Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-06
2004-10-26
Patel, Dhiru R (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
C174S068300, C174S0450TD, C174S135000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06809264
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feeder assembly of a car sliding door, which is provided with a protector for a wiring harness disposed in the car sliding door particularly to supply an electrical power from a car body side to a slide door side via the wiring harness. A resilient member is provided within the protector to prevent an undesirable slack of the wiring harness.
2. Related Art
One-box type or ban type cars have been conventionally furnished with a sliding door. Such a slide door is provided with a plurality of auxiliary units including electrical equipment and a switch unit. Various types of feeder assemblies and structures have been proposed to electrically connect the auxiliary units to a battery disposed in a side of a car body.
Since a wiring harness is employed to electrically connect the car body side to the sliding door side, a slack of the wiring harness which is caused by the opening movement of the sliding door must be appropriately handled. For example, a spring is provided to resiliently support the wiring harness within the sliding door to limit the slack of the wiring harness.
Furthermore, to prevent an interruption of the wiring harness with other parts such as the auxiliary units during the opening and closing movements of the sliding door within the sliding door, the wiring harness is covered by a flexible tube made of a resin material, or a harness protection space is provided in the sliding door to receive a bent portion of the wiring harness.
However, a desirable free arrangement of the auxiliary units within the sliding door may be limited due to the provision of the harness protection space. When a resilient member is provided within the harness protection space to resiliently support the wiring harness to limit the slack of the wiring harness, the resilient member may interfere with the wiring harness, casing a damage of the wiring harness. A longer or complicated route of the wiring harness is required for eliminating the interruption of the resilient member with the wiring harness. This disadvantageously needs a larger protection structure for the wiring harness as well as a larger arrangement space for the wiring harness in the sliding door side.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforementioned disadvantages, an object of the invention is to provide a feeder assembly of a car sliding door which allows a desirable free arrangement of auxiliary units even when a harness protecting member is employed in the car sliding door. Furthermore, when a resilient member is provided within a harness protection space to resiliently support the wiring harness to limit the slack of the wiring harness, the feeder assembly of the sliding door does not cause the resilient member to interfere with the wiring harness. The wiring harness can be easily arranged in the sliding door without an undesirably longer route thereof. Thus, the feeder assembly does not require a larger protection structure for the wiring harness to achieve a reduced space for arranging the feeder assembly within the sliding door.
For achieving the object, a feeder assembly of a car sliding door according to the present invention has a protector in which a wiring harness is arranged for electrically connecting a sliding door side with a car body side. The assembly comprises a generally circumferential wall positioned inside the protector and an auxiliary unit disposed within the circumferential wall, the auxiliary unit connected to the wiring harness.
This configuration makes use of a space inside the protector, allowing a free arrangement of the auxiliary unit in a side of the sliding door. The provision of the protector does not decrease an arrangement space of the auxiliary unit in the side of the sliding door. Furthermore, the circumferential wall prevents the auxiliary unit from interfering with the wiring harness, causing no damage of the wiring harness and the auxiliary unit due to the interference.
Preferably, the assembly further comprises a resilient member resiliently urging the wiring harness within the protector in a direction to prevent slack of the wiring harness, and the circumferential wall also serves as a stopper to limit bending of the resilient member.
Thereby, when an opening movement of the sliding door causes the resilient member to be bent further so that the resilient member abuts against the circumferential wall. The abutment prevents an excessive bent of the resilient member, causing no damage of the resilient member and the wiring harness due to the excessive bent thereof. The auxiliary unit is protected within the circumferential wall not to interfere with the resilient member and the wiring harness.
Preferably, the assembly further comprises an inside harness insertion hole and an outside harness insertion hole which are formed in the circumferential wall, the outside harness insertion hole leading the wiring harness outside the protector, the inside harness insertion hole leading the wiring harness inside the protector.
Thereby, the wiring harness is led outward through the outside harness insertion hole so that the wiring harness does not interfere with the circumferential wall. In the mean time, the wiring harness is led inward through the inside harness insertion hole so that the wiring harness can be connected to the auxiliary unit disposed in the circumferential wall via a shorter route. This minimizes and simplifies the structure of the protector to require a smaller accommodation space in the sliding door side.
Preferably, the circumferential wall has a bottom deeper than a base plate of the protector. Thereby, an enlarged space for receiving the auxiliary unit is provided, allowing an easy, sure arrangement of a larger auxiliary unit which will be more freely designed.
Preferably, the inside harness insertion hole of the circumferential wall is disposed between the bottom of the wall and the base pate of the protector.
Thereby, the wiring harness is inwardly led along the base plate and is inserted almost straight into the inside harness insertion hole, i.e. without a bent. This enables an easy insertion work of the wiring harness and eliminates an aging damage of the wiring harness due to a bending deformation of the wiring harness.
Preferably, the auxiliary unit is secured by a fixing means and/or a locking means.
Thereby, the auxiliary unit is easily locked by the locking means and is secured by the fixing means within the protector. The auxiliary unit may be preliminarily positioned by the locking means and may be finally secured by the fixing means. This enables a sure, easy securing work thereof.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6076883 (2000-06-01), Labonde et al.
patent: 6108976 (2000-08-01), Kato et al.
patent: 6290283 (2001-09-01), Fukumoto et al.
patent: 6515229 (2003-02-01), Aoki et al.
patent: 6566603 (2003-05-01), Doshita et al.
patent: 6593529 (2003-07-01), Nakata et al.
patent: 2002-17031 (2002-01-01), None
patent: 2002-84643 (2002-03-01), None
British Search Report dated Jan. 30, 2003.
Fukumoto Ryoichi
Watanabe Hiroshi
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Patel Dhiru R
Yazaki -Corporation
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