JPH09115370A - Grommet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a grommet having the capability of eliminating a problem, allowing easy attachment to a wire harness and ensuring a high bonding function for a split piece and high adhesion to a vehicular panel, in halved grommet. SOLUTION: A grommet 1 is made of a grommet body 2 having an end part 2a tightly secured to a wire harness, and an engagement part 3 engaged with the opening of a vehicular panel. Normally, a halved grommet 1a available from the equal division of the grommet 1, the grommet body 2 with an end part 2a pressed and fixed to a wire harness is normally formed to the semicircular. In addition, an engagement part having an engaging groove for locking with the opening of a vehicular panel or the like is formed on the external surface of the grommet body 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a grommet for holding a linear body, and more particularly to a grommet for holding a wire harness of a wire harness and holding and fixing a wire harness having an arrangement path passing through an opening such as a vehicle panel. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the wiring route of a wire harness for a vehicle has become complicated and diversified as electric and electronic devices have been mounted on the vehicle, and a harness protector for avoiding interference with peripheral parts. Also, a wire harness holding or protection part such as a grommet used when a vehicle panel is routed through is widely used.

Particularly, in a wire harness having a path from an engine room to a driver's seat or a path from a vehicle body to a door section through an opening formed in a vehicle panel, the arrangement path is maintained, Grommets are commonly used to prevent contact with vehicle panels. Conventionally, the shape of the grommet has often been formed integrally by using integrally molded rubber or the like. An example of such an integrally formed grommet is shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. The inner diameter of the tip end portion 2a of the grommet 1 is formed smaller than the diameter of the wire harness to be attached, and the opening portion of the vehicle panel is formed. The engaging portion 3 that is locked to is provided at the other end. FIG. 10 shows a method of attaching the wire harness to the wire harness. First, a dedicated jig such as the grommet expander 11 is used to expand the wire harness through hole including the tip 2a (FIG. 10 (a)), and then the wire harness. After passing through 5, the expander 11 was removed and the wire harness 5 was held (FIG. 10 (b)). In such a grommet mounting process, use of the expander 11 leads to an increase in the number of steps, and there is a problem that the grommet cannot be mounted after the connector is connected to the wire harness 5. As a method for solving such a problem, for example, a grommet having a structure divided into two is known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 35008/1993.

[0004]

In the grommet having the two-divided structure as described above, the two divided bodies are integrally joined to each other at one end of the outer peripheral portion through a hinge or the like so as to be integrated. However, since the hinge portion is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the grommet, there is a problem in that the strength is weak and the hinge portion protrudes from the outer periphery even after the divided bodies are combined and assembled to the wire harness. Also,
As a problem peculiar to the hinge structure, when the divided bodies are combined, there is a problem that a gap is created in the joint surface in the hinge portion, and moisture penetrates into the grommet from the gap. Further, since the grommet having such a structure does not require the use of a grommet spreader, generally, a hard elastic material such as vinyl chloride resin is used, so that the adhesion to the opening of the vehicle panel is poor, There was a problem that the watertightness was inferior and the water penetrated, causing water leakage into the vehicle.

An object of the invention of claim 1 is to solve the above-mentioned problems in a two-division type grommet, to be easily attached to a wire harness, to have good connectivity of the divided bodies, and to be closely attached to a vehicle panel. To provide high grommets. It is another object of the present invention to provide a grommet capable of favorably aligning the connecting positions of the divided bodies when the split type grommet is attached to the wire harness.

It is an object of the invention of claim 3 to provide a grommet which can be satisfactorily adhered and fixed without damaging the tape when the tape is wound around the outer periphery of the grommet body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a grommet that improves the joint strength between the grommet main body made of a relatively hard material and the engaging portion made of a relatively soft material, and prevents peeling of these components. And

According to the invention of claim 5, there is provided a grommet which prevents the lock part from projecting to the inner peripheral part of the grommet body and prevents contact and damage between the relatively hard lock part and the wire harness. To aim. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention of claim 6 to provide a grommet in which a pair of divided bodies are connected to each other by a connecting portion to reduce the number of parts.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a resin grommet main body comprising a pair of divided bodies for closely holding a linear body, and the pair of grommet. A lock portion that is locked to each other when the main bodies are coupled to each other and holds the coupled state between the grommet bodies, and is formed on the outer periphery of the grommet body with a material having a greater elasticity than the material of the grommet body. It is characterized by having an engaging portion that is locked and fixed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the grommet body is formed on a coupling surface of a first engagement portion provided on an outer periphery thereof, and one of the grommet body side coupling surfaces is formed. And a recess formed in a position corresponding to the protrusion when the pair of grommets are connected to each other, on the other joint surface on the grommet body side.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the pair of grommet bodies are joined, the grommet body extends from an outer peripheral portion of one of the grommet bodies and the other grommet body of the other. It is characterized in that it has a strip-shaped projection portion provided so as to abut the outer peripheral portion of the. Further, the invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the shape of the joint surface between the grommet body and the engaging portion is at least uneven, and they are hooked to each other and bonded. It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 5 is the same as claim 1,
In the invention described in 2, 3, or 4, the lock portions are each formed on a coupling surface of the grommet body. Furthermore, the invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, which extends from the inner peripheral portions of the pair of grommet bodies, respectively, and couples the pair of grommet bodies to each other. It is characterized in that it has a connecting portion.

With such a construction, in the invention of claim 1, the grommet main body divided into two is easily attached by sandwiching it in the wire harness, and at the time of mounting on the vehicle panel, the elastic body provided on the outer peripheral portion is provided. The large engaging portion closely engages with the opening. Further, according to the invention of claim 2, the fitting position of the fitting portion is fitted at the time of attachment to the wire harness by fitting the uneven portion provided on the joining surface of the engaging portion having high elasticity.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the strip-shaped protrusions extend from both of the grommet main body and abut on each other along the outer periphery of the grommet main body when they are attached to the wire harness, so that they are aligned with each other. Further, in the invention of claim 4, the joint surface between the grommet main body having a small elasticity and the engaging portion having a large elasticity has an uneven shape, so that the engaging force of each other is improved.

Further, according to the invention of claim 5, since the lock portion is formed on the coupling surface side of the grommet main body, interference between the wire harness passing inside the grommet and the lock portion is avoided. Further, in the invention of claim 6, the pair of grommets are handled as an integral part by the connecting portion.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a grommet according to claim 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1 (a), reference numeral 1 denotes a grommet of the present invention, which includes a grommet body 2 having a tip portion 2a that is closely fixed to a wire harness and an engaging portion 3 that engages with an opening of a vehicle panel. It is configured. The configuration of the present invention will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG.
A grommet main body 2 having a tip portion 2a that is fixed by being pressed against a wire harness is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape on the divided grommet 1a that is evenly divided into two. On the outer periphery of the grommet body 2, an engaging portion having an engaging groove that is engaged with an opening of a vehicle panel or the like is formed. Such a split grommet 1a is joined to the other split grommet of the same shape (not shown) at the joining surface 2b, and is press-contacted and fixed to the wire harness. At this time, the locking claws 4a and the locking holes 4b provided on the outer peripheral side of the tip portion 2a and the inner peripheral side of the engaging portion 3 are engaged with the locking holes and the locking claws of the other split grommet. , The combined state of the grommet 1 is maintained. Here, the material of the grommet body is a normal hard elastic material,
For example, polypropylene or the like is used, and the material of the engaging portion is softer than the material of the grommet body, that is, a material having greater elasticity, such as a thermoplastic elastomer.

FIG. 2 shows a specific usage state of such a grommet 1. As shown in FIG. 2A, the split grommets 1 a and 1 b are sandwiched at predetermined positions of the wire harness 5. By engaging the locking claws 4a and the locking holes 4b provided on the grommet main body 2 with each other when the divided grommets 1a and 1b are combined, as shown in FIG. While being pressed against, the separated grommets 1a and 1b are prevented from separating from each other. Subsequently, the wire harness 5 and the grommet 1 are fixed by tightly winding the tip end portion 2a with a fixing tape (not shown). The grommet 1 fixedly attached to the wire harness 5 in this manner is locked by the engaging portion 3 in the opening provided in the predetermined vehicle panel.

With such a configuration, when attaching the grommet 1 to the wire harness 5, it is possible to omit the conventional step of using the wire harness expander, and it is simple by simply connecting the divided grommets 1a and 1b. It can be attached and fixed to the wire harness 5. In addition, the engaging portion 3 that engages with the opening portion of the vehicle panel
For this, because an elastomer with high elasticity is used,
Adhesion with the vehicle panel, that is, watertightness is improved. Also, because the grommet, which used to be an integral shape, has been split,
Although the number of parts is twice as large as that of a normal grommet, since it is only necessary to prepare two divided grommets having the same shape as in the present embodiment, there is no particular problem in terms of parts management. Further, in the production of the divided grommet, since the semicircular divided body divided into two can be molded in one step, there is no waste of the mold. The grommet of the present invention made of such a hard elastic material and a material having high elasticity such as an elastomer can be easily manufactured by a general two-color molding or insert molding method. Furthermore, since the elastomer shown in this example has excellent recyclability, which has recently been highlighted as an environmental issue, it is possible to provide a grommet having high environmental adaptability.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the grommet according to claim 2 of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), a protrusion 6a and a hole 6b are provided on the coupling surface 2b of the engaging portion 3 provided on the outer periphery of the grommet body 2, and these concavo-convex structures are provided. Are formed so as to be fitted in correspondence with holes and protrusions provided in the mating divided grommets. The other shapes of the split grommets 1a are the same as the shapes shown in FIG.

By providing the concavo-convex portions at the positions corresponding to each other as described above, the concavities and convexities are fitted to each other when the divided grommets are coupled, and the alignment can be easily performed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), by adopting a structure in which the protrusion and the base of the hole (joint surface side) become thin, it is possible to temporarily align and fix the divided body together with the position adjustment. Becomes

Next, a third embodiment of the grommet according to claim 3 of the present invention is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 (a), a strip-shaped protrusion 7 extending along the outer periphery of the tip 2 a of the grommet body 2 is formed. As shown in FIG. 4 (b), the strip-shaped protrusions 7 come into contact with the outer circumferences of the tip portions 2 a on the opposite side when the split grommets 1 a and 1 b are joined. Also, the engaging portion 3
The lock portions 4 provided on the inner peripheral side of the two are engaged with each other and the divided grommets 1a and 1b are locked and fixed. The other shapes of the split grommets 1a are the same as the shapes shown in FIG.

With this structure, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), after the grommet 1 is attached to the wire harness 5, the strip-shaped protruding portion 7 is thinly extended when the tip portion 2a is tightly wound and fixed on the tape. Since it is only there, fixing tape 8
Can be closely wound on the outer periphery of the tip 2a (FIG. 5 (b)). That is, since the above-mentioned lock portion that protrudes to the outer periphery of the tip portion 2a and obstructs the adhesion of the fixing tape is not formed, the tape can be satisfactorily fixed without being damaged.

Next, FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the grommet according to claim 4 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6A, in the split grommet 1a of the present embodiment, the shape of the joint surface (boundary surface) between the grommet main body 2 and the engaging portion 3 provided on the outer periphery of the split grommet 1a is sawtooth-shaped unevenness. It is characterized by having a shape. That is, in order to improve the adhesion between the hard elastic material forming the grommet main body 2 and the elastomer forming the engaging portion 3, the joining surface of these materials is made uneven by forming the joining surface of these materials into an uneven shape. It further increases the latching force (adhesion).

With such a structure, it is possible to prevent peeling at the joint surface due to an unreasonable pulling force (fitting force) applied to the grommet when engaging with the opening of the vehicle panel. In order to obtain such a function and effect, the shape is not limited to the above shape, and may be a crank shape as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C or a round head wave shape. Next, a fifth embodiment of the grommet according to claim 5 of the present invention is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), in this embodiment, the locking claw 4a on the inner peripheral side of the engaging portion 3 and the engaging portion of the lock portion for holding the combined state of the split grommet 1a. It is characterized in that the stop hole 4b is provided in the coupling surface 2b of the grommet body 2. That is, in the lock portions (4a, 4b) provided so as to project on the inner peripheral portion of the grommet main body 2 as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the wire harness and the lock portion come into contact with each other by attachment to the wire harness and the wire There is a possibility of damaging the harness, and by providing the lock portion 4 in the coupling surface 2b as in the present embodiment, there is no protrusion to the inner peripheral portion as shown in FIG. Can be held satisfactorily. Here, the position where the lock portions (4a, 4b) are formed does not have to be limited to the inside of the joint surface of the grommet body 2 described above, and may be provided at the joint surface of the joint portion between the grommet body 2 and the engaging portion 3. . That is, as long as the lock portion is made of the same material as the grommet body 2 and is integrally formed, the lock portion is not limited to the embodiment.

Next, a sixth embodiment of the grommet according to claim 6 of the present invention is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8A, in the present embodiment, the divided grommets 1a and 1b are connected to each other by a connecting body 10 extending from the inner peripheral side of the grommet main body 2 provided with the engaging portion 3. It is characterized by that. With such a configuration, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the split grommets 1a and 1b are attached to (attached to) the wire harness 5, the connecting band 10 abuts on the wire harness 5 on the inner peripheral side of the grommet 2 and bends. But the split grommets 1a, 1
It does not inhibit the binding of b. Therefore, since the divided grommets 1a and 1b can be handled as one component connected by the connecting band 10, the number of components can be reduced and the man-hours for management can be reduced. Further, since the wire harness 5 is pressed by the connecting band 10, the arrangement route can be maintained against vibration of the vehicle and the like.

Although the split grommet is divided into two equal parts in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this form. Also, regarding the shape of the grommet, the shape in which the tip portion is in close contact with and fixed to the wire harness is shown, but the shape is not limited to this. Further, as the hard elastic material that is the material of the grommet body, in addition to polypropylene described above, high impact-resistant styrene resin, vinyl chloride resin, acrylic resin, etc. are conceivable. Since the lock portion 4 is additionally formed, any material may be used as long as the material has rigidity to ensure the locking function of the lock portion 4.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, in the main body portion in which the divided grommets are tightly fixed to the wire harness and the engaging portion engaged with the opening portion of the vehicle panel, By using materials with different elasticity, the hard grommet body can be firmly adhered to the wire harness and fixed well, and the connected state of the grommet can be held, and the soft engagement part has the opening part of the vehicle panel. The watertightness in the opening can be improved by being closely attached to and locked.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the grommets are attached to the wire harness, the projections and depressions of the joining surfaces of the split grommets are fitted to each other, so that the positioning at the time of joining can be favorably performed. The mounting efficiency of the grommet can be improved. Further, according to the invention of claim 3, the lock portions between the divided grommets are thin band-shaped projection portions, so that the mutual alignment can be easily performed, and the tape is damaged when the tape is wound around the grommet outer peripheral portion. It can be satisfactorily adhered and fixed without performing.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, the joint surface between the hard grommet body and the soft engaging portion is made uneven so as to improve the close contact locking force to each other and to the opening portion of the vehicle panel. It is possible to prevent peeling due to the pulling force at the time of mounting. Further, in the invention of claim 5, by forming the lock portion on the coupling surface of the split grommet, it is possible to prevent the lock portion from projecting to the inner peripheral portion of the grommet, so that the wire harness passing through the inner peripheral portion can be provided. It is possible to prevent contact with the lock portion and damage.

Further, in the invention of claim 6, the number of parts is reduced by connecting the grommets consisting of a pair of divided bodies to each other by the connecting band, and the management man-hour can be reduced, and the divided grommets are excellent. Bonding can be done.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a grommet according to claim 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an attached state of the grommet according to claim 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a second embodiment of the grommet according to claim 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the grommet according to claim 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view showing an attached state of the grommet according to claim 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a fourth embodiment of the grommet according to claim 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a fifth embodiment of the grommet according to claim 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a sixth embodiment of the grommet according to claim 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional grommet.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a mounting state of a conventional grommet.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Grommet 1a, 1b Divided grommet 2 Grommet main body 2a Tip part 2b Coupling surface 3 Engagement part 4 Lock part 4a Locking claw 4b Locking hole 5 Wire harness 6a Projection 6b Hole 7 Strip-shaped projection 8 Tape 9 Bonding surface 10 Connecting band 11 Grommet expander

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A grommet body made of resin, which is composed of a pair of divided bodies for closely holding a linear body, and a locking portion which is engaged with each other when the pair of grommet bodies are joined and holds the joined state between the grommet bodies. And a grommet formed on the outer periphery of the grommet body, the engagement portion being formed of a material having elasticity larger than that of the grommet body and being fixedly locked to a predetermined opening. 2. A projection formed on a coupling surface of a previous engagement portion provided on the outer periphery of the grommet body and provided on one of the coupling surfaces on the grommet body side, and a coupling on the other side of the grommet body side. The grommet according to claim 1, wherein the surface has a concave portion formed at a position corresponding to the convex portion when the pair of grommets are coupled. 3. When connecting the pair of grommet bodies,
The grommet according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a strip-shaped projection portion that extends from an outer peripheral portion of the one grommet main body and is provided so as to contact an outer peripheral portion of the other grommet main body. 4. The grommet according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the joint surface between the grommet body and the engaging portion has at least an uneven shape, and they are hooked and adhered to each other. . 5. The lock portion is formed on a coupling surface of the grommet body, respectively.
Grommet according to 2, 3 or 4. 6. A pair of grommet bodies each having a connecting portion extending from an inner peripheral portion of the pair of grommet bodies for connecting the pair of grommet bodies to each other.
Grommet according to 2, 3, 4 or 5.