WO2020194946A1

WO2020194946A1 - Grommet

Info

Publication number: WO2020194946A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/050310
Authority: WO
Inventors: 弘行荒川
Original assignee: 住友電装株式会社
Priority date: 2019-03-27
Filing date: 2019-12-23
Publication date: 2020-10-01
Also published as: JP2020162343A; JP7151584B2

Abstract

A grommet 1 comprises a gromet body 2 and a seal part 5 that imparts sealability with respect to an assembly hole 4 of a panel 3 which is a site to which the grommet 1 is attached. The seal part 5 is disposed between the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 4 and the grommet body 2. The seal part 5 is formed so as to have an outer diameter corresponding to the diameter of the assembly hole 4 in an annular manner around the axis of the gromet body 2, and is detachably attached to a base part 8 of the gromet body 2.

Description

Grommet

This disclosure relates to grommets that protect wire harnesses.

Conventionally, when a wire harness is passed through a hole provided in a vehicle body panel, a grommet is attached to the hole in order to waterproofly seal the hole and the wire harness, and the wire harness is passed through the grommet (patented). Refer to Reference 1 etc.).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-73572

By the way, the holes provided in the car body panels vary in size. Therefore, if the grommet is manufactured for each hole size, the cost may increase accordingly.

Therefore, the purpose is to provide grommets that make it possible to reduce the cost of parts.

The grommet that solves the above-mentioned problems includes a grommet body in which a wire harness is inserted through a tubular connecting portion and a base portion connected to the base end of the connecting portion is fitted into an assembly hole. An annular seal portion provided between the peripheral edge of the hole and the grommet body is provided, and the seal portion extends along the axis of the grommet body and corresponds to the diameter of the assembly hole. It has an outer diameter and is detachably attached to the base portion.

According to the present disclosure, the cost of parts can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a grommet of one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the grommet. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of the grommet. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an assembled state of the grommet. 5A and 5B are schematic views of grommets to which seal portions having different diameters are attached. 6A, 6B, and 6C are explanatory views showing an assembly procedure of the grommet. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modified example grommet. FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the modified grommet.

[Explanation of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
First, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

The grommet of this disclosure is
[1] A grommet main body in which a wire harness is inserted through a tubular connection portion and the base portion connected to the base end of the connection portion is fitted into the assembly hole, a peripheral edge of the assembly hole, and the above. An annular seal portion provided between the grommet main body and the grommet main body is provided, and the seal portion extends along the axis of the grommet main body and has an outer diameter corresponding to the diameter of the assembly hole. , It is detachably attached to the base portion.

According to this configuration, even if the size of the assembly hole is different, it is possible to match the opening diameter of each assembly hole by simply attaching a seal portion that matches the opening diameter of the assembly hole to the grommet body of the same part. It can be a grommet. Therefore, since the grommet body can be shared, it is not necessary to manufacture a dedicated grommet for each assembly hole having a different opening diameter. For example, it is not necessary to prepare a mold for manufacturing grommets for each assembly hole having a different opening diameter. Therefore, the cost of grommet parts can be reduced.

[2] The grommet main body includes a mounting portion to which the sealing portion is attached, and the diameter of the mounting portion in a state where the sealing portion is not attached is preferably larger than the inner diameter of the sealing portion.

According to this configuration, the seal portion can be tightly attached to the grommet body, so that it is difficult for the seal portion to fall off from the grommet body.

[3] The mounting portion is preferably a groove portion recessed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the grommet main body.

According to this configuration, the seal portion can be firmly fixed to the grommet body due to the structure in which the seal portion is fitted into the groove portion.

[4] When the grommet body is fitted into the assembly hole, the grommet body falls down to allow the grommet body to be fitted, and when the grommet body is inserted deep into the assembly hole, the grommet body stands up and rises to the assembly hole. It is preferable to provide a locking piece that prevents the grommet body from coming off.

According to this configuration, when the grommet is inserted into the assembly hole, the locking piece moves to fall down so as to guide the insertion, so that the grommet can be easily inserted into the assembly hole. Further, after the grommet is inserted all the way into the assembly hole, the locking portion rises and locks on the back surface of the assembly hole, so that it is possible to make it difficult for the grommet to come out of the assembly hole.

[5] It is preferable that the grommet main body is provided with an annular reinforcing portion that extends along the axis and suppresses deformation of the grommet main body.

According to this configuration, the deformation of the grommet body is suppressed by the reinforcing portion, so that a suitable mounting state without a gap between the seal portion and the grommet body can be maintained for a long period of time.

[Details of Embodiments of the present disclosure]
Specific examples of the grommet of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these examples, and is indicated by the scope of claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims. In each drawing, a part of the structure may be exaggerated or simplified for convenience of explanation. In addition, the dimensional ratio of each part may differ from the actual one.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the in-vehicle grommet 1 includes a grommet main body 2 and an annular sealing portion 5 having a sealing property for an assembly hole 4 of a panel 3 where the grommet 1 is attached. .. The grommet 1 is configured to protect the wire harness 6 passed through the assembly hole 4 from damage due to contact with the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 4. The grommet 1 is preferably made of, for example, a resin. The panel 3 is a vehicle body panel that separates the inside and outside of the vehicle.

The grommet main body 2 includes a base portion 8 and a tubular connecting portion 9 through which the wire harness 6 is closely inserted. The connecting portion 9 has a cylindrical shape protruding obliquely from the base portion 8. The base portion 8 has a substantially ellipsoidal shape. The grommet 1 is assembled to the panel 3 so that the grommet main body 2 to which the seal portion 5 is attached is fitted into the assembly hole 4. The wire harness 6 may be provided with an electric wire and a pipe accommodating the electric wire, or may be provided with a corrugated tube instead of the pipe, and may be, for example, an electric wire or a bundle of electric wires for transmitting an electric signal.

As shown in FIG. 3, a wire harness 6 is assembled and fixed to the connection portion 9 via an annular accessory 10. The accessory 10 is made of a resin material such as rubber. The interposition product 10 is fitted into the hole 9a of the connection portion 9 with the wire harness 6 inserted into the hole 11 of the interposition product 10. It is preferable that the accessory 10 is press-fitted and fixed to the wire harness 6 and the connecting portion 9, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the base portion 8 has a hollow tubular portion 13, a flange portion 14 formed having a diameter larger than that of the tubular portion 13, and a grommet 1 when the grommet 1 is assembled into the assembly hole 4. It is provided with a locking piece 15 that serves as a retainer. The locking piece 15 may be an annular lip extending radially outward from the entire circumference of the tubular portion 13. The locking piece 15 may be elastically deformable. The tubular portion 13 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape in which one side in the axial direction of the grommet main body 2 is open. The flange portion 14 is formed around the axis L1 or all around the circumference of the grommet main body 2 so as to project outward in the radial direction at the peripheral edge on the closed side of the tubular portion 13. A protrusion 16 protruding toward the locking piece 15 is formed at the tip of the collar portion 14. The protrusion 16 may be an annular ridge extending all around the flange portion 14. The wire harness 6 passed through the connecting portion 9 of the grommet main body 2 is pulled out from the opening 17 of the tubular portion 13 to the outside of the grommet main body 2.

The locking piece 15 is a free end capable of falling and rising with the base end as a fulcrum. The locking piece 15 is provided in the circumferential direction or the entire circumference along the axis L1 of the grommet main body 2. The locking piece 15 collapses when the grommet body 2 is fitted into the assembly hole 4, allows the grommet 1 to be fitted, and stands up when the grommet 1 is inserted all the way into the assembly hole 4 to allow the grommet 1 to be fitted. It serves as a stopper that prevents the grommet 1 from coming off from 4.

The seal portion 5 extends along the axis L1 of the grommet main body 2 and is attached to the grommet main body 2 in order to maintain the sealing property between the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 4 and the grommet main body 2. The seal portion 5 is attached to an attachment portion 19 provided on the grommet main body 2. The mounting portion 19 may be formed as a groove portion 20 recessed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the base portion 8. The groove portion 20 of this example is formed in the vicinity of the base end of the tubular portion 13 around the axis L1 of the grommet main body 2 or around the entire circumference. The diameter R1 of the groove portion 20 is larger than the inner diameter Ra (see FIG. 1) of the annular seal portion 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the seal portion 5 having an outer diameter Rb corresponding to the opening diameter of the assembly hole 4 is selected and assembled to the grommet main body 2. That is, the seal portion 5 having an outer diameter corresponding to the opening diameter of the assembly hole 4 is selected so that the same grommet main body 2 can be used even if the opening diameter of the assembly hole 4 is different. For example, when the opening diameter of the assembly hole 4 is small, the seal portion 5 having a small outer diameter Rb is used, and when the opening diameter of the assembly hole 4 is large, the seal portion 5 having a large outer diameter Rb is used. ..

The seal portion 5 comes into surface contact with the grommet body 2 on three surfaces. The close contact interface or the seal interface formed by the surface contact between the seal portion 5 and the grommet main body 2 may be referred to as the surface contact portion S. The surface contact portion S of this example is a first surface contact portion S1 formed by surface contact between the inner peripheral surface of the seal portion 5 and the radial outward surface (the innermost surface of the groove portion 20) of the grommet body 2. A second surface contact portion formed by surface contact between the upper surface (first axial end surface) of the seal portion 5 and the top surface (first axial inward surface) of the groove portion 20, that is, the lower surface of the flange portion 14. Includes S2 and a third surface contact portion S3 formed by surface contact between the lower surface of the seal portion 5 (second axial end surface) and the lower surface of the groove portion 20 (second axial inward surface). Can be done. When the grommet 1 is assembled to the assembly hole 4, the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the seal portion 5 is in close contact with the entire circumference of the peripheral surface of the assembly hole 4, and the three surface contact portions S1, S2, and S3 are contacted with the seal portion 5. The grommet 1 seals the assembly hole 4 by being in close contact with the grommet main body 2, and the airtightness inside and outside the vehicle is maintained.

When the grommet 1 is assembled into the assembly hole 4, the locking piece 15 and the protrusion 16 sandwich the panel 3 in the thickness direction. After this assembly, the protrusion 16 extending from the entire circumference of the flange portion 14 is in close contact with the first surface (for example, the upper surface or the outer surface of the vehicle) of the panel 3 to form an annular seal at a position away from the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 4. To do. Further, the locking piece 15 extending from the entire circumference of the tubular portion 13 is in close contact with the second surface (for example, the lower surface or the inner surface of the vehicle) of the panel 3 and forms an annular seal at a position away from the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 4. To do. In this way, not only the sealing portion 5 but also the grommet main body 2 can maintain the sealing property with the panel 3.

Next, the action of the grommet 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the grommet 1 is assembled to the assembly hole 4, a seal portion 5 having an outer diameter Rb that matches the opening diameter of the assembly hole 4 is selected and assembled to the grommet body 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the grommet 1 is attached to the assembly hole 4 having an opening diameter of “W1”, the seal portion 5a having an outer diameter Rb1 having a size matching the diameter W1 is attached to the grommet main body 2. As described above, when the assembly hole 4 is small, the seal portion 5a having a small outer diameter size is selected.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the grommet 1 is assembled into the assembly hole 4, when the locking piece 15 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 4, it is pushed by the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 4 to lock the grommet 1. The piece 15 collapses along the arrow A direction in the figure with the base end as a fulcrum. Therefore, it becomes easy to insert the grommet 1 when assembling it into the assembling hole 4. As shown in FIG. 6C, when the grommet 1 is inserted all the way into the assembly hole 4, the seal portion 5 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the assembly hole 4 and is positioned at the assembly hole 4. At this time, the locking piece 15 rises in the direction of arrow B in the figure with the base end as a fulcrum, and the tip of the locking piece 15 can be locked to the inner surface of the panel 3. As a result, the assembly of the grommet 1 to the panel 3 is completed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the grommet 1 is attached to the assembly hole 4 of "W2" having a diameter larger than W1, a seal portion 5b having an outer diameter Rb2 having a size suitable for the diameter W2 is attached to the grommet main body 2. Install. The outer diameter Rb2 of the seal portion 5b is larger than the outer diameter Rb1 of the seal portion 5a. In this way, when the assembly hole 4 is large, the seal portion 5b having a large outer diameter size is attached to the grommet main body 2. Then, the grommet 1 to which the large-sized seal portion 5b is attached is assembled to the assembly hole 4 in the same procedure as when the grommet 1 to which the small-sized seal portion 5a is attached is assembled.

According to the grommet 1 of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

As the seal portion 5 to be attached to the grommet main body 2, those having an outer diameter corresponding to the diameters W1 and W2 of the assembly hole 4 to which the grommet 1 is assembled are appropriately selected and attached. Therefore, even if the size of the assembly hole 4 is different, the opening diameter of each assembly hole 4 can be adjusted by simply attaching the seal portion 5 that matches the opening diameter of the assembly hole 4 to the grommet main body 2 of the same part. It is possible to make a matching grommet 1. Therefore, since the grommet main body 2 can be shared, it is not necessary to prepare the grommet 1 for each assembly hole 4 having a different opening diameter. Therefore, the component cost of the grommet 1 can be reduced.

The grommet body 2 includes a mounting portion 19 to which the sealing portion 5 is mounted. The diameter R1 of the mounting portion 19 in the state where the sealing portion 5 is not mounted is larger than the inner diameter of the sealing portion 5. Therefore, since the seal portion 5 can be tightly attached to the grommet main body 2, it is possible to prevent the seal portion 5 from falling off from the grommet main body 2.

The mounting portion 19 of the grommet main body 2 can be formed as a groove portion 20 recessed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the grommet main body 2. Therefore, the seal portion 5 can be firmly fixed to the grommet main body 2 by the structure in which the seal portion 5 is fitted into the groove portion 20.

When the grommet body 2 is fitted into the assembly hole 4, it collapses to allow the grommet body 2 to be fitted, and when the grommet body 2 is inserted all the way into the assembly hole 4, it stands up and grommet from the assembly hole 4. The grommet 1 is provided with a locking piece 15 that prevents the main body 2 from coming off. Therefore, when the grommet 1 is inserted into the assembly hole 4, the locking piece 15 moves to fall down so as to guide the insertion, so that the grommet 1 can be easily inserted into the assembly hole 4. it can. Further, after the grommet 1 is inserted all the way into the assembly hole 4, the locking piece 15 stands up and locks on the back surface of the assembly hole 4, so that it may be difficult to remove the grommet 1 from the assembly hole 4. it can.

Further, the idea of preparing a plurality of seal portions 5 having different diameters can be applied to the accessory 10 attached between the wire harness 6 and the connection portion 9. For example, a plurality of types of accessories 10 having an outer diameter corresponding to the diameter of the connecting portion 9, that is, the diameter of the hole 9a of the connecting portion 9 are prepared. Then, when the wire harness 6 is inserted into the hole 9a of the connection portion 9 of the grommet 1, an accessory 10 matching the diameter of the hole 9a is interposed and passed through the connection portion 9. By doing so, when the diameters of the connecting portions 9 are different, the sealing property between the wire harness 6 and the connecting portion 9 can be maintained. Similarly, accessories 10 having various inner diameters that match the diameters of various wire harnesses 6 may be prepared.

Note that this embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows. The present embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.

-As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the grommet 1 may include a reinforcing portion 31 that suppresses deformation of the grommet body 2. In this case, since the deformation of the grommet main body 2, for example, the deformation inward in the radial direction is suppressed by the reinforcing portion 31, a suitable mounting state without a gap between the sealing portion 5 and the grommet main body 2, for example, an initial mounting state is set. Can be maintained for a long period of time. The reinforcing portion 31 may be a reinforcing ring attached or fixed to the inside of the tubular portion 13.

-The number of connecting portions 9 is not limited to one, and may be plural.

-The connection portion 9 may be configured so that a plurality of wire harnesses 6 can be passed through.

The cross-sectional shape of the seal portion 5 in the vertical cross section including the central axis of the seal portion 5 is not limited to a square shape, and may be, for example, a round shape or a polygonal shape other than a square shape.

The surface contact portion S is not limited to the three surface contact portions S1 to S3, and may have, for example, only the surface contact portion S1.

The locking piece 15 is not limited to the entire circumferential direction of the grommet main body 2, and may be formed intermittently in the circumferential direction.

The shape of the locking piece 15 is not limited to the free end that falls or rises with the base end as a fulcrum, and may be, for example, a resin protrusion formed to a predetermined thickness. Also in this case, due to the elastic deformation of the resin, the same action and effect as in the case of the locking piece 15 can be obtained.

The flange portion 14 is not limited to a shape that greatly protrudes in the plane direction of the grommet main body 2, and may protrude to the extent that a groove portion 20 into which the seal portion 5 is fitted can be formed.

The tubular portion 13 is not limited to a shape in which a part of the tubular portion 13 is formed in a stepped shape so as to have a groove portion 20, and the tubular portion 20 may be a flat shape in which the groove portion 20 is omitted. In the case of this configuration, when the seal portion 5 is attached to the grommet main body 2, for example, the collar portion 14 or the locking piece 15 may be used to prevent the seal portion 5 from coming off.

-The mounting portion 19 is not limited to the groove portion 20, and may be a portion having a shape that can fix the seal portion 5.

-Grommet 1 is not limited to in-vehicle use, and may be used in other devices and devices.

The seal portion 5 is sometimes referred to as an annular fitting having a radial thickness selected according to the diameter of the assembly hole 4. The seal portion 5 may have an axial length larger than the thickness of the panel 3 and a smooth outer peripheral surface without unevenness. The inner diameter of the seal portion 5a of FIG. 5A and the inner diameter of the seal portion 5b of FIG. 5B may be the same. The radial thickness of the seal portion 5a of FIG. 5A corresponding to the relatively small assembly hole 4 (for example, an approximate value of the outer diameter Rb1-diameter R1) is the seal portion of FIG. 5B corresponding to the relatively large assembly hole 4. It is smaller than the radial thickness of 5b (for example, an approximate value of outer diameter Rb2-diameter R1).

-The tubular portion 13 may be referred to as a plug portion to be inserted into the assembly hole 4. The tubular connecting portion 9 is sometimes referred to as a wire harness sleeve.

-The material of the seal portion 5 may be the same as or different from the material of the base portion 8.

This disclosure includes the following implementation examples. Reference numerals are given to the representative components of the illustrated embodiments, not for limitation but as an aid to understanding.

[Appendix 1] One or more mounting examples of the present disclosure are directed to a grommet (1) attached to a panel (3) having a first surface, a second surface, and a through hole (4). The panel (3) has a panel thickness defined by the first surface and the second surface. The through hole (4) penetrates the panel (3) in the thickness direction. The grommet (1) is
A tubular plug portion (13) having an axis (L1) and being inserted into the through hole (4) of the panel (3),
A first axial portion (14, 16, 9) connected to the first axial end of the tubular plug portion (13) and facing or contacting the first surface of the panel (3).
A second axial portion (15) connected to the second axial end of the tubular plug portion (13) and facing or in contact with the second surface of the panel (3).
An annular groove (20) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular plug portion (13) and
An annular fitting (5) that is detachably attached to the annular groove (20) of the tubular plug portion (13) and is in close contact with the annular groove (20) and the through hole (4) can be provided. ..

[Appendix 2] In one or more mounting examples of the present disclosure, the annular fitting (5) has an outer peripheral surface, an inner peripheral surface, a first axial end surface, a second axial end surface, and the outer peripheral surface. It can have a radial thickness defined by the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the annular fitting (5) so as to be in close contact with the entire circumference of the through hole (4). The inner peripheral surface of the annular fitting (5), the first axial end surface, and the second axial end surface are configured to be in close contact with the entire circumference of the annular groove (20). The radial thickness of the annular fitting (5) can be selected according to the hole diameter of the through hole (4).

[Appendix 3] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the annular fitting (5) is
A first size annular fitting (5a) with a first radial thickness (Rb1-R1) that fits into a first through hole with a first hole diameter (W1).
A second size annular fitting (5b) with a second radial thickness (Rb2-R1) that fits into a second through hole with a second hole diameter (W2).
It can be selected from a plurality of sizes of annular fittings including, depending on the hole diameter of the through hole.

[Appendix 4] In one or more implementation examples of the present disclosure, the plurality of sizes of annular fittings can have the same inner diameter.

[Appendix 5] In one or more mounting examples of the present disclosure, the annular fitting (5) can have an axial length larger than the panel thickness, and the outer peripheral surface of the annular fitting (5) is the said. It may be a smooth surface with no unevenness over the axial length.

[Appendix 6] In one or more mounting examples of the present disclosure, the first axial portion (14, 16, 9) includes a wire harness sleeve (9) through which the wire harness (6) is inserted and the wire harness sleeve. It may include collars (14, 16) that support (9) and face or contact the first surface at a position radially outer than the through hole (4).
The second axial portion (15) may include an annular lip (15) that contacts the second surface at a position radially outer than the through hole (4).
The collar portions (14, 16) and the annular lip (15) may be configured to elastically sandwich the panel (3) in the thickness direction.

1 ... Grommet 2 ... Grommet body 3 ... Panel 4 ... Assembly hole 5 ... Seal part 6 ... Wire harness 8 ... Base part 9 ... Connection part 11 ... Hole 13 ... Cylinder part 14 ... Flange part 15 ... Locking piece 16 ... Protrusion 17 ... Opening 19 ... Mounting 20 ... Grommet 31 ... Reinforcing

Claims

A grommet body in which a wire harness is inserted through a tubular connection portion and the base portion connected to the base end of the connection portion is fitted into the assembly hole.
An annular seal portion provided between the peripheral edge of the assembly hole and the grommet body is provided.
The seal portion extends along the axis of the grommet main body, has an outer diameter corresponding to the diameter of the assembly hole, and is detachably attached to the base portion.
The grommet according to claim 1, wherein the grommet main body includes an attachment portion to which the seal portion is attached, and the diameter of the attachment portion in a state where the seal portion is not attached is larger than the inner diameter of the seal portion. ..
The grommet according to claim 2, wherein the mounting portion is a groove portion recessed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the grommet main body.
When the grommet body is fitted into the assembly hole, the grommet body falls down to allow the grommet body to be fitted, and when the grommet body is inserted all the way into the assembly hole, the grommet body stands up and rises from the assembly hole. The grommet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a locking piece that prevents the grommet body from coming off.
The grommet according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an annular reinforcing portion extending along the axis of the grommet body and suppressing deformation of the grommet body.