viewed from the axial direction. Note that interposition means being located between two members and being mounted to the two members. The auxiliary clamp for pipe  80  is located between the inserting portion  13 A of the clamp  13  and the outer peripheral surface of the shield pipe  20  and mounted to both the inserting portion  13 A of the clamp  13  and the outer peripheral surface of the shield pipe  20 . 
         [0029]    The inner peripheral edges of the annular projections  13 B of the clamp  13  are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tubular main body  81 , but the inner peripheral surface of the inserting portion  13 A of the clamp  13  is not in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tubular main body  81 . Further, the inner peripheral surface of the tubular main body  81  is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shield pipe  20 . Furthermore, each outer peripheral projection  82  is located outwardly of the corresponding annular projection  13 B and in contact with the corresponding annular projection  13 B, whereby the clamp  13  is positioned relative to the auxiliary clamp  80  in the axial direction and a displacement in the axial direction is suppressed. 
         [0030]    By interposing the auxiliary clamp  80  in this way, the shield pipe  20  is fitted and fixed to the inner side of each annular projection  13 B of the clamp  13  without any clearance. Accordingly, even if the size of the shield pipe  20  becomes smaller than conventional shield pipes, the shield pipe  20  can be fixed to the vehicle by using the clamp  13  for fixing the conventional shield pipes. 
         [0031]    Next, as shown in  FIG. 2 , an auxiliary clamp for tube  90  (hereinafter, abbreviated as an “auxiliary clamp  90 ”) is interposed between the inserting portion  13 A of the clamp  13  and the outer peripheral surface of the corrugated tube  40 . The auxiliary clamp  90  is made of a flexible rubber material and includes a hollow cylindrical tubular main body  91 , a pair of outer peripheral projections  92  circumferentially provided on opposite axial end parts of this tubular main body  91  and a plurality of inner peripheral projections  93  provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular main body  91 . An interval between the respective inner peripheral projections  93  is equal to that between the respective trough portions  42  of the corrugated tube  40 . Thus, the respective inner peripheral projections  93  are fitted into the respective trough portions  42 . By fitting the respective inner peripheral projections  93  into the respective trough portions  42 , the auxiliary clamp  90  is positioned relative to the corrugated tube  40  in the axial direction and a displacement in the axial direction is suppressed. 
         [0032]    The respective outer peripheral projections  92  project radially outwardly of the opposite axial end parts of the tubular main body  91  and have a circular ring shape when viewed from the axial direction. The inner peripheral edges of the annular projections  13 B of the clamp  13  are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tubular main body  91 , but the inner peripheral surface of the inserting portion  13 A of the clamp  13  is not in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the tubular main body  91 . Further, each inner peripheral projection  93  is located outwardly of the corresponding annular projection  13 B and in contact with the corresponding annular projection  13 B, whereby the clamp  13  is positioned relative to the auxiliary clamp  90  in the axial direction and a displacement in the axial direction is suppressed. 
         [0033]    By interposing the auxiliary clamp  90  in this way, the corrugated tube  40  is fitted and fixed to the inner side of each annular projection  13 B of the clamp  13  without any clearance. Accordingly, even if the size of the corrugated tube  40  becomes smaller than conventional corrugated tubes, the corrugated tube  40  can be fixed to the vehicle by using the clamp  13  for fixing the conventional corrugated tubes. 
         [0034]    Note that since the pair of inner peripheral projections  93  located on the opposite axial end parts of the auxiliary clamp  90  are fitted into the trough portions  42  of the corrugated tube  40 , water is unlikely to enter between the auxiliary clamp  90  and the corrugated tube  40  even if water directly hits the end part of the auxiliary clamp  90  when the vehicle is washed with high-pressure water. 
         [0035]    As described above, in this embodiment, the size of the clamp  13  needs not be reduced and the corrugated tube  40  can be fixed to the inserting portion  13 A of the clamp  13  by the auxiliary clamp  90 , for example, even if the sizes of the wires become smaller and the size of the corrugated tube  40  becomes smaller. Thus, it is not necessary to newly remake the clamp and newly manufacture a mold for molding the clamp. 
         [0036]    As just described, only by newly preparing the auxiliary clamp  90 , existing components can be used and specification changes of the existing components can be quickly dealt with. Further, since the auxiliary clamp  90  is only mounted in the inserting portion  13 A through which the corrugated tube  40  is inserted, the size thereof can be suppressed to a minimum size. 
         [0037]    An exterior material may be the bellows-like corrugated tube  40  in which the crest portions  41  and the trough portions  42  are alternately arranged and the auxiliary clamp  90  may include the inner peripheral projections  93  to be fitted into the trough portions  42 . 
         [0038]    According to this configuration, the auxiliary clamp  90  can be positioned relative to the corrugated tube  40  in the axial direction by fitting the inner peripheral projections  93  into the trough portions  42 . Further, a displacement of the auxiliary clamp  90  in the axial direction can be avoided. 
         [0039]    The auxiliary clamp  90  may include the pair of outer peripheral projections  92  for fixing the corrugated tube  40  to the inserting portion  13 A by being held in contact with the opposite axial end parts of the clamp  13 . According to this configuration, the clamp  13  can be positioned relative to the auxiliary clamp  90  in the axial direction by the contact of the pair of outer peripheral projections  92  with the opposite axial end parts of the clamp  13 . Further, a displacement of the clamp  13  in the axial direction can be avoided. 
         [0040]    The technology disclosed by this specification is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following various modes are also included. 
         [0041]    Although the auxiliary clamps  80 ,  90  made of the rubber material are illustrated in the above embodiment, auxiliary clamps made of a resin material may be used. Although the tubular auxiliary clamps  80 ,  90  are illustrated in the above embodiment, sheet-like auxiliary clamps may be used. 
         [0042]    Although the auxiliary clamp  90  provided with the inner peripheral projections  93  to be fitted into the trough portions  42  of the corrugated tube  40  is illustrated in the above embodiment, the inner peripheral projections  93  may not be necessarily provided. 
         [0043]    Although the auxiliary clamps  80 ,  90  including the pair of outer peripheral projections  82 ,  92  are illustrated in the above embodiment, the auxiliary clamps may include a plurality of outer peripheral projections. 
         [0044]    Although the hollow cylindrical shield pipe  20  and the hollow cylindrical corrugated tubes  40 ,  50  are illustrated as the external materials in the above embodiment, rectangular tubular resin pipes may be used as the exterior materials. 
       LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
       [0000]    
       
           10  . . . wire protecting member 
           11  . . . wire 
           12  . . . wire 
           13  . . . clamp 
           13 A . . . inserting portion 
           20  . . . shield pipe (exterior material) 
           40  . . . corrugated tube (exterior material) 
           41  . . . crest portion 
           42  . . . trough portion 
           50  . . . corrugated tube (exterior material) 
           80  . . . auxiliary clamp for pipe 
           82  . . . outer peripheral projection 
           90  . . . auxiliary clamp for tube 
           92  . . . outer peripheral projection 
           93  . . . inner peripheral projection