AU2015401869A1

AU2015401869A1 - Wire housing protector

Info

Publication number: AU2015401869A1
Application number: AU2015401869A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ryo Suenaga
Original assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd
Priority date: 2015-07-06
Filing date: 2015-08-20
Publication date: 2017-11-30
Also published as: KR20170091731A; JP2017017963A; WO2017006492A1; CN107534281A; JP5885134B1

Abstract

A wire housing protector having a novel structure is provided which, even when a lock mechanism is provided inside of the side wall of the protector main body, allows easy release of the lock mechanism. An elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 is formed passing in the height direction inside of the side wall 20 of the protector main body 12, the bottom end opening 24 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 is in the bottom surface 23 of the side wall 20, and meanwhile, an engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38 has an inclined surface 42 which projects obliquely upwards from the projection end surface 44 of the elastic projecting piece 38; a jig holding recess 48 is provided in the inclined surface 42, and it is possible to house and hold the leading end portion 56 of a jig 54 inserted from the bottom end opening 24 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26.

Description

DESCRIPTION

WIRE HOUSING PROTECTOR

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a wire housing protector for holding multiple electric wires laid therethrough that are routed inside an automobile or the like.

Background Art [0002] Conventionally, in the electric system of automobiles or the like, multiple routed electric wires are laid through and held within a wire housing protector and secured at suitable locations in order to protect the electric wires from external members that might otherwise interfere with the electric wires and restrict the routing of the electric wires.

[0003] Incidentally, as described in JP H06-70415U (Patent Document l) for example, such a wire housing protector is constituted by a trough-shaped protector body and a lid that covers the upper opening of the protector body. Once multiple electric wires are laid through the protector body, the lid is fixed to the protector body by a locking mechanism that protrudes from a sidewall of the protector body. In this way, the protector is capable of holding the multiple electric wires accommodated therein.

[0004] However, wire housing protectors having the foregoing conventional structure have an inherent problem in that, because the locking mechanism protrudes outward from a sidewall of the protector body, some of the capacity of the wire housing portion of the protector body is sacrificed so as to secure space for the locking mechanism. Especially in recent years, the demand for downsizing automobiles has been growing while the quantity of on-vehicle electrical equipment has also been increasing. Accordingly, there is a need to increase the housing space inside the protector body without enlarging the space necessary for mounting the wire housing protector. At times, conventionally structured wire housing protectors have been unable to meet this requirement sufficiently. In particular, there have been cases in which the lid could not easily interlock with the protector body because there were too many electric wires for the capacity of the wire housing protector.

[0005] Therefore, the applicant proposed, in JP 2014-82880A (Patent Document 2), a wire housing protector including a locking mechanism that is constituted by an elastic projecting piece that projects from an outer peripheral edge of a lid toward a protector body and an elastic projecting piece insertion hole that passes through the inside of a side wall of the protector body and opens in an upper surface, and in which an engagement protrusion provided at a leading end of the elastic projecting piece that has been inserted into the inside of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole engages with an engagement portion that projects from an inner surface of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole so as to prevent the lid from separating from the protector body. According to such a wire housing protector, because the locking mechanism is provided inside the side wall of the protector body, the side wall of the protector body can be extended to a maximum range of the space that is allowed to mount the wire housing protector, compared with a conventional structure in which the locking mechanism protrudes outward from the side wall of the protector body. Therefore, a dead space around the protector body that occurs due to the locking mechanism that protrudes outward from the side wall can be reduced, and the wire accommodating space in the protector body can be increased.

[0006] However, in a structure in which the locking mechanism is provided inside the side wall of the protector body in this way, because the engagement protrusion provided at the leading end of the elastic projecting piece that has been inserted into the inside of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole engages with the engagement portion that projects from the inner surface of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole, it is difficult to access the engagement protrusion and the engagement portion from the outside. Therefore, it has an inherent problem in that, after the engagement protrusion and the engagement portion have engaged, the engagement cannot be released, and the lid cannot be separated from the protector body unless the locking mechanism is broken.

Citation List Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document V- JP H06-70415U Patent Document 2- JP 2014-82880A

Summary of Invention Technical Problem [0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances and, as a solution to the problem, provides a wire housing protector having a new structure that can easily release a locking mechanism even if the locking mechanism is provided inside a side wall of a protector body.

Solution to Problem [0009] A first aspect of the invention provides a wire housing protector including: a protector body extending in the shape of a trough; a lid for covering an upper opening of the protector body! and a locking mechanism for fixedly holding the protector body and the lid. The locking mechanism includes: an elastic projecting piece that protrudes from the lid and is provided with an engagement protrusion at its leading end; and an elastic projecting piece insertion hole that passes through the inside of a side wall of the protector body and opens in an upper surface of the side wall, and includes an engagement portion that engages with the engagement protrusion. The elastic projecting piece can be inserted into the elastic projecting piece insertion hole while the leading end of the elastic projecting piece is pressed toward a side opposite to a side to which the engagement protrusion protrudes, and when the elastic projecting piece elastically returns, the engagement protrusion engages with the engagement portion and the lid is held by the protector body. The elastic projecting piece insertion hole is formed so as to pass through the inside of the side wall of the protector body in a height direction, and a lower end opening of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole opens in a lower surface of the side wall. The engagement protrusion of the elastic projecting piece includes a sloping surface that slopes obliquely upward from a projecting end surface of the elastic projecting piece, and a recessed jig holding portion is provided in the sloping surface so as to accommodate and hold a leading end of a jig that has been inserted from the lower end opening of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole.

[0010] According to the present aspect, even if the locking mechanism is provided inside the side wall of the protector body in order to increase the wire accommodating space inside the protector body, because the elastic projecting piece insertion hole is formed so as to pass through the inside of the side wall of the protector body in the height direction and the lower end opening of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole opens in the lower surface of the side wall, the engagement protrusion can be accessed from the lower end opening. Furthermore, the engagement protrusion is provided with a sloping surface that slopes obliquely upward from the projecting end surface of the elastic projecting piece, and the recessed jig holding portion is provided in the sloping surface so as to accommodate and hold the leading end of a jig that has been inserted from the lower end opening. Accordingly, the leading end of the jig that has been inserted inside the elastic projecting piece insertion hole from the lower end opening can be stably held by the recessed jig holding portion provided in the sloping surface of the engagement protrusion of the elastic projecting piece, and the force applied via the jig can be stably transmitted to the elastic projecting piece. Furthermore, since the recessed jig holding portion is provided in the sloping surface that slopes obliquely upward from the leading end of the elastic projecting piece, the force transmitted from a jig that has been inserted from the lower end opening can be exerted in a direction opposite to the projecting direction of the engagement protrusion using a component force that is orthogonal to the sloping surface, and the external force from the jig can be advantageously exerted to the engagement protrusion in a direction such that the engagement protrusion separates from the engagement portion. As a result, even if the locking mechanism is provided inside the side wall of the protector body, the locking mechanism can be easily released, and the lid can be separated from the protector body without breaking the locking structure.

[0011] A second aspect of the invention provides the wire housing protector according to the first aspect, wherein a bottom portion of the recessed jig holding portion is located in a central portion, with respect to a width direction, of the sloping surface, and the width of the recessed jig holding portion gradually increases toward a lower end of the sloping surface.

[0012] According to the present aspect, since the width of the recessed jig holding portion is the largest at the lower end of the sloping surface, the leading end of a jig that approaches from below the sloping surface can be held in a wider range. Furthermore, the width of the recessed jig holding portion gradually decreases toward the bottom portion, and the bottom portion is located in the central portion in the width direction of the sloping surface, and as a result, the leading end of the jig can be guided toward the central portion of the sloping surface at which the force from the jig can be exerted most stably to the elastic projecting piece, and a force from the jig for releasing the engagement protrusion from the engagement portion can be exerted to the elastic projecting piece more stably.

[0013] A third aspect of the invention provides the wire housing protector according to the first or second aspect, wherein the bottom portion of the recessed jig holding portion includes a sloping bottom surface that is parallel to the sloping surface.

[0014] According to the present aspect, since the bottom portion of the recessed jig holding portion includes the sloping bottom surface that is parallel to the sloping surface, the force transmitted from a jig that has been inserted to the lower end opening can be exerted in a direction opposite to the projecting direction of the engagement protrusion using a component force that is orthogonal to the sloping bottom surface, and an external force from the jig can be advantageously exerted to the engagement protrusion in a direction such that the engagement protrusion separates from the engagement portion. As a result, even if the locking mechanism is provided inside the side wall of the protector body, the locking mechanism can be easily released, and the lid can be separated from the protector body without breaking the locking structure.

Advantageous Effects of Invention [0015] According to the wire housing protector of the present invention, even if the locking mechanism is provided inside the side wall of the protector body in order to increase the wire accommodating space inside the protector body, because the elastic projecting piece insertion hole is formed so as to pass through the inside of the side wall of the protector body in the height direction, the engagement protrusion can be accessed from the lower end opening of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole. Also, the engagement protrusion is provided with, in the sloping surface that slopes obliquely upward from the projecting end surface of the elastic projecting piece, the recessed jig holding portion that can accommodate and hold the leading end of a jig that has been inserted from the lower end opening. Accordingly, the leading end of the jig that has been inserted from the lower end opening can be stably held by the recessed jig holding portion, and the force applied via the jig can be stably transmitted to the elastic projecting piece. Also, the force transmitted from a jig can be exerted in a direction opposite to the projecting direction of the engagement protrusion using a component force that is orthogonal to the sloping surface, and the external force from the jig can be advantageously exerted to the engagement protrusion in a direction such that the engagement protrusion separates from the engagement portion. As a result, even if the locking mechanism is provided inside the side wall of the protector body, the locking mechanism can be easily released, and the lid can be separated from the protector body without breaking the locking structure.

Brief Description of Drawings [0016] FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of a wire housing protector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the wire housing protector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an elastic projecting piece of a lid shown in FIG. 2 viewed from below. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the wire housing protector shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross section taken along line V-V in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross section taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a wire housing protector according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to FIG. 6.

Description of Embodiments [0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] First, a wire housing protector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. The wire housing protector 10 is constituted by a protector body 12 extending in the shape of a trough and a lid 16 that covers the upper opening 14 of the protector body 12. When in use, the wire housing protector 10 accommodates a wire harness (not shown) laid through the protector body 12. Also, in the following description, “upward” refers to the upward direction in FIG. 1, “downward” refers to the downward direction in FIG. 1, “forward” refers to the leftward direction in FIG. 1, and “backward” refers to the rightward direction in FIG. 1.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the protector body 12 is configured to extend in the shape of a trough, includes a bottom wall 18 and a pair of sidewalls 20 rising upright from both sides of the bottom wall 18, and is integrally formed of synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP) or polyamide (PA), for example, by injection molding or the like. Also, in the side wall 20 of the protector body 12, elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 that pass through the inside of the side wall 20 in a height direction are provided. The elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 include an upper end opening 22 that opens in an upper surface 21 of the side wall 20 and a lower end opening 24 that opens in a lower surface 23 of the side wall 20. In the present embodiment, two elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 are formed in each of a back side and a front side of the side wall 20, but any number of elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 that are separated in a longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2) may be provided as necessary. Here, an inner surface 28 of the side wall 20 where the elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 are formed slightly protrudes toward the inside of the protector body 12. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, an engagement portion 32 having a substantially recessed shape, which is formed by cutting out a portion, on a lower side, of an inner side 30 of the outer wall of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26, is provided in the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26. An upper end surface 34 of the engagement portion 32 is a sloping surface that slopes obliquely downward toward the inside of the protector body 12. Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a pair of jig insertion recessed grooves 36 that each have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, open in the upper surface 21 of the side wall 20 of the protector body 12 and the inner side 30 of the outer wall, and extend downward, are formed at both end portions, with respect to the width direction, of an upper end portion of the inner side 30 of the outer wall in which the engagement portion 32 in the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 is formed.

[0020] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2, the lid 16 is provided with, at its outer edge, a plurality of elastic projecting pieces 38 that each have a substantially rectangular shape, project toward the protector body 12, and are flexible in a plate thickness direction. The lid 16 is, similarly to the protector body 12, integrally formed of synthetic resin such as polypropylene (PP) or polyamide (PA), for example, by injection molding or the like, but is formed separately from the protector body 12. Note that, in the present embodiment, four elastic projecting pieces 38 are formed in correspondence with the elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 described above.

[0021] Also, an engagement protrusion 40 that protrudes outward in the plate thickness direction is provided on an outer surface 39 at a leading end of the elastic projecting pieces 38. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40 is a tapered sloping surface that slopes outward and obliquely upward from a projecting end surface 44 of the elastic projecting piece 38, and an upper end surface 46 of the engagement protrusion 40 is a sloping surface that slopes obliquely downward toward the inside of the protector body 12, similarly to the upper end surface 34 of the engagement portion 32 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26. Also, a recessed jig holding portion 48 having substantially the shape of a truncated half cone is provided in the lower end surface 42, which is a sloping surface, of the engagement protrusion 40, and can accommodate and hold a leading end 56 of a jig 54 having a substantially bar shape that has been inserted from a lower end opening 24 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26, which will be described later. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a bottom portion 50 of the recessed jig holding portion 48 is positioned in a central portion, with respect to a width direction, of the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40, and the recessed jig holding portion 48 is formed such that the width W of the recessed jig holding portion 48 increases downward toward the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the bottom portion 50 of the recessed jig holding portion 48 has a sloping bottom surface that is parallel to the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40.

[0022] Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a pair of protrusions 52 that are jig engagement portions, have a substantially rectangular cross sectional shape, and, in a state in which the lid 16 is engaged with the protector body 12, are located under the upper surface 21 of the side wall 20 of the protector body 12, and project toward the inner side 30 of the outer wall in which the engagement portion 32 is provided, are provided at both end portions, with respect to the width direction, of the outer surface 39 of the elastic projecting piece 38, which is a surface opposing the jig insertion recessed groove 36.

[0023] The plurality of elastic projecting pieces 38 of the lid 16 are inserted into the respectively corresponding plurality of elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 of the protector body 12, the engagement portions 32 of the elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 are respectively engaged with the engagement protrusions 40 of the elastic projecting pieces 38, and as a result, the lid 16 is fixedly held by the protector body 12, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. In this way, in the present embodiment, the locking mechanism is configured by the engagement portions 32 of the elastic projecting piece insertion holes 26 and the engagement protrusions 40 of the elastic projecting pieces 38.

[0024] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the locking mechanism will be described in detail. First, the leading end of the elastic projecting piece 38 of the lid 16 is inserted into the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26. Because the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38 is a tapered sloping surface, as a result of pushing the leading end of the elastic projecting piece 38 of the lid 16 in a direction toward the protector body 12, the leading end of the elastic projecting piece 38 is inserted into the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 while the leading end is pressed toward the inner surface 28 side of the protector body 12, that is, toward a side opposite to the projection side of the engagement protrusion 40, due to an action of the tapered sloping surface. The engagement portion 32 that is formed by cutting out the lower side of the inner side 30 of the outer wall and has a substantially recessed shape is provided in the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26. Therefore, when the elastic projecting piece 38 is further pushed deep into the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 and the engagement protrusion 40 formed at the leading end of the elastic projecting piece 38 passes over the upper end surface 34 of the engagement portion 32, the elastic projecting piece 38 elastically returns, and the engagement protrusion 40 is inserted into the engagement portion 32 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26. Accordingly, the engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38 is engaged with the engagement portion 32 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26, and the lid 16 is fixedly held by the protector body 12.

[0025] On the other hand, to release such an engagement state, as shown in FIG. 5, first, a substantially bar-shaped jig 54 is inserted substantially upward in the vertical direction from the lower end opening 24 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 from the leading end 56 side, and the leading end 56 is accommodated and held in the recessed jig holding portion 48 formed in the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40. The leading end 56 of the jig 54 is pushed further upward in this state, and an auxiliary force F is applied to the bottom portion 50 of the recessed jig holding portion 48. Here, because the bottom portion 50 of the recessed jig holding portion 48 is a sloping bottom surface that is parallel to the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40, the auxiliary force F can be decomposed into a component force Fa that presses the engagement protrusion 40 outward and obliquely upward and a component force Fb that is larger than the component force Fa and presses the engagement protrusion 40 inward and obliquely upward. Therefore, the auxiliary force from the jig 54 can be advantageously exerted to the engagement protrusion 40 such that the engagement protrusion 40 is separated from the engagement portion 32 and the engagement protrusion 40 is disengaged from the engagement portion 32 by the larger component force Fb.

[0026] Also, when this engagement state is released, as shown in FIG. 6, a jig 54 may be further inserted from the leading end 56 side into the jig insertion recessed groove 36 from the upper end opening 22 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26, and the leading end 56 may be engaged with the protrusion 52 that is part of the jig engagement portion. Here, the protrusion 52 is provided in the outer surface 39, which is a surface of the elastic projecting piece 38 that opposes the jig insertion recessed groove 36. In this way, as a result of the leading end 56 of the jig 54 being engaged with the lower end side of the protrusion 52, a lever can be configured in which the abutting part between the leading end 56 of the jig 54 and the protrusion 52 acts as a point of load, the abutting part between the jig 54 and the side wall 20 acts as a fulcrum, and the base end of the jig 54 acts as a point of effort. Accordingly, by merely pushing the base end of the jig 54 downward, the engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38 can be easily elastically deformed so as to separate from the engagement portion 32.

[0027] According to the wire housing protector 10 of the present embodiment having such a structure, even if the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 and the elastic projecting piece 38 that constitute the locking mechanism are provided in the side wall 20 of the protector body 12 in order to increase the wire accommodating space in the protector body 12, the engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38 can be accessed from the lower end opening 24 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26, because the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 includes the lower end opening 24 that opens in the lower surface 23 of the side wall 20. Also, the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40 is a tapered sloping surface that slopes outward and obliquely upward from the projecting end surface 44 of the elastic projecting piece 38, and the recessed jig holding portion 48 is provided in the sloping surface, and as a result, the leading end 56 of the jig 54 that has been inserted from the lower end opening 24 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 described above is stably accommodated and held in the recessed jig holding portion 48. Therefore, an auxiliary force that is applied via the jig 54 can be stably transmitted to the engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38. Furthermore, the bottom portion 50 of the recessed jig holding portion 48 is a sloping bottom surface that is parallel to the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40, and as a result, the auxiliary force from the jig 54 can be advantageously exerted such that the engagement protrusion 40 is separated from the engagement portion 32 by using the component force Fb of the force F that is applied via the jig 54. In this way, even if the engagement portion 32 and the engagement protrusion 40 that constitute the locking mechanism is provided inside the side wall 20 of the protector body 12, the locking mechanism can be easily released, and the lid 16 can be separated from the protector body 12 without breaking the locking structure.

[0028] Also, the recessed jig holding portion 48 is formed such that the width W thereof gradually increases downward toward the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40, and therefore, the leading end 56 of the jig 54 that has been inserted from the lower end opening 24 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 can be held in a wider range. Furthermore, the width W of the recessed jig holding portion 48 gradually decreases toward the bottom portion 50, and the bottom portion 50 is located in the central portion in the width direction of the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40 that is formed as a tapered sloping surface. As a result, the leading end 56 of the jig 54 can be guided to the central portion of the sloping surface where the force from the jig 54 can be exerted most stably, and the force of releasing the engagement protrusion 40 from the engagement portion 32 by the jig 54 can be exerted more stably to the engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38.

[0029] In addition, the pair of jig insertion recessed grooves 36 that each have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, open in the upper surface 21 of the side wall 20 of the protector body 12, and extend downward are formed at both end portions in the width direction of the upper end portion of the inner side 30 of the outer wall in which the engagement portion 32 in the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 is formed. Furthermore, the pair of protrusions 52 that are part of a jig engagement portion, each have a substantially rectangular cross sectional shape, and are located under the upper surface 21 of the side wall 20 of the protector body 12, and project toward the inner side 30 of the outer wall in which the engagement portion 32 is provided, are provided in both end portions in the width direction of the outer surface 39, which is a surface opposing the jig insertion recessed groove 36, of the elastic projecting piece 38. Therefore, as a result of the leading end 56 of the jig 54 being inserted into the jig insertion recessed groove 36 from the upper end opening 22 of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26 and being engaged with the protrusion 52, a lever can be configured in which the abutting part between the leading end 56 of the jig 54 and the protrusion 52 acts as a point of load, the abutting part between the jig 54 and the side wall 20 acts as a fulcrum, and the base end of the jig 54 acts as a point of effort. Accordingly, by merely applying an auxiliary force that is generated by pushing the base end of the jig 54 downward, the engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38 can be easily elastically deformed so as to separate from the engagement portion 32. As a result, the combination of the auxiliary force from below the elastic projecting piece 38 via a jig 54 and the auxiliary force from above the elastic projecting piece 38 via a jig 54 makes it possible to more easily cancel the locking mechanism.

[0030] Also, the pair of jig insertion recessed grooves 36 are provided at both end portions in the width direction of the inner side 30 of the outer wall in the elastic projecting piece insertion hole 26, and the pair of protrusions 52, which constitute a jig engagement portion, are provided on both sides in a width direction of the elastic projecting piece 38. Therefore, the auxiliary forces by the jigs 54 can be exerted to both sides in the width direction of the elastic projecting piece 38, and as a result, the elastic deformation of the engagement protrusion 40 of the elastic projecting piece 38 so as to separate from the engagement portion 32 can be stably caused to occur in the entire portion thereof, and the engagement protrusion 40 can be more securely separated from the engagement portion 32.

[0031] Next, a wire housing protector 60 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7. Members and portions having a structure similar to those in the above embodiment will be denoted in this diagram by the same reference signs as in the above embodiment, thereby omitting detailed descriptions for them. The wire housing protector 60 according to the second embodiment is different from the wire housing protector 10 according to the first embodiment in that the jig engagement portion is configured to include a recess 62 having a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape that opens in the outer surface 39, which is a surface of the elastic projecting piece 38 opposing the jig insertion recessed groove 36.

[0032] According to the present embodiment, the jig engagement portion is configured to include the recess 62, and as a result, the jig engagement portion can be formed while reducing the material cost. Furthermore, the jig engagement portion can be configured by arranging the recess 62 of the present embodiment on a lower end side of the protrusion 52 described in the aforementioned first embodiment. In this case, as a result of arranging the recess 62 on the lower end side of the protrusion 52, the depth of engagement between the jig engagement portion and the leading end 56 of the jig 54 can be enlarged, and therefore, the engagement retainability of the jig 54 can be improved as well.

[0033] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited by these specific descriptions. For example, in the embodiments described above, a recessed jig holding portion 48 having substantially the shape of a truncated half cone is provided in the central portion in the width direction of the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40, but any number of recessed jig holding portions having any shape may be provided at any position in the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40, as long as each recessed jig holding portion can accommodate and hold the leading end 56 of a jig 54. Also, in the embodiments described above, the bottom portion 50 of the recessed jig holding portion 48 is a sloping bottom surface that is parallel to the lower end surface 42 of the engagement protrusion 40, but a bottom portion having any shape can be adopted as long as an external force from the jig 54 can be exerted to the engagement protrusion 40 in a direction such that the engagement protrusion 40 is separated from the engagement portion 32. Furthermore, the pair of jig insertion recessed grooves 36 and the pair of protrusion 52 are provided, but the number thereof is not limited to a pair, and any number thereof can be adopted. In addition, any shape can be adopted for the jig insertion recessed groove 36 and the jig engagement portions 52 and 62 as long as the leading end 56 of a jig 54 can be inserted thereto and be engaged therewith.

List of Reference Numerals [0034] 10, 60: Wire housing protector 12: Protector body 14: Upper opening 16; Lid 20: Side wall 21: Upper surface 23: Lower surface 24: Lower end opening 26; Elastic projecting piece insertion hole (locking mechanism) 32: Engagement portion 38: Elastic projecting piece (locking mechanism) 40: Engagement protrusion 42: Lower end surface (sloping surface) 44: Projecting end surface 48: Recessed jig holding portion 50; Bottom portion 54: Jig 56: Leading end

Claims

1. A wire housing protector comprising: a protector body extending in the shape of a trough; a lid for covering an upper opening of the protector body! and a locking mechanism for fixedly holding the protector body and the lid, wherein the locking mechanism includes: an elastic projecting piece that protrudes from the lid and is provided with an engagement protrusion at its leading end; and an elastic projecting piece insertion hole that passes through the inside of a side wall of the protector body and opens in an upper surface of the side wall, and includes an engagement portion that engages with the engagement protrusion, wherein the wire housing protector is configured such that the elastic projecting piece can inserted into the elastic projecting piece insertion hole while the leading end of the elastic projecting piece is pressed toward a side opposite to a side to which the engagement protrusion protrudes, and when the elastic projecting piece elastically returns, the engagement protrusion engages with the engagement portion and the lid is held by the protector body, wherein the elastic projecting piece insertion hole is formed so as to pass through the inside of the side wall of the protector body in a height direction, and a lower end opening of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole opens in a lower surface of the side wall, and wherein the engagement protrusion of the elastic projecting piece includes a sloping surface that slopes obliquely upward from a projecting end surface of the elastic projecting piece, and a recessed jig holding portion is provided in the sloping surface so as to accommodate and hold a leading end of a jig that has been inserted from the lower end opening of the elastic projecting piece insertion hole.

2. The wire housing protector according to claim 1, wherein a bottom portion of the recessed jig holding portion is located in a central portion, with respect to a width direction, of the sloping surface, and the width of the recessed jig holding portion gradually increases toward a lower end of the sloping surface.

3. The wire housing protector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bottom portion of the recessed jig holding portion includes a sloping bottom surface that is parallel to the sloping surface.