Sealing device for engine hood and vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a sealing device for an engine hood and a vehicle. The sealing device comprises: an elongated and hollow sealing component capable of being elastically deformed; a mounting component fixed to the sealing component and extending along a longitudinal direction of the sealing component; and a reinforcing component configured to comprise a hollow elongated body and arranged inside the sealing component, wherein only a part of the outer wall of the reinforcing component abuts the inner wall of the sealing component, so that a compression space is formed between the reinforcing component and the sealing component. According to the present disclosure, the sealing strength of the sealing component is improved by providing the reinforcing component in the sealing component of the sealing device. The improved sealing strength allows the sealing component to generate stronger tension on the engine hood, thereby preventing the problem of engine hood vibration during traveling and improving the safety performance of the entire vehicle.

Description

DESCRIPTIONSEALING DEVICE FOR ENGINE HOOD AND VEHICLERELATED FIELD

[0001] The present invention claims the priority of the Chinese application 202310904579.3 filed on July, the 21st of 2023 (21.07.2023), the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of vehicles, and in particular to the field of vehicle sealing. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a sealing device for an engine hood and a vehicle using the same.BACKGROUND

[0003] The engine hood of a vehicle is used to protect the engine and peripheral pipeline fittings, including electrical circuit, oil circuit, brake system, transmission system, etc. In order to achieve a more reliable protection of the engine hood, a sealing device is generally mounted on the outer periphery of the engine frame of the vehicle accommodating the engine, so as to improve the sealing performance of the engine hood. In addition, such sealing device can improve the strength and optimize the structure of the engine hood, and prevent adverse effects on the engine caused by collision, corrosion, rainwater, electrical interference, etc., thereby protecting the normal operation of the vehicle engine.

[0004] However, the sealing device used in the current engine hood is not strong enough, so that it cannot provide sufficient support to the engine hood and therefore cannot generate sufficient tension on the entire engine hood, resulting in vibration problems of the engine hood during traveling.SUMMARY

[0005] It is an object of the present disclosure to solve the above problems in the prior art and to provide a sealing device with high strength for an engine hood.

[0006] To this end, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, a sealing device foran engine hood is provided, wherein the sealing device comprises: an elongated and hollow sealing component capable of being elastically deformed; a mounting component fixed to the sealing component and extending along a longitudinal direction of the sealing component; and a reinforcing component configured to comprise a hollow elongated body and arranged inside the sealing component, wherein only a part of the outer wall of the reinforcing component abuts the inner wall of the sealing component, so that a compression space is formed between the reinforcing component and the sealing component.

[0007] According to the above technical concept, the present disclosure may further comprise one or more of the following alternative forms.

[0008] In some alternative forms, the outer wall of the reinforcing component abuts the inner wall of the sealing component in a direction of compression to provide support strength when the sealing component is compressed.

[0009] In some alternative forms, the sealing component and the reinforcing component are both made of rubber.

[0010] In some alternative forms, the material density of the reinforcing component is higher than the material density of the sealing component.

[0011] In some alternative forms, the reinforcing component is configured to be elastically deformed to be inserted into or removed from the sealing component.

[0012] In some alternative forms, the reinforcing component is provided with a plurality of weakened portions spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, and the plurality of weakened portions are recessed inwardly from the outer wall of the reinforcing component.

[0013] In some alternative forms, each of the plurality of weakened portions is configured as a notch on the outer wall of the reinforcing component.

[0014] In some alternative forms, a gap is formed between the reinforcing component and the mounting component.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided, wherein the vehicle comprises a sealing device for an engine hood as described above, the mounting component of the sealing device is clamped onto the vehicle, and the sealing component is arranged towards the engine hood.

[0016] According to the present disclosure, the sealing component of the sealing device for the engine hood is improved by providing the reinforcing component in the sealing component, thereby improving the sealing strength of the sealing component. The improved sealing strength allows the sealing component to generate stronger tension when the engine hood compresses the sealing component, thereby reducing the vibration of the engine hood during traveling, and improving the safety performance of the entire vehicle. In addition, the sealing device of the present disclosure can better prevent foreign matters such as water and oil from entering the engine and causing pollution to precision elements such as spark plug and solenoid valve of the engine, thus further prolonging the service life of the engine.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be readily understood through the following preferred embodiments described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals indicate the same or similar components, in the drawings:

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sealing device for an engine hood according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the sealing device in FIG. 1;

[0020] FIG. 3 is a front view of the sealing device in FIG. 2;

[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a reinforcing component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of the reinforcing component in FIG. 4; and

[0023] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the sealing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a state of being mounted to a vehicle, showing an engine hood acting on the sealing device.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The implementation and usage of the embodiments are discussed in detail below. However, it should be understood that the specific embodiments discussed herein are merelyintended to illustrate specific ways of implementing and applying the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. When describing structural positions of various components, the direction-related expressions herein, such as "upper", "lower", "top", and "bottom", are not absolute, but relative. When the components are arranged as shown in the drawings, these direction-related expressions are appropriate, but when the positions of these components in the drawings would be changed, these direction-related expressions should be changed accordingly.

[0025] In this context, the terms, such as "installation", "link", "connection" and "fixation", should be understood in a broad sense unless otherwise specified and defined. For example, the "connection" herein may be fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; may be a direct connection or an indirect connection via an intermediary; may be an internal communication of two components or an interaction relationship between two components. For those skilled in the art, specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure should be understood in view of the context.

[0026] In this context, "front" and "rear" are defined relative to the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, "transverse direction" refers to a direction in which an object has a relatively small dimension, also known as the width direction, "longitudinal direction" refers to a direction in which the object has a relatively large dimension, also known as the length direction, and "vertical direction" refers to a direction substantially perpendicular to the ground.

[0027] Generally, a vehicle is provided with a sealing device for an engine hood, where the sealing device is clamped onto the vehicle to provide sealing strength after the engine hood is closed. The inventors realized that, if the strength of the sealing device is too low, the stability of sealing of the engine hood may be reduced thereby, so that the engine hood may vibrate during the traveling process of the vehicle, and such vibration may be transmitted to the vehicle body, reducing the comfort of the driver and passengers, and leaving a safety hazard in the vehicle.

[0028] With reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sealing device for an engine hood according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG.2 is a partially enlarged view of the sealing device in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the sealing device in FIG. 2.

[0029] A sealing device 100 for an engine hood according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises an elongated and hollow sealing component 110 and a mounting component 120 for securing the sealing device 100 to the vehicle. The sealing component 110 has an elastically deformable portion 111. The mounting component 120 extends along a longitudinal direction DI of the sealing component 110 and is fixed to the sealing component 110.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mounting component 120 may have a substantially U-shaped cross-section in which the mounting component 120 may be provided, in the orientation shown in FIGS. 1-3, with a top wall 123 and a bottom wall 124 parallel to and spaced apart from each other in a vertical direction D2, and a side wall 125 extending between the top wall 123 and the bottom wall 124. The top wall 123, the bottom wall 124 and the side wall 125 of the mounting component 120 together define a mounting space allowing the sealing device 100 to clamp onto the vehicle. In this embodiment, the sealing component 110 has a substantially C-shaped cross-section, and the bottom of the sealing component 110 is attached to the top wall 123 of the mounting component 120, that is, the hollow sealing component 110 is formed by the elastically deformable portion 111 and the top wall 123 of the mounting component 120. In this way, the connection between the sealing component 110 and the mounting component 120 is simplified so that the sealing component 110 and the mounting component 120 may be formed into one-piece, further reducing the installation time of the sealing device 100 and improving the production efficiency.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting component 120 may be internally provided with a metal core 121. The metal core 121 may allow shape-controllable bending of the mounting component 120, so that the mounting component 120 is clamp onto the vehicle in a form-fitting manner. It will be appreciated that the mounting method of the mounting component 120 is not limited thereto. For example, the mounting component 120 may also be mounted on a metal support (not shown) to be assembled to a vehicle.

[0032] With further reference to FIG. 2, an inner surface of the top wall 123 of the mounting component 120 is provided with a lip 122 extending downward from the top wall 123 and towards the side wall 125 of the mounting component. The lip 122 is advantageous in securing the mounting component 120 to the vehicle. It can be understood that the number and arrangement of the lip 122 may vary according to different requirements and are not limited tothose shown in the drawings.

[0033] The inventors also found that when the engine hood acts on the sealing component 110 of the sealing device 100, the sealing component 110 causes vibration of the engine hood during traveling of the vehicle due to the lower strength of the sealing component, such vibration reducing the comfort and safety performance of the vehicle.

[0034] The present disclosure provides a reinforcing component 130 inside the sealing component 110 to improve the strength of the sealing component 110 and further avoid the above problems. The reinforcing component 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to comprise a hollow elongated body 132 and arranged inside the sealing component 110, as shown in FIG. 3, and only a part of the outer wall 133 of the reinforcing component 130 abuts the inner wall 112 of the sealing component 110, so that a compression space 140 for bearing the engine hood is formed between the top of the reinforcing component 130 and the inner surface of the sealing component 110.

[0035] In this way, the present disclosure improves the sealing strength of the sealing component 110 by providing the reinforcing component 130 inside the sealing component 110 without changing the outer contour of the sealing component 110, which further reduces the manufacturing cost.

[0036] With reference to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the sealing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a state of being mounted to a vehicle.

[0037] FIG. 6 shows that the engine hood 200 acts on the top of the sealing component 110 in a state that the sealing component 110 of the sealing device 100 is not compressed. At this time, the sealing component 110 is not deformed yet. When the engine hood 200 compresses the sealing component 110 downward, the elastically deformable portion 111 of the sealing component 110 is elastically deformed such that the inner wall 112 of the elastically deformable portion 111 abuts against the outer wall 133 of the reinforcing component 130 in a direction of compression D3, or abuts against the top of the reinforcing component 130 when the direction of compression D3 is substantially consistent with the vertical direction D2. In this way, the reinforcing component 130 can provide support strength when the sealing component 110 is compressed.

[0038] In some embodiments, the sealing component 110 and the reinforcing component130 may be both made of rubber. Rubber has high elasticity, and the functions of shock absorption and electrical insulation, and can maintain good performance when the temperature rises, thereby prolonging the service life of the sealing device 100 and improving the safety performance of the vehicle. In addition, the material density of the reinforcing component 130 may be higher than the material density of the sealing component 110. For example, the reinforcing component 130 may be polyethylene, and the sealing component 110 may be silicone rubber. In this way, the reinforcing component 130 can provide higher support strength, thereby improving the sealing performance of the sealing component 110.

[0039] With reference to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the reinforcing component 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] In some embodiments, the reinforcing component 130 may be elastically deformed to be inserted into or removed from the sealing component 110. In this way, the reinforcing component 130 can be made independently of the sealing component 110 so that the reinforcing component 130 can be treated separately. For example, the reinforcing components 130 having different material densities can be arranged inside the sealing component 110 according to different vehicle requirements without changing the structure of the sealing component 110, thereby further reducing the manufacturing cost.

[0041] Moreover, in some embodiments, a gap 150 as shown in FIG. 3 may be formed between the reinforcing component 130 and the mounting component 120. Thus, a part of the outer wall 133 of the reinforcing component 130 is in contact with only the inner surfaces on two sides of the sealing component 110 in a manner as shown in FIG. 3, thereby facilitating the installation, removal, replacement, and maintenance of the reinforcing component 130, reducing the installation time of the reinforcing component, and further improving the production efficiency.

[0042] With reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4.

[0043] In some embodiments, the reinforcing component 130 may be provided with a plurality of weakened portions 131 spaced apart in a longitudinal direction of the reinforcing component 130, where the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing component 130 is substantially consistent with the longitudinal direction DI of the sealing component 110. Specifically, the plurality of weakened portions 131 are spaced apart at the same interval alongthe longitudinal direction of the reinforcing component 130. As shown in FIG. 5, the weakened portions 131 in the present embodiment are recessed inwardly from the outer wall 133 of the reinforcing component 130 along a radial direction of the reinforcing component 130. In this way, the present disclosure reduces the phenomenon that the engine hood 200 may be difficult to close due to the excessive strength of the reinforcing component 300 by locally weakening the reinforcing component 130. Furthermore, with further reference to FIG. 5, in the illustrated embodiment, each of the plurality of weakened portions 131 is configured as a notch on the outer wall 133 of the reinforcing component 130. It can be understood that the number and shape of the weakened portions 131 may vary according to different requirements and are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, the reinforcing component 130 has a circular crosssection. It should be noted that the cross-sectional shape of the reinforcing component 130 is not limited thereto. For example, in different embodiments, the reinforcing component 130 may be configured as a hollow tubular component having an oval or polygonal cross- section, as long as it is adapted to provide support strength.

[0045] It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings only illustrate the optional shape, size and arrangement of the sealing device according to the present disclosure. However, these embodiments are merely intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Other shapes, sizes and arrangements may be adopted without departing from the idea and scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] The technical contents and technical features of the present disclosure have been disclosed above. However, it can be understood that, those skilled in the art can make various changes and improvements to the above-disclosed concept under the creative concept of the present disclosure, and all these various changes and improvements still fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. The description of the foregoing embodiments is illustrative rather than restrictive, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A sealing device for an engine hood, comprising: an elongated and hollow sealing component (110) capable of being elastically deformed; a mounting component (120) fixed to the sealing component (110) and extending along a longitudinal direction (DI) of the sealing component (110); and a reinforcing component (130) configured to comprise a hollow elongated body (132) and arranged inside the sealing component (110), wherein only a part of the outer wall (133) of the reinforcing component (130) abuts the inner wall (112) of the sealing component (110), so that a compression space (140) is formed between the reinforcing component (130) and the sealing component (110).

2. The sealing device for an engine hood according to claim 1, wherein the outer wall (133) of the reinforcing component (130) abuts the inner wall (112) of the sealing component (110) in a direction of compression (D3) to provide support strength when the sealing component (110) is compressed.

3. The sealing device for an engine hood according to claim 1, wherein the sealing component (110) and the reinforcing component (130) are both made of rubber.

4. The sealing device for an engine hood according to claim 3, wherein the material density of the reinforcing component (130) is higher than the material density of the sealing component (HO).

5. The sealing device for an engine hood according to claim 3, wherein the reinforcing component (130) is configured to be elastically deformed to be inserted into or removed from the sealing component (110).

6. The sealing device for an engine hood according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing component (130) is provided with a plurality of weakened portions (131) spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, and the plurality of weakened portions (131) are recessed inwardly from the outer wall (133) of the reinforcing component (130).

7. The sealing device for an engine hood according to claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of weakened portions (131) is configured as a notch on the outer wall (133) of the reinforcing component (130).

8. The sealing device for an engine hood according to claim 1, wherein a gap (150) is formed between the reinforcing component (130) and the mounting component (120).

9. A vehicle comprising a sealing device for an engine hood according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the mounting component (120) of the sealing device is clamped onto the vehicle, and the sealing component (110) is arranged towards the engine hood.

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