Grommet and apparatus for aligning wire

Abstract

A grommet includes a body, which has a block shape with a wire passing hole formed by perforation, and a guide, which extends from one end of the body at a predetermined angle and has a guide hole formed by perforation.

Claims

1. A grommet comprising: a body which has a hexahedral shape with wire passing holes; and a guide which extends at right angles from a lower end of the body and has a guide hole therein, wherein the wire passing holes are located higher than an upper surface of the guide.

2. The grommet of claim 1, wherein the guide extends in a horizontal direction from the body extending in a vertical direction.

3. The grommet of claim 1, wherein the guide is formed integrally with the body.

4. The grommet of claim 1, wherein each of the wire passing holes is a circular through-hole.

5. The grommet of claim 1, wherein the guide hole has a size greater than a sum of sizes of the wire passing holes.

6. The grommet of claim 1, wherein the guide hole is a rectangular through-hole.

7. The grommet of claim 6, wherein the guide hole has chamfered or filleted corners.

8. The grommet of claim 6, wherein the guide hole is elongated in a width direction of the guide.

9. The grommet of claim 1, further comprising a protrusion which protrudes outward from an outer wall of the body.

10. An apparatus for aligning a wire, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of grommets, each comprising a body with wire passing holes, and a guide, which extends from one end of the body at a predetermined angle and has a guide hole formed therein; and a grommet fixing unit configured to connect and fix the guides of the plurality of grommets to each other.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the grommet fixing unit comprises: a fixing hook which has a cylindrical annular shape with one side open and whose both ends respectively inserted into the guide holes of the plurality of grommets; a wire retainer configured to cover, from above, the wire that simultaneously passes through the wire passing holes and the guide holes; and a connection portion configured to connect the fixing hook to the wire retainer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the connection portion is bent.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fixing hook and the wire retainer are disposed perpendicular to each other.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the fixing hook has a diameter greater than a sum of thicknesses of outer walls of the plurality of guide holes.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the guide extends at right angles from a lower end of the body.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a temperature sensor wire passes through a first grommet of the related art.

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a resolver wire passes through a second grommet of the related art.

(4) FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the first grommet and the second grommet according to the related art are assembled to a transmission housing.

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a motor stator is assembled to the transmission housing to which the first grommet and the second grommet according to the related art are assembled.

(6) FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a first grommet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(7) FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the first grommet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(8) FIG. 7 is an operation view illustrating a state in which temperature sensor wires pass through wire passing holes of the first grommet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(9) FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a second grommet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(10) FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the second grommet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(11) FIG. 10 is an operation view illustrating a state in which resolver wires pass through wire passing holes of the second grommet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(12) FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which the first grommet and the second grommet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled to the transmission housing.

(13) FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state in which the motor stator is assembled to the transmission housing to which the first grommet and the second grommet according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled.

(14) FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of a grommet fixing unit according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(15) FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of the grommet fixing unit according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(16) FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a state in which the grommet fixing unit according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure fixes the first grommet to the second grommet.

(17) FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which a motor stator is assembled to a transmission housing to which the first grommet and the second grommet fixed by the grommet fixing unit according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(18) Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and implementation methods thereof will be clarified through following exemplary embodiments described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in various different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Further, the present disclosure is defined only by scopes of claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

(19) Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. Also, terms as defined in a generally used dictionary are not construed ideally or excessively unless defined apparently and specifically.

(20) In this specification, the terms are used only for explaining exemplary embodiments while not limiting the present disclosure. In this specification, the singular forms include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The meaning of “comprises” and/or “comprising” used in the specification does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more components other than the mentioned component(s).

(21) Hereinafter, preferred exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(22) FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a first grommet 11 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the first grommet 11 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 7 is an operation view illustrating a state in which temperature sensor wires 21 pass through wire passing holes 112 of the first grommet 11 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(23) According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, not only wire passing holes 112 and 122 but also guide holes 114 and 124 are formed in grommet 11 and 12 to increase a friction force applied to wires 21 and 22, and thus, although the wires 21 and 22 are formed to be long, damage to the wires 21 and 22 may be prevented by not allowing the wires 21 and 22 to be moved upward and inserted into a transmission housing 31 or come into contact with a boundary region between a motor and a transmission.

(24) For this, the grommets 11 and 12 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include: bodies 111 and 121 which have a block shape with wire passing hole 112 and 122 formed by perforation; and guides 113 and 123 which extend from respective ends of the bodies 111 and 121 at a predetermined angle and have guide holes 114 and 124 formed by perforation.

(25) The body 111 may have a block shape. The block shape generally has a polyhedral shape, and particularly, it is desirable that the body 111 of the first grommet 11 has a hexahedral shape as illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6.

(26) The wire passing holes 112 may be formed by perforating the body 111. As described above, the wires 21 and 22 pass through the wire passing holes 112 and 122, and in the first grommet 11 as illustrated in FIG. 7, temperature sensor wires 21 pass through the wire passing holes 112. In general, each of the temperature sensor wires 21 has a circular cross-section, and thus, each of the wire passing holes 112 may also be a through-hole having a circular cross-section. Also, it is desirable that the wire passing hole 112 is large enough to allow the temperature sensor wire 21 to be easily inserted but is small enough to constrain the temperature sensor wire 21 so that the temperature sensor wire 21 is not allowed to move a lot laterally in the wire passing hole 112. For example, it is desirable that the diameter of the wire passing hole 112 is equal to or less than two times the diameter of the cross-section of the temperature sensor wire 21.

(27) In general, the temperature sensor wires 21 may include two types of wires 21 such as an input and an output. Thus, two wire passing holes 112 are formed in the first grommet 11, and one wire 21 may pass through one wire passing hole 112.

(28) The guide 113 extends from one end of the body 111 at a predetermined angle. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the guide 113 may extend from a lower end of the body 111, and the predetermined angle may be a right angle. Thus, the guide 113 may extend perpendicularly from the body 111.

(29) The guide 113 may be manufactured separately from the body 111 and then assembled thereto, but may be formed integrally with the body 111. Thus, the guide 113 is not easily separated from the body 111, and thus, the durability may be further improved.

(30) The guide hole 114 may be formed by perforating the guide 113, and the guide hole 114 may be a rectangular through-hole. Also, the guide hole 114 may have chamfered or filleted corners. The wires 21 also pass through the guide hole 114, and in the first grommet 11 as illustrated in FIG. 7, the temperature sensor wires 21 pass through the guide hole 114. In the wire passing holes 112, one temperature sensor wire 21 passes through one wire passing hole 112, but in the guide hole 114, all of a plurality of temperature sensor wires 21 may pass through one guide hole 114. For this, it is desirable that the guide hole 114 is formed to be large. For example, it is desirable that the one guide hole 114 has a size greater than a sum of sizes of the plurality of wire passing holes 112.

(31) Here, the first grommet 11 may further include a protrusion 115 that protrudes outward from an upper outer wall of the body 111. The protrusion 115 is inserted into a groove formed in the motor when the first grommet 11 is mounted to the boundary region between the motor and the transmission housing 31, and thus, after being mounted, the first grommet 11 may be prevented from being moved or separated outward.

(32) FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a second grommet 12 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the second grommet 12 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 10 is an operation view illustrating a state in which resolver wires 22 pass through wire passing holes 122 of the second grommet 12 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(33) It is also desirable that the body 121 of the second grommet 12 has a hexahedral shape as illustrated in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9.

(34) In the second grommet 12 illustrated in FIG. 10, the resolver wires 22 pass through the wire passing holes 122. In general, each of the resolver wires 22 also has a circular cross-section, and thus, each of the wire passing holes 122 may also be a through-hole having a circular cross-section. Also, it is desirable that the wire passing hole 122 is large enough to allow the resolver wire 22 to be easily inserted but is small enough to constrain the resolver wire 22 so that the resolver wire 22 is not allowed to move a lot laterally in the wire passing hole 122. For example, it is desirable that the diameter of the wire passing hole 122 is equal to or less than two times the diameter of the cross-section of the resolver wire 22.

(35) In general, like the motor, the resolver includes a rotor and a stator. The rotor of the resolver is connected to the rotor of the motor, and when the rotor of the motor rotates, the rotor of the resolver also rotates inside the stator of the resolver. Also, a plurality of coils are wound around the rotor of the resolver, and the rotation speed of the rotor of the motor and the rotation position may be measured through a sinusoidal output which is outputted from each of the plurality of coils. Thus, the resolver wire 22 may include many wires 22 so that the output is outputted from each of the plurality of coils, and for example, may include eight wires 22 as illustrated in FIG. 10. Thus, eight wire passing holes 122 are formed in the second grommet 12, and one wire 22 may pass through one wire passing hole 122.

(36) The guide holes 114 and 124 may be formed by perforating the guides 113 and 123. The wires 21 and 22 also pass through the guide holes 114 and 124, and in the second grommet 12 as illustrated in FIG. 10, the resolver wires 22 pass through the guide hole 124. In the wire passing holes 122, one resolver wire 22 passes through one wire passing hole 122, but in the guide hole 124, all of a plurality of resolver wires 22 may pass through one guide hole 124. For this, it is desirable that the guide hole 124 is formed to be large. For example, it is desirable that the one guide hole 124 has a size greater than a sum of sizes of the plurality of wire passing holes 122.

(37) Here, the second grommet 12 may further include a protrusion 125 that protrudes outward from a lower outer wall of the body 121. The protrusion 125 is inserted into a groove formed in the motor when the second grommet 12 is mounted to the boundary region between the motor and the transmission housing 31, and thus, after being mounted, the second grommet 12 may be prevented from being moved or separated outward.

(38) FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a state in which the first grommet 11 and the second grommet 12 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled to the transmission housing 31, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state in which the motor stator 32 is assembled to the transmission housing 31 to which the first grommet 11 and the second grommet 12 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled.

(39) As described above, the temperature sensor and the resolver are inserted into the transmission housing 31, but a controller is positioned outside. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the grommets 11 and 12 are mounted to a boundary region between the motor and the transmission housing 31, and the wires 21 and 22 may connect the inside and outside of the transmission housing 31 as the wires 21 and 22 pass through the wire passing holes 112 and 122 of the grommets 11 and 12.

(40) Here, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, not only the bodies 111 and 121 but also the guides 113 and 123 are formed in the grommets 11 and 12. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the temperature sensor wires 21 pass through the wire passing holes 112 of the first grommet 11 and then also pass through the guide hole 114 together. Also, the resolver wires 22 pass through the wire passing holes 122 of the second grommet 12 and then also pass through the guide hole 124 together. In particular, as described above, the guides 113 and 123 extend perpendicularly from the respective ends of the bodies 111 and 121, and thus, the wire passing holes 112 and 122 may be perpendicular to the guide holes 114 and 124. Thus, the friction force is applied to the wires 21 and 22 by the guide holes 114 and 124 as well as the wire passing holes 112 and 122, and thus, the friction force applied to the wires 21 and 22 increases. Thus, although the wires 21 and 22 are formed to be long, damage to the wires 21 and 22 or disconnection thereof may be prevented by not allowing the wires 21 and 22 to be moved upward and inserted into a transmission housing 31 or come into contact with the boundary region between the motor and the transmission.

(41) FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of a grommet fixing unit 13 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of the grommet fixing unit 13 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

(42) According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, in a case where a plurality of grommets 11 and 12 are installed, both ends of a fixing hook 131 of the grommet fixing unit 13 are respectively inserted into the guide holes 114 and 124 of the plurality of grommets 11 and 12, and thus, the plurality of grommets 11 and 12 may be fixed.

(43) For this, an apparatus for aligning a wire according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a plurality of grommets 11 and 12 including bodies 111 and 121, which have a block shape with wire passing holes 112 and 122 formed by perforation, and guides 113 and 123, which extend from respective ends of the bodes 111 and 121 at a predetermined angle and have guide holes 114 and 124 formed by perforation; and a grommet fixing unit 13 which connects and fixes the guides 113 and 123 of the plurality of grommets 11 and 12 to each other.

(44) As illustrated in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the grommet fixing unit 13 includes: a fixing hook 131 which has a cylindrical annular shape with one side open and whose both ends respectively inserted into the guide holes 114 and 124 of the plurality of grommets 11 and 12; a wire retainer 132 which covers, from above, wires 21 and 22 that simultaneously pass through the wire passing holes 112 and 122 and the guide holes 114 and 124; and a connection portion 133 which connects the fixing hook 131 to the wire retainer 132.

(45) FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a state in which the grommet fixing unit 13 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure fixes the first grommet 11 to the second grommet 12, and FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which a motor stator 32 is assembled to a transmission housing 31 to which the first grommet 11 and the second grommet 12 fixed by the grommet fixing unit 13 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled.

(46) The fixing hook 131 has the cylindrical annular shape with one side open. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, both ends thereof may face each other in the open one side. Also, when the first grommet 11 and the second grommet 12 are disposed side by side, both the ends of the fixing hook 131 are respectively inserted into the guide holes 114 and 124 formed in the first grommet 11 and the second grommet 12 as illustrated in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, and thus the grommet fixing unit 13 may be mounted to the plurality of grommets 11 and 12. Accordingly, the first grommet 11 and the second grommet 12 may be fixed to each other.

(47) The fixing hook 131 has a diameter greater than a sum of thicknesses of outer walls of the plurality of guide holes 114 and 124 so that both the ends of the fixing hook 131 are easily inserted into the respective guide holes 114 and 124 of the first grommet 11 and the second grommet 12 disposed side by side. Here, it is desirable that the outer walls of the guide holes 114 and 124 represent a left outer wall and a right outer wall. If the thicknesses of the outer walls of the guide holes 114 and 124 increase, the diameter of the fixing hook 131 also further increases. Accordingly, the entire volume of the grommet fixing unit 13 increases, and thus, assembling other components to the transmission housing 31 may be hindered. Thus, it is desirable that the outer walls of the guide holes 114 and 124 may be thin to some extent.

(48) As described above, each of the guide holes 114 and 124 may be a rectangular through-hole. Also, it is desirable that this rectangular shape is elongated in a width direction of the guides 113 and 123. Accordingly, the thicknesses of the left outer wall and the right outer wall constituting the guide holes 114 and 124 are reduced to some extent, and thus, the diameter of the fixing hook 131 may also be reduced.

(49) It is desirable that the grommet fixing unit 13 is made of an elastic material. Thus, when both the ends of the fixing hook 131 are respectively inserted into the plurality of guide holes 114 and 124, the distance between both the ends of the fixing hook 131 increases to some extent. Also, after both the ends thereof are inserted into the plurality of the guide holes 114 and 124, the distance between both the ends of the fixing hook 131 may decrease again. Accordingly, the grommet fixing unit 13 may be prevented from being separated from the grommets 11 and 12 after being mounted to the grommets 11 and 12.

(50) As illustrated in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the wire retainer 132 may cover, from above, the temperature sensor wires 21 and the resolver wires 22 which simultaneously pass through the wire passing holes 112 and 122 and the guide holes 114 and 124 and extend downwards. Accordingly, the wires 21 and 22 may be protected from an external impact.

(51) It is desirable that, when the fixing hook 131 of the grommet fixing unit 13 is mounted to the grommets 11 and 12, a flat top surface thereof faces the bodies 111 and 121 of the grommets 11 and 12. The guide holes 114 and 124 are oriented downward, and both the open ends of the fixing hook 131 are also oriented downward, because the guides 113 and 123 having the guide holes 114 and 124 are perpendicular to the bodies 111 and 121, and the flat top surface of the fixing hook 131 is perpendicular to both the open ends.

(52) On the other hand, because the wire retainer 132 of the grommet fixing unit 13 covers the wires 21 and 22 from above, a bottom surface thereof may be oriented downward.

(53) Thus, the fixing hook 131 of the grommet fixing unit 13 may be disposed perpendicular to the wire retainer 132 as illustrated in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16. In order to connect the fixing hook 131 and the wire retainer 132 disposed perpendicular to each other, the connection portion 133 may be bent at a right angle as illustrated in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. However, the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto, and the connection portion 133 may have various shapes, for example, be formed having a shape foldable at a right angle.

(54) According to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, at least the following effects may be obtained.

(55) Not only the wire passing holes but also the guide holes 114 and 124 are formed in the grommet to increase the friction force applied to the wires, and thus, although the wires are formed to be long, damage to the wires may be prevented by not allowing the wires to be moved upward and inserted into the transmission housing or come into contact with the boundary region between the motor and the transmission.

(56) Also, in the case where the plurality of grommets are installed, both the ends of the fixing hook of the grommet fixing unit are respectively inserted into the guide holes 114 and 124 of the plurality of grommets, and thus, the plurality of grommets may be fixed.

(57) The effects according to the present disclosure are not limited to those exemplified above, and more various effects are included in the present specification.

(58) Those with ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that the present disclosure may be carried out in other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features. Thus, the above-described exemplary embodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive to all aspects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and various modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the equivalent concept thereof should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present disclosure.