JP2000249261A - Grommet and fitting method of grommet to panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve fitting performance and water-proof performance of a grommet. SOLUTION: This grommet includes a small-diameter cylindrical part 11 where a wire harness is made closely adhere and passed, a medium-diameter cylindrical part 13 connected to one end of the small-diameter cylindrical part and filled with a sealing compound, a thin radial projecting part 14 projected from the tip of the medium-diameter cylindrical part to the radial outside, a long large-diameter cylindrical part 15 continued from the tip of the radial projecting part and bent at right-angles through a hinge-like part 22, and a panel fitting groove 17 recessed in the outer periphery of the middle part in the longitudinal direction of the large-diameter cylindrical part, wherein the large-diameter cylindrical part is divided into the opening side tip side part and the medium-diameter cylindrical part side portion which can be bent with the panel fitting groove interposed therebetween. The radial projecting part 15 is forced into the interior of the large-diameter cylindrical part and deformed in the longitudinal direction, and the tip part of the large-diameter cylindrical part and the medium-diameter cylindrical part side are bent to be inserted in a panel through-hole with the radial projecting part 14 externally fitted thereto, and again reversed to be restored to the initial state, thereby fitting a grommet to a panel.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a grommet and a method of attaching the grommet to a panel. More specifically, the invention relates to a vehicle body panel which is attached to a wire harness routed to an automobile to partition an outdoor (engine room, etc.) from an interior. It is a grommet that aims to waterproof inside the room through a through hole drilled in
Particularly, the performance of attaching the grommet to the vehicle body panel is improved.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a grommet of this type is integrally formed of rubber or elastomer, and has a small-diameter cylindrical portion which is in close contact with a wire harness, and a large-diameter portion connected to one end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion. The outer peripheral surface is provided with a locking groove for closely locking the through hole of the vehicle body panel. In this type of grommet, the mounting performance on the vehicle body panel and the waterproof performance are important, and a number of grommets have been conventionally proposed to enhance these performances.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-212867, FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) and FIGS.
The grommet shown in (e) has been proposed. The grommet 1 includes a large-diameter cylinder 1c having a small-diameter cylinder 1a and a panel fitting groove 1b, and a tapered cylinder 1d connecting the large-diameter cylinder 1c and the small-diameter cylinder 1a. And a plurality of panel-contacting holding pieces 1e that protrude outward from an edge of the tapered cylindrical portion and are divided in the circumferential direction.

As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7E, the grommet 1 is attached to the panel P by passing the wire harness W / H in the original state shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7B and FIG.
d, press the holding piece 1e and the large-diameter cylindrical portion 1c.
Is turned over, and the pressing piece 1e is projected in a state of being closed inward, and the panel fitting groove 1b is opened inward. In this state, as shown in (c) and (d), the wire harness W / H fixed to the grommet 1 is first passed through the through hole Pa of the panel P, and the pressing piece 1e projecting inward. The pressing piece 1e that has passed through the through hole Pa is in an open state as shown in (d), and the tapered cylindrical portion 1d and the small-diameter cylindrical portion 1a that are continuous with the pressing piece 1e also pass through the through-hole Pa, and the large-diameter cylinder The portion 1c remains without passing through the through hole Pa. When the wire harness is further pulled in this state, the grommet 1 fixed to the wire harness has the tapered tube portion 1d extended as shown in FIG. Panel holding piece 1 from the tip of
f becomes an original state protruding outward. The panel pressing piece 1f that has returned to the original state comes into contact with the panel P, and the panel fitting groove 1d is fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the panel through-hole Pa, so that the grommet 1 is attached to the panel P.

[0005]

The grommet 1 having the above-described structure is used to turn the large-diameter cylindrical portion 1c and the holding piece 1e through the panel through-hole Pa and return to the original shape after the grommet 1 is turned upside down. It has the advantage that the grommet can be easily attached to the panel with a small force,
The wire harness W / H is formed only by passing the wire harness W / H through the grommet 1 and filled with a sealant.
Since the inter-line water stop of the electric wire group is not performed, there is a problem that the waterproof performance is inferior.

Further, since the panel holding piece 1e projecting from the edge of the panel fitting groove 1b is divided in the circumferential direction, the sealing property between the panel and the grommet is poor, and the waterproof property is also poor in this respect. There's a problem. Further, since the inversion is performed by pulling the wire harness, there is no sense of moderation of the inversion, and there is a problem that the feeling of completion of the installation is not so much.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and while the grommet is being inserted into the panel through hole, a part of the grommet is turned upside down to improve the mounting performance on the panel, as in the case of the grommet described above. It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the inferior waterproof performance of a grommet.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to a grommet which is formed of rubber or an elastomer, is attached through a wire harness, and is mounted in a through hole of a vehicle body panel. A small-diameter cylindrical portion through which the harness is closely adhered, a medium-diameter cylindrical portion that is continuously connected to one end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion, and a sealing agent is filled therein, and a radially outward portion from a tip of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion. A protruding thin radial projection, a long large-diameter cylindrical portion that is bent at a right angle from the tip of the radial projection via a hinge-shaped portion and continues, and a longitudinal direction of the large-diameter cylindrical portion. A panel fitting groove recessed in the outer periphery of the middle part of the large-diameter cylindrical portion, the front end side portion on the opening side and the medium-diameter cylindrical portion side portion that can be bent with the panel fitting groove interposed therebetween. And grommet, which is divided into .

A rib is provided at both sides of the panel fitting groove and at the center of the groove bottom for continuous panel pressure contact over the entire circumference.

The grommet according to claim 1 or 2 has a feature in a method of attaching the grommet to a panel. The grommet according to claim 1 or 2 passes through the panel through-hole in a state where the thin radial protrusion and the large-diameter cylindrical portion are inverted. When the peripheral edge of the panel through-hole comes into contact with the panel fitting groove, the panel is turned over again to fit the peripheral edge of the through-hole into the panel fitting hole, and the grommet is attached to the panel.

Specifically, the present invention uses the grommet according to claim 1 or 2, and pushes the radial projection into the inside of the large-diameter cylinder to be continuous with the medium-diameter cylinder. Deformed in the length direction, the medium-diameter cylindrical portion side of the large-diameter cylindrical portion is turned over to the outer periphery of the radial projecting portion, and the tip side of the large-diameter cylindrical portion is further fixed with the panel fitting groove as a fulcrum. Flip it over and place it on the outer periphery of the above-mentioned middle-diameter tube portion side, with the bottom surface of the panel fitting groove as the front end surface. In this state, pass the small-diameter tube portion and the medium-diameter tube portion through the through hole of the panel. When the peripheral edge of the panel through-hole comes into contact with the bottom surface of the panel fitting groove, the inverted large-diameter cylindrical portion and the medium-diameter cylindrical portion and the radially protruding portion are re-turned to the original shape while being inverted. Push through the hole,
A method of attaching a grommet to a panel, characterized in that a panel peripheral edge is fitted and locked in a panel fitting groove of a large-diameter cylindrical portion that has returned to a state where the grommet is continuous in a longitudinal direction.

According to the grommet described above, since the large-diameter cylindrical portion is turned upside down to reduce the diameter of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion, the large-diameter cylindrical portion can easily pass through the panel through-hole, and can be easily inserted into the panel fitting groove. When the perimeter of the through hole abuts, it is inverted again to return to its original shape and the grommet is attached to the panel, so the feeling of re-inversion (return to original) at the time of installation is good, and the completion of installation is reliably recognized. Can be.

[0013] Further, by providing a medium-diameter cylindrical portion and filling the sealing material, water is stopped between the wires of the wire harness and between the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness and the inner peripheral surface of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion. Therefore, waterproof performance is improved.

Further, the panel fitting groove fitted into the panel through-hole is provided with continuous ribs projecting over the entire periphery at both side edges and the center of the bottom surface so as to abut the panel. The sealing performance of the grommet with respect to the hole is also improved.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the grommet of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Grommet 10 is shown in FIG.
2 and molded from rubber or elastomer, and the state of attachment to the panel P of the vehicle body shown in FIG. 3 is the same as the molded state.

The grommet 10 is a wire harness W / H
A small-diameter tube portion 11 that is in close contact with the outer periphery of the small-diameter tube portion; a medium-diameter tube portion 13 that protrudes in a stepped manner from one end of the small-diameter tube portion 11 via a radial projection portion 12; Projection 1
A large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 that protrudes in a stepped manner through the fourth cylindrical member 4 is provided.
The medium-diameter cylindrical portion 13 serves as a filling portion of the sealant 16.

The large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is relatively long, and a panel fitting groove 17 is provided at a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 over the entire outer peripheral surface. The panel fitting groove 17 divides the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 into a bendable distal end portion 15b on the distal opening 15a side and a medium-diameter cylindrical portion 15c.

A locking rib 18 is provided at the end of the panel fitting groove 17 on the side of the medium diameter cylinder over the entire length in the circumferential direction, while an opening end of the opposite panel fitting groove 17 is provided. On the side edge, a rib 19 slightly protruding toward the opening end of the panel fitting groove 17 is provided. Further, the bottom surface 1 of the panel fitting groove 17
A small rib 20 is also provided at the center of 7a.

The radial projection 14 that connects the middle-diameter cylindrical portion 13 and the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is made thin, and in this embodiment, the thickness t1 is set to about 1.5 mm. And the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 13
A concave portion 21 is provided on the inner surface side of the base portion on the connection side to facilitate refraction. Further, a notch from the inner surface side is also provided at the base on the connection side of the radial projecting portion 14 with the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 to provide a hinge-like portion 22 to facilitate bending.

The overall length L1 of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is 30 to 40.
mm, the length L2 from the open end 15a at the front end to the panel fitting groove 17 is 15 to 20 mm. Further, the thickness t2 of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is set to 5 to 6 mm, which is slightly thinner than the conventional large-diameter cylindrical portion. In addition, in the conventional grommet,
The thickness of the large-diameter cylindrical portion is 9 mm, and the length from the opening end of the large-diameter cylindrical portion to the panel fitting groove is about 7 to 9 mm.

FIG. 4 shows a method of using the grommet 10 having the above-mentioned shape. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the wire harness W / H is extended by expanding the small-diameter cylindrical portion 11.
0, and the opening end side of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 11 and the wire harness W / H are wound around with a tape 25 and fixed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the sealing agent 16 is applied to the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 1 from the opening end 15a side of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15.
Fill 3 A large number of electric wire groups constituting the wire harness W / H are wound and protected in advance by a tape 26. By filling the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 13 with the sealant 16, it passes through a gap of the tape 26. Wire harness W
/ H penetrates between the electric wire groups of / H, the water is stopped between the lines, and between the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness W / H and the inner peripheral surface of the middle diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the grommet 10. Sealant 1
6 are filled. By filling the middle diameter cylindrical portion 13 with the sealant 16 in this manner, water stop between the grommet 10 and the wire harness W / H and water stop between the wires of the wire harness W / H are performed, and the waterproof performance is improved. Can be raised. Since the sealing agent 16 is hardened, the middle-diameter cylindrical portion 13 becomes hard and cannot be deformed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4 (C), the radially extending projection 1 extending between the middle-diameter tube portion 13 and the large-diameter tube portion 15 is formed.
4 is manually pushed into the internal space S of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 as shown by an arrow. At this time, since the concave portion 21 and the cut portion 22 are provided at both ends of the middle diameter cylindrical portion 13, the operator pushes the radial projecting portion 14 into the internal space S without requiring a large operation force, and It can extend in the length direction continuously from the tip of the diameter cylindrical portion 13.

As described above, when the radial projecting portion 14 is pushed into the internal space S of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15, the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 continuous at the cut 22 is inverted and reduced in diameter.
4 is fitted to the outer periphery with a gap.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, the inverted large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is placed at the position of the panel fitting groove 17 in the large-diameter cylindrical portion 1.
5 is turned upside down, and the state shown in FIG. That is, a three-layer structure in which the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 15c is located on the outer periphery of the radially projecting portion 14 in the length direction, and the distal end portion 15b of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is located on the outer periphery. Structure. In this inverted state, the thickness of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is relatively hard with the thickness being about 5 to 6 mm, so that the inverted state is maintained without automatic return.

In the inverted state, the rib 1 is formed in the panel fitting groove 17 which becomes the bending fulcrum of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 and becomes the front end surface.
The ribs 18, 20, and 19 are located from the inner circumference to the outer circumference in the order of 8, 20, and 19, and the ribs 18, 20, and 19 project in the length direction.

FIG. 4D shows a preparatory stage before mounting the grommet 10 on the panel P. The grommet 10 is mounted in the through hole Pa of the panel P in an inverted state of FIG. A burring Pa-1 protruding to the outside (engine room) X is provided at the periphery of the through hole Pa, and the grommet 10 attached to the wire harness W / H moves from the outdoor X from which the burring Pa-1 protrudes to the room Y side. I communicate with.

That is, first, as shown in FIG. 4E, the grommet 10 is passed through the small-diameter cylindrical portion 10a through the through hole Pa, and then is passed through the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 13. Note that the outer diameter of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 13 which is filled with the sealing agent 16 and hardened is equal to the through-hole Pa.
Is set smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole Pa, so that it can be smoothly passed through the through hole Pa.

Further, when the grommet 10 is passed through the through hole Pa, as shown in FIG. 4F, the tip of the burring Pa-1 is formed between the rib 20 on the bottom surface 17a of the panel fitting groove 17 and the rib 19 at the outer peripheral position. Abuts between the points.

When this state is reached, the hinge-like portion 22 of the radial projection 14 and the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 located at the tip of the outdoor X and the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 15c of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 are removed. Push it into room Y side. At this time, since the middle-diameter cylindrical portion side portion 15c is inverted and reduced in diameter, it can be easily pushed into the through-hole Pa. With this operation, the middle-diameter cylindrical portion of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is left with the distal end side portion 15b of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 remaining on the outdoor X side with the panel fitting groove 17 locked by the burring Pa-1 as a fulcrum. The side part 15c passes through the through-hole Pa together with the radially projecting part 14 while re-inverting, and returns to an original state. As shown in FIG. 3, the panel through-hole is formed in the panel fitting groove 17 of the grommet 10. The periphery of Pa is locked, and the grommet 10 is fixed to the panel P.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4 (G), the distal end portion 15b and the medium-diameter tube portion 15c of the large-diameter tube portion 15 are linearly continuous, and the medium-diameter tube portion 15c and the medium-diameter tube portion 15c The radial protruding portion 14 between the cylindrical portions 13 returns to the original shape, returns to the radial direction, and returns to the molded state of the grommet 10.

At the panel fitting groove 17 of the grommet 10, the burring Pa-1 abuts against the bottom surface 17a and presses against the rib 20, the rib 18 presses against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole Pa, and the rib 19 presses against the rib 20. The tip side of the burring Pa-1 will be externally fitted. Since the relationship between the panel fitting groove 17 and the through hole Pa is continuous in the entire circumferential direction, the waterproof performance at the portion of the through hole Pa can be extremely enhanced.

Further, since the grommet 10 is provided with the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 13 and filled with the sealant 16, the water stop between the wires of the wire harness W / H and the stop between the outer periphery of the wire harness and the inner peripheral surface of the grommet are provided. Water can be secured, and waterproof performance can be improved.

Further, regarding the mounting performance between the panel P and the grommet 10, the burring P provided in the panel through hole is provided.
a-1 is inserted into the panel fitting groove 17 whose tip is inverted.
7a, when the large-diameter cylindrical portion 15 is in contact with the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 15
c and the radial projecting portion 14 are pushed into the through hole Pa while the medium-diameter cylindrical portion 15c and the radial projecting portion 14 are pushed again while reversing in a direction of returning to the original state. Of the grommet can be completed, and mounting with a sense of moderation can be performed.

Although the burring Pa-1 projects from the through hole Pa of the panel P in the above embodiment, the present invention can be applied to a type in which the burring Pa-1 does not project from the through hole Pa. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral edge of the through-hole Pa comes into contact with the bottom surface 17a of the panel fitting groove 17 which is turned upside down and becomes the front end surface, and thereafter, as in the above-described embodiment, the large-diameter hole is formed. The grommet 10 returns to its original state and is attached to the panel P by pushing the medium-diameter tube portion side portion 15c and the radial projection 13 into the tube portion 15.

[0036]

As is apparent from the above description, the grommet according to the present invention has a large-diameter cylindrical portion that is long and relatively thin, and is provided with a panel fitting groove at the center in the length direction.
Both sides are bendable, and a medium-diameter tube portion for filling a sealant is provided between the large-diameter tube portion and the small-diameter tube portion, and the medium-diameter tube portion and the large-diameter tube portion are radially projected. Through the portion, and furthermore, because of a unique shape in which a hinge portion is provided in a continuous portion between the radial projection and the large-diameter cylindrical portion, the radial projection is pushed into the large-diameter cylindrical portion. To deform in the length direction, and invert the middle diameter side of the large diameter cylinder,
Along with the radial projection, the distal end of the large-diameter cylindrical portion is again turned around with the panel fitting groove as a fulcrum, so that the medium-diameter cylindrical portion is externally fitted. When the peripheral edge of the panel through-hole abuts the panel fitting groove, the side of the medium-diameter cylinder that has been inverted is re-inverted and returned to its original shape, and smoothly into the panel through-hole. The grommet can be inserted into the panel, and the grommet can be securely attached to the panel with a small operation force while improving the inversion feeling.

Further, since a medium-diameter cylindrical portion filled with a sealant is provided and ribs are protruded over the entire periphery of the panel fitting groove to press against the panel, the waterproof performance can be improved. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a grommet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grommet.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the grommet is mounted on a wire harness and mounted on a panel.

FIGS. 4A to 4F are diagrams showing a procedure for mounting a grommet.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing a modified example of a through hole of a panel.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a conventional example.

FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (e) are drawings showing the mounting method of the conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Grommet 11 Small diameter cylinder part 13 Medium diameter cylinder part 14 Radial projection part 15 Large diameter cylinder part 16 Sealant 17 Panel fitting groove 18, 19, 20 Rib 22 Hinge part P panel Pa Through hole Pa-1 Burring W / H wire harness

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A small-diameter cylindrical portion formed of rubber or elastomer, attached to a wire harness so as to penetrate, and mounted in a through-hole of a vehicle body panel, wherein the small-diameter tube portion closely contacts and penetrates the wire harness. A medium-diameter cylindrical portion that is filled with a sealant therein at one end of the portion, a thin radial protruding portion that protrudes radially outward from a tip of the medium-diameter cylindrical portion, and the radial protruding portion A long, large-diameter tubular portion that is refracted in a direction perpendicular to the distal end of the large-diameter tubular portion via a hinge-shaped portion, and a panel fitting groove that is recessed in the outer periphery of the middle portion in the longitudinal direction of the large-diameter tubular portion A grommet comprising: a large-diameter cylindrical portion divided into an opening-side front end side portion and a medium-diameter cylindrical portion side portion that can be bent with the panel fitting groove interposed therebetween. 2. The grommet according to claim 1, wherein ribs are provided at both sides of the panel fitting groove and at the center of the groove bottom for continuous panel press contact over the entire circumference. 3. The method of attaching the grommet according to claim 1 or 2 to a panel, wherein the radial projection is pushed into a large-diameter cylindrical portion so as to be continuous with the medium-diameter cylindrical portion. And the medium-diameter tube portion side of the large-diameter tube portion is turned over to the outer periphery of the radial projecting portion, and the tip end side portion of the large-diameter tube portion is further turned around the panel fitting groove as a fulcrum. Then, it is positioned on the outer periphery of the middle-diameter cylindrical portion side portion, and the state is such that the bottom surface of the panel fitting groove is a front end surface. In this state, the small-diameter cylindrical portion and the medium-diameter cylindrical portion are passed through the through hole of the panel, At the time when the peripheral edge of the panel through-hole abuts on the bottom surface of the panel fitting groove, the through-hole is formed while the medium-diameter cylindrical portion and the radially projecting portion of the inverted large-diameter cylindrical portion are again inverted to the original shape. Into the panel fitting groove of the large-diameter cylinder that has returned to a continuous state in the length direction. Mounting of the panels of the grommet, wherein the mounting fitting and engaged with.