Patent Document

BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to wire harnesses. More specifically, the invention relates to an article for securing a wire harness to a panel and protecting the wire harness both during and after installation. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Wire harnesses are used in automotive vehicles to collectively route conductors to various components of the vehicle while allowing for greater installation efficiencies by packaging the conductors in a single structure. However, if the wire harnesses are merely loosely strung throughout the vehicle, they can be impinged, kinked or damaged their installation or during the installation of other components. 
     To secure wire harnesses to the interior surfaces of various body panels, releasable clips are often used. Wire harness clips have typically included a fastener formed in conjunction with the means to retain the wire harness with the clip. The fastener itself is adapted to be interlockingly inserted into an opening in the panel of the vehicle. One such type of fastener is the well-known Christmas tree fastener. To retain the wire harness to the clip, the clip may be provided with a ratchet-type lock, whereby a strap wraps around the wire harness and releasably engages with another portion of the lock. Another means by which wire harnesses are retained in the clips is by means of a taping provision or feature. Taping features usually are in the form of a rigid tab extending from the clip. The tab allows the wire harness to be positioned along the clip and secured thereto by the wrapping tape around both the wire harness and the tab. 
     If the wire harness is required to have a particular shape due to a given installation, the wire harness must be taped to a portion of the clip, manually shaped into the desired configuration, and further taped to the clip in an effort to retain the wire harness in the desired configuration. As such, the clip is a planar piece of plastic in a particular shape, such as L-shape. In addition to this installation process being labor-intensive, the clips are subject to breakage from being tugged on during installation. Furthermore, the wire harness might eventually lose its shape as a result of the vibrations imparted throughout the vehicle during its operation and the tape coming off of an end of the clip. 
     Accordingly, the more robust article that allows for the ready configuration of a wire harness into a desired shape is needed. 
     SUMMARY 
     In order to address the above need, a wire harness holder is provided that minimizes kinking or pinching of the wire harness during installation, has the capacity to hold a larger wire harnesses, and specifically orients the wire harness into a desired configuration such as a drip loop being formed in the wire harness. A wire harness holder embodying the principles of the present invention lends itself for use in automotive vehicle applications where a portion of the wire harness may be susceptible to environmental factors, such as wet weather. One such location for a wire harness in an automotive vehicle is in the door the vehicle. In this type of installation, the wire harness may provide wire leads to various components mounted to the door, including door lock switches, window switches and window regulators. 
     In one aspect of the invention, a wire harness holder for securing a wire harness to a panel includes: a body including a fastening portion to fasten the body to the panel, a channel to receive the wire harness therein, the channel extending in a serpentine configuration so as to form a drip loop portion therein, the channel being defined by a pair of opposed side walls connected by a bottom wall, the channel further being open along a side opposite of the bottom wall, the body further including retention means for facilitating retention of the wire harness within the body. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the serpentine configuration forming the drip loop includes a first bend and a second bend. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, the second bend generally reverses a direction defined by the first bend. 
     In an additional aspect of the invention, the first bend forms a bend of about 90° bend and the second bend forms a bend of about 180°. 
     In yet another aspect of the invention, the first bend includes portions defining a drainage opening. 
     In a still further aspect of the invention, the retention means includes a securement provision located at one end of the channel. 
     In an additional aspect of the invention, the securement provision includes a wall having a protruding lip and a recessed edge adjacent to the protruding lip, the recessed edge being located between the lip and the channel. 
     In still another aspect of the invention, a second securement provision is provided at an opposing end of the channel. 
     In yet a further aspect of the invention, the securement provision is formed by a pair of angled walls, at least one of the walls including a protruding lip and a recessed edge adjacent to the protruding lip, the recessed edge being located between the lip and the channel 
     In another aspect of the invention, the walls are generally perpendicularly oriented walls. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, the fastening portion includes a pair of resiliently flexible tangs projecting in a direction generally away from the open side of the channel. 
     In an additional aspect of the invention, the body is configured such that the drip loop portion of the channel is positioned vertically lower than an adjacent portion of the channel when the body is in an installed position secured to the panel. 
     In a still further aspect of the invention, the retentions means includes a unitarily formed retention strap, the retention strap being connected to one side wall of the channel via a live hinge and being releasably engageable with the other side wall of the channel so as to extend over the open side of the channel. 
     In another aspect of the invention, a wire harness holder for securing a wire harness to a panel is provided in which a body includes a fastening portion to fasten the body to the panel, a channel to receive the wire harness therein, and first and second securement provisions to secure the wire harness to the body, the channel extending between the first and second securement provisions in a serpentine configuration forming a drip loop, the channel being defined by a pair of opposed side walls connected by a bottom wall, and the channel being open along a side opposite of the bottom wall. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, the serpentine configuration forms a drip loop includes a first bend and a second bend, the second bend generally reversing a direction defined by the first bend. 
     In an additional aspect of the invention, the first bend forms a bend of about 90° bend and the second bend forms a bend of about 180°. 
     In still a further aspect of the invention, the first and second securement provisions include a wall having a protruding lip and a recessed edge adjacent to the protruding lip, the recessed edge being located between the lip and the channel. 
     In yet another aspect of the invention, the first and second securement provisions are formed by pairs of angled walls, at least one of the walls including a protruding lip and a recessed edge adjacent to the protruding lip, the recessed edge being located between the lip and the channel 
     In an additional aspect of the invention, the body is configured such that the drip loop portion of the channel is positioned vertically lower than an adjacent portion of the channel when the body is in an installed position secured to the panel. 
     In a further aspect of the invention, a unitarily formed retention strap, the retention strap being connected to one side wall of the channel via a live hinge and being releasably engageable with the other side wall of the channel so as to extend over the open side of the channel. 
     Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become readily apparent to persons skilled in the art after a review of the following description, with reference to the drawings and claims that are appended to and form a part of this specification. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a wire harness holder embodying the principles of the present invention and mounted to an interior door panel of an automotive vehicle; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the wire harness holder seen in  FIG. 1  wherein the holder has been isolated from the door panel and the wire harness; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the wire harness holder seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and illustrated with a retention strap in the open position; and 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view generally taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3  with the retention strap in its closed position, similar to that seen in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, a wire harness holder embodying the principles of the present invention is illustrated therein and generally designated at  10 . In  FIG. 1 , the wire harness holder  10  is shown mounted to a panel  12  of an automotive the vehicle. More specifically, the wire harness holder  10  is illustrated as being mounted to an interior panel  12  of a vehicle&#39;s passenger door. In this illustration, the presented view is looking exteriorly from the cabin of the vehicle and, accordingly, the top of the vehicle is oriented to the top of the page and the front of vehicle is oriented to the left of the page. 
     Received within the wire harness holder  10  is a wire harness  14 . The wire harness  14  itself is a bundle of electrical wires and leads that may be encased within a sleeve  16 . The individual wires and leads of the wire harness  14  extend to various components (not shown) of the door, such as a door lock switch, a window switch and a window regulator. 
     As its primary component, the wire harness holder  10  includes a body having a channel  18  into which the wire harness  14  is received. The channel  18  defines a serpentine pathway that is generally of an S-shaped configuration. When mounted to the panel  12 , this configuration of the channel  18  provides the wire harness  14  with a drip loop, which is generally designated at  20  in  FIG. 1  and represented by a bend  22  in the channel  18 , and that is provided in a lowermost location in the installed position of the wire harness holder  10 . The drip loop  20  is therefore synonymous with the bend  22  seen in  FIG. 2 . This bend  22  of the channel  18  receives the wire harness  14  at a first end  24  of the channel  18  and causes the wire harness  14  to generally undergo a 90° upward bend. Thereafter, channel  18  may undergo a second bend  26  that causes the wire harness  14  to generally undergo a 180° downward bend and exit the channel  18  at its second end  28 . 
     The channel  18  is generally defined by a pair of opposed sidewalls  30  that are connected to one another by a bottom wall  32 . The channel  18  is open on a side opposite from the bottom wall  32 . As such, the wire harness  14  can be inserted into the channel  18  through the open side opposite of the bottom wall  32 , instead of having to be fed through the length of the channel  18  from the first end  24  to the second end  28 . 
     To retain the wire harness  14  within the channel  18 , a retention strap  34  is provided. The retention strap  34  (perhaps best understood with reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 ) is unitarily formed with one side wall  30  of the channel  18  by way of a living hinge  36 . The opposing end of the retention strap  34  is formed with a lip  38  configured to engage with a catch  40  formed on the opposing side wall  30  of the channel  18 . Once the wire harness  14  has been positioned within the channel  18 , the retention strap  34  folded over the passageway of the channel  18  such that the lip  38  engages the catch  40 , thereby locking the wire harness  14  in position. As seen in the figures, the retention strap  34  is generally positioned in the second bend  26  of the channel  18 . It will be readily appreciated, however, that the retention strap  34  could alternatively be positioned at other locations along the channel  18 . 
     To secure the body of the wire harness holder  10  to the panel  12 , a mounting flange  42  is provided. The mounting flange  42  in the illustrated embodiment is located along the outer sidewall  30  of the first bend  24  of the channel  18 . The mounting flange  42  is generally an extension adjacent to the bottom wall  32  and has a fastener  44  unitarily formed therewith. The fastener  44  may be one of a variety of fasteners and is generally illustrated as an arrowhead-type fastener  44  having a pair of resilient tangs  46 . In mounting the wire harness holder  10  to the panel  12 , the tangs  46  of the fastener  44  are inserted through a corresponding opening  48  in the panel  12 . As the tangs  46  pass through the opening  48 , the tangs  46  are compressed towards one another and thereafter resiliently expand outward so as to engage the perimeter of the opening  48  and prevent withdrawal of the fastener  44  out of the opening, thereby securing the wire harness holder  10  to the panel  12 . 
     To further secure the wire harness  14  to the body of the wire harness holder  10 , the body is formed with a securement provision  50  located adjacent to one or both of the first and second ends  24 ,  28  of the channel  18 . The securement provisions  50  (two being shown) are provided as angle brackets having a base wall  52  and a lateral wall  54  oriented at a right angle with respect to one another. The base wall  52  is generally formed as an extension of the bottom wall  32 , while the lateral wall  54  is generally formed as an extension of one of the sidewalls  30 . While provided with a right angle orientation, it will be appreciated that the base wall  52  and lateral wall  54  could be provided with angular orientations that are greater or lesser than 90°. Additionally, the securement provisions  50  could be formed as a single member. In the latter construction, only one of either the base wall  52  or lateral wall  54  is provided and the other is omitted. 
     The free lateral edges of the base wall  52  and the lateral wall  54  are formed with a lip  56  at their distal ends. Since the lip  56  is an abutment projecting in the plane of the base wall  52  or lateral wall  54 , it results in the defining of a recessed edge  58  along the free lateral edges, between the lip  56  and the channel  18 . The recessed edges  58  cooperates with the lips  56  to facilitate the application of tape (not shown) around the wire harness  14 , thereby securing the wire harness  14  to the securement provisions  50 . The lips  56  and recessed edges  58  minimize the possibility that the applied tape could inadvertently slide or be pulled off of the end of the securement provisions  50 . 
     To facilitate the functioning of the first bend  22  in forming the drip loop  20 , the bend  22  may be provided with drain opening  60  formed in either the bottom wall  32  or lowermost sidewall  30  (in the installed position). In conjunction with features of the panel  12  that are beyond the scope of the present disclosure, the drain opening  60  helps to facilitate the handling and management of water that may infiltrate the interior of the door in which the wire harness holder  10  is mounted so as to minimize any potential damage caused by the water. 
     As a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the above description is meant as an illustration of implementation of the principles this invention. This description is not intended to limit the scope or application of this invention in that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change, without departing from spirit of this invention, as defined in the following claims.

Technology Category: 5