Eyelet-shaped parts

Abstract

To provide a grommet-like component allowing a person to install without using a tool, the grommet-like component being easy to install and hard to fall off after locking.SOLUTION: A grommet-like component 0100 comprises a cylindrical body 0110 that may be hollow or solid, an eaves-like part 0120 for locking an upward overhanging portion of the cylindrical body to an attachment member to which the overhanging portion itself is attached. The cylindrical body includes, at a lower part, a barb 0112 consisting of a barb plate, fixing a base part to the cylindrical body, when the cylindrical body is pushed in and inserted into the attachment member, displaced along an outer surface of the cylindrical body, with the base part used as a start point, by pressing force applied from the attachment member to the cylindrical body side surface, and when being released from the pressing force, displaced again so as to separate from the cylindrical body outer surface, with the base part used as the start point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an eyelet-shaped part that is attached to a hole in a target component to be used for, for example, engaging the target component. [Background technology]

[0002] Grommets are generally ring-shaped components made of metal, resin, etc. that are attached to holes in paper, clothing, shoes, etc. to reinforce the target component or to protect strings that are passed through the hole. They can also be used for other purposes, such as to fasten multiple decorative plates made of plastic, etc., together.

[0003] In addition to eyelets that are attached using a tool such as an eyelet punch, there are also known eyelets that can be attached by simply pushing them in by hand without using a tool. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an eyelet for holding an electroluminescent plate used in a watch face or the like, which has a disk-shaped head and a number of elongated elastic legs with locking claws at the tips, and when the eyelet passes through a hole in the electroluminescent plate, the elastic legs are compressed when the eyelet passes through and then expand to their original shape, allowing the eyelet to be held (see Patent Document 1, especially Figure 4). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-16897 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the eyelet member disclosed in Patent Document 1 has multiple slender legs that can deform significantly starting from the base of the head, and therefore has the problem that after engagement, the eyelets can easily fall off if force is applied to the engagement claws at the tips of the legs toward the center of the hole.

[0006] Note that, although the above mainly describes eyelets, i.e., ring-shaped (hollow) members, the same problems also apply to members that, like eyelets, are attached to holes in target components to reinforce the target components, and are formed solid rather than ring-shaped because they do not require a string to pass through. Therefore, in this specification, a cylindrical member that is attached to a hole in a target component to reinforce the target component, regardless of whether it is hollow (ring-shaped) or solid, is referred to as an "eyelet-shaped part," and the present invention is provided as a means for solving the problems common to these.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. That is, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an eyelet-shaped part that can be attached without using a tool, is easy to attach, and is unlikely to fall off after being engaged. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present invention is an eyelet-shaped part consisting of a cylindrical body, which may be hollow or solid, and a visor-like portion protruding from the upper part of the cylindrical body for engaging with an attachment member to which the part is to be attached, and the lower part of the cylindrical body is provided with a barb consisting of a barb plate that fixes a base to the cylindrical body and displaces from the base to follow the outer surface of the cylindrical body due to the pressing force applied from the attachment member to the side of the cylindrical body when the cylindrical body is pushed through the attachment member, and displaces from the base to move away from the outer surface of the cylindrical body again when the force is released.

[0009] A second invention is based on the first invention and provides an eyelet-shaped part in which at least the barb is made of a plastic material.

[0010] In addition, the third invention is based on the first or second invention, and provides a grommet-shaped part in which the outer surface of the cylindrical main body has a barb-receiving groove for receiving the barb in at least a part of the area where the barb runs along the outer surface of the cylindrical main body.

[0011] A fourth invention provides an eyelet-shaped part based on any one of the first to third inventions, in which the barb is fixed to only a portion of the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the cylindrical main body.

[0012] In addition, a fifth invention provides an eyelet-shaped part based on any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the barb is configured so that the tip edge length is longer than the fixed length of the cylindrical body at the base. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an eyelet-shaped part that can be attached without using tools, is easy to attach, and is unlikely to fall off after being engaged. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an eyelet-shaped part according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the eyelet-shaped part of the first embodiment is used; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an eyelet-shaped part according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining in detail the configuration of the barb of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a configuration in which the cylindrical body is unlikely to fall off the attachment member; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing that the barb receiving groove is formed in a region along the outer surface of the cylindrical body. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a barb in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing an example of a method for manufacturing an eyelet-shaped part according to a first embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0015] 0100 Eyelet-shaped parts 0110 Cylinder body 0111 Hole 0112 Return 0113 Base 0114 Return ditch 0120 Eaves 0121 Arc-shaped hole DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The following describes embodiments of the present invention. The relationships between the embodiments and the claims are as follows: Embodiment 1 mainly relates to claims 1 and 2, etc., Embodiment 2 mainly relates to claim 3, etc., Embodiment 3 mainly relates to claim 4, etc., and Embodiment 4 mainly relates to claim 5, etc. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. <Embodiment 1>

[0017] <Embodiment 1: Overview> The first embodiment mainly relates to claims 1, 2, etc. The eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment is characterized by having a special barb at the bottom of the cylindrical body. This barb is a barb plate whose base is fixed to the cylindrical body and which is displaced from the base as a starting point so as to move along the outer surface of the cylindrical body due to the pressing force from the attachment member when the cylindrical body is inserted through the attachment member, and which is displaced again so as to move away from the outer surface of the cylindrical body when the pressing force is released after the lower part of the cylindrical body is inserted through the attachment member.

[0018] <Embodiment 1: Configuration> (General) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment. Of these, (a) is a perspective view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of (a). As shown in this figure, the eyelet-shaped part 0100 is composed of a cylindrical main body 0110 and a visor-like part 0120. In (b), the part shown in light ink is the cross-sectional shape of the eyelet-shaped part. The part shown in the bubble circle on the right side is an enlarged view of the barb 0112 and its vicinity.

[0019] The material of the eyelet-shaped part is preferably one having a suitable degree of elasticity, and for example, a plastic such as Nylon (registered trademark) is used. Among them, Nylon (registered trademark) is a suitable material because of its excellent elasticity and resilience. In particular, as described below, since the barb is configured to be displaced by pressure and to return to its original state when the pressure is released, it is highly desirable to use Nylon (registered trademark) for at least the barb. The material of the eyelet-shaped part may also be an elastic metal such as copper.

[0020] 2 shows an example of the use of the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment. In the example of this figure, the eyelet-shaped part 0200 is attached to holes provided in multiple (three in this example) plastic decorative plates 0230 with designs, and rotatably holds these multiple plates. For example, by applying these designs to each transparent plate, it is possible to enjoy both the design that appears when the plates are stacked as shown in (a) and the design applied to each plate by rotating each plate as shown in (b). (Cylindrical body) The cylindrical main body is a cylindrical portion that forms the main body of the eyelet-shaped part and is the portion that is inserted into the hole provided in the attachment member. The attachment member refers to a member to which the eyelet-shaped part is attached, such as shoes, clothing, paper, or a plastic decorative plate.

[0021] The cylindrical body may be hollow or solid. The example shown in Figure 1 is an example where the cylindrical body is hollow. In this case, a string can be passed through a hole 0111 drilled in the center of the cylindrical body.

[0022] 3 is a diagram showing another example of the appearance of the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment, showing an example in which the cylindrical main body 0310 is solid. An eyelet-shaped part having such a structure is used when it is not necessary to pass a string through the hole in the attachment member.

[0023] (Cylinder body: barb) Returning to FIG. 1, the lower part of the cylindrical body is provided with a barb 0112 consisting of a barb plate. The barb plate is a plate-like member that fixes a base 0113 to the cylindrical body, and is configured to displace from the base to the outer surface of the cylindrical body due to a pressing force applied from the attachment member to the side surface of the cylindrical body when the cylindrical body is pushed into and inserted through the attachment member, and displace from the base to the base so as to move away from the outer surface of the cylindrical body again when the force is released. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a gap that expands from the base to the tip of the barb between the barb plate and the outer surface of the cylindrical body. An example of the dimensions of the barb plate is, for example, a barb thickness N of 0.2 mm and a gap M between the outer surface of the cylindrical body and the tip of the barb plate of 0.3 mm when the dimensions of the cylindrical body are as described below. Since the barb plate is the only component of the barb, the barb will be referred to as the barb in the following description.

[0024] The base of the barb is fixed to the cylindrical body and serves as the starting point for the barb's displacement when the cylindrical body is inserted through the hole in the attachment member, as described below.

[0025] The purpose of the barb in this embodiment is to displace from the base along the outer surface of the cylindrical body due to the pressing force applied from the attachment member to the side of the cylindrical body when the cylindrical body is pushed into and inserted through the attachment member, and to displace from the base again away from the outer surface of the cylindrical body when the lower part of the cylindrical body passes through the attachment member and is released from the force, thereby facilitating the insertion of the eyelet-shaped member into the attachment member and preventing the eyelet-shaped member from falling off after insertion.

[0026] (Cylinder body: Barb: Easy attachment to adhesive materials) FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining in further detail the configuration of the barb in this embodiment, and shows in cross section the state in which the barb is displaced as the cylindrical body passes through the attachment member (however, to avoid complexity, the central hole is omitted from the illustration).

[0027] 13(a) shows the state in which the cylindrical main body 0400 has not yet been inserted into the attachment member 0430. Here, the diameter D2 of the circle formed by the outer edge of the upper end of the barb is designed to be slightly longer than the inner diameter D3 of the hole in the attachment member. For example, when the inner diameter D3 of the hole in the attachment member is 4.3 mm, the diameter D2 of the circle formed by the outer edge of the upper end of the barb of the cylindrical main body is 4.5 mm. In this case, a gap of 0.3 mm is formed between the barb and the outer surface of the cylindrical main body.

[0028] (b) shows the state where the barb of the cylindrical body is inserted into the hole of the attachment member. At this time, the barb is displaced from the base 0413 to the outer surface side of the cylindrical body due to the pressing force applied from the attachment member to the side surface of the cylindrical body. As a result, the diameter of the circle formed by the outer edge of the upper end of the barb is compressed to be equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the hole of the attachment member, so that the cylindrical body including the barb can be inserted through the hole of the attachment member. For example, if the diameter of the circle formed by the outer edge of the upper end of the cylindrical body and the dimensions of the gap between the barb and the outer surface of the cylindrical body are as shown in (a), the upper end of the barb is displaced to a position where it touches the outer surface of the cylindrical body, so that the diameter D2' of the circle formed by the outer edge of the upper end of the barb of the cylindrical body becomes 3.9 mm, and it is compressed to be equal to or smaller than the inner diameter of the hole of the attachment member.

[0029] (c) shows the state where the insertion of the cylindrical body has progressed further and the barb has passed through the hole in the attachment member. At this time, the barb is released from the pressing force applied by the attachment member to the side surface of the cylindrical body, so that the barb, which had been displaced along the outer surface of the cylindrical body, displaces from the base so as to move away from the outer surface of the cylindrical body again, returning to the state it was in before the insertion. In other words, the diameter of the circle formed by the outer edge of the upper end of the barb returns to a state slightly longer than the inner diameter of the hole in the attachment member, so that the eyelet-shaped part is firmly engaged with the attachment member and will not easily fall off.

[0030] All of the above operations can be performed manually without the use of tools.

[0031] The barbs may be formed in a skirt shape around the entire circumference of the cylindrical body, but in order to increase the deformation caused by the pressing force applied from the attachment member to the side surface of the cylindrical body and to facilitate attachment, the barbs may be fixed only to a part of the entire circumference of the cylindrical body. Details of such a configuration will be described later in another embodiment.

[0032] (Cylinder body: barb: not easily falling off from attached material) Next, the structure of the barbs that prevent the cylindrical main body from falling off the attachment member after attachment will be described.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a configuration in which the cylindrical main body is unlikely to fall off the attachment member, and is explained in comparison with the prior art.

[0034] 1(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an eyelet 0500' having legs with a length covering the entire length of a plurality of holes similar to that disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is engaged with an attachment member 0530, as an example of a conventional eyelet configuration, and the part shown in light ink is the cross-sectional shape of the eyelet. In this case, when a force is applied to the claw 0512' of the leg in the direction of the arrow, the leg bends with its base 0513' as a base point, so that the tip of the claw moves to a position inside the inner diameter of the hole, and the eyelet may fall off the attachment member.

[0035] In contrast, according to the configuration of the present invention shown in (b), even if a force is applied to the barb 0512 of the eyelet-shaped part 0500 in the direction of the arrow, the barb only displaces from the base 0513, and the base is fixed to the outer periphery of the cylindrical body. Therefore, unlike the example of (a), there is an extremely low risk that the outer edge of the barb will move to a position inside the inner diameter of the hole and cause the eyelet-shaped part to fall off the attachment member, compared to the case of (a).

[0036] (Cylinder body: dimensions) The dimensions of the cylindrical body should be designed appropriately according to the dimensions of the hole in the attachment member, but an example is one in which the length L is 6.8 mm, the diameter (excluding the barb portion) D1 is 3.5 mm, the height H of the barb is 0.8 mm, and the diameter D2 of the upper outer edge of the barb is 4.5 mm.

[0037] (eaves) The eaves-like portion is a member that protrudes from the upper part of the cylindrical body and is used to engage with an attachment member to which the eaves-like portion is to be attached. In the example shown in Fig. 1, two arc-shaped holes 0211 are provided in the eaves-like portion. These holes reduce the frictional force generated between the plates when holding multiple plates tightly stacked on top of each other in a rotatable manner, as in the example shown in Fig. 2, making it easier for the plates to rotate.

[0038] The dimensions of the overhanging portion should also be designed appropriately, but for example, if the dimensions of the cylindrical body are as described above, the diameter D3 of the largest part (the lower end in the example of Figure 1) can be 6.9 mm, and the thickness W can be 1.1 mm.

[0039] <Embodiment 1: Manufacturing method> Next, a method for manufacturing the eyelet-shaped part will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing an example of a method for manufacturing an eyelet-shaped part according to this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the eyelet-shaped part according to this embodiment is manufactured by, for example, an injection molding method. Specifically, first, in a mold preparation step S0801, a mold made of, for example, prehardened steel and consisting of a plurality of divided parts is prepared by clamping. Next, in a material injection step S0802, a material for the eyelet-shaped part that has been heated and melted is injected into the mold prepared in the mold preparation step. For example, the injection machine is equipped with a heater, and when the material is, for example, Nylon (registered trademark) 6, the material is heated and melted in the injection machine at 225°C or higher, which is its melting point, and then injected from the injection machine into the mold. Next, in a solidification step S0803, the material for the eyelet-shaped part is cooled and solidified in the mold. Furthermore, in a removal step S0804, the mold is opened, and the solidified eyelet-shaped part is removed from the mold.

[0040] <Embodiment 1: Effects> According to the invention of this embodiment, it is possible to provide an eyelet-shaped part that can be attached without using tools, is easy to attach, and is unlikely to fall off after being engaged. <Embodiment 2>

[0041] <Embodiment 2: Overview> The second embodiment mainly relates to claim 3 and the like. The eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in the first embodiment, a barbed groove is formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical main body.

[0042] <Embodiment 2: Configuration> (General) The configuration of the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the eyelet-shaped part of embodiment 1. However, in the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment, a barb receiving groove for receiving the barb is formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical main body in at least a part of the area where the barb runs along the outer surface of the cylindrical main body. The configuration of the barb receiving groove will be described below. The rest of the configuration is the same as that described in embodiment 1, so description will be omitted.

[0043] (Cylinder body: return groove) The barb receiving groove is configured to receive the barb in at least a part of the region along the outer surface of the cylindrical body. An example in which such a barb receiving groove 0114 is provided is also shown in the above-mentioned Figure 1.

[0044] The "region along the outer surface of the cylindrical body" refers to the region of the outer surface of the cylindrical body against which the barb is pressed when it is inserted through the hole in the attachment member by the pressing force. More specifically, it refers to the region that is slightly closer to the center of the cylindrical body than the outer surface of the cylindrical body.

[0045] FIG. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the cylindrical body of the eyelet-shaped part shown in FIG. 1, showing that the barb groove is formed in an area along the outer surface of the cylindrical body. As shown in this figure, the barb groove is formed so that the circumference constituting its bottom is slightly smaller than the outer periphery of the cylindrical body. An example of the dimensions of the barb groove is one in which the groove depth D4 is 0.1 mm when the diameter of the cylindrical body is 3.5 mm. In this case, the bottom of the groove is formed on a circumference with a diameter of 3.3 mm, which is slightly shorter than the diameter of the cylindrical body.

[0046] The fact that the barb receiving groove is configured in "at least a part" of the area where the barb runs along the outer surface of the cylindrical body means that the barb receiving groove may be configured over the entire surface, penetrating from the upper end to the lower end of the cylindrical body, as in the example of Figure 1, or it may be configured only in a part, for example, by being installed only near the lower end.

[0047] The installation position and number of the barb receiving grooves are appropriately designed according to the installation position and number of the barbs. In the example of Figure 1, barbs are installed in two places, and barb receiving grooves are installed in two places directly above the barbs.

[0048] <Embodiment 2: Effects> According to the invention of this embodiment, by providing the barb receiving groove, it is possible to more smoothly insert the attachment member into the hole of the cylindrical main body. <Embodiment 3>

[0049] <Embodiment 3: Overview> The third embodiment mainly relates to claim 4 and the like. In the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment, in addition to the configuration described in the first or second embodiment, the fixing position of the barb is limited to a part of the entire circumference of the cylindrical main body.

[0050] <Embodiment 3: Configuration> (General) The configuration of the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment is basically the same as that of the eyelet-shaped part of embodiment 1 or 2. However, in the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment, the barb is fixed only to a part of the entire circumference of the cylindrical main body. The barb of this embodiment will be described below. The rest of the configuration is the same as that described in embodiment 1 or 2, so the description will be omitted.

[0051] (Cylinder body: barb) In the example of Fig. 1, the barb 0112 is fixed to only a part of the circumference of the cylindrical body, not to the entire circumference, so that a space is provided on both sides of the barb. With this configuration, when the barb receives a pressing force when being inserted through the hole in the attachment member, there is a margin for escape in the lateral direction, so that the displacement can be performed more smoothly.

[0052] <Embodiment 3: Effects> According to the invention of this embodiment, the barb can be displaced more smoothly. <Embodiment 4>

[0053] <Embodiment 4: Overview> The fourth embodiment mainly relates to claim 52 etc. The eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment has the same configuration as the first to third embodiments, and further has a barb whose tip is longer than its base.

[0054] <Embodiment 4: Configuration> (General) The configuration of the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment is basically the same as the configuration of the eyelet-shaped part of embodiments 1 to 3. However, in the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment, the tip edge portion of the barb is longer than the fixed length of the cylindrical body of the base. The barb of this embodiment will be described below. The rest of the configuration is the same as that described in embodiments 1 to 3, so the description will be omitted.

[0055] The term "fixed length of the base to the cylindrical body" refers to the length of the portion of the barb that occupies a fixed length horizontally on the outer surface of the cylindrical body, which is occupied by the base. Similarly, the term "tip edge length" refers to the length of the portion occupied by the tip of the barb.

[0056] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the barb in this embodiment, and is a diagram showing one barb and its vicinity as viewed from directly above among the eyelet-shaped parts shown in Fig. 1. In this diagram, the length of the barb portion (shown by the thick line) between the two base portions 0713 is the "base cylindrical body fixed length". Also, the length of the barb portion (shown by the thick line) between the two tip portions 0715 is the "tip edge length".

[0057] With this configuration, the eyelet-shaped part is less likely to fall off when in the locked state.

[0058] <Embodiment 4: Effects> According to the invention of this embodiment, it is possible to make the eyelet-shaped part less likely to fall off in the locked state.

Claims

1. A grommet-shaped part comprising a cylindrical body, which may be hollow or solid, and a visor-shaped part protruding from the upper part of the cylindrical body for engaging with an attachment member to which the grommet-shaped part is to be attached, The lower part of the cylindrical body is provided with a barb that fixes a base to the cylindrical body, and is displaced from the base to follow the outer surface of the cylindrical body due to a pressing force applied from the attachment member to the side surface of the cylindrical body when the cylindrical body is pushed through the hole in the attachment member, and is displaced from the base to move away from the outer surface of the cylindrical body again when the force is released, A barb receiving groove for receiving the barb is formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical body in at least a part of the region where the barb is along the outer surface of the cylindrical body, When the barb passes through the hole in the attachment member and is released from the force, the eyelet-shaped part returns to a state in which the diameter of the circle formed by the upper outer edge of the barb's barb plate is longer than the inner diameter of the hole in the attachment member.

2. 2. The eyelet of claim 1, wherein at least the barbs are constructed from a plastic material.

3. 3. The eyelet-shaped part according to claim 1, wherein the barbs are fixed to only a portion of the entire circumference of the cylindrical main body.

4. 4. The eyelet-shaped part according to claim 1, wherein the barb is configured such that a tip edge length is longer than a fixed length of the cylindrical body at a base portion.

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