Door outside molding and door mirror connection structure

Abstract

To provide a connection structure which connects a molding and a door mirror via a connection plug, thereby enabling suppression of occurrence of a clearance and a step between both parts.SOLUTION: A molding 11 has a first insertion hole 17 in which one end part 22a of a connection plug 22 in a longer direction can be inserted. A first lock hole 18 is formed in one side wall 24 constituting the first insertion hole. A base member 19 has a second insertion hole 20 in which the other end part 22b of the connection plug can be inserted, and a second lock hole 21 is formed in one side wall. One end part of the connection plug is provided with an elastically deformable first lock part 26 of which an inclined apical surface 26c is locked to a hole edge part 18a of the first lock hole when inserted into the first insertion hole, and an outer periphery of the other end part is provided with an elastically deformable second lock part 27 of which an inclined apical surface 27c is locked to a hole edge part 21a of the second lock hole when inserted into the second insertion hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connecting structure between a door outside molding attached to a door waist portion of an automobile and a base member of a door mirror. [Background technology]

[0002] Door outside moldings (hereinafter referred to as moldings) are attached along the door belt line near the waist of the outside of the front doors of an automobile, for example. These moldings guide the door glass as it moves up and down, and also wipe away water droplets and dust from rainwater and car wash water that have accumulated on the door glass. They also function as part of the design of the front door, improving its appearance.

[0003] A known mounting structure for such a molding is described in the following Patent Document 1. As shown in Fig. 11, this molding 1 is an extrusion-molded product of synthetic resin material with a metal insert plate 2 embedded therein, and has an inverted U-shaped base 3 and seal lips 4, 5 provided in two stages, one above the other, on the inner surface of the inner wall 3a of the base 3 and abutting against the outer surface of the door glass G, and the base 3 is attached via a synthetic resin clip 6 to a mounting flange 9 that joins an outer panel 7 of the automobile door and a reinforcement 8 parallel to the door glass G.

[0004] The clip 6 is embedded in the base 3 in advance, and when the molding 1 is attached to the mounting flange 9 in this state, the locking protrusion 6a formed on the clip 6 fits into the fitting hole 9a in the mounting flange 9, thereby attaching the molding 1 to the mounting flange 9.

[0005] Another mounting structure is that described in Patent Document 2, for example, in which a molding is fitted to cover the upper edge of the door outer panel without using clips, and an end piece provided at the end of the molding is fixed to the lower end of the door frame with screws.

[0006] On the other hand, a door mirror is located at a position in front of the front door, and this door mirror has a base member fixed to the door panel, with one end of the molding on the front side of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction facing this base member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-27782 (Fig. 5) [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3412490 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the conventional mounting structures for each molding are structures for mounting the molding to a door panel or door frame, and no consideration is given to the connection structure between one longitudinal end of the molding and the door mirror.

[0009] Therefore, if the conventional molding mounting structure is applied as is, there is a risk that a gap will occur between one end of the molding and the base member of the door mirror that it faces, or that one end of the molding will be inserted inside the base member of the door mirror, creating a step.

[0010] In this way, if a gap or step occurs between one end of the molding and the base member of the door mirror, the sense of unity between the two will be lost, and the appearance will be poor, which may lead to a decrease in the appearance quality.

[0011] The present invention was devised in consideration of the technical problems with the conventional molding mounting structures described above, and aims to provide a connecting structure between a door outside molding and a door mirror that can prevent gaps or steps from occurring between the two by connecting one end of the molding and the base member of the door mirror via a connecting plug. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The invention described in claim 1 of the present application is a connecting structure that connects one end in the longitudinal direction of a door outside molding attached to a door waist portion of an automobile to a base member of a door mirror via a connecting plug, The door Out the side molding has a first insertion hole into which one end of the connecting plug in the longitudinal direction can be inserted, and a first locking hole is formed in a peripheral wall that defines the first insertion hole; the base member has a second insertion hole into which the other end of the connecting plug in the longitudinal direction can be inserted, and a second locking hole is formed in a peripheral wall constituting the second insertion hole; The connecting plug is characterized in that it has a first locking portion at one longitudinal end that is elastically deformable inward and outward directions to lock onto the edge of the first locking hole when the one end is inserted into the first insertion hole, and a second locking portion at the other longitudinal end that is elastically deformable inward and outward directions to lock onto the edge of the second locking hole when the other end is inserted into the second insertion hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 1 of the present application, by connecting one longitudinal end of the molding to the base member of the door mirror with a connecting plug, the occurrence of gaps or steps between the two is suppressed, resulting in a sense of unity and a better appearance, thereby improving the appearance quality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the left side of a vehicle on the door mirror side to which the door outside molding and door mirror connecting structure of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which one end of a door outside molding and an end of a base portion of a door mirror are connected by a connecting plug in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is a perspective view showing a state before one end of a connecting plug is inserted into a first insertion hole of a molding used in the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which one end of a connecting plug is inserted into a first insertion hole of a molding used in this embodiment and the other end is not yet inserted into a second insertion hole of a base member of a door mirror. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 1A, 1B, and 1C show a connection plug used in the present embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a bird's-eye view of the connection plug, FIG. 1B is a left side view of the connection plug, and FIG. 1C is a plan view of the connection plug. [Figure 7] 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which one end of a molding and an end of a base member of a door mirror are connected by a connecting plug used in this embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 7A and 7B are enlarged views of a portion of FIG. 7, in which (a) is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state in which one end of the molding and the end of the base member of the door mirror are connected by the connecting plug used in this embodiment, (b) is an enlarged view of part B in (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of part C in (a). [Figure 9]10A shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state in which one end of the molding and the end of the base member of the door mirror are connected by a connecting plug used in the second embodiment, (b) is an enlarged view of part D in (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of part E in (a). [Figure 10] 3A shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the state in which one end of the molding and the end of the base member of the door mirror are connected by a connecting plug used in the third embodiment, (b) is an enlarged view of part F in (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of part G in (a). [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional mounting structure for an outside door molding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a door exterior molding and door mirror connection structure according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the left side of the door mirror side of an automobile to which the door outside molding and door mirror connecting structure of the present invention is applied; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the state in which one end of the door outside molding and the end of the base part of the door mirror are connected by a connecting plug in this embodiment; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the state before one end of the connecting plug is inserted into the first insertion hole of the molding used in this embodiment; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the state before the other end of the connecting plug, one end of which is inserted into the first insertion hole of the molding used in this embodiment, is inserted into the second insertion hole of the base member of the door mirror; and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, a door outside molding (hereinafter referred to as molding) 11 is arranged along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body at the waist portion of a door body 10a of a front door 10 of an automobile, and a door mirror 12 is arranged at the front end portion of the door body 10a.

[0018] As shown in Figure 5, the molding 11 is an extrusion molded product of synthetic resin material with a metal insert plate 11b embedded inside, and has a base 13 with a cross section that is approximately inverted U-shaped, seal lips 14 and 15 provided in two levels, one above the other, on the inner surface of the inner wall 13a of the base 13 and abutting against the outer surface of the door glass (not shown), and a metal-plated molding portion 16 fitted and fixed to the outer portion of the base 13.

[0019] 3 to 5, the base 13 has a first insertion hole 17 formed in the longitudinal direction in the internal axial direction. One end 22a of the connecting plug 22 (described later) is inserted into this first insertion hole 17, which has an inverted U-shaped cross section similar to the cross section of the one end 22a and extends toward the rear of the vehicle. The inner wall 13a is provided at its lower end with an abutment portion 13c that abuts against the outer surface of a reinforcement (not shown), and a support portion 13d that supports the lower end surface of one side wall 24 of the connecting plug 22 is protrudingly provided at approximately the center of the top and bottom of the inner surface.

[0020] The outer wall 13b of the base 13 is formed so that its vertical length is shorter than that of the inner wall 13a, and the folded portions 16a, 16b provided at the upper and lower ends of the molding portion 16 are fitted and fixed into first and second fitting grooves 13e, 13f formed along the longitudinal direction at the upper and lower ends.

[0021] In addition, at a position above the support portion 13d of the inner wall 13a, a first locking hole 18 is formed radially penetrating the inner wall 13a, and engages with a first locking portion 26 provided at one longitudinal end 22a of the connecting plug 22 described later.

[0022] 3 and 4, the first locking hole 18 is provided at a predetermined position corresponding to the first locking portion 26 of one end 22a of the connecting plug 22 that is inserted into the first insertion hole 17 from one end 11a side of the molding 11 in the longitudinal direction. The first locking hole 18 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the longitudinal direction, and has a linear first hole edge portion 18a on the inner end side and a linear second hole edge portion 18b on the outer end side that face each other in the longitudinal direction.

[0023] The molding 11 is attached to a mounting flange at one end 11a of the base 13 other than the door mirror 12 side by means of mounting members such as clips or bolts, where the outer panel of the door body 10a of the front door 10 is joined to a reinforcement (not shown) parallel to the door glass.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the door mirror 12 has a base member 19 fixed to the front end of the front door 10 by a bolt or the like not shown in the figure, and a mirror main body 12a supported by the base member 19.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4, the base member 19 is integrally formed from a synthetic resin material into a irregular shape, and a second insertion hole 20 is formed toward the front of the vehicle body inside an end 19a where one end 11a of the molding 11 abuts in the axial direction. The other end 22b of a connecting plug 22 (described later) is inserted axially into this second insertion hole 20, which is formed in an inverted U shape similar to the cross-sectional shape of the other end 22b of the connecting plug 22. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4, the second insertion hole 20 is formed so that its width L1 is smaller than the width L (see Fig. 3) of the first insertion hole 17.

[0026] In addition, a second locking hole 21 that engages with a second locking portion 27 provided at the other end 22b of the connecting plug 22 is formed radially through the side wall portion 19b that constitutes the second insertion hole 20 of the base member 19.

[0027] 4, the second locking hole 21 is provided on the same surface as the first locking hole 18, at a predetermined position corresponding to the second locking portion 27 of the other end 22b of the connecting plug 22 of the second insertion hole 20. The second locking hole 21 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the longitudinal direction, and has a linear first hole edge portion 21a on the inner end side and a linear second hole edge portion 21b on the outer end side that face each other in the longitudinal direction (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

[0028] The above-mentioned connecting plug 22 is inserted into the first insertion hole 17 of the molding 11 and the second insertion hole 20 of the base member 19 of the door mirror 12 .

[0029] Figure 6 shows a connecting plug used in this embodiment, where (a) is an overhead view of the connecting plug, (b) is a left side view of the connecting plug, and (c) is a plan view of the connecting plug. Figure 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which one end of the molding and the end of the base member of the door mirror are connected by the connecting plug used in this embodiment. Figure 8 is a partial enlarged view of Figure 7, where (a) is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which one end of the molding and the end of the base member of the door mirror are connected by the connecting plug used in this embodiment, (b) is an enlarged view of part B in (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of part C in (a).

[0030] As shown in Figures 6(a) to (c), this connecting plug 22 is made of synthetic resin material and has an inverted U-shaped cross section, and has a predetermined length along the longitudinal direction, with one end 22a in the longitudinal direction being inserted into the first insertion hole 17 and the other end 22b being inserted into the second insertion hole 20 by approximately half of the longitudinal direction.

[0031] The connecting plug 22 has an arc-shaped top 23 and side walls 24, 25 extending downward in parallel from both end edges of the top 23, with the side wall 24 on the vehicle exterior side extending downward longer than the other side wall 25 on the vehicle interior side. The width W between the outer surfaces of the side walls 24, 25 is set to be approximately the same as or slightly larger than the width L1 of the second insertion hole 20, so that when the other end 22b is inserted into the second insertion hole 20, the entire outer surface of the other end 22b is inserted into the inner surface of the second insertion hole 20 with slight sliding resistance.

[0032] The one side wall 24 is provided with a first locking portion 26 and a second locking portion 27 on the outer surface of the one end 22a side and the other end 22b side of the connecting plug 22. The first locking portion 26 and the second locking portion 27 are provided by cutting and raising from the respective openings 24a, 24b formed in the one side wall 24, and are formed so that the tip ends 26b, 27b rise in an inclined manner from the respective base ends 26a, 27a toward the outside of the vehicle, and the tip ends 26b, 27b are arranged facing each other. In other words, the base ends 26a, 27a are arranged in opposite directions from each other, and the tip ends 26b, 27b extending from the respective base ends 26a, 27a are arranged facing each other. In addition, the first and second locking portions 26, 27 are formed so that the tip ends 26b, 27b can elastically deform in the inside-outside direction (radial direction) of the vehicle, with the base ends 26a, 27a as fulcrums. When elastically deformed inward, the entire portion is housed within the openings 24a, 25a, and when elastically deformed outward, the tip ends 26b, 27b protrude outward from the openings 24a, 25a.

[0033] Each of the tip portions 26b, 27b is formed to have a thick cross section, and claw portions 26d, 27d are respectively protruded from the inner end edges of the first and second tip surfaces 26c, 27c, and the tip surfaces 26c, 27c are formed to be inclined upward from the outer end edges toward the claw portions 26d, 27d. In other words, each of the tip surfaces 26c, 27c is not flat, but is formed to be inclined upward at a predetermined angle from the outer end edges on the outer surface side of each of the locking portions 26, 27 toward the claw portions 26d, 27d. When each of the engagement portions 26, 27 engages with each of the first hole edge portions 18a, 21a of each of the engagement holes 18, 21, the claw portions 26d, 27d engage with the lower end edges of the corner edges 18c, 21c of each of the hole edge portions 18a, 21a, thereby restricting the elastic deformation and movement of each of the tip portions 26b, 27b toward each of the engagement holes 18, 21.

[0034] As shown in Figure 8(a), the separation distance T between the first hole edge portions 18a, 21a on the inner end side of the first locking hole 18 and the second locking hole 21 is set to a length such that when both end portions 22a, 22b of the connecting plug 22 are inserted into the respective insertion holes 17, 20, the respective tip surfaces 26c, 27c of the respective tip portions 26b, 27b of the first locking portion 26 and the second locking portion 27 are locked with the respective corner edges 18c, 21c of the first and second hole edge portions 18a, 21a of the first and second locking holes 18, 21.

[0035] 6, the connecting plug 22 is provided with a protrusion 28 on the outer surface of the other side wall 25 at a position corresponding to the first locking portion 26. Because the width L of the first insertion hole 17 is greater than the width L1 of the second insertion hole 20, the protrusion 28 is formed to compensate for this difference in width. The protrusion 28 is formed in the shape of an elongated block along the longitudinal direction of the connecting plug 22, and when one end 22a of the connecting plug 22 is inserted into the first insertion hole 17, the flat upper end surface 28a abuts against the inner surface of the outer wall 13b of the base 13 that constitutes the first insertion hole 17, preventing a decrease in the elastic reaction force of the first locking portion 26 in the outward direction (toward the first locking hole 18). The front end surface 28b of the protrusion 28 is formed in an inclined surface so as to function as a guide when the one end 22a of the connecting plug 22 is inserted into the first insertion hole 17. [Effects of this embodiment] The effects of the structure for connecting the molding and the door mirror in this embodiment will be described below.

[0036] 3, one end 22a of the connecting plug 22 is inserted in the direction of the arrow into one end 22a of the first insertion hole 17 of the molding 11. Then, the inclined front end surface 28b of the protrusion 28 of the connecting plug 22 slides against one edge of the first insertion hole 17 to guide the one end 22a into the first insertion hole 17, and the upper end surface 28a slides against the inner surface of the first insertion hole 17, i.e., the inner surface of the outer wall 13b of the base 13, to guide the connecting plug 22 inside. At this time, the first locking portion 26 elastically deforms inward while the first tip end 26b slides against the inner surface of one side wall of the first insertion hole 17, and moves inside while the entire first tip end 26b side is accommodated within the first opening 24a.

[0037] 8(a) and 8(b), when the first locking portion 26 reaches the position of the first locking hole 18, its first tip end 26b is elastically deformed outward by its own elastic restoring force to enter the first locking hole 18, and the inclined first tip surface 26c of the first tip end 26b is elastically locked in line contact with the corner 18c of the first hole edge 18a. At this time, the claw portion 26d abuts against the lower edge of the corner 18c of the first hole edge 18a, restricting further outward elastic deformation of the first tip end 26b.

[0038] 4, with one end 22a of the connecting plug 22 locked and fixed in the first insertion hole 17 of the molding 11, the other end 22b of the connecting plug 22 is inserted into the second insertion hole 20 of the base member 19 of the door mirror 12. Then, similar to the action of the first locking portion 26, the second locking portion 27 elastically deforms inward at the second tip end 27b and moves while being accommodated in the second opening 25a. When the second locking portion 27 reaches the second locking hole 21, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(c), the second tip end 27b elastically deforms outward by its own elastic restoring force and enters the second locking hole 21, and the inclined second tip end surface 27c of the second tip end 27b elastically locks in line contact with the corner edge 21c of the first hole edge portion 21a. At this time, the claw portion 27d elastically contacts the corner edge 21c of the first hole edge portion 21a, restricting further outward elastic deformation of the second tip portion 27b.

[0039] As a result, one end 22 a of the molding 11 is firmly connected to the end 19 a of the base member 19 of the door mirror 12 via the connecting plug 22 .

[0040] In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, one end 22a and the other end 22b of the connecting plug 22 are inserted into the first insertion hole 17 of the molding 11 and the second insertion hole 20 of the base member 19, respectively, and the inclined first tip surface 26c of the first locking portion 26 and the inclined second tip surface 27c of the second locking portion 27 are locked with the corner edge 18c of the first hole edge 18a of the corresponding first locking hole 18 and the corner edge 21c of the first hole edge 21a of the corresponding second locking hole 21.

[0041] As a result, the molding 11 and the base member 19 are urged toward each other by the elastic force of the first locking portion 26 and the second locking portion 27 of the connecting plug 22, as shown by the arrows in Figures 8(b) and 8(c). That is, as shown in Figure 8(b), when the inclined first tip surface 26c of the first locking portion 26 elastically contacts the corner edge 18c of the first hole edge 18a of the first locking hole 18 from diagonally below, this elastic force acts to urge the molding 11 toward the end 19a of the base member 19, as shown by the arrow in Figure 8(b). Meanwhile, at the same time, as shown in Figure 8(c), when the inclined second tip surface 27c of the second locking portion 27 elastically contacts the corner edge 21c of the first hole edge 21a of the second locking hole 21 from diagonally below, this elastic force urges the base member 19 toward the one end 22a of the molding 11, as shown by the arrow in Figure 8(c).

[0042] In this way, when the inclined first tip surface 26c of the first locking portion 26 and the inclined second tip surface 27c of the second locking portion 27 elastically contact in a line state with the corner edges 18c, 21c of the hole edge portions 18a, 21a of the corresponding first and second locking holes 18, 21, the elastic reaction forces of each locking portion 26, 27 in opposite radially outward directions urge one end 11a of the molding 11 and the end 19a of the base member 19 of the door mirror 12 in a direction that brings them closer to each other, i.e., in a direction that attracts them.

[0043] As a result, as shown in Figures 2, 7 and 8(a), one end 22a of the molding 11 and the end 19a of the base member 19 of the door mirror 12 come into close contact with each other, thereby sufficiently suppressing the occurrence of gaps and steps as in the prior art described in the above publication, resulting in a sense of unity and a good appearance, thereby improving the appearance quality.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, because the first and second tip surfaces 26c, 27c of the first and second locking portions 26, 27 are formed in an inclined shape, there is no need to increase the relative dimensional accuracy of the distance T between the first hole edge portions 18a, 21a of the locking holes 18, 21 and the distance T1 (see FIG. 6(c)) between the tip surfaces 26c, 27c of the locking portions 26, 27. In other words, there is no need to increase the relative dimensional accuracy because the inclined tip surfaces 26c, 27c absorb any discrepancy between the distance T and the distance T1. This simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces manufacturing costs. Second Embodiment Figure 9(a) shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the structure of the second locking portion 27 of the connecting plug 22 is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the structure of the first tip portion 26b of the first locking portion 26 is changed.

[0045] That is, as shown in Figure 9(c), the second locking portion 27 of the connecting plug 22 has a second tip surface 27c of the second tip portion 27b formed in an inclined surface shape, as in the first embodiment, and this second tip surface 27c is in elastic contact with the corner edge 21c of the first hole edge portion 21a of the second locking hole 21.

[0046] 9(b), the first locking portion 26 has a first tip surface 26c of the first tip portion 26b that is flat rather than inclined. That is, the first tip surface 26c is flat and substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the first tip portion 26b. Therefore, when the first locking portion 26 is locked in the first locking hole 18, the first tip surface 26c abuts in the axial direction in a surface-to-surface manner not against the corner edge 18c of the first hole edge portion 18a but against the flat surface 18d extending inward from the corner edge 18c.

[0047] Thus, in this embodiment, when the first locking portion 26 and the second locking portion 27 of the connecting plug 22 are locked into the corresponding first locking hole 18 and second locking hole 21, the first tip surface 26c of the first locking portion 26 abuts in axial surface contact with the flat surface 18d of the first locking hole 18, while the inclined second tip surface 27c of the second locking portion 27 elastically locks in line contact with the corner edge 21c of the first hole edge portion 21a, and therefore, in particular, the elastic force of the second locking portion 27 urges the base member 19 and the molding 11 in a direction that brings them closer to each other.

[0048] Therefore, in this second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, one end 22a of the molding 11 and the end 19a of the base member 19 of the door mirror 12 are in close contact with each other, resulting in a sense of unity and a good appearance, thereby improving the appearance quality.

[0049] Furthermore, because the second tip surface 27c of the second locking portion 27 is formed in an inclined shape, even if the first tip surface 26c of the first locking portion 26 is flat, there is no need to increase the relative dimensional accuracy of the distance T between the locking holes 18, 21 and the distance between the tip surfaces 26c, 27c of the locking portions 26, 27, as in the first embodiment. This makes the manufacturing process easier and reduces manufacturing costs. Third Embodiment Figure 10(a) shows a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the structure of the first tip portion 26b of the first locking portion 26 of the connecting plug 22 is the same as in the second embodiment, but the structure of the second tip portion 27b of the second locking portion 27 is changed.

[0050] That is, as shown in Figure 10(b), the first engaging portion 26 has a first end surface 26c of the first end portion 26b formed flat as in the second embodiment, and this first end surface 26c abuts against a flat surface 18d extending inward from the corner edge 18c of the first hole edge portion 18a of the first engaging hole 18.

[0051] 10(c), the second locking portion 27 has a second tip surface 27c of the second tip portion 27b that is not inclined but is formed flat like the first tip surface 26c. Therefore, when the second locking portion 27 is locked in the second locking hole 21, the second tip surface 27c abuts in the axial direction in a surface-to-surface contact state against the flat surface 21d rather than the corner edge 21c of the first hole edge portion 21a.

[0052] Thus, in this embodiment, when the first locking portion 26 and the second locking portion 27 of the connecting plug 22 are locked into the corresponding first locking hole 18 and second locking hole 21, the tip surfaces 26c and 27c of each locking portion 26 and 27 abut in a surface contact state from the axial direction against the flat surfaces 18d and 21c of each locking hole 18 and 21, respectively.

[0053] Therefore, unlike the first and second embodiments, there is not a large biasing force acting in the direction of bringing the base member 19 and the molding 11 closer to each other, but by ensuring relatively high relative dimensional accuracy in the distance T between the locking holes 18, 21 and the distance between the tip surfaces 26c, 27c of the locking portions 26, 27, it is possible to bring one end 22a of the molding 11 and the end 19a of the base member 19 of the door mirror 12 into close contact with each other. As a result, a sense of unity and a good appearance are achieved, improving the external appearance quality.

[0054] The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and for example, the structure of the connecting plug 22 can be changed in accordance with the size and change of the cross-sectional shape of the first insertion hole 17 of the molding 11 and the second insertion hole 20 of the base member 19 of the door mirror 12. In addition, the structure of each of the locking portions 26, 27 can also be changed as desired in accordance with changes in the structure of each of the locking holes 18, 21. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10...Front door 11...Molding (door outside molding) 12...Door mirror 13...Base 17...First insertion hole 18...First locking hole 18a...First hole edge 18c…corner edge 19...Base member 19a...end 20...Second insertion hole 21...Second locking hole 21a...first hole edge 21c…corner edge 22...Connecting plug 22a...One end 22b...Other end 23…Top 24...One side 25...other side 26...First locking portion 26a...Proximal end 26b...First tip 26c...first tip surface 26d...Claw part 27...Second locking portion 27a...Proximal end 27b...Second tip 27c…Second tip surface 27d...Claw part

Claims

1. A connecting structure that connects one longitudinal end of a door outside molding attached to a door waist portion of an automobile to a base member of a door mirror via a connecting plug, the door outside molding has a first insertion hole into which one end of the connecting plug in the longitudinal direction can be inserted, and a first locking hole is formed in a peripheral wall constituting the first insertion hole; the base member has a second insertion hole into which the other end of the connecting plug in the longitudinal direction can be inserted, and a second locking hole is formed in a peripheral wall defining the second insertion hole; a connecting plug provided at one longitudinal end thereof with a first locking portion that is elastically deformable inward and outward directions and that locks onto the edge of the first locking hole when the one end is inserted into the first insertion hole, and a second locking portion that is elastically deformable inward and outward directions and that locks onto the edge of the second locking hole when the other longitudinal end thereof is inserted into the second insertion hole.

2. 2. The door outside molding and door mirror connection structure according to claim 1, The first locking portion and the second locking portion of the connecting plug are formed so that the tip end sides rise in an inclined manner from the base end portions to the radially outward direction, and the tip end sides are elastically deformable inward and outward directions, and the tip ends are arranged in a direction facing each other, and the tip end surfaces of the tip ends are formed in an inclined manner, a connecting structure between a door outside molding and a door mirror, characterized in that when each of the inclined tip surfaces elastically contacts the corner edges of the hole edges of the first locking hole and the corner edges of the hole edges of the second locking hole in a line contact state, the respective elastic reaction forces urge the door outside molding and the door mirror in a direction approaching each other via the connecting plug.

3. 2. The door exterior molding and door mirror connection structure according to claim 1, a connecting structure between a door outside molding and a door mirror, characterized in that the first and second locking portions of the connecting plug are formed so that the tip ends rise at an incline radially outward from the base end so that the tip ends can elastically deform inward and outward directions, and the tip surface of at least one of the tip ends is formed in an inclined shape, so that when the inclined tip surface elastically contacts the hole edge of the first locking hole or the hole edge of the second locking hole in a line contact state, the elastic reaction force urges the door outside molding and the door mirror in a direction approaching each other via the connecting plug.

4. 2. The door outside molding and door mirror connection structure according to claim 1, The first and second locking portions of the connecting plug are formed so as to be elastically deformable, with their distal end portions rising inclined radially outward from their respective base ends, and the distal end portions are arranged in a direction facing each other, and the distal end surfaces of the distal end portions are formed substantially perpendicular or flat relative to the outer surfaces of the distal end portions, A connecting structure between a door outside molding and a door mirror, characterized in that each of the flat tip surfaces is in elastic surface contact with a flat surface extending from a corner edge of the hole edge of the first locking hole and a flat surface extending from a corner edge of the hole edge of the second locking hole.

5. 2. The door outside molding and door mirror connection structure according to claim 1, The first and second locking portions of the connecting plug each have a protruding claw portion on the inner edge of the tip surface of each of the tip portions, and A connecting structure between a door outside molding and a door mirror, characterized in that when each of the locking portions locks onto each hole edge portion of each locking hole, each of the claw portions locks onto the inner corner edge of each hole edge portion.

6. The door outside molding and door mirror connection structure according to claim 3, The connecting plug is made of synthetic resin and has a substantially inverted U-shaped cross section, and the first locking portion is provided on one of both side walls extending parallel from a top, and a protrusion is received on the other side wall at a position radially corresponding to the first locking portion, a connecting structure between a door outside molding and a door mirror, wherein an upper end surface of the protrusion slides against the inner surface of the first insertion hole when one longitudinal end of the connecting plug is inserted into the first insertion hole of the door outside molding.

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