JP7796065B2 - Door weather strip - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a door weather strip that is attached to the inner periphery of an automobile door, for example.

Conventional door weather strips include those described in the following patent documents:

In brief, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, this conventional door weatherstrip 4 comprises a mounting base 5 that is fixed to the inner peripheral edge of the door 1 (the mounting surface 122 of the door sash 12) via clips (not shown) that are inserted into the mounting holes 54; a hollow seal portion 6 that protrudes from the upper wall portion 55 of the mounting base 5 toward the interior and elastically contacts the inner seal area 21 of the body panel 2 when the door 1 is closed; a sub-seal lip 7 that is bent from the upper wall portion 55 of the mounting base 5 toward the exterior and elastically contacts the outer seal area 22 of the body panel 2 when the door 1 is closed; and a first panel lip 81 that extends from the side portion 56 of the mounting base 5 toward the exterior and elastically contacts the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12.

Utility Model Registration No. 3145716

However, the conventional door weatherstrip 4 does not have a clear bending point on the sub-seal lip 7. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, when the sub-seal lip 7 bends and deforms when the door 1 is closed, in addition to the first bending point P1, which is the designed bending point, a second bending point P2 occurs in the middle of the base 71, resulting in bending over the entire section Q between the first bending point P1 and the second bending point P2. As a result, the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 extends beyond the panel line PL of the door 1, damaging the appearance of the vehicle body (not shown), and there is still room for improvement.

The present invention was devised to address these technical issues, and aims to provide a door weatherstrip that can prevent the sub-seal lip from protruding beyond the door panel line to the exterior.

In one aspect, the door weatherstrip of the present invention comprises a mounting base attached to a vehicle door panel; a hollow seal portion protruding from the mounting base toward the interior side and elastically contacting the inner seal area of the vehicle body panel when the door is closed; a sub-seal lip bending from the mounting base toward the exterior side and elastically contacting the outer seal area of the vehicle body panel when the door is closed; and a panel lip protruding from a base of the sub-seal lip toward the exterior side and having a tip abutting the inner surface of the door panel when the mounting base is fixed to the door panel; and the panel lip abutting the inner surface of the door panel and supporting the base of the sub-seal lip when the door is closed.

In this way, in the present invention, the panel lip abuts against the door panel and supports the base of the sub-seal lip, thereby restricting bending deformation of the base of the sub-seal lip when the door is closed. This ensures appropriate bending deformation of the sub-seal lip at the designed bending point.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the door weather strip according to the present invention, the panel lip is formed so that it is thickest at the base and tapers toward the tip.

In this way, by forming the panel lip so that its base is the thickest, the rigidity of the panel lip can be improved. This effectively prevents bending deformation of the base of the sub-seal lip when the door is closed.

Furthermore, by making the base of the panel lip the thickest, the base of the panel lip can support the base of the sub-seal lip over a relatively wide area. This more effectively prevents bending deformation of the base of the sub-seal lip when the door is closed.

In a further preferred embodiment of the door weather strip according to the present invention, the root portion of the panel lip preferably extends over almost the entire longitudinal length of the root portion of the sub-seal lip.

In this way, the base of the panel lip extends over almost the entire longitudinal area of the base of the sub-seal lip, allowing the panel lip to support the base of the sub-seal lip over the entire longitudinal area. This makes it possible to more effectively suppress bending deformation of the base of the sub-seal lip when the door is closed.

From another perspective, a preferred embodiment of the door weatherstrip according to the present invention comprises a mounting base attached to a vehicle door panel; a hollow seal portion protruding from the mounting base toward the interior side and elastically contacting the inner seal area of the vehicle body panel when the door is closed; a sub-seal lip bent from the mounting base toward the exterior side and elastically contacting the outer seal area of the vehicle body panel when the door is closed; and a panel lip protruding from a root portion of the sub-seal lip toward the exterior side and having a tip portion abutting the inner surface of the door panel when the mounting base is fixed to the door panel, wherein the sub-seal lip has a warped shape such that a root side region from the root portion to a middle portion moves away from the inner surface of the door panel as it approaches the middle portion, and the panel lip is positioned offset toward the sub-seal lip from the mounting base.

In this way, in the present invention, the root side region of the sub-seal lip, from its root to its middle, has a curved shape that separates it from the panel lip as it approaches the middle, and the panel lip is positioned offset toward the sub-seal lip from its mounting base. Therefore, when the door is closed, the panel lip comes into elastic contact with the door panel, generating a reaction force that easily generates a moment that rotates the root of the sub-seal lip toward the interior of the vehicle. This prevents the root of the sub-seal lip from tilting and bending toward the exterior when the door is closed, and prevents the tip of the sub-seal lip from protruding beyond the door panel toward the exterior.

According to the present invention, the panel lip abuts against the door panel and supports the base of the sub-seal lip, thereby restricting bending deformation of the base of the sub-seal lip when the door is closed. This allows the sub-seal lip to bend appropriately at the designed bending point, preventing the tip of the sub-seal lip from protruding beyond the door panel toward the exterior.

1 is a side view of an automobile to which a door weather strip according to the present invention is applied; 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention taken along line AA in FIG. 1, showing a free state of the door weather strip when the door is open. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating a compressed state of the door weather strip when the door is closed. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 3 . 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, taken along line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating a free state of the door weather strip when the door is open. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, taken along line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating a compressed state of the door weather strip when the door is closed. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 6. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional door weatherstrip, taken along line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating the free state of the door weatherstrip when the door is open. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional door weatherstrip, taken along line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating a compressed state of the door weatherstrip when the door is closed.

Embodiments of door weatherstrips according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The following examples illustrate door weatherstrips according to the present invention applied to automobile doors. For ease of explanation, the top of each figure, which corresponds to the upper vertical direction, will be defined as "top," and the bottom of each figure, which corresponds to the lower vertical direction, will be defined as "bottom," based on the top and bottom of the vehicle body installation state.

[First embodiment]
(Door weatherstrip configuration)
FIG. 1 shows an enlarged view of a main portion of the side of an automobile to which a door weatherstrip 4 according to this embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the door weatherstrip 4 according to this embodiment in a free state, taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, when the door 1 is open. Meanwhile, FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the door weatherstrip 4 according to this embodiment in a compressed state, taken along line A-A in FIG. 1, when the door 1 is closed. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. 3. Note that arrow D in FIG. 4 indicates the entry trajectory of the door 1.

For example, as shown in Figure 1, a front door (hereinafter simply referred to as "door") 1 has a substantially arch-shaped door sash 12 (corresponding to the door panel of the present invention). A long door weatherstrip 4 is attached in a closed loop shape to the interior periphery of the door using, for example, clips (not shown), as shown in Figure 2. When the door 1 is closed, as shown in Figure 3, the door weatherstrip 4 elastically contacts the vehicle body panel 2 around the periphery of the door opening on the vehicle body side, thereby sealing the interior and exterior of the vehicle and ensuring airtightness, watertightness, soundproofing, etc.

As shown in Figure 1, the door 1 is formed integrally with the door body 11 and the door sash 12, which extends in an arched shape from the top of the door body 11. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the door sash 12 has a flange portion 121 formed by hemming the flange portion 102a of the door outer panel 102 onto the flange portion 101a of the door inner panel 101, and a flat mounting surface 122 extending from the flange portion 121 toward the interior side and to which the door weatherstrip 4 is attached.

As shown in Figure 1, the door weatherstrip 4 is formed by extruding EPDM sponge material into a general portion including a substantially linear upper edge portion 41 that runs along the upper edge of the door sash 12, and vertical edge portions 42, 43 and a lower edge portion 44 that run along the front and rear vertical and lower edges of the door 1, respectively. The upper edge portion 41 and the vertical edge portion 43 are connected via a molded portion (not shown).

The upper edge 41 of the door weatherstrip 4 is formed by the extrusion molding and has a uniform cross-sectional shape as shown in Figure 2. Specifically, the door weatherstrip 4 has a mounting base 5 including a hollow space (a first space 51 and a second space 52, described below); a hollow seal portion 6 that protrudes obliquely from the mounting base 5 toward the interior of the vehicle and is capable of elastically contacting the inner seal area 21 of the vehicle body panel 2 when the door 1 is closed; a sub-seal lip 7 that is bent toward the exterior of the vehicle from the mounting base 5 and is capable of elastically contacting the outer seal area 22 of the vehicle body panel 2 when the door 1 is closed; and a pair of first and second panel lips 81 (corresponding to the panel lip of the present invention) and 82 that are arranged in two stages on the exterior side 56 of the mounting base 5 and extend toward the exterior of the vehicle to elastically contact the inner surface of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12.

The mounting base 5 is hollow and has two longitudinally extending spaces: a first space 51 and a second space 52. The mounting base 5 is fixed to the mounting surface 122 of the door sash 12, for example, via multiple clips (not shown) inserted into multiple mounting holes 54 that extend downward from the first space 51 through the bottom wall 53. The hollow seal portion 6 and sub-seal lip 7 of the mounting base 5 are connected to the upper wall 55 that faces the vehicle body panel 2. The second panel lip 82 of the mounting base 5 is connected to the exterior side portion 56 that faces the inner surface 121a of the flange 121 of the door sash 12.

In its free state as shown in Figure 2, the hollow seal portion 6 has a cross section that is roughly inverted U-shaped, and is integrally formed with an interior edge portion 61 that curves toward the interior and an exterior edge portion 62 that curves toward the exterior. When the door 1 is closed, as shown in Figure 3, the interior edge portion 61 elastically contacts the body panel 2 and flexes, while the interior edge portion 61 is pressed against the body panel 2, causing the exterior edge portion 62 to flex and deform, thereby elastically contacting the body panel 2 and providing a sealing function.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sub-seal lip 7 extends upward from the exterior end of the upper wall portion 55 of the mounting base 5 and gradually widens toward the base. It integrally comprises a base portion 71 (corresponding to the base portion of the present invention) and a lip portion 72 that bends from the tip of the base portion 71 toward the exterior via a bend portion 73. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the door 1 is closed, the tip of the lip portion 72 bent toward the exterior via the bend portion 73 elastically contacts the exterior seal area 22 of the vehicle body panel 2. The boundary between the base portion 71 and the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 is relatively narrow, and this boundary portion is set as the design bending point Pb where the sub-seal lip 7 bends when the door 1 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first panel lip 81 is located on the side of the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7, and is longitudinally closer to the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 than the mounting base 5, extending toward the exterior. That is, the first panel lip 81 integrally comprises a base 811 (corresponding to the root portion of the present invention) connected to the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7, and a protrusion 812 formed at the tip of the base 811 and bending toward the sub-seal lip 7. In a free state, the protrusion 812 is resiliently attached to the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the base 811 is connected to the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 over the root region Sp between the bending point Pb of the sub-seal lip 7 when the sub-seal lip 7 bends and deforms when the door 1 is closed, and the connection point Pc between the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 and the mounting base 5. The base 811 also has sufficient rigidity to resist the pressing force F acting from the vehicle body panel 2 when the sub-seal lip 7 bends and deforms when the door 1 is closed. In other words, the base 811 functions as a so-called stop bar between the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 and the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12 when the sub-seal lip 7 bends and deforms when the door 1 is closed.

Note that the phrase "capable of resisting the pressing force F acting from the vehicle body panel 2" does not necessarily mean that bending deformation of the base 811 is completely eliminated, but rather includes allowing some bending deformation as long as bending deformation of the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 can be suppressed to an extent that protrusion of the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 can be suppressed.

The protrusion 812 is set so that the angle (minor angle) θ formed with the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12 is an acute angle, allowing the tip of the protrusion 812 to abut against the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12 at a position higher than the mounting base 5. Furthermore, the protrusion 812 is formed to bend toward the sub-seal lip 7. Therefore, when the sub-seal lip 7 is bent and deformed when the door 1 is closed, a reaction force RF is generated along the base 811 in the direction opposite to the pressing force F acting from the vehicle body panel 2. In other words, the reaction force RF generated when the first panel lip 81 elastically contacts the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12 resists the pressing force F and prevents the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 from bending.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the second panel lip 82 extends from the exterior-side end of the bottom wall portion 53 of the mounting base 5 toward the exterior. Like the first panel lip 81, when the door 1 is closed, this second panel lip 82 bends upward at a thin base portion 821 located at the base, and the resulting reaction force causes the tip portion 822 of the second panel lip 82 to elastically contact the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12.

(Effects of this embodiment)
The conventional door weatherstrip 4 does not have a clear bending point in the sub-seal lip 7. Therefore, as shown in Figure 9, when the sub-seal lip 7 bends and deforms when the door 1 is closed, in addition to the first bending point P1, which is the designed bending point, a second bending point P2 occurs in the middle of the base portion 71, and the sub-seal lip 7 bends over the entire section Q between the first bending point P1 and the second bending point P2. As a result, the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 protrudes from the panel line PL of the door 1 (see Y in Figure 9), which impairs the appearance and leaves room for improvement.

In contrast, as shown in FIG. 4, the door weatherstrip 4 according to this embodiment has the first panel lip 81 abutting against the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12, and the first panel lip 81 supports the base portion 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 as a so-called support rod, thereby restricting bending deformation of the base portion 71 of the sub-seal lip 7. This allows the sub-seal lip 7 to bend appropriately at the designed bending point Pb, and the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 is contained inside (on the interior side) of the panel line PL of the door 1 (see X in FIG. 4). As a result, the problem of the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 protruding beyond the panel line PL of the door 1 can be prevented.

In addition, in this embodiment, the base 811 of the first panel lip 81 is formed so that its root side is the thickest. This improves the rigidity of the first panel lip 81 and effectively suppresses bending deformation of the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base 811 of the first panel lip 81 is formed so that its root side is thickest, allowing the base 811 of the first panel lip 81 to support the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 over a relatively wide area. This makes it possible to more effectively suppress bending deformation of the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7.

In addition, in this embodiment, the base 811 of the first panel lip 81 extends over almost the entire longitudinal length of the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7, allowing the first panel lip 81 to support the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 over the entire longitudinal length. This makes it possible to more effectively suppress bending deformation of the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7.

Second Embodiment
5 to 7 show a second embodiment of a door weather strip according to the present invention. This embodiment is primarily characterized by adjusting the relative positional relationship between the mounting base 5 and the first panel lip 81 and changing the shape of the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7, but the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

(Door weatherstrip configuration)
Fig. 5 shows the door weatherstrip 4 according to this embodiment in a free state, which is a cross-sectional view of the door weatherstrip 4 taken along line A-A in Fig. 1 when the door is open. Meanwhile, Fig. 6 shows the door weatherstrip 4 according to this embodiment in a compressed state, which is a cross-sectional view of the door weatherstrip 4 taken along line A-A in Fig. 1 when the door is closed. Fig. 7 shows an enlarged view of a main part of Fig. 6. Note that arrow D in Fig. 7 indicates the entry trajectory of the door 1.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the door weatherstrip 4 according to this embodiment has the first panel lip 81 positioned offset toward the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7. Furthermore, the first panel lip 81 according to this embodiment is also formed so that the base portion 811 side is relatively thicker than the tip portion 813, so that the root portion connecting to the base portion 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 is the thickest.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 has a warped shape in which the base region Sp, from the connection point Pc with the mounting base 5 (corresponding to the base) to the designed bending point Pb (corresponding to the middle), gradually moves away from the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12 as it approaches the designed bending point Pb.

(Effects of this embodiment)
In the conventional door weatherstrip 4, as shown in Fig. 9, the first panel lip 80 is positioned lower than the upper wall portion 55 of the mounting base 5, i.e., far from the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7. Therefore, when the sub-seal lip 7 is bent and deformed when the door 1 is closed, the base portion 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 is likely to tilt toward the exterior due to the pressing force F acting from the vehicle body panel 2, and in addition to the first bending point P1, which is the designed bending point, a second bending point P2 is likely to occur in the middle of the base 71. As a result, the entire area of the section Q between the first bending point P1 and the second bending point P2 is bent, and there is a risk that the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 will protrude from the panel line PL of the door 1 (see Y in Fig. 9).

In contrast, as shown in Figure 5, the door weatherstrip 4 according to this embodiment has a base region Sp extending from the connection point Pc of the sub-seal lip 7 with the mounting base 5 to the design break point Pb, which is curved away from the inner surface 121a of the flange portion 121 of the door sash 12 as it approaches the design break point Pb, and the first panel lip 81 is positioned more toward the sub-seal lip 7 than the mounting base 5. Therefore, when the door 1 is closed, as shown in Figure 7, a reaction force RF is generated when the first panel lip 81 elastically contacts the door panel, which tends to generate a moment M that rotates the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 toward the interior of the vehicle around the center C located between the first panel lip 81 and the upper wall portion 55 of the mounting base 5. This prevents the base 71 of the sub-seal lip 7 from tilting and bending toward the exterior when the door 1 is closed, and keeps the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 inside the panel line PL of the door 1 (see X in Figure 7). As a result, it is possible to prevent the lip portion 72 of the sub-seal lip 7 from protruding beyond the panel line PL of the door 1 toward the exterior.

The present invention is not limited to the configurations disclosed in the above embodiments, and specific details not directly related to the technical features of the present invention, such as the shape of the mounting base 5, the shape and arrangement of the hollow seal portion 6, and the presence or absence of the second panel lip 82, can be freely modified according to the specifications of the vehicle body to which the invention is applied, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1...Front door (door)
12...Door sash (door panel)
121... flange portion 121a... inner surface 2... vehicle body panel 21... inner seal area 22... outer seal area 4... door weather strip 5... mounting base 6... hollow seal portion 7... sub-seal lip 71... base (root portion)
72... Lip portion (tip portion)
81...First panel lip (panel lip)
811...base (root)
812... Projection portion Pb... Break point (middle portion)
Pc: connection point (root)
Sp... base side area PL... panel line

Claims (3)

a mounting base that is attached to a door panel of a vehicle;
a hollow seal portion that protrudes from the mounting base toward the interior of the vehicle and elastically contacts an inner seal area of the vehicle body panel when the door is closed;
a sub-seal lip that bends from the mounting base toward the exterior side and elastically contacts an outer seal area of the vehicle body panel when the door is closed;
a panel lip that protrudes from a base portion of the sub-seal lip toward the exterior side and has a tip portion that abuts against an inner surface of the door panel when the mounting base is fixed to the door panel;
Equipped with
The panel lip integrally includes a base portion connected to the base portion of the sub-seal lip and a protrusion formed at the tip of the base portion so as to bend toward the sub-seal lip in a free state, and when the door is closed, the panel lip abuts against the inner surface of the door panel and supports the base portion of the sub-seal lip .
The protrusion is set so that a minor angle between the protrusion and the inner surface of the door panel is an acute angle, and when the door is closed, a tip of the protrusion abuts against the inner surface of the door panel at a position higher than the mounting base.
A door weather strip characterized by the above. The door weather strip according to claim 1 ,
The panel lip is formed so as to be thickest at the base and tapered toward the tip.
A door weather strip characterized by the above. The door weather strip according to claim 1,
The root portion of the panel lip extends over almost the entire length of the root portion of the sub-seal lip.
A door weather strip characterized by the above.