Patent Publication Number: US-2009236486-A1

Title: Clamp for plural wire harnesses

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
     This application claims the benefit of Japanese Application No. 2008-69676 filed Mar. 18, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
     The present invention relates to a clamp for securely holding a plurality of wire harnesses in a manner similar to wrapping with tape, regardless of the number of wire harnesses. 
     BACKGROUND ART  
     It is common to wrap a plurality of wire harnesses with tape to secure the wire harnesses to a mounting component such as a panel. 
     [Patent Document 1] Published Unexamined Utility Model Application No. 5-047666 
     [Patent Document 2] Published Unexamined Utility Model Application No. 7-002690 
     [Patent Document 3] Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 7-059232 
     [Patent Document 4] Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2006-187095 
     [Patent Document 5] Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2005-113953 
     Patent Document 1 describes a linear object retaining tool able to retain three to eight linear objects such as cords to a mounting component. In this retaining tool, a pressure applying and interposing tab is installed at one end of a mounting base plate and is freely bent via a hinge. An arc-shaped engagement tab stands erect from the other end of the mounting base plate along the arc-like swinging trajectory of the pressure applying and interposing tab. An engagement portion with an inverted U-shaped horizontal cross section and a space for inserting the engagement tab is formed on the free end of the pressure applying and interposing tab. By engaging the engagement tab and the engagement portion, three to eight linear objects can be fastened and retained between the mounting base plate and the pressure applying and interposing tab. Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a plurality of linear objects such as cords are retained on a mounting component using a single retaining tool. However, this retaining tool cannot keep the plurality of linear objects from sliding back and forth in the axial direction and in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. 
     Patent Document 2 describes a holding tool for electrical wires able to secure long components such as two electrical wires to a mounting component. This holding tool is configured to mount two electrical wires separately, and cannot secure long components such as a plurality of wire harnesses together. Patent Document 3 describes an inexpensive clip for electrical wires able to easily secure electrical wires to a mounting component such as a vehicle body. This clip is configured to secure a single electric wire, and cannot secure long components such as a plurality of wire harnesses together. 
     The long object securing tool described in Patent Document 4 accommodates a plurality of long objects in a retaining portion with a semicircular grooved shape. A lid turning on a hinge is closed from above to hold the long objects in place. An elastic pressure-applying tab is formed in the lid to apply pressure to the upper surface of the long objects when the lid is closed. Because the retaining portion in this long object securing tool has a semicircular grooved shape, there is space on either side and, thus, space for the long objects to move. As a result, it cannot keep the long objects from moving in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The cable clamp described in Patent Document 5 has a configuration for holding a single cable in place. This cable clamp does not have a configuration able to secure long components such as a plurality of wire harnesses together. It cannot hold a plurality of cables so that they are enveloped all around such as when wrapped in tape. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
     An aspect of the present invention is to provide a wire harness clamp in which a plurality of wire harnesses can be retained without being able to move in the axial direction or in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction such as when a plurality of wire harnesses is wrapped with tape but without requiring the wire harnesses to be wrapped with tape. 
     In order to achieve this aspect, one embodiment of the present invention includes a clamp having a wire harness holding portion for holding a plurality of wire harnesses, wherein the wire harness holding portion includes a rigid holding portion main unit having a U-shaped groove with an open upper portion and a space accommodating a plurality of wire harnesses, and a cover portion for closing the open upper portion of the holding portion main unit, wherein a plurality of protruding ribs is formed on the inner wall surface on the bottom surface side of the holding portion main unit and extend lengthwise with respect to the wire harnesses from the mid-height position of the U-shaped groove to align the wire harnesses so as to be stacked from the bottom surface, wherein the open portion above the mid-height position of the U-shaped groove is wide enough to accommodate more wire harnesses above the mid-height position, wherein the cover is formed with elastic wire harness pressing tabs for elastically pressing down on the upper portion of the wire harnesses when the cover portion is closed and the open portion of the U-shaped groove is closed, and wherein the entire outer periphery of the wire harnesses accommodated in the U-shaped groove is surrounded by the inner wall surface of the U-shaped groove and the harness pressing tabs to keep the wire harnesses from sliding in the axial direction and moving in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. 
     In the clamp of an exemplary embodiment, the entire periphery of the plurality of wire harnesses accommodated in the U-shaped groove may be surrounded with pressure applied elastically from the inner wall surface of the U-shaped groove and a harness pressing tab to keep the wire harnesses from sliding axially and to keep them from moving in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. Because this has the same effect as wrapping a plurality of wire harnesses with tape, it eliminates the cumbersome tape wrapping operation. The same clamp can also be used to retain different numbers of wire harnesses. A plurality of protruding ribs is formed on the inner wall surface on the bottom surface side of the holding portion main unit and extend lengthwise with respect to the wire harnesses from the mid-height position of the U-shaped groove to align the wire harnesses so as to be stacked from the bottom surface, and the open portion above the mid-height position of the U-shaped groove is wide enough to accommodate more wire harnesses above the mid-height position. As a result, the wire harnesses do not have to be aligned beforehand, but can be aligned by the U-shaped groove in the holding portion main unit and secured in a taut configuration. Also, because the holding portion main unit has a simple configuration, the cost of each clamp is low. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the clamp, a hinge may be connected to one end of the cover portion and one end of the holding portion main unit, and the cover portion turns on the hinge to close the open portion of the holding portion main unit. The cover portion has a lock portion formed in the end opposite the hinge, and the holding portion main unit has an engagement portion formed at the end opposite the hinge to engage the lock portion, and the lock portion engages the engagement portion to keep the open portion closed when the cover portion turns on the hinge and closes the open portion of the holding portion main unit. The lock portion has a first locking claw and a second locking claw to engage the engagement portion; the first locking claw is positioned to engage the engagement portion with the cover portion keeping the space above the space accommodating the wire harnesses in the holding portion main unit somewhat wider, and the second locking claw is positioned to engage the engagement portion with the cover portion keeping the space above the space accommodating the wire harnesses in the holding portion main unit narrower. Thus, a plurality of wire harnesses can be reliably secured regardless of the number. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the clamp, four protruding ribs may be arranged to position one wire harness at the bottom of the U-shaped groove and to form a shaped space to stack two more wire harnesses on top of this wire harness, the three stacked wire harnesses forming an upside-down triangle. The width of the U-shaped groove on the inner wall surface from the mid-height position of the U-shaped groove to the open portion facing upward becomes larger from the mid-height position to allow three more wire harnesses to be stacked on top of the two wire harnesses at the mid-height position and form an upside-down triangle with six wire harnesses. The harness pressing tabs have a tip elastically pressing down on the upper surface of the wire harnesses accommodated inside the U-shaped groove, and the horizontal cross-section of the tip has a curved shape to press down firmly on the middle portion of the upper surface of the wire harnesses in the lengthwise direction. 
     In this clamp, a panel fixing portion is integrated with the wire harness holding portion main unit to be fixed to a workpiece such as a panel. The panel fixing portion comprises a main portion integrated with the wire harness holding portion and a metal holding tab connected to hold the main portion, a pair of elastic engagement tabs is formed in the holding tab, and the pair of elastic engagement tabs interpose a plate-shaped mounting portion standing erect from the panel. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of the wire harness clamp in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the clamp in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a right view of the clamp in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the clamp from A-A in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a front view showing three wire harnesses held by the clamp in  FIG. 2  and mounted on a panel. 
         FIG. 6  is a front view showing six wire harnesses held by the clamp in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION  
     The following is an explanation with reference to the figures of the clip for a plurality of wire harnesses in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  are a plan view, front view and side view of the clamp  1 , and  FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the clamp  1  from A-A in  FIG. 2 . The entire clamp  1  is integrally molded using a hard plastic except for the metal holding tab  9  in the panel fixing portion  5 . The metal holding tab  9  is connected to the panel fixing portion  5 . In  FIG. 5 , three wire harnesses  3  are attached to a panel  2  mounting component using the clip  1 . In  FIG. 6 , six wire harnesses  3  are held in the clip  1 . 
     The following is an explanation of the configuration of the clip  1  with reference to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 4 . The clip  1  comprises a panel fixing portion  5  and a wire harness holding portion  6 . The panel fixing portion  5 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , holds a plate-shaped mounting portion  7  standing erect from the panel  2 . In order to hold the plate-shaped mounting portion  7 , the panel fixing portion  5  comprises a main unit  8  in the form of a U shape, its entire length integrally molded with the wire harness holding portion  6 , and a metal holding tab  9  in the form of a U shape, its entire length accommodated by and connected to the main unit  8 . A pair of elastic engagement tabs  9 A is formed at the two ends of the holding tabs  9  formed in a U shape, and hold the plate-shaped mounting portion  7  standing erect on the panel  2  as shown in  FIG. 5 . The clamp  1  is pushed into the panel  2  so that the plate-shaped mounting component  7  in  FIG. 5  is received between the pair of elastic engagement tabs  9 A, and secured to the panel  2 . The holding tab  9  is connected when engaged with the U-shaped groove formed in the main unit  8 . A stopper  8 A is formed in the main unit  8  to keep the holding tab  9  from coming out. 
     In the embodiment shown in the figures, the panel fixing portion  5  consists of a main unit  8  and a metal holding tab  9  accommodated and held by and connected to the main unit  8  in order to fix the clamp to the panel with force. While the main unit  8  and the holding tab  9  are integrally molded of hard plastic, the elastic engagement tabs  9 A can also be molded of hard plastic. In the example shown in the figures, the holding tab  9  is formed in a shape to receive the mounting component  7  on the panel  2  from the right in  FIG. 2 . However, it can also be formed in a shape to receive the mounting component  7  on the panel  2  from other direction, such as from the left or from below in  FIG. 2 . The panel fixing portion  5  can also have another shape. For example, if a rod-shaped stud standing erect from the panel  2  has threading or circumferential grooves formed in it, the panel fixing portion can be formed to receive and engage the rod-shaped stud. If a mounting hole is formed in the panel  2 , an anchor-shaped clip can be formed to be inserted into the mounting hole and engage the hole. 
     The wire harness holding portion main unit  6  is securely connected to the main unit  8  of the panel fixing portion  5  through integral molding. As shown in  FIG. 1 , it has a fixed width (the vertical length in  FIG. 1 ) so that a plurality of wire harnesses can be held along a fixed length. The wire harness holding portion  6 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , consists of a rigid holding portion main unit  10  formed in a somewhat U-shaped configuration facing downward from the open upper surface with a U-shaped groove  12  to accommodate a plurality of wire harnesses, and a cover portion  11  for closing the open portion of the holding portion main unit  10 . In the holding portion main unit  10 , a plurality of protruding ribs  13  extend lengthwise with respect to the wire harnesses (vertically in  FIG. 1 ) to stack a plurality of wire harnesses from the bottom surface in, for example, an upside-down triangle from the mid-height position along the inner wall surface in the space of the U-shaped groove  12  in  FIG. 2 . In the embodiment shown in the figures, four protruding ribs  13  are formed so as to position one wire harness on the bottom surface and stack two additional wire harnesses on top of this wire harness. In this way, three wire harnesses can be stacked to form an upside-down triangle as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     In the holding portion main unit  10 , the width of the U-shaped groove  12  increases from the mid-height position on the inner wall surface from the mid-height position in the space of the U-shaped groove  12  to the open portion above so that even more wire harnesses can be stacked inside. In the embodiment shown in the figures, as shown in  FIG. 6 , a U-shaped groove  12  is formed that is wide enough to stack three wire harnesses on top of the two wire harnesses at the mid-height position. Thus, as shown in  FIG. 6 , six wire harnesses can be stacked in an upside-down triangle shape. In other words, the holding portion main unit  10  uses ribs  13  on the inside wall surface on the bottom surface of the U-shaped groove  12  to stack wire harnesses in an upside-down triangle shape, and the width is great enough to accommodate more wire harnesses in the upper portion to achieve a continuous upside-down triangle shape. Thus, the wire harnesses do not have to be aligned beforehand, but can be aligned by the U-shaped groove  12  in the holding portion main unit  10  and secured in a taut configuration. 
     An engagement portion  15  is formed in the holding portion main unit  10  which has an engagement shoulder on the side opposite the cover portion  11  for engaging locking claw  21  or  22  on the cover portion  1   1 . The engagement portion  15 , as indicated by the dotted lines in  FIG. 2 , is formed on the left in the holding portion main unit  10 . Ribs  16 ,  17  are formed in the border between the bottom portion of the holding portion main unit  10  and the upper side wall of the panel fixing portion  5  to increase the connecting strength. 
     One end of the cover portion  11  is connected to one side of the holding portion main unit  10  via a thin hinge  18  so as to be able to turn around the hinge  18 . The cover  11  is turned on the hinge  18  to close the upper portion of the wire harnesses  3  accommodated by and held in the U-shaped groove  12  in the holding portion main unit  10 . This keeps the wire harnesses  3  from coming out. To prevent this, a lock portion  19  is formed on the front end (upper end in  FIG. 2 ) of the cover portion  11 . A first locking claw  21  and a second locking claw  22  are formed in the lock portion  19  to engage the engagement portion  15  of the holding portion main unit  10 . The first locking claw  21  is formed in the front end of the lock portion  19  with a fallen down L-shape as shown in  FIG. 2 , and the second locking claw  22  is formed closer to the base than the first locking claw  21 . When the first locking claw  21  engages the engagement portion  15 , the cover portion  11  is closed in a form that rises to the left as shown in  FIG. 6 , and the upper portion of the space supporting the wire harnesses in the holding portion main unit  10  can be widened somewhat to increase the number of wire harnesses being accommodated. In the embodiment shown in the figure, six wire harnesses are accommodated and held. 
     When the second locking claw  22  engages the engagement portion  15 , the cover portion  11  closes flat, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The upper portion of the space supporting the wire harnesses in the holding portion main unit  10  is not widened, and wire harnesses are only accommodated in the bottom portion of the space below the mid-height position of the U-shaped groove  12  in the holding portion main unit  10 . In the embodiment shown in this figure, three wire harnesses are accommodated and held. As shown in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , either the first locking claw  21  or the second locking claw  22  can be selected to engage the engagement portion  15 , depending on the number of wire harnesses  3  to be held. This is because the accommodating capacity is increased based on the number of wire harnesses  3  to be held. The engagement position of the first locking claw  21  or the second locking claw  22  is selected for the geometric dimensions of the accommodating shape based on the diameter and number of wire harnesses  3  to be held. 
     A harness pressing tab  23  is formed in the cover portion  11  to elastically support and envelop the upper portion of the wire harnesses  3  accommodated in the U-shaped groove  12 . The harness pressing tab  23  has a tip  25  ( FIG. 2 ) formed to elastically press down on the uppermost wire harnesses in the U-shaped groove  12 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , which is a cross-sectional view from A-A in  FIG. 2 , a convex curved portion  24  is formed in the middle of the tip  25  of the harness pressing tab  23  to apply stronger pressing force. This allows the tip  25  of the harness pressing tab  23  to apply greater elastic force on top of the wire harnesses in the U-shaped groove  12 . The inner wall surface of the U-shaped groove  12  and the tip  25  of the harness pressing tab  23  also envelop the wire harnesses in a manner similar to being wrapped with tape. The pressure applied by the elastic tip  25  has an effect similar to being wrapped with tape. It not only keeps the wire harnesses from moving in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the wire harnesses but also keeps the wire harnesses from sliding in the axial direction. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a harness pressing tab  23  including a tip  25  can be formed at both ends of the cover portion  11  widthwise (vertically in  FIG. 1 ) with the lock portion  19  between them. In another example, it extends the entire width of the holding portion main unit  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cover portion  11  has a rigid wall portion  26  near the thin hinge  18  that extends to the right. This keeps the cover portion  11  level at a constant height with respect to the holding portion main unit  10  when turned on the hinge  18  and closed. It also ensures that the harness pressing tab  23  in the cover portion  11  closes with the upper portion of the holding portion main unit  10  in the proper position. 
     As indicated by the dotted lines in  FIG. 2 , a window-shaped engagement hole  27  is formed in the rigid wall portion  26  that opens to the bottom and to the right. A protruding portion  29  is formed in the holding portion main unit  10  towards the engagement hole  27  in a position adjacent to the harness receiving portion  14  near the cover portion  11 . When the cover portion  11  turns on the hinge  18 , the protruding portion  20  is inserted into the engagement hole  27  formed in the rigid wall portion  26 . In other words, when the cover portion  11  turns on the hinge  18  and the locking claws  21  or  22  for the locking portion  19  engage the locking portion  19  of the holding portion main unit  10 , the protruding portion  29  is inserted into the engagement hole  27  and engages the engagement shoulder formed in the engagement hole  27  to lock the closed cover portion  11 . Thus, even if the thin hinge  18  breaks for some reason, the closed cover  11  remains locked and the wire harnesses  3  remain secure. 
       FIG. 5  shows three wire harnesses  3  mounted to a mounting component such as a panel  2  using a clamp  1  with this configuration. The three wire harnesses  3  are accommodated at the bottom of the U-shaped groove  12  in the holding portion main unit  10 . A plurality of protruding ribs  13  (four in this example) are formed in the bottom surface of the U-shaped groove  12  to stack the wire harnesses  3  on the bottom surface in an upside-down triangle shape. The contours of the inner wall surface of the U-shaped groove  12  are such that one wire harness is positioned on the bottom surface, and the other two wire harnesses are stacked on top of this wire harness. The three wire harnesses  3  do not have to be aligned beforehand. If the three wire harnesses  3  are aligned by the U-shaped groove  12  in the holding portion main unit  10  and secured in a taut configuration, the three wire harnesses  3  conform to the protruding ribs  13  as shown in  FIG. 5 . Next, when the cover portion  11  is turned on the hinge  18 , the first locking claw  21  in the locking portion  19  engages the engagement shoulder in the engagement portion  15  of the holding portion main unit  10 . If there are three wire harnesses  3 , the cover portion  11  can be pushed in and the second locking claw  22  can be engaged with the engagement portion  15 . This locks the closed cover portion  11 . When locked, the protruding portion  29  of the holding portion main unit  10  is inserted into the engagement hole  27  in the wall portion  26  of the cover portion  11 . Together with the hinge  18 , this keeps the cover portion securely locked. In this way, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the three wire harnesses are stacked in an upside-down triangle shape. 
     If the wire harnesses  3  are long, clamps  1  can be installed at multiple locations along the wire harnesses  3 . If the wire harnesses are to be installed on an automobile panel, clamps  1  are installed at predetermined locations for the wire harnesses according to the wiring layout. 
     The clamps are positioned towards the mounting portions  7  standing erect from the panel  2 , and the elastic engagement portions  9  on the panel fixing portions  5  are pushed in. The panel fixing portions  5  are fixed to the panel  2 , and the three wire harnesses  3  are mounted on the panel  2  via the clamps  1 . 
     In the wire harness holding portion  6 , three wire harnesses  3  are accommodated in the U-shaped groove  12  in the holding portion main unit  10 . The cover portion  11  is positioned so that the lock portion  19  turning on the hinge  18  engages the engagement portion  15  of the holding portion main unit  10 , and the second lock claw  22  engages the engagement shoulder on the engagement portion  15 . In this way, the elastic end  25  of the harness pressing tab  23  bends elastically and presses down elastically to envelope the upper portion of the three wire harnesses  3 . The curved portion  24  of the tip  25  ( FIG. 4 ) ensures that pressure is applied and that the entire outer periphery is under pressure from the U-shaped groove  12  and the harness pressing tab  23  when enveloped. This has the same effect as tape wrapping. The wire harnesses  3  are kept from moving in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the wire harnesses, and are kept from sliding in the axial direction of the wire harnesses. 
     The clamp  1  in  FIG. 6  can hold a different number of wire harnesses  3 . In  FIG. 6 , six wire harnesses  3  are held by the clip  1 . In the lock portion  19  here, the first locking claw  21  engages the engagement shoulder of the engagement portion  15 . Also here, the width of the U-shaped groove  12  on the inner wall surface from the mid-height position in the space of the U-shaped groove  12  to the open portion is greater above the mid-height position so as to accommodate more wire harnesses in the stack. As shown in  FIG. 6 , three wire harnesses can be stacked on top of the two wire harnesses at the mid-height position. As a result, the wire harnesses  3  do not have to be aligned beforehand, but can be aligned by the U-shaped groove  12  in the holding portion main unit  10  and secured in a taut configuration. The six wire harnesses  3  are enveloped so that the inner wall surface of the U-shaped groove  12  and the elastic tip  25  of the harness pressing tab  23  apply pressure around the entire periphery of the wire harnesses. This has the same effect as tape wrapping. The wire harnesses  3  are kept from moving in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the wire harnesses and are kept from sliding in the axial direction of the wire harnesses. In other words, the second locking claw  22  in the locking portion  19  engages the engagement shoulder of the engagement portion  15  so that, even when locked, the six wire harnesses  3  are enveloped by the inner surface wall of the U-shaped groove  12  with the tip  25  of the harness pressing tab  23  applying pressure to the outer periphery of the wire harnesses. This has the same effect as tape wrapping. The wire harnesses  3  are kept from moving in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the wire harnesses and are kept from sliding in the axial direction of the wire harnesses. 
     In both  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the resilient strength of the tip  25  of the harness pressing tab  23  and the curvature radius of the curve in the curved portion  24  can be selected to envelop and apply pressure to a plurality of wire harnesses  3  with the same strength as tape wrapping. 
     As explained above, a plurality of wire harnesses can be held by the same clip  1  in a manner similar to tape wrapping and easily mounted on a mounting component such as a panel. (In the embodiments shown in the figures, three and six wire harnesses are held, but another number of wire harnesses can also be held.) As a result, the cumbersome tape wrapping operation can be eliminated, and the same clamp can be used to retain different numbers of wire harnesses. Because a clip is easy to mount on a mounting component, the wire harness mounting operation does not require any skill an can be performed in a short amount of time. 
     It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of example only, and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.