JP7616654B2 - Eyelet-shaped parts - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a grommet-shaped part that is attached to a hole in a target component to lock the target component.

Grommets are generally ring-shaped components made of metal or resin that are attached to holes in paper, clothing, shoes, and other materials to reinforce the material or protect strings that pass through the holes, but they can also be used for other purposes, such as fastening multiple layers of decorative plates made of plastic, etc.

In addition to eyelets that can be 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 watch dials and the like, which has a disk-shaped head and multiple 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 it to hold the plate (see Patent Document 1, especially Figure 4).

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-16897

However, the eyelet member disclosed in Patent Document 1 has multiple thin legs that can be significantly deformed starting from the base of the head, and therefore has the problem that after engagement, the engagement claws at the tips of the legs are easily dislodged when force is applied toward the center of the hole.

Note that while the above has been focused on eyelets, i.e., ring-shaped (hollow) components, the same problems also apply to components that, like eyelets, are attached to holes in target components to reinforce the target components, and are solid rather than ring-shaped because they do not require a string to pass through. Therefore, in this specification, cylindrical components that are attached to holes in target components to reinforce the target components, whether hollow (ring-shaped) or solid, are referred to as "eyelet-shaped parts," and the present invention is provided as a means to solve the problems common to these components.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems. In other words, the problem to be solved by the present invention is 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.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present invention provides an eyelet-shaped part consisting of a cylindrical body, which may be hollow or solid, and a visor-like part that protrudes from the upper part of the cylindrical body and engages with an attachment member to which the part is to be attached. The eyelet-shaped part has a base fixed to the cylindrical body at the lower part, and a barb made of a barb plate that 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 surface 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.

The 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.

The third invention is based on the first or second invention and provides an eyelet-shaped part in which the outer surface of the cylindrical body has a barb-receiving groove for receiving the barb in at least a portion of the area where the barb runs along the outer surface of the cylindrical body.

The fourth invention is based on any one of the first to third inventions and provides an eyelet-shaped part in which the barb is fixed to only a portion of the entire circumference of the cylindrical main body.

The fifth invention is based on any one of the first to fourth inventions and provides an eyelet-shaped part in which the tip edge length of the barb is longer than the fixed length of the cylindrical body at the base.

The present invention makes it 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 fastened.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an eyelet-shaped part according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the eyelet-shaped part of the first embodiment is used; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an eyelet-shaped part according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining in detail the configuration of the barb of the first embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a configuration in which the cylindrical body is unlikely to fall off the attachment member; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing that the barb receiving groove is formed in a region along the outer surface of the cylindrical body. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a barb in the fourth embodiment; FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing an example of a method for manufacturing an eyelet-shaped part according to a first embodiment.

0100 Eyelet-shaped part 0110 Cylinder body 0111 Hole 0112 Barb 0113 Base 0114 Barb receiving groove 0120 Eaves-shaped part 0121 Arc-shaped hole

The following describes embodiments of the present invention. The relationships between the embodiments and the claims are as follows. The first embodiment mainly relates to claims 1 and 2, the second embodiment mainly relates to claims 3, the third embodiment mainly relates to claims 4, and the fourth embodiment mainly relates to claims 5. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments and may be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
<Embodiment 1>

<First embodiment: 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.

<Embodiment 1: Configuration>
(General)
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 the line X-X 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. The part shown in light ink in (b) is the cross-sectional shape of the eyelet-shaped part. The part shown in the bubble circle on the right is an enlarged view of the barb 0112 and its vicinity.

It is desirable for the material of the eyelet-shaped part to have 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 due to 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) at least for the barb. The material of the eyelet-shaped part may also be an elastic metal such as copper.

2 shows an example of the use of the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment. In this example, the eyelet-shaped part 0200 is attached to holes provided in multiple (three in this example) plastic decorative plates 0230 with designs to rotatably hold the multiple plates. For example, by providing these designs on 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 provided on 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.

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

Figure 3 shows another example of the appearance of the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment, in which the cylindrical body 0310 is solid. Eyelet-shaped parts of this structure are used when it is not necessary to thread a string through the hole in the attachment member.

(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 displaces 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.

The base of the barb is fixed to the cylindrical body. This base is the starting point for the barb's displacement when the cylindrical body is inserted into the hole in the attachment member, as described below.

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 surface of the cylindrical body when the cylindrical body is pushed 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.

(Cylinder body: Barb: Easy attachment to adhesive materials)
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining in more 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).

(a) shows the state in which the cylindrical body 0400 has not yet been inserted into the attachment member 0430. Here, the diameter D2 of the circle formed by the upper outer edge of the barb is designed to be slightly longer than the inner diameter D3 of the hole in the attachment member. For example, if the inner diameter D3 of the hole in the attachment member is 4.3 mm, the diameter D2 of the circle formed by the upper outer edge of the barb of the cylindrical 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 body.

(b) shows the state in which 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 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 upper outer edge of the barb is compressed to less than the inner diameter of the hole in the attachment member, so that the cylindrical body including the barb can be inserted through the hole in the attachment member. For example, if the diameter of the circle formed by the upper outer edge of the barb 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 the diameter D2' of the circle formed by the upper outer edge of the barb of the cylindrical body is 3.9 mm, and it is compressed to less than the inner diameter of the hole in the attachment member.

(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 the barb, which had been displaced along the outer surface of the cylindrical body, displaces from its base away from the outer surface of the cylindrical body again, returning to the state it was in before 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.

All of the above operations can be performed by hand without the use of tools.

The barb may be formed in a skirt shape around the entire circumference of the cylindrical body, but to make attachment easier by increasing the deformation caused by the pressing force applied from the attachment member to the side of the cylindrical body, the barb may be fixed only to a portion of the entire circumference of the cylindrical body. Details of such a configuration will be described later in another embodiment.

(Cylinder body: Barb: Not easily removed 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.

Figure 5 is a diagram to explain the configuration that makes it difficult for the cylindrical body to fall off the attachment member, and is explained in comparison with the prior art.

(a) is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional grommet configuration, in which a grommet 0500' with legs that extend the entire length of multiple holes, similar to those disclosed in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, is engaged with an attachment member 0530, and the part shown in light ink is the cross-sectional shape of the grommet. In this case, when a force is applied to the claw 0512' of the leg in the direction of the arrow, the leg bends from its base 0513' as a base point, and the tip of the claw moves to a position inside the inner diameter of the hole, which may cause the grommet to fall off the attachment member.

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 in (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 in (a).

(Cylindrical 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.

(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, the eaves-like portion has two arc-shaped holes 0211. These holes reduce the frictional force generated between the plates when holding multiple plates that are closely 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.

The dimensions of the eaves 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) is 6.9 mm, and the thickness W is 1.1 mm.

<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. For example, when the material is 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.

<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>

<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.

<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 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 the description will be omitted.

(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.

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

Figure 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the cylindrical body of the eyelet-shaped part shown in Figure 1, showing that the barbed groove is formed in an area along the outer surface of the cylindrical body. As shown in this figure, the barbed 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 barbed 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.

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, meaning that the barb receiving groove may be configured over the entire surface of the cylindrical body, penetrating from the top to the bottom, as in the example of Figure 1, or it may be configured in only a part, for example, by being installed only near the bottom end.

The location and number of the barb receiving grooves are appropriately designed according to the location and number of the barbs. In the example in Figure 1, barbs are installed in two locations, and barb receiving grooves are installed in two locations directly above the barbs.

<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>

<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 outer periphery of the cylindrical main body.

<Embodiment 3: 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 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.

(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.

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

<Fourth embodiment: overview>
The fourth embodiment mainly relates to claim 52 and the like.
In the eyelet-shaped part of this embodiment, in addition to the configuration described in the first to third embodiments, the tip portion of the barb is longer than the base portion.

<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 length of the barb is longer than the fixed length of the cylindrical main 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 description will be omitted.

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

Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the barb in this embodiment, and shows one barb and its vicinity from the eyelet-shaped parts shown in Figure 1 as viewed from directly above. In this diagram, the length of the barb portion (shown in bold) between the two base portions 0713 is the "base cylindrical body fixed length." Additionally, the length of the barb portion (shown in bold) between the two tip portions 0715 is the "tip edge length."

This configuration makes it difficult for the eyelet-shaped parts to fall off when in the locked state.

<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 (4)

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. The eyelet-shaped part according to claim 1, wherein at least the barb is made of a plastic material. 3. The eyelet-shaped part according to claim 1 , wherein the barb is fixed to only a part of the entire circumference of the cylindrical main body. 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.