JPH09120728A - Grommet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To mount a grommet simply on a car body panel. SOLUTION: A minor diametric cylindrical portion 11 to admit insertion of a wire harness and a major diametric cylindrical portion 12 continued to the front of the part 11 are formed from rubber or elastomer of hard nature, wherein the outside diameter of the major diametric portion 12 is made a little greater than a through hole 21 provided in a car body panel 20, and a threaded groove 14 is recessed at the outside surface of the part 12 and engaged by the peripheral edge of the through hole in such a condition as inserted to the wire harness and mounted. A metal cylinder 13 is embedded in the part 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a grommet to be attached with a wire harness inserted in a through hole of a vehicle body panel and a structure for attaching the grommet to a vehicle body.
In particular, it is intended to improve the workability of attaching the grommet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle wire harness, as shown in FIG. 6, a wire harness W / H is formed by passing through a through hole 1a of a vehicle body panel (for example, a dash panel that separates an engine room A and a vehicle room B). When the wire harness W / H is closely attached to the small-diameter cylindrical portion 2a of the rubber grommet 2, the grommet 2 is inserted in this state.
Through the through hole 1a from the engine room A side to the vehicle compartment B side
The grommet 2 is attached to the through hole 1a of the vehicle body panel 1 by inserting the locking recess 2c provided on the outer periphery of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 2b into the inner peripheral edge of the through hole 1a.

[0003]

However, when the large-diameter cylindrical portion 2b of the grommet 2 is inserted into the through hole 1a, the dimension L1 of the locking recess 2c is made smaller than the plate thickness L2 of the vehicle body panel 1 when locking. Since it is closely attached to the vehicle body panel, the locking recess 2c cannot be locked to the vehicle body panel 1 only by inserting from the engine room A side to the vehicle room B side. After being pushed into the vehicle compartment B, it is pulled back to the engine room A side and locked in the through hole 1a of the vehicle body panel 1 in the locking recess 2c.

As described above, when attaching the grommet 2 to the vehicle body 1, it is necessary to push the grommet 2 toward the vehicle body B side and then to reciprocate the engine back to the engine room A side, resulting in poor mounting workability. Further, in the work of pushing the large-diameter tubular portion 2b of the grommet 2 through the through hole 1a, it is necessary to push the large-diameter tubular portion 2b while tilting the large-diameter tubular portion 2b. Further, when the interference member is present on the vehicle compartment B side, if the entire large-diameter cylindrical portion 2b is pushed in, the grommet 2
In some cases, the wire harness W / H passed through may hit the interference member and cannot be passed through.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, instead of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 2b of the grommet 2, a large-diameter cylindrical member 3 made of synthetic resin is used.
Is provided so that the blade-shaped lock portion 3a formed on the outer circumference of the large-diameter cylindrical member 3 is locked to the inner peripheral edge of the through hole 1a (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-66816). With the above configuration, the blade-shaped lock portion is bent to pass through the through hole 1a of the vehicle body panel 1 and then restored to be locked to the inner surface of the vehicle body panel. Therefore, the grommet 2 can be attached only by pushing. However, with the above configuration, a two-piece structure of the grommet 2 and the large-diameter tubular member 3 is formed, and each is molded with a die, which increases cost, and the rubber-made grommet 2 is attached with the resin large-diameter tubular member 3. There is a problem in that it requires additional work and requires more work.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a grommet can be attached to a vehicle body panel by inserting the grommet from one side from the outside of the vehicle compartment such as the engine compartment side. It is an object of the present invention to provide a grommet that enables wiring of a wire harness without problems even if an interference member is located.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to claim 1 of the present invention, a small-diameter cylindrical portion through which a wire harness is inserted and a large-diameter cylindrical portion continuous to the front end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion are provided. Molded with hard rubber or elastomer, set the outer diameter of the large diameter cylinder part slightly larger than the through hole of the vehicle body panel, and
A grommet characterized in that a thread groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter tubular portion, and the thread groove is screwed onto the peripheral edge of the through hole of the vehicle body panel in a state where the thread groove is inserted and attached to the wire harness. Are offered.

In the grommet according to the first aspect of the present invention, the wire harness is inserted by pushing and expanding the small diameter tubular portion, and the tape is wound around the outer circumference of the small diameter tubular portion to fix the wire harness to the grommet. In this state, the grommet is inserted into the through hole of the vehicle body panel from the outside of the vehicle compartment such as the engine room side. Since the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion at the front part is slightly larger than the through hole, it is compressed and forcibly inserted, and when the starting end of the screw groove reaches the inner peripheral edge of the through hole, the grommet is rotated to rotate the screw groove. The peripheral edge of the through hole is screwed and fixed to. Since the thread groove is an elastic body made of rubber or elastomer, the bottom surface of the thread groove is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, and both side surfaces of the thread groove are in close contact with the inner and outer surfaces of the vehicle body panel, while maintaining the sealed state. The grommet is attached to the body panel. The rotation of the grommet is preferably about 90 ° to 180 °.

Further, in claim 2, the metal cylinder is embedded in the large-diameter cylinder portion, and the screw groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylinder portion in which the metal cylinder is embedded. We offer grommets. The metal cylinder is insert-molded into a large-diameter cylinder to form a grommet. The metal cylinder is made of, for example, a highly rigid material such as iron.

As described above, when the metal tube is embedded in the portion which is screwed with the vehicle body panel, the rigidity is increased and the grommet is not deformed when screwed with the vehicle body panel so that it is difficult to screw it. Also, it is possible to reliably prevent the grommet from bending and coming off the vehicle body panel after being fixed in the screwed state.

Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, a thick portion protruding outward is provided at a rear portion of the large-diameter cylindrical portion continuous with the small-diameter cylindrical portion, and the tip of the thick portion is pressed against the outer surface of the vehicle body panel. The grommet according to claim 1 or 2 in which the seal lip portion is provided in a protruding manner.

As described above, the sealability can be improved by providing the seal lip portion that comes into pressure contact with the outer surface of the vehicle body panel. Moreover, since the base portion of the seal lip is thick, the strength of the seal lip portion and the pressure contact force to the vehicle body panel can be increased.

The grommet according to claim 3, wherein an annular rib protruding outward is provided at the rear portion of the metal cylinder, and the annular rib is embedded in the thick portion. .

When the annular rib is provided on the rear portion of the metal cylinder as described above, the metal cylinder itself is reinforced, and the strength of the thread groove portion can be increased and also the strength of the seal lip portion can be increased.

Further, in the present invention, the width of the thread groove formed on the outer circumference of the large-diameter cylindrical portion is such that the screw starting end on the front end side has substantially the same width as the plate thickness of the vehicle body panel, and the width is gradually reduced. The grommet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein both side surfaces of the screw groove are crimped to both inner and outer surfaces of the vehicle body panel.

As described above, if the width of the thread groove is wide on the starting end side, it can be fitted smoothly to the vehicle body panel, while if the groove width is gradually narrowed, the vehicle body panel and the grommet are brought into close contact with each other. You can improve your sex.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention. Grommet 10 of the first embodiment
Is made of hard rubber, and as shown in FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B), the small-diameter tubular portion 11 through which the wire harness W / H is inserted.
And a large-diameter cylindrical portion 12 continuous with the front end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 11.

The outer diameter D1 of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 12 is set to be slightly larger than the inner diameter D2 of the through hole of the vehicle body panel, and an iron metal cylinder 13 is embedded inside the large-diameter cylindrical portion.
A thread groove 14 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 12 in which the metal cylinder 13 is embedded. The groove width t1 of the screw groove 14 is
The screw starting end 14a on the front end side has substantially the same width as the plate thickness t2 of the vehicle body panel, and the width t1 is gradually reduced. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the grommet 10 is attached to the through hole 21 of the vehicle body panel 20, the screw groove 14
The inner peripheral surface of the through hole 21 is pressed against the bottom surface 14a of the vehicle body, and the inner and outer surfaces 20a and 20b of the vehicle body panel 20 are crimped to both side surfaces 14b and 14c of the screw groove 14.

A large-diameter cylindrical portion 12 continuous with the small-diameter cylindrical portion 11
In the rear part, an annular thick part 15 protruding outward is provided,
An annular seal lip portion 16 that is pressed against the outer surface 20b of the vehicle body panel 20 is provided so as to project from the tip of the thick portion 15.
Further, an annular rib 13 a protruding outward is provided at the rear portion of the metal cylinder 13, and the annular rib 13 a is embedded in the thick portion 15.

The grommet 10 is a wire harness W.
/ H, the wire harness W / H is inserted by pushing the small-diameter tubular portion 11 wide, and the tape 25 is wound around the outer circumference of the small-diameter tubular portion 11 to fix the wire harness W / H.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the grommet 10 is inserted into the through hole 21 of the vehicle body panel 20 from the outside A of the vehicle compartment such as the engine room side. Since the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 12 in the front portion is made slightly larger in diameter than the through hole 21, the rubber in the outer peripheral portion is compressed and forced.

When the starting end 14a of the thread groove 14 reaches the through hole 21, the grommet 10 is rotated to screw the peripheral edge of the through hole 21 into the thread groove 14. At that time, since the width of the starting end 14d of the thread groove 14 is substantially the same as the plate thickness of the vehicle body panel 20, the peripheral edge of the through hole of the vehicle body panel is smoothly formed.
Fits in 4. In this state, set the grommet to 90 ° -1
When rotated by 80 °, the groove width gradually becomes narrower.
The peripheral edge of the through hole of the vehicle body panel fits in as if it bites into it. Since the screw groove 14 is an elastic body made of rubber,
As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom surface 14 a of the thread groove 4 has a through hole 21.
Both side surfaces 14b of the screw groove 14 while closely contacting the inner peripheral surface of the
14c closely contacts the inner and outer surfaces 20a and 20b of the vehicle body panel 20. Therefore, the large-diameter cylindrical portion 11 of the grommet 10 is securely fixed to the peripheral edge of the through hole 21 while maintaining the sealed state.

At the same time, the tip of the seal lip portion 16 of the grommet 10 is pressed against the outer surface 20b of the vehicle body panel 20. Since the seal lip portion 16 has an annular shape, the outer surface 20 of the vehicle body panel 20 is surrounded by the through hole 21.
Seal b.

As described above, the grommet 10 is placed outside the vehicle compartment A.
The grommet 10 is pushed into the through hole 21 of the vehicle body panel 20 from the side and the front large-diameter cylindrical portion 12 of the grommet 10 is inserted into the through hole 21. Is small. Therefore, even when the air conditioner unit 30 as shown in FIG. 3 is arranged on the vehicle interior B side, the problem that the wire harness W / H inserted into the grommet 10 hits the air conditioner unit 30 and the grommet 10 cannot be inserted is solved. it can.

FIG. 5 shows the second embodiment, and the only difference from the first embodiment is that the metal cylinder portion is not embedded in the large diameter cylinder portion 12. Therefore, the other parts are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

The grommet 10 'of the second embodiment is the first
It is formed by using rubber or elastomer having higher rigidity than the embodiment. When such a material having a high rigidity is used, there is little deformation during screwing with the vehicle body panel, and there is no problem during screwing. Further, after the screwing, the contact force with the vehicle body panel is increased by the original state restoring force that expands the diameter outward, and the vehicle body panel 20 can be reliably fixed.

As is apparent from the above description, the grommet according to the first aspect of the present invention is rotated when the screw groove provided on the outer circumference of the large-diameter cylindrical portion is inserted into the vehicle body panel from outside the vehicle compartment and reaches the vehicle body panel. Only by doing so, the grommet is fixed by being screwed with the vehicle body panel, so that the amount of protrusion of the grommet to the vehicle interior side can be reduced. Therefore, the grommet can be attached even if the interference member is arranged on the vehicle interior side of the grommet attachment position.

Moreover, it is not necessary to push the whole of the large-diameter cylindrical portion of the grommet into the passenger compartment as in the conventional case. Further, after pushing once, the push-pull of two steps is performed to pull back again to the outside of the passenger compartment. No work is required, and the grommet mounting work can be facilitated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7 of the related art, since it does not have a two-piece structure of a rubber grommet main body and a resin locking member, only one molding die is required.
Since it is not necessary to attach a locking member to the grommet body, the cost can be reduced.

When a metal cylinder is embedded in a portion screwed with the vehicle body panel as in the grommet according to claim 2,
The rigidity is great, and the grommet does not become deformed and becomes difficult to screw when screwed with the vehicle body panel.Also, after fixing in the screwed state, the grommet bends and it surely comes off from the vehicle body panel. It can be prevented. Furthermore, since the metal cylinder is embedded by insert molding, the grommet can be easily created.

Further, as in the grommet according to claim 3, a large-diameter cylindrical portion which is continuous with the small-diameter cylindrical portion is provided with a thick portion projecting outward, and the outer surface of the vehicle body panel is provided from the tip of the thick portion. When the seal lip portion that comes into pressure contact with the projection is provided in a protruding manner, the seal lip portion having high strength can be brought into pressure contact with the outer surface of the vehicle body, and the sealing performance can be further improved.

Further, as in the grommet according to claim 4, when the annular rib to be embedded in the thick portion is provided at the rear portion of the metal cylinder embedded in the large-diameter tubular portion, the metal cylinder itself is reinforced,
The strength of the screwed portion with the vehicle body panel can be maintained, and the strength of the seal lip portion can be increased.

Further, like the grommet of claim 5,
By gradually reducing the width of the screw groove formed on the outer circumference of the large-diameter tubular portion, the body panel can be smoothly fitted and the adhesion between the body panel and the grommet can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a grommet of a first embodiment of the present invention,
(A) is a perspective view, (B) is a sectional view.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a wire harness is passed through the grommet of the first embodiment and attached to a through hole of a vehicle body panel.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the grommet according to the first embodiment attached to a vehicle body panel.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a grommet according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional grommet.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing another conventional grommet.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Grommet 11 Small Diameter Cylindrical Section 12 Large Diameter Cylindrical Section 13 Metal Cylindrical Section 14 Screw Groove 15 Thickened Section 16 Seal Lip Section 20 Body Panel 21 Through Hole W / H Wire Harness

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A small-diameter tubular portion for inserting a wire harness,
A large-diameter cylinder part continuous to the front end of the small-diameter cylinder part is molded with hard rubber or elastomer, and the outer diameter of the large-diameter cylinder part is set to be slightly larger than the through hole of the vehicle body panel, and the large-diameter cylinder part A grommet, characterized in that a thread groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the portion, and the thread groove is screwed onto the peripheral edge of the through hole of the vehicle body panel in a state where the thread groove is inserted and attached to the wire harness. 2. The grommet according to claim 1, wherein a metal cylinder is embedded in the large-diameter cylinder portion, and the thread groove is recessed in an outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter cylinder portion in which the metal cylinder is embedded. 3. A thick-walled portion protruding outward is provided at a rear portion of the large-diameter tubular portion that is continuous with the small-diameter tubular portion, and a seal lip portion that comes into pressure contact with the outer surface of the vehicle body panel is projected from the tip of the thick-walled portion. The grommet according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided. 4. The grommet according to claim 3, wherein an annular rib protruding outward is provided at a rear portion of the metal cylinder, and the annular rib is embedded in the thick portion. 5. The width of the thread groove formed on the outer periphery of the large-diameter cylindrical portion is such that the screw starting end on the front end side has substantially the same width as the plate thickness of the vehicle body panel, and the width is gradually reduced to reduce the width of the vehicle body panel. The grommet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein both side surfaces of the screw groove are crimped to both the inner and outer surfaces.