Pipes and tubular conduits – Combined – With means to support disparate element therein
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-13
2003-12-30
Brinson, Patrick (Department: 3725)
Pipes and tubular conduits
Combined
With means to support disparate element therein
C138S110000, C138S156000, C248S074400, C285S419000, C174S092000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06668865
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary holder for corrugated tube holding rotatably a corrugated tube in which a wire harness is received.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the interior of a slide door used on a one-box car mounted are automotive electric equipments such as a power window motor, a door lock unit, or speaker. A wire harness is' wired up between a vehicle body and the sliding door, in order to supply electric power from the vehicle body to these automotive electric equipments and to exchange control signals between the automotive electric equipments and the vehicle body. Wiring up the wire harness at the site requires that such a structure as to correspond to opening and closing of the sliding door is employed. A rotary holder for corrugated tube has been conventionally used as a part for wiring up the wire harness in corresponding to the opening and closing of the sliding door.
A rotary holder for corrugated tube shown in
FIGS. 1-3
has been conventionally known. The rotary holder for corrugated tube
1
is composed of, as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, an outer fixing body
2
and an inner rotary body S received rotatablly in the interior of the outer fixing body
2
. In the interior of the inner rotary body
3
held is a corrugated tube
4
containing a wire harness W therein.
As shown in FIG.
1
and
FIG. 2
, by butting a butt surface
5
a
of a base member
5
to a butt surface
6
a
of a cover
6
, the outer fixing body
2
is assembled. At the center of the outer fixing body
2
formed is an inner rotary chamber
7
At the one end portion of the outer fixing body
2
provided is a harness support portion
8
for receiving the wire harness W having appeared from the interior of the corrugated tube. Further, at the other end
5
portion of the outer fixing body
2
provided is a tube bend restraint portion
9
for receiving the corrugated tube
4
and also for exposing the corrugated tube
4
to the exterior of the outer fixing body
2
. And, the wire harness W appearing from the harness support portion
8
is wired up to a vehicle body (not shown in the figure), and the wire harness W within the corrugated tube
4
appearing from the tube bend restraint portion
9
is wired up to a sliding door (not shown in the figure).
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the inner rotary body
3
is composed of a pair of divided rotary member
10
,
10
in the shape of a semi-cylinder having round arch surfaces
10
a
on the outer circumference of itself. By butting a butt surface
10
b
of one divided rotary member
10
to a butt surface
10
b
of the other divided rotary member
10
, the inner rotary body
3
is assembled. The inner rotary body
3
is received rotatably within the inner rotary chamber
7
of the outer fixing body
2
, holding the corrugated tube
4
within the interior of the inner rotary body
3
.
When a wiring path of the corrugated tube
4
is varied due to opening and closing motion of the sliding door under the above configuration, movement of the corrugated tube
4
is restrained by the tube bend restraint portion
9
of the outer fixing body
2
. Thereby, the corrugated tube
4
, as shown by the arrow in
FIG. 3
, rotates and bends within the interior of the tube bend restraint portion
9
, sliding on the inner surface of the tube bend restraint portion
9
. Through such movement of the corrugated tube
4
, the sliding door is opened and closed smoothly, and damage of the corrugated tube
4
and the wire harness W in the corrugated tube
4
is also reduced when opening and closing the sliding door.
However, in the conventional rotary holder for corrugated tube, since the butt surfaces
5
a
and
6
a
of the base member
5
and the cover
6
respectively composing the outer fixing body
2
are disposed on the inner surface of the tube bend restraint portion
9
of the outer fixing body
2
and also in the tube slide area on which the corrugated tube
4
slides, it has been liable to occur that the corrugated tube may strike, during sliding movement of the corrugated tube
4
, against an indentation portion formed at the site where the butt surfaces
5
a
and
6
a
are engaged, and smooth sliding of the corrugated tube
4
may be prevented as shown in FIG.
4
.
Further, it has been also liable to occur that the butt surface
5
a
of the base member
5
may displace from the butt surface
6
a
of the cover
6
due to failure of locking means
11
and
12
provided on the base member
5
and the cover
6
, respectively. And it has been still liable that once the displacement between the butt surfaces
5
a
and
6
a
occur, a dislocation may be generated in an indentation portion formed at the site where the butt surface
5
a
of the base member
5
is engaged with the butt surface
6
a
of the cover
6
, and the smooth sliding of the corrugated tube may further be prevented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to provide a rotary holder for corrugated tube wherein the corrugated tube can always move smoothly on an inner surface of a tube bend restraint portion of an outer fixing body.
In order to attain the above object, the present invention provides a rotary holder for corrugated tube, comprising: an outer fixing body formed by assembling a cover portion onto a base member, receiving rotatablly a corrugate tube; and a tube bend restraint portion provided at the end portion of the outer fixing body, for restraining a bend of the corrugated tube within a given range; wherein a tube slide area in which the corrugated tube slides on an inner surface of the tube bend restraint portion is formed only in either the base member or the cover portion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3711633 (1973-01-01), Ghirardi et al.
patent: 4470622 (1984-09-01), Pate et al.
patent: 4478278 (1984-10-01), Klein
patent: 6085795 (2000-07-01), Ogawa et al.
patent: 6595473 (2003-07-01), Aoki et al.
patent: 2003/0102142 (2003-06-01), Miyamoto et al.
patent: 1312511 (2003-05-01), None
patent: 1312845 (2003-05-01), None
patent: 008922 (1999-01-01), None
patent: 002364 (2000-01-01), None
patent: 197244 (2000-07-01), None
Miyamoto Masaji
Muraoka Tadashi
Wakamatsu Hiroyuki
Brinson Patrick
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Yazaki -Corporation
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