Automotive Closing Plug Radial Sealing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closing plugs for automobile body openings are complex to produce, require high mounting forces, and lack adaptability to different sheet metal thicknesses and diameters, often resulting in inadequate sealing and potential damage from water ingress.
Innovation Solution
A closing plug comprising two components: an insert component with a tubular body and a lid component, where the lid component moves along the longitudinal axis from a pre-mounted position to a locked position, utilizing pre-mounting and locking elements for secure sealing, and a sealing element that radially extends to ensure effective sealing without increasing the plug's diameter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a closing plug with hot-melt adhesive material is used to seal the opening, then sealing performance is improved, but the device becomes dependent on temperature and requires strict heating processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the main plug body by adding a separate sealing element that can be radially expanded. This sealing element is made of elastic material that can be deformed radially outward to engage with the opening edge, separating the sealing mechanism from the temperature-dependent hot-melt adhesive approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element is designed to be dynamically expandable from a compressed state during insertion to an expanded state for sealing. The elastic material allows the sealing element to be radially deformed outward by the lid component, creating an adaptive sealing interface that engages with the opening edge without requiring temperature control.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a one-piece closing plug with expansion section is used, then adaptability to different diameters is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to complex geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The closing plug is divided into two separate components: an insert component containing the tubular body and sealing element, and a lid component that performs the expansion action. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately using simpler processes, avoiding the manufacturing complexity of a single complex one-piece structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid component is inserted into the tubular body of the insert component, with the lid component's outer locking contour engaging with the inner surface of the tubular body. This nested arrangement allows the expansion mechanism to be contained within the insert component while maintaining structural simplicity for manufacturing.
3Reliability
If a closing plug with locking structure comprising three parts is used, then secure sealing is improved, but the locking structure becomes complex to manufacture and manipulate
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is merged into the interaction between the lid component's outer locking contour and the insert component's inner surface. The elastic material of the lid component provides the locking action through radial deformation, combining the sealing and locking functions into a single integrated mechanism rather than separate complex locking structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic material of the lid component provides self-locking through its inherent elastic properties. When the lid component is radially deformed during insertion, it naturally engages with the opening edge and maintains the sealed position without requiring additional locking mechanisms or complex manipulation.
4Ease of operation
If the sealing interface is realized on the side of the car body, then installation is simplified, but sealing performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing interface is moved from a side-mounted configuration to a radial configuration. The sealing element is radially expanded to engage with the opening edge, creating a sealing interface that extends radially outward from the center of the opening. This radial sealing approach maintains installation simplicity while significantly improving sealing performance by creating a larger sealing contact area.
Data Source
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AI summary
Closing plug (10, 100) for closing an opening (20, 120), in particular in a body structure of an automobile, having: - an insert component (12, 112) adapted to be mounted in the opening, wherein the insert component comprises: a tubular body (22, 122) with pre-mounting element and/or a locking element, a sealing element (24, 124) surrounding the outer surface of the tubular body and destined to be arranged in the opening, a circumference collar (26, 126), - a lid component (14, 114) for cooperating with the insert component (12, 112), wherein the lid component comprises a top side (70, 170) and a lateral side, wherein the lateral side has an outer locking contour and an outer pre-mounting contour, wherein the lid component (14, 114) is movable relative to the insert component (12, 112) between a pre-mounted position and a locked position, in which the locking contour cooperates with the locking element and the lateral side of the lid component (14, 114) is entirely inserted into the hole and urges the sealing element radially outward.