Cover unit

Abstract

To provide a cover unit that allows grommets assembled to the cover unit to be properly positioned at the target location. [Solution] The cover unit 1, which will close the opening 7 provided in the panel-shaped part 6 of the vehicle, comprises a plate-shaped main body 4, a grommet 9 that is assembled to an assembly part 4a of the main body 4, and a wire 3 that will be used in the vehicle. The wire 3 is inserted through the grommet 9 and extends along the main body 4, straddling the space between the grommet 9 and the main body 4 without being held by the assembly part 4a. The main body 4 is provided integrally with the main body 4 so as to extend from the periphery of the main body 4 and includes a wire guide part 5 that can guide the wire 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cover unit that closes an opening provided in a panel-like component of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a cover unit has been proposed in which a cover that closes a service hole provided in a vehicle door panel and electric wires or the like routed in the door panel are assembled (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the cover unit according to the present invention has the following features:

[0007] A cover unit that closes an opening provided in a panel-like part of a vehicle, It comprises a plate-shaped main body, a grommet to be attached to an assembly part of the main body, and a wire to be used in the vehicle, The aforementioned wire is It is inserted through the grommet and extends along the main body, straddling the space between the grommet and the main body without being held by the assembly portion. It is a cover unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the cover unit of the present invention, a grommet is assembled to the assembly portion of the main body, and a wire extending along the main body is inserted through the grommet. The wire extends across the space between the grommet and the main body without being held by the assembly portion. In other words, the degree of freedom of the wire's shape between the grommet and the main body is increased. As a result, elastic force is less likely to be generated in the wire compared to when the wire is held by the assembly portion. Consequently, deformation of the assembly portion is suppressed, and the grommet is less likely to come off its designed position when the cover unit is attached to a panel-shaped component. Therefore, the cover unit of the present invention allows the grommet assembled to the cover unit to be properly positioned at the target location.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. Further details of the present invention will be clarified by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a cover unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a magnified perspective view showing the connection between the cover and the grommet. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the mounting bracket portion of the grommet and the clamp that will be attached to the mounting bracket portion. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 4, showing the state in which the clamp is assembled to the mounting stay portion of the grommet. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the mounting bracket portion of the grommet to which the clamp is assembled, and the mounting portion of the cover. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a cover unit 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the cover unit 1 is typically a component that is attached to the side of the door panel 6 of an automobile to cover a service hole 7 (a through-hole for performing maintenance work on electrical components mounted on the door panel 6) provided on the side of the door panel 6 in the passenger compartment.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the cover unit 1 comprises a cover 2 that serves to seal the service hole 7, an electric wire 3 held by the cover 2, and a grommet 9 through which the electric wire 3 is inserted and which is assembled to the cover 2. The electric wire 3 is routed between the car's door panel 6 and the car's body and serves to electrically connect the electrical components mounted on the door panel 6 and the electrical components mounted on the car's body. The grommet 9 serves a water-stopping function to prevent water from flowing from one side of the car's door panel 6 and the car's body to the other by traveling along the outer surface of the electric wire 3, and also serves a protective function to protect the electric wire 3.

[0013] The electric wire 3 is typically a single wire, as shown in Figure 2, and consists of a rod-shaped conductor core and a cylindrical resin insulating sheath covering the outer circumference of the conductor core. The electric wire 3 may also consist of a bundle of multiple wires. In this example, connectors 8 are connected to each of the multiple ends of the electric wire 3 on the cover 2 side (door panel 6 side). The connectors 8 will be connected to electrical components mounted on the door panel 6.

[0014] In this example, electric wire 3 is used as an example of the "wire" held by cover 2. However, other types of wires such as twisted wires and shielded wires, communication cables, hoses, and wire cables may be used as the "wire". Furthermore, the "wire" may be provided with an outer tube, protector, tape, and other components.

[0015] For the sake of explanation, the terms "top," "bottom," "front," "back," "front," and "back" are defined below as shown in Figures 1 to 6. The "vertical direction," "front-rear direction," and "front-back direction" are orthogonal to each other. The vertical direction and the front-rear direction correspond to the vertical and front-rear directions of the automobile, respectively. The front-back direction coincides with the thickness direction of the cover 2, and when the cover 2 is attached to the door panel 6, the "front" side corresponds to the passenger compartment side of the automobile's door panel 6.

[0016] The cover 2 is a resin molded body and, as shown in Figure 1, integrally comprises a flat main body 4 and wire guide sections 5 that extend from multiple locations in the circumferential direction on the outer surface (periphery) of the main body 4 and guide the electric wire 3. Each of the multiple wire guide sections 5 serves the function of guiding the electric wire 3 so that it extends along the outer surface of the main body 4. By providing the wire guide sections 5 on the outer surface (periphery) of the main body 4 in this way, the cover 2 can be molded without using a complex mold, compared to the case where the wire guide sections 5 are provided on the plate surface of the main body 4. In addition, since the main body 4 and the wire guide sections 5 are integrated, there is no need to manage the part numbers of the main body 4 and the wire guide sections 5 separately. The cover 2 may be made of metal such as iron, aluminum and magnesium, or it may be made of carbon fiber or the like.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 2 includes, as a wire guide portion 5, a holding portion 10 (see also FIG. 2) that surrounds and holds (fixes) the wire 3, and a restricting portion 20 that places the wire 3 thereon and restricts the posture of the wire 3. By surrounding and holding (fixing) the wire 3, the holding portion 10 can guide the wire 3 along the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2. The restricting portion 20 can restrict the posture of the wire 3 while preventing the wire 3 from interfering with components around the door panel 6 or the like. Although the restricting portion 20 restricts the posture of the wire 3, it does not hold (fix) the wire 3.

[0018] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the holding portions 10 are provided at a plurality of locations (ten locations) in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2, and the restricting portion 20 is provided at one location corresponding to the position between "the combination of two adjacent holding portions 10 in the circumferential direction of the main body portion 4 having the largest interval among a plurality of combinations" in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 4.

[0019] In the example shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the holding portion 10 includes a base portion 11 extending outward from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2, a pair of first side walls 12 each extending obliquely in a direction in which the interval between the front and back directions thereof widens as it extends outward from the extending end of the base portion 11, and a pair of second side walls 13 each extending obliquely in a direction in which the interval between the front and back directions thereof narrows as it extends outward from the extending ends of the pair of first side walls 12. The pair of first side walls 12 is elastically deformable in the front and back directions. The interval between the extending ends of the pair of second side walls 13 is smaller than the outer diameter of the wire 3. In the example shown in FIG. 2, by pushing the wire 3 inward (toward the main body portion 4 side) from the state where the wire 3 is in contact with the extending ends of the pair of second side walls 13, the wire 3 passes through the gap between the extending ends of the pair of second side walls 13 through the temporary elastic deformation of the pair of first side walls 12 and moves into the space defined by the base portion 11, the pair of first side walls 12, and the pair of second side walls 13. Thus, a state where the holding portion 10 surrounds and holds the wire 3 can be obtained only by the "one-touch" operation of pushing in the wire 3.

[0020] In the example shown in Figure 1, the restricting portion 20 consists only of a base portion 21 that extends outward from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2 and extends in the circumferential direction. In the example shown in Figure 1, the orientation of the electric wire 3 is restricted by placing the electric wire 3 on the front side of the base portion 21.

[0021] The grommet 9 is made of rubber and, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, has a cylindrical main body portion 31 that extends in the front-rear direction. The electric wire 3, which extends forward (towards the automobile body) from the front end of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2, is inserted through the main body portion 31. The rear end of the grommet 9 is provided with an assembly stay portion 32 that extends backward, and a fixing portion 33 is provided at the extended end of the assembly stay portion 32, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The base portion 41 of a clamp 40, which has a base portion 41 and a clamp portion 42 integrally, is assembled to the fixing portion 33. When the base portion 41 of the clamp 40 is assembled to the fixing portion 33, the clamp 40 is fixed to the assembly stay portion 32 of the grommet 9 with the clamp portion 42 protruding backward.

[0022] As shown in Figure 6, the clamp portion 42 of the clamp 40, which is fixed to the mounting stay portion 32 of the grommet 9, is assembled to the assembly portion (specifically, a through hole that penetrates the main body portion 4 in the thickness direction) 4a provided at the front end of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2. In this way, by assembling the clamp portion 42 of the clamp 40 fixed to the mounting stay portion 32 to the assembly portion 4a of the main body portion 4, the grommet 9, through which the electric wire 3 is inserted into the main body portion 31, is connected and fixed to the assembly portion 4a of the main body portion 4 so as to be adjacent to the front side of the front end of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2, as shown in Figure 3. Here, in this example, the portion 3a of the electric wire 3 that extends across the front-rear direction between the grommet 9 and the main body portion 4 of the cover 2 (see Figures 1 and 3, etc.) is not held (fixed) to the assembly portion 4a of the main body portion 4 (see Figure 3). This increases the degree of freedom in the guide path of the electric wire 3 between the grommet 9 and the main body 4, making it less likely for elastic force to be generated in the electric wire 3 compared to when the electric wire 3 is held by the assembly part 4a. As a result, deformation of the assembly part 4a of the main body 4 is suppressed, and the grommet 9 is prevented from coming out of its designed position when the cover unit 1 is attached to the door panel 6.

[0023] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the cover unit 1 of this embodiment, a grommet 9 is assembled to the assembly portion 4a of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2, and a wire (electric wire 3) extending along the main body portion 4 is inserted through the grommet 9. The wire 3 is not held by the assembly portion 4a, but extends across the space between the grommet 9 and the main body portion 4. This increases the degree of freedom of the guide path of the wire 3 between the grommet 9 and the main body portion 4, and makes it less likely for elastic force to be generated in the electric wire 3 compared to when the electric wire 3 is held by the assembly portion 4a. As a result, deformation of the assembly portion 4a is suppressed, and the grommet 9 is prevented from coming off its designed position when the cover unit 1 is attached to a panel-shaped part (door panel 6). Therefore, the cover unit 1 of this embodiment allows the grommet 9 assembled to the cover unit 1 to be positioned at the target position when in use.

[0024] Furthermore, according to the cover unit 1 of this embodiment, since the main body 4 and the wire guide (wire guide 5) are integrated, for example, the main body 4 and the wire guide 5 can be integrally molded. Moreover, since the wire guide 5 is provided on the periphery of the main body 4, the cover 2 can be easily molded without using a complex mold, compared to the case where the wire guide 5 is provided on the plate surface of the main body 4. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the cover 2 can be reduced compared to when they are separate parts. In addition, since the main body 4 and the wire guide 5 are integrated, there is no need to separately manage the part numbers of the main body 4 and the wire guide 5. Therefore, the productivity of the cover 2 can be improved compared to when they are separate parts. Accordingly, the cover unit 1 of this embodiment is superior in terms of manufacturing cost and productivity. <Other embodiments> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0025] In the above embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 to 6, the mounting stay portion 32 of the grommet 9 and the mounting portion 4a of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2 are connected and fixed using a clamp 40. Alternatively, instead of the clamp 40, a tie band or tape may be used to connect and fix the mounting stay portion 32 of the grommet 9 and the mounting portion 4a of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2. In this case as well, the portion 3a of the electric wire 3 that extends across the front-rear direction between the grommet 9 and the main body portion 4 of the cover 2 is not held (fixed) to the mounting portion 4a of the main body portion 4 of the cover 2.

[0026] Here, the features of the embodiments of the cover unit 1 according to the present invention described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [2].

[0027] [1] A cover unit (1) that closes an opening (7) provided in a panel-shaped part (6) of a vehicle, It comprises a plate-shaped main body (4), a grommet (9) that is assembled to an assembly part (4a) of the main body (4), and a wire (3) that will be used in the vehicle, The aforementioned wire (3) is It is inserted through the grommet (9) and extends along the main body (4) without being held by the assembly portion (4a), straddling the space between the grommet (9) and the main body (4). Cover unit (1).

[0028] In the cover unit configuration described in [1] above, a grommet is assembled to the assembly portion of the main body, and a wire extending along the main body is inserted through the grommet. The wire extends across the space between the grommet and the main body without being held by the assembly portion. In other words, the degree of freedom of the wire's shape between the grommet and the main body is increased. As a result, elastic force is less likely to be generated in the wire compared to when the wire is held by the assembly portion. Consequently, deformation of the assembly portion is suppressed, and the grommet is less likely to come off its designed position when the cover unit is attached to a panel-shaped component. Therefore, the cover unit configuration allows the grommet assembled to the cover unit to be properly positioned at the target location.

[0029] [2] In the cover unit (1) described in [1] above, The main body (4) is, The device includes a wire guide portion (5) which is integrally provided with the main body portion (4) so ​​as to extend from the periphery of the main body portion (4) and is capable of guiding the wire (3), Cover unit (1).

[0030] According to the cover unit configuration described in [2] above, the main body and the wire guide are integrated, so for example, the main body and the wire guide can be molded together. Furthermore, since the wire guide is provided on the periphery of the main body, the cover can be easily molded without using complex molds, compared to the case where the wire guide is provided on the plate surface of the main body. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the cover can be reduced compared to when they are separate parts. In addition, since the main body and the wire guide are integrated, there is no need to manage the part numbers of the main body and the wire guide separately. Therefore, the productivity of the cover can be improved compared to when they are separate parts. Thus, the cover unit configuration is superior in terms of manufacturing cost and productivity. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1 Cover Unit 3. Electric wires 4. Main body 4a Assembly part 5. Wire guide section (wire guide section) 6. Door panel (panel-shaped part) 7. Service holes (openings) 9 Grommets

Claims

1. A cover unit that closes an opening provided in a panel-like part of a vehicle, It comprises a plate-shaped main body, a grommet to be attached to an assembly part of the main body, and a wire to be used in the vehicle, The aforementioned wire is It is inserted through the grommet and extends along the main body, straddling the space between the grommet and the main body without being held by the assembly portion. Cover unit.

2. In the cover unit according to claim 1, The main body is, It includes a wire guide portion that is integrally provided with the main body portion so as to extend from the periphery of the main body portion and is capable of guiding the wire, Cover unit.

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