Wire harness with wire and protective material

• US 10,618,477 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Hagi, Masahiro, Inoue, Hiroshi, Sasaki, Satoshi, Shiga, Koki
• Primary Examiner(s): Aychillhum, Andargie M
• Assistant Examiner(s): McAllister, Michael F
• Application Number:
  US16/325,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20190308571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 174 72 A
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0215 Protecting, fastening and routing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 3/308 Wires with resins
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 3/50 fabric
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/00 Insulated conductors or cables characterised by their form
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/0045 Cable-harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/18 Protection against damage caused by wear, mechanical force or pressure; Sheaths; Armouring
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/20 Metal tubes, e.g. lead sheaths
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/52 Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/04 Protective tubing or conduits, e.g. cable ladders or cable troughs
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0406 Details thereof installation or suspension of conduit channels and other supports H02G3/263
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0462 Tubings, i.e. having a closed section
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0468 Corrugated
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0481 with a circular cross-section H02G3/0468, H02G3/0475 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0487 with a non-circular cross-section H02G3/0468, H02G3/0475 take precedence

Abstract

A wire harness that is capable of protecting a wire even if a pipe is damaged includes: a wire disposed in a pipe; and a protective material surrounding and protecting a predefined portion of the wire, the predefined portion being disposed within the pipe. This configuration places the protective material on a portion that is likely to be damaged in the event of, for instance, a collision of a vehicle, thereby capable of protecting the wire even if the pipe is damaged. This configuration is also capable of avoiding the diameter of the pipe being increased for the process of passing the wire through the pipe, because the wire in this configuration is passed through the pipe with greater ease than a wire surrounded by a protective material along its entire length of the wire.

Claims

1. A wire harness, comprising:

a wire disposed in a pipe; and

a protective material that is made of braided high-strength fiber and that surrounds and protects a predefined portion of the wire, the predefined portion being disposed within the pipe.

2. The wire harness according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of wires disposed in the pipe,

the protective material being insulating and being placed individually on the wires.

3. The wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the protective material is disposed on a portion of the wire that is located on an inner side of an edge of the pipe.

4. A wire harness, comprising:

a pipe including an inner circumferential surface;

a wire disposed in the pipe; and

a protective material surrounding and protecting a predefined portion of the wire that is disposed within the pipe, a vacant space being present between an outer circumferential surface of the protective material and the inner circumferential surface of the pipe.

5. A wire harness, comprising:

a pipe having an inner diameter;

a wire disposed in the pipe; and

a protective material surrounding and protecting a predefined portion of the wire that is disposed within the pipe, wherein

an outer diameter of the protective material is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe, and a vacant space is present between the protective material and the pipe in a radial direction of the pipe.