JP7558834B2 - Joint cover and wire harness - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a joint cover that houses at least the connection portion of a connecting wire in which multiple electric wires are connected by a connection portion, and a wire harness that includes the joint cover.

In wire harnesses that are installed inside a vehicle, it has been common practice to branch off branch wires from a main wire or to connect main wires in series.

In such a connecting wire that connects multiple electric wires together, the insulating coating corresponding to the connection portion of each electric wire is stripped off to expose the conductor (core wire), and a connecting member such as a splice terminal (also called a "splice joint") is crimped to form a connection portion (also called a "joint portion") that electrically connects the multiple electric wires.

Furthermore, in the past, in order to protect the joint, the connection member and the exposed parts of the conductor of the electric wire have been wrapped with insulating tape, for example, to cover the connection (see, for example, Figure 5 of Patent Document 1).

However, there is a concern that, for example, the insulating tape may become misaligned in the axial direction of the wire relative to the connection, resulting in a defect in which the joint terminal or the like is exposed at the connection.

As a countermeasure, the above-mentioned displacement of the insulating tape is prevented by wrapping the insulating tape more carefully around the connection part or wrapping reinforcing tape around the insulating tape wrapped around the connection part from the outside. However, this creates another problem in that the amount of work required to install the wire harness increases.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-233168

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide a joint cover that can easily and securely protect the connection portion while it is housed inside a pair of cover structures, and a wire harness equipped with the joint cover.

The present invention is a joint cover that houses at least the connection portion of a connecting electric wire having a connection portion to which a plurality of electric wires are connected, and has a pair of cover components that fit together in an axial direction along the longitudinal direction of the electric wires, and the cover components are provided with a peripheral wall portion extending along the axial direction so as to surround the electric wires in a circumferential direction, and a fitting portion that fits with a fitting portion provided on the tip side of another cover component at a position axially further toward the tip side than the peripheral wall portion, and a communication portion that radially connects the outside and the inside of the cover components so that an electric wire can be inserted from the radial outside to the inside of the cover components is formed over the entire axial length of the cover components, and the fitting portion is configured to fit with the fitting portion of the other cover component in an engaged state in which the communication portion does not coincide with the communication portion of the other cover component in the circumferential direction.

With this configuration, the connection part can be easily and securely protected while being housed inside the pair of cover structures.

In more detail, according to the above configuration, the electric wires can be inserted into the cover structure through the communication portion, and the cover structure can be easily positioned from the outside relative to the electric wires. Therefore, the cover structure can be easily positioned from the outside relative to the electric wires before the multiple electric wires are connected by a connecting member or the like, as well as the multiple electric wires connected by a connecting portion. In other words, a pair of cover structures can be attached to the connecting electric wires later.

Furthermore, by fitting the pair of cover components together, the connection portion can be securely protected while being housed inside the pair of cover components.

In addition, the fitting portion is configured to fit with the fitting portion of the other cover portion in a fitted state in which the communication portion does not coincide with the communication portion of the other cover portion in the circumferential direction, so that the pair of cover portions can fit their respective fitting portions with each other in a state in which the respective communication portions do not coincide with each other in the circumferential direction. This allows the pair of cover portions to be in a state in which the communication portions formed on each of the pair of cover portions are discontinuous with each other in the axial direction when their respective fitting portions are fitted with each other.

Therefore, when the pair of cover components are engaged with each other, the connection portion inserted radially inward through the communicating portion can be reliably maintained contained within so as not to slip out radially outward unintentionally.

Here, for example, when a pair of cover components are fitted together and the respective communication portions are aligned in the circumferential direction, the protective performance of the connection portion can be further improved by blocking the communication portion with, for example, insulating tape so that the electric wire does not slip out radially to the outside through the communication portion.

In this case, the amount of insulating tape used can be kept to a minimum, just enough to cover the communication part, compared to when the insulating tape is wrapped around the entire connection part so as to cover the exposed parts of the connection member and the conductor of the electric wire, for example.

This reduces the effort required to wrap insulating tape around the connection and also reduces the risk of the insulating tape coming off the cover structure.

The connection portion may be configured, for example, such that multiple electric wires are connected with a connecting member such as a joint terminal, such as by welding, such as by winding tape around the wires, or such as by twisting the conductors of the electric wires together.

Furthermore, when the connection portion adopts a configuration in which multiple electric wires are connected by a connection member, the connection member may be accommodated in a connector housing, and the connector housing may be accommodated inside a pair of cover structures.

Here, the communication portion is not limited to a configuration that extends parallel to the axial direction over the entire axial length of the cover constituent, and may have, for example, a portion that extends in the circumferential direction midway in the axial direction. In other words, the communication portion may be configured to extend in the axial direction while making a detour around the circumferential direction of the cover constituent.

In one aspect of the invention, the cover structure has a communicating portion formed along an axial direction, the communicating portion having a spacing narrower than the outer diameter of the electric wire at least in the circumferential direction , and is formed to be deformable until the spacing of the communicating portion becomes wider in the circumferential direction than at least the outer diameter of the electric wire.

The communicating portion may be in a state where both circumferential edges of the communicating portion are in close contact with each other or may be spaced apart from each other, so long as the spacing between the communicating portions is narrower than the outer diameter of the electric wire.

According to the above configuration, the spacing between the communication parts is increased in the circumferential direction by elastically deforming the cover structure, so that the electric wire can be easily inserted into the radial inside of the cover structure through the communication part.

Here, when forming the cover structure to be deformable as described above, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which it is formed, for example, from an elastically deformable member, or includes two members supported by a hinge shaft so that they can be opened and closed (deformed) relative to each other.

In another aspect of the invention, the communication portion has a circumferential spacing that is wider than the outer diameter of the electric wire over the entire axial length of the cover structure.

According to the above configuration, for example, the electric wire can be easily inserted into the inside of the cover structure through the communication portion without widening the circumferential spacing of the communication portion by deforming the cover structure, etc.

In addition, in the present invention, as long as the communication portions of the pair of cover structures are configured such that they do not coincide with each other in the circumferential direction at the end portions (terminal portions) on the tip side in the axial direction, the portions other than the end portions on the tip side in the axial direction may coincide with each other in the circumferential direction.

In another aspect of the invention, a restricting portion is provided inside the cover structure at the tip side in the axial direction to restrict the position of the connection portion in the axial direction.

According to the above configuration, inside the pair of cover structures that are fitted together (assembled), the connection part can be regulated by the regulating part to be positioned toward the center in the axial direction.

This allows the connection part to be stably housed inside the pair of cover components without the pair of cover components being misaligned relative to the position of the connection part in the longitudinal direction of the connecting wire.

Furthermore, as described above, inside the pair of cover components that are engaged with each other, the connection part can be regulated by the regulating part to always be positioned in the center of the axial direction, so that the worker can recognize the axial position of the connection part inside the pair of cover components even if the connection part cannot be seen from outside the pair of cover components.

For this reason, for example, in a configuration in which both ends of an electric wire in the longitudinal direction are provided with connection parts that are connected to other electric wires, an operator can accurately grasp the distance between the connection parts at both ends of the electric wire in the longitudinal direction, even when the connection parts are housed inside a pair of cover structures.

Therefore, even when each of the connection parts that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the electric wire is housed inside a pair of cover structures, the worker can accurately and easily manage the spacing between each of the connection parts.

In another aspect of the invention, the fitting portion is a concave-convex fitting portion in which a plurality of concave portions that are concave toward the peripheral wall portion and convex portions that are convex toward the tip side are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction in the axial direction, and the concave portions fit into the convex portions of the other cover components, and the convex portions fit into the concave portions of the other cover components.

According to the above configuration, the recesses and protrusions arranged in the fitting portion of each of the pair of cover structures can be fitted together, and as a result, the pair of cover structures can be firmly fitted together.

In another aspect of the invention, the axial tip end of the communication portion is formed on the same side of the recess and the protrusion in each of the pair of cover components.

According to the above configuration, when a pair of cover components are fitted together, the recess and the protrusion fit together, so that the axial end portions of the communication portions formed on each cover component on the tip side do not coincide in the circumferential direction.

In particular, it is preferable that the axial end of the communication portion be formed on the side of the recess in each of the pair of cover structures.

Since the axial tip end of the communicating portion is formed on the side of the recess, a portion of the communicating portion extending over the entire axial length of the cover body can be covered by the recess, and the axial length of the communicating portion can be shortened by the depth of the recess.
Therefore, the electric wire can be easily inserted into the radially inner side of the cover structure through the communication portion.

Furthermore, as described above, a portion of the communicating portion extending over the entire axial length of the cover component can be covered by the recess, thereby increasing the rigidity (shape retention) of the cover component compared to a case in which the portion corresponding to the axial recess of the communicating portion and the recess are formed separately.
Therefore, the performance of the cover structure in protecting the connection portion housed inside the cover structure can be improved.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an inner thin-walled portion is provided at one of the base portion of the recess and the tip portion of the protrusion, the inner thin-walled portion being recessed toward the inside in the radial direction, and an outer thin-walled portion is provided at the other of the base portion of the recess and the tip portion of the protrusion, the outer thin-walled portion being recessed toward the outside in the radial direction.

According to the above configuration, when the protrusion and the recess are engaged, the inner thin-walled portion and the outer thin-walled portion overlap in the radial direction (plate thickness direction), so that a radially communicating gap is unlikely to form between the protrusion and the recess that are engaged with each other. Furthermore, in addition to the protrusion and the recess being engaged in the circumferential direction, they can also be firmly engaged in the radial direction (plate thickness direction).

In one embodiment of the invention, an engaging portion is provided on one of the protrusion and recess, and an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion is provided on the other.

According to the above configuration, when the convex portion and the concave portion are fitted together, the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged with each other, making it difficult for them to come off unintentionally.

Here, the engaging portion may be formed on one of the inner thin portion and the outer thin portion, and the engaged portion may be formed on the other of the inner thin portion and the outer thin portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, the convex portion and the concave portion are formed in a bent shape that bends in the circumferential direction as they extend toward the tip side in the axial direction.

According to the above configuration, when fitting (assembling) a pair of cover components to each other, the protrusions are not only pushed linearly into the recesses in the axial direction, but are also pushed axially while twisting in the circumferential direction, so that the protrusions can be firmly and easily fitted into the recesses in the axial direction as well as the circumferential direction so that they do not come out unintentionally.

In another aspect of the present invention, the pair of cover components have the same shape.

This configuration allows the number of parts (number of types of parts) to be reduced, simplifying the work involved in parts management and reducing manufacturing costs.

In addition, with the above configuration, the combination of the pair of cover components is uniquely determined, so that, for example, there is no risk that a worker at the work site will attempt to assemble (fit) the pair of cover components in an incorrect combination, and the pair can always be assembled in an appropriate combination, thereby improving the work efficiency of assembling the pair of cover components.

In another aspect of the invention, the cover structure is formed in a generally bell shape with a gradually increasing diameter over substantially the entire circumferential direction toward the axial tip.

According to the above configuration, the pair of cover components, when assembled together, can have a roughly oval shape (also called a roughly ellipsoidal oval shape or a so-called egg-shaped shape) that gradually increases in diameter from both sides in the axial direction toward the center.

Therefore, when the pair of cover components are assembled together, they can have a smooth shape with minimal corners in the axial and circumferential directions.

Therefore, even if the joint cover that covers the connection part of the connecting electric wire from the outside comes into contact with nearby electric wires, corrugated tubes (exterior parts), or other parts due to vehicle vibration, for example, it is possible to prevent the external force from acting locally (i.e., there is no corner contact), and as a result, damage to the surrounding parts can be prevented.

In addition, the pair of cover components have a larger diameter in the center than on either side in the axial direction, so the connection part can be securely housed in the center inside.

This invention is a wire harness that is configured by bundling a joint electric wire, at least the connection portion of which of a connecting electric wire having a connection portion to which multiple electric wires are connected, inside the above-mentioned joint cover, and other electric wires.

According to the above configuration, the pair of cover structures can be fitted together with the connection portion, in which multiple electric wires are connected by the connection portion, housed inside the pair of cover structures.

Furthermore, the connection portion of the connecting electric wire can be kept housed inside the pair of cover structures so that the connection portion does not unintentionally slip out radially outward through the communication portion.

With this configuration, the connection part can be easily and securely protected while being housed inside the pair of cover structures.

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a wire harness having a joint cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an external view of a joint cover according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the joint cover according to the embodiment; 3A is a front view of the joint cover of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 2. FIG. 4( a ) is an exploded front view of the joint cover of the present embodiment, and FIG. 4( b ) is an exploded cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4( b ). 4(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 4(a), (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 4(a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 5(a). 7A is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cover structure is attached to the electric wire, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line E-E in FIG. 7A, and FIG. 7C is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cover structure is assembled. 8(a) is a partial cross-sectional view of the joint cover of the present embodiment with the connection portion of the connection wire housed therein, and FIG. 8(b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line E-E in FIG. 8(a). 9(a) is a view corresponding to FIG. 4(b) of a joint cover of the modified example 1, and FIG. 9(b) is an enlarged view of the X portion in FIG. 9(a). FIG. 2 corresponds to a joint cover of the second modified example. 2A is a view of a joint cover of a modified example 3, and FIG. 4B is a view of the joint cover of the modified example 3, which corresponds to FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
The wire harness 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a wire harness 1 for a vehicle to be mounted on a vehicle, and mainly includes a plurality of main wires 3 that are bundled together to face the same direction and routed along a wiring path Rw of the wire harness 1, branch wires 4 that branch off from the main wires 3 at predetermined branch points D on the wiring path Rw of the wire harness 1, and a joint cover 10 of this embodiment.

Such a wire harness 1 is entirely sheathed in a corrugated tube 9 along the wiring path Rw.

Figure 1 shows two branch points D of a main line 3 in a wire harness 1. Of the multiple main lines 3 constituting the wire harness 1, the main lines 3 that pass through each of the two branch points D each have one branch line 4 branching off from each branch point D, and are electrically connected to each other via the branch lines 4.

The trunk line 3 and the branch line 4 are both insulated electric wires in which conductors (core wires) 3a, 4a made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy are covered with insulating coatings 3b, 4b made of an insulating material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (see Figure 7 (b)).

However, the conductors 3a and 4a are not limited to those formed by bundling multiple strands, and may be formed from a single strand. Furthermore, the conductors 3a and 4a are not limited to being made of aluminum, and may be made of other conductive materials such as copper.

At each of the two branch points D, the insulating coating 3b of the middle part of the specified trunk line 3 and the insulating coating 4b of the tip part of the branch line 4 are stripped off to expose the respective conductors 3a, 4a, and the conductors 3a, 4a of both electric wires 3, 4 are then overlapped with each other and covered from the outside with a splice terminal (joint terminal) 6 (see FIG. 7(a)) as a connecting member, which is then crimped to connect them.
As a result, the electric wires 2, 3 constituting the wire harness 1 have a connection electric wire 5 in which a predetermined trunk line 3 and a branch line 4 are connected by a splice terminal 6. Furthermore, the connection electric wire 5 has a connection portion 7 connected by the splice terminal 6 at a branch point D between the trunk line 3 and the branch line 4 (see FIG. 7(a)).

In this embodiment, at the branch point D, the connecting electric wire 5 has one main wire 3 extending from one side of the connection part 7 in the longitudinal direction Y, and one main wire 3 and one branch wire 4 extending from the other side, totaling two electric wires 3, 4 (see FIG. 7(a)). Also, as shown in FIG. 1, each of the two branch points D (connection parts 7) is set at a position on each side of the wiring route Rw of the wire harness 1, separated by a predetermined distance L.

At the branch point D, the connection portion 7 between the trunk line 3 and the branch line 4 is protected by being housed inside the joint cover 10 (see FIG. 8(a)). Here, the connection electric wire 5 whose connection portion 7 is housed inside the joint cover 10 is also referred to as a joint electric wire 5'. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness 1 is composed of the joint electric wire 5' and other electric wires 3A.

As described above, the branch line 4 is not limited to being arranged in the internal space of the corrugated tube 9. Although not shown, the branch line 4 may be arranged such that a portion that branches off from a given main line 3 extends outside the corrugated tube 9 and the tip of the extending portion is connected to various electrical devices and battery connectors installed in the vehicle.

Next, the configuration of the joint cover 10 will be described. However, the joint covers 10 provided at each of the two branch points D are formed to have the same shape and size, i.e., identically.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4(a) and 4(b), and 5(a) and 5(b), the joint cover 10 of this embodiment includes a pair of cover components 11 (11A, 11B) that are assembled to each other in the axial direction Da. The entire cover component 11 is made of synthetic resin (e.g., polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP)).

The axial direction Da is the direction along the longitudinal direction Y (see FIG. 1) of the electric wires 3 and 4 (in this example, the direction coincident with the longitudinal direction Y), and indicates the direction coinciding with the central axis of each of the pair of cover components 11.

In the following description, the side of each of the pair of cover components 11 in the axial direction Da that faces the other cover component 11 to which it is to be assembled is set as the tip side Dac (also referred to as the "center side") in the axial direction Da, and the side that does not face the other cover component 11 is set as the base side Dao (also referred to as the "outside").

The pair of cover components 11 are identical parts formed with the same shape and size, and each is formed in a roughly bell shape that gradually increases in diameter over almost the entire circumferential direction Dc toward the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da.

The pair of cover components 11 are assembled to each other in a state in which they are arranged in opposite directions so that the tip sides Dac of the axial direction Da face each other. As shown in Figures 2 and 4(a), the joint cover 10 of this embodiment can have a substantially oval shape (also called a "substantially ellipsoidal oval shape" or "so-called egg shape") that gradually increases in diameter from both outer sides (base end sides Dao) in the axial direction Da to the center (tip side Dac) around the entire circumference when the pair of cover components 11 are assembled to each other.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), the internal space 10s of the joint cover 10 is formed with a larger diameter at the tip side Dac on the central side than at the base side Dao on both outer sides in the axial direction Da, in correspondence with the generally bell-shaped pair of cover constituent bodies 11. As a result, the pair of cover constituent bodies 11 are formed so that the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5 can be accommodated in the internal space 10s (see FIG. 8(a)).

Specifically, the cover structure 11 is disposed on the outside of the electric wires 3, 4 in the radial direction Dr (see FIG. 8(a)), and as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4(a)(b), FIG. 5(a)(b), FIG. 6(a)(b)(c), the cover structure 11 is provided with a peripheral wall portion 12 extending along the axial direction Da so as to surround the electric wires 3, 4 in the circumferential direction Dc, and a fitting portion 13 provided on the tip side Dac of the peripheral wall portion 12 in the axial direction Da.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4(a), 5(a)(b), 6(a), 6(b), and 6(c), the cover constituent 11 is formed with a communication portion 14 that connects the outside and the inside in the radial direction Dr to enable the electric wires 3 and 4 to be inserted from the outside in the radial direction Dr to the inside (one-side internal space 11s, described later) of the cover constituent 11 over the entire length in the axial direction Da of the cover constituent 11. The communication portion 14 will be described later.

The peripheral wall portion 12 is formed with approximately the same plate thickness in the axial direction Da and the circumferential direction Dc (see Figs. 4(b), 6(a) and (c)), and the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral side are formed in a hollow truncated cone shape whose diameter gradually increases from the base end portion 15 in the axial direction Da to the tip side Dac over approximately the entire circumferential direction Dc (see Figs. 4(a) and (b), 5(a) and (b), and 6(b)). As shown in Fig. 5(b), the inside of the cover structure 11 has a one-sided internal space 11s.

As shown in Figures 5(a)(b) and 6(c), the one-side internal space 11s corresponds to approximately one half of the internal space 10s of the joint cover 10 in the axial direction Da, and opens toward the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4(b), when a pair of cover components 11 are assembled together, the internal spaces 11s on one side of each of the cover components 11 communicate with each other in the axial direction Da, forming an internal space 10s therein.

As shown in Figures 2, 4(a) and 4(b), and 6(b), the base end 15 of the cover component 11 (peripheral wall portion 12) is formed with a generally flat end surface shape perpendicular to the axial direction Da, and a base end opening 16 is formed in the center thereof penetrating in the axial direction Da, as shown in Figures 2, 4(b), 5(b), and 6(a), (b), and (c). As a result, the one-side internal space 11s opens outward in the axial direction Da through the base end opening 16.

The base end opening 16 is formed so that a total of two electric wires 3, 4 can be inserted, one each of the main wire 3 and the branch wire 4 (see FIG. 8(a)). In this embodiment, the main wire 3 and the branch wire 4 as electric wires are formed to have approximately the same outer diameter, so the base end opening 16 is formed with an inner diameter that is more than twice the outer diameter of the electric wires 3, 4.

However, in this embodiment, the base end opening 16 is formed with an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the splice terminal 6 (connection portion 7).

As described above, the pair of cover components 11 are formed so that, with the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5 housed in the internal space 10s, the electric wires 3 and 4 extending on both sides of the connection portion 7 can extend outward in the axial direction Da through the respective base end openings 16, as shown in FIG. 8(a).

As shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4(a)(b), 5(a)(b), and 6(a)(c), the fitting portion 13 extends from the tip 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 in the axial direction Da to the tip side Dac with approximately the same diameter. The fitting portion 13 is configured so that the pair of cover components 11 can be fitted together when they are assembled together (see Figs. 2, 4(a)(b), and 6(a)).

3, 5(a), 5(b), and 6(a), the fitting portion 13 is formed in an uneven shape in which a plurality of convex portions 21 extending linearly toward the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da and concave portions 22 linearly recessed toward the base end side Dao (the side of the peripheral wall portion 12) in the axial direction Da are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction Dc. Furthermore, each of the plurality of convex portions 21 is formed to have the same shape as the other, and each of the plurality of concave portions 22 is formed to have the same shape as the other.
That is, in this embodiment, six each of the protruding portions 21 and the recessed portions 22 are disposed at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction Dc.

3, 4(a) and 4(b), and 5(a) and 5(b), the protrusion 21 protrudes from the tip 12a (the base portion of the fitting portion 13) of the peripheral wall portion 12 toward a tip side Dac in the axial direction Da. The protrusion 21 has a length in the axial direction Da (protrusion length) that is approximately the same as or slightly shorter than the depth in the axial direction Da of the recess 22, and has a length in the circumferential direction Dc that is approximately the same as or slightly shorter than the length (groove width) of the recess 22 in the circumferential direction Dc.
That is, the edge 22a (deepest part) on the base side of the recess 22 corresponds to the position of the tip 12a (base part of the fitting portion 13) of the peripheral wall portion 12 (see FIGS. 3, 5(a) and 5(b)).

Here, as shown in Figures 2 and 6(a), the mating portion 130, in which a pair of mating portions 13 are mated, is formed so that the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction Da has a smooth curved shape over almost the entire circumference (approximately a C-ring shape that continues in the circumferential direction Dc except for the communicating portion 14).

That is, the convex portion 21 and the edge portion of the concave portion 22 (the edge portion 22a on the base side and the inner thin portion 221 (see Figures 3 and 6(a)) described later) are both formed in a curved shape in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction Da that corresponds to each portion of the mating portion 130 in the circumferential direction Dc.

As a result, the pair of mating portions 13 are fitted together with the respective recesses 22 and protrusions 21 in the axial direction Da and circumferential direction Dc without any gaps.

In addition, each of the multiple convex portions 21 formed on one of the pair of cover components 11, the cover component 11A, can be fitted into any of the multiple concave portions 22 formed on the other cover component 11B.

Similarly, of the pair of cover components 11, each of the multiple recesses 22 formed on one cover component 11A can be fitted into any of the multiple protrusions 21 formed on the other cover component 11B.

That is, as described above, the pair of cover components 11 are assembled with their respective axial tip sides Dac facing each other in the axial direction Da, but they can be fitted together regardless of their relative positions in the circumferential direction Dc.

For example, Fig. 2, Fig. 4(a) and (b), and Fig. 6(a) show a state in which a pair of cover components 11 are assembled together in a relative position that is point-symmetrical to each other in the axial direction Da, as one embodiment of the state in which the pair of cover components 11 are assembled together.

As shown in Figures 3, 4(b), 5(b), 6(b) and 6(c), the fitting portion 13 has an inner thin-walled portion 221 at the base of the recess 22 that is recessed inward in the radial direction Dr from the outer radial surface of the protrusion 21, and an outer thin-walled portion 211 at the tip of the protrusion 21 that is recessed outward in the radial direction Dr from the inner radial surface of the base of the protrusion 21.

As shown in Figures 4(b) and 6(a), when the pair of engaging portions 13 are engaged, i.e., when the protruding portion 21 is inserted into the recessed portion 22, the inner thin portion 221 of the recessed portion 22 and the outer thin portion 211 of the protruding portion 21 overlap each other in the radial direction Dr.

As a result, when the pair of mating portions 13 are mated, the convex portion 21 and the concave portion 22 are mated not only in the circumferential direction Dc but also in the radial direction Dr, resulting in a more secure mating state.

As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 5(b), the fitting portion 13 in this embodiment is, in other words, provided with a radially inner short piece portion 23 and a radially outer long piece portion 24. The radially inner short piece portion 23 and the radially outer long piece portion 24 are both formed to protrude linearly from the tip portion 12a in the axial direction Da of the peripheral wall portion 12 to the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da.

Specifically, the radially inner short piece 23 is formed to protrude from the inner part in the radial direction Dr at the tip end 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 in the axial direction Da to the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da with a length shorter than that of the radially outer long piece 24 (approximately half the protruding length in this example). The radially inner short piece 23 is formed with approximately the same plate thickness (length in the radial direction Dr) around the entire circumference except for the communication portion 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the portion of the radially inner short piece 23 in the circumferential direction Dc that corresponds to the root portion of the recess 22 is formed one step lower toward the inside than the outer surface of the radially outer long piece 24 in the radial direction Dr. As a result, an inner thin-walled portion 221 that is thinner than the root portion of the protrusion 21 is formed at the root portion of the recess 22.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the radially outer long piece 24 is formed to protrude from the outer portion in the radial direction Dr at the tip end 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 in the axial direction Da to the tip end side Dac in the axial direction Da with the same protruding length as the protruding portion 21. The radially outer long piece 24 is formed to the same thickness in the radial direction Dr over the entire length in the axial direction Da.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5(b), the radial inner surface (211a) of the tip portion (211) of the radially outer long piece portion 24 is formed one step lower outward than the inner surface of the radially inner short piece portion 23 in the radial direction Dr, thereby forming an outer thin-walled portion 211 that is thinner than the base portion of the convex portion 21.

As shown in FIG. 5(b), the radially outer long piece 24 is integrally formed with the outer thin portion 211 and the root portion 241 of the radially outer long piece 24. The protrusion 21 is integrally formed with the radially outer long piece 24 and a portion 231 of the radially inner short piece 23 in the circumferential direction Dc that corresponds to the root portion of the protrusion 21.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the pair of cover components 11 are fitted together, the end faces 23a of the radially inner short pieces 23 of the pair of cover components 11 on the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da come into contact with each other.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, 5(a), 5(b), and 6(c), the above-mentioned communication portion 14 is formed only in a portion of the cover structure 11 in the circumferential direction Dc, and as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4(a), and 5(a), it extends linearly in parallel to the axial direction Da in front view (viewed from the outside in the radial direction Dr).

Here, in this embodiment, the cover component 11 is formed so that the spacing d in the circumferential direction Dc of the communication portion 14 can be elastically deformed (flexibly deformed) over the entire length in the axial direction Da until it is wider than at least the outer diameter of the electric wires 3, 4 (see cover component 11B shown by the phantom line in Figure 7 (b)).

That is, the cover constituent 11 is formed so that the electric wires 3, 4 can be inserted from the outside to the inside (one-side internal space 11s) in the radial direction Dr through the communicating portion 14 by elastically deforming the communicating portion 14 so that the spacing d of the communicating portion 14 is widened. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the communicating portion 14 is formed along the axial direction Da such that the spacing d in the circumferential direction Dc of the cover constituent 11 is narrower than at least the outer diameter of the electric wires 3, 4 during normal operation when the cover constituent 11 is not elastically deformed as described below.

As a result, the cover structure 11 is configured so that the electric wires 3, 4 inserted into the internal space 10s through the communication parts 14, whose spacing d is increased in the circumferential direction Dc, do not inadvertently slip out to the outside through the communication parts 14 under normal conditions, and is configured to prevent as much as possible the intrusion of dirt, water, etc. into the internal space 10s through the communication parts 14.

As shown in Figures 2, 4(a) and 4(b), and 6(a), the pair of cover components 11 are configured such that their respective mating portions 13 are mated with each other so that their respective communication portions 14 are not aligned with each other in the circumferential direction Dc.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 3, 5(a) and 5(b), and 6(c), the end 14a (hereinafter also referred to as "end 14a on the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da of the communicating portion 14") located at the tip 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 (the base portion of the fitting portion 13) in the axial direction Da of the communicating portion 14 is formed at a portion that coincides in the circumferential direction Dc with a specific recess 22A among the multiple recesses 22 arranged in the circumferential direction Dc of the cover structure 11 (fitting portion 13).

Specifically, as shown in Figures 3, 5(a) and 5(b), and 6(c), the end 14a of the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da of the communication part 14 is formed in a portion that coincides in the circumferential direction Dc with a specific recess 22A among the multiple recesses 22 arranged in the circumferential direction Dc of the cover structure 11 (fitting part 13).

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3, 5(a) and 5(b), the end 14a of the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da of the communication part 14 is located at the tip 12a of the peripheral wall part 12 (the root part of the fitting part 13) as described above, and is formed on one end side in the circumferential direction Dc of the edge part 22a of the root part of a specific recess 22A in the circumferential direction Dc of the cover structure 11 (fitting part 13).

Here, as described above, the pair of cover components 11 (fitting portions 13) have the same shape, so for each cover component 11, the end portion 14a on the tip side Dac of the axial direction Da of the communication portion 14 is formed at the base portion of a specified recess 22A.

In other words, when the pair of cover components 11 are in a mated state, a predetermined recess 22A in which the end 14a of the communication part 14 is formed is mated with a protrusion 21 in which the end 14a of the communication part 14 is not formed.

As a result, regardless of the relative positions of the pair of cover components 11 in the circumferential direction Dc, it is possible to ensure that the communication portions 14 formed on each of the pair of cover components 11 are in a fitted state in which they do not coincide with each other in the circumferential direction Dc.

As described above, when the pair of fitting portions 13 are fitted together, the fitting portion 130 has an orthogonal cross section in the axial direction Da that is smoothly curved in the circumferential direction Dc over substantially the entire circumference (see Figs. 2 and 6(a)). On the other hand, as described above, the peripheral wall portion 12 has an orthogonal cross section in the axial direction Da that is smoothly curved in the circumferential direction Dc over substantially the entire circumference (see Figs. 2 and 6(b)). Furthermore, the peripheral wall portion 12 is formed so that its diameter gradually decreases from the tip side Dac to the base end side Dao in the axial direction Da.

For this reason, the corners between the end face of the base end 15 and the outer circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion 12 are formed to be as small as possible. In addition, the cover structure 11 is also formed smoothly in the axial direction Da at the tip end 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 (the base portion of the fitting portion 13).

In other words, the joint cover 10 of this embodiment is formed in a generally bell shape as described above (see FIG. 2), and is therefore designed to have a smooth shape with as few corners as possible in the axial direction Da and circumferential direction Dc.

As a result, the joint cover 10 of this embodiment is configured so that even if the joint cover 10 collides with surrounding parts such as other electric wires 3A (see Figure 1) and corrugated tubes 9 (see Figure 1) due to vehicle vibration, the surrounding parts will not be damaged.

As shown in Figures 3, 4(b), 5(b), 6(b) and 6(c), the inner space 11s on one side of the cover structure 11 is provided with a restricting portion 26 at the tip side in the axial direction Da that restricts the position of the connection portion 7 in the axial direction Da.

The restricting portion 26 is integrally formed to protrude from the inner wall at the tip portion 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 in the axial direction Da of the cover component 11 toward the inside in the radial direction Dr (the internal space 10s). A plurality of restricting portions 26 (four in this example) are provided on the inner wall in the circumferential direction Dc, and are equally spaced in the circumferential direction Dc (see Figures 6(a) and (c)).

The restricting portion 26 protrudes inward in the radial direction Dr (i.e., toward the one-side internal space 11s) so that its tip is located radially outward from the outer circumferential surfaces of the electric wires 3 and 4 in the connecting electric wire 5 that extends along the central axis in the radial direction Dr and radially inward from the outer circumferential surface of the connecting portion 7 (see Figures 8(a) and (b)).

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (c), a pair of restricting portions 26 are provided that protrude from the inner wall of the cover component 11 so as to face each other in the radial direction Dr in the one-side internal space 11s of the cover component 11, and two pairs of these are provided in the circumferential direction Dc of the internal space 10s (one-side internal space 11s).

As described above, the restricting portion 26 is provided at the tip end 12a of the peripheral wall portion 12 in the axial direction Da of the inner wall of the cover component 11 (see FIG. 4B).
As a result, the restricting portions 26 are disposed on both sides of the central portion (corresponding to the mating portion 130) in the axial direction Da of the internal space 10s in the mated state of the pair of cover constituent bodies 11 (see FIG. 4B). Therefore, when the connecting portion 7 (see FIG. 8A) accommodated in the central portion of the internal space 10s of the joint cover 10 is about to shift in position to one of the two outer sides in the axial direction Da from the central portion, the restricting portion 26 abuts one end of the connecting portion 7 in the axial direction Da against the one restricting portion 26. As a result, the restricting portion 26 can restrict the connecting portion 7 from shifting in position to one side in the axial direction Da (the side corresponding to one peripheral wall portion 12).

Next, an example of a procedure for assembling a pair of cover components 11 that constitute the joint cover 10 so that the connection portion 7 of the connecting wire 5 is accommodated in the internal space 10s of the joint cover 10 of the present embodiment described above will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the worker places one cover component 11A of the pair of cover components 11 that are separated from each other on one side in the longitudinal direction Y relative to the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5. Furthermore, the main line 3 extending to one side in the longitudinal direction Y relative to the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5 is inserted into one internal space 11s on one side of one of the cover components 11 through the communication portion 14 (see the hollow arrow in FIG. 7(a)).

As described above, the one cover component 11A is formed so that the communication portion 14 can be elastically deformed to widen the gap in the circumferential direction Dc, and the communication portion 14 is formed continuously over the entire length of the one cover component 11A in the axial direction Da. Therefore, the worker can insert the main line 3 into the one-side internal space 11s through the communication portion 14 by flexibly deforming the one cover component 11 so as to widen the gap d in the circumferential direction Dc of the communication portion 14 (see the cover component 11B shown by the virtual line in Figure 7 (b) described later).

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the worker places the other cover component 11B of the pair of cover components 11 that are separated from each other on the other side in the longitudinal direction Y relative to the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5. Furthermore, the main line 3 and the branch line 4 extending to the other side in the longitudinal direction Y relative to the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5 are inserted into the one-side internal space 11s of the other cover component 11B through the communication portion 14 (see the white arrows in FIG. 7(a) and (b)).

In this case, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the worker can insert the main line 3 and the branch line 4 one by one into the internal space 11s on one side through the communicating portion 14 by flexing and deforming the other cover component 11B so as to widen the circumferential distance d Dc of the communicating portion 14 as described above (see the cover component 11B shown by the phantom line in FIG. 7(b)).

As described above, as shown in FIG. 7(c), each of the pair of cover structures 11 can be arranged to surround from the outside the electric wires 3, 4 on each side of the connection portion 7 in the longitudinal direction Y.

Then, as shown by the hollow arrows in FIG. 7(c), the worker slides the pair of cover structures 11 along the longitudinal direction Y toward the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5 in the longitudinal direction Y so that the fitting portions 13 of the cover structures 11 fit together from both sides of the connection portion 7 in the longitudinal direction Y of the connecting electric wire 5.

As a result, as shown in Figures 8(a) and (b), the worker can assemble the pair of cover structures 11 together with the connection portion 7 housed in the internal space 10s. Note that Figure 8(b) shows only the electric wires 3 and 4 extending from the splice terminal 6 of the connecting electric wire 5 in a simplified manner using virtual lines.

In addition, when the pair of cover components 11 are assembled together, the respective communication portions 14 of the pair of cover components 11 are shifted in the circumferential direction and are discontinuous in the axial direction Da, as described above (see Figures 2, 4(a) and 4(b)), so that the connection portion 7 housed in the internal space 10s through the communication portion 14 does not unintentionally slip out to the outside.

The joint cover 10 of the present embodiment described above is a joint cover that accommodates at least the connection portion 7 of a connecting electric wire 5 having a connection portion 7 in which a plurality of electric wires 3, 4 are connected with a splice terminal 6 as a connecting member, as shown in FIG. 8(a), and has a pair of cover components 11 that fit together in the axial direction Da along the longitudinal direction Y of the electric wires 3, 4, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4(a)(b), 5(a)(b), and 6(a)(b)(c). , 4 in the circumferential direction Dc, and a fitting portion 13 that fits with a fitting portion 13 provided on the tip side Dac of another cover component 11 at the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da of the peripheral wall portion 12. A communication portion 14 that connects the outside and the inside in the radial direction Dr so that the electric wires 3, 4 can be inserted from the outside to the inside (one-side internal space 11s) of the cover component 11 is formed over the entire length of the axial direction Da of the cover component 11.

According to the above configuration, the electric wires 3 and 4 can be inserted into the internal space 11s on one side of the cover structure 11 through the communication portion 14.

Therefore, the pair of cover components 11 can be attached to the connecting wire 5 to which the multiple electric wires 3, 4 are connected at the connection portion 7, and the connection portion 7 can be protected by being housed inside the pair of cover components 11 that are fitted together.

As shown in Figures 2, 4(a) and 4(b), the cover structure 11 is formed in such a way that the spacing d of the communication parts 14 is formed along the axial direction Da at a spacing d that is narrower than at least the outer diameter of the electric wires 3 and 4, and is formed so as to be elastically deformable until the spacing d of the communication parts 14 is wider in the circumferential direction Dc than at least the outer diameter of the electric wires 3 and 4 (see Figure 7(b)).

According to the above configuration, the spacing d of the communication portion 14 can be expanded in the circumferential direction Dc by elastically deforming the cover component 11, so that the electric wires 3 and 4 can be easily inserted into the radial inside of the cover component 11 in the radial direction Dr through the communication portion 14.

In addition, under normal conditions when the cover structure 11 is not elastically deformed, the communication portion 14 is formed along the axial direction Da in a state in which it is substantially closed in the circumferential direction Dc, so that it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as dirt or water from entering the internal space 10s of the joint cover 10 through the communication portion 14.

As shown in Figures 2, 4(a) and 4(b), and 6(a), the pair of cover components 11 are configured such that the mating portions 13 of the pair of cover components 11 are mated with each other while the communication portions 14 of the pair of cover components 11 do not coincide with each other in the circumferential direction Dc.

In other words, when the fitting portions 13 of the pair of cover components 11 are fitted together, the communication portions 14 formed in each can be discontinuous in the axial direction Da.

Therefore, before the pair of cover components 11 are fitted together, the connection portion 7 inserted into the one-side internal space 11s through the communication portion 14 can be reliably maintained in a state housed within the internal space 10s so as not to slip out unintentionally to the outside in the radial direction Dr when the cover components 11 are fitted together.

As shown in Figures 3, 4(b), 5(b), 6(a) and 6(c), a restricting portion 26 is provided in the internal space 11s on one side of the cover structure 11 at the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da to restrict the position of the connection portion 7 in the axial direction Da.

According to the above configuration, in the internal space 10s of the pair of cover components 11 that are fitted together (assembled), the splice terminal 6 can be restricted by the restricting portion 26 to be positioned at the center of the axial direction Da (see FIG. 8(a)).

This allows the pair of cover components 11 to be stably accommodated in the internal space 10s of the pair of cover components 11 without being misaligned with respect to the position of the connection portion 7 in the longitudinal direction Y of the connecting electric wire 5.

Furthermore, as described above, in the internal space 10s of the pair of cover components 11 that are fitted together, the connection portion 7 can be constantly regulated to be positioned in the center of the axial direction Da by the regulating portion 26. Therefore, even if the connection portion 7 cannot be directly viewed from the outside of the pair of cover components 11 because the connection portion 7 is covered by the pair of cover components 11, the worker can recognize the position of the connection portion 7 in the axial direction Da in the internal space 10s of the pair of cover components 11.

That is, for example, even when the connection parts 7 are housed in the internal space 10s of the pair of cover components 11, the worker can accurately grasp the distance L (see FIG. 1) between the connection parts 7 at both ends of the branch line 4 in the longitudinal direction Y.

As a result, the worker can accurately and easily manage the distance L between the connection parts 7 that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction Y of the electric wires 3 and 4, as shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4(a), 5(a)(b), and 6(a)(c), each of the pair of fitting portions 13 has multiple concave portions 22 that are concave toward the base end side Dao (the side of the peripheral wall portion 12) in the axial direction Da and multiple convex portions 21 that are convex toward the tip end side, which are arranged alternately along the circumferential direction Dc, and the concave portions 22 and the convex portions 21 are concave-convex fitting portions that fit into each other between each of the pair of fitting portions 13.

According to the above configuration, of the pair of cover components 11, the multiple recesses 22 provided in the mating portion 13 of one cover component 11A and the multiple protrusions 21 provided in the mating portion 13 of the other cover component 11B can be mated with each other.

Furthermore, the multiple protrusions 21 provided on the mating portion 13 of one cover component 11A and the multiple recesses 22 provided on the mating portion 13 of the other cover component 11B can be mated with each other.

This allows the pair of cover components 11 to be firmly fitted together.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4(a) and 4(b), and 5(a) and 5(b), the end portions 14a of the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da of the communication portions 14 in the peripheral wall portions 12 of each of the pair of cover components 11 are both formed on the side of the recessed portion 22 (predetermined recessed portion 22A) of the recessed portion 22 and the protruding portion 21 in the circumferential direction Dc of the corresponding cover components 11.

According to the above configuration, for each of the pair of cover components 11, the end 14a on the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da of the communication part 14 can be formed at a location that coincides with the recess 22 (predetermined recess 22A) in the circumferential direction Dc of the cover component 11.

As a result, the joint cover 10 of this embodiment can be configured so that when the recesses 22 and protrusions 21 of the pair of cover components 11 are engaged with each other, the ends 14a of the communication portions 14 of the pair of cover components 11 do not reliably coincide with each other in the circumferential direction Dc.

In other words, when the pair of cover components 11 are fitted together, the communication portion 14 is discontinuous over the entire length of the pair of cover components 11 in the axial direction Da, and the connection portion 7 housed in the internal space 10s of the joint cover 10 is reliably prevented from accidentally escaping radially outward through the communication portion 14.

Furthermore, according to the above configuration, a portion of the communication part 14 that extends over the entire length of the axial direction Da of the cover structure 11 can be covered by the recess 22 (predetermined recess 22A), so that the length of the communication part 14 in the axial direction Da can be shortened by the depth of the recess 22.

Therefore, the electric wires 3 and 4 can be easily inserted into the internal space 11s on one side of the cover structure 11 through the communication portion 14.

In addition, as described above, a portion of the communicating portion 14 extending over the entire length of the cover component 11 in the axial direction Da can be covered by the recess 22, so that the rigidity (shape retention) of the cover component 11 can be increased compared to a case in which both the portion of the communicating portion 14 corresponding to the recess 22 in the axial direction Da and the recess 22 are formed.
Therefore, the protection performance of the cover structure 11 for the connection portion 7 housed inside the cover structure 11 can be improved.

As shown in Figures 3, 4(b), 5(b), and 6(a), the joint cover 10 of this embodiment has an inner thin-walled portion 221 at the base of the recess 22 that is recessed inward in the radial direction Dr, and an outer thin-walled portion 211 at the tip of the protrusion 21 that is recessed outward in the radial direction Dr.

According to the above configuration, the protrusion 21 and the recess 22 are fitted together in the circumferential direction Dc, and the inner thin-walled portion 221 and the outer thin-walled portion 211 are overlapped together in the radial direction Dr (plate thickness direction), so that the protrusion 21 and the recess 22 can be fitted together more firmly.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4(a)(b), 5(a)(b), and 6(a), (b), and (c), the pair of cover components 11 have the same shape.

According to the above configuration, even though the joint cover 10 of this embodiment is composed of a pair of cover components 11 made of two members, the pair of cover components 11 can be formed in one type of configuration. Therefore, the number of parts (types of parts) of the joint cover 10 of this embodiment can be reduced, so that even when multiple cover components 11 are prepared, the effort of parts management can be simplified and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, it is possible to uniquely determine the combination of a pair of cover components 11 selected from a plurality of cover components 11 prepared.

Therefore, for example, there is no risk that a worker at the site will attempt to assemble (fit) a pair of cover components 11 in an incorrect combination, and the cover components 11 can always be assembled in an appropriate combination.
Therefore, the efficiency of the assembly work of the pair of cover components 11 can be improved.

As shown in Figures 3, 5(a) and 5(b), the cover structure 11 is formed in a generally bell shape with a gradually increasing diameter over substantially the entire circumferential direction Dc toward the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da.

According to the above configuration, as shown in Figures 2 and 4(a) and (b), the pair of cover components 11, when assembled together, can have a roughly oval shape (also called a "roughly ellipsoidal oval shape" or "so-called egg-shaped shape") that gradually increases in diameter from both sides in the axial direction Da toward the center (tip side Dac).

Therefore, when the pair of cover components 11 are assembled together, they can have a smooth shape with minimal corners in the axial direction Da and circumferential direction Dc.

Therefore, even if the joint cover 10 of this embodiment, which covers the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5 from the outside, comes into contact with nearby components such as the electric wire 3A (see FIG. 1) and the corrugated tube 9 (exterior member) (see FIG. 1) due to vehicle vibration, the application of external forces locally can be suppressed, and as a result, damage to the surrounding components can be prevented.

In addition, the joint cover 10 of this embodiment has a larger diameter in the center than on either side in the axial direction Da, so the connection part 7 can be securely accommodated in the internal space 10s.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wire harness 1 of this embodiment is configured by bundling at least the connection portion 7 of a connecting wire 5 (see FIG. 7(a)) having a connection portion 7 in which multiple electric wires 3, 4 are connected by a splice terminal 6 into a joint wire 5' (see FIGS. 1 and 8(a)) housed in the internal space 10s of a joint cover 10, and other electric wires 3A.

According to the above configuration, even when the multiple electric wires 3, 4 are connected by the connection portion 7, the pair of cover components 11 can be fitted together with the connection portion 7 housed in the internal space 10s. Furthermore, the connection portion 7 of the connecting electric wire 5 can be kept housed in the internal space 10s of the pair of cover components 11 so that the connection portion 7 is not unintentionally pulled outward in the radial direction Dr through the communication portion 14.

This invention is not limited to the configuration of the above example, but can be implemented in a variety of different ways.

As a first modified example of the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Figs. 9(a) and (b), a configuration may be adopted in which an engaging portion 31 is provided on each of the multiple protrusions 21, and an engaged portion 32 is provided on each of the multiple recesses 22 (edges of the recesses 22).

Specifically, in the joint cover 10A according to the first modification, the engaging portion 31 is formed so as to protrude radially inward from the radial inner surface 211a of the tip end portion in the axial direction Da of the protruding portion 21 (outer thin portion 211), and the engaged portion 32 is formed so as to be concave radially inward from the radial outer surface 221a of the base end portion in the axial direction Da of the recessed portion 22 (inner thin portion 221).

When the pair of engaging portions 13 are engaged, i.e., when the convex portion 21 is inserted into the concave portion 22, they engage with each other so that the engaging portion 31, which is convex on the radially outward side, fits into the engaged portion 32, which is concave on the radially inward side, and as a result, it is possible to make it difficult for the convex portion 21 to come out of the concave portion 22 unintentionally.

In the above-mentioned modified example 1, although not shown in the figures, a configuration is adopted in which the engaging portion 31 is formed in the convex portion 21 (outer thin portion 211) and the engaged portion 32 is formed in the concave portion 22 (inner thin portion 221). However, this configuration is not limited to this, and although not shown in the figures, a configuration may also be adopted in which the engaging portion 31 is formed in the concave portion 22 (inner thin portion 221) and the engaged portion 32 is formed in the convex portion 21 (outer thin portion 211).

In addition, the engaging portion 31 is not limited to being provided at the tip of the outer thin portion 211 of the protrusion 21, but may be provided at a location other than the tip of the outer thin portion 211 as long as it is capable of engaging with the engaged portion 32.

Similarly, the engaged portion 32 is not limited to being provided on the edge 22a on the base side of the inner thin portion 221 at the edge of the recess 22, but may be provided on a portion other than the edge 22a on the base side of the inner thin portion 221 as long as it is capable of engaging with the engaging portion 31.

Also, as in the joint cover 10B according to the modified example 2 shown in FIG. 10, the communication portion 14A may be configured to be formed over the entire length of the axial direction Da of the cover component 11 so as to have a circumferential distance d' in the circumferential direction Dc that is wider than the outer diameter of the electric wires 3, 4 under normal conditions when the cover component 11 is not elastically deformed.

According to the above configuration, before the pair of cover components 11 are assembled to each other, the electric wires 3 and 4 can be easily inserted into the one-side internal space 11s of the cover components 11 through the communication portion 14A without widening the circumferential distance d' of the communication portion 14A in the circumferential direction Dc by, for example, elastically deforming the cover components 11.

On the other hand, as described above, when the pair of cover components 11 are engaged, the communication portions 14A formed in each of them can be made discontinuous in the axial direction Da, so that the connection portion 7 inserted into the internal space 10s through the communication portion 14A can be reliably kept contained so that it does not unintentionally slip out to the outside in the radial direction Dr, even without blocking the communication portion 14A with insulating tape or the like.

The pair of cover components 11 provided in the joint cover 10B do not need to be elastically deformable to widen the gap d' between the communication parts 14A, so they may be made of a material that is less elastic (less susceptible to elastic deformation) than the cover components 11 in the above-described embodiment.

The convex and concave portions of the joint cover of the present invention are not limited to being formed linearly in the axial direction, as in the convex and concave portions 21 and 22 of the joint cover 10 of the above-described embodiment, but may be formed as in the convex and concave portions 21' and 22' of the joint cover 10C of modified example 3 shown in Figures 11(a) and (b).

More specifically, as shown in Figs. 11(a) and (b), the convex portion 21' and the concave portion 22' provided on the joint cover 10C according to the third modification are formed in a bent shape that bends in the circumferential direction Dc as it extends toward the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da.

More specifically, the convex portion 21' and the concave portion 22' extend in a spiral shape around the central axis of the mating portion 13 of the cover structure 11.

According to the above configuration, when fitting (assembling) the pair of cover components 11 to each other, it is only necessary to push the protrusion 21 toward the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da into the recess 22 while twisting the pair of cover components 11 in opposite directions in the circumferential direction Dc, for example, and therefore the fitting can be easily performed.

On the other hand, according to the above configuration, when releasing the mutual engagement between the pair of cover components 11, a torsional force (a force in the rotational direction around the central axis of the cover components 11) is required, so that the convex portion 21 can be firmly engaged in the circumferential direction Dc as well as in the axial direction Da so that it does not come off unintentionally from the concave portion 22.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment in which an inner thin-walled portion 221 is provided at the base of the recess and an outer thin-walled portion 211 is provided at the tip of the protrusion. Although not shown in the figures, the present invention may also adopt a configuration in which an outer thin-walled portion is provided at the base of the recess and an inner thin-walled portion is provided at the tip of the protrusion.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the end portions 14a of the tip side Dac in the axial direction Da of the communication portions 14 in the respective peripheral wall portions 12 of the pair of cover components 11 are both formed on the side of the recesses 22 (predetermined recesses 22A) in the circumferential direction Dc of the corresponding cover components 11 as in the above-described embodiment, but may be formed on the side of the protrusions 21, although this is not shown in the drawings.

Even in this configuration, the joint cover 10 of this embodiment can be configured so that when the recesses 22 and protrusions 21 of the pair of cover components 11 are engaged with each other, the ends 14a of the communication portions 14 of the pair of cover components 11 do not necessarily coincide with each other in the circumferential direction Dc.

1... Wire harness 3, 4... Multiple electric wires 3A... Other electric wires 5... Connection electric wire 5'... Joint electric wire 6... Splice terminal 7... Connection part 10, 10A, 10B, 10C... Joint cover 10s... Internal space (inside of the joint cover)
11: Pair of cover constituent bodies 11s: One-side internal space (inside of the cover constituent body)
12... Peripheral wall part 13... Fitting part 14... Communicating part 22, 22'... Recessed part 21, 21'... Convex part 26... Regulating part 31... Engaging part 32... Engaged part 211... Outer thin wall part 221... Inner thin wall part d, d'... Distance between communicating parts Y... Longitudinal direction of electric wire Da... Axial direction Dac... Axial tip side Dr... Radial direction

Claims (12)

A joint cover for accommodating at least a connection portion of a connecting electric wire having a connection portion to which a plurality of electric wires are connected,
a pair of cover structures that are fitted to each other in an axial direction along the longitudinal direction of the electric wire;
The cover structure includes:
a peripheral wall portion extending along an axial direction so as to surround the electric wire in a circumferential direction;
a fitting portion that fits with a fitting portion provided on the tip side of another cover structure at a position axially distal from the peripheral wall portion,
A communication portion that communicates the outside and the inside in a radial direction so that an electric wire can be inserted from the outside to the inside of the cover constituent body in the radial direction is formed over the entire axial length of the cover constituent body ,
The fitting portion is configured to fit with the fitting portion of the other cover component in a fitted state in which the communication portion does not coincide with the communication portion of the other cover component in the circumferential direction.
Joint cover. The cover structure has the communication portions formed along the axial direction at intervals narrower than the outer diameter of the electric wire at least in the circumferential direction , and
The joint cover according to claim 1 , wherein the communication portion is formed to be deformable so that the interval between the communication portions is wider in the circumferential direction than at least an outer diameter of the electric wire. The joint cover according to claim 1 , wherein the communication portion has a circumferential interval that is wider than an outer diameter of the electric wire over the entire axial length of the cover structure. A restricting portion that restricts the position of the connecting portion in the axial direction is provided inside the cover structure at the tip side in the axial direction.
The joint cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The fitting portion is
A plurality of recesses that are recessed toward the peripheral wall portion in the axial direction and a plurality of protruding portions that are protruding toward the tip side are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction, and the recesses are fitted into the protruding portions of the other cover constituents, and the protruding portions are fitted into the recesses of the other cover constituents, forming a recess-protruding fitting portion.
The joint cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The end portion on the tip side in the axial direction of the communication portion is formed on the same side of either the recessed portion or the protruding portion in each of the pair of cover constituent bodies.
The joint cover according to claim 5 . An inner thin-walled portion recessed toward the inside in the radial direction is provided at one of a root portion of the recess and a tip portion of the protrusion,
An outer thin-walled portion recessed toward the outside in the radial direction is provided on the other of the root portion of the recess and the tip portion of the protrusion.
The joint cover according to claim 5 or 6 . An engagement portion is provided on one of the protrusion and the recess,
The other side is provided with an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion.
The joint cover according to any one of claims 5 to 7 . The protruding portion and the recessed portion are formed in a bent shape that bends in the circumferential direction as it extends toward the tip end in the axial direction.
The joint cover according to any one of claims 5 to 8 . The pair of cover components have the same shape.
The joint cover according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . The cover structure is formed in a generally bell shape with a diameter gradually increasing over the entire circumferential direction toward the tip side in the axial direction.
A joint cover according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . 12. A wire harness comprising a joint electric wire having a connection portion to which a plurality of electric wires are connected, the joint electric wire being housed inside the joint cover according to claim 1 , and other electric wires bundled together.

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