Electricity: conductors and insulators – Overhead – Towers – poles or posts
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-26
2002-04-23
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Overhead
Towers, poles or posts
C220S003700, C248S049000, C052S220300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06376768
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wire guiding out structure of a wire protector, in which wires are bent toward a connection direction thereof and guided out from the wire protector. The wire protector is employed in a battery connecting plate for use in, for example, an electric vehicle.
(2) Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7
illustrates a wire protector employed in a battery connecting plate for use in an electric vehicle, which is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-120986.
This wire protector
61
is produced inside a resin body
63
by an insert molding in a state that a plurality of wires
62
are wired in a required pattern.
The wires
62
consists of a trunk part
64
at the center and a plurality of branch parts
65
branching off left and right from the trunk part
64
. The wires
62
in a bundle are straightly guided out from the branch parts
65
toward outside. At a branch part
63
, a terminal
66
is crimp-connected to an end of the wires
62
and an electric contact
67
having a square plate-shape of the terminal
66
is exposed to the outside of the branch part
63
. In a frame
68
of the branch part
63
, a part for connecting to a fuse of the terminal
66
is exposed.
A fuse (not shown in the figure) is connected to the part for connecting to the fuse in an after process and the electric contact
67
is connected to the wires
62
by way of the fuse. An electrode
70
of a battery
69
(see
FIG. 10
) is inserted through the electric contact
67
and the wires
62
are connected to an external voltage detector (not shown in the figure).
FIG. 8
shows a battery connecting plate
72
, in which the above wire protector
61
(see
FIG. 7
) is insert molded in a resin body
71
.
The wires
62
(the trunk part) are straightly guided out from one end of the plate
72
(resin body
71
) toward outside. As shown in
FIG. 9
, these plurality of wires
62
are bent by about 90° toward a connecting direction and bundled by a band
48
made of synthetic resin. The band
48
is fixed with a hole
49
of the wire protector
61
. This bending and fixing of the wires
62
may be performed before the wire protector
61
is insert molded.
In
FIG. 8
, a rectangular bus bar
90
made of conductive metal is connected to the electric contact
67
of the terminal
66
(see
FIG. 7
) for use in voltage detection and in such a situation the insert molding is performed. The bus bar
90
has two holes
73
, into which the male screw-type electrode
70
of each battery
69
(see
FIG. 10
) is inserted and tightened with a nut (not shown in the figure). The bus bar
90
connects two adjacent batteries
69
in series.
The electric contact
67
of the terminal
66
(see
FIG. 7
) is tightened at a hole
73
of the bus bar
90
by a nut. Near an end of the plate
72
, a bus bar
74
having one hole is disposed and a wire (not shown in the figure) for supplying electric power is connected to the bus bar
74
.
FIG. 10
illustrates that the battery connecting plate
72
is connected to the electrode
70
at one end of the cylindrical battery
69
and that the other battery connecting plate
75
is connected to an electrode
76
at an opposite end of the battery
69
.
The battery
69
is inserted into a holder
78
having a plurality of round holes
77
, then the plates
72
and
75
are connected to the electrodes
70
and
76
, respectively, being tightened with nuts. The holder
78
is fixed on a vehicle body by brackets
79
and bolts
80
. The terminal
66
for use in voltage detection is disposed on the plate
72
and the wires
62
continuing to the terminal
66
are guided out toward the direction of connection.
However, as to the conventional wire protector
61
described above, as shown in
FIG. 9
, a process that the guided out wires
62
are bent toward the direction of connection so as to be fixed with the band
48
is a time-consuming work and has a poor workability.
FIGS. 11 and 12
illustrate a wire guiding out structure of a wire protector that was designed by the present applicant previously.
In this structure, a tub-like wire guide wall
34
for guiding wires out is integrally formed at the front end of a protector body
50
made of synthetic resin. Inside the wire guide wall
34
, there is formed a guide groove
52
extending perpendicularlly to an insertion path
51
for trunk wires (see
FIG. 12
) of the protector body
50
. At an end of the guide groove
52
, there is provided a band
53
for bundling wires.
A plurality of wires
54
(see FIG.
12
), passed through the insertion path
51
for trunk wires of the protector body
50
, are bent along the guide groove
52
to be guided out toward outside and fixed by a band
53
. Bent portions
54
a
and
54
b
of the wires
54
are protected from being interfered from outside by the wire guide wall
34
. A terminal (not shown in the figure) is crimped on an end of each wire
54
and each terminal is inserted in a connector
55
. The protector
57
, in which a cover
56
(see
FIG. 12
) is put on the protector body
50
, is insert molded within a resin (similarly to FIG.
8
), thereby a battery connecting plate is formed. The plate is connected to a voltage detector through the connector
55
.
However, as to the conventional wire guiding out structure of a wire protector, in order to mold the wire guide groove
34
integrally with the protector body
50
, a mold has to have a space for the wires
54
to step aside at the guiding out side of the wires
54
with respect to the mold, therefore, the structure of the mold becomes complicated and the cost thereof becomes high. In addition, a plurality of wires
54
must be bent and installed within the narrow guide groove
52
, causing a time-consuming work. Moreover, as shown in
FIG. 12
, the wires
54
from the protector body
50
once arise upward (perpendicularlly) and then bend laterally (horizontally) in the guide groove
52
, therefore, the cover
56
easily comes off due to a force arised in an upper direction in
FIG. 12
, resulting in that the wires
54
in the guide groove
52
are dispersed and broken out from the guide groove
52
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to solve the above problem and to provide a wire guiding out structure of a wire protector, which prevents the mold, for forming the wire guide wall at the protector body made of resin, from becoming complicated and expensive, enables the wires guided out from the protector body to bend in a direction of connection easily and securely, and prevents the cover from coming off upon the bending of the wires.
In order to attain the above objective, the present invention is to provide a wire guiding out structure of a wire protector comprising: a protector body for receiving wires; a cover for covering the protector body; a wire guiding out portion of the protecter body, by which the wires are bent and guided out; a wire guide wall retractively formed in the wire guiding out portion in use of flexible hinges; wire guiding out walls provided at both sides of the wire guiding out portion; and a notched opening formed inbetween the wire guiding out walls, for being engaged with the wire guide wall, wherein the wires are bent and guided out along the wire guide wall in a state of the wire guide wall being closed.
The wire guide wall further comprises a hook and the wire guiding out portion further comprises a supporting shaft to be engaged with the hook.
The wire guide wall further comprises latches and the wire guiding out walls further comprise engaging parts to be engaged with the latches.
The wire guiding out portion further comprises engaging holes to be engaged with latches of the cover.
Except the wire guiding out portion, the wire protector is insert molded within a resin material so as to form a part of a battery connecting plate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5918837 (1999-07-01), Vicain
patent: 5954301 (1999-09-01), Joseph et al.
patent: 6005187 (1999-12-01), Havazo
patent: 6011221 (2000-01-
Ikeda Tomohiro
Saito Satoshi
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Patel Dhiru R
Reichard Dean A.
Yazaki -Corporation
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