Hole Plug

Abstract

To provide a hole plug which can prevent ingress of water and deformation of the hole plug in a more reliable manner even when receiving high pressure water flow.SOLUTION: A hole plug 10 is detachably attached to a hole 130 provided at an undercover 112 which partitions the vehicle interior and the vehicle exterior from each other. The hole plug 10 includes a plug body 12 and a seal member 14. The plug body 12 includes: an exposed part 16 which is inserted into the hole 130 and closes a large part of the hole 130; a flange part 18 which extends from an outer peripheral surface of the exposed part 16 to the radial outer side in a vehicle inner position relative to the undercover 112; and multiple engagement walls 20 erected from the exposed part 16 to the vehicle exterior side. The flange part 18 is provided with a seal attachment groove 40 to which the seal member 14 is attached. A peripheral edge part 16a of the exposed part 16 slightly protrudes to the vehicle exterior side from a vehicle exterior side surface of the undercover 112.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This specification discloses a hole plug that is removably attached to a hole provided in a panel material that separates the interior and exterior of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In the panel material separating the inside and outside of the vehicle, holes are formed to drain water that has entered the inside of the vehicle or to allow access from the outside to components arranged inside the vehicle. When such a hole is not in use, the hole is blocked by a part called a hole plug. The hole plug is detachably attached to the hole. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-283929 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventionally, such hole plugs have often been made of rubber or soft resin that deforms to conform to the shape of the hole in order to ensure watertightness. When a vehicle is washed, it is subjected to a high-pressure water stream. When subjected to this high-pressure water stream, the soft resin hole plugs can deform and, in some cases, fall off.

[0005] In response, some have proposed constructing hole plugs from non-soft resins (for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). In this case, the hole plug has a plug body made of non-soft resin and a seal member made of a material having rubber elasticity. Such a hole plug is unlikely to fall off even when subjected to a high-pressure water flow, but the high-pressure water flow is likely to reach the vicinity of the seal member. There is a risk that the seal member will deform under the water pressure, or that a seal-out will occur, in which a large amount of water will pass over the seal member and enter the vehicle interior. In other words, there has been no hole plug that can effectively prevent both water intrusion and deformation of the hole plug.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a hole plug that can more reliably prevent both water intrusion and deformation of the hole plug even when subjected to a high-pressure water stream. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] a flange portion extending radially outward from an outer circumferential surface of the exposed portion at a position on the inner side of the vehicle relative to the panel material and facing an inner side of the panel material; and a plurality of engaging walls extending from the exposed portion toward the outer side of the vehicle and engaging with a periphery of the hole, the plurality of engaging walls being spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the exposed portion, the plurality of engaging walls being spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the exposed portion, the flange portion being provided with a seal mounting portion to which the seal member that seals a gap between the flange portion and the inner side of the panel material is attached, and a peripheral portion of the exposed portion protrudes slightly toward the outer side of the vehicle relative to the outer side of the panel material or is located in approximately the same plane as the outer side of the panel material.

[0008] By dividing the hole plug into two parts, the plug body and the seal member, a material that is difficult to deform can be used for the plug body without considering the sealing performance. As a result, even when a high-pressure water flow is applied, deformation of the hole plug can be effectively prevented. In addition, by reducing the amount of protrusion of the panel material of the peripheral part of the exposed part from the surface on the vehicle exterior side, or by eliminating the amount of protrusion, most of the water that bounces off the panel material near the peripheral part of the hole flows down to the outside of the vehicle without hitting the outer peripheral surface of the exposed part. In other words, according to the above configuration, water is less likely to hit the outer peripheral surface of the exposed part. As a result, the amount of water that runs along the outer peripheral surface of the exposed part and passes through the hole and enters the vehicle can be significantly reduced, so that the intrusion of water into the vehicle can be effectively prevented.

[0009] In this case, the vehicle exterior end surface of the exposed portion may be substantially dish-shaped with a central portion recessed toward the vehicle interior side from the peripheral edge portion.

[0010] With this configuration, the water flow that strikes the outer end surface of the exposed portion can be guided to the outside of the vehicle, thereby further reducing the amount of water that passes through the hole and enters the vehicle interior.

[0011] Furthermore, the bearing may further include a water flow escape groove that is a groove extending in a circumferential direction at a position radially inward from the seal member and radially outward from the exposed portion.

[0012] With this configuration, even if some of the water passes through the hole, the water flows in the circumferential direction. As the water flows in the circumferential direction, the flow rate of the water decreases. The decrease in the flow rate of the water effectively prevents the water from deforming the seal member or from passing through the seal member. As a result, water can be more effectively prevented from entering the vehicle interior.

[0013] In this case, the panel further includes an intermediate rib that stands at a position radially inward from the sealing member and radially outward from the exposed portion, and an outer peripheral rib that stands from the flange portion toward the outer side of the vehicle at a position radially outward from the intermediate rib, wherein the space sandwiched between the outer peripheral surface of the exposed portion and the intermediate rib functions as the water flow escape groove, and the space sandwiched between the intermediate rib and the outer peripheral rib functions as the seal mounting portion to which the sealing member is attached, and the intermediate rib extends from the flange portion to a height close to the interior side of the panel material and covers most of the inner peripheral surface of the sealing member.

[0014] By covering most of the inner peripheral surface of the seal member with the intermediate rib, the seal member is less likely to be hit by water, and deformation and deterioration of the seal member can be more reliably prevented. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent seal-out, which is when water passes over the seal member and enters the vehicle interior.

[0015] Furthermore, the exposed portion may further include a waterproof wall which is a plurality of upright walls that stand upright toward the outside of the vehicle from a position radially inward from the engagement wall and circumferentially overlapping with the engagement wall, and which radially faces the engagement wall.

[0016] With this configuration, water can be effectively prevented from reaching the engagement wall, and water can be effectively prevented from entering through the through-holes formed in the engagement wall.

[0017] The plug body may be made of a non-soft resin.

[0018] With this configuration, the plug body can be effectively prevented from being deformed or falling off even when subjected to a high-pressure water flow. Effect of the Invention

[0019] The hole plug disclosed in this specification can more reliably prevent both water intrusion and deformation of the hole plug, even when subjected to a high-pressure water stream. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing a state in which the hole plug is attached to a vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the AA end of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a BB end view of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the flow of water during a car wash. [Figure 7] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing other water flows during a car wash. [Figure 8] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing other water flows during a car wash. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of water in a hole plug of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The configuration of the hole plug 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an image diagram showing the hole plug 10 attached to a vehicle 110. In FIG. 1, an undercover 112, which is a panel member that separates the inside of the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle, is disposed on the bottom surface of the vehicle 110. Several holes 130 are formed in this undercover 112. These holes 130 may be, for example, drainage holes for draining water from inside the vehicle to the outside, or access holes for accessing parts inside the vehicle from the outside of the vehicle.

[0022] The hole plug 10 is detachably attached to a hole 130 formed in the undercover 112. By blocking the hole 130 with the hole plug 10, it is possible to prevent water and dust from entering the interior of the vehicle. In particular, the vehicle 110 may be washed using a washing nozzle 140 or the like, and the hole plug 10 is attached in a liquid-tight manner to the hole 130 so that water from such a car wash does not enter the interior of the vehicle.

[0023] Next, the configuration of the hole plug 10 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. In the following description, the term "axial direction" refers to the axial direction of the hole 130, and refers to a direction parallel to the thickness direction of the undercover 112. Similarly, the terms "radial direction" and "circumferential direction" refer to the radial and circumferential directions of the hole 130.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the hole plug 10 is broadly divided into a plug body 12 and a seal member 14 attached to the plug body 12. The plug body 12 is sufficiently larger than the hole 130, and completely covers the hole 130 from the vehicle interior side, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The seal member 14 is interposed between the plug body 12 and the undercover 112 to provide a liquid-tight seal between them. Here, the seal member 14 is an annular member as shown in FIG. 2, and its inner diameter is sufficiently larger than the hole 130 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The seal member 14 is made of a soft resin having sufficient rubber elasticity, such as silicone rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, or styrene-butadiene rubber, so that it can be in close contact with the vehicle interior surface of the undercover 112. When the hole plug 10 is attached to the hole 130, the seal member 14 is compressed and deformed between the plug body 12 and the undercover 112, and is in close contact with the undercover 112. Therefore, the axial dimension Ds (see FIG. 2) of the seal member 14 in an unloaded state is sufficiently larger than the opposing distance D1 (see FIG. 4) between the surface of a flange portion 18 and the undercover 112, which will be described later.

[0025] The plug body 12 has a strength sufficient to prevent deformation even when subjected to a high-pressure water stream used in car washing, and is made of, for example, a non-soft resin (such as polyacetal) having a Rockwell hardness of R80 or more. The plug body 12 can be broadly divided into an exposed portion 16, a flange portion 18, an engagement wall 20, and a waterproof wall 22.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5, the exposed portion 16 is a portion that is inserted into the hole 130. The diameter of the exposed portion 16 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the hole 130, and most of the hole 130 is blocked by the exposed portion 16. The outer end surface of the exposed portion 16 is exposed to the outside of the vehicle. The outer end surface of the exposed portion 16 is generally dish-shaped with the center portion recessed toward the inside of the vehicle from the peripheral portion 16a. The peripheral portion 16a of the exposed portion 16 protrudes toward the outside of the vehicle from the outer surface of the undercover 112, but the amount of protrusion is very small. The area of ​​the outer end surface of the exposed portion 16 surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 3, that is, the central portion of the exposed portion 16 and the radial straight portion extending from the central portion toward the engagement wall 20, are flat surfaces without a gradient. Therefore, the above-mentioned "dish shape" does not appear in FIG. 4, which is an end view of AA in FIG. 3.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 5, the flange portion 18 is a portion that protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the exposed portion 16 at a position that is closer to the vehicle interior side than the undercover 112. The flange portion 18 faces the vehicle interior side surface of the undercover 112 in the axial direction. The flange portion 18 is provided with two types of ribs that are spaced apart radially, that is, an outer peripheral rib 44 and an intermediate rib 46. The outer peripheral rib 44 is an annular rib that stands from the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 18 toward the vehicle exterior side. The intermediate rib 46 is an annular rib that stands toward the vehicle exterior side radially inward from the outer peripheral rib 44. The space sandwiched between the outer peripheral rib 44 and the intermediate rib 46 functions as a seal mounting groove 40 into which the seal member 14 is press-fitted and mounted.

[0028] 5, an end of the intermediate rib 46 extends to a position close to the vehicle interior surface of the undercover 112. In other words, the axial dimension of the intermediate rib 46 is approximately the same as or slightly smaller than the opposing distance D1 between the surface of the flange portion 18 and the undercover 112. Therefore, when the hole plug 10 is attached to the hole 130, the intermediate rib 46 can cover most of the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 14.

[0029] In addition, the space between the outer circumferential surface of the exposed portion 16 and the intermediate rib 46 functions as a water flow escape groove 42 that guides infiltrating water in the circumferential direction. As shown in Fig. 2, the outer circumferential rib 44 and the intermediate rib 46 have substantially rectangular notches 45, 47 formed in locations that circumferentially correspond to the engagement wall 20. These notches 45, 47 are provided to allow the seal member 14 to be easily attached to and detached from the seal mounting groove 40.

[0030] As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the engagement wall 20 is a wall standing from the peripheral portion 16a of the exposed portion 16 toward the vehicle exterior. As is clear from Fig. 2, a plurality of engagement walls 20 (four in the illustrated example) are provided, and the plurality of engagement walls 20 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. A through hole 32 is formed in the engagement wall 20, and the swing claw 30 is arranged in the through hole 32. Only the base (the vehicle exterior end) of the swing claw 30 is connected to the engagement wall 20, and the end (the vehicle interior end) is a free end. As a result, the swing claw 30 is capable of swinging in the radial direction. In addition, a part of the swing claw 30 is raised radially outward as shown in Fig. 4. In the unloaded state, this raised portion protrudes radially outward from the peripheral edge of the hole 130 and engages with the peripheral edge of the hole 130.

[0031] Here, the pivoting claws 30 engage with the periphery of the hole 130, restricting the movement of the hole plug 10 toward the vehicle interior and in the radial direction. The movement of the hole plug 10 toward the vehicle exterior is restricted by the abutting relationship between the seal member 14 and the undercover 112. Therefore, when the pivoting claws 30 engage with the periphery of the hole 130, the movement of the hole plug 10 in the axial and radial directions is restricted, and the hole plug 10 is fixed to the hole 130. To remove the hole plug 10 from the hole 130, a radially inward force is applied to the pivoting claws 30 to move the raised portion inward beyond the periphery of the hole 130, and then the hole plug 10 can be moved toward the vehicle interior.

[0032] A waterproof wall 22 stands upright from a position of the exposed portion 16 that is radially inward of the engagement wall 20 and overlaps with the engagement wall 20 in the circumferential direction. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the waterproof wall 22 is a standing wall that faces the engagement wall 20 in the radial direction. The axial and circumferential dimensions of the waterproof wall 22 are approximately the same as or slightly larger than the axial and circumferential dimensions of the engagement wall 20. Therefore, when viewed from the center point of the exposed portion 16, almost the entire engagement wall 20 is hidden behind the waterproof wall 22.

[0033] Next, the flow of water around the hole plug 10 during a car wash will be described. When washing the car, relatively high-pressure water is sprayed from outside the vehicle toward the undercover 112. Because the hole plug 10 is attached to the undercover 112, the high-pressure water flow for the car wash also hits the hole plug 10 and the periphery of the hole 130.

[0034] 6, the water flow Wa that hits the vehicle-exterior end surface of the exposed portion 16 bounces off the surface of the exposed portion 16 toward the vehicle exterior as in the case of the water flow Wa1, or flows along the surface of the exposed portion 16 as in the case of the water flow Wa2. Here, as described above, the axial end surface of the exposed portion 16 has a generally dish-like shape with the central portion recessed compared to the peripheral portion 16a. Therefore, the water flow Wa2 that flows along the surface of the exposed portion 16 eventually flows along the surface shape of the exposed portion 16 and then heads toward the vehicle exterior.

[0035] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, some of the water flow Wb may advance toward the engagement wall 20 after hitting the axial end face of the exposed portion 16. The engagement wall 20 is formed with a through hole 32. Therefore, when the water flow Wb reaches the engagement wall 20, there is a risk that the water may reach the vicinity of the seal member 14 through the through hole 32. However, in this example, the waterproof wall 22 is provided radially inward from the engagement wall 20. Therefore, the water flow Wb hits the waterproof wall 22 before reaching the engagement wall 20 and is bounced off toward the outside of the vehicle. As a result, the amount of water that reaches the engagement wall 20 and thus the seal member 14 can be significantly reduced, and therefore, the seal out, in which water passes over the seal member 14 and enters the inside of the vehicle, can be effectively prevented.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, the water flow Wc that hits the undercover 112 near the periphery of the hole 130 flows directly to the outside of the vehicle without hitting the exposed portion 16. This will be described in comparison with a comparative example. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of a hole plug 10* of the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 9, the peripheral portion 16a of the exposed portion 16 of this hole plug 10* protrudes significantly toward the outside of the vehicle. In this case, most of the water flow Wc that bounces off the periphery of the hole 130 hits the outer peripheral surface of the exposed portion 16. The water flow that hits the outer peripheral surface flows along the outer peripheral surface, and a part of the water flow Wc1 proceeds to the outside of the vehicle, while the remaining water flow Wc2 passes through the hole 130 and enters the inside of the vehicle through the undercover 112. In this case, a large amount of water flows around the seal member 14, and there is a risk of seal-out occurring, in which the water passes over the seal member 14 and enters the inside of the vehicle.

[0037] On the other hand, in the case of the hole plug 10 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the amount by which the exposed portion 16 protrudes from the undercover 112 is small, so most of the water flow Wc that bounces off the undercover 112 near the periphery of the hole 130 falls directly to the outside of the vehicle without hitting the exposed portion 16. As a result, the amount of water that flows into the seal member 14 can be significantly reduced, and seal-out can be effectively prevented.

[0038] Of course, even in the hole plug 10 of this embodiment, it is difficult to completely prevent water from passing through the hole 130, and a very small portion of water will pass through the hole 130 and enter the inside of the vehicle. However, even in this case, since the hole plug 10 of this embodiment has the water flow escape groove 42, the amount of water that reaches the seal member 14 can be kept small.

[0039] That is, as shown in Fig. 9, in the case of a hole plug 10* that does not have water flow relief grooves 42, the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 14 is not covered with a wall, and so water that passes through the hole 130 easily reaches the inner circumferential surface of the seal member 14. At this time, the water has a strong force toward the radially outward direction, i.e., toward the seal member 14, and there is a risk that the water will overcome the seal member 14 or deform the seal member 14. In other words, in the case of the hole plug 10* of the comparative example that does not have water flow relief grooves 42, a large amount of water is likely to come into contact with the seal member 14, and in some cases, a seal-out phenomenon in which water passes over the seal member 14 and enters the vehicle interior is likely to occur.

[0040] On the other hand, in the hole plug 10 of the present embodiment, as described above and as shown in FIG. 8, the water flow escape groove 42 is formed between the exposed portion 16 and the seal member 14, and the intermediate rib 46, which is the outer peripheral wall of the water flow escape groove 42, covers most of the inner peripheral surface of the seal member 14. Therefore, the water flow Wc2 that has passed through the hole 130 flows in the circumferential direction along the water flow escape groove 42 without hitting the seal member 14. The force (i.e., flow rate) of the water flow Wc2 decreases as it flows in the circumferential direction. As the force decreases, the water flow Wc2 loses the force to pass through the seal member 14. As a result, the water that has flowed into the water flow escape groove 42 is finally discharged from the hole 130 to the outside of the vehicle by gravity. In other words, according to the hole plug 10 of the present embodiment, even if some of the water flow enters the inside of the vehicle from the hole 130, the water flow is blocked by the intermediate rib 46 and does not reach the seal member 14. As a result, according to this embodiment, seal-out can be effectively prevented.

[0041] As described above, the plug body 12 of this embodiment is made of a non-soft resin. Therefore, even when subjected to a high-pressure water stream, the plug body 12 is effectively prevented from deforming or falling off. As a result, with the hole plug 10 of this embodiment, even when a car is washed with a high-pressure water stream, it is possible to more reliably prevent deformation and falling off of the hole plug 10 while preventing water from entering the car.

[0042] The configuration described above is merely an example, and other configurations may be changed as appropriate as long as peripheral edge 16a of exposed portion 16 does not significantly protrude from the vehicle exterior side of the surface of the panel material that separates the vehicle interior from the vehicle exterior. Therefore, although peripheral edge 16a of exposed portion 16 protrudes slightly from the panel material (i.e., undercover 112) from the vehicle exterior side in the above description, peripheral edge 16a may be positioned in approximately the same plane as the vehicle exterior side surface of the panel material.

[0043] In the above description, the water flow escape groove 42 and the waterproof wall 22 are provided, but these may be omitted. In the present example, the exposed portion 16 is generally dish-shaped with a recess in the center, but the exposed portion 16 may be generally flat without a recess. Furthermore, the number and shapes of the engagement walls 20 and the swinging claws 30 may be changed as appropriate. In the above description, the hole plug 10 attached to the undercover 112 has been taken as an example, but the hole plug 10 disclosed in this specification may be attached to a panel material other than the undercover 112 as long as the panel material separates the inside and outside of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10,10* hole plug, 12 plug body, 14 sealing member, 16 exposed portion, 18 flange portion, 20 engagement wall, 22 waterproof wall, 30 swing claw, 32 through hole, 40 seal mounting groove, 42 water flow escape groove, 44 outer peripheral rib, 45,47 cutouts, 46 intermediate rib, 110 vehicle, 112 undercover, 130 hole, 140 cleaning nozzle.

Claims

1. A hole plug that is detachably attached to a hole provided in a panel material that separates the inside and outside of a vehicle, A plug body and a seal member attached to the plug body, The plug body includes: an exposed portion that is inserted into the hole and covers most of the hole, the exposed portion having an outer end surface exposed to the outside of the vehicle; a flange portion that protrudes radially outward from an outer circumferential surface of the exposed portion at a position on the vehicle interior side of the panel material, the flange portion facing an inner surface of the panel material; a plurality of engagement walls extending from the exposed portion toward the vehicle exterior and engaging with a periphery of the hole, the engagement walls being spaced apart in a circumferential direction; Equipped with the flange portion is provided with a seal attachment portion to which the seal member that seals a gap between the flange portion and a surface of the panel material facing the vehicle interior is attached, a peripheral edge of the exposed portion protrudes slightly from a surface of the panel material facing the vehicle exterior toward the vehicle exterior, or is located in substantially the same plane as the surface of the panel material facing the vehicle exterior; Further, a water flow escape groove is provided at a position radially inward from the seal member and radially outward from the exposed portion, the water flow escape groove being a groove extending in a circumferential direction. A hole plug characterized by:

2. 2. The hole plug according to claim 1, a central portion of the exposed portion having an outer end surface on the vehicle exterior side that is recessed toward the vehicle interior side relative to the peripheral portion, the central portion being generally dish-shaped.

3. 3. The hole plug according to claim 1 or 2, an intermediate rib extending from a position radially inward of the seal member and radially outward of the exposed portion; an outer peripheral rib extending from the flange portion toward the outer side of the axial direction of the vehicle at a position radially outward from the intermediate rib; Equipped with A space between the outer peripheral surface of the exposed portion and the intermediate rib functions as the water flow escape groove, A space between the intermediate rib and the outer peripheral rib functions as the seal mounting portion to which the seal member is attached, The intermediate rib extends from the flange portion to a height close to the vehicle interior side surface of the panel material and covers most of the inner peripheral surface of the seal member. A hole plug characterized by:

4. 4. The hole plug according to claim 1, the exposed portion further includes a waterproof wall that is a plurality of upright walls that stand upright toward the vehicle exterior from a position radially inward from the engagement wall and that overlaps with the engagement wall in the circumferential direction and radially opposes the engagement wall.

5. 5. The hole plug according to claim 1, 13. A hole plug, comprising: a plug body made of a non-soft resin.

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