Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-25
2004-08-24
Hong, John C. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S450000, C029S453000, C029S729000, C029S747000, C029S428000, C174S15300A
Reexamination Certificate
active
06779243
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2001-192722 filed on Jun. 26, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grommet having a resin inner sleeve for fixing a connector, and specifically relates to a grommet which is assembled on a wire harness wired in an automobile and which is mounted in the penetration hole of a car body panel.
2. Background of the Invention
When a door harness that is wired to a door side is hung, for example, in the penetration hole of a car body panel through the penetration hole of a door panel, the grommet
1
, as shown in
FIG. 5A
, has been conventionally installed on a wire harness W/H between the door panel and the car body panel. An inner sleeve
3
made of a resin is assembled in the inside of the enlarged tubular portion
2
a
of the grommet
1
. The enlarged tubular portion
2
a
is provided at one end of the grommet main body
2
which is made of a rubber or an elastomer. The grommet
1
is designed to be hooked, via one hand only, by inserting the locking hook
3
a
which is provided at the outer face of the inner sleeve
3
, into the penetration hole H
1
of the car body panel A.
Specifically, the above-mentioned grommet
1
, which is hooked in the penetration holes H
1
and H
2
that are provided on the car body panel A and the door panel B, includes a the enlarged tubular portion
2
c
which is mounted in the penetration hole H
2
of the door panel B. The enlarged tubular portion
2
c
is located at one end of the bellows shape small diameter tubular portion
2
b
of the grommet main body
2
, and is continuously formed with the above-mentioned enlarged tubular portion
2
a
and is mounted in the penetration hole H
1
of the car body panel A, at another end. A hooking groove
2
d
is provided on the outer peripheral face of the enlarged tubular portion
2
c
of the door panel B side. The hooking groove
2
d
is configured to be fitted in the peripheral rim of the penetration hole H
2
and allows the grommet
1
to be mounted in a sealed condition.
The inner sleeve
3
is made of a resin and is hooked to the grommet
1
by being internally fitted in the enlarged tubular portion
2
a
. An edge face of peripheral wall
3
c
of the inner sleeve
3
abuts or is adjacent to on the bottom wall
2
e
of the enlarged tubular portion
2
a
. Further, a locking hook
3
a
for hooking the grommet
1
to a car body is provided on the peripheral wall
3
c
of the inner sleeve
3
. The locking hook
3
a
protrudes slightly from the edge opening of the enlarged tubular portion
2
a.
A locking frame
3
b
is also provided on the peripheral wall of the inner sleeve
3
. A locking hook
4
b
of the connector
4
is connected with electric wire terminal which is inserted into the small diameter tubular portion
2
b
. The connector
4
is fixed in the inner sleeve
3
by locking using the locking hook
4
b
and the locking frame
3
b
. However, this configuration locates the terminal insertion face
4
a
at or very close to the bottom wall
2
e
. Additionally, the face
4
a
is arranged at about the same plane with the peripheral wall
3
c
of the inner sleeve
3
. Accordingly, the terminal insertion face
4
a
is situated close to the bottom wall
2
e
of the enlarged tubular portion
2
a
with only a slight gap S. As a result of this arrangement, the electric wires W which pass through the small diameter tubular portion
2
b
from the door panel side and are thereafter inserted and hooked into the cavity of the connector
4
, tend to hit and/or engage the bottom wall
2
e
of the enlarged tubular portion
2
a
at an under-neck position of the connector
4
, i.e., when the wires are wired into the connector
4
, they experience significant bending because the gap S between wall
2
e
and terminal insertion face
4
a
is relatively small, i.e., approximately 5 mm.
When the grommet
1
is assembled into the penetration hole H
1
, the bottom wall
2
e
of the enlarged tubular portion
2
a
experiences significantly and vigorously pushing forces in the insertion direction from an outside direction. As a result, the peripheral wall
3
c
of the inner sleeve
3
of the inside also experiences pushing forces until the locking hook
3
a
at the edge of the inner sleeve
3
is inserted into the penetration hole H
1
. The locking hook
3
a
fixes and/or hooks the grommet
1
at the peripheral rim of the inside face of the penetration hole H
1
, in the manner shown in FIG.
5
A. However, during this installation procedure, the electric wires W which are already installed in the grommet
1
and in the connector
4
, necessarily also experience strong pushing forces from outside, especially in the area of bending portion C, which contacts and/or engages the bottom wall
2
e
of the enlarged tubular portion
2
a
. The electric wires W are thus liable to experiencing a great loads or forces. Accordingly, because the wires experience such forces, it is possible that they can be damaged, snapped or broken, etc.
Further, since the electric wires W are wired into the connector in a manner in which they are significantly bent within the slight gap S at the under-neck position of the connector
4
, there also exists the problem that the bottom wall
2
e
of the enlarged tubular portion
2
a
is pushed, deflected, or otherwise deformed away from the connector by tension forces of the electric wires W, as shown in FIG.
5
B. As a result, the grommet
1
can appear swollen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention therefore provides a grommet which includes a resin inner sleeve for fixing a connector wherein the grommet reduces a load that is loaded on electric wires during installing of the grommet and provides for a grommet which maintains a good appearance after it is installed.
The present invention provides a grommet having a resin inner sleeve for fixing a connector. The grommet is designed to be installed on a wire harness and is designed to be inserted into the penetration hole of the car body panel of an automobile. An inner sleeve made of a resin includes a car body hooking hook which protrudes from the inner sleeve. The inner sleeve has an outer face and a peripheral wall and is stored, fixed and/or otherwise retained in an enlarged tubular portion of a grommet main body. The grommet main body is made of an elastomer and is formed with the above-mentioned enlarged tubular portion being located at one end. A small diameter tubular portion of the grommet allows electric wires to pass through the grommet. The inner sleeve is utilized to firmly fix and/or lock the grommet to an automobile panel. The inner sleeve is adapted to receive the connector and includes a peripheral wall. The peripheral wall of the inner sleeve protrudes back past the terminal insertion face of the connector, such that the bottom face of the peripheral wall abuts on a bottom wall of the enlarged tubular portion of the grommet main body. A large space is thus provided between the terminal insertion face of the connector and the bottom wall of the enlarged tubular portion. As a result, the grommet is structured in such a manner that no load will be applied to electric wires upon installation, i.e., the wires which are already inserted into the small diameter tubular portion and into the connector do not experience loads when a user presses against the bottom wall of the enlarged tubular portion during installation of the grommet.
As described above, since a relatively large space (e.g., of approximately 3 to approximately 4 times, or more, versus that of the prior art) is provided between the terminal insertion face of the connector and the bottom face of the peripheral wall of the inner sleeve and further, between the bottom wall of the enlarged tubular portion and the terminal insertion face of the connector, the portion of the electric wires which are locat
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Hong John C.
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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