CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-170425 filed on Sep. 19, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety including the specification, claims, drawings, and abstract.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a side lower structure of a vehicle, in particular, a lower portion of a pillar.

BACKGROUND

Pillars are provided as vertical members which function as window frames and retain vehicle body rigidity. The pillars are respectively referred to using letters assigned from the front of the vehicle towards the rear, for example, A pillar, B pillar, C pillar, and so forth. Generally, the upper ends of the pillars are connected to the roof, whereas the lower ends of the pillars are connected to a rocker that extends along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Service holes are provided on the vehicle body at various locations for assembly and maintenance. JP 2005-041260 A describes a service hole provided at a lower end of a pillar.

Water may enter from outside depending on the positions of the service holes. In particular, when the service holes are provided at a lower portion of the vehicle, it is necessary to provide some measures to prevent ingress of water into the passenger compartment through the service holes.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a side lower structure of a vehicle including a pillar which extends vertically at a side of the vehicle, a service hole which is provided at a lower portion of the pillar, a cover which closes the service hole, and a seal which is provided around the full periphery of the cover to seal between a perimeter of the cover and a perimeter of the service hole.

The present disclosure may also include an interior member which is disposed on a passenger compartment side of the service hole. The interior member may include a protruding portion which protrudes between a lower edge of the cover and a lower edge of the service hole, and the seal may be in contact with an upper surface of the protruding portion of the interior member.

The interior member may be a wire harness holder.

According to the present disclosure, ingress of water can be reliably prevented by providing a seal around the full periphery of the cover.

