JP7177993B2 - Grommet unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a grommet attachment structure to a vehicle body.

A grommet disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is for allowing a wire harness to penetrate through a body panel in a sealed state. The grommet has a harness insertion portion that is elastically bendable through which the wire harness is inserted, and a body seal portion that projects outward from the harness insertion portion and elastically adheres around the opening of the mounting hole of the body panel. It has

JP 2012-191822 A

In the case of the structure described above, the harness insertion portion is inserted through the mounting hole of the body panel along the axis. In other words, the harness insertion portion penetrates straight through the body panel in a posture perpendicular to the planar direction of the body panel. Therefore, even if the wire harness is bent and routed immediately after passing through the harness insertion portion, the bent portion must be separated from the body panel to a considerable extent. In other words, the wire harness is routed in a state that protrudes from the body panel. Accordingly, there is a problem that the required wiring space is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a grommet mounting structure for a vehicle body that can reduce the wiring space around the portion where the wire harness passes through the body panel. With the goal.

A grommet mounting structure for a vehicle body according to the present invention includes a body panel having an elliptical mounting hole, and a cylinder formed in a cylindrical shape through which a wire harness can be inserted and passing through the mounting hole in an inclined position with respect to the body panel. and a grommet formed of an elastic material, having a body seal portion extending from an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion along the body panel and abutting against the vehicle body in a watertight manner. characterized by

According to the present invention, since the cylindrical portion penetrates the body panel in an inclined posture, the wire harness can be easily bent in the direction of inclination immediately after penetrating the body panel. In addition, since the position of the bent portion of the wire harness can be positioned closer to the body panel than in the case of penetrating the body panel in an upright position, interference of the wire harness with surrounding members can be avoided. This contributes to reducing the wiring space for wire harnesses.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a grommet attachment structure to a vehicle body according to the present embodiment; Partially enlarged view of the grommet viewed from the body seal side Perspective view of bracket Perspective view showing the bracket attached to the grommet Plan view showing the mounting holes of the body panel

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.
(1) A bellows-like flexible portion may be formed in the middle of the cylindrical portion. With this configuration, the flexible portion formed in the cylindrical portion can be freely bent, so that the work of wiring the wire harness can be easily performed.
(2) A bracket for fixing the grommet to the body panel is further provided, and a flange portion is formed on the base side of the body seal portion so as to be in close contact with the body panel in a watertight state. A retaining portion is formed in a stepped manner on the side opposite to the body panel, and a locking concave portion is formed along the entire circumference at a boundary portion between the retaining portion and the flange. is fitted from one end side of the cylindrical portion and is formed to cover the outer surface of the flange portion in a state of being locked to the retainer portion, and is formed to protrude outward from the peripheral edge of the cover portion, and is attached to the body panel. Further, it is preferable that lightening recesses are provided at a plurality of locations on the outer peripheral portion of the retaining portion.
According to such a configuration, when the bracket is set to the body seal portion of the grommet, the cover portion of the bracket is fitted from one end side of the cylindrical portion. Then, the outer peripheral portion of the retaining portion is deformed so as to have a reduced diameter to pass through. It is possible to smoothly perform the work of passing through the stopping portion. Thus, the bracket can be set to the grommet in a state in which the cover portion is engaged with the engaging recess and covers the flange portion.
(3) Further, the bracket and the grommet may each be provided with an index portion, and by aligning these, it is possible to determine the mounting state of each other.
According to such a configuration, the bracket and the grommet can be correctly attached by aligning the index portions with each other.

<Example 1>
Next, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a state in which the grommet 1 is attached to the body panel BP in a sealed state. The body panel BP of this embodiment is a partition wall for an engine room in a hybrid vehicle or the like. A mounting hole 2 through which the grommet 1 is passed penetrates here. The mounting hole 2 is formed in an elliptical shape, as shown in FIG. The major axis of the ellipse forming the mounting hole 2 is the left-right direction in FIG.
In FIG. 1, the lower side of the body panel BP is the engine room side, and the upper side is the outside of the vehicle.

The grommet 1 is integrally formed of a rubber material. The grommet 1 includes a tubular portion 3 for inserting a wire harness WH composed of a plurality of electric wires, and a body seal portion 6 for ensuring a sealed state with respect to the body panel BP.

The tubular portion 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular cross section, and as shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the grommet 1 is attached to the body panel BP, it penetrates the body panel BP in an inclined posture. there is Although not shown in detail, an end of a corrugated tube, for example, is fitted to the end of the cylindrical portion 3 on the engine room side, and an end of a shield pipe, for example, is fitted to the end on the vehicle exterior. A plurality of seal lips 4 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of both ends of the cylindrical portion 3 over the entire circumference, respectively. Adheres tightly to the outer peripheral surface of the tube or shield pipe in a sealed state. However, at this time, the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 3 corresponding to the seal lip 4 is tightened against the cylindrical portion 3 by a metal caulking ring, binding band, or the like to maintain the connected state. .

A bellows-like flexible portion 5 is formed near the end portion of the cylindrical portion 3 on the engine rule side. The flexible portion 5 can be extended and contracted in the length direction, and is imparted with good bendability.
The body seal portion 6 is disposed in the middle of the tubular portion 3, more specifically, between the flexible portion 5 and the outer end portion of the vehicle, and is formed to protrude in the plane direction of the body panel BP. A substantially elliptical flange 6A is formed on the base side of the body seal portion 6 (on the side of the body panel BP). Also, on the side of the flange portion 6A opposite to the body panel BP, a retaining portion 6B having a substantially elliptical shape one size smaller than the flange portion 6A is formed so as to overlap in the thickness direction of the flange portion 6A. there is

As shown in FIG. 1, the flange portion 6A is formed with an outer shape sufficiently larger than the mounting hole 2 so as to cover the entire mounting hole 2 of the body panel BP. A seal edge 7 is formed in an annular shape on the peripheral edge portion of the surface of the flange portion 6A facing the body panel BP. The seal edge 7 is provided in two lines inside and outside on the facing surface of the flange 6A, and each protrudes along the entire circumference of the flange 6A. When the grommet 1 is attached to the body panel BP, each sealing edge 7 is elastically attached around the attachment hole 2 of the body panel BP, thereby keeping the grommet 1 and the body panel BP in a watertight state. be.
As shown in FIG. 1, the collar portion 6A is formed in a trapezoidal shape with a predetermined thickness, and the retainer portion 6B is formed so as to overlap substantially concentrically on the collar portion 6A. A locking concave portion 8 is formed along the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the boundary between the retainer portion 6B and the flange portion 6A. As shown in FIG. 1, the bracket 9 is locked in the locking recess 8 to prevent the bracket 9 from coming off.
An arc-shaped R surface 17 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the retaining portion 6B from which the cylindrical portion 3 protrudes. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of lightening recesses 10 are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the retaining portion 6B. The lightening recesses 10 are arranged at appropriate intervals along the circumferential direction of the retainer portion 6B, and are notched over the entire thickness of the retainer portion 6B and over a predetermined length range in the circumferential direction. formed.
The reason why the recessed portion 10 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the retainer portion 6B is that when the bracket 9 is attached to the body seal portion 6, the retaining cylinder 14 of the bracket 9 compresses the retainer portion 6B in the circumferential direction. This is because the rigidity of the retaining portion 6B is lowered so that the retaining portion 6B can be compressed with a light force.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a grommet-side index portion 11 for indicating the attachment position of the bracket 9 has a triangular shape at a predetermined position on the end face of the retaining portion 6B opposite to the body panel BP. and is formed in a state of slightly protruding to the outer surface side.

The bracket 9 is made of a metal plate. The bracket 9 has a cover portion 12 that covers the outer surface of the flange portion 6A with the flange portion 6A fitted thereon, and an attachment portion 13 that protrudes outward from the peripheral edge of the cover portion 12 and is used for attachment to the body panel BP. formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cover portion 12 includes a side wall portion 12A that adheres along the peripheral surface of the flange portion 6A of the grommet 1, and a seal edge 7 at the flange portion 6A that is bent inward from the side wall portion 12A at a substantially right angle. is composed of an end surface portion 12B which is in close contact with the opposite end surface, and the side wall portion 12A and the end surface portion 12B can cover the collar portion 6A in a fitted state. As shown in FIG. 3, the end face portion 12B has an elliptical opening through which the retaining portion 6B can pass.

An engaging tube 14 is formed along the entire edge of the opening edge of the end face portion 12B and extends outward at a substantially right angle. The retaining cylinder 14 compresses the retaining portion 6B in the circumferential direction and opens so that it can pass therethrough. Thereby, the bracket 9 is attached to the grommet 1 in a state of preventing it from coming off.

The mounting portion 13 of the bracket 9 is formed to protrude outward from the peripheral edge of the side wall portion 12A on the side of the body panel BP at a substantially right angle so that the entire surface can be in close contact with the body panel BP. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting portion 13 is formed with a pair of extended portions 13A that protrude narrowly on the side along the short axis and widen on the side along the long axis. Screw holes 15A and 15B for screwing to the body panel BP are opened near the ends of both extensions 13A. A bracket-side index portion 16 is formed in the extended portion 13A on the side where one of the screw holes 15B is provided. The bracket-side index portion 16 is formed by striking the surface of the extended portion 13A in a triangular shape to form a recess. When the bracket 9 is attached to the grommet 1, the apexes of the triangles of the index portions 11 and 16 on the bracket side and the grommet side face each other on the same line so that they can be attached in a positioned state.

Next, the effects of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. As an example of work for attaching the grommet 1 to the body panel BP, for example, the bracket 9 is fitted into the grommet 1 from the cylindrical portion 3 on the side where the flexible portion 5 is formed. At this time, the index portions 11 and 16 on the grommet side and the bracket side are aligned in advance. Then, the retainer portion 6B of the grommet 1 is compressed in the circumferential direction and passed through the retaining tube 14 of the bracket 9. At this time, as described above, the plurality of thickened portions arranged on the periphery of the retainer portion 6B are provided. Since the rigidity of the periphery of the retaining portion 6B is reduced by the extraction recess 10, the retaining cylinder 14 of the bracket 9 can be passed through the retaining portion 6B with a low operating force.

In this way, the cover portion 12 of the bracket 9 covers the flange portion 6A of the grommet 1, and the locking cylinder 14 is fitted into the locking concave portion 8 for locking. be.

After or prior to this, the wire harness WH is inserted through the tube portion 3 . The cylindrical portion 3 is passed through the mounting hole 2 of the body panel BP, and the mounting portion 13 of the bracket 9 is brought into close contact with the body panel BP. Then, the threaded holes 15A and 15B are communicated with the threaded holes on the side of the body panel BP, and the fixing operation of the grommet 1 is completed by screwing the grommet 1 to the body panel BP with bolts and nuts.

Since the wire harness WH routed as described above penetrates the body panel BP obliquely with the cylindrical portion 3, the wire harness WH passes straight through when bent immediately after penetrating the cylindrical portion 3. The bent portion can be set closer to the body panel BP as compared with the case. Therefore, the height of the wiring space for the wire harness WH is reduced by that amount, which is effective in avoiding interference with peripheral members.

In this embodiment, the wire harness WH can be freely routed by forming a bellows-shaped flexible portion 5 in a portion of the cylindrical portion 3 of the grommet 1 protruding toward the engine room. ing. Therefore, it is particularly significant for use in an engine room where there is only a narrow wiring space.

Furthermore, the bracket 9 can be correctly attached to the grommet 1 by providing the index portions 11 and 16 on the grommet side and the bracket side, respectively, and aligning them.
<Other Examples>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments explained by the above description and drawings, and the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the bracket 9 is used to fix the grommet 1 to the body panel BP.
(2) In the above embodiment, the grommet 1 has only one tubular portion 3, but may have a plurality of tubular portions. In that case, it may include those with different tilt directions.
(3) In the above embodiment, the flexible portion 5 is arranged only on the engine room side, but it may be arranged on both sides.
(4) In the above embodiment, the cylindrical portion 3 is loosely inserted into the mounting hole 2 of the body panel BP, but it may be inserted with almost no clearance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Grommet 2... Mounting hole 3... Cylindrical part 5... Flexible part 6... Body seal part 6A... Collar part 6B... Retaining part 9... Bracket 10... Lightening recessed part 11... Grommet side index part 16... Bracket side index part BP...Body panel WH...Wire harness

Claims (3)

A cylindrical portion through which a wire harness can be inserted, and an acute angle with respect to the cylindrical portionand obtusea body seal portion projecting from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion along a plane direction forming
a bracket that covers at least part of the body seal portion of the grommet;
the body seal portion has a locking recess portion into which a part of the bracket is fitted and locked;
The grommet has a grommet-side index portion that indicates the mounting position of the bracket with respect to the grommet,
The bracket has a bracket-side indexing portion used for positioning the bracket with respect to the grommet, together with the grommet-side indexing portion.death,
The grommet-side indicator portion is disposed on the surface of the body seal portion on the side of the cylindrical portion that is continuous at the obtuse angle,
The bracket-side indicator portion is arranged on the surface of the bracket so as to face the grommet-side indicator portion in the plane direction from the side opposite to the cylindrical portion. ,
grommet unit. The body seal portion has a seal edge provided around the cylindrical portion along the planar direction,
The seal edge is a convex structure protruding in a direction intersecting the planar direction,
The grommet unit according to claim 1. The grommet unit can be attached to a body panel,
The bracket has a screw hole used for screwing to the body panel,
The grommet unit according to claim 1 or 2.

Images