Wire harness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10238019-B2
Application number	US-201816039401-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2018
Priority date	Aug 7, 2017
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A wire harness includes a plurality of electric wires, a plurality of tubular metal pipes corresponding the number to the plurality of electric wires, each of the plurality of electric wires being inserted through respective one of the plurality of tubular metal pipes, a connector configured to be connected to end portions of the plurality of electric wires, and a tubular metal connecting portion provided at a pipe end portion of each of the plurality of pipes and connected to the connector. Each of the pipes has a rigidity capable of self-holding a bent shape thereof when each of the pipes are bent. The connecting portion has a flexibility incapable of self-holding a bent shape thereof when the connecting portion is bent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wire harness comprising:
a plurality of electric wires each including a plurality of conductors and an insulator covering the conductors;
a plurality of tubular metal pipes corresponding to the number to the plurality of electric wires in a one-to-one ratio, each of the plurality of electric wires being inserted through respective one of the plurality of tubular metal pipes and isolated to be not in contact with each other so that heat interference between the electric wires is suppressed;
a connector configured to be connected to end portions of the plurality of electric wires; and
a tubular metal connecting portion provided at a pipe end portion of each of the plurality of pipes and connected to the connector,
wherein each of the pipes has a rigidity capable of self-holding a bent shape thereof when each of the pipes are bent, and
wherein the connecting portion has a flexibility incapable of self-holding a bent shape thereof when the connecting portion is bent.

2. The wire harness according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion is a bellows-shaped first part or a braided conductor which is made of metal and configured to be bendable by an external force smaller than one capable of bending the pipe.

3. The wire harness according to claim 2 , wherein the first part is a seamlessly continuous portion from the pipe without joint parts therebetween.

4. The wire harness according to claim 1 , wherein an intermediate portion of the pipe includes a tubular metal second part formed into a bellows shape which is configured to be bendable by an external force smaller than one capable of bending the pipe and self-hold a bent shape of the pipe when the pipe is bent.

5. The wire harness according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a conductive binding member configured to bind the plurality of pipes and fix the plurality of pipes to an attachment object.

6. The wire harness according to claim 5 , wherein the binding member has a shape complementary to the plurality of pipes so as to abut against the plurality of pipes.

7. The wire harness according to claim 1 , wherein the pipes and the connecting portions corresponding to each of the plurality of electric wires are aligned in a same configuration.

8. The wire harness according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion has a bellows-shaped first part which is made of metal;
wherein the pipe has a bellows-shaped second part which is made of metal and a straight pipe-shaped third part which is made of metal; and
wherein a wall thickness of the first part is smaller than a wall thickness of the third part and is smaller than a wall thickness of the second part.

Assignees

• Yazaki Corp

Inventors

• Ito Yuto
• Shionome Yoshio
• Oguri Takashi
• Omori Jin

Classifications

• H01B7/0045

  Cable-harnesses · CPC title

• H02G3/0468

  Corrugated · CPC title

• B60R16/0215 Primary

  Protecting, fastening and routing means therefor · CPC title

• H02G3/32

  using mounting clamps · CPC title

• H02G3/0481

  with a circular cross-section (H02G3/0468, H02G3/0475 take precedence) · CPC title