JP6943615B2 - Grommets and wire harnesses - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a grommet that closes an electric wire through hole of a vehicle body panel through which an electric wire penetrates, and a wire harness having the grommet.

Conventionally, various grommets have been proposed. As shown in FIG. 9, the grommet 100 of the first conventional example includes a substantially hemispherical grommet mounting portion 101 and a tubular portion 102 that is integrally provided with the grommet mounting portion 101 and projects from the tip of the grommet mounting portion 101. It has. The grommet mounting portion 101 is attached to a vehicle body panel (not shown) and is waterproof to a wire through hole (not shown) of the vehicle body panel (not shown). The tubular portion 102 is penetrated by an electric wire (not shown) and is waterproof to the electric wire (not shown).

By the way, when the grommet 100 is attached to an electric wire (not shown), an expansion machine 50 is used. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10A, the expansion machine 50 has four opening / closing moving portions 51, and expansion claws 52 are provided so as to project from each opening / closing moving portion 51. The four opening / closing moving portions 51 have a gathering position where the four expansion claws 52 gather together (position in FIG. 10A) and an expansion position where the four expansion claws 52 are separated from each other (position in FIG. 10A). ) And move between.

The four opening / closing moving portions 51 are set as the gathering position, and the four expansion claws 52 are inserted into the tubular portion 102. The four inserted expansion claws 52 are displaced to the expansion positions as shown in FIG. 10 (b), and an electric wire (not shown) is passed through the tubular portion 102. Next, the four expansion claws 52 are pulled out from the inside of the tubular portion 102. The grommet 100 is now attached to the electric wire (not shown).

Next, a second conventional example will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the grommet (see Patent Document 1) 110 of the second conventional example is integrally provided with the large-diameter grommet mounting portion 111 and the grommet mounting portion 111, and is arranged inside the grommet mounting portion 111. It is provided with a small-diameter tubular portion 112. The grommet mounting portion 111 is mounted on the vehicle body panel (not shown) and waterproofs between the grommet mounting portion 111 and the electric wire through hole (not shown) of the vehicle body panel (not shown). The inner hole on the tip side of the tubular portion 112 is formed in the small diameter hole 112a. The tubular portion 112 is formed in a tapered hole 112b in which an internal hole on the root side gradually expands in diameter toward the opening side. An electric wire (not shown) is penetrated through the tubular portion 112, and the portion of the small diameter hole 112a is waterproofed with the electric wire (not shown).

Also in this second conventional example, the grommet is attached to the electric wire by using the expansion machine 50 described above.

JP-A-2002-112438

However, in the grommet 100 of the first conventional example, as shown in FIG. 9, since the root of each expansion claw 52 does not enter the cylinder portion 102, the load received from the cylinder portion 102 when the expansion claw 52 is expanded is large.

In the grommet 110 of the second conventional example, the root of each expansion claw 52 enters the tubular portion 112, but the root of each expansion claw 52 does not contact the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 112, so that the same as in the first conventional example. In addition, the load received from the tubular portion 112 when each of the expansion claws 52 is expanded is large.

If the load received during expansion of each expansion claw 52 is large, there is a problem that the expansion claw 52 is damaged or bent.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a grommet capable of reducing the load acting on the expanding claw when the tubular portion is expanded, and a wire harness having the grommet. The purpose.

The present invention includes an exterior frame arranged in an electric wire through hole of a vehicle body panel and in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire through hole, and a tubular portion arranged inside the exterior frame 11 through which the electric wire W penetrates. A connecting portion for connecting the exterior frame and the cylinder portion is provided so that the position of the end portion of the cylinder portion is the position of the end portion of the exterior frame, and the outer peripheral surface of the exterior frame is provided with a wire penetrating direction. The grommet is characterized in that ribs are provided at intervals in the tube, and ribs are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion at intervals in the wire penetrating direction.

According to the present invention, when the expansion claw of the expansion machine is inserted into the cylinder portion, the expansion claw comes into contact with the cylinder portion from the root of the expansion claw, so that the load acting on the expansion claw when the cylinder portion is expanded can be reduced.

An embodiment of the present invention is shown, and is an exploded perspective view of an installed state of a grommet. An embodiment of the present invention is shown, and is a perspective view of an installed state of a grommet. An embodiment of the present invention is shown, and is a perspective view of a grommet. An embodiment of the present invention is shown and is a cross-sectional view of a grommet. It is sectional drawing of the grommet which shows one Embodiment of this invention and inserted the expansion claw into a cylinder part. An embodiment of the present invention is shown, where FIG. It is sectional drawing of the main part of the process of pulling out. A comparative example with one embodiment of the present invention is shown, (a) is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a cylinder, (b) is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a process of inserting an expansion claw into a cylinder, and (c) is an expansion claw. It is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the process of pulling out from the cylinder part. An embodiment of the present invention is shown, and FIGS. (A) to (C) are cross-sectional views of a main part of a tubular portion showing a modified example of the rib. A first conventional example is shown, and it is sectional drawing of the grommet. A first conventional example is shown, FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 9, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 9 showing a state in which the extended claw is displaced to the extended position. A first conventional example is shown, and it is sectional drawing of the cylinder part in the state which the expansion claw is displaced to the expansion position. A second conventional example is shown, which is a cross-sectional view of a grommet.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a trapezoidal electric wire through hole 2 is formed in the vehicle body panel 1. The electric wire through hole 2 is formed by the cover 1b closing the upper surface opening side of the groove of the panel main body 1a. The electric wire (electric wire assembly) W of the wire harness is penetrated through the trapezoidal electric wire through hole 2. The electric wire W of the wire harness is distributed over the water-covered area 3 (shown in FIG. 4) on one side of the vehicle body panel 1 and the waterproof area 4 (shown in FIG. 4) on the other side by penetrating the electric wire through hole 2. It will be devised. The water-covered area 3 is, for example, the outside of the vehicle interior (engine room or the like), and the waterproof area 4 is, for example, the interior of the vehicle.

The wire harness has a grommet 10 mounted on the outer circumference of the electric wire W. The wire through hole 2 of the vehicle body panel 1 is closed by the grommet 10.

Further, the wire harness has a clip 5 attached to the outer circumference of the electric wire W. The clip 5 is attached at a position separated from the grommet 10 by a predetermined distance. The electric wire W drawn out from the grommet 10 to the water-covered area 3 is arranged along a curved arrangement path by locking the clip 5 to the clip locking portion 6 of the vehicle body panel 1. Hereinafter, the configuration of the grommet 10 will be described in detail.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, the grommet 10 is an integrally molded product made of an elastic material (for example, a rubber material). The grommet 10 is a connecting portion 13 that connects and shields between the outer frame 11 arranged in the electric wire through hole 2, the tubular portion 12 arranged inside the outer frame 11, and the outer frame 11 and the tubular portion 12. And have.

The outer frame 11 has an outer contour having substantially the same dimensions as the electric wire through hole 2. Flange portions 11a are provided on both ends of the exterior frame 11. Flange portions 11a on both ends are sandwiched between the panel body 1a and the cover 1b. As a result, the grommet 10 is fixed in the electric wire through hole 2.

Several ribs 11b (shown in FIG. 4) are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the exterior frame 11. Several ribs 11b are arranged at equal intervals in the penetrating direction of the electric wire through hole 2. On the outer surface of the outer frame 11, each of the compression-deformed ribs 11b is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire through hole 2. This prevents water and the like from entering between the outer peripheral surface of the exterior frame 11 and the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire through hole 2.

The tubular portion 12 is provided with ribs 12a (shown in FIG. 4) at equidistant positions on the inner peripheral surface thereof in the wire penetrating direction A. In this embodiment, there are three ribs 12a. The rib 12a is provided in the entire range from one end to the other end of the tubular portion 12, that is, in the entire range of the electric wire penetrating direction A. Each rib 12a is arranged over the entire circumference along the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 12. As shown in detail in FIG. 6A, each rib 12a has a triangular shape and is formed wide from the tip to the root.

On the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 12, each of the compression-deformed ribs 12a is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire W. As a result, water or the like is prevented from entering between the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the electric wire W.

One end of the tubular portion 12 is supported by the connecting portion 13 as described in detail below. The other end (the other end) of the tubular portion 12 projects from the exterior frame 11 toward the water-covered region 3.

A hollow portion (space) 14 is formed between the tubular portion 12 and the exterior frame 11. The hollow portion 14 is formed over the entire circumference of the tubular portion 12. The flexible tubular portion 12 is cantilevered and can be freely flexed and deformed within the range of the hollow portion 14 with one end as a support point.

The connecting portion 13 connects the ends of both the exterior frame 11 and the tubular portion 12 on the waterproof region 4 side. More specifically, the connecting portion 13 has the outer frame 11 and the tubular portion 12 so that the position of the end portion of the tubular portion 12 in the electric wire penetrating direction A is the position of the end portion of the outer frame 11 in the electric wire penetrating direction A. It is connected. The connecting portion 13 shields the outer frame 11 and the tubular portion 12 from communicating with water or the like.

Next, the work of attaching the grommet 10 to the electric wire W will be described. An expansion machine 50 is used for this work. The expansion machine 50 is the same as that described in, for example, the first conventional example, and has four opening / closing moving portions 51, and each opening / closing moving portion 51 is provided with an expansion claw 52.

First, as shown in FIG. 6B, the four expansion claws 52 are inserted into the tubular portion 12 as a gathering position where the four expansion claws 52 gather together. As shown in FIG. 5, the expansion claw 52 is inserted until it enters the tubular portion 12. Next, the four inserted expansion claws 52 are displaced to the expansion position. Next, the electric wire W is passed through the expanded tubular portion 12. Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the four expansion claws 52 are pulled out from the inside of the tubular portion 12. This completes the work of attaching the grommet 10 to the electric wire W.

As described above, the grommet 10 is arranged in the electric wire through hole 2 and is arranged inside the outer frame 11 and the outer frame 11 which are in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire through hole 2, and the electric wire W penetrates the inside. The tubular portion 12 is provided, and the connecting portion 13 for connecting the exterior frame 11 and the tubular portion 12 is provided so that the position of the end portion of the tubular portion 12 is the position of the end portion of the exterior frame 11.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the expansion claw 52 of the expansion machine 50 is inserted into the cylinder portion 12, the cylinder portion 12 can be inserted into the root of the expansion claw 52, and the expansion claw 52 is the electric wire of the cylinder portion 12. Since the contact is made in the entire range of the penetration direction A, the load acting on the expansion claw 52 when the cylinder portion 12 is expanded can be reduced.

Ribs 12a are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 12 at intervals in the wire penetrating direction A. Therefore, as compared with the case where the rib 12a is not provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 12, the contact area between the expansion claw 52 and the tubular portion 12 at the time of inserting and pulling out the expansion claw 52 into the tubular portion 12 Friction resistance is reduced, and insertion work and pull-out work are facilitated. That is, when the rib is not provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 102 as in the first conventional example, as shown in FIG. 11, the expansion claw 52 covers the entire inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion 102. Friction resistance increases and insertion work and pull-out work are difficult.

The ribs 12a are provided at regular intervals in the entire range of the electric wire penetrating direction A of the tubular portion 12. Therefore, since the load from the tubular portion 12 to the expansion claw 52 acts and is distributed substantially evenly, the insertion work and the pull-out work become easier.

The ribs 12a are provided at regular intervals in the entire range of the electric wire penetrating direction A of the tubular portion 12. Therefore, no matter where the tubular portion 12 is cut, the rib 12a is provided in the entire range, so that the waterproof performance can be ensured. Further, the rib 12a also serves as a mark for adjusting the length of the tubular portion 12, so that the length can be easily adjusted.

The rib 12a is formed wide from the tip to the root. Therefore, since the rib 12a has a high rigidity, the rib 12a is not deformed as much as possible when the expansion claw 52 is inserted into the tubular portion 12 and when the rib 12a is pulled out, so that the insertion work and the pulling work are facilitated. ..

FIG. 7 shows the rib 12e of the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 7A, the ribs 12e of the comparative example are formed to have the same width from the tip to the root, that is, a rectangular shape. In the case of the rectangular rib 12e, when the expansion claw 52 is inserted into the tubular portion 12, the rib 12e is inclined in the forward tilting direction as shown in FIG. 7B. At the time of pulling out, as shown in FIG. 7C, a frictional force in the direction in which the rib 12e inclines in the backward tilting direction acts, and finally the rib 12e elastically deforms into a bent shape. Therefore, the frictional resistance between the expansion claw 52 and the tubular portion 12 increases, and the insertion work and the pull-out work become worse.

The tip end (the other end) of the tubular portion 12 projects toward the water-covered region 3 side. Direct water contact can be prevented at the portion of the electric wire W covered by the tubular portion 12. The tip (the other end) of the tubular portion 12 further protrudes from the exterior frame 11 (in other words, the surface of the vehicle body panel 1 on the waterproof region 4 side). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electric wire W from being directly exposed to water at a portion protruding from the surface of the water-affected area 3 of the vehicle body panel 1.

The length of the tubular portion 12 depends on the waterproof performance. Therefore, the tubular portion 12 is set to a length that satisfies both the requirements of waterproof performance and a length for which direct water contact is desired to be prevented. The tubular portion 12 is set to a length that satisfies the waterproof performance when it is not necessary to prevent the electric wire W from being directly exposed to water. The length of the tubular portion 12 of the present embodiment can be easily adjusted for the reason described above.

(Modification example)
8 (a) to 8 (c) show ribs 12b, 12c, 12d of a modified example. Each of the ribs 12b, 12c, and 12d is formed wide from the tip to the root. The rib 12b in FIG. 8A is formed in a right-angled triangular shape. The rib 12c in FIG. 8B is formed in a trapezoidal shape. The rib 12d in FIG. 8C is formed in an arc shape.

Since all the ribs 12b, 12c, and 12d have a highly rigid shape, the ribs 12a are not deformed as much as possible when the expansion claw is inserted into the cylinder portion 12 and when the rib 12a is pulled out, so that the insertion work and the pull-out work can be performed. It will be easier.

In the above embodiment, the inside of the exterior frame 11 is formed in a hollow portion (space where parts are not arranged) 14, but even if an inner protector having a size smaller than that of the exterior frame 11 and having a hollow inside is fitted. good. This has the following advantages while ensuring a bending space for the electric wire W in the exterior frame 11. That is, the rigidity of the grommet 10 can be increased, and the shape of the grommet 10 can be maintained, so that the deterioration of the waterproof property due to the deformation of the shape of the grommet 10 can be prevented. In that case, if a clip is provided on the inner protector and a clip hole is provided on the outer frame 11, the connection between the inner protector and the outer frame 11 can be strengthened.

1 Body panel 2 Wire through hole 10 Grommet 11 Exterior frame 12 Cylinder 12a to 12d Rib 13 Connection W Wire A Wire penetration direction

Claims (4)

An exterior frame that is placed in the wire through hole of the vehicle body panel and is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the wire through hole.
A tubular portion that is arranged inside the exterior frame and through which an electric wire penetrates,
A connecting portion for connecting the exterior frame and the cylinder portion is provided so that the position of the end portion of the cylinder portion is the position of the end portion of the exterior frame .
Ribs are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the exterior frame at intervals in the wire penetrating direction, and ribs are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion at intervals in the wire penetrating direction. A grommet featuring. The grommet according to claim 1.
Wherein each rib, grommets, characterized in that are provided at regular intervals in the entire range of wire insertion direction of the outer frame and the tubular portion. The grommet according to claim 1 or 2.
The rib provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion is a grommet characterized in that it is formed wide from the tip to the root. A wire harness having a grommet according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An electric wire assembly consisting of a bundle of multiple electric wires and
A grommet having a tubular portion through which the electric wire assembly penetrates and an exterior frame in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire through hole of the vehicle body panel.
A wire harness characterized by being equipped with.

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