JP7406466B2 - food seal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hood seal that is attached to the upper end of a front bumper of an automobile and seals the space between the two by abutting the front end of the hood when the hood is closed.

A hood seal that seals between an engine hood (bonnet) and a front end of an engine compartment is also called a hood weather strip or a hood seal rubber, and one known as described in Patent Document 1 below.

As shown in FIG. 5, a grille 02 is fixed to the front end of a front bumper 01 arranged at the front end of the vehicle body by bolts 03, and a hood seal 1 is fixed to the upper end 01a by a clip 4. . This hood seal 1 is integrally provided with a flat mounting base 2 fixed by the clip 4 and upwardly from the front and rear ends of the mounting base 2, which are the front and rear sides of the vehicle. The hood 04 includes a hollow seal portion 3 that is flexibly deformed when the front end portion 04a of the hood 04 comes into contact with the hood 04.

The mounting base 2 is made of a hard solid rubber material and is formed into a plate shape extending in the width direction of the vehicle body, and a plurality of clip insertion holes (not shown) into which clips 4 are inserted are provided approximately in the center in the longitudinal direction. They are provided at approximately equal intervals.

The hollow seal portion 3 is made of a rear end piece 3a and a front end piece 3b made of solid rubber material rising from the front and rear ends of the mounting base 2, and made of a sponge rubber material connecting the upper ends of the rear end piece 3a and the front end piece 3b. It has an upper end piece 3c. Further, a protrusion 5 is integrally provided on the outer surface of the rear end piece 3a on the engine room ER side to prevent incorrect assembly in the front and rear when the hood seal 1 is assembled to the front bumper 01.

Like the mounting base 2, the protrusion 5 is made of a solid rubber material and has a substantially horizontal U-shape in cross section, and extends along the longitudinal direction of the hollow seal portion 3. Alternatively, it can be recognized from the outside using a sense of touch to prevent incorrect assembly.

Patent No. 6330677

Incidentally, recently, as shown in FIG. 6, the entire front bumper 01 is often shaped in a curved shape in which the central part of the front end is convex toward the front side when viewed from the top of the vehicle, and the hood seal 1 also has a curved shape. It is necessary to arrange it so as to follow the curved corner portion Cn on the front bumper 01 side.

Even in the conventional hood seal 1 described in Patent Document 1, the hood seal 1 can be attached to follow the curved corner portion Cn of the front end of the front bumper 01. Therefore, in the hood seal 1, when the hood 04 is closed, the hollow seal portion 3 is located at the center P located inside the hollow seal portion 3 at the corner portion Cn and at the portion not fixed by the clip 4. There is a risk that the engine may rotate (fall over) in the clockwise direction (towards the engine room ER) as indicated by the arrow X in the figure with the center of rotation at .

This is because when the hood 04 is closed, when compressive force is applied to the front end of the upper end piece 3c of the hollow seal part 3 by the curved front end 04a of the hood 04, the protrusion 5 is formed of hard solid rubber. Therefore, on this protrusion 5 side, the force F' tends to be directed in the direction of the longer circumference (in the direction of the arrow) without being deformed by the compressive force. This force F' is divided into a component force F1' in the direction of the center P and a component force F2' in the direction perpendicular to the center P, and a rotational force is applied to the hollow seal portion 3 in the direction of the arrow X. It becomes a shape.

Therefore, there was a possibility that a gap C would be generated between the corner portion Cn of the upper end portion 01a of the front bumper 01 and the hollow seal portion 3 of the hood seal 1. The occurrence of this gap C is undesirable because it causes a deterioration in the appearance of the vehicle body when viewed from the front, which is important for the design of the entire vehicle.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned conventional technical problems, and can suppress the rotation of the hood seal toward the engine room when the hood is closed, thereby preventing the generation of a gap between the hood seal and the front bumper. The present invention provides a food seal made in such a manner.

The present invention is a hood seal that is attached to the upper end of a front bumper of an automobile, and when the hood is closed, the front end of the hood comes into contact to seal the space between the two,
The hood seal includes a flat mounting base that is fixed to the upper end of the front bumper via a clip, and is provided upward from the mounting base, and the front end of the hood comes into contact with the hood when the hood is closed. a hollow seal portion that is deformed by the
The hollow seal portion has a protrusion provided on the outer surface of the rear end on the side of the engine room, and a protrusion provided on the inner surface of the front end on the side opposite to the engine room,
When the hood is closed, the protrusion generates a component force that opposes the horizontal force from the protrusion toward the center of the hollow seal, and causes the hollow seal to move toward the engine room. It is characterized by canceling out the rotational force of .

According to the present invention, the protrusion provided at the front end of the hollow seal portion generates a force opposite to the rotational direction of the hood seal, thereby suppressing rotation of the hood seal.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the automobile. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 of the hood seal in a free state, showing an embodiment of the hood seal according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hood seal according to the present invention in a free state when it is attached and fixed to the front bumper with a clip. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 illustrating the force relationship that acts on the protrusions when the hood is closed and the hollow seal portion of the hood seal is compressed and deformed. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 6, showing a position where the hood seal is not fixed with a clip. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the hood seen from the plane showing the position where the hood seal is attached to the front bumper with a clip.

1 to 4 show specific embodiments of the hood seal according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an automobile, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the seal in its free state. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hood seal according to the present invention in its free state, which is attached and fixed to the front bumper with a clip. FIG. 4 is a hollow seal portion of the hood seal when the hood is closed. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 illustrating the force relationship that acts on the protrusions due to compressive deformation of the protrusions.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 indicates a front bumper (hereinafter simply referred to as bumper) disposed on the front side of the engine room ER of the vehicle body, and 12 indicates an engine hood (hereinafter simply referred to as hood) that covers the engine room. Further, 13 is a decorative grill provided in the center of the bumper 11, and 14 is a headlamp. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hood seal 16 is disposed along the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction) of the upper end portion 11a of the bumper 11.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the bumper 11 is formed into a curved shape in which the central portion of the front end is convex toward the front as a whole when viewed from the top of the vehicle, which is the same as in the prior art. be.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the bumper 11 has an upper end portion 11a bent into a substantially inverted V-shape in cross section, and a flat shelf portion 11b on the tip side and a front side of this shelf portion 11b. It has a vertical wall portion 11c that stands up with an inclined surface from the vertical wall portion 11c.

Bolt insertion holes 11d into which the mounting bolts 15 are inserted are formed through the shelf portion 11b at approximately equal intervals in the longitudinal direction. On the other hand, the grille 13 is formed with female threaded holes 13a into which the male threaded portions 15a of the mounting bolts 15 are screwed, at positions corresponding to the respective bolt insertion holes 11d of the shelf portion 11b. Therefore, the grille 13 is coupled and fixed to the bumper 11 by the mounting bolts 15. Further, a plurality of circular clip holes 11e into which clips 19 are inserted are formed through the shelf portion 11b at approximately equal intervals in the longitudinal direction. Each clip hole 11e is provided at a position that does not overlap with each bolt insertion hole 11d in the longitudinal direction.

Furthermore, a food seal 16 is disposed on the upper surface of the shelf portion 11b along the vertical wall portion 11c.

As is well known, the hood 12 is integrated by hemming the hemming flange portion 12c on the hood outer panel 12a side to the hood inner panel 12b side, and the bent base of the hemming flange portion 12c is connected to the hood 12. The front end portion 12d is the front end portion 12d.

When the hood 12 is closed, the front end 12d of the hood 12 is in a shape that closely faces the inner surface of the upper end side of the vertical wall portion 11c on the bumper 11 side with a predetermined parting gap in between. Therefore, as will be described later, when the hood 12 is closed, the front end 12d of the hood 12 comes into contact with the hollow seal part 18 of the hood seal 16, and the hollow seal part 18 is compressed and deformed, so that the bumper 11 and A sealing function between the hood 12 and the hood 12 will be exhibited.

The hood seal 16 is formed in a curved shape along the vehicle width direction, following the curved corner portion Cn on the front bumper 01 side. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the hood seal 16 includes a flat plate-shaped mounting base 17 disposed in the vehicle width direction along the shelf portion 11b of the bumper 11, and a mounting base 17 located at the front and rear ends of the vehicle body. A hollow seal portion 18 is integrally provided upward from the top.

The mounting base 17 is made of a hard solid rubber material, and as shown in FIG. 3, has a plurality of circular clips inserted into each clip 19 at approximately equal intervals corresponding to each clip hole 11e. A hole 17a is formed through the hole 17a. Therefore, the hood seal 16 is firmly attached to the shelf part 11b of the bumper 11 by the elastic fastening force of each clip 19 inserted into each clip insertion hole 17a of the mounting base 17 and each clip hole 11e of the shelf part 11b. ing.

The clip 19 is integrally formed from a synthetic resin material and has a structure described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-62939, and the head 19a is inserted into the clip insertion hole 17a of the mounting base 17. A leg portion 19b that comes into elastic contact with the upper edge and is capable of expanding its diameter is engaged with the lower edge of the clip hole 11e of the shelf portion 11b.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the hollow seal portion 18 is located at a rear end piece 18a rising from the rear end of the mounting base 17 on the engine room ER side, and on a side of the mounting base 17 opposite to the engine room ER. It has a front end piece 18b and a seal piece 18c which connects and connects the upper ends of the rear end piece 18a and the front end piece 18b and is formed to bulge upward in a curved shape.

The rear end piece 18a and the front end piece 18b are made of a solid rubber material like the mounting base 17, but the seal piece 18c is made of a soft sponge rubber material.

A protrusion 20 is integrally provided on the outer surface of the rear end piece 18a. This protrusion 20 is for preventing incorrect assembly, and is made of a solid rubber material like the rear end piece 18a and has a substantially horizontal U-shape in cross section. It has been extended. The protrusion 20 is formed on a line S extending horizontally from the center P of the hollow seal 18, which is located inside the hollow seal 18.

A protrusion 21 is integrally provided on the inner surface of the front end piece 18b. This protrusion 21 is for suppressing deformation, and is made of a solid rubber material like the front end piece 18b and has a substantially triangular cross section, and its formation position is lower and lower than the center P of the hollow seal portion 18. It is located closer to the mounting base 17 in terms of position. Further, the protruding portion 21 has an upper end surface 21a formed along a substantially horizontal direction, an apex 21b facing near the center P, and a lower end edge 21c extending to near the mounting base 17. Furthermore, the entire cross-sectional area of the protruding part 21 is larger than that of the protruding part 20, so that the rigidity thereof is higher than that of the protruding part 20 side.
[Function and effect of the food seal of this embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 4, when the hood 12 is closed after the hood seal 16 is attached to the upper end 11a of the bumper 11, the clip 19 is located at the corner portion Cn (see FIGS. 1 and 6). In areas that are not covered, it is possible to suppress the generation of gaps by the action described below.

That is, when the hood 12 is closed, the front end 12d of the hood 12 comes into contact with the front end of the upper surface of the seal piece 18c of the hollow seal part 18, and compressive force is applied to the entire hollow seal part 18, causing it to bend and deform. Then, a force acts on the hollow seal portion 18 to move it in a comfortable direction (a direction in which it is easy to deform). As a result, as shown by the long straight arrow in FIG. 4, a horizontal force F with a long circumference acts from the protrusion 20 toward the center P of the hollow seal portion 18.

As a result, component forces F1 to F3 in three directions are generated on the protrusion 21, one component force F1 having a short circumference opposing the arrow F, two components F2 directed toward the center P, and three component forces F2. A component force F3 is generated in a direction perpendicular to the center P.

In other words, the protruding part 21 receives a pulling force in the left direction in FIG. Instead, it tries to move toward the component force F1, which has a shorter circumference.

This component force F1 is a force with which the hollow seal portion 18 opposes the force F in the compression direction from the projection portion 20 toward the center P. This component force F1 is divided into component force F2 and component force 3, component force F2 is a force that acts toward the center P and opposes the horizontal force, and component force 3 is a force that acts toward the center P and opposes the horizontal force. This is the force that opposes the pulling side of 18. The component forces F1 to F3 generated by the protruding portion 21 act as forces opposing the clockwise (X direction) rotational force generated in the hollow seal portion 18, and cancel the rotational force in the arrow X direction. do.

Here, the reason why the protrusion 20 is arranged on the line S in the horizontal direction with respect to the center P and is arranged at the same height as the center P is that, as described above, when the hood 12 is closed, the hollow seal part 18 This is because the force directed in the direction in which it is easy to deform becomes the force F in the direction of the center P, making it possible to reduce the rotational force in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4 to almost zero.

In other words, when the protrusion 5 is located at a lower position than the center P as in the conventional hood seal 1 shown in FIG. However, in this embodiment, the clockwise rotational force can be reduced to almost zero.

As described above, in the present embodiment, component forces 1 to 3 are generated in the protruding portion 21, so that the hollow seal portion 18 has sufficient rotational force (deformation) in the X direction as in the prior art shown in FIG. As a result, generation of a gap between the outer surface of the seal piece 18c and the inner surface 11f of the upper end of the vertical wall portion 11c of the bumper 11 can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to contribute to improving the appearance of the vehicle body when viewed from the front, which is important in shaping the entire vehicle.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the hood seal 16 is attached and fixed to the bumper 11 using only the plurality of clips 19, so the attachment work is simple and the work efficiency is improved.

Furthermore, since the protrusion 21 is provided on the inner surface of the front end piece 18b of the hollow seal part 18, that is, inside the hollow seal part 18, it is not exposed from the outside. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the protrusion 21 from interfering with the bumper 11, and to suppress deterioration in appearance.

In addition, since the protruding portion 21 is provided not only at the corner portion Cn of the hood seal 16 but also at the straight portions on both sides of the corner portion Cn, the rigidity of this straight portion is ensured and the shape retention force of the hollow seal portion 18 is increased. can be increased. Thereby, excessive bending deformation of the hollow seal portion 18 when the hood 12 is closed can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the structure of the embodiment described above, and in this embodiment, the hood seal 16 is attached and fixed to the bumper 11 only by the clip 19. It is also possible to apply an adhesive between the upper surface of the portion 11b or to attach and fix it by interposing a double-sided adhesive tape.

Furthermore, although the protruding portion 21 is provided over the entire length of the hollow seal portion 18, it is also possible to provide it only in at least the corner portion Cn region of the hood seal 16.

As the food seal based on the embodiment described above, for example, the following aspects can be considered.

In one embodiment, a hood seal is attached to the upper end of a front bumper of an automobile, and when the hood is closed, the front end of the hood comes into contact to seal the space between the two,
The hood seal includes a flat mounting base that is fixed to the upper end of the front bumper via a clip, and is provided upward from the mounting base so that the front end of the hood comes into contact with the hood when the hood is closed. A hollow seal part that flexes and deforms when in contact with it,
The hollow seal portion has a protrusion provided on the outer surface of the rear end on the side of the engine room, and a protrusion provided on the front end on the opposite side from the engine room.

More preferably, the protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the front end.

More preferably, the hollow seal portion connects and couples a rear end piece rising from the rear end of the mounting base, a front end piece rising from the front end of the mounting base, and upper ends of the rear end piece and the front end piece. and a seal piece formed to bulge upward in a curved shape, and the protrusion is provided at an upper end of the rear end piece near the connection with the seal piece, while the protrusion is provided at the upper end of the front end piece near the connection with the seal piece.

More preferably, the mounting base, the rear end piece including the protrusion, and the front end piece including the protrusion are made of a solid rubber material, and the sealing piece is made of a sponge rubber material. At the same time, the front end portion can come into contact with the inner surface of the upper end portion of the front bumper.

More preferably, the formation position of the protrusion is at the same height in the horizontal direction as the center of the hollow seal part located inside the hollow seal part.

More preferably, the protrusion is formed at a lower position closer to the mounting base than the protrusion is formed.

More preferably, the protrusion and the protrusion are provided in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the hollow seal part.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Front bumper 11a... Upper end part 11b... Shelf part 11c... Vertical wall part 11f... Inner surface 12... Engine hood 12d... Tip part 13... Grill 16... Hood seal 17... Mounting base part 18... Hollow seal part 18a... Rear end piece (rear end)
18b...front end piece (front end)
18c...Seal piece 19...Clip 20...Protrusion 21...Protrusion Cr...Corner part P...Center of hollow seal part ER...Engine room

Claims (6)

A hood seal that is attached to the upper end of a front bumper of an automobile, and seals between the two by abutting the front end of the hood when the hood is closed,
The food seal is
a flat mounting base fixed to the upper end of the front bumper via a clip;
a hollow seal part that is provided upward from the mounting base and deforms when the front end of the hood comes into contact with it when the hood is closed;
Equipped with
The hollow seal part is
A protrusion provided on the outer surface of the rear end on the engine room side;
A protrusion provided on the inner surface of the front end opposite to the engine room;
has
When the hood is closed, the protrusion generates a component force that opposes the horizontal force from the protrusion toward the center of the hollow seal, and causes the hollow seal to move toward the engine room. A hood seal that is characterized by offsetting the rotational force of . The food seal according to claim 1,
The hollow seal portion connects and connects a rear end piece rising from the rear end of the mounting base, a front end piece rising from the front end of the mounting base, and the respective upper ends of the rear end piece and the front end piece, and extends upwardly. A seal piece formed in a curved shape,
The protrusion is provided at an upper end of the rear end piece near the connection with the seal piece, while the protrusion is provided at an upper end of the front end piece near the connection with the seal piece. A food seal characterized by : The food seal according to claim 2,
The mounting base, the rear end piece including the protrusion, and the front end piece including the protrusion are formed of a solid rubber material,
The hood seal is characterized in that the seal piece is made of a sponge rubber-based material, and a front end portion thereof can come into contact with an inner surface of an upper end portion of the front bumper . The food seal according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The hood seal is characterized in that the protrusion is formed at the same height in a horizontal direction as the center of the hollow seal located inside the hollow seal . The food seal according to claim 4 ,
The hood seal is characterized in that the protrusion is formed at a lower position closer to the mounting base than the protrusion is formed . The food seal according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The hood seal is characterized in that the protruding portion and the protruding portion are provided in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the hollow seal portion .

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