Panel Sealing Plug Structure for Low-Force Hole Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing plugs for vehicle panels are difficult to install and prone to getting caught in holes due to improper insertion angles, requiring a solution that facilitates easy insertion and secure sealing while minimizing insertion force.
Innovation Solution
A sealing plug design featuring a collar with recesses and a supporting lip, along with a sealing lip, that allows for deformation and reduced insertion force, combined with ribs for stability, and a guide portion for proper alignment, ensuring easy insertion and secure sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a sealing plug is designed with a simple cylindrical shape, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it gets caught in holes during insertion due to improper insertion angles
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug is divided into multiple functional segments: a collar portion with collar recesses for guiding insertion, a supporting lip portion with supporting lip recesses for reducing insertion force, and a sealing lip portion. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function while maintaining overall structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds radial recesses (collar recesses and supporting lip recesses) to the otherwise cylindrical structure. These recesses create dimensional features that guide insertion by allowing the plug to deform radially during insertion, preventing it from getting caught at improper angles while maintaining a simple overall cylindrical form
2Reliability
If the sealing plug is made rigid to ensure sealing stability, then sealing reliability is improved, but insertion force becomes too large
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure that deforms during insertion. The collar recesses and supporting lip recesses allow the plug to flex radially inward during insertion, reducing insertion force. After insertion, the material's elasticity causes it to return to its original shape, maintaining sealing stability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the sealing plug during the insertion process. By creating recesses, the plug's radial stiffness is reduced temporarily during insertion, allowing it to deform and enter the hole with less force. Once inserted, the plug maintains its sealing function through the elastic recovery of the material
3Reliability
If the sealing plug uses a larger diameter to ensure proper sealing, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but insertion difficulty increases due to higher insertion force
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug is segmented into a collar portion (for insertion guidance), supporting lip portion (for force reduction), and sealing lip portion (for sealing). This allows the sealing lip to maintain a larger effective diameter for sealing effectiveness while the collar and supporting lip sections can deform more easily during insertion
Solution Approach 2:
By adding radial recesses to the collar and supporting lip portions, the invention creates dimensional features that allow these sections to deform radially during insertion. This reduces the insertion force required for larger diameter plugs while the sealing lip portion maintains its larger diameter for effective sealing
Data Source
AI summary
Provided in the present application is a sealing plug for sealing a hole in a panel, the sealing plug comprising a collar, a supporting lip, and a sealing lip. The collar has at least one collar recess formed by an upward depression from a lower edge, and the at least one collar recess is located below the collar sealing portion. The supporting lip connecting end is connected to an outer periphery of a lower portion of the collar, the supporting lip has at least one supporting lip recess, of which, extends from the supporting lip connecting end to the supporting end, and is aligned with the at least one collar recess. The sealing lip connecting end is connected to an upper portion of the collar. The sealing plug provided in the present application can be easily inserted into the hole in the panel.