Wire harness routing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11420573-B2
Application number	US-201917050960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2019
Priority date	May 16, 2018
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

A wire harness routing apparatus includes: a wire harness arranged between a base portion provided in a vehicle and a seat that is provided so as to be able to rotate with respect to the base portion; a case that can rotate together with the seat while accommodating the wire harness; and a base-side fixing portion that fixes, to the base portion, an end portion of the wire harness pulled out toward the base portion from the case, and that can rotate relative to the case accompanying rotation of the seat. The case includes a first accommodation portion that is arranged inside of a range of a rotational path on which the base-side fixing portion rotates relative to the case, and a second accommodation portion that is provided bulging from a portion that is different from the range of the rotational path on which the base-side fixing portion rotates.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wire harness routing apparatus comprising:
a wire harness arranged between a base portion provided in a vehicle and a seat configured to be able to rotate with respect to the base portion;
a case configured to rotate together with the seat while accommodating the wire harness; and
a base-side fixing portion that fixes, to the base portion, an end portion of the wire harness pulled out toward the base portion from the case, and is configured to rotate relative to the case accompanying rotation of the seat,
wherein the case includes a first accommodation portion that is provided about a rotational axis of the seat and is arranged on an inner side of a range of a path on which the base-side fixing portion rotates relative to the case, and
a second accommodation portion that is provided bulging outward from a portion that is different from the range of the path on which the base-side fixing portion rotates in the first accommodation portion.

2. The wire harness routing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first accommodation portion includes a circular portion that is formed into an approximately circular shape such that a portion of an outer shape of the first accommodation portion conforms to a rotational path of the base-side fixing portion.

3. The wire harness routing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the second accommodation portion is formed continuously with an end portion of the circular portion so as to conform to a tangent line of the circular portion.

4. The wire harness routing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the second accommodation portion includes, in a bulging end portion, a curved portion along which the wire harness is arranged in a bent condition, and
the radius of curvature of the curved portion is set to be greater than an allowable radius of curvature of the wire harness.

5. The wire harness routing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
a seat-side fixing portion for fixing an end portion on the seat side of the wire harness toward the rotational center of the case, and a harness accommodation portion arranged outward in a radial direction with respect to the seat-side fixing portion are provided in the circular portion,
the wire harness is accommodated in the harness accommodation portion when the case is rotated in one direction, and the wire harness is accommodated in the second accommodation portion when the case is rotated in another direction, which is a direction opposite to the one direction, and
the second accommodation portion is provided at a position on a side opposite to that of the harness accommodation portion, using the seat-side fixing portion as a reference.

6. The wire harness routing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the harness accommodation portion includes a first inner circumferential surface that is located on an outer side in a radial direction and is provided in a circular arc shape, and a second inner circumferential surface that is formed curved on the seat-side fixing portion side so as to oppose the first inner circumferential surface, and
the harness accommodation portion is formed such that a distance between a central portion of the second inner circumferential surface and the first inner circumferential surface is the greatest.

7. The wire harness routing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the second inner circumferential surface is formed such that its radius of curvature increases the more spaced apart the second inner circumferential surface is from the position at which the wire harness is fixed in the seat-side fixing portion.

8. The wire harness routing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the wire harness includes an outer covering body that is configured to bend only in one direction, and a wire that is inserted through the outer covering body and is configured to move together with the outer covering body in the case.

9. The wire harness routing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the seat-side fixing portion includes an outer covering body fixing portion for fixing the outer covering body, and a wire fixing portion for fixing the wire pulled out from the outer covering body, and
a wire excess length absorption portion for accommodating the wire pulled out from the outer covering body when the wire harness moves in the case is provided between the outer covering body fixing portion and the wire fixing portion in the seat-side fixing portion.

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Yamamoto Satoshi

Classifications

• B60N2/14

  rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access (B60N2/10 {, B60N2/2869} take precedence) · CPC title

• H01B7/0045

  Cable-harnesses · CPC title

• H02G11/00

  Arrangements of electric cables or lines between relatively-movable parts · CPC title

• B60R16/0215 Primary

  Protecting, fastening and routing means therefor · CPC title

• B60N2/90

  Details or parts not otherwise provided for · CPC title