Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Single duct conduits
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-17
2002-03-05
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Single duct conduits
C174S1520GM, C174S15300A, C016S002100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06353185
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grommet which is installed on a wire harness for an automobile and mounted in the penetration hole of an automobile body panel, and to a method of installing the grommet in the panel.
2. Background of the Invention
When a wire harness is wired from the engine compartment of an automobile to passenger compartment, a grommet
1
made of a rubber or an elastomer is conventionally mounted on the outside of the wire harness W/H, as shown in FIG.
6
and FIGS.
7
(A)-(C). Water proof properties and dust proof properties for preventing the invasion of water, dust and the like through the penetration hole
3
from the engine compartment side to the passenger compartment are imparted by inserting the wire harness W/H provided with the grommet
1
into the penetration hole
3
of the automobile panel
2
which separates the engine compartment (X) and the passenger compartment (Y) and mounting the grommet
1
around the peripheral edge of the penetration hole
3
.
The grommet
1
is provided with a small diameter tube portion
1
a
into which the wire harness W/H is inserted in a fitted condition, and is provided with an enlarged diameter tube portion
1
b
which continues in a conical tube shape from one end of the small diameter tube portion
1
a
. A recessed portion
1
c
for hooking on the automobile is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter tube portion
1
b
. The recessed portion
1
c
is inserted into the penetration hole
3
of the automobile body panel
2
to install the grommet
1
on the automobile body panel
2
. The thickness of the portion where the recessed portion
1
c
for hooking on the automobile body panel is provided increases in order to enhance the hooking force at installation, and the recessed portion
1
c
is made deeper. In other words, the height from the bottom surface
1
d
of the recessed portion
1
c
to the edges of both of the side walls
1
e
and
1
f
is increased.
For example, as shown in
FIG. 6
, the depth H
1
of the peripheral wall
1
e
in the edge opening side is set at 8.6 mm, and the depth H
2
of the peripheral wall
1
f
at the edge of the portion
1
g
, where the peripheral face is slanted while increasing in thickness from the small diameter tube portion in the opposite side, is set at 6.1 mm. Further, the dimension L
1
from the peripheral wall
1
e
in the edge opening side to the opening edge
1
h
is set at 9 mm, and the dimension L
2
of the sloping portion in the opposite side is set at 16.6 mm.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the grommet
1
is conventionally inserted from the enlarged diameter tube portion side
1
b
, from the engine compartment (X) to the passenger compartment (Y) through the penetration hole
3
. The entire grommet
1
is first pushed into the passenger compartment (Y) while inwardly deforming the outer peripheral portion containing the recessed portion
1
c
, which is larger than the inner diameter of the penetration hole
3
. Then, the wire harness W/H is pulled back toward the engine compartment (X), and the recessed portion
1
c
is mounted in the penetration hole
3
to install the grommet
1
on the automobile body panel
2
. Namely, the installation of the grommet
1
on the automobile body panel
2
is carried out by two motions, i.e., by first pushing the grommet into the passenger compartment (Y) from the engine compartment (X) and then pulling it back into the engine compartment. The reason why the recessed portion
1
c
is mounted in the automobile body panel
2
by first pushing the grommet into the passenger compartment and then pulling it back again is that the peripheral wall of the penetration hole
3
cannot be smoothly and positively mounted in the recessed portion
1
c
between the peripheral wall
1
f
having a smaller depth when the grommet is pushed in from the peripheral wall
1
e
having a greater depth.
With the recent rapid increase in parts mounted in an automobile, parts are arranged on both sides of the automobile body panel
2
where the above-mentioned grommet
1
is installed. When the grommet
1
is installed on the automobile body panel
2
as described above, and the entire grommet
1
is first pushed into the car passenger compartment from the engine compartment side., it becomes difficult to provide sufficient space for accepting the grommet when pushed into the passenger compartment. Further, although the grommet must be pulled back into the engine compartment after pushing it into the passenger compartment, there is also little or no space available in the engine compartment for carrying out the work of pulling the grommet back into the engine compartment side.
The wire harness W/H is required to be wired from the engine compartment into the passenger compartment from the engine compartment (X) to the passenger compartment (Y) through the penetration hole
3
of the automobile body panel
2
, due to requirements of the construction of the automobile and the like. However, as described above, the problem occurs such that the installation method of the grommet by the two motions of pushing it in and pulling it back into the engine compartment, as shown in FIGS.
7
(A)-(C) using the grommet
1
of
FIG. 6
, cannot be adopted due to lack of space.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was developed considering the above-mentioned problem, and an object is to provide a grommet having a construction such that the grommet can be positively inserted and hooked in the penetration hole of an automobile body panel by a single push-in motion from the engine compartment side, and another object is to provide an installation method for the grommet.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention includes a grommet made of a rubber or an elastomer and is provided with a small diameter tube portion in which a wire harness is inserted in a fitted condition, an enlarged diameter tube portion which continues in a conical tube shape from one end of the small diameter tube portion, and a recessed portion for hooking on an automobile body panel. The recessed portion is provided about the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter tube portion. Furthermore, the height of first and second peripheral walls on opposite sides of the bottom face of the recessed portion is established so that the height of the second side wall of the small diameter tube portion side is about 50% to 35% based on the height of the first side wall on an opening edge side of the enlarged diameter tube portion side. Moreover, the width of the recessed portion between the first side wall and the second side wall is set to be greater than the height dimension of the second side wall, and the second side wall is deformable inwardly into the recessed portion.
The height of the second side wall is more preferably about 45% to 40% based on the height of the first side wall, and the height of the second side wall is preferably about 70% to 60% of the width of the recessed portion. Further, the height of the second side wall is about 70% based on the height of the first side wall in comparison with the conventional grommet shown in
FIG. 6
, and is about 70% to 100% in either of the grommets conventionally provided. Also, the height of the second side wall is larger than the width of the recessed portion in the conventional grommet shown in FIG.
6
.
Further, in the grommet of the present invention, the axial length of the sloping portion of the second side wall is about 90% to 40% of the axial length of the first side wall to the opening end of the enlarged diameter tube portion, and preferably is about 85% to 70%. In comparison, the axial length of the sloping portion is 150% to 200% in the conventional example shown in FIG.
6
.
Further, the second side wall of the grommet of the present invention slopes toward the first side wall from the bottom face side to the upper edge side, and a groove portion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter tube portion at a
Estrada Angel R.
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Reichard Dean A.
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
LandOfFree
Grommet and method of installing said grommet on a panel does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Grommet and method of installing said grommet on a panel, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Grommet and method of installing said grommet on a panel will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2868162