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Continuous power supply deviceContinuous power supply device description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060131049, Continuous power supply device. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] The priority application Number Japan Patent Application 2004-371182 upon which this patent application is based is hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to a continuous power supply device in which a wiring harness is fixed with a holder having a flat spring in a protector so as to cancel an excessive length of the wiring harness by an energizing force of the flat spring. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] FIG. 12, 13 shows a usual continuous power supply device (refer Patent Reference 1). [0006] A power supply device 50 is wired in a slide door 41 of a vehicle. The power supply device 50 includes a protector 42 made of synthetic resign for bendably receiving a wiring harness (showing only a base of the protector 42 and omitting a cover in a figure), and a metallic flat spring 44 for energizing the wiring harness 43 upwardly in the protector 42. [0007] A bottom end of the flat spring 44 together with the wiring harness 43 is fixed at a bottom side of a front end of the protector 42, and a front end of the flat spring 44 supports the wiring harness 43 slidably. A cap 49 made of synthetic resin is mounted at a front end of the flat spring 44 for supporting the wiring harness 43 stably. [0008] The wiring harness 43 is formed by covering a plurality of electric wires 43a with a corrugate tube 43b made of synthetic resin. A bottom portion of a front end of the corrugate tube 43b is fixed on the protector 42 by winding a tape around it. The corrugate tube 43b is good flexible by alternating a groove and a projected stripe. [0009] One end of the electric wires 43a of the wiring harness 43 is led from a front side of the protector 42 to be connected with an auxiliary device in the slide door. The corrugate tube 43b at the other end of the wiring harness 43 is wired from a long bottom opening 45 of the protector 42 through a traversing space 46 to a vehicle body 47 to swing freely. The electric wires 43a in the wiring harness 43 between the traversing space 46 are protected safely from interference with outside, water drops and dust by the corrugate tube 43b. [0010] FIG. 12 shows complete-closed condition of the slide door 41. FIG. 13 shows partly open condition of the slide door 41 nearing to full-open condition. When the slide door 41 is in the complete-closed condition, the wiring harness 43 is pulled rearwardly. When the slide door 41 is in the full-open condition, the wiring harness 43 is pulled forwardly. When the wiring harness is in the partly open condition, the wiring harness tends to droop downwardly, but slack (excessive length) thereof is canceled by energizing the wiring harness 43 upwardly with the flat spring 44. Thereby, bite caused by drooping is prevented. [0011] Reference Patent 1 is Japan Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-354085. SUMMARY OD THE INVENTION Objects to be Solved [0012] In the usual continuous power supply device 50, the protector 42 increases in an energizing direction of the flat spring, that is a direction of height in accordance with increase of the excessive length to be canceled. Thereby, freedom of laying the other parts to be installed in the slide door is limited. The spring cap 49 (harness supporting part) fixed at the flat spring 44 hits an inner surface of a vertical wall or an inner surface of the cover wall of the protector 42 and generates sound noise. [0013] To overcome the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a continuous power supply device, which can make a protector lower height and prevent a harness holding member fixed on a flat spring from generating sound noise by interference with an inner wall of a protector. How to attain the object of the present invention [0014] In order to attain the object of the present invention, a continuous power supply device according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a wiring harness is wired to have a loop formed by curving the wiring harness into a loop-shape within a protector, and that a spring holder is fixed at the loop of the wiring harness and has an elastic arm, and that a front end of a flat spring is fixed at the spring holder and the flat spring energizes the loop to increase a radius of the loop, and that the elastic arm is continuously and elastically in contact with an inner wall of the protector. [0015] According to the above structure, the wiring harness is wired to have the loop in the protector, and slack (excessive length) of the wiring harness is cancelled by increasing a radius of the loop, and the wiring harness is led from the protector in accordance with decrease of the radius of the loop. The flat spring increases the radius of the loop. By forming the wiring harness into a loop shape in the protector and increasing/decreasing the radius of the loop, the protector can be miniaturized in a height direction. When the spring holder for holding a wiring harness is vibrated in a widthwise while the wiring harness is pulled out or returned into or a vehicle having a continuous power supply device is vibrated, the elastic arm is continuously and elastically in contact with the inner wall of the protector, so that a spring holder body other than the elastic arm does not abut on the inner wall of the protector and thereby generating sound noise is prevented. [0016] The continuous power supply device is furthermore characterized in the continuous power supply device mentioned above in that the elastic arm has a projection on an outer surface at an front end thereof to be in contact with the inner wall of the protector. [0017] According to the above structure, an outer surface of the projection of the front end of the elastic arm is in contact with the inner wall of the protector at a small area of point contact or line contact. Thereby, slide-contact between the projection and the inner wall of the protector is acted smoothly with small friction. The slide-contact of the projection is acted when the wiring harness is pulled out and returned into. [0018] The continuous power supply device is still further characterized in the continuous power supply device mentioned above in that the elastic arm is formed by cutting a side wall of the spring holder partially into an arm shape. [0019] According to the above structure, the elastic arm is deflected within a range of a wall thickness of a side wall of the spring holder or into an inside of the side wall of the spring holder when the elastic arm absorbs the vibration. Thereby, an occupied space by the elastic arm can be miniaturized. When providing the projection at the elastic arm, by projecting only the projection to an outside of the side wall of the spring holder, the space can be miniaturized. [0020] The continuous power supply device is still further characterized in the continuous power supply device mentioned above in that the elastic arms are provided at both sides of the spring holder in a lateral direction and perpendicular to an inner wall of a base of the protector, to be respectively in contact with the inner wall of the base and an inner wall of a cover of the protector. [0021] According to the above structure, the spring holder is supported stably in a center of widthwise of the protector by the elastic arms at the both sides thereof. Thereby, it is prevented that the both side walls of the spring holder and the both inner walls of the protector are in contact with each other, so that the spring holder can slide smoothly with low friction by only contact of elastic arms at the both sides and inner walls of the protector. Continue reading about Continuous power supply device... Full patent description for Continuous power supply device Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Continuous power supply device patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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