Weatherproof strip for automobile

Abstract

The present invention relates to a weather strip for an automobile, provided with: a molding part (12) which is formed so as to have a substantially U-shaped cross-section by connecting a pair of leg parts (14, 15) to each other by means of a connecting part (16), and in which a core material (17) is embedded; and a hollow sealing part (13) which is integrally provided on the upper surface of the connecting part, which fits and holds the molding part to a flange part (04) provided on the peripheral edge of the trunk opening part (01), and which seals the trunk opening part by crimping the trunk lid (02) to the hollow sealing part. The upper surface of the connecting part is provided with a protruding part with the rigidity at least the same as or higher than that of the connecting part, and the front end part (13a) of the hollow sealing part is prevented from being flattened and deformed when the hollow sealing part is installed on the bent part. As a result, the rigidity of the periphery of the connecting part of the molding part is improved by means of the protruding part, and the flattening deformation of the front end part of the hollow sealing part during bending can be suppressed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a weather strip for an automobile. The weather strip is attached to a trunk opening or a rear door (tailgate) opening, which is an opening on the vehicle body side. The weather strip elastically contacts an opening and closing member such as a trunk lid or tailgate to seal the interior and exterior of the vehicle compartment. Background Art

[0002] As a conventional automotive weather strip (hereinafter simply referred to as a weather strip) for a trunk opening or a tailgate opening of this type, the one described in Patent Document 1 previously filed by the present applicant is known.

[0003] Figure 1 1 is a perspective view showing the trunk opening of a car equipped with the weather strip of the present invention and the conventional weather strip. Figure 2 Indicates the weather stripping of the past, Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of part A.

[0004] The weatherproof strip 1 recorded in the bulletin, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, for example, it is installed on the periphery of the trunk opening 01 opened and closed by the trunk lid 02, and is equipped with: a molding portion 2, which is formed into a substantially U-shaped cross-section by connecting a pair of legs 3a and 3b on the vehicle interior and vehicle exterior sides by a connecting portion 4 spanning the two; a hollow sealing portion 5, which is integrally provided on the outer surface of the connecting portion 4; and a pair of sealing lips 6a and 6b, which are integrally provided on the lower outer surfaces of each leg 3a and 3b of the molding portion 2.

[0005] The fillet portion 2, such as Figure 2 As shown, a core material 7, for example made of metal material, is buried inside, and four retaining lips 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b are provided on the relative inner surfaces of each leg 3a, 3b. The four retaining lips 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b are in elastic contact with the two side surfaces of the flange portion 04 of the vehicle body panel 03 at the periphery of the trunk opening portion 01 and are engaged and retained.

[0006] The hollow sealing portion 5 is formed into a roughly diamond-shaped circular cross-section, and the fixed end is integrally connected to the upper surface of the connecting portion 4 by a pair of joints 5b, 5b located at the two ends of the circular cross-section, and a protrusion 5c protruding outward in an inclined manner is provided on the outer surface of the front end portion 5a.

[0007] Furthermore, the weather strip 1 is formed such that the molding portion 2 is engaged and retained by respective retaining lips 7a, 7b, 8a, and 8b and is mounted on the flange portion 04 of the trunk opening 01, and when the trunk lid 02 is closed, the front end portion 5a of the hollow sealing portion 5 is flattened and deformed by elastic contact, and a predetermined reaction force (surface pressure) is utilized to seal the periphery of the trunk opening 01 and the trunk lid 02.

[0008] Prior art literature

[0009] Patent Literature

[0010] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5984510 Summary of the Invention

[0011] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0012] However, the flange portion 04 provided on the periphery of the trunk opening portion 01 is as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the trunk design is such that the portion A or B in the figure is bent longitudinally or transversely with a curvature radius of approximately 90° in the vehicle longitudinal or transverse direction. Consequently, the molding portion 2 of the weather strip 1 is also bent and installed along the curved shape of the flange portion 04. This poses the risk of the molding portion 2 poorly following the curved portion, and the front end portion 5a of the hollow sealing portion 5 being bent. Figure 2 The double-dashed line shows the deformation of the molded part 2. Figure 1 There are multiple parts of the A part or the B part, but only one part is shown in the figure.

[0013] like Figure 5 (a) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the neutral axis of a conventional weather strip.

[0014] That is, the weather stripping 1 in the past, such as Figure 5 As shown in (a), when the hollow sealing portion 5 is bent into a curved shape along the curved shape of the flange portion 04, the so-called neutral axis P, which does not generate stress intensity in the cross section when a bending moment is generated accompanying the bending, is located on the lower side of the molding portion 2. The reason why the neutral axis P is located on the lower side of the molding portion 2 is believed to be due to the low rigidity of the connecting portion 4 of the molding portion 2 to which the hollow sealing portion 5 is provided.

[0015] Therefore, if the molding portion 2 of the weather strip 1 is bent along the shape of the portion A, for example, the difference in circumference between the molding portion 2 and the hollow sealing portion 5 increases, and a tensile force in the direction of the neutral axis P acts on the front end portion 5a of the hollow sealing portion 5. As a result, the front end portion 5a of the hollow sealing portion 5, such as Figure 2As shown by the two-dot chain line, it is easy to deform so as to approach the neutral axis P and be crushed toward the connection portion 4 of the molding portion 2.

[0016] As a result, when the trunk lid 02 is closed, the hollow seal portion 5 cannot obtain sufficient surface pressure against the trunk lid 02. As a result, there is a risk that the sealing performance between the periphery of the trunk opening 01 and the trunk lid 02 is reduced, and sufficient liquid tightness cannot be ensured.

[0017] The present invention has been proposed in view of the technical problems of conventional automotive weather strips as described above. Its object is to provide an automotive weather strip that utilizes a protrusion to increase the rigidity of the connection portion of the molding portion, thereby causing the neutral axis of the weather strip to move upward toward the hollow sealing portion of the molding portion, thereby suppressing the flattening deformation of the front end of the hollow sealing portion during bending.

[0018] Means of solving problems

[0019] The invention described in Scheme 1 of the present application is a weather strip for automobiles, comprising: a molding portion, the molding portion being formed into a substantially U-shaped cross section by connecting a pair of legs on the vehicle compartment side and the vehicle exterior side to each other by a connecting portion, with a core material embedded therein; and a hollow sealing portion, the hollow sealing portion being integrally provided on the outer surface of the connecting portion by means of a joint portion, the molding portion being fitted and retained in a flange portion provided on the periphery of a vehicle body opening portion, and a switch body for opening and closing the vehicle body opening being press-fitted to the hollow sealing portion, thereby sealing the vehicle body opening portion and the switch body, characterized in that:

[0020] A protrusion having the same rigidity as that of the connecting portion or higher rigidity than that of the connecting portion is provided at a position avoiding the coupling portion on the outer surface of the connecting portion.

[0021] Effects of the Invention

[0022] According to the invention described in Scheme 1 of the present application, the flattening deformation of the front end portion of the hollow sealing portion at the bending part can be suppressed, and the surface pressure of the hollow sealing portion can be increased, thereby suppressing the reduction in the sealing performance between the vehicle body opening and the opening and closing body, and fully ensuring liquid tightness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the trunk opening of a car to which the weather strips of the present invention and the conventional ones are installed.

[0024] Figure 2 Indicates the weather stripping of the past, Figure 1 Cross-sectional view at part A of .

[0025] Figure 3The weather strip of the first embodiment of the present invention is Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram showing a cross section at part A of the .

[0026] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional view of the weather strip in the free state according to the present embodiment.

[0027] Figure 5 (a) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the neutral axis of a conventional weather strip, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the neutral axis of a weather strip according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 The position of the neutral axis of the conventional weather strip and the position of the neutral axis of the weather strip of the present embodiment are measured by experiment. Figure 2 A comparison table showing the actual lengths of the weather stripping at various measurement locations.

[0029] Figure 7 4 is a cross-sectional view of a weather strip according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] An embodiment of a vehicle weather strip according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This weather strip, like the conventional weather strip described above, is suitable for use as a vehicle body opening when attached to the periphery of a trunk opening.

[0031] Figure 3 The weatherproof strip of the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in cross section. Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of the bending part of part A, Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the weather strip of this embodiment is shown.

[0032] As mentioned earlier, in Figure 1 The surrounding of the trunk opening 01 on the vehicle body side is shown as Figure 3 As shown by the double-dashed line, the flange portion 04 of the vehicle body panel 03 is formed upright or vertically, and a weather strip 11 is installed on the flange portion 04. Figure 3 In the figure, the right side of the flange portion 04 becomes the vehicle outer side, and the left side becomes the vehicle inner side.

[0033] The weather stripping 11 includes a molding portion 12 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, which serves as a mounting base, and a hollow sealing portion 13 integrally formed with the molding portion 12. The trunk lid 02, which serves as an opening and closing member, elastically contacts the hollow sealing portion 13, thereby sealing the interior and exterior of the trunk.

[0034] The molding 12 is entirely formed of solid rubber material and includes a leg portion 14 on the vehicle interior, a leg portion 15 on the vehicle exterior, and an upper connecting portion 16 that spans and connects the pair of legs 14, 15. These portions give the molding 12 a roughly U-shaped cross-section. Furthermore, a core material 17 of a similar shape, made of metal or resin, is embedded within the molding 12 along its longitudinal direction. A pair of retaining lips 18, 19 are protrudingly formed on the opposing inner sides of each leg portion 14, 15 of the molding 12. When the molding 12 is inserted into the flange portion 04, these retaining lips 18, 19 flex and clamp the flange portion 04 from both sides, thereby fitting and retaining the molding 12, which has a roughly U-shaped cross-section, to the flange portion 04.

[0035] The connecting portion 16 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape, and has a pair of protrusions 16 a and 16 a provided along the longitudinal direction of the molding portion 12 at both shoulders inside and outside the vehicle.

[0036] The hollow sealing portion 13 is formed of a sponge rubber material with a generally diamond-shaped cross section. A pair of circular-cross-sectional fixed ends, 13b, are integrally joined to the upper surface of the connecting portion 16. Furthermore, a protrusion 13c that protrudes outwardly and obliquely is provided on the outer surface of the front end portion 13a, radially above and opposite to the two protrusions 13b. Each of the protrusions 13b, 13b is joined to the upper surfaces of the pair of protrusions 16a, 16a provided on the upper surface of the connecting portion 16.

[0037] In addition, if Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, a high-seal portion 20 made of, for example, butyl sponge rubber is bonded and fixed to the lower surface (inner surface) of the plate-shaped connecting portion 16 of the molding 12. This high-seal portion 20 is formed into a roughly oblong cross-section that is long in the width direction of the connecting portion 16 and extends longitudinally approximately in the center of the inner surface of the connecting portion 16 in the width direction. Furthermore, the high-seal portion 20 is formed to be relatively thick, so that when the molding 12 is inserted and engaged with the flange 04, the front end 04a of the flange 04 is inserted internally. This further enhances the sealing function inside and outside the vehicle. Alternatively, the high-seal portion 20 can be formed from other sponge rubber materials.

[0038] A cover edge 21 is protruding from the lower end of the outer side of the leg portion 14 on the vehicle interior side of the molding 12. This cover edge 21 is used, for example, to conceal or provide continuity to the end of an interior component (not shown) such as a decorative part installed on the vehicle interior.

[0039] A sealing lip 22 is integrally formed at the lower end of the outer side surface of the leg portion 15 on the vehicle exterior side of the molding 12. When properly mounted relative to the flange 04, the front end 22a of the sealing lip 22 contacts the flat surface of the vehicle body panel 03 outside the flange 04, thereby providing a sealing function. The cover edge 21 and sealing lip 22 are formed from a sponge rubber material.

[0040] And, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the molding portion 12 is integrally provided with a protrusion 23 at the center of the upper surface of the connecting portion 16, that is, between the two protrusions 16a, 16a and at the center of the upper surface between the two joints 13b, 13b of the hollow sealing portion 13. Since the protrusion 23 is formed simultaneously with the molding portion 12 when the weather strip 11 is formed by extrusion, it is formed from the same solid rubber material as the molding portion 12. In addition, the protrusion 23 is formed to have a substantially trapezoidal cross-section. The height H from the upper surface of the connecting portion 16 to the front end 23a is formed to be higher than the two protrusions 16a, 16a. Moreover, the protrusion 23 is formed not over the entire length of the connecting portion 16, but only over the aforementioned portion. Figure 1 The portion of part A or part B that is bent into a curved shape.

[0041] [Functions and Effects of the Present Embodiment]

[0042] Next, the effects of the weather strip 11 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0043] Figure 5 (b) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the neutral axis of the weather strip according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] In the weather strip 11, since the rigidity of the connecting portion 16 is increased by the protrusion 23, the weather strip 11 is installed on the Figure 1 When the flange portion 04 of the vehicle body panel 03 of the trunk opening 01 is bent into a curved shape, for example, portion A, the neutral axis P1 of the weather strip 11 is as shown. Figure 5 As shown in (b), the neutral axis P (refer to Figure 5 (a)) A high position. Therefore, excessive crushing deformation of the front end portion 13a of the hollow seal portion 13 at the A portion when the weather strip 11 is attached to the flange portion 04 is suppressed.

[0045] Figure 6 The inventors of this application have experimentally determined the position of the neutral axis of the conventional weather strip and the position of the neutral axis of the weather strip of this embodiment. Figure 2Comparison table of the actual lengths of the weather stripping at various measurement locations.

[0046] In this experiment, two weather strips, one identical to conventional weather strip 1 and one identical to weather strip 11 of this embodiment having protrusions 23, were prepared as samples. Each weather strip had a reference length of 150 mm in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, each of these weather strips 1 and 11 was attached to a longitudinal bending jig and bent into a curved shape with the same radius of curvature as the portion A of the flange portion 04 (approximately a 90° angle).

[0047] As a measuring device, use Figure 2 The multiple black dots of the conventional weather strip 1 shown in the figure indicate that the lengths were measured at four locations: the position (1) of the protrusions 5c, 13c of the front end portions 5a, 13a of the hollow sealing portions 5, 13 of the weather strips 1, 11; the joining position (2) of the hollow sealing portions 5, 13 relative to the molding portions 2, 12; the approximately center position (3) in the vertical direction of the molding portions 2, 12; and the position (4) of the lower end portions of the molding portions 2, 12.

[0048] According to this experiment, Figure 6 As shown, at the measurement position (1), the conventional weather strip showed an elongation of 173 mm, while the weather strip of the present embodiment showed an elongation of 169 mm. Compared with the conventional weather strip, the elongation of the weather strip of the present embodiment was reduced by about 4 mm.

[0049] At the measurement position (2), the conventional weather strip is 160 mm, while the weather strip of the present embodiment is 159 mm. The elongation of the weather strip of the present embodiment is reduced by about 1 mm compared to the conventional weather strip.

[0050] At the measurement position (3), the conventional weather strip is 154 mm, while the weather strip of the present embodiment is 150 mm. At this position, the elongation of the weather strip of the present embodiment is reduced by about 3 mm compared to the conventional weather strip.

[0051] Furthermore, at the measurement position (4), the conventional weather strip is 150 mm, while the weather strip of the present embodiment is 145 mm. At this position, the elongation of the weather strip of the present embodiment is reduced by about 5 mm compared to the conventional weather strip.

[0052] As described above, it was found that the elongation of the weather strip 11 of the present embodiment was smaller than that of the conventional weather strip 1 at any of the measurement positions (1) to (4).

[0053] This is believed to be because the neutral axis P of the conventional weather strip 1 is located at measurement position (4), whereas the neutral axis P1 of the weather strip 11 of the present embodiment is located at measurement position (3), which is higher and closer to the hollow seal portion 13 than position (4). The reason why the neutral axis P1 of the weather strip 11 of the present embodiment is higher is that the rigidity of the connection portion 16, which is the connection point to the hollow seal portion 13, is increased by the protrusion 23.

[0054] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the weather strip 11 is mounted on the flange portion 04, Figure 1 The amount of flattening deformation of the front end portion 13a of the hollow sealing portion 13 at the portion A shown in FIG. Figure 4 The double-dotted line shows Figure 2 Compared with the amount of crushing deformation of the front end portion 5a of the conventional hollow sealing portion 5 shown by the two-dot chain line, the amount of crushing deformation is sufficiently suppressed.

[0055] As a result, when the trunk opening 01 is closed by the trunk lid 02, the surface pressure of the front end portion 13a of the hollow sealing portion 13 relative to the trunk lid 02 becomes sufficiently high. Therefore, the reduction in the sealing performance between the periphery of the trunk opening 01 and the trunk lid 02 can be suppressed, and the liquid tightness can be fully ensured.

[0056] In addition, in this embodiment, since the two convex portions 16a, 16a provided on the upper surface of the connecting portion 16 together with the protrusion 23 contribute to the improvement of the rigidity of the connecting portion 16, the flattening deformation of the front end portion 13a of the hollow sealing portion 13 when bent at the A portion can be further suppressed.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the protrusion 23 is not formed along the entire longitudinal direction of the weather strip 11 but is formed only at the bending portion of the weather strip 11 in part A or part B, the increase in material cost or manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

[0058] [Second Implementation Method]

[0059] Figure 7 In the second embodiment of the weather strip according to the present invention, a pair of protrusions 24 and 25 are integrally provided on outer surfaces of both shoulders of the connecting portion 16 of the molding portion 12 on the inner and outer sides of the vehicle.

[0060] The two protrusions 24, 25 are formed of solid rubber material like the molding 12, and are respectively formed into a substantially trapezoidal cross section. In addition, the formation area in the longitudinal direction is only located at Figure 1 The bent portion of the portion A or the portion B shown is not formed integrally along the length direction of the weather strip 11 .

[0061] The two protrusions 24 and 25 are set so that the height H from the upper surfaces of the two shoulders of the connecting portion 16 to the respective front end surfaces 24a and 25a is the same and is higher than the height of the respective convex portions 16a and 16a of the connecting portion 16. In addition, the inner side surfaces 24b and 25b of the two protrusions 24 and 25 are arranged to face the outer surfaces near the joints 13b and 13b of the hollow sealing portion 13 in a state of proximity with each other via a small gap.

[0062] Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the connection portion 16 of the molding portion 12 has high rigidity by virtue of the two protrusions 24 and 25, similarly to the first embodiment, when the weather strip 11 is placed along the Figure 1 When the bent portion of the molding 12, for example, portion A, is bent and mounted, the neutral axis P1 is located at a high position close to the hollow seal portion 13. Therefore, the front end portion 13a of the hollow seal portion 13 is sufficiently suppressed from being crushed.

[0063] As a result, when the trunk lid 02 is closed, the surface pressure of the front end portion 13a of the hollow seal portion 13 against the trunk lid 02 becomes sufficiently high, thereby suppressing a decrease in the sealing performance between the periphery of the trunk opening 01 and the weather strip 02.

[0064] In particular, in this embodiment, since Figure 1 When the weather strip 11 is installed at the bent portion of part A or part B, the outer surfaces of the joints 13b, 13b of the hollow sealing portion 13 abut against and support the inner side surfaces 24b, 25b of the two protrusions 24, 25. Therefore, together with the rigidification of the connecting portion 16, the flattening deformation of the front end portion 13a of the hollow sealing portion 13 can be further suppressed.

[0065] The present invention is not limited to the structures of the first and second embodiments described above. In addition to the periphery of the trunk opening 01 , the weather strip 11 may also be applied to the periphery of the tailgate opening.

[0066] Furthermore, the shape, size, height, etc. of the protrusions 23 to 25 may be further modified depending on the installation location or specifications of the weather strip 11. Furthermore, the material of the protrusions 23 to 25 is the same as the solid rubber material of the molding portion 12 in each embodiment, but other hard rubber materials or hard resin materials may also be used.

[0067] Furthermore, for example, the hollow sealing portion 13 , the lid edge 21 , the sealing lip 22 , and the like may be formed of a rubber or resin material other than the sponge rubber material.

[0068] Description of Reference Numerals

[0069] 01Trunk opening (body opening)

[0070] 02Trunk lid (opening and closing body)

[0071] 03Body Panel

[0072] 04 Flange

[0073] 11 Weather stripping

[0074] 12 Welt

[0075] 13 hollow sealing part

[0076] 13a front end

[0077] 13b, 13b junction

[0078] 14 Legs inside the car

[0079] 15 Legs on the outside of the car

[0080] 16 Connection

[0081] 16a, 16a convex part

[0082] 17 core material

[0083] 18, 19 keep lip

[0084] 23, 24, 25 protrusions

Claims

1. A weather strip for an automobile, comprising: a molding portion having a substantially U-shaped cross section formed by connecting a pair of legs on the vehicle compartment side and the vehicle exterior side via a connecting portion, wherein a core material is embedded within the molding portion; and a hollow sealing portion integrally provided on the outer surface of the connecting portion via a joint portion. The molding is fitted and held in the flange portion provided on the periphery of the vehicle body opening, and a switch body for opening and closing the vehicle body opening is pressed against the hollow sealing portion to seal the vehicle body opening and the switch body. A protrusion having the same rigidity as that of the connecting portion or higher rigidity than that of the connecting portion is provided at a position avoiding the coupling portion on the outer surface of the connecting portion.

2. The automotive weather strip according to claim 1, wherein: The protrusion is provided only at a portion of the outer surface of the connection portion where the molding is bent along the front-rear direction or the width direction of the vehicle body of the flange portion of the vehicle body opening.

3. The automotive weather strip according to claim 1, wherein: The protrusion is formed of the same material as the molding, or is formed of a hard rubber or resin material having higher rigidity than the molding.

4. The automotive weather strip according to claim 1, wherein: The outer surface of the connecting portion is provided with a connecting portion of the two hollow sealing portions, The protrusion is disposed at the center between the two coupling portions of the connecting portion.

5. The automotive weather strip according to claim 4, wherein: Two protrusions are provided on the outer sides of the two coupling portions of the hollow sealing portion of the connecting portion.

6. The automotive weather strip according to claim 4, wherein: The outer surface of the connecting portion is provided with two convex portions, and the two coupling portions are respectively coupled to the two convex portions.

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