JP2008099499A - Extra length absorber - Google Patents

Abstract

An extra length absorber for a wire harness that can be reduced in size and height is provided.
A surplus length absorber 21 is attached below a slide door 33 of an automobile, and includes a case 22, a rotating member 23 rotatably provided in the case 22, and a rotational force applied to the rotating member 23. And a spiral spring 24 for imparting. The rotating member 23 has a pair of wall portions 23a and 23b made of an arcuate curved surface. The wire harness 25 having one end fixed to the sliding door 33 and the other end fixed to the vehicle body 36 is passed between the pair of wall portions 23a and 23b, and the rotating member 23 rotates to form an S shape. It is accommodated in the case 22 in a bent state.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a surplus length absorbing device that absorbs slack of a wire harness that constantly supplies power to an automobile sliding door or the like when the sliding door is opened or closed.

  FIG. 5 shows an extra length absorber for a sliding door of an automobile previously proposed by the present applicant (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The surplus length absorbing device 121 includes a synthetic resin case 122 that accommodates the wire harness 125 in a curved state, and a metal leaf spring 123 that biases the wire harness 125 upward in the case 122. is there. The “upward” means an antigravity direction.

  The case 122 includes a case body (substitute with reference numeral 122) and a cover (not shown). The cover is locked to the case body 122, and the case body 122 is fixed to the metal door panel 134 of the slide door 133 in this state. A door trim (not shown) made of synthetic resin is attached to the door panel 134, and the case 122 is located between the door panel 134 and the door trim. The case main body 122 includes a vertical substrate portion 128 and a peripheral wall 126 around the substrate portion 128. A narrow mouth portion 131 is formed on the front end side of the peripheral wall 126, and a horizontally elongated slit-like mouth portion 132 is formed on the lower end side of the substrate portion 128. Each has.

  One of the wire harnesses 125 is led out from the front end side mouth portion 131 and connected to an accessory or a wire harness (not shown) on the slide door 133 side by a connector 135, and the other end of the wire harness 125 is the lower end side mouth portion. The connector is connected to a wire harness (not shown) on the vehicle body 136 side (power supply side), which is led out from 132 and passes through the crossover portion. The wire harness 125 is fixed by the harness fixing portion 109 in the vicinity of the step portion 137 of the vehicle body 136.

  In the fully closed state of the sliding door 133 in FIG. 5, the wire harness 125 is lifted by the leaf spring 123 and absorbed by slack (excess length), while being pulled backward with the harness fixing portion 109 as a fulcrum and curved with a large radius. “Rear” means the rear of the vehicle. As the slide door 133 is opened rearward from the fully closed state of FIG. 5, the wire harness 125 is largely loosened (will hang down), but is lifted by the urging force of the leaf spring 123 to absorb the slack.

  The wire harness 125 is bent with a small radius by bending the leaf spring 123 downward while being pulled forward with the fixed portion 109 as a fulcrum in a state in which the slide door 133 is almost fully open. “Front” means in front of the vehicle. Even when fully open to fully closed, the slack of the wire harness 125 is absorbed by the urging force of the leaf spring 123. By absorbing the slack, the wire harness 125 is prevented from being caught between the slide door 133 and the vehicle body 136.

  The sliding door 133 is in close contact with the vehicle body 136 when fully closed, and is spaced apart from the vehicle body 136 when fully opened. As the sliding door 133 opens and closes, the wire harness 125 swings back and forth with the fixed portion 109 on the vehicle body 136 side as a fulcrum, and is retracted into or retracted from the case 122.

Further, a synthetic resin harness support cap is attached to one end side of the leaf spring 123, and the other end side of the leaf spring 123 is fixed to the fixing portion 138 of the case 122.
JP 2001-354085 A

  However, since the conventional extra length absorber 121 described above has a structure in which the wire harness 125 fixed to the lower end of the case 122 is pulled up by the leaf spring 123, the size (height, length) of the case 122 is increased. On the other hand, there is a problem that the amount of the wire harness 125 stored is small. In addition, since the wire harness 125 is fixed to the lower end of the case 122, the wire harness path when the slide door 133 is fully opened becomes a detour, that is, the wire harness path to the auxiliary devices arranged above the slide door 133 is detour. There was a problem of becoming. These problems are factors that hinder the reduction in size and height of the extra length absorber.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness surplus length absorbing device that can be reduced in size and height.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention described in claim 1 accommodates an intermediate portion of a wire harness in which one end is fixed to the movable member and the other end is fixed to the fixed member. A surplus length absorbing device that absorbs a length, the wire harness having a wire lead-in port through which the wire harness at the other end is passed and a wire lead-out port through which the wire harness at the one end is passed A rotating member provided rotatably in the case, and a rotating force applying means for applying a rotating force to the rotating member, and the rotating member extends along the rotation axis direction. And a pair of wall surfaces through which the wire harness passes, and the rotating member rotates while the wire harness is passed between the pair of wall surfaces. Yahanesu is excess length absorbing device, characterized in that the extra length are bent in an S shape is absorbed.

  The invention described in claim 2 is the invention described in claim 1, wherein the rotational force applying means has a spiral spring, one end of the spiral spring is attached to the case, and the other end is the It is attached to a rotating member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the pair of wall surfaces are formed of arcuate curved surfaces and are convex toward the opposite wall surfaces. In addition, the distance between the rotation members increases toward the outer edge of the rotation member from the rotation center side of the rotation member.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the third aspect, the pair of wall surfaces are such that the closest part of the pair of wall surfaces is closer to the outer edge of the rotating member than the rotation center of the rotating member. It is formed so that it may be located in.

  The invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the case is attached below a slide door as the movable member of an automobile. The wire outlet is provided above the case.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotating member that is rotatably provided in the case that accommodates the wire harness is erected along the rotation axis direction and passes the wire harness therebetween. Since the rotating member rotates in a state where the wire harness is passed between the pair of wall surfaces, the wire harness in the case is bent into an S shape because the wire harness is passed between the pair of wall surfaces. The extra length is absorbed. Since the wire harness can be efficiently accommodated in the case by bending in the S shape in this way, it is possible to provide an extra length absorbing device capable of achieving a small size and a low profile.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, the rotational force applying means for applying the rotational force to the rotating member has the spiral spring, one end of the spiral spring is attached to the case, and the other end is the rotating member. Therefore, it is possible to apply a rotational force to the rotating member by utilizing the elastic restoring force of the spiral spring. Therefore, the configuration is simple and the size and height can be reduced. A long absorption device can be provided at low cost.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, the pair of wall surfaces are formed in an arcuate curved surface and are arranged in a direction protruding toward the wall surfaces facing each other, and from the rotation center side of the rotating member. Since the distance between the rotating members increases toward the outer edge of the rotating member, the wire harness can be bent in an S shape by rotating the rotating member. Moreover, since a pair of wall surface is comprised by the curved surface, it can prevent that a wire harness contacts these wall surfaces and is damaged.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the pair of wall surfaces are formed such that the closest portions of the pair of wall surfaces are located closer to the outer edge of the rotating member than the rotation center of the rotating member. Therefore, the distance in one circumferential direction of the pair of wall surfaces can be formed longer than the other, so that the wire harness can be bent into a larger S shape. Therefore, the wire harness can be more efficiently accommodated in the case. In addition, by forming the other wall surface in the circumferential direction short and arranging the other wall surface closer to the outer edge of the rotating member, the wire harness path can be straightened and shortened when the wire harness is pulled. it can.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the case is attached below the sliding door as the movable member of the automobile, and the wire outlet is provided above the case. It is possible to minimize the wire harness route to the accessories mounted above the slide door.

  A surplus length absorber according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a surplus length absorbing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a surplus length portion of a wire harness is accommodated in a case. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the extra length portion of the wire harness of the extra length absorber shown in FIG. 1 is pulled out from the case. FIG. 3 is a front view of the surplus length absorber shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the surplus length absorbing device 21 of the present embodiment absorbs the slack that occurs when the sliding door 33 is opened and closed in the wire harness 25 that constantly supplies power to the sliding door 33 as a movable member of the automobile. It is a device. One end of the wire harness 25 is connected to an auxiliary machine (such as a window glass or a lamp switch circuit) on the slide door 33 side as a movable member or a wire harness (not shown) by a connector 35, and the other The end is fixed to the harness fixing portion 9 in the vicinity of the step portion 37 of the vehicle body 36 as a fixing member, and the intermediate portion is accommodated in the case 22 of the surplus length absorber 21. In addition, it is preferable that the wire harness 25 is coat | covered with the corrugated tube made from a synthetic resin with favorable flexibility. The corrugated tube is not limited to a circular cross section, and an oval tube is also used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the surplus length absorbing device 21 is attached below a slide door 33 of an automobile, and includes a case 22 made of synthetic resin and a rotating member 23 rotatably provided in the case 22. And a spiral spring 24 as a rotating force applying means for applying a rotating force to the rotating member 23. In addition, the slide door 33 to which the surplus length absorbing device 21 is attached has an accessory mounted above the surplus length absorbing device 21. Further, in this specification, the lower side of the gravity direction, that is, the ground side is expressed as “lower”, and the opposite side of “lower”, that is, the side away from the ground is expressed as “upper”.

  The case 22 includes a case body (substitute with reference numeral 22) and a cover (not shown). The cover is locked to the case main body 22, and the case main body 22 is fixed to the metal door panel 34 of the slide door 33 in this state. Reference numeral 27 in FIG. 1 is a flange for fixing the case main body 22 to the door panel 34. A synthetic resin door trim (not shown) is attached to the door panel 34, and the case 22 is positioned between the door panel 34 and the door trim.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the case main body 22 includes a first storage chamber 29 a that stores a rotating member 23 described later, and a second storage chamber 29 b that stores a spiral spring 24 described later. The first storage chamber 29a and the second storage chamber 29b communicate with each other, and the second storage chamber 29b is disposed on the back surface of the first storage chamber 29a when viewed from the passenger compartment side of the automobile.

  The first storage chamber 29a includes a substrate portion 28a disposed substantially parallel to the surface direction of the door panel 34, and a peripheral wall 26a erected from the outer edge of the substrate portion 28a. The 1st storage chamber 29a has the electric wire drawing-in port 32 provided in the lower end side, and the electric wire drawing-out port 31 provided in the upper end side.

  The electric wire lead-in port 32 refers to a portion where the peripheral wall 26a on the lower end side of the first accommodation chamber 29a is not provided. The wire lead-in port 32 forms a horizontally long slit-shaped opening with the cover attached to the case body 22. The other end side of the wire harness 25 is passed through the electric wire drawing port 32. The wire harness 25 moves back and forth in the electric wire lead-in port 32 according to the opening and closing of the slide door 33. In the present specification, the front side in the traveling direction of the automobile is expressed as “front”, and the rear side in the traveling direction is expressed as “rear”.

  The wire outlet 31 refers to a portion where the peripheral wall 26a on the upper end side of the first storage chamber 29a is not provided. The wire outlet 31 forms a narrow opening with the cover attached to the case body 22. One end side of the wire harness 25 is passed through the wire outlet 31. Further, the wire harness 25 is fixed to the case main body 22 with a band clip, tape, or the like at the electric wire outlet 31.

  The second storage chamber 29b includes a peripheral wall 26b erected on the opposite side of the first storage chamber 29a from the substrate portion 28a, and a substrate portion 28b connected to the outer edge of the peripheral wall 26b on the side away from the first storage chamber 29a. have. The substrate part 28b is arranged in parallel with the substrate part 28a.

  The rotating member 23 is made of a synthetic resin and includes a disk-shaped disk part 230 and a pair of wall parts 23a and 23b. The disk part 230 is rotatably attached so that the plane direction thereof is along the board part 28a. The pair of wall portions 23a and 23b are respectively erected from the outer surface of the disc portion 230 on the side away from the substrate portion 28a toward the passenger compartment and extend along the planar direction of the disc portion 230.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the pair of wall portions 23a and 23b is configured by an arcuate curved surface, and is arranged in a direction protruding toward the wall portions 23a and 23b facing each other. Are formed such that the distance from each other increases toward the outer edge of the disk portion 230 from the rotation center side. Further, the pair of wall portions 23 a and 23 b are formed such that the closest portions of the pair of wall portions 23 a and 23 b are positioned closer to the outer edge of the disk portion 230 than the rotation center of the disk portion 230. That is, one wall portion 23a is formed to have a longer circumferential distance than the other wall portion 23b. Moreover, the mutually opposing inner surface of the pair of wall portions 23a, 23b forms a “wall surface” recited in the claims. The wire harness 25 is movably passed along the plane direction of the disk portion 230 between the pair of wall portions 23a and 23b.

  The spiral spring 24 is formed by winding a band-shaped metal member in a spiral shape. The spiral spring 24 has one end 24b positioned at the center thereof attached to the substrate portion 28b of the case main body 22 and the other end 24a positioned outside thereof as shown in FIG. It has been.

  The surplus length absorber 21 having the above-described configuration is accommodated in a case (case body) 22 in a state where the intermediate portion of the wire harness 25 is bent in an S shape in the fully closed state of the slide door 33 shown in FIG. , Absorb the extra length. Then, as the slide door 33 is opened rearward from the fully closed state of FIG. 1, the rotating member 23 rotates counterclockwise, and the wire harness 25 housed in the case 22 is electrically connected as shown in FIG. The lead-out port 32 is led out of the case 22.

  In the fully opened state of the slide door 33 shown in FIG. 2, the spiral spring 24 is in an extended state, and an elastic restoring force is generated in the clockwise direction. Then, as the slide door 33 is moved from the fully open state to the fully closed state again, the surplus length absorbing device 21 rotates the rotating member 23 clockwise by the elastic restoring force of the spiral spring 24, as shown in FIG. As described above, the wire harness 25 is housed in the case 22 in a state of being bent in an S shape. Thus, the extra length of the wire harness 25 is absorbed.

  According to the present embodiment, since the wire harness 25 is accommodated in the case 22 in a state of being bent into an S shape, the wire harness 25 can be efficiently accommodated in the case 22, and for this reason, the case 22 Can be reduced in size and height. Then, by reducing the size and height of the case 22, the degree of freedom in designing the slide door 33 can be improved, such as increasing the opening / closing amount of the window glass.

  In addition, since the wire harness 25 is fixed to the wire outlet 31 at the upper end of the case 22 close to the auxiliary equipment, the wire harness path from the case 22 to the auxiliary equipment can be minimized. Become. That is, the wire harness length can be shortened.

  Further, since the closest portions of the pair of wall portions 23a and 23b are arranged closer to the outer edge of the disk portion 230 than the rotation center of the disk portion 230, the circumferential distance of one wall portion 23a is set. It can be formed longer and the accommodation length of the wire harness 25 can be made longer. Further, the distance in the circumferential direction of the other wall portion 23b is formed to be short and the other wall portion 23b is arranged closer to the outer edge of the disk portion 230. Therefore, when the wire harness 25 is pulled, that is, the sliding door 33 When the wire harness path is opened, the wire harness path can be straightened from the wire lead-out port 31 to the wire lead-in port 32, and the wire harness path can be minimized. That is, the wire harness length can be shortened.

  In addition to the sliding door 33, the extra length absorbing device 21 described above is loosened by urging the wire harness 25 back and forth or up and down in accordance with the sliding operation of the sliding structure, with a plurality of springs in the housing direction. It is applicable to a site that absorbs Further, it is possible to arrange the surplus length absorbing device 21 vertically or horizontally in the vehicle body 36 instead of the slide door 33.

  Moreover, although the above-mentioned surplus length absorber 21 was the structure which passes the wire harness 25 between a pair of wall part 23a, 23b, the surplus length absorber of this invention is replaced with a pair of wall part 23a, 23b. For example, the wire harness 25 may be passed through a groove provided in the disk portion 230.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above only showed the typical form of this invention, and this invention is not limited to embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the surplus length absorber concerning one embodiment of this invention, and shows the state which accommodated the surplus length part of the wire harness in the case. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the extra length part of the wire harness of the extra length absorber shown by FIG. 1 was pulled out from the case. It is a front view of the surplus length absorber shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the surplus length absorber for the conventional sliding door of a motor vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

21 Surplus length absorber 22 Case 23 Rotating member 23a, 23b Wall (wall surface)
24 Spiral spring (rotation force applying means)
25 Wire harness 31 Electric wire outlet 32 Electric wire inlet 33 Slide door (movable member)
36 Vehicle body (fixing member)

Claims (5)

A surplus length absorbing device that accommodates an intermediate portion of a wire harness having one end fixed to the movable member and the other end fixed to the fixed member, and absorbing the surplus length of the wire harness,
A case for accommodating the wire harness having a wire lead-in port through which the wire harness on the other end is passed, and a wire lead-out port through which the wire harness on the one end is passed;
A rotating member rotatably provided in the case;
A rotational force applying means for applying a rotational force to the rotating member,
The rotating member has a pair of wall surfaces standing along the rotation axis direction and passing the wire harness between them;
When the rotating member rotates while the wire harness is passed between the pair of wall surfaces, the wire harness in the case is bent into an S shape and the extra length is absorbed. Extra length absorber.   The extra length according to claim 1, wherein the rotational force applying means includes a spiral spring, and one end of the spiral spring is attached to the case and the other end is attached to the rotating member. Absorber.   The pair of wall surfaces are configured by an arcuate curved surface and are arranged in a direction that protrudes toward the opposite wall surfaces, and from the rotation center side of the rotating member toward the outer edge of the rotating member. 3. The surplus length absorbing device according to claim 1, wherein the surplus length absorbing device is formed so as to be widened from each other.   The pair of wall surfaces are formed such that the closest portions of the pair of wall surfaces are positioned closer to the outer edge of the rotating member than the rotation center of the rotating member. Extra length absorber.   5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the case is attached below a slide door as the movable member of the automobile, and the wire outlet is provided above the case. 6. The surplus length absorber according to claim 1.

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