Supports – Pipe or cable – Brackets
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-11
2001-07-03
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports
Pipe or cable
Brackets
C248S074300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06254042
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire harness mounting construction in which a wire harness is arranged and installed on a mounting structural member such as a vehicle body.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-127362, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wire harness for connecting an electric system in an automobile is arranged and installed in a vehicle body, and is fixed at predetermined positions in the vehicle body by fastening members (e.g. clips) and elongate case-like protectors which receive the wire harness for protection purposes.
FIGS. 7 and 8
show one example of a construction of fixing a wire harness on a vehicle body by the use of clips and protectors. As shown in
FIG. 7
, the wire harness
1
is branched at predetermined portions thereof, and is connected to various equipments, mounted on the automobile, through electric connectors
2
connected respectively to distal ends of the branches of the wire harness. The wire harness
1
thus arranged is fixed to the vehicle body at predetermined positions by the clips
3
and the protectors
4
.
FIG. 8
shows an example of a mounting construction in which the wire harness
1
is mounted on an instrument panel
5
. Two clips
3
are fixedly secured respectively to two adjacent mounting portions of the wire harness
1
by adhesive taps
4
wound on the wire harness. Two mounting holes
6
, corresponding respectively to these clips
3
, are formed through the instrument panel
5
on the vehicle body. The clips
3
are inserted respectively into the mounting holes
6
(as by undercut fitting) with one touch with a feeling of a resilient click, thereby fixing the wire harness
1
to the instrument panel
5
.
FIG. 9
shows a construction in which a mounting structural member is other part than the instrument panel, and the wire harness
1
is installed on and fixed to that portion of the vehicle body in the vicinity of a door. In this case, a flange
8
is formed on a mounting portion of the vehicle body
7
, and a mounting hole
9
for receiving the clip
3
, shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, is formed through the flange
8
. The flange
8
and the mounting hole
9
are provided at the vehicle body
7
by the use of a die.
FIG. 10
shows another wire harness mounting construction, that is, a branch wire harness support construction disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-282406.
In this case, a main wire harness
13
and a branch wire harness
14
are resiliently held between a pair of resilient grip piece portions
11
and
12
.
The above-described wire harness mounting constructions have problems to be overcome.
In the case of the construction shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
, the wire harness
1
is fixed to the instrument panel
5
of the vehicle body, and therefore the clips
3
of a special configuration must be prepared by the necessary processing. And besides, each clip
3
is fixedly secured to the wire harness
1
by the adhesive tapes
4
wound on the wire harness, and therefore the number of the parts, required for the fixing operation, increases, and much time and labor are required, which leads to a disadvantage that the cost increases because of the cost of the parts and the increased time and labor for the operation. Furthermore, the mounting holes
6
, corresponding in number to the clips
3
, must be formed accurately at predetermined intervals through the instrument panel
5
, and thus the dimensional accuracy is required, which increases the overall production cost.
In the case where the wire harness is mounted on other portion of the vehicle body
7
than the instrument panel as shown in
FIG. 9
, the flange
8
must be formed on the vehicle body
7
, and the clip mounting hole
9
must be formed through this flange. The formation of this flange by the die is complicated, and this contributes to the high cost.
In the case of the wire harness support construction shown in
FIG. 10
, the direction of resilient support of the main and branch wire harnesses
13
and
14
is limited. Namely, the gap between distal ends
11
a
and
12
a
of the grip piece portions
11
and
12
must be directed laterally (right or left) or upwardly so that the two wire harnesses
13
and
14
, resiliently held between the two grip piece portions, will not be disengaged therefrom. Therefore, the direction of moving of the hand for snappingly inserting the two wire harness
13
and
14
between the grip piece portions
11
and
12
is predetermined, and this lowers the efficiency of the operation.
And besides, the wire harness support construction of
FIG. 10
is designed to resiliently grip only those wire harnesses having a circular cross-section, and is not suited for so-called flat cables having a flattened cross-section, and therefore is not sufficiently versatile since the kinds of wires or cables to be supported are limited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wire harness mounting construction in which the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of parts required for mounting a wire harness.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mounting construction in which where a vehicle body of an automobile is used as a mounting structural member, a wire harness can be fixed, effectively utilizing, for example, a recessed portion in a duct partition wall of an air duct mounted on an instrument panel.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness mounting construction which can mount several kinds of wire harnesses of different diameters, and enhances the efficiency of the mounting operation.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wire harness mounting construction which comprises at least one harness fastening and fixing band including an elastic or flexible band body which has a proximal end, connected to one of a recessed portion and a cavity portion of a mounting portion, and a free distal end, wherein by adjusting a length of the band body, the band body can be wound on any one of several kinds of wire harnesses of different diameters, and a band retaining ring formed on that portion of one of the recessed portion and the cavity portion corresponding to the harness fastening and fixing band, wherein the free distal end portion of the band body, wound on the wire harness, can be retained on the band retaining ring, so that the band retaining ring cooperates with the harness fastening and fixing band to fix the wire harness. In this construction, the bendable harness fastening and fixing band is locked to the band retaining ring, thereby fixing the wire harness, and therefore clips and protectors as used in the related construction are not necessary, so that the number of the parts can be reduced.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the above-described wire harness mounting construction may further comprises a series of catching notches arranged in a one-way notched arresting manner, the catching notches being formed on that portion of one of inner and outer surfaces of the band body extending from the distal end of the band body toward the proximal end of the band body, and the band retaining ring having a lock portion for engagement with the catching notches to prevent the backward movement of the band body. In this construction, the length of the band body is suitably adjusted, and in this condition, the catching notches are locked to the band retaining ring. Therefore, the band body, tightened to fasten the wire harness, is effectively prevented from being loosened.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the wire harness mounting construction of the first or second aspect, preferably, the mounting portion is an instrument panel in a vehicle body, one of the recessed portion and the cavity portion is provided in an outer surface of a partition wall of an air duct formed on the instrument panel, and the band body is
Kawaguchi Kenichiro
Kogure Naoto
Nishitani Keizo
DeLuca J.
Ramirez Ramon O.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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