Electricity: conductors and insulators – Insulators
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-03
2001-12-11
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Insulators
C264S045500, C264S045600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06329602
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tube for wiring harnesses which is fitted over a cable or cables of a wiring harness for protecting the same and/or preventing noises caused by the hitting of the cables with each other, and more particularly to a tube for wiring harnesses which is improved in fittability over the cable or cables of a wiring harness.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in
FIG. 18
, a wiring harness
50
consists of a trunk
51
and a plurality of cables
55
branched from the trunk
51
. The cables
55
each has a terminal
59
attached at the end which is received and locked in a connector housing
54
to form a connector
54
′.
The plurality of cables
55
, however, are loose at between the trunk
51
and the connector
54
′ and caused to hit each other, resulting in noises and damages to their sheaths.
Thus, to prevent the noises and damages to the cables' sheaths, a sheet
56
for wiring harnesses is conventionally used. The sheet
56
, as shown in
FIG. 19
, has a multiplicity of minute bubbles
57
inside and is on one surface coated with an adhesive
58
. The plurality of loose cables
55
are placed at a center on the adhesive-coated surface of the sheet
56
, followed by folding the sheet
56
into halves to bundle the cables
55
therebetween. The noises and damages to the cables' sheaths are thus prevented.
The sheet
56
, however, entails a drawback that its halves, once applied to each other, are troublesome to separate, especially when applied erroneously or slantwise, making the sheet unsuited for reuse. Thus, wasteful labor and time have been required in the folding operation of the sheet
56
.
As a countermeasure to the above, as shown in
FIG. 21
, a tube
60
for wiring harnesses of a foamed and flexible material having a multiplicity of minute bubbles
57
(
FIG. 19
) has been used in place of the sheet
56
. A cable or cables
55
each with a terminal
59
are inserted through the tube
60
to be protected therein and to subsequently bring the terminal
59
into locked position in the connector housing
54
.
There is a drawback, however, to the conventional tube
60
for wiring harnesses that the terminal
59
, during its sliding advancement through the tube, get caught in the irregularities on the inner circumferential surface
61
of the tube formed by the multiplicity of bubbles
57
(FIG.
19
), obstructing a smooth advancement of the terminal through the tube.
If in this case the terminal
59
is forcibly pushed in, deformations of the terminal
59
and/or damages to the tube
60
will be caused. Further, the terminal
59
forcibly pushed in will shave the inner circumferential surface
61
of the tube
60
to produce shavings which will possibly stick to the terminal
59
and cause a contact failure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been accomplished to overcome the above drawbacks and an object of this invention is to provide a tube for wiring harnesses which enables a terminal to be smoothly inserted therethrough and/or which protects therein a cable or cables constituting a wiring harness.
In order to attain the object, according to an aspect of this invention, there is provided a tube for wiring harnesses which comprises: a cylindrical body for passage therethrough of a terminal-attached cable branched from a wiring harness, the cylindrical body being made of a foamed flexible sheet having a multiplicity of minute bubbles; and a cover means which smoothens an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body along which the terminal-attached cable slides when passing through the cylindrical body.
In the tube for wiring harnesses of the above construction, because the cover means provides a smooth slide surface for the terminal attached to the cable, the terminal, when passing through the cylindrical body, does not catch in the irregularities on the inner circumferential surface thereof formed by the bubbles, thereby allowing a smooth sliding advancement of the terminal-attached cable.
Preferably, the cover means comprises an applied film covering the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body.
Advantageously, the applied film is of polyester.
Preferably, the cover means comprises a coated layer covering the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body.
Advantageously, the coated layer comprises a flexible settable adhesive or a flexible resin.
Preferably, the cover means comprises a layer covering the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body, which is provided by fusing a surface of the sheet constituting the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body at a temperature over a softening temperature thereof and allowing the surface of the sheet to cool.
Advantageously, the surface of the sheet is applied with a pressure while being fused to provide the layer.
Preferably, the applied film which covers the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body has a high heat shrinkability and thermosettability and becomes larger in thickness when heated and thereafter cooled.
Advantageously, the applied film and thus the cylindrical body are used to directly cover an electric component such as a connector.
Preferably, the cylindrical body with the applied film is extended in accordance with a laying path of a wiring harness and is heated and thereafter cooled to be put in a shape following the laying path of the wiring harness.
According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a tube for wiring harnesses which comprises: a cylindrical body for fitting over a cable, the cylindrical body being made of a foamed flexible sheet having a multiplicity of minute bubbles; and a flexible film applied to one surface of the foamed flexible sheet, the film having heat shrinkability, wherein the foamed flexible sheet with the flexible film is heated and thereafter cooled such that shrinkage of the flexible film causes the foamed flexible sheet to spontaneously roll into the cylindrical body.
In the tube for wiring harnesses of the above construction, because the foamed flexible sheet having on one surface the heat shrinkable film is heated, the heat shrinkable film shrinks to cause the foamed flexible sheet to spontaneously roll on the heat shrinkable film side into a cylindrical shape and into the cylindrical body.
Preferably, the cylindrical body has an overlap portion in which circumferentially opposite end portions thereof overlap each other.
Preferably, a dimension of the overlap portion in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical body is optionally settable.
Advantageously, the flexible film is of polyester.
Preferably, the tube for wiring harnesses further comprises a thin, flexible adhesive tape wound around an outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical body.
Preferably, the adhesive tape is wound around such that the cylindrical body is reduced in diameter at a portion where the adhesive tape is wound.
Preferably, the adhesive tape is wound around opposite end portions of the cylindrical body.
Preferably, the adhesive tape is wound around an intermediate portion of the cylindrical body.
Preferably, the adhesive tape is wound around the cylindrical body in a bellows-like manner between opposite end portions of the cylindrical body.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3092530 (1963-06-01), Plummer
patent: 3959052 (1976-05-01), Stanek
patent: 4153747 (1979-05-01), Young et al.
patent: 4438056 (1984-03-01), Bast
patent: 4458723 (1984-07-01), Nojiri et al.
patent: 4644977 (1987-02-01), Arterburn
patent: 4874648 (1989-10-01), Hill et al.
patent: 4915139 (1990-04-01), Landry et al.
patent: 4970351 (1990-11-01), Kirlin
patent: 5107076 (1992-04-01), Bullock et al.
patent: 5298300 (1994-03-01), Hosoi et al.
patent: 6064000 (2000-05-01), Kim
Serizawa Yoshihisa
Ushiyama Keiji
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Reichard Dean A.
Walkenhorst W. David
Yazaki -Corporation
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