sealing device

Abstract

To stably secure a reliable sealing performance.SOLUTION: A sealing device that seals a gap between a component and a wire harness when the wire harness is inserted into a hole 2 of a component 1 comprises: a seal block 6 having a plurality of slits 5 into which wires of the wire harness are inserted, and formed by an elastic body; a case 7 configured by dividing into multiple numbers, and accommodating the seal block in a compressed state when assembled; and an attachment part 8 provided on the case to attach the sealing device to the component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sealing device.

Background Art

[0002] When inserting a wire harness into a hole in a component (e.g., a vehicle body panel), a sealing device seals the gap between the component and the wire harness. As such a sealing device, one using a rubber grommet is common. The grommet is ring-shaped and has a hole at the center through which a plurality of electric wires of the wire harness pass. The grommet also has a circumferential groove at the outer periphery, and the peripheral edge of the hole in the component is inserted into this circumferential groove to attach the grommet to the component. The gap between the grommet and the plurality of electric wires is filled with a sealing material. The sealing material is a viscous liquid during construction and hardens to a solid rubber state when dried.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, such a sealing device has the following problems. That is, since the application or filling work of the sealing material is manually performed by hand, there is a drawback that stable sealing performance cannot be obtained due to work variations. Also, since the sealing material is applied from the outside to a wire bundle in which a plurality of electric wires are bundled, it is difficult to fill the gap existing in the center of the wire bundle with the sealing material, and it is also difficult to confirm whether the gap is appropriately filled with the sealing material. In particular, this is even more the case when the electric wires having a circular cross-section in the wire bundle are in close contact with each other and the gap at the center becomes small.

[0005] Therefore, this disclosure was conceived in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a sealing device that can reliably ensure reliable sealing performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of this disclosure, A sealing device for sealing the gap between a component and a wire harness when inserting the wire harness through a hole in the component, A seal block formed of an elastic material has multiple slits into which the wires of the wire harness are inserted, A case that is composed of multiple parts and houses the seal block in a compressed state when assembled, The case is provided with a mounting portion for attaching to the component, A sealing device is provided that is characterized by having the following features.

[0007] Preferably, the case has a case body that contacts the bottom surface of the seal block and a case lid that contacts the top surface of the seal block. When the case lid is attached to the case body, the seal block is compressed axially between the case lid and the case body, and also compressed radially toward the center.

[0008] Preferably, in the state before the case lid is attached, the seal block has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the case body and a height greater than the internal height of the case body.

[0009] Preferably, the case body and the case lid have a hole in the center through which the wire harness is inserted.

[0010] Preferably, the case body and the case lid have engaging portions for assembling them together.

[0011] Preferably, the case body has a tubular portion for insertion into the hole, The mounting portion is formed by an engaging protrusion provided on the pipe portion and engaging with the component.

[0012] Preferably, the plurality of slits extend from the center side of the seal block to the outer peripheral surface.

[0013] Preferably, the sealing device further includes a seal plate sandwiched between the case and the component when the case is attached to the component.

[0014] Preferably, the seal block is formed of closed-cell foamed rubber.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, reliable sealing performance can be stably ensured.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is an exploded perspective view showing the sealing device of the present embodiment. [Figure 2] (A) is a plan view of the sealing device, (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIB-IIB of the sealing device, and (C) is a plan view when the seal block in the initial state is viewed from the position of line IIC-IIC. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view of the seal block, where (A) shows the initial state and (B) shows the mounted state. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view showing the sealing device in the mounted state.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that it should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0018] Figures 1 and 2 show the sealing device 100 of the present embodiment. The central axis of the sealing device 100 is denoted by reference numeral C. Unless otherwise specified hereinafter, when referring to the axial direction, radial direction, and circumferential direction, it means the axial direction, radial direction, and circumferential direction with respect to the central axis C of the sealing device 100.

[0019] The sealing device 100 is for sealing the gap between the component 1 and the wire harness 3 (see Figure 2) when the wire harness 3 is inserted into the hole 2 of the component 1. For the sake of convenience, the wire harness 3 is omitted in Figure 1. However, the wire harness 3 is shown in Figure 2(B), and the wire harness 3 has a plurality (eight in this embodiment) of electric wires 4. As is well known, a wire harness is a bundle of a plurality of electric wires bundled with a bundling material such as a corrugated tube or tape, and connectors or the like are attached to both ends of each electric wire. The cross-sectional shape of the electric wire 4 is circular.

[0020] In the case of the present embodiment, the component 1 is a body panel of a construction machine (for example, a hydraulic excavator), but it is not limited thereto. In the case of the present embodiment, the shape of the hole 2 is circular, but it is not limited thereto. The sealing device 100 is attached to the component 1 coaxially with the hole 2. The upper side of the component 1 is the outdoor side, and the lower side is the indoor side. The sealing device 100 is attached to the component 1 from the outdoor side.

[0021] The sealing device 100 includes a seal block 6 formed of an elastic body and having a plurality of slits 5 into which the electric wires 4 of the wire harness 3 are inserted, a case 7 that is configured to be divided into a plurality of parts and accommodates the seal block 6 in a compressed state when assembled, and an attachment portion 8 provided on the case 7 for attaching to the component 1.

[0022] The seal block 6 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a central axis C and extends in the axial direction. Multiple (eight in this embodiment) slits 5 extend from the center of the seal block 6 to the outer circumferential surface 9, specifically, they are formed radially at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, extending radially from the center of the seal block 6 to the outer circumferential surface 9. The slits 5 extend in the axial direction from the top surface 10 to the bottom surface 11 of the seal block 6 and are formed by linear cuts. The multiple slits 5, especially their ends on the central side, are not connected to each other and are independent or spaced apart. The seal block 6 is formed of a single foamed rubber with closed-cell structure and contains a large number of independent bubbles inside. These bubbles are not in communication with each other.

[0023] Case 7 has a case body portion 12 that contacts the bottom portion 11 of the seal block 6 and a case lid portion 13 that contacts the top portion 10 of the seal block 6. More specifically, case 7 is constructed by dividing it into a case body portion 12 and a case lid portion 13.

[0024] The case body 12 is a roughly bottomed cylindrical container with an open top, and has a bottom surface 14 that contacts the bottom surface 11 of the seal block 6, and a circumferential surface 15 that rises upward from the outer edge of the bottom surface 14. The case body 12 also has a cylindrical tube portion 16 that protrudes downward from the center of the bottom surface 14. An attachment portion 8 is formed on this tube portion 16. When the case body 12 is attached to the part 1, the tube portion 16 is inserted into the hole 2.

[0025] The mounting portion 8 is integrally formed with the pipe portion 16 by engaging projections 17 that engage with the component 1. The engaging projections 17 have a triangular cross-sectional shape as shown in Figure 2(B). When the pipe portion 16 is inserted into the hole 2 from above (outside the room), the engaging projections 17 catch on the periphery of the hole in the component 1, causing the pipe portion 16 to elastically deform in the direction of diameter reduction. After the engaging projections 17 pass the periphery of the hole, the pipe portion 16 elastically returns to its original shape in the direction of diameter expansion, allowing for one-touch installation. In this embodiment, two engaging projections 17 are provided on the pipe portion 16 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, but the invention is not limited to this.

[0026] The tubular portion 16 is provided with a notch 18 adjacent to the engaging projection 17, which facilitates the elastic deformation of the tubular portion 16.

[0027] The sealing device 100 further includes a sealing plate 19 that is sandwiched between the bottom surface 14 of the case body 12 and the part 1 when the case body 12 is attached to the part 1. This sealing plate 19 seals the space between the bottom surface 14 of the case body 12 and the part 1. The sealing plate 19 is a circular ring-shaped sealing plate, made of an elastic material such as rubber, preferably butyl rubber, and is fitted to the radially outer side of the tube portion 16 and above the engaging projection 17 (towards the axial base end).

[0028] The case body 12 has a hole 20 in its center for inserting the wires 4 of the wire harness 3. This hole 20 is formed by a circular hole provided in the center of the bottom surface 14 and the inner space of the pipe 16 that communicates with it.

[0029] An engaging portion, more specifically an engaging projection 21, is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the circumferential side portion 15 for assembly with the case lid portion 13. The engaging projection 21 also has a triangular cross-sectional shape, as shown in Figure 2(B). In this embodiment, four engaging projections 21 are provided on the circumferential side portion 15 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

[0030] The case lid 13 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with an open bottom and has an upper surface 22 that contacts the upper surface 10 of the seal block 6, and a circumferential surface 23 that extends downward from the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface 22. The case lid 13 is fitted to the radially outer side of the case body 12. That is, when the case lid 13 is assembled to the case body 12, the circumferential surface 23 of the case lid 13 is placed over the radially outer side of the circumferential surface 15 of the case body 12.

[0031] The case lid 13 has a hole 24 in the center of its upper surface 22 for inserting the wires 4 of the wire harness 3. This hole 24 is formed as a circular hole.

[0032] An engaging portion, more specifically an engaging projection 25 (see Figure 2(B)), is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the circumferential side portion 23 for assembly with the case body portion 13. This engaging projection 25 also has a triangular cross-sectional shape. In this embodiment, four engaging projections 25 are provided on the circumferential side portion 23 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, corresponding to the engaging projections 21 of the case body portion 12, but the embodiment is not limited to this.

[0033] When assembling the case lid 13 to the case body 12 by fitting it from above, the circumferential positions of the engaging protrusions 25 and 21 of both are aligned during assembly. During assembly, the engaging protrusions 25 and 21 of both parts catch on each other, causing the circumferential surfaces 23 and 15 to elastically deform in the direction of separation. Then, when the engaging protrusion 25 passes the engaging protrusion 21 in the axial downward direction, the circumferential surfaces 23 and 15 elastically return to their original position in the direction of approach, allowing for one-touch assembly. Note that a notch similar to the notch 18 may be provided on at least one of the circumferential surfaces 23 and 15.

[0034] Once the case lid 13 is assembled to the case body 12 and the case 7 is assembled, the seal block 6 is housed in a compressed state within the case 7. That is, the seal block 6 is compressed axially between the case lid 13 and the case body 12, and also compressed radially toward the center.

[0035] Figure 3(A) shows the seal block 6 in its initial state before assembly, and Figure 3(B) shows the seal block 6 in its installed state after assembly. Figure 2 also shows the seal block 6 in its initial state with dashed lines. As can be seen from these figures, the seal block 6 in its initial state has an outer diameter D1 that is smaller than the inner diameter D3 of the circumferential surface portion 15 of the case body portion 12, and a height H1 that is larger than the internal height H3 of the case body portion 12. Therefore, when the seal block 6 in its initial state is placed in the case body portion 12 before case assembly, a radial gap G of (D3-D1) / 2 is created between the seal block 6 and the circumferential surface portion 15. The seal block 6 also protrudes upward from the case body portion 12 by (H1-H3).

[0036] When the case lid 13 is forcibly assembled to the case body 12 from this state, the seal block 6 is first compressed downwards, and at the same time, the seal block 6 expands in the diameter direction. Eventually, the diameter expansion of the seal block 6 is restricted by the circumferential surface portion 15, and the gap G is filled (the size of the gap G becomes zero). Then, the outer diameter of the seal block 6 becomes D2, which is equal to the inner diameter D3 of the circumferential surface portion 15.

[0037] As the seal block 6 continues to be compressed downwards, its solidity, density, and internal compressive stress increase further. When the case lid 13 is assembled to the case body 12, the height of the seal block 6 becomes H2, which is equal to the internal height H3 of the case body 12.

[0038] Alternatively, the diameter expansion and axial compression of the seal block 6 may be completed simultaneously with the completion of the assembly of the case lid 13.

[0039] Figure 2(B) shows a cross-sectional view of the sealing device 100 in its installed state with the wires 4 of the wire harness 3 attached. Figure 2(A) shows a plan view of Figure 2(B), and Figure 2(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IIB-IIB in Figure 2(A). Figure 2(C) is a plan view of the sealing block 6 in its initial state before the wires 4 of the wire harness 3 are attached, and is a plan view taken along the line IIC-IIC in Figure 2(B). Figure 4 shows the sealing device 100 in a state where the wires 4 of the wire harness 3 are not attached and it is attached to component 1.

[0040] As can be seen from these figures, in the sealing device 100 after case assembly, the central portions of the eight slits 5 are exposed to the outside within the holes 24, 20 of the case lid 13 and the case body 12, allowing the electric wires 4 to be gripped there.

[0041] Next, the method for attaching the wire harness 3 and the sealing device 100 to component 1 will be described.

[0042] In this embodiment, the installation work is performed from the outside, but it may also be performed from the inside. The wire harness 3 used has eight wires 4, equal to the number of slits (eight), but the number of wires 4 is arbitrary as long as it is less than or equal to the number of slits. If the number of wires is less than the number of slits, excess slits 5 will be created, but these excess slits 5 are sealed by internal compressive stress after installation, so the creation of excess slits 5 is not a problem. Conversely, setting a larger number of slits 5 allows for application to various wire harnesses 3, which is convenient.

[0043] Now, for installation, first, insert all the wires 4 of the wire harness 3 through the holes 24 in the case lid 13, the holes 20 in the case body 12, and the center hole of the seal plate 19.

[0044] Next, all the wires 4 are attached to the seal block 6 at a position between the case lid 13 and the case body 12. At this time, the wires 4 can be inserted into the slit 5 from the outer surface 9 of the seal block 6, making the attachment very easy. As shown in Figures 2(A) to (C), the wires 4 are inserted to the innermost end of the slit 5. This allows the wires 4 to pass through the holes 24 and 20 without any problems after attachment.

[0045] Next, with the seal block 6 temporarily placed in the case body 12, the case lid 13 is assembled to the case body 12. At this time, as described above, the seal block 6 is compressed axially and radially toward the center, and its internal compressive stress increases. As a result, the seal block 6 firmly grips the entire circumference of the electric wire 4, and the space between the seal block 6 and the electric wire 4 is sealed without leakage. In addition, there are no gaps between each electric wire 4, and the space between each electric wire 4 is completely filled by the seal block 6. Therefore, the space between each electric wire 4 is also reliably sealed.

[0046] The case lid 13 can be attached to the case body 12 with a single touch. Therefore, even when attaching the case lid 13 to the case body 12 while sandwiching and compressing a seal block 6 with multiple wires 4 attached, the assembly work can be easily performed.

[0047] Once case 7 is complete, peel off the release paper (or adhesive paper) attached to both sides of the seal plate 19 and attach the seal plate 19 to the bottom surface 14 of the case body 12.

[0048] Then, after inserting the indoor portion of the wire harness 3 into the hole 2 of part 1, the pipe portion 16 of the case body 12 is inserted into the hole 2 of part 1, thereby attaching the case body 12 and the entire sealing device 100 to part 1. As mentioned above, simply inserting the pipe portion 16 into the hole 2 causes the engaging projection 17 to engage with the periphery of the hole in part 1, allowing for one-touch attachment. Therefore, even when attaching the entire sealing device 100 with the wire harness 3 attached to part 1, attachment can be easily performed.

[0049] After installation, the seal plate 19 is sandwiched between the case body 12 and the component 1 and compressed in the axial direction, which also improves the sealing performance.

[0050] Once the sealing device 100 is attached to part 1, the installation work is complete.

[0051] As described above, according to this embodiment, the sealing material application work is not performed manually as in the conventional method, and only the assembly of the sealing device 100 needs to be done manually, thus ensuring stable sealing performance. In addition, each electric wire 4 is sandwiched between the sealing blocks 6 within the slit 5 and gripped all around. As a result, the gaps between the electric wires 4, especially the gaps in the center of the electric wire bundle, are eliminated, or these gaps are filled by the compressed sealing blocks 6, thus ensuring reliable sealing between the electric wires 4. The fact that each electric wire 4 is gripped all around by the sealing blocks 6 can be easily seen, further ensuring sealing performance. In this way, reliable sealing performance can be stably secured.

[0052] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the case lid 13 is attached to the case body 12, the seal block 6 is compressed in the axial and radial directions. Therefore, the seal block 6 can be easily compressed at the same time as the case 7 is assembled, and the compression of the seal block 6 tightly grips the entire circumference of each wire 4, thereby improving the sealing performance.

[0053] As mentioned above, D1<D3、H1> Due to the H3 relationship, an optimal amount of compression can be applied to the assembled seal block 6. Since the amount of compression of the seal block 6 is automatically determined at the same time as the assembly of the case 7, stable sealing performance can be ensured regardless of the worker's skill.

[0054] The case lid 13 can be easily attached to the case body 12 with a single touch thanks to the engaging portions, or engaging protrusions 21 and 25, of the case body 12 and the case lid 13.

[0055] Furthermore, the mounting portion 8, or engaging projection 17, provided on the tubular portion 16 of the case body 12 allows the case 7 and, consequently the sealing device 100, to be easily attached to the part 1 with a single touch simply by inserting the tubular portion 16 into the hole 2. Installation is particularly easy when inserted from the outside of the vehicle, where there is ample space. Since there is no need to reach into the hole 2 as with conventional grommets, installation is simple.

[0056] Since multiple slits 5 extend from the center of the seal block 6 to the outer surface 9, the electric wire 4 can be slid into the slits 5 from the outer surface 9, i.e., from the side, making it easy to attach the electric wire 4 to the seal block 6.

[0057] Since the seal block 6 is formed from closed-cell foamed rubber, the internal bubbles are not connected to each other, and it is possible to reliably prevent water and other substances from entering by traveling through multiple bubbles.

[0058] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the wire harness 3 penetrates the component 1 in the vertical direction. In this case, component 1 is, for example, the roof panel of the vehicle body. However, naturally, the direction in which the wire harness 3 penetrates can be set arbitrarily, for example, horizontally. In this case, component 1 is, for example, the front, rear, or side panel of the vehicle body, and the configurations in Figures 1 to 4 are rotated by 90°.

[0059] Although embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, various other embodiments and modifications of this disclosure are conceivable.

[0060] (1) For example, the engagement portion between the case body portion 12 and the case lid portion 13 can be configured such that one is an engagement projection and the other is an engagement recess.

[0061] (2) The multiple slits 5 of the seal block 6 do not necessarily have to be formed radially, but may be formed in parallel, for example.

[0062] (3) The method of dividing Case 7 is not limited to the above embodiment, and it can be divided into three parts or the like as needed.

[0063] (4) The mounting portion 8 is not limited to the engaging projection 17, but can also be a simpler bolt mounting flange or bolt hole, for example.

[0064] The embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to those described above, but include any variations, applications, and equivalents encompassed within the spirit of this disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, this disclosure should not be constrained, but can be applied to any other art that falls within the scope of the spirit of this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 part 2 holes 3 Wire Harness 4 electric wire 5 slits 6 Seal Block 7 cases 8 Mounting part 10 Top part 11 Bottom part 12 Case body 13 Case Lid 16 Pipe section 17 Engagement protrusion 19 Seal Plate 24,20 Hole 21,25 Engagement protrusion 100 sealing device

Claims

1. A sealing device for sealing the gap between a component and a wire harness when inserting the wire harness through a hole in the component, A seal block formed of an elastic material has multiple slits into which the wires of the wire harness are inserted, A case that is composed of multiple parts and houses the seal block in a compressed state when assembled, The case is provided with a mounting portion for attaching to the component, Equipped with, The plurality of slits are formed solely by cuts that extend from the center of the seal block to the outer circumferential surface and along the entire axial length of the seal block. A sealing device characterized by the following features.

2. The case has a case body that contacts the bottom surface of the seal block and a case lid that contacts the top surface of the seal block. When the case lid is attached to the case body, the seal block is compressed axially between the case lid and the case body, and also compressed radially toward the center. The sealing device according to claim 1.

3. The case body is a roughly bottomed cylindrical container with an open top, In the state before the case lid is attached, the seal block has an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the case body and a height greater than the internal height of the case body. The sealing device according to claim 2.

4. The case body and the case lid each have a hole in their center through which the wire harness is inserted. The sealing device according to claim 2.

5. The case body and the case lid have engaging portions for assembling them together. The sealing device according to claim 2.

6. The case body has a tubular portion for insertion into the hole, The mounting portion is formed by an engaging projection provided on the pipe portion that engages with the component. The sealing device according to claim 2.

7. The case further comprises a sealing plate that is sandwiched between the case and the component when the case is attached to the component. The sealing device according to claim 1.

8. The seal block is formed from closed-cell foamed rubber. The sealing device according to claim 1.

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