JP2003180020A - Grommet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain proper and complete engagement without causing deformation to mating parts on both sides of a slit. <P>SOLUTION: A wire harness can be fitted in a through hole 24 from a sideway by providing the slit 23 which reaches the through hole 24 of the wire harness from the outer periphery of a grommet body 21 which is formed of an elastic material. An engaging protrusion part 26 with high rigidity is provided as a protrusion side of a protrusion and recess engaging means provided at the mating surfaces on both sides of the slit 23. A clamp member 30 which is formed of hard resin and has a latching protrusion 32 on one end is embedded, and the latching protrusion 32 is protruded to the outside of the grommet body 21. The other end of the clamp member 30 is protruded from the mating surface of one end of the slit 23, which is made to server as the engaging protrusion part 26. The clamp member 30 is embedded in the grommet body 21 into a bent shape ranging from the bottom of the grommet body 21 to a side part provided with the slit 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a grommet for ensuring the sealability of a wire harness penetration portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a penetrating structure of a wire harness using a conventional grommet described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-331732.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle body panel, which is a wire harness W.
Has an opening 2 for passing through. Reference numeral 3 denotes a protector, and the protector 3 forms a tunnel portion 4 which covers the opening 2 and is continuous with the opening 2 with the vehicle body panel 1. The vehicle body panel 1 and the protector 3 are provided with recesses 5 and 6 for forming the tunnel portion 4.

7 is a grommet, which is a wire harness W
It is made of an elastic material (rubber) formed by penetrating through the insertion holes 8A, 8B. The grommet 7 is arranged in the tunnel portion 4 and is sandwiched between the vehicle body panel 1 and the protector 3 so as to seal the tunnel portion 4. The grommet 7 is provided with a first insertion hole 8A whose entire circumference is closed and a second insertion hole 8B which can be opened and closed by providing a slit 10 in a part of the peripheral wall.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the grommet 7. By forming the slit 10, a part of the peripheral wall of the second insertion hole 8B (upper peripheral wall in the figure) serves as a lid 11 that opens and closes with its fixed side as a fulcrum. On the mating surfaces on both sides of the slit 10, the concave-convex engaging portions 12, 1 which engage with each other when the lid 11 is closed, that is, when the slit 10 is closed.
3 is provided.

In order to seal the penetrating portion of the wire harness W with respect to the vehicle body panel 1 using the grommet 7, first, the wire harness W passed through the opening 2 of the vehicle body panel 1 is inserted into the insertion holes 8A of the grommet 7. Insert into 8B. Since the second insertion hole 8B can be opened and closed by forming the slit 10, by opening the slit 10 with the connector attached to the tip,
The wire harness W can be easily inserted into the insertion hole 8B from the slit 10. Then, in this state, the lid 11 of the grommet 7 is closed, and the concave-convex engaging portions 12 and 13 formed on the mating portions on both sides of the slit 10 are engaged, so that the wire harness W is attached to the insertion hole 8B of the grommet 7. Is completed.

Next, after mounting the wire harness W on the grommet 7 in this manner, the recess 5 formed in the vehicle body panel 1
Temporarily place the grommet 7 on the
By attaching the to the vehicle body panel 1 with the screw 14, the tunnel portion 4 formed by the concave portion 6 of the protector 3 and the concave portion 5 of the vehicle body panel 1 is sealed by the grommet 7. Further, since the lid 11 of the grommet 7 is closed and held by the sandwiching action of the vehicle body panel 1 and the protector 3, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 8B is surely pressed against and contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness W, thereby the wire harness. A high sealing property of the penetrating portion of W is secured. It should be noted that the locking projection 15 is provided on the bottom of the grommet 7 integrally or by press fitting, and the locking projection 15 is engaged with the locking hole 16 of the vehicle body panel 1 to temporarily fix the grommet 7. By stopping, the workability of mounting the wire harness W may be improved, and the workability of attaching the protector 3 may be improved.

[0008]

As described above, in the conventional grommet 7, since the insertion hole 8B of the wire harness W can be opened and closed by inserting the slit 10, the wearability of the wire harness W is improved. be able to. Moreover, since the wire harness W is attached to the grommet 7, the protector 3 clamps the wire harness W against the vehicle body panel 1, so that the concave-convex engaging portions 12 and 13 are engaged with the insertion hole 8B properly closed in advance. If so, no particular problem will occur.

However, in the conventional grommet 7, the concave and convex engaging portions 12 and 13 are formed directly on both sides of the mating portion of the slit 10 for inserting the wire harness W, and the elastic rubbers are meshed with each other. Due to the structure for holding the engagement by the above, there is a case where the proper engagement state cannot be created due to the deformation of the rubber, that is, the mold deformation. For example, there is a case where one engaging portion rides on the other engaging portion and is incompletely fitted, and in that case, the protector 3 cannot be attached or an extra gap is formed between the engaging portion and the grommet 7. There is a problem in that the sealability is incomplete due to the occurrence between the wire harness W and the wire harness W.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention is a grommet which can properly and surely engage the mating portions on both sides of the slit without losing the shape of the slit while the slit for inserting the wire harness is closed. The purpose is to provide.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a grommet body made of an elastic material having an insertion hole for inserting a wire harness is freely opened and closed to reach the insertion hole from an outer peripheral surface of the grommet body. By providing the slit, the wire harness can be mounted from the side to the insertion hole in a state where the slit is opened, and the concave-convex engaging means that engages with each other when the slits are closed on the mating surfaces on both sides of the slit. In the provided grommet, an engaging convex portion made of a rigid material having a rigidity higher than that of the material of the grommet main body is provided as at least the convex side engaging means of the concave and convex engaging means.

According to the present invention, since at least the convex side engaging means is constituted by the engaging convex portion made of a rigid material, a stronger engaging state than the conventional engagement between rubber and elastic bodies of rubber can be easily and surely made. Can be produced.

A second aspect of the present invention is the grommet according to the first aspect, wherein the engaging convex portion made of the rigid material is provided with a retaining protrusion for preventing the engaging protrusion from coming off from the concave side engaging means. Is characterized by.

In the present invention, since the retaining projection is provided on the engaging convex portion made of a rigid material, the concave and convex engaging means can be more firmly engaged with the slit closed.

A third aspect of the present invention is the grommet according to the first or second aspect, in which a clamping member made of a rigid material having a locking projection at one end is embedded in the grommet body, and the locking projection is provided. The locking projection can be locked to the panel hole by projecting it outside the grommet body, and the other end of the clamp member is directed from the mating surface on one side of the slit toward the mating surface on the other side. It is characterized in that the projecting portion is made to be the engaging convex portion by projecting to the outside.

In the present invention, since the locking projection for the panel hole is integrally provided with the clamp member made of a rigid material embedded in the grommet body, unlike the case where the rubber locking projection is engaged with the panel hole. Thus, the locking projection can be easily and surely engaged with the panel hole, and the grommet can be temporarily locked. Further, since the clamp member having the locking projection is embedded in the grommet body, unlike the case where only a separate locking projection is press-fitted into the grommet body later, it may come off when engaging with the panel hole. There is no fear.

The invention according to claim 4 is the grommet according to claim 3, wherein the clamp member is curved along the circumferential direction of the insertion hole from the bottom of the grommet body to the side where the slit is provided. It is embedded in the grommet body in the shape described above, and the locking projection provided at one end of the clamp member is projected from the bottom portion of the grommet body to the outside of the grommet body, and the other end of the clamp member is formed from the mating surface on one side of the slit. It is characterized in that the engaging convex portion is formed by projecting it out of the grommet main body.

In the present invention, since the clamp member is curved and is embedded from the bottom to the side of the grommet body, the clamp member made of a rigid material and the grommet body made of an elastic material can be firmly integrated. , It is possible to prevent both from coming off. Moreover, since the clamp member functions as an anchor, the grommet can be securely attached to the panel. Further, since the clamp member made of a rigid material guarantees the strength, the wall thickness of the grommet main body at the position where the clamp member is present can be reduced, and the weight can be reduced.

The invention of claim 5 is the grommet according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the grommet body is insert-molded using the clamp member as an insert member, whereby the clamp member is a grommet body. It is characterized by being buried inside.

According to the present invention, since the grommet body made of an elastic material is molded in a state where the clamp member is set as an insert member in the mold, it is easy to manufacture.

The invention of claim 6 is the grommet according to claim 5, characterized in that the grommet body is made of a thermoplastic elastomer.

Since the grommet body is made of thermoplastic elastomer, the grommet body can be easily manufactured by injection molding.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the grommet 20 of the embodiment as seen from the front, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the grommet 20 and FIG.
Is a clamp member 3 embedded inside the grommet 20.
It is a perspective view of 0.

This grommet 20, like the conventional grommet shown in FIG. 5, is arranged in the tunnel portion 4 formed between the concave portion 5 of the vehicle body panel 1 and the concave portion 6 of the protector 3, and the vehicle body panel 1 and the protector. By being pinched between the three, the penetration portion of the wire harness W with respect to the vehicle body panel 1 is sealed.

As shown in FIG. 1, this grommet 20
Is composed of a grommet body 21 made of a soft elastic material and a clamp member 30 made of a hard and rigid material embedded in the grommet body 21. Grommet body 21
It is not a conventional rubber but a thermoplastic elastomer (styrene-based) molded body. The clamp member 30 is made of a hard resin molded body having rigidity higher than that of the material of the grommet body 21. The grommet 20 is integrally manufactured by injection molding (insert molding) the grommet main body 21 in a state where the clamp member 30 that has been molded in advance is set in the mold as an insert member.

The grommet main body 21 has a first insertion hole 22 for closing the entire periphery for inserting a wire harness,
It has a second insertion hole 24 which can be opened and closed by providing a slit 23 in a part of the peripheral wall. The grommet main body 21 is a thick-walled plate in which flange-shaped extending portions 21a are gently formed, and the insertion holes 22 and 24 are formed so as to penetrate in the thickness direction. Note that, as shown in FIG. 2, a wire harness guide cylinder portion 25 that is continuous with the first insertion hole 22 is continuously provided on the end surface of the grommet body 21.

The slit 23 is formed so as to reach the second insertion hole 24 from the outer peripheral surface of the side portion of the grommet main body 21, and is located above the flange-shaped extending portion 21a.
Then, with the slit 23 open, the wire harness can be attached to the insertion hole 24 from the side.
In order to open the slit 23 without difficulty, a notch 24a is provided at one location on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 24 to assist the bending of the peripheral wall portion on the lid side when the slit is opened and closed. In addition, a seal lip (not shown) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 24 so as to be in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness to enhance the sealing performance. Further, on the mating surfaces on both sides of the slit 23 (the lower side and the upper side in FIG. 1), an engaging convex portion 26 and an engaging concave portion 27 are provided as concave and convex engaging means which engage with each other when the slit 23 is closed. Is provided.

In this case, the engaging convex portion 26 is constituted by the extending end portion of the clamp member 30 embedded in the grommet body 21. Explaining this point in detail, as shown in FIG. 3, the clamp member 30 has a locking projection 32 at one end.
As shown in FIG. 1, it is a strip-shaped curved plate having a groove, and is embedded along the circumferential direction of the second insertion hole 24 from the bottom of the grommet body 21 to the side where the slit 23 is provided. ing. Then, the locking projection 32 provided at one end of the clamp member 30 is projected from the bottom of the grommet body 21 to the outside of the grommet body 21, so that the locking hole 32 (see FIG. 5) of the vehicle body panel is locked. It is possible. Further, the other end of the clamp member 30 is extended to a position reaching the side of the grommet body 21, and the extended end is projected from the mating surface on one side (lower side) of the slit 23 to the outside of the grommet body 21. As a result, the engaging protrusion 26
Has become. The engagement recess 27 provided on the mating surface on the mating side (upper side) is directly formed on the grommet body 21.

Next, the operation of the grommet 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

In order to seal the penetrating portion of the wire harness W with respect to the vehicle body panel 1 using this grommet 20, as in the case shown in FIG. 5, first, the wire harness W passed through the opening 2 of the vehicle body panel 1. The grommet 20
Through the insertion holes 22 and 24. Second insertion hole 24
Since it can be opened and closed by forming the slit 23, with the connector attached to the tip,
By opening the slit 23, the wire harness W can be easily inserted into the insertion hole 24 from the slit 23. Then, in that state, the slit 2 of the grommet 20
By fitting the engagement protrusions 26 formed on the mating portions on both sides of No. 3 into the engagement recesses 27, the attachment of the wire harness W to the insertion holes 24 of the grommet 20 is completed.

At this time, the engaging convex portion 2 which is the convex side engaging means.
Since 6 is composed of the extended end of the clamp member 30 made of a rigid material, it is possible to easily and reliably create a stronger engagement state than the conventional engagement between rubber and elastic bodies of rubber. Therefore, the engagement will not be disengaged and the incomplete engagement state will not occur.

Further, by engaging the locking projections 32 protruding from the bottom of the grommet 20 with the locking holes 16 of the vehicle body panel 1 at a stage necessary for the above-mentioned work, the grommet 20 is fixed to the vehicle body panel. It is temporarily placed in the recess 5 of 1 and temporarily fixed.

At this time, since the locking projection 32 is formed integrally with the clamp member 30 made of a rigid material embedded in the grommet main body 21, for example, the locking projection integrally formed of rubber as in the conventional case. Is engaged with the locking hole of the panel, the locking projection 32 can be easily and securely attached to the vehicle body panel 1.
Can be engaged with the locking hole 16 of the grommet 20.
The temporary locking of can be reliably performed. Alternatively, unlike the case where only the separate locking projection is press-fitted into the grommet body 21 and then engaged with the locking hole 16 later, there is no risk of disengagement when engaging with the locking hole 16.

Next, after mounting the wire harness W on the grommet 20 in this way, the protector 3 is mounted on the vehicle body panel 1 from above by means of the screw 14. By doing so, the tunnel portion 4 formed by the recess 6 of the protector 3 and the recess 5 of the vehicle body panel 1 can be sealed by the grommet 20. Moreover, the slit 23 of the grommet 20 is sandwiched by the body panel 1 and the protector 3.
Since it can be securely held in a closed state, the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 24 can be surely brought into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the wire harness W, whereby a high sealability of the penetrating portion of the wire harness W can be achieved. Can be secured. Also,
As another action and effect, since the grommet 20 has the clamp member 30 in a curved shape and is embedded in the range from the bottom to the side of the grommet body 21, the clamp member 30 made of a rigid material and the grommet made of an elastic material. The main body 21 can be firmly integrated. Further, since the clamp member 30 buried inside functions as an anchor, the grommet 20 can be reliably attached to the vehicle body panel 1 by the locking protrusion 32. Further, since the clamp member 30 guarantees the strength, the thickness of the grommet main body 21 at the position where the clamp member 30 is present can be reduced, which contributes to weight reduction.

If it is desired to further increase the engaging strength when the slit 23 is closed, as shown in FIG. 4, the engaging convex portion 26 is provided with a wedge-shaped retaining protrusion 26a, and the engaging concave portion 27 is formed. It is preferable to provide a groove 27a for receiving the retaining projection 26a.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where only the engaging convex portion 26 which is the convex side engaging means is constituted by a part of the clamp member 30 made of the hard resin is shown, but the convex side engaging means and the concave side engaging means It is also possible to form both of the engaging means with a hard resin.

[0038]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, since at least the convex side engaging means is constituted by the engaging convex portion made of a rigid material, the conventional rubber and the elastic body of the rubber are mutually connected. Compared with the case of engaging, the engagement can be performed easily, reliably and accurately. Therefore, there is no risk of incomplete engagement,
The protector can be attached securely, and no extra gap will be generated between the protector and the wire harness.
The reliability of the seal can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, since the engagement projection is provided with a retaining projection, the engagement of the concave-convex engaging means with the slit closed. Can be made stronger.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the locking projection for the panel hole is provided integrally with the clamp member made of a rigid material embedded in the grommet body. Therefore, the grommet can be reliably locked temporarily.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 3, since the clamp member is formed in a curved shape and is embedded from the bottom to the side of the grommet body, the clamp member and the grommet body are embedded. The grommets can be firmly integrated with each other, and the grommets can be securely attached to the panel. Further, since the clamp member guarantees the strength, it is possible to reduce the weight by reducing the wall thickness of the grommet body.

According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effect of any one of claims 2 to 4, since the grommet body is molded with the clamp member inserted, the manufacture is easy and the clamp member is also provided. And the integrity of the grommet body can be further strengthened.

According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 5, since the grommet body is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, the grommet body can be easily manufactured by injection molding.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a grommet according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from the front.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the grommet according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a clamp member embedded inside the grommet according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a partially modified example of the grommet according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a structure of a wire harness penetration portion using a conventional grommet.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the grommet of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

W wire harness 1 Body panel 16 Locking hole (panel hole) 20 Grommet 21 Grommet body 23 slits 24 insertion holes 26 Engagement protrusion 26a retaining protrusion 27 Engagement recess 30 Clamp member 32 Locking protrusion

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A slit is opened by providing a grommet body made of an elastic material having an insertion hole for inserting a wire harness with an openable / closable slit reaching from the outer peripheral surface of the grommet body to the insertion hole. While allowing the wire harness to be attached to the insertion hole from the side in the state,
A grommet provided with concave-convex engaging means for engaging with each other when the slits are closed on the mating surfaces on both sides of the slit, wherein at least convex-side engaging means of the concave-convex engaging means is higher than the material of the grommet body. A grommet having an engaging protrusion made of a rigid material having rigidity. 2. The grommet according to claim 1, wherein the engaging projection is provided with a retaining projection for preventing the engaging projection from coming off from the concave engaging means. 3. The grommet according to claim 1, wherein a clamp member made of a rigid material having a locking projection at one end is embedded in the grommet body, and the locking projection projects outside the grommet body. By doing so, the locking projection can be locked to the panel hole, and the other end of the clamp member is projected from the mating surface on one side of the slit toward the mating surface on the other side to the outside of the grommet body. And, the grommet characterized in that the protruding portion thereof is the engaging convex portion. 4. The grommet according to claim 3, wherein the clamp member has a shape curved along a circumferential direction of the insertion hole from a bottom portion of the grommet body to a side portion provided with the slit. The locking projection embedded in one end of the clamp member is projected from the bottom of the grommet body to the outside of the grommet body, and the other end of the clamp member is projected from the mating surface on one side of the slit to the outside of the grommet body. A grommet characterized in that the engaging convex portion is formed by doing the above. 5. The grommet according to claim 2, wherein the grommet body is insert-molded using the clamp member as an insert member, whereby the clamp member is embedded in the grommet body. Is a grommet. 6. The grommet according to claim 5, wherein the grommet body is made of a thermoplastic elastomer.