JP3711071B2 - Grommet - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a grommet, and more specifically, it is integrally formed from rubber or elastomer, and is attached to a wire harness that is bent and routed from an outdoor side such as an engine room side of an automobile to an indoor side through a through hole of a vehicle body panel, The present invention relates to a grommet that is mounted in a through-hole of the vehicle body panel and is waterproof and dustproof from the outdoor side to the indoor side.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 8 (A) and 8 (B), this type of grommet 1 includes a downward small-diameter cylindrical portion 1a that is phased 90 degrees on both sides fixed to the wire harness W / H with a tape T, and a horizontal small-diameter cylinder. Between the portions 1b, a large-diameter cylindrical portion 1c is provided by being bent 90 degrees from the small-diameter cylindrical portion 1a, and a vehicle body locking groove 1d is annularly recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 1c. The side wall which becomes the outdoor side of the vehicle body locking groove 1d is a waterproof seal wall 1e protruding in the radial direction.
[0003]
The grommet 1 is attached to a wire harness W / H that is routed from the outdoor side (X) to the indoor side (Y) through the through hole H of the vehicle body panel B. After passing, the wire harness W / H is pulled from the indoor side (Y) to pass the vehicle body locking groove 1d through the indoor side wall 1f, and then the vehicle body locking groove 1d is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole H. The waterproof seal wall 1e on the outdoor side is fitted to the vehicle body panel B so as to be waterproofed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, when the vehicle body panel B provided with the through hole H for attaching the grommet 1 is inclined downward toward the outdoor side (X), the vehicle body panel B passes through the indoor side (Y). When the wire harness W / H is pulled downward in a direction perpendicular to the inclined body panel B as shown in FIG. 9A, the entire circumference of the body locking groove 1d is fitted into the through hole H of the body panel. Thus, the entire circumference of the waterproof seal wall 1e on the outdoor side can be brought into close contact with the outer surface of the vehicle body room at the periphery of the through hole H.
[0005]
However, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the wire harness W / H passed through the indoor side (Y) is pulled in the horizontal direction, the lower part of the waterproof seal wall 1e enters the inside of the through hole H, The waterproof function of the grommet 1 will be impaired.
Therefore, it is necessary to change the pulling direction of the grommet according to the inclination direction of the vehicle body panel and the inclination angle, which causes a problem that the workability of attaching the grommet to the vehicle body panel is deteriorated.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. When the vehicle body panel to which the grommet is attached is inclined, that is, when the vehicle body panel is not perpendicular to the pulling direction of the wire harness, Even if it is pulled further in the horizontal direction, the waterproof seal wall does not enter the through hole, and it is an object to secure the waterproof function by bringing the entire periphery of the waterproof seal wall into close contact with the outer surface of the vehicle body panel.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is attached to a wire harness routed from the outdoor side of an automobile to the indoor side through a through hole provided in a vehicle body panel, and pulls the wire harness from the outdoor side toward the indoor side. By this, it is a grommet to be mounted in the through hole of the vehicle body panel,
The vehicle body panel is provided with an inclination from a plane perpendicular to the pulling direction of the wire harness,
A first small-diameter cylindrical portion on the outdoor side, a second small-diameter cylindrical portion on the indoor side, a large-diameter cylindrical portion continuous between the first and second small-diameter cylindrical portions, and an outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion. An annular vehicle body locking groove,
The side walls on the outdoor side of both side walls sandwiching the vehicle body locking groove are stepped toward the vehicle body panel to form a waterproof seal wall, and are separated from the indoor side by the inclination of the vehicle body panel provided with the through hole. It was on the side ribs which extend outward from the waterproof seal wall, to provide a grommet that said waterproof sealing wall when mounting the grommet into the through hole is configured to prevent from entering into the through hole Yes.
[0008]
That is, when the vehicle body panel is in the inclined direction in which the lower part from the through hole is inclined to the outdoor side, the rib is provided so as to extend the lower peripheral edge of the waterproof seal wall. On the other hand, the vehicle body panel when is inclined direction above the through-hole is inclined to the exterior side, and projecting ribs to extend the upper periphery of the waterproof seal wall.
[0009]
As described above, when the rib is protruded and extended on the waterproof seal wall of the grommet, when the grommet is pulled from a horizontal direction that is not perpendicular to the inclined body panel, the body locking groove is first fitted into the through hole. Since there are ribs on the waterproof seal wall on the side close to the vehicle body, the waterproof seal wall enters the through hole due to the pulling force applied until the vehicle body locking groove on the side far from the vehicle body panel is fitted into the through hole Can be prevented.
Thus, there is no need to change the pulling direction of the grommet according to the inclination direction of the vehicle body panel, and the workability of attaching the grommet to the vehicle body panel can be improved.
[0010]
Specifically, the first small-diameter cylindrical portion is downward or upward, the second small-diameter cylindrical portion is horizontally oriented in the horizontal direction, and the large-diameter cylindrical portion is bent by 90 degrees at one end of the first small-diameter cylindrical portion. In the grommet, the rib is projected from the lower peripheral edge of the waterproof seal wall, and the grommet is attached to a vehicle body panel having a lower portion inclined to the outdoor side from the through hole.
[0011]
With the above configuration, when the wire harness to which the grommet is attached is passed through the through hole of the vehicle body panel from the second small-diameter cylindrical portion side and the wire harness is pulled from the indoor side, the vehicle body panel is Even when not vertically, the rib prevents the lower portion of the waterproof seal wall from entering the through hole, and the entire periphery of the vehicle body locking groove is fitted into the through hole, and the entire periphery of the waterproof seal wall is mounted on the vehicle body panel. It is possible to secure the waterproof performance of the grommet by being in close contact with the outer surface.
Even if the first small-diameter cylindrical portion on the outdoor side is upward, if the inclination direction of the vehicle body panel is the inclination direction in which the lower portion from the through hole is inclined to the outdoor side, the rib projects into the lower portion of the waterproof seal wall. Has been established.
[0012]
When the inclination angle of the vehicle body panel is increased, the protruding amount of the rib is increased. That is, when the inclination angle increases, the vehicle body locking groove on the side close to the vehicle body panel is fitted into the through hole of the vehicle body panel earlier than the vehicle body locking groove on the side far from the other vehicle body panel. The tensile force applied until the side vehicle body locking groove is fitted into the through hole of the vehicle body panel increases. Therefore, by increasing the protruding amount of the rib, the waterproof seal wall is prevented from being drawn into the through hole.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the grommet 10 according to the embodiment is inclined in a direction in which the lower part from the through hole H protrudes to the outdoor side (X) on the engine room side, and the upper part is inclined in a direction to protrude to the indoor side (Y). It attaches to the vehicle body panel B to be performed.
[0014]
The grommet 10 is routed upward from below toward the through hole H of the inclined vehicle body panel B on the outdoor side (X), and is routed horizontally through the through hole H to the indoor side (Y). It is attached to the wire harness W / H pulled from the indoor side.
[0015]
The grommet 10 is formed by integrally molding an elastic material made of rubber or elastomer. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, 3B, and 3C, the first small-diameter cylinder portion 11 facing downward on the outdoor side, the second small-diameter cylinder portion 12 facing laterally on the indoor side, and the first small-diameter cylinders. A large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 that is continuous between the portion 11 and the second small-diameter cylindrical portion 12 is provided continuously, and a vehicle body locking groove 14 that is annularly provided on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 is provided.
Outer side walls of both side walls sandwiching the vehicle body locking groove 14 are protruded stepwise toward the vehicle body panel to form a waterproof seal wall 15. A rib-shaped rib 16 is projected from the lower peripheral portion 15a of the waterproof seal wall 15 so that the waterproof seal wall 15 is extended, and the rib 16 is formed more than the protruding amount of the upper peripheral portion 15b of the waterproof seal wall 15. The amount of protrusion of the lower waterproof seal wall is large.
[0016]
A portion 13a that gradually increases in diameter and is refracted by 90 degrees is interposed on the first small diameter cylindrical portion side of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13, while an axial protrusion 13b is provided on the outer peripheral surface on the second small diameter cylindrical portion side. A trapezoidal portion 13c that gradually decreases in diameter toward the second small-diameter cylindrical portion side is interposed. Both side portions 13a and 13b sandwiching the vehicle body locking groove 14 of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 are gradually thickened toward the vehicle body locking groove 14 side, and an intermediate portion is provided on the inner surface of the waterproof seal wall 15 having the largest thickness. Seal lips 15c and 15d are provided at the tip and the tip. The indoor-side seal wall 17 facing the vehicle body locking groove 14 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the through hole H, but the height is lower than the waterproof seal wall 15 and the tip 17a is on the indoor side. Slightly inclined toward.
[0017]
In the present embodiment, the inclination angle θ of the vehicle body panel B is 24 °, the height of the waterproof seal wall 15 projecting vertically from the bottom surface from the vehicle body locking groove 14 is 7 mm, and the lower peripheral portion of the waterproof seal wall 15 is The projecting amount of the rib 16 from the lowermost end is 8.5 mm.
[0018]
A continuous notch 18 is provided on the end surface of the trapezoidal portion 13c on the second small diameter cylinder side of the large diameter cylinder portion 13 and the opposing peripheral wall of the second small diameter cylinder portion 12 for forming a hollow portion at the time of grommet molding. The core (not shown) can be easily removed.
[0019]
The wire harness W / H is passed through the grommet 10 having the above-described shape, and the tape T is wound around the wire harness W / H from the distal end side of the first and second small diameter cylindrical portions 11 and 12, and the grommet 10 is wound around the wire harness W / H. Is attached.
[0020]
When the wire harness W / H fitted with the grommet 10 is assembled to the vehicle body panel B, the wire harness W / H is passed through the through hole H from the second small diameter cylindrical portion 12 side as shown in FIG. In this state, the wire harness W / H is pulled from the indoor side (Y) to push the grommet 10 into the through hole H, the seal wall 17 is bent and passed through the through hole H, and the vehicle body locking groove 14 is inserted into the through hole H. The waterproof seal wall 15 on the outdoor side is attached in close contact with the outer surface of the vehicle body panel B while being fitted and closely attached to the peripheral surface.
[0021]
When the wire harness W / H is pulled in the horizontal direction from the indoor side (Y) during the assembling work, if the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the grommet 10 is in the vertical direction, the vehicle body panel B of the vehicle body locking groove 14 The lower side portion on the side close to the vehicle body is fitted into the through hole H before the upper side portion on the side farther from the vehicle body panel B. Therefore, in this state, when the grommet 10 is pulled until the upper side of the vehicle body locking groove 14 is fitted into the through hole H, the tensile force is further applied to the lower portion where the vehicle body locking groove 14 is already fitted into the through hole H. Therefore, the waterproof seal wall 15 is pulled to the through hole H side. However, since the rib 16 protrudes from the lower peripheral portion 15a of the waterproof seal wall 15, the waterproof seal wall 15 protruding from the rib 16 can be prevented from fitting into the through hole H.
[0022]
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the rib 16 protruding from the waterproof seal wall 15 increases the protruding amount L when the inclination angle θ of the vehicle body panel B increases.
[0023]
FIG. 6 shows the second embodiment, and the inclination direction of the vehicle body panel B is an inclination direction in which the upper part protrudes from the through hole H to the outdoor side (X) and the lower part protrudes to the indoor side (Y).
In this case, when the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the grommet 10 ′ is set in the vertical direction, the upper side becomes the side close to the vehicle body panel B. Therefore, a rib 16 ′ is provided on the upper peripheral portion of the waterproof seal wall 15 ′.
[0024]
Thus, when the rib 16 ′ is protruded from the upper peripheral portion of the waterproof seal wall 15 ′, when the grommet 10 ′ is pulled in the horizontal direction from the indoor side, the upper side of the vehicle body locking groove 14 ′ comes before the through hole H. Although it is fitted, since the rib 16 ′ protrudes, the upper portion of the waterproof seal wall 15 ′ can be prevented from being pulled into the through hole H.
[0025]
FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment, in which the wire harness W / H is horizontally penetrated from the outdoor side to the indoor side with respect to the vehicle body panel B inclined in the same direction as in the first embodiment.
In this case, the grommet 10 ″ has the first small diameter cylindrical portion 11 ″ in the same horizontal direction as the second small diameter cylindrical portion 12 ″, and a large diameter cylindrical portion 13 ″ interposed therebetween. As in the first embodiment, the waterproof seal wall 15 ″ provided on the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 ″ is provided with a rib 16 ″ on the lower peripheral portion thereof.
[0026]
Even if the first small diameter cylindrical portion 11 ″ on the outdoor side (X) is in the horizontal direction, if the second small diameter cylindrical portion 12 ″ on the indoor side (Y) is pulled in the horizontal direction, Since the side vehicle body locking groove 14 ″ is first fitted into the vehicle body through hole H, if the rib 16 ″ is protruded, the lower waterproof seal wall 15 ″ is inserted into the through hole H due to excessive pulling. It can prevent being pulled in.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, in the grommet according to the present invention, the rib is provided on the waterproof seal wall, so that the grommet is assembled to the body panel that is not perpendicular to the pulling direction of the wire harness. When attaching, it is not necessary to change the pulling direction of the grommet according to the inclination direction of the vehicle body panel, and even when pulled in the horizontal direction, the waterproof seal wall can be prevented from being drawn into the through hole, and waterproof performance can be ensured.
Also, when pulling the wire harness to lock the grommet in the through hole, the worker can pull strongly in the horizontal direction rather than pulling diagonally, so that the grommet can be quickly assembled. .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which a grommet according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a vehicle body panel.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grommet.
3A is a front view of a grommet, FIG. 3B is a left side view, and FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view.
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where a grommet is attached to a vehicle body through hole.
5A and 5B are diagrams showing the relationship between the protruding amount of a seal provided on the grommet and the inclination angle of the vehicle body panel.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment.
8A is a perspective view of a conventional grommet, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the grommet attached to a vehicle body.
9A and 9B are cross-sectional views when a conventional grommet is attached to an inclined vehicle body panel.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Grommet 11 1st small diameter cylinder part 12 2nd small diameter cylinder part 13 Large diameter cylinder part 14 Body locking groove 15 Waterproof seal wall 16 Rib B Body panel H Through-hole W / H Wire harness

Claims (3)

It is attached to a wire harness that is routed from the outdoor side of the automobile to the indoor side through a through hole provided in the vehicle body panel, and is attached to the through hole of the vehicle body panel by pulling the wire harness from the outdoor side to the indoor side. Grommet to be played
The vehicle body panel is provided with an inclination from a plane perpendicular to the pulling direction of the wire harness,
A first small-diameter cylindrical portion on the outdoor side, a second small-diameter cylindrical portion on the indoor side, a large-diameter cylindrical portion continuous between the first and second small-diameter cylindrical portions, and an outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion. An annular vehicle body locking groove,
The side walls on the outdoor side of both side walls sandwiching the vehicle body locking groove are stepped toward the vehicle body panel to form a waterproof seal wall, and are separated from the indoor side by the inclination of the vehicle body panel provided with the through hole. A grommet configured to provide a rib extending outward from the waterproof seal wall on the side where the waterproof seal wall enters the through hole when the grommet is attached to the through hole. The first small-diameter cylindrical portion is downward or upward, the second small-diameter cylindrical portion is horizontally horizontal, the large-diameter cylindrical portion is bent at 90 degrees at one end of the first small-diameter cylindrical portion, and is connected to the waterproof seal wall. The grommet according to claim 1, wherein the rib is projected from a lower peripheral edge, and the vehicle body panel is attached to a vehicle body whose inclination direction is inclined downward from the through hole toward the outdoor side. The grommet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the protruding amount of the rib is increased when the inclination angle of the vehicle body panel is increased.

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