JP7793577B2 - Automotive weather strips - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automotive weatherstrip that is attached to the periphery of a door opening on the vehicle body side and elastically contacts the periphery of the door to seal the interior and exterior of the vehicle.

A known example of a conventional automotive weatherstrip (hereinafter simply referred to as a weatherstrip) for this type of door opening is the one described in Patent Document 1 below.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an automobile to which the present invention and conventional automotive weatherstrips are applied, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional automotive weatherstrip taken along line A-A in Figure 1 with the door open, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional automotive weatherstrip taken along line A-A in Figure 1 with the door closed.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the conventional weatherstrip 1 described in this publication is attached to a flange 05 made up of multiple overlapping metal panels 04 formed along the periphery of a door opening 03, for example, of a front door 02 in the body of an automobile 01. A weatherstrip 1' with the same structure is also provided around the periphery of a door opening 03' of a rear door 02', but the following description will focus on the weatherstrip 1 attached to the door opening 03 on the front door 02 side.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, this weatherstrip 1 is inserted and fitted onto the tip of the flange portion 05 and includes an inverted U-shaped mounting base 2 having an interior side wall 3, an exterior side wall 4, and connecting walls 5 connecting both side walls 3, 4; and a hollow seal portion 6 made of sponge rubber that is integral with the outer surface of the exterior side wall 4 of the mounting base 2 and that elastically contacts the door panel 06 around the periphery of the front door 02 when the front door 02 is closed.

The mounting base 2 has multiple protrusions 7 integrally formed on the inner surface of the exterior side wall 4 that abut against the exterior side of the flange 05. Meanwhile, a retaining lip 8 protrudes toward the exterior side wall 4 from the inner surface of the lower end of the interior side wall 3 opposite the connecting wall 5, and is held in a sandwiched state by the protrusions 7 and retaining lip 8 against the flange 05.

When the door is closed, the hollow seal portion 6 is flexed and deformed by the pressing force of the door panel 06 of the front door 02 to make elastic contact, and a bridge 9 is provided across it. This bridge 9 is bent and formed into a roughly L-shaped cross section in its free state, with one end 9a connected to the opening edge of the exterior side wall 4 of the mounting base 2, and the other end 9b connected to a portion of the exterior wall of the hollow seal portion 6 that corresponds to an adjacent inclined surface that avoids the main contact surface of the door panel 06 of the front door 02 when the door is closed.

As a result, when the door is closed, as shown in Figure 5, the door panel 06 of the front door 02 is pressed against the outer wall of the hollow seal portion 6. At this time, the bridge 9 is further bent and deformed into a V-shape, and the joint of the other end 9b with the outer wall always abuts against the inclined surface, reducing the buckling load of the bridge 9 and improving the closing ability of the front door 02.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-142266 (see FIG. 1)

As mentioned above, in the conventional automotive weatherstrip, when the door panel 06 of the front door 02 is pressed against the hollow seal portion 6 when the front door 02 is closed, this pressure force bends the bridge 9 into an approximately V-shape, preventing the hollow seal portion 6 from receiving sufficient elastic reaction force to return to its original shape. As a result, the hollow seal portion 6 exerts less pressure against the door panel 06, preventing it from obtaining sufficient sealing pressure.

As a result, for example, if a road is flooded during a natural disaster such as a river overflowing due to flooding and the lower parts of the doors 02, 02' of the automobile 01 are submerged in water, and this water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the lower part of the hollow seal portion 6, a gap may form between the hollow seal portion 6 and the door panel 06, allowing water to enter the interior of the vehicle.

The present invention was devised in consideration of the technical issues with conventional automotive weatherstrips. Its purpose is to provide an automotive weatherstrip that suppresses deterioration of door closing performance under normal conditions, while, when the lower part of the vehicle door is submerged in water and water pressure is applied to the hollow seal portion, utilizing this water pressure to increase the pressing force of the protrusions against the door panel by the support wall, thereby improving sealing performance.

The invention described in claim 1 of the present application is an automotive weatherstrip comprising: an attachment base portion attached to a flange portion formed along the edge of a door opening of a vehicle body, the attachment base portion having an interior side wall, an exterior side wall, and a connecting wall connecting the both side walls; and a hollow seal portion integrally formed on the outer surface of the exterior side wall, with which the door panel elastically contacts when the door is closed,
a linear support wall is provided inside the hollow seal portion to separate the hollow seal portion into an interior seal portion on the vehicle exterior side wall side and an exterior seal portion on the tip end side of the hollow seal portion with which the door panel abuts; and a protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion at a portion where one end of the support wall is joined, with which the door panel abuts when the door is closed;
When water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the outer seal portion opposite the protrusion, this water pressure applies a pressing force to the protrusion against the door panel via the support wall.

The invention described in claim 1 of this application prevents deterioration of door closing performance under normal conditions when no water pressure is applied to the hollow seal portion, while when water pressure is applied to the hollow seal portion, the pressing force of the protrusion against the door panel by the support wall increases, improving sealing performance.

1 is a perspective view of an automobile to which the present invention and a conventional automobile weather strip are applied; 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of an automotive weatherstrip according to the present invention in a door-open state. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the automotive weather strip of the present embodiment taken along line AA in FIG. 1 when the door is closed. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1 showing a conventional weather strip for an automobile with the door open. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 showing a conventional weather strip for an automobile when the door is closed.

An embodiment of an automotive weatherstrip according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Like the conventional weatherstrip described above, this weatherstrip is applied to those attached to the periphery of the door openings of the front and rear doors of a vehicle body. However, for the sake of convenience, the following description will focus on one attached to the periphery of the door opening 03 of the front door 02.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an automotive weatherstrip according to the present invention taken along line A-A in Figure 1 when the door is open, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an automotive weatherstrip according to the present invention taken along line A-A in Figure 1 when the door is closed.

As described above, the weatherstrip 21 is attached to a flange 05 formed along the periphery of the door opening 03 of the front door 02 of the automobile 01 shown in Fig. 1. This flange 05 is formed by overlapping, for example, three metal panels 04 and joining them intermittently in the longitudinal direction by spot welding or the like.
As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the weatherstrip 21 of this embodiment has an inverted U-shaped mounting base 22 that fits onto the flange portion 05 and has an interior side wall 23, an exterior side wall 24, and a connecting wall 25 that connects these two side walls 23, 24, and a hollow seal portion 26 that is integrally formed on the outer surface of the exterior side wall 24 of the mounting base 22 and that elastically contacts a door panel 06 provided on the peripheral edge of the front door 02 when the front door 02 is closed, for example.

The mounting base 22 is molded integrally from hard rubber or hard resin to ensure rigidity, with a metal core 22a with a U-shaped cross section embedded within. The mounting base 22 also has two upper and lower retaining lips 23a, 23b protruding from the inner surface of the interior side wall 23 toward the exterior side wall 24, as well as three protrusions 24a protruding toward the interior side wall 23 on the inner surface of the exterior side wall 24, and one sponge retaining lip 24b integrally formed at the bottom end of the inner surface of the exterior side wall 24 in the figure.

Therefore, when the mounting base 22 is fitted to the flange portion 05, the tips of the two retaining lips 23a, 23b and the tips of the three protrusions 24a and one retaining lip 24b elastically contact the interior and exterior sides of the flange portion 05 in a sandwiched state, thereby holding the mounting base 22 to the flange portion 05.

A cover lip 27 extending toward the interior of the vehicle is integrally provided between the connecting wall 25 of the mounting base 22 and the interior side wall 23. This cover lip 27 covers the leading ends of interior trim 28, such as door trim and garnish, that extend from the interior of the vehicle toward the interior side wall 23.

As shown in Figure 2 in its free state, the hollow seal portion 26 is integrally formed from a sponge material and is tapered from both end portions 26a, 26b, which are integrally joined to the outer surface of the exterior side wall 24, to the tip end 26c. One end portion 26a of the hollow seal portion 26 is joined near the lower end of the exterior side wall 24 in Figure 2, while the other end portion 26b is joined near the connecting wall 25 of the exterior side wall 24.

A linear support wall 31 is provided inside the hollow seal portion 26, dividing the hollow seal portion 26 into an interior seal portion 29 near both ends 26a and 26b and an exterior seal portion 30 near the tip 26c. Like the hollow seal portion 26, the support wall 31 is made of sponge rubber. In its free state when the front door 02 is open, as shown in FIG. 2, the support wall 31 is formed as a linear, elongated plate that crosses the interior center of the hollow seal portion 26 and extends longitudinally along the weatherstrip 21. The support wall 31 is positioned to divide the hollow seal portion 26 into an interior seal portion 29 near both ends 26a and 26b from approximately the interior center, and an exterior seal portion 30 near the tip 26c with which the door panel 06 elastically contacts when the front door 02 is closed.

Furthermore, when the hollow seal portion 26 is in its free state as shown in Figure 2, the support wall 31 is formed in an inclined shape from one end 31a on the vehicle interior side, which is connected to the inner surface of the hollow seal portion 26, to the other end 31b on the vehicle exterior side. In other words, the support wall 31 is formed in an inclined shape from one end 31a to the other end 31b at a predetermined angle θ in a direction away from the vehicle exterior side wall 24, with respect to a line P that is approximately parallel to the outer surface of the vehicle exterior side wall 24.

A first protrusion 32 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion 26 at the location where the other end 31b of the support wall 31 is joined, and a second protrusion 33 is integrally formed on the same plane as the first protrusion 32, closer to the tip 26c. The first and second protrusions 32, 33 are made of the same sponge rubber material as the hollow seal portion 26 and have a roughly triangular cross section. They extend parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction of the hollow seal portion 26, with their peaks set at the same height.

As shown in Figure 3, when the front door 02 is closed, the door panel 06 elastically contacts the outer surface of one side 30a of the outer seal portion 30 at the tip end 26c, causing the outer seal portion 30 to be crushed and deformed, and the first protrusion 32 and the second protrusion 33 of the hollow seal portion 26 elastically contact the outer surface of the door panel 06 together.

Furthermore, when the front door 02 shown in Figure 3 is closed, for example, during a natural disaster such as a flood, if the roads are flooded and the lower parts of the doors 02, 02' of the automobile 01 are submerged in water, and this water pressure W (indicated by the thin black arrow in the figure) is applied to the outer surface of the other side 30b of the exterior seal portion 30, this water pressure W acts on the support wall 31, pressing the first protrusion 32 toward the outer surface of the door panel 06, as indicated by the thick black arrow in Figure 3.

Furthermore, a lip portion 34 is integrally formed on the outer surface of the other end 26b of the hollow seal portion 26, with a tip end 34a abutting the outer surface of the connecting wall 25. A space 35 is formed between the lip portion 34 and the other end 26b of the hollow seal portion 26. As shown in Figure 3, when the tip end 26c side (the vehicle-exterior seal portion 30 side) of the hollow seal portion 26 is crushed and deformed when the front door 02 is closed, the tip end 34a of the lip portion 34 abuts against the outer surface of the connecting wall 25 and is thereby stretched, thereby maintaining the linear posture of the one end 26a of the hollow seal portion 26 and the support wall 31.
[Functions and Effects of the Weatherstrip According to the Present Embodiment]
The effects of the weatherstrip 21 according to this embodiment will be described below.

In the weatherstrip 21 according to this embodiment, when the front door 02 is closed, the hollow seal portion 26 moves from its free state shown in FIG. 2 to the state shown in FIG. 3, where the door panel 06 elastically contacts the exterior seal portion 30 of the hollow seal portion 26, causing it to collapse and deform, so that one side 30a of the exterior seal portion 30 and the first and second protrusions 32, 33 elastically contact the outer surface of the door panel 06.

In this normal state, there is no pressing force from the linear support wall 31 to the first protrusion 32, i.e., no large pressing force from the first protrusion 32 to the outer surface of the door panel 06. This prevents the front door 02 from becoming difficult to close.

Furthermore, when the front door 02 is closed, if a river overflows due to a flood, for example, and floods the road, causing the lower parts of the doors 02, 02' of the automobile 01 to become submerged, water pressure W acts on the outer surface of the other side 30b of the exterior seal portion 30 of the hollow seal portion 26, as shown by the thin arrow in Figure 3. This water pressure W then exerts a pressing force on the first protrusion 32 of the support wall 31 toward the door panel 06, as shown by the thick arrow in Figure 3. This increases the pressure (sealing pressure) exerted by the first protrusion 32 against the outer surface of the door panel 06, improving sealing performance. As a result, water that has penetrated the lower parts of the doors 02, 02' of the automobile 01 is effectively blocked from entering the interior of the vehicle by the strong pressure exerted by the first protrusion 32 against the door panel 06, as well as by the surrounding side 30a of the exterior seal portion 30 and the second protrusion 33.

In particular, in this embodiment, by forming the support wall 31 so as to slope from the interior toward the exterior, when water pressure W from the bottom of each door 02, 02' is applied to the outer surface of the other edge 30b of the exterior seal portion 30, this water pressure W is more likely to act from one end 31a of the support wall 31 toward the first protrusion 32 on the other end 31b side via one end 26a of the hollow seal portion 26. As a result, the first protrusion 32 exerts a greater pressing force against the outer surface of the door panel 06 when the door is closed, improving watertightness and ensuring sufficient sealing pressure. As a result, it is possible to more effectively prevent water from entering the vehicle interior.

In addition, in this embodiment, the second protrusion 33 is provided on the outer surface of the vehicle exterior seal portion 30 in addition to the first protrusion 32. Therefore, even if variations occur in the attachment accuracy of the weatherstrip 21 to the flange portion 05 at the door opening edge of the vehicle body or in the assembly accuracy of the vehicle body, when the front door 02 is closed, the first protrusion 32 and the second protrusion 33 press against the outer surface of the door panel 06, providing a double seal that absorbs such variations and ensures stable sealing performance.

Furthermore, when the front door 02 is closed and the outer seal portion 30 side of the hollow seal portion 26 is crushed and deformed, the tip portion 34a of the lip portion 34 abuts against the upper surface of the connecting wall 25 and braces itself, thereby maintaining the linear position of the one end 26a of the hollow seal portion 26 and the support wall 31. As a result, the water pressure W is more easily transmitted to the first protrusion 32 via the support wall 31.

The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to vehicles such as hatchbacks and sliding door passenger cars in addition to ordinary passenger cars.

In addition, the material of the support wall 31 can be made of slightly harder sponge rubber or resin instead of soft sponge rubber, and the thickness can be changed as appropriate depending on the vehicle specifications and size.

Furthermore, the water pressure applied to the outer seal portion of the hollow seal portion may be caused by, for example, the water pressure of car wash water, as well as when the automobile 01 is submerged in water due to a natural disaster such as a flood.

Automotive weatherstrips based on the above-described embodiments include, for example, the following configurations.

One aspect of the weatherstrip is an automotive weatherstrip comprising: an attachment base portion attached to a flange portion formed along the edge of a door opening of a vehicle body, the attachment base portion having an interior side wall, an exterior side wall, and a connecting wall connecting the both side walls; and a hollow seal portion integrally formed on the outer surface of the exterior side wall, with which the door panel elastically contacts when the door is closed,
A linear support wall is provided inside the hollow seal portion, dividing it into an interior seal portion on the exterior side wall side of the vehicle and an exterior seal portion at the tip of the hollow seal portion with which the door panel abuts; a protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion at the outer surface where one end of the support wall is joined, against which the door panel abuts when the door is closed; and when water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the exterior seal portion opposite the protrusion, this water pressure applies a pressing force against the door panel to the protrusion via the support wall.

According to this aspect of the invention, for example, when the lower part of a car door is submerged in water and water pressure is applied to the weatherstrip, that is, when water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the hollow seal on the vehicle exterior side opposite the protrusion, this water pressure acts via the support wall on the protrusion toward the door panel. This increases the pressure exerted by the protrusion against the door panel, improving sealing performance and effectively preventing water from entering the vehicle interior.

On the other hand, under normal conditions when water pressure is not applied to the exterior seal, the linear support wall does not exert a pressing force on the protrusion, i.e., the protrusion does not exert a large pressing force on the door panel, thereby preventing deterioration of door closing performance.

More preferably, the support wall is formed in an inclined shape, moving away from the exterior side wall in the direction from one end on the interior side of the vehicle that is connected to the inner surface of the hollow seal portion toward the other end that is the one end on the exterior side of the vehicle.

In this aspect of the invention, the support wall is formed at an angle that slopes away from the exterior side wall from the interior side of the vehicle toward the exterior. Therefore, when water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the exterior seal portion opposite the protrusion, this pressure acts from one end of the support wall toward the protrusion at the other end. This increases the pressing force of the protrusion against the door panel when the door is closed, improving watertightness and ensuring sufficient sealing pressure.

More preferably, a second protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion, closer to the tip of the outer seal portion than the protrusion, to abut against the door panel when the door is closed.

According to this aspect of the invention, even if there is variation in the accuracy of the weatherstrip's attachment to the flange portion of the door opening edge of the vehicle body, when the door is closed, the two protrusions press against the door panel, providing a double seal and ensuring stable sealing performance.

More preferably, the interior seal portion of the hollow seal portion has one end connected to the exterior side wall in the vicinity of the connecting wall and the other end connected to the end of the exterior side wall on the opening side of the mounting base, and has a lip portion on the outer surface of the one end whose tip abuts against the outer surface of the connecting wall.

01...Automobile 02...Front door 03...Vehicle body opening 05...Flange portion 06...Door panel 21...Automobile weather strip 22...Mounting base 23...Interior side wall 24...Exterior side wall 25...Connecting wall 26...Hollow seal portion 26a, 26b...Both ends 26c...Tip portion 29...Interior seal portion 30...Exterior seal portion 31...Support wall 31a...One end 31b...Other end (one end)
32: First protrusion 33: Second protrusion 34: Lip portion 34a: Tip portion

Claims (4)

A weatherstrip for an automobile includes: an attachment base portion attached to a flange portion formed along the edge of a door opening of a vehicle body, the attachment base portion having an interior side wall, an exterior side wall, and connecting walls connecting the both side walls; and a hollow seal portion integrally formed on the outer surface of the exterior side wall, with which a door panel elastically contacts when the door is closed,
a linear support wall is provided inside the hollow seal portion to separate the hollow seal portion into an interior seal portion on the vehicle exterior side wall side and an exterior seal portion on the tip end side of the hollow seal portion and against which the door panel abuts;
a protrusion that is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion at a portion where one end of the support wall is joined, and against which the door panel abuts when the door is closed;
When water pressure is applied to the outer surface of the vehicle exterior seal portion opposite the protrusion, this water pressure applies a pressing force to the protrusion against the door panel via the support wall. 2. The weather strip for an automobile according to claim 1,
The support wall is formed in an inclined shape so as to move away from the vehicle exterior side wall in a direction from one end on the vehicle interior side that is connected to the inner surface of the hollow seal portion toward the other end that is the one end on the vehicle exterior side. 2. The weather strip for an automobile according to claim 1,
A weather strip for an automobile, characterized in that a second protrusion portion is provided on the outer surface of the hollow seal portion, closer to the tip of the outer seal portion than the protrusion portion, against which the door panel abuts when the door is closed. 2. The weather strip for an automobile according to claim 1,
The hollow seal portion has one end joined to the vehicle exterior side wall near the connecting wall and the other end joined to the end of the vehicle exterior side wall near the opening of the mounting base, and has a lip portion on the outer surface of the one end side whose tip abuts against the outer surface of the connecting wall.