Abstract:
A sealing grommet is provided that includes a grommet body with a sealant reservoir and a sealant drain portion. The grommet body has an outer peripheral wall, a panel engagement recess formed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall, and an inner peripheral wall extending inwardly of the outer peripheral wall and defining a wire harness insertion aperture inwardly thereof. The sealant reservoir is provided between the inner and outer peripheral walls, and is configured to temporarily store a sealant therein. The sealant drain portion is provided on the inner peripheral wall, and is configured to open upon deformation of the grommet body, thereby permitting the sealant to drain into the wire harness insertion aperture from the reservoir. With the above construction, the sealant can easily permeate between wires of the wire harness provided within the wire harness insertion aperture. Additionally, because the need for a sealant injection nozzle can be eliminated, a waterproof sealing operation can easily be carried out, even if the size of the sealing grommet is small.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a sealing grommet which holds a wire harness and which is mounted in the through hole of a vehicle panel; and to methods of assembling the sealing grommet, and of forming a waterproof seal within the grommet. The present invention is particularly applicable to a sealing grommet suitable for use with a small diameter wire harness which is produced by a small number of wires, but is clearly not limited thereto and could be applied to many other situations.  
           [0003]    2. Background of the Invention  
           [0004]    A grommet, formed, for example, from rubber or elastomer, holds a wire harness that extends from a compartment to the exterior of the compartment through a through hole of a vehicle panel. The grommet is fixedly mounted in the through hole to prevent water, etc. from penetrating the compartment through the panel.  
           [0005]    A conventional grommet  1 ,  1 ′ of this kind as shown in FIGS. 6, 7,  8 (A) and (B) is provided with a small diameter tubular portion  1   a,    1   a′ which tightly holds a group of wires and an enlarged diameter tubular portion  1   b,    1   b′ which continues in a conical tube shape from one end of the small diameter tubular portion  1   a,    1   a′.  A panel engagement recess  1   c,    1   c′ is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter tubular portion  1   b,    1   b′.    
           [0006]    As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the grommet  1  of this kind (Hereinafter referred to as an engine harness grommet) is generally mounted on an engine compartment wire harness W/H that extends through the through hole on a firewall between engine and passenger compartments. However, as shown in FIG. 8(A) and (B), a grommet  1 ′ of this kind (Hereinafter referred to as a floor harness grommet) may also be mounted on a floor wire harness W/H′ that, for example, extends to the mounting area of a fuel tank  4  at the rear of a vehicle, through a lower panel  3  in a luggage compartment  2 . The floor wire harness W/H′ has a group of wires that supply electric power to electrical loads such as a fuel pump and a license lamp. However, since the floor wire harness W/H′ requires only a limited number of wires, i.e.,  5  to  6  wires at maximum, it is smaller in diameter than the engine harness W/H. Accordingly, the floor harness grommet  1 ′ is equally smaller in size than the engine harness grommet  1 .  
           [0007]    In order to prevent water from penetrating into the luggage compartment, a tape  5 ′ is doubly wound on a region outside the luggage compartment from the small diameter portion  1   a′ of the grommet  1 ′ to the floor wire harness W/H′, in the same manner as shown in FIG. 7. However, mere double winding of the tape  5 ′ does not prevent the ingress of water completely because water may permeate through the gaps between the individual wires of the floor wire harness W/H′, as well as the gap between the inner surface of the tape  5 ′ and the outer surface of the wire harness W/H′.  
           [0008]    To improve waterproofing reliability, a sealant can be provided to form a seal between the wires, and, for example, it is known to provide such a sealant (not shown) in the engine harness grommet  1 . In this case, the sealant is introduced into the front end opening  1   c  of the enlarged diameter tubular portion  1   b,  using a sealant injection nozzle (not shown). However, as described above, since the floor harness grommet  1 ′ is smaller than the engine harness grommet  1 , the front end opening  1   d′ of the floor harness grommet  1 ′, into which the sealant is to be injected by use of the nozzle, is equally smaller than that of the engine harness grommet  1 . Consequently, the injection nozzle (not shown) would interfere with the front end opening  1   d′ of the floor harness grommet  1 ′ when the sealant is to be injected. Thus, it would be very difficult to fill the sealant into the floor harness grommet  1 ′, by inserting the injection nozzle in the conventional manner.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The present invention has been developed after taking the above problems into consideration, and aims to provide a sealing grommet having a construction such that a waterproof seal can be formed between wires of a wire harness with ease and certainty. The present invention further aims to provide methods of assembling the sealing grommet and of forming the waterproof seal.  
           [0010]    To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a sealing grommet that includes a grommet body having a sealant reservoir and a sealant drain portion. Specifically, the grommet body includes: an outer peripheral wall; a panel engagement recess formed on the outer surface of the outer peripheral wall and configured for hooking engagement with an aperture of a panel; and an inner peripheral wall extending inwardly of the outer peripheral wall and defining a wire harness insertion aperture inwardly thereof. The sealant reservoir is provided between the inner and outer peripheral walls, and is configured to temporarily store a sealant therein. The drain portion is provided on the inner peripheral wall, and is configured to open upon deformation of the grommet body, thereby permitting the sealant to drain into the wire harness insertion aperture from the reservoir.  
           [0011]    With this construction, the sealant can easily permeate between wires of a wire harness within the harness insertion aperture after the drain portion opens. Furthermore, because the need for a sealant injection nozzle can be eliminated, a waterproof sealing operation can be carried out without any difficulties, even if the size of the sealing grommet is small.  
           [0012]    According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drain portion is configured to be frangible. Thus, it can be ripped open upon deformation of the grommet body.  
           [0013]    In another aspect of the present invention, the grommet body further has a drain actuator portion configured for opening the drain portion upon operation thereof. Thus, the drain portion can be opened effectively. According to another preferred embodiment, the drain actuator portion is in the form of a handle portion that is configured to be readily gripped by the operator and pulled to open the drain portion. Moreover, the handle portion is provided on the inner peripheral wall, and is configured to project into the wire insertion aperture prior to the insertion of the wire harness and to project outwardly of the grommet body after the insertion of the wire harness. Also, the handle portion is positioned in proximity to an opening side where the wire harness extends outwardly from the harness insertion aperture, thereby permitting the handle portion to easily project out of the opening side and to be readily gripped and pulled until the drain portion opens.  
           [0014]    Preferably, the drain portion has a frangible thin wall portion configured to be ripped open when the handle portion is pulled away. According to another preferred embodiment, the thin wall portion is formed into a generally V-shaped groove. The thin wall portion may be spaced apart a predetermined distance from the handle portion, and positioned at a location farther away from the opening side than the handle portion.  
           [0015]    In a further aspect of the present invention, the outer peripheral wall of the grommet body has a small diameter tubular portion and an enlarged diameter tubular portion that continues in a conical tube shape from a first joined portion of the small diameter tubular portion. The panel engagement recess is formed on the outer surface of the enlarged diameter tubular portion, and the sealant reservoir is formed between an inner peripheral wall and the enlarged diameter tubular portion. Preferably, the inner peripheral wall and the small diameter tubular portion extend substantially concentrically to form double tubular portions, and are configured for releasable engagement with each other. According to a preferred embodiment, the small diameter tubular portion and the inner peripheral wall are separably engaged prior to injection of the sealant, and are permanently fixed together at an engagement area after the injection of the sealant. Accordingly, the sealant reservoir can be sealed effectively to prevent curing of the sealant within the reservoir.  
           [0016]    In a further aspect of the present invention, the inner peripheral wall has a foldable tubular portion extending outwardly from a second joined portion of the enlarged diameter tubular portion. The foldable tubular portion can be folded inwardly at a folding-back portion adjacent the second joined portion, and can be extended interiorly of the outer peripheral wall. As a result, the sealant reservoir and the harness insertion aperture can be formed substantially concentrically with respect to the foldable tubular portion. In the sealant reservoir, the sealant is temporarily stored until the drain portion is opened.  
           [0017]    Further, the present invention provides a method of assembling the above sealing grommet. First, the foldable tubular portion is folded inwardly at the folding-back portion, and extends interiorly of the enlarged diameter and the small diameter tubular portions so that the foldable tubular portion releasably engages with an inner peripheral surface of the small diameter tubular portion. As a result, the sealant reservoir is formed between the foldable tubular portion and the enlarged diameter tubular portion, with the harness insertion aperture formed inwardly of the foldable tubular portion. Next, the foldable tubular and the small diameter tubular portions are separated to form a sealant injection opening therebetween, and then the sealant is filled into the reservoir through the injection opening. Finally, the injection opening is closed, so that the reservoir can be sealed effectively to prevent curing of the sealant prior to drainage of the sealant into the harness insertion aperture. Therefore, the sealing grommet can be assembled effectively.  
           [0018]    According to a preferred embodiment, the small diameter tubular portion is deformed or enlarged outwardly to form the sealant injection opening. Also, to close the opening, the small diameter tubular and the foldable tubular portions are bonded together at an engagement area.  
           [0019]    Still further, the present invention provides a method of forming a waterproof seal between wires of a wire harness provided within a wire harness insertion aperture of the above sealing grommet. The sealant injection opening is formed between the small diameter tubular portion and the inner peripheral wall, and the sealant is injected into the reservoir in a similar manner as described above. The small diameter tubular portion and the inner peripheral wall are then permanently fixed so that the reservoir can be sealed effectively to prevent curing of the sealant within the sealant reservoir. After the small diameter tubular portion and the inner peripheral wall are fixed together, the wire harness is inserted through the harness insertion aperture, and a drain actuator portion provided on the inner peripheral wall is actuated, thereby opening the drain portion to permit the sealant to drain into the harness insertion aperture. This ensures that the sealant permeates between individual wires of the wire harness effectively, thereby forming the waterproof seal between the individual wires with certainty. Of course, in the event that the sealant filled grommet is to be used with a wire harness shortly after the sealant is provided in the sealant reservoir, i.e., before the sealant would normally cure without fixing the small diameter tubular portion to the inner peripheral wall, it would not be necessary to fix the small diameter tubular portion to the inner peripheral wall.  
           [0020]    According to a preferred embodiment, the drain actuator portion includes a handle portion and the drain portion has a frangible thin portion. In this case, the handle portion projects outwardly of the grommet body after the insertion of the wire harness. Then, the handle portion is gripped and pulled in a direction away from the grommet body until the thin wall portion is ripped open to permit the sealant to drain into the harness insertion aperture. Should the sealant not flow into the aperture smoothly, the enlarged diameter tubular portion may be squeezed or deformed inwardly to facilitate the drainage of the sealant. This deformation operation can be done either manually or mechanically.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]    The present invention is further detailed in the description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, in which like reference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the sealing grommet according to the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2(A) is a sectional view showing a blank, i.e., the sealing grommet of the present invention in a molded pre-formed condition;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view showing the drain portion and the drain actuator portion of the sealing grommet according to the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2(C) is an enlarged, sectional view showing the drain portion of FIG. 2(B);  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a grommet body, i.e., the condition in which the blank of FIG. 2(A) is assembled to form the grommet body;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the operation of filling a sealant into the grommet body of FIG. 3;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5(A) is a sectional view showing the condition in which the sealing grommet of FIG. 1 is mounted on a wire harness;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5(B) is a sectional view showing the operations of opening the drain portion of FIG. 2(C) and draining the sealant;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional grommet;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the condition in which the conventional grommet of FIG. 6 is mounted on a wire harness; and  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8(A) and (B) are schematic views showing the examples of how another conventional grommet such as a floor harness grommet is mounted on a vehicle panel.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0033]    The terms such as anterior, interior, etc. are used in this description to aid in understanding of the present invention. It should be understood that these terms are used in relation to the drawings as shown. It is fully envisioned that other orientations are possible and within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0034]    As shown in FIGS.  8 (A) and (B), a sealing grommet  10  of the present invention may be mounted on a floor wire harness that, for example, extends downwardly from the luggage compartment through a lower panel, and then secured within an aperture provided on the lower panel in a manner similar to that of grommet  1 ′.  
         [0035]    The grommet  10  has a construction as illustrated in FIG. 1, and is assembled in a manner as described below. First, as shown in FIG. 2(A), a blank  10   a  is molded, for example, from rubber or elastomer, and a foldable tubular portion  13  is folded back to form a grommet body  10   b  as shown in FIG. 3. Finally, as shown in FIG. 4, a sealant  20  is injected into the grommet body  10   b.    
         [0036]    As best seen in FIG. 2(A), formed unitarily in one piece in a molded pre-assembled condition are: a small diameter tubular portion  11 ; an enlarged diameter tubular portion  12  which continues in a conical tube shape from a first joined portion  11   a  provided at one end of the small diameter tubular portion  11 ; the foldable tubular portion  13  which projects outwardly from a posterior surface of the enlarged diameter tubular portion  12 ; and a drain actuator portion  14  provided on an outer peripheral surface of the foldable tubular portion  13 . In a preferred embodiment, the drain actuator portion  14  is in the form of a handle portion  14  that projects from the outer peripheral surface of the foldable tubular portion  13 , preferably at a right angle as shown in FIG. 2(B). On the outer peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter tubular portion  12 , a panel engaging recess  15  is provided for hooking engagement with the aperture of the panel. From the posterior surface of the enlarged diameter tubular portion  12 , a second joined portion  18  or an annular projecting portion  18  projects inwardly so that a base end  13   a  of the foldable tubular portion  13  continues to extend from the inner peripheral surface of the projecting portion  18 . Moreover, a sealant drain portion  16  is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the foldable tubular portion  13 . In a preferred embodiment, the drain portion  16  is in the form of a frangible thin wall portion  16 , and is positioned farther away from the base end  13   a  than the handle portion  14 . As shown in FIG. 2(C), the thin wall portion  16  may be formed from a generally V-shaped groove  16 . The V-shaped groove may be configured so as to extend about the entire periphery of the outer peripheral surface of the foldable tubular portion  13 . Additionally, a folding-back portion P is provided at a location adjacent the base end  13   a  of the foldable tubular portion  13 .  
         [0037]    In a more preferred embodiment of the thin wall portion  16 , the thickness of the thin wall portion  16  is set to be about 0.3 mm - 0.1 mm. For example, in the most preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 2(C), the thickness is set at 0.25 mm, and the width of the recess of the V-shaped groove  16  is at 0.5 mm. The thin wall portion  16  may not necessarily be limited to the configuration of the V-shape. Other suitable configurations such as a concave shape groove and a U-shape groove could also be employed, but the thickness should always be sufficient to permit easy breakage.  
         [0038]    In the preferred embodiment, the above-described parts are unitarily formed in one piece. Alternatively, the drain actuator portion and the drain portion, in particular, can be formed separately in any suitable manner.  
         [0039]    As shown in FIG. 3, the foldable tubular portion  13  is folded inwardly at the folding-back portion P, and extends interiorly of the enlarged diameter and the small diameter tubular portions  11 ,  12 , thereby forming a space or sealant reservoir  19  between the foldable tubular and the enlarged diameter tubular portions  12 ,  13 . When fully folded, the foldable tubular portion  13  releasably engages with an inner peripheral surface of the small diameter tubular portion  11 , thereby forming double concentric tubular portions with the first and second ends  11   b,    13   b  thereof aligned. Under this condition, the thin wall portion  16  of the foldable tubular portion  13  is positioned in proximity to the first joined portion  11   a,  and is positioned away from the folding back portion P. As illustrated, the handle portion  14  projects into a hollow portion or wire harness insertion aperture  30  through which the wire harness is insertable. The wire harness insertion aperture  30  is formed inwardly of the foldable tubular portion  13 , and extends substantially concentrically with respect to the reservoir  19  which is formed outwardly of the foldable tubular portion  13 .  
         [0040]    Alternatively, the grommet body  10   b  may be formed in any suitable manner that would not require the folding back process. For example, an inner peripheral wall  13  can be provided to merely extend inwardly of the outer-diameter and the small diameter tubular portions  11 ,  12  in the form of an outer peripheral wall.  
         [0041]    Referring to FIG. 4, after the condition of FIG. 3 is reached, the small diameter and the foldable tubular portions  11 ,  13  are separated while enlarging the small diameter tubular portion  11  outwardly. As a consequence, a sealant injection opening C is temporarily formed between the small diameter and the foldable tubular portions  11 ,  13 . A sealant injector  21 , for example, in the form of a syringe, is inserted into the injection opening C, and then the sealant  20  is injected into the reservoir  19 . Since the sealant is temporarily stored in the reservoir  19  until the thin wall portion  16  is opened, preferred sealing materials are of relatively low viscosity and of relatively high flowability, and are capable of curing only when they absorb atmospheric moisture. Many adhesives, for example, cyanoacrylates and silicones may be suitable for the purpose of the present invention. An especially preferred sealing material is Alon-alpha, an instant adhesive available from Toagosei Co. Ltd. However, any suitable sealant material may be used.  
         [0042]    After the introduction of the sealant  20  into the reservoir  19 , the injector  21  is removed from the grommet  10 , and then the foldable tubular portion  13  is permanently fixed with the small diameter tubular portion  11  at an engagement area  23 . In a preferred embodiment, the small diameter and the foldable tubular portions  11 ,  13  are bonded at the engagement area  23 , for example by an adhesive  22  such as a metamorphic isoprene adhesive. Due to the bonding of the tubular portions  11 , 13 , the reservoir  19  can be sealed effectively to prevent curing of the sealant within the reservoir  19 .  
         [0043]    Also, other suitable bonding methods are applicable to bond the small diameter and the foldable tubular portions  11 , 13  together. For example, an unvulcanized rubber material may be applied on the engagement area  23 , and heated later, so that the rubber material cures to bond the tubular portions  11 ,  13  together. If both the tubular portions  11 ,  13  are made of a thermoplastic elastomeric material, they may also be melt bonded.  
         [0044]    As described above, in the preferred embodiment, the sealing grommet  10  of FIG. 1 can easily be assembled by filling the sealant  20  into the sealant reservoir  19 , and then by bonding the small diameter and the foldable tubular portions  11 , 13 .  
         [0045]    As shown in FIGS.  5 (A) and (B), once the grommet  10  is fully assembled, the wire harness W/H, which is produced by a small group of  5 - 6  wires at maximum, is first inserted through the wire harness insertion aperture  30 . More specifically, the wire harness W/H is inserted from an anterior opening side  26  of the insertion aperture  30  (corresponding to the second opening  13   b ), and extends outwardly from a posterior opening side  27  located adjacent the folding-back portion P. The handle portion  14 , which projects into the harness insertion aperture  30 , needs to project out of the posterior opening side  27  after the insertion of the wire harness W/H. Accordingly, the handle portion  14  is positioned at a location where it can readily project outwardly without becoming tangled with the wire harness W/H during its insertion.  
         [0046]    Then, a tape  25  is doubly wound from the small diameter tubular portion  11  of the grommet  10  to the wire harness W/H. Afterward, the handle portion  14  is gripped and pulled strongly in a direction away from the grommet body  10   b,  thereby breaking or ripping open the thin wall portion  16  (FIG. 5(B)). At this juncture, the sealant  20  flows from the reservoir  19  into the insertion aperture  30  through a ripped open portion  16 ′, thereby penetrating the gaps between the wires of the wire harness W/H provided within the wire harness insertion aperture  30 . The sealant  20  then cures to form the waterproof seal after the elapse of a predetermined time. In this manner, the waterproof seal can be formed between the individual wires as well as between the outer surface of the wires and the inner surface of the foldable tubular portion  13 .  
         [0047]    Should the sealant  20  not flow out smoothly through the ripped open portion  16 ′ of the thin wall portion  16 , then the enlarged diameter tubular portion  12  of the grommet  10  can be squeezed or deformed inwardly to facilitate the drainage of the sealant  20 .  
         [0048]    With the construction of the above preferred embodiments, the sealant  20  can easily be introduced into the reservoir  10  using the injector  21  and is temporarily stored therein. Further, after the insertion of the wire harness W/H, the sealant  20  can permeate the gaps of the individual wires with certainty by breaking open the thin wall portion  16  while pulling the handle portion  14 . Accordingly, a waterproof sealing operation can easily be carried out even if the size of the grommet  10  is small.  
         [0049]    On the other hand, if a waterproof seal is also required at the small diameter tubular portion side, it is preferred to provide the thin wall portion  16  in proximity to that tubular portion side. Moreover, to break open the thin wall portion  16  with a relatively small pulling force, it is preferred to provide the handle portion  14  adjacent the thin wall portion  16 . However, in the preferred embodiment, the handle portion  14  is positioned in proximity to the posterior opening side  27 , spaced apart a desired distance from the thin wall portion  16 . This arrangement forces the handle portion  14  to project out of the posterior opening side  27  after the insertion of the wire harness W/H. Additionally, the handle portion  14  may be positioned at a location adjacent the posterior opening side  27 .  
         [0050]    It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0051]    The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in priority Japanese Application No. HEI 2000-007565, filed on Jan. 17, 2000, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.