US 11,915,841 B2
Method of manufacturing wire harness
Hirotaka Kiyota, Makinohara (JP); and Masaru Kiuchi, Makinohara (JP)
Assigned to YAZAKI CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Yazaki Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jan. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/579,201.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-021619 (JP), filed on Feb. 15, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0262547 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. H01B 13/012 (2006.01); H01B 13/22 (2006.01); H01B 7/00 (2006.01); H02G 3/04 (2006.01); B60R 16/02 (2006.01); H02G 15/18 (2006.01); C08G 18/08 (2006.01)
CPC H01B 13/01263 (2013.01) [H01B 7/0045 (2013.01); H01B 13/227 (2013.01); H02G 3/0462 (2013.01); B60R 16/0215 (2013.01); C08G 18/0895 (2013.01); H01B 13/22 (2013.01); H02G 3/0468 (2013.01); H02G 3/0481 (2013.01); H02G 15/1806 (2013.01)] 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of manufacturing a wire harness that includes an electric wire and an electric wire protection tube covering the electric wire, one end side of the electric wire being provided with a large-dimension portion having a dimension larger than an inner dimension of the electric wire protection tube,
the method comprising mounting the electric wire protection tube on the electric wire via steps, performed in a sequence set forth, of:
providing a shape-memory polymer having shape-memory properties;
shaping the shape-memory polymer having said shape-memory properties into a tube shape to form the electric wire protection tube;
expanding the electric wire protection tube which is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than a glass-transition point such that the inner dimension of the electric wire protection tube becomes larger than the dimension of the large-dimension portion;
while the electric wire protection tube is in an expanded state, cooling the electric wire protection tube to a temperature below the glass-transition point and solidifying the electric wire protection tube;
mounting the electric wire protection tube on the electric wire by passing the large-dimension portion and the electric wire inside the electric wire protection tube; and
reheating the electric wire protection tube to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass-transition point such that the electric wire protection tube is restored to the inner dimension obtained after the step of shaping.