Clips and vehicle side structures

Abstract

To provide a clip and a vehicle side structure that can prevent foreign objects and noise from entering the inside of the door through a drain hole. [Solution] The clip is attached to a drain hole provided at the bottom of a vehicle door and includes an engaging portion that engages with the drain hole, a contact portion provided below the engaging portion to abut against the vehicle door, and a pair of side wall portions provided laterally along the left-right direction of the contact portion and curved away from the vehicle door.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology of the present disclosure relates to clips and vehicle side structures.

Background Art

[0002] Some doors attached to vehicles are provided with drain holes for discharging moisture that remains inside during manufacturing or enters the door due to condensation during vehicle use to the outside of the door.

[0003] Patent Document 1 below describes a structure in which a seal lip covering the drain hole is formed in the weatherstrip so that dust and wind do not enter the door through the drain hole.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Sealing materials such as weatherstrips attached to doors are generally arranged in accordance with the shape of the opening on the vehicle side. Therefore, when the distance between the sealing material and the drain hole is large, in the structure of Patent Document 1, the total length of the seal lip becomes long, making it difficult to ensure sealing performance or damaging the aesthetics of the door. In addition, since the drain hole is connected to the inside of the door, noise that has entered through the drain hole may reach the passenger compartment through the inside of the door.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a clip and a vehicle side structure capable of preventing foreign substances and noise from entering the door through the drain hole.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the clip described in claim 1 is a clip that is attached to a drain hole provided at the bottom of a vehicle door, and includes an engaging portion that engages with the drain hole, a contact portion provided below the locking portion so as to abut against the vehicle door, and a pair of side wall portions provided laterally along the left-right direction of the contact portion and curved away from the vehicle door.

[0008] In the clip described in claim 1, the area around the drain hole, especially the lower part, is covered by the contact portion and the side wall portion, making it difficult for foreign matter and noise to enter the drain hole.

[0009] The clip according to claim 2 of this disclosure is the clip according to claim 1, wherein a notch is provided between the contact portion and the pair of side wall portions.

[0010] In the clip described in claim 2, the notch allows the contact portion to operate independently of the pair of side wall portions, making it easier to adjust the angle of the contact portion to bring its lower end into contact with the vehicle door.

[0011] The clip according to claim 3 of the present disclosure further includes a plurality of ribs extending toward the vehicle door and having a predetermined gap formed between the tip of the ribs and the vehicle door, on at least one of the surfaces of the pair of side walls facing the vehicle door and the surface of the contact portion facing the vehicle door at a position adjacent to the pair of side walls.

[0012] In the clip described in claim 3, the space formed between the clip and the vehicle door can be partitioned into a desired size and shape by a plurality of ribs, and a portion of the inside of the clip can function as an expandable silencer.

[0013] The clip according to claim 4 of the present disclosure is the clip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact portion includes a through hole disposed below the drain hole and capable of discharging waste discharged from the drain hole to the outside, and a guide path provided on the side of the through hole for guiding the waste to the through hole.

[0014] In the clip described in claim 4, the waste discharged from the drain hole can be quickly discharged to the outside of the clip without being retained inside the clip.

[0015] The vehicle side structure according to claim 5 of the present disclosure includes a side door that opens and closes an opening on the side of the vehicle and has a drain hole at its lower part, and a clip that is attached to the drain hole, the clip including an engaging portion that engages with the drain hole, a contact portion that is provided to abut against the side door on the lower side of the vehicle of the locking portion, and a pair of side wall portions provided laterally along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle of the contact portion and curved inward toward the vehicle.

[0016] In the vehicle side structure described in claim 5, the area around the drain hole, especially the lower part, is covered by a clip including the contact portion and the side wall portion, making it difficult for foreign matter and noise to enter the drain hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] The clip and vehicle side structure of this disclosure make it possible to prevent foreign objects and noise from entering the inside of the door through the drain hole. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle side structure according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged perspective view showing a magnified view of portion A in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing an example of a clip according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 3 shows the front and rear views of the clip. [Figure 5] It is a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the clip attached to the side door along the vertical direction. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the clip attached to the side door along the horizontal direction.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, each embodiment for implementing the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the scope necessary for the description for achieving the object of the present disclosure is schematically shown, and mainly the scope necessary for the description of the corresponding part of the present disclosure will be described, and the parts where the description is omitted are assumed to be based on known techniques. In addition, the same or corresponding members in the drawings are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and the overlapping description is omitted. Further, when a plurality of members that are the same or corresponding to each other in the drawings are included, in order to make the drawing easy to view, only some of them may be denoted by reference numerals.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle side structure 1 according to an embodiment. Further, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, the illustration of the clip is omitted in order to make it easy to visually recognize the position of the drain hole to which the clip is attached. In the present embodiment, as the vehicle side structure 1, the structure of the opening portion on the left side of the vehicle will be exemplarily described.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle side structure 1 according to the present embodiment includes a side door 2 that opens and closes the opening on the vehicle side, and a clip 10 attached to a drain hole 3 formed in the side door 2. The side door 2 is an example of a vehicle door. In the following description, the direction indicated by arrow X in FIG. 1 will be described as the left-right direction, the direction indicated by arrow Y as the front-back direction, and the direction indicated by arrow Z as the up-down direction. Further, the direction indicated by arrow X corresponds to the vehicle front-back direction when the side door 2 is in the closed state.

[0022] The side door 2 may include, as shown in Figure 1, a door panel 4, a window glass 5 mounted above the door panel 4, and a resin weatherstrip 6 mounted around the inner outer perimeter of the door panel 4, which seals the gap between the side door 2 and the vehicle opening when the side door 2 is closed.

[0023] The door panel 4 may include an outer panel 41 made of steel plate provided on the outside of the vehicle and an inner panel 42 made of steel plate provided on the inside of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the door panel 4 is formed such that the central portion of the inner panel 42 protrudes forward by deep drawing or the like, and its outer peripheral edge is integrated with the outer panel 41, thereby forming an internal space between the outer panel 41 and the inner panel 42. A resin sealant 7 (see Figures 5(A) and 5(B)) may be attached to the outer edge where the outer panel 41 and the inner panel 42 are integrated.

[0024] Furthermore, one or more drainage holes 3 are provided at the bottom of the inner panel 42, which connect to the aforementioned internal space. The number and arrangement of the drainage holes 3 are not particularly limited, but Figure 1 shows an example in which drainage holes 3 are formed in three locations: near both ends and in the center of the inner panel 42 in the left-right direction. Clips 10, as shown in Figure 2, are attached to each of these three drainage holes 3. In addition, a door trim 8 may be attached to the approximate center of the front of the inner panel 42.

[0025] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a clip 10 according to one embodiment. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the clip 10 is attached to the drain hole 3 and functions to prevent foreign matter and noise from entering the side door 2 through the drain hole 3 while maintaining the drainage function of the drain hole 3. This clip 10 can be constructed, for example, by molding a resin material. The clip 10 also includes an engaging portion 11 that engages with the drain hole 3, a contact portion 12 provided below the engaging portion 11 so as to abut the side door 2, and a pair of side wall portions 13, 13 provided on the left and right sides of the contact portion 12.

[0026] Figure 4(A) is a front view of the clip 10 shown in Figure 3, and Figure 4(B) is a rear view of the clip 10 shown in Figure 3. The engaging portion 11 may include an insertion portion 14 that is inserted into the drain hole 3, and a hood portion 15 that is connected to the base end of the insertion portion 14 and covers the periphery of the drain hole 3, as shown in Figures 3 and 4(B). Of these, the insertion portion 14 may have a locking claw 16 formed on its side wall that functions as a retaining claw when inserted into the drain hole 3. Also, the area of ​​the portion of the insertion portion 14 that is inserted into the drain hole 3 may be adjusted to be smaller than the opening area of ​​the drain hole 3, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 4(B). In this way, if the insertion portion 14 is smaller than the drain hole 3, the drain hole 3 will not be blocked even when the insertion portion 14 is inserted into the drain hole 3, and a passage 17 through which water can pass is secured around the insertion portion 14.

[0027] The hood portion 15 prevents foreign matter from entering the drain hole 3 by covering the upper and left and right sides of the area surrounding the drain hole 3. To improve the function of preventing foreign matter from entering, it is preferable that at least a part of the outer edge of the hood portion 15, especially the upper and left and right sides, abuts against the inner panel 42. Furthermore, the hood portion 15 in this embodiment is exemplified as being composed of a curved surface in which the outer edges located on the upper and side are curved so as to be convex in the direction away from the inner panel 42.

[0028] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the clip 10 attached to the side door 2, cut along the vertical direction. Figure 5(A) is a cross-sectional view cut along the BB line in Figure 4(A), and Figure 5(B) is a cross-sectional view of the clip 10 attached to the side door 2, cut along the CC line in Figure 4(A). As shown in Figures 3, 5(A), and 5(B), the contact portion 12 can be made of a plate that extends downward from the lower part of the engaging portion 11, more specifically from the central part in the left-right direction of the lower part of the hood portion 15, and whose lower end abuts against the inner panel 42. The left-right length of the contact portion 12 may be adjusted to be shorter than the left-right length of the engaging portion 11. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5(A) and 5(B), the lower end of the contact portion 12 abuts against the sealer 7 attached to the inner panel 42, thereby indirectly abutting the inner panel 42.

[0029] Preferably, the angle of the contact portion 12 relative to the engaging portion 11 is adjustable so that its lower end can contact the inner panel 42 regardless of the shape of the inner panel 42 around the drain hole 3. Specifically, it is preferable that the lower end of the contact portion 12 can rotate around a base portion 18 that extends in the left-right direction and is connected to the engaging portion 11, so that it moves towards or away from the inner panel 42.

[0030] The contact portion 12 may be provided with a through hole 19 for draining waste, mainly water, discharged from the drain hole 3 to the outside of the clip 10. Preferably, the position of this through hole 19 is adjusted so that it is located below the drain hole 3 when the clip 10 is attached to the drain hole 3, as shown in Figure 4(B). In this embodiment, a circular through hole 19 is provided approximately in the center of the contact portion 12 as an example. Waste that reaches the through hole 19 is quickly discharged to the outside of the clip 10 by the wind generated when the vehicle is running.

[0031] Most of the waste discharged from the drain hole 3 falls towards the through hole 19, but the position where the waste falls may change due to vibrations in the vehicle, etc. Therefore, it is preferable that a pair of guide ribs 20, 20 are provided on both sides of the through hole 19 in the left-right direction, as an example of a guide path for guiding waste that has fallen to a position away from the through hole 19 back to the through hole 19. The pair of guide ribs 20, 20 may be formed by raising the surface of the contact portion 12 facing the inner panel 42 in a direction that approaches the inner panel 42, and may extend from the left and right sides of the through hole 19 in a direction that moves away from each other diagonally upward. The pair of guide ribs 20, 20 with the above configuration can guide waste that has fallen to the left and right of the through hole 19 along the walls of the guide ribs 20, 20 to the through hole 19.

[0032] The left and right sides of the aforementioned contact portion 12 define an opening between them and the inner panel 42. In order to at least partially close this opening, a pair of side wall portions 13 are provided on the left and right sides of the contact portion.

[0033] The pair of side wall portions 13 can be made of curved plates that extend downward from the right and left sides of the lower part of the engaging portion 11, sandwiching the contact portion 12 from the left and right directions, and are convex in the direction away from the inner panel 42. A predetermined gap 21 may be formed between the outer edges of the pair of side wall portions 13, excluding the portions adjacent to the contact portion 12, and the inner panel 42. The width of the gap 21 is preferably adjusted to be sufficiently smaller than the width between the central portion of the side wall portion 13 and the inner panel 42 in order to achieve the sound-dampening function described later.

[0034] Furthermore, it is preferable to provide a notch 22 between the contact portion 12 and the pair of side wall portions 13, 13. This notch 22 extends from the lower end upward to a position adjacent to the lower part of the engaging portion 11, between the outer edge of the pair of side wall portions 13 adjacent to the contact portion 12 and the side edge of the contact portion 12. Providing this notch 22 facilitates the rotational movement of the contact portion 12. This allows the tip of the contact portion 12 to conform to the shape of the inner panel 42 or the sealer 7 attached to the front surface of the inner panel 42 with which the tip abuts. Alternatively, the outer edges of the pair of side wall portions 13, 13 and the side edge of the contact portion 12 may be partially integrated without providing the aforementioned notch 22. Adopting a structure in which the outer edges of the pair of side wall portions 13, 13 and the side edge of the contact portion 12 are partially integrated reduces the gap between the clip 10 and the inner panel 42 that can allow foreign matter and noise to enter.

[0035] As described above, the vehicle side structure 1 and clip 10 according to this embodiment employ a structure in which the contact portion 12 and side wall portion 13 of the clip 10 cover the area around the drain hole 3, particularly the lower area, thereby effectively preventing foreign matter from entering the drain hole 3.

[0036] Furthermore, in the clip 10 of this embodiment, by adopting the above-described configuration for the contact portion 12 and the side wall portions 13, 13, it is also possible to reduce noise that may enter the drain hole 3. The sound-dampening function of the clip 10 of this embodiment will be described below, mainly with reference to Figures 5(A), 5(B), and 6.

[0037] In the clip 10 described above, ambient noise may enter the drain hole 3 mainly through the gaps 21 and notches 22 formed around the pair of side wall portions 13, 13, or through the through hole 19. Therefore, it is preferable to be able to silence the noise that may enter from these parts before it enters the drain hole 3.

[0038] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the clip 10 attached to the side door 2, cut along the left-right direction, and in particular, a cross-sectional view cut along the DD line in Figure 4(A). Considering the above points, the clip 10 of this embodiment first achieves a sound-dampening function against noise N that may enter through the gap 21 and notch 22 by securing a first space C1 between the pair of side wall portions 13, 13 and the inner panel 42 that is sufficiently large relative to the gap 21, as shown in Figure 6. Specifically, the side wall portion 13 is curved away from the inner panel 42 to secure a large space between it and the inner panel 42, and the sound-dampening function is achieved by making the first space C1 function as a chamber for an expandable silencer.

[0039] To briefly explain the noise reduction mechanism by the first space C1 described above, with reference to Figure 6, first, when noise N enters the clip 10 through the gap 21 or notch 22, it enters the first space C1, which is composed of a space sufficiently larger than the gap 21 and notch 22, and is diffused within the first space C1. This diffusion weakens the energy of the sound waves contained in the noise N. In addition, the sound waves constituting the diffused noise N are reflected by the side wall 13 and inner panel 42, and the energy of these sound waves is further weakened by the interference between these reflected waves and the incident waves of noise N newly entering through the gap 21, etc. This achieves noise reduction of the noise N that has entered the first space C1.

[0040] In this embodiment, the clip 10 is provided with a plurality of ribs 24A, 24B on the surface of the contact portion 12 facing the inner panel 42 and adjacent to the pair of side wall portions 13, 13, in order to further enhance the sound-dampening function described above. The plurality of ribs 24A, 24B may consist of a first rib 24A provided on the outside of both ends of the contact portion 12, and a second rib 24B provided parallel to the first rib 24A and at a predetermined distance from the first rib 24A, as shown in Figures 5(B) and 6. The plurality of ribs 24A, 24B may extend from the surface of the contact portion 12 facing the inner panel 42 toward the inner panel 42 and be adjusted to a height such that a predetermined gap 23 is formed between their tip and the inner panel 42. As a result, the plurality of ribs 24A, 24B function as partitions that divide the space between the clip 10 and the inner panel 42 into multiple spaces.

[0041] By providing the aforementioned multiple ribs 24A and 24B, a second space C2 is formed between the first rib 24A and the second rib 24B, sandwiched in the gap 23 and having a space sufficiently larger than the gap 23. Similar to the first space C1 described above, this second space C2 can diffuse the noise N that enters through the gap 23, and can weaken the energy of the sound waves contained in the noise N.

[0042] The shape and number of the multiple ribs 24A and 24B can be changed as appropriate, provided that it is possible to form the second space C2. For example, if the side wall portions 13, 13 are relatively large, at least a portion of the multiple ribs 24A and 24B may be formed on the surface of the side wall portion 13 facing the inner panel 42. In addition, in order to adjust the size of the gap 23, the upper ends of the multiple ribs 24A and 24B can be extended to the surface of the hood portion 15 facing the inner panel 42, or the lower ends of the multiple ribs 24A and 24B can be extended downward to near the lower end of the contact portion 12.

[0043] To address noise N that may enter through the through-hole 19, a noise-reducing function is achieved by securing a third space C3 between the contact portion 12 and the inner panel 42 that is sufficiently large relative to the through-hole 19, as shown in Figure 5(A). The upper part of the third space C3 is closed by the hood portion 15, and the lower part is closed by the lower end of the contact portion 12 that abuts against the sealer 7, while the left and right sides are substantially closed by the second rib 24B or a pair of side wall portions 13, 13, respectively.

[0044] The noise N entering through the through-hole 19 enters the third space C3, which is a space sufficiently larger than the through-hole 19, and is diffused within the third space C3. In addition, the sound waves constituting the diffused noise N are reflected by the contact portion 12 or the inner panel 42, and the energy of the sound waves is greatly weakened by the interference between these reflected waves and the incident waves of the noise N newly entering through the through-hole 19. The aforementioned interference effect can also occur similarly in the first space C1 and the second space C2.

[0045] As described above, the vehicle side structure 1 and clip 10 of this embodiment can reduce noise by defining multiple spaces within the clip 10, thereby weakening the energy of noise N that could enter the drain hole 3. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign objects and noise from entering the inside of the side door 2 through the drain hole 3.

[0046] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. All such modifications are included in the technical concept of this disclosure. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified in the specification, each component of this disclosure is not limited to one, but may exist in multiple forms. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 1 Vehicle side structure 2. Side door (an example of a vehicle door) 3 drainage holes 10 clips 11 Engagement part 12 Contact part 13 Side wall section 19 Through holes 20 Guide ribs (an example of a guide path) 22 Notches 24A, 24B Ribs

Claims

1. A clip that is attached to a drain hole located at the bottom of a vehicle door, An engaging portion that engages with the drain hole, A contact portion is provided below the engagement portion so as to abut against the vehicle door, The abutment portion comprises a pair of side wall portions provided laterally along the left-right direction and curved away from the vehicle door, clip.

2. A notch is provided between the contact portion and the pair of side wall portions. The clip according to claim 1.

3. The pair of side wall portions and at least one of the surfaces of the contact portion facing the vehicle door and adjacent to the pair of side wall portions are further provided with a plurality of ribs that extend toward the vehicle door and have a predetermined gap formed between their tip and the vehicle door. The clip according to claim 1.

4. The contact portion comprises a through hole located below the drain hole and capable of discharging waste from the drain hole to the outside, and a guide path provided on the side of the through hole for guiding the waste into the through hole. The clip according to claim 1.

5. The side doors open and close at the side of the vehicle and have drainage holes at the bottom, A clip that is attached to the drain hole, An engaging portion that engages with the drain hole, A contact portion is provided on the lower side of the vehicle of the engagement portion so as to abut against the side door, The clip comprises a pair of side wall portions provided laterally along the vehicle's longitudinal direction and curved inward toward the vehicle, the contact portion, Vehicle side structure.

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