U.S. patent application number 14/656775 was filed with the patent office on 2016-09-15 for dual shot one-way drain hole plug.
The applicant listed for this patent is Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.. Invention is credited to Brandon W. Letcher, Mingher Fred Shen.
Application Number | 20160265674 14/656775 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56878385 |
Filed Date | 2016-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160265674 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shen; Mingher Fred ; et
al. |
September 15, 2016 |
DUAL SHOT ONE-WAY DRAIN HOLE PLUG
Abstract
A one-way drain hole plug that affords for easy, quick, and
proper installation into a panel having drain hole. The one-way
drain hole plug includes a seal portion made from a first material
and a hollow bulb portion made from a second material that is
harder and/or stronger than the first material. The hardness or
strength of the second material prevents the hollow bulb portion
and the base attached thereto from collapsing during installation
of the one-way drain hole plug into the drain hole. However, the
first material is soft or pliable enough to allow sufficient
deformation of the drain hole insert as it is pushed through the
drain hole and provide a liquid-tight fit with the panel.
Inventors: |
Shen; Mingher Fred; (Ann
Arbor, MI) ; Letcher; Brandon W.; (Dayton,
OH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America,
Inc. |
Erlanger |
KY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56878385 |
Appl. No.: |
14/656775 |
Filed: |
March 13, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 137/7884 20150401;
Y10T 137/6881 20150401; F16K 25/005 20130101; Y10T 137/7878
20150401; F16K 15/144 20130101; F16K 15/147 20130101; F16K 24/04
20130101; B62D 25/24 20130101; Y10T 137/7837 20150401; Y10T
137/6892 20150401; B60R 13/07 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F16K 24/04 20060101
F16K024/04; B62D 25/24 20060101 B62D025/24; F16K 25/00 20060101
F16K025/00 |
Claims
1. A one-way drain hole plug comprising: a seal portion made from a
first material and a hollow bulb portion made from a second
material that is harder than said first material; said seal portion
having a base with a panel flange and a drain hole insert, said
drain hole insert having a truncated-cone shape with an inner bore
and a bottom edge that is spaced apart from said panel flange, said
drain hole insert also having an inclined outer sidewall extending
from said bottom edge to a top edge and a sidewall channel
extending through said inclined outer sidewall to said inner bore;
said hollow bulb portion extending from seal portion and in fluid
communication with said seal portion via said inner bore, said
hollow bulb having a bottom opening; and a hollow flange with a
liquid exit slot, said hollow flange extending from said hollow
bulb portion and in fluid communication with said bottom opening of
said hollow bulb such that liquid flows through said sidewall
channel of said seal into said hollow bulb, and through said hollow
flange.
2. The one-way drain hole plug of claim 1, wherein said first
material is a thermoplastic elastomer having a hardness within a
range of 30-60 Shore A and said second material is a thermoset
plastic having a hardness within a range of 65-95 Shore A.
3. The one-way drain hole plug of claim 2, further comprising an
inner cylinder extending between said panel flange of said base and
said drain hole insert.
4. The one-way drain hole plug of claim 3, wherein said bottom edge
of said drain hole insert has a diameter of d.sub.1 and said top
edge of said drain hole insert has a diameter of d.sub.2 that is
less than d.sub.1.
5. The one-way drain hole plug of claim 4, wherein said hollow
flange has a first side, a second side and a bottom edge, said
first side extending from said bulb to said bottom edge and said
second side extending from said bulb to said liquid exit slot.
6. The one-way drain hole plug of claim 5, wherein said second side
is made from said first material.
7. A process for installing a one-way drain hole plug into a panel
having a drain hole, the process comprising: providing a panel
having a thickness of t.sub.1 and a drain hole with a diameter of
d.sub.h; providing a one-way drain hole plug having: a seal made
from a first material and a hollow bulb made from a second
material, the second material having a second material hardness
that is greater than a first material hardness of the first
material; the seal having a base attached to the hollow bulb, the
base having a panel flange and a drain hole insert, the drain hole
insert having a truncated-cone shape with an inner bore and a
bottom edge that is spaced apart from the panel flange by a
distance t.sub.1, the drain hole insert also having an inclined
outer sidewall extending from the bottom edge to a top edge and a
sidewall channel extending through the inclined outer sidewall to
the inner bore; the hollow bulb extending from the base of the seal
and in fluid communication with the seal via the inner bore, the
hollow bulb having a bottom opening that liquid can flow through;
installing the one-way drain hole plug by grasping the hollow bulb
with at least two fingers and pushing the seal into the drain hole
until the bottom edge of the drain hole insert passes through the
drain hole and is located on one side of the panel and the panel
flange of the base is located on an opposite side of the panel, the
second material hardness of the second material preventing the
hollow bulb and the seal base attached to the hollow bulb from
collapsing during installation of the one-way drain hole plug.
8. The process of claim 7, wherein the prevention of the hollow
bulb and the seal base from collapsing during installation provides
a generally uniform force onto the seal as the seal is pushed into
the drain hole.
9. The process of claim 8, further including the one-way hole drain
plug having a hollow flange with a liquid exit slot, the hollow
flange extending from the hollow bulb and in fluid communication
with the bottom opening of the hollow bulb such that liquid flows
through the sidewall channel of the seal into the hollow bulb, and
through the hollow flange.
10. The process of claim 9, wherein the first material is a
thermoplastic elastomer and the first material hardness is within a
range of 30-60 Shore A and the second material is a thermoset
plastic and the second material hardness is within a range of 65-95
Shore A.
11. The process of claim 10, further including the one-way drain
hole plug having an inner cylinder extending between the panel
flange of the base and the drain hole insert, the inner cylinder
having an outer diameter d.sub.od that is less than or equal to the
drain hole diameter of d.sub.h1.
12. The process of claim 11, wherein the bottom edge of the drain
hole insert has a diameter of d.sub.1 and the top edge of the drain
hole insert has a diameter of d.sub.2 that is less than
d.sub.1.
13. The process of claim 12, wherein the hollow flange has a first
side, a second side and a bottom edge, the first side extending
from the bulb to the bottom edge and the second side extending from
the bulb to the liquid exit slot.
14. The process of claim 13, wherein the second side is made from
the first material.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is related to a one-way drain hole
plug, and in particular to a one-way drain hole plug made from two
separate materials that provide improved installation of the
one-way drain hole plug during an assembly line manufacturing
process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The use of one-way drain hole plugs that allow for liquid to
flow out of a compartment but not back into the compartment is
known. For example, such drain hole plugs can be used to allow for
condensate water from an air conditioner compressor to drain from a
compartment via a drain hole containing the air conditioner
compressor, but prevent water from entering into the compartment
from an opposite direction.
[0003] Although useful for providing one-way flow of liquid, the
installation of such one-way drain hole plugs during an assembly
line manufacturing process can be difficult. In particular, an
assembly line worker is typically required to grasp one of the
drain hole plugs and properly insert and install the plug within a
drain hole in a limited amount of time.
[0004] Prior art drain hole plugs have used a sealing portion and a
bulb portion made from the same material. In addition, the material
is generally soft and pliable such that the sealing portion
provides an adequate seal between a panel with the drain hole
therewithin and the plug itself. However, such a soft material
results in the sealing portion collapsing upon itself when the plug
is pushed into a drain hole. Also, the collapse of the sealing
portion before it is properly installed within the drain hole can
result in extra time needed to install the drain hole plug, delays
in the assembly line process, and the like. Therefore, an improved
one-way drain hole plug that can be easily and quickly installed
into a drain hole during an assembly line manufacturing process
would be desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A one-way drain hole plug that affords for easy, quick, and
proper installation into a drain hole is provided. The one-way
drain hole plug includes a seal portion made from a first material
and a hollow bulb portion made from a second material that is
harder than the first material. The seal portion has a base with a
panel or bottom flange and a drain hole insert. The drain hole
insert has a truncated-cone shape with an inner bore and a bottom
edge that is spaced apart from the panel flange. The spacing
between the panel flange and the bottom edge of the drain hole
insert allows for a panel edge or region that bounds a drain hole
within the panel to fit therewithin. The drain hole insert also has
an inclined outer sidewall that extends from the bottom edge to a
top edge and a sidewall channel that extends through the inclined
outer sidewall to the inner bore.
[0006] The hollow bulb portion extends from the seal portion and is
in fluid communication with the seal portion via the inner bore.
The hollow bulb portion has a bottom opening. A hollow flange with
a liquid exit slot extends from the hollow bulb portion and is in
fluid communication with the bottom opening of the hollow bulb. In
this manner, liquid can flow through the sidewall channel of the
seal portion, into the hollow bulb, and then exit through the
hollow flange.
[0007] The first material can be a thermoplastic elastomer having a
hardness within a range of 30-60 Shore A and the second material
can be a thermoset plastic having a hardness within a range of
65-95 Shore A. The hardness of the second material is such that
when the hollow bulb portion is grasped by an assembly line worker,
the hollow bulb portion is stiff enough such that it does not
collapse. In addition, the non-collapsible hollow bulb portion
provides support to the seal portion such that a single push by an
assembly line worker on the hollow bulb portion results in the seal
portion being correctly installed within the drain hole.
[0008] The seal portion can have an inner cylinder that extends
between the panel flange of the base and the drain hole insert. The
bottom edge of the drain hole insert has a diameter of d.sub.1 and
the top edge of the drain hole insert has a diameter of d.sub.2
that is less than d.sub.1.
[0009] The hollow flange that extends from the bulb portion has a
first side, a second side, and a bottom edge. The first side
extends from the hollow bulb portion to the bottom edge and the
second side extends from the bulb portion to the liquid exit slot.
The liquid exit slot can be located adjacent to the bottom edge of
the hollow flange. In addition, the second side of the hollow
flange can be made from the first material and thus be flexible and
serve as a flapper-type valve.
[0010] A process for installing a one-way drain hole plug into a
panel having a drain hole is also disclosed. The process includes
providing a panel with a drain hole, the panel having a thickness
of t.sub.1 and the drain hole having a diameter d.sub.h. A one-way
drain hole plug as disclosed above is also provided. The one-way
drain hole plug is installed by grasping the hollow bulb with at
least two fingers and pushing the seal portion into the drain hole
until the bottom edge of the drain hole insert passes through the
drain hole and is located on one side of the panel and the panel
flange of the base is located on an opposite side of the panel.
[0011] The hardness of the second material is such that it prevents
the hollow bulb portion and the seal portion attached thereto from
collapsing during installation. As such, an even distribution of
force is applied to the seal portion as it is pushed through the
drain hole, the uniform force providing a quick installation of the
one-way drain hole plug into the drain hole.
[0012] The inner cylinder that extends between the panel flange of
the base and the drain hole insert has an outer diameter d.sub.od
that is less than or equal to the drain hole diameter d.sub.h. As
such, and with the distance between the panel flange and the bottom
edge of the drain hole insert being generally equal to or less than
the panel thickness t.sub.1, the seal portion provides a
liquid-tight seal between the one-way drain hole plug and the
panel. Stated differently, an interference fit is present between
the one-way drain hole plug and the panel. As such, the inventive
one-way drain hole plug can be installed within a drain hole that
is part of a compartment where liquid can collect. Also, the
one-way drain hole plug allows the liquid to exit the compartment
but prevents liquid from entering the compartment in an opposite
direction. In addition and as stated above, the one-way drain hole
plug is easily installed during an assembly line manufacturing
process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rear portion of a motor
vehicle having a plurality of drain holes where a one-way drain
hole plug according to an embodiment disclosed herein can be
installed and located;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a one-way drain hole plug
according to an embodiment disclosed herein with liquid entering
the drain plug;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the one-way drain hole plug
shown in FIG. 2 with liquid exiting the drain hole plug;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the one-way drain hole plug
shown in FIG. 2 with a different orientation;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the one-way drain hole
plug shown in FIG. 2 being installed into a panel with a drain
hole; and
[0018] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the one-way drain hole
plug shown in FIG. 5 after being installed into the panel with the
drain hole plug.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] A one-way drain hole plug that can be quickly and securely
installed within a panel having a drain hole during an assembly
line manufacturing process with limited time for installation is
provided. The one-way drain hole plug has a seal portion which
provides a liquid-tight seal between the one-way drain hole plug
and the panel. The one-way drain hole plug also has a hollow bulb
portion for liquid that flows or runs off of the panel and through
the seal portion to flow therewithin.
[0020] The seal portion is made from a first material and the
hollow bulb portion is made from a second material. The material of
the hollow bulb portion is harder, stronger, stiffer, etc. than the
material of the seal portion. In this manner, the seal portion is
flexible enough to provide a proper liquid-tight seal between the
one-way drain hole plug and the hollow bulb portion is hard and/or
strong enough to provide sufficient structural support to the seal
portion during installation such that the seal portion does not
collapse upon itself and make installation of the one-way drain
hole plug difficult.
[0021] At a bottom location of the hollow bulb portion is a bottom
opening through which liquid can flow. In addition, a hollow flange
with a liquid exit slot extends from the bottom location of the
hollow bulb and is in fluid communication with the bottom opening
of the bulb. The hollow flange has a first side, a second side, and
a bottom edge. The first side extends from the hollow bulb portion
to the bottom edge and the second side extends from the hollow bulb
portion to a liquid exit slot that is located adjacent to the
bottom edge. In addition, the second side can be made from the same
material as the seal portion such that the second side is flexible,
pliable, etc., and serves as a flapper valve that allows water to
easily flow through the hollow flange and exit the liquid exit
slot. However, when water is not flowing through the hollow flange,
the second side prevents liquid from entering back into the hollow
bulb portion from an opposite direction.
[0022] Turning now to FIG. 1, an illustrative example not meant to
limit the scope of the disclosure in any way provides a perspective
view of a motor vehicle MV which has a rear air conditioning
compressor AC within a compartment C1. In addition, a rear door RD
and a rear bumper RB are shown. It is appreciated that condensate
from the air conditioner compressor AC can be present within the
compartment C1 and collect at a bottom portion or panel P1. As
such, the panel P1 has at least one drain hole DH1 through which
the condensate can flow. Likewise, the rear bumper RB can have a
structural rail SR with a bottom panel P2, the bottom panel P2
having one or more drain holes DH2, DH3 to allow water to flow
therethrough and thus not collect within or on the structural rail
SR.
[0023] It is appreciated that drain holes DH1, DH2, DH3 can have a
drain hole plug, and in particular a one-way drain hole plug that
allows water or any other liquid to flow and exit the compartment
C1, the structural rail SR, and the like. It is also appreciated
that such one-way drain hole plugs are typically installed during
the manufacture of the motor vehicle MV and thus are installed
during an assembly line manufacturing process. As such, workers on
the assembly line have limited time to install such one-way drain
hole plugs.
[0024] An inventive one-way drain hole plug is shown in FIGS. 2-4.
In particular, FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a one-way drain
hole plug 10 with liquid W entering into the plug 10. The one-way
drain hole plug 10 has a seal portion 100 and a hollow bulb portion
140. The seal portion 100 provides a liquid-tight seal between the
one-way drain hole plug 10 and a panel with a drain hole as
described in greater detail below.
[0025] The seal portion 100 has a base 102 and a drain hole insert
110. In addition, a sidewall channel 120 can extend through the
drain hole insert and thus allow liquid W to flow into the hollow
bulb portion 140 therethrough. The base 102 has a panel flange 104
and the drain hole insert has an inclined outer sidewall 116. As
observed in FIGS. 2-4, the drain hole insert 110 has a
truncated-cone shape, for example an inverted truncated-cone
shape.
[0026] The hollow bulb portion 140 has a sidewall 142 and a hollow
flange 160 extending therefrom. The hollow flange 160 has a liquid
exit slot 162 which allows the liquid W in FIG. 2 to pass through
the hollow bulb portion 140, through the hollow flange 160, and
exit the liquid exit slot 162 as illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0027] FIG. 4 provides another view of the one-way drain hole plug
10 in which a stiffening ridge 170 is shown extending from the
hollow bulb portion 140 along the hollow flange 160.
[0028] The seal portion 100 can be made from a first material and
the hollow bulb portion can be made from a second material. The
first material can be a thermoplastic elastomer having a hardness
within a range of 30-60 Shore A and the second material can be a
thermoset plastic having a hardness within a range of 65-95 Shore
A. It is appreciated that the Shore A hardness values are obtained
using a Shore durometer and per the ASTM D2240-00 standard.
[0029] Turning now to FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of the one-way
drain hole plug 10 shown in FIG. 4 is illustrated being inserted
into a drain hole 210 that is located within a panel 200. The panel
200 has a thickness of t.sub.1 and the drain hole 210 has a
diameter of d.sub.h. As shown by the different crosshatched
patterns in the figure, the seal portion 100 is made from a first
material and the hollow bulb portion 140 is made from a second
material. Furthermore, at least a portion of the hollow flange 160
can also be made from the first material.
[0030] With reference to FIG. 6, the one-way drain hole plug 10 is
fully installed or located within the drain hole 200. As seen in
the figure, the panel flange 104 of the base 102 is located next to
and in contact with a bottom side 202 of panel 200. In addition, a
bottom edge 114 of the drain hole insert is located next to and is
in contact with a top side or surface 204 of the panel 200. Located
between the base 102 and the drain hole insert 110 can be an inner
cylinder 122. The inner cylinder 122 can have an outer diameter
d.sub.ic which can be generally equal to or slightly less than the
diameter of the drain hole d.sub.h. In addition, the distance
between the panel flange 104 and the bottom edge 114 can be
generally equal to or slightly less than the thickness t.sub.1 of
the panel 200. In this manner, the seal portion 100 has dimensions
that afford for a liquid-tight seal between the seal portion and
the panel 200.
[0031] The seal portion 100 has an inner bore 112 which naturally
allows liquid to flow therethrough. In addition, the seal portion
100 and the hollow bulb portion 140 are in fluid communication with
each other via the inner bore 112.
[0032] As noted above, the drain hole insert 110 has a
truncated-cone shape which is provided by the bottom edge 114
having a diameter d.sub.1 and a top edge 118 having a diameter
d.sub.2 which is less than the diameter d.sub.1. As such, an
inclined sidewall 116 extends between the bottom edge 114 and the
top edge 118.
[0033] At a bottom area of the hollow bulb portion 140 is a bottom
opening 144. In addition, the hollow flange 160 has a channel 161
in fluid communication with the bottom opening 144. The hollow
channel 160 has a first side 164, a second side 166, and a bottom
edge 168. The first side 164 can extend from the hollow bulb
portion 140 to the bottom edge 168. However, the second side 166
extends from the bulb portion 140 to the liquid exit slot 162 and
thus not entirely to the bottom edge 168.
[0034] As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second side 166 can be
made from the same material as the seal portion 100 and thus be
relatively soft compared to the remainder of the hollow flange. In
addition, the softness of the second side 166 allows for the second
side to serve as a flapper valve and thus distort or deform in
order to allow liquid to flow from the hollow bulb portion 140
through the hollow flange 160 and exit out the slot 162. In
addition, when liquid is not flowing from the bulb portion 140
through the hollow flange 160, the second side 166 is located
generally parallel to the first side 164 and thus prevents a direct
path between the exit slot 162 and the bottom opening 144. Stated
differently, the hollow flange 160 with the second side 166
prevents liquid, dust, debris, and the like from having a direct
path between the exit slot 162 and the bottom opening 144. It is
appreciated that such a design provides one-way drainage.
[0035] As noted in FIG. 5, a force indicated by the broad shape
arrow is forcing the one-way drain hole plug 10 in an upward
direction and also forcing the seal portion 100 into the drain hole
200. Also, since the bulb portion 140 is made from the second
material that is relatively hard compared to the first material,
the bulb portion 140 and the base 102 attached thereto are
prevented from collapsing during installation of the one-way drain
hole plug 10, i.e. during pushing of drain hole insert 110 while
through the drain hole 210 of the panel 200. However, the first
material is soft or pliable enough to allow sufficient deformation
of the drain hole insert 110 as it is pushed through the drain hole
210 and provide a liquid-tight fit.
[0036] It is appreciated that a stiffening ridge 170 can be present
to provide more support to the bulb portion 140 and/or the hollow
flange 160. It is also appreciated that the location of the first
side 164 of the hollow flange 160 is offset from a central axis of
the one-way drain hole plug 10 such that if the plug 10 is grasped
with a thumb and a forefinger, the thumb has more area and thus
allows for more gripping area on the hollow bulb portion 140.
[0037] It is appreciated that changes, modifications, and the like
can be made to the illustrations and embodiments disclosed herein
and yet still fall within the scope of the claims. Stated
differently, the scope of the invention is defined by the claims
and all equivalents thereof.
* * * * *