Patent Publication Number: US-2023154646-A1

Title: Wire harness

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to a wire harness. 
     Conventionally, there are wire harnesses provided in vehicles and the like that have a flat electrical wire with a flat shape which is covered in a state where wire strands of the core wire are adjacently arranged in parallel, and part of the flat electrical wire is bent (e.g., see JP 2012-125079A). Specifically, with such a wire harness, the core wire of the flat electrical wire includes a straight section that is disposed in such a manner that the vertical height is smaller than the width and a bent section bent from an end portion of the straight section as seen vertically. Also, in the bent section of this wire harness, the flat surface of the flat electrical wire is twisted, and a plurality of bent sections hold each other in that state. 
     SUMMARY 
     However, with the wire harness described above, even though the height is suppressed by arranging the wire strands in the straight section adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, the wire strands in the bent section are arranged adjacently in the vertical direction with the flat surface of the flat electrical wire being twisted, and thus there is a problem in that the maximum height of the wire harness increases in the bent section. 
     An exemplary aspect of the disclosure provides a wire harness capable of keeping a low height profile. 
     The wire harness of the present disclosure is a wire harness including a core wire having a flat straight section whose vertical height is smaller than a width thereof and a bend bent from an end of the straight section, the straight section being formed from a second assembled wire obtained by twisting or braiding together first assembled wires which are each obtained by twisting or braiding wire strands, and the bend being formed from a plurality of adjacent wires arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to a vertical direction. 
     According to a wire harness of the present disclosure, it is possible to keep a low height profile. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a plan view of a wire harness in one embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a cross-sectional view taken along 2-2 of  FIG.  1    in one embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional view taken along 3-3 of  FIG.  1    in one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Description of Embodiments of Disclosure 
     Initially, modes of the present disclosure will be enumerated and described. 
     A wire harness of the present disclosure is: 
     [1] A wire harness including a core wire having a flat straight section whose vertical height is smaller than a width thereof and a bent section bent from an end portion of the straight section as seen vertically, the straight section being formed from a second assembled wire obtained by twisting or braiding together first assembled wires which are each obtained by twisting or braiding wire strands, and the bent section being formed from a plurality of adjacent wires arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. 
   According to this configuration, the straight section is formed from a second assembled wire obtained by twisting or braiding together first assembled wires which are each obtained by twisting or braiding wire strands, and the bent section is formed from a plurality of adjacent wires arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and thus the maximum height of the wire harness increasing in the bent section can be suppressed. That is, a configuration is adopted in which the flat second assembled wire is used in the straight section, and, in the bent section, the second assembled wire is separated into a plurality of adjacent wires that are then arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and thus the wire strands being stacked vertically in the bent section can be suppressed, and the maximum height of the wire harness can be kept low.   
   [2] Preferably, the adjacent wires are the first assembled wires. 
   According to this configuration, the adjacent wires are the first assembled wires, and are thus constituted by simply undoing the second assembled wire obtained by twisting or braiding together the first assembled wires, and the maximum height of the wire harness can be kept low with a simple configuration, compared to the case where the adjacent wires have a different configuration from the first assembled wires, for example.   
   [3] Preferably, the adjacent wires are shorter in length as a bend radius decreases. 
   According to this configuration, the adjacent wires are shorter in length as the bend radius decreases, and thus, for example, the lengths of the adjacent wires that have shorter bend radii being excessively long is suppressed, and the bent section increasing in height due to the excess portions bowing vertically is suppressed.   
   [4] Preferably, the wire harness includes an insulating exterior material covering the straight section while also holding the twisted or braided state of the first assembled wires in the straight section. 
   According to this configuration, the wire harness includes an insulating exterior material that covers the straight section while also holding the twisted or braided state of the first assembled wires in the straight section, and thus insulation of the straight section is ensured together with maintaining the shape of the straight section. That is, in the straight section, the twisting or braiding tends to unravel when the twisted or braided state of the first assembled wires is released at the boundary with the bent section, but this unraveling is suppressed by the insulating exterior material and the shape of the straight section is maintained.   
   [5] Preferably, the wire harness includes an insulating protective material with flexibility that covers the bent section. 
   According to this configuration, an insulating protective material with flexibility that covers the bent section is provided, and thus insulation of the bent section is easily ensured. That is, the insulating protective material with flexibility is used as the material for covering the bent section, and thus slight differences in the shape of the bent section can also be easily accommodated, compared to an exterior material of predetermined shape that has poor flexibility, for example, and the bent section can be easily covered in post-processing, after the bent section has been bent.   
   

     Detailed Description of Embodiments of Disclosure 
     Specific examples of a wire harness of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these illustrative examples and is defined by the claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , a wire harness  11  includes a core wire  12 , an insulating exterior material  13  covering the core wire  12 , and an insulating protective material  14 . 
     The core wire  12  includes a flat straight section  15  whose vertical height is smaller than the width thereof, and a bent section  16  (bend) bent from an end portion of the straight section  15  as seen vertically. Note that the vertical direction is a direction corresponding to a direction orthogonal to the surface of the page of  FIG.  1   , and the width of the straight section  15  is the length in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the straight section  15  as seen vertically. Also, the core wire  12  of the present embodiment includes two straight sections  15  that are joined via the bent section  16 , and the two straight sections  15  extend in directions that form an angle of 90 degrees with each other, with the bent section  16  as the origin as seen vertically. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the straight sections  15  are each formed from a braided wire  19  serving as a second assembled wire obtained by braiding together twisted wires  18  serving as the first assembled wires which are each obtained by twisting wire strands  17 . Specifically, the braided wire  19  constituting each straight section  15  of the present embodiment is obtained by braiding together four twisted wires  18  in such a manner as to be in a flat state. Also, the twisted wires  18  are each obtained by twisting four wire strands  17  in a rotation direction around an axis in the extending direction thereof. Note that, in  FIG.  1   , the boundaries between the wire strands  17  in a single twisted wire  18  are not illustrated, and the core wire  12  is illustrated in such a manner that the boundaries between the twisted wires  18  are easily ascertained visually. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  and  3   , the bent section  16  is formed from a plurality of twisted wires  18  serving as adjacent wires arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. Specifically, the bent section  16  of the present embodiment is formed from four twisted wires  18  having a configuration obtained by undoing the braided wire  19  constituting the straight section  15 , and is obtained by these four twisted wires  18  being bent while arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction with substantially no gaps therebetween. Also, the four twisted wires  18  in the bent section  16  of the present embodiment are set to be shorter in length as the bend radius decreases. 
     The insulating exterior material  13  is, for example, obtained by assembling a pair of upper and lower resin molded articles, and covers the straight section  15  while also holding the braided state of the twisted wires  18  in the straight section  15 . Specifically, the insulating exterior material  13  is provided so as to sandwich the straight section  15  up to the boundary with the bent section  16  which is the end portion of the straight section  15 , and holds the braided state of the twisted wires  18  up to the boundary with the bent section  16 . 
     The insulating protective material  14  is, for example, obtained by laminating a pair of upper and lower plastic films, and covers the bent section  16  while also having flexibility. The insulating protective material  14  is provided so as to cover the bent section  16  in post-processing, after the bent section  16  has been bent. 
     Also, the wire harness  11  includes a metal terminal  20  welded to end portions of the straight sections  15  which are the two end portions of the core wire  12 . The metal terminals  20  of the wire harness  11  are then connected to other external terminals (not shown) connected to an electrical device, for example. 
     Next, operation of the wire harness  11  configured as described above will be described. 
     The core wire  12  of the wire harness  11  has the straight sections  15  and the bent section  16 , and thus, for example, other external terminals that are not in a straight line can be electrically connected to each other. Also, the core wire  12  includes the twisted wires  18  obtained by twisting the wire strands  17 , and thus the wire strands  17  tend not to unravel, have excellent flexibility and performance such as tensile strength is improved, compared to the case where the wire strands  17  are simply provided in parallel with each other, for example. 
     Next, effects of the above embodiment will be described hereinafter. 
     (1) The straight sections  15  are each formed from the braided wire  19  serving as the second assembled wire obtained by braiding together the twisted wires  18  serving as the first assembled wires which are each obtained by twisting the wire strands  17 , and the bent section  16  is formed from the twisted wires  18  serving as the plurality of adjacent wires being arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and thus the maximum height of the wire harness  11  increasing in the bent section  16  can be suppressed. That is, the flat braided wire  19  is used in the straight section  15 , and in the bent section  16 , the braided wire  19  is separated into the plurality of twisted wires  18  that are then arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and thus the twisted wires  18  being stacked vertically in the bent section  16  can be suppressed, and the maximum height of the wire harness  11  can be kept low. 
     (2) The adjacent wires constituting the bent section  16  are the twisted wires  18 , and are thus constituted by simply undoing the braided wire  19  obtained by braiding the twisted wires  18 , and the maximum height of the wire harness  11  can be kept low with a simple configuration, compared to the case where the adjacent wires have a different configuration from the twisted wires  18 , for example. 
     (3) The plurality of twisted wires  18  in the bent section  16  are shorter in length as the bend radius decreases, and thus, for example, the lengths of the twisted wires  18  having shorter bend radii being excessively long is suppressed, and the bent section  16  increasing in height due to the excess portions bowing vertically is suppressed. 
     (4) The wire harness  11  includes the insulating exterior material  13  that covers the straight sections  15  while also holding the braided state of the twisted wires  18  in the straight sections  15 , and thus insulation of the straight sections  15  is ensured together with maintaining the shape of the straight sections  15 . That is, in the straight sections  15 , the twisting or braiding tends to unravel when the twisted or braided state of the twisted wires  18  is released at the boundary with the bent section  16 , but this unraveling is suppressed by the insulating exterior material  13  and the braided shape of the straight sections  15  is maintained. 
     (5) The wire harness  11  includes the insulating protective material  14  with flexibility that covers the bent section  16 , and thus insulation of the bent section  16  is easily ensured. That is, the insulating protective material  14  with flexibility is used as the material for covering the bent section  16 , and thus slight differences in the shape of the bent section  16  can also be easily accommodated, compared to an exterior material of predetermined shape that has poor flexibility, for example, and the bent section  16  can be easily covered in post-processing, after the bent section  16  has been bent. 
     The present embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows. The present embodiment and the following modification examples can be implemented in combination with each other as long as there are no technological incompatibilities. 
     In the above embodiment, the adjacent wires constituting the bent section  16  are the twisted wires  18  obtained by simply undoing the braided wire  19  which is obtained by braiding the twisted wires  18 , but are not limited thereto, and may be adjacent wires having a different configuration from the twisted wires  18 . That is, the bent section  16  need only be formed from a plurality of adjacent wires separated out from the braided wire  19  and arranged adjacently in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, and may, for example, be a plurality of adjacent wires obtained by further twisting or braiding the plurality of twisted wires  18  or may be a plurality of adjacent wires obtained by one twisted wire  18  being separated into two or more wire strands that are then twisted or braided.   In the above embodiment, the twisted wires  18  in the bent section  16  are set to be shorter in length as the bend radius decreases, but are not limited thereto, and may have other configurations. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the twisted wires  18  in the bent section  16  have the same length and are arranged adjacently with gaps therebetween in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction. In this case, the excess length can be absorbed by the gaps.   In the above embodiment, the insulating exterior material  13  that covers the straight sections  15  while also holding the braided state of the twisted wires  18  in the straight sections  15  is provided, but is not limited thereto, and, for example, the insulating exterior material  13  may not have the function of holding the braided state of the twisted wires  18 . Note that, in this case, for example, the braided state of the twisted wires  18  is preferably held by the boundary with the bent section  16  in each straight section  15  being fixed by crimping with a crimping band or hardened by welding.   In the above embodiment, the insulating protective material  14  with flexibility that covers the bent section  16  is provided, but is not limited thereto, and, for example, an exterior material having a predetermined shape with not much flexibility may be provided instead.   In the above embodiment, the straight sections  15  are formed from the braided wire  19  serving as the second assembled wire obtained by braiding together the twisted wires  18  serving as the first assembled wires which are each obtained by twisting the wire strands  17 , but the first assembled wires may be braided wires obtained by braiding the wire strands  17 , and the second assembled wire may be a twisted wire obtained by twisting together the first assembled wires. Note that, in cases such as where the second assembled wire is a twisted wire obtained by twisting the first assembled wires together, a flat straight section whose vertical height is smaller than the width thereof may be obtained by flattening the second assembled wire vertically, for example.   In the above embodiment, the braided wire  19  constituting the straight sections  15  is obtained by braiding together four twisted wires  18  serving as the first assembled wires, but is not limited thereto, and may, for example, be obtained by braiding together first assembled wires of another number such as six or eight.   In the above embodiment, the twisted wires  18  serving as the first assembled wires are each obtained by twisting four wire strands  17 , but are not limited thereto, and may, for example, be obtained by twisting wire strands  17  of another number such as eight or a dozen or more.   In the above embodiment, the core wire  12  has a configuration in which two straight sections  15  that are joined via the bent section  16  extend in directions that form an angle of 90 degrees with each other, with the bent section  16  as the origin as seen vertically, but is not limited thereto, and the straight sections may extend at other angles. That is, the degree of bending of the bent section  16  may be changed.   In the above embodiment, the core wire  12  includes two straight sections  15  that are joined via the bent section  16 , but is not limited thereto, and may be configured as a core wire formed from one straight section  15  and one bent section  16 .   

     The present disclosure encompasses the following implementation examples. Reference numerals of the constituent elements of the embodiment are given not for limitation purposes but to facilitate understanding. 
     [Note 1] A wire harness ( 11 ) including:
     a core wire ( 12 ) formed from a plurality of assembled wires ( 18 ),   wherein the assembled wires ( 18 ) each include a plurality of wire strands ( 17 ) twisted or braided together, and   the core wire ( 12 ) includes:   two end regions (straight sections  15 ) respectively including a first end and a second end of the core wire ( 12 ), and in which the plurality of assembled wires ( 18 ) are twisted or braided; and   an intermediate region (bent section  16 ) between the two end regions ( 15 ), and in which the plurality of assembled wires ( 18 ) are arranged side by side in a width direction.   

     [Note 2] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the wire harness ( 11 ) may further include a fixing member (crimping band) for holding the twisted or braided state of the plurality of assembled wires ( 18 ) at a boundary between each of the end regions ( 15 ) and the intermediate region. 
     [Note 3] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the wire harness ( 11 ) may further include two metal terminals ( 20 ) to which the first end and the second end are respectively connected. 
     [Note 4] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the end regions ( 15 ) may each extend linearly. 
     [Note 5] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the plurality of assembled wires ( 18 ) may extend continuously from the first end to the second end. 
     [Note 6] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the plurality of assembled wires ( 18 ) may be arranged side by side in the width direction in the intermediate region ( 16 ) without being twisted or braided. 
     [Note 7] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the intermediate region ( 16 ) may curve in a circular arc shape. 
     [Note 8] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, in the intermediate region ( 16 ), the assembled wires ( 18 ) located on an outer diameter side of the curve may be longer in length than the assembled wires ( 18 ) located on an inner diameter side of the curve. 
     [Note 9] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the wire harness ( 11 ) may further include two pieces of insulating exterior material ( 13 ) respectively covering the two end regions ( 15 ). 
     [Note 10] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the wire harness ( 11 ) may further include an insulating protective material ( 14 ) covering the intermediate region ( 16 ), and curving along a shape of the intermediate region ( 16 ).