JP2003348736A - Grommet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control the bent state of the bellow-shaped body of a grommet. <P>SOLUTION: An outside surface, which is positioned inside the curve of the grommet body 4 when bending the grommet body 4, is provided with a rib 16 which keeps the bellows form at the curve, regulating its curvature state. It desirable that the rib 16 consist of a plurality of rib pieces 19, provided severally at bellow-shaped ridges, and that these rib pieces 19 be made in such a form that they regulate the bent state of the grommet body 4, with each rib piece 19 abutting on the adjacent rib piece 19; to be more specific, it desirable that they be formed in a substantially trapezoidal form in cross section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,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 regulating a bent state of a bellows-like grommet body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a vehicle body of an automobile is provided with a large number of wire harnesses, which are long members. Some of these wire harnesses include a body panel and a movable panel such as a door panel or a trunk panel. There are things to route between. When the wire harness is routed between the vehicle body panel and the movable panel, the wire harness is protected by a grommet formed of an elastic material such as rubber.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the grommet includes first and second mounting portions 32 and 33 mounted on a vehicle body panel 30 and a door panel 31, and the first and second mounting portions 32 and 33. The grommet main body 34 has a cylindrical shape and connects the spaces, and the wire harness is inserted therethrough. The grommet body 34, when the door panel 31 is closed,
The grommet accommodating portion 35 is formed in a bellows shape so as to be accommodated in a bent state.

[0004]

In the grommet described above, the grommet body is formed in a bellows shape so that the grommet can be protected even when the wire harness is bent. However, as shown in FIG. When the main body 34 is accommodated in the grommet accommodating portion 35 in a state in which the bending state (the bending radius is (R)) is small, the inside and / or outside of the bent portion 36 or one of the bellows-shaped peak portions 37 is crushed, A large tensile force acts on the outer valley 38. For this reason,
When the opening and closing operations of the door panel 31 are repeated many times, the grommet 40 deteriorates quickly, and after a long period of time, it is conceivable that breakage such as a crack may occur at a place where the bend is small. Also, that the grommet 40 is bent means that the wire harness inserted into the grommet 40 is also bent,
If the bending state is small, the grommet 40 after a long period of time
Similarly, it is conceivable that the wire harness may cause a problem such as disconnection.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a grommet capable of restricting a bent state of a bellows-like grommet body.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a grommet of the present invention is used in a state where a long grommet is inserted and a bellows-shaped cylindrical grommet body is bent. In the obtained grommet, when the grommet main body is bent, a rib is provided on an outer surface inside the curved portion of the grommet main body so as to regulate the bent state and maintain the bellows shape at the curved portion ( Claim 1).

With this configuration, when the grommet body is bent, the rib is provided on the outer surface inside the curved portion of the grommet body, so that the bending state of the grommet body is regulated and the grommet body is bent. The bellows shape is maintained. Therefore, in the curved portion of the grommet main body, the bellows-shaped peak portion is not crushed, and a large tensile force does not act on the valley portion, and the durability of the grommet is improved, and the long member is disconnected. It can be protected without fear of causing.

The rib comprises a plurality of rib pieces provided on the bellows-shaped peaks, respectively, and these rib pieces are
It is preferable that the grommet body is formed in a shape that regulates a bending state of the grommet body when the grommet body is bent and abuts on an adjacent rib piece.

As described above, the rib piece restricts the bent state of the grommet body when it contacts the adjacent rib piece by bending the grommet body. Therefore, unless the rib piece contacts the adjacent rib piece, the grommet body does not contact the rib piece. Can be bent as before. For this reason, if the grommet is bent and housed in the housing part without the bend being broken, the grommet should be housed in the same housing part as before without the grommet protruding from the housing part. Can be.

It is preferable that the rib piece is formed to have a substantially trapezoidal cross section. Thus, the bent state of the bellows-like grommet body can be reliably restricted with a simple shape.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 4 are views showing an example of the grommet of the present invention. 1 to 4,
Reference numeral 1 denotes a grommet. The grommet 1 can protect a wire harness in a bent state (attached to a fixed member such as a fixed panel in a bent state, or housed in a bent state, for example, in a grommet housing portion). You do). Specifically, for example, the grommet 1 is a wire harness (see FIG. 1) which is a long member arranged between a vehicle body panel 30 of an automobile and a movable (openable / closable) movable panel 31 such as a door panel or a trunk panel. (Not shown), and is accommodated in the narrow grommet accommodating portion 35 with an extra length (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

The grommet 1 has two first and second mounting portions 2, 3 mounted in a first through hole (not shown) of the vehicle body panel 30 and a second through hole (not shown) of the movable panel 31.
And an elastic member such as rubber such as EPDM, CR, or NBR from the bellows-shaped cylindrical grommet main body 4 through which the first and second mounting portions 2 and 3 are connected and the wire harness is inserted. It is formed to be flexible.

The first and second mounting portions 2 and 3 are formed corresponding to the shapes of the through holes of the panels 30 and 31 to be mounted. For example, the first mounting portion 2 is formed in the first through hole. And the second mounting portion 3 is mounted in the second through hole.

The first mounting portion 2 is formed in a curved shape such as an intermediate shape which is neither circular nor elliptical, and has an outer shape larger than an inner shape of the first through hole, and an inner shape of the first through hole. It is formed in a cylindrical shape smaller than the shape and through which the wire harness can be inserted. An engagement groove 5 is provided substantially in the center of the outer peripheral surface of the first mounting portion 2 along the circumferential direction. Engagement groove 5
The bottom wall 6 is preferably formed to have a size substantially the same as or slightly larger than the inner shape of the first through hole. It is preferable that the width of the engagement groove 5 be substantially the same as or slightly shorter than the thickness of the vehicle body panel 30 in which the first through hole is formed.

The outer peripheral surface of the first mounting portion 2 is divided into an insertion portion 7 and a contact portion 8 along the axial direction by an engagement groove 5. The contact portion 8 is formed in a size whose outer shape cannot be inserted into the first through hole. When the engagement groove 5 and the through hole are engaged with the end of the side surface of the contact portion 8 where the engagement groove 5 is formed, the space between the first mounting portion 2 and the vehicle body panel 30 is sealed. Is provided with a seal portion 9 protruding in the direction of the engagement groove along the end (circumferential direction).

The insertion portion 7 is larger than the inner shape of the first through hole, and is formed to have a size that can be inserted by being pressed and deformed (elastically deformed) by being pushed into the first through hole. Is the largest, and is formed in a shape that is gradually inclined from the center to both ends. Further, the engagement groove 5 side of the insertion portion 7 may be formed in a planar shape extending substantially parallel to a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the wire harness. The end of the insertion portion 7 opposite to the engagement groove 5 is preferably formed to have a smaller diameter than the diameter of the first through-hole so that it can be easily inserted into the first through-hole.

The inner peripheral surface of the insertion portion 7 of the first mounting portion 2 extends in the insertion direction of the wire harness, and is wound together with the wire harness by a winding member such as a tape (not shown).
And a wire harness fixing portion 10 for fixing the wire harness by winding the wire harness.

The second mounting portion 3 is formed in a curved shape close to an elongated elliptical shape, the outer shape is larger than the inner shape of the second through hole, the inner shape is smaller than the inner shape of the second through hole, and the wire harness is smaller. It is formed in a cylindrical shape that can be inserted. A substantially central portion of the outer peripheral surface of the second mounting portion 3 has an engaging groove 1 along its circumferential direction.
1 is provided. It is preferable that the bottom wall 12 of the engagement groove 11 is formed to have a size substantially the same as or slightly larger than the inner shape of the second through hole. It is preferable that the width of the engagement groove 11 be substantially the same as or slightly shorter than the thickness of the movable panel 31 in which the second through hole is formed.

The outer peripheral surface of the second mounting portion 3 is divided into an insertion portion 13 and a contact portion 14 along the axial direction by an engagement groove 11. The contact portion 14 is formed to have a size whose outer shape cannot be inserted into the second through hole. At the end of the side surface of the contact portion 14 where the engagement groove 11 is formed, the engagement groove 11 and the second
When the second mounting portion 3 and the movable panel 31 are sealed with each other when the through holes are engaged with each other, their ends (in the circumferential direction) are sealed.
A seal portion 15 protruding in the direction of the engagement groove is provided.

The insertion portion 13 is larger than the inner shape of the second through-hole, and is formed to have a size that can be inserted by being pressed and deformed (elastically deformed) by being pushed into the second through-hole. Is the largest, and is formed in a shape that is gradually inclined from the center to both ends. Further, the engagement groove 11 side of the insertion portion 13 may be formed in a plane shape extending substantially parallel to a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the wire harness. The end of the insertion portion 13 opposite to the engagement groove 11 is preferably formed to have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the second through-hole so as to be easily inserted into the second through-hole.

The grommet main body 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape through which a wire harness is inserted, and is formed in a bellows shape so as to be bent or bent. First and second mounting portions 2 and 3 are integrally provided at both ends of the grommet main body 4. Specifically, contact portions 8 and 14 of the first and second mounting portions 2 and 3 are provided at both ends of the grommet body 4, respectively.
The wire harness is provided along a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the wire harness 3 extends (so that the wire harness is inserted substantially perpendicularly between the mounting portions 2 and 3 and the grommet body 4). Also, the first and second mounting portions 2 and 3 are provided at both ends of the grommet main body 4 so that the openings of the insertion portions 7 and 13 of the first and second mounting portions 2 and 3 are oriented in substantially the same direction. ing.

The bellows shape of the grommet body 4 may be formed in any manner as long as it can be bent or curved.
The length of the grommet body 4 is such that the first and second mounting portions 2 and 3 are respectively connected to the first through hole of the vehicle body panel 30 and the movable panel 31.
When the movable panel 31 is moved in a state where the movable panel 31 is mounted on the second through hole, the distance between the first and second through holes is preferably equal to or longer than the largest dimension. It is particularly preferred to form them in long dimensions.
In this way, by forming the length of the grommet main body 4 to be equal to or longer than the maximum dimension, the movement of the movable panel 31
Since almost no tensile force acts on the grommet body 4 along its axial direction, the durability of the grommet 1 is improved.

On the outer surface of the grommet body 4, for example,
When the grommet body 4 (the grommet 1) is accommodated in the grommet accommodating portion 35 (see FIGS. 5 and 6), the rib that regulates the bent state of the curved portion where the grommet body 4 is bent so that the bellows shape is maintained. 16 are provided.

The rib 16 may have any configuration as long as the bellows shape is maintained at the curved portion. For example, the rib 16 may be formed by providing a thin lip between the bellows-shaped peaks 17 (valleys 18). It may be performed, but preferably, for example,
7 is preferably formed by rib pieces 19 provided respectively.

When the grommet body 4 is bent and abuts on the adjacent rib piece 19, the grommet body 4
That is, before the rib piece 19 abuts on the adjacent rib piece 19, it can be bent almost in the same manner as the other bellows portion, and when the rib piece 19 comes into contact with the rib piece 19, the grommet body 4 It is preferable to form so that bending cannot be performed (bending state is regulated). The rib pieces 19 are formed such that the rib pieces 19 come into contact with the adjacent rib pieces 19 before the bellows shape at the curved portion cannot be maintained. That is, the rib piece 19 is formed in a shape and thickness that does not elastically deform or hardly elastically deforms. For example, the rib piece 19 may be a protruding portion that protrudes in the direction of the peak 17 adjacent to the peak 17, Preferably, as shown in the figure, when the crest 17 is bent in the grommet main body, the inclined surface 19a is inclined with the inclined surface 19 of the adjacent rib piece as shown in FIG.
It is preferable that the section is formed to have a substantially trapezoidal cross-section that is in surface contact with a. The rib piece 19 may be formed in a substantially triangular shape including the trapezoidal shape.

When the rib pieces 19 are formed in a substantially trapezoidal cross section in this way, the angle a of the inclined surface (the inclined surface that comes into contact with the inclined surface of the adjacent rib piece 19) 19a is as shown in FIG. The inclined surface 19a is arbitrarily determined from a range in which the bellows shape at the curved portion is maintained by making surface contact with the inclined surface 19a of the adjacent rib piece, and is preferably set to an angle slightly smaller than the maximum angle at which the bellows shape is maintained. It is good to form. Also, by adjusting the angle a of the inclined surface 19, the grommet 1
Since the bending state (bending angle) of the (grommet main body 4) can be adjusted, the bending angle of the grommet 1 can be adjusted to a desired angle.

The rib piece 19 (rib 16) is provided on the curved grommet body 4 when the grommet body 4 (grommet 1) is housed in the grommet housing portion 35.
For example, when the entire grommet body 4 is bent, for example, when the entire grommet body 4 is bent such that the opening sides of the first and second mounting portions 2 and 3 are inside, FIGS. As shown, a rib piece 19 is provided on the entire grommet body 4 on the opening side of the first and second mounting portions 2 and 3.

Now, with the grommet 1 inserted with, for example, a wire harness, the first mounting portion 2 is mounted in the first through hole of the vehicle body panel 30 and the second mounting portion 3 is moved to the movable panel (door panel). It is mounted in the second through hole of No. 31 and mounted on the vehicle body. When the door panel 31 is open (see FIG. 5), the grommet 1 is substantially straight. It is accommodated (see FIG. 6).

At this time, since the rib pieces 19 as the ribs 16 are provided on the outer surface inside the curved portion of the grommet main body 4 (the peak portion 17 in the illustrated example), the bending state of the grommet main body 4 is regulated. Then, the bellows shape at the curved portion is maintained. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, when the rib pieces 19 are formed in a trapezoidal shape, the grommet body 4 is bent so that the bellows shape is not maintained, that is, the peak portion 17 is crushed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the inclined surface 19a of the rib piece 19 is
Since the ridge 17 is brought into surface contact with the ridge 9a before it collapses, the grommet main body 4 does not bend any more, and the grommet main body 4 is always in a state in which the bellows shape is maintained.

Therefore, even if the grommet 1 of the present invention is accommodated in the grommet accommodating portion 35 in a bent state, the bellows-like peak portion 17 is crushed in the curved portion, and a large tensile force is applied to the valley portion 18. Since the grommet 1 does not act, the durability of the grommet 1 is improved, and the wire harness can be protected without causing a problem such as disconnection.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the rib piece 19 is formed in a trapezoidal shape such that it is not elastically deformed or hardly elastically deformed.
The grommet body 4 can be bent in the same manner as in the related art unless the rib piece 19 abuts on the adjacent rib piece 19 in order to restrict the bending state of the grommet body 4 when the rib piece 19 abuts on the adjacent rib piece 19. it can. For this reason, when the grommet 1 is bent and accommodated in the accommodating portion in a state where the mountain portion 17 is not crushed, the grommet 1 does not protrude from the accommodating portion into the same accommodating portion as in the related art. Can be accommodated.

When the rib piece 19 is formed to have a substantially trapezoidal cross section, the adjacent rib piece 19 and the inclined surface 19 are formed.
Since the a and 19a are in surface contact with each other, the bent state of the bellows-like grommet body 4 can be reliably regulated with a simple shape.

[0033]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the curved portion of the grommet main body, the bellows-shaped peak portion is not crushed and the valley portion is not abnormally pulled, so that the durability of the grommet is improved. In addition to the improvement, the long member can be protected without a risk of causing a trouble such as disconnection.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the grommet body is bent, the grommet body is substantially similar to the conventional one as long as the bellows-shaped peak is not collapsed or the valley is not abnormally pulled. Can be bent.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the bent state of the bellows-like grommet body can be reliably restricted with a simple shape.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a grommet of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion B in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state in which the grommet of the present invention is bent.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a mounted state of a conventional grommet.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a mounted state of a conventional grommet.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Grommet 4 Grommet body 16 ribs 17 Yamabe 18 Tanibe 19 rib pieces

   ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page    F-term (reference) 5G333 AA10 AB14 AB26 AB28 CB02                       CB03 CB19 CC18 DA03 EA02                       EB03                 5G357 DA06 DB03 DC12 DD01 DD05                       DD10                 5G363 AA01 AA16 BA02 CB08 DC03

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A grommet which can be used in a state in which a long grommet is inserted and a cylindrical grommet body formed in a bellows shape is bent, wherein the grommet body is bent when the grommet body is bent. On the outer surface inside
A grommet comprising a rib for regulating the bending state and maintaining a bellows shape at a curved portion. 2. The grommet body according to claim 1, wherein said rib comprises a plurality of rib pieces provided on said bellows-shaped ridges, and said rib pieces bend the grommet body to abut on adjacent rib pieces. The grommet according to claim 1, wherein the grommet is formed in a shape that restricts a bending state of the grommet. 3. The grommet according to claim 2, wherein said rib piece is formed in a substantially trapezoidal cross section.