Electric wire conductor, covered electric wire, and wiring harness

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10658092-B2
Application number	US-201716342505-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2017
Priority date	Nov 8, 2016
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

An electric wire conductor having both flexibility and a space-saving property, a covered electric wire, and a wiring harness containing such an electric wire conductor. The electric wire conductor contains a plurality of elemental wires, and has a flat portion in which a cross-section intersecting an axial direction of the wire strand has a flat shape. In the cross-section of the flat portion, a vacancy ratio defined as a ratio of vacancies not occupied by the elemental wires is 17% or higher. Further, a covered electric wire contains the electric wire conductor and an insulator covering the electric wire conductor. Furthermore, a wiring harness contains the covered electric wire.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric wire conductor comprising a wire strand comprising a plurality of elemental wires twisted together, the conductor having a flat portion where a cross-section of the wire strand intersecting an axial direction of the wire strand has a flat shape, the flat portion having a vacancy ratio of 17% or higher, the vacancy ratio defined as a ratio of vacancies not occupied by the elemental wires or any other substance in the cross-section of the flat portion,
wherein deformation ratios of the elemental wires at peripheral end parts in a width direction are 70% or lower of deformation ratios of the elemental wires at center parts.

2. The electric wire conductor according to claim 1 , wherein the vacancy ratio is 40% or lower.

3. The electric wire conductor according to claim 1 , wherein the deformation ratios of the elemental wires at the peripheral end parts are 50% or lower of the deformation ratios of the elemental wires at the center parts.

4. The electric wire conductor according to claim 1 , wherein the deformation ratios of the elemental wires at the peripheral end parts are 10% or lower of the deformation ratios of the elemental wires at the center parts.

5. The electric wire conductor according to claim 1 , wherein the cross-section of the flat portion comprises a continuous vacancy capable of accommodating two or more of the elemental wires.

6. The electric wire conductor according to claim 1 , wherein
the cross-section of the flat portion includes opposing edges along a width direction of the flat shape being parallel to each other; and
deformation ratios of the elemental wires are lower at end parts of the opposing edges of the flat portion than at a center part of the flat portion.

7. The electric wire conductor according to claim 1 , comprising the flat portion and a low-flatness portion having a flatness lower than the flat portion, wherein the flat portion and the low-flatness portion are continuously disposed in the axial direction.

8. The electric wire conductor according to claim 1 , wherein a number of the elemental wires contained in the wire strand is 50 or more.

9. A covered electric wire comprising:
the electric wire conductor according to claim 1 ; and
an insulator covering the electric wire conductor.

10. A wiring harness comprising the covered electric wire according to claim 9 .

11. The wiring harness according to claim 10 , comprising a plurality of the covered electric wires, wherein
the plurality of the covered electric wires are aligned along at least one of the width direction of the electric wire conductor and a height direction intersecting the width direction, and
the wiring harness further comprises at least one of a heat dissipation sheet disposed between the plurality of the covered electric wires and a heat dissipation sheet commonly contacting the plurality of the covered electric wires.

12. The wiring harness according to claim 11 , comprising the plurality of the covered electric wires aligned at least along the height direction.

13. The wiring harness according to claim 12 , wherein
interposing sheets made of a heat dissipation material are disposed between the plurality of the covered electric wires aligned along the height direction, and
a connection member made of a heat dissipation material is disposed mutually connecting the interposing sheets.

14. The wiring harness according to claim 10 , comprising a first covered electric wire and a second covered electric wire, wherein
the first covered electric wire comprises the covered electric wire comprising the electric wire conductor made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and
the second covered electric wire comprises an electric wire conductor made of copper or a copper alloy having a lower flatness and a smaller conductor cross-sectional area than the electric wire conductor of the first covered electric wire.

15. The wiring harness according to claim 14 , wherein a conductor cross-sectional area of the second covered electric wire is 0.13 mm 2 or smaller.

16. An electric wire conductor comprising a wire strand comprising a plurality of elemental wires twisted together, the conductor having a flat portion where a cross-section of the wire strand intersecting an axial direction of the wire strand has a flat shape, the flat portion having a vacancy ratio of 17% or higher, the vacancy ratio defined as a ratio of vacancies not occupied by the elemental wires or any other substance in the cross-section of the flat portion,
wherein the cross-section of the flat portion comprises a continuous vacancy capable of accommodating two or more of the elemental wires.

17. The wiring harness according to claim 10 , comprising a plurality of the covered electric wires having different conductor cross-sectional areas,
wherein the plurality of the covered electric wires are aligned at least along the width direction of the electric wire conductor, and have uniform length in a height direction intersecting the width direction.

Assignees

• Autonetworks Technologies Ltd
• Sumitomo Wiring Systems
• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• OOI Hayato
• Otsuka Yasuyuki
• Taguchi Kinji
• Tanji Toru

Classifications

• H01B7/0045 Primary

  Cable-harnesses · CPC title

• H01B7/08

  Flat or ribbon cables · CPC title

• B60R16/0207

  Wire harnesses · CPC title

• H01B7/0009

  Details relating to the conductive cores · CPC title

• H01B7/292 Primary

  using material resistant to heat · CPC title