JP3604586B2 - Drain plug - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement of a drain plug for draining rainwater that has entered the inside of a vehicle body panel constituting a bag-shaped portion of an automobile.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional drain plug of this type, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-30914.
Although not specifically shown, the conventional plug includes a plug body that is integrally formed of a soft rubber material and fits into a drain hole having a pair of enlarged portions formed in a vehicle body panel. An elastic rib wall is formed on the inner surface side of the main body, the elastic rib wall engaging with a hole edge of the drain hole, and a positioning projection is formed on a part of the elastic rib wall corresponding to the one enlarged diameter portion. A portion corresponding to the enlarged diameter portion is cut out, and a skirt piece is integrally extended in the radial direction from the notched portion, and one end communicates with the other enlarged diameter portion on the inner surface side of the skirt piece. Defines a drain passage communicating with the outside, and forms a backflow prevention wall in the drain passage.
[0003]
In actual use, if the plug body is fitted through a drain hole formed in the vehicle body panel through an elastic rib wall, rainwater that has entered the inside of the vehicle body panel will be drained from the other enlarged portion to the skirt piece. Since it becomes possible to drain the water through the passage, it is possible to automatically drain the rainwater that has entered the inside of the vehicle body panel. Conversely, when muddy water or the like flows back into the drain passage from outside the vehicle body, the inflow of the backflow prevention wall can be prevented by the presence of the above-described backflow prevention wall.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of a conventional drain plug, when the plug body is fitted into the drain hole of the vehicle body panel, the plug body must be fitted while forcibly deforming the plug body by using the softness of the rubber material. This alone would require a great deal of work, but in addition to this, the positioning projection must match the opening of the drainage passage for each enlarged diameter part of the drainage hole, which is I could not deny that it would be even more difficult.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has been developed in order to effectively solve the problem of the conventional drain plug, and the invention according to claim 1 has a first member made of a soft material and a second member made of a hard material. The first member is formed in a cap shape, forms an elastic lip wall defining an annular groove on the inner surface side, and forms a drain port communicating with the annular groove on the outer surface side, the second member The member is formed into a cylindrical shape, and has a flange formed at an end edge thereof to be engaged with the annular groove of the first member, and defines a drain passage communicating with the drain port on the flange side. A backflow prevention wall is formed in the drain passage, and a locking leg is formed on a peripheral wall of the wall to lock a hole of a drain hole formed in the vehicle body panel.
[0006]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, based on the first aspect, a configuration is adopted in which the locking legs of the second member include two types, one for centering and the other for locking the drainage hole.
[0007]
The third aspect of the present invention adopts a configuration in which the elastic lip wall of the first member has a double sealing structure, based on the first and second aspects.
[0008]
The invention described in claim 4 employs a configuration in which a through hole is formed in the central portion of the first member for passing a pipe for draining rainwater from the roof of the vehicle, based on claims 1 to 3.
[0009]
The fifth aspect of the present invention adopts a configuration based on the fourth aspect, in which a connector connected to a pipe is held in a through-hole, and the connector regulates a direction of drainage of rainwater from an automobile roof.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 6 adopts a configuration based on claim 5, in which a rotation preventing means and a retaining means are provided between the connector and the second member.
[0011]
Therefore, in the invention according to claim 1, the drain plug itself is composed of two parts, a first member made of a soft material and a second member made of a hard material, and the second member made of a hard material is formed. Since it is possible to fit the drainage hole of the vehicle body panel by using the locking leg, it is very easy to fit the drainage plug into the drainage hole. In addition, since the drainage passage is defined on the flange side of the second member made of the hard material and the backflow prevention wall is formed in the drainage passage, the backflow prevention wall is not crushed, so that muddy water or the like flows backward from the outside of the vehicle body. Can be reliably prevented.
[0012]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the locking legs of the second member are of two types, one for centering and the other for locking, the second member can be fitted into the drain hole of the vehicle body panel in a one-touch manner with a correct posture. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the elastic lip wall that comes into contact with the vehicle body panel surface has a double sealing structure, it is excellent in watertightness. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to rainwater that has entered the inside of the vehicle body panel, rainwater from the roof of the automobile can be simultaneously drained through the piping. is there.
[0013]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, for example, by restricting the direction of drainage by the connector to the rear or inside of the vehicle body, traveling wind blows into the connector to adversely affect drainage, and the connector does not need to be connected to the outer plate. Interference can be avoided. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the drainage direction of the connector is kept constant by the rotation preventing means, and the connector can be prevented from coming off from the drain plug by the retaining means.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to a preferred embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a drain plug according to the embodiment is basically integrally formed of a soft material such as rubber. 1 and a second member 11 integrally formed of a hard material such as polyacetal. In the present embodiment, in particular, in the present embodiment, the first and second members 1. The connector 11 is organically combined with a connector 31 connected to a drain hose for draining rainwater collected on the sunroof side of the vehicle.
[0015]
Therefore, the first member 1 made of a soft material will be described first. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer elastic lip wall 3 and the inner elastic lip wall 4 are formed in a cap shape on the inner peripheral edge of the substrate 2. In particular, an annular groove 5 is formed between the inner elastic lip wall 4 and the substrate 2 to lock an outward flange 13 of a second member 11 described later, and communicates with the annular groove 5 on the outer surface side. A plurality of drain holes 6 are formed, a part of the inner elastic lip wall 4 corresponding to the drain holes 6 is cut out, and a through hole through which a drain nozzle portion 35 of a connector 31 described later passes through the center of the substrate 2. 7 is formed. In the drawing, reference numeral 8 denotes a projection serving as a mark for positioning.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 3, the second member 11 made of a hard material is formed into a cylindrical shape, and forms an outward flange 13 that locks in the annular groove 5 on one edge side of the base 12. A pair of locking legs 14 having a tapered outer surface at the distal end and a pair of locking legs 15 having a stepped outer surface at the distal end are formed on the peripheral wall through slits 16, respectively. When fitted into a drain hole H of a vehicle body panel P, which will be described later, first, one of the opposite locking legs 14 locks the tapered distal end outer surface to the hole edge of the drain hole H to simultaneously center the base 12 and The other opposing locking leg 15 firmly locks the outer surface of the stepped tip to the hole edge of the drain hole H, so that the base 12 can be locked in the drain hole H.
[0017]
The second member 11 is provided with a thick portion 17 protruding outward on the outer surface of the base 12 having a cylindrical shape, and forms a one-step recessed drain passage 18 on the upper surface of the thick portion 17 on the outward flange 13 side. While forming the backflow prevention wall 19 in the drain passage 18, a retaining claw 20 that elastically engages with a flange 33 of a connector 31 described below is formed below the thick portion 17, The rotation preventing protrusion 21 is formed on the inner surface of the base 12 facing the thick portion 17 so as to fit into the rotation preventing recess 36 of the connector 31 described later.
[0018]
The connector 31 has an annular flange 33 formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical main body 32 for engaging the retaining claw 20, and a connecting port 34 for connecting a drain hose is provided at one end of the connector 31. A configuration in which a drain nozzle portion 35 that is bent in a V-shape extending to the end side is formed, and a detent recess 36 that fits with the detent projection 21 in the axial direction of the cylindrical main body 32 is formed. The diameter of the cylindrical body 32 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the base 12 of the second member 11.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 4, the drainage hole H formed in the vehicle body panel P has a round shape large enough to allow the above-mentioned locking legs 14 and 15 to be engaged, and the thickness of the second member 11 is formed at the edge of the hole. It is configured to form one enlarged diameter portion Ha for positioning and storing the meat portion 17.
[0020]
Therefore, under the drain plug according to the present embodiment, first, the outward flange 13 of the second member 11 is locked in the annular groove 5 defined inside the first member 1, thereby forming the second member 11. In this case, the one member 1 and the second member 11 are integrated. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the drain passage 18 on the second member 11 coincides with the drain port 6 of the first member 1. It shall be locked in the state where it does.
[0021]
Therefore, this time, while the drain nozzle portion 35 of the connector 31 having the drain port 41 connected to the connection port portion 34 faces the inside of the through hole 7 of the first member 1, the detent recess 36 on the connector 31 side and the second When the cylindrical body 32 of the connector 31 is pushed into the base 12 of the second member 11 with the rotation preventing protrusions 21 on the two members 11 aligned with each other, the cylindrical body 32 of the connector 31 is formed as shown in FIG. Since the retaining claw 20 provided on the thick portion 17 of the second member 11 is elastically engaged with the flange 33 provided, the connector 31 is retained on the second member 11 without being detached. However, in this state, the position of the drain nozzle portion 35 of the connector 31 is kept constant since the rotation preventing convex portion 21 and the rotation preventing concave portion 36 are fitted.
[0022]
Therefore, after that, in such a state, a state in which the connector 31 is inserted into the water drain hole H of the vehicle body panel P is obtained, and the thick portion 17 of the second member 11 faces the enlarged diameter portion Ha of the water drain hole H. When the base 12 of the second member 11 is inserted into the drain hole H, one of the opposite locking legs 14 formed on the second member 11 has its tapered tip outer surface at the edge of the drain hole H. Since the locking and centering of the base 12 of the second member 11 are simultaneously performed, the other opposing locking leg 15 firmly locks the outer surface of the stepped tip to the hole edge of the drain hole H. As shown in the figure, the drain plug itself is fitted with the connector 31 into the drain hole H of the vehicle body panel P very easily. In this case, as shown in the figure, the outer elastic lip wall 3 and the inner elastic lip wall 4 of the first member 1 made of a soft material are brought into elastic contact with the body panel P surface with a double sealing structure. Therefore, a reliable watertight state can be obtained.
[0023]
In such a state, the rainwater that has entered the inside of the vehicle body panel P constituting the bag-like portion of the automobile is drained by the drain passage 18 defined on the outward flange 13 side of the second member 11 of the drain plug. The rainwater drained from the drain port 6 of the first member 1 to the outside through the through hole and collected on the roof (sunroof) of the automobile is drained to the outside from the connector 31 held by the drain plug via the drain hose 41. That is very reasonable.
[0024]
In this case, if the drainage nozzle portion 35 of the connector 31 is directed to the rear side of the vehicle body by the action of the rotation preventing concave portion 36 and the rotation preventing convex portion 21, the traveling wind does not enter the drainage nozzle portion 35. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, if the water is directed toward the inside of the vehicle body, the water can be drained without interfering with the outer plate 42 such as a mudguard. In any case, reliable drainage can be obtained. .
[0025]
Further, when muddy water or the like flows from the outside of the vehicle body into the drain passage 18 through the drain port 6, the backflow prevention wall 19 prevents the invasion of the muddy water. Since the wall 19 is formed on the second member 11 side made of a hard material, there is no fear that the wall 19 is crushed and its function cannot be exhibited.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the drain plug itself is composed of two parts, a first member made of a soft material and a second member made of a hard material. Since the second member made of the material can be fitted into the drain hole of the vehicle body panel using the locking leg, the work of fitting the drain plug into the drain hole becomes extremely easy. In addition, since the drainage passage is defined on the flange side of the second member made of the hard material and the backflow prevention wall is formed in the drainage passage, the backflow prevention wall is not crushed, so that muddy water or the like flows backward from the outside of the vehicle body. Can be reliably prevented.
[0027]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the locking legs of the second member are of two types, one for centering and one for locking, the second member can be fitted into the drain hole of the vehicle body panel in a one-touch manner with a correct posture. According to the third aspect, since the elastic lip wall that comes into contact with the vehicle body panel surface has a double sealing structure, it is excellent in watertightness. According to the fourth aspect, in addition to the rainwater that has entered the inside of the vehicle body panel, the rainwater from the roof of the automobile can be simultaneously drained through the piping, which is extremely rational.
[0028]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, for example, by restricting the direction of drainage by the connector to the rear side or the inside of the vehicle body, traveling wind blows into the inside of the connector, thereby adversely affecting drainage and avoiding unnecessary interference with the outer plate. it can. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the drainage direction of the connector is maintained constant by the rotation preventing means, and the connector can be prevented from coming off from the drain plug by the retaining means.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a drain plug according to an embodiment of the present invention in relation to a connector.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
3A is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1, FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3C is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing a shape of a drain hole formed in a vehicle body panel.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a first member and a second member are integrated.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a connector is held by a drain plug.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a drain plug is fitted into a drain hole of a vehicle body panel together with a connector.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an example in which the direction of drainage of rainwater from a car roof is regulated by a connector.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 first member 2 substrate 3 outer elastic lip wall 4 inner elastic lip wall 5 annular groove 6 drain port 7 through hole 8 projection 11 second member 12 base 13 outward flange 14 one locking leg 15 the other locking leg 16 slit 17 Thick part 18 Drainage passage 19 Backflow prevention wall 20 Retaining claw (retaining means)
21 Detents (detent means)
31 Connector 32 Cylindrical body 33 Flange (measuring means)
34 Connection Port 35 Drain Nozzle 36 Detent Recess (Detent Means)
41 Drain hose 42 Outer plate P Body panel H Drainage hole Ha Large diameter portion

Claims (6)

A first member made of a soft material and a second member made of a hard material, wherein the first member is formed into a cap shape and forms an elastic lip wall defining an annular groove on an inner surface side thereof; A drain port communicating with the annular groove is formed on the side, and the second member is formed into a cylindrical shape, and a flange for engaging with the annular groove of the first member is formed on an edge thereof, and a flange is formed on the flange side. A drainage passage communicating with the drainage port is formed, and a backflow prevention wall is formed in the drainage passage, and a locking leg that locks to a hole edge of a drainage hole formed on the vehicle body panel side is formed on a peripheral wall thereof. A drain plug characterized by being formed. 2. The drain plug according to claim 1, wherein the locking legs of the second member are of two types, one for centering and the other for locking the drain hole. 3. The drain plug according to claim 1, wherein the elastic lip wall of the first member has a double sealing structure. The drain plug according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a through-hole is formed in a central portion of the first member so as to pass a pipe for draining rainwater from an automobile roof. The drain plug according to claim 4, wherein a connector connected to the pipe is held in a through hole, and the connector regulates a direction of drainage of rainwater from an automobile roof. 6. The drain plug according to claim 5, wherein a rotation preventing means and a retaining means are provided between the connector and the second member.

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