Electricity: conductors and insulators – Insulators – Through wall or plate
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-02
2001-04-17
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Insulators
Through wall or plate
C248S056000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06218625
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a grommet for a wire harness having a resilient inner member which seals and secures a wire harness within a rigid outer member.
A wire harness is commonly formed by bundling a plurality of electrical wires together prior to installation into the body of a vehicle. A wire harness connects one or more electrical components within the vehicle and therefore must be routed through various vehicle partition panels. A tight seal is often required between the partition panel and the harness to prevent leakage of liquid or fumes between compartments of the vehicle. It is further desirable to provide support for the harness relative to the panel through which it passes to prevent abrasion. Thus, it is commonly know to provide a grommet to protect and seal the harness where it passes through the partition panels.
Conventional grommets are formed of an elastic rubber to seal the harness to the partition opening. The rubber grommets are commonly installed by forcibly stretching the grommet to thereby allow axial insertion of the harness. When released the rubber grommet conforms to the harness which is then located within the vehicle partition. However, the stretching and locating operations require substantial effort to insert the harness. Further, if the harness is pulled with some force, the rubber grommet will likely be removed from the partition opening due to the grommet's elasticity.
Other known grommets combine a rigid support with an elastic member to improve retention and protection of the harness within the partition opening. However, due to their complex configurations, known combination grommets provide a less effective seal than the grommet described above and are relatively difficult and costly to manufacture and install.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This present invention provides a unique wire harness grommet that avoids the problems of the prior art described above. The wire harness grommet of the present invention provides an improved grommet assembly which is assembled in a simple and precise manner to provide an effective seal which can be located along any portion of a wire harness by simply “snapping” it in place.
In general terms, the present invention is a wire harness grommet which is assembled by connecting together a rigid outer member to compress a resilient inner member around a portion of the wire harness accommodated therein.
The rigid outer member is essentially a shell held together by mechanical connectors to contain and compress the resilient inner member into a conformable relationship with the wire harness. This prevents the grommet from being easily removed from the vehicle partition panel when the wires are forcibly pulled. Preferably, the rigid outer member is a two piece assembly comprising generally two identical halves having integrally molded connectors which “snap” together.
The resilient inner member provides the sealing surface between the rigid outer member and the wire harness. The resilient inner member is affixed directly to the rigid outer member and located in a cavity defined by the rigid outer member. Preferably, the resilient inner member is an adhesively backed foam pad which is affixed to and compressed by, the rigid outer members.
Alternatively, the cavity is filled with an adhesive prior to the rigid outer member being connected around the harness. A suitable material for the resilient inner member is a silicon rubber which cures and forms a highly effective seal around the harness.
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Lear Automotive Dearborn Inc.
MacMillan Sobanski & Todd LLC
Nino Adolfo
Reichard Dean A.
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