HOLE PLUG FOR WASTE WATER

Abstract

A hole plug for waste water includes a protruding portion having a flange with a dish shape, and a drain hole therein; and a cylindrical portion projecting from the protruding portion and formed at an inner face side of the flange, the cylindrical portion being configured to be inserted into and pass through an attachment hole of a panel. The cylindrical portion includes an engagement leg provided in a circumference configured to detachably engage the attachment hole, a cylinder inside, and a shielding wall which is positioned above the drain hole, is larger than a horizontal cross-sectional surface of the drain hole, and is provided such that the cylinder inside and the drain hole can communicate with each other for allowing a liquid entering into an inside of a vehicle to flow into the cylinder inside and flow out to an outside of a vehicle from the drain hole.

Claims

1. A hole plug for waste water, comprising: a protruding portion having a flange with a dish shape, and a drain hole therein; and a cylindrical portion projecting from the protruding portion and formed at an inner face side of the flange, the cylindrical portion being configured to be inserted into and pass through an attachment hole of a panel, wherein the cylindrical portion includes an engagement leg provided in a circumference configured to detachably engage the attachment hole, a cylinder inside, and a shielding wall which is positioned above the drain hole, is larger than a horizontal cross-sectional surface of the drain hole, and is provided such that the cylinder inside and the drain hole can communicate with each other for allowing a liquid entering into an inside of a vehicle to flow into the cylinder inside and flow out to an outside of a vehicle from the drain hole.

2. A hole plug for waste water according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical portion further includes a path communicating an inside of the cylindrical portion and the drain hole, the path being located in the inside of the cylindrical portion, passing between an inner peripheral face and the shielding wall, and extending to the drain hole through a lower side of the shielding wall.

3. A hole plug for waste water according to claim 1, wherein the shielding wall is provided to have an approximately same height as that of a cylinder back side of the inside of the cylindrical portion or the panel in a state wherein the cylindrical portion engages the attachment hole of the panel through the engagement leg.

4. A hole plug for waste water according to claim 1, wherein the engagement leg is divided through a pair of vertical slits in the cylindrical portion, and a tip thereof is connected to an inner face side of the flange.

5. A hole plug for waste water according to claim 1, wherein the shielding wall is integrally formed by resin together with the flange and the cylindrical portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) show a hole plug for waste water according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1(a) is a schematic external view which is viewed from an upper side; and FIG. 1(b) is a schematic external view in a state wherein the upside is turned down;

[0020] FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are a front view and a side view of the hole plug;

[0021] FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are a top view and a bottom view of the hole plug;

[0022] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A in FIG. 2(a), and a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B in FIG. 2(b);

[0023] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line C-C in FIG. 3(a);

[0024] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing essential parts of a molding mold for the hole plug;

[0025] FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) show a drainage operation of the hole plug, wherein FIG. 7(a) is a drawing viewed from an upper side of a panel; and FIG. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line D-D in FIG. 7(a);

[0026] FIGS. 8(a), 8(b), and 8(c) show the first modified example of the hole plug, wherein FIG. 8(a) is a front view; FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A1-A1 in FIG. 8(a); and FIG. 8(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B1-B1 in FIG. 8(b);

[0027] FIGS. 9(a), 9(b), and 9(c) show a second modified example of the hole plug, wherein FIG. 9(a) is a front view; FIG. 9(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A2-A2 in FIG. 9(a); and FIG. 9(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B2-B2 in FIG. 9(b); and

[0028] FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b) show a plug for draining water disclosed in the Patent Document 1 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 of the Patent Document 1).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention and modified examples thereof will be explained with reference to the drawings. In the explanation, a structure of a hole plug of the embodiment, main operations thereof, the first modified example, and a second modified example will be described in detail in that order.

[0030] (Structure) In FIG. 1(a) to FIG. 7(b), a hole plug 3 for waste water is formed by a resin injection molded member, and comprises a flange 1 which is a protruding portion, and a cylindrical portion 2 projecting on an inner face side of the flange 1. The hole plug 3 for waste water is attached in a state wherein the cylindrical portion 2 is inserted to pass through an attachment hole 4a of a vehicle-body-side panel 4 for allowing a liquid such as rainwater and the like entered into an inside of a vehicle to flow into a cylinder inside 20 of the cylindrical portion 2, and to flow out to an outside of the vehicle from a drain hole 14 provided in the flange 1. The feature of the device mainly resides in that the flange 1 has an approximately dish shape, provides the vertical-hole-like drain hole 14, and projects the cylindrical portion 2 on the inner face side; and that the cylindrical portion 2 includes a shielding wall 24 positioned directly above the drain hole 14, and a non-linear communication path 28 communicating the cylinder inside 20 with the drain hole 14 in addition to engagement legs 25 provided in a circumference. Hereinafter, details thereof will be clarified.

[0031] The flange 1 comprises a disk-shaped center portion 10 and an umbrella-shaped brim portion 11 integrated with a circumference of the center portion 10. In the center portion 10, there is provided the drain hole 14 near the center. The drain hole 14 communicates with the cylinder inside 20 of the cylindrical portion 2 through the later-described communication path 28. Here, although a shape of the flange 1 is a circular dish shape, the shape of the flange 1 may be an oval dish shape, a rectangular dish shape, and the like. Likewise, although the drain hole 14 has a rectangular parallelepiped hole shape, a cube may be used, and furthermore, a cross-sectional surface may have a polygonal, circular, or oval hole shape. Incidentally, in the example, facing long faces dividing the drain hole 14 are set so as to become a side corresponding to the engagement legs 25 of the cylindrical portion 2.

[0032] The brim portion 11 has a circular brim shape, and as shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the brim portion 11 is formed to be thinner than the center portion 10. The brim portion 11 has a shape wherein a brim tip thereof closely contacts an outer face of the panel 4 in a state wherein the cylindrical portion 2 engages the attachment hole 4a through the engagement legs 25 so as to prevent the liquid such as rainwater and the like from entering between the brim tip and the panel 4 and unexpectedly entering into the inside of the panel 4 from the attachment hole 4a.

[0033] The cylindrical portion 2 has a cylindrical shape provided to stand on an inner face of the center portion 10, and integrally includes two engagement legs 25 facing in the circumference; the shielding wall 24 disposed directly above the drain hole 14 at a back side of the cylinder inside 20; the communication path 28 communicating the cylinder inside 20 with the drain hole 14; and the like.

[0034] Each engagement leg 25 has an upper end 25a connecting to an upper part of the cylindrical portion 2, and a lower end 25b connecting to a lower part of the cylindrical portion 2 or the flange 1, and includes an engagement step 25c formed to project at an approximately intermediate portion. Also, the engagement leg 25 is divided between vertical slits 21 so as to be elastically displaceable.

[0035] In a groove width of each vertical slit 21, as shown in FIG. 4(a), a lower part 21a which comes close to the center portion 10 is formed to be slightly wider than an upper portion side. This is for ensuring a hole width of horizontal holes 28b provided to communicate the drain hole 14 on a lower side of the shielding wall 24 with a predetermined size when the later-described communication path 28 is formed by injection molding.

[0036] Important structures are such that the shielding wall 24 is positioned directly above the drain hole 14, and has a size which is one size larger than that of a horizontal cross-sectional surface of the drain hole; the cylinder inside 20 and the drain hole 14 are provided in a state wherein they can communicate with each other through the communication path 28; the hole plug 3 is provided to have a height approximately the same as that of the cylinder back side of the cylinder inside 20, or the panel 4 in a state engaged with the attachment hole 4a of the panel through the engagement legs 25; and the like.

[0037] Among those, as inferred from FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the size of the shielding wall 24 and the structure provided on the back side of the cylinder inside 20 become useful requirements in order to allow the liquid such as rainwater and the like entered into the drain hole 14 from the outside to be easily repelled by hitting against the shielding wall 24 which is larger than the drain hole 14, and to make the liquid such as rainwater and the like difficult to flow into a cylinder inside 20 side through the communication path 28.

[0038] Here, as shown in FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the communication path 28 passes through the cylinder inside 20 and the drain hole passing side faces 23 of the shielding wall 24 from the inside of the cylinder, and extends to the drain hole 14 through the lower side of the shielding wall 24. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3(a) and FIG. 7(a), the communication path 28 is formed to be divided by right and left vertical holes 28a located at a wall part facing each vertical slit 21, and notched approximately in a D shape between an inner peripheral face of the cylinder inside 20 and the shielding wall 24; and as shown in FIG. 7(b), the horizontal holes 28b notched to the drain hole 14 through a lower face side of the shielding wall 24 from a corresponding part of the vertical slit 21 on a lower side of each vertical hole 28, of the shielding wall 24.

[0039] The vertical holes 28a are holes provided between the inner peripheral face of the cylinder inside 20 and the corresponding side faces 23 of the shielding wall 24, and corresponding to a thickness of the shielding wall 24. Two horizontal holes 28b are provided in an extended line of each vertical slit 21 on one side on the lower side of each vertical hole 28a, and a total of four horizontal holes 28b is provided. As shown in FIG. 7(a), partition walls 22 divide between the horizontal holes 28b. The partition walls 22 are located in the cylinder inside 20, and are wall portions corresponding to the engagement legs 25 provided between the vertical slits 21.

[0040] (Operations) Next, main operations of the aforementioned hole plug 3 will be clarified.

[0041] (1) The hole plug 3 is molded by resin using an injection forming mold. Consequently, the shielding wall 24 and the communication path 28 are integrally molded by resin together with the flange 1 and the cylindrical portion 2. FIG. 6 shows a mold structure example of a portion corresponding to a cross-section surface in FIG. 5 in the injection forming mold. In the mold structure, the shielding wall 24 is formed by a forming space 2B divided using at least an upper mold 5 for forming the cylinder inside 20 of the cylindrical portion 2 and a lower mold 6 for forming the drain hole 14 of the flange 1. At that time, in the communication path 28, the vertical hole 28a can be formed by a tip shape of the upper mold 5. The horizontal hole 28b of the communication path 28 can be formed using slider molds 8A and 8B, and the like for forming each vertical slit 21. Therefore, even if the hole plug 3 of the embodiment includes the shielding wall 24 for repelling which is larger than the horizontal cross-sectional surface of the drain hole 14, and the non-linear communication path 28, a mass productivity is excellently maintained so as to excel in a molding performance.

[0042] (2) FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) show a state wherein the hole plug 3 is attached to the vehicle-body-side panel 4. Namely, in the hole plug 3, in an attachment operation to the panel, when the cylindrical portion 2 is operated to be pushed into the attachment hole 4a of the panel, in a middle of being pushed, the engagement leg 25 reduces a diameter and is displaced to the cylinder inside 20 side, and when the engagement leg 25 passes through the attachment hole 4a, the engagement leg 25 returns to an original state so as to engage the attachment hole 4a, so that as shown in FIG. 7(b), the brim portion 10 is held in a state pressed against the panel 4. In an attached use state, the tip of the brim portion 11 presses against the outer face of the panel 4, so that the liquid such as rainwater and the like does not enter into the inside of the brim portion 11 by passing between the brim tip and the panel 4. Also, the engagement leg is divided through a pair of vertical slits 21 in the cylindrical portion 2, and the tip connects to the inner face side of the flange, so that as inferred from a comparison between FIG. 4(b) and FIG. 10(b), an engagement force can be strengthened by suppressing a displacement degree of the engagement leg, and a stability of an engagement state can be improved.

[0043] (3) In the use state of the hole plug 3, when the liquid such as rainwater and the like entered into the inside of the vehicle flows into the cylinder inside 20 of the cylindrical portion 2 through the vertical slit 21 and the like, the liquid such as rainwater and the like can smoothly drain to the outside from the communication path 28 formed by the vertical hole 28a and the horizontal hole 28b through the drain hole 14 without being obstructed by the shielding wall 24.

[0044] (4) Also, in car washing, heavy rainfall, and the like, when water enters into the drain hole 14 from the outside, the water hits against the shielding wall 24 which is provided directly above the drain hole 14 and is larger than the horizontal cross-sectional surface of the drain hole 14, and is repelled so as to reliably suppress entering into the cylinder inside of the cylindrical portion 2. In the hole plug 3, the liquid entering into the drain hole 14 hits against the shielding wall 24, and is repelled, i.e., due to a repelling operation of the liquid, compared to the Patent Document 1, a projection amount to a panel outside does not have to be largely secured so as to easily improve an appearance and provide a weight reduction. Additionally, the shielding wall 24 is provided to have the height approximately the same as that of the cylinder back side of the cylinder inside 20 of the cylindrical portion or the panel 4, so that the repelling operation of the liquid is exerted in an optimum state so as to improve a quality. Furthermore, the communication path 28 is formed by the vertical hole 28a and the horizontal hole 28b so as to be difficult to flow backward compared to a structure of a linear drainage canal.

[0045] (Modified Examples) FIGS. 8(a), 8(b), and 8(c), and FIGS. 9(a), 9(b), and 9(c) show the first modified example and a second modified example of the aforementioned hole plug. In the explanation, the same symbols are assigned to the same parts or operationally the same parts as the aforementioned embodiment in order to avoid an overlapped description as little as possible, and differences will be clarified.

[0046] In a hole plug 3A of the first modified example shown in FIGS. 8(a), 8(b), and 8(c), the brim portion 11 of the flange 1 is formed to be shorter than the aforementioned embodiment. In that case, in the injection forming mold in FIG. 6, it is the same as the aforementioned embodiment in that the horizontal hole 28b of the communication path 28 is formed using the slider molds 8A and 8B for forming each vertical slit 21, and the like, however, for example, compared to the aforementioned embodiment, a sliding friction in a punching operation of the slider molds 8A and 8B after the injection molding can be easily reduced.

[0047] On the other hand, in a hole plug 3B of the second modified example shown in FIGS. 9(a), 9(b), and 9(c), the brim portion 11 of the flange 1 is formed to be relatively longer. Also, a partition wall 22A divides between the horizontal holes 28b forming the communication path 28 as shown in FIG. 9(c). The partition wall 22A is formed to be higher than the partition wall 22 of the embodiment and the first modified example, and has an approximately same height as an upper face of the shielding wall 24. In that case, for example, in the injection forming mold in FIG. 6, a shape of a tip of a projecting portion for forming the inside of the cylinder, which projects in a center portion of the upper mold 5, is changed so that an end face becomes approximately a flat surface.

[0048] As mentioned above, details of the present invention can be modified or developed further with reference to the aforementioned embodiment or respective modified examples provided that they have a structure specified in the invention. As for an example of a cylinder inside shape of the cylindrical portion, for example, as shown in the Patent Document 1, the cylinder inside shape of the cylindrical portion may be partitioned into a plurality of cavity portions. Also, as for a plug shape, the flange may be formed in a rectangular shape, or the cylindrical portion may be formed in a rectangular cylinder shape. Also, the engagement leg is not limited to a leg shape, and may be formed as a small projection shape provided that the engagement leg is provided in the circumference of the cylindrical portion and is formed to detachably engage the attachment hole of the panel. On the other hand, an application of the present invention is not limited to an automobile, and may be applied to, for example, agricultural machines and implements or tractors for civil engineering works, and furthermore, other vehicles as for a car body.

[0049] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-188671, filed on Sep. 28, 2017, is incorporated in the application.

[0050] While the invention has been explained with reference to the specific embodiments of the invention, the explanation is illustrative and the invention is limited only by the appended claims.