Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-27
2001-09-25
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
C174S09900B
Reexamination Certificate
active
06294736
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a protector for fixing a wire harness in which, for example, a wire harness covered with a corrugated tube is fixed.
When a plurality of pieces of wire harness are drawn around in the same route, it is common to use a protector so that the plurality of pieces of wire harness, which are gathered into one body or covered with a corrugated tube after having been gathered, can be protected by the protector for the prevention of damage caused by the contact with other members arranged close to the wire harness. As shown in
FIG. 8
, Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-88131 discloses a related structure of this type protector for fixing the wire harness.
As shown in
FIG. 8
, there is provided a harness accommodation chamber
2
in a protector body
1
. An opened face of this harness accommodation chamber
2
can be opened and closed by a cover
3
connected to the protector body
1
via a hinge
1
a
. On the harness accommodation chamber
2
side of the protector body
1
, there is provided a guide groove
1
b
. A pair of spacers
4
a
,
4
b
are insertable into this guide groove
1
b
. A semicircular notch
5
is formed in each of the pair of spacers
4
a
,
4
b
. Outside the protector body
1
, there is provided an engaging protrusion
6
. In a portion of the cover
3
, there is formed an engaging hole
7
.
In the above structure, the lower spacer
4
b
is inserted into the guide groove
1
b
of the protector body
1
. Then, wire harness
9
covered with a corrugated tube
8
is inserted into the wire harness accommodation chamber
2
. At this time, the wire harness
9
covered with the corrugated tube
8
is arranged in the notch
5
of the lower spacer
4
b
. Then, the upper spacer
4
a
is inserted into the guide groove
1
b
of the protector body
1
, and the wire harness
9
covered with the corrugated tube
8
is arranged in the notch
5
of the upper spacer
4
a
. When the cover
3
is rotated in the direction of an arrow R and set at a closed position, the engaging protrusion
6
enters the engaging hole
7
and is locked. When the locked cover
3
restricts movements of the spacers
4
a
,
4
b
, the wire harness
9
can be fixed.
As shown in
FIG. 9
, Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-133094 discloses another related example. In the structure, a protector body
1
and a cover
3
connected thereto by a hinge
1
a
are respectively formed into an L-shape, and a harness accommodation chamber
2
is composed inside the protector body
1
. In the protector body
1
, there is formed an engaging hole
7
. On the cover
3
, there is provided an engaging protrusion
6
.
In the above structure, when a bundle of pieces of wire harness (not shown) or a plurality of pieces of wire harness covered a corrugated tube (not shown) are inserted into the wire harness accommodation chamber
2
and the cover
3
is rotated in the direction of arrow R and set at the closed position, the engaging protrusion
6
is made to get into the engaging hole
7
and locked. The wire harness is fixed when movements thereof are restricted by the inner faces of the protector body
1
and the cover
3
.
Still another related example of a structure of a protector for fixing a wire harness is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-88131 as shown in FIG.
10
. In this figure, there is formed a harness accommodation chamber
2
in a protector body
1
. On the harness accommodation chamber
2
side, there is formed a guide groove
1
b
. A pair of spacers
4
a
,
4
b
are inserted into the guide groove
1
b
. In each of the pair of spacers
4
a
,
4
b
, there is formed a semicircular notch
5
. Outside the protector body
1
, there is formed an engaging hole
7
. In the upper spacer
4
a
, there is provided an engaging protrusion (not shown).
In the above structure, the lower spacer
4
b
is inserted into the guide groove
1
b
of the protector body
1
. Then, the wire harness
9
covered with a corrugated tube
8
is inserted into the harness accommodation chamber
2
. Next, the upper spacer
4
a
is inserted into the guide groove
1
b
of the protector body
1
. Due to the foregoing, the wire harness
9
is gradually arranged in the notches of the pair of spacers
4
a
,
4
b
. At the same time, the engaging protrusion of the upper spacer
4
a
engages with the engaging hole
7
and is locked. When the engaging protrusion is locked by the engaging hole
7
, movements of the pair of spacers
4
a
,
4
b
are restricted and thereby the wire harness
9
can be fixed.
However, the following problems may be encountered in the above related structures. Movements of the wire harness
9
covered with the corrugated tube
8
are restricted by the spacers
4
a
,
4
b
. Alternatively, movements of the wire harness
9
covered with the corrugated tube
8
are restricted by the inner faces of the protector body
1
and the cover
3
. For the above reasons, only a corrugated tube
8
, the diameter of which is predetermined, and only pieces of wire harness
9
, the entire diameter of which is predetermined, can be fixed by the above related structures. Accordingly, it is necessary to change the protector according to the diameter of the corrugated tube
8
or the wire harness
9
. Alternatively, it is necessary to change the spacers
4
a
,
4
b
, the diameters of the notches
5
of which are different.
In the related structures, when the corrugated tube
8
or the wire harness
9
is given an external force, this external force acts on the cover
3
and the spacer
4
a
. Accordingly, the cover
3
is deflected and deformed by the external force given to the corrugated tube
8
and the wire harness
9
, and the engaging protrusion
6
is disengaged from the engaging hole
7
. In this case, there is a possibility that the cover
3
is disconnected from the protector body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished to solve the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of a protector for fixing wire harness wherein the wire harness can be fixed irrespective of the diameters of the corrugated tube and the wire harness; and the cover is not disengaged from the protector body by an external force given to the wire harness. Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of a protector for fixing wire harness, which can be manufactured by integral molding, characterized in that: the wire harness can be fixed irrespective of the diameters of the corrugated tube and the wire harness; and the cover is not disengaged from the protector body by an external force given to the wire harness.
In order to achieve the above object, there is provided a protector for fixing a wire harness comprising: a protector body having a chamber for accommodating the wire harness; a flexible band member one end of which is supported by one side wall of the protector body as a base end and the other end of which is a free end drawable inside the chamber, the flexible band including a first engaging member on the free end thereof; a locking member provided on an inner face of the chamber, the locking member arranged so as to be able to lock the first engaging member of the band member which is wound on an outer periphery of the wire harness accommodated within the chamber.
In the protector, the first engaging member is formed on the free end side of the band member with a predetermined length.
According to the protector for fixing wire harness, the band member is directly wound round a bundle of wire harness or a plurality of pieces of wire harness covered with a corrugated tube which are accommodated in the chamber, and the first engaging member of the wound band member is locked by the locking member. Therefore, a fastening position of fastening the band member can be freely changed according to the diameter of the wire harness. Since the wire harness is accommodated in the chamber being directly fastened by the band member or being fastened by the band
Goto Yasuyoshi
Takeda Ikuo
Yamazaki Kenji
Nino Adolfo
Reichard Dean A.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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