JPH09161546A - Wire harness and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a bent part of a wire harness in solid structure while the costs are suppressed low. SOLUTION: A bundle of electric wires 25 at a bent part K of a wire harness is enclosed with a thermo-shrinking tube 29 fitted with a hot melt layer 29a on the inside surface, and a hot wind P is sent to the tube 29 in the condition that the wire harness is set on a jig 31 which is to hold the bent part K. Thereby the tube 29 is contracted to fasten the bundle 25 of electric wires, which is shaped solidly, and the hot melt layer 29a is melted and intrudes between covered electric wires which are fastened to one another.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wire harness having an electric wire bundle in which a plurality of covered electric wires are bundled and having a bent portion bent into a predetermined shape, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A wire harness is used, for example, in electric wiring of an automobile, and is provided with a bent portion in FIGS. 5, 6 to 7, and a method for manufacturing the wire harness for solidifying the bent portion. Is shown. Fig. 5 shows the actual development of Sho 58-30.
FIG. 2 (a) shows a protector 1 having a predetermined bending shape, in which a wire bundle 3 composed of a plurality of covered wires is housed, and a tape 4 is wound on the wire bundle 3. 2B and 2C show a plurality of electric wire bundles 5.
The core material 7 having a columnar shape and a flat plate shape having a desired bent shape is put in the above, and the tape 9 is wound on the core material 7.

FIG. 6 is described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 63-77215. As shown in FIG. 6A, the wire bundle 13 is formed on a flat core 11 having a desired bent shape. The heat-shrinkable tube 15 is covered with the heat-shrinkable tube 15 placed thereon, and heat is applied to the heat-shrinkable tube 15 to shrink the heat-shrinkable tube 15, as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, FIG. 7 is described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-48619, which has a melting point lower than the melting point of the coating layer material on the outer peripheral surface of the coating layer, as shown in FIG. The covered electric wires 17 on which a sheath layer made of a thermoplastic resin having a melting point is formed are brought into close contact with each other as an electric wire bundle as shown in FIG. 11B, and further bent as shown in FIG. The sheath layers are heat-welded to each other and fixed.

[0005]

However, in the case of FIG. 5 described above, a mold is required to manufacture the protector 1 and the core member 7, which causes an increase in cost and is particularly small in the amount of production. This has a great influence on the objects, and further, the protector 1 and the core material 7 are required for each shape, and the management work by increasing the types of these becomes complicated. Such a problem also occurs in the core material 1 of FIG.
The same occurs because 1 is molded with a mold.

On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 7, since the core material which requires a mold is not necessary, the above-mentioned problem is solved, but in this case, the covered electric wire is covered with the covering portion. It is necessary to change each other to a special one that can be heat-welded, and since the above-mentioned special one is used even in a portion other than the bent portion where heat-welding is unnecessary, it is wasteful and the cost increases.

On the other hand, in JP-A-1-183004, as shown in FIG. 8A, a sheet 21 containing a curable resin is set in a gutter-shaped jig 19 having a bent shape. Then, as shown in FIG. 2B, a wire bundle 23 composed of a plurality of covered wires is stored in the sheet 21, the wire bundle 23 is wrapped with the sheet 21, and then heat is applied to cure the sheet 21. Is listed.

According to such a method, a core material which requires a mold is not necessary, and the sheet 21 containing the curable resin is provided only in the bent portion, so that there is no waste and the cost is kept low. It becomes possible.

However, in the technique shown in FIG. 8, since the periphery of the bundle of electric wires is only fastened and fixed by the sheet 21, even if the bent shape is maintained to some extent, the electric wires are not fixed to each other. Therefore, there is a problem that the shape is likely to be lost and reliable solidification cannot be achieved.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reliably solidify the bent portion while keeping the cost low.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wire harness having an electric wire bundle in which a plurality of covered electric wires are bundled and having a bent portion bent into a predetermined shape. The wire bundle in the section is covered with a heat-shrinkable tube having a hot melt layer on the inner surface, and the heat-shrinkable tube shrinks by heat to clamp and fix the wire bundle, and the hot melt melted by heat. A layer is inserted between the covered electric wires to fix the covered electric wires to each other.

The heat shrinkable tube is made of a cross-linked polyethylene material, while the hot melt layer is
It is made of a polyamide-based material with respect to the covering material of the covered electric wire made of vinyl chloride.

According to the above construction, the only necessary parts are the heat-shrinkable tubes wound around the bundle of electric wires, no core material requiring a mold is used, and the heat-shrinkable tubes are bent. Since it only needs to be installed in the section, the cost can be kept low, and the hot-melt layer provided on the inner surface of the heat-shrinkable tube melts and enters between the covered wires to fix the covered wires to each other. Will be made sure.

Further, the heat-shrinkable tube is made of a cross-linked polyethylene-based material, while the hot melt layer is made of a polyamide-based material with respect to the covering material of the covered electric wire made of vinyl chloride, so that it is more reliable. It is possible to solidify the bent portion.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of the wire harness provided with the bending part. This wire harness is used, for example, in electric wiring of an automobile, and as shown in FIG. 1A, a connector 27 is connected to a wire bundle 25 in which a plurality of insulation-coated covered wires are bundled. ing. The electric wire bundle 25 to which the connector 27 is connected is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the heat shrinkable tube 29 is attached and set on the jig 31 arranged so that the wire harness has a desired bent shape as shown by the bent portion K.

The heat-shrinkable tube 29 is made of a cross-linked polyethylene material, while the heat-shrinkable tube 29 is provided with a hot melt layer 29a on its inner surface. This hot melt layer 29a is made of vinyl chloride. The coating material is made of polyamide.

Then, in the state of FIG. 1 (b), the bent portion K
Hot air P is blown from various directions around the area where the heat-shrinkable tube 29 shrinks to clamp and fix the inner wire bundle 25, and at the same time, the hot melt layer 29a on the inner surface melts to cover the covered wire. The coated electric wires are fixed to each other by entering into each other, and then melting and solidifying again, and the manufacture of the wire harness having the bent portion K as shown in FIG. 2 is completed.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the heat-shrinkable tube 29 before use, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are heat-shrinkable tube 29.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a deformation process of the heat of FIG. FIG. 4 (a)
As shown in FIG. 5, when the wire bundle 25 is passed through the heat shrinkable tube 29, a space 33 is formed between the hot melt layer 29a on the inner surface and the wire bundle 25, and the hot air P is added to heat the space. By shrinking the shrink tube 29, the space 33 disappears as shown in FIG.
9 and the wire bundle 25 are fixed to each other by the melted hot melt layer 29a.

As described above, when manufacturing the wire harness having the bent portion K, the only necessary component is the heat shrinkable tube 29 wound around the wire bundle 25, and the core material requiring the mold is used. Moreover, since the heat-shrinkable tube only has to be provided only in the bent portion K, the cost can be kept low, and the hot-melt layer 29a provided on the inner surface of the heat-shrinkable tube 29 is melted so that the coated electric wire is interposed between the covered electric wires. Since the intruding covered electric wires are fixed to each other, the bent portion K is reliably solidified. Further, since the bent portion K is solidified by using the jig 31, it is possible to cope with various bent shapes without increasing the number of types of parts, and the cost reduction effect is extremely effective particularly in a portion where the production amount is small. Will be things.

Further, the heat-shrinkable tube 29 is made of a cross-linked polyethylene material while the hot-melt layer 29 is used.
When a is made of a polyamide-based material for the covering material of the covered electric wire made of vinyl chloride, it is possible to more reliably solidify the bent portion K.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the only necessary parts are the heat-shrinkable tubes wound around the bundle of electric wires, and the core material requiring the mold is not used. In addition, since the heat-shrinkable tube only has to be provided in the bent portion, the cost can be kept low, and the hot-melt layer provided on the inner surface of the heat-shrinkable tube melts and enters between the coated wires to fix the coated wires together. Therefore, the bent portion can be reliably solidified.

Further, the heat-shrinkable tube is made of a cross-linked polyethylene-based material, while the hot melt layer is made of a polyamide-based material with respect to the covering material of the covered electric wire made of vinyl chloride, so that it is more reliable. It is possible to solidify the bent portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a process drawing of a method for manufacturing a wire harness having a bent portion, showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a wire harness manufactured by the manufacturing method of FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a heat-shrinkable tube used in the manufacturing method of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a shrinking process of the heat shrinkable tube and a melting process of the hot melt layer in the manufacturing method of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a process drawing showing a method for manufacturing a wire harness having a bent portion showing a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a process drawing showing a method for manufacturing a wire harness having a bent portion showing another conventional example.

FIG. 7 is a process drawing showing a method for manufacturing a wire harness having a bent portion showing still another conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a process drawing showing a method for manufacturing a wire harness having a bent portion showing still another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 25 wire bundle 29 heat-shrinkable tube 29a hot melt layer 31 jig K bent portion

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication H05K 7/00 H05K 7/00 D 13/06 8509-4E 13/06 C

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A wire harness having an electric wire bundle in which a plurality of covered electric wires are bundled and having a bent portion bent into a predetermined shape, wherein the electric wire bundle at the bent portion has a heat-shrink layer on its inner surface. The heat-shrinkable tube is covered with a tube, and the heat-shrinkable tube shrinks by heat to clamp and fix the wire bundle, and the hot melt layer melted by heat enters between the covered wires to fix the covered wires to each other. A wire harness that is characterized by 2. The heat-shrinkable tube is made of a cross-linked polyethylene-based material, while the hot-melt layer is made of a polyamide-based material with respect to the covering material of a covered electric wire made of vinyl chloride. The wire harness according to claim 1. 3. A method for manufacturing a wire harness comprising a wire bundle in which a plurality of covered electric wires are bundled and having a bent portion bent into a predetermined shape, wherein the wire bundle in the bent portion is
Cover with a heat shrink tube with a hot melt layer on the inner surface,
This heat-shrinkable tube is set on a jig for maintaining the shape of the bent portion, and heat is applied to shrink the heat-shrinkable tube to clamp and fix the wire bundle and at the same time melt the hot melt layer. A method of manufacturing a wire harness, characterized in that the coated electric wires are fixed to each other by allowing the coated electric wires to enter each other.