cable entry

Abstract

Cable entry (1) which is formed into a tubular shape to cover an electrical wire and is configured to be attached to a mounting hole (101) of a plate element (100), the cable entry (1) comprising: a cable entry body (10) with a first flange section (31) and an annular lip section (32), wherein the first flange section (31) is configured to face the plate element (100), the annular lip section (32) extending from an inner circumferential section of the first flange section (31) to the plate element (100) to establish elastic contact with a planar section (102) around the mounting hole (101); and an inner element (200) that can be attached to the cable entry body (10) and is made of a material that has a higher degree of hardness than a material used to form the cable entry body (10), the inner element (200) comprises: an inner flange section (201) which can be arranged in the first flange section (31); an insertion section (202) that can be inserted into the mounting hole (101); and an engagement section (203) which can be brought into engagement with a surface of the plate element (100) on one side opposite to the cable entry body (10), characterized by the fact that the annular lip section (32) has a projection section (323) that projects towards the planar section (102) and is configured such that it only abuts the planar section (102) on a radially inner side as an outer circumferential edge of the inner flange section (201), and the projecting section (323) of the annular lip section (32) is arranged sandwich-like between the flat section (102) and the flange section (201).

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a cable bushing which is designed such that it can be fastened to a fastening hole of a plate element. Background of the invention

[0002] When an electrical wire is mounted on a vehicle door and supplied with electrical power, a grommet may be used to protect the electrical wire from water. For example, in a vehicle with a spring-loaded rear door, one end of the grommet covering the electrical wire may be attached to a vehicle body-side panel member, while the other end of the grommet may be attached to a door-side panel member near a hinge portion of the rear door.

[0003] In one known example of such a grommet, a flange portion facing the plate member and an annular lip portion contacting an opening edge (flat portion) of the mounting hole are arranged to abut each other, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP 2014-33564 A (hereinafter referred to as "JP'564"). In the grommet described in JP'564, the annular lip portion and the flange portion abut each other, and the annular lip portion is sandwiched between the flange portion and the plate member, thereby tightly pressing the annular lip portion against the opening edge. Summary of the invention

[0004] However, the cable grommet described in JP'564 has the disadvantage that, since the flange portion is made of a soft material similar to the material of the annular lip portion, sufficient pressing force cannot be achieved when the annular lip portion is wedged between the plate member and the flange portion. Thus, it is desirable to provide a configuration that allows the annular lip portion to be pressed more firmly against the plate member.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a cable bushing configured such that an annular lip portion can be firmly pressed against a plate member.

[0006] The present invention provides a grommet formed into a tubular shape to cover an electrical wire and configured to be attached to a mounting hole of a plate member. The grommet includes a grommet body and an inner member. The grommet body includes a first flange portion formed to face the plate member and an annular lip portion extending from an inner peripheral portion of the first flange portion toward the plate member to make elastic contact with a flat portion around the mounting hole. The inner member is configured to be attachable to the grommet body and is formed of a material having a higher degree of hardness than a material used to form the grommet body.The inner member includes an inner flange portion that can be arranged in the first flange portion, an insertion portion that can be inserted into the mounting hole, and an engagement portion that can be engaged with a surface of the plate member on a side opposite the cable grommet body. The annular lip portion is formed to abut the flat portion on the radially inner side from an outer peripheral edge of the inner flange portion.

[0007] According to the above-described cable grommet of the present invention, the annular lip portion abuts the flat portion on a radially inner side from the outer peripheral edge of the inner flange portion, and the abutment portion of the annular lip portion is sandwiched between the flat portion and the inner flange portion. Here, since the inner member is formed of a material having a higher hardness than the material of the cable grommet body, the annular lip portion can be firmly pressed against the plate member. Short description of the drawings Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a cable bushing according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a top view of the cable entry; Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a fixing portion of the cable gland; Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of the cable gland; Fig. Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the cable gland attached to the plate member; Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the cable gland attached to another plate element; and Fig. Figure 7 shows a side view of a section of the cable entry. Detailed description of the exemplary embodiment of the invention

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a cable bushing 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a top view of the cable entry 1. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a fastening section 3 of the cable bushing 1. Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a section of the cable gland 1. Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the cable gland 1 attached to a plate member 100A. Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the cable bushing 1, which is attached to another plate element 100B. Fig. 7 shows a side view of a section of the cable gland 1.

[0009] As in the Fig. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the grommet 1 according to this embodiment is formed into a tubular shape to cover an electric wire and configured to be attached to a mounting hole 101 of a plate member 100. The grommet 1 is configured to be mounted, for example, on a vehicle having a spring-loaded rear door near a hinge portion of the rear door. The grommet 1 includes a grommet body 10 and an inner member 200. The grommet body 10 includes a corrugated tube portion 2 through which an electric wire is inserted, and attachment portions 3 that are attached to the plate member. The corrugated tube portion 2 and the attachment portions 3 are made of a soft resin and are integrally formed.The fastening sections 3 are formed at both ends of the corrugated tube section 2 and are configured to be fastened, for example, to a vehicle-side panel element and a door-side panel element, respectively. In this embodiment, the two fastening sections 3 have the same structure.

[0010] The corrugated tube section 2 is bellows-shaped and is flexible, expandable, and shrinkable. Thus, the corrugated tube section 2 deforms appropriately in accordance with the opening and closing of the rear door.

[0011] The fixing portion 3 has a tubular shape with an opening on a side closer to the plate member 100 and has an oval shape when viewed from the side of the plate member 100. As shown in Fig. 4, the fixing portion 3 has, on its opening side, a first flange portion 31 formed to face the plate member 100, and an annular lip portion 32 formed continuously with an inner peripheral portion 311 of the first flange portion 31 and extending toward the plate member 100.

[0012] The first flange portion 31 is a portion having a diameter larger than other parts of the fixing portion 3 and having a flange shape that follows the plate member 100. A concave inner member housing 312 is formed on an inner diameter side of the first flange portion 31. The inner member housing 312 is configured to receive a flange portion 201 of the inner member 200, described later.

[0013] The inner member 200 is arranged on the radially inner side of the fixing portion 3 of the grommet 1 and configured to pass an electrical wire therethrough. The inner member 200 is formed of a resin having a higher hardness than the material of the grommet 1. The inner member 200 includes a flange portion (inner flange portion) 201, a tubular portion 202, and engaging portions 203 arranged in this order in a direction from the grommet 1 toward the plate member 100.

[0014] The flange portion 201 has a larger diameter than the mounting hole 101 and is formed to face the plate member 100. By disposing the flange portion 201 in the inner member housing 312, the inner member 200 is fixed to the mounting portion 3. The tubular portion 202 has a smaller diameter than the mounting hole 101 so that it can be inserted into the mounting hole 101. The engaging portions 203 are inclined such that their diameter decreases toward their tip end side, while the outer diameter of the engaging portions 203 is larger than the inner diameter of the mounting hole 101. Thus, when the engaging portions 203 are inserted into the mounting hole 101, the engaging portions 203 engage an inner surface of the plate member 100 (that is, a surface on the opposite side of the grommet body 10).

[0015] As described above, the cable grommet 1 includes the inner member 200, with which the cable grommet 1 is fixed to the plate member 100. Furthermore, a portion of the cable grommet body 10 and a portion of the plate member 100 around the fixing hole 101 are sandwiched between the flange portion 201 and the engaging portions 203.

[0016] The annular lip portion 32 makes elastic contact with the flat portion 102 of the plate member 100 around the mounting hole 101 to ensure watertightness. The annular lip portion 32 includes a tubular portion 321 formed continuously with the inner peripheral portion 311 of the first flange portion 31, a second flange portion 322 formed continuously with a tip end of the tubular portion 321, and a protrusion portion 323 protruding from the second flange portion 322.

[0017] The tubular portion 321 is formed into a tubular shape that extends along an extension direction corresponding to a direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate element 100. The second flange portion 322 extends radially outward from the tubular portion 321 and extends substantially parallel to the plate element 100. The projection portion 323 projects toward the flat portion 102. The second flange portion 322 has a flange projection 324 that projects radially farther outward than the projection portion 323.

[0018] The first flange portion 31 extends substantially parallel to the plate element 100, while the tubular portion 321 extends substantially perpendicularly with respect to the plate element 100. Accordingly, a substantially rectangular first bending portion 33 is formed between the first flange portion 31 and the tubular portion 321. The tubular portion 321 extends substantially perpendicularly with respect to the plate element 100, while the second flange portion 322 extends substantially parallel to the plate element 100. Accordingly, a substantially rectangular second bending portion 34 is formed between the tubular portion 321 and the second flange portion 322.

[0019] In the fastening portion 3, the first flange portion 31, the tubular portion 321, and the second flange portion 322 together form an outer concave portion 35 having a concave outer surface. The second flange portion 322 has a radial dimension that is less than the depth of the inner member casing 312 of the first flange portion 31. Thus, the tip end of the protruding portion 323 (i.e., a portion in contact with the flat portion 102) is located radially further inward than the bottom portion of the inner member casing 312. A radially outer edge of the flange portion 201 of the inner member 200 is formed to abut against the bottom portion of the inner member casing 312 such that the tip end of the protruding portion 323 overlaps the flange portion 201 along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate member 100.The projection portion 323 is prevented from moving radially outward, as will be described later, so that the annular lip portion 32 abuts against the flat portion 102 at a position radially inward than the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 201.

[0020] The fastening portion 3 has a plurality of ribs 36 that connect the annular lip portion 32 and the first flange portion 31. The ribs 36 are spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals along the opening of the fastening portion 3. The ribs 36 extend obliquely from a radially outer end of the second flange portion 322 and further extend radially outward and are connected to the first flange portion 31. When the annular lip portion 32 deforms, as described later, the ribs 36 also deform.

[0021] The tip end of the flange projection 324 corresponds to the tip end edge of the entire annular lip portion 32. As in Fig. As shown in Fig. 7, the tip end edge of the annular lip portion 32 is located further inward than a virtual straight line connecting the outer edge 313 of the first flange portion 31 on the plate member 100 side with an outer edge 204 of the inner member 200. Thus, when the fixing portion 3 is placed horizontally on a suitable support surface (that is, placed with its opening facing the horizontal direction), the tip end edge of the annular lip portion 32 does not contact the support surface even if the fixing portion 3 is inclined relative to the support surface.

[0022] The following describes the deformation of the annular lip portion 32 during the attachment of the cable bushing 1 to the plate element 100. First, with reference to Fig. 4, the case of using a plate member 100A is described. The plate member 100A is formed such that the sum of a dimension L2, which is a dimension of the fastening portion 3 between the flange portion 201 and the engaging portion 203, and a thickness t1, which is the thickness of the plate member, is slightly larger than a distance L1 between the flange portion 201 and the engaging portion 203 in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate member. When the engaging portions 203 engage the plate member 100A, the tip end of the projection portion 323 of the annular lip portion 32 abuts against the flat portion 102, and the fastening portion 3 hardly deforms.

[0023] In the following, with reference to Fig. 5, the case of using a plate member 100B is described. The plate member 100B is formed such that the sum of the dimension L2 and a thickness t2 of this plate member is even greater than the distance L1. When the engaging portions 203 engage the plate member 100B, the tip end of the projection portion 323 of the annular lip portion 32 abuts the flat portion 102. At this time, the fastening portion 3 deforms because the respective members have the previously described dimensional relationship, and the material of the cable grommet 1 is softer than that of the plate member 100B and the inner member 200.

[0024] In particular, when the second flange portion 322 is moved toward the first flange portion 31, the second bending portion 34 is bent and thereby acutely angled. At the same time, the outer concave portion 35 forms a clearance for the movement of the second flange portion 322. Such deformation causes the projection portion 323 to move along an arc centered on the second bent portion 34, that is, the projection portion 323 is thereby moved toward the first flange portion 31 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate member and, moreover, also moved radially inward. Subsequently, the projection portion 323 of the annular lip portion 32 rests against the flat portion 102 as in the Fig. 4 case.

[0025] As described above, when the annular lip portion 32 is brought into elastic contact with the flat portion 102 of the plate member 100 and thereby deforms, the projection portion 323 abutting against the flat portion 102 moves substantially in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate member, thereby restricting radially outward movement. That is, since the annular lip portion 32 extends entirely in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate member 100, when the annular lip portion 32 is brought into elastic contact with the flat portion 102, the annular lip portion 32 is compressed in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate member and deforms. At this time, the projection portion 323 moves radially inward.Since the protrusion portion 323 is formed into a curved surface, the contact state shifts from the state where the tip end of the protrusion portion 323 is in contact with the flat portion 102 to the state where a portion of the protrusion portion 323 located radially further inward than the tip end is in contact with the flat portion 102 according to the above-described deformation. At this time, the contact point between the flat portion 102 and the protrusion portion 323 remains substantially constant, and at least the protrusion portion 323 is not moved radially outward (that is, the contact point does not move radially outward).

[0026] The embodiment of the present invention described herein can provide the following advantageous effects. The annular lip portion 32 abuts against the flat portion 102 at a position on a radially inner side than the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 201, and the protrusion portion 323 of the annular lip portion 32 is accordingly located between the flat portion 102 and the flange portion 201. Thus, since the inner member 200 is formed of a material having a higher hardness than that of the grommet body 10, the annular lip portion 32 can be firmly pressed against the plate member 100.

[0027] Furthermore, the annular lip portion 32 is compressed in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the plate member, and the contact point of the flat portion 102 with the flange projection 324 is prevented from being displaced radially outward during elastic contact. Consequently, the annular lip portion 32 can be more easily brought into contact with the flat portion 102 at a position radially further inward than the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 201.

[0028] The present invention is not limited to the technical means and features described above, and may include any other possible technical aspects within the scope of the present invention. The embodiment of the present invention has been described herein by way of example in all aspects and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is intended to include various modifications that may be made by those skilled in the art regarding shapes, materials, quantities, and other details without departing from the technical spirit and spirit of the present invention. Any shapes, materials, and / or details described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative so that the present invention may be better and more clearly understood.The scope of the present invention includes all structural elements and the designations described herein, with or without limitations, in whole or in part, of materials, shapes, etc. List of reference symbols 1 cable entry 10 cable entry bodies 31 first flange section 32 annular lip section 321 tubular section 322 second flange section 34 second bending section 100 plate element 101 Mounting hole 102 flat section 200 interior elements 201 Flange section (inner flange section) 202 insertion section 203 intervention section 323 projection section

Claims

[1] A cable grommet (1) formed into a tubular shape to cover an electric wire and configured to be fixed to a fixing hole (101) of a plate member (100), the cable grommet (1) comprising: a cable bushing body (10) having a first flange portion (31) and an annular lip portion (32), wherein the first flange portion (31) is formed to face the plate member (100), the annular lip portion (32) extending from an inner peripheral portion of the first flange portion (31) to the plate member (100) to make elastic contact with a flat portion (102) around the mounting hole (101); and an inner element (200) which is attachable to the cable bushing body (10) and is made of a material which has a higher degree of hardness than a material used to form the cable bushing body (10), wherein the inner element (200) comprises: an inner flange portion (201) which can be arranged in the first flange portion (31); an insertion portion (202) insertable into the mounting hole (101); and an engagement portion (203) engageable with a surface of the plate member (100) on a side opposite to the cable bushing body (10), characterized by , that the annular lip portion (32) has a projection portion (323) projecting toward the flat portion (102) and configured to abut against the flat portion (102) only on a radially inner side than an outer peripheral edge of the inner flange portion (201), and the projection portion (323) of the annular lip portion (32) is sandwiched between the flat portion (102) and the flange portion (201). [2] Cable bushing (1) according to claim 1, wherein the annular lip portion (32) extends entirely in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the plate member (100), whereby the annular lip portion (32) is compressed and deformed in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate member (100) during the elastic contact. [3] Cable bushing (1) according to claim 2, wherein the annular lip portion (32) comprises: a tubular portion (321) extending from the first flange portion (31) toward the plate member (100); and a second flange portion (322) extending to a tip end of the tubular portion (321) and extending radially outward, wherein a bending portion (34) between the tubular portion (321) and the second flange portion (322) deforms during the elastic contact, and the projection portion (323) projects from the second flange portion (322).

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