Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Single duct conduits
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-20
2001-04-03
Kincaid, Kristine (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Single duct conduits
C016S002100, C248S056000, C174S135000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06211464
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a grommet, and more particularly to a grommet which enables an elongated member (e.g. a wire harness) to be positively and easily passed through and retained relative to a mounting plate such as a panel of a vehicle body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have heretofore been proposed various grommets which enable a wire harness to be passed through and mounted on a panel of a car body of an automobile. The Applicant of the present application has proposed a grommet (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 8-212857: conventional example) which includes a smaller-diameter tubular portion for fitting on a wire harness, a larger-diameter tubular portion for fitting in a mounting hole, a tapering tubular portion interconnecting the smaller-diameter and larger-diameter tubular portions, and a groove edge portion and holding piece portions which are provided at an outer peripheral surface of the larger-diameter tubular portion.
In this example, the larger-diameter tubular portion is turned inside out, with its inner peripheral surface directed outwardly, and by doing so, the holding piece portions are deformed into a generally tapering, cylindrical shape, and are passed through the mounting hole, and subsequently the smaller-diameter portion is drawn into the mounting hole, and as a result, because of a resilient force tending to restore the holding piece portions into their initial shape, the larger-diameter portion is restored into its initial shape in such a manner that the groove edge portion is engaged in a peripheral edge of the mounting hole. Therefore, the wire harness can be easily and positively mounted with a smaller force.
In the above example, a plurality of tongues, serving as the holding piece portions, extend radially from the outer peripheral surface of the larger-diameter tubular portion. These tongues have a relatively small thickness, and therefore even when the tongues are deformed into a generally tapering (or convergent) cylindrical shape, and then passed through the mounting hole, a sufficient resilient force is not obtained to restore the larger-diameter tubular portion into its initial shape.
Namely, in this grommet, the operator must perform an auxiliary operation to draw the smaller-diameter tubular portion into the mounting hole until the groove portion is brought into fitting engagement in the inner peripheral edge of the mounting hole. In view of this problem, there has been desired an improvement to make the wire harness-mounting operation simpler.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a grommet for mounting a member (e.g. a wire harness) easily and positively in such a manner that the member is passed through a mounting plate such as a panel of a vehicle body.
The above object has been achieved by a grommet for passing and holding a member relative to a mounting hole formed through a mounting plate, which comprises a first cylindrical portion for passing the member therethrough, a second cylindrical portion connected to the first cylindrical portion through an annular connection portion formed on an outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion, a groove portion formed in an outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion, and a flange portion formed on that portion of the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion lying between the groove portion and the connection portion. The second cylindrical portion is turned inside out, with its inner peripheral surface directed outwardly, so that a peripheral edge of the flange portion is inserted into the mounting hole, and then the second cylindrical portion is restored into its initial shape, so that the first cylindrical portion is passed through the mounting hole, and the groove portion is fitted on an inner peripheral edge of the mounting hole. With this structure, the angle of projection of the flange portion relative to the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion can be maintained.
The first cylindrical portion need only to have an inner diameter corresponding to an outer diameter of the long member such as a wire harness, and this inner diameter may be a little smaller so that the long member can be press-fitted into the first cylindrical portion. This first cylindrical portion does not need to have a uniform inner diameter or a uniform outer diameter over the entire length thereof, and, for example, may be a stepped, cylindrical shape or a tapering, cylindrical shape.
The connection portion need only to radially extend from the predetermined portion of the outer peripheral surface of the first cylindrical portion over the entire circumference thereof, and for example, this connection portion is formed into a flat ring-shape or a generally conical shape.
The second cylindrical portion need only to have an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the mounting hole, and the proximal end of this second cylindrical portion is connected to the peripheral edge of the connection portion.
Therefore, for example, the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion may be arranged in a telescopic manner, or may be serially arranged in the axial direction through the connection portion.
The first cylindrical portion, the connection portion and the second cylindrical portion may be formed integrally with one another, using a synthetic resin having a suitable degree of elasticity and water resistance. However, these portions may be separate from each other in so far as the second cylindrical portion can have a suitable degree of elasticity and water resistance.
The flange portion may comprise an annular flange, formed on the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion over the entire circumference thereof, or may comprise a plurality of flange portions spaced a predetermined distance from one another in the circumferential direction.
The flange portion can be larger in thickness than the second cylindrical portion, and this flange portion can include a predetermined metal plate insert molded in a resin.
In the grommet of this construction, the angle of projection of the flange portion relative to the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion can be maintained. Therefore, the second cylindrical portion is inverted, and then when the open end thereof is pressed against the mounting plate, so that the flange portion is deformed into a tapering shape, there is produced a larger resilient force, tending to restore the flange portion into its initial shape, as compared with the conventional construction.
Namely, in this grommet, when the flange portion, deformed into a tapering shape, is passed through the mounting hole, the second cylindrical portion is restored into its initial shape by itself in such a manner that the groove portion is fitted on the inner peripheral edge of the mounting hole. Therefore, an auxiliary operation by the operator as in the conventional construction is not necessary, and the long member (e.g. a wire harness) mounting operation can be simplified as compared with the conventional construction.
A plurality of flange portions may extend radially from the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion, and the flange portions may have a thickness larger than a thickness of the second cylindrical portion.
The flange portions may be arranged at equal intervals, or may be arranged at unequal intervals.
In this grommet, the thickness of the flange portions is larger than the thickness of the second cylindrical portion. Therefore, the second cylindrical portion is inverted, and then when the open end thereof is pressed against the mounting plate, the flange portions are deformed to jointly assume a generally-tapering tubular shape, with their distal ends moved toward each other. At this time, as compared with the case where a flange portion of an annular, continuous shape is formed, irregular wri
Arai Hiroaki
Goto Hiroki
Kaneko Nobutaka
Mochizuki Yasunari
Kincaid Kristine
Patel Dhiru R
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Yazaki -Corporation
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