Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-01
2001-05-08
Riley, Shawn (Department: 2838)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
Reexamination Certificate
active
06229090
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wire harness fixing structure in an instrument panel and also to an instrument panel. More specifically, the invention relates to a wire harness fixing structure in which a harness fixing portion, which enables the discharge of water, for example, resulting from dew condensation developing in a harness installation passage, is formed in the harness installation passage so as to fix a wire harness. The invention also relates to an instrument panel having such a fixing structure.
2. Related Art
FIG. 10
shows an instrument panel of a vehicle, such as an automobile, disclosed in Japanese Patent unexamined Publication No. 5-77659.
This instrument panel
1
comprises an upper instrument panel member
2
and a lower instrument panel member
3
both of which are made of a synthetic resin. A meter hood
4
is adapted to be mounted on the upper instrument panel member
2
.
Air outlet ports
5
for defrosting purposes are formed in a front end portion of the upper instrument panel member
2
, and air outlet ports
6
and
7
for air-conditioning purposes are formed respectively in opposite (right and left) side portions (with respect to the passenger room of the vehicle) and, a central portion of the upper instrument panel member
2
. Covers
6
a
and
7
a
, each having an air blowout condition adjusting function (such as the direction and amount of the air), are provided respectively in the air outlet ports
6
and
7
.
The upper instrument panel member
2
has a tray
8
for holding small articles. The meter hood
4
is adapted to be mounted on a mounting portion
9
formed at the upper instrument panel member
2
, and meters (not shown), including a speedometer and a tachometer, are provided within this meter hood.
In
FIGS. 10 and 11
, an air duct
10
for air-conditioning purposes, an air duct
11
for defrosting purposes, and a harness installation passage
12
for receiving circuit members mounted on the instrument panel
1
(see
FIG. 10
) are formed in a parting engagement surface of the lower instrument panel member
3
for engagement with the upper instrument panel member
2
(see FIG.
10
). Each of the air ducts
10
and
11
and the harness installation passage
12
has a channel-shaped cross-section. An air introducing port
13
for introducing the air from an air-conditioning unit (not shown) is formed at the air duct
10
. Similarly, an air introducing port
14
is formed in the air duct
11
.
In the example shown in
FIG. 10
, electrically-conductive stripes, corresponding to a wire harness, are coated or printed directly on the harness installation passage
12
.
As shown in
FIG. 12
, air ducts
16
and
17
and a harness installation passage
18
, corresponding respectively to the air ducts
10
and
11
(see
FIG. 11
) and the harness installation passage
12
(see FIG.
11
), are formed in a parting engagement surface of the upper instrument panel member
2
for engagement with the lower instrument panel member
3
. When the upper and lower instrument panel members
2
and
3
are engaged with each other, the various ducts and the passage are formed. In the above conventional technique, the instrument panel
1
has a two-piece construction, that is, the upper instrument panel member
2
and the lower instrument panel member
3
, as shown in FIG.
10
. Therefore, the air ducts
10
(
16
) and
11
(
17
) and the harness installation passage
12
(
18
) can be formed integrally in the instrument panel member by molding. Also, with respect to the air ducts
10
(
16
) and
11
(
17
) for example , a connection tube or a bellows tube for the air duct is not required. Thus the assembling process is simplified.
On the other hand, the harness installation passages
12
and
18
are formed along the air ducts
10
and
16
, respectively, as shown in FIG.
13
. Therefore, even if care is taken so as to prevent the air from leaking from the air ducts
10
and
16
through a portion indicated by arrow P, there is a possibility that dew condensation will develop on the inner surfaces of the harness installation passages
12
and
18
because of a change of the ambient temperature (to which the instrument panel
1
is subjected) and the temperature difference between the air ducts
10
and
16
and the harness installation passages
12
and
18
.
Water, resulting from this condensation, will collect in the harness installation passages
12
and
18
, which is undesirable from the electrical point of view.
The electrically-conductive stripes
15
are provided in the harness installation passage
12
(
18
) as shown in FIG.
10
. However, in the case where a wire harness
19
is installed as shown in
FIG. 13
, this wire harness
19
needs to be fixed so that it will not be dislodged. More specifically, in order to suppress the shaking of the wire harness
19
due to vibrations developing during the travel of the vehicle, the wire harness
19
must be fixed by bonding it directly to the instrument panel member or by using protectors or clips (not shown) attached in advance to the wire harness
19
.
Therefore, the number of the component parts increases, so that the mounting operation is complicated.
Further, in the case of using the above protectors or the clips (not shown), a certain degree of dimensional accuracy is required when manufacturing the wire harness
19
so that the protectors or the clips can be mounted respectively on predetermined portions of the wire harness. Therefore, the mounting operation is further complicated, and this affects the productivity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the above problems in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a wire harness fixing structure in an instrument panel, as well as an instrument panel, in which a wire harness can be fixed without the use of an adhesive and separate members such as clips, the mounting error can be absorbed when fixing the wire harness, and water due to dew condensation and the like can be easily discharged.
The above problems have been solved by a wire harness fixing structure in an instrument panel, wherein a harness installation passage of a generally channel-shaped cross-section for receiving a wire harness, installed on the instrument panel, is formed in parting engagement surfaces of upper and lower instrument panel members jointly forming the instrument panel, and the wire harness is fixed to the harness installation passage; characterized in that a harness fixing portion is provided at the harness installation passage, and the harness fixing portion includes an opening, and a fixing portion extending from one side edge of the opening and spaced predetermined distances from the other side edges of the opening, the opening serving also as a discharge port for discharging water due to dew condensation, developing in the harness installation passage. Further, the portion of the wire harness, disposed at the harness fixing portion, is bent into a generally U-shape, and is received in the opening, so that the fixing portion holds the bent portion of the wire harness, thereby fixing the wire harness to the harness installation passage.
In the above wire harness fixing structure in the instrument panel, the harness fixing portion, including the opening and the fixing portion, is provided at the harness installation passage formed in the parting engagement surfaces of the upper and lower instrument panel members jointly forming the instrument panel, and the harness fixing portion fixes the wire harness installed in the harness installation passage.
The opening of the harness fixing portion serves also as the discharge port for discharging water due to dew condensation, developing in the harness installation passage. The fixing portion extends from one side edge of the opening, and is spaced predetermined distances from the other side edges of the opening.
With this fixing structure, separate members, such as clips, do not need to be attached to the wire harness in advance , so that the productivity of the wire harne
Kawaguchi Kenichiro
Kogure Naoto
Nishijima Masataka
Nishitani Keizo
Riley Shawn
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
Wire harness fixing structure in an instrument panel does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Wire harness fixing structure in an instrument panel, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Wire harness fixing structure in an instrument panel will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2519937