U.S. patent number RE38,788 [Application Number 10/140,194] was granted by the patent office on 2005-09-06 for grommet.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Ryouji Mori, Minoru Satou.
United States Patent |
RE38,788 |
Satou , et al. |
September 6, 2005 |
Grommet
Abstract
The present invention relates to a grommet capable of easy
installation by reducing an insertion resistance when conducting an
insertion of the grommet into an opening of a vehicle panel. The
configuration of the grommet allows molds for forming the grommet
to have reduced processing costs, and molding and installation time
can also be decreased. The grommet includes wire harness holding
areas for tightly engaging around the periphery of the wire harness
and an engagement area which fixedly engages an opening provided on
a vehicle panel. A tapered area connects a wire harness holding
area and an engagement area with a near-conical tapered surface
extending over the outer surface of a tapered area, and a plurality
of linear convex areas are provided to extend from a wire harness
holding area to the engagement area, in an insertion direction of
the grommet over the entire periphery on the tapered area.
Inventors: |
Satou; Minoru (Yokkaichi,
JP), Mori; Ryouji (Fujisawa, JP) |
Assignee: |
Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
(Yokkaichi, JP)
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Family
ID: |
34890811 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/140,194 |
Filed: |
May 8, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
102579 |
Jun 23, 1998 |
06058562 |
May 9, 2000 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jul 4, 1997 [JP] |
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9-179747 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
16/2.1;
174/153G |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16L
5/10 (20130101); Y10T 16/05 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
F16L
5/00 (20060101); H02G 3/22 (20060101); F16L
005/00 (); H02G 003/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;16/2.1,2.2,2.5
;277/606,630,919 ;411/508,509,913,907 ;248/56
;174/65G,152G,152R,153G,167 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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19904549 |
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Aug 2000 |
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DE |
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0888931 |
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Jan 1999 |
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EP |
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2547452 |
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Dec 1984 |
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FR |
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61193429 |
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Dec 1986 |
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JP |
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62-57332 |
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Apr 1987 |
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JP |
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1-68625 |
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May 1989 |
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JP |
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1-160880 |
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Nov 1989 |
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JP |
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2-125518 |
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Oct 1990 |
|
JP |
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5-198228 |
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Aug 1993 |
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JP |
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6-231643 |
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Aug 1994 |
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JP |
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7-115286 |
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May 1995 |
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JP |
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9-69320 |
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Mar 1997 |
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JP |
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9-82161 |
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Mar 1997 |
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JP |
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10-12072 |
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Jan 1998 |
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JP |
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11-27834 |
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Jan 1999 |
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JP |
|
Other References
English Language Abstract of JP 11-27834. .
English Language Abstract of JP 6-231643. .
English Language Abstract of DE 199-04 549. .
Copy of an English Language Abstract of JP No. 7-115286. .
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 1997, No. 07, published on Jul. 31,
1997. .
English Language Abstract of FR 2547452. .
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 017, No. 625, published on Nov. 18,
1993. .
Notice of Reasons for Revocation of the Japanese Patent Office in
the Opposition (Opposition No. 2001-73290, dated Feb. 22, 2002),
with an English Translation..
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Primary Examiner: Mah; Chuck Y.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Greenblum & Bernstein,
P.L.C.
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A grommet comprising: a linear holder portion adapted to tightly
engage around the periphery of a member inserted therethrough, an
engagement area for engagement with an installation opening through
which said linear holder portion is arranged to penetrate; a
tapered portion which connects said linear holder portion and said
engagement area; wherein a plurality of linear convex areas are
provided on said tapered portion and are arranged to extend from
adjacent said engagement area toward said holder portion around the
entire periphery of said tapered portion and are configured to
slidably contact an edge of the installation opening during
insertion, wherein said linear convex areas are formed from a
material that is harder than that forming said tapered portion,
thereby reducing insertion resistance of the grommet during
installation.
2. A grommet in accordance with claim 1, wherein said linear convex
areas terminate adjacent said holder portion.
3. A grommet in accordance with claim 1, wherein said linear convex
areas project a distance above said tapered portion, said distance
tapers from a greater distance at an end thereof adjacent said
engagement area to a lesser distance at the opposite end
thereof.
4. A grommet in accordance with claim 1, wherein said linear convex
areas extend no more than half the distance between said engagement
area and said holder portion.
5. A grommet in accordance with claim 4, wherein said linear convex
areas project a distance above said tapered portion, said distance
tapers from a greater distance at an end thereof adjacent said
engagement area to a lesser distance at the opposite end
thereof.
6. A grommet in accordance with claim 1, including a second linear
holder portion adapted to tightly engage around the periphery of a
member inserted therethrough, said second holder portion formed on
said grommet adjacent said engagement area.
7. A grommet in accordance with claim 1, wherein said engagement
area is configured to be circular.
8. A grommet in accordance with claim 1, wherein said engagement
area is configured to be non-circular.
9. A grommet comprising: a linear holder portion adapted to tightly
engage around the periphery of a member inserted therethrough, an
engagement area for engagement with an installation opening through
which said linear holder portion is arranged to penetrate; and a
tapered portion which connects said linear holder portion and said
engagement area; wherein a plurality of linear concave areas are
provided on said tapered portion and are arranged to extend from
adjacent said engagement area toward said linear holder portion
around the entire periphery of said tapered portion, thereby
forming convex tapered portions intermediate said linear concave
areas that slidably contact an edge of the installation opening
during insertion, thereby reducing frictional insertion resistance
of the grommet during installation.
10. A grommet in accordance with claim 9, wherein said linear
concave areas terminate adjacent said holder portion.
11. A grommet in accordance with claim 9, wherein said linear
concave areas allow said tapered area to fold inwardly in the
manner of an umbrella to thereby further reduce insertion
resistance of the grommet during installation.
12. A grommet in accordance with claim 9, wherein said linear
concave areas extend no more than half the distance between said
engagement area and said holder portion.
13. A grommet in accordance with claim 9, wherein said linear
concave areas are arranged to be equally spaced about said tapered
portion.
14. A grommet in accordance with claim 9, including a second linear
holder portion adapted to tightly engage around the periphery of a
member inserted therethrough and formed on said grommet adjacent
said engagement area.
15. A grommet in accordance with claim 9, wherein said engagement
area is configured to be circular.
16. A grommet in accordance with claim 9, wherein said engagement
area is configured to be non-circular..Iadd.
17. A grommet comprising: a linear holder portion configured to
tightly engage around the periphery of a member inserted
therethrough, an engagement area for engagement with an
installation opening through which said linear holder portion is
arranged to penetrate; a tapered portion which connects said linear
holder portion and said engagement area; a plurality of convex
areas are provided on said tapered portion and are arranged to
extend toward said linear holder portion around the entire
periphery of said tapered portion and are configured to slidably
contact an edge of the installation opening during insertion into
the installation opening, thereby reducing insertion resistance of
the grommet during installation; and wherein at least one of said
convex areas is configured to have an inclined end, said inclined
end located adjacent to said linear holder portion and formed by a
surface inclined with respect to an uppermost surface of said at
least one convex area, such that said inclined end is engageable
with said linear holder portion in the event said linear holder
portion is caused to move toward said engagement area.
.Iaddend..Iadd.
18. The grommet in accordance with claim 17, wherein said convex
areas project a distance above said tapered portion, and said
distance tapers from a greater distance at an end thereof adjacent
said engagement area to a lesser distance at the opposite end
thereof. .Iaddend..Iadd.
19. The grommet in accordance with claim 17, wherein said convex
areas have a uniform protruding height along the length thereof up
to said inclined end. .Iaddend..Iadd.
20. The grommet in accordance with claim 17, including a second
linear holder portion adapted to tightly engage around the
periphery of a member inserted therethrough, said second holder
portion formed on said grommet adjacent said engagement area.
.Iaddend..Iadd.
21. The grommet in accordance with claim 17, wherein said
engagement area is configured to be circular. .Iaddend..Iadd.
22. The grommet in accordance with claim 17, wherein said
engagement area is configured to be non-circular.
.Iaddend..Iadd.
23. The grommet in accordance with claim 17, wherein each said
convex area extends from adjacent said engagement area to a
position adjacent to, but spaced from, said linear holder portion.
.Iaddend..Iadd.
24. The grommet in accordance with claim 17, wherein said plurality
of convex areas comprises more than four. .Iaddend..Iadd.
25. A grommet comprising: a linear holder portion configured to
tightly engage around the periphery of a member inserted
therethrough, an engagement area for engagement with an
installation opening through which said linear holder portion is
arranged to penetrate; a tapered portion which connects said linear
holder portion and said engagement area; a plurality of linear
convex areas are provided on said tapered portion and are arranged
to extend from adjacent said engagement area toward said linear
holder portion around the entire periphery of said tapered portion
and are configured to slidably contact an edge of the installation
opening during insertion into the installation opening, thereby
reducing insertion resistance of the grommet during installation;
and wherein at least one of said convex areas is configured to have
a generally uniform convex section area over the majority of the
length of said at least one convex area. .Iaddend..Iadd.
26. The grommet in accordance with claim 25, wherein said convex
areas have a uniform protruding height along the length thereof up
to an inclined end. .Iaddend..Iadd.
27. The grommet in accordance with claim 25, including a second
linear holder portion adapted to tightly engage around the
periphery of a member inserted therethrough, said second holder
portion formed on said grommet adjacent said engagement area.
.Iaddend..Iadd.
28. The grommet in accordance with claim 25, wherein said
engagement area is configured to be circular. .Iaddend..Iadd.
29. The grommet in accordance with claim 25, wherein said
engagement area is configured to be non-circular.
.Iaddend..Iadd.
30. The grommet in accordance with claim 25, wherein each said
convex area extends from adjacent said engagement area to a
position adjacent to, but spaced from, said linear holder portion.
.Iaddend..Iadd.
31. The grommet in accordance with claim 25, wherein said plurality
of convex areas comprises more than four. .Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grommet which holds a wire
harness having a route that penetrates an opening in a panel,
particularly an opening in a vehicle panel, etc.
2. Description of Background Information
Wire harness arrangement routes for vehicles have recently become
more complicated and versatile as mounting of various electrical
components on vehicles advances. This requires a wide use of parts
for wire harness protection or maintenance, such as harness
protectors for avoiding interference with peripheral parts and
grommets used for penetrating through the openings provided in a
vehicle panel.
In particular, via an opening which is formed in a vehicle panel, a
grommet formed of integrally molded rubber, etc. is generally used
on a wire harness having a route, for instance, from an engine
compartment to a passenger compartment or from a vehicle body to
door areas, for the purpose of holding a cable arrangement route
and avoiding contact with the vehicle panel and resulting damages.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a conventional grommet 10f to be
mounted on a wire harness 16, which is arranged to penetrate a
vehicle panel 20, includes wire harness holding areas 11 and 12 for
engaging around and tightly holding the outer periphery of the
harness. An engagement area 13 is provided for fixedly engaging the
grommet 10f to a predetermined opening formed in the vehicle panel,
and a tapered area 14 connects the wire harness holding area 11 and
the engagement area 13 over a near-conical tapered area. In this
case, the grommet 10f is connected to the wire harness 16 by means
of fixing tapes 17 and 18 at the respective wire harness holding
areas 11 and 12.
The description which follows makes reference to FIGS. 8(a) and
8(b) regarding an insertion operation and an engaged condition
relative to a panel opening in accordance with the conventional
grommet 10f.
As shown in FIG. 8(a), when the grommet 10f, which is fixedly
connected to a wire harness 16, is drawn in an insertion direction,
via an opening from one side (a left side as shown in the drawing)
of a vehicle panel 20, by taking a wire harness holding area side
(left direction in the drawing) provided on the tapered area 14 as
an inserting direction, an insertion resistance arises as a result
of sliding contact at the edge areas between the tapered area 14
and an opening 21. Therefore, by further drawing the grommet 10f
with a force greater than the insertion resistance, applied in the
direction shown by the arrow designated F3, the engagement area 13
is fixedly engaged in the opening 21 as shown in FIG. 8(b), and a
predetermined route is maintained, without harness 16 making
contact with the opening 21.
With the conventional grommet 10f, there was a problem of
considerable worsening of the mounting workability of the wire
harness 16 due to an insertion resistance becoming greater as a
result of sliding contact with the surface of the tapered area 14
over the entire area by the edge of the opening 21 during insertion
of the grommet and harness into the opening 21.
In addition, another factor increasing the insertion resistance
includes the use of material having a higher deformability which
lacks surface slidability such as the integrally molded rubber of
the grommet 10f, which further increases the frictional resistance
with the edge area of the opening 21, thereby necessitating a
greater drawing force F3.
One known solution to this problem is shown in the Japanese
unexamined Patent Publication No. (Hei) 7-115286. Such a method as
reducing a frictional resistance, or insertion resistance, by
applying many minute concave/convex areas on the surface of a
tapered area, namely, applying a electrical discharge process,
thereby making a contact area with an edge area smaller at
insertion when inserting the work into the opening.
According to this known solution, a method for forming
concave/convex areas on the mold die by electrical discharge
machining is generally utilized to form a plurality of
concave/convex areas on the tapered surface of the grommet formed
from integrally molded rubber, thus forming concave/convex areas on
the tapered area formed on the integrally molded rubber grommet.
However, the electrical discharge machine has an extremely slow
processing speed compared with the case of using normal NC
processing (mechanical processing by use of cutting tools), and a
problem of higher processing cost.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a grommet that
allows easy engagement by reducing an insertion resistance during
insertion of the grommet into the opening of vehicle panel, thereby
providing a grommet capable of reducing the machining cost for
molding dies as well as the machining time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective according to one
aspect of the present invention, a grommet is provided that
includes a linear holder portion adapted to tightly engage around
the periphery of a member inserted therein, an engagement area for
engagement with an installation opening into which the linear
holder portion is arranged to penetrate, and a tapered portion
which connects the linear holder portion and the engagement area. A
plurality of linear convex areas are provided to extend around the
periphery of outer surface of the tapered portion to extend from
the linear holder portion to the engagement area, and are
configured to slidably contact an edge of the installation opening,
thus reducing insertion resistance of the grommet during
installation.
In another aspect of the present invention, the grommet of the
present invention includes a linear holder portion adapted to
tightly engage around the periphery of a member inserted
therethrough, an engagement area for engagement with an
installation opening through which the linear portion is arranged
to penetrate. The grommet is further formed with a tapered portion
that connects the linear holder portion and the engagement area. A
plurality of linear concave areas are provided on the tapered
portion and are arranged to extend from adjacent the engagement
area side toward the linear holder portion side around the entire
periphery of the tapered portion. Thus, convex tapered areas are
formed between adjacent linear concave areas, and the convex
tapered areas are configured to slidably contact the edge of the
installation opening in the panel, thus reducing insertion
resistance of the grommet during installation. Additionally, the
linear concave areas allow the tapered area to fold inwardly in the
manner of an umbrella or a bellows to thereby further reduce
insertion resistance of the grommet during installation.
According to the grommet of the present invention, by providing a
linear convex area or linear concave area in an insertion direction
over the full periphery of the tapered area, only an upper surface
of the linear convex areas or convex tapered areas formed between
adjacent linear concave areas make sliding contact with the edge of
the installation opening during insertion into or engagement with
the predetermined opening area of the grommet. Therefore, the
grommet structure of the present invention allows the insertion
resistance to be reduced by reducing the contact area between the
installation opening area and the grommet during insertion, also
improving a mounting workability of a wire harness by reducing the
drawing force required during insertion of the grommet.
Other aspects of the present invention include forming the linear
convex areas of the grommet from a material that is harder than
that forming the tapered portion, thereby further reducing the
insertion resistance of the grommet, forming the linear convex
areas to terminate adjacent the holder portion, forming the linear
convex areas and linear concave areas to terminate adjacent the
holder portion, and forming the linear convex areas to project a
distance above the tapered portion so that the distance of
projection tapers from a greater distance at an end thereof
adjacent the engagement area to a lesser distance at the opposite
end thereof.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the linear
convex areas and the linear concave areas can be configured to
extend no more than half the distance between the engagement area
and the holder portion. Moreover, the grommet of the present
invention can include a second linear holder portion adapted to
tightly engage around the periphery of the wire harness inserted
therethrough, the second holder portion being formed on the grommet
adjacent the engagement area.
Furthermore, the grommet of the present invention is not limited to
any particular shape, but can be configured with an engagement area
having various shapes, including circular, non-circular, generally
elliptical or generally rectangular. The grommet can also be
configured such that the linear concave areas and linear convex
areas are arranged to be equally spaced about the tapered
portion.
Furthermore, since a linear convex area or a linear concave area is
formed on the tapered area by utilizing a cutting process on the
tapered area of the molding die using machining processing or a
processing on the ridge area in advance. Accordingly, a grommet is
extremely easily formed which has a predetermined linear convex
area or linear concave area within a short period of time. Thus, it
is possible to control the molding die processing to be less
complicated while making the processing time shorter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features and advantages of the present
invention will be made apparent from the following description of
the preferred embodiments, given as non-limiting examples, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference
numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of
the drawings:
FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) show a first embodiment of the grommet of the
present invention.
FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) depict an insertion operation and an engaged
condition of the grommet of the present invention,
respectively.
FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) show a second embodiment of the grommet of the
present invention.
FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) show a third embodiment of the grommet of the
present invention.
FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) show a fourth embodiment of the grommet of the
present invention.
FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) show another embodiment of the grommet of the
present invention.
FIG. 7. is a drawing depicting a grommet of the prior art.
FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) show an insertion operation and an engaged
condition of the grommet of the prior art, respectively.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A first embodiment of the grommet of the present invention will now
be described with regard to the present invention in reference to
FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b). As shown in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b), a grommet
10a includes wire harness holding areas 11 and 12 which tightly
engage and hold the outer periphery of a wire harness. An
engagement area 13 is provided to fixedly engage with an
installation opening provided in a vehicle panel. A tapered area 14
having a near-conical tapered shape over a full periphery thereof
extends between the wire harness holding area 11 and the engagement
area 13, and plurality of spaced linear convex areas 15a are
provided to extend from an engagement area 13 side toward a wire
harness holding area side over the entire periphery of the tapered
area 14, that is, in an inserted direction of the grommet.
The linear convex surfaces 15a are integrally formed with the
grommet from the same material as that of the grommet, which is
achieved by utilizing a machining process to form a plurality of
grooves, which correspond to the linear convex surfaces 15a, by
applying the machining processing to the molding die in the area
corresponding to the tapered area 14. Therefore, the processing
work can be readily accomplished within a short period of time at a
lower cost.
In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b), a grommet
structure is shown in which each linear convex surface 15a is
uniformly arranged on the tapered area 14. That is, each linear
convex surface has a uniform length, protruding height, convex
section area, and a uniform radiating shape with uniform angle from
wire harness holding area 11 is shown. Nevertheless, the present
invention is not limited to this structure alone.
The following description is of an insertion and engaged condition
of grommet 10a with an installation opening according to the first
embodiment of the invention with reference to FIGS. 2(a) and
2(b).
As shown in FIG. 2(b), a grommet 10a, which is fixedly attached
with fixing tapes 17 and 18 to the outer peripheral surface of the
wire harness 16 by the wire harness holding areas 11 and 12, is
inserted by applying a force to a wire harness holding area 11
(right direction in the drawing) in which a tapered area 14 is
provided as an inserted direction. Only an upper surface of each
linear convex area 15a, which projects and extends above the
remaining surface of the tapered area 14, slidably makes contact
with the edge of the opening 21.
In this case, since the contact area between the edge of the linear
convex area 15a and opening area 21 is only determined by the width
of upper surface of the linear convex areas 15a, an insertion
resistance is reduced when compared with a conventional grommet
structure (FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b)) which makes contact with the edge
of the opening 21 about the full periphery of the tapered area 14.
Therefore, by applying an insertion force (arrow designated F1)
smaller than the arrow designated F3 as shown in the conventional
structure (FIG. 8(a)), an engagement area 13 of grommet 10a is
fixedly engaged in the opening area 21 as shown in FIG. 2(b), and a
predetermined arranged route is maintained without the wire harness
16 making contact with the opening 21.
Particularly, since a linear convex area 15a representing the
feature of the first embodiment is integrally formed on tapered
area 14 from rubber or other elastomeric material, which is the
same material as that of the grommet, can inhibit deformation as
compared with that of other tapered area 14 due to the thickness of
the region in which the linear convex areas are formed, areas 15a
become thicker, and the upper surface thereof alone can slidably
contact the edge of the opening 21 with good lubrication and
deformation is inhibited even in the event the linear convex areas
15a have a narrow width.
Moreover, while the linear convex areas 15a have been disclosed to
include a structure formed integrally of rubber or other
elastomeric material, which material is the same as that of grommet
10a, the present invention is not so limited. For example, by
forming the linear areas 15a separately by using a two-color
forming method, or the like, with a material harder than that of
main portion of grommet 10a, the insertion resistance can by
further decreased with the width of linear convex area 15a being
made narrower.
The second embodiment of the grommet relating to the present
invention is described as follows with reference to FIGS. 3(a) and
3(b). In this case, for the structure corresponding to the first
embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to describe like
parts, and additional description has been omitted. As shown in
FIG. 3(a), the grommet 10b has a plurality of linear concave areas
15b provided to extend in an insertion direction of the grommet 10b
over the entire periphery of the outer surface of the tapered area
14. Such a grommet 10b can easily be produced at a lower cost with
a short processing time, by forming a plurality of ridge areas
corresponding to the linear concave areas 15b in advance by
mechanically processing the die surface which corresponds to the
tapered area 14. A description follows with reference to FIG. 3(b)
of an insertion of the grommet 10b within an opening in accordance
with the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3(b), with wire harness holding areas 11 and 12,
when a grommet 10b, that is fixedly connected to the wire harness
16 with fixing tapes 17 and 18, is inserted by taking the wire
harness holding area 11 side (right direction in the drawing) as an
insertion direction, only the convex tapered areas 14a adjacent the
linear concave areas 15b provided on the tapered area 14 slidably
engage the edge of the opening 21. Furthermore, as the grommet 10b
is inserted into the opening 21, the convex tapered areas 14a
engage the edge of the opening 21, and the concave areas 15b allow
the tapered area 14 to fold inwardly, like an umbrella or a
bellows, thereby further reducing the insertion force required for
installation.
In this case, as the contact area which is made between the tapered
area 14 formed by the linear concave areas 15b and an opening 21 is
determined by the convex tapered areas 14a, the insertion
resistance is further reduced compared with that of the
conventional structure (FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b)). Therefore, by
applying an insertion force (arrow designated F2) smaller than the
insertion force as shown for the conventional structure (arrow
designated F3 in FIG. 8(a)), the engagement area 13 of grommet 10a
is fixedly engaged in the opening 21, and thus a predetermined
route is maintained by the wire harness 16 which does not make
contact with the edge of the opening 21.
Particularly, the linear concave area 15b which is a feature of the
present embodiment is provided to extend in an insertion direction
over the entire periphery of the tapered area 14 of the grommet 10b
for insertion into the opening 21 of the vehicle panel 20. Thus,
the narrow width convex tapered areas 14a remaining, by forming the
linear concave areas 15b, slidably contact the edge of the opening
in 21. Therefore, the contact area can be reduced in comparison
with the situation of the prior art where contact is made with a
full periphery of the tapered area 14, and the tapered area 14 is
permitted to fold inwardly during installation, thereby enabling
the insertion resistance to be reduced.
Next, description follows with reference to FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) of
the third embodiment of the grommet relating to the present
invention. In this case, for the structure corresponding to that of
the first embodiment, the same reference numeral is used to
describe like parts, additional description has been omitted.
As shown in FIG. 4(a), a grommet 10c has a plurality of linear
convex areas 15a which are provided to extend in an insertion
direction of grommet 10c over the entire periphery on the outer
surface thereof from adjacent the engagement area 13 side toward,
but spaced from, the wire harness holding area 11 side of the
tapered area 14.
The insertion engaged condition of grommet 10c with opening 21 is,
as shown in FIG. 4(b), effected as follows: the grommet 10c is
introduced by taking the wire harness holding area 11 side (right
direction in the drawing) as an insertion direction, and only the
upper surface of the linear convex areas 15a, which are provided to
project from the outer surface of the tapered area 14 near the
engagement area 13, can make sliding contact with the edge area of
the opening area 21. And, in addition, by applying an insertion
force (arrow designated F1' of FIG. 4(b)), the engagement area 13
is fixedly engaged within the opening 21.
That is, since the opening 21 is formed so that the dimension
thereof nearly corresponds to the formed dimension of the
engagement area 13, normally the wire harness holding area 11 side
of the tapered area 14 does not make direct contact with the edge
of the opening 21. Therefore, even if the structure does not
include a linear convex area 15a on this area, the linear area 15a
adjacent to the engagement area 13 side makes contact with the edge
of the opening 21. Thus, in a manner similar to the first
embodiment, the contact area of the grommet 10c and the opening 21
is determined by the width of the upper surfaces of the linear
convex areas 15a, thereby reducing the insertion resistance when
compared with the conventional structure (FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b))
which contacts the edge of the opening 21 over the entire periphery
of the tapered area 14.
Description follows with reference to FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) of the
fourth embodiment of the grommet relating to the present invention.
In this case, for the structure corresponding to that of the second
embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to describe like
parts, and additional explanation thereof has been omitted.
As shown in FIG. 5(a), the grommet 10d has a plurality of linear
concave areas 15b provided to extend in an insertion direction of
grommet 10d over the entire periphery of only the outer surface
adjacent the engagement area 13 side, and the concave areas 15b are
spaced from the wire harness holding area 11 side of the tapered
area 14.
The insertion engaged condition of grommet 10d with opening 21 is,
as shown in FIG. 5(b), effected as follows: the grommet 10d is
introduced by taking the wire harness holding area 11 side (right
direction in the drawing) as an insertion direction, and only the
convex tapered areas 14a formed by the linear concave areas 15b,
which are provided to extend from the outer surface of the tapered
area 14 adjacent the engagement area 13, slidably contacts the edge
of the opening 21. Additionally, by applying an insertion force
(arrow designated F2' of FIG. 5(b)), the engagement area 13 is
fixedly engaged with the opening 21.
That is, since the dimension of the opening 21 is roughly formed to
correspond with the dimension of the form of the engagement area
13, a wire harness holding area side 11 of the tapered area 14
normally does not directly make contact with the edge of the
opening. Therefore, even if the structure does not include linear
concave area 15b formed adjacent the wire harness holding area 11
side, a contact area of the tapered area of the grommet 10d and the
edge of the opening 21 is determined by the convex tapered areas
14a which are formed between respective linear concave areas 15b in
the same manner as in the second embodiment. Because the convex
tapered areas 14a, adjacent the engagement area 13 side, remaining
by forming the linear concave areas 15b make contact with the edge
of the opening 21, and the tapered area 14 including the concave
areas 15b can fold inwardly as in the second embodiment, insertion
resistance can be reduced compared with the conventional structure
(FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b)) which contacts the edge of the opening 21
over the entire periphery of the tapered area 14.
In this case, with each of the above-described embodiments,
although grommets 10a-10d are shown which have a tapered area 14
connecting the wire harness holding area 11 and the engagement area
13 which is near-conically formed, and the engagement area 13 is
formed to have a generally circular shape, the present invention is
not necessarily restricted to this configuration. For example, as
shown in FIG. 6(a) and FIG. 6(b), the structure may include an
engagement area 13 having a near elliptical shape, or a near oval
shape, and the grommet 10e is formed with linear convex areas 15a
or linear concave areas 15b (not shown). When inserting a grommet
10e within the opening 21, as long as the tapered area 14 has a
shape that can make contact with the edge of the opening 21, and
linear convex areas 15a or linear concave areas 15b are provided in
an insertion direction so that the contact area between the edge
and tapered area 14 of the opening area 21 is reduced, the same
operational effects as those of other embodiments can be
expected.
As mentioned above, according to the grommet of the present
invention, by providing linear convex areas or linear concave areas
which extend in an insertion direction of the grommet over the full
periphery of the tapered surface which forms the tapered area,
since only the surface on which the linear convex areas on the
upper surface, or the tapered convex surfaces formed between the
linear concave areas, slidably contact the edge of the opening when
inserting or engaging the grommet of a predetermined opening area,
thus the contact area between the grommet and the edge of the
opening is reduced. Accordingly, the insertion resistance is
subsequently reduced, also reducing the force upon insertion and
engaging, thereby improving a workability during mounting of the
wire harness.
In addition, because the linear convex area or the linear concave
area which are provided to extend on the tapered area can be formed
on a grommet having a predetermined linear convex area or a linear
concave area by applying a cutting process to the tapered area of
molding die using a mechanical processing, or by applying a forming
ridge shape area in advance, which consequently enables molding die
production cost to be controlled without making the molding die
processing method more complicated and increasing the production
time.
The advantages and improved results furnished by the method and
apparatus of the present invention are apparent from the foregoing
description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. Various
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as described in the appended
claims.
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in
priority Japanese Application No. HEI 9-179747filed on Jul. 4,
1997, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
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